Chapter Text
“Where’s Chris?” Leshawna asked, as she arrived at the dock of the island where the new season would take place.
“Didn’t you get the memo?” Blainley asked, tittering. “I’m the host now!”
“Well, that’s a drupp,” Leshawna said, going over to stand beside Bowie and Lightning.
“Why are all the black contestants here first?” Lightning asked.
“Well, you have a 1 on your shirt, you tell me,” Blaineley said.
“It should really be 6-7,” said Max, arriving on the Island via the rowboat. He combed his purple hair. Was still as short and stocky as before.
"I don't play that Alpha game," Lightning said.
"It's a good number, until it stops being trendy," Max said. He went over to examine a potted plant as the boat went off to fetch another contestant.
A few minutes later, it brought one over.
“I’m here and ain’t getting hit by no dodgeballs this time!” Noah declared.
“I’ll smack you with THESE dodgeballs, stringbean,” Leshawna said, pointing to her chest.
“Sorry babe, I have a thing for Emma.”
“Is she competing this season?”
“If she is, hasn’t informed me,” he said.
He went over and sat on the pier.
“Dude, you gonna get your shoes wet,” Bowie said.
“So?” Noah asked.
“You are one strange little whippersnapper,” Leshawna said, crossing her arms.
Max was looking around for items he could possibly work into for his next Contraption of Evil.
The little skiff came over with the Legendary Dawn, wearing her green sweatshirt and light purple leggings. She was sitting crosslegged on the boat and reaching forward to touch Zee on the chest. “I think if you trust in your aura, you can play this game way harder than you ever have before, Zee!”
Being the laid-back fellow he always was, he found the prospect of playing this game so hard would be…a trifle challenging. But he couldn’t help feeling like he was floating on a butterstick with Dawn grinning at him encouragingly the way she was now.
They arrived at the pier and Dawn hopped onto it then twirled about to hold her hand out for Zee to take and she helped him up.
“There are four cases of soda in your room,” Blaineley informed him.
“Thank you, my lady.”
She tittered. She kind of like this strange soda-loving boy. She had watched his season three times for this gig, had to, they would not have permitted her to host otherwise. Which was a shame. She was born to host. And to be hot.
She wanted to see Heather to needle her, would be fun.
Her hope was rearded when Heather was the one approaching on a skiff.
“Say, I have special Princess Privileges just for you, sweetheart.”
“Do you now?”
Blaineley tickled her chin. “Yeah, a cabin you’ll be sharing with me.”
“Why do I get the feeling that’s not a good thing?”
Heather wore her hair in the braid from All Stars. If she saw Alejandro here, she’d punch him hard in the jaw.
She also had on her cute brown top and olive green shorts.
“It is, you won’t have to eat Chef’s cooking!”
Heather sighed. “Fine, I’ll live in your cabin.”
“Excellent,” Blaineley said, pinching her ear. “You and I are going to have a really good time together.”
“Somehow I doubt it.”
Blaineley beamed.
Topher and Brick were next on the boat.
Each were gazing at pictures of their girlfriends, who happened to be twins.
“You know, we allow cell phones this season,” Blaineley said, when they arrived at the pier.
“You do?” Topher asked, excited. He climbed up on the pier and dialed Amy’s number.
“Dude, I thought you were almost at the set,” she said.
“I am, but apparently we can use our phones…”
“Whoa, that’s so cool! You’re gonna have to send me pictures of anything neat.”
“Will do,” he said.
When he hung up, Blaineley said, “Only pictures that don’t give away show secrets. Unless we can frame it as fake until the episode airs.”
Topher’s phone rang. He answered.
“Why hasn’t my sweet sister’s boyfriend called her yet?”
“Oh right, um, Brick…Samy’s waiting to hear from you.”
“It’s Sammy,” Brick replied, but he got out his phone and dialed.
Well, hit the button. Close enough to “dialing.”
“Hey, my lover.”
“Yep, it’s me.”
“You already at the island?”
“I sure am.”
“Well, I hope it goes well for you,” she said.
“Hope so too, darling.”
Noah got out his phone and pulled out Fourth Wing to read. Emma had been bugging him to spend time consuming it so they could discuss it.
