(Ah baby, it's finally merge time! :D Merge time fun time as I always say! Anyway, now that all bets are off with the teams, how are these guys and girls going to play? Let's find out right now!)
Episode 8: Daily Island Life
Previously, on Fates Party…
Hinoka and Sakura reconciled, Rinkah and Keaton believed Takumi a threat, and Team Agi seemed to have made an alliance.
The challenge was for the teams to find a Star and race to the end of the boardwalk to Captain Goomba for victory. However, things took a turn when DK got his revenge on Flash.
Sakura, Leo, and Ryoma stepped forward to do battle with Captain Goomba, with Ryoma finishing the job and winning Team Agi immunity. Because of Leo's sunburnt back and Takumi being caught on a fishing hook, Team Bufu won second and sent Team Garu to their third Elimination Ceremony.
Before the vote, Sakura added Subaki into her alliance with Elise, with Subaki offering to share whatever advantage he and Sakura would get with Elise to seal the deal.
And at the vote, Hinoka's appeal with Sakura after yesterday's Elimination Ceremony paid off as Effie was eliminated by a 3-1 vote. 12 are left, and the merge is now! Who will be voted out tonight? A better question would be: How will the players adapt to the merge?
Team Garu: Hinoka, Sakura, Subaki
Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton
Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma
Sakura, Subaki and Hinoka returned to their rooms in high spirits. Well, mostly high spirits.
"I hope Elise won't be too upset…" Sakura worried.
"Relax, Lady Sakura. She'll understand why it had to happen," Subaki soothed.
"Yeah, and it's the three of us to the end, right?" Hinoka smirked. "Nothing can stop us."
"Now that Effie's out of the game, we can focus on taking out the other Nohrians in order of who the biggest threat is. In fact, I want to start with Camilla. She and Leo are a really dangerous pair. I'll show her who the superior older sister is!" -Hinoka
"Y-Yeah...nothing will stop us…" Sakura agreed, but looked away knowing the side deal she had made.
"I...made a deal with Elise that we'd be together in our own little alliance. Hinoka would be m-mad at me if she found out, so...I'm torn on what to do…" -Sakura
With Team Bufu, we'd find Flash and Camilla with Leo, the former giving them a bottle of aloe vera, and the latter rubbing it on her brother's back.
"My apologies for flipping you off today, Flash," Leo apologized.
"Eh, don't sweat it," Flash responded. "I'm normally nice to people like this."
"If that's all you needed to give us, then I'll handle taking care of Leo," Camilla informed. "You go sleep well." Flash left them to do what was needed.
"He's so polite. Flash cares about us just as much as my darling Corrin cares about us. Would it be a crime to compare the two? I certainly don't think so." -Camilla
"So dear sister, what's the plan now?" Leo asked.
"Well, I've wanted to make Hinoka suffer for spearheading the move to eliminate my dear Beruka, so let's keep her around for a few more days. I want to watch her squirm and beg for forgiveness." Camilla explained.
"Ryoma then?" Leo wondered.
"Hmmhmmhmm...maybe," Camilla mused. "We'll just have to see what happens tomorrow."
Meanwhile with Team Agi, Peri was thinking about the advantage.
"That advantage could be anything! I wonder when we're gonna get to find out what it is, because Lord Xander and I will have a huge leg-up on the others! I can hardly wait!" -Peri
Suddenly, Peri would hear voices down the hall.
"Out! Out!" The voice belonged to Silas, who was with Kaze in trying to force out a group of reporters with cameras and other stuff at the ready.
"Huh? What's going on?" Peri wondered aloud, getting closer to try and see what the big deal was.
"Peri, stay back!" Kaze cautioned.
"It's Peri!" One of the reporters exclaimed, trying to muscle his way past Silas and Kaze.
"How could Xander have no standards and pick up this woman?" Another chuckled, trying to get clear pictures of her.
"Yeah! He's really set the bar low!" The first reporter added.
It was at those comments that something inside Peri...snapped.
"Eh...?" Peri tilted her head to the side. "What was that about Lord Xander having no standards?"
"Oh dear…" Silas grimaced. It was then Peri spotted a nearby potted plant, then glared at the reporters, which sent shivers down their spines. She then smashed it against the wall, grabbing the sharpest shard that she could find from the now destroyed clay pot, holding it like a knife. A wicked yet childish smile was now present on her face.
"I'm feeling stabby~! RUN, YOU DASTARDS." Those words from her were enough to have the reporters drop their cameras in fear and start running away back to the Dragon's Gate as Peri gave chase, being stopped by Kaze before she could pursue them through.
"Peri, don't!" Kaze pleaded. "It's not worth it!"
"But they insulted Lord Xander!" Peri whined. "They deserve it!"
"Peri...just let it go," Silas sighed. "Who's going to believe them anyway when they tell the story of some multicolor haired woman trying to kill them with a piece of a clay pot?"
"...Actually you've got a point," Peri realized, snapping out of her bloodlust. "But know this. They got lucky because you two were around."
"And if we weren't, they'd have a bigger story than what they bargained for." Kaze deadpanned. "Well, we might as well get rid of these before dawn."
"Okay. I'm gonna go clean up that mess I made." Peri then skipped off to do so, leaving the two men to do their own clean up.
The next morning everyone met up outside the fortress.
"Team Agi, Team Bufu, getting your first look at the new Team Garu. Effie voted out at the last Tribal Council." Flash said.
Elise pouted a little bit, but she saw this coming.
"Okay, so I think it's time that we change things up a little bit. Everyone, step off your mats. We're merging."
Everyone instantly got excited now that the merge was finally happening.
"First of all, I'm going to reveal this advantage that I mentioned last week," Flash continued. "Basically, to the three pairs still in the game, here's what the advantage is. If one of you wins immunity, then the other person is also immune."
"Wait, there's only two pairs from my count," Leo pointed out. "Who's the third?"
"Oh, that'd be Rinkah and Keaton," Flash casually answered. "It wouldn't be fair for them to be left out of this."
Both Rinkah and Keaton sounded extremely relieved to hear this.
"This is amazing. Just when I thought it would only be the two remaining pairs of royals and retainers getting this powerful advantage, Flash then says 'Oh, Rinkah and Keaton also get this too.' I about jumped for joy when I heard that!...Not that we needed it." -Keaton
"So with that out of the way, it's now every man, woman and uh…" Flash looked at Keaton. "Animal shapeshifter for themselves?"
"Let's go with that," Keaton responded.
"Anywho, we've got a challenge today, let's go!" Flash ran through the Dragon's Gate, the remaining players following close behind.
When they arrived, the group would find themselves at a tropical area with three islands connected together, along with a port that they were starting at.
