When last we left off, Sarah had challenged Tom in a Mystery Match in an effort to knock him back to his senses. Will it work or will she lose her dream guy? Let's find out! (Oh, and watch out for a 'Degrassi'-inspired scene...)
"I really want to ace this Mystery Match, Kaz. If I win, that'll be 7 wins in the Amzen Drome. That means I can challenge Codemaster Amzen..." Tom explained.
"Relax, Tom. You'll be fine."
"I just wish I knew who challenged me..." Tom said as he walked in. And who should show up...but Sarah!
"Hey Tom!" Sarah greeted cheerfully. "Ready to get...CHAOTIC?"
Tom was taken by surprise. His Mystery Match opponent...was his secret crush? "Sarah? You're the Mystery Player? YOU CHALLENGED ME?"
"You got it! We're both a win away from challenging Codemaster Amzen...but this match means more to me than you can ever know. You've not been acting like yourself lately and I'm gonna try to snap you back to your senses!"
'Sarah's willing to go this far...for me?' Tom thought to himself as the command was given.
'Players, dock your scanners...'
Once the scanners were docked, Tom and Sarah started to set their teams.
"Tom knows my strategies inside and out...but I'm sure Neekwin will be a surprise...Raznus and Ilexia will come through for me no problem and I'll put Makanaz and Irrabeq on the front line...with Lore, Ancestral Caller behind. For Mugic...Refrain of Denial, Carnivore's Keening, Fortissimo, Unbalancing Battlesong, Harmonics of Water and Elemental Elegy. Now for the Gear. Let's have Raznus with an Aqua Shield, Makanaz with the Desetructozooka, Irrabeq with Xerium Armor, I'll give Ilexia the Orchis Undin, let's Neekwin a Droskin and I'll give Lore the Mugician's Lyre. Finally the Locations - Mount Pillar...the Riverlands...Everrain...Pouril Forest...Cordac Falls...Mount Pillar Reservoir...Iron Pillar...Kiru City...Fear Valley...and Flooded Storm Tunnel."
"Sarah's probably gonna try to infect my creatures early and often...and her Mugic can be devastating. So for Mugic - I'll need Refrain of Denial, Interlude of Interruption, Surprising Riffs, Song of Rejuvenation, Harmonious Highsong and Rhyme of the Reckless. I'll definitely put Maxxor, Protector of Perim on the front line. Tartarek Psy-Overloader and Tangath Toborn In Training will be there for backup. Abeid and Drabe behind them with Najarin, High Muge of the Lake as my caster. For the Battlegear...Tangath gets his trusty Sword of Khy'at, Maxxor with the Evergreen Tunic, Tartarek...the Phoenix Belt...the Ring of Na'arin for Drabe, Balladeers' Flute for Arbeid and for Najarin...the AZAIA Mindprobe."
'Players, lock your decks...'
Decks locked, boards revealed!
'MajorTom, you accepted the Mystery Challenge. You get the first attacked. Activate your Location Randomizer...'
The Randomizer lands at...Ravanaugh Ridge.
"Maxxor attacks Makanaz!"
Creatures selected, Tom and Sarah transformed into Maxxor and Makanaz, respectively.
"LET'S GET CHAOTIC!" Tom and Sarah said together.
Outside, Kaz and Peyton were watching the match intently.
"So Sarah pulled this Mystery Challenge stunt?" Peyton asked surprised. "Why would she do this?"
Kaz thought about it for a second before piecing it together. "Peyton...I think it's about Tom."
"What do you mean, Kazzy-boy?"
"I mean, over the last week, we've seen Tom become totally ruthless, laser-focused on the game and nothing else. Perhaps Sarah's taken notice of it too and decided to do something about it...try to bring the Tom we all know back."
"It's a side effect of the CoolTom incident, isn't it?"
Kaz nodded in confirmation. "Not only that...but I believe it's Sarah finally admitting to Tom that she's in love with him...going to such lengths to help him. She wants our Tom back..."
"...and so do we, Kaz. I hope this works."
It ends up looking like it may fail as Tom blows through Sarah's creatures with Maxxor, leaving Sarah down to Ilexia. Location: the Riverlands.
"Sarah, I'm disappointed in you..." Tom said.
"Tom, this isn't like you! You're not this ruthless! I don't even care about the match...I just want you back...but I guess I failed. So just end it..." Sarah said remorsefully as Tom readied a Lavalanche attack. But instead of firing at Sarah...he fired it at a tree, coding Maxxor.
"Tom, why'd you code your own creature?" Sarah asked.
