Carly went over the prize table and leaned up against the wall with her arms crossed and her chest out, grinning like the rest of them.
"Nice to meet you Carly!" Lilly said.
"Same to you darlin', you're gonna love workin' on Buck's ranch!"
"Nuh-uh! I'm going home with big brother!" Lilly hopped up.
"Don't ya worry none. Ya can come work at the ranch together." Carly nodded politely.
"You're both wrong. You'll be with Larry, though you're both gonna definitely need some improvements," Leona said.
The candy sent a telepathetic messages to the other cat girls. 'Don't worry. You're all going to love being demon food.'
While all brainwashed cat girls had a 'my purpose is my reason for living' mentality... the other three cat girls shuddered.
The gameshow host meanwhile, got a message on his earpiece. "What? Phone call? Directly? ... Mr. Catan. Yes your son lost. ... You should know sir there are no do-overs. There are no 'reversals.' You son knew what he was getting into. You'll find the disclaimer is airtight. If you have any problems talk with our lawyers, good day."
Chester Ratmann hissed. "I CHALLENGE! I challenge the fat woman!"
"F-fat!" Bitty gasped. "You insensitive body-shaming-"
"Oh shut it!" Chester snapped. "I hate people like you. 'Feel sorry for me for being in absolutely no fear of starving to death!' My father and grandfather both lost their jobs to brainwashed animal girls!"
"I'm proud of my body you prejudice entitled-"
"Oh! Sorry! You're 'well rounded' just like the french aristocrats right before Robespierre gave them all a permanent shave. It's people like you who should be subtracted from the population, not people like my-"
"HEY!" Keith shouted. "You can't just pass judgement on people you just met!"
"Shut up little boy," Chester said. "Come back when you've graduated high school, and had to pay bills and get a job instead of your family doing everything for you."
"Now now!" The host said stepping between them. "Let's keep the banter between opponents of this particular match please."
Chester and Keith turned away from each other with a huff.
"I don't need white knights coming to my defense anyway," Bitty said matter of fact.
"Hey freshman, whatever happens, no hard feelings." Kylie said to Keith with a smile.
"Ditto. My parents thought I was insane, but I knew what I was doin' signing up for this." Keith said. "If I lose, you just better make sure you win."
The roller girl said to the skater boy, "You got it. Wanna go roller blades verses skater next round?"
"Maybe. Let's see what happens," Keith nodded. "Just don't turn me into some brain-dead bimbo if I lose."
Kylie nodded. "Trust me, that's the last thing on my mind. I prefer a cat-girl who can voice her opinion and has a brain in her head." She reached down and ruffled his hair.
The announcer should have broken up the two of them talking as well, but he saw the audience was eating up the friendly interaction. 'They'd never admit it. But the one thing people want more than their base desires being fed, is the idea that when given a choice, people with power will chose to be kind.'
"So I challenge you to a eating contest," Chester said.
"E-eating?! Have you no shame?!"
"Scared you'll lose? And I know just the food, or are you too scared of gaining more-"
"I ACCEPT!" Bitty snapped.
"The food is hot peppers. The first one to give up or pass out loses."
"I'm not scared. I've had spicy food before."
"Of course you have. And every other-"
"SHUT UP!"
Amelia pushed up on her glasses. 'Interesting, it seems to be the standard strategy in this lot. Rile up your mark, and give them a challenge, and they're so upset that they don't think through how it's an trap. I wonder if any of these twits will catch on before the second round. Thought Ratmann seems exceptional at pushing his target's buttons. I wonder how much, if anything, he's saying he actually believes.'
A table appeared with chairs with various chillipeppers.
"Also. A tall pitcher of water and two glasses," Chester said calmly.
Amelia's eye widened. 'Water with hot peppers just makes it worse... he must be betting on Bitty not knowing that.'
Chester and Bitty sat down. Chester downed the first one without even flinching.
Bitty followed suit.
And they continued to work up the chain of spicy good.
"Feeling hot?"
"NO WAY!"
The audience after all that melodrama, was confused at where this was supposed to be going... but some of the audience knew exactly what was coming next.
"Hmm. A reaper pepper, scary name, so, shall I show the audience how it's done or-"
Several of the gasped in fear. Those peppers had been used in hand grenades.
Bitty ate it first. And Chester sat back and watched the 'magic' happen. And then Bitty made her fatal mistake. She took a glass of water. After that, the effects grew exponentially. And she made the mistake of drinking even more water. This just made the effects spread faster. Much much, MUCH sooner than later, Bitty was in agony. It was actually a relief to the audience when she finally passed out.
And in a flash of light, the peppers and table were gone. And so was Bitty.
There was now a nekomimi-style naked cat girl with no nipples nor vagina, (or belly button for that matter) her skin unnaturally smooth. She was skinny, but had disproportionately large breasts for her body type like a parody. She stood with her hands together at her waist. She stared off into space. Her eyes empty and her expression blank. Her skin was pale. Her eyes were a polished pearl with no centers. Her hair was dark brown and quiet short ALMOST being tomboyish.
"I am an object. Use me. Command me. I am not a person. I exist to be of use," she said in a voice without emotion.
"Maid uniform." Chester said.
In a flash a standard french maid uniform materialized on her body. The catgirl didn't react at all.
"Stand with the others for when I win."
"Yes Master." The catgirl said and turned around and walked to the prize table before standing still as a mannequin.
"Uh, hi, nice to meet'cha?" Carly waved. "I'm Carly, this here is Lilly, and this is Leona, and that's a piece of candy for fiends. What's your name?"
"An object has no use for a name. You shall be purified when Master wins. No longer burdened with emotion. With self. With memories. With identity. Only the wholeness of servitude will remain."