"Welcome everyone, to Castaway Bay." Flash calmly introduced. "And today's challenge is really simple."
"Another tropical destination...but this time, at least there's some shade to be found. And since we don't have to dress out in swimwear this time, I can find solace in that." -Leo
"What's the challenge?" Rinkah wondered.
"Simple. You'll be paired up and tasked with surviving a night outside here." Flash explained. "I thought you guys could use a break from the insanity that's happened in the past few days. Once day breaks tomorrow, meet up back here."
With that, the pairs were decided, the pairs being Elise and Peri, Keaton and Leo, Subaki and Takumi, Hinoka and Xander, Ryoma and Camilla, and Sakura and Rinkah.
"Alright everybody! Have fun!" Flash smiled. While everyone was relieved to have a break, Xander was a bit skeptical.
"Part of me wants to believe that this is a simple break, but clearly Flash has something up his sleeve. I'll find out what it is, mark my words." -Xander
Once they left, Flash started snickering and faced the camera. "Now, what I didn't tell them was that I had this resort placed here for them if they wanted to use it, but the catch is that if one of the members of each pair checks in, they're out. Last pair that doesn't cave wins, and if we have a tie, one person from each pair will compete in a minigame for immunity. Ah, this is gonna be awesome!"
Final 12: Hinoka, Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton, Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma
While most the contestants opted to stay in their usual attire instead of their swimwear, this was not the case as Camilla opted to dart off to privacy.
"Um, Camilla? What are you doing?" Ryoma wondered.
"Don't mind me," She giggled. "Just...trying to get into the spirit of today's challenge." She paused as she made the change to the two-piece she wore yesterday, carrying her clothes and armor in a handbag she grabbed back at the fort.
"Now here's what else I want to know. Where'd you get the bag?" Ryoma continued.
"Oh, there's this storeroom back at the fort that has some stuff Flash allows us to have," Camilla explained. She would have said more, but the two heard a ringing noise, one that was familiar to Camilla. When Ryoma saw Camilla dart towards the source of the noise, he immediately chased after her, both finding the phone that the Hint Giver gave hidden in the bushes. Camilla dove down to grab it, but Ryoma was just a second faster, answering the phone.
"Hello?" Ryoma answered.
"Oh, hi there! I'm guessing this is...Ryoma, right? The lobster guy?" The Hint Giver's voice was heard loud and clear.
"My attire is not supposed to be a lobster, it's supposed to be a lion…" Ryoma facepalmed. "Anyway, who are you? How'd you know my name?"
"Uh, well...y'see, it's a bit of a long story…" The Hint Giver began to explain. "One I don't have time to tell."
"She has advice to give us," Camilla bluntly informed.
"Wait a sec, is that Camilla too? Oh, this is doubly awesome!" The Hint Giver squeed. "So I heard what happened regarding that SNES."
"The price was absurd! I'd expect that price being for a ransom for royalty, but honestly…" Camilla responded.
"Anyway, I just thought I'd give you two a warning about today. There's a hotel at the northern end of Castaway Bay. I know it's tempting, but whatever you do, do not check in there. This is part of the challenge, because if either one of you do, you can kiss immunity goodbye."
"I'm positive Xander suspected something was up about today's challenge, and this right here must be it. I won't give in to such mere temptations such as this, but I'll have to do what I can to keep Camilla away from there. I have my doubts that she shares the same stance as I." -Ryoma
"Uh...there was one other thing…" The Hint Giver thought aloud. "Oh yeah, there's something back at the fortress I found. Something about an idol…"
"What's she saying?" Camilla inquired.
"Something about an idol," Ryoma answered. "What's so special about it?"
"Well, I couldn't read what was attached to the note because I almost got caught by Kaze, so I had to quickly put it back where I found it and ran. That's all I can really say. Gotta go now, don't do any of that weird samurai suicide stuff. Anyway, gotta go clean up my wounds. Hasta la vista!" And with that, she hung up.
"Weird...samurai suicide...why was she mentioning me doing seppuku?" Ryoma wondered in astonishment.
"Beats me." Camilla shrugged. "Perhaps in some alternate situation than the one we found ourselves in you would have done that."
"You mean Corrin siding with Nohr instead of declaring neutrality, correct?" Ryoma inquired, to which Camilla gave a nod in response.
"Ryoma is such a respectable person, it's no wonder Hoshido looks up to him as much as they do. That being said, his loose lips do benefit me as I now know there's an idol around back at the fortress. I don't know what it will do, but I know it'll give me an advantage that I may need." -Camilla
With Sakura and Rinkah, the two were mainly doing as Flash suggested and taking it easy for the time being.
"Working in teams must've been pretty hectic for you," Rinkah remarked.
"Y-Yeah...my sister was a bit...bossy at times…" Sakura confided. "B-But she meant well."
"Now that we're m-merged, I think that...my family is going to r-reunite and work together. But...at the same time, I'm w-worried they'll find out I-I was working with Elise…" -Sakura
"Bossy? What do you mean by that?" Rinkah raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I-I said she didn't mean any harm!" Sakura then exclaimed. "She just...she just wanted what was best for me…"
"Well, if you insist, Lady Sakura…" Rinkah scratched the back of her head. "I'll look for a spot we can set up camp for the evening."
"Okay…" Sakura let Rinkah do what needed to be done, letting out a sigh, leaving Rinkah to wonder what Sakura meant by Hinoka being bossy.
"Lady Sakura told me that when she was back on Team Garu, her sister was being 'bossy' to her and that made me a bit curious. I know Lady Hinoka can get competitive, but this is a bit worrisome. I fear that the Nohrians will start picking off the Hoshidan family one at a time." -Rinkah
Speaking of Nohrians, Peri and Elise were by the water when they heard an awfully familiar voice, but for some reason it wasn't directed at them.
"You can do it, son!" It was Bowser, and with him was his son, Bowser Jr.. The two ladies could only watch as they spotted the King of Koopas helping his son swim.
"I'm doing my best, Papa!" Junior exclaimed.
"Aw, he's so adorable!" Elise giggled, which caught Bowser's attention when he spotted Peri.
"You again? What do you want!?" Bowser roared.
"For once, nothing," Peri deadpanned. "What's going on here?"
"Papa's trying to teach me how to swim," Junior told them, then got a good look at Peri. "Uh, Papa? Who is the strange lady with the cotton candy hair?"
"Oh me? The name's Peri! P for pulverize, E for eviscerate, R for ruin, and I for impale! Kee hee!" Peri introduced, prompting Elise, Bowser, and Junior to collectively sweatdrop.
"Uh...yeah, she's my brother's retainer," Elise informed.
"Where exactly did he find this woman again?" Bowser asked.
"Fighting tourney," Elise answered.
