iSave The Groovy Smoothie
Prologue
Carly, Sam, Fred and Gibby charged out of Ridgeway High at the sound of the bell. They were visibly relieved for the day to be over. They filed into a waiting yellow bus and grabbed some seats in the back. The vehicle's engine grumbled to life and carted the students away from the school. The bus was full of chattering students, making their plans for the weekend.
Sam sat with her arms folded, looking out of a window in thought.
"If that class with Ms. Briggs was one minute longer I swear I would have-"
"Careful Sam," Carly interrupted. "The bus camera records audio."
Sam pulled out her Pearpod and furiously tapped out a text message. Carly's own Pearpod emitted a ring tone. She held it up and read aloud the text Sam sent her.
"If I had to deal with Briggs any longer I would have..."
Carly's voice trailed off as she read the rest of the explicit message.
"You really don't like Briggs do you?" she asked.
"Nope."
Freddie spoke next, hoping to steer the girls toward a more pleasant topic.
"So anyway, its Friday, school's out. What do you wanna do first?"
"Why don't we chillax with a round of drinks at The Groovy Smoothie?" Sam suggested.
"What about visiting the local library, forming a study group and getting a head start on the science final for Mr. Henning's class?" Gibby said.
Sam, Freddie and Carly stared at him with their mouths agape.
"Or we could just go to the Groovy Smoothie..." Gibby quickly said.
"That's what I thought Gibbs," Sam replied.
"Giiibbby!"
The group shared a hearty laugh as their transport rolled up to the Bushwell plaza. They promptly got off the bus and headed across the street to the neon lit smoothie shop. Freddie pushed the door open and ushered the others into the establishment. The place was pretty full, but they managed to secure their usual table.
Gibby glanced at the front counter and noticed that nobody was behind it.
"Hey, where's T-Bo?" he wondered aloud.
"Dunno, but mama wants a smoothie, now." Sam said.
"You boys stay here," Carly suggested. "We'll get his attention, come on Sam."
Carly and Sam walked up to the counter. Carly innocently swayed her head side to side, attempting to spot an employee. Sam was less patient.
"Yo! What are they paying you monkeys for? Let's get some service pronto!"
A vaguely familiar voice came from behind the metal door leading to the kitchen.
"Be right there!"
The door swung open to reveal someone Carly recognized instantly. She and Sam looked briefly shocked.
"Spencer!" Carly exclaimed.
Spencer stood there with a big grin on his face, decked out in full Groovy Smoothie garb; bright orange t-shirt with the Groovy Smoothie logo, and a pair of black pants and sneakers. He wore a hairnet and yellow rubber gloves.
"Oh hey girls, surprised?"
"Um, yes." Carly replied. "You got a job at the Smoothie?"
"Yep, T-Bo is vacationing in Jamaica. The manager supposed to replace him couldn't make it. T-Bo recruited me last minute, crash coursed me on the job last night."
"Cool!" Sam yelled. "Hey guys, get over here! Carly's bro is in charge of the Groovy Smoothie!"
Gibby and Fred came over to the counter and experienced similar reactions to the girls'.
"So uh, guess that means our smoothies will be on the house, considering you're Carly's brother and all..." Sam said slyly.
"No way guys, if T-Bo found out I gave away free smoothies he'd chop me into parts and sell my pieces on a stick."
"Well T-Bo does like selling things...on sticks," Carly said with a chuckle.
"So how are you liking the job so far?" Freddie asked.
"I'm getting the hang of it, like this newfangled smoothie maker machine thing." Spencer said, pointing to a state-of-the-art blending device. He proceeded to pull some levers, twist various knobs and push buttons on the comically sophisticated object.
"And…there! 'Kay guys, what can I get ya?"
Before anyone could answer, the smoothie maker burst into flames. Carly let out a shriek as the device was engulfed in fire.
"What? How!" Spencer yelled, running toward a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall. He ripped it off a hook and proceeded to sweep it over the flames. Fortunately, the fire died down before the expensive machine was reduced to a charred wreck. Spencer put the extinguisher down, pulled out a cell phone and proceeded to dial a number.
"Who are you calling?" Carly asked him.
"Socko. He knows an excellent smoothie machine repairman. Might want to take your seats, this could be awhile."
Carly gave Sam a look as if silently saying, "There goes my crazy brother again!"
Sam read her expression like a book and nodded in agreement as she fought not to laugh.
[ Play ICarly Intro here ]
Chapter 1
It was early evening when Carly and the others finally got their smoothies. Not wanting to waste anymore time at the store, they decided to walk home with their drinks.
"I can't believe my brother agreed to take over the smoothie shop," Carlie said to no one in particular.
"Well Spencer's art career hasn't exactly hit the big time yet," Sam pointed out.
"True, and I suppose we could use the extra money."
The four strolled into the apartment complex. Thankfully Lewbert wasn't at the desk, so they scurried into the elevator before having to deal with the eccentric doorman.
"Hey Gibby, what do you think about those specs on the newest Pearpod generation?" Freddie asked.
"I'm most impressed by how environmentally friendly the latest model is. Totally arsenic, mercury and PVC free, with recyclable stainless steel enclosure."
"Sweet, I hear the battery life is longer than ever, and its got the fastest charge and audio frequency response out of all the other models."
Sam stopped sipping her drink, and held her hand to her forehead. She winced as if in pain.
"Ugh!"
