Triangle snapped his fingers, as he usually did. When the members of Team Prawn were teleported to Cake at Stake, he'd take a look at each of them before continuing. All of them seemed to be rather afraid of... Something. Triangle very well knew what it was, but kept up the facade of being nonchalant in order to not look suspicious. "Team Prawn! Uh..." Triangle coughed to clear away the awkward silence that had preceded the situation. "You guys lost last time, of course. Um... I see that you guys are clearly afraid of being eliminated. Which is good. ...Yeah." Triangle could barely come up with anything to say that wouldn't trigger Pin, which could possibly get ugly should it happen. "So, uh... Do your thing? You know how it goes, so let's not delay it any further." The silence continued for several more seconds, before Triangle coughed again to urge them to get going. "Well, obviously, I vote for Pencil!" Pin immediately began. Pencil, knowing this would happen, would feign surprise. "What? WHY?" "All I've ever seen you do is talk with Match both during and in-between contests! You have to be revealing working with the Team Sharp Minds to help them win, aren't you?" "Yeah! It's the only logical explanation!" Leafy joined in. "Why else would she talk with someone from another team?" Blatantly ignoring that Match is Pencils friend. Perhaps she was under the influence of Pin, and therefore could not do critical thinking. Who wrote this plot into existence? Oh, wait. I did. "I vote for her too!"
Pencil sighed. "What? If I even was doing that, which i'm not, by the way..." Pencil would stare at Pin, displeased. "...then why would I even be helping you guys in the contests? Wouldn't sabotaging you guys be better?" "Because you want us to *think* that you're helping, even though you're doing the opposite!" Pin breathed, attempting to restrain herself from just using the death stare. Triangle was watching the argument unfold, and so she had to avoid raising suspicion. "Besides, if you really are helping out, then tell us how! *How* have you helped us?" Although Pin couldn't do the death stare, she could still use her powers to do a bit of trickery. She'd focus on Pencil, causing her to forget most of what she did during the competition. "I... Uh... Well, you see... During the... Er..." Pin chuckled. Watching her fail horribly. "SEE? You're not even helping us! You can't even name one time that you helped! That means only one thing, you *are* working for the other team!" Even though Pin tried her best to cover her tracks, Triangle would somewhat catch on, and would help out Pencil. "...That doesn't prove anything! Even if I wasn't helping you guys, that still doesn't prove that i'm helping the other team! Besides, I *totally* provide emotional support for you guys. I'm a friend to... Most of you guys, anyway." Pin became frustrated. "YOU PROVIDE NOTHING!" She'd yell.
"Oh, Teardrop! Our great team leader!" Leafy suddenly joined in again, this time talking to Teardrop. "You'll vote for Pencil too, right? She's been nothing but a burden to our otherwise-great team!" Teardrop would anxiously look at Leafy. Teardrop knew very well that this wasn't how Leafy normally behaved. The real Leafy was, indeed, friends with everybody, and would at least *try* to find a reason to let Pencil stay. She'd then look at Pin, and then Pencil, then back to Leafy. Besides her, Pencil was probably the only other team member who knew about the twos plotting and scheming. No matter what decision she made, she'd have to sacrifice *something*. She weighed her options. Teardrop definitely didn't want Pencil to be eliminated so soon, and definitely not when she needed her help more than ever. But at the same time, Leafy and Pin were *right there*. If she went against their orders, even if she was the team leader, she could face certain punishment. Maybe she could be disgraced much like Pencil was, or perhaps even worse.
"Teardrop..." Pencil looked at Teardrop, being actually afraid. Pencil knew Match was staring at her as well, and she wanted to look at her too, but she couldn't do anything to help her. "...Don't do this to me. Please." She'd weakly cry out. The gravity of the situation was clearly apparent for the two of them, and they feared what could happen if she got eliminated. Once Pin was successful in getting one of them eliminated, eliminating the rest would be made easier. Teardrop would continue frantically looking around the place, looking at the same three individuals. Eventually, however, she realized that she'd have to give in to Pins demands. She was right there, and she was ready to do something terrible to her at a moments notice. She'd nod slightly, and then she would point at Pencil, indicating that she was voting for her.
"What? NO!" Pencil yelled. "I thought-" "You thought *what*?" Pin immediately redirected her attention to Pencil, surprised by the sudden increase in volume. "I thought... We were pals! Good friends don't vote each other off!" Pencil struggled to come up with a convincing lie. "I mean... Aren't team leaders supposed to look after their teammates?" "You might be *regular* friends with TD. But we're *better* friends." Pin scoffed. Pencil would notice that Teardrop was clearly uncomfortable with what was going on, but, of course, she couldn't voice her complaints. "Isn't that right, Teardrop?" She'd nudge her. Teardrop would contemplate her next move, at risk of losing her only ally in this strange battle, but would end up reluctantly nodding, fearing what would happen if she didn't. "Teardrop! NO!" Pencil cried out yet again, being careful with her tone. She didn't want to give away that she knew, of course. She just wanted to make it sound like she was merely hurt by the 'betrayal'. Triangle, who was obviously concerned over the entire thing unfolding before him, would look at the screen displaying the votes in an effort to distract himself.
