Crazy trouble with love part 8
Girls from Beauty Pageant and Jake
Series: American Dragon Jake Long
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Jake smiled while looking down the ramp he was on with his board beside him and Spud standing on the side with Trixie. "I'm going to do it this time, just you guys watch!"
"Yeah, you said that last time, you looking to wipe out again?" Trixie asked with a chuckle.
"Not gonna happen Trix." he smirked while adjusting hsi helmet while Spud gulped.
"I'm not sure if I can watch this Trixie. I mean last time Jake's leg made a loud cracking sound, remember? It sounded kinda like stepping on a bag of potato chips, or like some fine china falling out the window and hitting the pavement, or throwing a jar against a brick wall, or-"
"I can hear you guys, and I know I can do it this time!"
"Oh really, and are you gonna pop out some wings to keep yourself from falling again?"
"Nope, I'm gonna ace this ramp without powers, now step back and watch." He smirked getting in position.
"We better, I don't wanna get any blood on these new jeans." Muttered Trixie as she and Spud backed up.
"Yeah, and plug your ears, last time it took me days to get the crunching sound out of my head." Spoke Spud putting in earplugs before Jake put his board over the edge and started rolling down it.
'Come on, you can do it, once you reach the other side just spin 360 degrees four times, it'll be awesome!' Thought Jake as he went down and rolled the middle spot before going up the other side and kicked off it before he started to spin himself around. 'Alright one…..two…..three… come on, almost there!'
Trixie and Spud watched as Jake slowly reached the fourth time before coming down. "He did it, he finally did it!" Trixie cheered as he landed back on the ramp.
"I knew he could!" Yelled out Spud while Jake grinned and started doing a victory dance.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah, I did it, I did it!" He cheered with a grin. "Ain't no ramp gonna take down the Am-WAH!" He cried out since he wasn't looking where he was going and fell over the side and wound up hitting the ramp with a thud making his friends wince as he rolled down on the middle with a groan.
"Are you ok?" Asked Trixie.
"Are you ok?!" Yelled out Spud.
"Ugh…..I'm sore, but nothing feels broken." He winced getting up and gave a thumbs up, only for his ankle to crack making him yelp and fall down. "Ow!"
"Oh no, the crackle, THE CRACKLE!" Spud cried out in horror.
"I-It's fine, I'm just, yeow!" He let out trying to stand on it as Trixie moved over and shook her head.
"Jakie you idiot, stop trying to stand up, your ankle is broken." She reached down to help him on his good foot while Spud walked over. "We're getting you on home to get that fixed up."
"Augh, damn it, moms going to be pissed when she hears about this."
"We should take him home!" Yelled Spud making the other two wince.
"Spud, buddy, the earplugs." Groaned Jake.
"What?!"
"Ugh, hold on Jake." Groaned Trixie as she marched towards him before pulling out the ear plugs. "Better."
"Oh, yeah it does sound much better." He said with a nod.
"Great, now can we get me home?"
"No prob." Spoke Spud as he and Trixie carefully helped Jake on his good leg and headed on home.
"Ugh, mom and dad are going to kill me." He groaned.
(Later)
"Well I have good news and bad news." Spoke Jake's mom who was currently wrapping up Jake's ankle with him flinching due to the sensitivity.
"Can I hear the good news first?" He asked as she nodded.
"Well the good news is it's nothing too bad, your ankle isn't broken, just sprained a little."
"Awesome! And what's the bad news?"
"You're not gonna be going out on your board for at least a week."
"Aw, what?" He groaned.
"Yes, and once you can go out on it you're not getting it back for two months."
"Aw what?! Come on mom."
"I'm serious Jake, taking a break from skateboarding might actually help. You could even say it'll cut back on you getting so many new scrapes and bruises each week." She smiled standing up and walked away. "Remember to use the ice pack on it at least twice a day to handle any swelling alright?"
"Alright, fine." He sighed as she stopped.
"Oh, and before I forget, don't use your dragon form until you're all healed up."
"But what if gramps needs me for something?"
"Then he'll have to do it, if you use your dragon form you could agitate the injury and possibly break your foot for real."
"Alright, I'll let him know, but he ain't gonna like it." He said as his mom shrugged.
"Tough luck, your health comes first Jake." She made clear before leaving him alone with Jake looking at his ankle.
'On the upside, this gets me out of a lot of chores and training.' He thought as he began to make his way to the door. 'I hope gramps isn't too upset.'
(Later)
"This is why I never liked you and that sport!" Yelled Lao Shi with Jake sitting in a chair. "Riding on a small board with wheels was just asking for trouble."
"Aw come on Gramps, it's not that bad, I'm just out of commission for a week or two."
"Do you know just how many problems can arise from just a week? The magical world is always moving, never stopping, which means trouble is always happening."
"Sorry, sorry, it's not like I wanted to end up like this."
"Ugh, don't think you are getting out of this without punishment, I just got a request for help that you might be able to help with."
"Please tell me it's not another babysitting gig, even as a dragon that was rough."
"No, do you remember the beauty pageant debacle a few months ago?"
"The one with that creep Eli Pandarus? Big time."
"Yes, well due to that they decided to redo the entire pageant, and they want a new guest judge."
"Wait, so let me get this straight. You want me, to be the guest judge for a beauty pageant, and I don't gotta need to do anything stressful or high maintenance?"
"I never said that, you will have to be impartial, judge honestly and never be biased, it will be a good lesson for you."
