North Tribe

The tribe reached camp before Tribal Council even began. As Olimar and Donkey Kong explained the new rules, Samus and Zelda went to cook.

"I like them," Yoshi said when they finished. "Who worded that last one? That was really good."

"That would be me," said King Dedede.

"They'll certainly help keep order," said Sonic. "They helped with the Immunity Challenge. We all got along very well. It's exactly what we wanted."

"Exactly," agreed Donkey Kong. "A peaceful and quiet tribe will perform better than a tribe where everyone is against each other."

"Even a few bad eggs can't spoil this tribe," Olimar glanced at Falco, who scoffed and turned away.

Sonic, confused, asked, "What did Falco do while we were gone?"

"He and Zelda argued and insulted each other," answered Donkey Kong.

"She and Samus assaulted me," argued Falco, rubbing his side. "She deserves it, anyway. She's our weakest member and does nothing to help. She was dragged through this Immunity Challenge by Samus and it would've been the same no matter who she was paired with."

"In her defense, I was dragged by Sonic," said Yoshi.

"Sonic could run around the island in five seconds," said King Dedede. "Samus runs slightly faster than Zelda but is much more coordinated."

"Sorry to change the subject, but Yoshi reminded me of something," interrupted Olimar. "Sonic, you may want to listen closely. Falco, do the honors?"

Falco looked directly at Yoshi, barely blinking and keeping eye contact. "Yoshi, do not lie. Have Samus and Zelda been talking to you for the past few days?"

Yoshi, surprised, nodded while looking at Falco. Falco then asked, "What were they talking about?" Yoshi's eyes dropped to the ground and Falco held Yoshi's head so that he was forced to look into Falco's eyes.

"They were trying to convince me to vote with them, rather than you. They said they'd try to get Donkey Kong and King Dedede as well."

Olimar, Falco, and Yoshi turned to the tribe newcomers, who immediately defended themselves.

"I told you they were talking to me about an alliance," said Donkey Kong.

"They said nothing to me," said King Dedede. "I didn't even know there were alliances until Olimar told me."

"They've been doing it for a few days with Yoshi, which makes it very suspicious," said Falco.

"They also talked to him multiple times, meaning they still want to convince him. But it also means something important," Olimar paused, smiling. "Yoshi's on our side."

"I can't believe you guys wouldn't trust Yoshi, of all people," said Sonic. "That's sad."

"I trust him, but he's so nice he can be, uh, manipulated," said Olimar. "No offense, of course."

"None taken," Yoshi muttered, looking at nobody.

South Tribe

As the tribe arrived at camp, Popo proudly leading the way, Lucario went to their food supply while the others sat around the fire. Link stoked the flame and Marth gathered more material to burn.

Popo broke the silence by boasting, "I'm glad you guys made the right decision! With him gone, we'll win every challenge! No more arguments!"

"Yeah, until you find someone else to annoy," Fox muttered. He glanced at Lucario. "Are you feeling okay, Lucario? You seem conflicted."

"Yes, I am," Lucario agreed. "This Tribal Council was bittersweet. I'm sure his elimination was caused by me."

"Obviously," Popo interrupted. "You told everyone to vote for Toon Link. They voted for him."

"If I hadn't paired you two up, we would have won. We were far enough ahead that we could afford several mistakes before losing. I thought you two would be mature enough to handle being together and I was wrong."

"His fault for pushing me," Popo retorted. "Lucario, I'm calm now. I have no problems with anyone else here. Toon Link was the only idiot who pissed me off and he's gone. I'll be calm. No problems from me."

"Did the arguing get worse while we were gone?" Marth asked.

"They came close to killing each other a couple of times," Link replied. "Otherwise, no, they were the same."

"What was it like on the boat?" Pit asked.

"Everyone got along," Marth replied. "Everyone except Metaknight, but he kept silent most of the time. Kirby and Pokemon Trainer were the ones who talked the most; they get along very well together. The meals were excellent, the last one being an amazing feast. I'm sorry I couldn't bring you any, but they wouldn't let me. We talked and joked. No tribal talk at all. It was a time of peace."

"Marth, are you going to keep lying to your tribe?" Metaknight asked. "You won't get away with it with me here. I was listening. I caused some of the tribe discussions."

"How much tribal talk?" Fox asked. "Should we discuss privately?"

"Marth doesn't remember as much as I do or he's lying to cover himself. We should discuss privately, only because Marth won't repeat as much as I will. It's no use keeping secret about the alliances anymore," Metaknight replied. "We'll wait until the meal is over. I'm hungry."

Link looked uneasily at Marth, who was staring at the ground. "Are you lying?" He whispered, too softly for Marth to hear. "What happened?"

Day 16

West Tribe

Kirby and Pokémon Trainer teasingly said nothing during the day, only reassuring the others that they would tell them what they could remember tomorrow. The tribe had eaten in silence and slept. At breakfast, Kirby was the first to awaken to the aroma of cooked fish.

"Snake, how are you such a great cook?" Kirby asked, sniffing greedily. "It smells amazing!"

"Training," Snake replied. "For what I have to do, I need to be an expert in all fields of survival."

"So you're the perfect candidate for this competition," Captain Falcon commented. "That's why they chose you. Why'd they choose Sonic?"

"He's the fastest of all of us?" Kirby offered, reaching for the fish before Captain Falcon slapped it away. "Ow!"

"Speed does play a key factor into the game," Snake agreed. "It can't be the only thing he relies on, or they could include a car. He has survival instinct and intelligence. He's dangerous."

"Let's all brag about the other players, shall we?" Bowser grumbled, just waking up and walking towards the smell. "Other people who help their team? How about Pichu or Mr. Game and Watch? Oh wait, never mind!" He chuckled.

"If there was no reason for them to be here, they wouldn't be here," said Snake. "Just because they're physically weaker than you doesn't make them any less useful."

Bowser walked over to the nearest tree and ripped it out from the ground, roots and all. "Watch the pair do that!" He threw the tree into the forest where it knocked down two other trees.

"Way to help the environment, Bowser," said Kirby, saluting.

"They're useless," Bowser continued, ignoring Kirby. "They're only here to make us powerful players look better and to make the teams an even forty. That's why idiots like Young Link and weaklings like Nana were brought along. Not that I can complain. I like being thought of as incredibly powerful."

"I liked the boat better," Kirby mumbled. "Metaknight was the only negative person, but he didn't talk a lot. He certainly didn't yell or kill trees. And he wasn't as harsh."

Bowser bent so that his face and Kirby's were inches from each other. "Trust me, Kirby, you haven't seen me harsh."

"And on that note, I love Bowser!" Kirby said, smiling unconvincingly.

"How was the boat, Kirby?" Captain Falcon asked. "You never told us last night. What did Metaknight say? Who else was there?"

Kirby listed the winners. "Five of us sprinkled magic onto our cards, by the way, Falcon."

"I already apologized for what I said," Captain Falcon muttered. "Anyway, what happened on the boat?"

"I can't remember much," answered Kirby honestly. "We talked most of the time, made jokes, tried to keep conversation going. Metaknight failed at that; he killed most of the conversations." He looked at Snake, who was listening intently, and continued. "Though, I'm used to it. He does it all the time. What he said, though, worries me. I don't remember him being wrong about something he said as fact."

"What did he say?" Snake asked calmly.

"He said a few things: 'the only challenge we have is each other', 'luck will decide the game.'" Kirby glanced at the sleeping Ness and kept silent. "Nothing about his alliance. Nobody really talked about the tribes. Although we predicted the Immunity Challenge and got it right. We talked about our lives outside the game. Sonic said he could lap the island in twenty seconds. How fast did you run it, Snake?"