"Sam, what's wrong? Brain freeze?" Fred asked.
"No, your nerd talk's giving me a headache."
Freddie rolled his eyes and took a pull of his Tingleberry blitz. Carly let herself into her apartment and closed the door after everyone else had come in.
"I'm too tired to cook, I'm gonna order something out. You guys wanna stay for supper and brainstorm the next iCarly episode?" Carly asked.
"Gibbeh!" Gibby exclaimed.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"As long as you're ordering something with meat in it, I'm in," Sam said.
"Of course, how else would I keep you long enough to come up with show ideas?"
"You know me too well," Sam replied with a grin.
"I think it'll be okay with my mom," Fred replied. "As long as there's low sodium in whatever you get."
"Lots of meat, easy on the sodium, got it."
The evening wore on as expected. Carlie, Sam, Freddie and Gibby discussed what to do on their web show between bites of Indian take-out. Everyone left for their homes around ten-thirty and Carly tucked in for the night.
The next day:
Carly lazily descended the steps to the first floor of the Shay apartment. She saw Spencer yelling wildly at some cartoon on the flat screen TV.
"Come on Goku, kick that Frieza's ass!" he yelled.
"What are you watching?"
"Dragonball Z Kai, on the Cartoon Channel."
"Wait, wasn't that Goku guy fighting the flying lizard thing a week ago?"
"Uh yeah!" Spencer replied insolently. "Even Earth's greatest fighter can't defeat the galactic emperor Frieza in one day. Sheesh, don't you know anything?"
"I don't know anything about kid shows watched by grown men, no." Carly admitted.
Carly headed to the kitchen for breakfast when she stopped halfway. She turned around to face Spencer, who was still fixated on the animated fight scene.
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" she asked him.
Spencer managed to pull himself away from the set and give Carly a blank stare.
"Huh?"
Carly folded her arms and waited patiently.
"Oh my god! I'm on morning shift at the Smoothie today, I forgot! Crap, what time is it?"
Carly pulled her Pearpod out from her pajama pants pocket.
"8:55."
Spencer wiped his forehead and sighed in relief.
"Five minutes to spare, gotta love it when your workplace is across the street."
Carly watched in amusement as Spender scrambled to put on his work pants and orange Groovy Smoothie shirt.
"Still have time to open up shop if you hurry," Carly said.
Spencer shoved some spoonfuls of cereal in his mouth and nodded. He threw the empty bowl down on the counter top and ran into the living room.
"Take it easy kiddo, feel free to come by after your web show."
"Sure, will do."
With that said, Spencer promptly exited the apartment and made a mad dash for the smoothie shop. Carly turned to the TV, still blaring the Dragonball Z episode.
"How are they able to shoot laser beams out of their hands?" Carly wondered aloud.
Chapter 2
[ The Groovie Smoothie - 9am ]
Spencer made it just in time, opening the doors and letting the day's first customers trickle in. He was wiping the countertop during a lull, when he noticed a young man and woman of Asian descent enter the shop. They were impeccably dressed in formal business attire and looked deadly serious as they approached Spencer. The man carried a briefcase, while the woman held a portfolio under her arm. The gentleman had smoothly combed hair, parted to the side. The woman's eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades, adding a bit of mystery. Her long black hair was tied into a neatly kept bun.
"Hey, what can I do you for?" Spencer asked them.
"Good morning, my name is Mr. Yakitori and this is my assistant Ms. Maki." the man said. His English was perfect, but the accent revealed that Japanese was his mother tongue.
"I represent Wagashi Industries," he continued. "And would like to offer you an incredible new product for this esteemed smoothie shop," Yakitori continued.
"My boss T-Bo usually doesn't allow solicitors, but since he's not here, I guess it couldn't hurt." Spencer replied.
"Excellent."
Yakitori spoke some words in his native language to Ms. Maki. She laid the portfolio onto the countertop and opened it to reveal a glossy full color advertisement for a new kind of thickening agent, used in frozen beverages. The liquid seemed harmless enough in a brightly colored pouch, surrounded by a soft aura obviously added in an image editing program.
"Most smoothies become warm too fast, and lose their thickness, become watery. You add this thickening agent to your recipes. Your smoothies will stay cold, nice and thick, results in a better product. More people will come to your store, you sell more smoothies, make your boss happy." Yakitori explained.
"Sounds great! Increasing the store's profits is the perfect way to thank T-Bo for letting me watch the shop for him. But how much do these packets cost?"
Mr. Yakitori flashed an innocent smile and replied, "You're in luck my friend. For a limited time, you get six packets free of charge. Each packet thickens hundreds of smoothies, enough to last until T-Bo returns. When he sees how successful the shop has gotten, he'll be happy to place an order for our product."
"Excellent, let's seem 'em."
"Of course."
Yakitori set the briefcase down and opened it to reveal the six thickener packets. Spencer greedily snatched them up.
"Thank you for your time sir." Yakitori said. "Enjoy our product and please take a business card."
Yakitori produced a card from the inside pocket of his dress jacket. He handed it to Spencer with both hands, as if passing on a treasured heirloom. He completed the gesture with a short bow as he waited for Spencer to take the card. Sensing the importance of the moment, Spencer followed suit and took it in both hands and studied it. It had the Wagashi Industries logo on it, with a business number to contact at the bottom.
Yakitori and Maki bowed low in perfect unison to Spencer, stepped back several paces and turned to exit the shop.