"Come on gramps, I'm gonna be honest. If there's one thing the AmDrag is, it's honest." He smiled just as Fu came in and spat out the water he was drinking before he started laughing.
"Hahahaha, you still calling yourself the AmDrag? HA!"
"Hey, the AmDrag is an awesome name!"
"No, it is not, now get ready, you will have to leave soon."
"Leave? Like right now?"
"Yes, I'll tell your parents what's going on, now remember, be unbiased, be true, and don't do anything Fu would do."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Frowned the dog.
"I think you know, now go to the back, there should be someone there ready to take you to the island."
"But I don't even have my stuff with me."
"Don't worry, they will provide everything." He said with a nod. "You will be fine."
"Look at it this way kid. You're gonna be a judge, meaning you get the best treatment. And you won't gotta wear an itchy wig." Muttered Fu to himself.
"Or dress in drag." Chuckled Lao Shi, making Fu glare at him.
"Wow, who knew you could laugh." Smirked Jake making his grandpa cough and regain his composure as the teen got up and hobbled to the back. "Well if I'm gonna be gone for a bit, see ya gramps."
"Just remember, be honest."
"Yeah yeah, I will, I will, but it's just a stupid pageant show, it won't be that hard." He muttered while Lao Shi shook his head with Fu sighing while sitting down.
"Lucky kid, I wouldn't mind being a judge. I actually got a chance to know the girls more, I'd be perfect."
"Fu, you do not understand, those girls are vicious, there was a reason they chose Santa, a married man, Jack Frost, a man who's heart is as cold as ice and the Tooth Fairy as judges, they aren't tempted by anything."
"What? You kidding me? I might not be an expert, but even I know Jack Frost is the kind of guy who'd take the job to find a Miss Jack Frost. I mean have you seen how the guy dresses? A good gal in his life could fix that no prob." he waved off. "But the vicious part? I can attest to that."
"Yes, but he apparently is dating someone and she doesn't want him near the talent show, which is why they asked for Jake."
"All the kids gotta do is pick the best one, no brainer."
"Yes, but he's young, naive, and easy to manipulate, I'm hoping this will help him learn how to protect himself against being manipulated or seduced."
"Relax, I'm sure the kid'll be fine."
"Yes, well, we shall see…" He said sagely as Fu rolled his eyes.
"Maybe they should have made you judge, that way you could go and bag yourself a hottie."
"Please, those girls are a century too young for me."
"More like you're a century too old." He chuckled. "So, this thing is on the island, right? I'm guessing they confiscated it from Eli after the pageant, right?"
"Yes, apparently he gave it to them to get out of a mountain of lawsuits." Nodded Lao Shi. "In a way this would also be like a vacation to Jake, I just hope he doesn't get too relaxed about it."
"Nah, the kid will be fine...I think?" Said Fu as we cut to Jake walking out into an alley behind the shot to see a tall blue skinned man waiting for him.
"Yo, are you the ride?"
"That depends, are you Jake Long?"
"Yes."
"Good, give me a sec to get the portal up and running and I'll get you to the island." He turned and held out his hand and started speaking what sounded like gibberish before a red portal opened in the air. "Alright, jump on through, they're waiting for you."
"Kinda can't jump, but I can hobble." Spoke Jake using his good leg to hop over and took a deep breath before jumping through the portal, only to wind up landing face first into some sand. "Well, that's definitely my softest landing so far."
"Jake Long I presume?"
"Yeah, that's me." He got out pushing himself up and shaking the sand out of his hair. "Who's asking?"
"Heinrich von Lieber, I own the island now and I'm hosting the magical world beauty pageant." Said a red skinned man with tinted sunglasses on, pointed ears and flaming hair with a three piece suit.
Jake got up and shook the hand the man held out who smiled.
"To be honest, I was expecting someone a smidge taller, but that's the problem when you presume to know everything, so that's my bad." He chuckled as he shook his head. "You would not believe how hard it was to find a judge that the contestants would actually trust not to screw them over or try to marry them, after the nasty business last time we had to be more careful this time around."
"Well believe me, this here dragon ain't nothing like Pandarus." Smiled Jake while looking around. "So what exactly is gonna happen? I mean I know how to judge someone, but I mean like where am I gonna be crashing?"
"You will be staying in the hotel, and there are three major categories that you will be judging, now I can't tell you what they are now so you don't get any preconceived notions of what you want."
"Alright, fair enough." He said with a nod. "So, when are the girls arriving?"
"They'll be coming in all day, the pageant starts tomorrow."
"Sweet, so I got time to sit back and chillax." He smiled.
"Yep, feel free to enjoy all the amenities of the island until the pageant starts." He smiled. "If you need anything at all, do not hesitate to ask one of the hotel's staff."
"Alright, thanks man." He said with a grin. 'Alright, this guy isn't half bad.'
"But is there a reason you have one foot raised up?"
"Oh, yeah, I twisted it a little while ago so I just need to wait for it to heal."
"If you'd like to try out the spa area, I'm sure they could help that ankle feel much better than just waiting around."
"Huh, well I wouldn't turn that down, where can I find it?" He asked curiously.
"My employees will show the way." He clapped his hands before two large trolls in bellhop suits walked over. "Show Mr. Long here to the spa." They grunted before they began to lead him away. "Have fun Mr. Long."
