Chapter 20 – Third Challenge
Chris arrived at the dining hall with a confident smile, greeting the campers while observing the most exhausted ones. He couldn't help but make fun of Duncan and Gwen, who were still suffering from the effects of the awakening.
"Wow, Duncan, Gwen... it seems the floor is more comfortable than your beds," Chris said, enjoying the scene.
Duncan just grunted in annoyance, while Gwen just lifted her coffee cup, too tired to respond, Chris thought.
Chris clapped his hands together, getting everyone's attention.
"You have exactly 10 minutes before the next test. I'll wait for you at the beach," Chris said, before leaving.
The campers sighed, resigned to another challenge without a break, some of them thought.
Later, the beach became the new stage of the challenge. A structure similar to a school gymnasium had been set up on the sand, with balance beams, mats and ropes to climb, suggesting an intense physical challenge, the campers thought when they saw it.
Chris waited in the middle of the field next to Chef, who stood with his arms crossed, watching the arrival of the campers with his typical stern expression.
"Welcome to the next test!" said Chris, with his characteristic energy.
The campers stopped, analyzing the situation and preparing for what was to come. They thought the test wouldn't be easy.
"Welcome to Dodge Ball, where your reaction time will decide whether you stay in the game or get eliminated," said Chris, with his characteristic energy.
Noah, with his typical sarcastic attitude, was quick to intervene.
"So you're basically asking us to avoid getting hit by objects? That sounds really advanced," said Noah, mockingly.
Chris rolled his eyes, ignoring the comment before continuing.
"The rule is simple: if a ball hits you, you're out," said Chris.
Without warning, Chris threw a ball directly to Courtney, who caught it with quick reflexes.
"Hey! "You can't do that," Courtney said, looking at him reproachfully.
Chris smirked before adding another rule.
"If someone throws a ball to you and you catch it, the other guy's out, and someone on your team can join the game," Chris said.
Noah crossed his arms, still unimpressed with the rules.
"So we have to think while we play? Ugh, sounds like a lot of mental exertion," Noah said.
Lindsay, not quite understanding the conversation, nodded convincingly.
"Totally!" Lindsay said, not knowing what else to add.
Noah and Owen exchanged incredulous glances, unsure how to respond.
Chris decided to continue with the explanation, turning to Geoff.
"Geoff, throw me a ball," said Chris.
Geoff complied, sending the ball swatting toward Chris, who quickly redirected it.
"If you're holding a ball, you can use it to deflect other balls thrown your way, but if you drop it... you're out," said Chris.
Lindsay frowned, still confused.
"What do you do if someone throws a ball at you?" Lindsay asked.
Geoff didn't wait for an answer and threw his ball toward Chris, who immediately redirected it toward Lindsay, moving quickly.
Lindsay wasn't paying attention, but before the ball could hit her, a hand caught it in midair with precision.
It was Cody, who had reacted just in time, ensuring that his team wouldn't lose Lindsay from the start of the game.
The campers were surprised by his quickness, and the challenge had only just begun with its first tense moment.
Lindsay's Confessional
"Cole is so cute! He caught the ball just in time, like he was my sports guard or something. I like that he looks out for the others, although I don't know if he did it because he thought I was going to get hit or because he wanted to look cool. Either way, he saved me!" said Lindsay, with a delighted smile.
The challenge began with the teams choosing their participants. Each team was to select five players per game, while the others waited their turns. However, the Gophers, being in the majority, had to leave out one player each round.
As the Bass argued, tensions rose. Duncan was visibly exhausted, complaining about not having slept because of Harold's uncontrollable snoring.
"It's like I'm having a concert in my cabin," said Duncan, annoyed.
"Hey! It's not my fault, it's a health issue," said Harold, clearly offended.
On the Gophers' side, Heather quickly took charge, ensuring that the strategy was efficient. Cody joined the conversation, suggesting leaving Noah out of the game since he wasn't good at physical testing. Heather considered the option and decided to accept the proposal.