"Sayonara!" Spencer said, bowing too low and hitting the counter with his forehead.
"Ow!"
Spencer shook off the impact and proceeded to add the mysterious liquid to the smoothie batches.
Chapter 3
[ Carly's apartment - Show studio. 12:30pm ]
Sam, Carly and Gibby stood in a line with their chests puffed out as far as they would go. Their mouths were closed shut and their cheeks were full of air. Freddie was commentating on the breath holding competition from behind the camera.
"I've never seen anyone hold their breath for so long, people! Who's gonna go down first? It's anybody's guess."
Carly bent over and exhaled loudly. Air came rushing back into her lungs, much to her relief. She took several short breaths to recover.
"Carly's out, its just down to Sam and Gibby, who will survive?" Freddy asked the audience.
Drops of sweat trickled down Gibby's forehead as he looked across at Sam, who was calmly holding in her breath. Slowly, Gibby began to drop to his knees. His head shook and his eyes watered, until he couldn't take it anymore. He finally stopped holding and let the air back in to his lungs, as he lay on the floor. Having emerged victorious, Sam opened her mouth and let the oxygen flow back in.
"Yes! Woohoo!" Sam cheered. "Who's the breath holding champion? Say it!" she threatened to Gibby.
"You…you are." he managed between breaths.
"Darn straight boy, and don't you forget it."
Carly and Sam stood shoulder to shoulder in the center of the stage and faced the camera.
"Well that concludes our annual breath holding competition, once again Sam is the winner, predictable I know."
"What can I say, this girl's got talent," Sam declared, pointing to herself.
"We're coming to end of our show, we'll see you next time. But before we go, let's do some rrrandom daaancing!" Carly exclaimed.
An array of strobe lights and stage effects came on that would put a techno club to shame. Speakers blared a heart pounding dance track with a bass powerful enough to register on the Richter scale. Freddie nodded in approval at the stereo system he rigged up. It was loud enough to set off car alarms or prompt the occasional disturbance call to the police. Carly, Sam and Gibby lost themselves in a frenzied dance like children possessed by dancing spirits. When they had finally exhausted their rapturous display, Freddie cut the video feed.
"And we're clear." he declared.
"Whew, I'm whipped," Carly said.
"I was this close to passing out cold," Gibby said, making a space between his thumb and forefinger.
As if nothing happened, Sam casually asked, "Hey Carls, got any more of that tandoori chicken from last night? I'm starvin'."
"You ate it all, remember?" Carly asked.
"Oh yeah…man that chicken was good. You two should've tried some."
"We were going to," Gibby said. "But there was nothing but a bunch of bones when we got around to them!"
"Speaking of food, it's lunchtime," Freddie said. "Wanna check on your brother and grab a bite at the Groovy?"
"Sounds like a plan," Carlie said.
The group left the apartment complex and crossed the street when they noticed a new business next to The Groovie Smoothie. Oriental music sounded from speakers above the entrance, which was guarded by an exquisite replica of Samurai armor. On the opposite side of the armor was a large maneki neko statue, depicting a white cat with one paw raised in the air. Over the doorway was a sign in thick, neon lit Japanese writing. Below the exotic characters was the English translation: Sushi Smoothies.
"Looks like the Groovy Smoothie has some new competition." Carly said.
"Sushi Smoothies? That sounds…tasty!" Gibby decided.
"I would have gone with gross, but to each their own." Freddie replied.
"Whatever, our smoothies are waitin'." Sam said.
The group filed into The Groovy Smoothie. Spencer was busily working away, although cautiously, on the industrial strength blender that had previously caught fire. The gang walked up to the counter just in time to see him squeezing the last drops of a thickening agent into a new batch of smoothie mixes.
"And…done!" he said.
"With what?" Sam blurted.
Spencer turned around, caught off guard by the sudden arrival of Carly and her friends.
"Whoa, where'd you come from all of a sudden?"
"The Bushwell, where else?" Sam replied.
"Check this," Spencer said. "This morning some Japanese salespeople came by and gave me a free sample of their thickening agent, supposed to keep smoothies cooler and thicker than ever. When everyone tries these, the Groovy's profits are going to skyrocket!"
"Way to go Spence! How 'bout we try some drinks with the new product?" Carly asked.
"Sounds like a plan, what can I get you guys?"
"My usual." Sam said.
"Right, one BBQ Poo for Sam…"
"One Strawberry Splat please," Freddie said.
"Yeah no prob. Carly?"
"Hook me up with a Blueberry Banana Blitz, and a basket of fries for our table."
"That's one Blueberry Banana Blitz and a basket of fries, comin' right up!"
The gang waited for a few minutes at their table, as Spencer prepared the order. Within moments, Carly's brother came by and delivered the drinks. A steaming basket of fries was placed in the center of the table. The kids went right for their straws, eager to plunge them into the supposedly new and improved smoothies.
Sam tried to stab her straw through the plastic lid, but to no avail. It seemed as though her cup was filled with dried cement.
"I can't even get my straw through this chiz, how am I supposed to drink it?" she said.
"Yeah," Freddie said. "Look at this."
Fred's lid was already off his cup, revealing a perfectly fine smoothie at first glance. He turned the cup upside down, but the beverage didn't spill. It stayed in place, not so much as dripping onto the tabletop.
"What was in that thickener, superglue?" Gibby asked.
Carly tried to sip her smoothie, but she recoiled at the shock of how cold it felt.
