Joker or not Joker ?

(Leo POV)

Leo didn't know what to do. This day was just horrible. He wished it was just a bad dream from which he would soon wake up.

Someone was going to be eliminated and he didn't know if he should use his joker to save her. Specifically speaking, Abigail and Jessica had little chance of being eliminated. The ones really in danger were Blanche and Hanna. But should he use his joker for them when he barely knew them?

He thought back over the past week. He'd been on 7 dates during that week, when he'd never been on one before. He had enjoyed all his dates.

Well, almost all of them. The date with Jessica hadn't been his cup of tea. But he didn't blame her. She'd done her best, and in all honesty, Leo felt a little guilty about the risk she'd had to take. He'd initially had a bad impression of her, but seeing the risk she was willing to take for him, he'd decided to give her a chance. Only fools never change their minds.

As far as Daphne was concerned, everything had already been said. He would protect her to the end, and he didn't care if it meant his ****. He owed her his life and would never pay that debt. She was his friend and so much more.

Then for Abigail, he was still disturbed by her confession about his family. Was there really anything he could do to reunite Abigail with her daughters? But wouldn't that really be unfair to them? He found it hard to believe that Olivia and Maria would want to be part of his harem.

Then there was Hanna, the one he had first and therefore the one most likely to be eliminated. Leo had to admit, it was hard not to fall under the young geek's spell. These 2 personalities, with or without the pill, were obviously very different, but they all had their charms. Hanna was innocent and naive, but also kind and intelligent. She didn't deserve to be **** to be here, and yet she didn't seem to mind any more than that. He would try to make it last.

Then there was Blanche. The catgirl doctor, her father's favorite pupil who couldn't see him as anything other than his father's son, her boss. She'd managed to get on his nerves several times since the start of this show, yet they hadn't spent much time together. He didn't like being compared to his father, that was for sure, but what was worse was that her proposal to find Daphne had been a good one. He'd found Daphne instantly and then found Abigail and Jessica quickly thanks to her. If only Eric hadn't been so stupid, they could have avoided a lot of transformations.

Eric. His little brother. Probably one of the most intelligent people he'd ever met, but also the most ruthless. Just look at what he'd done to Blanche. He hadn't been able to improvise, so he'd had to prepare his plan well in advance. The only thing he hadn't figured out yet was why. Why had he done it? Would he do it again? And who would be his next target? He was going to have to have a serious talk with him about that.

After a moment's reflection, he had made up his mind about using his joker.

(Jessica POV)

Jessica couldn't help but feel a little stressed. One of them was going to be eliminated, and from what she understood it was the audience who would decide who. The audience didn't particularly like her, as previous polls had clearly shown. So, she was going to be eliminated and separated from Leo. It was such a shame; she'd only just got to know him. He was nothing like the assholes she'd had as boyfriends. He was sweet and sensitive. He was interested in her, not her goddess body.

"So, the voting is now over, and we'll soon find out the results. Do you have any idea who received the most votes?" asked Nola, who was smiling as usual.

"It's me, isn't it?" said Jessica. She knew her time had come. It would have been a beautiful adventure. Who knows, if she was lucky, she'd wake up in her own bed in a few moments.

"Absolutely not! You even received the fewest votes, only 44 mega votes for you" said Nola.

_"But that's not possible I'm the least popular person. There must be some mistake" _says Jessica, refusing to give in to hope.

"No mistake. The audience is never wrong even when they are wrong." says Nola.

"That means absolutely nothing," commented Eric.

"Speaking of you Eric, the audience commented a lot on how he hid you several hundred meters above sea level. A lot of people thought it was cheating," says Nola.

So that's where he was hiding. No wonder they hadn't found him. The hearing was right it was just cheating.

_"I didn't cheat. I exploited a loophole in the rules, and that's called being clever," _said Eric.

And what's more, he was proud. We were going to have extra transformations because of him, and he was proud. It was just maddening.

"The audience doesn't share your opinion, but I have to admit you've got a point - I'm partly to blame. So, I won't do anything for the time being but expect a backlash very soon." said Nola.

Yes, that's right. Cheaters must be punished, Jessica thought.

_"Then to continue on the number of votes each person received. Daphne and Hanna received 49 and 47 mega votes respectively," _said Nola.

Okay, so Jessica was pretty much tied with the two breadboards, but who cares, she was first. Nola continued her explanation.

"Next came Blanche with 63 mega votes and finally Abigail with 67 mega votes. Applying the multipliers, this translates into the following ranking".

Blanche => 63*5 = 315

Hanna => 47*6 = 282

Daphne => 49*4 = 196

Abigail => 67*2 = 134

Jessica => 44*3 = 132

"Blanche is the first to be eliminated!” Nola said with enough enthusiasm to make us almost forget what was about to happen. Almost.

_"Nola Stop! I'd like to speak," _Leo said.

Was he going to try to plead for mercy from the Leprechaun again.

_"You've just done it Leo, but I'll give you a few minutes before I continue." _said Nola, who looked weary of hearing Leo complain.

"Blanche, I'm sorry you were chosen and I'm even sorrier that I couldn't change Nola's mind," said Leo.

_"That's okay Leo it's not your fault I understand that. I've realized that this is as far as I'm going to go, and I've come to accept that. We're obviously not meant to be together. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, you were right, you're nothing like your father. You're better," _said Blanche.

"Thank you, Blanche, but I didn't interrupt Nola to say goodbye. On the first day, Nola offered me a joker that could prevent one of you from being eliminated. But alas, it will only work once. After that, it will prevent elimination, but the person chosen will still undergo major transformations. And worst of all, an extra person will be invited to this twisted show, in addition to what was planned," explained Leo.

Wait, what? Leo has a joker? thought Jessica so loudly that she was surprised she hadn't yelled it.

"So, you're planning to use your joker to save Blanche?" asked Daphne.

"Yes and no. Blanche, I'm sorry, but you're not one of the people I'd use that joker on without thinking. But I'd agree to ask you all for your opinion and take it into account. There are 7 of us and I'll listen to everyone's opinion," says Leo.

"That's very kind of you, Leo. You said yourself you have very little attachment to me and yet you're willing to sacrifice this chance for me. I'm grateful for that. However, I consider that it's above all my opinion that should count and I say that you shouldn't use this joker and especially not for me" says Blanche.

Jessica thought she'd heard wrong. Blanche was refusing to use Leo's joker. Jessica couldn't help expressing her thoughts aloud.

"But that means..."

"That I'll be eliminated in a moment. But I think it's the right choice. If Leo used his joker now, he'd probably regret it later, and that would only postpone my elimination. I'd still be transformed, and the audience would eliminate me at the next opportunity. I'd rather leave while I'm still more or less myself and able to do so," said Blanche.

_"Blanche..." _murmured Daphne.

"Don't worry too much I'm sure you'll manage better without me. I've enjoyed meeting you all. My only regret is that I didn't take the time to get to know you better. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll get the chance to meet again," said Blanche, stepping towards Nola.

We were all still shocked by what we'd just heard. Was this really the end?

"You can go Nola, I'm ready!" said Blanche, proudly displaying her determination.