I'm excited about this chapter; it's going to be fun!
If you thought the MarioKart race was nerve racking, you haven't read anything yet.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Chris' recap: "Last time on Total Drama Everything, the merged competitors got some new sleeping arrangements and some telephone tin-can fun. That fun was not to last, as a challenge had to happen, and people had to come back. Speaking of which, Princess Bubblegum and Ash Ketchum returned to the game with a vengeance, joining the others on an epic MarioKart race. Through it all, Nom Nom, Yusei, and Julie came in the top three while Deadpool lost a mask and showed the scars of his past. Literally. Not to mention getting tricked into making things with Julie worse than ever. And coming in last place was the end for good ol' Double D, turning twelve into eleven. Who will be next to leave this a-MAZE-ing show? Find out right here! On Total. Drama. Everything!"
*theme song*
The nighttime was as clear as could be. There was a full moon out, and plenty of stars dotted the sky. Quite nice, considering it had been two days since the epic MarioKart race that didn't warrant a beautiful night. However, two people were not enjoying it at the moment. They were on separate missions of, to them, great importance.
And they were walking right towards each other, too worried about their situations to notice. One was worried about the predicament he had with a former friend. The other was having trouble in admitting his own feelings for someone. And they were seeking advice from each other.
They were so focused on their missions, in fact, that they collided with each other near the loudspeaker pole. Both completely spooked, one guy pulled out his katana swords, while the other grabbed his duel disk and brought out a giant red machine monster. They stopped, however, when they saw each other's faces, and both were taken aback.
"Deadpool?!"
"Yusei?!"
Both stood there for a moment, completely shocked, until Deadpool finally spoke up.
"Can you please put Turbo Warrior back? That thing is huge."
Yusei nodded and put his card back in his deck. In response, Deadpool sheathed his swords. "Can't you watch where you're going?" Yusei asked him.
Deadpool responded with, "Um, what about you? You clearly didn't see me!"
"True," the duelist added. "In truth, I was really trying to find you. I need some advice."
"On what?"
"It's…" Yusei sighed. "It's about Lammy. I'm head over heels for her, but now I have no idea what to say to her. Yeah, she's a lamb, but she's amazing. She's funny, nice, and really cool. And her singing and guitar playing? Incredible." He sat down on the grass and sighed again. "But what if I say something wrong? We're friends for sure, but I'm scared I'm going to mess it up. So I need your advice, Deadpool. You have experience with relationships. A lot of experience. You can tell me what to do and say."
Deadpool nodded and said, "You have a point, dude. Before I tell you anything though, I should let you know that I was hoping to get some advice from YOU on my own situation."
"Really? What?"
"Thing is," Deadpool began, "I messed up. Big time. I made the wrong choice joining Nom Nom's posse. All I wanted was to get further in the game, but I realized I made a mistake the moment Rarity blabbed everything that night. Now Nom Nom has me in a bind, and Julie won't even look me in the eyes anymore. Who could blame her? I used her as per Nom Nom's orders, meaning I used her for my own benefit. I lost my friend, and I have no one to blame but this crazy guy right here."
Now both were sitting on the ground. "I heard you were great at being a wise old owl," the mercenary continued. "After all, you helped Lammy many times before. So I need your help. I need to know if there's any way to get my best friend back."
Yusei and Deadpool sat in silence for a couple more minutes. "So who gives the other one sage advice first?" Deadpool finally asked. Yusei looked at him and nodded. He knew how to settle this.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors! Shoot!"
Deadpool threw down scissors, while Yusei did paper.
"Fire away," Yusei said.
"Okay," Deadpool responded. "For starters, you're overthinking it. You've said plenty of things to her already, and none of those things were bad. Odds are, she really likes you too."
He had a point. "Well," Yusei mentioned, "the song she picked during the singing challenge has me convinced of that already. The title itself said it all. But should I let her come to me? Should I try and make the first move?"
"I guess a little bit of both," Deadpool said. "Girls love it when the guy makes the first move, but you should also wait for the right moment. There are exceptions, though. My beautiful Shiklah asked me out first, even though I was sorta delivering her to her groom-to-be at the time. He was Dracula, by the way."
"THE Dracula?"
"Yep. Anyway, I have tried to make the first move with the lovely TheMasterKat, but she keeps rejecting me, even though she knows she loves me."
(Author's Note to Deadpool: Dude, will you quit that? It's starting to frustrate me.)
"KATPOOL FOREVER!" Deadpool yelled to the heavens. Yusei quietly turned around and laughed.
(When did you come up with a ship name?)
"I read reviews, too," the mercenary added.
He turned his attention back to Yusei and said, "As for what to say, just be cool. Be yourself. My face may be hard to look at, but I make up for it with smooth talking and wily charms."
Yusei laughed again. "Ok," Deadpool concluded, "your turn."
"Now that the other therapist gets a chance to speak," Yusei began, "know that Julie can't be mad at you forever. Believe me, I know. I once had a two-year personal vendetta against a friend of mine. Let's just say he jumped ship with my first prototype runner and Stardust Dragon. One thing lead to another though. I eventually got a new runner, got the card back, and we're friends again. It would be best to give her a little time, and let her know that just because you're working for Nom Nom doesn't mean you're a bad person. Trust me, you're not evil. A total psychopath, but not evil. And neither is she. Friends are probably the most important thing ever, so Julie needs you just as much as you need her."