"My smoothie is freezing, it hurts to even try to taste it!"
When they looked to Spencer for an explanation, they saw him trying to placate a throng of customers complaining about their smoothies.
"Looks like no one else is liking the new smoothie either," Freddie said.
"Let's see what's up," Carly replied.
The four pushed their way past the angry crowd and came up to Spencer, who seemed overcome with panic.
"Everybody just chill!" he yelled. "I'm going to fix the smoothies. If you want a full refund, they will be issued to you in a calm and orderly manner."
"What gives man, my drink is hard as a rock!" one customer complained.
"You expect me to drink this freeze dried crap? We want T-Bo back!" yelled another.
Spencer ran around the counter and frantically started typing away at the cash register.
"Come on guys, there must be something we can do for him," Carly pleaded.
Everyone agreed and went to console Spencer.
"Spence, what did you get yourself into this time?" Carly asked.
"I don't know, I just added the thickening agent to the smoothie recipes exactly as instructed. They weren't supposed to crystallize like that."
"Not to mention give anyone who tastes it frostbite." Sam replied.
"My tongue almost stuck to the smoothie." Carly said.
"I know. I'm sorry, but I swear this wasn't my fault."
Spencer started issuing out cash and coupon refunds to the hapless patrons.
"If you want to help me bring the situation under control, hand out these refund coupons, then everyone has to leave. I'm gonna have to close the shop and figure out what to do." Spencer said.
The kids assisted Spencer with the refunds, but the customers were still visibly angered by their unsatisfactory experience.
"Alright everyone, I apologize for the difficulties, but I'm temporarily shutting down the operation. I'd appreciate it if everyone leaves now. Thanks for your cooperation." Spencer said.
The crowd went into an uproar, groaning and continuing to complain.
Sam pounced onto the countertop and faced the mob, she screamed at them loudly.
"EVERYBODY GET THE HELL OUT OR FACE MY WRATH!"
Silence descended on the crowd, as they stared in shock at the teen girl. Sam wasn't satisfied. She picked up a spatula from a pile of nearby kitchen utensils and waved it menacingly.
"LEAVE AND NOBODY GETS VIOLENTLY HURT!"
"You should really do as she says," Carly advised. "Sam is armed and dangerous."
The crowd turned and dashed out of the store. Sam grinned at the sight of the retreating customers.
"That's more like it."
Spencer closed the door after the last customer left and turned the open/closed sign around. He sat at table with the others, resting his head in his hands.
"We're gonna fix this Spencer, we owe you." Freddie said.
"Yeah, I remember the way you remade my room after the fire." Carly recalled.
"And all those times you helped us on the web show." Sam added.
"Not to mention driving us around the country to go on our various misadventures." Fred said.
"And remember how we won that boat and then had to keep the pirates from stealing it by throwing watermelons at them? That was awesome." Gibby said.
"Yeah…hey thanks for your support guys, this means a lot. I know we can get to the bottom of -"
Spencer was interrupted by his ringing phone. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and answered it. His eyes widened in surprise at realizing who it was. He covered the phone and mouthed the words "It's T-Bo" to the group.
[ Seven Mile Beach, Jamaica ]
T-Bo lay face down on a long table in the middle of the beach. An attractive Jamaican woman was giving the Groovy Smoothie manager a deep tissue massage. T-Bo casually sipped a frozen margarita while speaking with Spencer.
"Yo Spence, just checkin' in to see how you're doing."
"Fine T-Bo, things couldn't be better!"
"Good, 'cause I'm comin' back to Seattle real soon, and I wanna see how much more money you made for me."
"That's…great! Take your time, no need to rush back, no need at all."
"Wish I could stay longer believe me, but I gotta get back to the Groovy, I gotta get back to selling stuff on sticks."
"Of course. Well have a great rest of your stay, business will be booming for you when you get back."
"I knew I could trust you Spence, see ya!"
Spencer angrily shut off the phone and slammed it on the table.
"T-Bo is coming back soon, what're we gonna do?" he said.
"Alright, let's retrace our steps." Freddie suggested. "So you open the shop, its business as usual. Two strangers, Japanese right? Come into your shop outta the blue and try to sell you those weird thickener packs. You follow the instructions exactly, and they end up ruining the smoothies, why?"
"It's obvious, it was a set up." Sam replied. "It was corporate sabotage! Those free packets were a scheme to destroy the business."
"Any ideas who those people were? Could we find out where they might have went or where they came from?" Carly asked.
"No…." Spencer replied. "Wait, yes! They left me a business card."
Spencer grabbed the card out of his pocket and laid it on the table. Carly picked it up and saw the number to Wagashi Industries. She grabbed her Pearphone and started to call it. After a few seconds she quickly put the phone down and blushed in embarrassment.
"Who was it?" Sam asked.
"That was a number to an adult entertainment hotline."
"A false business number, to throw you off. There probably is no Wagashi industries. This was a total set up by someone who wanted to take down the Groovy Smoothie." Sam said.
"But that still doesn't tell us who." Carly replied.
"Man. Fake numbers, sabotage, company warfare, there is definitely something fishy going on here…" Gibby said.
"Fishy…" Fred said thoughtfully.
"What about fishy?" Carly asked.
After a few seconds Freddie snapped his fingers as he realized something.
"Of course! Sushi Smoothies!"
"This is really no time to be thinking of new recipes." Spencer said.
