Story Intro: Hey guys! I've been an enormous fan of the show The Mole for about 10 years now. I have always wanted to try to write a Mole fan fiction, and so I present you with this! I'm using characters from some of the Mario RPG's as contestants. I tried to use some lesser-known characters, and hopefully I'll be able to make this interesting! Also huge inspiration from krisetchers and Princess Toady on this ^.^
Toad Town. A simply laid out village in the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad Town was home to the castle grounds of the ruler of the kingdom. The place was home to a railroad station, as well as the docks that brought in most tourists and trade to the town The town square, ordinarily a center of traffic in the castle town, was currently barren of its usual townspeople. Perhaps because it was dark out, and the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the Town in a glowing light. In the center, a single Monty Mole stood surrounded by a few cameras and spotlights that had been set up in the square. Behind the Mole, a huge crane stood, with a platform at the top. The Monty Mole coughed, tapping his foot nervously on the ground. In the distance from the South, West, and East a small motorcade of differently colored cars was seen approaching the square. Upon seeing the approaching vehicles, the Monty Mole began to narrate to a camera.
"In approximately one minute, ten strangers will arrive here at Toad Town square. These ten strangers will be forced to work together, as their depends on their success in challenges we present them with. The players are competing to add money to a group pot, which only one player will win. However, there is a catch to the game. One of these ten players is a traitor, a saboteur. The Mole. This player is a double agent hired by the producers to sabotage the efforts of the other players. At the end of each segment of play, the players will take a quiz about the identity of the Mole. The player who scores the lowest on this quiz will be executed, and must leave the game immediately." The Monty Mole paused, before continuing. "The player who wins the game will be the one who can answer the question... Who is the Mole?"
The camera quickly zoomed on to a projector screen that was green with a black thumb print on it. On one side, a picture pops up, while on the other, information regarding the player is shown. Monty Mole narrates as a picture of a Big Bandit appears, "Is it Bandy Andy, a 23 year old prizefighter from Glitzville?"
The screen changes as a red Dry Bones appears in the picture."Is it Red Bones, a 38 year old attendant from Hooktail Castle?"
The screen changes to one of a blue Duplighost. "Is it Lee Sheet, a 24 year old martial arts expert from Toad Town?"
The next player shown was ethereal and glowing white in appearance. "Is it Luvbi Grambus, a 22 year old politician and ruler from the Overthere?"
Next it displayed a friendly looking Toad with a black and red cap. "Is it Hinopio Flaret, a 27 year old shopkeeper from Barrel Volcano?"
It then showed a friendly-looking Koopa girl with a blonde ponytail. "Is it Koopie Koo, a 26 year old florist from Petalburg?"
The screen next displayed an elderly Goomba with swirl glasses perched on his head. "Is it Professor Frankly, a 61 year old professor from Rogueport?"
The next to show was a purple dinosaur with an orange top hat. "Is it Croco Dials, a 26 year old entrepreneur from Bandit's Way?"
A Cragnon man appeared next. "Is it Flint Cragley, a 36 year old documentary maker from Floro Caverns?"
A female Lakitu with glasses was shown last. "Or is it Lakilulu Spike, a 21 year old florist from Flower Fields?"
The screen then changed back to a shot of the Monty Mole, who off the projector screen gravely watched as the vehicles drove into the square and stopped. From the South, red, green, and brown cars pulled up, and Flint, Lakilulu, and Frankly hopped out respectively. From the West, blue, purple, black, and orange cars arrived, giving way to Bandy, Croco, Hinopio, and Red. Finally, from the East came yellow, pink, and white cars, and out came Koopie, Luvbi, and Lee. The ten players gathered together, uneasily looking at each other and at the silent Mole standing in front of them. After a few moments of silence, the Mole began to speak.
"Hello, players, and welcome to the first season of The Mole! My name is Montgomery, but you can call me Monty for short." The players called out nervous greetings, before Monty interrupted.
"As you all know, you have gathered together here because you were selected to compete in this game. At the end of the long journey, it could be worth a million coins to one of you!"
The players cheered, before Monty continued. "In the game, you will participate in team challenges that if you manage to succeed at, will add money to a group pot. Each task is worth a sizable amount of coins, so teamwork is essential in order to win the most money. However," he said, pausing for effect, "There is a traitor among your midst. A double agent. The Mole. This player has been hired by the producers to sabotage your efforts, while pretending to be a genuine contestant. At the end of each segment of the game, there will be a quiz on the identity of the Mole. The player who scores the lowest... will be executed, and sent home immediately." The ten players all gasped, although one gasp was faked. "Enough of the talk, however. I want you all to meet each other, and then select someone you think is a good judge of character." The players quickly introduced themselves, and then began to discuss amongst each other who would be this judge.