Cody approached Chris, with an idea in mind.
"Chris, can the player who's left out be the team's manager?" Cody asked slyly.
Chris laughed, impressed by Cody's clever move.
"I like that, go ahead," Chris said, approving of the idea.
Cody returned to Noah, explaining his role outside of the game.
"I don't want you to be taken out for being the slowest runner, so you'll have another job. Think of strategies, point out moves... I want you to stay in this," Cody said, sounding sincere.
Noah raised an eyebrow, surprised by the gesture.
"You know, I wasn't expecting this, but I appreciate it. I guess I'll see what I can do," Noah said, before turning his attention to what was coming.
The challenge was about to begin, and team dynamics were at play.
The first Dodge Ball match was about to begin. The teams were already set up and lined up on the field.
Gopher Players:
Heather
Cody
Owen
Lindsay
Leshawna
Bass Players:
DJ
Courtney
Katie
Harold
Tyler
Chris gave the signal for everyone to get ready.
"This match will be a best of five rounds! Get ready... because there are sure to be some ridiculous eliminations," Chris said, enjoying the moment.
Tyler, eager to show off his athletic talent, stepped forward confidently.
"Okay, time to show why they call me the master of sports," Tyler said, puffing out his chest.
There was just one problem... as he took his big, determined step, his right foot tripped over his left, knocking himself over without any outside help.
Tyler fell backward with a loud crash, while the others watched in complete silence, trying to process the scene.
Noah blinked slowly, then looked at Owen without changing his expression.
"How many times do you think he's going to fall before he actually plays?" Noah said, with his usual sarcasm.
"I say at least three," Owen said, seriously considering it.
Heather, on the other hand, exhaled in pure irritation.
"Really? We're just getting started," Heather said, with a look of utter disappointment.
Tyler stood up quickly, trying to hide his failure.
"I was just warming up! Everything is under control," Tyler said, raising his arms to assert his presence.
Lindsay, with complete sincerity, nodded excitedly.
"Ohhh! Is this how you warm up?" Lindsay said, impressed.
Noah shook his head slowly, not wanting to explain.
Chris decided to ignore the initial humiliation to give the signal to start.
"Okay, now that the unnecessary showmanship is over, let's get this game started!" Chris said.
At the signal, everyone ran to grab their balls, quickly starting the match.
Heather took the opportunity to provoke the Bass, crossing her arms with a superior smile.
"This will be quick. Better prepare to lose with some dignity," Heather said confidently.
Tyler, still recovering from his fall, decided to answer her, trying to sound confident.
"Ha! Quick? You don't know who you're talking to," Tyler said, pointing at her decisively... just before tripping again while trying to turn around quickly.
This time he fell face first onto the sand, literally eating the ground.
Owen burst out laughing, while Noah watched the scene in pure disbelief.
"How many times is she going to fall before she's useful?" Heather said, with no filter.
Chris didn't even bother to respond, letting the game continue.
DJ tried to eliminate Heather with a ball, but at the last second, Cody jumped up and caught the shot before it hit her, eliminating DJ immediately.
Heather turned to Cody, surprised by the move.
"Are you saving me, Cody?" Heather said, crossing her arms.
"Obviously. I wasn't going to let your perfect face take a hit," Cody said with a confident smile.
Heather exhaled in annoyance, but clearly took the comment on board.
Lindsay, who had been watching, leaned toward Cody excitedly.
"You're like a ninja!" Lindsay said.
"A ninja with style," Cody said, winking at her.
Courtney rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Cody, if you focused more on the game and less on flirting, we'd have a win in seconds," Courtney said.
"I function best when I'm having fun," Cody said, flashing her another grin.
Meanwhile, Tyler was still trying to regain his image, but every throw he made was either crooked or off target.
Cody, still his attitude, turned to Katie, who was watching from the Bass side of the court.
"Katie, what do you think? Do I get style points?" Cody said, giving her an amused look.
Katie let out a small laugh, visibly more relaxed about the game.
"If you play like this all the time, sure," Katie said.