"No, Sushi Smoothies is the new shop that went up right next to yours. You probably didn't notice it as you were working. But we saw it opening its doors on our way over here."
"It's all coming together now." Sam declared. "An Asian smoothie restaurant opens up right next to the Groovy Smoothie, wants to eliminate the competition, sends a couple of goons with a bad product, angers the customers here, gets them to come to their shop instead."
"They messed with the wrong web show girls." Carly said to Sam.
"Oh yeah, let's do some damage." Sam said with a sadistic grin.
"Wait, it's too early to resort to violence." Freddie suggested. "We can try to beat them at their own game."
"Or we could just grab a bunch of blunt instruments and smash up the shop." Sam said.
"Then we get arrested and Spencer's smoothies are still janked, that doesn't help anyone." Freddie replied.
"I agree with Fred," Spencer said. "We can't make a bad situation worse. We've outsmarted our enemies before, we can do it again. Remember when we tricked Nevel into getting that scale model Galaxy Wars ship for a prize car so we wouldn't lose the show's website?"
Sam laughed. "Yeah, watching him get taken away in an ambulance after he crashed it into that flower shop was classic."
"Fine, nothing criminal, at least not yet. But we still have to let Sushi Smoothie know we're onto them." Carly said.
"Fair enough, let's go." Spencer said.
"Hey before we leave, could I get that business card number?" Gibby said.
Carly raised an eyebrow and stared at him.
"Can't blame a guy for trying."
Chapter 4
Carly and the gang walked over to Sushi Smoothies and boldly entered the shop. It was adorned with a mix of Chinese and Japanese décor. An indoor pond stocked with koi fish greeted arriving customers. A Kimono behind glass was mounted on one wall. Soothing instrumental music filled the air. A middle aged man in traditional Japanese garb greeted them from behind a sushi bar.
"Welcome to Sushi Smoothies, could I interest you in a coconut egg jam or Chinese mustard drink?"
"How much for the green curry shake?" Gibby asked.
"Gibby!" Carly hissed.
"Sorry, I'm still thirsty since we couldn't have those solidified smoothies at the Groovy."
The kitchen door behind the sushi chef opened to reveal the two businesspeople from before. They stopped in their tracks, surprised to see Spencer and the others standing there.
"That's them! Yakitori and Maki." Spencer said. "You two tricked me with that thickener!"
"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Mr. Yakitori replied.
"Spencer, do I have permission to jog their memory?" Sam asked, making a fist in one hand and hitting the palm of her other.
"Wait, I recognize that voice…" Carly said.
"I'm sorry little girl, that's impossible. We've never met," Yakitori replied.
"Now that you mention it, there is something vaguely familiar about those two." Spencer agreed.
The one called Ms. Maki grabbed Yakitori by the arm and started to say something in Japanese. A heated conversation ensued, and the two started nagging each other and using obscenities.
"They're fighting like sibling rivals," Sam said.
When Carly saw Ms. Maki pinch Yakitori's arm and call him a baka, she realized who they were.
"That's it, I'd recognize that brother and sister anywhere. You're Kyoko and Yuki!"
"Who?" Gibby asked.
Carly and Sam went on to explain how they competed with Kyoko and Yuki for a web show award in Japan. Fearing they would lose, Kyoko and Yuki kidnapped and stranded them. They were later caught and convicted of kidnapping.
Yuki shook up his neatly combed hair, bringing it back to its naturally wild shape. Kyoko took off her shades and undid her bun, letting her hair cascade to her shoulders.
"Oh, that is definitely them." Spencer realized.
"Why have you done this?" Carly asked.
"Because after what happened in Japan, our web show and reputation was permanently ruined. No one forgave us for capturing the iCarly girls and leaving them for dead. Once out of prison, we left for America. We decided to get revenge by opening a smoothie shop right next to yours, and forcing the Groovy Smoothie out of business forever!" Yuki said.
Kyoko continued, "That's right. With Spencer's smoothies ruined, no one will come to the Groovy Smoothie. They'll have to come to Sushi Smoothies, including you! It will be a constant reminder that Kyoko and Yuki got you back for destroying our careers!"
Sam became red with rage, and let loose a primal chill inducing scream. She made to charge into Kyoko and Yuki. Before too late, Spencer, Carly, Gibby and Freddie used their combined strength to hold her back.
"Sam look at me, look at your best friend and calm down. Don't go into a homicidal rage yet, please, for me."
This seemed to have a calming effect on her somewhat, but she was still seething.
"Hell hath no fury like a Sam scorned," Spencer said.
"There is nothing you can do to stop this," Yuki told them. "Any threat or act of violence will be reported to the authorities."
Yuki added, "If I were you, I would be making preparations to close your shop and explain to your boss T-Bo that you have failed him."
A haunting silence permeated the store. Carly and company glared at Yuki and Kyoko with smoldering expressions. Kyoko and Yuki looked back smugly, believing they had already won. The sushi chef behind the counter looked incredibly confused, taking in the bizarre exchange between the Japanese owners and the American kids. Sam pointed a finger at the siblings.
"This isn't over, we will defeat you."
"While you pretend you can change the situation, perhaps you'd like to sample a soybean smoothie. Every order this week comes with free pickled ginger," Yuki said.
"Screw this, let's go everyone," Carly said, pushing them toward the exit.
At the last second, Gibby stopped at a plastic holder on the wall next to the door.
"Just grabbin' a menu, don't mind me."
