"And we're back!" Chris declared, "Before the break, the Merciless Moose won the challenge and received a reward: the right to vote off one member of the other team, the Wild Wolverines. Let's see what all of the campers have been up to since the challenge."

--------

The cameras first turned their attention to the front of the losers' cabin, where Alexander and Tory currently stood. Both of them were a bit unsure with how the vote would go, and they needed to find a way to convince the Merciless Moose to not vote for them.

"This is a tough one, huh?" Alexander noted.

"Can't argue with that," Tory agreed.

"Look man, I think that you and I are very similar people," Alexander claimed, trying to be friendly, "If we're going to stay in this game, we're gonna have to rely on each other."

"Sounds good to me," Tory agreed as he gave Alexander a fist bump.

"Now...I would hope that you would have a connection with most of the members on the opposite team," Alexander expressed, "Y'know, because you were on the Chaotic Cougars with most of them."

"That's...true," Tory admitted.

"What I think...is that you could go to them, and convince them to vote for anyone that isn't us," Alexander suggested, "Who would you want to vote out?"

"I mean...you want Laila gone, right?" Tory asked, "After what happened today, of course."

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with that," Alexander agreed, "She has to go; she's a loose cannon."

"At this point, almost everyone is after me. I'm hoping that my friendship with Tory is still intact. That way, he can go and convince his old team to not vote me out. Honestly, it doesn't matter if Laila or Amalia gets voted out. As long as it's not me, I'm fine with it."- Alexander

"So...you don't want Amalia to go?" Tory asked, seeking information.

"Honestly, I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to keep us both in the game," Alexander claimed, "As long as we aren't the ones walking down the Dock of Shame at the end of the night, I'm fine with it."

"I get that Alexander is trying to manipulate me. But honestly, keeping him in the game might not be the worst idea. He's not coming after me, and almost everyone around here is gonna target him. That buys me at least one more chance to survive."- Tory

"Alexander, you know that you're a target," Tory rationalized, "What can I tell them that will make them want to keep you?"

"Well, I'm hoping that the remaining Chaotic Cougars have a core alliance," Alexander admitted, "Remind them that I'm a vote for them when the merge comes, and I'll do what they say."

"And I will too," Laila added as she walked up to the duo, "Tory, you've got to convince them to vote for Amalia, right?"

"Yeah...that's right..." Tory muttered as he began walking towards the mini-mansion, "Hopefully it works!"

"I haven't really had a lot of conversations with most of the people on the other team, so my only hope is that Tory can convince them to vote for Amalia."- Laila

"Laila is getting a bit lazy; she should be the one going to talk to the other team instead of me. But hey, I can use her laziness as a tool to get her voted out, and hopefully solidify trust with my alliance on the other side."- Tory

"Can't you go talk to them?" Alexander asked to Laila, "Half of them were on your team at one point."

"I don't know..." Laila muttered, "I don't think that they'd want to talk to me...no one does..."

"I'm here, remember?" Alexander reminded, trying to keep Laila under control.

"Sure..." Laila replied halfheartedly as she turned away to walk back into the cabin, "Sure..."

"Now I understand why Daniel kept Laila in the game over Alejandro; she's nothing without him. Ever since he was voted out, Laila has been down in the dumps; she's barely talked to anyone, and she seems to have lost her desire to stay here."- Alexander

"I don't know....I don't know what I'm doing. I don't feel like I have anybody here. My old team deserted me, Alejandro is gone, and I don't trust Alexander that much." *begins tearing up*- Laila

--------

With the halfway point of the game quickly approaching, everyone was ready to solidify an alliance in hopes of controlling the game when the merge came. A perfect example of this was the alliance of Katelyn, Devin, Kiana, Amalia, and Daniel; all of whom were currently hanging out in the music room, electing to use the time to strategize.

"So, can you two promise that us three are safe?" Devin asked as he took a seat at a bench.

"Now that we lost, I'm hoping that Katelyn and Daniel can save the alliance."- Devin

"Well, Daniel is closer with them than I am," Katelyn admitted as she turned to face Daniel, "Do you have any idea with what's going on in their heads?"

"As far as I know, I think that they'll get rid of Alexander," Daniel remarked, "I think that it's clear to them that Alexander is just too volatile to keep any longer."

