"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: The three teams finally wound up in a place other than…Soleanna. That's right, for the first time since Episode Two, they left those horrible states behind…in favor of the single most desolate and emptiest continent in the world: Shiveria!

"From there, the contestants were dumped into a creepy, abandoned research outpost, with the task of finding evidence of what exactly happened to the mysteriously-vanished crew of 12 who used to work there.

"Little did they know, they were being pursued by the thing, or things, that caused their disappearances in the first place, now targeting them! One by one, they were picked off by the horrible beasts until only two remained: Whiny winner for Team Victory II and klutzy for Team Madison. In the end, against all thinkable odds, Team Victory II won AGAIN.

However, they suffered their own kind of defeat when one of their own – IQ girl – was struck down by a panic attack after being surrounded by her worst fear: fire. Medically evacuated from the game, Team Victory II finds themselves down one more member even though they won.

"But the fun didn't end there. Another elimination was still set to take place, which befell the losing team: Team Sahara.

It really was a no-brainer, as Animal Mother was voted off by a landslide vote, sending her off to catch up to her crush and making the first of our newbies to be officially eliminated.

"There's a lot in store for this next challenge! What might it be, you might ask? That is certainly the million-dollar…or, in this case, the two-million-dollar question. You'll be on the edge of your seat from the action, the suspense, the chaos, and above all…THE EPICNESS. Get ready for this fantastic new episode of Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

L tried to relax. But even after his fourth straight can of Dr. Pepper, he couldn't get over it. His mind was a swirling wreck. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. Was it anger? Sadness? Regret?

He tried to find companionship in his teammates, but then he realized that only two were left. The two he could've related to the best, and the two who were most willing to talk to him – Wario and Tanooki – were gone. His girlfriend was gone.

There was only the psychopath (by comparison, he would've had a much better chance talking to a brick wall) and Rain, who had been dramatically distanced from the others ever since Tanooki's elimination in the first place. Even after he had tried to express his feelings and tell her his story last week, he still just felt empty and distant.

He truly was alone.

He sighed, and lazily lifted the can up to his mouth for another long gulp of soda.

For once…victory isn't so sweet anymore…anymore…

"Alright, potholes! We're nearing our next destination, so head on down to the elimination area to prepare for landing, and await my arrival: I've got a big announcement for ya'll!" Isabelle's voice declared loudly.

After the voice left the intercom, L sluggishly pulled himself out of the chair, spilling some soda on the chair's right armrest. He trudged past the bar, tossing the can into the nearby trashcan.

At that moment, Chyna leapt out in front of him from out of nowhere.

"Hey there, boyo! Why so down? Why so blue? Why so…so…unlike you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He muttered.

"Oh, come on…tell Chyna about it! Chyna is great at talking to people! Come on…you know you want to…"

"I'm fine, Chyna. Thanks for your concern." He wandered off, leaving Chyna behind scratching her head.

Lavatory Confessional

Mr. L – It's, like, impossible to describe. I just want to cry it all out, but I can't. I just…I'm devastated. She's really…gone. And not just that, but the way she left. What a horrible way to go out. I just wish…I could do it all over again. She was right…Wendy was right…Rain was right…They were all right…I was wrong…

The entire cast had gathered in the elimination area, preparing for the landing, and were sitting on the wooden bleachers when Isabelle's voice came over the intercom.

"As I said earlier, we are now nearing our destination. Just go ahead and take a look through the door at the beautiful lake below us."

"Lake? Oh, for the love of God, are we over the Great Lakes? Bubblaine? Back in Soleanna?" Blayke asked angrily.

"Oh goodness, no!" Isabelle quickly replied. "Just get up and see for yourselves."

"Fine."

The nine teenagers all got up off the bleachers and approached the door. Logan was the first to arrive and look down.

"Oh, my!" He exclaimed.

Soon, all nine of them got a glimpse of the beautiful sight below them. A massive lake, surrounded on all sides by endless rolling green hills. The lake itself was extremely long, stretched out so far that they couldn't see one end of it. On the edge of the lake was what appeared to be a large, glass structure…

"Wait…Is that what I think it is?" Logan asked incredulously.

"What? What is it?" Mona, next to him, asked.

"That dome down there! That's Lak-"

Suddenly, the entire Jet jerked hard to the left, and before they knew it, they were sliding straight down towards the door.

Logan, Mona, Blayke, Chyna, and Rain all fell out in one large group, screaming wildly as they fell against each other and tumbled out the door in a human crush. Only Mr. L, Toadette, and Rosalina remained behind at first.

"Whoa!"

L fell straight to the door, but grabbed onto the doorframe and held on.

Rosalina tried to turn around, but slipped and fell face-first to the cold metal floor. She then slid backwards straight towards the door.

She smacked into both of his legs, knocking them both out from under him and sending his face falling straight into the floor, jolting his grips on the doorframe loose. He fell screaming after the others.

Rosalina herself managed to grab onto the doorframes as well, trying desperately to pull herself back up. She then looked straight up and saw Toadette, lying on her back on the floor, sliding straight towards her.

Toadette, unlike Rosalina, was not trying to do anything to stay on the Jet or avoid the door. She simply continued her texting on the phone, texting blindly as she slid towards Rosalina.

"No, no, TOADETTE, NO!"

But the oblivious Toadette slid into her like a cruising human missile, smashing right into Rosalina's face and sending both of them tumbling down after the others…

…landing right in the frigid waters of the lake below them.

Only then did Toadette finally make a move; raising her right hand up into the air as high as she could to keep her phone above the water. She rose to the surface in half a heartbeat, gasping before realizing that she had succeeded in keeping her phone dry.

"Oh, thank God it's dry!" She shouted in relief before she raised her other hand out of the water and resumed texting just inches above the waterline.

"Oh, yes." Rosalina agreed sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "God forbid that your phone get wet."