"As someone in a position of ruling, I must make character judgements for my subordinates all the time. As such, I feel I would be a good candidate," Luvbi offered.
"Yeah? Honestly, I think we don't have much better choice," Hinopio replied. "We're all total strangers, so I think her idea is sound." Croco quickly raised his hand.
"I agree! Can we all agree on Luvbi?" he asked the group.
Croco: As soon as I heard the rules of the game and saw that crane, I had a feeling we would be using it somehow. I didn't know to what capacity, but I wanted to make sure I was involved in the challenge.
"I'm okay with it," Koopie Koo shrugged. "I don't want that position."
"Yeah, me neither. I think Luvbi is a great choice," Red said.
Red: I had a feeling Luvbi would be our best bet, considering none of us know each other. It was also a good way for me to feel out any suspicious activity that she might try.
"So Luvbi is your choice? Okay, Luvbi, come over here," Monty said. Luvbi complied, and Monty proceeded to hand her a piece of paper and a pen. " "Our first challenge is called Faith of Leap! In this challenge, five of you will be jumping from the crane behind me! Don't worry, we have dedicated ourselves to your safety so this will be a perfectly safe bungee jump. For each player that successfully jumps, 5,000 coins will be added to the pot, meaning this part of the challenge is worth up to 25,000 coins!" Bandy and Hinopio cheered, while Frankly and Lakilulu shivered.
Bandy: I hear Monty say that, and I think "This is gonna be so dope!"
Lakilulu: As a Lakitu, I shouldn't be afraid of heights... But away from my cloud, I feel so exposed and weak.
Monty then coughed, and said "While you select the five players that are to jump, Luvbi will be making guesses as to who she thinks you have chosen to jump. For every correct guess she makes, 5,000 coins will be added to the pot, which means the challenge is worth up to 50,000 coins!" Luvbi stared at the ground nervously. Monty then turned to her, and said "Would you follow a producer of our lovely show down to the tent, so the other players can't influence your guesses?" Luvbi nodded, and floated after the Toad producer.
Luvbi: Five minutes in, and I'm already in a position to make a fool of myself...
"But here's the catch," Monty said gravely, surprising the remaining nine players. "As you make your leap, you must grab a green flag that will be hanging in front of you. If you do not grab the flag, not only will your jump not earn 5,000 coins, but Luvbi's guess will be void as well. I encourage you, choose your jumpers wisely."
The players looked at each other, concerned. This task was not as easy as they had first thought, Hinopio immediately said "I'll be jumping. I know I can grab a flag." Croco also volunteered, saying "I'm a former thief, I know how to grab things, hehe." A few players looked sideways at the dinosaur after this statement.
Frankly: I believe Croco would be a great Mole. A good thief knows how to hide in the shadows, before pouncing on their victim.
"I'm gonna jump too, I'm an athlete, how hard can this be?" Bandy said, eying the tall structure that stood in the foreground before the castle. "Well, relatively."
"I too shall jump, as I am athletic due to my training," Lee stated.
Koopie: Lee gives me a weird vibe. I don't know why. Maybe it's the sheet...
"That means we need one more jumper," Hinopio realized. The remaining players looked uneasily at one another.
"I don't believe Luvbi would select an elderly Goomba like me to jump, so I don't believe I shall jump" Frankly said. Unable to argue with his logic, Red, Koopie, Flint, Lakilulu all looked up at the crane in discomfort.
"Umm... Honestly guys, I don't think I can make that jump," Koopie admitted.
"None of us want to make it, doesn't mean we can't," Croco said pointedly. Koopie glared at him. "I'm not jumping, and that's that."
Croco: I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win money. My playing style might not endear me to people, but as long as I know who the Mole is, I don't care.
"I'll jump," a meek voice volunteered. Lakilulu nervously walked over to where the first four jumpers were being prepared for their jump.
Lee: It is much too early to make suspicions of the Mole. Only a fool would sabotage this early.
"So the five jumpers will be Croco, Hinopio, Lakilulu, Bandy, and Lee! We'll see if you all can complete your jumps, and if Luvbi has judged you all correctly," Monty said. Meanwhile, Luvbi was segregated in a small tent writing down her five jumpers.
Luvbi: Selecting five jumpers was hard! I had to guess, after knowing these people for 3 minutes, who would choose to do what.
