Alternate Battle for Dream Island

ABFDI 16c: Bowling, Now with Shouting!

Pin and Tennis Ball were staring at Rocky.

"So, uh..." The thumbtack tried to start up a conversation, being incredibly bored of it all; they've just been staring at him for the past quarter of an hour, and all he's done is... stand there. Not even vomit. Not even once. "What're we doing here, exactly?" "We're observing him." Tennis Ball answered. "And why *is* that?" Pin replied. "You and I both know that we've got better things to deal with than..." She'd vaguely gesture towards that strange little man. "*This*. We've got a competition to compete in, people to think about, things to investigate-" "I know." TB interrupted. "No need to remind me." He'd grumble for a moment before continuing. "And as much as I'd *love* to not have to think about that *again*..." He'd pause. "This *also* has something to do with that."

Pin kept staring at Rocky, then looked at Tennis Ball; were they seeing the same person? Has the clumsy TB finally gone mad? One too many concussions as a result of him stumbling about his maze of wires? She'd blink. "...How, exactly?" She'd be met with silence, despite her... *polite* nudging. "TB, don't forget that we're not *as* smart as you-" Tennis Ball seethed; he'd go ever so slightly closer to her, reducing his voice to a whisper. "I don't want to talk about it." He'd reply. "You never know who might be listening." Pin nodded. "True." She'd remark. "But I don't think anyone's gonna kill us over... *him*." She'd point at Rocky again. "I mean, him managing to rejoin the show *was* a bit strange, but-"

"Exactly." Tennis Ball replied. "You don't think that's odd? Rocky was up against plenty of others, others that can do more and have more ambition. And yet *he* was the one to get that chance." Pin rolled her eyes. "Just because *he* could find a red ball and *you* couldn't, doesn't mean that-" TB groaned. "You were there, weren't you?" He'd ask. "I heard that while everyone else was actually looking for a ball, he just... vomited one out. And the speaker box just accepted it. Isn't that a bit off?"

Pin blinked; now that he mentioned it, she *could* remember that that was the deciding factor behind Rocky's rejoin. How'd she forget *that*, of all things? Obviously she couldn't remember every single detail of every single day, but him barfing up a ball, and *that* being the reason he rejoined the game... That should be something that sticks. That should be something they could never forget. That should be something she has nightmares about. And yet it somehow got lost in the back of her head, only being retrieved *now* that she needed it.

"Huh." She'd look at TB. "Yeah, actually. That's... crazy." "You know what else is crazy?" Tennis Ball continued. "The amount of points he has; last I checked, he was up at *third* place. Just below you, and above Leafy." He'd glance at Rocky again for a moment, making sure he hadn't budged one bit. "I mean, I knew he was given a head-start due to not having any points, but that doesn't explain how well he's been doing since then. He doesn't do much; he stands, he barfs, and he used to talk."

Awkward silence ensued; the two of them took a few steps away from Rocky, realizing that *maybe* talking about him right behind his back *wasn't* such a good move on their part. "So, what're you thinking?" Pin asked. "What do you think is going on here?" "Think?" Tennis Ball raised an eyebrow. "I *know*; I know that Rocky and that robotic talker are up to something. There's just no debating it." Pin nodded. "But they're up to *what*?" She'd inquire further. "You haven't really answered my question." TB grumbled. "I don't know. I still don't." He'd reply. "All I know is that there's *definitely* something; I mean, right from the start that was obvious." He'd blink. "Why would the Announcer suddenly arrive, put an island up for grabs, and then force us to Battle for it?"

Ellipsis.

"Did we even have a choice?" He'd ask. "Hm?" Pin frowned. "From what I recall, there wasn't *anything* stopping us from just... *not* competing." Tennis Ball explained. "We were out in the open, and that talking cube didn't seem to have anything else with him; we could've just... left at any time. I mean, is Dream Island even worth it? Considering all that's happened..." He'd trail off. "What's stopping us from leaving right *now*?" He'd ask further. "We've been in the Battle for quite a while now, but nothing's changed; he hasn't fenced us off from the outside world, or anything. We also *clearly* don't like what's been going on. If we really hated it *that* much, we could've just left it easily. And yet... we're still here."