Hawaiian Counter-Punch
By Asher Tye
Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, be it Island, Action, or World Tour. This story is being done purely for fun, not profit. If someone says I'm selling this for money, they're a dirty, rotten, no good, liar. If you give someone money for this… Well you're rather foolish aren't you since I'm putting it here for free, huh?
Author's Note: Thus we come to the final chapter. I actually had this bit written out earlier, but as I read it while editing, I decided the old epilogue was, well… let's be honest, it was rather crappy. So, after dynamiting the second part and reworking the first, this is what we have. Hopefully this works for everyone. I must say, I am impressed by all the love this story's gotten. I might try another at some point. I've actually already got the basics of an idea for a season four of my own (assuming I can come up with enough themed challenges for the show).
And to everyone upset that I still used Zombie Zeke to destroy the million, well, granted there were probably better ways to get rid of the money, but I just didn't want to rob everyone's favorite prairie boy of his big payback on Chris.
Epilogue
On the deck of the cruise ship "Wanderer of Paradise," Cody was leaning against the guardrails that ran around the edge, gazing out into the ocean as the wind whipped through his hair. It had been a stroke of great luck the ship had been passing through and been able to pick them up, even more so that they'd had room to accommodate everybody. Total Drama Productions had made arrangements with the cruise company to get their former stars back to Canada, and in style no less. All of which was being paid for out of Chris's salary.
Cody had to laugh at that.
Apparently attempting to abandon Sierra back in Drumheller out of spite had had more problems attached to it than merely ticking off the uber-fan's mother. It had also managed to tick off her uncle, a rather vicious lawyer who'd been quite prepared to rake both Total Drama Productions and its sadistic little host over some very hot coals. The studio execs had chosen to throw McLean to the proverbial wolves, threatening to yank him from the next season if he didn't play along. Even Courtney had had to give Sierra applause for that happy turn of events.
So now he leaned against the rail in a white T-shirt and baggy pants with flip-flops, the end result of the cruise ship offering the castaway cast-mates a change in clothes while theirs were cleaned.
Casually he scratched the left side of his chest. He had developed a sudden red rash over two circular patches of skin around his chest, hence why he'd gotten an oversized shirt.
'Guess I can add coconut fur to the list of things I need to stay away from,' he thought as he continued to stare out at the setting sun.
The million dollars was gone. That was an irrefutable fact now. Cody had even talked to the show's lawyers, but all he'd gotten was a lot of very big, legal sounding words that all seemed to boil down to "we gave you the money, it's your fault you couldn't hold on to it." Not that that bothered the World Tour Winner all that much. He was upset, sure, who wouldn't be, but the prize money had never been a huge factor for him. Sure it would have been nice to have, the young Mr. Anderson could just picture the awesome personal computer he could have created with that money, but losing it wasn't exactly the end of his world. After all, it wasn't like that would be last million he'd ever see. Cody chuckled at his own private joke
The sound of wheels rolling alerted the teen to the fact that he was no longer alone, while a sudden urge to run told him who was joining him. To be fair, Sierra had calmed down somewhat since Cody had given her the title of his best friend, but old habits died hard. Plus he was fairly sure she was planning to pilfer his outfit from the ship's laundry room to replace all the Cody-Keepsakes she'd lost when the jumbo jet had exploded.
"I'm getting better at finding you," the girl said happily as she pulled her wheelchair, a quality one provided by the ship, up to sit next to her crush. She'd also gotten a wig apparently. As he looked at the hair that seemed to have been done in a vaguely familiar style, Cody couldn't help but think that he missed the long, purple colored hair she'd once worn. .
"You look… good," the tech-geek commented, trying to be supportive in case Sierra had grown attached to her new look. The injured girl blew a disinterested raspberry.
"Chris got this for me," she stated, which explained where Cody had seen the style before, "I think he's trying to butter me up so I'll ask Uncle John to let him off the hook."
"Oh."
"Yeah, its kinda funny watching him trip over himself trying make nice after calling me all those mean names. Chef's cracking up all over the place. Heather says I should make sure he puts me in the next season of Total Drama but…"
"But?"
"Well, the fan backlash Courtney got from forcing her way onto the second season was kinda intense. Plus, if he really is gonna use new contestants, that means you're not gonna be there, so what's the point?" A part of Cody felt that sentiment was just a bit creepy, but another part was somewhat flattered. It certainly wasn't the most alarming thing she'd said to him.