Deadpool nodded, but he was still worried. "What about Nom Nom? How do I get away from him? I want out of his alliance, but he'll get me eliminated if I quit."
"Don't worry," Yusei added. "Don't tell Nom Nom and Mandy this, but I'm actually in an alliance myself. Snake's the leader, and we also have Toph, Sam, and Lammy. We will do everything we can to make sure Nom Nom can't touch you. Our main goal is to keep safe from him anyway."
"Great," Deadpool said, smiling. "Thanks, man."
"You too."
After a moment, Yusei stated, "We make great therapists, don't we?"
Then Deadpool added, "Five cents, please."
Little did they know, someone was yet again eavesdropping. And that someone was shaking with fury.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"He's in an alliance?!" Nom Nom exclaimed. "I was supposed to be the only alliance in the game! Outrage! Complete outrage!"
He was so mad that he punched a hole through the confessional wall.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"How did this get here?" Bubblegum asked, looking at the hole.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu were sitting back, watching a good-luck message from home.
(Author's Note: This contains two versions of the same characters from the first few seasons of Pokemon. There are the original guys, and then there are the ones from the Pokemon Abridged series from the Elite 3. Be warned that this will make you think of Deadpool naked. I'm already scarred for life.)
Ash's message (submitted by Vegetalucard)
(We see a camera turn on as we see a close up on another ash)
Other Ash: Hello other me, I just wanna say good luck. Make sure to win, and to catch Nom Nom in a pokeball.
(The other Ash is pushed out of the way as Brock is now on camera)
Brock: Listen Ash, a portal's recently opens up in the gym that leads to another dimension, and some of the people have come out. They are very hard to-(Out comes another Brock)
Other Brock: Hi Ash. Remember what your counterpart said, as that Nom Nom would be good for (voice gets deep) breeeediiiing. (Back to normal) Oh and crazy Misty's here to.
Other Misty: I'm not crazy!
Other Misty: Maybe you two could get Nom Nom and get us out if you both weren't so laaazy
(At the same time)
Brock: We're not the same person!
Other Brock: Shut the **** up Misty!
(They are then pushed away by the other Tracy)
Other Tracy: Hey Ash if you could, so this to Chris McLean
(Lifts up picture near his head)
Other Tracy: It's all of the contestants... naked! (At this point, Ash shut his eyes tightly and covered Pikachu's eyes as well.)
Brock: Aaaaahh!
(The screen then edits to a picture of Brock in a suit in front of the American flag)
Brock: Hi there, this is Brock saying if you ever get in rain and all you have is a frying pan, you can use it, as a drying pan!
*end*
Once the video ended, Ash and Pikachu uncovered their eyes and shook their heads.
"We may have something to do back home once the show ends," Ash said.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded.
(Meanwhile…)
Sam and Lammy were playing 5-card poker in the girls' cabin. "I have a two pair," Lammy said. "Kings and nines."
"Not bad," Sam stated, "but it doesn't beat my three of a kind in eights. Cough it up."
Lammy sighed and handed Sam five dollars. "Oh, could I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's about Yusei," Lammy mentioned. "He's the most amazing guy I've ever met. In fact, I'm falling for him. Do you know if he likes me back?"
Sam replied, "I don't really have much of a way of knowing if someone's in love. The look on people's faces can say a lot, but not everything. My friend Clover, however, would give you a straight answer. She knows these things."
"What's it like with Snake?" Lammy asked.
"It's amazing. He's a little aloof, but he has a heart of gold. And we're both secret agents. It's cool to be with someone in your line of work. You know a few things that the other one is thinking and-wait, why do I feel drowsy all of a sudden?'
Sure enough, a strange gas was filling the room. Within seconds, Sam and Lammy were passed out cold, as was Toph (who wasn't paying attention to the conversation). On the other side of the cabin, Julie, Mandy, and Bubblegum also fell asleep due to the gas.
Deadpool and Yusei could tell something was amiss. "Something's not right," Yusei told the mercenary.
Five seconds later, a club came fell smack dab on Deadpool's head, knocking him out instantly. Before Yusei could run, another club came onto his own head and he fell to the ground (Deadpool had to be hit with enough force to destroy a normal man's skull while it would only knock the mercenary out; Yusei got a regular head blast).
Nom Nom was walking back to his cabin, still fuming, when a trap door opened up under him. He fell in, and was knocked out on impact.
Snake was sitting on the dock, taking a rare break from training and strategy, when he was also clubbed in the head.
And finally, Ash and Pikachu were reading in their cabin when they also passed out from sleeping gas.
Chris watched it all on a monitor screen and laughed. "Get some sleep, everyone," he said. "You're going to need it."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Snake was the first to awaken. The first thing he did was rub his head where the club had hit him. "What the-?" That's when he noticed where everyone was. All eleven competitors were in a single, circular room with a tall ceiling. Surrounding the group were eleven different passageways leading into darkness. "How did we end up here?" Snake asked himself. "Time to find out."
He immediately set upon waking up the rest of the group, lightly shaking Sam and Lammy. Others were already starting to sit up, just as confused as Snake was. Deadpool immediately bolted upright, screaming something about chimichangas.
"AHH! CHIMICHANGA KING!"
And that took Snake's job away, as that outburst woke everyone else.
