While Chris gets ready to accept his award (or lack thereof), a previously eliminated competitor searches for help from someone they can trust.
Let's see how this all plays out.
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The phone started ringing in Chris' cabin. Chris, upon hearing it, reached over to grab the phone, and he then answered it.
"What is it, whoever you are?" he asked. "This had better not be a waste of time."
The man on the other end answered, "Hello, Mr. McLean. I just called to let you know that you have been named Official Hair Gel Spokesperson of the Year."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Chris then squealed from the excitement. "I had always wanted to be Hair Gel Spokesperson! Tell me, can I accept my award immediately?"
"Of course. It's at a remote village in the Alps. We need this location because those who didn't win are very jealous of you. Don't worry about the name of the village. You'll find it."
"CHEF! TURN THE PLANE AROUND! WE'RE HEADED FOR A LITTLE DETOUR! I'M OFFICIAL HAIR GEL SPOKESPERSON OF THE YEAR!"
Chef rolled his eyes. "You don't have to yell. I heard the call."
For everyone else on the plane, things were about to be scary.
"What did Chris just yell out?" Moka asked.
"I have no idea," Mega Man replied. "Probably doesn't concern us tho-"
VRAAAAOOOOWWWW! (Is this what a plane sounds like when it violently turns? I have no idea.)
Suddenly, the plane was making a very sharp u-turn, and it flung everybody who wasn't hanging on out of their seats. Everyone was screaming as the plane made its turn. When it had finally leveled out, half the competitors had piled up against the wall, and the other half was on the floor.
"What the heck was that all about?" Sonic asked.
(The next day…)
"He is literally dragging us here so he can accept some award?" Mandy asked. "I think this may be the stupidest reason ever for a detour."
"You're just jealous," Chris said. "Anyway, we're about to land."
Sure enough, everyone was getting a bird's eye view of a small village sitting in a valley in the German Alps. Once the plane landed, everyone noticed Chris' joyous demeanor. Even the rainy scenery couldn't dampen his spirits.
"One hair gel endorsement and he gets honored like this," Gaz said, more a question than a statement. "Something's a little fishy."
Chris was smiling. "Alright, everybody. I'm going to the town hall, where I'll be receiving my award in secret, so as not to anger the sore losers. You all, do whatever."
The whole group shrugged as they got off the plane. Chris followed, and everyone could hear him mutter, "I won! I won!"
"Is there anyone else in a more confusing situation than we are?" Leo asked himself.
(Somewhere else in the village…)
In fact, there was one person who was in such a situation. That person was currently on a bus riding down the streets in the rainy town. Whoever they were, it was impossible to see their face because they were wearing a long black cloak with a hood. And this person was on a mission.
Once the bus reached a certain stop, the mysterious person saw the building they were looking for. Nodding slightly, they wordlessly stepped off the bus. They waited until the bus drove out of sight before they walked to the house. Then, looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, they rang the doorbell.
Ten seconds later, the door opened. Interestingly enough, it was Maya who answered. "Uh, who are you?" she asked when she saw the figure.
Without a word, the figure removed their hood to reveal…
"Lammy?!"
"Hi."
Not believing her eyes, Maya immediately reached out and hugged Lammy, who quickly returned the hug. Then, Maya looked at the lamb. "What are you even doing here?"
"Can I explain inside?" Lammy asked.
"Of course. Come on in."
Lammy nodded, then Maya stepped out of the way to let her in. "Thanks," Lammy said as she stepped inside the house. In certain parts of the living room, there were a few taped photographs.
"Sorry it's a bit messy," Maya told her. "I've been helping Phoenix out with a case."
"Cool. How's he doing, anyway?"
"We have a few pretty good leads so far, but I can't really say anything else about it. We both agreed to keep it confidential."
"Okay. I heard about the case you and Nick were doing here, so I came as soon as I could."
"If you want to take a seat so we can talk, you can."
Lammy then walked to the couch, careful not to put the rain-soaked cloak on it. Once she sat down, she said, "Before I tell you exactly why I'm here, I need to know a few things."
"Like what?"
"I'm just going to say that I haven't caught up with what's happened on TDE2 since my elimination."
Maya nodded. She had immediately understood the first thing Lammy wanted to know. "Yusei's still in the game."
Relief immediately came onto Lammy's face. "I'm glad," she said.
"I hoped you would be," Maya said in a knowing voice.
"So what has happened since I left?"
Once again, Maya understood. "Toph, Deadpool, and Jak and Daxter."
This one surprised Lammy. "Wow. I didn't expect Deadpool."
"No one did," Maya responded.
(Back with Chris…)
"Excuse me," Chris said to one of the villagers. "Do you know where the town hall is?"
There was an immediate problem that popped up, because the villager didn't speak English. He tried to communicate that with Chris, but all it did was infuriate him.
"HEY! ARE YOU DEAF?! WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE THE TOWN HALL IS! IF YOU HAVE ANY BRAIN CELL IN YOUR HEAD, TELL US WHERE-"
"Chris!"
