Chapter 23 – Challenge 3 (Final)
The Moles were still processing their third consecutive loss when the gym door swung open.
Cody and Lindsay walked in giggling amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the tension in the air.
"Hey guys! Did we miss something?" Cody said with a carefree smile.
Heather whipped her head around, her look of utter irritation on her face.
"Where the hell were you?!" Heather asked, crossing her arms tightly.
Lindsay stopped in her tracks, her face immediately flushing red, while Cody just laughed.
"Ohhh! Well... we were... uh..." Lindsay said, nervously playing with her fingers.
Heather squinted, seeing Lindsay's reaction.
"Why are you red?" Heather asked suspiciously.
Lindsay covered her face with her hands, clearly embarrassed.
"I'm not red! It's just... it's hot in here, isn't it?" Lindsay said, trying to divert attention.
Cody laughed harder, enjoying the situation.
"Relax, Heather. We're just taking a break. How bad are they?" Cody asked, his tone nonchalant.
Noah settled back on the bench, exhaling slowly.
"Well, let's just say without you, we lost the last two games. And if we lose the next one, we're in trouble," Noah said calmly.
Cody blinked before smiling confidently.
"Well, then we'll win. Easy peasy," Cody said confidently.
However, before he could say anything else, Chris walked over with a big, sly grin.
"Ohhh, how interesting! Cody's so confident they're going to win," Chris said teasingly.
Cody turned his head to Chris, raising an eyebrow.
"So what? I can't trust my team?" Cody said with a smile.
Chris crossed his arms, enjoying the situation.
"Well, since you're so confident, let's make this more interesting," Chris said.
The Moles immediately tensed, knowing Chris never said anything good when he smiled like that.
"For this final match, there's a new rule: Justin must play. If he doesn't enter the field, the Moles automatically lose," Chris said, smug.
Heather's eyes widened in disbelief, while Noah exhaled in frustration.
"What?! That's not fair!" Heather said, annoyed.
Chris shrugged, unfazed.
"Ohhh, but it is. Justin's been avoiding playing this whole time, so now he has no choice," Chris said.
The Moles turned to Justin, who was still sitting on the bench, completely unconcerned.
Justin calmly smoothed his hair, not even reacting.
"I'm not playing," Justin said, emotionless.
Heather gritted her teeth, containing her irritation.
"Great! Then why are you still here?" Heather said, annoyed.
Cody approached Justin with a calm smile.
"Come on, Justin. It's just a game. Nothing's going to happen to you," Cody said, his tone relaxed.
Justin slowly looked up before shaking his head.
"I'm not going to risk my face," Justin said firmly.
The Gophers gathered around Justin, trying to convince him.
Leshawna crossed her arms, clearly fed up.
"Oh, come on! You can't just sit back while we all do the work," Leshawna said.
Gwen leaned forward, tired but determined.
"Justin, if you don't play, we automatically lose. Do you really want that to happen?" Gwen said.
Justin was silent for a few seconds before exhaling slowly.
"It's not my problem," Justin said nonchalantly.
Heather clenched her fists, clearly furious.
"Listen, Justin! If you don't play, we're all going to lose. Do you want to be responsible for that?" Heather said, her tone cold.
Justin smoothed his hair again, his expression unchanged.
"I'm not interested," Justin said.
Cody decided to change his approach, leaning slightly toward Justin with a sly smile.
"Look, if you play and we win, everyone's going to see you as the hero of the game. Wouldn't you like that?" Cody said persuasively.
Justin blinked slowly, processing the idea.
"Hero?" Justin asked curiously.
Heather rolled her eyes, but saw that Cody was onto something.
"Yeah, Justin. If you play and we win, everyone's going to be talking about you," Cody said, reinforcing the idea.
Justin seemed to think about it for a moment before exhaling in resignation.
"Fine. I'll play. But if I get hit in the face, it'll be their fault," Justin said, his tone serious.
The Gophers breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they at least had a chance.
Chris smiled with satisfaction, seeing that his rule had worked.
