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Chapter Text

Prelude
It wasn't often that network executives had an idea land in their lap. When Dominick, the reality television disaster agent, was arrested in France, the world took notice, and all eyes turned towards this reality show gone wrong. When people realized what had happened, they were appalled...yet many were intrigued as well. This reality show was nothing like they had seen before.

The foreman from Dominick's ill-fated show saw this and realized he needed to take a chance. He looked up the top executive and made his pitch. This man didn't want to be the next host, oh no, he wanted to run things from behind the scenes, except this time he would do things properly. Everything would go right from the beginning, and there would be no ego wars.

The first executive shot him down and called the idea moronic, but the second saw the value in such a plan. Together they worked it out, drew up a contract, and looked into their options. The original reality show was too dangerous--if it weren't for some skilled contestants working things out, everyone there could have died and Dominick would have run free. Instead they would take advantage of state of the art software, and rather than send real people to real places, the contestants would use this software to participate. If any harm came to them, the software would boot them out of the simulation to keep them from getting hurt.

It was the perfect plan, but it needed a concept.

The crew member smiled, "We'll call it Volcano Island."

"Done! Who do you want for this?" the executive asked coldly.

He had names, and all they needed now were the contestants. A list was drawn up, and with the help of this software, the contestants were brought to them from wherever they were. The prize of 10 million dollars was offered, and every one of them signed the contracts and readied themselves for the competition.

Chapter Text

Day 1
Volcano Beach came into view, and sixteen eager contestants stood on the pristine beach. Towering above that beach was a very active volcano shaped into a skull with flaming eyes. This didn't have much effect on the contestants. Instead of bikini clad models or happy teenagers, this ragtime group of people looked coldly at the landscape as they awaited instruction.

"Hi diddly ho, contestants!"

Ned Flanders was a family man, a God-fearing man who saw the good in everything. He looked over the group with a smile despite the icy glares he received in return:

"Welcome to Volcano Island! You all are competing for the grand prize of ten million smackaroonies. Whadaya say we kick this competition off with a friendly race? On the other side of the island is a basket with a survival kit. First one to grab it up will get to spin the Wheel of Immunity to see how the day's immunity will be decided. Ready, set, go!" Ned cheered.

This group was fast and vicious. The first front runner was Scrappy Doo. Short and built with powerful muscles, he ran through the undergrowth easily. The problem though was his short legs. Once the other competitors were able to see the footpaths in the brush, Scrappy quickly fell behind. The next front runner was Catwoman, who bounded over small brush and didn't mind using taller trees to swing herself forward.

At the back, Nelson struggled to keep up. More of a street thug than a true competitor, he did his best to keep up. He and Scrappy Doo pulled up the rear, though the rich girls of the group, Muffy and Chloe, also struggled. Neither of them wanted to get their designer shoes dirty or ruin their hair with the jungle heat.

"Why not just sit out if you're so worried about your hair?" Nelson called up.

"And look like a wimp?" Chloe scoffed.

"Yeah, we have to at least try," Muffy huffed, shrieking as she ran through a spider web face first. Just like that, she was in last place.

At the front, Zuko rebounded from the middle of the pack to join Catwoman at the front, though Plankton wasn't far behind them. Small yet devious, he left traps behind him in the form of a sticky substance. Most competitors ran through it without second thought, but Jetta and Janet were stopped in their tracks.

"EWW! It's on my leg!" Janet sobbed.

Jetta stomped her feet, "It won't come off! IT WON'T COME OFF!"

Heather ran past them with a smirk, "Whatever, losers, it's just a little goop."

"Yes, such prissy little ladies," Mojo Jojo sneered as he too ran past.

As Jetta and Janet composed themselves, the rest of the competitors ran past. Captain Hook found the terrain easy to navigate, but it was hard for him to run very fast because he kept losing his hat. Helga easily passed him but was too focused on keeping palm fronds out of her face to go any faster. Angelica was too busy trying to avoid the sticky traps, and Vicky just wasn't fast enough to keep up. Her goal was to get around the next guy, Toffee, who casually ran through the underbrush as if he were walking instead.

But the front runners never stopped running. As they reached the beach on the other side, Catwoman lost the advantage of earthy ground. Zuko hadn't run very often in sand, but he was strong enough to bound forward. He landed on the basket and rolled forward with it in his arms.

"Yippie!" Ned Flanders cheered, pulling Zuko's arm into the air, "We have a winner! When everyone gets here, we'll spin the Wheel of Immunity."

Eventually everyone made it to the other side. Ned Flanders snapped his fingers, and the wheel appeared before him. Different activities were on the wheel, and a bright red pointer indicated which slice of the circle would be its choice.

"Give it a whirl," Ned said, watching as Zuko stepped forward.

With a firm pull, the wheel started spinning. The colors melted together into a blur, but soon they were visible again, and finally the wheel slowed to a stop over a blue wedge simply labeled "SWIMMING."

Ned smiled, "Alrightyrooney! Today's immunity will be a swimming challenge! Maybe that will help some of you ladies clean the goop off your outfits--"

"We don't get swimsuits?!" Chloe shrieked.

"I'm afraid not, but the water is fine! When I blow my whistle, you'll swim out to the platform and begin pulling up an anchor. Each one has a bag of puzzle pieces tied to the bottom, so pull it up and start doing your puzzle. The first contestant to complete their puzzle wins!" Ned announced, turning to Zuko, "And because you got to the group reward first, you get a head start! GO!"

Thirty seconds after Zuko started to swim, Ned let the others go. Chloe and Muffy were reluctant but Ned all but forced them into the water. Everyone swam out, and though it took each person a different amount of time to get to the platforms spread across the ocean, everyone had to struggle to get their anchors lifted.

Scrappy Doo, Plankton, and Janet struggled to move their ropes at all. Muffy and Chloe could get their ropes to move, but they kept crying about rope burn and losing their place.

Zuko, Catwoman, and Toffee remained focused on the task at hand. The rope burned their hands, sure, but they needed immunity. They needed to get their puzzle pieces first.

Zuko was first, then Catwoman. Next was Vicky, who had started throwing rope behind her. When others started copying her, several contestants ended up on the next step.

But the puzzle wasn't easy. The knot to open the bag was difficult, and each piece had a particular order it needed to be put in.

Zuko huffed loudly, "This is ridiculous!"

"Ah, ah, ah, patience is a virtue," Catwoman smiled, casually putting in piece after piece.

"Remarkable," Toffee muttered, knowing he had no chance.

When Catwoman put in her last piece, a flag appeared over her head. Ned, who appeared behind the group in a large ship, cheered loudly, and all work stopped. Muffy groaned as Chloe began to cry, "My nails, they're ruined!"

"Alright, crew, load up!" Ned announced.

Once everyone had climbed up the rope ladder on the outside of the ship, Ned put the bright red immunity necklace onto Catwoman. Helga rolled her eyes as she approached the railing:

"So what's this all about?" Helga glared.

"Well, little missy, I'm glad you asked! Volcano Island is rather large, so we're going to sail over to your new camp," Ned smiled.

"Camp? As in outside?" Muffy asked.

Ned chuckled, "Well, yeah, that's what this whole competition is about. Zuko got you all some fire starters, rice, and beans. There's a well near camp, and--"

"I am NOT sleeping outside!" Janet screamed as Chloe began to sob uncontrollably.

"Now, now, aren't you all being a little dramatic?" Toffee asked with a sneer.

"Yeah, bunch of babies!" Angelica huffed.

"What, you don't think this is just a bit ridiculous? We came all this way, and they want us to live in a bunch of huts--"

"Oh, Scrappy Doo, no, there are no huts unless you build your own," Ned corrected.

"Hog wash! That's nonsense!" Scrappy Doo ranted, stomping on the deck, "You can't make me go!"

"Well, we're here," Ned announced, lowering the rope bridge once more.

"Well you can go for us, we're staying here!" Jetta spat, looking Ned over, "Looks like you're in the Four Seasons or whatever!"

"Oh suck it up," Helga huffed, rolling her eyes, "Ridiculous, every one of you," she said.

"Yeah!" Angelica agreed as she followed Helga over the side. Zuko jumped into the water instead, as did Catwoman and Toffee.

Captain Hook looked Ned over, "You know, you wouldn't know what to do with a ship like this, sunny boy. Let me take care of it, will you?" he grinned, tapping his hook against the helm.

"I'll take care of him!" Nelson yelled, rushing up to Ned. Nelson wrapped his arms around Ned's waist and laughed, "I've always wanted to do this."

Nelson easily heaved Ned into the air and over the side of the ship. He landed with a big splash just as the others reached the beach. They watched as the remaining contestants stayed on the ship and sailed a little off the beach.

Captain Hook dropped anchor nearby, "We should search the ship for food and whatnot, figure out our sleeping quarters for the night."

Chloe was too busy sobbing to join the others. Scrappy Doo rolled his eyes at the spoiled girl before joining the others below deck, where he and the others found a whole lot of nothing. There were some crates at the bottom, but they contained extra rice. The group found no pot, and the stove had no way to be lit.

"Well this is pathetic," Vicky sighed, kicking over an empty sack, "I'm sure the others will laugh when they find out how little we have."

"Please, they're living outside," Jetta replied, looking around, "At least we can sleep below deck. I like this bunk here," Jetta said, sitting down.

When the others began to realize that bunks were about the only perk, they started choosing. Janet found a screw driver and carved her initials into the side of the ship next to her bunk.

Captain Hook had taken over the captain's quarters, which featured a decent sized bed and a small end table to put things in, not that he had anything to put inside. The bed was a good enough find, and as he sat on it and thought of home, he was shocked to have his door kicked in.

"Alright, Hook Boy, outta my way!" Scrappy Doo barked.

Captain Hook scoffed, "I beg your pardon!"

"Well I need a place to sleep and you're in it!" Scrappy Doo yelled.

"Not hardly!" Captain Hook declared, sitting up and easily picking up Scrappy Doo and shoving him outside the door, which came with a makeshift lock that was strong enough to keep the pup out.

One by one, Scrappy tried breaking onto bunks to steal spots. By now, even Chloe had come down and chosen her spot, which was away from the others. There were plenty of bunks, but the only ones Scrappy wanted already had people in them.

When he got to the last person, Nelson, he was in for a big surprise. Nelson had already thrown Ned overboard, and he didn't mind doing the same to the arrogant pup. The others helped open doors as Nelson held the squirming Scrappy Doo out before him.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN OR I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Scrappy screamed.

The others followed and noticed the grin on Nelson's lips as he reached the rails, "Sure, I'll put you down."

Nelson lobbed Scrappy Doo out to see. He landed with a satisfying splash, and the ship's residents cheered. They may not have food or supplies, but at least they were rid of him.

On Volcano Island, everyone had gathered firewood. Zuko used his fire bending to get a small fire going, so everyone was now gathering palm fronds to get their beds ready for the evening.

Suddenly a dripping wet Scrappy Doo appeared. He strolled up to the fire and dipped a nasty stick right into the rice.

Helga snatched him back, "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"Helping myself! You should try it!" Scrappy Doo huffed, spitting out the mash, "Yuck, it's not cooked very well!"

"Well of course not, you dimwitted fool!" Toffee glared.

"And just who are you anyway? I thought you were on the ship," Catwoman whispered.

"Yeah and they threw me off, so what? I figured I'd bunk with you guys. That spot looks great," Scrappy Doo smiled, plopping down in the middle of Plankton's makeshift bed.

"NOPE! You can find some place your own size, punk!" Plankton yelled, pinching Scrappy Doo and making him jump. Sure enough, Scrappy was way too big for what Plankton had put together.

By now everyone was on guard standing over their beds or palm fronds. The last person Scrappy set his sights on was Zuko, who was guarding the fire and the contaminated rice with a cold glare.

"You're all so moody to have nothing," Scrappy Doo scoffed.

"You're the one with nothing, pup. Beat it!" Helga spat.

"Yeah, get out of here," Heather huffed.

"Come on, guys, I'm lovable!" Scrappy Doo argued, but suddenly he was puffed away. He found himself on a stone platform surrounded by torches.

Ned appeared in an angel costume. He adjusted his robes and looked down. Ned shook his head, "They say one must love thy neighbor, but it appears your neighbors don't have any love for you. What say you for yourself?"

"Beat it!" Scrappy Doo spat, "I'll fight you!"

"Wrong choice," Ned commanded, and suddenly Scrappy Doo was poofed away completely.

Ned shrugged as he looked into the camera, "Some people come off a little strong, and while you should give them a chance, don't put up with their sins lest they rub off on you. See you next time of Survive the Vote: Volcano Island."

Chapter Text

Day 2
Ned looked into the camera with a wide smile, "Welcome back to Survive the Vote: Volcano Island! In the previous episode, our contestants arrived to the island, and several of them decided our rustic amenities weren't enough for them. Half the contestants took over a ship while the other half took to rustic living on the island. However, one character was too much for the others to handle, and with no council needed, he was tossed aside. Oh well, today is a new day. Let's see what it has in store for our contestants."

Nelson groaned loudly from behind him, "You can just get to things. No need to be all dramatic."

"Yeah, what are you, a narcissist?" Helga huffed, looking him over, "And what's with the Pope outfit, huh?"

"Just part of my get up," Ned said, looking over the two groups, "Glad to see everyone here for this morning's reward challenge. If you all want to take up living on that ship by yourselves, so be it, but you're going to need food. Today's reward are these barrels of dried goods and supplies."

Each group cheered, which reminded the contestants living on the ship that they still had competitors to deal with. They already had the better sleeping amenities since they were out of the elements and off the hard ground, but winning barrels of dried goods would really put them ahead.

Ned gestured behind him, "Since you've broken into teams, you'll compete as two groups. One by one, you'll swim out to the platform and retrieve bags of grain. Once you've gotten each bag, your group will then open them looking for the key to fit your group's lock. First team to unlock their lock wins reward. Line up and let's begin!"