“Yo, String Bean, your phone could fall in the water.”
“No worries, I’m careful,” Noah said.
“Um, Blaineley, what’s that?” Dawan asked, pointing at a yellow and white giraffe with a pink nose but a brown hindquarters.
“Oh uh,” Blaineley said, smiling. “The challenges this season involve Pokemon. But…no sending pictures of them just yet.”
“What are Pokemon?” Julia asked, jumping off the boat, her head smacking into Dawn’s stomach.
“Whoa, didn’t know I’d be competing against you,” Dawn said. “You wouldn’t bite my hand off if I say your aura is super shadowy?”
“What, no!” Julia said. She wrapped her arm around Dawn’s neck. “We should be besties.” She snapped a photo with her phone.
“Me? Besties with someone whose aura is…quite tainted?”
“I mean…you’re so fun and can…point me in the right direction. When I go off track.” Julia smiled sweetly.
“Oh, I feel like I shouldn’t trust you, but…um, maybe don’t make me regret this?”
“Awesome sauce!” Julia said, pulling her in for a hug.
Max had gone off to check on the Girafarig.
“Do you know where I can find metal for a contraption?”
The giraffe Pokemon just blinked at him.
“Guess not,” he said, stroking its neck.
The skiff came to the pier with two girls boarded.
“I’m so happy to be here!” Ella said, twirling around.
“Um, you’re the singing one,” Lightning said.
“That’s right!” she sang, dancing around him.
“I hope you’re not on my team,” he said.
“You can’t mean that!” she said, smacking his chest mid-twirl.
“Glad to get to compete again,” Sky said.
Julia kinda wanted to get close to her as well, but she restrained herself, would have to see if they were on the same team.
“I think there’s just one camper left to arrive,” Blaineley said.
Some of them wondered if it might be a specific person from their season. Max wouldn’t mind if it was Scarlett. Dawn would be furious if it was Scott, but she’d have to win over him this time, should it happen.
Sky really hoped it wasn’t Sugar. She couldn’t deal with that one. Had been so frustrating during the Pakhitew Island season.
The skiff grew closer to reveal that the final contestant happened to be, unremarkably, Cody.
“What up, homies?” he asked, as the boat reached the pier.
“I’d call dibs on him going home first,” Leshawna said to Heather.
“I dunno, he made it pretty far before,” she said. She had read a fanfic shipping her with Cody on the plane ride (after which she got picked up a Uber to bring her to get in the boat.)
“Now that we’re all here, I can introduce you to Chef!”
“What?” Bowie asked. “We’ve met Chef already.”
“Not the guy who is eager to poison you every chance he gets,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “Or serve you prison food, which isn’t too far off.”
“He tried to serve us baked beans once,” Julia said. “But I couldn’t eat that morning, thank goodness.”
“Your entire season was so strange,” Leshawna said.
“I’m kinda glad Lauren’s not here,” Julia said, shivering.
Dawn put her hand on her heart. “Oh yes, this Lauren gives you anxiety.”
“She’d give the entire camp anxiety,” Julia said.
“Not me,” Zee said. “She’s certainly freaky but she isn’t going to get me all nervous and you know, running for the hills.” He sipped soda from his can.
“I’m just eager for the sportsy challenges we’ll undertake,” Lightning said, rubbing his hands together.
“I’m not,” Noah said.
Ella had slipped her feet out of her sandals. She dropped on the pier with her butt and dipped her toes in the water. “I’m not the most athletic either!”
Heather snapped a picture of them together, she wondered if she would need it for later to send to Emma and get Noah frustrated in a competition. If it was between her and the other campers being sent home, well, had to be not her.
“Here’s our chef,” Blaineley announced.
“That’s a squirrel,” Bowie remarked.
“Wearing a chef’s hat,” said Sky.
“And an apron,” said Heather.
“His name is Chef Dente,” Blaineley put in. “You might not have as bad with his cooking as…the other guy in charge of food in previous seasons.”
Max had been planning to only eat berries if he got asked to down another bowl of porridge, or gruel, or snails. But if this squirrel, odd as it seemed, could serve actual food, he’d be all for it.