"You change the subject frequently," Snake noted. "I've never lapped the island; we've kept within our quarter of the island." He paused, in thought. "I'd estimate forty-three minutes."

"Twenty seconds," Captain Falcon repeated thoughtfully. "Why can't we run to the other camps? It'd be nice to visit my old tribe and see how they're doing."

"That would eliminate the point of tribes," said Snake. "It's also cheating. The only one here who eavesdrops is Mewtwo, but he's too intelligent to make it obvious that he knows."

"Scary thought," said Kirby, chuckling nervously. "Knowing nothing you say or think is private."

"He must laugh the most of any of us," Bowser mumbled.

East Tribe

Mewtwo, while cooking for the awaiting Diddy Kong and their other sleeping tribe members, was indeed listening to the only conversation on the island. Snake was absolutely right.

"If I had the sense of humor you did, Bowser, I would laugh the most," muttered Mewtwo. "However, as of yet, I've likely laughed the least."

"What was that?" Diddy Kong called.

Mewtwo smirked. "I was wondering how your prize was. You didn't tell us last night."

"Can't you read our thoughts?" Diddy Kong asked. "I thought you knew."

"Reading your minds would be cheating," Mewtwo cited. "Just because you think I do it, doesn't mean I do."

Diddy Kong shrugged. "It was okay. Kirby certainly helped; he kept the jokes coming and the conversations going. Metaknight, on the other hand, stopped both. He's too dark; too serious. He ruined the mood too much."

A pause. "The others?"

"Pokemon Trainer and Kirby got along. They talked more than he and I did. Sonic joked around too, but wasn't as funny. Yoshi and Marth kept quiet. Ike's Ike."

"What did you talk about?"

"The tribes, mostly." Diddy Kong knew he couldn't lie. Mewtwo was reading his thoughts. If he lied, Mewtwo would know. "We got to know how the South Tribe's doing. The Links, Marth, and Mr. Game and Watch are losing, so I'd say one of them is going home. The North Tribe is boys against girls, where the boys are winning. Don't know about West Tribe. Kirby and Pokemon Trainer didn't talk about it."

"Is that all?"

"We joked about our lives and teased the producers. Other than that, yeah, that's all. The food was good. My favorite meal was..."

Mewtwo blocked out his voice, though he nodded when he felt he should. He didn't learn anything new about the tribes; however, he knew something interesting about the monkey. Diddy Kong was smart; he knew what happened over the past two days, documented it, and interpreted it.

"Diddy Kong's smarter than he lets on," Mewtwo muttered while his subject was talking about banana splits.

Later, just before the tribes were called for the Reward Challenge, Diddy Kong and Ike told Mario about everything that had happened on the boat. When they finished, Mario sat in silence, thinking this information over.

"I don't see how it helps us," Mario said. "It may be useful when the tribes merge or for predicting eliminations, but until then we can do nothing with it."

"We could remind the other tribes about their hate," Diddy Kong suggested. "Every time Popo's about to win, we could yell 'Toon Link says you suck!' or something and hope he fails."

"I refuse to do that," Mario stated. "Not that kind of manipulation. I could never do something like that, no matter how badly we lose."

Ike nodded. "Sorry, Diddy Kong, but we don't play like that." He glanced at Ganondorf, who noticed and gave him a rude gesture. "Just don't tell Ganondorf. We don't need him getting any ideas."

Just then, Mewtwo teleported into their square. "Hello, alliance," he said mock-happily. "I couldn't help overhear you. Why wouldn't you want Ganondorf to know? He is, after all, part of the tribe. Tribe decisions should include the whole tribe. If he wants to taunt the other tribes, then let him."

"Mewtwo, you can imagine what he could accomplish with any amount of information," said Ike.

"But it's not like he'll last long," argued Mewtwo. "What's the harm in giving him a little hope; the possibility for an advantage over the tribes and a possibility to win and have a chance to stay in the game longer?"

"Ganondorf is Ganondorf," said Mario. "No matter how desperate his situation is, we cannot allow ourselves to feel safe. We don't know what he could do to turn this situation around. You know as well as any of us."

"Yes, it seems I can't feign obliviousness, can I?"

"You probably know what I'm going to say next," said Ike.

Mewtwo nodded. "I have control over Pichu and Jigglypuff, so you can be sure they won't be manipulated by Ganondorf. Even if ROB is forced to vote with him, we will have the advantage." He turned to Diddy Kong. "And no, I wouldn't go through the risk of betraying him just to go to his side again."

Diddy Kong slightly blushed. "So, who was eliminated last night?"

Mewtwo glanced at the camera. "I am going to guess Toon Link. I will be completely surprised if I'm right."

When he reviewed the tapes later, Master Hand would scoff and say, "I'm sure, Mewtwo, I'm sure."

Reward Challenge

The four tribes met at the southwestern corner of the island, a corner consisting entirely of a beach resembling a crater that contrasted with the almost entirely round shape of the island. In this gulf were three long, wide poles in the shape of a triangle surrounding one large triangular-shaped platform. On this platform stood the players, most of whom were balancing cautiously and trying to avoid falling into the water. The raft that carried the players onto the platform had long-since left and the players were warned that the water was dangerous.

"Plenty of dangerous fish in this gulf," said Master Hand. Many could imagine him smirking if he had a face.

"As long as there are no Sharpedos, I'm fine," Pokémon Trainer muttered.

"Last night, in case you hadn't noticed, Toon Link was eliminated from the game," Master Hand announced. "Now, players, your competition will be a simple free-for-all on this raft."

"Wait," Sonic interrupted. "This can barely hold all of us now! You expect us to fight?"

"Yes," replied Master Hand. "This will be a quick battle. It may last only a few seconds. As soon as you are pushed into the water, you can stay as long as you want, but you would be risking your lives. Swim to the beach when you feel it's safe." He paused, noticing some grins. "I said 'into the water' because you are not eliminated if you fall off the platform. If you manage to land onto these three sticks, you can jump back onto the platform within a few seconds. Don't think I'm leaving any loopholes. Anyway, the winner of the challenge will win fishing gear: fishing pole, a can filled with worms, a spear, a net, and a small, kayak built for two and oars. Get ready, players."

Master Hand floated off the platform, several feet above the ocean, and waited a minute for the players to get ready. After a minute, he announced, "let the Reward Challenge begin!"

Within three seconds there were several splashes as many players were effortlessly thrown into the water. Many swam to shore immediately, but a few stayed floating and watched. Before twenty seconds had passed, only seven players remained: Mewtwo, Bowser, King Dedede, Ganondorf, Donkey Kong, Snake, and Lucario, who had jumped onto one of the three sticks surrounding the platform. After the survivors saw their opponents they met in the center and another collision occurred. Donkey Kong almost crushed Pit when he fell into the water, wrestling Bowser. Snake was pushed at such an angle that he flew towards Lucario, who failed to jump out of the way in time, and knocked him into the water as well. Mewtwo and Ganondorf made short work of King Dedede, who knew how desperate his situation was and would've jumped if Ganondorf hadn't painfully kicked him away.

"East Tribe wins the fishing gear," announced Master Hand. Only Mewtwo and Ganondorf were listening, as Falco had yelled, "Shark!" and sent the other players into a panic. All were desperately swimming to shore.