PENCIL: 3
Triangle sighed. He'd realize that he was the host. Asides from just leaving immediately (which was completely unacceptable), there was no way to actually avoid what was happening in front of him. He had to deal with it. "I, uh... I think we missed something crucial here." Triangle feigned being unaware, although he kept his eyes on Pin. "What happened between you guys? Weren't you guys friends, or something?" "That doesn't matter right now!" Pencil replied. "Even if we *are* friends, we still have to keep each other in check!" Pencil breathed. She was about to take a rather risky move. "Pin has become too dictatorial in wielding the power she has been given!" Golf Ball was rather surprised by her usage of such a big word. "Teardrop can't even do anything because she can't talk! Guys, we have to vote for Pin! She-" "Uh, Pencil... Listen." Snowball interrupted. "Pin is, like, a good leader... And, well, you aren't." Snowball sighed. "And she's right, you know. You've done *nothing* for the team. Like she said, all you've done of note was talk to Match, and she's in the other team!" Snowball breathed. "You're clearly only a burden to the team, and you gotta go." "Er... Snowballs right." Pen obviously agreed, given that there was some rather obvious conflict between the two, as stated before. "You gotta go." "Guys, are you serious?" Pencils sadness was quickly swept away by anger, seeing everyone else in her team voting for her. "Can't you see-" "They're right, you know?" Firey interrupted. "Pencil, I share *some* your sentiments regarding... Pin." Firey looked at Pin, who was already giving him a disapproving look. "Like, no offense, but sometimes..." Firey came up with a lie on the spot. "...You tend to ask so much from us, you know? Far more than we can actually do."
He'd then look back at Pencil. "But despite that, we can't afford to lose her at the moment! She's the closest thing to a competent leader we have..." He'd nervously look at Teardrop. "...No offense, but you *are* the silent type. Sorry..." Firey would wince as Teardrop would also give him a disapproving look. "...And with our team having lost more challenges than the other team, we *need* that! We need leadership, Pencil." "...But you're not voting for me, are you?" Pencil spoke in a higher pitch, obviously fearing that that was indeed the case. "Well..." Firey hesitated, seeing how sad Pencil already was, but would then notice that Pin was giving her the death stare. Not wanting to experience the same thing Snowball and Pen had, he was forced to play along. "...They're also right about their concerns over you. I was *really* considering voting for Spongy, but he's at least trying to help our team! The whole 'talking with Match' thing is also making us paranoid. I mean, most of us can't be bothered to listen to you while you talk. Because of that, who knows what you've been saying to her?" Firey sighed. "We just can't afford any risks right now, Pencil. You gotta go."
"W-What?" Of course, Pencil wouldn't take this too well. "A-Are you serious? You can't be!" Most members of Team Sharp Minds wouldn't really care, although some of them would be concerned about the whole thing about Pin. Match would probably be the only one that cared about Pencil. "Pencil! Like, no!" She'd cry out. "She's gonna get, like, eliminated!" "Uh, guys?" Needle wouldn't care about Pencil, being more concerned about the claims about Pin. "Haven't you noticed that Pins been acting up recently?" "...What do you mean?" Tennis Ball asked. "I mean, I know she's a good leader and all, and always has her teams interest in mind. But don't you think she's a bit... Different, from who she was in the past?" "I hate to say this, but... You're right." Coiny agreed. "I've always had Pin as a close friend, but I feel like her behavior *has* changed during the competition. It just doesn't feel like she's the same." "There's an obvious explanation for that!" Golf Ball interrupted. "I mean, have you guys ever seen her actually manage a team of sorts? I don't think so. People can change under pressure, and Pin's no exception." Golf Ball breathed. "Besides, Why should we care about how Pin's behaving? Even if she is acting abnormally, that's her teams problem!" "...But this isn't *just* about the teams." Coiny replied. "This is about her well-being! Even if she's in the opposite team, we're still good friends with her! This *still* isn't good!" Coiny, are you seriously concerned about the *enemy*?" Coiny decided to give in, knowing very well what would happen if he said yes. "...No, but-" "Then that's good!" Golf Ball interrupted yet again. "Now stop complaining and start celebrating!"
Triangle would look at the votes again.
PIN: 1
PENCIL: 6
He'd then shrug. "Uh... I don't think we need to ask Spongy for his input. We already know how this is gonna go." "Aww..." Spongy sighed in disappointment. "Pencil, any last words?" Triangle then looked at Pencil. "Hey! Host guy! You gotta believe me!" She'd look at him with pleading eyes. "You're the only one I can turn to!" Triangle could look at her in confusion, and would then snap his fingers. Pencil would slowly start fading away, and would be teleported to the TLC. As she faded away, Pencil would reiterate her 'theory'. "They're teaming up against me! I know it! Pin is planning to win the contest to..." Pencil would then fully vanish from the Cake at Stake area before she could finish her sentence. Triangle would feign a scoff, but in reality, he believed that Pencil was on to something. "Pssh. Can you *believe* that?" Triangle would 'ridicule' what she said. Pin nodded with approval.