"What's going on?" Bubblegum bewilderedly asked.
"Ow," Yusei groaned. "My head. Can someone tell me what we're all doing here?" Everyone else shrugged.
Toph was trying to use her seismic sense to gain her bearings. "One passage for each of us," she said, counting. "What's this all about?"
"So has Chris finally done it?" Mandy asked. "Trapped us so we can all go crazy?" Then she got a glimpse of Deadpool, who was humming to himself. "Too late."
"I guess we wait until Chris explains everything," Julie told everyone.
Those words only just left her mouth when a monitor screen popped up to the side of the room, making everyone jump, especially Deadpool.
"Hello competitors," Chris said as his face appeared on the screen. "Did you all sleep well?"
"What gives?" Ash asked him. "Pikachu is prepared to zap the living daylights out of you if you don't explain what we're doing here. What's going on?" Pikachu nodded, electricity ready to zap the screen.
Chris rolled his eyes and began with, "Sorry about my methods to getting you all here, but we needed to make sure you started the challenge as clueless as possible."
"And what exactly is the challenge?" Nom Nom asked, a little annoyed.
"I'm glad you asked," Chris replied. "Welcome to The Maze of Mazes!"
Sure enough, they were inside the center of a giant maze. In fact, it was really a circular group of smaller mazes. Surrounding the massive labyrinth were dozens of huge pillars and columns. Everyone got a look at the maze via a picture on the screen. "Why all the pillars?" Lammy asked.
"We needed it to look cool," Chris explained. "You could call this a super maze, made up of eleven different, smaller mazes. The rules are simple. Each of you will choose one passage to go into. The paths through each maze are all equidistant. First one out wins invincibility."
Sam smiled. "Easy enough," she said.
You are quite correct," Chris continued. "Except it's not as easy as you think. For starters, there is always the chance you could get lost. And while there are multiple passageways through each maze, the quickest ways are filled with various obstacles. And no two mazes are alike. Remember that."
"Quick question," Bubblegum said. "How were you able to have such an impressive structure built?"
"Don't ask. Just know that you are actually underground right now."
Toph smiled. Underground was the perfect place to rock during this challenge.
"And Julie," Chris added. "Since you came in third last time, do you want to use your challenge freebie?"
"No," she said, smiling. "I'm ready to win."
Chris nodded. "Then everyone can now choose their path and get the challenge started. Have fun!"
With that, the monitor shut off and slid out of sight.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Underground!" Toph exclaimed. "The perfect place for my seismic sense to prevail!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"This means I can't do anything to sabotage Yusei and his crew," Nom Nom huffed. "Funny thing is that Deadpool has yet to tell me. After all, he's with me, and Yusei told him personally."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Time to win this," Julie said.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"This should be fun," Snake stated.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
One by one, each competitor chose a different pathway. Snake and Sam were smiling at each other.
"First person out gives the other five dollars," Sam told Snake.
"You're on," Snake responded as they chose paths next to each other.
Yusei and Lammy nodded at each other. "Good luck," they said to each other at the same time before the went down different paths. Eventually, everyone was inside a different maze. Some looked pretty confident, like Toph. Others were filled with worry, like Bubblegum and Deadpool.
After walking for about five minutes, Ash and Pikachu felt the air get a little colder. Pikachu was sensing something nearby. "What is it?" Ash asked him. The yellow mouse gestured to something approaching them. It looked like a huge swamp monster. Ash simply smirked.
"Iron Tail," he whispered to Pikachu, who immediately dashed to the monster and whacked it with his tail, which seemed as shiny and as hard as steel. That gave Ash and Pikachu a window to run past the monster.
"Nice work buddy," Ash said. "Pika Pika!"
Elsewhere, Snake made short work of some large salamanders he had encountered. Quickly, he grabbed his pistol and shot each one in the head. When they were all dead, he blew the smoke off his gun like a boss.
Deadpool found himself in a passage filled with mechanical boxing gloves that easily punched him hard if he got close enough. Then, grinning like crazy, he pulled out his swords and slashed each glove to pieces. "This is way too easy," he said out loud.
Still carrying the sword she had stolen from Connie, Mandy easily used it to take down a giant scorpion. Lammy whacked a giant cyclops with her guitar (which didn't break; Yusei had reinforced it to be nearly indestructible while still able to be played like a beast). Sam used her Wind Tunnel Hair Dryer to melt a large ice wall blocking the path. Julie whacked a scary clown with her tennis racket. Bubblegum nearly lost half of her hair as she escaped from a candy-loving lunatic. Nom Nom used his diminutive size to ease his way past a giant rock. Toph hurled several rocks at a giant spider and knocked it out. Finally, Yusei scared away a rabid dog by bringing out Junk Warrior.
"I hope things are this easy later on," Yusei said as the dog slid past him. "Doubt it, though."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"So far, I don't really have much problem," said Sam. "I hope Snake's doing as well."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
As Deadpool turned back after hitting a dead end, he couldn't help but wonder. This maze was a lot like him. A labyrinth of twists and turns inside his own warped mind. Julie was one of those twists. She had come into his life in a strange way. It wasn't the way he had met friends like Cable. When they first met, he had been sent to kill the time-travelling mutant. Now they were on decent terms, though their friendship was still complicated.
Then there was Domino. Despite having just as complicated a past together, she had been one of those closest to him. And Shiklah, his amazing wife, was always there, although their marriage had hit a few bumps in the road.
