Author's note: Glad you feel that way, Mat, and I apologize for reporting "Friend or Spy?" It was for your own good, since otherwise you'd probably continue making script-format stories without thinking about it and end up in even deeper trouble when someone noticed.
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Chapter 2: Prepare
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FRIDAY 04:02 PM - SPIES' VILLA
The doorbell rang. Clover answered it; it was an official-looking man. "Excuse me, is this where Sam, Alex, and Leo are living?"
"Yes," Clover responded. "Are you from RPGames?"
We showed up at the door as the man explained. "As a matter of fact, yes, I am. Sam, Alex, and Leo are our picks for next week's show!"
I jumped with excitement. "Wow! What do we do to prepare?"
"Just come with me, and I'll take you to the RPGames studio."
As the man seated us in his limo and drove off, Clover waved to us. Then, she thought of something. "Wait a moment. Sam and Alex listed their names as 'Samantha' and 'Alexandra' on their entry forms. How did that guy know to use 'Sam' and 'Alex'?"
Before Clover could have much of a chance to think about it any more, Normi showed up. "Hey, Clover. Where are your friends?"
"They just left," Clover explained. "What have you been watching now that Zooney World's been cancelled?"
(Those of you who've watched the appropriate episode of Totally Spies know why Zooney World was cancelled.)
"The new game show, RPGames," Normi told his cousin. "It's awesome. You heard of it?"
"We watch it every chance we get. In fact, Sam, Leo, and Alex just got picked as next week's contestants! Cool, huh?"
06:28 PM - RPGAMES BACKSTAGE AREA
"Congratulations on becoming next week's contestants," a man showing us around told us. "Here are your entry forms. Do these stats look right?"
We looked at our entry forms. "Yes, these stats are exactly as we decided them to be," Sam finally said.
"Very well then. We'd better get you ready for the show. Come with me, please."
The man took us to what looked like three glass tubes, and instructed us to step inside. I got in the first tube, Sam the second, and Alex the third. As I watched, someone scanned our entry forms into a computer, one by one. Then, our tubes were bathed in shafts of light.
When the light cleared, I was in a woodsman's outfit. A quiver of arrows was strapped to my back, and I was holding a bow with which to use them. Sam was wearing a red cloak with gold trim. A medallion hung over her chest. She also had a satchel with some potions in it. Alex was wearing all-dark clothing. A dagger was sheathed by her side, and she had an empty sack in her hand.
The tubes opened, and we stepped out. Just to practice, I removed an arrow from my quiver, readied it, and shot it right into a nearby TV camera, damaging it. The man laughed. "Save it for the show, Leo."
Alex snapped her fingers. "Speaking of the show," she asked, "when do we begin?"
"Filming begins tomorrow," the man told us. "We'll keep you here until then. Don't worry, our staff will make sure you're well taken care of."
I bent over to whisper in the girls' ears. "I don't know about you, but something about this game show reminds me of the N1 Grand Prix in Mega Man Battle Network 3."
"The what?" Sam responded.
"You don't know as much about video games as I do, so I'd better explain. The N1 Grand Prix was a NetBattling tourney to see who was the best NetBattler. The whole thing turned out to be a setup just so the world could witness the defeat of the famous Official Chaud at the hands of the WWW."
"So you're saying this might be some sort of setup?"
"Exactly. We don't have any evidence, though, so let's just leave the subject alone for now. Come on, let's get some nourishment. I'm starved." We all agreed, and headed off.
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That's EXACTLY what I'm saying. See you next chapter!