He slipped a menu out of the holder and shut the door behind him.
[ Carly's Apartment - Living Room. 3:30pm ]
Carly, Sam, Gibby, Freddie and Spencer sat at the kitchen table in silence, mulling over what to do.
"T-Bo's probably going to be back sometime tomorrow evening, we have to work fast." Spencer said.
"I have an idea," Freddie replied. "Spencer, do you have one of those thickener packets?"
Spencer checked his pockets, and pulled out a plastic pouch, long since drained of its liquid.
"Yeah, I must have put it in my pocket after I finished adding it to the smoothie mixes."
Freddie gestured for Spencer to hand it over. He did so, and Freddie began reading a list of ingredients printed on the back.
'Okay, where are you going with this Fredward?" Sam said.
"Think about it, no product this bad would be approved for use. If there's a chance that the thickening agent contains any prohibited or dangerous chemicals, we could bust Yuki and Kyoko for knowingly using an untested or potentially illegal substance."
The others exchanged glances, hopeful that Fred was onto something.
"Wait to go Fred!" Carly gushed. "Alright, this is what we need you to do: get on Zaplook and dig up everything you can on the thickener's contents."
"Got it."
"Maybe we can get Yuki and Kyoko in trouble for the bad thickener, but we still have to make up for the profits we missed out on when we closed the shop." Spencer said.
The others nodded, realizing that was another part of the problem that needed solving.
"What's the one thing Yuki and Kyoko don't have, that we do? The one thing we could use to gain an edge on the competition?" Sam said.
Spencer rested his chin on his hand and looked absorbed in thought. Freddie was furiously typing away at Carly's computer. Gibby was reading the Sushi Smoothies menu, seemingly oblivious to the entire conversation. Just then, Carly and Sam shared a knowing look as they simultaneously arrived at the answer.
"The power of the internet," Carly said.
"And one of the most popular web shows in cyber space," Sam said.
Sam took the menu out of Gibby's hands.
"Hey what gives?" he asked.
"Gibb, Freddie taught you how to tape the show incase he wasn't around right?"
"Yeah."
"Then come on, we have to get up to the studio, I have an idea."
Sam, Carly, Spencer and Gibby took the elevator up to the apartment's third floor where the iCarly show is produced.
Chapter 5
[ The iCarly Studio - 4:00pm ]
Gibby held the camera and prepared to start shooting. Spencer watched the set from behind him.
"In five, four three two…"
Gibby pointed at the girls, signaling that he was recording.
"What's up denizens of the interweb? It's your favorite web show hostess Carly Shay, along with the equally awesome Sam Puckett!"
"Sam's in the house, yo!" Sam exclaimed, pressing the applause button on her sound effect gadget.
"Okay, now to get serious, this is a very special episode of iCarly and we need your help." Carly pleaded to the camera.
"You, and the lives of everyone you know, may depend on it," Sam said.
"That's a little dramatic Sam," Carly replied.
"When it comes to saving Seattle's favorite smoothie joint is it possible to be too dramatic?"
"Good point. Now here's the deal, the Groovy Smoothie needs a pick up in business, so we're putting on a promotional event. It's one day only, starting tomorrow morning and going until close," Carly explained.
"That's right, it's the Create Your Own Smoothie Contest! You bring your recipe, including ingredients, to the Groovy Smoothie tomorrow and we'll make and serve them to you. We want you to get creative, innovative, inventive and any other "ives" you can think of. Go wild, bring your friends, enemies, family, strangers, everybody!"
"Okay Sam, they get the point."
"The one who comes up with the most popular smoothie will win… Carly, tell 'em what they win."
Carly looked at Sam confused, as they hadn't come up with a grand prize for the contest.
"The winner will get uh…this orange plastic chair! That's right, an official prop right from our famous iCarly set!"
Sam added, "It might even be worth something someday, or never. Sell it on eBay, balance it on your chin, even sit on it!"
"Alright, one more time: One day only, create your own smoothie contest, tomorrow, open to close at the Groovy Smoothie. All profits made from serving your creations will go to helping the store stay open. And remember, you're doing us, your internet goddesses, a REALLY big favor. So if you're an iCarly fan, you want to be there."
"A really, really BIG favor," Sam emphasized, stretching her arms wide.
Suddenly, Spencer turned the camera while still in Gibby's hands toward him to get a close up of his face.
"Please, seriously, listen to these girls. Be there, I mean it. My life literally could depend on it. If we don't raise enough revenue tomorrow, I don't know what I'll do, I'll turn into a desperate, desperate man. You don't want to see a Spencer whose run out of options, you don't!"
Carly yanked the camera back in her direction.
"Okay Spencer, relax, we got this. And now, we'll close the show with a fun clip."
Sam pressed a button on her handheld device, causing a flat screen tv to lower from the rafters. It turned on and started to play the Nyan Cat video on Splash Face. Carly and Sam danced to the cheery tune.
"And we're clear." Gibby said.
"Well let's hope this works," Carly said.
The group shared a moment of reflective silence when Carly's Pear phone rang.
"Hello?"
"It's Freddie, just got through researching the thickening agent on Zaplook, you're not going to believe this."
"Wait, let me put you on speaker phone," Carly replied, pressing a button. "Okay go."
"Most of the thickening agent ingredients were harmless, except for one. It's called jellidophol. The thickener was used in frozen beverages in foreign markets, until customers started to choke on the drinks as they soldified. Since then, jellidophol was taken off the market and made illegal to possess.