"I'd like to think that the team views me as a bit of a leader. I mean, not as much as in the past, but I have retained the leadership role. If I work hard enough, I'm confident that I can convince them to vote for Alexander."- Daniel

"He is rude, repulsive, and arrogant," Amalia listed, wanting to vent, "I don't even want to look at him."

"Well, at this rate, you won't have to," Daniel assured as he sat next to Amalia on the piano bench.

"Thank you," Amalia thanked as she grabbed Daniel's head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"And and at this rate, you two will be the first couple to 'do it' on this show," Devin joked, causing everyone to laugh in shock.

"Wow," Kiana remarked, nearly laughing, "Just wow."

"Trust me, man; that's not gonna happen anytime soon," Daniel assured.

"At least, not with all the cameras around," Katelyn joked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Can we just get back on topic, please?" Daniel pleaded, "Ideally, Alexander gets voted out tonight, who would be the best to go next time?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't trust Rhythm," Katelyn admitted, "She's a snake."

"Rhythm is flying under the radar, and I'm not a big fan of that. I haven't forgotten how she kept Zeyad in the game over Betty. I get that my team is safe, but if my team loses the next challenge, I won't hesitate to push the vote against her."- Katelyn

"Well, that's if we lose," Daniel noted, "If the Moose win, who should Devin, Amalia, & Kiana vote for?"

"I think Laila should go," Amalia admitted, "I'm starting to think that she's after me."

"Laila seems to be...avoiding me as of lately. I really think that she still holds a grudge because I voted out her boyfriend. I don't know for sure, but I'd rather be safe than sorry at this point."- Amalia

"Well, we can have this talk when the time comes," Devin declared as he stood up from his seat, "I'm gonna go look at what's to eat in the fridge."

"I'll join you," Katelyn remarked eagerly as she stood up to join himm.

"Should I leave too?" Kiana asked before turning to Daniel & Amalia, "Y'know, to let you two have some 'alone time'."

"Please?" Amalia asked as she watched Devin, Katelyn, and Kiana leave the room.

"Someone's eager, eh?" Daniel teased as he tapped Amalia's nose with his index finger.

"Hehe...yeah..." Amalia admitted as she wrapped her arms around Daniel and sat in his lap, "It's been a bit lonely without you..."

"Well, once the teams merge, that won't be a problem," Daniel noted as he lifted Amalia off of him and stood up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Amalia asked, confused, "We were about to-"

"Sorry, but I've got to go convince my team to vote for Alexander, sorry," Daniel explained before kissing Amalia on the head and leaving the room.

"Aww..." Amalia muttered, saddened.

"Ever since the team swap, I've felt like Daniel and I are becoming more and more distant. I don't know, maybe it's just because he's taking more time to think of a way to get us to the final two. Sure, we cuddle and we kiss and all that, but he's really apprehensive about doing it in public. I just wish that he'd stop worrying about it. Is that too much to ask? Does he really care? Am I thinking too hard?"- Amalia

"Hey..." Kiana muttered as she walked back into the room, "Mind if I talk to you about something...private?"

"Huh?" Amalia stated as she looked up to see who was talking to her, "Oh, yeah that's fine. Sure."

"Now, you are obviously in a relationship with Daniel," Kiana noted, "I need some relationship advice."

"Oh...you have a crush..." Amalia guessed, causing Kiana to blush, "Who is it?"

"......Devin...." Kiana answered awkwardly.

"Devin?" Amalia questioned, surprised.

"Devin? Devin? Out of all the guys here, she has a crush on Devin? Hey, to each their own, I guess."- Amalia

"I don't know...Devin's the first boy who has ever treated me this way. I've never felt this way before and it scares me a little bit. When he grabbed my wrist, I felt butterflies in my stomach; it was a warm, weird feeling, and I didn't really mind. Maybe I do like him..."- Kiana

"Yeah," Kiana confirmed, "What do I do? Do I go and tell him?"

"Well, one thing that I want you to know is that boys are just as scared as us when it comes to revealing their crush," Amalia revealed, "Now, do you think that he likes you?"

"I don't know..." Kiana admitted, "I mean...him and I seem to get along really well; I don't want to tell him if it'll ruin our friendship."