"Perfect! Now the final game is going to be interesting," said Chris.
While the Gophers tried to regain their confidence, the Bass gathered to adjust their strategy.
Courtney watched Cody closely, knowing that his presence was a game-changer.
"Cody's back. That means we have to play more aggressively," said Courtney.
Duncan nodded slowly, watching the Gophers.
"Yeah, but they have Justin on the field now. That could be an advantage for us," said Duncan.
Geoff leaned forward, interested.
"How?" Geoff asked.
Duncan smiled confidently, seeing the opportunity.
"Justin doesn't want to play. If we attack him first, we'll take him out quickly and the Gophers lose their advantage," Duncan said.
DJ nodded, understanding the plan.
"That makes sense. If we take out Justin quickly, the Gophers will panic," DJ said.
Courtney smirked, seeing that the plan was clear.
"Then let's do it. Let's attack Justin first, and then we'll take care of Cody," Courtney said.
The Bass set up on the field, ready for the final game.
Chris approached with a big smile, enjoying the tension in the air.
"Well, well, well... This is the final game! Who will win? Will the Bass keep their streak going, or will the Gophers make an epic comeback?" Chris said.
Chris's whistle echoed through the gym, signaling the start of the final showdown.
The players took to the field quickly, their bodies moving as balls began to fly in all directions.
From the get-go, no one was playing defense. This game was all or nothing.
Duncan grabbed the first ball, twirled around, and hurled it hard toward Owen.
Owen reacted quickly, jumping to his left and letting the ball whizz past his arm.
"Wow, almost!" Owen said, feeling his adrenaline rising.
Izzy grabbed a ball and tossed it with ridiculous speed toward Geoff, but Geoff jumped and missed by inches.
"Nice try, Izzy!" Geoff said with a confident smile.
"It wasn't a try! It was a sneak attack!" Izzy shouted, clearly enjoying the competition.
Heather grabbed a ball and aimed precisely at Courtney, but Courtney twisted her body and let the ball whizz by without touching her.
"This is intense!" Chris shouted, seeing that no one was giving up any opportunity for elimination.
After several minutes of dodging and quick attacks, the teams began to adjust their strategies.
Duncan gave a quick signal to the Bass, preparing for a group attack.
"Let's take out Izzy! She's too unpredictable!" Duncan said.
Courtney, DJ, and Harold nodded, raising their balls at the same time.
Izzy saw the signal, but reacted too late.
"Izzy, watch out!" shouted Owen, seeing the attack coming from three different angles.
Izzy tried to spin, but a ball hit her in the leg and another in the arm, eliminating her.
"Izzy's out!" announced Chris.
The Gophers tensed, knowing that losing Izzy was a major blow.
However, Cody took advantage of the distraction, grabbing a ball and throwing it accurately towards Geoff.
Geoff tried to dodge,but the ball hit him in the chest, eliminating him.
"Geoff's out!" said Chris.
The teams were tied, and the tension was still rising.
Courtney knew she had to play aggressively, so she picked up a ball and aimed it directly at Heather.
"Heather, move!" shouted Noah, seeing the attack coming.
Heather tried to dodge, but the ball hit her leg, eliminating her.
"Heather's out!" announced Chris.
Heather quickly stood up, crossing her arms in irritation.
"Ugh! This is ridiculous!" said Heather, annoyed.
However, the Gophers were not going to be left behind.
Owen picked up a ball and threw it with all his might at Courtney, giving her no chance to react.
Courtney tried to move, but the shot was too fast, and the ball hit her arm, eliminating her.
"Courtney's out!" said Chris.
The teams were still evenly matched, but the pressure was higher than ever.
The game came down to the most strategic players.
Duncan and DJ faced off against Cody, Owen, and Justin in a duel of pure skill.
Duncan knew Cody was the biggest problem, so he decided to attack him directly.
"DJ, let's take out Cody!" Duncan said.
DJ nodded, picking up a ball and throwing it hard at Cody.