Just then, there was the familiar chopping sound, and a massive wind kicked up that sent ripples across the surface of the lake, blowing the contestants' hair and causing many of them to raise their hands over their faces.

The red bubble helicopter swung in low overhead, with Carl in the pilot's seat and Chef Isabelle in the passenger seat, leaning out with the red megaphone in hand.

"Now how's that for a morning wake-up call?" He laughed. "Welcome, one and all, to our next location: Lake Lamode, Lake Kingdom!"

"SAY WHAT?!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Louis resumed. He raised one arm out of the water and pointed at the massive ruins nearby. "That's Lake Lamode, one of Lake Kingdom's most famous landmarks."

"Forget some stupid dome city, isn't this where one of the world's most ferocious monsters lives?" Mona asked worriedly.

"Ha!" Blayke laughed. "Do you honestly mean to tell me that you believe in that nonsense? No dinosaur lives in this lake, it's all a big joke!"

"Whether or not you may believe in the Lake Lamode Monster, that's not what this challenge is about. Swim over to shore so that I can explain the next challenge to ya'll." Isabelle finished.

"But why not just explain it right here?" Rosalina asked. "Why make us swim all that way just to hear an explanation when you're right there?!"

"Uh…See ya!"

And with that, the helicopter veered upward and flew off to the shore, soaring over the dome city and landing just beyond it.

"Darn it! One of these days, we need to do something to her" Rosalina muttered.

Mona turned to Logan, who happened to turn back to her at that moment.

"You…you don't believe in the Lake Lamode Monster, do you?" She asked, almost half-ashamed now that she had revealed her fear.

"My dear, there are many things in this world that just can't be explained. Whether it's cryptozoology, such as the Lake Lamode Monster or Bigfoot, or whether it's the magic bullet in Dealy Plaza on November 22, 1963, this world is full of mysteries that, in my mind, are better left unsolved and left alone."

"So…does that mean we should get out of the water ASAP?"

"Definitely."

The first eight teenagers quickly started swimming towards the water-level grassy knoll just in front of the dome, while Toadette remained behind, texting away. However, her texting was interrupted when a strange wake suddenly rose, barely lapping the bottom of her phone and lifting herself up a few inches into the water, then falling back down again.

"YIPE! What in the world?!"

She quickly went into panic mode and lifted the phone up once more, looking around frantically.

In the direction that the wake had originated from, she thought she saw something. She couldn't tell, but all she saw was a dark spot in the water, just below the surface, that vanished in an instant.

Within 30 seconds, she swam faster than any of the others and was ahead of the group, being the first to reach the shore.

The nine teenagers were soon standing on the grassy knoll, shivering uncontrollably and trying to get dry. Chef Isabelle then started down the hill towards them, with Carl right behind him.

"There ain't no time for shiverin'! Get up here already so I can explain the challenge!"

"A-a-a-again, w-why not j-j-just explain it h-h-here?" Rosalina asked through chattering teeth.

"Move it!"

Rosalina cursed under her breath before she and the other eight teens trudged up the hill, dripping wet the entire way until they finally arrived at the main entrance to the magnificent castle.

"Good! You finally made it, slowpokes! Now, as Drama King stated earlier, this is, in fact, the amazing Underwater Dome. One of the key landmarks of Lake Lamode and built sometime after 1229 A.D., it is over 700 years old. It is also famous for being one of the top locations for Dorsse sightings! Not relevant to the challenge, but a fun fact to know. This will be the main location for the challenge today!

"What is the challenge, you might be wondering? Well, it's a resurrection of an old fan favorite: The war challenge, first introduced in the previous season! I'm sure Perfectionist here, being the only one present who participated in that challenge, remembers what that ordeal was like, eh?"

Most eyes turned to Rosalina, who shuddered. Whether it was from still being cold and wet or in brief remembrance of the disaster that challenge had been, it wasn't quite clear.

"The viewers went crazy over the madness, chaos, and destruction brought about by that episode, and it was ranked among the most popular challenges in Total Drama history! So we're bringing it back…with some slight modifications. First of all, in order to better accommodate the format of the challenge, I must make my big announcement: The three teams are no more!"

"THE MERGE?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Well, not quite. Consider this a…semi-merge."

There were confused looks all around.

"Like I said, in tribute to the original challenge, this one will, once again, feature teams. Just not the original three teams. This will be the last team-oriented challenge of the season, then it's a free-for-all!"

"So what are the teams?" Nicole asked.

"Once again, as an homage to the original war challenge…Guys vs. girls!"

At this announcement, there were several sighs of relief, mixed with a few groans of agony.

"Guys vs. girls? Really?" Blayke asked. "Come on! They double us in numbers! That's not fair!"

"Now hold on, 'cuz I'm not done!" Isabelle snapped. "Those aren't the only factors in the teams of this challenge. As Perfectionist might remember, the previous challenge was also used to settle a behind-the-scenes dispute between cameramen and interns, and the two gender-based teams chose which of those two groups would be their armies for the challenge. Here, it'll be the same deal, on a much, much lesser scale."

"Oh, great. What's the behind-the-camera conflict about this time?" Rosalina asked. "Who gets beaten up more testing the challenges?"

"Nope. This one is a dispute among the interns, but it's not about who gets hurt more. It's about which group is more popular!"

"…You're kidding, right?"

"Now behind me are the six remaining interns for this show." Isabelle turned and gestured to the main entrance to the castle, from which emerged the other five interns besides Carl. They split up into two groups of three, with each group standing on one side of Chef Isabelle.

"On my right are the 'Classic Interns.' Phil, Steve, and Bill."

The orange bandana intern, the large, dark-skinned intern, and the intern made famous by the original TDA Aftermath, all waved at the contestants before Isabelle continued.

"These three in particular were made famous by the first two original season, with Phil prominent in Total Drama Island as the main intern of the season, and reappearing in Total Drama Action alongside Steve as a sort of dynamic duo. Bill here became an instant fan favorite for his many appearances in the original TDA Aftermath show. And on my left…"

The three tall, burly interns all stood tall and looked from Isabelle at the contestants. Alongside Carl, who strongly resembled Bill (except he was much taller), were the burly blonde intern Marco and the burly dark-skinned intern Franco.