Jake followed the trolls into the hotel and down a hall before stopping at an area labeled 'Spa' in gold letters on the top where he entered and hobbled over to the desk. "Um, Hi, I'm Jake Long, the red guy said to come here so that my twisted ankle might feel better?"
"Ah, hello Mr. Long." Greeted the man who was an elf wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. "Here at our hotel, we offer the finest assortment of spa essentials guaranteed to help you feel a thousand times better."
"Sweet, can you do whatever will make my twisted ankle feel like new?"
"Yes, you will want to head to the magic steam room then soak in the enriching healing mud pool."
"Now that's what I'm talking about." He fist pumped as the elf handed him some towels.
"If you go down the hall and make a left, you can put your clothes in the locker room and go ahead into the steam room."
"Sweet, thanks!" He called as he began to hobble away.
'Wait, did I tell him that the facilities are unisex? Eh, he'll find out soon enough.' Thought the elf shrugging and went at his phone while Jake reached the locker room and sat down before getting his clothes off.
"Sweet, now this is the best way to get ready. Never really been in a steam room, but it's gotta be good if they have it set up in a high class hotel." He chuckled as he finished stripping and wrapped the towel around his waist. 'Wait, didn't I pull Fu out of one here?'
He didn't give it much thought and hopped over near a door before going inside and took a seat before sighing as he could already feel the humidity in the room. "Oh yeah, this is nice, just what the doctor ordered." He sighed happily, not noticing the door opening.
"Man, it's felt like ages since we were in here."
"Yeah, we were just lucky we were allowed back in."
"Are you two going to keep yammering or are we going to enjoy this?"
"Yeah, yeah, I just hope Fu isn't in here this time."
Jake blinked hearing three voices and turned his head. "Uh, hey, is someone there or am I hearing things?"
"Oh, sorry, didn't know anyone else was in here."
"Hey, aren't you that dragon from last time?"
"Yeah, Jake Long, right?"
"Yeah, that's me." He answered while seeing a figure moving over. "And you'd be?"
"Hi, we're Cerbi, we're a cerberus." Greeted one voice before the figure was revealed to be the same three headed dog lady from last time making him sit up.
"Oh! Sorry, I must have gone into the wrong steam room. I didn't know this one was for the ladies." He spoke moving to get up.
"Don't worry, you're not in the wrong place, there's only one steam room." Spoke the right head as they sat down and leaned back.
"Wait, for real?" He asked in surprise.
"Yeah, don't you remember, you pulled your dog friend out of here last time before we could punish him."
"Well yeah, but I never stuck around to really check. I mean I just wanted to get Fu out of here so he didn't get too out of hand."
"Yeah, so...since you're here does that mean he's back as well?"
"Oh, no, I actually came because they want me to be one of the judges." He admitted making them look surprised.
"Wait a second."
"You mean that mystery guest judge they got was you?"
"Wow, didn't see that coming."
"You're telling me." He sighed leaning back and felt some sweat come out. "I just got here and I think I'm gonna like it here until I gotta go."
"Wait, you're a judge, so that means you decide who wins the pageant."
"And no one will question your decisions." Said the second head as they began to grin.
"So...is there any girl here who you think has a good chance at winning~?"
"Well I haven't really had a chance to decide. I mean I heard all the others from before were gonna show up, so I'll figure something out after they show up." He said, not seeing the look in their eyes as they licked their lips. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason, no reason at all~" They said as they began to scoot closer to him.
"It's so hot in here, isn't it?" Another head asked as they pulled down their towel a bit.
"Not too hot for the AmDrag." Smirked Jake while noting the towel and blushed before looking away quickly. 'Woah! Easy there, watch where your eyes are, no way you need to get kicked out already.'
"Oh? See something that you like~?" Asked one head with a smile making Jake blush harder and cough.
"S-Sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to!" He spoke up quickly with his hands up.
"No, no, it's fine, really, glad to know the guest judge likes what he sees." Said one head as he blushed even more.
"Besides, if you're gonna be sticking around until the pageant is over, chances are you'll see the other girls like this when they wanna get a nice steam in too." Remarked another head.
"And we'd like it if you saw us first, just keep in mind how much we'd love to win~" Winked the third one making Jake gulp and look away.
"Hey, you know what? I better get to that mud bath, that guy at the counter said it'd help my ankle after the steam." He spoke getting on his good foot. "I guess I'll be seeing you ladies later on."
"Certainly, see you later Jake~" They all called as one as he left the sauna.
The dragon sighed in relief and wiped at his head. 'Woah, that was something. For a dog, she sure is a-woah there, hold up, don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on getting that mud bath to cool off first. Last thing you need is this towel falling off from something that really shouldn't be happening.' He thought with embarrassment and hobbled off.
Soon he reached a large room that had several large pools in it, one being filled with mud. 'I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that's it.' He thought moving over and put his towel to the side before slowly easing into it and sighed. 'This is really nice, nice, cool and relaxing…' He thought as he began to close his eyes. "It feels weird, but in a good kinda way. I think I get why girls like these so much."
"Yeah, they're pretty nice, aren't they?"
"You sai-WOAH!" He jumped and turned his head. Sliding into the mud next to him was a light green skinned woman with eight long tentacles for legs with kelp like dark green hair.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She chuckled while making sure her towel covered her before moving it off when she was submerged in the mud while Jake blushed.
"N-N-N-No problem." He gulped while averting his eyes so he didn't stare at her. 'Woah! Where'd she come from? I didn't hear you come in.'