Heather noticed the interaction and pursed her lips, saying nothing.
As the first round came to an end, Cody eliminated the last few players with impeccable precision, securing the Gophers' victory.
"And the first game belongs to the Gophers!" Chris said.
Heather seemed satisfied with the victory, but her eyes occasionally strayed to Cody, who was still chatting animatedly with Lindsay and Katie.
Lindsay, smiling brightly, was full of praise.
"Cole, you were amazing! He looked so handsome catching balls and moving quickly," Lindsay said, unfiltered.
Heather kept her expression neutral, but something in her eyes indicated a certain displeasure with the attention Cody was receiving.
Tyler, still frustrated by his performance, tried to make one last play,But in his desperation, he ended up making the worst possible mistake.
Heather, still upset about everything, watched him fumble and without warning, he threw a ball straight at the Kiwis.
Something snapped.
Tyler instantly doubled over, letting out a noise of pure agony.
"Why?! Why the Kiwis?!" Tyler gasped.
Heather just kept walking as if nothing had happened, ignoring the mess she had made.
Tyler's Confessional
"UGH! Cody is way too good at this! Not only that, he's always around Lindsay. It's unfair! I'm the athlete here, but he's the one getting all the attention. This isn't over, I'm going to prove I can be good too," Tyler said, still nursing his pain.
Lindsay's Homecoming
"Cole was amazing! He looked so handsome catching balls and moving so fast. It was like everything was in slow motion and he was the star of the game. And he saved me, again! He's like my hero in this game. Definitely the best of the Gophers... although Heather didn't seem too happy about it," Lindsay said, smiling delightedly.
The Gophers were celebrating their first win enthusiastically. Owen held Cody up in the air like a trophy, while Lindsay jumped up and down excitedly.
"We won! Cole, you're the best!" Lindsay said, hugging Cody tightly.
Heather, though pleased with the win, was still watching Cody and Lindsay get closer, saying nothing.
Meanwhile, the Bass were still upset, especially at Tyler, who had become the target of all their criticism.
"Tyler, you are so messed up! You made us lose!" Courtney said, crossing her arms.
"It wasn't my fault! I just had bad luck!"
"Bad luck is tripping once. You fell like five times," Noah said mercilessly.
Chris interrupted the discussion, announcing the next matchup.
"Game two! Teams, choose your players," Chris said. Gophers
players:
Lindsay
Owen
Cody
Izzy
Beth
Bass players:
Katie
Sadie
Geoff
Bridgette
Tyler
Tyler was determined to impress once and for all.
"Now then! I'm going to show off my talent!" Tyler said, grabbing all the balls from his team.
Without warning, he started spinning like crazy, throwing balls in all directions.
The result was an absolute disaster.
One ball hit Chef in the chest, who didn't even react, just looked at it with contempt.
Another hit Chris in the back, who slowly turned around,with a look of absolute disbelief.
Noah was hit in the arm, letting out a frustrated sigh.
A ball sailed inches from Lindsay's face, but Cody reacted in time, pushing past her to avoid it.
"Why is he always aiming for me?!" Lindsay yelled, annoyed.
The last ball landed squarely in Justin's face, who let out a piercing scream.
"MY FACE! NOOOO!" Justin shouted, running away as if he'd lost his identity.
Chris rubbed his temple, completely fed up.
"Tyler... what the hell was that?" Chris said emotionlessly.
"It was a strategy!" Tyler said, still convinced of his plan.
"Yeah, a strategy to eliminate your own team," Noah said, crossing his arms.
Cody seized his opportunity, accurately throwing a ball towards Tyler.
Lindsay, eager for revenge, picked up another ball and threw it at the same time.
Both balls hit Tyler at the same time, eliminating him instantly.
"And Tyler's out!" Chris said with satisfaction.
The Gophers quickly took up positions, with Owen and Cody at the front, while Lindsay, Izzy, and Beth stayed further back, ready to react.