"The advice that I'll give you is to continue the friendship until anything changes," Amalia advised, "You two are clearly good friends; these feelings for him might just be your sense of safety when you're around him. I felt the same way with Daniel. If fate allows you two to be in love, then fate will give you the opportunity at the right time."

--------

Whenever you were given an opportunity to make a crucial move, it was key to make sure that you capitalized on it to the fullest. In one of the bedrooms of the mini-mansion, currently occupied by Tory, Aaron, Matthew, Rhythm, and Veronica, they were debating on what the right move was to do. The five of them agreed to come together to discuss the upcoming vote; Tory would be able to give the others information regarding the chemistry of his team, and hopefully help them make the right choice.

"So, you don't trust Alexander?"  Tory asked.

"Not one bit," Veronica confirmed, "He's too unpredictable."

"Alexander has pretty much laid all his cards out on the table. He's got a neon target on his back, and he'll never be able to get it off. He has to go."- Veronica

"Your concern is that you'll never be able to predict what he does next," Tory rationalized.

"Duh," Aaron confirmed, "We don't know if he'll beat us in challenges or beat us up."

"The thing is, he is entirely alone," Tory claimed, "And yes, even though I'm up here defending him, I am with you guys to the end. And I mean it."

"What benefit is it to us to keep Alexander?" Rhythm asked, seeking a coherent answer.

"He's not coming after us; he's coming for Daniel and Amalia," Tory noted, "For our sakes, it's better to keep him in the game because we know that the others will target him instead of us, and he'll target the others instead of us."

"Well, if we're not voting for Alexander, who do we vote for?" Veronica asked.

"I don't think that Laila is in many people's sights," Tory admitted, "She could float to the end."

"My pitch to my alliance is that Laila is an unmarked ship; she could flip every which way and become even more unpredictable than Alexander. I needed to remind them that even though Alexander is targeting our original allies, we need to think for ourselves."- Tory

"Her and Alexander are pretty close too; I think that it could catch Alexander off guard," Tory admitted.

"My problem with that is that Alexander is a wayyyy better competitor in competitions," Aaron expressed, "He's stronger, smarter, and maybe faster too."

"But your team is stacked; you'll beat us in any physical challenge," Tory noted, "And if we keep Alexander, and if my team loses the next challenge, Devin & Kiana will get rid of Alexander for sure. If Laila stays, she might team up with Devin & Kiana and get rid of me."

"Was Laila close with Devin & Kiana?" Matthew asked, turning to Rhythm.

"They were in an alliance," Rhythm admitted, "It was them three and Katelyn."

"Perfect," Tory remarked, "You can vote out Laila, which will weaken Alexander & the 'original Merciless Moose' alliance, and keep us in the prime position to make it far."

--------

With the cases having been pleaded to all parts of the winning team, the Merciless Moose joined each other in an upstairs bedroom, ready to make a decision on how to vote. Now, they all didn't have to vote the same way, but it would be beneficial to have the majority vote against the intended target. However, not everyone had the same plan in mind.

"So...where do we start?" Matthew asked, wanting to spark the discussion.

"Well, let's decide who we want out," Veronica declared.

"The thing is, I think that we should have a primary target and a secondary target," Daniel proposed, "We can split our votes 4-2, and streamline the elimination ceremony."

"Good plan," Aaron agreed, "So, who are we going after?"

"If I can throw a name out there, I think that Alexander should be the one voted out," Katelyn admitted, "I don't like his attitude."

"I'm not a big fan of Alexander's strategy. He's a walking bullhorn; I can't have an ally in the game who's a target. He's got to go."- Katelyn

"Strategically, it's better for all of our games if we get rid of Laila," Veronica assured.

"It's pretty much the best for me, Matthew, Aaron, and Rhythm. Even though it's not the best move for Daniel & Katelyn, I just have to convince them that this is for the best."- Veronica

"Really?" Katelyn asked, "Are you dumb?"

"Uh...I think what Katelyn means to say is: why is it a better option to do vote for Laila?" Daniel corrected.