"I'm assuming you aren't going to teleport me?" Ganondorf asked Mewtwo. Mewtwo shook his head and teleported to the beach. "Fine, dick, I can take whatever sharks are in here myself!"

South Tribe

The tribe returned to camp dejected and tired. They slumped around the fire, warming up whatever moisture remained on them.

"These challenges are getting worse with time," muttered Fox. "Just once, I'd like to compete without Mewtwo blasting us aside."

"Then eliminate him," said Popo. "Or tell the East Tribe to eliminate him. I'm sure they'd agree."

"We all realize the futility of that option, Popo," Lucario said.

"Then don't complain about it!" Popo stated.

"Fire's running low," Marth observed. "Anyone want to join me in gathering wood?"

"I will," Metaknight volunteered, and after grabbing swords the pair left the camp.

Popo had finished drying and was sitting on the table. "Don't you ever worry about what Marth and Metaknight might be planning?"

"I worry about whether they'll get enough firewood," said Link. "I've nearly given up on the alliance."

"I would too," mocked Popo, feigning sadness. "If I knew I was the only one left in my alliance."

"Have we not said time and time again not to get overconfident?" Pit asked. "Honestly, Popo, we have to explain to you every day. You need to shut up."

"You're not glad I've stopped the arguments? It seems like you're trying to provoke me."

"We all know how terrible you are at arguing. It's more pathetic than anything."

"I don't suppose anyone else has realized we're one-fifth through the game," Fox tried changing the subject.

"I'm sick of it already," Link said. "It isn't even an interesting game. We sit around, plot, and there are no surprises. It's obvious to everyone what's going to happen."

"When this is put on television, the editors are going to have to put a lot of effort to make this season interesting," Fox said.

"They already have the views because of who we are," said Pit. "Do they honestly need to put effort into this show?"

"Looking at the challenges they've been giving us lately," said Fox. "I'd have to say no." The tribe chuckled.

Metaknight and Marth had reached the water source when the former began to speak. "You're an intelligent swordsman, Marth. Surely, you understand what will happen if you don't join us."

"We went over this the night I got here," Marth sighed. "I don't trust Lucario; therefore, I will not join Lucario."

"And if Lucario leaves?"

"Then it's likely your entire alliance will fall apart." Metaknight said nothing, so Marth continued. "It's clear that you four are together because you trust Lucario's plan more than your own. Whatever it is, it's valid enough to convince you that it will get you far."

"Marth, I have no plan," said Metaknight. "I can't speak for the others, but I just go with whomever seems the strongest. I let others decide my fate only when I can think of no alternative."

"You have no allegiance?"

"Only to those who I'm supposed to align in order to get ahead. You had to have noticed that."

"I'll admit: I had no idea." Marth sighed. "But yes, I understand what will happen. I'm unsure which of us three you'd eliminate, but the next tribal council – or two if we're unlucky – my alliance will be gutted."

"I could part you with this: The next time we lose, we won't vote for you." Metaknight carried the bucket away.

Marth leaned against a tree and looked at his sword. "That only slightly assures me. I can't trust much from anyone."

East Tribe

The tribe returned in good spirits. Mewtwo had kept them entertained by juggling the fishing poles telekinetically, while Ganondorf had entertained himself by dumping the worms on Diddy Kong. The monkey had then slapped Ganondorf with his tail and ran away before he could react. Thus, when the remainder arrived, they noticed that there was no kayak.

"Guess the monkey made like his favorite food and split," Ganondorf muttered. "Good riddance."

"Since when do you make puns?" Ike observed.

Ganondorf ignored him and walked away. Mario turned to Mewtwo. "Where is he?"

Mewtwo closed his eyes. "He's a mile from the beach. He's resting, enjoying the sun." But he frowned. "I don't suppose you care, but this will hinder our tribe significantly."

"It doesn't have to do with an alliance," Ike guessed. "Does it?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I'm not going to enjoy what you're going to do to me tonight, Master Hand, but I won't fight you. Just know: you will not like me when I am free."

"Explain?" Mario wondered.

"They are going to fit me with a helmet that will limit my psychic abilities. I will maintain levels that will allow me to continue levitation and minor telekinesis, but that is it. Around camp, I will take longer to –but will still be able to – prepare meals and such, but during challenges I will not be much help."

"That's terrible," said Mario. "They're weakening you because you're too strong."

"They should have done it before the game began," Mewtwo replied. "It was only a matter of time, and that time has come."

Ganondorf had overheard and had walked back. "Good," said Ganondorf. "No more planning behind our backs. You're on even ground. Like you deserve."

"He's bitter," said Mewtwo. "But he's correct. As much as I dislike what will come, it must be done."

"You're actually going to have to prove you're strong," said Ganondorf, chuckling. "This will be a fun Immunity Challenge."

"I'm surprised you aren't more worried," said Ike. "You do remember that you'll be eliminated next, don't you?"

"I'm well aware, and I'm going to try as hard as I can not to be eliminated," replied Ganondorf, waving a hand. "But I'm still going to enjoy Mewtwo fumbling around like a fool."

"Ganondorf is unawa-"

"Stop talking like I'm not here!" Ganondorf shouted, stomping his foot and causing a crack in the ground which caused sand to seep through.

"You are unaware, Ganondorf, that while my psychic abilities will be weakened, my intelligence will remain untouched," Mewtwo replied. "So while I will not be stronger than you, I will still be infinitely smarter than you. And, of course, my weakness, unlike yours, is only temporary."

Ganondorf readied his fist, but Mewtwo teleported away immediately. "Damn cat," he muttered. "Just wait. Tomorrow."

North Tribe

Two hours later, having to travel the longest distance of anyone, the tribe finally reached camp and collapsed as soon as they reached their beds.

"Darn it," King Dedede muttered, now rubbing his feet as well as his butt. "That was not worth the four-hour walk."

"That was hilarious," Falco said. "Seeing you all panicking and swimming for dear life."

"Still laughing over that, Falco?" Samus asked. "After two hours?"

"If you ever start a panic, tell me how long it lasts before you stop laughing," Falco replied. "I'll be laughing at that for days."

"I really did see a shark," Donkey Kong said. "It was out of the corner of my eye, but I saw it. I hope everyone got out alright."

"Me too," agreed Yoshi. "Wouldn't it be horrible if someone was attacked by an animal instead of being voted out?"

"If it was a shark, definitely," said Falco. "I'd rather be voted out than ripped to shreds. It'd be even worse if it was a bug and someone had an allergic reaction. It'd be absolutely embarrassing if it was a broken leg."

"I'm sure someone would still compete with a broken leg," said King Dedede. "Too many people want to win badly enough to do it."

"I know I would. I wouldn't care what the producers would say. I'd compete no matter what."

"Determined, I see," said Sonic.

"I wouldn't compete," said Yoshi. "The money doesn't matter as much as my own life. If I was in danger, I'd quit."

"Agreed," said Zelda. "This contest is fun, but not worth risking your life."

"It is a million dollars," said Falco. "For you, that's around ten million rupees. That amount of money would buy you anything. As a princess - and a rather spoiled one at that - I'd believe you would do anything to win."

"Falco," said Yoshi, placing his head in his hands. "Please don't start anything. We're feeling bad enough with our hike."

"Starting a fight won't accomplish anything," said Olimar.

"I'm not going to retaliate, guys," said Zelda. "You don't have to worry." She looked directly at Falco and glared. "I'll be the better, more mature person."

"You won't talk?" Falco asked, faking surprise. "Well, my day's complete!"

"Couldn't go an hour," muttered Olimar.