Blaineley got down in a crouch and the Greedent made noises that none of the campers could translate but Blaineley seemed to get just fine.
“He says you all will be dining on fettuccine alfredo tonight.”
“That sounds good,” Topher said.
Julia was eager for actual food here herself, she wondered if that’d have her play better, to be determined.
Chef Dente wandered off to the building with the kitchen.
“Now, time for me to split you into teams, I suppose,” Blaineley said, frowning. “Though I’d prefer to tell you what’s up, you might not all be familiar with Pokemon.”
“What are they?” Cody asked.
“Fascinating creatures, a lot allied with elements. Fire, lightning, ice. There are even some dragons and fairies.”
“Wow,” Sky said. “I’d love to fly on a dragon.”
“Well, you can’t fly on that one well, but there’s one now,” Blaineley said, pointing to one on the water. It was green, and quite long.
“Is that like, a huge dragonfly?” Brick asked.
“Pretty much.”
A lot of the campers were quite enthralled.
A yellow face poked out of the water. It had huge round ears and white spots, as well as ears that resembled a bunny’s but not straight up, more floppy.
“That’s an Azumarill,” Blaineley said.
“Neato,” Max said. He really liked the looks of that creature.
It was certainly strange for a water-dweller. Not a fish, or reptilian, or a mollusk/cnidarian. Definitely not a crustacean. Not even an otter. Like, what could you even classify it as?
But part of Max wanted to ignore it because it seemed unlikely anything that bright yellow would be an ally for evil plots.
“So yes, team splitting, ugh, I hate this part,” Blaineley said.
“You could just merge us already,” Bowie suggested.
“Nah, the producers gave an ultimatum, we have to start the show with teams. For competition purposes or something. Adds to the drama.”
“If Courtney were here, she’d say it’s in the name,” Leshawna said.
“Yes, but this is perplexing,” Blaineley said. “I think the former host chose names for the teams before the show began. I haven’t picked some out yet.”
She hummed for a bit, checking her own phone.
“Let’s see, the Frigid Dewpider seems like a cool name,” she remarked. “And Smoldering Magby.”
She kept going through stuff on her phone to find the perfect names.
A fish that you might find in a spa nibbled on Ella’s toes, she was surprised by this.
“Okay, I’ve got it. Shocking Zebstrika versus the Dozing Komala.”
“Really, some of us are going to have…’dozing’...in our team name?” Heather asked, skeptically.
“Yes, and since you’ve been a gaffer before, you get to be the first of the Komala.”
“What even is a Komala?”
“Oh a snuggly bear,” Blaineley said.
“If Sierra was here, she’d go wild at that, so I nominate myself as a Dozing Komala,” Cody said.
“I’ll take the opposing team,” Leshawna said. “We don’t need all the members from the original cast on the same side.”
“There ain’t no Number One in dozing, so I’ll join the other team too,” said Lightning.
“I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to pick whose on which team,” Blaineley said. “As part of my host duties.” She gazed out at the many pairs of teenage eyes. “Eh, just kidding, you can divvy yourselves up, except…”
She pointed at Brick. “You are on the Dozing Komala.” He saluted. Then she pointed at Topher. “And you on the Shocking Zebstrika. Can’t have the dudes dating the twins on the same team.”
“Fine by me,” Topher said.
In some ways he found Blaineley’s approach quite…captivating. She was quite cute for a woman in her mid-thirties. He went to stand beside Leshawna and Lightning.
“Dawn and I are going on the same team,” Julia announced. “Which one do you like best, Dawn?”
“I feel more in tune with the dozing bear thing.”
“Then we are we with you,” Julia said to Heather.
The Japanese girl sized her up. She wasn’t sure she wanted this other Mean Girl with her…but…she kind of was curious about Dawn and didn’t really want her as an opponent…although it meant she could be voted off should she turn out to be a nuisance.
“I volunteer Noah and myself for the Shocking Zebstrika!” Ella sang, having turned to the side on the pier.
A blue creature with short legs and kinds of ribbons on the side of its head, and red circular sections on its crest. It had a bit of saliva hanging from its lips.
“Glooooooooooooooooooom,” it said.