"…are the 'Second Generation Interns,' who all made their debuts in the original Total Drama World Tour, distinguishable by their disgusting resemblance to the original host, and all of them being rather tall and somewhat intimidating."

Isabelle turned back to the contestants.

"These two halves of the intern group have been debating over which is better and more popular with the fans. So, between these two groups of three, you will be choosing which ones will aid you in the challenge today as your fellow soldiers.

"First, we'll decide with a coin toss. In respect to common chivalry, the ladies will go first – or only, in this case – and it shall be one of them who will make the call in mid-air. Girls, choose which one of you will call it."

"I'll do it." Chyna quickly declared before anyone could protest.

Isabelle then pulled out a common coin, with one side bearing her face, and the other bearing that unforgettable, grinning face of the previous host.

"My face is heads." She declared. "Call it!"

She then flipped it up into the air, the gold coin spinning wildly in mid-air. At the very height of its trip, in that brief moment when it hung suspended in mid-air, Chyna shouted out, "TAILS!"

It fell back down, bouncing off the grass once, then clattering to a stop. Isabelle's face looked back up at them.

"Wrong! Guys win first pick of the group of interns!" Isabelle then turned to the men. "Choose your group."

Blayke turned to Logan and L. He looked first at the latter, but L was staring blankly off to the side, a long, despondent look on his face. Blayke turned to Logan.

"What do you think?"

"Well, he says we're choosing 'fellow soldiers'…I think we should choose them." Logan gestured slightly at the three burlier men.

Blayke glanced back at them, then at the so-called "classic" interns, then back at the burly men.

"Agreed." Blayke turned to face Isabelle. "We'll take those three!"

"Alright. Carl, Marco, and Franco, go join the men. Girls, you get Phil, Steve, and Bill."

After the guys and girls had clearly separated, and their respective interns joined up with them, Isabelle continued.

"And with that, here are the positions that you receive with each."

"Positions?" Rain asked.

"Offensive and defensive. This is a slight modification from the original version. Whereas previously, both teams were simply attacking each other with equal ground and equal settings of two castles, we'll now have this be arranged like your average football game: One team will simply try to defend what territory they have, while the other must press forward and try to capture more territory.

The girls and classic interns are on defense. Your base of operations is none other than this battle-scarred castle. The nine of you will fight off any attacks and try to keep your castle under your control. Gentlemen and second generation interns, you are on offense. You do not have a base of operations; your goal is to press forward with all you've got and try to take control of the castle from them. You have three vehicles."

Isabelle gestured to the coastline nearby, where, in addition to the red helicopter, there was also a slick yellow speedboat in the water and the familiar white Jeep on the shore.

"From water, land, and air, you can make your assault."

"Question from the crowd." Chyna raised her hand with a grin on her face.

"What is it?" Isabelle asked, noticeably annoyed.

"What is it that we'll be assaulting each other with?"

"Why, paintball guns, of course! Lots and lots of paintball guns! Girls, yours are on several racks throughout the castle stronghold, and there is also a massive, anti-aircraft/watercraft turret located on the second floor of the main tower, AKA the Grant Tower.

Men, your weapons are stored up primarily in the boat, with a few additional weapons latched onto the Jeep. Each vehicle is equipped with its own turret; one on the back of the Jeep, one on the boat, and one on the helicopter. In addition, the helicopter is equipped with three, and only three, paint missiles. Those are powerful suckers, so don't waste 'em.

"You will be attacking each other like crazy with paint, paint, and more paint. Not to worry; there's plenty of paint, and enough to last at least a whole day. The men can win by either driving the girls out of the castle or by getting all six girls to declare surrender. The girls can win by either destroying all three vehicles or by getting all three guys to declare surrender.

"So that's the gist of it! Ladies, gentlemen, and interns, take your positions, gather up your guns, and let's get this paint-fest underway! The challenge starts whenever you're all ready!"

The two teams split off in opposite directions.

30 minutes later…

The six girls and three interns stood on the half-open second floor of Grant Tower, with the red wooden platform beneath their feet and the railing between them and the wide-open drop down to the lake's edge below. On it, just as Isabelle said, was the massive turret and single chair for the gunner to sit in.

On both sides of the turret were metal shields to protect the gunner. Against the wall opposite the ledge were five racks of weapons. From pistols, to rifles, to shotguns, to machine guns, to grenades, all with fully-loaded magazines of paintballs and dozens upon dozens of bags of paintballs on standby.

"Wow. Isabelle sure wasn't kidding." Rain commented as she picked up a paintball Mac 10 in one hand and a paint grenade in the other.

"Some of these look so…real." Mona commented.

"Not to worry, kiddo." Phil commented. "We thoroughly inspected each and every one for 14 painstaking hours, and made sure that absolutely, positively, not a single one is a real gun or potentially harmful weapon."

"Yeah." Steve added. "After the incident with the bank challenge last season, that became a bit of a problem."

"Don't forget the flamethrower ordeal last episode." Chyna gleefully reminded them.

"Ugh. I blame that on the tough guys." Bill spat. "They're lazy and think they're all that because they're so buff and dress so…so…"

"Never mind that. The point is, we need to get a strategy together." Rosalina stated firmly, quickly taking command of the group as she attached a belt with two holsters on it, each containing a paint pistol.

"First, we need to scout out this entire castle. Our main base of operations, of course, is this tower. But clearly, the expanse of the castle itself is massive. We should cover as much ground as possible. Like Blayke said, we have the numbers advantage, so let's use that as much as we can.

There's nine of us here, so let's split off into three groups of two and one group of three. One intern in each of the groups of two, and the group of three can be all girls. OK? Good. Let's move out and take up positions evenly spread out from each other. The group of three can stay here in the tower, to guard the weapons and the turret. The rest of you, spread out among the castle grounds."