"Uh, yeah." Needle continued. "*That* was what I was concerned about." She'd then look at Golf Ball. "...Golf Ball?" "I know, I know." Golf Ball replied. "I heard so as well. But if that's true, then that's all the more proof that their team will collapse further! If Pin *is* hiding something, then they'll question her! Soon, one of the few pillars keeping their team alive will fall!" Golf Ball would get rather close to maniacal laughter, but would be interrupted by Coiny. "Golf Ball, I don't think-" "Shush!"
-
The remaining contestants would, like usual, be teleported back to their respective team houses. The remaining members of Team Prawn would also get a slice of cake upon their arrival.
/Team Sharp Minds/
Coiny and Blocky were once again talking to each other, as the latter was still recovering from losing Eraser, and needed someone to talk to in these trying times. Match, mourning the loss of Pencil, would be sitting on her own, and Tennis Ball would be doing the same, not wanting to bother anyone. Meanwhile, Ice Cube and Bubble were talking to each other about other stuff. Not wanting to be left by herself (as she wanted to show off her intelligence to others), Golf Ball would walk up to Needle. "Needle, we need to talk." She'd immediately begin. "Is this about the whole Pin situation again?" Needle asked. "Of course it is!" She'd yell a bit too loudly. "Why are you so concerned about our enemy? Didn't you get the memo? We're in separate teams!" "Pin isn't our enemy, you know?" Needle protested. "Just because she's in another team, that doesn't mean-" "That's the thing! She's in another team!" Golf Ball immediately interrupted. "She's now an opponent, an enemy! Tell me, Needle. Don't *you* want Dream Island?" Needle originally wanted to say no, but then she thought of herself relaxing on the island, along with Coiny, of course, and that seemed to change her mind. "...Yeah? But-" "Then she's your enemy! She's another person you have to defeat in order to win!" Golf Ball was yet again in the middle of giving a furious speech. "Don't you understand? Everyone there is out to get Dream Island as well! You shouldn't think that Pin will go easy on you to get it!" "But... If *everyone* wants it, don't you want it as well? I mean, that's what 'everyone' means, right?" Golf Ball would be stunned. "Well, I... Uh..." She'd stop for a moment and think, attempting to come up with a response to that, but decided to just use a good old debate tactic to make her forget that.
"Look. My point is, she's now a threat to you during the competition! Now stop caring about Pins well-being! She's our enemy!" Needle seemed to be persistent, however. "She never even was our enemy until this whole competition began! Before this, we were all good friends!" Needle sighed. "Just what happened to you, GB? You've changed, much like Pin has." "Well, this competition happened, of course, and *of course* I want to- Er..." Golf Ball would pause after accidentally revealing part of what she had planned. "I mean, I want my team to win!" "Well, alright." Needle sighed. "Let's say that you, me, or any one of us wins Dream Island. Are you saying, then, that you'll exclude everyone from Team Prawn from entering, just because they're the *enemy*?" "Of course!" Golf Ball was far more confident in her answer than Needle wanted her to be. "And maybe, if you don't quit either, maybe I'll even exclude *you*!" As soon as Golf Ball finished, she and Needle would angrily stare at each other. Coiny would immediately notice that the argument was probably about to get ugly. He would tell Blocky he'd be right back, and would quickly run to the two of them to prevent the situation from getting worse.
"Guys, guys, guys!" Coiny immediately yelled as soon as he was close to them. "What?" Needle said that a little too harshly, immediately covering her mouth as soon as she realized who she replied to. She'd weakly apologize, barely being heard as Coiny continued. "Stop fighting! We're supposed to be a team, remember?" "And since when did *you* care about the team, huh?" Golf Ball replied, and Coiny would sigh. "Needle's right, you know? Ever since-" "Of course you think that!" Golf Ball immediately interrupted, not even hearing what Coiny had to say. "You'll agree with anything and everything she says. I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's absurd!" Needle would immediately blush shortly afterward, and would cover her mouth further. "No, it's not because of *that*, alright?" Coiny continued regardless. "Since when did you actually hate Pin? Tell me!" Golf Ball would pause again, being rather unsure. Of course, there was the obvious reason, but other than that, she had no other reason to hate her.