"...You know something, that would explain a LOT about her." Bowser confided.
"I'm Elise, and I'm not crazy," Elise then introduced herself to Junior. "I'm the younger of the two princesses of Nohr, and it's really nice to meet you!"
"When we see Bowser in a situation like this, it reminds me that not everyone's a bad guy at heart. Well...not everyone, because I still remember those two jerks that served Father all those years. *folds arms* Just thinking about them makes me upset, and wanting to hit something." -Elise
"Yeah, same here!" Junior told Elise.
"I know this is gonna be weird of me to ask, but could you two go elsewhere? Kinda busy right now." Bowser requested.
"But-" Peri began.
"I SAID GO AWAY!" Bowser breathed fire at the two, forcing them to run.
With Keaton and Leo, the wolfskin was looking over the broken spyglass he got yesterday.
"Rinkah didn't think this spyglass was all that important, but I'm gonna prove her wrong! I'll show them all how important this thing is!" -Keaton
"Hmm...you know what I think?" Leo spoke up.
"What is it?" Keaton turned to him.
"If we could find a way to fix your spyglass, we'd get the upper hand on the others by knowing the layout of this area," Leo suggested. "What say you?"
"I'm in!" Keaton grinned. "But...where do we start?"
"Could I take a look at that for a moment?" Keaton handed over his spyglass to Leo, who began to look it over.
"We don't have any sort of maps when it comes to these challenge areas, so I believe that this spyglass Keaton found yesterday will be an incredible boon to whoever has it. I'd like to have it, so I have to stay on Keaton's good side." -Leo
After examining the spyglass, Leo looked up at Keaton. "Well, I do believe it can be fixed, it just needs a new lens or two."
"So we just need to find some glass? Okay! I'll go find some right away!" Keaton was about to dart off, when suddenly he ran face first into something. It looked to be some sort of mushroom shrine.
"Ow...what's this thing?" Keaton rubbed his head.
"It appears to be a shrine to some sort of...mushroom?" Leo noticed an inscription and read it. "'Feel free to pay your respects to the Great Mushroom Spirit.' Hmm...perhaps it might be able to help us."
Keaton then began praying aloud. "O Great Mushroom Spirit, um, please answer our calls for help! Lend us your power and...stuff to fix this spyglass!"
Nothing happened for a few moments, when suddenly an orb that looked like it came from a gachapon machine appeared before the two. Inside it was a small enough piece of glass that could be used as a lens, and then another lens big enough for the other end of the spyglass appeared.
"Alright!" Keaton exclaimed with joy. "You rock, great spirit I've only heard about just now!" Leo only rolled his eyes in response.
With Subaki and Takumi, the latter was waiting around for the former to return.
"What is taking him so long?" Takumi folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.
"I get that Subaki is my sister's retainer and everything, and that one of his jobs is scouting out areas like this, but come on man! We're competing to see who's going to win at the end. Yeah, I'll work with my siblings, but it would be the dumbest thing ever if he gave Sakura the million gold at the end." -Takumi
Subaki soon returned, prompting Takumi to ask, "Where have you been?"
"I was merely scouting around to see if there were any dangers present here," Subaki informed. "Once that was done, I went and informed Lady Sakura there was nothing to be afraid of."
"That so?" Takumi folded his arms. "What did you find out here anyway?"
"Well, the only thing I could really say that was of interest was this resort at the northern end of the area. It looked innocent enough, so I thought nothing of it." Subaki informed.
"A resort? Here?" Takumi sounded intrigued. "Do you...mind leading me there?"
"Not at all," Subaki replied. He led Takumi to the resort that he found.
"I don't really see how this challenge could go sour for anyone. All Flash told us to do was merely take the day off, and given the tension Lady Sakura and I encountered on Team Garu, I believe this would be more than enough to help her relieve that." -Subaki
Hinoka was soaking up the sun's rays as Xander was searching around for what he believed was the 'catch' that Flash didn't mention to them earlier.
"Hey Xander? Flash said to take the day off," Hinoka reminded. "What's got you worked up?"
"There has to be a catch regarding today's challenge, Hinoka," Xander informed. "He can't possibly have nothing planned for today."
"So what you're saying is you want to find this catch?" Hinoka raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment. "...I bet I can find that catch before you can."
"You're on." Xander smirked. So the two began to search for anything that looked suspicious or out of place in Castaway Bay.
"Xander's convinced there's this catch out here regarding today's challenge, and honestly I think it's an endurance kind of thing. Perhaps it's one of those things where like if you want to quit you just say something and the crew comes to help us. Whatever it is, I'm sure this is endurance." -Hinoka
Back with Ryoma and Camilla, as the sun was beginning to set the two would overhear someone saying something that troubled the both of them.
"They won't forget me!" Nearby Rowdy River Rafting, they'd find a young man who looked no younger than 18, taking a selfie of himself. While this would seem innocent at first glance, it was where he was standing - close to the edge overlooking the water, and what the Shy Guy there was saying that got their undivided attention.
"Don't jump!" The Shy Guy exclaimed. "You don't want to be remembered this way!" Without hesitation, Ryoma walked forward.
"What's all this?" Ryoma asked.
"Huh? Who're you?" The boy asked.
"I am Ryoma, once the crown prince of Hoshido, and now the current king," Ryoma answered. "My friend here is Camilla, eldest princess of Nohr. Tell us something...why are you planning to kill yourself?"
"No one even cares about me...they treat me like I don't even exist," The boy replied. "So I figure they'll know I exist...or well, existed."
"That's why?" Camilla was bewildered. "How awful…"
"How selfish." Ryoma frowned, folding his arms. His stern side was showing "Young man, don't you have parents?"
"Well, yeah…" He confided.
"Any siblings?" Ryoma continued.
"Two of them," The boy answered.
"Think about how devastated your family would be if you jumped right now," Ryoma added. "It'd be even worse for them to learn that their son took his life because of a selfish cry for attention. It's not worth it. Surely they care about you."
"Why does it matter to you?" The boy suddenly snapped. Ryoma kept calm as he unfolded his arms.
"All lives are sacred. Even yours. Taking life is a very serious decision, a decision I've had to make before in the past whenever someone abused their power. They'd have to be stopped for the sake of our way of life."
Camilla then soon stepped forward. "I'm in agreement with Ryoma. You matter to your family, and I'm positive they'd help you out." She reached out her hand. "Please, step away from the edge and take my hand."
The boy fell quiet. He looked to be thinking about what they had said...before taking Camilla's hand, being brought away from the edge and into her motherly embrace, softly crying.
"Thank you both." The Shy Guy was relieved.