By the time she had finished, she had the holsters and two handguns around her waist, a belt of paint grenades strapped diagonally across her torso, and a paint shotgun in her arms, with a belt of ammunition for that particular gun strapped down her torso opposite the grenade belt. Everyone around her was speechless and slack-jawed at her speech and sudden rise to the top.

For a few moments, no one said anything. Then Rosalina spoke up once more. "Come on, I said move out!"

The group was quick to comply. After forming up into their respective groups, they gathered up weapons for themselves and moved out. The groups were: Rosalina, Mona, and Rain; Steve and Toadette; Phil and Chyna; and Bill and Skyler.

Steve and Toadette were quick to take up their position at the main entrance, just in front of the bridge over the moat. Steve loaded up his semi-automatic pump rifle, then turned to Toadette.

With only a single pistol at her waist, she leaned against the wall and continued texting.

Steve shook his head as he pumped the first round into the rifle and flicked off the safety.

Bill and Skyler, meanwhile, set up shop at the opposite end of the castle from Grant Tower. Bill set up a .50-caliber machine gun propped up on two detachable legs, while Skyler slung one rifle over her shoulder and held a pistol in each hand.

Lastly, Phil and Chyna were positioned in the middle of the castle at the edge of the lake, opposite the main entrance. Chyna had at least five pistols on her, loaded into waist holsters and chest holsters, with one in her left hand and a belt of grenades also around her, with one grenade at the ready in her hand. Phil, with his single paint shotgun, made sure to keep a good distance from her.

Meanwhile, the three guys and their three interns gathered at the group of vehicles alongside the edge of the lake, where, similarly to Rosalina, Blayke was quick to take charge.

"OK, so clearly, we need one intern and one contestant per vehicle. Three teams of two, evenly-divided and evenly-gunned."

"Yeah, but that's not the only advantage you'll have due to picking us." Carl said with a grin.

"It's not?" Logan asked.

"Nope. In addition to my expertise in professional piloting, you'll also get these." He then reached behind himself and withdrew three walkie-talkies.

"Since we're in the more modern setting, with vehicles and such, we have a more modern form of communication. One for each vehicle."

"Awesome!" Blayke was quick to swipe them, dispersing them to Logan and L while keeping one for himself.

"Alright, so let's assign teams. I'll take the helicopter with Carl, and we're Alpha Team. The boat will be Beta Team, and the Jeep is Echo Team." Blayke turned to Marco and Franco. "Who drives the boat?"

"That'd be me." Franco responded in a voice that was slightly higher-pitched than was expected.

"Alright. So who'll go with Franco and Beta Team?"

Blayke glanced at L, remembering his past experiences with watercraft such as the submarines and the riverboats, and knew the choice immediately.

"L?"

He stared blankly at the shimmering water nearby.

"L." Blayke repeated, slightly louder.

"Huh?" L shook his head, then looked at Blayke. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure, whatever."

"Fine. Logan, you're with Marco and the Jeep. You're Echo Team."

"Excellent." Logan stated. His enthusiasm then dissipated when he glanced at the Jeep and saw the massive gun on the back.

"Um…but I…heh-heh, have a confession to make." A tone of shame was now detectable in his voice.

"Yes? What might that be?"

"I…I've never fired a firearm before."

A pause.

"Logan…these aren't real." Blayke stated flatly.

"I'm well aware of that. I mean, I've never fired any type of weapon. Not even a toy gun, such as paintball guns like the ones we'll be using."

"You're serious?"

"The closest I've come was prop guns in the occasional modern-themed play at my school, like when I portrayed Tony Montana. But that's it."

Blayke facepalmed.

"OK, OK. So we'll have to give you a crash course." He turned to Carl. "Gun please."

"What kind?"

"Something simple. A pistol."

Carl went to the helicopter's cockpit and withdrew a single pistol. He placed it in Blayke's outstretched hand, and Blayke turned back to Louis, slapping it into his hand. He then walked around behind Logan, placing his hands on Logan's shoulders and pointing ahead of him.

"See that tree up there?"

There was a single tree about 70 feet away, just on the edge of the waterline.

"Yes?"

"See that small, dark round spot on the trunk?"

Logan squinted. "…Yes. Yes, I do."

"OK, see if you can hit that dark spot."

"Gee, Blayke, that's a pretty small target for such a distance. He's a first-timer for Pete's sake." Carl commented.

"Um, how do I aim with this?"

"Line up that small ball-bearing sight at the end of the barrel directly in the center of the gap between this fold-up apparatus here." Blayke reached over and flipped up the rear sights on the pistol's barrel. "Get it?"

"Yes, yes I understand."

"Aim like that. The bullet will go right where the dot at the top is."

"Alright." Logan slowly raised the pistol, his right hand clenching the trigger and his left hand clasped at the bottom of the stock.

"You know, Blayke, some of these weapons are more advanced…scopes, laser-sighting…"

"I want to test his bare aiming skills. His skills and his alone. What good are those advanced aiming apparatuses if the person can't shoot worth-."

Logan fired the first shot. It was short quip of a sound, and the pistol recoiled slightly.

"Woo! That…that's what it feels like, eh?"

"Congratulations, you just fired a gun…" Blayke held out a hand to Carl. "Binoculars."

A pair was placed in his hand, and he raised them to his eyes. Adjusting the knob on top slightly, the enhanced image came into focus…

…the red splatter of paint was directly in the middle of the dark spot.

Blayke's hands trembled slightly as he lowered the binoculars.

"Well? How'd I do?" Logan asked innocently.

"You…hit it dead-on."

"Seriously?"

"Try again. Keep…keep shooting."

Logan shrugged, raised the pistol again, and took aim.

Three more shots. Blayke raised the binoculars…

…only for them to drop from his hands and clatter to the ground the moment he saw the target. The paint was still within the boundaries of the small dark spot, barely larger than a fist 70 feet away.