Catwoman lead off for the island's team while Janet led off for the ship's team. At Ned's whistle, they ran into the sea. Catwoman easily reached deeper water and started swimming out, but a wave knocked Janet back and caused her glasses to fall off.

"Go! We'll find them!" Muffy yelled, stepping towards the beach.

"Nope, only one contestant in the water at a time," Ned scolded.

"BUT I CAN'T SEE!" Janet screamed back at them.

Ned shrugged, "Tougharooney, looney. Rules are rules."

"Well why can't you get them?" Nelson asked.

"Yeah, you're like the rudest person I've ever met," Chloe added.

Ned ignored them and watched as Catwoman easily retrieved their bag and brought it back. Janet was completely lost and swimming in the wrong direction. Her team tried to get her to go in the right direction, but she simply couldn't see the platform. They eventually called her back to shore. Nelson went next as Janet sat in the surf hoping to find her glasses. Ned demanded she get out of the water, but even the other team was annoyed by his lack of sympathy.

"Either help her or shut up," Catwoman glared, turning back to check on Toffee's progress. He too easily reached the platform, beating Nelson there by several paces.

But Nelson was better at knots and quickly swam back. He was already back at shore when Toffee dove back into the water. He passed the ship's next contestant, Captain Hook, on the way and quietly nodded to the island's next swimmer, Zuko.

"I can't find them!" Janet shrieked, adding, "They're probably lost forever, and YOU aren't helping!" Janet yelled, pointing to Ned, "You're disgusting!"

"Rules are rules," Ned shrugged again, watching closely as the next contestants were tagged into the water.

It was Plankton versus Vicky, and they were evenly matched until it came time to get onto the platform and untie knots. Plankton was at a huge disadvantage, and as Vicky got halfway back to shore with her spoils, the island's team members called Plankton back empty-handed. Heather quickly entered the water when he returned to make up for lost time.

Ned whistled, "Well, I do believe we're evenly matched now. See what happens when you persevere instead of complaining?"

"Yeah, NOTHING!" Janet yelled.

"This is RIDICULOUS!" Angelica huffed, stomping into the water. A moment later, she saw a purple sparkle under the water. It was Janet's glasses, and Angelica quickly stomped back to her group, "See how easy that was, you moron?! Who put you in charge anyway?"

"A lot of people, and you can no longer play. Sit it down, little missy," Ned glared.

The contestants were fed up with Ned. The rest of the swimming was a blur. He didn't mind repeats it seemed, so Catwoman and Nelson swam out repeatedly for their teams. Eventually the bags were retrieved, and everyone except Angelica started opening bags and putting their keys into locks.

The teams were evenly matched, but it was a matter of luck, and the island's team didn't have it. Chloe was the lucky person, inserting her key and watching the lock fall off. The ship's team cheered and jumped on the sand.

"Good for you all," Ned smiled, "The crew will deliver your goods while we complete the second part of our challenge."

"What second part? Haven't you done enough?" Heather spat.

Ned grinned, "Oh, so they can have the group immunity?" he asked, which caused the island's group to protest. Ned laughed, "I thought so. Well let's take a walk, shall we?"

Sure enough, the groups walked a short way into the jungle. In the middle of a clearing was an obstacle course. Platforms were spread out to allow group members to wait for the previous contestant to reach them. It was like the water relay race except it was obstacles.

"Draw for spots and take your places," Ned said, snapping and causing two black bags to appear in the center of each group's mat.

Zuko sighed, "We don't even get to choose which obstacle we get."

"He's a masochist," Catwoman whispered, drawing a red stone and looking up. At least hers looked to be an agility obstacle, she thought, climbing the correct rope ladder along with the others.

The two contestants who drew white rocks, Jetta and Helga, remained on their team mats. When Ned whistled, the girls took off and began the long ascent up a rock wall. Jetta was afraid of heights and became shaky, allowing Helga to get ahead. She tagged Toffee, who had to stand on his platform and ring three posts next to the following contestant, Plankton.

Eventually Jetta tagged off to Janet, who was an awful shot. Luckily there were plenty of rings, but Captain Hook watched as frustration built. They quickly fell further behind.

Luck wasn't on the side of the ship's team for those first few obstacles. The island's group was halfway through their platforms when this shifted. Vicky was good at puzzles, whereas Chloe was terrible and kept making mistakes. This set the ship's team ahead, and the island could never catch up.

The final platform was a net race across to another platform. Muffy crawled across and raised their flag, and the immunity competition was over. The ship's team was safe from vote.

Or that's what they thought. As the groups reconvened at the start, they waited for Ned to bring out a trophy, but instead the red necklace was held up:

"So, which member of your team gets immunity?" Ned asked.

"What?! I thought it was a GROUP immunity!" Janet shrieked.

"That is what we assumed it was too," Catwoman smirked, shrugging, "I guess we can't always get what we want, huh?"

"This isn't fair for any of us," Jetta huffed, shaking her head, "I mean, who is the most deserving?"

"It isn't who deserves it the most. Janet, you look like the weakest, and it's Ned's fault," Nelson said, pointing to Janet, "She gets it. You can't get her voted out just because you hate vision, Four Eyes!" Nelson exclaimed.

His group thankfully agreed with his decision because without another word, Ned placed the red necklace around Janet's neck.

As promised, when the ship's team returned, barrels of dried goods were spread across the deck. Captain Hook knew how best to store them, and the entire group had to work together to get the barrels below deck.

As Muffy strained to push her barrel without breaking a nail, she had a sudden thought, "Hey guys, we need to make sure we pick off someone from the other team. We're already down one."

Captain Hook scoffed, "No one wanted that scrappy little mutt, but you are correct. We need to hit them where it hurts. Who should go home?"

Chloe groaned as she struggled to move her barrel, "I don't know, but that Catwoman sure is fast and agile. If we keep competing like this, she's going to win them the advantage every time."

"Yeah, we got lucky today," Nelson agreed, shoving his barrel into a corner and moving to help Chloe with hers, "But you know what? That little monkey dude was useless today."

"What monkey dude?" Captain Hook asked.

"Exactly! He didn't do anything all day! About the time it was his turn to swim out, Catwoman took his spot in line. How whack is that?" Nelson questioned.

Muffy shook her head, "We need to vote out the strong first. It's the only way we'll stand a chance. They have more people, but...notice how there wasn't a formal vote last night. Does it have to be unanimous or does...the decision...have to be FIRST!" Muffy shrieked as she strained against her barrel.

Captain Hook chuckled, "I like how you think. She's right! If there's no formal vote, let's surprise them! If you want my opinion, Catwoman isn't their strongest competitor. Vicky was our puzzle girl today, but did you hear Heather cheering them on?"

"You think she's their smart one?" Chloe asked, shaking her head, "No, she has horrible fashion sense."

"It's not all about fashion," Nelson argued.

"Hey, fashion shows who knows what, and she's smart," Muffy said, adding, "Yeah, her clothes are out of style, but look at her choices. Her pants can be shortened and hold up well in the water, her shoes are perfect--"

Chloe gasped, "You're right! She knew what she was doing!"

"Well she has competed before," Janet said, continuing, "I watched her on Total Drama a while ago, and she knows how to play games like this."

"What about everyone else?" Captain Hook asked.

Janet shook her head, "Just her."

Muffy cackled, "Well, I say we get rid of Heather then so they can't use her knowledge. We can go after Catwoman next time."

"I agree with that," Chloe smiled with a devious glint in her eyes.

Back on the island, the group circled the fire where fish were wrapped in leaves steaming over the fire. That was everyone's first priority when they returned to camp: Food and filling their stomachs again.

Zuko shook his head, "This game has unfair points all over. I don't think this Ned guy knows what he's doing, and while he acts nice and godly, why not let them in the water to get Janet's glasses? They already lost time trying to get her out there without them."

"It's despicable is what it is," Catwoman sighed, shaking her head, "What happens when it's us, huh? Sounds to me like he's going to throw out some inspirational quotes and watch everyone go down."

"It's part of the game to help us lose focus," Heather said, "We need to think about tonight's vote."

"What vote?" Toffee laughed, "Scrappy was gone as soon as we ran him off. What's up with that?"

"It must be automatic, some kind of magic," Zuko whispered.

Mojo Jojo laughed, "And why not show the democratic process? If we don't make a decision now, they have to hold council."

"Not if the other team realizes and decides first," Heather argued, adding, "If their votes are enough, away that person goes before they even have a say."

Helga nodded, "She's right. Pick someone, anyone. I vote the fat bully kid. He's got history with Ned and is way too good at knots."

"I agree with that," Muffy said, looking the group over. She dropped the stick she was messing with, "Where's Heather?"

Ned's laughter came through the trees, "You should have decided sooner. I'm afraid Heather has seven votes to her name and can no longer be with us...unless you can all decide in a flash who to vote out. Zuko, I believe you were thinking of someone else."

"Yeah, I was, but how would you know that? I haven't said anything yet," Zuko glared.

Helga elbowed Zuko, "Come on, what's wrong with Nelson? He's a little punk who's too good at competitions."

"They got lucky today," Zuko glared, "and you all know that. It was luck of the draw both times, even more so for the immunity challenge. Captain Hook is control of that ship. He needs to be brought down now to keep them unorganized."

Helga scoffed, "Captain Hook is a quack!"

"Your indecision remains. Heather has been--"

"WAIT!" Plankton yelled, "Come on, guys, let's come to an agreement. Nelson is too good at challenges, so if we take him out, we can do Captain Hook next time. You make them think he isn't a threat, then you get him. It's simple logic--"

"You get to the generals early and there is no war, trust me," Zuko argued.

The group groaned as Ned raised his fingers. With a final snap, the decision was finalized. He disappeared and reappeared on the beach, his robes whiter than ever:

"Conflict will tear you apart at the seams, and these teams are going to realize that in the coming days. Indecisiveness hurts the entire group and always will. Here on Volcano Island, that will become the most apparent lesson. See you next time," Ned smiled, snapping and disappearing.

Chapter Text

Day 3
In a helicopter high over Volcano Island, Ned Flanders looked down at the camps below him. He picked up two small crates and tossed them out, both of them floating gently downwards thanks to attached parachutes.

Ned looked into the camera, "Vanity is one of the worst sins, but so is not getting to know yourself. Today is Day 3 on Volcano Island, and it's time our competitors get to know each other...and themselves."

On the ship, Muffy was the first to notice the crate falling towards them. The parachute was doing little to stop its fall for the tall ship, and the resulting crash caused half the ship to scream before competitors came running. Muffy and Chloe were the first to reach the crate.

"What is it? What was that god awful noise?!" Captain Hook bellowed, looking at the damage the crate caused, "Well would you look at that, more nonsense from our gracious host!"

"Cameras? What do we need with cameras?" Chloe groaned, picking one up and handing it off to Nelson, "It has your name on it."

"There's enough for everyone in here. Listen to this: Ned wants us to submit a video diary, which we will review tonight at our first council meeting," Muffy explained.

"Well that's just dumb," Nelson huffed, twirling his camera around.

"Hey, watch it! We need this ship to stay sea worthy or we'll be sleeping in the sand like the others!" Captain Hook snapped, snatching his camera from Chloe.

"What is this, some social game? I can work with that," Janet smirked.

"Good for you, princess, I came here to compete!" Vicky spat.

Once they had their cameras, everyone spread out around the ship to figure out how to use them and what to say. As they got settled, the island's competitors finally noticed their crate. Zuko and Toffee returned from a fishing trip on the far side of the island to find the crate smashed into the sand. After opening it, they dragged the contents back to camp and got everyone's attention.

Mojo Jojo sneered at the cameras, "Record ourselves for council? How stupid is that?!"

"Very," Plankton agreed, rolling his eyes as he accepted his small camera from Zuko, "but we have to do whatever they say. So far it's been rather dumb."

"We need revenge for how Heather was treated," Angelica said firmly, "We had no chance to get a word in before they voted her out. How did they even know her name?!"

"They were just playing the game," Zuko argued with a dejected tone, "but you're right that we should get an opportunity to prove ourselves that doesn't involve these silly cameras."

"Well I would make whatever you have to say worthwhile," Catwoman said, strolling up for her camera and accepting it casually from Toffee, "It could be our one chance to make a good impression. We don't exactly know what our delirious host is doing with these, so we better be on our best behavior."

Helga snatched up her camera and stomped up the beach. She felt like this was a chance to say how she felt, mostly because if she was irritated at their situation, someone else must be too, and that meant allies. Allies were important if this was a voting game, plus she knew how not to be a whiny baby like some of the other competitors.

Later in the afternoon, Ned approached each group on his speedboat and took up the cameras. Several minutes later, crews in two separate boats picked up competitors and took them to the beach closest to the volcano. Because it was getting late, they were handed torches on the beach, which they carried up the stone stairs leading up the mountain.

The council area was carved into the back of the skull-shaped volcano. The seating area had been divided up the middle to make room for the two separate groups. Everyone glared at each other until Ned entered the room dressed in a black preacher's suit. Nelson scoffed and shook his head, crossing his arms as Ned took to the podium:

"Welcome. I've prepared your videos for the screen, and later we will watch them all together. Tonight, we meet at council for the first time. As you've discovered, your decisions have harsh consequences. As you'll learn tonight, so do your sins," Ned Flanders smirked.

Nelson scoffed, "You're not God! You can't judge me!"

"No, but your peers can, and tonight they will. Each of you will find a chalkboard underneath your seat. Take them now and get ready, but listen carefully: After each video, we'll address one cardinal sin from each one. You'll write down whether it's truly sinful or not, and we'll go from there. Let's get started," Ned said, clicking his remote. A projector flashed to life, and a moment later, Helga's face appeared on the screen.

Helga scoffed in the audience, "Wow, really, just pick me to go first."

Ned pressed play, and Helga's video came to life. She shifted in the sand, "You know, I've got a lot to say about this place. I don't know what you expect in these videos. We've been here for two days, and all you've done is prove to everyone here how ridiculous this whole thing is. Our host is some holier than thou punk, and half the people here are obnoxious.