Cody jumped back, dodging the shot, but Duncan already had another ball ready.
"Cody, watch out!" Noah yelled, seeing the attack coming.
However, just before the ball hit, Justin did something unexpected.
Justin, who had been playing passively, grabbed Cody by the shoulders and shoved him forward, using him as a shield.
The ball hit Cody in the chest, eliminating him instantly.
"Cody's out!" Chris yelled.
The Gophers were in shock, seeing what Justin had done.
"Justin, what the hell?!" Noah yelled, completely furious.
Justin shrugged, unfazed.
"I wasn't going to let them hit me," Justin said nonchalantly.
However, the distraction proved fatal to the Bass.
Owen seized the moment and threw a ball with all his might towards Duncan, hitting him in the chest.
"Duncan's out!" Chris announced.
The teams were reduced to the last few players.
The game came down to Owen and Harold, in a final duel that no one expected.
Owen knew he had to end this quickly, so he grabbed a ball and threw it with all his might towards Harold.
Harold saw the shot coming, but instead of dodging, he did something no one expected.
With incredible accuracy, Harold reached out and caught the ball in midair,automatically eliminating Owen.
"Owen's out! The Bass win!" Chris shouted, signaling the unexpected victory.
The Bass screamed with excitement, celebrating their triumph.
The Gophers stood in silence, processing what had just happened.
Heather gritted her teeth, while Noah slowly turned to Justin.
"Justin... what did you do?" Noah asked, his tone cold.
Justin fixed his hair, unconcerned.
"I survived," Justin said, nonchalantly.
The Gophers glared at Justin, knowing that his betrayal had cost them the match.
Chris approached with a big smile, enjoying the tension in the air.
"Well, well, well... The Bass are the champions! And the Gophers... well, they've got some internal issues to work out!" Chris said, his tone mocking.
The Bass continued to celebrate, while the Gophers wallowed in frustration.
The competition was over, but the fallout was just beginning.
After the Bass won, Chris wasted no time in increasing the tension.
"Well, Moles... I'll wait for you at the campfire. You know what that means," Chris said with a mocking smile.
The Moles fell silent before starting to walk toward the ceremony.
Justin walked in the middle of the group, and while he'd always been indifferent, this time he felt the weight of their stares on him.
Heather crossed her arms, not bothering to hide her irritation.
Noah walked with a neutral expression, but his gaze made it clear he had no intention of defending Justin.
Owen let out a sigh, clearly disappointed by what had happened.
Lindsay remained silent, but every time she glanced at Justin, her expression grew more uncomfortable.
Justin knew they hated him, but he didn't say anything.
The group arrived at the campfire, where Chris was already waiting for them with a satisfied smile.
Chris settled into his seat, enjoying the discomfort in the air.
"Well, well, well... what an interesting night! The Bass finally proved they could win, and the Moles... well, let's just say they had some internal issues," Chris said with a mocking tone.
Heather rolled her eyes, clearly fed up with their attitude.
"Can we just get this over with?" Heather said impatiently.
Chris smiled wider before taking the tray of marshmallows.
"As you know, if you get a marshmallow, you're still in the competition. If you don't... well, you already know the way to the dock of shame," Chris said.
The Gophers remained silent, waiting for the result.
Chris began handing out the marshmallows.
"Owen, Lindsay, Heather, Trent, Cody, Beth, Izzi, Leshawna, Gwen... you're safe," Chris said, handing out the marshmallows one by one.
Finally, only Noah and Justin remained.
Chris looked at both of them with amusement, enjoying the tension.
"Noah... you're sarcastic, but at least you tried to help the team. Justin... well, let's just say your 'survive' strategy didn't go over very well," Chris said.
Justin remained silent, his expression unchanged.
Chris took the last marshmallow and tossed it toward Noah, without even pausing dramatically.
"Noah, you're safe," Chris said.
Noah caught the marshmallow effortlessly before turning to Justin with a cold stare.
Justin exhaled slowly before calmly standing up.