"You should take it if you want," he counseled. "I mean, just because I'm not gonna be there is no reason for you to give up stardom. Who knows, maybe you'll meet your own sta… super-fan in the next season." Silence returned as Cody went back to staring out at the water, Sierra joining him.
"So," she finally began, "what're you doing out here all alone?"
"Thinking, getting my bearings," the brunette replied. "Extremely glad I decided to leave Jerry back at home when I joined this circus."
"So that's what happened. I was looking for that little emu everywhere, it would have made the best souven…" It was a sign of growth that Sierra realized just how bad it was that she'd been planning to steal something Cody had just said he'd been glad he'd kept from being destroyed. "Sorry, I guess I can't help myself."
"It's all right. Not like you actually did it," Cody reassured her, though his tone of voice did communicate the somewhat creeped out feeling he'd been having. Once the awkward moment passed, the gap-toothed geek opened his mouth again. "Y'know, I kinda wish I'd held on to a bit of that million dollars now, like maybe the bills I was rubbing myself with."
"Why, something you wanna buy on the ship?" Sierra asked, already thinking of how she could use her newly acquired clout with Chris to get her would-be beau a gift to remember her by.
"Oh no, no. Nothing like that," the World Tour Winner answered, unaware that Sierra's face had fallen at that. "I mean, since this might be the last time we're all together, it would have been nice to do something to commemorate the season? Maybe have a party or something since we might not see… each other… again?" It was then that Cody noticed something amiss; Sierra was no longer looking at him. Instead, she was gazing out at the ocean, or rather at the sky above the ocean. Curious, the tech-geek followed her line of sight.
Something was tumbling through the air in the dimming twilight, three somethings as a matter of fact, cart-wheeling on a breeze towards them. Cody reached out a hand to grab hold of the first of the papery objects, only to miss and have it smack him in the face. Ignoring the good-natured chuckle from Sierra, the young computer whiz peeled his catch off to examine it. His eyes grew wide as a smile came to his youthful face.
"Hey," he exclaimed happily, "it's one of the bills from the briefcase." Indeed, though it was singed and covered in soot, the papery note was indeed one of the hundreds Chris had handed him back up on the volcano. As if drawn to their brother, the other two bills, both just as scorched and ashen as the first, wafted down to the teens.
"Wow, talk about lucky," Sierra smiled as one of the bills landed on her chest. "And now at least now you're not leaving empty handed.
"Eh, I didn't think I was before," the brunette reminded his number one fan as she handed him the bill. Then he kissed the c-notes. "But this does mean we can have some fun while we're here."
Later, with the sun having sunk beneath the waves for the day, the former contestants found themselves gathered around the door to Cody's cabin. Several glaring eyes were shot back and forth between individual teens, but so far no one had done anything beyond a few snide remarks.
"So, anyone know why the pipsqueak told us all to come here?" Duncan finally asked, growing bored with simply waiting about.
"My invite was the same as yours," Noah pointed out as he held up an index card. "'Come to my cabin at eight, big surprise. Signed, Cody.' Not the most articulate but it does sort of get the point across."
"All I can say is this better be worth my time," Heather snipped, her nose in the air. "After the day I've had, I've earned a good night's sleep on a real bed."
"Surprised you showed up," Gwen commented. "I'd have bet money on you and Al just ripping up your invites."
"We are not the sort of people to hold a grudge my dear," Alejandro explained. "If the winner of our little game wishes to see us with a big surprise, I am willing to humor him. But I would much appreciate it if you would refrain from calling me Al."
"Yeah, after everything you did, that ain't happenin'," Duncan shot back. Before the two could get into a glaring match, the door to the cabin opened and a familiar head popped out.
"Cool, you're all on time," Cody said, as smile on his face as he greeted his guests. Sliding his thin frame from out of the door, the brunette quickly closed it behind him so no one could look inside. Of course, such strange behavior did not go unnoticed.
"So what's going on Cody?" DJ asked. "I'd've thought you'd be tired out after all this."
"Well, I couldn't help thinking about what Chris said, back on the boat, about there being new competitors, and I realized, this may be our last chance to hang together."
"Yes, because this is so a group of people I'm gonna wanna remember when I'm in therapy," Noah said, though the smirk on his face seemed to say he meant this as a joke. Cody rolled his eyes at his fellow nerd and continued.