"I mean, tell me this: What do I have in common with those snobs off on the ship because, 'Eww, the sand! It's gonna ruin my nails!' Huh? Tell me, how am I the same as them? A little dirt never hurt anybody, you PANSIES!" Helga snapped, shaking her head, "And some of these people just want to hear themselves talk--you've really gone and done it with these stupid videos for those people. I'm waiting on them to start bossing me around, but we can't get settled for all these stupid challenges and people getting poofed into nonexistance--where do they even go? They said they wouldn't try to kill people this time, but I don't believe you. I think it's all crap and I should've stayed home," Helga spat, shaking her head, "I could be just this uncomfortable in school, you turds!"

With that, her video ended. The group looked to Ned for direction as he paused the final frame and left the projector running, casting an ominous glow over the room.

"Helga, I believe you judge others in a way that is unfit for our god--"

"I don't have any god! You really are delusional!" Helga spat.

"He's always been like this! Why'd they pick you anyway?" Nelson grumbled.

"They did so too bad," Ned huffed, turning from Nelson to the group, "I'm sure some of you don't appreciate having Helga call you out, but is it a sin? Should she judge the lot of you? Is it a SIN?"

Helga huffed as she wrote a large NO across her board, and she was content to see that the others held the same sentiment. Besides, Helga wasn't the only one who spoke her mind. Content that Helga hadn't sinned, Ned played the next video featuring Chloe.

Chloe hugged her knees nervously, "I hope this thing is recording because I am NOT doing this again. I don't understand why you're providing cameras when the best you could do was dried fish. We finally ate, but these are expensive. You couldn't ship in some real food? Maybe provide us with versatile outfits for the terrain? I mean, they make them, and I'd have one if you communicated with me.

"And why are we here alone. I don't know any of these people, and I don't like them very much either. They just have no class! They don't care how they look, they don't care that you're making them sleep outside in the dirt--I mean, where is the line? I like that we can vote how we feel though. I bet Heather enjoyed her brief stay. It was her loss sleeping on that stupid beach though," Chloe grinned, stroking her neck but finding nothing there, "Oh, and you all owe me a new diamond necklace or my daddy will sue you out of existence!"

Ned paused the video and clicked his tongue, "Chloe, you clearly suffer from greed more than any other sin."

"Yeah, who brings a diamond necklace out here then gets mad when it gets lost?!" Helga spat.

"Let your chalkboards speak, not your mouths," Ned scolded, adding, "Is Chloe's greed a sin?"

Chloe wrote a large NO on her chalkboard, but her competitors weren't so sure. What was so bad about following the rules of the competition? Her attitude about Heather made the island group feel uneasy, and their votes showed. While Helga got zero yes's, Chloe had nine in total once votes were cast, even some from others on the ship with her.

Ned smiled, "Chloe, come take a seat here. In the future, the jury will sit here. Tonight, this seating is reserved for sinners."

Nelson rolled his eyes again as his video came up. Ned pressed play and Nelson's voice filled the space, "Look, I'm going to keep this short. No one needs to know a thing about me, but you, Ned Flanders? What are you trying to prove in the first place? You came from Springfield just like me, so you're no better than anyone. You're ruining this entire competition! You always gotta put something holy in it, and I bet this whole thing would be more fun if you weren't involved."

Ned paused the video as it ended. He glared back at Nelson, "Another person casting judgment on others. Sin? You decide."

Zuko shook his head, "It's not a sin to state the truth," he said, holding up his sign.

"Plus he's right. Maybe Heather would've had a chance if this thing was running the way it should," Angelica suggested.

Ned glared at the group. Though no one agreed that it was a sin, Nelson was forced to sit next to Chloe, who sat up proudly. The group looked on with confusion, but the issue wasn't debatable. Captain Hook's video played next.

The captain's quarters was on proud display behind them. Captain Hook smiled, "It's been a long time since I commanded a ship, so thank you for giving me the chance. I wish stealing it had more spoils--anyone watching this from the island, know the only difference is bed. Those rations were certainly deplorable. Dried fish? If I wanted fish, I'd have one of those kids swim under the boat and look for some! This whole thing is pathetic. I thought 'Survive the Vote' meant outlasting the others, not figuring out food! And if it weren't for my time at sea, these people would be LOST. Our only water...never mind, don't want to tell the island people. They have a STREAM," Captain Hook mocked, rolling his eyes, "I thought we'd do more activities that show our strength, not campy nonsense. I could be out on the open water...," Captain Hook muttered, looking around the room, "She is certainly sea worthy..."

Ned paused the video and shook his head, "Greed. You covet what you cannot have--"

"Don't we all?!" Captain Hook laughed.

"Anyone with sense," Plankton muttered, holding up his sign proudly. He and everyone else agreed that Captain Hook's actions were not sinful.

Nelson settled in as the video rolled on. Muffy and Angelica were both accused of vanity. Angelica won her case, but people felt Muffy was sinful because she called other people ugly. Mojo Jojo was called wrathful because he lashed out at the camera, but a lot of the other contestants wanted to lash out and didn't, so they didn't think he was sinful for expressing thoughts similar to theirs.

Catwoman's video played, and Ned accused her of sloth for sprawling out in the canopy of a palm tree. Everyone agreed he was reaching on that one, so she stayed with the contestants. Plankton was accused of greed, but since everyone else wanted the prize money so they could buy useless luxuries, no one thought it was sinful.

As the night wore on, it became more of a show of what Ned thought was a problem that no one else did. Bored, most contestants stopped erasing their boards. Nothing was sinful. If anything, the council meeting itself was sinful, and people grew restless.

But eventually every video was covered, and the only two competitors sitting in the sinner's section were Nelson and Chloe. Ned glared down upon them, "Tonight, your competitors decide your final fate--"

Zuko stood up, "Oh no, that's not what's going to happen here!"

"Yeah, we've listened long enough, and this is ridiculous!" Janet exclaimed, standing as well.

Captain Hook stood, "What happened to real competition? It's after midnight and all we've done is have heart to hearts. This isn't some girls' summer camp! This is a reality competition show. Where are the challenges, the cut-throat gameplay?!"

"YEAH!" Plankton agreed enthusiastically.

"We need a new host!" Mojo Jojo shouted, jumping up in the air, "Someone to bring life into this competition!"

Everyone agreed with boisterous shouts, which Ned was clearly unhappy with. He looked over the group as they cheered and yelled for a new host, and he decided that was exactly what they were going to get.

Ned snapped his fingers, and suddenly he was a red-skinned beast of a man who towered over the room. The shock of his transformation stunned the group into silence, and everyone quietly lowered themselves to their seats.

"You know, Nelson was right about me. I came here from Springfield hoping to get a new lease on life. That town is full of some of the dumbest individuals on this planet, all of them too stupid to see how their sins harm their world. I was hoping to get some of you to believe that, but I get it. You don't see God's glory...not yet anyway," Ned grinned, snapping his fingers and making a tall, black staff appear in his hands. As he paced, a reptilian tail trailed behind him, "You'll all get the competition you want, brutal and dangerous! You'll get what you want...and you'll get what you deserve. You want to believe that none of you our sinners? Well, we'll just see about that!"

Ned snapped, and suddenly they were in an underworld scene. Nelson jumped as a lava bubble popped near him, sending splatters of plasma spraying outward. He looked around and was surprised to see everyone there with him. He was even more surprised at the setup before him.

"That's right, let's see how you all handle Hell! Last one standing gets immunity!" Nelson yelled, snapping his fingers. Suddenly each competitor was strapped to their own spits, arms and legs tied out as their wheels turned over plumes of smoke and lave, "The competition begins now!"

Chloe whimpered as her spit turned, but there was nothing any of them could do. The heat was intense, and they were strapped to their wheel with no way of freeing themselves.

Toffee looked calm has he rotated. He looked up to his host, "So, how long do you have you delusional ant?" he glared.

"Just tell me when you've had enough," Ned grinned, and with another snap, each competitor started having hellish visions. Chloe's skin appeared dirty, and Muffy's nails grew into talons that were twisted and ugly.

"MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" Janet screamed as ants, scorpions, and spiders crawled over her skin.

Her begging was enough. Ned snapped, and the visions ended. Janet cried as she sat alone, but she wasn't alone for long. Plankton was next, the sight of burning money too much for him.

One by one, each player succumbed to their personal hells. Ned counted and smiled to himself. Each of them was getting their thrills now.

Except one was missing.

Ned turned and saw Toffee rotating. As his competitors whimpered, cried, or stared silently into space, Toffee twirled round and round, a light smirk on his face. Ned snapped, and suddenly Toffee burst into laughter so loud that most of his competitors looked up.

"What could possibly be so funny about this?" Chloe whispered as tears streamed down her face.

"This pathetic man thinks he can scare me. I've seen horrors that would make your worst nightmares look like playthings. This is nothing!" Toffee chuckled, looking around, "These home movies keep me from seeing everyone. Are we done yet? I could use a light walk."

Ned snapped and Toffee stood among the others. He rubbed his wrists and smiled as he looked around, "I assume I win immunity?"

There was no argument that Toffee had won. Ned snapped and the group appeared back in the council room, and Toffee's immunity necklace hung at his neck. Ned stood at the podium still in his devilish form. He looked over the groups as they sat down again.

"A decision must be made. You might not be able to decide on sinners, but you must decide who leaves," Ned glared.

"I'm still going with you, you sick freak!" Nelson exclaimed.

"Seconded!" Muffy exclaimed, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I am NOT an option! You must choose one of your peers!" Ned boomed, looking them over, "Decide quickly or the punishments begin."

"C-Catwoman!" Chloe stammered.

"Really, darling, little old me? I don't complain about life aboard my nice, big ship," Catwoman laughed, looking her over, "You need another day. It'll help build your character."

"I was thinking the same thing," Zuko agreed, his eyes landing on Captain Hook, "I say he should go, and it would benefit the others on the ship. If Hook doesn't go, you all might wake up on the open ocean captors of his pirate crew!"

Jetta gasped, "He's right! Captain Hook as much as said so in his videos!"

"Two votes counted. Do I have another?" Ned grinned as horror spread across Captain Hook's face. Jetta was right, and one by one, everyone cast their votes for him. It was for the benefit of the others on the ship. They didn't want the pirate lifestyle, especially not after what they had seen in Ned's visions.

The decision was all but unanimous. Ned snapped his fingers, and Captain Hook burst into figurative flames. The group gasped until they realized it was just a visual trick, that Captain Hook was probably gone before the flames started.

Ned smiled at the group, "You've requested what you want from this competition, and I'm fully prepared to deliver. Get as much sleep as you can. You're going to need it," he chuckled, his voice deeper and more sinister in his new form.

The competitors staying on the island had to hike back, but crew members took the ship's group back to keep them out of the dark waters. Ned watched them all as they returned, a dark glint in his eyes. He hoped to redeem his mindset, but instead he was going deeper into a dark side of himself. The worst part was that he kind of liked it.

Chapter Text

Day 4
With their captain gone, Nelson immediately took over the ship. The girls were actually okay with this. Nelson knew their now deranged host better than anyone, and his poor upbringing meant he knew how to ration the barrels of dried goods to make them last longer. It was a natural progression, and they were content aside from a restless night of nightmares.

Back on the island, the group sat around the fire. Zuko and Toffee spent the wee hours fishing, mostly because both of them couldn't sleep after the hellish visions they had to experience the previous day. But it helped because they could immediately provide a protein-rich breakfast for the entire team.

Angelica picked at her fish and shook her head, "This is ridiculous, this whole thing."

"Meh, it was worse last season," Helga scoffed.

Zuko looked up, "You were here before and didn't think to tell us?"

"I was only part of the jury, so it's not like I've actually done this before, but it was crazy. Some guy burned down this whole island. I don't think this is the same place, but you can tell they were inspired by that nut job. I still have symptoms from the concussion I got," Helga huffed.

Catwoman laughed, "Is that what your problem is?"

"Hey, can it! I bring it up because you need to know something: We're stuck with Ned no matter what he does, okay? Stuck with him! And what happened last night? Well it's gonna get a heck of a lot worse!" Helga exclaimed.

"We believe you," Zuko said calmly, "but we want more information. What happened last season?"

Helga shrugged, "I don't know. Things were great on our end until the earthquakes got too bad. This volcano is all for show, but that one? Let me tell you, when it blew, I bet it took everything with it. But yeah, the jury was separate so I don't know what the contestants went through. The host kept lying about it."

Plankton shook his head, "Man, that's genius--"

"No, that's disgusting!" Helga spat, "Those people were starving! They had no shelter or fire wood because some guy burned the whole island to the ground! We only think we have it bad, and the bozos on that ship? Well they're a bunch of spoiled brats!"

"Bunch of babies!" Angelica agreed.

Zuko nodded and looked off to the ship, "You know, we could bring it down. It has to be a group decision to level the field, but I could do it easily."

Catwoman grinned, "You can, can you? Well what would that give us? A bunch of new mouths to feed."

"And several of those mouths are picky and shouldn't be here," Toffee added.

"Plus they'd take our food! No one has seen them fish or do anything productive!" Mojo Jojo exclaimed.

Zuko shrugged, "Well, when you're all ready, let me know and I'll make it happen."

A moment later, a crack of thunder sounded, and suddenly every competitor was deep underground again. This was a different part of the hellscape, but the sentiment was the same. Ned, still a giant red monster, glared over the group as they gathered on their separate mats.

Ned grinned, "Exhausted from your nightmares. That means your subconscious is processing your sins, showing you why you should live by the right path. They show you need more punishments, and what's more punishing than your worst fears? Last competitor standing wins immunity for their team."

Before another word could be said, Ned snapped, and suddenly everyone was off in their own individual hell complete with all the bells and whistles. Ned cackled, his voice becoming a distorted laugh than shook the walls. He clicked his tongue and a screen displayed each person's reality before him.

