Author's note: Well, well, well, I came into a very interesting situation guys, while I have been working for so long. Many things happened. To the point I want to be thankful to a lot of people who helped me around. An user from Donde Comezo Server offered himself to translate my fanfics in Spanish and publish it on the wattpad, which was a great way for me to share my fanfics in Spanish version for everyone.
His account is GermanCruz020 and his fanfic translation is called La Realidad choca: Las crónicas de Ezekiel.
It's on Wattpad, please check it out.
While another news just happened... OBERON, an User who had been a reviwer of this fanfic ALSO WROTE A FANFIC BASED ON THIS FANFIC, I'M SO HAPPY AND EXCITED. For those who never read before, read it. It's a Reality Colides but only focused on the S.I Justin, and for those who insisted me to make Nicktoons books, he's your guy. Justin, a Nickelodeon book writer, and I'm so glad to give that to him. I loved reading his chapters, it's a great fanfic, making it a good and interesting fanfic to read. I read it 4 times, and I'm really excited for more.
And I have a surprise for you guys in a few future chapters.
Also I paid 39 dollars for upgrade my editor, so I hope this time my future chapters will become better to read. Crossing my fingers. I hope.
Anyway, just to be sure, you will be surprised for the ending of this chapter... I promise. Anyway, now replying the reviews.
Just guest. Thank you for your review, and to answer your request. I reccomend you read Oberon's fanfic, since Nickelodeon is his department, and I'm Cartoon Network, have fun reading the new chapter.
Crazy Mad Guest. Thank you for your review, and to be honest, what does Neo Zangetsu does is very evil, it makes many fanfics future previews which he have to wait it happen, but it takes so long, as we never know when it's going to happen and it's so many fanfics it's difficult to take the track and it would cause to people asks for more chapters, and it's really draining. Me as a reader feel what he does was evil hahahaha.
GenuineReader. Thank you for liking the chapter, I'm always doing my best to try to develop every single character, so I want you all to have fun.
Crazed FruitLoop. I never watched King of Hill, so I have no idea on what are you talking about, but thank you for your review.
Eccentric Guest. Thanks, will do.
Eccentric guest. Well to be honest, I'm trying really hard to make sure Ezekiel wouldn't show much of Alastor, because since he was homeschooled, his parents would be very religious as well, and knowing about Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss was something he was not eager to show to his parents, maybe he was going to wait until Viv of that world to release the whole animation while all he had to do is add a like and share on social media. However there's one Alastor Song Ezekiel can sing which the Lyrics doesn't mean about something demoniac, and he can play around with it. Anyway, have fun reading the new chapter.
fan . I kinda doubt, check the reviews, they are still glitching.
Ghostly Guest. That wasn't actually a bad idea, however I have many plans for the future hahahahahah.
Le Quack. Well Lequack, to being honest I was kinda disappointed, because when I made those rules for the Aftermatch, clearly many didn't followed them, so it was kinda disappointing, because I wanted people to help me to judge the MVPA points as being the public, but many things happened and nobody could review the fav scenes or give the notes, and the MVPA system I originally had in mind became a bust. So now, I think I will do exactly like Total Loud Action, one the chapter before the Aftermath, I will let you guys do all the questions you guys want to ask the characters and I will select some as random, I have to say, it was kinda of a bummer but there was nothing else I could do. Anyway, have fun reading the new chapter.
djinn . Thanks for liking the chapter.
Guest . Yep, with Duncan and Courtney following his example, their futures are secured.
toonfan97. Thank you so much for the review, I loved every single word of it. I hope you enjoy this chapter dude. Because I had a lot of fun writing it.
Hyper LOL Guest. I'm glad you liked it, so prepare yourself for this one hahahaha.
Kitobeater123 . Thank you for liking the chapter, to answer your question. 1- It's just a comedy sketch for the show with just jokes, so you shouldn't be focusing to hard on it. I'm just thinking on how it could be even funnier to mess up with Sierra in the future. XD. 2-What do you mean OC from fans? I'm fan of OCs, I usually try to use background characters already selected on the show, and the only OCs I'm using are to compliment the families from the Wikipedia where I use to search their families background. I'm not sure about what you are asking here. 3-None, I'm usually going with the flow, and many people insisted me to bring Generator Rex and some others, but I'm not with my mind in desire to implement them since I always go with my own flow, so I ask for not insist into that. Anyway, have fun reading the new chapter. And laugh a lot XD.
Sleepy guest. Thank you for the review Sleepy, and for your question, that's strange, because I thought I created the usual hints for you guys to guess... But I think I will leave more hints in the future when it gest the time. But don't worry, I'm developing the characters, while the Countdown started. Have fun XD.
Guesthouse . Thank you for your review, and yeah, Owen really need to be more careful in the future. And to answer your question, yeah... sadly most of my fanfics are on Hiatus while I have to focus only in some. Pokemon and my yugioh gx fanfic because I'm out of inspiration and I cannot think on how to write it. My Yuyu hakusho while I'm interested to write, I just need to have energy for it. And I'm already using it on work and my other fanfics, someday I will write a new chapter, but it's going to take a while. Anyway, have fun with this new chapter.
Just a wee guest. Well, you can use your imagination, because a lot of fans who watched the forum laughed so hard, while Sierra screetched and cried.
HeavenlyMark . Great people leaves while leaving good memories on us, good laughs and good stories to tell. But hey, let's keep remembering their good memories and moving forward with a good joy and laugh in our faces, have fun reading the new chapter.
Mr. E Guest . Thanks, let's see Sierra suffer hahahahaha
Benny Farr. Yep, let's see how things will goes.
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Guys, just also to tell you... The Server of Cody Time Traveler, Donde Todo Comezó, or Where it all Begin had acepted me as user for a few months, and accepted me as channel only focused for Reality Collides, but recently I became mod over the server and responsible over the English side of the server. So if you guys want to enjoy both DTC and Reality Collides, you are welcomed to join the server. . g g / 848uSyeS
Have fun reading the chapter.
"I did it..." Ezekiel whispered, his voice trembling as his wide eyes blinked in disbelief. A surge of awe coursed through him, leaving his body frozen in shock. "I thought it was impossible... but I did it. Hehehehahahaha."
His laughter bubbled out, an exhilarating mix of joy and disbelief. A single, emotional tear slid down his cheek as he stared at his creation. He had spent the early hours of the morning in the kitchen Chef had grudgingly allowed him to borrow. A secret kitchen nearby the craft and service tent. It had been a quiet, focused effort—Ezekiel wanted to try something new, something extraordinary, before the new challenge of the day happened. With two hours left before the 5 a.m. wake-up, he had thrown himself into an experiment born of childhood dreams.
What he had created was no ordinary candy. It was the legendary Jawbreaker of Ed, Edd n Eddy.
The recipe was etched in his mind, a meticulous list of instructions that had once seemed more myth than reality. He had carefully combined 6 cups (1.42 l) of sugar, 2 cups (0.47 l) of water, and 1 cup (0.24 l) of corn syrup in a pot over medium heat, watching as the ingredients melted together like alchemy in motion. He added food coloring and candy flavoring with precision, his every motion deliberate as he stirred the bubbling mixture. With a candy thermometer in hand, he watched the temperature climb to the critical 300 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 149°C), his heart racing in anticipation.
Working quickly but carefully, he poured the molten mixture into oiled hemisphere molds, the vibrant liquid gleaming under the kitchen lights. He repeated the process, preparing a second batch for the other half of the jawbreaker, all while keeping a wary eye on the dangerously hot mixture. Hours of cooling and meticulous assembly had followed, each step bringing him closer to the sweet, nostalgic dream of his childhood.
And now, as he held the finished product in his hands, Ezekiel couldn't help but marvel at it. A jawbreaker... but not just any jawbreaker. This was a tribute to the ultimate childhood craving, a sugary orb the size of a small melon that had captured the imaginations of countless kids during the golden era of Cartoon Network—before the days of Chowder and newer shows. It was the candy every child had dreamed of tasting, the forbidden treasure that the iconic trio of Ed, Edd, and Eddy had schemed tirelessly to afford.
"And I created it," Ezekiel whispered, his voice filled with wonder. He gently cradled the massive jawbreaker as if it were the most precious thing in the world. The item was more than just candy—it was a slice of his childhood brought to life, a tangible connection to the mischievous scams of Ed, Edd, and Eddy, and the laughter they had sparked for years.
Not only that, but he also looked towards the fridge as he recalled more about his creative process; he didn't know why; maybe it had been all the tea he had during the tries to surpass the trial of him reaching 100 percent of his brain, each of them leading to huge mental stress and cleaning his body, but his mind felt clearer, and he wanted to create more and more. So he looked at the other 2 creations he had made as he glanced inside the refrigerator, dozens of bottles of 2 colorful drinks, one green and one purple.
His mind flashed back to the time he placed the sugary liquids in their molds to cool down and stood in the quiet stillness of the kitchen as he recalled what he had just created.
(2 hours ago!)
He glanced around at the scattered ingredients on the counter, his gaze landing on a crumpled recipe card Chef Hatchet had given him weeks ago. The chef's gruff voice echoed in his memory: "Kid, this stuff's what keeps me alive in the mornings. It tastes awful, but it gets me charged for the day." Ezekiel chuckled softly. He'd always been curious about the mysterious energy drink Chef handed him before their secret training sessions—an odd blend of citrus and bitterness that tasted horrible but worked wonders. Chef had shared the ingredients but not the precise steps to recreate it.
"Well, it's worth a shot," Ezekiel muttered, rolling up his sleeves. "Maybe I can make something even better... or at least something drinkable."
He set to work, gathering the ingredients Chef had listed; he didn't understand why these ingredients worked together, but clearly they made the results, as awful as they could be. And Ezekiel decided to give some further tests, adding black tea and coffee for the caffeine kick, lemon and lime for citrus hydration, and sparkling water, everything combining with the very greenish-brown liquid Chef always made him drink, but adding those ingredients, suddenly the color was strong green; Ezekiel added them to his blender with care. He followed his instincts to balance the flavors and texture, adding water and ice to make it even clearer. But as usual, his experimental streak took over—he added a splash of energy drink concentrate and a dash of ginger syrup, figuring it might brighten the flavor.
Turning on the blender, Ezekiel watched the mixture swirl into a plutonium-green liquid. He poured it into a tall glass; a sudden cheetah roar echoed through the kitchen. Ezekiel froze, staring at the walls in bewilderment.
"What the... where did that sound come from?" he muttered, glancing around with wide eyes. The sound sparked a flicker of recognition in the back of his mind, like he'd heard it somewhere before. He looked curious about the drink he just made, and with one finger, he took a drop and placed it on his tongue. Suddenly, his eyes went wide open as he heard the roaring of a cheetah once again, and his body just woke up 100 percent. "WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that's what I'm talking about. This is pure caffeine in a drink."
His thoughts blurred under the surge of energy rushing through his veins. His pulse quickened, his senses sharpened, and his muscles felt coiled like springs, ready to burst into action.
"I need to be careful with this because this is too concentrated. I need to dilute it to make it more drinkable. Perhaps I could create two different versions of it: shots and bottles that can be consumed simultaneously. Because, whoa..." Ezekiel breathed, clutching the counter for support. "This stuff's... intense."
It wasn't Chef's usual recipe. Ezekiel had accidentally created something far more powerful, something he couldn't quite explain.
"I don't know why, but the name Cheetah Chug fits you so well… I don't recall where I heard this name before; maybe someday I will remember. But the roaring of the cheetah isn't mistakable," Ezekiel said as his attention focused solely on the drink's effects. "An energy drink like that could have helped on the Wake-a-thon; drinking one shot of the stuff would clearly have made a difference in that challenge."
As he then took once again the main ingredients of Chef's tonic and used them as a way to make a new drink for himself, he didn't know why, but that drop clearly made him want to go even further and beyond. After he blended the ingredients, he put them into a cauldron and turned up the fire instead of using caffeine and citrus to surpass the flavors of the strong but also terrible-tasting drink. This time Ezekiel decided to go to the other safety and strong way to make it better, sugar, by placing honey, sugar, and grapes mixed with black and green tea and watermelon, all to concentrate the flavor with a good dosage of sugar and honey… which was very, very generous, the quantity of sugar Ezekiel had been adding towards the cauldron, and just to be sure to not make too much concentrated. He even added 5 liters of water to make sure to clearly create a juice instead of a syrup.
After 10 minutes of steaming liquid, Ezekiel waited for 20 minutes to cool down before taking a ladle and adding it to the cocktail shaker with dozens of ice cubes and shaking with a good and generous shake. It only took him a full minute to shake the drink, after which he calmly poured it into a glass. Ezekiel watched the mixture transform into a vibrant purple drink, its color gleaming like a prism under the lights.
Being careful, he decided to take a sip, and the sweetness came like a punch hitting him in the face. It was diabetes in one drink if you don't have a well-balanced diet. It was perfect, but clearly if it was given to a child, it would create a sugar rush that would be a nightmare for everyone. The drink just feels right; it was like it came from a mythical beast who can pop rainbows and shoot lasers from its eyes.
"You look like the drink Chef from Dramarama loves to drink whenever he can. Maybe I should call you Rainbow Pegasus Juice Mix, because I think it would fit you so well as well…" As Ezekiel took a sip, he couldn't help but notice that his mood had become much more cheerful. "Hehehe, it rhymes. But I think this drink shouldn't be drunk early in the morning; later I will ask Chef what he thinks about this drink. But now let's return and see if I can finally make the Jawbreakers. I hope so..."
(1 hour later.)
Fortunately, he hadn't stopped at just one. Before him sat six completed jawbreakers, each one a gleaming homage to the trio of child scammers who had taught him the value of creativity, persistence, and unrelenting determination—even if their schemes often went hilariously wrong.
"I think I should reserve one for Izzy," Ezekiel mused aloud, a warm smile spreading across his face. She would appreciate it, he was sure; if he told her this was a food he got inspired by the future, she would be curious and also excited to see how those would work. Giving her Cheetah Chug and Rainbow Pegasus Mix also would be interesting in case she would want to have a taste, but never letting her drink the whole thing; it would be too much for everyone, especially herself. He still needs to think about the dosages of those drinks, but at least he separated a few bottles as 500 ml, like soda, while he also prepared to make it a slight bit concentrated to make it a shot.
But he was still thinking about the Jawbreakers, which he knew would be good to send only to close friends and family.
"And maybe... send one to Pa and Ma. They could put it in a glass box, maybe keep it in the fridge forever." Ezekiel said, as he was sure at the time his mom gave him a taste of it, she would complain and make Ezekiel swear to her to not eat such a thing constantly, and he had to agree with her; it was too much sugar, even for the age he was…
The thought made him chuckle, a mix of pride and sentimentality welling up inside him. For Ezekiel, the task wasn't just about creating candy. It was about honoring the past, celebrating the power of imagination, and finding joy in the simplest—and sweetest—things.
Knock, knock, knock, knock.
Ezekiel's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sudden noise, causing his heart to race. He instinctively glanced at the door near the Craft and Service Tent's secret entrance. The purpose of this kitchen was to remain hidden. Chef said he was going to be sleeping until it was time to make breakfast, and he said the breakfast was going to happen at 10 a.m. on that day. He wasn't sure why, but it was related to the challenge. But who could possibly be here at this hour?
Slowly, Ezekiel walked to the door, his fingers tightening around the handle before he cautiously opened it.