West Tribe

"Tribe meeting," Snake announced as soon as they entered camp. Surprised by this unusual occasion, his tribe mates obliged and sat around the fire.

Luigi looked around before asking, "Why?"

Snake sighed. "I don't do this often, but I would like to get to know you all. I've picked up bits and pieces, but no stories."

"What do you want to know?" Pokémon Trainer asked.

"What did you do before the game? We know what you'll do with the money, but we don't know what you did before the money."

"I know what Bowser did," Luigi mumbled.

Ness maintained an indifferent façade, but he understood Snake's motive for these questions. He realizes he has a chance to win, he thought. He's analyzing us, and we'll willingly let him.

"Well," said Captain Falcon as he stood up. Since nobody was speaking, he decided to take the helm. "I used to be – well, I still am – an F-Zero racer. We race at hundreds of miles an hour on tracks hundreds of feet in the sky, zipping around enormous skyscrapers and defying every law of physics imaginable. It takes incredible concentration and skill to avoid dying on these tracks. They loop, corkscrew, and turn at an instant."

"Prize for winning?" Ness asked, genuinely curious.

"Few million dollars a race," Captain Falcon said, shrugging. "No big deal."

"A few? So how rich are you?" Pokémon Trainer asked.

"I've won the most races of them all. Hundreds of millions to my name." Captain Falcon grinned.

"So how would this one million dollars affect you," Snake asked.

"I always thought it would be adjusted to the currency of the day," Captain Falcon replied. "I can't imagine Luigi making use of a million dollars in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"He's right," Luigi chuckled.

"And a million dollars in this day might be ten billion in mine." Captain Falcon said. "And that ten billion will save my babies from the trash heap. The Blue Falcon was nearly destroyed in a bad crash. Absolutely wrecked. Plus it's a pride thing. Winning the game would be another trophy under my belt."

Snake nodded and turned to the others. Pokémon Trainer decided to step forward.

"I, uh, live in Kanto. A few years ago, I was given a Pokémon-" he pointed to Pikachu. "-called Charmander. Together, we traveled across the land, searching far and wide to catch Pokemon – any and all we could see. Eventually, after months of training, we took on the Pokémon League and became champions of that region."

"Impressive, for a child," Snake said.

"Yeah, a child," replied Ness. "How many friends traveled with you?"

"Six," Pokémon Trainer replied.

"Friends who weren't Pokémon."

"Oh," Pokémon Trainer replied quietly. "None."

"Even more impressive," Snake said. "Although I would question the morals of Kanto for letting a child do such a thing."

"Thank you," Pokémon Trainer rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "But my team is incredibly strong, and they're like family to me. It's a shame I couldn't bring them."

"What will you do after the game?" Kirby asked.

"I'd heard Johto is a nearby region. I may challenge that champion, too. The million dollars would help enormously in my journey. Would make everything a lot easier."

"But you have experience," said Ness. "The journey should already be easier because you're used to it."

Pokémon Trainer thought about this, and then nodded. "Very true. But it'd make things even easier."

Bowser nodded at Pikachu. "Was he one of your Pokémon?"

Pokémon Trainer looked at Pikachu, and then shook his head. "No electric Pokémon in my team. Maybe in Johto."

"Can you understand Pokémon?" Bowser asked. "We need a translator." Pikachu sighed at this.

Pokémon Trainer shook his head. "All Pokémon have their own languages. I wish I knew how to talk to them, but I haven't seen anything that would let me."

Kirby leaped into the air. "My turn!" He walked to Snake and coughed professionally. "I live in Dreamland, the greatest place in the universe, and ate and slept nonstop."

"Nothing's changed," Bowser muttered.

Kirby turned and grinned. "Exactly! That's why I love it here! Sure, occasionally some demonic creature would try to take over Dreamland, but thanks to my incredible power to suck, they all ran away!"

Bowser fell on the ground, roaring with laughter.

"Do Metaknight and King Dedede count as 'demonic'?" Ness asked.

"Uh, to some, maybe, but not to me," Kirby replied. "We've worked together a few times. They're good friends. May not see puff-to-puff on some things, but we don't attack each other anymore." He rubbed the back of his head. "Unless we're forced to."

"Sounds like you had an easy life," Ness replied.

"It's great! Dreamland has a lot of food, did you know? It's almost unbelievable."

"Your turn, Ness," Snake said. "What have you done?"

Ness sighed. "A lot. Not as much as Lucas has done, but far more than any child should do."

This confused everyone. "Explain," Snake said.

"I won't go into much detail," Ness explained. "But just know that I saved the world. Me and three great friends. We killed something that cannot be comprehended. We, uh, actually… we aborted it."

Silence. "I'm so sorry," Luigi gasped. "That must be horrible."

Ness smiled weakly. "I don't think about it. No use reflecting on the horrible. It had to be done. To save the world."

"And Lucas?"

"I don't know if he'll want me to talk about it. Let's just say, my family was there for me throughout my journey," Ness replied. "My journey opened my eyes to the world. Its majesty and its horror."

"Way to make a hard act to follow," Bowser grumbled. "Well, I'm an evil dictator. I rule my kingdom with an iron fist, ensuring all of my minions stay in line and train to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Not sure how much of that is new or surprising, but there you go."

"'Iron fist' he says," Kirby chuckled. "How about those Kart races, or tennis, or golf, or baseball, or parties, or-"

"Shut it puffball," Bowser mumbled. "Mario and Peach are very convincing."

"You're really a softie inside," Kirby said, hopping onto Bowser's shoulder. "Just admit it."

"Get off me or I'll make your insides and outside soft," Bowser said. Kirby hopped off and joined Pokémon Trainer.

"Well, what else did you do?" Captain Falcon wondered.

"Tried taking over the Mushroom Kingdom," Bowser replied. "Didn't do much else. Tried countless times. Was always foiled."

"Doesn't seem possible, given your strength," said Captain Falcon.

"I know, right?" Bowser shouted in agreement. "I get cheated every time! It's worse than Ganondorf."

"At least you look threatening?" Ness offered.

"But he's so warm and cuddly," Kirby winked. Bowser flipped him off.

"Luigi," said Snake.

"I, uh, lived in the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario and Peach. Several others visit us occasionally. But we play games nearly every day. And, occasionally, we stop Bowser from attacking."

"When was the last time you stopped me from attacking?" Bowser retorted. "You always stop me after I've attacked and stolen Peach. Or her castle. Or both."

"Well, we stop you from winning."

"Don't mention it," Ness warned Bowser, who was going to mention Luigi's playing second fiddle. Bowser remained quiet.

"And you, Snake?" Luigi asked.

Snake sighed and looked out at sea. "I work for FOXHOUND, as a spy, a mercenary, and a special operative. I am currently between missions. When I left for this island, I had just destroyed a giant mechanical beast known as a Metal Gear. When I return, I will likely face another. I'll also spare you much details about their danger, but I will say that they can destroy cities. With enough of them, one could take over the world. So I stop them."

Several gasped, eying Snake with admiration. Then, they looked at Pikachu, who scratched his ear. "I wish he could tell us his adventures," Kirby said. "He could be the one told in myth and legend."

"Or he could be a random one they picked up in a garbage can," Bowser continued. He patted Pikachu as the latter glared.

"Myth and legend?" Luigi repeated.

"If you've heard of the self-proclaimed 'Greatest Trainer of All Time'," explained Pokémon Trainer. "Pikachu was his favorite Pokémon. And he never evolved it despite its advantages."

"Self-Proclaimed," Captain Falcon repeated.