My guess? Kyoko and Yuki got their hands on the last remaining thickeners containing the prohibited substance, possibly on the black market. Didn't take them long to figure out what they could do with it to the Groovy Smoothie in the U.S."
"Awesome job Fred." Sam said sincerely.
"Sam, did you just complement me? And not sarcastically?" Freddie replied.
"Don't let it go to your head," she quickly responded. "You're still a nerd."
"That's more like it."
"Okay Freddie, we'll meet you downstairs and go from there." Carly said.
Chapter 6
[ Carly's Apartment - Kitchen - 6:00pm ]
The enticing aroma of a fresh baked pizza filled the kitchen. The half meat, half vegetable combo (with most of the meat slices going to Sam) sat on the table and was surrounded by Carly, Gibby, Sam and Spencer. They had spent the rest of the afternoon and evening making the final preparations for the next day. Gibby dunked a breadstick into a cup of marinara sauce and took a bite.
"Does it seem redundant to anyone to serve breadsticks with pizza?" Gibby asked between chews.
"Actually yes, it does," Spencer replied.
"I would've ordered the buffalo wings, but someone thought they'd be too spicy." Sam said, glaring at Freddie.
"Spicy food can give me indigestion," Freddie replied.
"TMI," Spencer said.
"Guys, the Groovy Smoothie is at stake, we have more important things to talk about," Carly added.
Everyone agreed and started to go over the final plans.
"Okay Freddie, can you move the sound system from the studio to the Groovy?" Carly asked.
"Yeah no problem."
"And I can get the spotlights to beam into the sky to attract customers," Sam said.
"How would you get a hold of those?" Carly asked.
"My mom is dating a carnie," Sam replied.
"Should have guessed. Spencer, can you have the smoothie machine clean and readied for tomorrow?"
"Sure can, I'll work on it before we open. All my employees will be on hand to help out too."
"Alright, we'll finish up supper here. Everyone try to get to bed early, tomorrow's going to be a long day. Let's not forget what's at stake; our favorite after school hangout, Spencer's reputation, T-Bo's career, and perhaps most of all, taking down Kyoko and Yuki!" Carly exclaimed.
"Let's do this!" Sam shouted, holding up a plastic cup of fizzling coke.
The others raised their cups in a toast to the next day's battle.
Later that night, around 11pm….
Spencer was cast in the glow of the TV in the otherwise dark living room. He sat sprawled on the couch with a blanket pulled up to his neck. He had fallen asleep watching a Dragon Ball Z marathon. The dull roar of the tv show could be heard coming out of the stereo speakers, too soft to wake Spencer. He fidgeted and mumbled to himself in his sleep.
"No…go away Yuki…Kyoko…you won't ruin the shop…"
Spencer's apparent nightmare reached a crescendo, causing Spencer's arms to flail about wildly.
"T-Bo, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ruin the business, wait, what are you doing with that stick! No, not there! Aaah!"
Spencer fell violently off the couch, slamming onto the floor and getting tangled in the blanket. He awoke and thrashed about until he freed himself of the blanket. It took him a few seconds to come out of his daze and realize it was all just a dream.
Spencer wiped the sleep from his eyes and turned on a lamp. After catching his breath, he switched the TV off and made for his bedroom when he heard a scratching from the door. He didn't believe it at first, but the sound persisted.
"Someone out there?" he managed, still bleary.
The sound grew softer, but it only heightened Spencer's suspicion.
"If this is some kind of a joke it's not funny!"
Despite his better judgment, he started to approach the door. Maybe if he cracked it open and saw it was just his imagination, he would feel at ease. Nervously, he touched the tips of his fingers to the doorknob. Before he could turn it, he felt the wood of door impact him. He staggered back several feet to see a lean, black clad figure standing in the hallway. The figure wasted no time lunging into the apartment and assuming a fighting stance.
"Alright, let's rumble!" Spencer yelled, throwing up his fists.
Spencer and his attacker flew into a flurry of kicks and punches. The ninja was startled by Spencer's unexpected physical strength. It seemed his years of sculpting hard clay had toned his muscles. Spencer threw three quick punches along the ninja's chest. The ninja staggered back but quickly recovered and caught Spencer off guard with a vicious kick to the shin. Spencer groaned, grabbing his shin and falling to one knee. The ninja was about to go in for the final move when Spencer delivered a fierce uppercut. His knuckle's slammed into the ninja's jaw, sending the attacker off his feet and into the air.
"Yeah, whose the man now?" Spencer boasted.
The ninja locked Spencer's feet with his legs and swept him off the ground. Spencer rolled out of the way just in time to avoid his opponent's descending foot. Spencer scrambled backward to evade the enemy and got back up. The two fighters were in an apparent stalemate, each sizing up the other and deciding how to attack.
The black clad assassin's patience wore out and threw a punch at Spencer. In a moment of genius, Spencer caught the fist mid-air, grabbed the foe's arm and threw him over his shoulder. The ninja slammed into the coffee table, shattering it into several pieces. The ninja's back arched in pain and his eyes winced from the sting of impacting the furniture. The assassin crawled toward the open apartment door, and Spencer decided to help him out. He picked the ninja up by the neck and rear of his one piece suit and threw him into the hallway. The ninja turned toward Spencer and put his hands up in surrender.
"How did you learn to fight like that?" the ninja asked.