"Cody?" Ezekiel blinked in surprise as the pajama-clad geek stood outside, his face flushed with excitement. Before Ezekiel could utter another word, Cody darted inside, his eyes scanning the kitchen like a radar.
"Where is it?" Cody demanded, his voice tinged with urgency. He took a few steps forward, glancing around like a kid searching for treasure, until Ezekiel's hand clamped firmly onto the sleeve of his pajamas.
"Where the hell are you going?" Ezekiel growled, his instincts kicking in as he pulled Cody back sharply. His voice was firm, but his eyes carried a flicker of confusion at Cody's uninvited intrusion.
Cody flinched under the sudden grip but refused to back down. His wide, anxious eyes locked onto Ezekiel's. "Don't hide it from me!" Cody exclaimed, his words tumbling out in a rush. "My gut is telling me a masterpiece of candy was just created in this kitchen, and I know you're hiding something."
Ezekiel's grip tightened, a stern warning in his gaze. "Oh, no, you don't," he said sharply. "It took me hours to finally make them. You're not messing this up."
"Make what?" Cody asked, undeterred by Ezekiel's resistance. He squirmed slightly, but Ezekiel's unyielding grip kept him in place.
Realizing there was no stopping Cody's relentless curiosity, Ezekiel sighed and reluctantly stepped aside. "Fine, but don't touch anything," he muttered, his tone laced with caution.
Cody's gaze followed Ezekiel's gesture, and when his eyes landed on the cooling racks, his jaw nearly hit the floor. Sitting proudly were four massive jawbreakers, their glossy surfaces shimmering under the soft kitchen light. Each one was a kaleidoscope of colors, their layers swirling together like a sugary work of art.
"Cody..." Ezekiel began, his voice carrying a dramatic flair as he gestured toward the counter. "May I present to you one of my newest creations and perhaps my greatest masterpiece yet: the E.E.&E. Jawbreaker?"
As the duo approached the countertop, Cody's eyes widened, his gaze locking onto the colorful candy marvel before him. The jawbreakers gleamed like treasures under the light, their vibrant swirls almost hypnotic in their perfection. Cody let out a low whistle, impressed despite himself.
"Wow... they look incredible," Cody breathed, his hand instinctively reaching out toward the closest one. But before his fingers could make contact, he felt a sharp smack on his hand. "Ow!" he yelped, pulling back and glaring at Ezekiel.
"Nope," Ezekiel said sternly, crossing his arms as he stared Cody down. "Don't even think about it."
"So... it's just a jawbreaker?" Cody asked, rubbing his hand and giving Ezekiel a skeptical look. His tone carried a hint of sarcasm, though his curiosity hadn't waned.
"Just a jawbreaker?" Ezekiel chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Cody, this isn't just anything. The present moment is the ultimate evolution of jawbreakers. This is what every jawbreaker dreams of becoming—their adult form, their final destiny. This is the dream of every childhood sugar fanatic, brought to life."
Cody gazed at Ezekiel, his mind racing with the possibilities of the candy. His mouth started to moisten, and he had to suppress the impulse to extend his hand once more.
"You made these? Dude, they're... they're wonderful!" His tone was reverent, his geeky demeanor overshadowed by pure admiration. "How did you even...?"
"Let's just say it wasn't easy," Ezekiel shrugged, feigning nonchalance despite the pride welling up inside him. "Now, unless you want to ruin hours of work, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself."
"Fine, fine, but come on… Can't you at least let your friend Cody have one? I mean, I'm Katie's boyfriend; we're on the same team; just give me one," Cody insisted, his tone turning pleading as he clasped his hands together.
"Cody, there are many reasons why I'm not going to give you one. Firstly, we will not allow you to indulge in a sugar rush prior to the morning challenge. It's five a.m., and I guarantee the others will show up soon. You eating candy this early is a recipe for disaster." Ezekiel rolled his eyes, sighing heavily before fixing Cody with a firm stare.
Cody opened his mouth to argue, but Ezekiel held up a hand to stop him.
"Let's be fair here," Ezekiel continued. "If we manage to win today's challenge, then tonight, you'll get one of these. Deal?"
Cody frowned, pouting slightly.
"Fine, but you'd better keep your word. I'm holding you to it." Cody accepted, as he was really going to be holding that promise from Ezekiel.
"Don't worry, Cody. I always keep my promises." Ezekiel smirked, crossing his arms.
And with a handshake, Ezekiel saw Cody leave the secret kitchen, which made him clean the sweat from his face and whistle.
"How did he manage to find out these? Nobody knows, but damn, that boy is sugar addicted, just like on the world tour." Ezekiel said he would rather not deal with the stress of Cody being a whiny child wanting candy and fighting him over it. They have a freaking challenge on the day, for God's sake; they needed to be in their perfect condition, and somehow Chef said to both Izzy and Ezekiel they have more hours off, as it is clear the challenge would happen in the afternoon. It was a good way to prepare themselves with more things; sure, he could have been sleeping, but he was very inspired.
Ezekiel opened the fridge, as he knew he would need to gather most of the bottles and bring them with him. He knows his friends wouldn't insist if he made sure to tell them how those things are still in phase tests, so it would require a lot of tests to make sure they would be perfect.
"Especially you…" Ezekiel said as he calmly took one tiny bottle, which would be considered a shot of Cheetah Chug. "I still don't know your potency, and I did my best to dilute it to a single shot, so it won't be bad if I give you one try. I mean, how much difference would a shot of Cheetah Chug make for me?"
And with that, Ezekiel simply opened the bottle.
ROAR
Immediately the roar of a cheetah could be heard from the feral state; it wanted to drink. And with a happy shrug, Ezekiel simply took a gulp with the shot.
(Crafts and Service Tent)
"How, how, how HOW HOW HOW HOW THE BEEP DID YOU WRITE ALL OF THIS?!" Noah reached his breaking point as he threw his arms in the air; as Ezekiel wasn't looking at him, he was simply tapping the keys of his laptop at such supreme speed that even people would think he was just messing around and wasn't writing anything, while in his right hand he had a notebook open and a pen in his hand, writing down things at such amazing speed. Noah was almost having a stroke because while Ezekiel was writing down with his hand and on the laptop at the same time… There were 6 other notebooks completely written by hand.
"And with a good hug, Wirt says his goodbyes to Greg as both brothers finally depart their ways. The young boy, who was the youngest, had to cross his own journeys while taking with him a van, a guitar, and a dream. While the older brother decided to return to the forest to stay with the love of his life, a little bird with a curse broken now has a good future ahead of them. All of this happened in Over the Garden Wall. The end." Ezekiel simply narrated as he then finally finished typing the words on his laptop. "Need to go to the bathroom."
Noah's mouth dropped as he watched Ezekiel quickly move away as he saw Ezekiel roller-skating with a pair of shoes with retractable roller-skating wheels.
"He just finished Over the Garden Wall?" Noah said as he quickly opened the archive to see how many chapters it has. "20?! IT HAD ONLY 6 CHAPTERS YESTERDAY!"
"What's going on?" Bridgette, who just saw Noah shriek, immediately was the next one to appear. As she recalled, the Chef was just finally preparing to make the food for them to eat as a brunch; she wasn't sure why there was shouting around.
"What's going on? It's Ezekiel; he finally did it. I have no idea how he did it, but he finally did it." Noah said as he turned the laptop to Bridgette to see. "Guess which book Ezekiel just finally finished writing the drafts for?"
"Wait… Over the Garden Wall is done?" Bridgette said as her eyes went wide open, not just in amazement and awe, but in horror and panic. "How did he do that?"
"I don't freaking know." Noah shouted as he recalled what the boy had been doing after being done with the writing. "And what was the creepiest thing? It was him typing the chapter while writing something in this notebook. I don't know why, but I will have a stroke."
As before, she would ask what was happening; she just heard the sound of something rolling, and suddenly she jumped when Ezekiel just sat on the chair as he tapped a few things on his laptop.
"Okay, Over the Garden Wall can finally be published after you do the review, Noah; take your time and don't overextend yourself." Ezekiel commented as he decided to open another document and start typing, not seeing Noah's twitching eyes and ready to jump at him.
"Ezekiel, are you okay?" Bridgette whispered in fear, as she had never seen Ezekiel in that state, which was quite worrisome. Which suddenly she jumped on, and how quickly Ezekiel turned his head at her.
"Oh, sorry to not see you, Bridgette, but to answer your question more or less…" Ezekiel was holding a pencil and trying to spin it on his hand, but the attempt was unsuccessful. "Dammit, I don't know how to do that."
"Oh, hey guys, ho-" Beth just came to greet the group until she saw Ezekiel acting weird. "Ezekiel, are you okay?"
"I'm more or less… As I was saying, I'm on a high dosage of caffeine." Ezekiel then told the truth to his friends, which made Noah blink, and Bridgette and Beth were also surprised by such a statement. "I recently created a drink that was too concentrated, so I diluted it 10 times to make it like a shot and see how potent the drink was… and the results would be for me to write for 5 hours straight, without pause, with full focus and multitasking at the same time… It was a mistake to make it only 10 times for a shot, so next time I will try to dilute it 20 times."
"5 hours?" Bridgette paled as Beth sweated, seeing the boy trying to spin the pencil.
"No, no, you are doing it wrong. Use your finger like this." Beth then decided to teach a few motions with her hand, which Ezekiel repeated with his hand; while still failing a few times, he managed to do way better than before.
"Thanks, I was having a problem with that, so spinning batons is something like this?" Ezekiel asked as Beth nodded her head, and she was about to explain more about it.
"Can we talk about the fact Ezekiel created a drink full of caffeine and how he is on a high dosage right now?" Noah facepalmed as Beth blushed and smiled sheepishly, while Bridgette nodded her head.
"I agree, Ezekiel. What the hell were you thinking? You shouldn't be doing that; it's too dangerous, and it can be damaging to your body." Bridgette tried to scold the boy, but he quickly nodded his head.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, too much caffeine is never a good answer." Ezekiel comments as he was trying to spin the pen with his hand while he was pressing a lot of keys with his own hand.
"Woah, that's incredible." Lindsay then came as she looked at the trio and watched Ezekiel write with one hand. "How can you use the computer with one hand?"
"I think I'm just doing it." Ezekiel replied quickly as Lindsay nodded her head and sat happily as the group looked at the blonde bombshell.
"Ah… look at all these notebooks. What are they doing here?" Lindsay asked as the group immediately recognized there were indeed 5 whole notebooks on the table.
"Oh, that reminds me." Ezekiel remembered as he suddenly opened the notebook with one hand and decided to write something. "The end. There you go. The entire spin-off of the BMO Noire is presented. 5 detective cases with 3 long chapters for each of them, Lindsay."
…
Crash
In that moment, he simply lost his cool and flipped the seat on the other side of the Craft and Service Tent, which made Bridgette and Beth jump, while Lindsay had no idea why Noah looked so stressed.
It took one more hour for all the caffeine to finally get out of Ezekiel's system, at which moment he clearly became dehydrated and hungry for food. Which of those symptoms clearly made Bridgette and Noah bring out the big guns, bringing the whole Killer Bass members to scold Ezekiel and have Eva threaten him to never do that without strict supervision, or they would make Eva knock him out, which clearly Ezekiel insisted that he wasn't going to use the dosage of a 10-times diluted version of his drink. And now he was going to do a 25-times dilution to make a less lethal dosage, but still he said the 50-times dilution was very stable, and he guaranteed it wasn't as terrifying as the one he just tried.
That was sufficient to put an end to their persistent pestering. As the group was preparing themselves for the day, the line over the breakfast was finally done, and Chef was ready to give the slop of the day to those who would try to take his food, instead of seeing the opposite side of the Craft and Service Tent, which he had prepared as a surprise breakfast only for those who had actual eyes to see it.
At 11 a.m., the contestants shuffled sleepily into the dining area, the air thick with groans and the occasional yawn of a few people as they lined up reluctantly for breakfast. Chef stood behind the counter, his imposing figure framed by the flickering sunlight, ladling out generous portions of the unidentifiable, lumpy substance onto each tray with zero mercy.
The cadets Sanders and MacArthur were enjoying their breakfast, eating donuts filled with jelly and drinking coffee as they watched the contestants having the displeasure of eating the chef's food, not realizing one tiny detail on the other side of the Crafts and Services Tent…
Heather wrinkled her nose as she glared at her tray, the gelatinous slop jiggling ominously as she sat at the nearest table. "Now I know how starlets stay thin," she muttered dryly, poking at the food with her fork as though it might spring to life at any second.
Not far from her, Harold plopped down his tray with a heavy sigh, his expression one of exaggerated suffering. "Man, I wish Chef'd let me in the kitchen. I got me some mad culinary skills," he said, drumming his fingers against the table in frustration.
DJ, who was carefully maneuvering his tray to avoid spilling the slop onto his lap, chuckled softly as he sat down across from Harold. "Harold, you're my friend, and we've been through We have faced many challenges together," DJ began, his voice gentle yet firm. "But you know you still need to work hard on your cooking. Even Chef refused to let me try to cook around here."
Harold raised an eyebrow, his defensive side kicking in. "Alright, alright, you got your point," he conceded, waving his hand dismissively. "But come on, man, comparing my Scots cooking skills to yours—someone who learned from your mom? That's kind of unfair."
DJ grinned, his expression softening at the mention of his mother. "Momma's food is the best, without argument," he replied confidently, his tone carrying an edge of pride that was difficult to miss.
Heather let out an exaggerated groan from the other side of the table, clearly annoyed by the conversation. "Do you mind?" she snapped, her voice sharp as she gestured vaguely at her tray. "I was talking to my slop."
Without waiting for a response, Heather picked up her tray and marched off toward another table, leaving the two boys in stunned silence for a brief moment before they exchanged amused glances.
At a nearby table, an air of delight hung over Lindsay, Beth, and Izzy, who seemed to be enjoying their breakfast far more than the rest.
Heather, still irritated by her slop and her earlier conversation, walked over to join them, her expression etched with annoyance. Lindsay perked up the moment she saw Heather, waving her over with a bright smile.
"Hey, Heather, we've been waiting for you," Lindsay chirped. She held up a plate triumphantly. "I brought some bacon."
Heather froze mid-step, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "We have bacon as an option?" she asked, her voice dripping with irritation as she glanced at her unappetizing tray.
Beth chimed in cheerfully, pointing at another plate on the table. "Also, we have bacon. It's bacon..."
Heather turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Made of tofu? Wow, how did you get that while I just got this slop?"
Izzy, who was lounging back in her seat with a satisfied grin, leaned forward and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, did you even look at the table where there was a buffet of options?" she asked, her tone light but teasing.
Heather's expression froze as realization dawned on her. She stared at Izzy for a moment before muttering under her breath, "...I'm an idiot."
Beth and Lindsay exchanged amused glances before bursting into a fit of giggles, the sound filling the air like the chiming of bells.
Izzy, ever the opportunist, slid her plate forward with a sly grin. "Well, take my scrambled eggs," she offered casually. "I'm already full. Plus, I managed to snag a French toast slice from Chef's breakfast while he wasn't looking."
Heather blinked, her annoyance melting into a blend of reluctant gratitude and disbelief. As she consumed the scrambled eggs, she couldn't resist pondering how Izzy consistently emerged victorious in the most unforeseen circumstances.
Heather had always struggled with Izzy, particularly since she played a significant role in the previous season. Although Heather and Lindsay could have overcome this obstacle, it was Izzy's ability to understand the challenges and her willingness to think creatively that helped. She was grateful for the military girl; even though she had a bit of trauma coming from one of the said girl's mothers, she learned from them.