"He's good," said Pokémon Trainer. "Heck, I wish I could be as good as him. But, I'd say he's on par with some of the greats."

They looked at Pikachu once more. Pikachu shook his head and patted his tail.

"We'll never know," said Ness.

Day 17

East Tribe

To prove Mewtwo's prediction correct, in the middle of the night, a group of crew members came to the East Tribe's camp with a metal helmet with various bulbs and meters poking out. They surrounded Mewtwo tentatively and waited for someone to make the first move.

"It's okay. You may put it on my head. Carefully." Mewtwo never opened his eyes. He remained levitating as they fastened the helmet over his head. Immediately, Mewtwo felt weakened. He dropped to his knees and struggled to keep his eyes closed. The crew members hesitated, wanting to leave but not wanting to accidentally kill him.

After what seemed like a millennium, Mewtwo stopped panting and sat up. "I cannot stand, but I will recover. Leave."

As soon as the crew members left, Pichu and Jigglypuff, sensing trouble, waddled up to Mewtwo. Mewtwo sighed, "It's fine. You will have to be strong to make up for my weakness. I'm confident you'll succeed. Now sleep; we have an Immunity Challenge to win."

North Tribe

Falco was the first to wake before the sun had cleared the horizon. Despite his being forced to cook the meals, he took it as a necessary sacrifice to pay Zelda back. As he skewered the meat and placed it above the fire, he walked up to Zelda and kicked her in the back. She shouted in pain, waking many others.

"Why did you do that, you bastard?" Zelda screamed. She rubbed her back and winced. "Someone kick him out of the game! That's illegal!"

Falco put on a façade of concern. "Oh god, I didn't mean to kick you so hard! I just wanted you to wake up! I'm sorry!"

Zelda flipped him off and crawled away. Falco maintained a fearful face, as he noticed Sonic and Captain Olimar looking at him suspiciously.

"There was no reason to wake any of us up, Falco," Olimar said. "We know how you feel about Zelda. You don't have to hurt her, and as a result the team."

"You're being a jerk for no reason," said Sonic.

Falco sighed. "Right. Guess I acted out of line. Sorry. I got excited, I guess. Anyone wanna help cook?"

Olimar got to his feet. "I might as well." Sonic followed him. The trio sat around the fire, occasionally spinning the meat. Falco kept looking out into the ocean, until Sonic questioned him about it.

"I've got a bad feeling about this challenge," said Falco. "Something's going to go wrong."

"With you kicking Zelda, I wouldn't doubt it," said Sonic. "If she can't compete in the challenge, you're going to carry her."

"Whatever. I don't even think it will be because of Zelda. She'll get over it."

"Then who? Or what?"

"Mewtwo," said Sonic. "Has to be. Think he'll target us now?"

Falco spun the meat once. "Seems like it. That bastard. I hate him. He cheats. We have to gang up on him."

"Only if we have no other option," said Olimar.

"We won't," said Falco. "We have to take Mewtwo down. We have to let East Tribe vote him out."

"Won't happen, Falco," said Olimar. "Their tribe had too many Pokémon in it for Mewtwo to be voted out. They may be easy to manipulate, but they're protective of their kind. Mewtwo would be the last one they'll vote out."

Falco kicked the sand. "Well damn it all. Why can't they just see how the rest of us see? We hate Mewtwo, so we should vote him out. Why can't they let that happen?"

"Hate to tell you, Falco," said Sonic. He avoided looking at him as he continued. "But if we could do that, then there's a good chance you'll be eliminated shortly after."

South Tribe

The tribe had already awoken and was having a relatively quiet meal. They could sense that the challenge was near.

"Let's avoid any arguments and we'll be able to win," said Lucario, glancing at Popo. "We got rid of our only true problem. We don't need to remove another."

"Not sure why you're lecturing us," said Popo. "We have the upper hand in the tribe. Not like we're in danger of going home." Link and Marth looked at their plates at this. "No offense, of course."

"Be that as it may, you must admit that these are strong fighters," said Lucario. "Losing them would be terrible."

"Not like they're in danger of going home either," Popo mumbled, looking to the side.

Unconsciously, the tribe looked at where they believed Mr. Game and Watch to be. It was troubling for them to have someone who was unable to speak with them. After Pichu left, they had gotten used to communicating with everyone. It was only at meals, where they were reminded that they had eight members but could only see seven, that they realized Mr. Game and Watch was around. The creature made very little sound, only occasional beeps and boops once in a while. It couldn't speak, and so it couldn't voice its opinion. Nobody knew what side it was on, only that when Link and Marth had meetings it was always there. It was uneasy and awkward to know that they rarely knew where it was.

"You never know," said Fox. "Two-" a quick look at Lucario told him not to speak. "Sorry. Tribe unity."

"I will admit, I liked listening to the arguments," said Link. "While the screaming got annoying, at least we could hear two people's opinions."

"Speaking of opinions, Link," said Metaknight. "What have you been thinking all game long? You haven't done well with planning strategies."

Link spoke modestly, almost embarrassingly. "I'm not good with leading multiple people. I'm used to going on my own and working things out as I go along. I can't do that."

"Should let Marth lead," said Pit.

"I just got here," defended Marth. "I'm still not sure about all that goes on in this tribe."

"You've led armies with little knowledge of the enemy," Pit argued. "You'd do fine."

"He would," agreed Link. "Too little too late."

"I wouldn't give up," said Lucario. "Two Tribal Councils. That's all you need to turn this around."

Pit whispered in Lucario's ear, "Don't tell him too much. You're absolutely right, so keep quiet about it."

Lucario countered: "If we help him now, he'll reconsider voting us out later."

"What if his plan gets us all eliminated?" Pit returned.

"Then it was a costly mistake and you'll reprimand me for it after the competition," concluded Lucario.

"Reassuring," Pit grumbled.

Immunity Challenge

The four tribes met in the center of the island, which had been fixed to look exactly as it had the first day: a large chalk circle drawn equidistant from all four tribes. Master Hand floated in the middle.

"I must say, most of you seem to dislike the way this game has been going," Master Hand began, and some survivors glanced at the ground. "And not because of alliances or backstabbing. In fact, most of you seem quite fine with your positions in the game, no matter how powerful you are. Doctor Mario had some words to say about that, but I'll confer with him after the challenge. However, there is good news which will alleviate some of your complaints: we have contained Mewtwo's psychic powers."

There was uproarious applause from three of the tribes. Mewtwo remained stone faced, but not even some of East Tribe could stifle smiles.

"Couldn't it have been more inconspicuous?" Fox asked. "Or less silly?"

"There was no other way," Master Hand replied. "As far as our scientists believe, Mewtwo's abilities to read minds-" more applause. "-throw objects with exceptional force-" the loudest applause of all. "-and speak telepathically with competitors have been eliminated. Many believe we should have done it before the game began. Oh well: It's too late to start over. Or so our bosses say."

"About damn time," Ganondorf shouted, prompting a slap in the back from Mewtwo.

"So, on to the challenge! Because there are 32 of you left, with eight members per tribe, we believe that this is as good of a time as any to announce a tribe-wide tournament. It couldn't have worked out any better if we tried. It will be a one-on-one competition between tribes. Each tribe will have two members battling each other tribe, with two members being wildcards. The tribe with the lowest amount of points or, if there's a tiebreaker, the tribe which loses the tiebreaker will go to Tribal Council."