He wondered what his friends would make of what has happened throughout the entire game. Cable would probably be disappointed by the issue with Nom Nom, but proud that he had made it far and realized his mistakes. Domino would be simply impressed that he hadn't killed anyone. And Shiklah would simply be happy that her husband had made it, though she probably wouldn't like TheMasterKat that much.
Who knows? If those people had stayed by his side all these years, maybe Julie could as well.
If only she could give him a chance.
"Julie," Deadpool whispered to himself. "I wish you were here now."
(Elsewhere….)
Mandy was beside herself with aggravation. She had been with Nom Nom for most of the game, and she still had not yet eliminated the spy lovebirds, Sam and Snake. They should have been gone by now. How hard was it to eliminate those two? After all, Mandy was Mandy. She could strike fear in the Grim Reaper himself. Two secret agents didn't exactly compare to the Grim Reaper. They should have been easy to eliminate. Superman was easy to eliminate. So why was it that Sam and Snake had yet to be eliminated?
Nom Nom was starting to get on her last nerves. She joined his alliance for the chance to control the entire game, but she was starting to wonder if she wasn't really controlling anything.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I think I should let Nom Nom know that he is not my master," Mandy said. "The only master around here is me."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"You can do this," Lammy said to herself. "You're strong, Lammy. You can take them."
She was surrounded by a pack of large, sinister-looking rats with red eyes. Red eyes! That's creepy. Lammy faced the pack, guitar in hand. Finally, she reacted, and she whacked a rat in the head with her guitar. Somehow, the rats got scared and all scampered off.
"I guess the rats were merely to scare me," Lammy said. "Too bad those rats failed to realize I have the most amazing friend ever."
Meanwhile, that friend was facing problems of his own. Yusei's next obstacle was a pool of water spanning the entire width of the hallway. The only way across was to swim. "Piece of cake," he said. That's when noticed a large green reptilian creature slide through the water. There happened to be several large alligators in the water.
"Maybe not," Yusei stated. "Just perfect."
Elsewhere, Snake was walking calmly around a few turns when he came across a strange hallway. "This could be a trap," he said, taking a large step. Once his foot touched the ground, however, the walls started to close in on each other. Immediately, Snake reacted, running as fast as he could down the hallway, finally squeezing through as the walls closed.
"That was close," Snake panted. "Chris, you're one evil guy."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Compressing walls?" Snake asked in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Finally, Yusei was able to swim to the other side of the pool. He sat on the ground, completely exhausted and messed up. The poor guy was scratched all over and his clothes were torn in several places.
"I'm going to have a long talk with Chris once I get out of here," he said, panting. "First comes a dangerous minecart race, then we become shark bait, then a tower battle over a thousand feet high on a crumbling bridge, and now alligators? This is ridiculous!"
(Somewhere else in the maze…)
Nom Nom smiled. This was the kind of obstacle he was hoping for.
"Nice to see you, Shrek," he said calmly.
Shrek smirked and said, "Hello. Nom Nom. I'm bein' paid to be a hindrance for this challenge. Here's tha deal. If you want to continue down this path, you'll have ta get past me. And after the King of tha Hill challenge, you may just want to turn around and find another path. What's it gonna be?"
"Bring it on! I was hoping for a rematch!""
"Alrigh' then."
(Soon…)
After several obstacles, Snake finally came across a long staircase leading up to a small door. "This must be it," he said, starting to climb up. "This may be the end of the line!"
As he climbed the last stair and exited the maze, he couldn't help but whoop in victory. He also got a look at the various pillars surrounding the structure.
"Congratulations, Snake," Chris said, running up to him. "You are the first to exit The Maze of Mazes. Invincibility is yours for the night."
"Fantastic," Snake said. "But should I go back and check on everyone else?"
Chris shook his head. "Sorry," he stated, "but you'll have to wait until everyone is out of there. There is a viewing area over there." He pointed at a series of seats surrounded by different screens.
"I hope Sam's ok," Snake muttered as he walked to the waiting area.
Meanwhile, Sam found herself face to face with a large troll of some sorts. "Is there any way we can work this out?" The monster just roared at her and spayed her with spit. "Sheesh, you could've said no," she said as she got her Laser Nail File.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I wish I knew how they got a troll," Sam said.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Toph seemed to have had bad luck in picking a path. This time, her obstacle was a giant wasp. And since it always flew, Toph would have to rely on her enhanced senses to defeat it. However, she smiled at the challenge.
"Time to see what happens when a bug meets a boot," she said.
The first thing she did was launch a few rocks at the bug, able to hear the buzzing for her to target it. And she got a direct hit. The wasp's wings crippled, and it fell to the ground. Not wanting to let the chance pass, Toph squashed the bug with a huge boulder.
"So that's what happens," she said as she ran off.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Elsewhere, Nom Nom was using a zig zag strategy to try and get past Shrek. "I simply underestimated you last time," the koala seethed at the ogre. "This time, you're going down!"
"You can always be wrong," Shrek added as he sidestepped to block Nom Nom's path. Then he got ready to set himself upon the koala.
Suddenly, Nom Nom looked at the narrow hallway they were in and a lightbulb came over his head. As Shrek charged, Nom Nom simply stood there, smiling. Finally, as Shrek was two seconds away from flattening the little guy, Nom Nom stepped to the side. Shrek kept going straight.