"Well, uh... I've hated her since this competition started. Because-" "Exactly!" Coiny interrupted. "None of us hated each other until this competition began! Well, except for Flower, but who cares about *her*?" Golf Ball would think about it for a moment, and, being a woman of logical thinking, she'd come to realize that she was, against her own rhetoric, thinking with her emotions. "...You're right." She'd sigh. "I don't know what came to me. I suppose that I've just been driven by the competition, I suppose." She'd breathe. I've just wanted my chances of winning to go up!" Satisfied with how he'd defuse the situation with Golf Ball, he'd then turn to face Needle. "...Needle, no offense, GBs got a point too, you know." Coiny would slightly blush, not really wanting to say she was wrong, but would continue regardless. "You have a right to be concerned about your friends in the other team, of course, but don't get *too* concerned. If you let your emotions take over, they could use that to their advantage, and cause you to lose!" Now feeling like Golf Ball wouldn't protest should she voice her true opinions, Needle finally spoke up. "...But I don't even want to win Dream Island." The two of them would be rather shocked by this. "You... Don't?" Golf Ball asked. "I'm just the team leader, you guys! I just want to make sure everyone has fun, and that our team doesn't fall apart! Even if we don't win, I want you guys to at least enjoy the experience." Coiny became confused. "Then why did you..." "I only won the first contest because I was naturally fast, you know? Heck, I don't even think I knew why we were running at the time..." "But if you don't even want to win Dream Island, then why did you-" Needle would quickly interrupt him, having had a sudden revelation. "Don't you guys see? All this competition has been doing is tear apart old friendships by splitting us all up!" She'd look at Golf Ball. "I mean, have you guys even *seen* Dream Island? Do we know if it really exists?" "...N-No?" Coiny answered. "...No, I haven't." Golf Ball also answered. "But surely that's because it's under construction! Surely-" "Exactly!" Needle continued. "Who's to say that it's even real? Why are we all fighting over a place that might not even exist? ...Maybe this was the whole point of this so-called 'competition' after all! Maybe Triangles... Splitting us apart for his own needs." The two of them would be surprised yet again by Needles idea.
"...Now that you said it, that theory kind of makes *some* sense..." Coiny replied. "...Yeah, that would make sense. If he wasn't intent on breaking us apart somehow, then he would've just given the island to us!" Golf Ball added. "But what I don't get is... *Why*? Why would he want to do that? I mean, We're not doing anything wrong." "I don't know..." Needle admitted. "But all signs point towards my theory being true, don't you think?" "Yeah." Golf Ball nodded. "And like any good hypothesis, we have to investigate it further!" "Of course we have to!" Coiny added. "We gotta get to the bottom of this, before everyone gets too involved with the competition to remember that they were once friends." "...But how are we going to do that without being suspicious?" Needle pondered. "I'll... Think about that, alright?" Golf Ball replied. "All this information is too much to take in all at once, even for me. Now that the possibility of outside forces manipulating us for their own gain has been opened up, this changes a lot of factors..." She'd sigh. "Guys, we *have* to win this competition!"
While the three would continue talking about their plans, Bubble would walk up to Match. "Match? What's wroing?" She'd immediately ask, noticing Matchs expression. Tears were already dripping down her face, clearly as a result of mourning Pencils elimination. "Like, Pencils gone!" Matchs voice seemed to be in a higher pitch than usual, though only slightly higher. Almost unnoticeable. "Can you, like, believe that? Like, my best friend is gone! What am I, like, supposed to do?" She'd immediately hug Bubble and would cry onto her." "Aw... Don't croi, Match..." She'd pat her in the back and would sit down, as Match was also sitting. "Oi'm still here for you! You doin't have to croi!" "But, like, me and Pencil are good friends! We, like, knew each other, like, very well!" She'd begin crying her, and Bubble would pat her even more. "But... you still have me! And the rest of the team! Whoi don't you just befriend any one of us?" "You don't understand, Bubble! She's, like, one of a kind! She, like, truly *gets* me!" "Match, come on..." Tears had also begun to form on Bubbles eyes. She often cried when others were crying. "You knoiw I don't loik it whenever people are sad!" "But..." Bubble would then slightly push her away, allowing her to look into her eyes. "Match, please!"
Match thought about it for a moment. Although Pencils elimination was still a huge loss for her, upon seeing Bubble holding back her tears, she'd consider staying strong for her. "Like, I guess you're right..." She'd wipe away her tears. "But, like, she's still my bestest friend! Maybe, like, you can be a *good* friend, but not, like, a *best* friend!" "That's foine with me!" One of Bubbles tears would begin going down her spherical body. "Just as long as you doin't croi anymore..." "Oh, like, alright..." She'd then return to hugging Bubble. "I suppose we can, like, be good friends, or, like, something..." "You mean, like an alloiance?" Bubble asked. "An alliance?" The word piqued Ice Cubes interest. "I've *got* to join!" Match then broke away from the hug, staring at Bubble again. "Sure! An alliance would be, like, great! We'll, like, stick together and such." "That's groit!" Bubble seemed to return to normal, her tears now being of joy. Somewhat. "Even if our team falls apart, we'll still have each other!" "Yeah!" Ice Cube would then join it, and the three of them would hug each other.
As everyone else continued about their daily routine, a rather anxious Triangle was watching from a nearby spot. He would be using his binoculars to look into the windows without being caught. The Announcer, however, would sneak up behind him. "What are you doing?" "AH!" Triangle would flinch in fear, almost causing the binoculars to poke his eyes. "Don't scare me like that! You don't wanna get caught spying on people. It makes you look like a creep. Like... Right now." The Announcer didn't seem to care, however. "But *why* are you in this situation in the first place?" "...I'm just doing the patrols for you." Triangle lied. "I thought you'd be happy that I did your job." "It's *my* job. We agreed to split it." "Yeah! We're splitting it right now. You did the last few patrols, I'll do the next few. Come on. Don't be such a downer."