"I've been told to give you a list of the two wildcards per tribe." And so he did. Those twelve being Falco, Zelda, Pit, Metaknight, Mario, Ike, Kirby, and Captain Falcon. "When the twelve predetermined matches are complete, the tribes will be given five minutes to determine who the final eight members will fight."

"This is very confusing," Sonic announced. "We fight. Okay. We'll worry about the math later!"

"I'm not doing the best job of explaining it," Master Hand said. "Fine. We'll begin the first match. Because, in the first challenge, one competitor decided to surrender before fighting, I'm sure nobody would argue that Yoshi is deserving of being in the first match."

"Wonderful," Yoshi muttered. "Just what I was avoiding."

"And he will be facing against the South Tribe's Marth!"

Marth nodded and stepped into the circle. Yoshi followed, and they moved to the center, facing each other.

"Try not to harm each other," Master Hand warned. "Your only goal is to knock each other out of the ring. Ready? Go!"

Marth drew his sword and stepped backward, taking a defensive stance that set Yoshi on edge. Yoshi pulled an egg out and threw it at Marth, who swiftly dodged it. Yoshi threw several more eggs, stepping forward with each throw, getting Marth closer to the edge of the circle. After one egg, both players sprinted toward each other. Yoshi attempted to grab Marth with his tongue, but Marth had circled him and kicked him away before he could recover. Yoshi gathered his tongue and got to his feet, but Marth was right upon him. Marth grabbed him by the tail, stabbed his sword into the dirt, and swung Yoshi around, eventually letting him fly out of the circle.

"South Tribe gains a point!" Master Hand announced. The tribe cheered.

"That was embarrassing," Yoshi muttered to himself, picking himself up and waddling over to his tribe. They reassured him as he sat, defeated.

"Next match is East Tribe's ROB versus West Tribe's Pikachu!" Sparks shot out from Pikachu's cheeks and ROB's eyes as their names were called. They face each other, much farther apart than Yoshi and Marth were, and waited for Master Hand's announcement. "Begin!"

Pikachu disappeared immediately, but ROB wasn't fooled. It looked directly at Pikachu despite his incredible speed, and when Pikachu got within melee distance, ROB shot out a concentrated blast of fire and light and hit Pikachu as he was sprinting. Pikachu got knocked back, landed on the ground, bounced up and used the momentum from the attack to back flip and land deftly on all fours. His tail arched above him and his cheeks sparking, he stored up electricity in his cheeks and fired a jolt of thunder at ROB. ROB took the blast but held its ground, and in its arms was a gyromite, spinning rapidly in its pedestal, and after the blast had subsided it fired the gyromite at rapid speed. Pikachu barely noticed it due to its size, but he managed to Quick Attack away.

ROB hadn't moved during the match, which told observers that it was playing cautiously, defensively. However, this turned out to be its downfall. Pikachu had finished its Quick Attack directly behind ROB, who couldn't turn around in time. Pikachu grabbed the robot and pulled him backward, sending them tumbling until the edge, where Pikachu released ROB and forced him out of the circle.

"Point for West! Next two: Sonic and Mewtwo!"

"Crap," Sonic groaned. He was suspicious of Master Hand's insistence that Mewtwo wasn't at full power, but he didn't want to test it in battle.

Mewtwo floated in the center of the circle, while Sonic patrolled the edge. The latter was trying to recall what powers Master Hand hadn't mentioned were weakened, but he couldn't think of any. When Master Hand announced the match had begun, Sonic immediately dashed around the outside of the ring. Mewtwo remained in the center, his eyes closed, while Sonic ran so quickly that he became a blue blur, and very few could see where he was.

Finally, Mewtwo had had enough. After a minute of Sonic's inaction, Mewtwo disappeared from view. Before Sonic could react, he saw, in slow motion, that Mewtwo had teleported in front of him, and had one arm stretched out in such a way that Sonic had no choice but to hit it. And when he did hit it, his momentum carried him outside the ring, dragging dirt with him.

"Fair warning," said Mewtwo once Sonic had recovered. "He said nothing about my teleporting short distances." Mewtwo then produced a dark purple and black ball of energy. "Nor my shadow balls." He then teleported to his tribe. "Nor my intelligence and general skill."

"Point to East! Ness and Fox: proceed."

After Master Hand had begun the match, it was clear who had the upper hand. Ness attempted a PK fire, but Fox dodged it. His PK Thunder as well as a swing with his bat produced the same result. Fox's speed was too much for the slow-attacking Ness. When Fox produced his gun, Ness's PSI Magnet diffused the blasts. So, Fox used his speed to his advantage and circled Ness, dodging away whenever Ness attempted to strike, then returning to the same patrol. Finally, when Ness appeared to have given up, Fox struck. With a kick into the air and then several sharp kicks and punches, the psychic boy was hurled outside the ring, exhausted.

"Point to South! Popo and Ganondorf, step forward."

"Ten seconds," Pit whispered to Fox.

"Fifteen," was Fox's reply.

Master Hand began the match. Popo struck first with a blow to Ganondorf's knees. Ganondorf cried out in surprise – he hadn't been paying attention. It cost him: Popo followed with a blast of icy wind to his back, and then a slam with the hammer to bring him to the ground. After a few seconds, Popo lined up Ganondorf's head and swung his hammer like a golf club, but Ganondorf stopped the wooden hammer with his palm and sent it aside. He then grabbed Popo and got to his feet, punching him once in the stomach, and throwing him out of the circle.

"That was at least thirty," said Fox, while Pit grumbled.

"Samus and Snake, step forward!"

"Just so you know, I've seen your skills," said Samus. "Which is why I won't let you take me by-"

"Begin!" Samus was immediately blasted backward by an explosion.

"What the Hell was that?" Samus shouted.

Snake didn't answer. He had already cooked another grenade and was waiting for the perfect opportunity. Samus charged forward, bringing out her stun gun, and swung it, creating a whip which Snake had to dodge. But in this dodge, Snake threw the grenade at Samus, which exploded behind her. Nevertheless, she reacted to the explosion, giving Snake time to bypass the whip and reach close range. Samus noticed just in time, but had to drop her gun to block Snake's punch. And the pair remained in battle for several minutes, exchanging punches and kicks and seemingly at even skill. However, Snake stopped fighting, making a motion toward the ground and taking a punch as a result. Samus followed it up with a kick to the knee, and then to the stomach, and then an uppercut which forced Snake near the edge of the ring. Samus ran to the staggering Snake to finish the job, when she was forced flying forward. Snake grabbed her arm and leg and carried her momentum, forcing her out of the circle.

"C-4" Snake explained. "Took a punch to put it on the ground. You hit hard." He smirked. "Well done. You're an excellent fighter."

Samus remained silent as she walked back to her tribe. "We need a win, guys," she said, looking at the two newcomers. "Can you muscle houses do it?" The pair nodded. Olimar, slightly offended, nodded as well, although nobody noticed him.

Lucario and Luigi were the next two combatants. Mario was the loudest to cheer for his brother as the fight began. Luigi ran forward, sliding at the last second and kicking Lucario's feet. Lucario took the hit, catching himself off balance, but jumped high into the air and landed behind Luigi. Lucario aimed a kick at Luigi's head, but Luigi ducked and countered. Lucario grabbed Luigi's leg and threw him away. Luigi managed to recover, stopping before the edge and looked at the area to see that Lucario was nowhere to be found. Instinctively, he panicked and held his arms in front of his face. Lucario came from the sky and kicked Luigi's arms, which protected his face but were unable to stop him from being knocked out of the circle. Luigi somersaulted backward into his tribe, who patted him on the shoulders.