And his head hit the wall and knocked him out cold instantly. The impact shook the entire maze complex.
"There are advantages to being small," Nom Nom said in an innocently mean voice. With one last look at Shrek, he ran off.
Little did he know that the impact of Shrek's head and the wall weakened the entire structure. Not much, but enough.
(Meanwhile….)
Ash and Pikachu finally escaped the maze and cleared through the pillars. "We actually got through!" Ash exclaimed. "Did we win?"
Chris shook his head. "Snake beat you to it," he explained. "But hey, you came in second. That's a good finish, considering your early exit from the game before."
"Nice," Ash said. "Pika Pikachu!"
As he said this, Nom Nom and Mandy ran out of the maze at the exact same time. "Dang it!" Nom Nom yelled when he saw Snake and Ash.
"Please tell me Ash won and not Snake," Mandy threateningly said to Chris.
"Uhhhhh…"
Furious, Mandy started beating Chris up. "You're next," she seethed to Snake, who backed away.
Next to exit was Toph, followed by Bubblegum. "That was easy," Toph said, tired.
"Five people left," Chris told everyone as he tried to recover from Mandy's attack. "Let's see if they can keep going.
Snake was no longer paying attention. He was focusing on watching Sam onscreen, still battling the troll.
Despite Sam's constant firing, her Laser Nail File was doing hardly any damage. However, she soon had an idea. She put the Nail File back in her bag of gadgets and ran straight to the troll.
And she kicked him where it hurts.
Frozen in pain, the troll fell to his knees and screamed. It was a really loud scream. In fact, any roar that Shrek had done before didn't quite cut it. The scream shook the entire island. And everyone heard it. Sam had to cover her ears because she was nearest. When it was over and the troll fainted from the pain, she continued on.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"That was loud," said Lammy. "And being an aspiring rock star, I know what I'm talking about."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Uhhh," Ash said to Chris, "we have a problem."
He pointed to one of the monitors, which was showing some of the wall start to crumble. "Is that normal?"
"It's probably nothing," Chris said, trying to brush it off.
"It's not nothing!" Toph exclaimed. "That scream had the power to cause an avalanche!"
Snake added, "And we could feel Shrek hit his head on that wall when he battled Nom Nom. What if that weakened the foundation?"
"I can sense it!"
"What can you sense?" Nom Nom asked Toph.
Toph looked at everyone gravely. "Everyone left in that maze only has about twenty minutes to get out of there before the whole thing collapses. Pillars too."
"Sam!" Snake yelled.
"She'll be fine," Ash stated. "I'm positive that everyone will make it out."
Bubblegum looked back at the exit. "I hope so," she said.
Chris looked at the pillars, already starting to give away a little. Then he looked back at the monitors. "Everyone is pretty close to the goal," he told everyone outside. "But just in case, I had better do the all-call and let everyone else know." Then he headed for the loudspeaker and turned it on.
"I need Deadpool, Sam, Lammy, Yusei, and Julie to hear this!" Chris yelled through the loudspeaker, enough for those five people in the maze to hear. "All of you need to get out of the maze as quickly as possible! One of Nom Nom's obstacles and that troll's scream earlier has completely doomed the maze. You all have about twenty minutes to get out before the whole thing comes on your heads! And I'm also talking about the pillars outside! So GET THE **** OUT OF THERE!"
"He's telling the truth," Sam muttered.
"This is bad," said Lammy.
"I'll probably survive," Deadpool yelled, "but I don't want to be proven wrong!"
"Guess I had better move," Yusei said.
"I'm not planning on being pancaked," Julie stated.
"What about Shrek?" Snake asked Chris. "He's still out cold!"
Chris nodded and pressed a button. Everyone saw Shrek being teleported out of the maze on the monitor. "He's back at the Loser island with the rest of those eliminated."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Superman was right back then," Toph said. "This game is dangerous."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Already the pillars were starting to fall down. And the people still left inside the maze were hurrying as fast as they could. Finally, Sam crawled out of the structure and ran to the others, having to dodge a few falling pillars. And she crashed right into Snake, who sighed in relief.
"Oh thank goodness," he whispered.
"Have the others made it yet?" Sam asked him. Snake shook his head. "No. I'm worried"
As Lammy was running, the wall on her left side suddenly started to crumble. Soon, an entire archway into another path was formed. And Lammy caught a glimpse of someone familiar running in the same direction as her.
"Yusei, wait!"
Sure enough, Yusei turned around when he heard her voice. "Lammy!" He ran back to her quickly.
"Why not get out of here together?" Lammy asked.
"Sure, why not?"
And they broke into a run in the path Lammy was originally taking.
(Meanwhile…)
Deadpool was using his guns and swords to find a quick way to escape from the weak maze, still as crazy as could be.
"This is nothing," he told himself. "You once went through the same kind of thing, only it was meant for Iron Man suits. And you emerged unscathed. This thing has nothing on you."
Even so, he worried about Julie. "I hope she makes it out," he also told himself.
Julie was downright panicking. She was completely lost. Of course, she knew that being lost was a bad thing, considering the situation she was in right now
"Just keep running," Julie told herself as the walls crumbled further. "I'll make it. I know I will."
And she continued in the direction she was going. Luckily, it seemed to be the right way.