Cockpit Confessional

Blayke – Oh, yeah. I just found my new biggest asset in this game.

"Logan…LOGAN." Blayke stuttered.

"Yes?"

"You're seriously a first-timer?"

"Yes."

"You've never fired a gun before? Not even a toy gun?"

"Nope."

"And that right there is your first time shooting?"

"Yes."

Blayke turned back to Carl, Marco, Franco, and Matthew. With the exception of the latter, they were slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

"Logan…you're incredible! Every shot hit right on the mark! Every single one!"

"Hmm. Well I'll be. I just discovered another hidden talent. And besides that…the feeling of the gun jerking in my hand with every shot, the ring of the shot, the sight of the impact on the target…'tis a sensation like never before. It's…it's…"

He turned to the others. A rather rare and devious grin appeared on his face.

"…invigorating."

Lavatory Confessional

Logan – I used to think guns were savage tools of death and destruction, but my stance has now been reversed! Just the feeling of my finger wrapping around the trigger, squeezing it, hearing the shot between heartbeats…It was…It was…liberating. Invigorating. Rejuvenating. (Grins evilly at the camera)

"OK, enough of that, let's get up and moving so we can get ready! We need a game plan." Blayke declared. "Gentlemen, let's split up and mobilize. We'll discuss potential strategies over the walkie-talkies. Now let's move out!"

The three groups split up. Marco jumped into the driver's seat as Louis climbed into the back, placing both hands on the handles of the turret with a look of almost hungry excitement on his face.

Franco jumped down into the boat and started up the engine, with L heading to the stern and similarly taking hold of the turret there, looking less excited.

Lastly, Blayke jumped into the helicopter as Carl started up the propellers. The gun in the helicopter was lower and aimed out the passenger-side door, so Blayke turned sideways to take hold of the handles with the triggers on them, placing one foot on the landing strut to stabilize his posture.

The three vehicles spread out. The boat turned around and sped off towards the center of the Lake, while the helicopter rose up into the air. The Jeep sped off inland, putting some distance between it and the nearby castle.

From the helicopter, Blayke switched on the walkie-talkie and instantly resumed command. "Beta Team, come in!"

"Yeah." L's voice replied half-heartedly over the walkie-talkie.

"Good. Echo Team, come in!"

"Here!" Logan replied.

"Alright. I think we should take turns with the attacks. You know, use our weapons more sparingly. That way, while one group takes time to reload and prepare for the next onslaught, the others can go. Who wants to go up first?"

"I'll go!" Logan volunteered. "Marco will drive up to the bridge at the front entrance, and after an initial wave of gunfire from the turret, I'll attempt to move in through the main gate."

"Excellent. You're learning pretty fast."

"Why, thank you."

The walkie-talkies switched out, and Logan placed it down on the passenger seat of the Jeep.

"Alright, Marco. Head for the bridge. When we're within 100 feet, move at an oblique towards the moat. I'll unleash the first rounds, then you'll turn around and move at a flank directly parallel to the moat for the second round. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Logan grabbed the massive belt of neatly lined-up paint cartridges and inserted one end into the slot on the right side of the turret. He pressed it further in until he heard the loud click of the first shot falling into place. He then grabbed the lever on the left side and pulled it down, delivering the first shell directly into the barrel with the loud cha-chik!

The Jeep came down the grassy hill overlooking the castle, the bridge now in their sights. Marco turned the wheel slightly to the left, moving at a more diagonal angle to the bridge.

Logan swiveled the turret around and took aim just as he finally saw the two guards standing on opposite sides of the massive door, across the moat from him. One was the massive, dark-skinned intern whom he remembered Isabelle identifying as Steve, and the other was…Toadette, still texting on her phone obliviously.

Logan grinned. This shall be a cinch.

Steve perked up as the sound of the Jeep's engine gradually grew louder, and he saw the vehicle fast approaching, the massive gun in the back.

"Whoa!" He yelled out, raising his semi-automatic. "Hey, hey, girl! Get ready, they're coming!"

Toadette barely moved, aside from her fingers flying across the keypad.

Just as the Jeep approached, Steve started firing away, repeatedly pulling the trigger guard out and re-pumping the rifle again and again after each loud shot rang out. The first two were complete misses, with the third nailing the Jeep's right headlight.

In retaliation, Logan opened fire with the turret. The shots rang out in rapid succession as the spent cartridges flew out of the barrel, the chain of unspent shells whipping along as it was continually used up.

The shots rang out, first striking the wall about 15 feet to Steve's right. He turned as he saw the splatters of paint rapidly appear in quick succession on the wall next to him, the centuries-old stone being tainted with the bright colors.

He instantly ducked as the paint line soared over his head, moving past him and straight through the main door. Toadette nonchalantly dropped down and sat on the grass, her back against the wall, the paint soaring over her head as well.

Steve stumbled back up to his feet and raised the rifle, firing four more shots. Two rang out as they ricocheted off the side of the Jeep, its white surface now splotched with a blue spot and a green streak.

As the Jeep drew closer, it turned around sharply. Logan tightened his grip on the trigger to avoid flying off as the Jeep spun around, kicking up clods of grass and dirt. Soon, the castle was now on the Jeep's left side. Logan swung around and took quick aim, opening fire once more.

This time, however, he aimed much lower and aimed more precisely at Steve himself. The large intern only fired off one more shot before he was taken by the line of fire.

Four large splotches appeared on his jacket in his central stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back against the stone wall.

He slowly sank to the ground just as the Jeep was directly across the moat from him. Logan unmercifully opened fire once more, turning the turret to keep it trained on Steve's slumped form.

He fired off six more shots that pelted the already-wounded intern, causing him to double over and fall face-first to the grass. His rifle dropped from his hands and clattered about two feet away.

Just as the Jeep was in front of Toadette and past the bridge, Logan let go of the turret and threw himself off the back of the Jeep, landing on his side and rolling across the grass three times before quickly jumping to his feet.