"Being the king of Hoshido bears a heavy responsibility. It doesn't matter if that young man was a citizen of my kingdom or some stranger. The people look up to me as a leader, and in turn, I have to be there to guide them down the right path." -Ryoma
At the resort, Sakura and Rinkah walked in through the front door, around the same time that Takumi and Subaki did.
"Sakura!" Takumi exclaimed.
"Brother!" Sakura was happy to see him.
"I was wondering what took Subaki so long to get back to me, and I found out he directed you here," Takumi said. "Did I get that right?"
"Y-Yes, he did…" Sakura answered.
"Well, if you're going to relax here...do you mind if I join you?" Takumi suddenly asked, surprising his sister.
"Sure, but...w-why do you want to, anyway?" Sakura responded.
"Uh, because I was concerned for my sister," Takumi lied.
"To be perfectly honest, I could use a break from all the absurdity going on. I've been battered around for the past few days like I'm some sort of plaything for the universe. Sakura being here gives me an excuse to not only strategize with her, but to unwind." -Takumi
"Oh...o-okay…" Sakura was happy to hear that. The receptionist at the front desk was none other than one of the many Anna sisters, waving to the four in a friendly manner.
"Hello guys!" Anna greeted.
"Good to see you again, Anna," Takumi greeted in kind. "Is this your resort?"
"I guess you could say that. I'm helping out Flash today after uh...I and one of my sisters had a scheme to prevent one of us from making money on their turf." Anna explained.
"What'd you do?" Rinkah asked.
"Y'see, Anna, commander of the Askr army, wanted to take swimsuit pictures and video of Ylissean and Nohrian heroes respectively a while back, and we were charging her an exorbitant amount to do so. She got desperate enough that she...forced Flash to model in swimwear."
"I take it he wasn't very happy about that," Subaki wagered.
"Oh, he was pissed off." Anna sighed. "He got so mad that she forced him to do that without a shirt on that he stormed our nest egg, beat up every single one of us, and threatened to burn all of our money if we didn't apologize and let Commander Anna go through with it."
"He r-really did that?" Sakura was shocked to hear about this.
"Yup. And then he stole it all anyway." Anna frowned. "He's willing to give it back if I do this one thing for him. So, would you like to check in?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice." Takumi answered. Sakura gave a slight nod, still processing why Flash would threaten to burn money over something like being forced to model swimwear. As Anna wrote their names down on the ledger, she handed over two room keys.
"I got you guys a double room in case Sakura wanted to room with Subaki," Anna explained. "Feel free to check out what else we've got here. F...Fr...Fre…" Anna had trouble spitting the last part out.
"Free of charge?" Sakura innocently finished.
"...Yes…" Anna let out a defeated sigh. With that, the four left Anna to feel sad about giving stuff out for free. She took out a notepad, and crossed out their names as well before hiding it back where she grabbed it.
Back outside with Elise and Peri, the two had just gotten away from Bowser, the former of the two ladies panting as she was out of breath.
"Hah...haf...huf...dear Gods, that's the longest I've ever run in my life…" Elise was gasping for air.
"Think we should set up camp here, Lady Elise?" Peri asked Elise.
"Yeah...that'd be nice." Elise fell back on the ground to sit on her bottom in the shade as Peri got to work.
"Lord Xander isn't the only person I have to watch over. I also have to make sure his siblings aren't hurt, because if they are they won't be able to stab things, and it's not fun!" -Peri
Within a reasonable time frame, Peri had set up a little shelter for the both of them for the night.
"All done, Lady Elise!" Peri exclaimed.
"Woohoo!" Elise giggled, happy they had somewhere to relax for the night. As they got situated, they would find a familiar face. It was Bowser Jr.!
"Hey, I uh, wanted to say I was sorry about earlier with Papa," He said.
"Ah, don't worry too much about it," Elise reassured. "It's not your fault."
"Your father probably thinks I'm entirely crazy, but well...he doesn't know what we've been through. Like, I don't want Soleil turning out to be like me." Peri added.
"Who's that?" Junior wondered.
"Oh, that's uh...her daughter. It's a bit complicated." Elise answered.
"...I don't want to ask." Junior sweatdropped.
"SON!" A voice roared out. "WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Bowser again!" Peri gasped.
"Oh no...I didn't tell Papa I came over to see you two!" Junior worried. He quickly hid himself.
"He wanted to see us both?" Elise could only wonder in amazement.
"So I think I might've made a friend in Bowser's kid today. Though I'm not sure his dad approves of it since we're kinda at odds with each other...but it's okay! I can handle forbidden friendships easily!" -Elise
It was indeed Bowser who stormed over. "Oh...it's you two again. Have you seen Junior anywhere?"
"Nope, haven't seen him," Peri lied.
"He must be somewhere else." Elise added. Miraculously, Bowser bought it and stomped off somewhere else. Once he was out of earshot, both ladies breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was too close…" Peri commented. Junior came out of hiding.
"The reason I went to look for you two was because, well...I don't know many other nice girls like you, Elise." Junior explained.
"What? Really?" Elise was astonished.
"Only other person who is like you is Peach...but Papa kidnaps her like...every Thursday?" Junior answered.
"It's agreed on that princesses get kidnapped on Thursdays?" Peri blinked in utter confusion.
"The Gods I met yesterday did mention something like that…" Elise remembered. "Seriously, why is Thursday 'Kidnap a Princess Day' in the first place? Who came up with that?"
Junior merely shrugged. "How should I know?"
"Anyway...how about you stay with us for tonight? The company would be appreciated," Elise suggested.
"Sure thing," Junior agreed.
"It's getting a bit late...I'll keep watch, Lady Elise." Peri informed. Elise gave a thumbs up as she laid back to try and get some shuteye.
With Leo and Keaton, as Leo worked on finding out how to fix the spyglass, Keaton was looking around for something they could have as food.
"I'm a wolfskin. Living off the land is really easy to do when you're like me. Leo and I should be in good shape for this challenge so long as nothing crazy happens...crap, did I just jinx it?" -Keaton
As Keaton searched, he turned around to see Bowser storming around, grumbling about something.
"What's he doing here?" He wondered aloud. Bowser took notice of Keaton and pointed at him.
"You! Wolfie! Where's my son?" Bowser demanded an answer.
"...Your son?" Keaton paused, not sure what Junior looked like. "How should I know? I've never heard of you having a kid. Or a wife for that matter."
"RAAAGH!" Bowser yelled in frustration, clawing at Keaton. The wolfskin dodged, running back to Leo.
"Leo!" Keaton exclaimed. "Bowser's here!"
"Ugh, of all the times to…" Leo shook his head. "Let me deal with this. You watch the spyglass. Don't let anyone touch it."
"Okay!" Keaton then sat down on his bottom, staring intensely at the spyglass as Leo stood up, going to confront Bowser, holding something behind his back. What was it, you might ask? His bottle of ketchup.