Chloe whimpered as she sat alone in the pouring rain. She was in a slum deep within Paris, a place she'd never been before. Her clothes were tattered rags, and she held a cracked metal cup in her hand begging for change. Her father was beside her, his suit ripped to shreds. He sat against the wall, a bottle in his hands.

She needed money. There was nothing left, not a single penny, so they needed whatever the streets could provide. She approached people walking by, but they weren't kind. A man swatted her with a newspaper, a woman broke into a run, and a young man with headphones on ignored her completed. Whenever someone would drop in a few Euro, the coins would disappear.

"I'll never have enough!" she cried, squatting over the pavement as the tears came.

On the next screen, Helga was on a busy street in her hometown of New York City. She looked up and noticed she was in Times Square, one of the busiest areas of the city, but Helga was lost in the crowd. She avoided people until a passing skateboarder couldn't swerve in time. She flinched, expecting an impact...

...but he went straight through her.

Shocked, Helga intentionally let an entire family run into her. Just like the skateboarder, they passed straight through. She was invisible, alone in the world.

But unlike Chloe, this just made Helga angry. She stomped up the street, trying to remember where her neighborhood was from there, but every time she turned the corner, she was back at the start of Times Square.

Helga rolled her eyes, "What a bore," she huffed, walking out into the middle of the street, where traffic was waiting for the light. When it turned green, yellow taxis went straight through her. Helga shrugged and sat in the middle of them. If this was her hell, she could deal with it.

Mojo Jojo was on the next screen. He was dressed in only a diaper, his large brain exposed to the world. He was in a cage, the front wall being clear plexiglass. Beyond it lay an entire zoo, and people lined up one by one to take photos of the little deformed monkey. Mojo Jojo shrank to the back of his cage, the moment only bringing back bad memories.

Zuko looked around and was immediately aware that he was in the past. The war in his world was over, but before him were battalions marching in formation preparing for a large battle.

Overlooking the courtyard where he was standing were the leaders, but he wasn't up there. Instead a gruff man slapped him with a long, painful stick of bamboo, and Zuko started marching. He wasn't anywhere near the top. Instead he was at the very bottom, a place he was terrified to be. He had shamed his father if he was here.

But he knew he wasn't there. The war was over, so armies were needed for civic duties and protecting villages from bandits, not war duties. This was all a bad dream, so he just had to keep going.

On the next screen, Muffy sat in a tattered mansion. Walls were missing chunks, windows had no glass, and light fixtures either had exposed bulbs or broken ones. It was like a bomb went off, but some walls had graffiti, and a large EVICTION NOTICE sign was plastered over the door.

At the back of the house, Muffy sat alone with rags. Her family had abandoned her here with nothing, and she had no outfits to help her cope. She found a mirror, which was cracked and broken but still mostly usable. She saw her reflection and screamed. Her hair was a mess, and her face lacked makeup. Her clothes were a disaster, and there was nothing she could do to fix herself. The lights wouldn't turn on, the water wouldn't work, and whatever was left in the house had been looted.

Muffy paced the floor. She couldn't handle being broke, being poor and ugly. Ned grinned as he looked to the next screen.

Angelica didn't just hate babies because they were stupid and couldn't talk yet, oh no. Angelica was terrified of babies. In her world, she was tiny while the babies were large, towering over her as they attempted to walk. Whenever one would fall, the ground would shake.

They were walking towards her. She was in the center of a large, open space, and the babies were visible in all directions. They weer coming for her, surrounding her.

Angelica's heart pounded in her ears. Right now, there weren't that many babies. It was scary but not too horrible...yet. The babies kept coming, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she was overwhelmed.

On the screen below hers, Jetta sat in a large auditorium full of people. She recognized a few from her home island, but most were strangers. She looked up to the stage and saw piles of awards and ribbons. Trophies lined the back of the stage, ribbons were hung from the curtain and lay displayed on large tables, and bouquets of flowers were placed all along the front of the stage.

When names were called over the loud speaker, a person would walk up and be showered with awards. Ribbons and trophies were handed off so frequently that each person walked with a grey rolling cart. Smiling helpers loaded down each cart, then they went right back to the start to do it over again.

But as names were called, Jetta noticed the auditorium emptying of people around her. One by one, everyone was getting awards but her, literally everyone. An elderly man with a walker, a kid with leg braces and head gear, a toddler barely old enough to walk--they all crossed the stage to be showered with gifts.

When the auditorium was empty, the stage remained full. Jetta looked around as more people flooded in and filled every seat, and the process started again.

"No, I'm special too!" she whimpered, but she was ignored. This ceremony wasn't for her. She wasn't special and never was. Jetta sobbed in her seat.

Plankton was in the next screen. Ned wasn't sure what to make of his screen, but it was full of burgers. Plankton went around to each one, sniffing and nibbling on the edges. Each burger tasted different and seemed to be made of different things.

"Where is it?! It has to be here!" Plankton exclaimed. Ned didn't understand and looked to the next screen, where Catwoman had climbed to the top of a building.

"Stop it! Back away!" she hissed, looking back at the writhing shadows behind her. The moon appeared from behind some clouds, illuminating the crowd of people. They looked like normal people to Ned, but to Catwoman, these people were dangerous.

Catwoman looked down and calculated the distance. At the last moment, she decided it didn't matter. If she didn't jump, they'd get her anyway.

Except when she landed, she didn't land on the street. Instead she landed right back where she'd jumped from. She tried again with the same result. She was stuck with this crowd, who now sprayed her with water and yelled obscenities at her. Ned raised an eyebrow before looking to the next screen.

Janet was at school. Desks were arranged in a particular way, and each student was completing large test booklets. Whenever a student would finish, they would raise their hand, and a large woman with glasses would slowly take their scantrons to a machine, which would then announce their scores in front of the entire class.

When Janet was finished, she was certain her answers were correct. But unlike her peers, the machine sounded like gunfire as it scored her wrong answers. The machine read out her failing score, and the entire group watched as the woman brought her another test:

"Do it again, stupid!" the woman bellowed.

"But those answers were right! I double checked!" Janet cried. Everyone was watching her now, and she was starting to sweat as she bubbled in answers. Tallahassee was the capital of Florida; she bubbled in B. The answer to the equation was -8; she bubbled in D. She bubbled and bubbled, and though her answers were right, the machine marked them as wrong.

Janet started sobbing as the desks around her closed in. Everyone was watching as she kept bubbling and failing, bubbling and failing. Janet was nothing, she was dumber than a rock, but the test continued in an endless loop.

Vicky rubbed her eyes and found herself in her room. When she sat up, she realized she was in the top bunk. Below her, two beds made up the base of her bunk bed. There were two kids in each bed, and another slept in a sleeping bag between the two beds.

"What?!" Vicky exclaimed, stepping down and finding another two bunk beds, these just stacked twin beds, on the opposite wall. Kids were everywhere, and as she toured the house she was in, she found bedroom after bedroom full of sleeping kids.

Suddenly a bell chimed, and Vicky watched as kids came pouring out of rooms. Everyone greeted her by name or called her Sister or Sissy, and Vicky's mouth fell open. Why did she have so many siblings?

Downstairs, the dining room table went on forever. Each person was served a plate of waffles by Vicky's smiling parents, but how? There were so many mouths to feed, and Vicky was stuck in the middle of everyone calling her sister, talking to her with mouths full of waffles and syrup. The sticky air clung to her face, and all Vicky could do was scream, though her screams were ignored.

Nelson opened his eyes and found himself in a strip club. He grimaced at the thought of being inside one of those places, yet here he was. And on every stage was a different half-dressed version of his mother.

"Meh," Nelson whispered, trying to leave the club, but the exit kept changing or something. Every time he would step through, he'd be in another room full of his mom, the music thumping as she swayed her hips for the nasty men watching. When Ned realized this, he found the bar and had a seat.

"What can I serve you?" the bartender asked. Nelson looked up to see a shapeless man. He grinned, "Hi neighborooni," he said.

Suddenly the bartender had a shape, and that shape was of Ned Flanders.

Ned looked up and saw Toffee running around with demonic creatures having the time of his life, so he looked back to Nelson, who had used his imagination to turn the skeezy men into Ned as well.

"Well I'll show you," Ned whispered, raising his staff. Lightning shot out, and suddenly the nightmares changed.

Instead of the people getting awards in Jetta's nightmare, the hosts yelled out all the things she couldn't do at all. Angelica was inundated with babies of all sizes running towards her and piling on top. Guests at Mojo Jojo's exhibit started throwing things at him, everything from money to bananas, and everyone was yelling for him to do tricks. Zuko was thrown into a one on one battle with his dad, who towered over him and had much better skills. Vicky was forced out of her house on a wave of siblings as Helga was surrounded by even more tourists, this time all versions of her parents talking about how great it was to be without such a horrible daughter.

One by one, they tapped out, begging it to stop. Janet and Chloe were first, then Muffy and Angelica. Catwoman, Mojo Jojo and Plankton were next, then Jetta and finally Toffee, whose demons became sweet, innocent children, which was too much for him.

The group looked up to see Ned screaming at the monitors while Nelson laughed. Ned thought that taking the men out of the nightmare would keep his image out, but instead Nelson turned his mom into topless models of Ned Flanders.

"You stop that this INSTANT!" Ned roared, smashing the screens.

Nelson appeared with the others and smiled, "So, immunity for my entire team, huh?"

"How did he do that?" Jetta whispered as Chloe sniffled beside her. Everyone stared as Nelson stared Ned down.

Ned was reluctant to reward such behavior. How dare Nelson pull something like that! But rules were rules Nelson was the last one standing, so him and the other competitors living aboard the ship were safe for the night. Ned lifted his staff, and suddenly everyone was back at camp.

The island team immediately ran for the sea to cleanse themselves. Angelica sat in the surf and looked out to the ship with a glare as Ned did a cannon ball off the back.

"I can't believe they get to vote one of us out again and there's nothing we can do about it," Angelica said firmly.

Zuko lifted his head out of the water, "Well, we know how to get to Ned now. If his schemes are that easily manipulated, we may just have a chance to outsmart him."

Helga shook her head as she floated back on a wave, "No, don't count on it. This guy is pissed, plus Nelson knows him in real life. He can make Ned tick better than any of us."

Catwoman sighed as she joined them, "Well we need to do something. Who do you think they'll pick?"

Back on the ship, everyone took a moment before gathering at the helm to discuss their options. They knew they needed to act now instead of at a council meeting because they could be outvoted. The ship's competitors needed to make the final decision, not the islanders.

Nelson sighed, "Well, who should go?"

Chloe hugged her knees, "I don't know. This whole place sucks. I wish only you had immunity so I could go home."

"We need your vote...even if you're right," Muffy said, turning to Nelson, "You look like you have someone in mind."

"Oh my vote will always be for ol' Ned, but if I had to pick, I'd say that Toffee guy is a complete basket case. I saw his screen when I came back, and he was running from butterflies. If we're going to keep living through hellscapes, we need to get the sickos out of this competition."

"Wait, his worst fear is butterflies?" Janet laughed, "How pathetic!"

"It's probably a trick," Jetta said, remembering the night before, "He wasn't bothered by his visions at all the other night. I bet he slept like a baby."

"What a freak," Nelson said, shaking his head, "Toffee it is."

The decision was unanimous, but the ship's group was right that it wasn't enough to trip the system. A council meeting was called, and the island group was confused by their reasoning...until Nelson pointed it out. When the group realized how skewed his ideas of bad and good were, they decided that maybe it was best if he left. Besides, there were no other options. There was no point trying to outvote them by proxy because no one else came close.

So Toffee departed the island in a flash.

Ned looked over the group, "Sinners can face their fears every day and learn nothing. Know that tomorrow will be much harder."

With a snap, everyone was back where they should be. Zuko sat before the fire, his mind racing. They needed proper strategies if they wanted to get anywhere.

Chapter Text

Day 5
Ned decided to take a more traditional approach to gathering the contestants. Just like in their first days, he had crew members go out in two separate boats. Each group of contestants was carried over to the next island, where a pavilion had been built. It was for the end of the game, but today it was set up for the day's challenge.

Ned paced in front of the group still in his devilish form. He sneered at the group, "For the next week, we're going to explore the big seven, the Seven Deadly Sins. Each day will feature a challenge focusing around one of the seven deadly sins. Whoever can figure out the premise of the challenge and do as I ask will win immunity."

"What do you mean figure it out?" Chloe scoffed.

"Yeah, you need to give clear directions for your challenges," Zuko added.

"Silence! Today's sin is gluttony. You will face several dishes before you today. Some are desirable and others are not. The challenge will continue until you figure out the true meaning of what gluttony is and the best way to defeat this sin," Ned said, looking to the crew members waiting nearby, "Take your seats with your group and get ready for a fun and delicious day," he smiled.

The teams sat together. Zuko watched as the first covered tray was put before each person. The smell was delicious, but Zuko couldn't place it. All he knew was that he and his team were hungry. They were doing well for themselves and fished regularly, only taking enough to feed each person for the day, but one couldn't survive on fish forever.

Nelson licked his lips. They were dry from the salted goods brought onto the ship. He and the others from the ship were looking forward to this.

"Course 1: Barbecued chicken with a nice honey barbecue glaze, seared to perfection over an open fire, slow cooked over a proper fire," Ned said with a dreamy voice.

Catwoman licked her lips, "Count me in!"

Not only did everyone start eating their dish, most of them finished, and Ned watched with a devious grin on his lips. He was enjoying this more than he should, something Zuko and Catwoman quickly noticed.

Zuko pushed away his empty plate and turned to Catwoman, "One more then no more. It's what he wants."

"I was thinking the same thing," Catwoman said, licking her fingers after pushing away her empty plate.

"You all finished," Ned said, snapping. As the crew members removed their empty platter, another covered plate was put before them. Angelica's eyes grew wide as she realized what the dish smelled like.