"Well, without going into too much detail, I thought it'd be cool if we had a party to celebrate the end of the season. "
"A party? That's your big surprise, some geek-fest masquerading as a party?" Heather asked sharply. "You actually expect me to debase myself by willingly hanging out with a group of scruffy, no-talent, gutless…" At this point the Queen Bee's shoulders slumped. "Oh who am I kidding, I could use a good time as much as anybody else." Smiling at what he chose to take as an acceptance of his invitation, Cody reopened his cabin door.
No one had been quite sure how Cody had rated his own room while other members of the cast had had to share, though some thought another covert Cody-Fan had been involved. Inside all furniture had been folded up and pushed back as far as it could go, while a single table had been set up with chips, dip, punch, and all sorts of other foods that were patently bad for the body but still beloved by people everywhere. There was even a tub of ice-cream and the fixings for sundaes.
"Will you hurry up and put that tack in!" Chef Hatchet barked as he held a ladder upon which Chris stood, trying to hang a big banner that said "Good-Bye For Now." Nearby Sierra was watching as the duo tried their hand at decorating with a growing sense of mirth.
"Be patient, I've never done this sort of thing before. It's not in my nature to do manual labor," the beleaguered host said as he finally succeeded at his task. Then he looked down to Sierra. "This'll square us with your uncle, right?"
"Gee, I don't know. Where exactly does helping me decorate for a party fall on the scale with 'breach of contract,' 'criminal negligence,' and 'attempted abandonment?'" she pointed out smugly. Chris groaned.
"I said I was sorry for that," he whined.
Once everyone had entered the room, Cody walked over to a small CD player he'd managed to scrounge up, putting a disk into it to officially start the party.
"Oh, I love this song," Lindsay squealed, grabbing hold of Tyler as she pulled him onto the makeshift dance floor. "Come on Tyler, dance with me, we'd be so good." The sporto chuckled as he let himself be led and they started to dance, joined almost immediately by Bridgette and Geoff who were holding each other so closely they might as well have been a single entity.
"I don't suppose I can interest you in a dance," Alejandro beckoned to Heather. The popular girl's eyes narrowed, but there was a good-natured aspect to it that probably had not been seen in a very long time.
"I don't know, are you any good? I seem to recall you falling all over the place on a certain train we were on," she challenged. A look of mock offense came to the Spaniard's face.
"Good? Good?" the mastermind asked as he placed a hand to his chest. "I would have you know I am considered the finest dancer in generations. People in Spain still speak of my legendary moves."
"Well, that's good to know," Heather told him as she took his hand. "After all, if you still expect me to come to your father's party, it is absolutely essential that I have a good dance partner."
"Oh indeed, indeed," Alejandro agreed as they began. Nearby Noah watched this display, shaking his head as he did so.
"Why do I get the feeling I'll be reading about their children amassing armies of evil in Rome some day?" he quipped to himself before lifting the new book he'd bought to his eyes. Suddenly a meaty hand forced the book downward as Owen's happy face appeared in the brainiac's field of vision.
"Come on little buddy, it's a party! You can't just spend the whole time buried in a book," the blonde pointed out.
"Sure I can, it's easy, I just do this," the Indian teen explained, demonstrating by pulling the book up again. "Besides, Noahs don't dance."
"Oh, you don't have to feel embarrassed," Owen comforted, suddenly grabbing his smaller friend's thin wrist. "I'll dance with ya and no one will notice." A high-pitched yelp escaped the bookworm's lips as he was yanked into a tight embrace and his chubby friend began to twirl them both around, heedless of the rhythm of the music. This went for about a minute before Owen found himself stopped by Eva of all people.
"'Scuse me." With minimal effort the fitness buff extricated Noah from Owen's grip, grabbing hold of the sarcastic one in her own vice-like grip. "Let's you and me cut a rug, stud."
"I think I'm being kidnapped," Noah sarcastically yelled as he was taken back onto the dance floor. Owen, bereft now of his partner, watched with a disappointed frown as his little buddy was danced away. His smile returned as he spotted both Katie and Sadie standing by the sundae bar, each enjoying topping the other's frozen treat with more and more sprinkles. Always one to turn lemons into tasty lemonade, the large teen strolled over to the two BFFs and offered his services. With a squeal of delight the trio went back onto the dance floor.
Cody watched this with a smile on his face, glad his friends were having a good time. A tap on his shoulder caused the World Tour Winner to turn around and, for the second time, find himself facing Ezekial.