As he started running towards the bridge over the moat, he reached behind his right shoulder for the AK-47 slung around his shoulder. He pulled it forward and took hold of the trigger with his right hand and the magazine with his left hand.

He dashed across the bridge and made it to the main entrance, all while Steve was still keeled over on the ground, moaning in pain.

Logan was now inside the castle, the Grant Tower rising up on his left, and grassy hills with outer walls rising up ahead of him and to his right. He swung around and looked in all directions, prepared for anything.

But he wasn't prepared for Eryn.

The cackling blonde leapt out from behind a wall, her Mac 10 blazing as she laughed a demonic laugh. Logan spun towards her, then ducked just as the paintballs soared over his head, splattering the wall just behind him.

He rose and fired at her, several shots impacting her stomach and chest. She coughed and bent over slightly, but raised the gun again and continued firing anyway, now aiming straight at Logan.

Logan leapt to the side as the shots rang out, and he slid across the grass like a professional baseball player. He held the gun up as he slid and continued firing, only for Chyna to race straight toward him.

She jumped up and over the first few shots, did a somersault in mid-air, then landed directly in front of Logan.

Logan was now staring down the barrel of the Mac 10, eyes wide.

"Oh…"

"Sorry, buddy. Nice try, though. I give you a 7/10 for the effort."

In that moment, a shot rang out directly beside Logan's face, kicking up grass, dirt, and paint in a purple blast. Chyna and Logan both looked up and saw Phil, standing on top of the wall beside them, aiming down at Logan.

"Nice job there, girl. Let me at him!"

"No way!" Chyna shouted back. "This one's mine!"

In that moment, Logan saw his chance. Without hesitation, he took aim and fired, first aiming down at her shins and moving it upward rapidly, the shots traveling up the length of her body and smearing her all over with paint from head to toe.

Chyna's body jerked wildly from the impacts, and she even dropped her own gun. By the time one shot hit her chin, she was already falling backwards. Logan quickly rolled aside as shots from the top of the wall rang out in his direction, then jumped to his feet, spun sharply on one heel, and tore off for the main entrance in a hasty retreat.

Just as he ran through the main door, he remembered the large intern and was quick to raise his gun and aim to his right. Sure enough, Steve was still there. He had just pulled himself back up to his feet and was popping his back, his gun behind him, when Logan emerged. He looked down at Logan and, realizing the vulnerable position he was in, his eyes widened.

Logan took quick aim and fired.

The brutal crotch shot instantly elicited a high-pitched shriek from the mountainous man, who dropped his gun and bent over, tumbling to the grass once more.

Logan then spun to face Toadette, who was still texting away.

Logan shook his head, then turned and ran down the bridge. The Jeep was on a hill in the distance. Logan cupped one hand over his mouth and shouted out, "MARCO! Emergency pick-up, now!"

The intern heard him and was quick to speed back. Just as he neared Logan's position, he turned hard to the left and swiped past Logan, who managed to grab onto the side and hang on in a truly no-nonsense getaway.

As a last-ditch effort, Phil emerged from the main entrance and fired away with his machine gun, only for the Jeep to already be gone. A single shot barely clipped the rear bumper, smearing a yellow stain on it.

"Nuts." He muttered.

"Nuts is right, you idiot."

"Huh?" Phil turned around…

…and Chyna's foot was instantly between his legs. He too instantly squealed in an unmanly voice, dropping his gun and collapsing to his knees.

"Nice going, moron. You let him get away. I told you that he was MINE. I'll say this once, and once only."

She then knelt down and grabbed Phil by his long, brown hair, pulling his face close to hers.

"When something is mine…IT'S MINE. Got it?"

He nodded furiously, with a very high "Uh-huh" as his response.

"Good." She released him, and he collapsed to the side.

Glancing over at him, Steve groaned.

"Just like the good old days, eh Phil?"

"I wish, Steve."

While waiting for word on Logan's raid, the helicopter now hovered fairly low over the surface of the lake, the boat directly beneath it.

Blayke looked down at L, slouching over in his seat, head in his hands.

With a groan, Blayke raised the walkie-talkie.

"L, come in, L."

Nothing. Ethan leaned out and, squinting hard, noticed the discarded device on a seat across from L.

"Oh, for the love of…Carl, doesn't this thing have a rope ladder?"

"Rolled up right under the passenger seat, sir." The pilot responded.

"Good."

Blayke reached down under the passenger seat and withdrew the rolled-up ladder. Shaking it out and letting it roll down to its full length, the bottom end hung about four feet off the deck of the boat, just in front of L.

Securing the two hooks on his end to the landing strut and snapping them closed, Blayke began climbing down.

He jumped down to the deck when he was on the last rung, and he stood in front of the pouting L, arms folded angrily.

"OK, look. I know we just merged and we've only been on the same team for about…"

A quick glance at his watch.

"…seven minutes, but I've gotta talk to you."

L muttered something that sounded like "Sure."

Blayke sat down next to Matthew, sitting up straight and firm, providing a polar opposite to L's demeanor.

"Look, I understand that you're upset over what happened to Wendy. Yes, it's a tragedy. She was a great girl, a great competitor, and that was probably the worst way ever to leave the game. But dude, you've got to straighten up. There's still a game to be played here, and we need you."

"Mmph. But I've already played this game enough. I won a season, sat out a season, and then I returned and made a jerk out of myself in the final season. What more can I do except give up?"

Blayke slammed a single finger over L's mouth, accompanied by a harsh "SHHH! I don't want to hear that ever come from you again, do you understand? Not for the rest of this challenge.

You can quit on your own time, but for right now, you're on a team with me, and to quit would undoubtedly cost me and Logan the challenge. Would you rather do that – go and screw over two more people after you leave – or stay behind and give it a fighting chance? The last one would probably redeem you a little more. You get what I'm saying?"

