I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD ASK THIS. I'm imagining an au where ahkj's final season instead covered the plot of the first movie but entirely from the lemurs' perspective. With apocryphal missing scenes and new subplots which would be impossible in the original movie's timeline about our ahkj lemurs spying on, scheming about, and integrating the zoosters into their society.
So when Clover recruits Alex, he goes along with it because he's reached the "ok, this might as well happen" stage of the film. I think the lemurs are still being covert about their true intentions cuz they're silly so what starts as "hey, giant freaks, come join us for a fun game" seems more and more like a Clover-designed bootcamp that Alex is not cut out for.
Marty and Gloria are juust sporty enough that they're game for it, they're really just humoring the lemurs who seem like fun hosts that keep the refreshments coming lol. However Clover won't lift her foot off Alex's neck and never lets let him sit down or tag out, and the challenges seem designed much harder whenever it's his turn.... He does NOT know why she's picking on him.
Normally, Clover would love to wield Alex as a weapon against the fossa. However, he's useless, and she's taken poorly to the idea because everyone keeps phrasing it like "wow, finally someone's here to do what Clover does except better!" How is he going to protect anyone better than her when he can't run, doesn't listen, doesn't give a shit, spends more time looking at his friends than at the coach, and seems completely clueless about the fact that some animals eat each other?
And I mean... Alex barely acknowledges the lemurs are people. 😭😂 To him they're kind of like strange fairy guides he keeps having to talk to. He's gonna piss her off just for standing there most of the time. Clover will use his lack of focus to her advantage and try to prove Julien wrong about Alex's potential (he's spectating from a shaded pavilion) and, overall, will be extremely unfair and gaslight him the whole time about it.
Ted: wow, Clover, you never trained us by throwing us in a mechanized rotating vat lined with poisoned cactus spears? Clover: I updated the curriculum. The next person who questions me about it goes inside the vat. Mort: me, me! i like the vat :D Alex: What about those of us who want to get OUT of the vat? Clover: (kicks the lid closed)
Maybe an apocryphal-timeline moment is in the middle of this, Marty gives Alex the pep talk and teaches him to run, which unlocks his mile-high pastrami on rye. At this point Clover's so unimpressed with him, she thinks her tail must be twitching about something else. So when he finally locks in with his predatory cat reflexes, they've been doing this ALL DAY, she loves a challenge... and it's finally getting FUN? The more unhinged he gets? The lemurs are all watching in excitement so it slips from everyone's notice that actually, if he's doing REALLY well, that could be REALLY bad. (Maurice notices.)
Cutely I can see this whole exercise ending up like a bizarre bonding exercise that somewhat endears her and the other lemurs to the zoosters. And I circle back to Clover feeling a little proud of them later. Maybe Alex gives her a noogie. Right before the bad thing...