Differently from Lindsay and Beth, Heather was still unsure if she could say Izzy was her friend. However, she recognized Izzy as an ally. But since Lindsay and Beth were starting to see Izzy more as a friend, she was unsure, but she could shrug off that weird feeling.
As the other contestants one by one reached to eat their breakfast, leaving before continuing their day, Chris appeared. They had no idea why they weren't called that morning, but they wouldn't complain; they enjoyed a few more hours before the next challenge.
"Zeke, over here." Izzy and Lindsay then waved as Heather watched the boy without his winter hat, without his jacket, and wearing a long-sleeve shirt, bringing with him his sketchbook and what would be a bottle containing a green liquid while he was holding his tray of breakfast.
"Wait for a minute, please." Heather said this to Ezekiel while she pulled Lindsay near her to whisper. "Since when has he started sitting with us? I don't recall you being excited sitting with him, Lindsay. Izzy I could understand, but you?"
Ezekiel simply ignored it as he sat while Beth looked at the green liquid inside of the bottle, as it was gasified and looked very bubbly in an obvious green.
"So this is the drink?" Beth said as she saw Ezekil nodding his head.
"Yep, this one is diluted 50 times, so it's still strong, like energetic, but it was just a combination of soda and energy at the same time." Ezekiel commented as the words clearly made Izzy turn her head to see the green drink.
"What drink?" Izzy asked in surprise as Beth looked pale, and Ezekiel sighed. "From hearing both your reactions, it seems something big just happened, and I wasn't here."
"Actually, that's a good point. Where were you?" Ezekiel commented as Izzy noticed he was trying to change the subject.
"I had a call with my lawyer, and I needed to make a few calls to deal with a few judicial problems, which you guys already know; now don't change the subject." Izzy said as Ezekiel snapped his fingers, while Heather and Lindsay raised their eyebrows toward the homeschooled boy, wanting to know what happened.
Before he could even say something, Tyler came towards the table.
"Morning, guys," Tyler greeted cheerfully, the same boundless energy he carried into every challenge radiating in his voice. As he then looked at the green drink, he couldn't help but deadpan. "So this was the drink. This is the safe one, right? 50 times, right?"
"Yeah, Tyler, this is the one." Ezekiel rolled his eyes, and Izzy raised her eyebrows in question. "I drank a concentrated version of this drink, and I managed to finish Over the Garden Wall, and I did a whole spinoff book for Lindsay."
"Get out of here." Izzy commented in disbelief, but Beth and Lindsay nodded their heads.
"It's true, I never saw Noah having a breakdown and outrage like that." Beth commented as Izzy pouted, as she was disappointed.
"Oh, come on, no fair! I have been trying to make him have a breakdown for the last season, and you just took a few tries for that? How did you do that?" Izzy said as she could see Ezekiel smiling, almost smirking.
"Izzy, it's difficult to make Noah freak out; just him staying on Total Drama makes it too easy." Ezekiel commented as both smirked and even chuckled from seeing the bookworm clearly annoyed by them.
Tyler simply accepted his answer, as he would be sure to keep an eye on Ezekiel, but he trusted his friend's word. In case something out of control happens, he could call their friends and make Ezekiel stop doing something that could hurt his health. But then he just glanced at the table where the others had chosen something different. Noticing their plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and other treats.
"Woah, you all got this food? Where did you get them?" Tyler asked as he noticed that all his friends took a good portion of the good breakfast and was excited to have some for himself.
"Oh, the buffet," Beth explained casually, her tone light as she pointed toward the now-dismantled section of the dining area.
Ezekiel had just returned to the table, his tray complete with scrambled eggs and crisp bacon. He glanced at the buffet behind him and raised his voice just enough to catch their attention.
"Which they are empty righhhhhhhhhht... now," he said, dragging out the last word as his expression shifted to amusement.
On cue, the group turned their heads in unison just in time to witness Owen, a blur of enthusiasm and hunger, devouring the entire buffet section with gusto. Plates clattered, utensils disappeared, and food vanished in an instant. They stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as the oversized appetite of their friend ensured that no one else would be enjoying the buffet that morning.
"Ah, man," Tyler grumbled, slumping back in his seat as he stared at his tray of slop. "Sometimes I kind of wish Owen had a little more control over what he eats."
His complaint was short-lived, as a crisp piece of bacon suddenly materialized on top of his slop. He blinked in surprise, his gaze shifting to Lindsay, who was winking at him with a playful grin.
"You're the best, Linds." Tyler's face lit up with gratitude as he had another reason to be grateful for having such a wonderful girlfriend.
Ezekiel couldn't help but smile at the interaction, his usual stoic demeanor softening as he observed Lindsay and Tyler's sweet rapport. Meanwhile, Izzy sat without a plate, having passed hers off earlier, while Beth and Heather quietly ate their breakfasts, occasionally glancing at the rest of the group.
"Soooo," Izzy began, her eyes darting between the faces at the table as she leaned forward slightly. Especially to Ezekiel, who was eating his breakfast. "What is the drink, Zeke?"
"I named it Cheetah Chug." Ezekiel simply stated, as the group stared at him and blinked a few times. As for the cue, he was taking the bottle in his hands.
"Why did you name—"
ROAR
The loud cheetah roar echoed towards the tent, which immediately made everyone turn their heads in the direction of Ezekiel, who looked bored… That opening of the bottle alone clearly caused everyone to have their eyes wide open.
"Oh, so that's why." Lindsay corrected herself…
"The roar came from the drink?" Beth asked, pale, as even Tyler was with his mouth shocked.
Ezekiel raised his finger to ask for a minute, and Ezekiel gave a gulp… which the sound expectations were coming from everyone at that moment, and in case Ezekiel would mess up, the group would make him stop whatever he was doing.
"Oh yeah, that hits the spot." Ezekiel said with a satisfied sigh. "Strong like a good energy soda"
"Let me try." Tyler asked as Ezekiel let the jock give a gulp. As suddenly, his eyes went wide open. "WOOHHHHHHHHHH, THAT HIT THE SPOT. YEAH, NOW I AM AWAKE. WOOOOOOH."
"Let me try, let me try." Izzy said as she quickly snatched the drink over her hands, and she gave a gulp… Suddenly she stopped and stared, bored. "That's it? I thought it was ROAR."
Suddenly, Izzy felt her inner feline as she roared like a cheetah and gave a backflip.
"Wooh, that's what I call a drink." Izzy said as she even went to drink more, but she was surprised to see Ezekiel already taking his bottle back.
"Nope, one gulp only for you guys." Ezekiel narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Tyler I can understand, but a military expert drinking this would be too much energy; too much caffeine is too dangerous. I'm compensating for my dehydration and hunger with this breakfast; it's my second plate. And too many calories need to be recovered in accordance with Eva."
"That's your second plate, dude?" Tyler commented as Ezekiel nodded his head at him. Which Tyler recognized indeed; the drink was potent, but it was the best for Ezekiel. Don't try much with it.
With that, the silence finally returned to the table, as the other contestants looked wary at Ezekiel; some were even interested, but they decided it was not worth the headache since Noah clearly went to take a long shower to finally recover his sanity and return to the Craft and Service Tent.
"How was your morning, guys?" Izzy's tone was casual but carried a faint push for conversation, clearly trying to stir some energy before the chaos of the day's challenge.
"It was nice, I guess," Tyler replied first, lifting his fork with a resigned shrug. "It still sucks waking up at 5 a.m. every morning. I don't understand why Chris thought that was a good idea. But at least with this challenge being a bit late, I could have one or two more hours of sleep."
"I knooow," Lindsay chimed in dramatically, her voice rising with her typical enthusiasm. "I wanted so much to enjoy my wonderful sleep, but we're waking up way earlier than we ever did on the island." She pointed to her face, pouting slightly. "I'm feeling like I've got dark circles under my eyes. Can I have a gulp, Ezekiel?"
"Huh, you are getting my name right. Nice," Ezekiel gave a thumbs-up to Lindsay, who smiled cheerfully at him.
"It's because Izzy, Beth, and Tyler are helping me to memorize the names at night. So I'm doing my best." Lindsay spoke as Ezekiel nodded his head at the trio who were smiling at her. Despite being in a unique situation, Lindsay managed to overcome her inner obstacles with the help of her friends.
Izzy and Beth sat side by side, exchanging giggles over how successful their help to Lindsay was, while Heather maintained her usual guarded demeanor—though even she couldn't suppress a smirk as Ezekiel opened his sketchbook and began drawing. The faint scratching of pencil on paper added a quiet rhythm to the lively conversations around him.
"Taking a break from writing your books?" Izzy's curiosity overcame her, and she leaned in slightly, her bright gaze fixed on Ezekiel. "I don't blame you, since you literally managed to finish one book and even create another book in the same quantity of hours," she asked, her tone light but inquisitive.
"Well, to be fair, they weren't giant books like I did with Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Courage the Cowardly Dog; they were one-shots, which would be described as a way of only having a book of their length and quantity of chapters. It has a middle and a finish, so I think they were great to be published as soon as Noah had the patience to edit all of them." Ezekiel paused his drawing, glancing up briefly before nodding. "Since this morning I managed to write a whole spinoff from Adventure Time. Now I'm just chilling and drawing until Chris's next challenge happens."
As he returned to his work, Tyler—who had been eating his slop with exaggerated effort—froze mid-chew. His eyes locked on Ezekiel's sketchpad, and he seemed to pale slightly as he noticed the emerging shapes. Setting his fork down, he shifted closer, a mix of curiosity and dread brewing in his expression.
"Hey," Tyler began, his voice tinged with unease. "I know I'm not into reading books or anything, but isn't Adventure Time the one you said you were taking a break from this season? Like, weren't you supposed to take a pause from writing about it?" His gaze flickered to the sketch, and his face twisted and paled further. "Is that a... a... a...?"
"Chicken?" Ezekiel replied casually, not missing a beat. "Yes. Her name's Loraine."
Before Tyler could react, Lindsay gasped dramatically, her excitement bubbling over as she leaned closer to Ezekiel. "Can I see it? Please? Please?" she pleaded, her voice ringing with enthusiasm. "I loved BMO Noire so much when you told me the story yesterday, and I want to hear their story later, so please, I have to see how she looks!"
Caught off guard by Lindsay's puppy-dog eyes, Ezekiel hesitated for a moment before relenting. Turning the sketchbook toward her, he allowed Lindsay to glimpse the drawing. Her reaction was immediate and full of glee.
"Oh my gosh!" Lindsay squealed, clasping her hands together. "She's so beautiful—just like the way I imagined her!"
Heather, watching the interaction from her spot at the table, raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "A chicken, really?" she asked dryly, her skepticism evident.
"Yep. A chicken." Ezekiel simply shrugged, his casual demeanor unwavering. "I will name the whole spinoff BMO-Noire Mystère de l'ombre."
"Wait, BMO Noire?" Meanwhile, Izzy's eyes lit up with intrigue as she leaned closer, her blinking turning into wide-eyed sparkles. She asks eagerly. "You wrote a chapter where BMO was the main character, and the whole thing was Noire-themed?"
"Yep," Ezekiel confirmed, his voice tinged with pride. "And after hearing how much Lindsay loved it—and how much I enjoyed writing it—it took hours and a shot of diluted 10 Cheetah Chug, and I was able to finish the draft of the book into 6 notebooks."
His statement drew immediate reactions from around the table. Lindsay's excitement soared even further, while Tyler visibly recoiled at the thought of more chicken-themed storytelling.
"Dude... you know I like BMO—he's a video game console, after all—but are you sure writing about a chicken is a good idea…—"
Before Tyler could finish, Lindsay sprang to her feet, overcome with joy. She rushed to Ezekiel's side and grabbed him by the shoulders, practically vibrating with excitement.
"And I can't wait to hear someone reading these drafts for me," she exclaimed. "What sort of mysteries must have happened on that world, and how did Loraine and BMO just meet? I can't wait for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
In her elation, she leaned forward and kissed Ezekiel on the cheek, much to everyone's shock. Tyler stared at his girlfriend with wide eyes, then slowly turned his gaze toward Ezekiel, his expression frozen in disbelief.
"Dude," Tyler managed to say, his voice barely audible.
Ezekiel, still stunned by the sudden display of affection, returned to his seat and attempted to regain his composure, though his cheeks flushed faintly.
"Dude, it's your girlfriend," he said finally, his voice steady. "She likes mysteries. You saw that episode last season where she talked about them."
Heather and Beth exchanged amused glances at the unfolding scene, while Izzy—never one to let chaos settle—reached over to pinch Lindsay, drawing a startled yelp from the blonde.
"Oh, you mean the Pink Panther one?" Tyler asked, his tone softening slightly as he recalled something Lindsay had mentioned. "I tried to watch the others, but the blockbuster only had that one before I came to the next season."
"Oh, did you like it?" Lindsay's face lit up again, her earlier shock dissipating. She asked eagerly.
"Oh, it was great," Tyler said with a broad grin. "Bruno being the killer really caught me by surprise. And I asked my dad about soccer rules when I was a child—it turns out it's actually true about the coaches knowing about Chinese medicine preparations and ingredients. Crazy, right?"
Ezekiel, who had been observing the conversation quietly, gave two enthusiastic thumbs up, pleased to see the jock and his girlfriend connecting over their shared interest in mysteries. The table buzzed with lighthearted chatter, the early morning camaraderie setting a more upbeat tone compared to the chef's dreary slop.
But the mood shifted abruptly.
Without warning, a growing mist began to creep across the ground, curling and swirling like ghostly tendrils. It was unmistakably from a smoke machine; the faint mechanical hum was barely audible above the rising tension. From somewhere distant, the smooth, melancholic strains of jazz began to fill the air, each note carrying a mysterious allure. The contestants froze, their expressions ranging from confusion to curiosity as they glanced at one another.
"Is that... jazz?" Trent asked, narrowing his eyes as he tried to pinpoint the source of the music.
Gwen, seated beside him, looked equally puzzled. "I think so... but what the heck is going on?" She replied, her tone both cautious and intrigued.
Before anyone could voice another question, a silhouette emerged from the mist. The figure strode forward with dramatic purpose, the brim of a detective's hat tilted just enough to obscure their face under the dim light. The jazz swelled, underscoring the intensity of the moment.
"11:30 a.m.," a familiar voice began, smooth yet laced with theatrical flair. "The handsome chief of detectives, McLean, emerges from the foggy streets of the Craft and Service tents, ready to assess the teams before him. Will these amateur gumshoes rise to the occasion? Will they crack the case, or will they break under the pressure? The handsome McLean isn't so sure."
Chris McLean stepped fully into view, his iconic smirk amplified by the noir-style trench coat and hat he wore. He carried a vintage pocket watch in one hand, flicking it open dramatically before snapping it shut. The jazz music simmered in the background, adding to the dramatic ambiance.
For a few moments, the contestants just stared at Chris, their reactions ranging from bewilderment to mild annoyance as the jazz music lingered in the background, wrapping the tent in a surreal ambiance. Finally, Leshawna broke the silence, her arms crossing in disbelief.
"Okay, what's that all about?" She asked, her voice sharp and skeptical as her gaze bore into Chris. Her tone left little room for theatrics.
"It's the theme of today's challenge," Noah cut in before Chris could respond, his voice already tinged with resignation. His expression conveyed a feeling of familiarity, as if he could accurately forecast the course of the day. A faint sigh escaped him as he added dryly, "Let me guess. It's going to be some overly complicated, headache-inducing nonsense, right?"
