North Tribe

"We actually did it," said Falco as they entered camp. "We… we voted Samus out."

"You did," Olimar agreed. "This could be a decision you regret for the rest of the game."

Falco glanced at Lucario. "Probably. Honestly, I'm just surprised we were actually able to do it."

"Why wouldn't we be able to do it?" Diddy Kong asked. "Did you not think I would vote for her?"

Falco shrugged. "I don't know who Lucario convinced. I'm not talking about that. She's a leader!"

"A leader?" Diddy Kong repeated.

"A Tribe Leader!" Falco said. "Remember? Those people who have such a huge advantage over all of us, being able to pick someone to leave? Samus was one of them."

"Oh… right," said Diddy Kong. "We don't have a leader, do we?"

"It likely won't matter," said Lucario. "Unless she would have had influence in the Merge, her position as Leader became irrelevant when she chose Diddy Kong and me."

"She was also our last girl," said Falco. "People are going to think we're sexist or something."

"Hard for girls to survive when there's only five of them to begin with," said Diddy Kong. "Maybe Samus didn't deserve to go so early."

"She's a Leader," agreed Falco. "Whoever's pulling the strings of this game must've been planning on all four of them to survive quite a while."

"Nobody's invincible," said Lucario. "I distinctly remember deciding whether or not to eliminate Link early. If I had chosen to eliminate him, we would have lost two Leaders."

"You had way too much power," said Diddy Kong.

"I likely lost that power," said Lucario. "I'm well aware that just because you chose me over Samus, you wouldn't side with me in Tribal Council, so I still don't have that power."

"You aren't the worst in the game," said Olimar. "Falco, you and I are probably in the worst positions right now."

"Why? Because there are only four of us left?"

"North Tribe has lost more members than everyone," Olimar reasoned. "And of those who were in the North Tribe – Yoshi, Sonic, King Dedede – could have chosen other alliances. You and I have been in contact with less than ten people in this game. Our options are limited."

Falco shrugged. "I'm not worried. Just because we don't have many allies, doesn't mean we'll be targeted. We have less enemies, too."

"True," said Olimar. "It'll certainly be easy for us to align with people."

"I'd vouch for you," said Diddy Kong.

"And you're welcome to join my alliance," said Lucario. "As empty as these words might seem to you."

"Appreciate it," said Falco.

Day 38

East Tribe

At breakfast, the others were trying to get insight from Mewtwo on the future of the game.

"As I have said before," said Mewtwo. "Officially, I know nothing about what's to come. My guess is as good as yours."

"I don't care about what happens, challenge wise," said Pokémon Trainer. "You're observant, and you're extremely smart, and you seem to know what's going to happen with everyone else."

"I'm not perfect," said Mewtwo. He nodded at Luigi. "For example, I didn't expect him to come to Ike."

Luigi winced. "Everything has to come back to that."

"Ignore that, for now," said Yoshi. "We're nervous. The merge is soon. We want to know what's going to happen."

"We still have one elimination to overcome," Mewtwo reminded them. "Thinking too hard about the future will make you forget the present."

"We're safe," said Pokémon Trainer. "There's no danger for us. We're going to the Merge – the four of us – so we have to think about it. Prepare for it."

"For example," said Yoshi. "What's going to happen?"

"I can only guess," said Mewtwo. "It will be random – possibly biased in some respect – selection. Or we will merge tribes completely. We have five, the West Tribe has five, and our tribe names indicate opposite directions. We could completely merge."

"Let's hope that happens," said Luigi, hoping to get back to his former tribe.

"It likely won't," said Mewtwo. "The problem with that is that it gives a distinct advantage to the tribe with the most players. For example, if we merge with the West Tribe, the North and South Tribes will merge. Assuming the South Tribe goes to Tribal Council tomorrow, which is unlikely given their performances, it will be six members of the South merging with four members of the North. That gives a clear advantage to the South."

"So that won't happen," said Mario. "The other option?"

"It's random," said Mewtwo. "It will be a random drawing, possibly before or during the Merge itself, or perhaps we will randomly select our own tribes. We will likely be split as evenly as possible between the two tribes."

"What will happen after?" Mario asked.

Mewtwo looked at him. "You expect me to know everything about this game? Should I tell you exactly who will side with whom given every possible combination of players?"

"It would help," said Pokémon Trainer, smirking.

Mewtwo crossed his arms. "There are things even I cannot predict. But look at the skill of the players still remaining. Would you expect people to be cautious or quick with alliances?"

Mario shrugged. "I wasn't paying much attention."

"Look at what happened to our tribe," said Pokémon Trainer. "We split into alliances within minutes."

"We didn't know about the game," Mario argued. "Some of us still don't. I don't know how people are going to react."

"It'll be quick," said Yoshi. "The North Tribe also split into alliances rather soon."

"So did the West Tribe," said Luigi.

"And we can only assume it was the same with the South Tribe," said Mewtwo. "But people are more knowledgeable about the game and each other. They know strengths, weaknesses, alliances, enemies."

"We should work fast, then," said Pokémon Trainer. "Find who we can work with, and quickly."

"If you do that," said Mewtwo. "And you are the only ones to do it, or if you choose the wrong people, you would be the one eliminated. I would believe it would be a slow, calculated process for many people. For others, it might be rushed. It might work, it likely will not."

"So what do you recommend?" Mario asked.