"Captain Olimar and Link, step forward!"

This battle was a battle of projectiles: Olimar plucked and threw pikmin at rapid speed, while Link used a combination of arrows, bombs, and his boomerang. Projectiles collided in midair, causing explosions and various colored ghosts to float away. Link began to back up, which Olimar took as an advantage and called his pikmin back. He grabbed one by the legs, signaling the others to latch onto each other, and swung the pikmin whip at his opponent. Link dove to the side to dodge the whip and pulled out his clawshot, which bypassed Olimar's whip and grabbed onto the master. Olimar tried one last time to grab Link, but Link tossed him aside before he could succeed. Olimar landed on the edge of the ring, but lost his balance and fell out.

Pichu and Pokemon Trainer's battle was short, as to be expected. Pichu charged up a skull bash, which Pokemon Trainer managed to dodge by diving flat on the ground, but he couldn't get up in time to dodge Pichu's blast of lightning. The shock of which sent Pokemon Trainer flying, paralyzed, out of the circle.

"Can there be a non-fighting tournament?" Pokemon Trainer asked as he walked back to his tribe. "I feel like I'd actually have a chance to win that."

"No," was Master Hand's reply. "Jigglypuff and Mr. Game and Watch."

Unfortunately, this match was similarly short. Mr. Game and Watch tried to attack Jigglypuff, but because of the nature of the fight – that anyone could go anywhere in a three dimensional plane and wasn't restricted to a two dimensional strip, Mr. Game and Watch's attacks never hit. All Jigglypuff had to do was move from side to side. And then she rolled into a ball and charged at Game and Watch's general position. All that solidified her win was a pained beeping noise and a thud outside the arena.

"Mr. Game and Watch's 'advantage' hasn't been much of an advantage," Fox whispered to Lucario. The latter remained silent.

"King Dedede and Diddy Kong!"

"This is your chance, King Dedede," Sonic said. "Win one for our team."

King Dedede spun his hammer several times in his hands and nodded.

"Be careful," said Donkey Kong. "Try not to get hit, Diddy!"

"No problem, DK!" Diddy Kong gave him a thumbs up and jumped onto his hands.

He remained like this until Master Hand began the match, where he jumped backward, flipped, and threw two bananas in front of King Dedede. King Dedede ran around the bananas and swung at Diddy, who dodged nimbly. King Dedede continued to charge at Diddy, swinging whenever he got close, but Diddy Kong would always dodge aside. On one swing, Diddy Kong jumped forward instead of backward and jumped onto King Dedede's head. Dedede tried grabbing him, but Diddy hopped out of his reach whenever he tried. While on his head, Diddy Kong pulled out his peanut popgun and charged a shot at King Dedede's head. He fired, causing the peanut to ricochet off his head and into the distance. King Dedede cried out in pain and swung wildly around his head, forcing Diddy to jump off. King Dedede rubbed his head and charged once more.

Diddy Kong was so taken aback by the wild nature of King Dedede's attack that he was unprepared for King Dedede not to swing, but to trip and slide into him. Diddy failed to jump in time, and he was pushed away, nearing the edge of the circle. King Dedede got to his feet and slammed the ground, causing shockwaves which took Diddy off guard. Diddy Kong was looking down at the ground, shaking his head, when he was struck by King Dedede's thrown hammer and sent flying out of the arena.

"North Tribe's first point!" Master Hand announced, and the North Tribe cheered loudly. "And finally, Donkey Kong and Bowser!"

"Battle of the titans," said Bowser. "This will be fun."

The two goliaths walked to the center, both glaring at each other. When the match began, the two charged, grabbed each other's hands and trying to force the other into submission. The two seemed evenly matched, occasionally gaining an inch but losing it just as quickly. After a while, Donkey Kong tried to kick at Bowser, but was unprepared for the consequences as Bowser toppled on top of him. The immense weight crushed Donkey Kong, and he struggled to remove Bowser. He managed to lift Bowser up just enough to roll away from the koopa's weight. He got to his feet very quickly, however, and grabbed Bowser's tail as he was struggling to get to his feet.

"Not again," Bowser grumbled, as Donkey Kong started swinging. Everyone knew how this would end; Bowser's short arms and legs ensured that he couldn't reach Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong was swinging with such speed and strength that Bowser was sure to fly out of the circle. And he did, colliding with a tree and falling onto his back, crossing his arms in disgust and boredom.

"Just once, I'd like to lose in a way that doesn't involve my tail," he said.

"There's always lava," Mario offered. "Or meteors." Bowser flipped him off in response.

"And with that, the current scores are North Tribe's two points, South Tribe's four, East Tribe's four, and West Tribe's two."

After several short conversations, in which Captain Falcon insisted he not face any of his former tribe, the four tribes concluded that they didn't care too much who faced who. So, the eight wild cards drew straws. Metaknight and Captain Falcon were the first pair.

As the match began, Metaknight soared into the sky, keeping directly above the circle, but too far for Captain Falcon to reach. He calculated the best angle to dive, positioned himself, and dove. He came from the sun, meaning Falcon couldn't look at him without being blinded. As a result, Metaknight got a free hit, slicing Captain Falcon's shoulder and batting him with his wings, then soared into the sky once more.

Captain Falcon immediately checked his shoulder. "Oh, no blood," he said.

"Oh," said many of the swordsmen, for they hadn't been sure whether their swordplay would cause any injuries.

"It would be Metaknight who would check," King Dedede grumbled.

"Shh," Captain Falcon said loudly. He remained completely silent, waiting.

Finally, his time came. Metaknight had charged, and Captain Falcon was waiting for the near silent sound of wind hitting his wings. When the sound grew loud enough, Captain Falcon aimed a wild kick in the sky, colliding with Metaknight's head and sending him hurtling uncontrollably toward the ground. Metaknight landed with a loud, painful thud and bounced out of the arena. Captain Falcon massaged his shoulder and walked out.

"One more win," he said, looking at Kirby. "That's all we need."

It was Zelda and Ike's turn, next. Reminded of what a loss would do to her tribe, and the constant chastising she would get from Falco, she stood facing her opponent with fire in her eyes and her hands.

The match began, and Zelda immediately conjured a Din's Fire, sending it flying toward Ike. Ike held his ground, deflecting most of the blast with his sword. Some of the flame circumnavigated the sword and sprayed Ike's face. He rubbed the burn off and ran toward Zelda. Zelda waited for Ike to get close, and when he swung she counted with her Nayru's Love, a crystal prism which bounced Ike's sword back with such force that he couldn't hold onto it. It fell just outside the circle, embedding itself in the ground.

With the upper hand, filled with pride, she charged toward Ike, jumped into the air, and kicked him in the chest. He stumbled backward, trying to block her next kick, but she aimed slightly lower that he expected and he stumbled out of the circle. She shook hands with him, walked back to her tribe, and gave her most satisfied smirk at Falco.

"Due to the nature of the drawings, it is unlikely that Pit and Mario will have to fight," Master Hand announced. "Normally, we would have done them next, but because this next match will decide who goes to Tribal Council, we'll do the match some other time. Nevertheless, the South and East tribes are safe from immunity."

There was disappointment in the air. Kirby and Falco didn't care too much; in fact, they preferred not having to wait for their match. The pair entered the circle and faced each other.

"Good luck, Falco," Kirby said happily, extending his arm.

Falco had no hard feelings for Kirby, but he shook his head. "We'll shake after the match." Kirby shrugged in response, and the match began.