The Bass did the same, with Geoff and Bridgette leading the attack, while Katie and Sadie kept moving, looking for opportunities.
Tyler, still frustrated by his earlier elimination, stayed on the bench, watching with his arms crossed.
"Come on, Bass! We can't lose again!" Courtney shouted from the bench.
Geoff picked up a ball and tossed it hard towards Owen, but Owen caught it effortlessly with one hand.
"Ohhh, epic catch!" said Trent, impressed.
Owen smiled confidently before throwing the ball back with all his might.
The ball slammed into Geoff's face, causing him to fall backward from the hit.
"Geoff's out!" said Chris.
Bridgette reacted quickly, picking up a ball and tossing it towards Owen, but Izzy jumped in the air and caught it with one hand, eliminating Bridgette.
"Bridgette's out!" Chris said.
Lindsay watched the scene with satisfaction, but her gaze drifted to Cody, who was smiling at Bridgette before she was eliminated.
"Why is he smiling at her so much?" Lindsay thought, feeling a small surge of jealousy.
Sadie grabbed a ball and threw it hard at Cody, but Cody ducked in time, missing it by inches.
"Almost!" Sadie yelled, frustrated.
Cody decided to try something new.
He grabbed a ball and rubbed it against his shirt, generating a static charge.
"Let's see if this works," Cody thought, with a smile.
She threw the ball toward Sadie, but the static charge caused the ball to follow her motion, as if it were chasing her.
Sadie tried to dodge it, but the ball changed direction and hit her in the leg.
"What the hell was that?!" Sadie yelled, surprised.
"Sadie's out!" Chris said, enjoying the chaos.
Katie, who was still in the game, was distracted for a second when Cody shot her a playful grin.
"Katie, watch out!" Sadie yelled from the sidelines.
But it was too late.
Izzy took advantage of the distraction and accurately threw a ball, but Katie narrowly missed
. Lindsay noticed the interaction and pursed her lips, saying nothing.
"Why is everyone smiling at her so much?" Lindsay thought, feeling a small surge of jealousy.
With only a few players left, the game became even more intense.
Beth tried to throw a ball toward Bridgette, but Bridgette jumped and nimbly dodged it.
"Nice move!" Cody said, impressed.
Bridgette smiled at her before grabbing another ball, but Lindsay caught her eye and felt a small burst of competition.
Without a second thought, Lindsay grabbed a ball and tossed it hard toward Bridgette, nearly eliminating her, but she escaped.
"Bridgette's almost out!" Chris said.
Cody looked at Lindsay in surprise.
"Wow, that was fast," Cody said.
Lindsay smirked, but her gaze drifted to Cody, who seemed impressed by Bridgette before she was eliminated.
"I don't like it when she smiles at other people," Lindsay thought, feeling a small surge of jealousy.
With only a few players left, the game was nearing its end.
The players on the court were still engaged in a battle, but on the sidelines, the campers weren't staying silent.
Noah sat back with his arms crossed, watching the game with his classic bored expression.
"Well, at least this game is less pathetic than the last one," Noah said sarcastically.
Courtney frowned, still staring at the court.
"We can't lose again! The Bass have to react!" Courtney said in frustration.
Harold adjusted his glasses, analyzing the players' movements.
"If Geoff had used an angled throwing technique, he would have prevented Owen from catching his ball," Harold said in a technical tone.
"Yes, Harold, because everyone here plays with math in their heads," Noah said emotionlessly.
Meanwhile, Heather watched the game with her arms crossed, but her gaze constantly strayed toward Cody.
Every time Cody made a nimble catch, Heather would purse her lips slightly, as if something was bothering her.
"What's wrong, Heather? Don't you like Cody being the center of attention?" Noah said, noticing his expression.
Heather glared at him coolly.
"I don't care what Cody does," Heather said dryly.
Noah smirked, clearly not believing her.
"Sure, sure. You don't care at all," Noah said sarcastically.
On the other side of the bench, Justin was still rubbing his face, still reeling from Tyler's hit.