Sure enough, they were presented with a towering plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and the crew members were there with garlic bread and extra cheese should the competitors want it.

Plankton pushed his plate away, "Spaghetti has always looked like worms to me!" he exclaimed, shaking his head and covering his plate again, "Next!"

"You'll wait until the others have finished," Ned scolded, watching as Zuko and Catwoman pushed their plates away too. Nelson, who was all the way at the other end of the pavilion, noticed and pushed his plate away as well.

"WHAT are you DOING?!" Chloe snapped, shoveling another forkful of spaghetti into her mouth.

"I don't know, but if they're pushing it away, maybe they're on to something," Nelson said.

Janet scoffed, "Yeah, starving to death. Those goody two shoes morons have all the food they need apparently. We're stuck with dried goods salted with half the ocean. I'm taking all I want."

Nelson shrugged, "Suit yourselves."

When the round was over, the unfinished plates were re-covered and put on the bottom of the cart. Empty platters were thrown into a container, and the next meal was delivered.

"Cheese burgers with special house made sauce prepared by our top chef served with seasoned fries and any choice of dipping sauce," Ned announced.

"Ooh, do you have queso to dip the fries in?" Muffy asked.

Chloe shot her a look, "Queso? Like the spicy cheese at Mexican restaurants?" she asked as a crew member delivered what Muffy wanted.

Muffy nodded, "Yes! I tried it at a party once and never looked back!"

"I want to try!" Janet cooed.

Zuko shook his head, "Idiots."

"Hey, why aren't you two eating?" Angelica asked as Janet and Chloe received their cups of queso dip for their fries.

"Think about the challenge, sweetie," Catwoman said, covering her plate, "If the sin is gluttony, you want to show you aren't gluttonous."

"But this is the best food I've had in ages!" Mojo Jojo argued.

Catwoman shrugged, "Suit yourselves, but I know better than to keep up this charade. Besides, when will the awful things come out? This guy is twisted in the head, so I'm sure it's coming."

At the end of the table, Nelson couldn't help himself. He hadn't had a real burger in ages, and he couldn't resist this one. All of his favorite toppings were available, he had his choice of dipping sauces, AND the meat was real hamburger cooked on a proper charcoal grill. What more could a man ask for?

Catwoman checked her nails as empty plates were removed. Only her and Zuko had full platters, so a crew member carried them off alone. The next dish was delivered, this time more carefully. This got the attention of Angelica, who grimaced as their covers were removed.

"This is our first mystery dish. Do you dare take a bite?" Ned smirked.

Catwoman, Angelica, and Zuko pushed their bowls away at once. Janet dipped a spoon in before deciding to do the same, as did Chloe, Jetta, and Muffy. Nelson pushed his away as Plankton jumped onto the table:

"What? You don't pass up good food where I'm from. You might learn something," he said, tipping the bowl up and drinking the mystery mixture down.

Helga shook her head, "Nope, I'm not that adventurous."

Vicky, Mojo Jojo, and Plankton didn't seem to care. Their bowls were empty within seconds, and once they were done, Ned dropped the bombshell: The soup was a "spoils of the sea" combo with all sorts of unknown creatures. The base was cream of anchovy, and the rest was whatever they could scrape off the sea bed.

Jetta shook her head, "No, they would not know to do that right. Those guys are going to be sick."

"It was quite tasty, I'll have you know," Plankton smiled, licking his fingers and settling back to his seat, "What's next?"

"Spare rib with roasted asparagus," Ned announced.

Muffy smiled, "Finally, something more to my liking."

"Same!" Chloe squealed, picking up her fork.

Jetta raised an eyebrow, "They're really going all out, huh? Isn't that expensive?"

"Maybe that's why those two aren't eating anymore," Nelson pointed out as Zuko and Catwoman covered their dishes and pushed them to the side. This time Helga joined them, crossing her arms and glaring at Ned.

Jetta gently covered her dish, "It's hard to do this, but they must be on to something."

"I was thinking the same thing," Nelson said, stacking his covered dish onto hers and watching as the others ate.

Vicky shook her head, "I've never had food like this before, and I'll probably never have it again unless I win the big prize."

Catwoman watched and shook her head, "Shouldn't they be getting full by now?"

"I'd be throwing up," Zuko whispered, watching as the finished plates were taken away and the next covered dish was delivered.

"Fried rice with your choice of meats," Ned announced as platters with shrimp, chicken, and steak were brought out.

"Ooh, can we have all of them?" Chloe squealed.

"I don't see why not," Ned said with a telling voice.

Jetta shook her head and covered her dish quickly, "Nope, he's up to something. You can hear it in his voice."

Helga covered her dish, "Yep, I'm done. Keep your fancy foods to yourself," Helga said, getting a nod from Zuko and Catwoman. Helga looked to Mojo Jojo, "Why do you keep eating, monkey breath?"

"I've spent my entire life at the bottom. It's about time I get anything I want, and this is definitely it!" Mojo Jojo smiled, licking his lips before joining Chloe and Muffy and choosing every meat. Beside him, Angelica was tempted, so she only got chicken instead of all three meats. She was too tired of fish to go hungry like the others. At the other end of the table, Janet also got chicken only, but mostly because she was tired of fishy foods and wasn't a fan of steak.

Ned watched and smiled as the next mystery dish was delivered. This time, it was a meatloaf type of meal. Janet picked at the meat before shaking her head. Vicky, Plankton, and Mojo Jojo dove in, all of them eagerly eating up what ended up being a mash of blood worms, oatmeal, and tomato paste.

Plankton shrugged, "I've had worse. What's next?" he asked as the next dish was delivered. They were back to delectable dishes, so a pot roast with all the fixings was available for anyone who wanted to participate.

Muffy and Chloe watched Jetta turn down the dish. Chloe was reluctant to follow suit, but she was starting to feel full. She and Muffy covered their dishes, leaving Janet and Vicky to eat alone. At the island side of the table, Mojo Jojo and Plankton were the only takers.

Ned smiled as the dishes were returned, "I see some of you are catching on. Wild caught salmon on a bed of wild rice grains harvested at peak freshness. The sauce is a house secret that is guaranteed to be the best thing you've ever tasted."

Chloe scoffed, "I doubt that," she said, covering the dish.

Vicky looked up, "Are you crazy? This looks amazing!"

"You heard him. Some of us are catching on," Jetta winked.

Vicky's eyes grew wide, "That monster!"

"Now you're getting the message," Nelson said, watching as Mojo Jojo and Plankton devoured their dishes alone. Janet saw this and followed Vicky's lead. She covered her dish and pushed it away, though she was eager to at least eat the rice.

Ned looked over the group as the dishes were taken up. He shook his head, "You're all wasting valuable food. I say we only give the next dish to those who want it."

"Ooh, we'll take our portions!" Mojo Jojo grinned as Plankton jumped up and down beside him.

"Sure, bring it out, boys," Ned said, smiling to Catwoman as the dishes were delivered, "Tuna surprise with a side of caviar."

Catwoman smelled the nice, fishy aroma, but her eyes remained locked on Ned, "Sorry, freak, that won't work on me. I have this little thing called self control."

Ned shrugged, "Maybe you do, but your team mates don't have much control. What if one of them wins immunity?"

"Good for them," Zuko scoffed, shrugging as he shifted in his seat, "What's it matter to us?"

"Yeah, we all know you're up to something," Nelson called.

"Sticking up for the other team, are you?" Ned asked as Mojo Jojo and Plankton finished their plates. Ned turned to the ladies of his team, "They might not appreciate that."

"Maybe if we didn't agree with him," Jetta said coldly, "except we believe him and know you're full of it."

"Get on with it, Flanders!" Ned yelled as the crew members were snapped at to work.

Plankton and Mojo Jojo ate dish after dish. Even mystery dishes with no discernible color were eaten by the pair, and the others grew bored as they watched. Catwoman checked her nails, unhappy with how rough they were thanks to island living. When she looked up, she noticed the coverings were different.

Zuko recognized them right away. One of the covered dishes was placed before him, so Zuko looked up to Ned, who grinned slyly, "I thought you'd want a chance to eat something from home. Dumplings prepared by a special friend of yours."

"I haven't had those in years," Zuko whispered.

"Don't do it," Catwoman warned.

"I have to. I can't get these anymore. You wouldn't understand," Zuko said, picking up his chopsticks as Mojo Jojo and Plankton ate without a care, turning their plates up and dumping the dumplings down their throat.

"I do understand and you're making a mistake. Don't you see?" Catwoman asked.

Angelica tapped Catwoman's arm, "Hey, let him. He looks really happy to see them again."

"Maybe so, but he's making a mistake," Catwoman hissed.

Vicky shrugged, "Not to us. This man is a sick little monster."

"Yep," Angelica agreed.

When the plates were cleared, no more were brought out. Mojo Jojo and Plankton were clearly the most glutinous people on the island, but with Zuko eating a second dish, he now left Catwoman as the only one to eat one dish and no more.

Ned brought out the immunity necklace. He smiled as he put it around Catwoman's neck, "You are stronger than your sins. Don't let that go to your head."

Catwoman shrugged and followed the others to the boat. As soon as Plankton and Mojo Jojo arrived back at the island, they started puking up everything they had eaten. The group left them on the beach and returned to camp, where they rested.

Angelica scoffed as she looked out to the beach, "Is that what we're going to have to listen to all night?"

"Probably," Catwoman huffed, shaking her head, "Mojo Jojo ate everything he was offered. Even Plankton had more self control than that."

Zuko shook his head, "Only because he thinks spaghetti is disgusting, otherwise he'd have the same number. I counted."

Helga looked them over, "So, what made you think that was Ned's game? You stopped after the first dish."

"We only made an assumption, and I'm glad it proved correct. Now we can make a decision without those guys on the ship ruining anything," Catwoman grinned.

"Why don't we vote one of them off?" Angelica suggested.

Zuko shook his head, "There's no point. They have no advantage. Nelson was the only one who could stop himself today, and I think he was okay with that. He looks like he's used to doing without, but the others? They're going to crack on that ship without us doing a thing."

"I say we get rid of monkey breath. If he can't control himself, he has no use to us. There are six more sins to deal with," Helga said firmly.

Catwoman smirked, "I was thinking the same thing."

As night fell, the contestants were helped to the council area, where Plankton and Mojo Jojo stayed on the edge of the clearing still puking their guts out. Ned shook his head before turning to the group:

"Have you made a decision?" Ned questioned.

"Mojo Jojo has no self control. He deserves to leave," Catwoman said.

"Punishing a man for his sins?" Ned grinned.

"He looks too sick to continue," Jetta said with a concerned tone.

Janet nodded, "Yeah, he needs medical attention."

Ned laughed, "No, it's all according to plan. As soon as your votes are cast, their illness will cease. Do you all agree? The most gluttonous of all gets to leave the island?"

The group was in agreement, and in a flash, Mojo Jojo was gone and Plankton was done throwing up, though he was still exhausted from the effort.

As the group left, Ned looked directly into the camera, "They like to think I'm out of my mind, punishing them all for no reason, yet they act as I would when greeted with the sin of Gluttony. How will they react tomorrow? Find out on Survive the Vote: Volcano Island."

Chapter Text

Day 6
Ned looked into the camera with a devious grin, a crate in his devilish arms. He was in a helicopter again, his ears covered with protective earphones as it hovered over the ship.

"Today on Survive the Vote Season Two: Volcanic Island, we dabble in one of the worst of the seven deadly sins. What happens when our players are introduced to lust first-hand? Find out today," Ned smiled, dropping enough bottles over the ship for each of its competitors before flying off towards the island to do the same for them.

Chloe and Muffy were tanning together on the deck when the love potion bottles gently landed nearby. Jetta was looking through rations to determine which salty portion she wanted, so the bottles immediately caught her attention.

"Hey guys, look, there's some bottles up here," Jetta called. Nelson arrived from below deck in the captain's quarters, and Janet and Vicky came from the helm, where they were trying to figure out how to fish without proper supplies.

"Whoa, that stuff is PINK!" Chloe noted.

"Yeah, looks sketchy. I wouldn't drink it if I were you," Nelson warned.

Vicky snatched up the note attached to one of the bottles, "What is this crap about anyway? Oh, we HAVE to drink it? What if I don't want to?"

"I doubt he'll give us a choice. We better drink up and see what happens. I mean, it's probably some kind of punch or something to keep us hydrated. We don't exactly have water up here," Janet noted.

Muffy popped the top off her bottle and sniffed. She immediately sneezed and shook her head, "I'm with Nelson on this one. I'd rather not. It seems risky."

"Well if we don't have a choice, Ned will force us," Chloe argued, nodding to Janet, "She's right. Maybe it's something to keep us from suing the crap out of them later on. What's the worst that could happen anyway?"

Nelson shook his head, "I still don't know about this."

Vicky groaned, "Let's just do it. I don't want to know what they would do to force us."

The group paused for a moment weighing their options. Unfortunately, they knew they had no choice and none of them wanted to know what the crew members would have to do to them to get the potions down later. They turned up their bottles and finished their contents with a few careful gulps. And then they waited.

Back on the island, the group looked over their bottles. Zuko picked up his and swirled it around trying to determine the contents. Helga crossed her arms and stared at hers with a dark glare.

Catwoman sighed, "Well, what do you think our options are? The note says we have to drink, but how are they going to know if we drank it or dumped it out?"

"Believe me, they'll know," Helga spat, shaking her head, "I won't do it! It's probably some kind of poison."

Angelica looked at her bottle carefully, "I mean, it looks yummy. Maybe it's some kind of fruit drink and they want to see what it does to us."

"No, he's up to something like he always is," Zuko said, shaking his head, "I just don't know what it is. What are the seven deadly sins he talked about yesterday? How does this play into the other six?"

Catwoman laughed, "I bet he's playing with lust since it's pink."

"What?" Plankton asked flatly.