L slowly raised his head and looked at Blayke. He then looked at the gun ahead of him, then slowly hung his head again. "I don't know. I just…don't…know."

"Look, think of it this way. Wouldn't Wendy want you to keep going?"

"Not the way I have been going. Blowing people off, like my friends and teammates, putting the game ahead of everyone else?"

"Well, that's just it. To keep going now with a whole new leaf would be much better than quitting without redeeming yourself, right?"

"Even if I could turn over a new leaf, how could I possibly do well? My morale is at an all-time low, my mind is a wreck, and I have no determination. No motivation."

"Two million dollars?"

"Is nothing to me now."

Blayke snarled softly and briefly turned away.

Cockpit Confessional

Blayke – ARGH! I'm sitting there, and he's giving me nothing to work with! NOTHING. I'm right next to him, and I, like, literally, want to strangle him! But it was that very burst of violence in my mind that gave me my last, and surely most effective, idea.

"Alright, alright. I've got an idea. You're angry, right?"

"Yes. Very much so." L's head rose slightly, just enough for his open hands to clench into fists. "I'm angry at myself, more than anything else."

"OK. So what you need to do in order to get motivated is to get angry. Channel that rage and fury and put it into the challenge."

"How? I mean, I'm not mad at the girls, I'm not mad at the interns, I'm not even mad at that castle they're in. How can that help?"

"OK, stand up." Blayke got to his feet and placed his hands on L's shoulders, pulling him up to his feet. He led him over to the turret, drawing Franco's attention.

Blayke placed L in front of the gun, took his hands, and placed his hands on the turret's handles, with the buttons for firing located on top of each handle.

"Take hold of this gun, feel the handles, feel the triggers on each handle. When we go into battle, you will aim this gun at the castle. Anywhere, I don't care. Aim at their guns, aim at them. And when you do…"

He grabbed L's head and made him look straight at him.

"…look into their eyes. Look straight into their eyes, and picture yourself. Imagine that, wherever this gun aims, you are firing at yourself and yourself only.

Imagine that you're shooting at the image of yourself before Wendy's elimination. The side of you that you hate, you are destroying. Do you understand?"

L's head slowly turned back to the gun. His hands tightened on the handles, and he slowly moved the turret up, swiveled it slightly to the right, then to the left.

In that moment, Blayke saw a look spread across L's face. It was not a look of anger, nor a look of uncertainty, nor a look of enthusiasm like Logan had exhibited. It was, above all else, a look of determination.

Blayke grinned, knowing that he had done his job.

Just then, Blayke's walkie-talkie buzzed with a burst of static. After a moment, Logan's broken voice came over.

"…-than! Blayke! Do you read?"

Blayke quickly lifted the walkie-talkie off his belt and answered.

"Alpha Team here, status report, Echo Team."

"I tried, sir. But I could not gain full access. I managed to temporarily incapacitate one of their interns before I entered the main chamber. But I was driven back out."

"Driven right out? What happened?"

"Chyna happened, sir."

"Ugh." Blayke groaned. "Alright, Alpha Team and Beta Team are returning to the shore. You can give us a fill-in there, and then we'll shift over to the next wave."

"Yes, sir."

About ten minutes later, the three vehicles reconvened on a grassy hill far from the castle. Logan, Marco, and the slightly paint-splattered Jeep were waiting. Logan filled them in entirely on his initial assault, taking out Steve, entering the castle, being cornered by Chyna, indirectly saved by Phil, and escaping with another shot at Steve.

"…So, in a sense, I was doomed. Had it not been for the dysfunctionality of the duo, I would've been forced into surrender. I was in over my head."

"No, no, you did fine. You got an initial feel of the castle and we know what we're up against. If anything, that was a scouting mission. You did good, and it's time to rest. It's our turn."

"'Our'?" L asked.

"Beta Team and Alpha Team will work together on this. This shall be our first true assault on the castle, working together from the sea and the air."

"Oh."

Blayke placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just as I said. Imagine that you're shooting at your past self."

L raised his head once more and looked straight at Blayke, nodding.

Cockpit Confessional

Blayke – As you can imagine, giving pep talks and encouraging people is generally not my thing, especially when I actually mean it. But in this case, I had to make an exception. Just for this one challenge, I have to put up being on the same team as him. And anything I can do to empower him and give our team more of a fighting chance, I'll do it.

Besides, this only serves as a win-win for me. Not only is this creating a force to be reckoned with that will undoubtedly carry our team to victory this week, but if he truly does improve dramatically and become a true threat once more, that will surely prompt the others to vote him off once it's a free-for-all game. This is two birds in the hand for me.

The helicopter and the boat were now underway, speeding off towards the castle and closing in.

Along the way, Blayke took note of one of three massive missiles hanging on the underside of the red helicopter. It was about five feet long, but no more than three inches across, and with three tail fins on the bottom. A single red ring circled around the circumference of the missile directly in the middle of its length.

While standing outside the helicopter earlier, he had taken note of the other two missiles and their matching rings: The one around the middle missile was blue, and the one on the left side of the helicopter was green.

"Carl, what exactly are the capabilities of these three missiles here?"

"Oh, boy. Those are the big guns." Carl replied with a slightly nervous chuckle. "And I mean THE big guns. They make that machine gun there look like a bean-shooter."

"And these are the only three we have?"

"Yes. They are too powerful for anymore. The other downside is that they can't lock on target or be piloted towards a target in any way whatsoever. All we can do is aim the helicopter itself at the target and fire the missile. Its trajectory in alignment with that of the helicopter's should take it right to the target."

"And then?"

"That target might as well be made of paint, sir."

"Excellent. We must save these for when we really need them."

"Which might be right now, sir!" Carl replied anxiously, leaning over to look out the windshield at the castle. "We're here!"

Eryn looked up as she heard the familiar buzzing of motors in the distance. She saw the two vehicles first, and a grin spread across her face.

"Ah…Action."