“Are Pokemon all like that?” Heather asked.
“Um, that’s the only one specifically like it, but…if you mean plants walking around, there are a few of those, sure,” Blaineley explained.
“I’m not sure I’ll get used to that,” Heather said, a bit spooked.
That left four people not put into teams yet.
“Zee, join us!” Dawn called.
“Um, sure, sounds good,” he said, moving over to stand beside her. She smiled at him as he sipped the soda from his orange can, which no girl had done before.
Was definitely different.
Sky looked at the two teams and wasn’t sure which one she wanted. Seemed like a tough choice.
Bowie went for the Dozing Komala. “I’ll finish off this team, don’t need all the blacks on one side, it creates imbalance.”
Sky thought it’d have been cool if Jasmine were there. She wanted to be on a team with her. Sad that she didn’t get to be.
Since Pahkitew Island only got a single season. Had it received another season, she’d have really liked to be teamed up with the Australian tall black chick.
“Guess it’s up to us Pakhitew Squad to join the Shocking Zebstrika,” Max said, holding out his hand.
Sky smiled at him. “Sure seems that way.” She slipped her hand in his.
He led her to the end of the Zebstrika line.
“Awesome,” Blaineley said, clapping. “Everyone in their teams.”
“So when do we get our first task?” Cody asked.
“Tomorrow,” she said.
“Um, that’s not the way it ever happened before,” Heather said.
Blaineley smirked. She went over and pressed her thumb into Heather’s cheek. “The ride to take people off the island isn’t complete yet. If one of you got eliminated tonight, it’d be useless. Plus, I want to test out…campers getting to know each other a little better,” she paused, forming camera motion with her hands as if filming with them, “and then if a shlock screws up, it’s easier for you to kick that peson off.”
None of the campers wanted to be the first to not receive a marshmallow.
And of course Julia had no intention of failing to receive a marshmallow ever. Not that Heather had any plans of that happening to her, either.
“Now you lot go spread out on the island or whatever, no pictures of Pokemon except to…well, former cast members,” she looked from Topher to Brick as she said this, “with the ‘Do not post this online’ stigma. If stuff gets leaked, might have to take all your phones away, this is still a show that requires people watching it.”
She moved off, leaving the teenagers be.
Noah and Ella went together, he wasn’t sure it he should shake her off, or could.
Leshawna kind of wanted to scream at both Bowie and Sky for screwing things over, now four Pakhitew Island contestants were on her team, when she had purposefully moved to split up the original cast members, and now those from a specific season were cluttering up her team.
She decided to channel her anger into planning how to cajole Heather into swapping a Pakhitew for a Komala.
Julia moved Dawn toward a shed, which a tapir creature with brown on its lower half and golden yellow on its upper half with a long nose, sitting outside it.
“That thing looks weird,” Julia said.
“I think it’s cuddly,” Dawn said, bending down to give the creature a hug.
“We are going in,” Julia said.
“Why?”
“To find reclining chairs! They’d be fun to sit in.”
“Shouldn’t we put out bags in our rooms first?”
“I guess we should,” Julia lamented. “But we come back after here afterward.”
“Sounds good to me,” Dawn said, stroking the tapir’s furry neck, it seemed to enjoy that.
Brick did the gentlemanly thing and helped Heather with her luggage.
But outside the girls’ cabin, Blaineley ambushed them. “Heather, I thought I told you you’re sleeping with me.”
“It doesn’t make sense for the host and a camper to share a cabin.”
“I make the rules here,” Blaineley said. She pinched Heather’s cheek. “Think of it as, if you were an RA at uni and got a special room.”
“I suppose that’s…cool,” Heather said.
“So yes, you must go there,” Blaineley said, patting her cheek. “It’s silver with blue windowpanes. And a Blaziken windowpane. You can’t miss it.”
She pointed them in the direction they had to go.
So Brick and Heather moved off to locate that cabin.
Sky wasn’t sure how to play this. None of them had been informed about the Confessional yet either. Was it still in the outhouse? Presumably. She kind of wanted tot make a Confessional now but if it wasn’t there, it’d be weird speaking as though it were.
Zee found the cases of soda in the cabin with his bunk bed, they were on top of a lower bunk.