"Lust, erotic love," Catwoman said, swirling her potion and laughing, "How does that work out here? This isn't some romantic island getaway, and we barely like each other."

"It's probably some stupid love potion that'll MAKE us love someone," Helga warned, shaking her head, "Nope, I've got enough problems."

"Okay, but what if we do refuse? Won't they make us take it?" Angelica asked.

"She's right. You don't want the crew or Ned himself forcing something down your throat," Zuko said.

"So you're really going to do it?" Catwoman asked slyly.

"Aren't you?" Zuko asked, gesturing to the trees around him, "They're probably watching us right now. You can't get away with it--"

"I wasn't going to. Lust is one of my favorite sins, and I can't wait to see what this silly potion does," Catwoman smirked, popping the top off her potion and drinking it down quickly.

The others were more reluctant, but eventually all of them had drank the potions.

A moment later, a horn sounded from the water. Boats arrived at the island and the ship, and the competitors were taken back to the island with the pavilion. Tents were set up on the beach, but the pavilion was where they had to gather first.

Ned looked everyone over, "My, my, my, isn't spring in the air? Why don't we use this beautiful day to get to know each other a little better, shall we?" Ned asked, grabbing a stick and tapping the dish next to him. It was a glass bowl, and the tone sounded throughout the space.

Suddenly everyone's eyes changed.

Chloe looked at Muffy in a new light, and the two grabbed hands and headed towards the beach.

Angelica gasped at the sight of Vicky, and suddenly they were running into the trees.

Helga sat with a scowl on her face, as did the skeptical Nelson, but with the path between them clear, their eyes locked, and suddenly they were walking to the beach as well.

Zuko saw Jetta and his mouth dropped. How had he not noticed how beautiful she was before? They too went off towards the beach.

When Janet saw Plankton, she gasped loudly, and she carried him off towards the beach, leaving Catwoman alone on the pavilion.

Catwoman strolled up to Ned, "You know, I think you're only like this because you're a lonely, pathetic little man who needs an ego boost."

"And what gives you that idea?" Ned asked nervously. He'd forgotten to count the competitors before his challenge, and with the odd number of competitors taking part, one was bound to be left to their own devices.

Catwoman went to stroke his cheek but Ned slapped her hand away and stepped back. Catwoman laughed, "See? You're afraid of yourself, afraid of your human side. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and embraced the fact that you are one glorious hunk of man destined for greatness?"

"What you speak of is not appropriate--"

Catwoman cackled loudly, "If it's not appropriate, then how did we get here? Do you think we just poofed into existence like magic? I thought you didn't believe in magic," Catwoman growled, lowering herself to all fours on the ground, "Just admit it, Flanders, you don't believe in anything."

Thunder sounded and Ned looked up. He hadn't checked the weather report either, but he had checked the instructions on the potions. If the competitors were touched by fresh water, the spell would be broken.

A drop of rain landed on Catwoman's forehead, and suddenly her eyes were back to normal and wide with fear. She stood up and looked to Ned, her mind slowly putting the pieces together.

Catwoman smirked, "I meant what I said. You really are a pathetic nonbeliever, a godless individual playing the part just to see what happens. You'll die alone and with unfulfilled dreams just like all of us," she whispered, turning on her heel and returning to the pavilion as rain began to fall.

The first drop of rain slapped Vicky on the back of the head. She was holding hands with Angelica, staring into her eyes to get to know her better, but the spell was broken. She ripped her hands away and started to run.

At first, Angelica felt hurt and rejected, but then the rain hit her too. She shrieked and ran up the path. Vicky decided that wasn't a bad idea, and suddenly they were both back at the pavilion, where Catwoman sat alone looking at her pitiful nails.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Vicky screamed.

"Being the coward he is," Catwoman replied flatly, looking up, "Oh and trying to put umbrellas over those useless tents of his. That cloth won't hold up at all in this downpour."

Except to Ned's horror, none of the competitors were inside the tents yet. All of them were at various spots across the beach. Jetta and Zuko were building sand castles together when the spell was broken, and Janet and Plankton were chasing each other in the sand. They stopped in their tracks as the rain hit them in just the right way to break the spell.

"No, no! This is all wrong!" Ned hissed as Nelson and Helga broke out of their embrace and screamed loudly, the two of them running away from each other.

Muffy and Chloe, where were sitting under a palm tree, were the last to pull apart. They were kissing, their eyes closed as they enjoyed the moment with the new loves of their lives. With the spell broken, they gasped and blushed, sitting motionless as Helga, Nelson, and Janet went into attack mode.

Everyone knew this was Ned's doing, and feeling endangered, he ran off into the trees. The others followed, but Ned was gone, leaving the competitors to meet under the pavilion as rain continued to pour.

"How could he do such a thing to us?!" Angelica screamed, carefully avoiding Vicky's gaze.

Nelson shook his head and sat down, "We knew he would pull something like this. You all had to know. He's up to no good."

"He's also bad at his job," Catwoman said, smiling at the group, "At least none of you had to fall for him because there was no one else around. Take that in and smoke it."

"She's right," Chloe whispered, swallowing hard, "It could've been a lot worse."

"HOW?!" Plankton screamed, gesturing wildly, "Have you not SEEN this chick?! Plus I'm married! My wife might kill me!"

Helga laughed, "Your wife can get over herself. We've got bigger problems here--"

"You've never met my wife! She thought I was coming here to improve our lives, not run off with some ugly teenager!" Plankton bellowed.

"I am NOT ugly!" Janet screamed.

"Hey, come on, take it down a notch so we can think this through," Zuko said sternly.

"Look, there's nothing to talk about. Ned had a plan and it got screwed up. Now we need to wait for him to decide what to do to us next. Quit freaking out on each other and prepare yourselves," Nelson said.

Muffy nodded and sat down, "He's right. What were we supposed to be doing anyway?"

"Getting to know each other. Now we know Plankton likes killing girls' self esteem, and we have several people who can't even look each other anymore thanks to Ned himself," Catwoman said, shrugging, "Ned is kinda hot, so I'm okay, and the rest of you need to get in the same spot. He'll be back soon and he's angry. It's going to be interesting when he gets to wrath seeing that he's the king of angry decision making."

Helga plopped onto her seat, "I don't see how he can judge us when he's clearly got more issues than all of us combined."

Nelson nodded, "Yeah, he's a real liar. I don't know all his issues because he doesn't say much. I just know his wife died, so he's gotta raise their two sons alone."

Helga scoffed, "Becoming a single dad is no reason to screw with everyone like this."

"Maybe he hasn't learned that lesson yet. We should help him," Catwoman smiled, looking up to the group, "I say we work out who gets to go home now to avoid whatever he's got planned for us. If we vote someone off now, there's no need to do an immunity challenge."

"I say we get rid of Plankton!" Janet snapped.

"I second that vote," Chloe said firmly, rolling her eyes, "How dare you call Janet ugly when you're disgusting looking!"

Angelica rolled her eyes, "He's trying to make sure his wife knows the truth. I say we send him home so they can talk things out before footage hits the air."

"Plankton, is that something you want to do?" Zuko asked.

"Why should it matter what he wants?!" Helga exclaimed.

"Because we want no ill will," Zuko replied, adding, "It should be fully unanimous. Whoever gets voted off should want to leave."

"I mean, now that you mention it, I probably should set things straight before she sees the footage herself," Plankton said nervously.

"Then it's settled. Shrimp boy goes home," Janet said coldly.

Catwoman rolled her eyes, "You certainly have an ugly personality. He didn't mean it, Janet, cut the guy a break."

"Fine! I forgive you for calling me ugly!" Janet pouted, though she clearly wasn't over it.

A moment later, Plankton was poofed away. The group sat quietly as the rain slowly stopped outside. Once it was gone, they gathered on the beach hoping a boat would come take them away. Instead, Ned returned, this time with the perfect plan.

Except the group was right. He didn't want two people to go home, so with Plankton unanimously voted off the island, there was no need. Ned ripped up his notes and tossed them to the sand.

Helga shook her head, "What a litter bug," she muttered.

Catwoman looked out to sea and smiled, "There's our ride. Bye, Neddy Boy," she winked, blowing him a kiss.

Ned glared at her before snapping, a blaze of fire surrounding him as he poofed away. Catwoman laughed as the boats finally arrived, and the group quietly went back to their respective areas to wait for the next day to come.

Chapter Text

Day 7
Ned grinned as the storm built offshore. Lightning flashed in the night, sending a blast of light across the islands.

Ned turned towards the camera and smiled, "Today on Survive the Vote Season Two: Volcanic Island, we learn a little about our anger and how listening to our wrathful sides has no gains."

Nelson lay awake spread eagle on his bed. The waves were strong tonight, rocking the boat one way and then the other, then rocking in an entirely new direction. He knew there was a storm rolling in before the thunder sounded, before the rain started pounding above deck.

In the bunk area, Chloe and Muffy had buckets and were throwing up uncontrollably as Janet fought seasickness herself. Jetta was used to this sort of thing, but the others weren't. Vicky stood strong, but as a wave came that nearly rocked her out of bed, her stomach could take no more. There were no more buckets either, so she rushed up to the rails in the pouring rain.

"This is miserable," Jetta huffed.

"Oh shut up, Jetta," Muffy groaned before hurling again.

On the island, Zuko glared at the location of the ship in the distance, not that he could see it for the pouring rain. He couldn't believe that he and the others on the island were stuck outside, soaked to the bone, when they had a big ship to hide in.

"We should've stormed that hunk of junk," Helga huffed, blowing a soaked piece of hair out of her face.

"And thrown them off into the ocean, let the sharks eat them," Angelica muttered as lightning flashed again. Everyone knew not to say anything then.

The thunder came, the ocean pulsing the sound waves in their direction. Catwoman could feel her body vibrate even as the thunder rolled into the distance. Her body hurt from the cold rain and the blasts of thunder.

Zuko shook his head, "We need to act soon. They're getting too comfortable, and it's going to give them an advantage in challenges."

"But they're starving," Helga huffed.

Catwoman scoffed, "No they're not, they're picky. They have plenty of rations if they need something to eat."

"No, she has a point," Zuko said, adding, "They might have more girls than guys, but there weren't that many barrels. We try to eat a fish or two a day, and if they do the same thing, those barrels should almost be empty."

Angelica shook her head, "At least they had the option even if it sucked. Plus they can eat in the rain. I bet any fish with a brain is hiding out."

"Plus you'd get struck by lightning going out on the beach," Catwoman whispered, shaking her head, "I bet he planned this."

Helga scoffed, "You think Ned can control the weather? He can't even control his temper!"

"You're not wrong," Catwoman smirked, continuing, "What I'm saying is that of the seven deadly sins, we've covered two. What better way to cover a third after everyone is soaked and irritated in the rain? Plus Ned is angry himself, so why not delve into Wrath, project your own problems onto people who could care less?"

Zuko nodded, "You're right. It's a good day to do wrath after yesterday, and this is only going to make everyone cranky. We're envying that ship right now, but you can hear the waves. Half of them are probably puking their guts up right now. We would be too if we were there," Zuko explained.

Helga scoffed, "Screw those guys. We need to burn that ship to the ground."

"Right now we need to work on being calm. Ned is planning to use this to his advantage, and it'll be just like the gluttony challenge. You can't let him provoke you," Catwoman said, turning to Zuko, "No matter what he throws in our direction."

"What can I say, resisting my past is a little hard?" Zuko muttered, looking back towards the ocean, "My anger I've worked on. I've been to war, so you learn to control yourself. The rest of you likely need to work on this, probably more than you realize."

The island's competitors sat in silence as the storm raged on. Back on the ship, Vicky and Janet were both vomiting topside in the rain while Chloe and Muffy continued using their now full buckets. Eventually they too ended up topside, but Nelson remained in his captain's quarters. He'd had enough rough nights in his day, and though the light of day was trying to peek through the clouds, his room was still dark enough for him to sleep.

But as soon as the thunder eased up, Ned sent out the boats to retrieve competitors. Crew members had to help the girls from the ship, which took longer than expected. While the island's competitors waited on the beach, they wrung out their hair and clothes.

When the ship's competitors finally arrived, Helga stifled a laugh at the sight of them. The girls looked absolutely miserable. All of them were pale and sickly, and Muffy and Chloe were still battling their nausea as they took a seat on their mats.

Ned looked over the groups with a wide grin, "Good morning, camperooneys! Today we have a fun challenge in store. You're going to pair off with a member of the opposing team for a tournament. The winners of each round will face off until there are only two left standing in this battle for an immunity necklace."

Ned paused and looked to the girls, "Medics, give them something so we can do this properly."

Crew members emerged with first aid kits. The sick girls were given drinks to pep them up while everyone else watched. Jetta was the first to recover. She stood and shook her head. She had never been sea sick before, but that storm had pushed her over the edge.

Slowly the others stood, then Ned got out his bags. Each bag had the same number of rocks with the same colors. The players who drew the same colors would face off. With the island's group, two rocks remained undrawn. The ship's team had two extra players, who would face each other in the first round.

Nelson and Janet looked up to find they had no partners, so they had to face off against each other. Ned pointed them to the furthest most platforms, and each person was given a long pole with two bumpers on each end.

"The purpose of this is to knock your enemy off their platform. Anything goes as long as your partner hits the ground before you do," Ned grinned, picking up a whistle, "Places everyone."

When everyone was squared up, Ned blew his whistle. Catwoman struck first, but Chloe deflected her blow with a loud POP! Beside them, Jetta and Angelica stared at each other first, but neither girl was about to make this a blinking contest. Both started landing blows and trying hard to stay upright on their platforms.

Zuko smirked at Vicky, "Wow, luck was not on your side today."

"What makes you say that?" Vicky asked.

Zuko hadn't trained much with bow staffs and other long objects because he could fire bend, but he'd seen the training, and that was enough. Vicky deflected a few blows, but Zuko was more skilled and quickly took her down.