"Ah, I just love the mud pools here, they remind me of home." She sighed happily.
"Uh, not to sound rude or nothin', but...aren't you...you know, embarrassed?" Asked Jake without turning. "I mean, getting in here, naked, with another guy I mean."
"Nope, not at all, this is pretty normal and everything is covered by the mud so what do I have to be embarrassed of?"
"Well...I mean….uh...I mean if you're all cool with it, I guess there's no problem." He answered awkwardly making her chuckle.
"Besides, when you've got over a hundred little brothers who like to run around, you get use to it."
"Wait, a hundred?! How is that even possible?!"
"Well when your parents lay eggs by the hundreds you end up with a lot of siblings fast." She revealed while some of her legs stretched up from the mud while she leaned back. "They can be a bit of a handful, like a lot."
"I get what you mean, I have a hard enough time dealing with just one little sister, I can't imagine a hundred of her."
"Oh I'd die to have just one little sister. Someone to actually have something in common with would be SUCH a relief." She sighed. "Having to live around nothing but older and little brothers takes a lot out of a girl, sometimes I feel like I'm getting wrinkles just being near them."
"Well you don't look like it, you look great." He complimented, making her smile.
"Thanks, the only time I can get some alone time is events like this."
"Well without that creep Pandarus around, you won't have to worry about being dragged into some shotgun marriage."
"Yeah, or losing to a male dog this time around...he's not here is he?" She asked in curiosity.
"Nah, Fu and gramps are back in New York, this time it's just me."
"Really, why is that, is something happening at the pageant?" She asked, growing a bit worried.
"No, the pageant's gonna be like last time. Except this time you're looking at the new guest judge." He smirked with his eyes closed while she looked surprised. "Which means I can take this time to chillax, get the ol' ankle fixed up, and just wait until the contest starts."
"Really, so you're deciding the winner? What happened to your ankle?" She asked in confusion.
"Yeah, and nothing real bad, just tried sticking the landing off this great ramp, but I missed and it's just a little sprained."
"Oh, then relaxing in the mud pits should fix that right up, they mix in a bit of pixie dust to help heal up minor injuries."
"I can already feeling it getting better. I'm just gonna soak in this a little bit longer, then check out the room I'm staying at."
"Well, if you want I could check it out with you if you want~" she offered with a wink making Jake blink and blush lightly while smiling.
"Heh, well uh...I don't see why not, but wait." He spoke in realization. "If you're already here, doesn't that mean the other girls are showing up?"
"Yep, a good chunk has already shown up and more are still coming." She said with a nod.
"Then don't you need to worry about getting ready or something? To be honest, I'm clueless on the details for pageants, so I don't know if you gotta get ready when you get here, or wait or...something." He admitted with a shrug.
"Well, I think I'm go-shit, I still have to register!" She cursed as she shot out of the mud pool. Some of it got on Jake's face who closed his eyes to wipe it off as she grabbed her towel. "Sorry, see you later!" She waved before heading out while wrapping herself with her towel.
"Ok….see you." He called as he wiped the mud out of his eyes. 'Wow, was she trying to get on my good side like Cerbi? Well, I guess that's one part of being a judge I better keep an eye out for. Not really bad for me, but if gramps hears how I'm handling it he'll get on my back when I get back.' He thought as he shifted a bit to get more comfortable. 'Is this what he meant by not being biased?'
After soaking a little bit he got out and used his towel to cover himself and went over to one of the showers to get the mud washed off. 'Wow, that stuff works wonders, my ankle feels great!'
He went behind a curtain and put his towel up before turning the shower on and sighed feeling the water. "That's what I'm talking about." He sighed as the mud washed off of him quickly. "Man, who knew spas could feel so good?"
As he washed it off, he started to hear some giggling and footsteps walk past the curtain and go into the other shower stalls next to his making his head perk up.
'Aw man, no duh Jake. Of course the other contestants would wanna get cleaned up when they get here. If they find out I'm in here they might get mad, like way more madder than when Fu hit on them.' He thought as he made sure the curtain was closed. 'Ok, new plan, just wait here until they leave, hurry and get changed then get out of here.'
"Ah, a hot shower after waiting on that boat is just what the doctor ordered." Sighed a voice in the shower stall next to his. "I swear that salty air was going to completely ruin my hair."
"I'll say, I thought we were gonna be on that old boat for two more hours." Came another one on the shower stall on the other side of his own.
'Crap, I'm surrounded!'
"Yeah, good thing the captain knew a shortcut."
Jake heard them hum while assuming they were washing themselves and blushed while trying to keep his hormonal part from poking his head out and taking a peak. 'Keep it together Jake, you're the AmDrag, you can handle this!'
"Hey girls, do any of you know just who's gonna be the judge this time? I heard they could only get just one judge for the pageant."
"I dunno, I just hope it's not a creep like that Pandarus guy."
"I actually heard that apparently this one's gonna be a younger guy."
"Really? You don't say, you thinking what I'm thinking?" Said one with a chuckle.
"If you are, I wouldn't bother. I came here to win and that's what I'm gonna do, no matter what."
"Well I hope you find them first, because if not I will and I'll make them see me in a whole new light~"
Jake blushed hearing the tone and shook his head to keep him from getting any ideas, which was very hard. 'This can't get any worse.'
"Hey, you in the middle stall, are you done yet, all the others are taken."