Falco pulled out his blaster and fired several slow, calculated shots. Kirby ducked to avoid a few, and then charged forward, dodging to the side for each blast. Falco put away his blaster when Kirby got within melee distance and kicked. Kirby caught his leg and jumped backward, landing opposite the circle. After Kirby landed, Falco started to charge, preparing to end the match with some quick jabs and kicks and a final kick to send him flying. However, when Falco got close enough, Kirby started sucking, and Falco dove to the ground to grab something. He quickly lost his grip and flew into Kirby's mouth. Kirby waddled slowly to the edge of the circle, but was unable to keep Falco inside for long. Near the edge, he released him and sent him flying. Falco grabbed a tuft of grass as he flew, which kept him from falling outside the circle, but left him helpless as Kirby pulled out his hammer and swung. Falco was knocked outside the circle, and clenched his team's fate.

"The West Tribe is safe from immunity!" Master Hand announced. "North Tribe. I'm sorry, but you are going to Tribal Council tonight. One of you is going home. Think about your decision carefully."

And the tribes, after many congratulated their winners, separated.

Road to Tribal Council

"Don't you guys see?" Samus explained. "I told you my choice was good. They were two of our only wins. The third being Zelda."

"They did do well," agreed Yoshi. "I'm very impressed."

"Thanks," said Donkey Kong.

"So are we in agreement that those who won are safe from Tribal Council?" Samus asked. Nobody responded. "Guys? You're not seriously considering voting out one of the newcomers, are you?"

Nobody was fooled by Samus's obliviousness. "No, definitely not," replied Falco.

"Don't know why you're speaking," said Zelda. "You lost in the worst way possible."

"And you're acting like a spoiled bitch," was Falco's response. "Don't feel entitled because you got one victory. That doesn't make up for your performance for the rest of this game."

"My performance which has been better than yours?" Zelda asked. "Why would anyone choose you over me? You're worse than I am, tenfold."

"Must we argue while we're heading for Tribal Council?" King Dedede grumbled. "My feet are in enough pain. I don't need my ears just as pained."

Zelda turned to face her tribe members, forcing them to stop to listen. "I don't care that you have an alliance. I proved my worth today. I beat someone who everybody believed was going to win. Meanwhile, Falco, who has caused all of the problems of this tribe, lost our tribe the game. It's his fault we're going to Tribal Council. Vote for him. Not for me."

"She makes a good argument," agreed Samus. "She's the only veteran who won. That should secure her spot."

"The alliance made its decision long ago," said Falco. "That's why I feel no fear."

"Even though you," she punctuated the last word with venom. "Cost us the game? Sure. Feel no fear. See how far that gets you."

Tribal Council

The eight members of North Tribe scattered along the logs. They sat opposite Master Hand, who floated and glowed in the light of the fire.

"How have things been at camp?" Was his first question.

"Fantastic, actually," said Sonic. "A few days ago we got a system of rules which have been keeping our tribe working busily throughout the day."

"And how about the newcomers?"

"They're great," said Yoshi. "They're helpful around camp and do well in challenges."

"And the newcomers?"

"I love it here," said Donkey Kong. "Much nicer than South Tribe. Mostly. Uh, and we've been getting along well. No secrecy."

"None whatsoever?"

"You said it yourself," said King Dedede. "We're all fine where we are because we all know where we are."

"That doesn't seem right," Master Hand wondered. "Well is there anyone who isn't fine?"

The girls raised their hands. "And why is that?"

"I'm scared," Zelda said. "I'm scared that these people are going to make a terrible, stupid decision. They're going to focus more on their alliance than their eyes and ears."

"Explain."

Zelda sighed. "Guess there's no point in hiding it. Falco is a rude, selfish, conceited idiot, and nobody in this tribe knows or cares. They-" she pointed at the boys. "made an alliance weeks ago, and because of that, Falco feels he can act however he wants. He doesn't realize that nobody likes him, that the only reason he's here is that Wario and Roy made stupid decisions. I'm in danger, when I haven't made any poor choices. Falco, on the other hand, is just as obnoxious as Wario was, yet he believes he's safe. How is that fair?"

"Are you in this position by choice or by design?"

"I guess design," she said. "I wouldn't choose to be at the mercy of these guys."

"So you actively sought out an alliance?"

Zelda nodded. "But because of these stupid rules, my alliance was shattered, and I'm left helpless. I tried to get a new one, but they got to them first."

"It's time to begin the votes," Master Hand said. "This is the first Tribal Council we've had where everyone is able to speak English."

Falco raised his hand. "Yes, about that. Can I use a bobble head instead of writing down my vote?"

"The problem with using bobble heads is that they remove all anonymity," Master Hand replied. "Why would you willingly surrender it?"

"Not like I need it," Falco retorted. "Anyone who has paid any attention at all will know who I'm voting for. Might as make it fun."

"About that, Falco, I've noticed you pick a person and practically obsess about ruining that person's time. You've done it with Wario, and now it appears you've done it with Zelda."

"I'll answer that in parts. First, I only pick those who I feel have overstayed their welcome, who pick me first, or who in general annoy me. Unlike Samus, who I respect, Zelda isn't fit to be here. She also picked – or kicked – me first, and she's annoyed me from the beginning. I also attacked her and Wario because it's funny."

"To whom?"

"Me. I don't expect it to be funny to anyone else."

"Who else from this tribe would you pick?"

"Nobody. I'm cool with everyone else here, so long as they don't provoke me."

"And if they do?"

"Then their fun is gone."

"Do you not feel worried that your attitude will be the case for your elimination? Zelda's noted it several times this Tribal Council. And it's happened before to your tribe."

"I'm here to have fun, MH," Falco replied, leaning back on his log. "If I get eliminated because of it,, then I get eliminated."

"Don't you care about the game?"

"Of course. But if I'm not having fun, it wouldn't be worth playing."

"Well, to answer your question, no bobble heads. Place your vote in the jar."

Falco went up to vote, and showed his vote to the camera.

"See this? It says 'Falco wrote this'. Screw anonymity."

Olimar went up to vote.

Samus went up to vote.

Sonic went up to vote.

Yoshi went up to vote.

"I'm sorry to do this. But… I feel it's right."

King Dedede went up to vote.

Zelda went up to vote.

"-bleep- you Falco."

Donkey Kong went up to vote.

Master Hand grabbed the voting urn and floated back to his podium. "The person with the most votes must exit Tribal Council immediately." He paused. "I'll read the votes."

"First vo- Falco, must you?" He said, showing Falco's incriminating vote.

Falco chuckled. "Should've let me use a bobble head."

Master Hand sighed, then continued. "First vote: Zelda. Second vote: Zelda. Third vote: Falco. Fourth vote: Zelda. Fifth vote: Falco. Sixth vote: Falco. Seventh vote: Zelda. Final vote: Zelda. With a score of 5-3, Zelda, you have been eliminated from Tribal Council. Please bring me your torch."

Zelda got up from her log and walked over to Master Hand, who snuffed her torch's flame. She set the torch aside and walked into the distance.

"This Tribal Council is telling," said Master Hand. "It shows the strength of an alliance, despite the attitudes of the few. I wish you all luck in future challenges, and I hope I don't see you next time. You may exit."

The tribe left, with one members grinning victoriously.

Zelda sighed before beginning her overview. "It seems that my speech wasn't enough. Falco, I have to applaud you for being so sure of yourself that you don't even care about how anyone cares about you. Samus, I wish you, and Jigglypuff the best of luck. And Falco, I hope I see you soon."