"Y'know, I didn't think that it'd be this difficult to protect Katelyn. Sure, by keeping her, I keep Amalia safe, but I've got to get rid of Katelyn at the safest possible opportunity."- Daniel

"If the other team loses the next immunity challenge, there's no question that they'd vote for Alexander," Veronica rationalized, "If Laila stays, it's no guarantee that she goes home. It could be Devin, Kiana, or Amalia that goes home. And that's not good for us."

"But Laila is a loner," Daniel noted, "Ever since Alejandro was voted out, she's had nobody."

"She has Alexander," Rhythm retorted.

"Tell me: who was the one that went to you and told you to target Laila over Alexander?" Daniel asked, curious.

"Tory," Matthew answered.

"Tory and Alexander have to be close for that to happen," Daniel rationalized, "Why would Alexander tell Tory to throw Laila under the bus if he was aligned with her?"

"Umm..." Aaron muttered, trying to think of a reason.

"Exactly!" Daniel exclaimed, "Alexander doesn't care who goes home as long as it's not him. He'll flip back and forth forever and manipulate us all until he's in the final two."

"That's...a good point..." Matthew admitted.

"Hold on!" Veronica shouted, upset that things weren't going her way, "Sure, Alexander might flip constantly, but don't you think that Laila would do the same?"

"The difference is that Alexander has the heart of a lion; he won't give up until he's voted out," Daniel claimed, "Laila's practically given up; has she talked to any of you since the team swap?"

"Um...no..." Aaron answered, half-ashamed.

"She's not a threat to us at all," Daniel pointed out, "She's hardly got any fight left in her. Alexander is the bigger threat to take out."

"Damn; why does Daniel have to make such good points?"- Rhythm

"That's why we should eliminate her!" Veronica noted, wanting to make her point, "No one is going to target her; she just has to fly under the radar and she'll make it to the end before we know it."

"That's what I was going to say," Rhythm remarked, agreeing with Veronica's point, "We can get rid of Laila now, and the other team can get rid of Alexander later."

"Here's a new point: when do you think we'll merge teams?" Daniel asked.

"Probably at 10," Veronica answered honestly.

"Your plan assumes that we're gonna win the next immunity challenge; what happens if we lose the next challenge?" Daniel asked rhetorically, "Alexander stays in the game, makes the merge, and he has the ability to win every single kind of immunity challenge. He was fast enough to lead his team through the footrace, smart enough to solve the puzzle in the third episode, and strong enough to physically injure me during the tape challenge."

"Daniel, I get that you have a vendetta against him but we need to do what's best for all of us," Veronica reminded.

"I am looking out for all of our physical well-beings!" Daniel insisted, "See this nose?! He broke it with the sheer power of his fists. See this bruise on my forearm?! He gripped so hard that the tendons are physically hurt. I'm in pain everyday, I can't grip as hard anymore; he's the reason why I go to sleep in pain every night. Who knows what he'll do next? If he can break my nose, he can break other parts of us! What would we do if someone like Aaron or Veronica had their leg broken by him?"

That rant left the team in complete silence. None of them knew how to proceed; they managed to turn a strategic decision into a personal one. None of them could deny that Alexander was a physical threat and could hurt them, both in the game and physically. They also couldn't deny that getting rid of Laila would be making their future a little more clear with regards to the pecking order. Going back to their main point: they still hadn't decided who would be their main target, and they were running out of time.

"Four of us are voting for our target, and two of us are voting for our secondary target," Rhythm reminded, "Who's voting for who, and who's our main target?"

"This game just got a lot more complicated. On one hand: Alexander is a brutish, loud, crazy physical threat. On the other hand: Laila is a weakened floater who is pretty much done with the game. It's a tough call."- Rhythm

"Laila was a close ally of mine, but Alexander being here keeps the target on his back and off of mine. I don't know what's the right thing to do."- Katelyn

"If you thought that being here was rough.........it's really rough......"- Matthew

--------

As the sky turned a dark shade of navy blue, both teams filed into the campfire area, gathering in their respective seats. This time however, those in the bleachers would be the ones voting, while the Wild Wolverines would remain in their seats, awaiting the moment that one of them would be eliminated. All of them were scared; none of them knew what the Merciless Moose were thinking, and they were all praying that they weren't the unlucky one.