Triangle would continue listening to what the contestants were saying, and would think about what they were saying, both now and in the past. He'd especially be concerned about what people were saying about Pin. If what they were saying is true, well... "You can learn a lot about your contestants if you actually bothered to put in the effort, you know." "What makes you think I don't?" The Announcer questioned. "Well, given that you don't tell me about what you've heard... Yeah. Probably that." Several more seconds would pass as he continued eavesdropping. "You know, while they've been doing well during contests... I don't think they're *actually* doing fine." "What do you mean, they're not doing well?" "Uh... They're not doing well in terms of, like, socializing and stuff." Triangle took a deep breath. "...Actually, I don't think I should tell you any more." "...Why not?" "You could ruin the plans." Triangle sighed, and would put down the binoculars. "...I'll get back to you about that. For now, stay put." "Why-"
Triangle would snap his fingers, and he was gone.
/Team Prawn/
The rest of the team was in their usual places. Teardrop was on her bed, but wasn't sleeping. She definitely couldn't sleep after recent developments, and so was spending this time to just contemplate what she was going to do next. As their conversations went on, Pin and Leafy once again sat on an empty corner, quietly talking to each other.
"Well, Pencils gone..." Leafy began. "That's a good thing." Pin nodded. "But... don't you think we shouldn't be so willing to eliminate our teammates?" Leafy asked. "Strength in numbers, and all?" "That doesn't count in this situation." Pin shook her head. "What does is *winning*. If we have more team members, we're less likely to get everyone to complete the objective. And we have *bad* team members, at that..." "Don't say that about them!" Leafy interrupted. "You know-" Pin would immediately stare at her, and Leafy would momentarily choke, only stopping as soon as Pin looked away. "...As I was saying..." Pin continued as if nothing had happened." "We *just* won't be able to perform well with these... incompetent teammates." Pin breathed. "So we need to get rid of all the bad ones, and then the ones that aren't in on it. Our team first, then once we can reliably win, Team Sharp Minds." "Okay..." Leafy reluctantly nodded. "But what's our next move?" "That depends on how this next contest goes. If we lose again... Since Pen's wanting to defect, he'd most likely go easily. No one likes a sympathizer." Pin nodded. "Spongy should probably go too, but he's still useful. He's a big unstoppable wall, we're just using him incorrectly." "...And what if we win?" Leafy asked. "Well, Match is clearly at her weakest. We can use the same argument we used with Pencil to get her out as well." Pin paused. "Also, have you seen how she's been friendly with Bubble and Ice Cube?" "...Yeah?" Leafy nodded. "Then they'll all fall like dominoes, if my hunch is correct. They'll pay the price for being so attached to others." "But..." Pin stared indirectly at Leafy again. "Hush." "But-"
Pin would stare into her eyes again, a bit longer this time. Leafy immediately felt a lump in her throat as soon as she stared back. "O-Okay..." She'd nod. "Good. Now, before we finish up..." "Hm?" "...Have you been noticing anything weird about the host recently?" "...What do you mean?" Leafy was confused. Of course, some people couldn't care about what that strange Triangle was up to. "Like... Has he been acting odd to you recently?" "...No? I mean, he *is* acting weird, but not any weirder than he normally has been..." Pin shook her head. "I don't know, Leafy, but I have a feeling he's up to something..." "He's the host! Of course he's always going to be-" "No, not that." Pin shook her head again. "I have a feeling that... He *knows*." "How would *he* know? You've done a good job hiding your secret from everyone. And that's with them paying attention! Triangle doesn't even seem to care for us at all..." Leafy tried to chuckle as she finished, but Pin would still be staring at her. She'd shake her head. "...You remember the whole forest thing?" She'd look around to make sure no one was listening. They were supposed to be the only two who knew of that. "...That just wasn't normal, don't you think?" "The entire thing wasn't normal!" Leafy shook her head. "But-" "Because of what happened... I think he might be on to me. He *must* have some idea." "...Why do you think so?" Leafy asked. "That could be *anyone*." "...I don't know." Pin shrugged. "But the feeling's too strong for me to ignore. I've never been wrong before!" "Well, I suppose..."
She wanted to say that maybe, just maybe, Pin could be wrong for the first time in a little while. I mean, everyone *has* to mess up sometimes, right? But she would hesitate. She knew what would happen if she actually said that to her. "...I suppose you're right." Leafy shrugged. "But how will we know for certain?" "Oh, don't worry. We'll work on that." Pin smiled. "For now... Just stay low. Be cool. I don't think he suspects you so far. You'll be fine." "Um... Alright." Leafy would nod. She would then quickly run off as soon as she finished.
-
Triangle reappeared some distance away from the houses, with them now being two barely visible specks of light in the distance. He had teleported to one of the hilltops on a series of hills that formed a circular range around a central valley. He'd look at the two lights for a moment, contemplating what to do to the other contestants. This operation was supposed to be extremely easy, he thought. It was a simple extraction mission, and yet it had evolved into this complex... Mess. It seemed like no matter what he did, there was going to be at least *some* collateral damage. Either physical or emotional. Triangle shook his head and began walking towards the valley enveloped by the hills. As soon as he saw the massive metal gray box come into view, he knew he was going to the right place. As he went closer to it, however, he could hear the faint sound of a harmonica playing, which was strange, given that he hadn't given any of the eliminated contestants any instruments to play. Perhaps, he thought, that he was finally having auditory hallucinations due to not sleeping for days on end, with his mind filling in the supposed blanks. He supposed that since the box was a prison for eliminated contestants, it was like a prison. And any good prison had prisoners that knew how to play the instrument.