Chris pointed at Noah with a finger gun, clearly enjoying the cynicism. "You've got that right, Noah!" he exclaimed gleefully before spinning theatrically on his heel. "Today's theme is nothing less than noire—a dive into the shadowy world of mystery, intrigue, and drama."
Chris paced before the group with exaggerated flair, clearly savoring every moment in the spotlight. "Your two teams—the Killer Grips and the Screaming Gophers—will be taking part in two thrilling noir-themed challenges. Each one will test your wits, creativity, and adaptability. The stakes? High. The pressure? Even higher."
He paused for dramatic effect, letting the jazz music swell slightly before continuing.
"Meet me in Studio 13, for we start the first challenge of the day, which will give you the advantage on the second part of the challenge. Indeed, we aim to enhance the intrigue of today's episode. All the cameras will be recorded in black and white right now." Chris said, and immediately the lights of the area changed as if they were covering a good part of the cameras, surprising everyone with the twist.
Confession—Jude
The whole set of makeup, the recording, now shown to be in black and white, describes how Chris wasn't kidding at the time he said they would be recording in noir style.
"Woah, everything here looks colorful, and from the television, it may look black and white. Guys, you have to check the episode later. Trust me, everything is still colorful here. Now I can understand what the actors of my grandparents movies told when it was their time to watch movies." Jude said as he was wearing his usual clothing, but the effects of black and white clearly made him excited about being like an old movie.
"Noir theme?" Gwen muttered to the Screaming Gophers, crossing her arms as she leaned slightly toward Noah. "Sounds like Chris just wanted an excuse to play dress-up again."
The group nodded in agreement, their skepticism shared silently among themselves. Each of them made a decision to leave the Craft and Service and pursue her.
Meanwhile, Trent, who had joined the Killer Grips, hesitated as he voiced his concerns.
"Studio 13?" Trent echoed, his tone uneasy. "Damn, that's not a good signal, guys. 13 is always an unlucky number."
Cody and Katie, both enjoying the last bites of their breakfast, paused briefly to exchange a glance. Tyler and Ezekiel, however, simply stared at Trent with raised eyebrows, both unsure what to make of his comment.
"Do you seriously believe all of those things about unlucky numbers?" Heather interjected, rolling her eyes dramatically. Her sarcasm was sharp as she pointed casually at Tyler. "He's the living definition of bad luck, and even he doesn't believe that nonsense."
"Yeah...HEY!" Tyler exclaimed, sitting upright with indignation. The table erupted into chuckles, with Lindsay, Izzy, and Beth giggling at his reaction. Tyler slumped slightly in his seat, letting out a mock pout. "You guys suck."
Ezekiel, still amused, gave Tyler a supportive pat on the back while trying to stifle his laughter.
"Hey, unlucky numbers are serious," Trent said, his tone defensive as he frowned. However, his train of thought was promptly disrupted.
"If you really believe in that," Izzy interjected with her usual animated energy, "then you should know that 4 is also an unlucky number in China, Japan, and Korea... and 7 in Vietnam." Her voice carried a teasing edge, daring Trent to respond.
Trent was about to respond, but Harold intervened before he could formulate a response. "9 is also considered unlucky in Japan," Harold added, adjusting his glasses as he delivered the fact with an air of certainty.
Trent froze, his expression shifting to one of horror. "No, it must be a lie," he insisted, his voice tinged with panic. His attachment to the number was evident, and Harold's calm nod did nothing to soothe him.
"Yep. 9 is suffering in Japanese; keywords are Ku and Kanji." Harold explained matter-of-factly. The group collectively blinked at the unexpected tidbit, the information landing like a quiet bombshell.
Harold then glanced at Ezekiel and Tyler, sensing their mild surprise at his seemingly random trivia drop. "I've been trying to find simpler ways to share information using keywords," Harold continued, his tone shifting to casual as he explained his approach. "I think it's the best way to do it."
"I have to say, it's short but really informative, dude," Tyler chimed in, his expression showing genuine intrigue. "I had no idea 9 could mean suffering."
Heather, who had been observing the exchange with thinly veiled impatience, finally stood from her seat. "Well, I hope you've learned your lesson, number guy," she said, her voice clipped as she shot Trent a pointed look. "It doesn't matter which number you like or don't like—we should be focusing on winning the challenge."
Without waiting for a response, Heather spun around and motioned for the others to follow. "Let's go, girls. Let's see what kind of awful challenges Chris has for us; the quicker we end this, the better."
Lindsay, Beth, and Izzy immediately rose, trailing behind Heather with varying degrees of curiosity and amusement. Ezekiel closed his sketchbook, tucking it away as he joined the group, followed shortly by Bridgette, Tyler, and Harold.
Trent, left behind, sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why is it so difficult to interact with them?" he muttered, the frustration evident in his voice.
Katie, who had been quietly observing, offered him a kind smile. "Trent, you're a good guy, and I know you're trying your best," she said gently. Her words were thoughtful, her tone soothing as she glanced at Cody for support. Cody, ever the supportive boyfriend, nodded encouragingly at her before she continued. "But sometimes, you can't blame things on stuff that's out of your control. Luck and bad luck happen to everyone—it's just part of life. We can't go around blaming things on numbers or lucky objects."
Katie's voice softened further as she leaned in slightly, her sincerity shining through. "From everything I've learned from my friends, it's about being prepared for anything and just going with the flow. "Simple as that."
Her words hung in the air for a moment, their weight sinking in. Trent sighed again, but this time with a hint of resignation, her perspective seeming to chip away at his anxiety. Cody placed a reassuring hand on Trent's shoulder, giving him a small smile of encouragement.
"Thanks," Trent finally muttered, his voice quieter but grateful.
The atmosphere inside Studio 13 was tense, the dim lighting casting eerie shadows across the floor and amplifying the strange glass boxes in each corner of the studio and the scattered noir-inspired furniture inside of the said glass boxes, making it into a room. As the contestants entered, their voices began to fill the space, a mix of confusion and curiosity breaking the silence.
"What's with the glass boxes?" Gwen muttered as she scanned the setup, her arms crossed. "Are we supposed to get inside those? Looks like something out of a sci-fi movie."
"Definitely a noire twist, though," Noah replied dryly, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Glass boxes, interrogation vibes, jazz music? It's Chris being dramatic again."
"Welcome, everyone, to the first challenge," Chris announced, his voice cutting through the murmur of conversation. He stepped forward and gestured broadly to the set, letting his words linger for effect. "The interrogation of the culprit!"
Owen tilted his head, confused as ever. "Did he just say interrogation?" His voice carried that familiar nervous tone, prompting his teammates to glance at him with varying degrees of agreement.
"That's right, Owen!" Chris exclaimed, his trademark smirk widening. "This place will serve as the first trial for those of you daring enough to explore the ins and outs of the criminal world."
Eva scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Figures," she muttered. "He couldn't just let us solve clues like normal people."
"Cool setup, though," Geoff chimed in, nudging Jude's shoulder. "Glass interrogation rooms— it's like we're in one of those old noir flicks. Makes you want to pull off a dramatic monologue or something."
Jude grinned but didn't say much, busy adjusting his scarf to fit the vibe.
Chris clapped his hands together to regain everyone's attention. "The challenge is simple!" he declared, his tone rising with enthusiasm. "Each team will select only one member to act as the 'criminal.' The opposing team will then interrogate that criminal separately. Your objective? Your objective is to uncover the mastermind behind the crime and his crewmates. You'll have thirty minutes for the interrogation to piece together the clues and make your accusation. Managing to discover who the crewmate was will get you a point; if you discover the mastermind, it will make your team have the victory of this part of the challenge."
"That sounds cool!" Lindsay exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Interrogation sounds super mysterious. I can totally imagine it—like those detectives asking questions under a flickering light."
"Except one of us will not be the one asking questions," Heather quipped, rolling her eyes. "You'll probably be the one getting interrogated if anything."
"Fine by me!" Lindsay replied cheerfully, unbothered.
"A person to volunteer for being interrogated?" Gwen mused as Chris nodded his head.
"Alright, each of you will go to the determined corner of the studio where the interrogation rooms are waiting for you," Chris said as he clapped his hands, which made the two teams separately go away and get ready for the challenge. "While you are in your positions, both teams will decide who will become the criminal for interrogation. Now, move, move, move."
At the Screaming Gaffers side, Gwen looked at her team, as she wanted to see who would be willing to try to get into the possible ideas of possible tortures coming from the other team. Punches on the face, water bucket torture— the rules aren't explained yet, but they aren't going to risk it.
"So, who's volunteering for that?" Gwen looked at her friends and even the other members of her team, uncertain if Sadie or Justin would be willing to wait for 30 minutes.
"I will be the one being interrogated; nobody would be fool enough to provoke me." Eva commented as the group looked at her in surprise. "If they tried to touch me, I could break their arms easily."
"Sometimes you terrify me, Eva." DJ commented as he got a chuckle from the bodybuilder.
"I'm down for interrogating the person coming to us," Leshawna said with confidence. "This sounds like it could be fun. Plus, I've always wanted to call someone out for lying to my face."
Over on the Killer Grips side, Ezekiel crossed his arms as he took in the challenge, already calculating how the roles could play to their advantage.
"Alright, I will be the culprit." Ezekiel didn't even beat around the bush; he simply stated,.
"What?" That got a surprised look from his friends and even a curious look from the rest of the team.
"An interrogation challenge "You have no idea how much I wanted to be part of a challenge like that." Ezekiel said this with a devious smirk, and he even looked at the camera.
Confession — Ezekiel
"I feel pity for anyone who would try to make this challenge against me. As a writer, I had been planning so much for what possibly would come: those interrogation scenes for many of my stories. Indeed, I had to discard numerous interrogation scenes due to the potential repercussions. However, given that Total Drama is a show aimed at teenagers, I decided to show no mercy." Ezekiel uttered these words as he fixed his gaze on the camera, even switching to black and white. A good part of his face showed that in black and white, in the good scale of gray... he wasn't kidding.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Trent asked as Izzy raised her eyebrows at Ezekiel, who gave a thumbs-up to the ginger girl.
"I trust him," Izzy said as she glanced at Lindsay and Heather, who already knew Izzy was probably the girl who had done challenges with Ezekiel so many times together. And seeing him She is already motivated to do that. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but she will enjoy seeing it when she gets back home.
"Are you sure, Zeke?" Bridgette asked as she glanced at Izzy and even Heather. "I know you are capable of doing many things, but being interrogated isn't something good."
"It's fine; I can take it. The problem is… I will probably make Gwen, Eva, Sadie, or even Geoff jump on me angrily." Cody raised his eyebrows at Ezekiel as he spoke.
"What are you going to do?" Cody asked as the other members looked curious.
"I'm going to bring the nuts on their case. And that's all you needed to know…" Ezekiel smiled. Harold, Cody, and Trent exchanged glances, unable to comprehend the humor. While Izzy had her mouth agape, since she recalled the times when she talked with Ezekiel about the future he lived on… And when he said nuts, Izzy immediately knew what Ezekiel was going to do.
He was going to bring the future to the past.
"Poor souls." Izzy commented as Lindsay, Heather, and Bridgette looked at her in surprise.
Ezekiel laughed, signaling the start of the game.
.
.
.
"Alright, Gaffers, you're up to interrogating. And from the Killer Grips... your only culprit is—" Chris paused dramatically, letting the tension in the room build as he glanced around. His smirk widened as he finally announced, "Ezekiel."
The glass room fell silent for a moment, the air thick with anticipation. Ezekiel stepped forward, his demeanor calm and collected. His sleeves were rolled up just enough to give him a rugged, no-nonsense look, as if daring the Screaming Gaffers to try their best. He walked confidently to the interrogation area, taking his place inside the glass box with an air of indifference, leaning casually and sitting on the chair as the lamp was ready to be aimed at his face.
"Are you serious?" Gwen asked as she looked in disbelief at Ezekiel getting out from his team and walking towards the glass room on one side of the movie set 13.
"Yep, and now for you, Grips, the culprit coming from Screaming Gaffers… Eva." Chris smirked as everyone from the Killer Grips groaned.
"Oh, come on. That's not fair." Harold said as Eva smirked and walked towards the other side of the movie set, where the other glass room was located for interrogation.
Chris clapped his hands sharply, snapping everyone's attention back to him.
"Alright, teams, each of you will have 30 minutes. Sadly, I won't be able to be part of the two interrogation rooms at the same time, so in my place at Killer Grips will be both cadets Sanders and MacArthur, who will be there as witnesses and judges if your skills are up to par with what would be the noir style of interrogation. For in case of MVPA points, while I will be here observing the Screaming Gaffers try their best to crack Ezekiel". Chris explained as he pointed over the table where there are folders for both Eva and Ezekiel. It took both of them a few minutes to memorize who the mastermind was and who their crewmates were. And thereafter, both threw the folders inside of the trash, where there was a paper shredder. " Alright, both of your teams. Let's get into your positions; you've got thirty minutes to make your criminals break. Remember, your goal is to uncover the mastermind behind the crime. Use your detective skills, your charm, your hustle—whatever you've got in your noir toolkit. And please keep in mind, time is ticking… LIGHT, CAMERA, ACTION."
And after that, each team went inside of their glass box to interrogate the criminal as the lights diminished, and there were only the light bulbs of the lanterns over the table showing the light of the mystery in the air, combining with the black and white effect of the cameras. Everyone was now ready to participate in the challenge. They were determined to win and avoid elimination.
(Screaming Gaffers)
Ezekiel smirked faintly, his eyes still getting used to the darkness combined with the yellow and white light over his face, indeed like an interrogation room. Ezekiel was scanning the group of Gaffers as they approached. "Good luck," he said, his voice calm but laced with subtle amusement. "You'll need it."
Geoff stepped forward first, clearly trying to channel the persona of a hard-nosed investigator. His Stetson was tilted slightly forward, giving him a determined edge as he squared his shoulders.
"Alright, Ezekiel," he began, his voice firm. He grasped the lamp and illuminated his face. "Let's start simple. Where were you on the night of the crime?"
"I was with my friend Joe," Ezekiel didn't hesitate. He replied smoothly, maintaining a completely neutral tone.
"Joe?" Geoff repeated, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Who's Joe?"
"Joe Mama," Ezekiel deadpanned, his expression unchanging.
The room fell into stunned silence. Geoff, who had been smiling confidently just moments before, froze mid-thought, his brain clearly short-circuiting. He immediately released the lamp and looked at his friend in shock. Ezekiel's smirk widened ever so slightly as he continued, One down…
"I had to take the poor guy at the hospital to treat his Ligma." Ezekiel then said in a bored tone, which made the Screaming Gaffers look confusedly at each other.
"Ligma?" Gwen asked, her brow furrowing as she tried to process the unfamiliar term. "What's Ligma?"
Ezekiel turned his gaze to her, his smirk now unmistakable.
"Ligma balls," he said, his voice calm and deliberate.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, chaos erupted.
Confessional—Gwen
The camera cut to Gwen sitting in the confessional booth, her expression a mix of fury and disbelief. Her hands gripped the microphone stick tightly as she glared into the camera, her voice trembling with rage.
"Ligma balls? LIGMA BALLS?!" she shouted, her voice rising with each repetition. "EZEKIEL, YOU LITTLE—*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*" The rest of her sentence was drowned out by a series of loud, frantic BEEP sounds as the censors kicked in. Gwen's frustration was palpable as she gestured wildly, her anger boiling over.
