It was a perfectly ordinary day in Goiky.
One might think that that is a completely generic cliche, a tired trope that has had all creative potential wrung out of it 2,763 years ago; but that isn't the case for the contestants of the Battle for Dream Island, and not just because they consider themselves to be real, living, breathing beings that do not consider their lives and their universe as some fictitious narrative crafted solely for the entertainment of some unknown higher power. If anything, they considered this rather calm and peaceful episode as a blessing, a quick little reprieve.
To say that the past few episodes have been hectic and chaotic would be... a *gross* understatement. Well, it has *always* been fierce; competing over some prize tends to be like that, especially when it's managed by algebraic aliens that have... *loose* concepts of things like morality and quality. But this recent season has been... *more* chaotic. The usual maelstrom that the Battle for Dream Island was something that they've learned to anticipate and manage by this point, having been subjected to its many obstacles and curveballs for years and years, totaling over a decade and a smidgen more for the veterans. But things have picked up significantly in recent times, and they very much felt it.
The contestants knew it, and Two seemed to notice it as well. The algebralian would even point it out as they announced today's challenge; the task for the day was something that was intentionally simpler, something to calm the nerves and bring things back to (somewhat) normal after all of... *that*. All the usual stakes were going to be there, of course, but that would be it. No funny business, no unexpected developments, and *absolutely* no outside forces meddling with affairs and perhaps ripping apart the fabric of reality.
Nothing of that sort. Nothing at all.
The contest began, and while the contestants would be just as excited to get going as ever, quite a few of them would indeed take in all the rest and recuperation they could get from this brief lull.
Pen in particular would decide to just lay down and stare blankly at the sky within the first few minutes. The rest of his team already seemed to have this in the bag. Tennis Ball and TV already had formulated their winning strategy for this episode, and given the simplistic nature of the contest, they seemed to be confident in their ability to pull it off on their own. Liy was probably with them, determined to do good with her second chance at life after having spent the past few years in some infernal pocket dimension. Bottle was... probably out there, doing whatever; as long as she didn't get in the way, it was fine. With their victory pretty much guaranteed, the writing utensil felt somewhat sure he could sit this one out. Besides, if they *really* needed him, they'd just ask, right?
And so, he stared into the brilliant blue sky. It'd been a while since he'd been able to just... do that. Partly because too busy doing other things, and partly because it almost *never* clears up. It took him no time at all to become completely and utterly lost, his thoughts soon drifting as aimlessly as the clouds.
All this recent chaos was something he could... *just* about handle. Pen already withstood quite a lot thrown at him; after surviving what was essentially a prison for years and years, he could take on just about anything. But chance and probability are cruel tricksters, always striking when one least expects it (even when one is trying to fully anticipate them) and having a habit of kicking someone while they're down. Just like Blocky and his funny doings.
...Blocky.
The writing utensil was tough, but he wasn't *that* tough. One of the main reasons he was able to stay sane through all those years of suffering and turmoil was because his pals were there with him along every step of the way. They stuck with him through thick and thin, supported him whenever things got *really* hard, and were always down to do whatever to put some smiles on their faces and some assurances on their heads. They had an *incredibly* strong friendship, one that was able to survive whatever life had to offer.