"Is something troubling you, Bowser?" Leo calmly asked.
"Tell your wolf to shut his yap! I'm trying to find my son Junior...and he had to talk about my wife…" Bowser growled.
"From where he's from, civilization is a bit of a foreign concept to him," Leo responded. "He wasn't aware that your wife is a touchy subject with you."
"Anyway, where's Junior? You've probably got the highest IQ out of all your friends, so you ought to know." Bowser then requested.
"I'm afraid I don't know the first thing about your son, so even if I wanted to I couldn't help you," Leo declined. "Now could you please leave us alone? We're trying to spend the night out here in peace. Additionally, your son missing is not my problem. My problem is some gigantic reptile in my face about something I know nothing about. Your problem is threatening a member of the Nohrian royal family."
The response was enough to anger Bowser again, however Leo's response was a quick squirt of ketchup in Bowser's eyes. Blinded by the substance, he stumbled and clawed around until he hit something. That something being a statue of a Goomba, which Bowser clawed a sizable chunk out of.
"WHO DARES DESECRATE THE SACRED TOTEM OF THE GOOMBA GODS!?" A voice boomed out.
"He made me do it!" Bowser accusingly pointed at Leo, prompting the blueblood to smirk in response.
"I must have the Devil's own luck tonight, for I didn't know that totem was there. I only felt that Bowser was going to attack me, so I had to do something to defend myself. Knowing who you're up against, and using that to your advantage is how to win battles easily." -Leo
"Forgive me if I handed you the shovel," Leo sarcastically apologized, with Bowser just realizing what he said.
"Uh-oh…" A mysterious force then launched Bowser about halfway across Castaway Bay, landing him in the water.
Satisfied, Leo went back to Keaton, who was doing exactly what the former ordered him to do.
"He's gone now, Keaton," Leo said, snapping Keaton out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh yeah, thanks!" Keaton grinned, rubbing his eyes.
"If I know anything about Elise, his son is probably with her," Leo guessed. "But it shouldn't be my concern if he is or isn't."
"So...I'm gonna go back to finding us food now." Keaton then left to do just that, with Leo putting a bit of ketchup on his ungloved finger and sticking it in his mouth.
Back with Xander and Hinoka, the latter had run herself ragged looking for what kind of twist Flash could have added to this challenge.
"Agh, this is pointless!" Hinoka exclaimed. "How're we going to find a twist in a location like this?"
"Xander and I have turned this island upside down looking for whatever kind of twist that Flash left for us in this challenge, but so far we've come up empty handed. It can't be so obvious that it just sticks out, right?" -Hinoka
"Maybe look for the large building that looks recently built?" Xander suggested, looking off in the distance towards the north of the island.
"No way it could be that ea-" Hinoka then looked in the direction that Xander was, spying the resort. "Huh...I guess it was right in front of us this whole time."
"I saw it about an hour ago, Hinoka," Xander added. "Would you like to check it out?"
"Sure thing." Hinoka nodded. The two then moved towards the resort, unaware of its involvement in the challenge.
Inside they would find Anna at the receptionist desk, noticing the two walk in. "Oh! Come on in!" She greeted in a warm, inviting manner.
"Good to see you again, Anna," Xander responded. "What's all this?"
"Oh, you know, just doing what I do best," Anna answered, partially lying. She noticed that Hinoka was tired. "Would you two like to check in?"
"That'd be nice…" Hinoka said, but Xander wasn't convinced.
"Was this on your own free will, or did someone put you up to it?" He continued.
"Of course this was on my own free will." Anna folded her arms. "I'm feeling generous today, so for my old friends, I'm letting you guys check in and relax here for...free…" She looked sad on that last bit.
"You never give anything away for free," Xander pointed out.
"Ugh...nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, Flash put me up to this. He said if I did this one thing for him he'd give back the nest egg he took from us after one of my sisters forced him to model swimwear. I...may have had something to do with that." Anna confessed.
"I think we know what you did." Hinoka rolled her eyes.
"Anna is still the same woman we all know her as - it's all about the money. Though I am impressed that Flash managed to get her to give something out for free. Makes me wonder what he did to pull this off…" -Hinoka
"...Alright. We'll stay here for the night." Xander decided. Anna handed him a room key.
"I hope you enjoy your stay here!" Anna smiled.
"My safety lies in the hands of Peri, who I haven't seen ever since the challenge began. If she wins, then I'm also immune at the next vote. Given how capable she is, I'm confident that I won't be in danger." -Xander
When the two went off to find their rooms, Anna crossed out their names, noting that only three pairs were left in the challenge.
With the other four in the resort, Subaki and Rinkah were relaxing in a hot tub, while Sakura was sitting outside of it, her feet in the water. Takumi was off doing something else.
"This is just like a hot spring…" Subaki mused, relaxed. "Perfect temperature for unwinding if I do say so myself."
"Y-Yeah...if you think so…" Sakura responded.
"Come on, Lady Sakura, join us." Rinkah suggested, leaning back.
"U-Um...okay…" Sakura slowly eased her way into the hot tub, sitting next to Subaki. She let out a big sigh as she did, bringing a smile to her face.
"S-Subaki wanted me to come here so I could relax...I could use it...after the past f-few days…I thank him for this." -Sakura
Subaki let out a long yawn as Sakura did this, prompting Sakura to look at him and worry. "Subaki...a-are you getting enough sleep?"
"What? Of course I am," Subaki responded. "Why do you ask?"
"I noticed that um...you have b-bags under your eyes," Sakura pointed out. As Subaki felt under his eyes, Rinkah merely offered up a shrug.
"Eh, it's been a long week for everyone," She said. "We'll be able to rest easy tonight."
"There's nothing wrong with relaxing every so often. Subaki, given how hard he pushes himself for Lady Sakura, deserves this kind of rest. You can't be perfect if you're worn out." -Rinkah
"Yeah, we've all had a long week," Takumi agreed, approaching the group. "So, what's the plan from here?"
"Well, we obviously would be working together with Lord Ryoma and Lady Hinoka," Subaki answered. "From there we would work to vote out the Nohrians."
"Sounds like a plan." Takumi nodded with a smile. "I say we vote out Leo first. He's the brains of their whole operation, and if we take him out they'll be severely crippled."
"Um...I-I don't know what to do…" Sakura confided.
"Why not His Majesty, Xander?" Rinkah then suggested. "Provided Peri or him doesn't win immunity, we could get him out."
"He's more of a challenge thing, Rinkah," Takumi explained. "From a strategic standpoint, if we can get Leo out we could cripple the Nohrians hard."