The toque wearing teen, though the toque was quite absent now, looked much better than he had back at the volcano. After the crew of the wanderer had fished him out of the ocean, they'd taken him directly to the medical bay. A few hours of care for malnourishment and various health disorders, plus a healthy dose of TV and a bath in Purrel, and he'd gotten back to normal, or at least as close as he normally came. Now he and Izzy stood before Cody, a somewhat hang dog expression on his face.
"Om, I joost wanted to say, ya know, I'm sorry, eh. Aboot the million and all."
"Oh that…"
"I don't know what came over me, eh," the Zeke continued. "I joost saw that case and, well it was like a wild animal took over, eh. Boot I promise ya, I'm gonna pay ya back. Every penny."
"That's not really necessary…"
"No, no, a real man takes responsibility for his actions, eh, like my Dad says." The prairie boy quickly began rifling through his pants, pushing the contents of his pockets into Cody's hands. "Here's the first installment of my payback, eh." Cody looked down to see he'd been handed about two dollars in slightly distorted coins, along with a rather odd looking button.
"Zeke, I'm not gonna hold a million dollars over another guy's head, especially when he was nuts," Cody pointed out, handing back the money to his former rival. "But I will keep the button if you don't mind. I think I know someplace it would probably look good." Realizing he was being let off the proverbial hook, Ezekial smiled.
"Oh sure, sure, whatever you want eh," he agreed, pocketing the money as he did so. Being willing to pay back the prize money didn't necessarily mean he'd looked forward to a lifetime of making payments to the older boy, and quite frankly this was something of a relief to the home-schooled boy.
"Great, now that that's over with, let's go have some fun," Izzy declared, grabbing Ezekial as she led him over to the partying teens. Without warning, the crazy girl began to dance the Charleston, completely throwing off the moves of the other dancers, even as her partner attempted to copy her. LeShawna watched this with a mixture of pity and amusement, then turned her eyes to her own date for the evening, at which point pity began to overwhelm her. Harold had apparently adapted his kung-fu skills to dancing, as evidenced by the punches and kicks he was doing in tune to the music. Shrugging her shoulders, the urban goddess began to follow his movements, creating a rather interesting tandem martial arts demonstration.
His eyes traveling to the next pair, Cody found his smile faltering as a pang of jealousy appeared in his stomach. Gwen looked beautiful, even without her normal black dress. If there had been one person, one thing, on which the World Tour Winner would have spent all of his million dollar prize on, it would have been her heart. But she was with Duncan now, as evidenced by the punk holding her in his arms as they moved together. As they turned about with Gwen's back to him, Cody couldn't help but notice the warning look the juvenile shot him.
'Not fair,' the brunette thought as he defiantly continued to watch. Well, they still had a few days on the ship before they made it back to Canada. There was always a chance he could still find some way to woo her. Like a warm hug, the pleasant dream Cody had often had of himself and Gwen running to each other in a field of flowers came to his mind's eye.
"Ya know, there is an old saying that does kinda fit here," Chris's voice snapped him out of his daydream. "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. Particularly if she's a hottie who will do anything for you." The host clicked his tongue as his eyes pointed over to where Sierra sat in her wheelchair, her arms shaking back and forth as she swayed to the music. An annoyed look crossed Cody's youthful features.
"Now are you saying this because you genuinely want to make me feel better," the brunette began, "or because you're hoping if you're the one who gets me to start dating Sierra, she'll put a massive win in you 'good guy' column?" A nervous laugh escaped Chris's lips as he began to back away.
"Ha, come on Cody-bro, you know me," he said, pointing finger-guns at the teen. "I'd never steer someone wrong… OW!" As he'd backtracked, McLean had accidentally wandered into the vicinity of Ezekial, who'd managed to kick out and strike his former tormentor right in the butt. Chris favored the homeschooled teen with an angry glare.
"Oops, sorry aboot that, bro-eh," Ezekial apologized with a smile. "You know what an uncoordinated, dunce-cap I am, eh." As he said this, Izzy favored Chris with a look daring him to challenge the prairie boy's claim. Over by the snack table, Chef let out a laugh as he watched the scene play out. Soon the laughter was joined by all of the other partygoers. As he watched his friends having a good time, Cody reached into his pockets, pulling out the twenty he'd had left over from his three hundred dollars.
"No doubt about it, that was a fortune well spent." With that, he replaced the money and walked out onto the dance floor.
The End.