"I think my list is done... Alright, I am finished," she called out. A producer opened the flap of the tent and brought her back out to the square. A good distance from the crane, she strained her eyes to make out what was going on. "I can't see who's up there," she complained. "This is going to be so nerve-wracking."
Meanwhile, at the top of the crane, the five jumpers waited. Lakilulu looked over the side, and immediately regretted it. "Oh my god... That is so far," she whispered. "Yeah it is! It's gonna be so sick though! We're freaking bungee jumping!" Bandy replied excitedly, not realizing the Lakitu was looking down in fear. Hinopio shook his head.
"Hey, it's alright. It really isn't very far, and you'll make us at least 5,000 coins if you do it," he encouraged. The scared cloud-rider looked back at him with big, round eyes.
"Players! It is time for one of you to jump," Monty exclaimed. Croco quickly raised his hand, and crept up onto the platform. He waited as they prepared his rope, slapping his tail on the ground impatiently. Finally given the okay, the entrepreneur swiftly eyed the flag in front of him, and stepped and leapt, snatching the flag as he fell out into open air. "Whoo! That was awesome!"
Croco: Honestly, I might have came here to win money. But I'll be damned if I lie and say that wasn't a blast *laughs*.
Next to jump was Lee. He stepped onto the platform, and leapt out into the night. He also was able to grab his flag as he fell.
Lee: All for the sake of the game.
Luvbi watched as the unidentifiable figure jumped into the night sky. "I hope that was someone I picked..."
On the platform, Hinopio volunteered to go next. "Lakilulu, remember, all of us have been ok. You'll be okay," he reassured, a second before he leapt out and snared his flag. "Hell yeah!" he shouted out as he dangled in the air.
Hinopio: I knew I would have no problem jumping. I wondered about Lakilulu. It was a little suspicious that a Lakitu would have problems with height to me though.
On the ground, the four players who were not jumping watched the crane with anticipation. "Geez, I'm sure glad I'm not jumping. I couldn't do that," Koopie said, shaking her head as she stared up at the enormous crane.
"An old man like me ought not to do things like that," Frankly said. "I'm a researcher, not an adventurer."
"Man, I just shoot videos. I don't do stunts," Flint said, keeping his bravado clear in his tone even as he admitted his fear.
"I admire their courage... But I think I'm fine being a coward," Red admitted, to laughter from the other three.
Bandy: So when we're up there, I'm trying to go last, cause I figure, I need to make sure she jumps. But she totally refused that.
"You wanna go, I'm cool with last?" Bandy asked. Lakilulu shook her head. "Still working up the nerve... Go ahead," she replied. The Bandit shook his head. "Alright! Here goes, baby!" He stepped up, and with his jump grabbed his flag with ease.
Bandy: Don't matter though. Gotta keep grinding baby! Get those coins.
Lakilulu was the last player left. She nervously climbed onto the platform, and then made the mistake of looking. Eyes tearing up, she stepped backwards off of it. "I can't do this. I just can't," she said tearfully. Monty looked at her tear-stricken face, before nodding. "You don't have to jump. Unfortunately, any money your jump might have earned is lost, making this challenge now worth 40,000 instead of 50,000 coins." The Lakitu nodded. At the bottom, a disbelieving Croco slammed his tail on the ground. "How does a freaking Lakitu not jump? That's money we're losing, straight cold hard cash!"
Croco: I don't know if Lakilulu was really scared, or if it was an act because she's the Mole. Either way it pissed me off.
Once the Lakitu reached the ground, she was reunited with the other eight. Ashamed, she looked down at the ground and stood a few yards away from group. Red and Koopie walked over to her to try to console her.
"Listen, I wouldn't even consider it. You're way braver than me," Koopie said with a wry grin. Red nodded. "It's not the end of the world, it's at most 10,000 coins. There's just a little more we can possibly add," he said with a grin. Lakilulu smiled. "I guess you're right... I sure feel like a lame Lakitu right now though."
Lakilulu: I know I'm probably gonna get it from my family, and my boyfriend Lakilester, when I get home. I'll take it though, not much else I can do. *shrugs*
Luvbi then floated over to the group. "Well guys, let's see how this went!" she exclaimed with false cheer.
"Players, I would like to congratulate you! Already, you have added 20,000 coins to the pot!" Monty informed. The players cheered. "Now, for the second half of the challenge. Luvbi, who did you pick to jump?"
"Well, my first thought was immediately Lakilulu since she flies around on a cloud. So I picked her." Monty nodded. "That was a correct guess! Unfortunately, Lakilulu was unable to jump due to fear, so no money is added to the pot." Croco and Bandy both gave the Lakitu dirty looks.