Beside them, Muffy and Helga had a similar problem. Muffy wasn't a fighter, and while she was fierce, Helga easily took her down. At the end, Janet met a similar fate. Nelson was stronger and had fought before, so he easily took his partner down. Soon Angelica had bettered Jetta, leaving Catwoman and Chloe the last ones fighting.

"Give it up, little girl," Catwoman growled.

"Make me!" Chloe shrieked.

Catwoman shrugged, "Fine," she said, sweeping at the girl's feet.

Chloe easily jumped to avoid the sweep, but she wasn't expecting Catwoman to play dirty. Her next hit was directly to Chloe's face, and the girl was too stunned to move. Suddenly Chloe was down, her nose bleeding all over the sand below her platform.

Muffy shrieked at the sight as crew members were called out to take Chloe to the side for medical attention.

Catwoman shrugged, "She asked for it. Next," she said, turning to Ned and winking, "Who do I get to face off with next?" she grinned.

Ned looked at the group and whistled, "Five pairs means four partners and a castaway. Zuko, pick your competition."

Zuko turned to Vicky, "Care to try again?"

"Whatever, freak!" Vicky hissed, taking to the platform again.

Ned blew his whistle, and Zuko easily bested Vicky again. Zuko then turned to watch the others. Catwoman was against Helga, who was careful to guard her face as Chloe's cries sounded out from the trees. Nelson was against Angelica, who glared at her partner.

Angelica knew Nelson was the captain of the ship, and she knew she had to beat him. She swatted, making plenty of hits. Nelson had a hard time deflecting her blows until he realized he could just take them.

But every body had a limit, and when Angelica cracked his right knee cap then his ribs on the left side, Nelson felt the air leave him a little. He decided he needed to step it up, but it was too late. Angelica cracked him on top of the head, and down Nelson went.

Catwoman smirked, "See, I'm not the only one who uses face shots. Scared?" Catwoman asked.

"Not of you," Helga huffed, dodging another blow.

But Catwoman was just toying with her partner. Helga liked to think she was tough and fierce, but she wasn't as good of a fighter as she thought. With some quick slashes, Catwoman got her off balance and onto the ground.

With three competitors left standing, Ned decided to switch things up. He snapped his fingers and crew members came out of the woods to face the remaining competitors. Zuko was paired with a short woman while Catwoman and Angelica were paired against burly guys.

Ned blew his whistle and the fight began, but Zuko couldn't do it. He had no clue who this woman was, and she didn't look particularly pleased to be in this position. If Zuko had to guess, she was some PR chick or set designer brought out for kicks to feed Ned's ego.

As Catwoman bested her partner and Angelica fell to hers, Zuko stepped off his platform.

"Are you forfeiting?" Ned glared.

"I won't fight her. She clearly wants no part of this," Zuko called back.

"What are you some kind of wuss?!" Helga spat.

Catwoman smiled at first but then her smile faded. She nodded to Zuko, who turned back to Ned and nodded, "I won't."

"Zuko wins immunity."

"WHAT?!" Chloe shrieked. She had just returned from getting first aid, and now she watched as Zuko was rewarded for not fighting. If she'd known that was an option, she never would've participated.

But his fate was decided. Zuko accepted the immunity necklace, and everyone was free to leave. Zuko and the other island competitors returned quickly to camp, but the ship's crew was reluctant. When they realized the sea had calmed down, they boarded the boat back.

At the island camp, Zuko quickly went out to the beach to fish. Angelica and Helga were tasked with collecting fire wood while Catwoman assisted him.

"How did you figure it out?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know, but I bet that little rich chick would've figured it out before I broke her nose," Catwoman grinned, glancing to Zuko, "Should we get rid of her to help her get in with her plastic surgeon sooner?"

"Nah, let her stew," Zuko said, looking out to the ship, "They know we're outnumbered. We need to strike now."

"What were you thinking?" Catwoman whispered.

"We need to divide the vote. Angelica and Helga both want that ship to burn to the ground. One should take responsibility for the fire I'm going to start, and the other should take responsibility for the holes you're going to help me blast underneath," Zuko explained.

Catwoman raised an eyebrow before catching a fish and tossing it into the treeline, "You know how to do that?"

"It's a trick, but yes, and I know you're agile enough to help me. We'll be the ones to do it, but Angelica and Helga have to take the fall. I think they're vain enough to take responsibility," Zuko said.

Catwoman laughed, "We'll get to pride soon, I'm sure, but now is the perfect time. They had to notice how outnumbered they were."

"And they'll be truly outnumbered once we break up their little clique," Zuko said, turning to Catwoman as he too caught a fish and tossed it far onto the beach, "We leave Chloe in to let her complain. I say we go for her BFF Muffy. Neither girl was as upset as the rest of us."

"You noticed that too, huh?" Catwoman smiled, turning back as Helga retrieved the two fish and carried them back to camp to wait for Zuko. They caught another large fish and returned to camp.

After they had eaten, Zuko told the others of his plan. Angelica and Helga agreed to do their part, so they were ordered to hang out away from the beach while Catwoman and Zuko acted.

Catwoman helped gather supplies, then Zuko made them explosive. They wouldn't go off without his fire bending, making them safe.

Together they swam out, then Catwoman stuck the bundles to the ship's hull below the water. It was difficult work, but Zuko was right that her flexibility and strength made the task easy.

Then Catwoman swam back to shore. Once she was far enough away, Zuko started his first fire through one of the small windows of the ship. It was enough to get everyone's attention and get them on the top deck--Zuko wanted to burn down the ship, not kill anyone.

When they were all up top contemplating how to get to the water to put out the fire, Zuko swam fifty yards away and lit the charges. The blasts sent water spraying into the air, covering his escape.

As the fire spread through their bunk space, the ship began to sink. Nelson ordered them all to jump off to avoid going down with the ship, but Chloe and Muffy fought him on the order.

"Come on, you'll drown!" Jetta screamed before jumping off the ship.

"Yeah, you idiots!" Janet yelled before joining Jetta in the water.

"Come on, you have to!" Nelson ordered, but they were too scared to jump.

As the ship began to shift, Nelson took matters into his own hands. He tossed Muffy overboard then went to grab Chloe, who realized he was serious and jumped on his own accord.

Nelson was the last off the boat. A moment later, the ship finally had enough water on board to put out the fire, but that was the only benefit to the water. The ship rolled, sending out a large wave that rocked the competitors. As they fought to stay afloat, the ship sank to the bottom.

Crew members rescued them before depositing them on the beach near the island camp. Zuko and Catwoman were tending the fire, both of them hoping they wouldn't notice their wet clothes. That was the one thing they couldn't control, but the group didn't notice. Their anger was clear, and Nelson was immediately accusing them of sinking their ship.

Catwoman scoffed, "Us? We're cooking up some dinner," she said, poking at a fish she'd caught on her way back to shore.

Zuko looked around, "Hey, where are the girls? Maybe they know something."

On cue, Helga and Angelica appeared, and the arguments immediately broke out. The main interruption came from Ned's call, which was their cue to get to the council area. Everyone was still arguing on the way, and Ned grinned as the arguing continued before him.

"I'm sensing a torn vote," Ned announced, looking the group over, "I believe we need to cast paper votes today. You'll go into that booth one by one and write down the name of who you want to leave. The person with the most votes leaves Volcano Island and does not survive the vote."

"We know how it works. Let's get on with it!" Jetta exclaimed.

As Zuko wanted, Nelson, Vicky, and Jetta voted for Angelica while Chloe, Janet, and Muffy voted for Helga. Zuko and Catwoman had already worked things out, and with four votes, Muffy was voted off the island.

She was shocked, but she had no time to argue before Ned poofed her away. The competitors were sent back to the island camp with nothing, and Ned smiled as they left, "I guess they let their wrath get to them. Who thinks exploring sins is no good now? Find out which one we explore next on the next episode of Survive the Vote: Volcano Island."

Chapter Text

Day 8
Helga grinned as she took in the sight of Chloe in the first morning light. Her face was a variety of colors thanks to her run in with Catwoman the day before, and while Chloe wasn't aware of this, she knew it hurt. Plus her best friend in the competition was gone, and now they were stuck sleeping outside.

Nelson knew better than to remain stuck in his cozy life. When Zuko and Catwoman walked to the beach to fish, he followed and tried to figure out what they were doing. Zuko and Catwoman were fast enough to catch fish by hand, mostly thanks to so much practice getting food for the camp.

Nelson was patient but not swift, and fish after fish escaped his grasp in the clear waters. Catwoman watched and was impressed that he was so resilient. Most people would have give up by then, but not Nelson. He didn't catch a single fish, but he remained with Zuko and Catwoman as they caught enough for the camp.

When Catwoman arrived back at camp, so did Helga, Janet, and Angelica with fire wood. Vicky, Chloe, and Jetta remained seated at camp. Vicky was widdling something using a sharp shell and a large stick, but Chloe and Vicky were doing nothing.

Catwoman looked Chloe and Jetta over, "So, what makes you two so special?"

"What?" Jetta huffed.

"Do you really think you can just sit here all day and that's okay? This isn't your little pirate ship resort anymore. If you want something, you need to work for it," Zuko said firmly, nodding to the girls, "Catch your own fish. I won't support laziness."

"You better cook those fast. We heard Ned's boats coming out," Helga said.

Zuko sighed and used his fire bending to cook the fish in a flash. The result had more char than they were used to, but it worked in a flash. As Helga predicted, Ned's crew members arrived a moment later to take them to the day's competition. And as Zuko said, Chloe and Jetta went without as the others ate their fish on the boat, dropping their bones into the water as they went.

When the reached the beach, they saw flags placed all around the sand. Janet looked up and wondered what their task for the day would be. Once the group was gathered on their mat, Ned made himself appear in a plume of smoke. Helga coughed and waved the remnants out of her face, glaring at Ned once she was done.

"Today we will explore the sin of sloth. You will run laps around the island. How many laps? Enough so that you're the last person moving. If you happen to be the last one moving, you win immunity," Ned said, grinning to the group, "Though we have a very special council ceremony tonight, so don't make any rash decisions until then."

"Are there any rewards for this torture?" Helga asked coldly.

Ned laughed with a dark tone, "A reward? Yeah, run and you get to stay here. Ready, set, GO!" Ned snapped, sending a flare into the air.

The group began to run sans Chloe, who sat down defiantly on the map and refused to complete the task. She hoped that was the secret of this challenge--be the first to shirk the sin, and immunity was yours.

Ned realized this and chuckled, "Not today, sweetie. Sloth means laziness, and you are the spitting image of it. Take a seat over there."

Chloe moved to some benches just inside the tree line. She crossed her arms and watched as one by one, her fellow competitors crossed the line.

Zuko noticed her sitting alone and turned to Catwoman, who was keeping a gentle pace with him, "So, I guess this is one of those where we better keep going."

"Figures, this is going to suck," Catwoman huffed as Nelson passed them panting heavily. Catwoman shook her head, "Hey, kid! It's a marathon not a sprint!"

"Not...with...Ned!" he called back still running hard.

Zuko shook his head, "I think he should take our word for it this time."

"What do you think that special council ceremony is about?" Catwoman asked.

"I don't know, but we better do our best. Something tells me he wants the vote in his hands. I guess the drama isn't enough to keep him going," Zuko shrugged.

Behind them, Janet, Helga, Vicky, and Jetta were only getting slower and slower. Helga was trying to stay back to avoid the sand being kicked up by Angelica, who was running in front of them and seemed to be intentionally flicking sand in their direction, but she liked that she could hear the former shipmates conversations.

Janet shook her head, "I don't think...I can go on...much longer," she panted.

"This is ridiculous! Worst challenge ever! This isn't gym class," Vicky ranted.

But it was Jetta who got slower and slower. The others couldn't stay back at that rate, so she got left behind. Helga smirked as she realized Jetta had stopped completely and began the slow walk to the end.

"Ten flags short!" Ned called as she crossed the finish line. He pointed, "Go take a seat."

Jetta flopped down on the bench as Janet decided she too had enough. Instead of going to the bench, she went to the water trying to cool off. Ned immediately had a crew member lead her back.

Ned shook his head, "If you want to cool off, you just sit there long enough. Some of your competitors are actually taking this challenge seriously."

Vicky was now running with just Helga, though she had nothing to say to the girl. She picked up the pace and ended up beside Angelica, who was panting and red-faced. She looked horrible, and Vicky could tell she was miserable.

So she turned the tables and ran ahead of her, intentionally changing her footfalls to kick up as much sand as possible.

"EWW! YOU'RE GETTING IT IN MY MOUTH!" Angelica shrieked.

Vicky lifted her arms, "Karma sucks, huh?"

It was enough to get Angelica to stop running completely. She turned around and walked back to the start to join the others. Ned noted her flag count and lap count as she took a seat with the others.

Vicky and Helga kept pace at the back while Zuko and Catwoman ran at a steady pace out front. Nelson was still going hard, but as he turned his fourth lap, his speed caught up to him. Just as he crossed the line, a cramp seized his right leg, and down he went, rolling across the sand and screaming in pain.

"Well, take your seat, son," Ned said without an ounce of compassion. Nelson crawled to the benches and glared at Ned as he massaged his leg.

In the next lap, Vicky decided it wasn't worth the effort to continue. Sand was all in her shoes, and there was no catching the front runners. In fact, she didn't know how Catwoman and Zuko were keeping their pace, but it didn't matter. As she crossed the line, she jogged straight to the benches and sat down. Ned shrugged at her but said nothing.

Two laps later, Helga ended up with a cramp and had to crawl her way back around to the start. She and Nelson sat together in the sand trying to ease their pain as the last competitors standing continued their run.

Catwoman turned to Zuko, "I think it's just us. How do you want to play this?" she smirked.

"I took down the ship, but without your charges being in the right spot, I think it could've gone worse. I say you get it," Zuko said.