The makeup team, who had been quietly working nearby, slowly backed away from the furious goth, their faces pale as they tried to avoid her wrath. The entire scene played out in black and white, adding an unintentionally comedic edge to her outburst.
Confession—Geoff
"Okay, little bro, not cool," Geoff said, trying to look stern as he stared into the camera. The tears in his eyes betrayed his attempt at seriousness, as he laughed heartily. "Discussing ligma is one thing, but throwing in a mama joke? That's just too far."
He paused, his lips twitching as he tried to hold it together. "Pff—" Geoff snorted, and that was it. He doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. "I can't—I can't even say it without losing it!"
Confession—Chris
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Chris's laughter echoed through the confessional booth as he slapped his knee, tears streaming down his face. "LIGMA BALLS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY ACTUALLY MADE IT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION."
He leaned back in his chair, still laughing so hard that he nearly toppled over. "Oh man, the goth girl is losing her mind; Ezekiel is just sitting there all smug—this is iconic." Chris wiped his eyes, still chuckling as he added, "This is going to be a long challenge, but oh boy, it's going to be fun."
Back in the interrogation room, chaos was unfolding.
"LET ME TAKE HIM! LET ME TAKE HIM RIGHT NOW!" Gwen roared as she was pulled away in the darkness of the room, while the light showed the evil smirk and smugness coming from Ezekiel, her voice echoing through the room as she lunged toward Ezekiel, who was now leaning casually against the glass box, chuckling to himself. DJ, Sadie, and even Jude were holding Gwen back with all their strength, but the goth girl's fury was unmatched.
Ezekiel, still smirking, crossed his arms and watched the scene unfold with mild amusement. "5 minutes down, Gwen, 25 to go…" he said calmly, which only made her struggle harder.
Gwen's mind raced as she imagined her younger brother watching this scene at home, undoubtedly taking notes to torment her with the same joke every chance he got. The thought only fueled her rage.
"Gwen, calm down," DJ said, his voice strained as he tried to keep her from breaking free. "He's your friend."
"He's my friend," Gwen snapped, her voice dripping with venom, "and friends get punched in the face when they deserve it!"
"It's true." Ezekiel said as he slightly slapped his cheek as provocation. "I know you wanted… Come on… you wanted it… You need it… no? Well, I'm just getting started… Unfortunately, this place smells like Updog.
"What's updog?" Jude asked as Ezekiel simply smiled.
"Nothing much, just stalling the time as much as I want. How about you? What's up?" Ezekiel then gave an answer, and in the next second, it took a whole minute of silence for the entire group.
"Oh, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I get it." Geoff said as he started laughing. "Okay, that's a good one; it took a while, but I got it."
"Guys." Noah uttered these words while pinching his nose due to a severe headache. He stared at Ezekiel, who was smirking at him. "He's playing with us; he wants to bamboozle us by saying silly things."
"Can you guys mind? I'm trying to contemplate my time in a possible jail." Ezekiel said in a melancholic tone… As the group narrowed their eyes at him, he even gave a lamenting sigh. "And the saddest part of this… I won't be able to celebrate my birthday on March…"
"Why?" Beth asked as she stared at the boy in concern.
"Because I was born in August." Ezekiel quipped as the silence remained in the room. Beth's eyes twitched as Owen let out a laugh; the girls stared angrily at the fat boy, and Noah even attempted to conceal his smile.
"Okay, that one was good. I admit." Noah gulped his laugh, as he clearly could see how his team was making it too easy for Ezekiel to have control of the interrogation room.
"You can punch him now, Gwen, please. I insist." Beth then said, as Gwen clearly wanted to punch Ezekiel, but Sadie and DJ were holding her strongly.
"You guys make it too easy." Ezekiel said, as he could see Gwen staring at him with a glare. "You can punch me in the face later, I promise."
"I will hold you to that." Gwen said. As she finally calmed down, she composed herself. "Nice comeback. Did you really make us lose 11 minutes that easily?"
"And I'm just getting started." Ezekiel spoke with a relaxed expression, resting his arms back on his head. Looking like a bad boy. It seems he learned a lot about how to make people annoyed from Duncan, and there's no doubt Duncan would be laughing so hard and being proud of the homeschooled boy who just managed to make things difficult for everyone.
"Alright, string bean," Leshawna said, her tone sharp but laced with amusement. "You've had your fun, but you do realize you're surrounded by people who could break your spine like a toothpick, right?"
"You mean Sadie and DJ?" Ezekiel asked as he looked at both of his friends. "DJ is a golden-hearted person; he would blame himself for the rest of his life in case he hurt any kind of creature, animal, or friend. Sadie would feel so guilty about hurting me that she would compensate for it with a lot of bakery. Even as she hurt me by accident, we have been trained by the same person, the same hellish training… The only person who could intimidate is probably causing a hell on the other side of the movie studio. The worst she could give to me was simply triple my weight training."
Ezekiel raised both his arms, demonstrating how the weights resembled heavy cuffs, yet he appeared unfazed by it. He got used to it.
"The only way you would make me able to talk would be if you executed Operation Dragon." Ezekiel said as Leshawna looked for each member of her team, as they looked guilty seeing the reason for how he was analyzing them and knowing his friends so well.
"Operation Dragon?" Leshawna repeated, her tone skeptical.
"DRAGON DEEZ' NUTS IN YOUR MOUTH, YOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ezekiel leaned forward seamlessly, transforming his smirk into a broad smile. As he raised his arms as a provocation, challenging her authority.
The room froze for a split second before Leshawna lunged at him, her patience officially gone.
"Oh, that's it! You're dead, string bean!" She shouted, reaching for him just to be held by DJ, Owen, Sadie, Geoff, and Jude as Ezekiel laughed uncontrollably. "LET ME AT HIM, LET ME AT HIM, LET ME AT HIM."
Confession—Leshawna
"That boy has a death wish, I swear. 'Dragon deez nuts'? Really? He's lucky I didn't break him in half right then and there. But I'll give him this—he's got guts. Stupid guts, but guts." Leshawna said as she snapped her fingers, but her eyes were glaring at the camera; she was feeling very annoyed by being played like that.
Confession—Chris
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! DRAGON DEEZ NUTS! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS ACTUALLY EXISTS! Oh man, the idea is gold." Chris was practically in tears from laughing, clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. "Man, I'm so glad to be witnessing the homeschooled boy actually schooling the whole Screaming Gaffers into falling too easily. Man, I'm surprised he didn't get punched or tortured until now."
The interrogation room was filled with chaos. DJ, Owen, and Sadie wrestled to restrain Leshawna, whose patience had long since evaporated. At the center of the storm stood Ezekiel, smirking with the confidence of someone who'd just been crowned the most irritating friend of the century. Jude, Geoff, and Justin had fled the glass room, unable to contain their laughter. They were doubled over outside, gasping for air, as Ezekiel's antics had driven two girls to the brink of wanting to break his face.
Gwen, meanwhile, was visibly seething, her annoyance growing with every passing second.
"Alright, Ezekiel, you better cut it out," Gwen said, her voice sharp and commanding as she stepped closer to him. "You know that if you don't stop, we'll make you spill the truth by force. So confess now, while I still have a shred of patience left…"
Approaching Ezekiel was her first mistake.
"Stop? Gwen... I'm just getting started. *INHALE," Ezekiel declared, taking a deep breath.
25 deez nuts jokes later.
Confession—Gwen
"HE'S PLAYING US LIKE A FIDDLE. DAMMIT!" Gwen shouted, her frustration and embarrassment boiling over. "He makes it sound so natural that it's confusing, and then he hits us with gulpin' deez nuts, 'goblin deez nuts,' 'swallow deez nuts,' and 'licktin deez nuts.' HOW MANY VERSIONS OF DEEZ NUTS EXIST?"
"And now I can't stop thinking about my little brother watching the footage and using those jokes on me every chance he gets. Thanks a lot, Ezekiel." She groaned, burying her face in her hands. Her glare intensified as she added, "I SWEAR IF I HEAR ONE MORE DEEZ NUTS JOKE, I'M GOING TO LOSE MY BEEP!"
Confession—Beth
"Did Ezekiel memorize the dictionary just to come up with those jokes? Now I'm terrified of hearing them in any conversation—I'll never escape the trap of deez nuts jokes." Beth's cheeks burned crimson as she stammered, not knowing what she would even say after witnessing what he was doing with her teammates.
"Okay, I know I love nuts—chestnuts, peanuts, you name it—but is it just me, or is Ezekiel actively trying to get himself killed by Gwen?" Owen whispered to DJ and Beth, who nodded slowly, watching Gwen's fury reach a boiling point. Ezekiel had pressed all the right buttons to make Gwen want to strangle him.
"Alright, Ezekiel, you've had your fun. But you'd better start confessing—who's the mastermind behind the crime?" Gwen demanded, her patience hanging by a thread. One more deez nuts joke, and she'd snap.
"Fine. You want to know who the mastermind is? His last name is Turbating, and his first name is Ayemax." Ezekiel rolled his eyes.
Gwen blinked, her disbelief evident.
"Ayemax Turbating?" She repeated the question, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Wow, Gwen, I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff. It's likely due to the influence of hormones. Just remember to clean yourself up after you are done." Ezekiel said, feigning shock as the room fell silent as Gwen froze.
And her face darkens ominously.
Confession—Geoff
"Pfff HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, THERE'S NO WAY THEY'RE GOING TO LET THIS AIR ON TELEVISION HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Geoff howled, clutching his stomach in pain. "BRODY WOULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING TO BE HERE AT THIS MOMENT HAHAHAHAHA. Ezekiel, bro, you are my hero. You are going to die, but you are my hero."
Confession—Justin
"He won. He won. I quit. My face is going to be covered in wrinkles if I keep laughing like this. I can't stop—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! She made it way too easy. Even I knew that name was trouble," Justin said, losing control of his laughter once again.
Confession—Noah
"I feel like I'm babysitting a bunch of elementary school kids. Come on, guys, grow up," Noah said, trying to maintain his composure. But as he glanced at Gwen's furious expression, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, she should've seen that one coming."
Confession—Beth
Beth's face was as red as a tomato.
"I am a mas*beep*. So that's what that name sounds like. Gwen is going to kill him. I'm sure of it," she muttered, too embarrassed to say anything more.
"I'm going to start punching you, and I don't know when I'll stop," Gwen said in silent anger, which was the worst and most terrifying of the anger she ever reached. Her voice was low and dangerous as she advanced toward Ezekiel.
"Then do it. Hit me as hard as you can… you… me… as hard as you can. Am I clear?" Ezekiel taunted, his smirk unwavering.
Gwen didn't need to be told twice. Without hesitation, she grabbed the nearest lamp and swung it at Ezekiel. DJ and Sadie lunged to stop her, but Gwen's fury propelled her forward with a speed they couldn't match. Ezekiel didn't flinch or defend himself; he simply smiled, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. The lamp connected with a sickening crack, and after a few more hits, Ezekiel crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
"WAIT, WAIT, THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED!" Noah shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. But it was too late. Ezekiel lay sprawled on the ground, shards of the lamp bulb scattered around him, his face bruised and bloodied. A black eye and several marks adorned his face, but the worst part was his smug, unconscious expression.
"He wanted us to lose control, to beat him up and knock him out, so we'd waste more time," Noah explained, his tone a mix of frustration and reluctant admiration.
Chris, ever the opportunist, chimed in. "Yeah… solid strategy. From the looks of it, he'll be out for at least ten minutes, maybe half an hour."
Gwen stared at the scene before her, her chest heaving as DJ and Sadie tried to steady her. She realized, too late, that she'd been played.
Confession—Gwen
"That stupid little gremlin," Gwen muttered, her voice dripping with frustration. "He provoked me to the point of beating him up, knowing it would make my team lose the opportunity to interrogate him. And he did it while humiliating us with every single joke."
She paused, blinking a few times as the corners of her mouth twitched upward. A smirk broke through her frustration. "Nice job, Zeke. You really got me."
(Killer Grips)
To say the situation over the Killer Grips was a very difficult position could be an understatement, since all the people from the Screaming Gaffers, Eva the Iron Woman, the MVP of Killer Bass on the last season, and the woman who clearly fought against bears, serial killers, and Saskatchanakwa and won against them were now sitting inside of the interrogation room with their arms crossed and their stern faces shown.
"What are we going to do?" Harold asked as he whispered to Bridgette, Tyler, and Katie. "I know I could use some Steve Camp's techniques of hypnosis, but I dropped it because the instructor at that camp was a sham. If I were foolish enough to attempt hypnosis on Eva, she could potentially fracture my spine.
"You dropped a Steve Camp? Wow, okay, now this is more serious than I thought." Eva commented as all her friends flinched from seeing she was listening to her friends whisper about her. The glass room was echoing the whispers, which means they needed to think of an action quickly. "But you got that right; if any of you touches me, I'm going to attack you."
Eva said, as she was unimpressed, and even seeing Tyler and Cody sweat, she was smirking because she was still right about her being the intimidator factor. The only thing that Eva was more aware of was Lindsay, Heather, and Izzy; the trio had always been a team that she knew could come up with something unexpected. Last season made the trio a team, but this season wouldn't let it happen, even if Beth was with them.
Trent, on the other hand, she could eat him for breakfast, and it was tempting; she wanted to give the fear of God to him, and now she was alone with the entire Killer Grips, and it was ironic, since from all the people who know Eva, the only one able to try to make her reveal the secrets, if it was possible, would probably be on the other side of the movie studio.
What her team was doing with Ezekiel, she doesn't know, nor does she care; she was going to be relentless until she won the challenge for her team.
Still with the darkness over the classroom, the smoke coming from the smoke machine, and the kind of annoying song of jazz as the background, she wasn't amused, nor was she going to provide any information for the team in front of her.
What they are going to do is going to be a complete mystery. Until Heather decided to open the door, leaving the bodybuilder in complete silence, as she looked at the cadets who were supposed to be judges of the first part of the challenge.
"What are we going to do? E-Scope, do you know some interrogation techniques you learned from the military or your parents, or even Chef taught you something?" Cody, to the surprise of everyone, looked at the one who probably had the most knowledge of torture techniques, especially coming from her whole childhood related to the military, having Chef as her chief, and even her parents being part of a military squad; she must at least know some things.
"Well, now, I know many techniques; however, those were dangerous, and some would require a lot of time to do that—30 minutes at a minimum to crack someone—and to be honest, I would rather not fight Eva. I'm sure I would like to spar with her a few times, but starting a fight with her on this challenge would be a waste of time and also would probably make anyone from here get hurt." Izzy raised the points as Heather crossed her arms and nodded her head. "Time is essential, and while it would be funny to see someone getting hurt, it would be for the best if we solved this easily."
"But that's the point: if we don't find a way to make her talk, then it would mean we would be at a terrible disadvantage in winning." Trent commented that they heard a lot of shouting coming from the other side of the movie set. From their perspective, they saw people exiting their interrogation room, but they couldn't hear what was happening. They could recognize some boys from far away. It was Jude and Justin, who just got out from the interrogation room and crouched down, which probably seemed like they were laughing.
"Okay, I'm kind of curious about what was going on, but it seems from the shouting that Ezekiel is doing his best to not provide the information." Katie commented as she looked at her teammates. "Is there something we could do?"
The debate dragged on for what felt like an eternity as Lindsay sat quietly in the corner of the glass box. Anxiety gnawed at her, her stress mounting with every failed idea her teammates and friends threw around. None of their plans seemed to work. Eva was too strong—Lindsay knew that all too well. Eva had protected her once, when the serial killer attacked them on the island. That memory lingered, making her decision even harder.