"You're right, Sarah...I've never been this ruthless in the Battledromes. I guess I just let CoolTom and his cockiness get to me," Tom said as he removed his scanner. "Drome Master, I concede the match! Sarah...it's your turn to take on the CodeMasters."
'MajorTom has forfeit the match. The winner: ChaotiKween. This is your 7th win at Battledrome Amzen, this qualifies you for a match against Codemaster Amzen, ready your deck and report back to Battledrome Amzen in exactly one week.'
Upon hearing this, Sarah jumped into Tom's arms, tears welling up. "Tom..."
"Sarah...don't say anything...let's get out of here," Tom said as they walked out of the BattleDrome. They would start working on strategy immediately.
The next day, Tom had it rough at Dunstan High - he had found out Sarah had read his journal during the CoolTom incident and during Study Hall period, while Ms. Gardner wasn't in the room, Sarah left a MASH game on the whiteboard, showing she would end up with Tom. After school, Tom was meeting up with Sarah at her place to help her with her strategy...
"I don't know, Uncle Tom...you really wanna go after our sister..."
"...after what she did to you?" Jackson and Jeremy asked Tom as the trio headed for the backyard of Sarah's house.
"Oh, ha ha, kiddos. No..." Tom deadpanned to the Tweebs, who saw Tom as their pseudo-uncle. "But I am gonna let her know that what she did wasn't cool...you don't go looking into a guy's journal!"
Jackson and Jeremy shrugged as they went back inside.
Jackson found Sarah's phone and looked down her playlist. "Where's that song, Jeremy?"
"'Out Of My League' - Fitz and the Tantrums? 3rd one from the top," Jeremy said.
Jackson smiled as he tapped the song in question. "Sarah is so gonna kill us when she finds out!"
"That's IF she finds out, Jackie. I think she'll be too busy kissing Tom..."
That's when Sarah came out in a golden robe, untying it to reveal a deep red bikini.
"Hey, Sarah!" Tom called out. "You know it's not cool to look at a guy's...journal?" Tom trailed off as unknown to him, a fairly fitting song started...
More than just a dream...
As he got a good look at Sarah in her bikini, he couldn't believe his eyes. She was more beautiful than he could've imagined. As she brushed a lock of her blonde hair back, Tom stumbled and fell into the pool, soaking his Derek Jeter Yankees jersey. Sarah reacted fast and swam in to grab him.
You were out of my league
All the things I believed
You were just the right kind
Yeah, you are more than just a dream
You were out of my league
Got my heartbeat racing
If I die, don't wake me
Yeah, you are more than just a dream
"Tom! Tom! You okay?"
"Sarah, what gives? You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"I made you, the captain of every boys' sports team at school, the world's worst swimmer on purpose?"
"You got into that bikini to distract me!"
"I don't need an elaborate plan to make you look dumb, Thomas Majors..."
"You've been doing it all week, though! Your little game at school, the CoolTom incident, reading my journal...making it seem like I was the loser!"
Sarah just smiled. "Who said you were the loser, Tom?"
Tom was dumbfounded. "What do you mean, Sarah? You mean you left it there on the whiteboard..."
"...because I wanted you...to see it..."
Tom had no time to react as Sarah crashed her lips into his. Tom didn't resist as he returned the kiss with equal passion. When they broke, one thought came to them.
"Kaz and Peyton can't know about this..." Tom and Sarah said in unison.
Sarah giggled "Know about what?", she asked before she and Tom smacked lips again. That's when both of them heard the music playing from Sarah's phone.
"Why do I hear music playing? Is that coming from your phone?" Tom asked.
Then it hit Sarah. "Probably the Tweebs' doing...again. I'm so gonna get them later! Right now...let's just enjoy this...sorry about your Jeter jersey, by the way. I know how much that meant to you."
"Yeah...wore it when the Yankees won the World Series and when Jeter got his 3000th hit. It's been pretty lucky for me. Now I can add one more milestone to this..."
Sarah got a sly grin on her face. "And what would that be?"
"The day I finally got a girlfriend. Sarah Beth Laurence...will you...finally be my girlfriend?"
"Oh, Tom! Come here, my Overworld hunk!" Sarah swooned as she kissed Tom once more, her sparkling ruby red lipstick working its magic on Tom and her bikini-clad chest rubbing against Tom's athletic frame.
"What about your twin brothers?" Tom asked.
"Ah, who cares, Tom? I already got my guy..."
Tom and Sarah are finally together! We'll get into 'Newbie' next, then...Sarah's CodeMaster match! See ya then and...LET'S GET CHAOTIC!