"Well, shoot. My second pick to jump was Flint. I figured as a TV show host who gets down and dirty that he would have no fear of jumping." Monty shook his head.
"Flint was not one of the jumpers. So far, you are zero for two." Luvbi looked crestfallen.
"My third pick was Hinopio, as he seemed excited before the challenge." The Toad pumped his fists. "There we go!" he shouted excitedly.
"That was correct! You are now one for three," Monty said. Luvbi sighed in relief.
"Not a total failure then! My fourth pick was Bandy, since he is an athlete and should have more guts than most," the politician explained. The Mole nodded.
"That is correct! You are now at two correct guesses," Monty said.
"My final guess was Red. I didn't have time to really meet very many people, so I honestly just went off of first impression." The host shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, the final jumper was Lee. As such, instead of 25,000 coins, only 10,000 will be added to the pot," Monty said. "Your total pot now stands at 30,000 coins." The players looked at each other happily—30,000 coins was a lot of money for one night of being on the show.
Pot: 30,000 coins
Hinopio: Now, I don't know why, but when we were introducing ourselves, Lee wouldn't say what his occupation was. Why not? We're going to have to be honest about it later I'm sure. That seems odd to me. Then he was not selected by Luvbi due to first impressions and no info. If he mentions his profession, she picks him.
Lakilulu: Why would Luvbi choose Red? Red is an attendant... They aren't used to things like this.
The host then pointed to the inn standing on the right-hand side of the square. "Tonight, you will be staying at the Toad Town Inn! You all will need to pair up into groups of two for the time that we are staying at this inn." Quickly the players discussed who would be where.
"Yo, Croco? I'm thinking you and me, homie," Bandy said to the dinosaur who shrugged. "Alright," he replied.
"Mr. Lee, you seem to be a quiet individual. Surely you won't mind rooming with an old man like myself, who likes the quiet?" Frankly questioned. Lee nodded.
"So, I've never met a celebrity. You wanna room man? I got so many questions," Hinopio exlaimed. Flint, taken aback, could only mutter a 'sure'.
Flint: This guy has so much energy! I'm supposed to be the energetic dude here.
Lakilulu and Koopie quickly decided they had to room together, as the two youngest girls. This left Luvbi to room with Red. The two seemed content, as Monty surveyed the group. "Okay players, you may go to your rooms for the night. I do suggest you get some sleep, as tomorrow will be very eventful." The ten players trudged over to the inn, where they were all assigned rooms. Koopie and Lakilulu were in room 111, Croco and Bandy in 112, Flint and Hinopio in 113, Lee and Frankly in 114, and Luvbi and Red in 115. As it was past 12:00 by the time the players got to their rooms, there was very little discussion between the players. They all went straight to sleep, forgoing revealing conversation for sleep. The next morning, the players were woken up by a bell hop at 8:30, and brought to a fancy breakfast hall. In the middle of the hall lay ten books, with a white note on top of the books. The ten players sat down around the table, all eyeing the books and note in the middle. No one wanted to be the first to take it, and a heavy silence fell on the group. Finally, Croco reached out and grabbed at the note, and as soon as his fingers touched the note, Monty leapt out from behind a curtain, surprising all the players. "Hello, and welcome to breakfast!" he shouted. Croco looked guiltily at the host, and dropped the note. "No, no, it's quite alright Croco! Why don't read the note and pass it around!" Croco looked down at the note:
the Bell tolls Forth whom is My First prey, in what way will I sabotage today? I Drew up A plan, but it's Mine to keep! If you try to Figure it out, You'll only lose sleep! Signed, the Mole!
"It's a message from the Mole! What the hell..." the dinosaur looked at in surprise before passing it down.
Croco: That note was weird. Too weird. I felt as if it was a clue but I couldn't figure it out.
The players all looked at the note, before Monty exclaimed "You should probably wait to throw the note away, as I'm about to give you one of the most important things you can have in this game: Journals!" He picked up the books, and passed them to Koopie. "Each of you should pick a journal. This is your one place that you can write all your thoughts down in this game, and will prove very helpful to retaining key info for the quizzes." Koopie took journal 3, and passed it down. The rest of the journals were taken like this:
Lakilulu: 2
Croco: 1
Bandy: 4
Red: 10
Flint: 7
Luvbi: 8
Frankly: 6
Lee: 5
Hinopio: 9
"Now that you all have journals, enjoy breakfast!" A plate of pancakes was brought out, and the players cheered. "Hey, they even have smiley faces!" Bandy laughed.
Red: It was nice to relax a bit. I had a feeling the game was about to start getting stressful though.
To be continued