By this point, however, the situation was getting dire for everyone still inside.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Those claustrophobic people have the right idea," said Julie.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Look over there!" Sam yelled, pointing to the maze exit.
Yusei and Lammy had finally managed to get out, but now they had to deal with the pillar dominos they were facing. Both of them immediately kept running, climbing over some already fallen pillars and outrunning others that were starting to fall. Finally, the jumped over one more and cleared into the safe area, where they pretty much landed on each other.
"High five," a drenched-in-sweat Lammy said.
"Good idea," said Yusei, and they high fived. And despite the situation they were just in, they couldn't help but laugh. Annoyed, Nom Nom just kept his attention to the maze exit. Even he didn't want to see anyone die. Not even Yusei, although he was ticked by their manner of escape.
"Just eliminate him already," Nom Nom told himself.
Everyone sat and waited for a few more minutes while the maze continued to cave in. Eventually, everyone turned their attention to a certain red and black mercenary exit the maze and clear the dangerous pillar area with ease.
"It's Deadpool!" Lammy exclaimed.
Deadpool ran to the group and worriedly looked all over. "Where's Julie?"
"She's still in there," Bubblegum said.
"Oh no!"
And he ran back to the edge of the pillar area completely terrified. If Julie wound up getting killed, he would never forgive himself.
"Come on," he whispered. "You can make it."
After a few more minutes, Deadpool finally saw Julie emerge from the maze, looking completely disheveled. However, Deadpool immediately noticed that something was wrong. Julie wasn't going as fast as she should have. In fact, he noticed that she was limping a little.
The other competitors noticed as well. "This isn't good," Toph told everyone. "Seems like she sprained her ankle in there!" And she was right. Julie had hurt her ankle while running up the steps to the exit. "She might not make it!" And now the rest of the pillars were starting to fall down, and Julie risked being caught in the crossfire.
"Julie, hurry up!" Deadpool yelled to his former friend. Everyone else was urging her on too. Lammy had her fingers crossed, and the whole group was watching anxiously.
As Julie got closer, it started to look like she would actually make it to safety. Then, she tripped and fell. Everyone gasped, and Deadpool was now as fear stricken as Julie. Julie managed to stand up, but not quickly enough. As she stood, a pillar right by her started to slide right towards her and fall. And once Julie saw it, she became to scared to move.
If something wasn't done soon, she would be flattened. Everyone else came to that conclusion as well. However, while everyone wanted to jump in and get her out, only one person was close enough.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"It was unlike anything we've ever seen," said Bubblegum. "I'm pretty sure Julie's life was flashing before her eyes."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Suddenly, time seemed to freeze for Deadpool. All he was thinking about was his time as Julie's friend. His mind flashed back to the night Rarity blew his cover.
Flashback:
"You don't know the whole story!" Deadpool exclaimed.
Julie just shook her head. "Save it," she said. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I thought you were different from Nom Nom. I was wrong. You're nothing but a-" Tears were now falling from her face in a steady stream. "-a sad little Nom Nom lackey. Nothing but a sad little clone."
"You're right," he muttered. "But not anymore!"
And he ran.
The whole group saw Deadpool running right to where Julie was standing, frozen in fear at the sight of the pillar falling towards her. Deadpool could hear them all call his name, but he didn't care. Only one thing mattered at the moment.
After what seemed like an eternity, Deadpool reached Julie and pushed her to the side, away from the falling pillar. All he could hear was Julie's cry as the full weight of that pillar crash onto the mercenary…
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Yoohoo. Deadpool. Wakey wakey."
Deadpool was somehow able to register that voice. Toph.
"Five more minutes," Deadpool muttered. "It's too early to kill anybody today."
"Yeah," Toph said to the others. "He's fine."
At that, Deadpool's eyes snapped open. "What the heck?!"
He was back at the waiting area, surrounded by the other competitors plus Chris and Chef. He took one look at where the maze was supposed to be. Now it was just a large heap of rubble. Deadpool tried to get a better look, but his head was hurting like crazy.
"I would sit still for a few minutes if I were you," said Bubblegum. "Let that healing factor of yours do the work."
"What happened?" Deadpool asked Chris.
Chris gestured back to where that pillar was. "That's what happened," he replied.
"Is Julie ok?"
In fact, Julie was sitting right next to him. "I'm right here," she told him. "Don't tell me you didn't pay attention."
"And how did you guys get that huge thing off of me?"
Toph raised her hand at that. "Remember that I can control all manner of earth," she pointed out. "Scary stone pillars like that are no exception."
"Cool. Thanks."
"No problem."
Yusei sat up and added, "I have to say, that's the most incredible healing factor I have ever seen. It's also pretty much the reason you're not dead."
"I know right?" Deadpool queried. "I can even grow back my own limbs like it's nothing." It was working for him right now as he spoke. Already most of the pain was gone. He probably would have simply relax for the next couple of moments, had Julie not asked him something.
"Thank you for saving me, but why did you do it?"
Deadpool simply smiled at her, deciding to turn it to what happened the day they faced Fang. "Why else? Because we're friends." Then he took a quick look at Yusei, who nodded. It was go-time.
"Listen," the mercenary told Julie. "You were right that night. I was just a sad little Nom Nom lackey. I joined his alliance for a chance to win the game, but I screwed up like crazy. All the lies are gone now. I probably don't deserve it after everything, but I want us to be friends again. Friends. Amigos. Buddies. Dos compadres. BFF's. I can keep going for a while. Point is, I want us to be all those things again. If only you'll give me a chance."
