Cheating Never Works

Cheating Never Works is the forty-second episode of Sodor High School: Thomas and Friends Tales.
==Synopsis==
The highly anticipated match between the "Green Machines" and the "Silver Stream" approaches quickly, and Spencer is planning to pull out all the stops to try and win.
==Plot==
At school, Raph is cross to learn from Schemer, who was unknowingly manipulated by Spencer and his friends, that he has to attend a counseling session during lunch hour. Schemer is pleased, but clumsily slams himself into the door of his office before going inside. Raph sulks over to his locker as Leo and Donnie show up, yelling at them and insisting he doesn't have an anger problem—before realizing he's only proving everybody right.
During lunch, Leo tells the rest of the "Green Machines" about Raph being absent and attending a counseling session with Schemer. Douglas is surprised that Schemer has such a job, which Paxton claims he's good at. Raph soon arrives in Schemer's office, which resembles more like an arcade of sorts. Raph is surprised and impressed by the layout, and he and Schemer take a seat on the comfy couch to begin the session. After school, at the Ffarquhar Arena, Spencer and his team are in the middle of hockey practice as Spencer explains that the session supposedly went well despite not knowing the details. Feeling sure that their plan would work, they all cheer and laugh. The only exceptions are Logan and Neville, who are watching from the middle of the ice.
At Sodor High the next morning, Leo visits Raph at his locker, who admits that the meeting with Schemer was not too bad, and he has to see him again on Wednesday. At one of the homeroom classrooms, Gordon is relieved to hear that the session went well. As that's going on, Emily is seated at her desk and looking conflicted, due to having another nightmare involving Diesel 10, herself, and her feelings for both Thomas and Leo. Later in the afternoon at Ffarquhar Arena, the "Green Machines" are having their hockey practice. Some of the people watching in the stands are Thomas, Percy, and Emily. Rosie came along, too, but is briefly absent in order to get some cans of soda from the vending machine. Emily is silent, which worries Percy and Thomas. Rosie, meanwhile, is standing by a vending machine but finds herself short on money, forcing her to go without soda. That changes when a teenage boy with silver/gray hair walks up and pays for a fourth can, revealing his name to be Stanley. They share a quick conversation before Stanley gives Rosie a rose he was carrying. She returns to her friends with the soda and claims, after an initial misunderstanding, that Stanley paid for the fourth can. As soon as he hears that name, Thomas instantly remembers Stanley because he's is the one who rescued him one time, a story which Emily remembers being told about.
The next day, Raph is visiting Schemer again, and Schemer confesses that he doesn't like being a hockey coach, claiming to have the position because he wants to impress the school's superintendent, John Barton King (J.B. for short), enough to hopefully be offered a job on the school board because he is a huge hockey fan. Raph guesses that Schemer had been bragging to J.B. about how supposedly good and knowledgeable at hockey he is, noting how dumb that plan is and gives some advice to Schemer about coming clean to J.B., saying the superintendent should be understanding. Schemer decides to think on it.
At last, Friday night rolls in. Among the spectators include Rosie and her older brother Brad, waiting in line to get inside and get their tickets. Donald and Douglas' cousin, Olivia, is visiting Knapford to watch them play against the "Silver Stream". Later inside the locker room for the "Green Machines", Casey encourages the team and praises Raph for managing to learn to work together with the team. Inside the other locker room, the "Silver Stream" get ready for what they believe will be a "night to remember", while Schemer shows up and remembers his conversation with Raph.
Rosie and Brad are making their way to the stands tio find seats when they meet up with Thomas, Emily, Annie, and Clarabel. It's then Stanley shows up, exciting Thomas as the pair hit it off for the first time in a while. Stanley also is glad to see Rosie again, making her blush. Brad also introduces himself, and Stanley very briefly hits on Emily. Stanley asks if Rosie would be interested in watching the game with him, which Brad approves of, much to her happiness.
The game soon begins, with both teams coming onto the ice, both also confident. Alfred and Spencer quickly score goals for the "Silver Stream", discouraging a few members of the "Green Machines". Even so, they press on. Raph eventually gets hold of the puck, and Max and Monty, feeling sure that Raph will break his promise, wait until the last second to charge forward—only for Raph to pass to Leo, who then scores a goal because Sam is too stunned to do anything. Spencer is also shocked that Raph is still keeping that promise. Eventually, the first period ends with the "Green Machines" having one point, and the "Silver Stream" having two points. During the first intermission, Stanley and Rosie are talking and getting to know each other, where the former reveals the full details about what happened to Thomas during the restoration of Great Waterton.