Cody set up the picture of Sierra that she had asked him to take and he snapped a photo of it then sent that to her.
Topher felt kind of lost without Amy, but she was eager to chat with him, so with phone pressed to his ear, he walked around.
“Oh wow, just saw a rock with a face and arms!” he told her.
“What?” she squealed. “Send me a pic!”
He did so.
“Oh my gosh, that is so interesting! Gosh I wish I was there.”
“Would be cool if we’re both in the competition at some future time.”
“Sure would,” she said. “Samy, you gotta see this!” She entered her kitchen and showed her sister the pic.
At that point, Topher had other things to show her, including a pink bipedal bulldog and a weird magnet thing with a prominent nose.
After depositing their stuff in the cabin, claiming beds, they went back out and ran into a cat that was purple and cream, and of course Dawn had to pet that too.
The cat followed them toward the shed. The tapir wasn’t there anymore. Julia opened the door and they went in to grab the reclining chairs and Julia set them up so they could sit side by side and the Delcatty hopped onto Dawn’s lap and received strokes behind her ears.
Max found a red orange creature with a burning tail and followed it to see what it was up to.
After catching site of an apricot fox with nine tails, as well as a weasel creature with orange fur and what looked like a floatie around its neck, Sky got mesmerized by a yellow bird with pom poms who seemed to believe itself to be a cheerleader.
Bowie was ready to pounce, he needed someone to ally with and did a quick assessment and decided that Sky would make the perfect ally, the only issue was she was on the opposite team and he wondered if it’d be possible to persuade her to swap with someone on the Dozing Komala, as that seemed to be a clear shot at winning.
“Yo, Sky, I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh um, hi,” she said. “Bowie right?”
“Yep, that’s me.”
“These Pokemon are fascinating creatures, aren’t they?”
“Sure are,” he said, following her gaze to a blue bug that was bigger than a chihuahua somehow with blue on its face and purple around it.
“So what is it you wanted to say?”
“Oh um, I watched your season, and you’re quite the player,” he said.
“Er thanks for buttering me up,” she said. “You made it pretty far yourself.”
“I did,” Bowie said. “Which is why I think, you and I on the same team would be a good way to beat down the competition.”
“Probably, but we’re not.”
“Not yet,” he said. “However, if you were to swap with Zee…”
“I can ask him, he does seem laid-back.”
“Sure, and if that fails, I’ll see if Brick can go over to the Shocking Zebstrika.”
“I’m not sure Blaineley would like that.”
“She’ll be won over,” Bowie felt certain.
“We’ll see,” Sky said.
Ella pointed out some brown birds to Noah.
She didn’t know why she was hanging out with this guy. She felt drawn to him. Plus she hadn’t gotten to be on a season with Noah before. And she also hadn’t felt this way about any of the dudes in the Pakhitew Island season.
She saw a deer and Noah led her over to it, he stroked its neck and she petted its back.
There was a ring-a-ding-ling tittering throughout the campsite.
Then a bullhorn crackled. “Attention campers, that noise you just heard is Chef Dente’s signal that he’s ready for you lot to come in and dine!”
Lots of joy went around the island. Julia insisted she and Dawn put the reclining chairs back in the shed.
Everyone arrived at the Mess Hall fifteen minutes later, minus Cody.
They went inside and saw plates stacked and went up to grab them.
“Wait, Heather,” Blaineley said. “You and are having pizza in my cabin.”
“I want to hang with my campmates.”
“Okay,” Blaineley said, pinching her nose. “I’ll put your pizza in the fridge but you will have to eat some cold in the morning.”
Heather nodded, Blaineley squeezed her cheeks. She watched Blaineley’s booty as she moved on the way out of the Mess Hall. Did the host kinda…like Heather? That was…definitely not how she thought things would be. Or that she’d be sleeping in a cabin with her.
“Hey, Mean Princess, you’re holding up the line,” Noah said.
“Don’t call me that,” she said. “I could be having pizza and I’m hanging out with you lot instead.”
She held out her plate for the Squirrel Pokemon to dump fettuccine alfredo on.
Then she went to go take a seat.