Eventually, he made it to a spot right beside the grey box. The box was rectangular in shape, and the top was a sort of lid which could be opened and closed when needed. Triangle went around the box once to make sure he was in the right place, although he already knew that he was. Painted onto one of the longer sides of the box, in a darker shade of gray than the rest of the box, were the words "Tiny Loser Chamber". Even though there was most definitely no way for the eliminated contestants to escape the TLC, he felt a sudden urge to check on them as well. You know, should they act up also. He'd slightly nod, knowing he was *definitely* in the right place, and would listen to the eliminated contestants. Of course, the first thing he'd hear was Woodys screaming. He had a fear of the color grey, of course. Triangle was told of that before he went to this god-forsaken place. He decided to tell Woody about it before he was teleported in during his elimination just for his reaction. He'd quietly shift his body for a few moments to tune it out, until he was finally able to hear any other voices.
Eraser groaned in boredom. Not only was there anything to do in the TLC, he also had to put up with Woodys constant screaming. "Keep it quiet, will you?" Flower then demanded him to quiet down, which only added to the list of things Eraser had to deal with. "I'm trying to get my beauty sleep!" "...Flower, none of us have slept properly for days!" Eraser protested. "Neither have you!" "Exactly! Now stop contributing to all the noise and SHUSH!" "...I don't think I should be the one you're shushing..." Woody continued screaming in the background, of course. Triangle could then hear the sound of Rocky vomiting. Said vomit would then ricochet off the metal walls, and eventually would settle in a puddle on the floor. "Ugh." Pencil scoffed. "Now *that's* another spot we can't step on!" "Hey! At least we can eat the vomit. They haven't given us that much food!" Eraser replied! "...You're kidding, right? Have you been *actually* eating Rockys vomit? Like, I tried it once against my will, and it sure didn't do any good things to my stomach." "Hey, man. If you wanna starve, then that's up to you." "BE QUIET!" Flower interrupted. "How about *you* be quiet, Flower?" Pencil replied. "Your yelling is louder than anything we've ever said! Even Woodys screaming is more quiet than you!" That was a lie, of course. Nothing could beat Woodys screaming.
Triangle would then hear Flower yelling in anger, and then a very loud thud. He'd move away from the TLC, feeling as if he had heard enough. He'd snap his fingers, and would teleport back to his Base of Operations.
-
The sun rose, with everyone having fallen asleep uneventfully. Triangle did the usual blow of his whistle, and the fifteen remaining contestants lined up as usual into their groups. Triangle would make a cup of coffee appear in his hand, having grown more and more tired as this competition grew ever more complex. And also from the lack of sleep, of course. He'd take a sip before starting. "Alright..." He'd immediately take another sip afterwards. "The... Uh... Sixth. Yes, sixth. The sixth contest is to go on a road trip." There'd be some slightly audible cheering from the teams. Somehow, these challenges had been getting more easy and relaxing as time had gone on. Asides from a small hiccup during the previous challenge, that is. The hosts appear to be growing tired of the competition, and these new contests appeared to be signs of incoming change. Triangle snapped his fingers, and the world around them began to change. A single two-lane road began to appear, starting off on one side of the living quarters, going off into the horizon, and eventually reappearing on the other side, ending on the opposite side of the living quarters. A parking lot would then appear, connecting the two ends of the road. To put it simply, there was now a road that seemed to circle the entire planet, and a parking lot that connected the two ends.
Triangle snapped his fingers again, and two vans appeared in the parking lot, each one bearing the symbol of the two teams on the sides. The fence which enveloped the living quarters was also expanded, now encompassing the entire parking lot as well, with two indestructible gates guarding each end of the road. A pile of supplies, mainly food and gasoline, but also several other appliances and electronics for recreational use, also appeared next to said vans. The entire thing seemed to tire Triangle even more, who would take another sip of coffee. "Go stock up some supplies onto your respective teams van, and travel as far as possible. Whoever travels the farthest wins." Immediately, as soon as everyone noticed the pile, several of them would raise their hands. Triangle sighed. "..Yes, you can keep whatever stuff remains by the time this contest ends. It is your teams van, after all. Now go."
Everyone would immediately rush to begin gathering supplies. "Alright, people!" Golf Ball began. "If we want to travel as far as possible, then getting as much fuel as possible is a priority! Grab as much of it as you can, and don't get anything that can weigh us down-" "Oh my gosh!" Match interrupted. "Is that, like, a TV? Like, I haven't seen one in, like, ages!" "Yoiy!" Bubble joined in. "Let's go get that so we doin't get boired!" "Yeah!" Ice Cube would simply there for moral support. "Guys!" Golf Ball would immediately protest. You can't just-" "Like, seriously, GB?" Match immediately interrupted her. "You can't just, like, keep bossing us around. We'll get that TV if we, like, want to." "BUT-" "Besides. The other team has Spongy! And we all know that, like, Spongy weighs a thousand pounds. We'll be, like, fine if we grab a few things for our entertainment!" "Yeah!" Ice Cube, once again, was merely there for support. "You don't get it! If-" "Like, quiet down, alright? We'll be, like, fine." Match and Bubble would work together to lift the TV to the van, whilst Ice Cube would carry a pack of dried Yoyleberries on her mouth. The rest of the team would be grabbing as much full containers of fuel as possible, but they would be heavily slowed down due to TB and GB struggling to carry the containers with their mouths.