"You're not seriously considering giving that idea to her, are you?" A familiar voice interrupted Lindsay, jolting her out of her reverie. She blinked, startled, as a puff of silvery smoke appeared on her shoulder. Emerging from the haze was a younger, ethereal version of herself. Her skin shimmered like polished silver, and her mid-thigh-length blonde hair cascaded in soft waves, styled with messy bangs. The gradient periwinkle hue of her hair faded into striking white tips. Unlike her iconic This version of Lindsay wore an elegant gown in silver and dark blue, radiating an angelic aura.
"ME? I THOUGHT IT WAS YOU!" Another voice retorted sharply. Lindsay turned to her other shoulder, where another puff of smoke revealed a contrasting figure. This Lindsay had ankle-length blonde hair that gleamed like gold, her pale skin glowing under the light. She was dressed in a sleek red-and-black tuxedo, complete with a top hat tilted at a jaunty angle. Her devilish smirk was as sharp as the edges of her outfit.
"I have to say, Angel Lind, I'm proud of you for finally considering the evil path," Devil Lindsay teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"ME? NEVER! This is dangerous, and if you didn't think of that, neither did I!" Angel Lindsay shot back, her silver dress shimmering as she gestured dramatically.
"Girls?" Lindsay interrupted, her voice tentative as she glanced at the two miniature versions of herself perched on her shoulders. "Nice to see you both, but what are you talking about?"
"Someone suggested you go solo to interrogate Eva," Angel Lindsay explained, her tone cautious and concerned. Devil Lindsay, meanwhile, flipped her golden hair back with a flourish.
"Since you listened, your daddy read all those books on criminal investigation, and you've watched every movie about the world's greatest detectives. You'd get the information easily," Devil Lindsay added, her grin widening.
Lindsay gasped, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, that's actually a fantastic idea," she whispered, her gaze shifting to the group still locked in heated debate. Without another word, she slipped out of the glass room and into the interrogation chamber.
"Huh, looks like someone decided to go in first," MacArthur remarked, crossing her arms in boredom as Lindsay approached the table. Eva raised an eyebrow, her expression a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"So, where's the rest of your team?" Eva asked, her tone sharp. Lindsay didn't respond. Instead, she raised her palm, signaling Eva to stop. The bodybuilder's amusement deepened as she watched Lindsay crouch under the table, glancing around the room like a detective searching for clues.
"It's lovely weather we're having," Lindsay remarked casually, her voice light and airy as she moved across the glass box. Eva's confusion grew as she watched the blonde girl's odd behavior. Lindsay crouched near a corner, where a faint trail of smoke curled upward. Her eyes widened as she spotted a tiny cable connected to the smoke box and a radio playing jazz—a sound that had been grating on Eva's nerves for minutes. "I hope the weather stays this mild."
"If the weather continues, we are in for a lovely summer." Lindsay continued, pulling out a nail clipper. With a precise snip, she severed the cable. A sudden jolt of electricity surged through the room, making Eva jump in shock. Sanders and MacArthur rushed in, only to find Lindsay standing there, her fingertips blackened and her hair disheveled from the electroshock. The smoke and jazz music stopped abruptly, leaving the room eerily quiet.
"Our area is secure," Lindsay declared, her tone calm and serious.
"Beep Are you okay, girl?" Sanders asked, rushing to Lindsay's side with MacArthur and Eva. The trio stared at her in disbelief, wondering how she remained unfazed by the shock.
"Of course I'm okay. What was that, anyway?" Lindsay replied, her expression stoic as she pointed behind them. The trio turned their heads, and Lindsay silently mimed a scream, her face contorted in exaggerated pain. When they turned back to her, she was composed once again, walking toward the table with an air of determination.
"I didn't see anything," MacArthur muttered, her tone dismissive as she leaned against the wall. Lindsay, perched casually on the edge of the table, simply scoffed in response.
"It was nothing," Lindsay said, brushing off the situation as though it didn't matter. However, her gaze darted to her shoulders, where her angel and devil counterparts were still reeling from the earlier shock.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH, IT HURTS! WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH?" Angel Lindsay wailed, clutching at her shimmering silver gown as she staggered back.
"I SWEAR, THIS IS THE WORST," Devil Lindsay groaned, smoke puffing from her top hat as she doubled over in exaggerated agony.
Lindsay couldn't help but be relieved that only she could see them. If anyone else in the room had witnessed this absurd display, it would have completely undermined everything she'd managed to achieve so far. She glanced at Eva, who stood with her arms crossed, exchanging confused looks with the cadets.
After a moment, Eva shrugged dismissively, prompting the others to return to their positions.
"Whatever," Eva scoffed, shaking her head. "Thanks for getting rid of that song. It was really getting on my nerves."
Lindsay remained silent, her eyes flitting back to the two tiny versions of herself on her shoulders. Her angel and devil were slowly recovering, despite their whining. Taking a deep breath, she decided it was time to adopt a more professional demeanor.
"So, what do you want, Lin—" Eva started speaking, but someone abruptly interrupted her.
"Inspector Lovelle Clouseau," Lindsay declared, standing upright and extending her hand with an air of authority. Her voice had taken on a refined tone, and her posture exuded confidence. It was as if she had transformed into an entirely different person.
"Alright... Inspector," Eva raised an eyebrow but reluctantly accepted the handshake. She was playing along.
"Now that we are here, I'm not going to play games with you, Ala," Lindsay continued, mispronouncing Eva's name. Eva didn't bother correcting her, knowing Lindsay's struggles with dyslexia. Instead, she folded her arms and watched with mild amusement as Lindsay paced the room with theatrical determination.
"The Pink Diamond has been stolen again," Lindsay began, her voice dramatic. "And instead of remaining in France, where it rightfully belongs, it has been smuggled to another country. That country... is here."
"Oh, I'm already shocked," Eva deadpanned, clearly unimpressed. Lindsay responded by slamming both fists onto the table, causing the nearby lantern to rattle and tumble over onto the floor.
"YOU SHOULDN'T LEAVE FRANCE!" Lindsay shouted, her voice filled with exaggerated passion.
Eva stared at her, dumbfounded.
"We're in Canada," she pointed out flatly.
Lindsay paused, her expression momentarily blank.
"You shouldn't leave France or Canada," she amended, waving her hand dismissively. "So between the two places, here you are, caught traveling between them on an airplane."
Eva tried to respond, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Technically, Lindsay wasn't wrong, but the logic was baffling.
"I know you have it. Where is it?" Lindsay pressed, her gaze sharp.
"Where is what?" Eva asked, looking over at the cadets, who appeared just as confused as she was.
"THE PINK PANTHER DIAMOND, THE NATIONAL TREASURE OF FRANCE!" Lindsay declared, her eyes narrowing dramatically. Her angel and devil counterparts perched on her shoulders were now sporting detective disguises—complete with trench coats and police caps—as they scrutinized Eva's every move.
"She's going to talk," Angel Lindsay whispered confidently, fluttering around Eva's head like a tiny investigator.
"She's clenching her jaw. She's stressed. Keep pushing," Devil Lindsay added, smirking as she twirled her miniature magnifying glass.
Eva groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What the hell are you talking about? This matter isn't about smuggling diamonds to other countries," she said, exasperated. "It's an assassination case. You're supposed to figure out who the three crew members were and identify the mastermind behind the crime."
Lindsay blinked, her head tilting slightly. For a moment, it seemed as if she were processing Eva's words. Then, to everyone's surprise, Lindsay's expression shifted to one of incredulity, as though Eva were the one not making any sense.
"Assassination? Did they give you a folder or something to read? Because you must have read it wrong..." Lindsay said, her tone almost pitying.
"What?" Eva asked, genuinely baffled.
"I get it. Reading is hard," Lindsay said with a sigh, sitting down in one of the chairs. "I have trouble with it all the time. It's nothing to be ashamed of if you can't read too."
"I know how to read," Eva said through gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Then you should have known it's about the disappearance of the jewel of France this whole time," Lindsay said firmly, her logic making absolutely no sense to Eva.
"WE ARE NOT IN A PINK PANTHER MOVIE, LINDSAY!" Eva snapped; her patience snapped.
"Inspector Clouseau, if you please," Lindsay corrected, raising a finger as if to lecture her. "Also, assassination? I'd believe it if someone else were accused, but I just can't believe you'd be capable of something that serious."
Eva stared, her expression frozen in a mixture of disbelief and indignation.
"...What?" she finally said, her voice dripping with confusion. She didn't even know what she was feeling—anger? Confusion? Bloodlust? All she knew was that she was baffled trying to figure out what Tyler saw in the audacious girl standing before her.
"I mean, pff... you? Being ordered to kill someone? Honestly, I think I'd trust political campaign promises more than that," Lindsay said nonchalantly, her insinuation landing like a grenade in the room.
"Did she just say what I think she just said?" MacArthur whispered at her partner as both their jaws dropped.
Sanders nodded, her wide eyes fixed on Lindsay, who seemed oblivious to the fuse she'd just lit.
"What did you say?" Eva growled, her voice low and menacing. Her teeth ground so tightly that an audible snap echoed as her jaw clenched in rage.
"You're too stupid to read the papers inside the folder and thought you were charged with assassination when all this time you were involved in a robbery in France." Lindsay's tone was calm, almost casual, conveying the obvious. "I bet the people who roped you into robbing the museum tricked you into thinking it was an assassination plot. They probably didn't even value you—just a person who doesn't know how to read."
A vein pulsed dangerously on Eva's forehead, her face turning a shade of red that promised imminent destruction.
Confession—Sanders and MacArthur
"HOLY *BEEP*! I never thought anyone would have the guts to say that to a woman who literally made a sex exchange into a bear," MacArthur whistled, shaking her head in disbelief. "The blonde's got guts, risking her life like this."
"Okay, just to clarify, are we dealing with an assassination case or international contraband? Because now I'm completely lost," Sanders said, flipping through the police academy manual she'd kept handy. "Depending on what's going on, our approach needs to change."
"Pfft, it's simple. Just cuff them and make them confess. No need for all this drama," MacArthur muttered, settling back with her coffee and donuts to enjoy the show.
"I'm going to give you a pass because you're Tyler's girlfriend. But I swear, one more comment like that, and I will break your accusing fingers and rip out your tongue for spouting such nonsense." Eva stood, towering over Lindsay with all the fury of a storm about to break.
Despite Eva's escalating anger, Lindsay remained fearless. Instead, she tilted her head and pointed toward the trash can.
"You don't know how to read. Just accept it." Lindsay said her own conclusion of thoughts, as she even pointed out. "Of course you don't even know the members of your crew, especially the mastermind; maybe a few pictures could help you, but the case is still the same."
Eva growled, her fists trembling at her sides.
"I know how to read! I'll prove it right now. The case was about the assassination of Chris's cat! Why would I send myself into a diamond robbery if I'm the mastermind behind the crime? Why would I even risk being caught in my own robbery when I had others carrying out the dirty work? And to make sure there won't be witnesses My paper was even to kill all the crew members, making me the only survivor, the mastermind. Why would I lie about that?" She ranted, her voice escalating with frustration.
Lindsay froze for a moment, her face betraying a flicker of seriousness. Then, as Eva stared in confusion, Lindsay's expression shifted. A sly smile began to spread across her face.
"Because, Keyser Sozé," Lindsay said dramatically, lowering her hands onto the table, "I just made you confess the truth."
The shoulder angel and devil Lindsay gave each of her palms a triumphant low five as Eva's eyes widened in realization. Her fury transformed into stunned silence as the weight of her confession sank in.
At that exact moment, the glass door swung open. The Killer Grips stormed in, their faces pale with panic at seeing Lindsay alone with Eva. Sanders and MacArthur froze in shock, their mouths agape, while even MacArthur—so composed moments ago—found her jaw dropping in disbelief.
"We have the confession of the mastermind, ladies," Lindsay announced brightly, her smile glowing with satisfaction. She turned to the Killer Grips, who looked at her with a mixture of admiration and astonishment. "Case closed."
The group's eyes shifted to the clock on the wall. In just 12 minutes, Lindsay had pulled off what seemed impossible: defeating the Iron Woman.
Confession—Iz-Kaleydoescope.
"Okay, I know I have to give more trust to Lindsay, and from everything we learned about her knowing mystery cases,. But WHAT THE BEEP, how? I need to watch the footage; I can't believe it was that easy." Izzy said as she stared over the camera in disbelief. "Maybe mystery and detective are indeed her element. And now I want to know how she did that."
Confession—Eva
"I'm an idiot. Was I tricked so easily like that?" Eva punched her on the head to make sure to not let her brain be tricked like that. "How I forgot I shouldn't have underestimated her. SHE WAS THE WINNER OF THE LAST SEASON, FOR GOD'S SAKE."
Eva facepalmed as she never thought it was indeed on how Lindsay proved in the last season when it comes to mystery and investigations. Lindsay would pull up something so crazy and stupid that it would work.
"And now I am in a bad mood; if I hear one more comment from someone I don't know how to read, it's going to get punched, really, really hard." Eva growled as she stared at her camera with intent. She blushed, embarrassed and angry at not being able to save her face.
Thirty minutes had passed, and the groups gathered in the main area to hear the results of their interrogations. The atmosphere was heavy with anticipation, but it quickly took a turn when Eva rejoined the Screaming Gophers. Her face was uncharacteristically quiet, her usual sharp demeanor replaced with a subtle but unmistakable air of embarrassment. The team exchanged concerned looks, unsure what had transpired in the glass room to leave Eva so subdued.
Meanwhile, the Killer Grips waited for Ezekiel to return, only for their jaws to drop when DJ approached them, carrying him. Ezekiel was unconscious, his face littered with shards of glass, a prominent black eye darkening one side, and bruises blooming across his skin. Gasps filled the room.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Bridgette and Katie yelled in unison, their panic echoing as they rushed toward DJ.
Tyler and Cody followed quickly, their expressions mirroring shock and concern, as they hurried to check on Ezekiel.
DJ sighed heavily, glancing at Harold before addressing the group. "Things got...out of control," he began reluctantly. "Ezekiel told Gwen to hit him as hard as she could—and she did. With a lamp."
The group erupted in murmurs and gasps. Tyler's and Harold's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Ezekiel played us, pushed Gwen until she lost control," DJ continued, as he knew how ashamed he was of how things had turned out like that. "And then he let himself get knocked out on purpose. Now we can't interrogate him anymore."
Tyler knelt beside Ezekiel, examining his injuries with a frown. "We can't leave him like this," he said firmly. "I'm taking him to the infirmary."
Just as Tyler rose to carry Ezekiel, the room filled with the familiar sound of jazz music—a cue that sent shivers down everyone's spines. All heads turned toward Chris, who strode in, clapping slowly with an unmistakable grin plastered across his face.
"Well, well, well," Chris announced, his voice dripping with mockery. "Time's up, folks. Thirty minutes gone, and from what I've seen—and reviewed—the Screaming Gophers failed spectacularly to get a confession from their criminal. So," he added, pausing dramatically, "does anyone want to take a guess at who the culprits and mastermind might be?"
The Screaming Gophers exchanged nervous glances, their frustration palpable as they reflected on their chaotic attempt. The sound of jazz, coupled with Chris's smug demeanor, only added to their irritation.
Noah rolled his eyes and shrugged lazily. "Can't we just guess it was their whole team and the mastermind was you, Chris?" He posed the question, his tone brimming with sarcasm.