"Well, I guess this is it," Justin said emotionlessly.
Heather crossed her arms, not bothering to hide her satisfaction.
"Yes, it is," Heather said dryly.
Justin turned back toward the dock of shame, beginning to walk leisurely.
The Gophers watched him go, showing no sadness at his elimination.
Chris leaned forward, relishing the moment.
"And there you have it! Justin, eliminated for his incredible ability to do absolutely nothing," Chris said, mockingly.
Justin wordlessly climbed onto the boat before the engine started and took it away from the camp.
The Gophers exhaled simultaneously, feeling like they were at least out of trouble.
Lindsay's confessional
"Ohhh, this was so awkward! Justin never helped out during games, and when he finally played, he just used Cody as a shield. That's not teamwork! I don't like it when people don't try to help... so I guess it's okay that he left."
Owen's Confessional
"Wow, what a mess! I don't like to see someone leave, but... Justin really didn't do anything. And when he did, it was to betray Cody. That's not fair! So... yeah, I think he deserved to leave."
Noah's Confessional
"What can I say? Justin didn't want to play, he never helped out, and when he finally got on the field, he only made us lose. I'm not surprised he got eliminated. What I am surprised is that he lasted this long here."
Heather's Confessional
"Finally! I don't understand how Justin managed to stay this long and do nothing. His elimination was inevitable, and honestly, I don't care at all. Now we can focus on winning."
After the ceremony, the Gophers began to disperse, but Cody was silent for a moment.
Without saying anything, he got up and began walking away from the group,heading towards the pier.
Gwen, who was sitting near Leshawna and Lindsay, noticed their movement.
"Where is Cody going?" Gwen asked curiously.
Lindsay blinked before looking at Cody closely.
"Ohhh! I don't know... but he looks thoughtful," Lindsay said.
Heather watched Cody for a few seconds before shrugging.
"I don't care. What matters is that Justin isn't here anymore," Heather said uninterestedly.
Gwen frowned slightly before looking at Leshawna.
"Do you think he's upset about what happened?" Gwen asked.
Leshawna exhaled slowly before nodding.
"Probably. Justin used him as a shield, and that cost us the match. I don't think he's happy about that," Leshawna said.
The girls watched Cody walk away, unsure of what he was thinking.
Camp felt calmer, but the competition was still on.
Justin's elimination had changed the dynamic, and the Gophers knew they had to recover quickly.
Cody walked leisurely through the trees, leaving the camp and the tense atmosphere of the campfire behind.
He wasn't upset. This was just a game. The eliminations, the strategizing, the moments of betrayal—it was all part of the fun.
When he finally reached the lake hidden in the woods, he exhaled calmly, feeling the cool night air soften his thoughts.
Without giving it much thought, he took off his shirt and dove into the water, letting the surface wash over his body in a soothing calm.
The stars reflected off the lake, creating tiny sparkles on the water.
"This is what I needed," Cody murmured, letting himself float for a moment.
As he moved slowly through the water, Cody began to analyze the situation.
Justin's elimination had changed the dynamic, and although the Gophers were furious, Cody didn't see the problem with what had happened.
"Things go up and down. That's the fun of the game," Cody thought, with a slight smile.
What he was really happy about was that Noah was still on the team.
"At least I still have Noah. His style of play is interesting, and he's always thinking of strategies," Cody mused, moving underwater with smooth movements.
Despite everything, he knew the competition wouldn't be easy.
The Bass were stronger now, and the pressure on the Gophers was increasing.
"This place is always unpredictable," Cody thought, feeling the water helping him clear his mind.
Just as Cody closed his eyes, enjoying the peace, a sound broke the tranquility of the lake.
The soft splash of someone entering the water echoed in the air.
Cody opened his eyes slowly, turning his head toward the shore.
The shadows of the trees made it difficult to see who had arrived, but he could notice the silhouette of someone moving nearby.
Without saying anything, Cody stayed still, waiting for the figure to reveal itself.
The night was still quiet, but the atmosphere had become a little more intriguing.