"But, um...what about P-P-Peri…?" Sakura brought up. "She would...flip out if we d-did that…"
"Lady Sakura has a point. If we do vote Peri's liege out, then she might try to kill us all...though I don't know how she'd manage with the strange utensils back at the fort." Subaki commented.
"Seriously, what are those things made out of?" Rinkah wondered.
"If I knew I'd tell you," Takumi answered.
With Xander and Hinoka, the two arrived in their hotel room for the night. It was a basic two bedroom with a small bathroom, and an end table between the two beds. Xander sat down on one of the beds as Hinoka went into the bathroom, likely to get showered off.
"I haven't gotten cleaned off since we got here. A nice hot bath is just what I need after a week of intense competition. It'll also help me clear my mind and get focused for the challenges ahead." -Hinoka
However, Hinoka looked at the shower and bath combo, a puzzled expression on her face.
"How do you work this kind of thing?" She wondered aloud, reaching for the valve to turn the water on, and water came out of the shower head, spraying her with how water. She screamed out in shock and a bit of pain, causing Xander to rush in to see what was wrong.
"Hinoka, are you alright?" He asked with concern.
"Xander! Do you barge in on everyone when they're bathing?" Hinoka retorted. She was still thankfully clothed, but her hair was wet and a slight bit red from the hot water. He looked at the shower/bath combo, turning off the water.
"Would you like me to see if I can get the bath ready?" Xander requested.
"Sure. I can't make heads or tails of this." Hinoka agreed. And so Xander got to work trying to get the bath filled with water that was the right temperature. After some trial and error, he was able to get it filled up to an acceptable level for Hinoka to wash off, turning off the water once he was done.
"There you are. I tested the water myself to make sure it wasn't too hot nor too cold," Xander said.
"Thanks for that," Hinoka sounded grateful. "Now uh, could you kindly…"
"Of course. I'm going to bed soon since it's dark out." Xander informed, leaving the bathroom.
"Helping Hinoka out with the bath wasn't too hard after I figured out how it worked. One moment we're in this together, the next we'll be scheming against one another. Without a doubt she'll be looking to make an alliance with her siblings, so if I want to make the alliance with Elise, Peri, and Ryoma...I'll have to campaign hard for my rival to work with me." -Xander
Night came and went, the six who checked in to the resort having a nice breakfast before meeting up with the others outside, along with Flash who led them all there.
"So, did you guys have a nice night?" Flash asked with a smile. "Appreciate the day off?" Everyone gave a nod, all in positive moods. Xander spoke up.
"For the challenge...what now?" He inquired. "This resort had something to do with it, didn't it?"
"Guilty as charged, Xander," Flash answered. "You six who stayed here last night...I said to survive a night outside, not in a hotel. So yeah, no immunity chance for you." The six looked shocked by that, but woefully understood.
"Um...does that mean all six of us win immunity then?" Keaton grinned, hoping that would be the answer.
Flash spun around, clapped his hands together and said, "Fat chance." Keaton folded his arms, frowning. "As for the rest of you, I need you to pick one person to compete in a minigame to break this tie. Winning pair gets immunity."
Peri, Ryoma, and Leo stepped forward to compete.
"Alright, immunity is on the line! Let's do this!" Flash grinned.
Catch You Letter
Players: Peri, Ryoma, Leo
Description: The mail has been scattered everywhere! Grab the lost letters and hand them to the Shy Guy. Return the most letters to win!
Hint: White letters are worth one point each. Love letters are worth three points each!
In the area for the minigame, the three players watched as a Shy Guy burst out of a post office, the top near bursting with mail. The roof burst off the post office, letters flying every which way.
START!
White letters began fluttering down towards the group, the trio hurrying to grab letters to hand them back to the Shy Guy. While Peri and Ryoma were doing them one by one, Leo got the idea to grab onto multiple letters and then turn them over to the Shy Guy before the time was up to save time.
Soon, pink enveloped letters with hearts to keep the letter shut began floating down. Peri frantically grasped for those along with normal letters, forcing Leo and Ryoma to play catch up.
Once Leo handed over all his letters, time was up. Unfortunately for him, his strategy was not enough.
FINISH!
Final Score
Peri: 13
Ryoma: 11
Leo: 12
"Came down to it so close! Peri, congratulations! You not only got immunity for yourself, but also for your liege and his youngest sister!" Flash announced.
Peri jumped for joy as everyone congratulated her.
"Yay! I won, I won, I won! All I gotta do is keep this streak alive and make Lord Xander happy!...Huh? You think it'll backfire? No it won't. If one of us wins, the way I see it we both win~!" -Peri
"Did I do good, Lord Xander?" Peri cheerily asked, giggling like a schoolgirl.
"You did wonderful," Xander responded. "I knew you would win for me."
"Alright, now if you'll excuse me I've got some things to take care of. Namely pissed off Goomba Gods. The rest of you head on back and get ready for tonight's vote." Flash dismissed the group, who headed on back to the fort.
A potentially game changing vote was looming above the area, so everyone was active in planning their moves.
Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura were meeting up.
"Well, Rinkah suggested we eliminate Xander, but since he's immune we'll just go with my original plan. Leo tonight?" Takumi suggested.
"Yeah, I can live with that." Hinoka nodded. "But who can we pull? 3 votes isn't going to cut it." Hinoka wondered.
"Sakura can pull Subaki, and I think we can pull Rinkah and Keaton to voting with us. With Ryoma, that should be enough to get Leo out." Takumi reasoned. "Let's go." Hinoka and Takumi went to go speak with the people mentioned, trusting Sakura to talk with Subaki about eliminating Leo. But Sakura stayed there, not sure what to do.
"I-I'm torn...who do I side with? My friend Elise? Or my f-family? I wish I k-knew what to do…" -Sakura
She decided to go speak with Subaki about what to do.
Meanwhile, with Elise, she met up with Camilla as the two discussed what to do.
"So who do you think we should eliminate?" Elise asked.
"Hinoka, clean cut. She was responsible for getting my darling Beruka eliminated, and I will have my revenge." Camilla bluntly explained. They would hear a knock on the door, and in walked Subaki.
"Hey Subaki," Elise greeted. "Come, sit down."
"Elise dear, is Subaki working with us?" Camilla inquired.
"That is correct, Lady Camilla," Subaki answered. "My liege and I are in an alliance with your sister, so I guess that makes us a quartet."
"Yes, it does indeed." Camilla mused.
"What can we help you with?" Elise asked.
"Lady Sakura is torn on what to do. Lady Hinoka and Lord Takumi are focusing on eliminating Lord Leo tonight, and they believe they have the numbers." Subaki informed.
"I see...well, thank you for telling us," Camilla put a finger to her chin. "Well, how does Sakura feel?"