He gulped and tried making his voice sound high enough like a girls. "N-No! Not yet! Will be here a while!"
"Oh come on, then do you mind sharing?"
Jake's eyes widened and turned crimson red wile swearing he could feel steam rising from his face. He saw a hand move to the side of the curtain and going off panic at being spotted like this, lead to him muttering 'wings of the dragon' and flew against the curtain, leading to it being yanked off the pole as it covered him and blocked his view, leading to the girl outside jumping to the side and not seeing any particular traits as the 'girl' went speeding past her. "Done now, sorry, gotta go!"
"Hey watch it!" She yelled out with a huff and went into the stall anyway. 'Crazy girl.'
Soon Jake had dried off, gotten dressed and left the locker room in record time. He panted while ignoring his ankle feeling a little painful still and reached the main lobby to see a line of girls registering and sighed in relief. "That was way too close. I don't wanna even think what they were gonna do if they saw me there like that."
"Ah, Mr. Long, how did you enjoy the spa, is your ankle feeling better now?" Asked Heinrich with a smile as he spotted the young dragon.
"Well, it was definitely something." He replied with a cough. "So uh, now that I got that taken care of, mind telling me where I'll be staying?"
"Yes, you will be staying in one of the top floor suites."
"Now that's what I'm talking about."
"Yes, though I ask that you don't go up yet, the elevators are a bit packed at the moment with everyone trying to get to their rooms, could you wait an hour or so before heading up?"
"No prob, I can wait." He said with a nod as he began to hobble towards a nearby couch in the lobby. He sat down and sighed while leaning back. 'Waiting to get into a nice huge bed is gonna be worth it.'
"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"
"Well I am the American Drag-WAH!" he jumped when he turned and saw two girls, the one on the left side having puffy blue hair and a magenta bow with a matching shirt that went down to her waist and elbows, with some tannish orange in the middle. The one of the right had purple hair in a puffy ponytail with a yellow bow and a shoulderless top with orange in the middle with a yellow bottom. And both of them were attached to the same green lizard-like body.
"The American Dragon? Wait, didn't you come here as a stylist last time?" Asked the blue haired one.
"Uh...yeah, me and my gramps." He nodded and calmed down. "Sorry, I was...thinking to myself and didn't see you come over."
"It's fine, we're surprisingly light on our feet." Chuckled the purple haired one. "So, who did you come with this time, are you still with the crossdressing dog?"
"You mean Fu? No, actually it's just me alone this time." He spoke while getting his heart to relax. 'I should really keep my ears open, otherwise it's gonna come back to bite me.'
"Really? So you came to watch the show then?"
"Well, technically I'm the judge." he revealed making the blue head gasp.
"No way, get out!"
"For real, true story." he nodded as the two turned to each other. "Right now I'm just waiting right now to get to my room, but I gotta wait for about an hour or two."
"Well we can keep you company until then, you don't mind, right?"
"Nah, take a seat and relax."
"Thanks." They said at once with a smile before their human halves sat on either side of him.
"So, what're your names? Er, name?"
"Well, my names Liyla." Said the one with blue hair.
"And I'm her twin, Luyla." Spoke the one with purple hair.
"Cool, and I hope you don't mind me asking, but what species are you two?"
"Well we're actually descended from the very first hydra, but after a long time, the bloodline's thinned out and as you can see, we're not exactly three giant snapping heads." Explained Liyla. "On the upside, we'll take having human upper halves than be all scaly and have huge fangs."
"Yeah, though personally I'm kind of curious what would happen if someone chopped one of our heads off, would we become triplets?"
"Uh, maybe let's not test that out." Spoke Jake. "I don't think that'd work out well during the pageant."
"Agreed, Luyla's the crazy one of the group." Sighed Liyla.
"Hey, I am not crazy!"
"Oh yeah? Then what do you call that time you wanted to dress up as a bubbly goth when we were little? That combo does NOT work together."
"It totally would have, you were just being difficult!"
"I kind of know a twin pair who's half goth half bubbly." Remarked Jake making them turn. "They're the Oracle Twins, really nice to hang with."
"Ha! I knew the combo could work!"
"Wait, you know the oracles?"
"Yeah, I actually helped keep them safe, kinda, one time." He said before perking up. "They also told me that something would happen at the pageant last time."
"Really? Like what?"
"They just said something was gonna happen, their visions are pretty broad most of the time when it comes to stuff like that." He answered while rubbing the back of his head. "I mean they didn't say anything real bad was gonna happen, but if it came from both of them, it's probably some mixed package."
"Ah, ok, well at least you stopped that creep, right?"
"Oh big time, but at the same time I flunked a test I had the same day."
"Oh, well that sucks….but thanks for saving us anyway." Liyla said with a smile as she leaned against his arm.
"Hey no prob, that's what the AmDrag does." He smiled.
"Well it was for us, I bet that creep would have made us all slaves after becoming all powerful, he seems like that kind of creep."
"Trust me, that wasn't the first time I've had to take care of him. Once you get past all his goons and magic, he's not all that tough."
"Yeah, wizards, warlocks, and witches are usually all spell no bite, take away their wands and power and they're helpless."
"So do you think we could get a chance to see your dragon form right now?"
"Um, I could try, I recently sprained my ankle, but I did go to the spa thing so it should be mostly healed, let me try." He spoke before standing up. "Dragon up!" Before going into his dragon form and struck a pose. "Oh yeah, check out the AmDrag!" He cheered before feeling his ankle hurt. 'Augh, it still hurts… but it's not as bad as before.'