Chef was looking at him. "Maybe I should handle this," he said. Then he faced the man and started speaking to him in perfect German.
And this pretty much surprised Chris. He spent the next thirty seconds cursing under his breath.
This time, the man nodded and pointed in a specific direction. Chef tanked him, and Chris was dumbstruck.
"When did you learn to speak German?" he asked.
"Don't ask."
They walked in the direction the man pointed them to, and the man waved goodbye. Then, as he turned away from them, he muttered, "Dummkopf (Imbecile)."
(Meanwhile…)
"A radio show?" Lammy asked. "You're kidding."
Maya shook her head. "He calls himself MK's sexyboi. It has to allude to a certain person, but I don't know who."
"Darn. And out of curiosity…" Lammy hesitated at the question.
"Yes?"
"How did Yusei take….you know…."
Maya looked down. "I understand you wanted to do the right thing, but are you sure you want to know?"
"The truth. All of it."
"Okay. Honestly, he didn't take it well. He kinda fell into a deep rut, and even Deadpool and Julie couldn't help him. When I watched the episode, I thought he would quit at the end."
Lammy was shocked. "What stopped him?"
"Nom Nom. He talked to him, quite literally slapped sense into him, and it worked. Yusei came through, though I doubt he's completely over it yet. What's more, you nearly divided us all on the topic. Even your friends showed up last Aftermath."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So did Yusei's friends. They wound up having some crazy fight in the end. You even almost broke up Sam and Snake."
Lammy shook her head. "I did not want any of this to happen. Yusei almost gave up entirely because of me."
"We all know you did it because you believed it was the right thing to do. You shouldn't be too hard to yourself about it."
"I guess."
They sat silent for a couple moments. "So, do you feel you've been caught up to speed?"
"Yes."
"Then what was it you originally wanted to talk to me about?"
It was time to get down to business. "Well," Lammy said, "it's about this." She showed Maya a familiar piece of jewelry.
"That's the necklace you and Yusei found in Egypt, right?"
"Yes."
"What is it about it that you want my help with?"
Lammy sighed. "I need you to use your channeling technique to channel the spirit of anyone who had ever even held this necklace before we found it."
(Meanwhile…)
Chris and Chef had finally arrived at the town hall. "It's pretty big for a small town," Chris said. "Could use a decorator though."
"Let's just get you that award and then get out of here," Chef said. "This place is too pretty for my taste."
Once they were inside, they walked to the first person they saw. "Hey, do you speak English?" Chris asked him
The man nodded. "Can I help you, gentleman?"
"Dude, I'm Chris McLean, and I want to know where I'm supposed to go to accept my award for Hair Gel Spokesperson."
"First door on the left."
"Awesome."
Once that was sorted, they both walked down the hallway until they came to the first door on the left.
"How do I look?" Chris asked Chef. "Am I ready to accept the award?"
"I don't care."
"Exactly the answer I wanted. Chef, open the door."
Chef nodded and did as he was told. Chris immediately stepped in. "Here I am!" he exclaimed.
Then, the most unexpected part of his day was when a bucket of water fell on his head.
(Back at Maya's apartment…)
"I understand your reasoning for coming to me," Maya told Lammy. "But I'm afraid my channeling ability doesn't work like that."
"How so?"
"I can't channel any random spirit. In order for me to channel someone, I need to know their name and what they looked like. That's why it was so easy for me to do Benjamin Franklin when we did the talent show. Everyone knows who he was. But I can't channel someone I don't know."
Lammy looked at the necklace. "Do you know anything about this necklace and who might have owned it?"
"No, I don't. I'm sorry I had to let you down like this, but I'm afraid I can't help you."
Lammy nodded. "I understand. Thanks anyway."
"What is it about the necklace that you're concerned about?"
"At one point, when I was on the plane, I had this strange dream. Some woman wanted me to work with her, but I said no. She said if I didn't, there would be consequences on everyone I care about."
"Master Onion? Even Yusei?"
"Yes. And that's not all. Starting in Aomori City, I started to have these brief periods where I can't remember what I'm doing when they happen. Apparently, I knocked Deadpool out cold at one point."
"You actually did."
"I was afraid of that. And in New York….I knocked Yusei off his jet ski. I could have killed him. And when that happened, I knew he wasn't safe around me. So I threw the challenge and voted myself off. Toph was a good friend, she knew what was going on. But I felt that simply leaving the plane wouldn't be enough."
Maya then asked, "So you broke up with him?"
Lammy nodded. "He's not safe around me. No one is. I even felt scared to come here and ask for your help. As long as I'm like this, I'm not safe for anyone to be around. Especially Yusei."
"So you did all this to protect him?"
"Yes."
Both sat silent for a long time, but then Maya said, "I understand that everything you did was for Yusei's sake. But don't get the wrong idea. I may be on your side, but it wasn't fair to him."
"I know."
"Lammy, you know Yusei would do anything for you. You could've explained what was going on in full, and he would've understood. Even with the risk of danger, he would do anything if it meant helping you."
The lamb nodded. "I know."