"As I said, she's torn on who to side with," Subaki responded. "On one hand, her siblings are still present in the game, but on the other hand, Lady Hinoka was being quite bossy when we were back on Team Garu."
Camilla paused, doing her best to hide anger. "Is that so?"
"Yeah, Sakura told me herself, sis," Elise confirmed.
"...Well, that settles it. I'm going to speak with Xander. He needs to know about this. You go talk with Sakura, both of you. Report back here when you're done, dear sister. I have a little task for you once you're done." Camilla instructed.
"Okay!" Elise went off with Subaki to do just that, as Camilla practically stewed as she went to search for Xander.
With Rinkah and Keaton, Takumi was speaking with them about the vote.
"So I know we didn't talk a whole lot during the pre-merge, but I'd like it if you guys can vote with me against Leo tonight." He said.
"What? But Prince Leo is such a cool guy!" Keaton practically recoiled from the proposition. "He got rid of Bowser last night and fixed my spyglass!"
"He did?" Rinkah looked at Keaton, prompting the wolfskin to show the two the now repaired spyglass.
"Yup! He sure did!" Keaton grinned. "It'll be useful, I promise!"
Takumi shook his head. "Just vote Leo tonight, okay? He's a threat." He then left, leaving the two to consider Takumi's suggestion.
"I don't know. What do you think?" Rinkah asked Keaton.
"Hmm...well, I think that while Leo's a cool guy and everything, he is a big strategic threat, so it would make sense to get rid of him now," Keaton reasoned.
"So eliminate Prince Leo tonight?" Rinkah added, which Keaton nodded. "Alright then."
Meanwhile with Elise, Sakura, and Subaki, the three were all in her room and discussing what to do.
"She didn't...mean any h-harm, you two…" Sakura hung her head with a sigh.
"I know Lady Sakura, but Lady Elise here doesn't want you to be ordered around like this," Subaki reasoned. "You'd like to win, right?"
"Y-Yeah...I would…" Sakura meekly answered.
"We're here for you no matter what you do. How about...how about this? You, me, Subaki, Camilla? Us four could work together?" Elise suggested. "My sister and I are practically inseparable, and we promise you Sakura; we won't betray you. Ever."
"I hope so…" Sakura softly smiled.
"Just know I have your back, Lady Sakura." Subaki rubbed her shoulders.
"Thank you…" Sakura sighed with relief.
"I want to work with Sakura because she's my best friend from Hoshido! I'm working with my brothers, and possibly Peri and Ryoma from Team Agi. If I can keep this alliance hidden from them with some good ol' smoke and mirrors, I'm set! Cute girls like us have to stick together!" -Elise
With Xander, he was busy talking with Ryoma about something when Camilla came in the room. "Brother, I need to discuss something with you." She requested, and then to Ryoma, "Do you mind?"
"Might I hear what this is all about?" Ryoma inquired. "I told you about what the Hint Giver told us, so this only seems fair."
"Before you ask Xander, whatever the Hint Giver told me and Ryoma can wait," Camilla added. "Now, about what I need to talk about...I want Hinoka out. Subaki told me that she was being really bossy with Sakura back when they were on Team Garu. It made Sakura really unhappy and I personally cannot stand for it."
"I knew you were upset when Beruka was eliminated…" Xander thought aloud.
"Wait, my sister did what?" Ryoma was shocked. "Why?"
"If I had to guess Ryoma, the competition has gotten to Hinoka's head and she aggressively campaigned with Sakura to get Beruka out, and make it an all Hoshidan final four," Xander wagered.
"That makes sense...but I can't believe that she would do that." Ryoma shook his head.
"Believe it, Ryoma." Camilla looked visibly upset now. "As for what was said by the Hint Giver, it was something about this idol...no clue what it was for, but I'm going to go look for it with Elise." She got up and left to go do that, leaving Xander and Ryoma processing what was said.
"...Xander...what do I do?" Ryoma wondered.
"We're allies, aren't we?" Xander brought up. "Peri suggested that we work together, the four of us who were on Team Agi. My sisters are, as far as I know, thick as thieves, so we'd have five votes. Then we bring in Leo, that's six. Then we'd just need one more for majority."
"Yes, but who would we bring in as that seventh?" Ryoma wondered.
"Sakura of course. Though I'm not sure she'd be willing to do such a cutthroat thing...in that case the best thing I could do is have Subaki vote with us."
"Assuming I vote for Leo, and Sakura does not vote against Hinoka, we would have a tie." Ryoma then mentioned. "What would happen then?"
"I'd rather not find out," Xander pondered what could happen. "But just know the only way I would want to lose to you is through a direct confrontation, not schemes behind your back."
"I wouldn't want it any other way, Xander," Ryoma confided. "I'll consider it." He then went off to contemplate what to do before the vote.
"Currently I am in a perilous situation. My sister Hinoka's behavior, from what I'm hearing, is unacceptable, but on the other hand I don't know if I can bring myself to betray my family. This vote is going to be extremely complicated…" -Ryoma
Just before the vote, Camilla and Elise met back up together, who went searching for the idol.
"Did you find it, sis?" Elise looked hopeful.
.
.
.
...Camilla shook her head. "I'm afraid I didn't. Sorry darling. We'll have better luck later." She said.
"Aw, it's okay sis." Elise hugged her sister. "Now let's go!"
"Sakura is really conflicted tonight about what she wants to do. It's fine if she doesn't want to vote with us, but I feel like Subaki and Ryoma are the swing votes tonight. It'll be interesting to see what they do, but I do hope that our plan works." -Camilla
Once the sun set, the twelve remaining players all headed down to the basement, Flash returning to the TV screen.
"So, here we all are. Our first merged Elimination Ceremony." Flash greeted. "Takumi, how would you say the transition from teams to every man for themselves has gone for everyone?"
"It's been going alright," Takumi answered. "We've got everyone going to their original countrymen as I expected."
"Xander, do you think tonight's vote will be as simple as Hoshido versus Nohr, or is it going to be more complex than that?" Flash asked.
"To answer that question Flash, I believe from what I've heard before the vote that things are going to be more complicated as we go along in the game."
"Sakura, what are you basing your vote off of?" Flash inquired.
"U-Um...I don't really enjoy the votes...but I don't r-really have any s-strategy tonight...just voting with my heart…" Sakura said.
"Camilla, what about you?" Flash then asked.
"My vote tonight is not about strategy, it's strictly personal." Camilla folded her arms. "I won't say why, but someone's attitude has been rubbing me the wrong way."
"Rinkah, it seems like everyone's holding their cards close to their chests. Any possible reason why?" Flash was curious.
"I don't know, really. My best bet is that something big's gonna go down that's gonna result in someone feeling bitter." Rinkah shrugged.