Julia was simmering, she was the Mean Princess.
When she got her plate filled, she went over to plop across from Heather. “How dare you steal my title.”
“Easy now, Julia,” Dawn instructed. “We’re on the same team.”
“I’ll be calm if she agrees to rub my feet.”
“Ew, why would I do that?” Heather asked, wrinkling her petite nose.
“Because I’ll massage your stinky feet first.”
“Okay, sure,” Heather said, taking hers out of her sandals and sticking them in Julia’s lap.
The dirty blond chick got her fingers between Heather’s toes. It felt way too good. Plus her palms rubbing on Heather’s heels.
Julia then scooped up some fettuccine with her bare hands and put it in her mouth.
“Why’d you do that?” Dawn asked. “You have a fork.”
“Alfredo sauce is an amazing moisturizer,” Julia explained, and she rubbed that on Heather’s feet, making her feel riveting.
Heather knew that it’d be nearly impossible to vote Julia off from this. Regardless of how she performed.
After rubbing her feet a bit more Julia went to eating, using her fork this time. Heather sighed, her feet slipped out of Julia’s lap and back into her sandals.
Julia’s peds would up in Heather’s lap. As soon as she started rubbing them, the feeling that she wanted to kiss these feet entered her head.
But Julia would never allow that, might kick her for suggesting it. So she wouldn’t.
Perhaps she’d make a confessional about it.
Ella sang about how delicious the fettuccine was. Then, her lips dripping with alfredo, her plate empty, she reached across the table, leg in the air, and gave Noah a cheesy kiss.
“Ella, I’m with someone.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” she said, frowning. She fled from the scene to go and cry.
Blaineley found her at the pier five minutes after that. “Um, the confessional for girls is a makeup shed.”
“Thanks,” Ella said. “Can you lead me there?”
“Sure, my pet.”
Ella rose. Blaineley held onto her as they moved along the island. As if Ella was going to break apart at any second.
“Have a good time with your Confessional,” Blaineley said, with a smile. “And if you ever need to get away from everyone, come to my and Heather’s cabin!”
“Thank you!” Ella singsonged.
Blaineley left and Ella entered the shack, then got to speaking about how she kind of liked Noah but knew his heart was with Emma and it was quite conflicting.
The boys Confessional was a sports equipment shed and they got informed of this.
So it was mostly a nice evening munching on dinner.
Bowie sat next to Sky, somehow this had to be the ticket.
They went out of the Mess Hall, full and happy, an emotion that wasn’t entirely prevalent on this island.
Neither was good food. That was…terrific.
And Heather…well, she wanted to hang out more with Julia. Maybe just a little. As Julia already had a friend that would most likely be in an alliance with her, Dawn.
Sky marveled at a red crab tittering across the pier. It looked so strange and fun, not that she’d have thought that about a crab before.
A blue creature with big red jewels on its head and tiny eyes poked out. It also had a tentacle rise at the top of the water.
Max stood on the island but not on the pier, snapped a picture.
The creature looked diabolical, like it could be a helpmate of evil.
But he wasn’t sure he could capture it, might have to figure out a way to do so.
Julia and Dawn went around for a walk, some pre-dozing exercise, and they ended up seeing some more Pokemon Dawn just had to cuddle including a small red fox. And a yellow and white puppy.
The campers went to their cabins to go to a bed some time after that. Heather arrived at hers and breathed a sigh before entering, but Blaineley was already out like a light and snoring.
Heather got into her white jammies with teddy bears on them. She looked in the mirror. She wondered if these pajamas were more like what Dawn or Sammy would wear.
Well, it’d be weird to ask them. She took a pic of herself wearing those to see if she might want to in the morning, then hopped into…the water bed waiting for her.
She had never slept on a water bed before and it took her a bit to get comfy enough, and for some reason thoughts of Julia’s toes in between her fingers entered her mind.
She went on Instagram to see if she could find any feet pics posted by Julia, but alas, there were none in the first hundred pics.
But she let herself fall into slumber.
Outside one of the girls’ cabins was a hooting owl. It was quite the night sound.
A lot of fun awaited them on the morrow, but also…a camper being sent home, as per the nature of the game.