Chris smirked at Noah, amused. "Not a bad guess, Noah. But no, unfortunately for you, that's not the right answer. Maybe next time, you won't let the criminal outsmart the detectives," he said, chuckling at the team's collective annoyance. His gaze shifted to Eva, who was still glaring at the floor, her expression dark.
"Not a word," Eva growled, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
"They made you talk?" Leshawna exclaimed, her jaw practically hitting the floor. The entire group froze in disbelief, while Chris raised an intrigued eyebrow at Eva before turning his attention to the Killer Grips.
"Well, Killer Grips," Chris said, his grin widening. "Can you identify the criminals and tell me who the mastermind is?"
Izzy and Heather exchanged knowing looks and smirked. All eyes shifted to Lindsay as she stepped forward. Her back was straight, her stride purposeful, and she brought her hand up in a crisp salute. The room fell silent.
"Inspector Lovelle Clouseau, reporting," Lindsay declared, her voice filled with authority. "I am here to reveal the mastermind behind the crime: Eva herself. As for the crewmates...they're all dead."
Chris's eyes widened slightly in surprise, while the others gawked at Lindsay, trying to process what she'd just said. Her dramatic delivery—acting like a character out of a Pink Panther parody—left the room buzzing with intrigue.
"Wait, hold on. What do you mean, all the crewmates were dead?" Gwen asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her gaze darted toward Eva, whose grumbling confirmed the bombshell revelation.
"She made me confess that I'm the mastermind and even admit I killed my crewmates." Eva muttered bitterly.
The room froze again, the weight of Eva's admission sinking in. Chris's chuckle broke the silence as he clapped with genuine amusement.
"And nothing beats a good classic twist—a criminal plot worthy of Hollywood's finest," Chris praised. "Bravo, Inspector. Bravo. Your abilities were spot on."
"And by correctly identifying the culprits and the mastermind, I hereby declare the Killer Grips the victors of the first part of the challenge!" Chris raised his hand in an exaggerated applause, adding as he concluded the first phase of the challenge.
"Wohoooo! Yeah! Awesome! Great! Yeah!" The Killer Grips erupted into cheers, their excitement exploding the moment Chris declared their victory in the first part of the challenge. Each team member celebrated in their own way—some high-fived, others clapped wildly, and Izzy even broke into an impromptu victory dance. The triumph was palpable, and the joy of gaining an edge in the competition filled the room, lifting the tension that had been hanging over them.
Meanwhile, the Screaming Gophers stood silently, their shoulders slumping as disappointment etched itself onto their faces. Gwen crossed her arms with a frustrated sigh, while Leshawna shook her head, muttering something under her breath. Eva looked away, avoiding the group's judgmental stares, her lips pressed into a tight, annoyed line. The sting of their failed interrogation weighed heavily on them, and the stark contrast between the two teams' moods was difficult to ignore.
Chris clapped his hands together, cutting through the lingering celebrations and somber silence alike. "Alright, alright, settle down, everyone," he announced, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. His tone carried a touch of theatrics, as though he had another twist waiting just around the corner. "Now, onto the second part of the challenge."
Both teams turned their attention to him, their expressions shifting to curiosity, some tinged with apprehension.
"As a second part of the challenge," Chris began, his voice dipping into dramatic tones, "I think it's time we dive into the most underground and classic basics of the Noir World. The world of mystery, shadows, and intrigue. And this time, we're taking a deep dive." He gestured flamboyantly to his surroundings, his expression lighting up with enthusiasm. "Your next task: find a missing person."
A ripple of confusion spread through the gathered contestants. They blinked, looking at one another as though waiting for someone to explain what he meant. Cody scratched his head. Harold took his glasses to clean as he sniffed. Even Heather and Noah exchanged raised eyebrows, equally thrown off by Chris's vague proclamation.
"Wait, so... we're looking for a missing person now?" Bridgette asked hesitantly.
"Exactly!" Chris exclaimed, pointing at her like she'd just hit the jackpot. "And now to make things more interesting. In that direction there is… the Wardrobe Department."
"What?" Tyler asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, because you're all about to step into the Noire World, and no one can properly solve a mystery without looking the part!" Chris spread his arms wide, as though unveiling the grandest revelation of all. "But that's not all; while the Noir world had most of the iconic characters over their professions, the 3 most important, which would lead the constant direction of the whole movie, would lead to 3 people."
"The Detective, the Mastermind, and the Femme Fatale. Ughhhhh." Ezekiel commented that a groaning sound could be heard from the Killer Grips as everyone stared at him.
"Ezekiel." Tyler, Harold, Trent, Izzy, Katie, and Bridgette called his name in surprise as the boy groaned from feeling the pain.
"Ezekiel, are you okay?" The group asked as Ezekiel shook his head, feeling a slight headache from the painful sore over his face.
"I feel like I got hit with a Dracula by a King Kong." Ezekiel now knows how BMO must have felt when he fell from the stairs, since his head was with a headache and with a pain in the face.
"How many deez nuts did you do?" Izzy asked as the whole group of Killer Grips looked at her in confusion. "Ezekiel wanted to create something that would annoy our generation."
"27, and a few others." Ezekiel said with a painful laugh, which Izzy froze and stared at DJ, who nodded his head solemnly.
"It was funny, but I never saw Gwen and Leshawna that mad. So it makes sense you guys won the first part of the challenge." DJ commented as Ezekiel picked up.
"Hey, so you managed to discover the secret behind the culprits? Nice, great job." Ezekiel commented as suddenly the group heard a clearing throat, which made Ezekiel stare at Chris.
"Welcome back on the word of the consciousness, Ezekiel; however, I'm still explaining about the second challenge you guys are about to make." Chris said as Ezekiel remained calm, and with the assistance of DJ, Tyler, and Izzy, he slowly managed to stand up. "But you got that right. Ezekiel, as I was saying, the game of the Noire genre would always be around those 3 characters, which means while 3 of you on each team will represent those roles, the rest of you will be dealing with puzzles and mini challenges that will require gathering clues that will always be around the single mission, finding the missing person, which means receiving the immunity. Now, Killer Grips, the first clue you will receive will be after everyone is ready. You all have 5 hours."
"5 HOURS?" The groups said, as Chris looked mysteriously at them, that at that moment he said nothing more and simply left the whole group looking weirdly at the silence…
"Okay, happy to see you back, Ezekiel." Trent commented as he looked at the group who was already walking. "Just to give you a resume, Lindsay by herself made Eva confess the crime."
People would have expected Ezekiel to look at them in disbelief or even gasp in surprise. But instead, Ezekiel simply nodded his head.
"Okay, makes sense." Ezekiel replied, and just like that, almost everyone sans Lindsay and Izzy stared at him in disbelief.
Confession—Ezekiel
"Ahhhh, man, I'm so glad they allowed me to have this bag of ice before I dress up." Ezekiel said as he was covering his black eye and his face, which was now clean from the slight cuts of the glass shards, and he was refreshing himself from the good cold ice bag on his face. But then he looked at the camera, and even in black and white, he decided to tell the truth. "From all the people around this show, the only person who I would be intimidated into going against in the Noire Theme challenge is Lindsay. Sure, she may be dyslexic, and she may be naive. But when she is logical, even with her wrong assumptions, she is spot on. It was like if she were the young sister of Inspector Jacques Clouseau and was an apprentice of Columbus; if this trio worked together, it would be the funniest and most awesome comedy/police mystery movie of all time."
"5 hours? Beep This challenge is going to take an eternity." Heather commented as she was already guessing things were dragging more and more with the time.
"Probably it's for settling things into being at night. Where usually the mystery happens." Izzy shrugged, as she isn't sure what to expect during all the time. "Maybe we can eat something from the fridge before we prepare ourselves for the challenge."
"I agree; I think a shower in the trailer before deciding on who should be checking which clothes are there will really cheer up our mood." Heather nodded her head as Lindsay was hugging Tyler, who was also talking with her in compliments. "We already have the edge; what will be the advantage of this challenge? Nobody knows until it is too late, so we must use it in our favor and make sure we don't lose."
"Ditto." Izzy nodded as the duo saw Lindsay proud of herself for her own accomplishment.
As the groups went their separate ways, Eva, Gwen, Noah, and Sadie walked towards the Wardrobe Department to see what all the options were that they would have. As the group walked, they didn't realize suddenly DJ was caught by a big cloth bag, covering his whole body, and being pulled by a rope without his team seeing him.
(10 minutes later)
"I can't believe we're doing this challenge the day after Ezekiel came up with a Noire version of Adventure Time," Noah mumbled to himself. He adjusted the collar of his coat, his tone tinged with irritation. "What are the odds? We're literally wearing costumes to fit the same genre now. I don't know why, but I've got a strong feeling Lindsay's going to show up dressed as Loraine."
"Who?" Gwen and Sadie asked simultaneously, exchanging puzzled looks. As she was dressing herself in an overcoat and a detective hat, while she could see Noah was trying to pull up the mastermind of crime like Moriarty, she herself would like to be her own version of a detective while showing a bit more of a classic style.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I explained, so let's just move on." Noah sighed and rolled his eyes. As he looked at Sadie wearing a glamorous beaded dress, the sequins caught the light with every movement. She awkwardly draped a feathered boa around her shoulders, struggling to pin her hair up into loose curls. "I'm surprised you were the one chosen to be the femme fatale."
"Well, she is a female, and she had been trained by me, so of course she would be fatal." Eva said as she crossed her arms as she gave a thumbs-up to Sadie, who smiled nervously at her.
"Are you sure I can do it?" Sadie looked at Gwen, as she was very unsure of what to do.
"You're going to be fine." Gwen said as she reassured the strong, chubby Asian girl, "While everyone would prefer to rest and do something else, I'm glad you all wanted to help and try to win the challenge even as we have a disadvantage."
"Add a giant disadvantage to it." Noah said, as he tied his bowtie, Noah caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. His expression grew more pensive as he studied their surroundings and the costumes everyone had chosen. "We already lost to Lindsay because, as much as she isn't the spark of genius and has a 'special' situation… it had been our mistake in forgetting she was the winner of the last season and the bane of existence of the Indiana Jones fans. Did her parents read Sherlock Holmes and Murder on the Orient Express when she was growing up? Shows how much she was in her element today."
"Yeah, I know." Eva admitted begrudgingly, her voice low but filled with frustration. Gwen crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "She made me underestimate everything she said, and she confused me enough to make me so angry that I spilled the whole crime, and don't say I wasn't the only one… Miss, I was caught by Ezekiel's ability to annoy the others. You do realize attacking him will make you a target of mockery, right? The jokes had me, and you all fall for it. I will be on your tail forever."
"Ugh, don't start," Gwen groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "I already have to deal with the fallout from all the jokes he cracked during the interrogation. I fell for his bait so easily. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he could've tricked you too."
"Pfft. Fat chance. The key is to stay silent. That's how you outlast someone like him." Eva scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Remember, it was us who needed to interrogate him and make him talk, and that's what he wanted. So being in silence wouldn't have worked," Gwen shot back quickly, her arms now mirroring Eva's defensive posture. "In the same way it didn't work for you with Lindsay,"
"Ah, beep off." Eva said as she grunted and gave a slight push to Gwen, who also did the same for her.
"No, you beep off." Gwen said as she gave a push on Eva but didn't make her move an inch. As a way, the duo had been doing their bickering as they would always do as friends. They would never mean harm to each of them; they were just letting out their frustrations by bickering with each other.
Sadie giggled, Noah rolled his eyes… But sadly, not everyone got the memo about it.
Before either of them could say more, Leshawna strutted into the room. She glanced between Gwen and Eva, her expression quickly shifting to concern.
"What in the world is going on here?" Leshawna demanded, her voice bold and cutting through the bickering like a knife. "I leave you all alone for two seconds, and now you're at each other's throats? This is why our team is falling apart!"
"What are you talking about?" Gwen turned to Leshawna, confused. "This is not like that—"
"Oh, no, don't even try to explain," Leshawna cut her off, wagging a finger in Gwen's direction. "I don't care who started it. This team can't afford you two going at it like alley cats. We're already barely holding on as it is!"
"Relax. It's not a fight; it's just a debate." Eva rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"Don't you 'relax' me!" Leshawna snapped, rounding on Eva. "I don't know what's been up with you lately, but you're all bark and no bite. You're supposed to be tough, but instead, you're over here snapping at Gwen like it's going to solve anything."
"Excuse me?" Eva's jaw tightened, her temper flaring. "All bark and no bite? Girl, I made a bear have a sex exchange with my bare hands and beat a serial killer into submission by myself... I don't see you doing much of anything except jumping into conversations you don't understand!"
"Girl, please," Leshawna shot back, her voice rising. "I jumped in because you've been acting like a bull in a china shop, stirring up trouble every chance you get. And now you're putting all that pent-up frustration on Gwen? Uh-uh, not on my watch."
"If you've got a problem, say it to my face." Eva stepped forward, her gaze narrowing, and for a moment, it seemed like the tension might boil over.
"Oh, I'm saying it right here!" Leshawna retorted, her voice unwavering as she stood her ground. "You've got an attitude problem, and you're taking it out on the wrong people. And honestly? If this keeps up, don't be surprised if it's you who ends up getting voted off next."
"Leshawna, seriously, this isn't what it looks like—" Gwen tried to step in, her hands raised in a calming gesture.
"Don't defend her, Gwen," Leshawna said sharply, cutting her off and turning briefly to her. "You've already done enough putting up with her nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Eva's voice oozed with sarcasm as she glared at Leshawna, the sharpness in her tone making Sadie hesitate as she attempted to intervene. One icy glare from Eva was all it took to send Sadie retreating with a nervous gulp. Even Noah took a cautious step back, his eyes darting between the two clashing personalities.
"The only nonsense I see here is you," Eva continued, her words cutting like a blade. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "How I haven't made you come to your senses yet is still a mystery to me."
"Ohhh, a mystery pun," Sadie whispered to Noah, attempting to ease the tension.
Noah, however, rolled his eyes and whispered back, "Not the time." He could feel the brewing storm and knew that anything—one wrong move—might set these two off. Damage control was quickly slipping through their fingers.
"You think you can intimidate me?" Leshawna shot back, leaning closer into Eva's space. Her voice was calm but brimming with confidence. "I'm not scared of you."
"You... should be." Eva's eyes darkened; her growl was low and menacing.
The two stood nose to nose, their glares locked in an unspoken battle of wills. The atmosphere between them was electric, the tension thick enough to cut. Finally, Eva's voice broke the silence, dripping with venom. "Now I know who I'm voting off." With that, she spun on her heel and stormed out, her heavy footsteps echoing as Sadie scurried after her, trying in vain to defuse the bodybuilder's simmering anger.
"Heh, like I said," Leshawna muttered, a smirk starting to form on her lips. "All bark and no—" She paused mid-sentence, her expression shifting as she realized Gwen had turned away from her, muttering something under her breath. Sadie was gone too, and even Noah had silently slipped out of the room.
"Wait... where is everyone?" Leshawna asked aloud, her voice tinged with confusion. She hadn't just annoyed Eva—she'd managed to alienate Gwen and Sadie as well, leaving her alone in the fallout of her fiery confrontation. Oblivious to how her quick judgment had created more enemies than allies, Leshawna now found herself standing solo.
Noah, meanwhile, had done what he considered the wisest thing—remove himself entirely from the situation. Damage control wasn't possible if people were too busy tearing each other apart, and Leshawna had just turned herself into the team's newest target. At least he wasn't the one she had to worry about. The boys of his team aren't crazy to do something so stupid.
