It was a rather calm day down at the Hotel.
Well, *most* days were like that, really. It was kinda its specific, intended purpose. A place to get away from all the hustle and bustle of life, a place to store all the *nobodies*, those that had a chance to join the Battle for Dream Island (well, The Power of Two), but didn't end up doing so. They were given their 2.763 seconds to shine, to make their case, and yet *somehow* they weren't able to demonstrate their potential and uniqueness to the capricious, heartless viewers and voters. How could that *possibly* be?
There were a number of questions to be asked, sure. Just *why* exactly were these failed candidates being stored up here, exactly? They had their shot, they tried to seize it, and they *failed*. That's it. They're through. They're *gone*. Should be gone, anyway. What on Earth were they still doing here? Was it some sort of practical joke, perhaps? Maybe they were now unwitting audience members? A few speculated that maybe, *just* maybe, it was because they were destined to compete in a future season, at some indeterminate point in the future. That's what happened to the last bunch, after all: they were thrown into the Locker of Losers, lingered there for who knows how long, then were eventually let out and allowed to compete in the Battle for Battle for (Battle for) Dream Island. Perhaps they would also end up in much the same conundrum, and they should just be a little bit more patient.
Thinking about it for any more than 2.763 seconds causes one to hit a couple snags, however. First was the overall sentiment *against* this competition dragging on and on, taking more and more of their precious, finite lives. First it was that drop of tears joining, then it was the *vast* stretches of time in-between episodes. Since then, measures have been taken to expedite the process; eliminating two at a time instead of one cut the project length of the competition in half. If this trend continued, odds are likely that any desire for a new season would be wiped out in no time at all, and after this one ends, everyone would go back to their regular, ordinary, perfectly mundane lives.
Whatever *that* was, anyway.
There was also the more subtle, more crushing reason why that possibility might not be. It was one most people were unaware of; they wouldn't know much about it unless they snooped around Basketball's Aboveground factory, or listened to Golf Ball's lectures as part of a *desperate* attempt to stave off boredom. The thing with the Locker of Losers wasn't really... planned. They were given their one and only chance, were soundly rejected by the voters, and were thrown to the Locker of Losers with seemingly no plan in mind. Then the Announcer fled to the skies, leaving everyone to pick up the pieces and continue the competition without him. They did that, then they gave up, then they moved to Yoyle City. Then Tennis Ball found a wall teleporter, everyone was gradually released from their horrific, metallic prison, and they all continued living until Four and X showed up. When they appeared, they just decided to take *everyone* for their new season, regardless of whether or not they were part of the cast of the original two seasons. As such, it didn't seem as if there was any actual thought or consideration behind the newbies being let into the fray: they just happened to be at the scene of the crime, and were thus implicated. Had they remained in the LOL, it seemed likely that they were gonna continue to rot there to this very day.
That's... quite a distressing thought.
Regardless of what the outcome might be, there was one thing all the possibilities had in common: they weren't gonna be realized in *quite* a long time. Though quite a few steps have been taken to pick up the pace, this competition was bound to drag on, just like all the other ones. Everyone still had a bunch of drama, a bunch of conflict, a bunch of *stress* to look forward to. Everyone was gonna keep on fighting, keep on struggling, until one of them *finally* wins The Power of Two. Then, if the previous seasons are anything to go by, that probably wouldn't even be the end of it. There's gonna be yet *another* incident over who got to win, why they may or may not deserve it, and there'd be yet another round of arguing and bickering. Perhaps even another competition to determine who would get to win it for *real*. Then there'd be a few years or so of silence as everyone regained their bearings, tried to adjust to a new life, and *then* all the Hotel guests could finally be let out of their imprisonment, perhaps be allowed to join a new season, whenever that may arise.