The second period begins, with Donnie winning the face-off against Samson. Spencer slowly gets frustrated over the "Green Machines" playing evenly against his team. At one point, Monty and Alfred insult Neville when he gets his pass intercepted, much to Schemer's disapproval. Raph soon ties the game at two points, resulting in Spencer sending Patrick out there as goalie instead. Both sides trade shots, but no goals are scored. Paxton eventually breaks the tie, enraging Spencer. Alfred scores another goal as the second period ends, tying the game once more. As both teams return to their respective locker rooms, Schemer finally spots the school superintendent in the stands and decides to tell him the truth.
Inside the locker room of the "Green Machines", the team knows they can't get comfortable since the "Silver Stream" won't give up until they emerge victorious. Later as they get some snacks, Rosie tells Stanley about her rocky past with George which Stanley finds unfortunate, but is glad to hear that Rosie toughened up since the summer. The third period eventually begins, as Annie and Emily hope that the "Green Machines" can pull off a win. When Hank gets hold of the puck, Cecil and Alfred charge him, only to run into each other when he gets out of the way and pass the puck to Douglas, who meets up with Max and Monty while Spencer angrily comes up from behind, but Raph shouts a warning, allowing Douglas to get out of the way and for Spencer to crash into Max and Monty before scoring a fourth goal. By now, Spencer and his other teammates are really furious. Neville tries to tell them off, but Alfred threatens him, angering Schemer into speaking up. Monty, by accident, reveals the scheme loud enough for Schemer to hear, causing a furious Schemer to announce his team forfeits to the "Green Machines".
Spencer refuses to accept the forfeit, but Logan says they deserve it as he and Neville finally take a stand. The "Green Machines" also step in to defend the two, resulting in a humiliated Spencer and his teammates storming off for the locker room. Raph is impressed and praises Logan and Neville for standing up to the 'Silver Stream". Both boys reveal their love of hockey, but they couldn't join any school team because of the rosters being full, until Spencer encouraged them to join the "Silver Stream", but now they're quitting the team, and Schemer announces his intention to leave hockey behind. Later as J.B. is leaving, Schemer quickly catches up and admits his lies about knowing all about hockey. J.B. appears angry at first, but quickly smiles and forgives him upon learning the reason behind giving the game to the "Green Machines", enough to offer Schemer a job on the school board. Despite being overjoyed to being offered such a job at long last, Schemer turns it down, being happy with his position as Sodor High's guidance counselor.
Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie are getting ready to leave when they come across Thomas, Percy, Emily, Annie, and Clarabel, who are happy their four friends won the game. Leo, explaining that Logan and Neville both managed to knock Spencer and his group down a peg quite badly, decides to make the bet null and void. As the small group leaves, Raph scolds Leo for standing around and presses for him to ask Emily out. At last, Leo speaks up and successfully asks Emily out on a date, surprising Thomas, Percy, Annie, and Clarabel. Leo admits his feelings for Emily, causing Thomas to feel heartbroken because of his own feelings for Emily, and Emily agrees to go out on a date with Leo tomorrow night at 6:30. As Leo and the others leave, Annie is surprised, yet delighted, that Emily agreed to a date with Leo. Thomas, meanwhile, is devastated by what he saw, now knowing he's too late to tell Emily how he feels about her.
==Characters==
* Thomas 
* Emily 
* Percy 
* Rosie 
* Leo
* James 
* Gordon 
* Annie and Clarabel 
* Brad 
* Spencer 
* Donald and Douglas
* Murdoch 
* Hank 
* Paxton 
* Sidney 
* Den 
* Dart 
* Olivia 
* Mikey 
* Mr. Splinterson
* Donnie 
* Raph 
* Samson 
* Sam 
* Logan 
* Dustin 
* Neville 
* Max and Monty 
* Alaric "Old Stuck Up" 
* Cecil and Alfred 
* Patrick "Lord Harry" 
* Horace Schemer
* Stanley (Debut)
* J.B. (Debut)
* Toby (cameo)
* Mavis (cameo)
* Mrs. Drewry (cameo)
* Bill and Ben (cameo)
* Diesel 10 (mentioned)
* George (mentioned)
==Cast==
==Trivia==
* This episode features the largest cast yet, surpassing the previous episode's record.
* After several mentions in previous episodes, Stanley finally makes his debut in this episode where he reveals the full story on how he rescued Thomas. In addition, Rosie becomes smitten with him.
* J.B., the school's superintendent, is the third "Shining Time Station" character to appear in the series, after having been mentioned by Schemer in the previous episode.
* Schemer's additional role as the school's guidance counselor is a reference to his actor's current job after retiring from acting.
* Edward, Henry, and Duck are the only Tidmouth class students who aren't seen attending the match. They likely weren't able to make it despite wanting to go.
* Leo asks Emily out on a date at the end of the episode which she agrees to much to Thomas' shock, thus setting the stage for the next one.
Category:Thomas and Friends
Category:Sodor High School
Category:Episodes
Category:Fan Fiction