"Guys, you heard them!" Pin began. "Fuel is our priority here, people! Get to grabbing that stuff!" Teardrop, Firey, Snowball, and Pen would get to grabbing fuel. Pin, Leafy, and Spongy would remain. "Hey, uh... Pin?" Leafy would ask. Pin sighed. "What is it now?" "I just wanna ask... How are we supposed to fit Spongy into the van?" "I'm sure we can probably put him in the back..." Pin then hesitated. "No, wait. That would take up space for fuel... We can probably just leave him hanging on the roof, assuming that we find something to tape him to the walls, so that he doesn't fall off. "...And Firey?" "Uh... He can just stand on the roof, or something. We can probably give him something to play with while he's there, I suppose." The two teams would spend about an hour gathering supplies for the trip. By the time they were finished, they'd all line back up. Triangle was still drinking coffee, even though his cup should be empty by now. "Alright, are you two teams ready?" Everyone would shout out "YEAH!" in unison, which almost scared him. "Alright." He'd nod and take another sip. "Has anyone considered who will be driving?" Needle nodded. "I'll be driving, because i'm team leader, of course!" Pin would look at Needle before nodding as well. "Yeah, Teardrop will be driving as well. She's silent, and so will most likely pay more attention while doing so." "Great..." Triangle would stare at Pin for a brief moment before continuing. "Alright. Everyone, get on your vans! We're about to begin."
They would all immediately comply, and would get on their vans. The two vans would then be driven to the front of one of the gates. "Alright, to prevent bias, this gate opens upward." Triangle took one final sip before throwing the cup away. "If it swung open horizontally, then one van could drive away before the other, which is... Not fair, of course." Triangle sighed. "Now, the contest begins... Now." Triangle would press a button, and the gate would begin rising up. As soon as the gap between the gate and the floor was large enough to fit the vans, the two vans would immediately begin driving off into the horizon. Triangle shook his head as he watched them disappear into the distance and would sigh. "Ugh. What am I doing with my life?"
-
After several minutes of driving, the two vans would come across a range of hills. The roads would then go up and down said hills, as the road went through them. As they continued along their way, they'd eventually make their way to the valley which was surrounded by said hills, where they would come across the TLC. "Hey, Pin?" Leafy tapped Pins shoulder. "...Hm?" "What's that?" Leafy would point out the vans window, pointing at the TLC. "...That? Don't you know? That's the Tiny Loser Chamber. That's where they keep all the eliminated contestants." "...And how do you know that?" To Leafys knowledge, none of them had ever seen the TLC before, or went to the valley it was in. "...I have my ways, alright? Let's just keep going." Meanwhile, as time went on, the van of Team Sharp Minds had grown littered with crumbs, discarded wrappings, and other such garbage, as Match, Bubble, and Ice Cube continued watching TV. GB and TB were off planning their next moves in the back, while Needle and Coiny were being rather silent in front.
Bubble was changing the channel using the remote, frustrated with every static screen she came across. "Come on! There has to be something good on TV!" "I know, right?" Match agreed. "Like, we've gone through, like, 200 channels, and they've all been blank or static!" Match would then take the remote from Bubble, as it was her turn to continue changing the channel. She would continue doing so, immediately pressing the button to do so as soon as she even just a hint of static. After some time of doing this, however, one of the channels would catch their attention. "Wait, stop!" Bubble yelled out. "Huh?" Match was about to change the channel again, but would be stopped when Bubble told her to. Now interested, they'd all look at the screen. The channel was much like the all-black blank channels that they've been seeing, but at the top-right of the screen was a logo, a simplified depiction of a helium atom, with the words "GD INC" in small green letters below it. Every few seconds, the words "PLEASE STAND BY" would flash in bigger letters at the center of the screen. This continued for several seconds, and then Match would immediately get bored again.
"Ugh, like, seriously? There's still, like, nothing here!" "But it says-" Match immediately interrupted Bubble. "Like, i'm not gonna stand by, alright? I've been waiting for something to watch for, like, forever!" Match sighed. "I won't take this, like, any longer!" "But-" Match would change the channel one more time. The next channel had considerably more content to watch than the supposed millions of others that Match had gone through. The channel was broadcasting a show about peoples (more like objects) lives, and consisted of them talking a lot. Match would immediately point to the screen. "See? Like, this is way better than, like, whatever *that* was." "Yeah!" Ice Cube, of course, would provide support to Match, wanting to stay on her good side. "Well, alroight..." Bubble whimpered. The three would continue watching, commenting about nearly every single thing that happened in the show. As they did so, Blocky, who was sitting next to them, would be trying to sleep, but would be suddenly woken up either by being nudged or by their laughing. He'd sigh. "Ugh, help me."