"But nothing you did was fair to him, no matter the good intentions. I'm just saying that leaving the plane and dumping him without an explanation was pretty selfish."
"I know. I didn't want any of this to happen."
Maya looked at her and said, "Still, you truly believed you were doing the right thing. It's impossible to be mad at you about that."
(Menawhile…)
Chris pulled the bucket off his head. "Okay, what the heck was that for? Is this the way to treat the Official Hair Gel Spokesperson of the Year? I don't think so."
"Uh, Chris?" Chef asked. "No one's in here."
Sure enough, the room was empty, except for a table and note. Chris walked over to the note and picked it up to read it. "What's going on here?" he asked.
"Just read the note so we may find out."
Gotcha Chris!
We may have had someone prank call you and tell you a little lie about you winning some sort of award. I wasn't the one that prank called you, but that bucket of water prank was my idea. Have a nice day, jacka**!
-Deadpool (a.k.a. MK's sexyboi)
If Nom Nom, Mandy, and Deadpool have had pretty bad swearing tirades before, none of them compared to what Chris immediately spewed out as soon as he finished reading the note.
"(a really, really, really, REAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLYYYYYYY LOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG censor)!"
(Menawhile…)
"Why do I hear someone in a cursing tirade?"
"Probably Chris. Jak and Daxter prank called him and said he was receiving an award in secret in this very town. Looks like he found the truth."
Lammy groaned. "If he's here, Yusei and the others must be here too. I'm going to have to get out of here before they spot me."
"Then good luck," Maya said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you today."
"It's fine. Please don't tell anyone else you saw me. It's for everyone's own good."
"Okay. I hope everything works out for you." Then they hugged.
"Thanks. Bye, Maya."
Quickly, Lammy ran out the door. Maya waved as she exited the building.
(A few minutes later…)
Chris was gathering the competitors back up. Over the course of the day, they had all explored the village and bought a few souvenirs. They also noticed the foul mood Chris was in. "What's up with you?" Mandy asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," Chris replied. "Let's just say there's a couple of people I want to throttle right now. Particularly a certain mercenary."
"Any reason?"
"Let's just go!"
Among the group, Yusei had made a mental note to stay as far away from Chris as possible. He knew better than to talk to him after realizing someone had pranked him.
Then, as Yusei came to that very thought, something caught his eye. Across the street, there was a figure wearing a black cloak, running down the sidewalk. The person looked…..familiar.
Then, what startled Yusei the most was when the figure turned their head to him. Though Yusei couldn't see the person's face, he was able to get a glimpse of one of the person''s eyes.
And he knew those eyes anywhere.
Unfortunately, the mysterious person also noticed Yusei staring at them, and immediately took off running. Yusei ran after them, but upon turning the corner, the figure in the cloak had vanished.
For a moment, Yusei stood in the rain, unsure of what had just happened. Was that person in the cloak who he thought it was?
"Yusei?" Ruby asked. "Did you see anything?"
After a brief hesitation, Yusei shook his head. "Nothing." Both then went to catch up to the group as they went back to the plane.
(Meanwhile…)
Lammy sat in the alley, panting. "That was close," she thought.
Too close. She had no doubt Yusei wasn't able to see her face in full, but he had to have seen enough to run after her.
Shaking her head, she went to the nearest bus stop, and got on the first bus to come by. After paying the fare, she sat down, thinking about what Maya said.
Lammy knew what she did was selfish of her. But she also believed it was the only option. As long as Lammy had the necklace, she was a danger to herself and to others. Until she had answers, everyone had to stay away.
Including Yusei.
(Author's Note: I strongly suggest you listen to DHT's "Listen To Your Heart" whenever you read this part. It really fits in.)
But having just seen Yusei, Lammy was reminded of how much she loved him. How much it hurt for her to have left. How much it hurt that he almost gave up because of her.
As much as she wanted to keep him safe, she was truly starting to wonder if she had made the right call.
Sitting in the bus, Lammy looked outside the rain-spattered window and began to sob, gently.
(Back on the plane…)
"YOU HAD BETTER FIND OUT WHO PRANK CALLED ME, AND FAST!" Chris yelled into the phone. "THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"
I think it's safe to say no one on the plane got any sleep that night, simply because Chris yelled into that phone until dawn.
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Well that's a lot to think about.
Chris learned of the deception, and spewed out the most violent swearing tirade in TDE history. Even Lindsay's strong words toward Heather in the first season couldn't compare. And I have to say that Deadpool putting that bucket there was a nice touch.
In Lammy's case, more about her decisions has been revealed. She went to Maya for channeling help, and though Maya wasn't able to help her on that front, Lammy did learn a thing or two. Maybe what she did wasn't for the best of everyone.
Again, thanks to Vegetalucard for "Morning Merc". While I won't forbid Deadpool from using "MK's sexyboi" as his code name, it still won't get him a date with me.
So all you need to do now is read and review, fav and follow, send in challenge ideas and locations, give me some good-luck messages and audition tapes, and vote for your favorite competitor if you haven't yet.
We'll see you in Zimbabwe next time. TheMasterKat out!