"Wow, now that's pretty cool." Smiled Luyla. "We've never met a real life dragon face to face."
"Yeah, you look so strong and powerful too~" Cooed Liyla with a grin.
"Well you fine ladies can look all you want, cause I ain't goin' nowhere for a while." He grinned flexing his arms while getting a big head.
'Huh, he has a bit of an ego, though I guess being a dragon and receiving a lot of compliments will do that to any guy.'
'I wonder how much he can bench press, those are some big muscles.' Thought Luyla as she moved towards him and poked his arm. "Wow, you must work out a lot."
"Yep, I work hard to keep new york safe." He boasted with a grin.
"Wow, the girls must come flocking to you, huh?"
"Heh, well uh, not exactly." He admitted while transforming back and sat down. "Let's just say my love life isn't as big as I'm hoping."
"Well, if you want we could fix that~" Offered both with winks making him blush.
"W-Well, I should hold off on any romance until after the pageant." He spoke up quickly seeing them lean against his arms. "I-I-I mean I don't wanna play favorites or nothin', know what I'm saying?"
"Aw come on, we won't tell anyone~" Cooed Luyla with a smile. "Come on AmDrag, do you not like us~?"
"W-W-Well it's not like that." He got out while Liyla rubbed his chest making him turn more red. 'Aw shoot yeah! Getting hit on by two girls at once? Now that's what I'm talkin' about!'
"Come on, we just wanna have some fun, do you gotta turn us down so harshly?"
"Uh….well I…" He stumbled over his words.
"Excuse me ladies, but you wouldn't be trying to seduce my judge, now would you?" Asked Heinrich walking over making them all turn to him as he had his hands behind his back. "It's far too soon and the warm up routine hasn't even begun yet."
"R-Right, we were just getting a bit too excited."
"We were just...wishing him good luck." Spoke Liyla as the two moved away from Jake and waved to him while moving away. "Bye, see you later."
"Bye…" He said in a daze.
"You alright Jake? I hope my judge isn't deciding which girl is gonna win before the pageant begins."
"Huh? N-No way man! Nope!" He shook his head and coughed. "I was just wishing them best of luck, you know, help out so they don't quit before getting started."
"Good, good, it would make me quite upset if you weren't fair." He chuckled as his eyes began to glow menacingly behind his shades.
Jake gulped while shaking his head. "Well you don't gotta worry, this dragon's not gonna play favorites, count on it."
"Good, it would be best for your health that you keep it that way." He warned with a double meaning before walking away.
'Damn, that guy is scary… ok Jake, you just need to get to your room and just wait until the pageant, judge it and then get out of here, easy, right?' He thought while he leaned against the couch while thankfully no other girls walked over to him. 'So, this is what gramps meant by this not being easy, huh? I never knew girls could be this devious or seductive.' He thought with a blush.
(Later)
"Alright Mr. Long, I can personally lead you to your room now that the elevators are good on space."
"Ah, thanks man." Jake sighed in relief as he stood up. 'Thank god, I was bored out of my mind!'
The two of them went over to an elevator and used it to get to the very top of the hotel before they went down the hall with the doors having gold number platings on each.
"You will be in room number 13, here are your keys Mr. Long."
"Thanks." He smiled taking the keys while getting a cold shudder down his back. 'What is that about, is the air conditioner on or something?'
"If you need anything you just give the help a ring with the bell near your bed."
"I will, thanks." He said as he unlocked the door and opened it only for his jaw to hit the floor. Inside it looked like a five star hotel room with clean white carpets, a big bed with curtains in another room while all sort of ornate furniture littered the place with a big kitchen. "Whoa, is this all really for me?"
"Yes Mr. Long, please enjoy it all, everything is complimentary, have a good day Mr. Long." Waved Heinrich before closing the door while Jake moved around to get a closer look while trying to contain his excitement.
"This….is….awesome!" He cheered with a massive grin. "A crib this big and fancy all to myself? Oh man, I gotta give gramps and Fu a call."
As he was geeking out Heinrich chuckled as he pulled out an electronic tablet which showed multiple cameras throughout the entire room.
"Now then, let's have some fun Mr. Long and see how strong your willpower is." He chuckled before hitting a message button which sent out the dragons room number to the phones of all the beauty pageant contestants. 'This was a great idea, I haven't been this entertained since woodstock!'
Said girls were resting in their rooms while getting unpacked while word about who the judge was had spread.
"Jake Long? Wow, I didn't know they got him to judge!"
"The dragon, huh? I've never been with a dragon, this could be fun~"
"He might be a little younger, but that just means I'll get him to see reason one way or another~"
"So this is his room number...and the times the electronic lock will be 'broken'? My my, I know what I'm doing tonight~"
With said dragon, he opened up the mini fridge full of various snacks and went to town chowing down. "Oh yeah, this stuff is so gooooood!" He cheered with a grin. "Damn, I forgot how I haven't had anything to eat all day!"
He munched away at some candy bars and got his phone out before dialing in the shop's number. It rang a few times before a tired voice picked up.
"Ugh, Jake, what is it, don't you have any idea how late it is here?"
"Sorry, but I just had to call and say how awesome this place is!"
"So you made it to the island, does everything seem normal there?"