-
The two vans would continue driving along green fields, yellow deserts, white snow, and other landscapes without much issue. They'd also drive through the forest that they once walked across. Triangle would periodically teleport to wherever they were driving, observing from a distance if anything strange was going on. Triangle was at one of said excursions when he noticed a particular change in the air. The wind generally blew in a specific direction at a specific speed for some time, gradually changing as the day went along. However, as he stayed hidden in one of the bushes, watching the vans go along, he'd suddenly feel a large gust of wind blow in the direction he was facing. He'd immediately turn around to see if it was the man again, but he wasn't there. He'd then look up and around, and would see no changes in the sky that would justify such a sudden change. In fact, it was a rather cloudless day.
Triangle would take a minute to take in what just happened, and realized it meant one thing: the Chaotic Energy concentration levels in this area was high enough that it could begin corrupting things even without the presence of a host. The sudden change in wind speed was merely whatever forces were at work here giving it a test run. It was a rather minor thing compared to what CE could do in high concentrations, and was probably the only thing it could do at the moment, but it was still a bad sign. Triangle would slightly nod, knowing what to do, and would snap his fingers.
-
It was the afternoon now, the sky gradually turning into shades of orange, and the sun beginning to set. The two vans were still going strong, with them being side-by-side for most of the drive. As they continued on, Pin was looking out of the window, having chosen a seat in the front of the van, being right next to Teardrop. The trip had been mostly going alright, albeit Teardrop had given her a few glances, implying that she was either concerned about or suspicious of her. Pin would give it no thought to prevent her from getting any more ideas, and would just continue looking out of the window. They were once again in the middle of the vast fields, with nothing but big, flat, and empty green grass stretching onto the horizon. She'd almost fall asleep in several instances, but would keep herself awake, in fear of them possibly finding out what she had in mind for them by mumbling in her sleep. It was during these moments of being half-asleep when she first noticed black specks flying across the orange sky. She'd become wide awake as soon as she saw them, and as soon as she realized that they weren't just flies that were traveling alongside them. The specks would begin growing in size as they flew towards them, and the faint sound of spinning rotors grew from being nearly inaudible to a quiet droning noise.
As Pin continued watching the specks as they gradually took the form of helicopters as they grew nearer, she'd suddenly be overcome with terrible memories. She remembered why exactly she was doing this to them in the first place, and the anger that it gave her. The incident would give her a new sense of purpose, a sense of direction. She had to win the competition. She had to get Dream Island, and maybe that Multiversal Travel Machine as well. She *needed* to.
"Guys! Look!" Pin would quickly point towards the helicopters. Several of them would turn their heads to look at what she was looking at, while some just continued talking. As soon as Pin looked back, however, she realized that the specks were now gone, and so were the sound of the rotors. "Uh... What is it?" Snowball asked. "I... Um... I thought I saw a bee." Pin lied. "How could there *possibly* be a bee?" Pen asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and we haven't seen any signs of life at all!" "I don't know, alright? I said I *thought* I saw one, not that I did see one." "Er... Alright."
-
The sun eventually went below the horizon, and it would finally become night after some time. The two vans still continued on, and were still next to each other. By this time, they were driving a bit more slowly, as the road had no streetlights whatsoever. As the engines began to calm down due to the lowered speed, the members of Team Prawn could very much hear the sounds of Team Sharp Minds' TV that was still playing the show, and the sounds of laughter, with Matchs in particular being especially loud. They had been trying to drown it out, with Firey, Snowball, and Pen all trying their hardest to continue talking over it, but eventually gave up due to a lack of conversation topics, and just resorted to counting to themselves, aiming to tire themselves out and sleep. Meanwhile, Match and the others were still enjoying themselves by watching TV late into the night, when they noticed that the TV had begun flickering, and periodically going black for a few moments every once in a while.
"Uh... What's going on?" Match would immediately notice this, and would point it out. "Oh, I don't knoiow..." Bubble replied. "I'm scared..." "Y-Yeah..." Ice Cube agreed as well. The lights on the van itself would also begin flickering as well, and some time later, everything in the van would shut down, and the engine die out completely. "Huh?" Match became confused. "What just happened?" Golf Ball would immediately appear behind her, scaring them in the process. "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WARNED YOU ABOUT!" She'd scream, and so would they. "That TV of yours has been using power! Power that our van *needs*! And now, we're suffering the consequences!" Golf Ball would point with her foot, and they'd all watch Team Prawns van drive away. Eventually, they'd gone far away enough that the sound of their engine had dissipated into the background noise, leaving them alone in the dark. Match could do nothing but say "...Uh oh."
YOU ARE READING
Battle for Triangles Multiversal Travel Machine (and also Dream Island)
FanfictionThe Battle for Dream Island gets spicier once a new host appears and ups the ante. Part 1/3 of the BFTMTMAADI Trilogy, a BFDI Fanfiction series. Logo made by @catsanddogs3333. Everything else made by me. Battle for Dream Island made by jacknjellify.