"My face... my perfect face..." Justin muttered, his expression tragic.
"Justin, it's over now. You're not disfigured," Noah said, rolling his eyes.
"How can you say that?! My image is my life!" Justin said dramatically.
Noah shook his head, clearly fed up
. Meanwhile, Gwen watched the game with interest, noticing the dynamic between Cody and Lindsay.
"Lindsay's been really attached to Cody these days," Gwen said curiously.
Trent, who was sitting next to her, nodded slowly.
"Yeah... she seems to like it," Trent said cheerfully.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, noticing that Trent sounded very enthusiastic about the idea.
"Are you excited?" Gwen asked, annoyed by Trent's insinuations.
"What? No, not at all," Trent said quickly.
Gwen smirked, clearly seeing that Trent wasn't being completely honest.
Meanwhile, Owen watched the game excitedly, cheering Cody on.
"Come on, Cody! Go for it!" Owen shouted enthusiastically.
Izzy, who was sitting next to him, leaned forward excitedly.
"Cody should try a spiral pitch! Or better yet, an explosive ball!" Izzy said energetically.
Owen blinked slowly, processing the idea.
"Izzy... we can't throw explosives," Owen said seriously.
"Who said no?" Izzy said, with a dangerous smile.
Owen decided not to ask any more questions.
As the game continued on the court, the campers continued to comment, react, and generate more tension with their opinions.
The match was coming to an end. Only three players remained on each team, and the tension on the court was palpable.
For the Gophers:
Cody
Lindsay
Beth
For the Bass:
Bridgette
Katie
Sadie
Chris looked around the court with a smile.
"Well, this is getting interesting. Who will be the last one standing?" Chris said, enjoying the moment.
Bridgette grabbed a ball and tossed it accurately toward Cody, but Cody reacted quickly, jumping in the air and missing her by inches.
"Nice try, Bridgette!" Cody said with a smile.
Bridgette smiled back, but before she could throw another ball, Lindsay was already in action.
Without a second thought, Lindsay grabbed a ball and tossed it hard toward Bridgette, eliminating her.
"Bridgette's out!" Chris said.
Cody looked at Lindsay in surprise.
"Wow, that was fast," Cody said.
Lindsay smirked, but her gaze shifted to Cody, who seemed impressed by Bridgette before she was eliminated.
"I don't like it when she smiles at other people," Lindsay thought, feeling a small surge of jealousy.
Katie and Sadie were left alone on the Bass team, and the pressure was on.
Beth grabbed a ball and tossed it hard toward Sadie, but Sadie jumped and nimbly dodged it.
"Nice dodge!" Chris said.
Katie grabbed a ball and threw it toward Cody, but Cody caught it with one hand, eliminating Katie.
"Katie's out!" said Chris.
Sadie looked around, realizing she was the last one standing.
"Oh no..." thought Sadie, feeling the pressure.
Cody grabbed a ball and rubbed it against his shirt, generating a static charge.
"Let's see if this works again," thought Cody, grinning.
He threw the ball toward Sadie, but the static charge caused the ball to follow his motion, as if it were chasing it.
Sadie tried to dodge, but the ball changed direction and hit her in the butt.
"How the hell does she do that?!" Sadie yelled, surprised.
"Sadie's out! The Gophers win again!" said Chris.
The Gophers celebrated wildly, while the Bass wallowed in frustration.
Lindsay walked over to Cody with a beaming smile.
"Cole, you were amazing again!" said Lindsay, hugging him.
Heather watched the scene with a neutral expression, but her eyes showed slight annoyance.
Lindsay's confessional
"Tyler always targets me! What's wrong with him?! But at least Cole is always there to save me. He looked so handsome when he was catching balls and moving quickly. It was like everything was in slow motion, and he was the star of the game. And he saved me, again! He's like my hero in this game. Definitely the best of the Gophers... although Heather didn't seem too happy about it," Lindsay said, with a delighted smile.
The game would continue, and with Cody dominating the court, tensions within the team would continue to rise.