"Yeah, so far I had to wait a while to get to my room, but when I got here, oh man! This place makes my room back home look like a shoebox. Not to mention all the great snacks they already had prepared in advance."
"I hope they were complimentary, I will not be paying the mini fridge bill, and stay away from the alcohol!"
"Relax Gramps, the dude who owns the place is cool. A bit strict, but cool." He remarked looking through the fridge and pulled out a bottle and red it. "Hey, you know what 'sake' is?"
"DON'T DRINK IT! Also, do you know who is in charge of the pageant?"
"Yeah, some red demon guy named Heinrich or something?" He answered while hearing a gasp from his grandpa. "You ok Gramps?"
"Heinrich? Do you mean Heinrich von Lieber? The demon of chaos, the red one, that Heinrich?!"
"Uh...yeah?"
"Jake, I fear you may be in trouble, while not evil Heinrich loves chaos, he has caused everything from riots to out of hand parties, you may know one of his works, the woodstock music festival of 1969."
"Uh...no not really."
"It was a colossal music festival that had ten times the number of participants than they planned for, and somehow magical creatures also participated, it took hundreds of witches to change people's memories to keep the magic world a secret." Said Lao Shi sternly. "I have a feeling there may be more to this pageant then what it seems."
"Come on Gramps, you sure you're not just being a little paranoid?"
"Jake, when it comes to Heinrich being paranoid is a must, just keep your wits about you."
"Well so far he seems ok, but I-"
"Hey gramps, hand me the phone, I gotta talk to him about something." Came Fu's voice on the other side.
"Fu, now is not the ti-give me back that phone!"
"Alright kid, give me the details, how many hotties are we seeing in total?"
"Fu! It's not like that….and it looked around fifty to one hundred or so?"
"Aw sweet! Listen, if you could get me a few numbers, that'd be-hey! I'm not done!"
"You are now! Listen Jake, just keep your guard up, and don't do anything Fu would do!" Spoke Lao Shi before the call ended.
"Keep up my guard, it's just a beauty pageant." Jake chuckled as he put down his phone. He climbed on the bed and leaned out with a smile and looked at the ceiling. "Wonder if I can bring the bed home as a souvenir." He joked to himself.
Knock Knock
"Excuse me, room service~"
'Huh? I didn't order anything.' He thought confused before getting up and walked out of the bedroom. 'Maybe Heinrich called them to really make me feel special, that dude rocks.' He thought as he opened the door. "Alright, come on...in?" He asked in confusion as he saw a single cart with a large metal dish over it with no one around. He looked down the hall and didn't see anyone and rubbed his head. "Huh, ok, weird." He said before shrugging and wheeling in the cart. "I guess they just leave the cart here and come back for it when I'm done?"
With that he grabbed the top of the dish and pulled it off, only to drop it and jump back with a yelp of shock. "Y-Y-You're not food!"
"Well I certainly hope not, but I do hope we could become close, and I wouldn't mind if you eat me~" Winked the woman under the dish who was a cyclops with short magenta hair that went down the sides of her face and wearing a simple yellow sundress.
"I-I can't do that, sorry!" Jake cried out with a massive blush as she stood up. "W-What are you doing under there anyway?"
"I decided to see the judge. D-Did I act too bold?" She asked as she began to slowly frown and feel nervous. "Sorry, I never really did something like this before."
"I-It's ok, you didn't do so bad for your first time?" He said uncertaily, trying to make her feel better. 'What am I even saying?!'
"R-Really? You think so?"
"Yeah, I mean, look on the bright side, you actually got me to bring you inside, I could've just left you outside."
"Y-Yeah, you're right!" She said as she perked up. "So…. do I look good?"
Jake looked her over and coughed to keep from staring. "Uh yeah, you look fine."
"Great!" She beamed with a smile. "So...um...please choose me as the winner tomorrow?"
"Wait what?"
"Um, I uh… I'm not as pretty as the other girls, but I'd really like to win so….so….could you please choose me as the winner tomorrow?"
"Oh! Uh...well...it's not that easy." He spoke rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, I haven't really seen how it'll go, plus if I decide already, I wouldn't be giving the other girls a chance, and that's kinda why I'm here."
"Oh….I see…" She said as she looked down in disappointment. "Well, could you just keep me in mind tomorrow?"
Jake felt a little guilty put on the spot before steeling himself and walked over to her. "Look, uh…"
"Iris."
"Iris, while I can't exactly play favorites, I CAN however tell you to be confident in yourself. Just get out there tomorrow and give it your all."
"Ok, I will, thanks Jake." She said with a smile before she began to head to the door. "Oh, and uh, you might want to be careful who you let in, I don't think I'm the only one who had this idea."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, we all got the same text, plus it took a lot of talking to get myself to do it and some of the girls are a bit more forward than me." She said as she opened the door. "Just….please stay unbiased."
Jake watched the door closed and blinked. 'Text? What text?' He made his way to the door and opened it only to find her gone. 'Huh? Where did she go?'
He didn't see her down the hall and closed the door before shrugging and walked over to the bell near the bed and gave it a ring, only to jump when the sound it made sounded more like a loud gong sound. "Whoa, that's weird, how the hell does such a small bell make so much noise?"
Knock knock
"Is that them already? Wow these guys work fast." He muttered walking to the door and opened it to see two tall trolls in the same uniforms.
"You rang?" Asked one.
"Is there something you need?"