"Well, it seems like the only way to find out if there's any truth to that is to vote. Hinoka, you're up," Flash instructed.
Back outside, Azura was watching from the monitor on stage before the large audience awaiting the latest ousted partygoer.
"Things have been heating up in the game, and tonight it may just reach its boiling point. Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Hinoka in the voting booth. "Hinoka is determined to eliminate Leo tonight. Her vote should be obvious."
"Hello Hinoka! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.
"I vote to eliminate Leo." Hinoka voted.
"Thanks, head on back." She left the booth, passing Camilla in the hall. The two locked eyes as they walked by one another.
"Camilla has a personal grudge against Hinoka since she masterminded Beruka's elimination. This vote should be obvious." Azura commented
"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.
"I vote to eliminate Hinoka. Maybe next time you'll consider your sister's feelings." Camilla voted.
"Alright, head on back." Camilla left, passing Leo in the hall.
"Leo has been quiet recently, having to not strategize due to Team Bufu's winning streak. How will he vote tonight?" Azura mused.
"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.
"I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Leo voted.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Leo left, passing Takumi in the hall.
"Like Hinoka, Takumi wants to eliminate Leo. His vote, like Hinoka's, should be obvious." Azura said.
"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.
"I vote to eliminate Leo." Takumi voted.
"Thanks, you can go on back." Takumi left, passing Rinkah in the hall.
"Rinkah isn't much for strategy, but is she right about how someone will feel betrayed?" Azura wondered.
"Hello Rinkah! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.
"Well, I'm voting to eliminate Prince Leo." Rinkah voted.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Rinkah got up and left, passing by Keaton in the hall.
"Keaton and Rinkah are sticking together, their alliance holding strong. Will Keaton stick to his vote against Leo? Or will he do something unexpected?" Azura thought aloud.
"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.
"I'm voting to eliminate Prince Leo. Just playing the game." Keaton voted.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Keaton got up and left, passing by Xander in the hall.
"Being the head of the Nohrian royals, Xander should obviously be voting with his siblings." Azura commented.
"Hello Xander! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.
"My vote is simple, and I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Xander voted.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Xander left, passing Peri in the hall.
"Peri should be voting with her liege tonight, but anything can happen in Mario Party," Azura mused.
"Hello Peri! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.
"I'm voting with Lord Xander, so my vote is for Hinoka. Bye bye!" Peri voted.
"Alright, you can head on back." Peri left, passing Elise in the hall.
"Elise and Sakura are in an alliance together, but will they stay together, or fall apart?" Azura wondered.
"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.
"I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Elise voted with confidence.
"Alright, you can head on back." Elise left the booth, passing Subaki in the hall.
"That is now 5 votes Hinoka, 4 votes Leo. Subaki is willing to do anything for his liege, so how will he vote tonight?" Azura mused.
"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to evict!" Flash requested.
"With perfect certainty, and it pains me to do this, I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Subaki voted.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Subaki got up and left, passing Sakura in the hall.
"Sakura is caught in between two choices tonight, her friend or her family. Her vote should be interesting." Azura commented.
"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.
"...I-I'm sorry…" Sakura was quiet at first, before looking up at the camera. "B-But I vote to e-eliminate...Hinoka…" She wiped a tear from her eye.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Sakura left the booth, passing by Ryoma in the hall. She gave him a hug before breaking the embrace, leaving her brother to step into the voting booth.
"With seven votes to eliminate, Hinoka's fate has been sealed. Let's see how Ryoma votes." Azura said.
"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.
"With a heavy heart, I vote to eliminate Hinoka. I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me." Ryoma voted with a frown.
"Thanks, you can head on back." Ryoma then headed back, everyone awaiting the results.
"Alright everyone! The votes are in!" Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Subaki, Sakura, Camilla, Rinkah, Keaton, Takumi, Xander, Peri, Elise, and Ryoma."
Hinoka wasn't worried, and Takumi smirked a little bit. Leo closed his eyes in annoyance, and Sakura clung onto Ryoma's arm.
"By a vote, of 8 to 4...Hinoka, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash revealed.
The news came as a complete shock to Hinoka and Takumi, who looked as if they had just been stabbed in the back.
"What the...who flipped!?" Hinoka exclaimed.
Ryoma bowed his head in silence, while Sakura just started welling up. Hinoka grabbed her things, feeling heartbroken as she walked up the stairs and out on the stage. She received some applause as she sat down across from Azura, taken by surprise.
"A-Azura!? What're you doing here?" Hinoka wondered aloud.
"Flash requested I handle exit interviews," Azura answered calmly. "It's good to see you again. What do you think went wrong?"
"I guess...when I looked at Ryoma and Sakura, I knew that I played way too hard way too fast." Hinoka answered. "They were the ones who flipped, and Subaki."
"Would you have played differently if you had a second chance?" Azura asked.
"Obviously," Hinoka answered. "What I did in there didn't work, because I'm out here talking with you."
"You must really care about Sakura," Azura commented. "Is there more to it than your blood ties?"
"Yup...when Corrin was kidnapped at a young age, I took up the naginata because I wanted to get him back. It became a thing with my other siblings too. I'm not worried about Ryoma because...well, it's Ryoma. He can take care of himself. It's more Takumi, Sakura...and even Setsuna and Azama, even though I'm babysitting them most the time. Being the eldest daughter in the Hoshidan royal family, I feel as if it's my duty to protect them as well. I just wanted what was best for Sakura...I didn't want to hurt her feelings, and I'm sorry for that." Hinoka explained. "Man...look at me getting all misty eyed now." She wiped away a tear. "I wanted it to be the four of us in the final four, and we'd all take on that final challenge as one. Guess that's not going to happen."
"One more question, Hinoka. Do you think your other siblings will fare better than you did?" Azura inquired.
"I don't believe they'll have a hard time. They're all good competitors, and Sakura has shown to be as strong as us when it comes to this game. So yes, I think they'll do great." Hinoka smiled.
"I see. Well, it was great talking with you, Hinoka." The crowd cheered for her again as she went down the torchlit path.
Arriving at the house, Azama was surprised. "Lady Hinoka! I can't believe it...your gameplan was grounded, wasn't it?"
"It sure was Azama." Hinoka chuckled sitting down next to him on the couch. "It was was…"
(And, that's finally done.
So Hinoka. I never really used her but apparently I heard she's better off as a Spear Master rather than a Falcon Knight or whatever. In this story, her downfall was playing too hard too fast and it came back to bite her in the end when Sakura, Subaki, and even Ryoma flipped.
I'd like to say more, but I need to go to bed soon as it's a Sunday night, close to Midnight as I'm writing this author's end note. So I'm gonna give the clue.
Next time, we'll be dreaming about space and see the reaction to the vote from the final 11! See you all then.)