Bridgette wandered through the Wardrobe Department, her eyes scanning the racks overflowing with an eclectic array of clothing. The vast selection of outfits seemed ancient, their worn fabrics hinting at a past life inries long forgotten. Many pieces looked cheaply made, with frayed edges and faded colors. Yet, there was something undeniably charming about them. Their retro appeal held a certain uniqueness, a nostalgic beauty that whispered of an era when they might have been the pinnacle of fashion.
Despite the abundance of options, Bridgette found herself hesitating. She wasn't very knowledgeable about the Noir genre and had only seen two, maybe three, black-and-white movies in her life. She wasn't exactly an expert on the style of that time. Unsure of what she would do to help at the challenge, she decided she'd simply look for something that stood out—something that felt right in the moment—and talk to the others about it.
As she reached for an old-fashioned gown, her thoughts were interrupted by a voice floating through the air, carrying a melody that stopped her in her tracks.
"Ba-da bap chub bap, chub chub duh. But not anymore... I'm in control... I have the stage; you can't turn the page; now all eyes are on me... All eyes on me... Ba-da bap bap, bap bap ba doo ba duh."
Bridgette turned toward the source of the voice, her eyes widening in surprise. There, standing was Ezekiel, glancing at the overcoat bigger than him, with a tie in his hands and a Fedora on the other hand. It seems Ezekiel was choosing which clothing he would be using.
"So many experiments, so many mistakes. But I'll go all the way until I'm in perfect shape," Ezekiel sang, his voice rising dramatically before he caught sight of Bridgette watching him. He froze mid-verse, his expression shifting to one of sheepishness. "Oh... sorry, I got too excited."
Bridgette blinked, momentarily startled, before offering him a warm smile. "It's fine. I can already tell it's a great song. I don't know how you do that," she said as she walked over to him. Seeing he wasn't dressing himself. "Are you going to be the detective?"
"Nah, I have another person in mind. Since his girlfriend wanted so much to participate and I couldn't say no to her, I think it would fit if we trusted him to do the detective part. Ezekiel replied as Bridgette looked in interested to know who it was but decided not to ask further; however, she was interested in knowing more about other things.
"I guess from the style you were singing, it's jazz?" Bridgette asked curiously as Ezekiel tilted his head before shrugging.
"Well, it's a mix," Ezekiel explained, pointing to his cap resting on the nearby table. "It's got a cabaret vibe electro swinger with a touch of rock and some classic old-time elements. The song is called All Eyes on Me by Alice Angel."
"Angel?" Bridgette repeated curiously, stepping closer to the table. She picked up a booklet lying nearby and flipped it open, revealing the image of a beautiful, innocent-looking angel girl seemingly drawn in ink. "Aww, she looks so sweet," she said, but as she turned the page, her reaction shifted to a startled scream. "OH MY GOD!"
Ezekiel chuckled knowingly. "Yeah, that's what happens when you're trapped in an animation studio, cursed by your animator and creator. He made a lot of mistakes, leaving Alice and other people in suffering in that studio... until they were saved."
"Saved? By who?" Bridgette hesitated, turning another page with caution. Her expression shifted from horror to extreme joy and disbelief. "No... oh no... I can't believe it. Really?" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of excitement and hope.
"Yep," Ezekiel replied with a grin. "She's going to be a great addition."
While the cameras capturing the challenge had no clue what Ezekiel was talking about, Bridgette found herself drawn into the mystery. She couldn't help but feel like she was uncovering a secret no one else knew. "So, she's a singer from an old cartoon style?" she asked, trying to piece it together.
"Exactly." Ezekiel nodded.
"Hey, do you think she'd fit into a challenge like this?" Bridgette's eyes lit up with interest.
"What? Why?" Ezekiel asked, tilting his head in surprise at her sudden enthusiasm.
Bridgette didn't answer right away. Instead, she gave him a knowing smile, her excitement evident. And with that, the idea clicked in her mind. She already knew exactly who she wanted to dress like for the challenge.
They have 5 hours until the second part of the challenge anyway.
Harold and Ezekiel waited patiently for the chosen detective to appear. Ezekiel and Harold knew the risks of involving him in that specific challenge, but with the whole team working together on the background and with the advantage they would receive on the challenge, they had a great chance of winning.
"I'm still unsure, Ezekiel. are you sure it shouldn't be you as detective? You are a great writer, and you could understand the logic behind the situations just like Lindsay." Harold commented as he was unsure of the choice. "Heck, even I felt it would be me as a competent detective."
"You didn't go into the summer Steve Camp of Detectives Roleplay, Harold; you already said that," Ezekiel pointed out, as he looked at his nerd friend, who rolled his eyes. "But we never know how much importance it would be for us to help in the background. Each of us would require a set of skills, and the detective would need to be the one finding the answers and the results for everyone. So I think it would be for the best if we all play in the background and help him."
Ezekiel and Harold were talking as Trent opened the door of the Wardrobe Department. as he was raising his hand to greet them, suddenly a big cloth bag covered him, and with a rope, the bag was being carried away, without alerting the boys who were waiting patiently for the person dressed as a detective.
"Are you going to take longer, dude?" Harold said, as he was tapping his foot on the floor, it took some time for them to finally see the person getting out of the dressing box.
"How do I look?" Tyler asked, stepping forward with a detective overcoat slung over his shoulders and a matching fedora hat perched atop his head. He glanced down at the console controller Ezekiel had placed in his pocket, its wire trailing slightly, giving him the appearance of a humanized detective inexplicably fused with an arcade machine.
"You look awesome." Harold spoke as Ezekiel nodded in agreement.
"Yep, you look really like BMO if he was a human." Ezekiel applauded the jock, despite his initial nervousness.
"Are you sure that's a fantastic idea, man? I mean, I can help out in many things, but act? And being a detective? I don't know, man." Tyler said as he was still pale from remembering who he was and possibly who would be the person enacting with him. "And I even had to act with Lindsay, who is dressing herself as a chicken. Come on, man, couldn't you have chosen another animal?"
"Sorry Tyler, but it was the one who fitted for BMO, and we know you still have a phobia of chickens, so we are trying to make Lindsay act like Loraine but remain as human as possible, even if she has a few chicken traits.
"Ughhhh…" Tyler groaned as Ezekiel and Harold snickered.
Confession — Tyler
"I can't believe it. I don't know why Ezekiel created that chapter of Adventure Time for Lindsay," Tyler said as he was facepalming with his dressed detective overcoat of BMO, with his overcoat and fedora. "Now, Lindsay is so hooked up with the idea of BMO-Noire that she is asking Ezekiel to do a spin-off book of the lore... And that's fine, BUT WHY IS LORAINE A CHICKEN? ZEKE, COME ON BRO, HAVE MERCY ON ME."
And suddenly, from the outside of the makeup confession booth, there was a voice.
"MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK, TYLER." Ezekiel shouted as it made the jock really depressed for now, having to act in such a terrifying concept of being in love with a chicken, or his girlfriend acting like a chicken.
"Okay, Tyler, it's just your girlfriend dressed as a chicken, and you are a video game... Nothing to worry about; it's just a Noire Movie challenge... You can do this." Tyler commented as he took a wire from the video game controller and placed it in his pocket like a cigar, just like Ezekiel told him about it. "LET'S DO THIS."
"Just be yourself, and being a detective in Noire is easy; all you had to do is keep talking with yourself, narrating everything you are doing, your thoughts, like you are thinking logically what was your plan to try to solve the case?" Ezekiel explained the concept of the idea while the door of the Wardrobe Department slightly opened, which revealed Beth trying to get inside, but she was being covered with the big cloth bag, and at the time the door closed, the trio turned their heads just to see nothing. "Hmm, strange… Anyway, you can do this."
"Yeah, I know." Tyler said he was very nervous after seeing how important the idea of being a detective and playing the genre was for not just Ezekiel but also Lindsay. Because he isn't sure on how he would react at the time he would see h-
"How do I look, boys?" Lindsay asked cheerfully, twirling slightly to showcase her outfit. She wore a stunning white dress paired with a white feathered scarf draped elegantly around her shoulders. Her look was completed by a striking red wig that fell in perfect waves, the scarlet color giving her an air of glamorous mystery. The red lipstick on her face added a bold touch, making her look both elegant and ready to deliver a kiss of death—figuratively speaking, of course. Though the cameras would display the outfit in black and white, Lindsay's confidence and radiance made the look pop.
Tyler froze, as he showed slight turns between pale, and yet blush… Ezekiel and Harold found it humorous, since it feels like Lindsay was playing with the concept of how Tyler was both afraid and yet was also turned on to see her like that. Probably scaroused.
"You look fantastic, Loraine," Ezekiel said warmly, his sincerity shining through in every word. Lindsay's face lit up instantly, her cheeks glowing as she giggled happily. The compliment seemed to make her entire outfit shine brighter, her excitement tangible as she twirled slightly in her elegant attire.
Katie nodded as she got out from the clothing fitting room with her boyfriend.
"I'm so glad the feathered scarf would be a good addition, since we are trying to fit exactly like you said, Ezekiel," Katie said as she cleaned the sweat off her face, which Cody gave a few taps on her back. "I didn't know I would have been needed in a challenge like that."
"Are you kidding?" Cody was asked to be a good boyfriend. As he knows why Ezekiel had so much faith in Katie. "You were the one who made his jacket, and you even helped Iz-E-Scope deal with the uniforms of her maple syrup factory. There isn't a better person to help Lindsay and Bridgette to dress up than you."
"Yes, I loved this dress combination, it clearly made me feel so great, I feel like very jumpy…" Lindsay said as she gave a few jumps, which Tyler could witness the mounting bounces from her chest, which clearly made him blush even more. "You are really good at choosing clothes; maybe we could go to the mall and have a shopping spree."
"Oh, I love shopping sprees." Katie jumped with Lindsay as the duo of girls clearly had their chests bouncing, which Cody smiled with the view, and Tyler was still in shock.
"I can imagine many people are shouting those two are lucky bastards." Ezekiel mumbled, as he could see how Tyler, as much as he was with bad luck and was very clumsy, even after everything that happened with his life during the seasons in the canon, him getting with Lindsay in the end would be treated as a jackpot. And Cody, as even he had many imperfections at the start of the show, and with it went worse because of Sierra, was glad to see the geek getting into a healthy and happy relationship.
While the group was so happy and distracted seeing Lindsay and Katie bouncing happily, nobody saw Harold being captured nearby them.
"Oh, I think my mom would love to see your drafts; maybe she can give you a few tips on where you could improve, since my mom likes to open fashion events across the country. I think she could even call us to see a fashion event." Lindsay suggested as Katie jumped in excitement as they started talking more about fashion.
"Well, I think that's my cue to leave." Ezekiel said as he was turning his back and gave a slight glance to the corner… "Bridgette, you look fantastic as Alice Angel; you will break a lot of hearts… good luck."
And with that Ezekiel left the area, as Cody went after him.
"Hey, Zeke, I'm going with you. I think when Katie is like in the zone like that, she will take a while, so I will grab something to eat. You want some?" Cody said as both left the whole area. Which the more they walked, they didn't realize Heather was being placed inside of the bag, and Izzy, who was trying to fight against someone, was knocked out by a tranquil dart and then placed inside of the bag as well.
"Yeah, I think that would be nice…" Ezekiel said, as he could see the boy clearly happy for how the events turned out over the day. And he doesn't blame him, since it feels like a day without a challenge… "A sure what the heck. Hey, after eating something, I want you to help me with something…"
Cody blinked, as he isn't sure on what Ezekiel was asking… This uncertainty persisted until they arrived at the boys' trailer.
.
.
.
"Really, Ezekiel? Can I have it?" Cody exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement. Ezekiel sighed, rolling his eyes theatrically, but nodded in agreement.
"Yeah," he replied. "I would rather not give it to you in the morning—too risky during breakfast. People would get suspicious, and honestly, I didn't want anyone tasting my creation before I did. So, here's the deal: you get one, and together, we'll experience it for the first time. Sound good?"
As the afternoon sun dipped lower in the sky, Ezekiel could feel the moment approaching. After enjoying a sandwich, courtesy of the girls' trailer, he gathered the necessary items for their grand experiment. Finally, they both stood, each holding a candy the size of a soccer ball in their hands. It was unlike anything they'd ever seen.
"Listen carefully, Cody," Ezekiel instructed, a hint of mischief in his voice. "You can't bite into this. You have to place the whole thing in your cheek and savor every moment. Got it?"
"Alright, thanks for the heads-up," Cody replied, his geeky enthusiasm evident. Without ceremony, the two boys focused intensely, gripping their candy. "On three?"
"Three!" Ezekiel said abruptly, skipping the countdown, and without hesitation, they both opened their mouths as wide as humanly possible. By some miracle—or perhaps a defiance of all known physical laws—they managed to shove the gargantuan jawbreaker into their cheeks. What followed was nothing short of transcendent. Their pupils dilated, their thoughts soared, and their minds were utterly blown.
For Ezekiel, it was a childhood dream come true. He had spent countless hours imagining what it would be like to eat a jawbreaker straight out of Ed, Edd n Eddy. And now, at last, he understood. This was why the boys scrambled to collect 25 cents every chance they got—why they went to absurd lengths to scam anyone they could. Such perfection deserved a far higher price, perhaps $250, yet it had been sold for mere pennies. It wasn't just candy; it was the very essence of life. The show had treated it as a delicacy for good reason.
"Wow... That was the best candy of my life," Ezekiel said, turning to Cody. He found his friend gazing at the sky, his expression one of pure bliss.
"So this is it," Cody murmured, saliva pooling at the corner of his cheek. "This is the meaning of life. I can see the universe at peace."
Ezekiel nodded in solemn agreement. "Yeah. A candy like this must always be cherished."
"I agree," Cody replied. He resolved, in that moment, that no one would lay a finger near his cheek until he finished savoring every last bit. It would be the most satisfying hours of his life.
"Cody, I'm thinking of making this jawbreaker only once a year," Ezekiel declared suddenly.
"What?" Cody exclaimed, his tone filled with disbelief.
"Special foods and candies lose their significance if you have them every day," Ezekiel explained, his tone filled with conviction. "That's why these—jawbreakers—will be exclusive. Only for people in my circle of friends, and only once a year."
Cody sighed, a mix of understanding and disappointment. "Makes sense, but still, it sucks that I won't have another one."
"It's your only chance—take it or leave it. And you've already taken it," Ezekiel pointed out, a small smirk playing on his lips. "But admit it—it was worth it. Every single grain of sugar."
Cody nodded enthusiastically, the taste still vivid and overwhelming. "This is so delicious..." he murmured, savoring each moment.
"Yes," Ezekiel agreed quietly, his voice tinged with satisfaction. "They are..."
And so the duo sat together, their cheeks full of candy and their minds adrift in the blissful simplicity of pure, sugary perfection. The hour that followed was one of unbroken enjoyment, the jawbreaker's epic flavor unfolding gradually until, at last, it was gone—consumed entirely, leaving only the memory of its extraordinary taste.
As suddenly a big shadow appeared nearby them.
"Oh hey, wha-" Ezekiel was about to greet the person when suddenly a giant bag covered his whole body, and when he least expected it, he was kidnapped. With the sudden shout from Cody, Ezekiel wasn't the only one who got caught by surprise.
The challenge had just started.
To be continue...
Noire D...Ezz Nuts (HA GOT YOU!)