"My, how selfless of you," Catwoman smirked. She wasn't about to argue if the boy was giving up his spot at immunity, and she was happy to see he was a man of his word. As they cross the finish line for the next lap, Zuko stopped and made an effort to look exhausted as Catwoman continued her run.

Ned made her finish the lap, but when she came around again, he stopped her and gave her the immunity necklace. Catwoman thanked him and looked over the group. They were sandy and red-faced, and the ones who actually tried looked exhausted, Nelson most of all. He almost fell asleep on the boat ride back, and Catwoman gave him permission to rest if he needed to.

But Nelson refused. He knew Ned was up to something, and since fishing hadn't gone well for him, he went off to get more fire wood, which Zuko appreciated. He and Catwoman went to catch more fish while everyone else rested regardless of what they had actually done during the challenge.

Just like that morning, Zuko caught enough for the people who were working. When they returned and realized Helga wasn't just sitting on her butt, that she was trying to weave a shrimp basket like she learned from Season 1, they let her have a share. When Nelson got back, the four of them ate. No one else got a thing, and they knew better than to protest as Zuko glared at them.

After sundown, the crew returned and got them to the council area safely. Ned already had the projector up and running as he looked at the group with a wide grin. Nelson shivered as he took a seat.

"Tonight we will look into your camp habits. What have you been doing not only for yourself but for your team mates during this competition?" Ned explained, turning to Zuko, "Let's start with the most productive. Zuko has fed his team members since this started. He taught Catwoman how to fish his way," Ned said as the video played behind him, "and he's singlehandedly kept the fire going with his fire bending skills. He got the second-most number of laps today, and he clearly isn't a quitter," Ned said, turning to Chloe.

"What? I have a broken nose that none of you seem to care about," Chloe said with an effected voice.

"We only care about your output here," Ned said coldly, playing the video, "While you haven't done much since your untimely merge, you and Muffy worked to get pillows made using the supplies at hand, which gave comfort to your team. While you could do more to feed yourself and your team mates, you're not the laziest person here."

"Then who is? Let's just cut to the chase," Helga huffed.

Ned smiled, "I was hoping you all would see my point. When I announce the laziest member and the video concludes, that person will have to leave Volcano Island. Is that understood?"

Catwoman chuckled, "Very much so."

"Roll the tape, Flanders," Nelson said.

Ned nodded, and Jetta's face filled the screen.

Jetta's mouth fell open, "What?! How am I the most lazy?"

"Well, the girls of the island work to get fire wood, and Nelson ran his ship and has already tried to help now that you're stuck on the island. Janet would help prepare rations on the ship, but all you did was a fat lot of nothing," Ned explained, rolling the tape and shaking his head, "The sin of sloth runs through your veins like a poison, and now it sends you home."

"We need people who will work. You need to go," Zuko said coldly.

"Are none of you going to fight for me?" Jetta cried.

Janet scoffed, "Of course not! He's right, you know! You actually knew how to gut a fish, but we were stuck eating them whole on the ship because you could only focus on yourself!"

"I cut my tongue on a bone, you know, and I look over and see your fish perfectly cleaned. It's not right," Chloe said, crossing her arms, "Go away."

Jetta sobbed as she slowly left the council area, but no one tried to stop her. This was the one sin the group could agree with Ned on, and they were all happy to see Jetta go if she really was that selfish and lazy.

As the group returned to their island camp, Ned sat in their seats and played the other videos. He shook his head, "They all could do better. There will be no rewards for laziness here, and the challenges will only get harder as they explore the other seven deadly sins. Which one will we focus on tomorrow? You'll have to tune in and see," Ned smirked, snapping and turning off the projector and snuffing out the fires in one swift motion. The council area was plunged into darkness, the only light coming from Ned's red glowing eyes.

Chapter Text

Day 9
The vote out the night before kicked the group into gear. When Catwoman allowed Helga to try her shrimp baskets and realized they actually worked, Helga spent her morning with Vicky weaving the baskets while Chloe and Janet gathered fire wood. Catwoman, Zuko, and Nelson kept up their fishing, and though Nelson still came back empty handed, he was trying.

The group enjoyed a breakfast together, and everyone seemed calmer somehow, which made Zuko more paranoid. In the world of Ned Flanders, calm wasn't one of the allowed moods. Nelson was equally paranoid, so when the boats arrived and took the competitors back to the pavilion, they wondered what they were in for today.

On each person's seat was a treasure chest. Everyone sat down and placed their chest in their lap while Ned looked them over with a coy smile, his red devil skin shining in the light.

"Well, I took a peek at the morning's footage and saw a nice, cohesive group. Congrats on figuring out how to not sit on your bums all day. Now we work on a sin I know many of you are going to struggle with. Open your chests," Ned said, grinning as he watched the competitors unlatch their chests.

Inside each chest was a wad of Survive The Vote Bucks. Each bill was worth 20 units, and each person had two hundred units. As they counted their bills, Ned went to his podium as a crew member brought out a covered dish.

"Today we auction items for reward. First up: a burger dinner complete with fries, a chocolate milk shake, and some of the best house-made dipping sauce you'll ever come across. Bidding starts at 20 Survive The Vote Bucks," Ned announced.

Vicky held up a wad of bills, "A hundred bucks!"

"Going once, going twice, SOLD to Vicky," Ned announced. The crew covered the dish and carried it to the side as Vicky brought Ned her money.

Vicky stopped in her tracks and looked back, "Hey, wait a sec, where's my food?"

"You'll see. Each item is assigned to the player who buys it for this first round. Take your seat," Ned said, gesturing to the next item, "Alright, we have spear fishing gear. Goggles, a snorkel, a spear, and a net to help hold your catch under water. Bidding starts at forty bucks."

"Forty!" Zuko yelled.

"Sixty!" Nelson called. Zuko and Catwoman were the only others interested, and they let Nelson have the item. Nelson was upset about not being able to fish for himself, so this was a good way for him to contribute.

"Sold! Sixty Survive The Vote Bucks please," Ned said as Nelson's item was covered and taken to another spot on a nearby table. Nelson paid without complaint and returned to his seat.

"Next up we have a spa date. You and a partner will receive manicures and facials during an afternoon retreat. Bidding starts at one hundred Survive The Vote Bucks," Ned said.

"One hundred!" Janet screamed.

"One-fifty!" Chloe shrieked.

The bidding went back and forth until Chloe bid two hundred bucks. Ned whistled, "That's all she wrote. Going once, twice, SOLD," Ned said, point to the ground below his podium, "Place your Survive The Vote Bucks back into your chest and leave it there, thanks."

"Wow, all your money on a stupid spa day," Nelson scoffed.

"Yep, if this is a lesson in greed, she's definitely a loser," Catwoman sneered.

Ned laughed, "Good guess, but not quite. Next up, a chocolate platter with some of the greatest delicacies. We have chocolate truffles, special chocolate candies made in some of the greatest cities in the world, and a few chocolate drinks to choose from. Bidding starts at sixty bucks!" Ned called.

"Eighty bucks!" Janet yelled.

"Nope, one hundred!" Vicky screamed, but that was all she had. Janet bid one-twenty, and she won the chocolate treats.

Ned sighed, "Alright, that was the end of round one. To recap, Vicky spent one hundred STV bucks on a burger meal fit for a king. Nelson spent sixty STV bucks on a spear fishing kit, and Chloe spent all of her money on a spa date. Last, Janet spent one hundred twenty bucks on a chocolate platter filled with delicious treats.

"Now, Round 2! We'll start with those who haven't lost money yet. You can choose to bid on the item and take it to auction, or you can trade your money for the items already owned by your competitors. You must pay whatever they paid, so if you wanted the spa date, you would have to spend two hundred Survive The Vote Bucks," Ned explained.

Helga rolled her eyes, "Lame."

"Why don't you go first? Round 2 starts with a movie night. You and three competitors get a special projected movie on the beach following our council meeting tonight. Do you bid or steal one of your competitor's items?" Ned questioned.

Helga sighed, "I don't know. What movie is it?"

"That is yet to be revealed. Make your choice, please," Ned demanded.

"Bid, twenty bucks," Helga shrugged.

The others could join in, and Janet bid forty bucks. Helga wasn't really interested in the item, letting Janet win. A cardboard item card was placed next to Janet's item card, and Ned was clear to point out that Janet only had forty bucks left to her name.

Ned sighed, "Alright, Zuko, we have a special platter for you. This platter includes some delicious meat cuts that can be seared over the provided grill. You can enjoy alone or with a fried, the choice is yours. If you choose to bid, the price starts at forty bucks."

"Alright, forty," Zuko said.

"Sixty," Vicky bid.

"Eighty," Zuko smiled, and Vicky bid her remaining one hundred bucks on the item. Zuko shrugged, and Ned banged his podium:

"Sold! Place your remaining Survive The Vote Bucks in your treasure chest and place it below my podium," Ned said, sighing, "Looks like Chloe and Vicky are out of this race. Catwoman, let's see what choice you make. For the do-it-yourself manicure, here is a spa kit complete with manicure tools and soaps for a proper bath. Bidding starts at twenty Survive The Vote Bucks."

"Sure, twenty bucks," Catwoman said, smiling as Janet bid forty bucks only to be overruled by Angelica, who bid sixty. Catwoman had no interest in the item and Janet had no more money, so Angelica won.

"Alright, the item is yours, and you are next," Ned said, gesturing to the table beside him, "Our next item available for bidding is a tent for your group. Bidding starts at forty--"

"I'd like the chocolate please," Angelica said, counting out her 120 Survive The Vote Bucks.

Catwoman scoffed, "Really? You'd rather have chocolate than a place to sleep that's out of the rain and wind?"

Angelica scoffed, "But it's chocolate! I haven't had chocolate in ages!"

"And we'd love to sleep in a tent! Leave my chocolate alone!" Janet screamed.

Ned clicked his tongue, "I believe her choice is final. Sorry, guys," Ned said, accepting Angelica's money for Janet's chocolate platter which was moved to another area of the table as the group grew restless.

"That ends Round 2. Janet and Vicky are out of money. Angelica has twenty bucks left to her name, and the rest of you have quite a bit of money left. Catwoman, Zuko, Helga, Angelica, and Nelson, you can start bidding on the next items as you see fit. First up, a refreshing pitcher of lemonade."

"Twenty!" Angelica shrieked.

Catwoman rolled her eyes, "She can have it. I hope she chokes on it."

"Sold!" Ned said, and the crew members brought out the next item as Angelica returned her treasure chest and twenty bucks. Ned looked up, "Ah, a great item. This wings platter for two has wings in eight different flavors and two types, bone-in and boneless. Bidding starts at twenty bucks."

"Twenty!" Nelson bid, but the others weren't interested. Zuko and Catwoman only wanted another tent or another useful item, not these lame treats. Nelson won his bid as Helga also sat cross-armed. She could be persuaded by the right item, but chicken wings wasn't it.

Ned looked at his card as the next item was carried out, "Ah, another good choice. We have a sleeping bag for one. Bidding starts at forty bucks."

"Eighty!" Helga bid with a voracious look on her face. Catwoman thought of bidding, but she held back when she saw Helga's look. If the girl wanted a sleeping bag that badly, she could have it.

"Sold!" Ned announced. When Helga was done paying, he turned to the crew, who nodded. Ned looked back to the group, "Last item up for bid is an immunity necklace. You can buy it for yourself or a team mate. Bidding starts at one hundred Survive The Vote Bucks."

Catwoman shook her head, "Why not put something useful up for auction?"

"He did, but since someone rejected it, we'll never get to see it again. This is Ned Flanders we're talking about," Nelson growled.

"We should take it to be safe," Zuko warned, placing his bid. Helga thought of continuing the bidding, but she saw how the group turned on Angelica, so she stayed silent. Zuko won the auction without contest.

Ned sighed, "Alright, you can all turn in your remaining money. Please return your chests to the space in front of the podium."

"Way to go," Catwoman muttered, glaring at Angelica as they approached the front.

"I was just playing the game!" Angelica argued.

"Oh I'm sure you were," Nelson said, rolling his eyes as he took his seat.

"Alright, now that the bidding is done, let's get these items divided out. Losers, hit the beach. Get ready for an exciting council meeting tonight--"

"No," Zuko said firmly, "I think we all know how we stand--"

"No, this isn't fair! We won't get our rewards!" Angelica cried.

"What rewards? These are luxury items no one even needs. We needed that tent, but no, you had to be selfish," Catwoman hissed, shaking her head, "Angelica needs to leave. Now."

"Agreed!" Helga huffed.

"That's three," Ned smiled, studying the others, "Do the rest of you agree?"

"Of course we do!" Nelson exclaimed.

Vicky and Janet were wary of agreeing with the others. Would they still get their items if they accepted Angelica's fate? It was a risk with Ned being the one in charge, but the glares from the others persuaded them.

"Angelica should leave," Janet said meekly.

"Yeah, bye," Vicky glared.

"Then the decision is unanimous. Angelica, your envious ways have gotten you sent home. Have a nice trip," Ned smiled, snapping and poofing Angelica away. Ned turned to the others, "You may take your rewards back to camp. Because you all have seen the benefit of resources for all, you may share your spoils. Don't let your envy and greed get the better of you. Your fellow competitors will vote you away," Ned shrugged.

Together they left the island. Once back at camp, most sat around the fire eating their special treats and drinking Angelica's abandoned lemonade, but Nelson was immediately on the beach using his gear. There was a certain skill to spear fishing, but it suited Nelson far better than catching fish by hand. He returned with a fish and made it for dinner.

"Here, have some chocolate," Catwoman said, handing him some truffles wrapped in palm fronds, "I saved you some."

"No problem," Nelson said as a boat arrived. Trained spa professionals pampered anyone who wanted it, and Chloe was the first in line. But the others were allowed to participate, and when night fell, the projector was set up next to camp. The movie was a campy Bible flick, but it was somewhat entertaining. Overall, the reward day worked out well, and they'd gotten rid of a selfish player in the process. It was a good day.