Julie thought about it for a moment, before smiling and playfully punching Deadpool in the arm while giggling.
"I knew you would hear me out," Deadpool said, punching back. "Wait, does this mean we have to hug now?"
"What do you think, genius?"
Deadpool just shrugged and laughed. "Yeah," he said. "You're right." And they hugged.
"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!" Deadpool yelled to the sky in joy. Then he took a quick look at Yusei. "Thanks," he whispered to the duelist, who smiled and nodded.
"Yeah yeah yeah," said someone else. Everyone turned to see Nom Nom. "You guys are buddies again. Where's the parade? You forgot one thing, Deadpool."
"Which is?"
"You're still mine to control. You're in my alliance, and therefore you still have to follow my command if you want to get further in this game. As long as you're here, you're mine!"
Deadpool simply looked back at Julie and everyone else before turning back to Nom Nom. "Not anymore," he said. "I'm quitting the alliance."
Everyone except Mandy and Nom Nom cheered. Nom Nom looked absolutely venomous. "You're what?!"
"That's right," stated Deadpool, finally standing up (by this point, his healing factor had almost completely healed him back to normal) and walking towards Nom Nom. "I am tired of being your loyal puppet. It's time I play this game the way I want to play it. And I don't care if you eliminate me." He took another look at Julie. "You are not going to mess with my friends. Get the picture?"
"You'll pay for this," Nom Nom seethed.
Deadpool simply smiled. "I don't think I will," he said. "Actually, I have a secret to tell you." He leaned in to Nom Nom's ear to tell that secret.
"CHIMICHANGA!"
Now Nom Nom was mad. "You said that if I quit, you would eliminate me before I could say 'chimichanga'," he mentioned. "I haven't been eliminated yet, and I was able to say it. Check and mate!"
Now the entire group was cheering. Deadpool had just taken down the jerk koala.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"OWNED!" Yusei exclaimed.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"That was awesome!" Snake stated.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I tip my hat off to you," Toph said. "If only I had a hat."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Nom Nom was shaking with fury. "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"After probably our most epic challenge of all," Chris announced, "Snake wins invincibility since he was the first one out of that maze. Or what used to be the maze." He gestured to the pile of rubble.
"And since Yusei came in second in the MarioKart race, he can choose one person to also receive invincibility, so long as that person is not himself. So make your choice."
Yusei looked around. He wanted to give it to Lammy and guarantee her safety, but then Deadpool would be a sitting duck for whatever Nom Nom could do. However, Deadpool looked him dead in the eye in a way that made Yusei certain of who the mercenary wanted him to choose.
"Lammy."
The lamb smiled. "Thanks," she said.
"Ok then," Chris said. "Everyone is up for elimination except for Lammy and Snake. So decide who you'll vote for, and I'll see you tonight at the bonfire ceremony."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Are you sure that telling Deadpool was the best idea?" Sam asked Yusei later that day.
The duelist nodded. "After what happened today, we can trust him," he said. "And I also promised him that we would do everything we could to keep him safe from Nom Nom. This time, Nom Nom is toast."
"I doubt there is anyone besides him and Mandy that won't vote him off," Snake added. "After tonight, that koala's goose is cooked. And right now, I can't think of anything that would ruin it."
How wrong they were.
(Meanwhile….)
Nom Nom and Mandy were sitting at the dock, discussing their plans for the elimination ceremony. "So are we going after Deadpool, sticking with Yusei, or finally hitting Sam?" Mandy asked.
"The first one," Nom Nom replied. "Oh, Yusei. He gave the invincibility to Lammy, thinking Deadpool will be safe. However, I'm sure he knows that Lammy would have been safe either way. In the end, he and his alliance have made one big mistake. That mistake will be Deadpool's downfall."
"So what do we make of that other alliance?" Mandy asked.
Nom Nom simply smiled. "After the elimination ceremony, I'm going to have a little chat with them."
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
It was finally time for the elimination ceremony. And this time, everyone was feeling pretty confident. Most people were sure Nom Nom would leave, while Nom Nom was ready to prove how wrong they were.
"Eleven is about to become ten," Chris announced. "It is time to see who those lucky eleven are. You all know the drill of how this works, so here goes nothing.
"Since they're invincible, Snake and Lammy get the first two marshmallows." He threw them in their direction, where they caught them."
"Julie."
"Yusei."
"Ash."
"Mandy."
"Toph."
"Bubblegum."
"And Sam."
That left Nom Nom and Deadpool, both looking as confident as ever.
"This is starting to become routine for you," Chris told Nom Nom. "You've played a major part in several eliminations, and you're hated by almost the entire group here." He turned to Deadpool. "As for you, while I applaud your heroic actions today, quitting Nom Nom's alliance has put a target on your back. It's time to find out if that target is just too big.
"The final marshmallow goes to….."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Dead-"
"WAIT!"
Everyone turned to Nom Nom. "Aren't you all forgetting something?" Everyone shrugged.
"Since I won the MarioKart race," Nom Nom explained, "you should all remember that I have an elimination freebie. I can use it to prevent my elimination while the person with the next highest amount of votes-" he turned to face Deadpool "-pays in my place."