She then straightened up, cupping both hands over her mouth and issuing her birdcall.

"KA-KAW! KA-KAW! KA-KAW!"

In the Grant Tower, the three girls perked up. Rosalina first looked in the direction of the call, then out towards the lake. She saw the two vehicles approaching, and glared.

"Finally. They're giving a little more effort. And so will we."

She turned to Rain. "You! Get on that anti-aircraft gun, stat! You'll take the chopper."

She then turned to Mona. "You! Gather up some weapons and follow me to that top level! We'll shoot at the boat."

Both girls nodded and proceeded to do as they were told.

Chyna turned towards the opposite end of the castle and repeated the birdcall, alerting Skyler and Bill.

"Showtime." Bill said firmly. He attached the round magazine to his paint-tommy gun, then took aim. Skyler mimicked with her sniper rifle.

The two vehicles closed in, the boat directly beneath the helicopter. When they were within 100 yards of the castle, Blayke stuck his hand out the window and gave the signal with a single flick of his hand, then sticking out his thumb and jerking it to the left.

Down in the boat, Franco responded by veering the boat more to the left, approaching at a 45-degree angle just as Marco and the White Jeep had approached from the front earlier. The helicopter, meanwhile, veered more to the right, aiming for the Grant Tower.

Within 50 yards, the anti-aircraft gun was already blazing. Explosions of paint went off all around the chopper, but Blayke was unfazed. He simply maintained his position, one leg placed on the landing strut and the other inside the chopper. He leaned forward against the gun, grabbing the handles.

"Eat my paint." He muttered before he opened fire.

The round barrel with six holes at the end started rotating rapidly as the shots rang out. The paint traveled up the length of the Tower, starting at the base and traveling up towards the second level ledge.

When it reached the enemy's gun, he stopped and kept it trained on the massive weapon. The paint erupted against the metal shields on both sides of the barrel, and Rain ducked to avoid several close shots as she herself continued firing.

Meanwhile, the boat was now at heading at an oblique towards the castle, and L took aim. Staring down the sights something fierce, Blayke's words echoed.

Imagine that you're shooting at your past self…

With that, the paint started flying. L kept the trigger pressed down and shouted a battle roar as he fired. The paint peppered the side of the castle, and he fired wildly out of rage rather than particularly aiming at anything.

Positioned at the opposite end of the castle from the Tower, Skyler and Bill took careful aim at the boat. Bill fired first, unleashing dozens of rounds on the boat. They mostly struck the forecastle deck just in front of the windshield, with several drops splattering the glass in front of Franco. He instantly perked up and looked in the direction the shots were coming from. He saw the two crouched figures.

"Sir! Over there!" He shouted, pointing in their direction.

Matthew, barely hearing him, turned in the direction he was pointing while the gun continued blazing. With another roar, he swiveled it around and aimed straight at them, gun blazing.

Bill managed to duck just as the paint started striking their location, while Skyler wasn't so lucky. Four shots struck her, with two on her stomach, one on her right shoulder, and one on her forehead.

She yelped and stumbled backwards, her sniper rifle discharging a single shot as it fell from her hands. Bill stood up and looked back at her, sprawled out on the ground, only for a single shot to nail him in the back of the head, sending him spinning around and flying forward, sliding across the ground face-first and getting himself a mouthful of grass.

"YYYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSS!" L cheered triumphantly as he saw his two successful impacts.

From the helicopter, Blayke took note of L'd success, chuckled, and briefly lifted up his walkie-talkie.

"Nice shot there, Beta Team. I'll get you a pack of DP just for that one alone."

A single shot struck the inside of the chopper, exploding pink paint on the ceiling above him. He quickly resumed firing, aiming at the anti-aircraft gun.

However, the helicopter was already nearly above the Tower, and he was unable to lower it any further. In the last few moments, he took some shots at the two girls on the very top, only for them to duck under his line of fire as the helicopter soared overhead, barely 10 feet above them.

As Rosalina swung around to face the helicopter, her hair blew wildly in its wake. She raised her paint shotgun and fired three more shots, with one impacting near the tail rotor of the chopper.

She quickly leaned over the railing and looked down at Rain on the second floor.

"Rain! You holding up? You hit?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't think we did much damage, though."

"Hang on!" Mona shouted, drawing Rosalina's attention. She was pointing up at the chopper, now sideways as it slowly turned around.

"They're coming back!" She declared.

"They're coming back!" Rosalina repeated to Rain. She ran over to the other edge of the top level, cupped her hand and shouted as loud as she could across the length of the castle. "THEY'RE COMING BACK FOR A SECOND WAVE! GET READY!"

"I see 'em!" Steve shouted from the main entrance. He aimed his semi-automatic and started firing, pumping, and firing again. The helicopter was now facing towards the center of the castle and closing in.

He had just emptied his rifle's chamber as the chopper swung over him and flew over the castle once more.

Blayke's gun was blazing as he opened fire on the groups in the center of the castle. He first aimed carefully at Chyna, who returned fire with the Mac 10.

The shots from Blayke's mini-gun streaked across the ground towards her, and at the last moment, Chyna lowered the gun, grabbed Phil, and held him directly in front of her.

"Hey! Wait! What are yo-OWALBLARGHERCK!"

He was instantly taken by a line of paint, streaking straight up his body and with three shots to the face. He jerked and twisted in her grip before passing out cold.

Chyna dropped his slumped form, lifted up her gun once more, and fired some more rounds as the chopper flew past, veering to the right to take aim at Skyler and Bill.

"They're coming this way! Watch out!" Bill shouted, crouching and taking aim with his tommy gun. Skyler finally managed to fire her own shots, squeezing off three rounds as it soared past them.

As the helicopter flew over them, it continued straight ahead, not showing any signs of turning around. The shots died down, and the thumping of the propellers dwindled off into the distance. The boat trailed them, its humming motor also dissipating as peace settled over the castle once more.

The battle was just beginning.