"Welcome campers," Chris welcomed, "Due to the reward, we will begin with the vote. Merciless Moose, you will enter the Confession Can one at a time to X-out the picture of the person on the Wild Wolverines that you want out. After checking them, I'll give out marshmallows to those whom are safe, and the one without a marshmallow will be forced to walk down the Dock of Shame and leave the island in the Submarine of Losers. Now vote!"

--------

"The plan is to send you home tonight. Sorry, but it's what's best for my alliance."- Veronica

"You never went to talk to me one-on-one, so I have to assume that you don't respect me enough to talk to me."- Rhythm

"Strategically, this is the right move to help me go far."- Matthew

"As far as 'risk calculations' go, what the team has decided isn't an awful decision, but I'm not crazy about it."- Daniel

"I just think that you're the bigger threat. Luckily for you, I'm only one vote."- Katelyn

"I always thought that you were going to ruin my game one day, and that's why you're going home tonight."- Aaron

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"Alright, I've tallied the votes," Chris announced, "But before I read them, I need the Wild Wolverines to pick one person on the Merciless Moose to go to Boney Island."

"Katelyn!" Devin and Kiana exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's fine," Amalia agreed.

"Eh, sure," Laila agreed non-enthusiastically.

"What am I?"Alexander asked, astonished that he didn't have a say, "Chopped liver?"

"More like chopped snake," Amalia muttered under her breath.

"Go ahead, I guess," Tory allowed.

"That settles it!" Chris declared as Katelyn began to walk towards the path, "Katelyn, please follow the path to the boat on the beach."

"At this point, I've gotta go to Boney Island and pray to God that I find an invincibility head. If I don't find it, I'm gone. And I can't have that happen."-Katelyn

"Under normal circumstances, I would want Daniel to go to Boney Island. But I can't get the stupid thought out of my mind that...he might be trying to string me along for as long as possible. See! Stupid thought! Anyways, if not Daniel, Katelyn is the next best person to go."- Amalia

"Bye, guys!" Katelyn exclaimed as she waved goodbye and walked down the path.

"Anywho...the following people are safe," Chris began as he picked up four marshmallows, "Kiana, Tory, Amalia, and Devin. That leaves Alexander & Laila on the chopping block."

Neither of them were surprised; Alexander knew that he was a target for being so aggressive, and Laila knew that she hadn't done anything to save herself. The difference was in their attitudes; while Alexander was terrified that he was going home, Laila seemed perfectly calm, as if she was at peace with the possibility of being voted out.

"The final marshmallow goes to.......Alexander," Chris revealed as he threw the final marshmallow to him, "Laila, you're done."

"Yeah...I expected that..." Laila admitted as she stood up and began walking towards the dock, "C'mon guys, let's get this over with."

--------

The present ten campers watched silently as Laila walked down the Dock of Shame alone. The emotions were mixed; Katelyn was disappointed that she lost a potential ally, Amalia was upset that Daniel didn't get Alexander voted off, and Alexander was relieved that he survived another vote. However, no one felt that Laila leaving was detrimental to their games; while no one wanted to say it out loud, Laila seemed to have given up. In the end, it was better to simply vote someone off who didn't seem to want to be there.

"Just take me away," Laila ordered gloomily as she closed the hatch of the Submarine of Losers, allowing it to drive her away and out of sight.

"I feel a bit bad about this..." Daniel admitted, not expecting anyone to hear.

"Ya' think?" Amalia asked rhetorically as she turned to face him.

"Daniel....what is going on with you?"- Amalia

With that, Chris allowed the remaining campers to return to their bedrooms as he thought about the remaining campers. One thing that he couldn't deny was that the remaining eleven campers were dedicated to the game; they were here to win. Laila was the exception; she ended up finding love, and the elimination of her boyfriend shattered her remaining hopes of winning, and she was unable to recover.

"Well...certainly not the most exciting episode ever, but at least I got some free food," Chris remarked as he talked to the main camera, "What will Alexander do now that he's all alone? What will Katelyn do on Boney Island? And what twist awaits the campers? Find out next time, right here, on Total...Drama...Island:...Return to Wawanakwa!"

--------

Votes:

Veronica: Laila

Rhythm: Laila

Matthew: Laila

Daniel: Alexander

Katelyn: Alexander

Aaron: Laila