"Oh! Uh...well actually I was just testing out the bell, it works." He chuckled sheepishly as they groaned without changing their expressions.
"We're not allowed to use the elevator unless we have food, do you know how many stairs we have to run up?"
"Next time it better be an emergency or else."
"Sorry, I'll keep that in mind." He chuckled sheepishly as they began to leave. 'Ok, I probably shouldn't call for them again.' He shut the door and walked to the kitchen to see if there were any pre-made meals there. 'Come on, there has to be something… should I still be worried, Iris said more girls might try to sneak in, but she couldn't be serious, right?'
Knock knock
'Are they back? Wait, is it them or another girl?' He thought as he hesitantly made his way to the door. "Uh, hello? Who's there?"
"Room service!"
"I didn't order anything, is this another girl on a dining cart under a large serving tray?"
"...no." Said a females voice slowly, making him sigh and look through a peephole.
"I can see a large silver tray on a cart, does it actually have food or a girl inside it?" He asked as he shook his head.
"...food?" A voice called as the tray shook a bit.
'I know there's a girl there, I know it, but she couldn't be the same as the last one, right?' He thought. "Uh thanks, but I think I'll pass right now."
"R-Really? But it's free and all nice and warm and uh….food?"
"Sorry, but I'm good." He spoke moving away from the door and swore he heard the girl let out a curse. 'Wow, she is pretty upset, huh?'
"Damn it, screw being sneaky, I'm busting in!" Called the girl before he heard the sound of the dish falling and saw the knob getting jiggled.
'Is she seriously trying to break in?! Good thing the doors locked.' He thought before hearing a loud beep before the door unlocked itself. "Say what?!" He cried before the door bursts open.
"Ha, I knew you couldn't resist!" Called what looked like a tiny pixie with a purplish-pink tint over her form with purple hair with Jake looking caught off guard.
"Wow, you sure are strong." He said in amazement. 'How is there so much power in such a small package?'
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" She asked crossing her arms.
"I mean I was expecting a giant from how strong and loud the banging on the door was."
"He he, keep it up, flattery will get you everywhere~" She smiled before flying over near him. "Now then, let's get down to business."
"Um, what business?" He asked, getting a bad feeling.
"The pageant of course. You think I snuck up here to talk about the weather?"
"No, but there's nothing I can do, I have to be impartial." He spoke making her frown as he looked at the door. 'I hope I don't gotta pay for that door.'
"Oh hell no, I did not fly all the way up here just to hear that bullshit!" She cried as she flew towards him until she was face to face with him. "I came here to get you to see that out of all those girls, I deserve the winning title."
"But then what would be the point of the whole show if I just decided the winner now?"
"Oh please, as the only pixie here I deserve it way more than them. How many times do people look at bigger and taller girls but overlook us tiny gals?"
"Um… a lot?"
"YES! That's why I should win!"
"But I can't just decide right now. How is it fair to make you the winner just because you're small?"
"Well it's never fair that they always win because they're big and the cameras can see them, so they should get a taste of their own medicine!" She huffed while Jake backed up.
"Look miss…"
"My name's Carol."
"Carol, I'm not gonna decide right now, that's final."
"Well maybe this will change you mind~" She chuckled as she tugged down her dress to show her cleavage. "They're D cups~"
'D for what, diminutive? I've had goosebumps bigger than them.' He thought as he turned away regardless. "Sorry, but this judge ain't gonna be swayed so easily."
"What?! Fine, I'll have to pull out the big guns then." She growled with a frown.
'Should I just put a cup over her and call it a night?' He wondered rubbing his chin while snickering a little at the idea. 'Maybe I could put a book over it so she can't get out.'
"If seducing you won't good, what about paying you?"
"Pay me?" He asked in confusion as she nodded. He saw her wave her hands before some pixie dust rose up and swirled around before a silver dollar appeared in her hands that made her grunt when she caught it. "Is that...a dollar?"
"Yep! Look how big it is!" She smirked holding it over hr head. "If you pick me, it can be yours."
"...I'm good." He said, making her gasp in shock.
"What?! But it's so big!"
"And worth about a dollar."
"B-But….I could buy a house with this!"
"A human house or pixie house?"
"A pixie one of course."
"Yeah, a human house can cost hundreds of thousands dollars, I wouldn't be able to buy a bagel with a dollar." He revealed making her eyes widen and mouth drop open. "Sorry, bribes ain't gonna work neither."
"B-B-B-B-But….no! Please choose me, please!" She begged floating over to him while dropping the dollar. "I'll do anything to win! Anything!"
"I'm sorry, but begging isn't going to help, I'm sorry!" He said as he backed up.
"Please, I'll do anything you want, I swear!"
He shook his head more as she got right into his face right as he went too far back and fell backwards onto the couch. "Woah!"
"Please please please please! I-I-I'll give you a kiss!"
"Say what?!" He let out before she put her hands on his face and moved in close with her lips against his, making his face turn as red as his scales.
"T-There, I kissed you, so you gotta let me win now!" 'I can't believe I just did that, I can never get married now!'
Jake looked at her with his mouth going slack in silent shock. "Uh…."
"W-Well…. See you tomorrow!" She cried before flying away.
Jake slowly blinked before shaking his head and walked to the bedroom. "I gotta get some sleep, this day is getting crazy." He muttered as he got onto the bed, unaware of the figures rushing up the stairs and elevator. 'Maybe when I wake up this will have all been some crazy dream.'