"Then that means…." Snake gasped.
"Oh crap," Toph whispered.
Nom Nom smiled his most evil smile yet, right at Deadpool. "You have been eliminated," he said.
For once, Deadpool was silent. Clearly, he had also forgotten about Nom Nom's prize. He just sat there in disbelief. Yusei was just as shocked. "The jerk," he muttered. Now things were going to be ugly.
Once Deadpool got over the shock of what had just happened, he smiled and socked Nom Nom right in the face, knocking the poor koala out and giving him a nosebleed.
"I can't leave without sending Nom Nom a good message," he told everyone. "When he comes to, tell him he's a *censored*."
And that got more cheers.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"That was the perfect way for Deadpool to finish his time here," said Ash.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Nom Nom was holding an ice pack on his head and groaning.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"That furry jerk is going to pay," Julie seethed.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"What have I done?" Yusei asked himself.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
As Deadpool was loaded into the cannon, everyone stayed to watch. Even the cannon couldn't dampen Deadpool's spirits.
"I need all of you to do me a favor," he told everyone. "Take Nom Nom down. Make sure he doesn't win this game. Bubblegum, make him pay for getting you eliminated. I want you all to avenge Maya, Mega Man, Zelda, Superman, Rarity, Shrek, and now myself. Got that?"
Everyone cheered.
"Julie," Deadpool continued, "I'm rooting for you. Knock 'em dead!"
"I will!"
"And one more thing."
"Yes?"
Deadpool nodded to her. "Thanks for everything." Julie nodded back.
Now it was time. The mercenary turned his face to the sky. "I'M COMING, THEMASTERKAT!"
When Deadpool was finally launched off, everyone could hear him scream as though he was having fun.
Julie watched as he flew out of sight. "I'll knock 'em dead," she whispered. "I promise. Good luck, buddy."
(Later that night…)
"We just forgot that Nom Nom would do something like that," Snake told Yusei. "You don't need to feel guilty about Deadpool leaving. It wasn't your fault."
"There was no way anyone would have voted Lammy off," Yusei responded. "I should have given the invincibility to Deadpool."
Lammy just shook her head. "Think of this," she told him. "Nom Nom and Deadpool were the only ones to have gotten votes, unless Mandy tried to vote off Sam. Remember that her name was called next to last. In a way, you might have saved her from being eliminated by picking me to have the invincibility."
"She's right," said Sam. "So thanks."
"I guess."
"Incoming," Toph said, pointing at Nom Nom, who was heading their way.
Nom Nom simply grinned. "Hello there," he said to everyone. "Poor Yusei. He must be wracked with guilt after accidentally eliminating Deadpool. Good thing he has his alliance to comfort him."
"What?" Snake said. "We're all just friends hanging out."
"Don't play dumb," Nom Nom stated. "I heard Yusei telling Deadpool last night. You're all an alliance with the purpose of eliminating me and keeping safe from whatever I can pull. You all have Yusei to thank for revealing it to me."
And poor Yusei facepalmed. "That wasn't your fault either," Lammy whispered. "None of it was your fault. It's that jerk Nom Nom's fault." That made Yusei smile.
"I can hear you," Nom Nom said over her. "I'm simply here to tell you all to watch your back, because I'm not pulling any more punches. I've controlled this game for weeks thanks to my own alliance, and I'm not about to be taken out. Got that?"
"You're forgetting something," Snake added. "It's two against five. How do you think you'll do with one member down now? We're going to do everything we can to make sure you don't win this show."
"We shall see."
"Indeed we shall."
Smirking, Nom Nom walked back to the dock, where Mandy was waiting.
"Poor Yusei is now afflicted with guilt after what happened tonight," Nom Nom told his remaining alliance member. "Not only that, but I think I have found his weakness."
"Which is?"
Nom Nom continued, "Lammy. She's his closest friend, bordering towards an actual couple. Our new mission is simple. We remove Lammy from the equation, and Yusei will be wide open."
"So we try and eliminate Lammy?"
"Not quite. That will only bend Yusei. I intend to break him. And I think I have the perfect idea."
With that, he let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout the island. If everyone thought he was bad before, they had another thing coming.
Nom Nom was just getting started.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
You know, you're a whole lot more interesting when you don't have your foot in your mouth.
Deadpool: Does that mean-?
No, that does not mean I'll go on a date with you. However, if you would like to help me with the outro….
Deadpool: YES! YES! YES!
Don't push it.
Deadpool: Sorry. Welp, I got eliminated. Bummer.
It wasn't all that bad. You saved Julie, and now you're friends again. And what you did to Nom Nom? That was truly your crowning moment in my story. Although, I hope Yusei doesn't feel too bad. He feels guilty because he thinks he should have given you the invincibility.
Deadpool: It wasn't his fault. He had no way of knowing that Nom Nom would do what he did.
True. And now Nom Nom is targeting him and Lammy. Only time will tell if he succeeds or fails.
Deadpool: I hope he fails.
And I personally think that was my most epic challenge yet. A system of mazes that suddenly come crashing down.
Deadpool: It wasn't fun for the rest of us.
I guess that's it for the recap part. Everyone, read and review!
Deadpool: And fav and follow!
And don't forget those challenge ideas!
Deadpool: And good-luck messages are always welcome!
TheMasterKat out!
Deadpool: Me too!
Oh brother….