"Goku taught me."
"Who?"
"DBZ, Cartoon Channel, look it up!" Spencer shouted, before slamming the door.
As Spencer went to pick up the chunks of the coffee table, Carly stumbled down the stairs, half awake.
"Spencer, is everything okay?" she slurred.
"Everything's fine sis, I just got a little excited from watching cartoons. I definitely wasn't randomly attacked by a ninja sent by Yuki and Kyoko to kill us in our sleep."
"Oh…alright, gonna go back to bed now."
"'Kay, see you tomorrow morning."
Carly walked back up to her room in a daze and Spencer breathed a sigh of relief.
Although shaken from the incident, Spencer got back on the couch and willed himself to sleep…
Chapter 7
[ Sunday morning, 9 a.m. - Groovy Smoothie ]
As soon as the gang opened the doors, the customers flooded in. Pop music filled the air and the place was decorated to add to the party atmosphere. The smoothie contestants brought their recipes and ingredients and the competition was on. About halfway through the day, Kyoko and Yuki barged into the shop. They looked murderous as they approached Carly, Sam, Spencer, Freddie and Gibby.
"Stop all of this!" Yuki yelled.
"We are going to file a noise complaint and have this place shut down for good!' Kyoko added.
Someone in the crowd turned down the volume on a bass heavy dubstep track, and all eyes were turned on the brother and sister party crashers. Spencer stepped ahead of the others and faced them head on.
"Nice try sending that ninja to bump me off last night, as you can see it didn't work."
Yuki fumed in silence, waiting to see what Spencer would do next.
"Freddie, if you would, the thickening agent packet?"
Freddie handed Spencer the plastic packet.
"Did some research on your little product," Spencer explained.
Kyoko and Yuki exchanged nervous glances.
"Oh yeah, says right here in the ingredients that it contains a little something that nearly killed several people killed overseas. I imagine certain authorities would be pretty upset if they knew that chemical was being served to unknowing patrons."
"Well you used it too!" Yuki said. "You're just as guilty."
"That's where you're wrong. We got rid of all the evidence of the substance in the shop, our tracks are covered. I called some powerful people this morning, got them to do a little research on Sushi Smoothies. They tracked an illegal sale of the chemical directly to your shop."
Kyoko and Yuki, realizing they were beat, turned to leave the shop when the doors were kicked open. Several FBI agents burst onto the scene. A federal agent, wearing a plain black suit and shades, flashed his badge to Kyoko and Yuki.
"Kyoko and Yuki, you're under the arrest for the illegal purchase and possession of jellidophol. Come with us."
The other FBI agents cuffed them and led them out of the store to the sound of cheering customers.
"We'll get you back for this someday!" Kyoko yelled.
"You haven't seen the last of us!" Yuki shouted, as he was pushed into a black car.
"And justice is served," Carly said.
"Good, now we can serve up some smoothies!" Sam replied.
The smoothie contestants were narrowed down to the most popular three. Spencer, Sam, Carly, Freddie and Gibby were the judges. Scoring was based on a 10 point system, with 10 being perfect and 1 being a steaming pile of chiz. The first drink was Beef Jerky flavored, complete with bits of Slim Jim. Naturally Sam gave it a perfect 10. The second drink was Fried Dough, which featured a light topping of confectionary sugar.
The last flavor was Terrific Taffy, which consisted of actually taffy pieces melted down to a fine drinkable paste. The Fried Dough and Terrific Taffy were neck and neck for the win, but Fried Dough edged out by one point. The taffy had been a little too sticky, costing it the competition.
"And the winner of our Create Your Own Smoothie contest is Fried Dough!" Carly declared.
The crowd applauded and the winner took the orange chair from the iCarly set and held it in the air in triumph. The night wore on and the Groovy Smoothie stayed busy as ever. The smoothies flowed like wine, and everyone reveled in the festivities. As the evening wore on, the customers started to go home for the night, and Spencer began to clean up with the others. Their heads turned to the sound of a door opening to reveal T-Bo, having arrived from his vacation in Jamaica. He took in the sight of the lively atmosphere and was visibly impressed.
"Oh hey T-Bo," Spencer casually said.
"I've never seen the Groovy Smoothie so busy, what happened?" T-Bo asked in astonishment.
"Well, I decided to have an in-store event to invite customers to make their own smoothies. It turned out to be quite a hit, right guys?" Spencer replied, glancing at the others.
Carly, Sam, Gibby and Freddie nodded their heads, all backing up Spencer's claim.
"You the man Spencer! In fact, considering how well you did, how 'bout a permanent job here? Assistant Manager Shay, like the sound of that?"
Upon remembering the chaos caused by Kyoko and Yuki in the last two days, Spencer was tempted to refuse. When he looked at the others, he could see their expressions saying, "Not a good idea."
"Actually T-Bo, thanks for offer, but I think I'm going to stick to my art career."
"Suit yourself Spence. In the meantime, I'm gonna check out these new smoothies."
Carly, Spencer, Sam, Fred and Gibby sat at their table and enjoyed some fries with their drinks.
"Well, this wasn't quite how I planned to spend the weekend," Fred admitted. "But it could have been worse."
"I'll tell you what it couldn't have been." Gibby said.
"What?" Carly asked.
"More delicious!" he replied, taking a big sip of Fried Dough flavored smoothie.
The group erupted into joyful laughter and the Groovy Smoothie had been saved.