Once again, Mewtwo looked at him directly. "Do whatever you wish, Mario. Fast, slow, calculated, reckless; I have no recommendation, as either strategy could or couldn't work."

South Tribe

Fox and Pit met in secret after eating breakfast. Pit had wanted to discuss something.

"I hope Lucario made it," said Pit. "I don't think he did, but I hope he did."

"Really?" Fox asked. "I hope he didn't make it."

Pit seemed shocked. "Why? Was it Popo? Because he called you a suck up to Lucario?"

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Popo didn't get to me. I'm saying I hope he didn't make it. I know he made it, but I hope he didn't."

"Really… you have that much faith in him?"

"Of course," said Fox. "If he was going to be eliminated, he would've been eliminated on the West Tribe. He's not going anywhere. He's too resourceful. Too… dangerous, really."

"Isn't that a good thing, if he's on our side?"

"He might not be on our side anymore. We haven't seen him in nearly three weeks. Things can absolutely change. Even if Lucario still wants to rejoin the alliance, I wouldn't let him."

"You wouldn't?"

"Then again, it's not my decision alone. Majority will rule on this alliance… well, whoever's in the alliance, anyway. I don't even know how many people we have anymore."

Fox paused to catch his breath and he saw Pit open his mouth. Before Pit could start naming names, Fox continued. "But that's beside the point. The reason I don't want Lucario in our alliance is because he's dangerous. He has so many enemies. Harboring him in our alliance, keeping him safe, will paint a huge target on our backs. And we already have a large enough target as it is with our performance in challenges."

"That's true," admitted Pit. "That's all very true. But he was the one to bring our alliance together. He's our leader."

"He hasn't been our leader in ages."

"We haven't needed him in ages," reminded Pit.

"Also true. But when we merge, we'll likely be split, and he'll likely be on one of our tribes. I won't be letting him join, but if you want him to join your side – assuming we're on separate tribes – then I can't stop you."

"It's too early to completely ignore him," said Pit. "If you don't help him, he might get revenge later."

"He might," admitted Fox. "But helping him could make others attack me sooner. I'd prefer to keep them away from me for as long as possible. The sooner we become targets, the sooner we get eliminated."

Pit absentmindedly touched his Immunity Necklace. He knew he had a single reprieve from elimination, if he used it well, so he could afford the risk. Once. But Fox had a point: once he was a target, it would be hard for him to remove it or move it to someone else. It was a risk he definitely had to consider before the Merge, as Lucario could speak with him at any moment.

West Tribe

Marth and Snake found themselves separated from the others after breakfast. After ensuring they were alone, they began to discuss the game. Marth had just asked Snake about his future plans. Snake had looked at him emotionlessly.

"I hate when you look at me like that," said Marth. "You might do it unconsciously, but you certainly do it often."

"I'm thinking," said Snake. "I do that a lot."

Marth sensed the sarcasm. "I'm sure you do."

"I don't know my position in this tribe," said Snake. "You told me I was part of your alliance. I don't know if that still stands."

"Of course," said Marth. "There's no reason not to include you."

"You opposed me every Tribal Council," reminded Snake.

"Not the first few," said Marth. "At least, those that I was a part of. Really, we targeted each other more than you."

"My vote did not matter," said Snake.

"It didn't have to matter," said Marth. "Who would you have eliminated?"

Snake thought. "Had I known of your plan, I would have voted for everyone you voted for. Except Captain Falcon; I still believe he would have been more useful than Pokémon Trainer."

"Well, they're both gone," said Marth. "But had you known our plans, your vote wouldn't have influenced anything anyway."

Snake nodded.

"So you have no reason to be upset."

"I'm not upset," Snake clarified. "I'm concerned that I'm not truly a part of this alliance. I know nothing of your potential plans."

"You know we're choosing you over Bowser," said Marth. "Is that not enough?"

"Not for the future. Hence our conversation."

Marth crossed his arms. "I don't know our plans," he said. "We don't know enough about the game. We talked about strategy the past few days, but as for having a definite plan, I do not know. I'll certainly improvise, as I've always done."

"There's no point in discussing strategy if you aren't going to make use of it," said Snake.

"Plans change," said Marth. "The first few days, we were planning on eliminating you and Luigi early on. But then Young Link revealed his 'gambit' and ruined that plan. We don't know how we're going to be separated, and we don't know who is going to be on which Tribe. We can't plan for that."

"And you ask me about what I plan for the future," said Snake. "My position is the same as yours. Less so, given that I have no safe alliance to fall back on."

"You have us," said Marth. "I've been saying that for a while. You seem opposed to the very idea of aligning with us. You have little choice."

"Your word is not enough for me," said Snake.

"The only way my word will be enough for you is if we lose tomorrow and eliminate Bowser instead of you," said Marth, annoyed. "That is not something I'm willing to do simply to prove that I'm a man of my word."

North Tribe

Olimar sighed to himself, sitting alone on the beach away from everyone else. His alliance was in shambles. His tribe was in shambles. They had lost their leader, and they had lost their way. There wasn't much he could do to help them; he had tried convincing them to eliminate Lucario, but that had failed. He had tried making them feel remorse for eliminating Samus, but they felt none. Anything he said felt useless and lost, and there was nothing he could do to save them. They made a decision that he knew they would regret, and that was on their conscience. But it would affect them all.

"Damn them," Olimar sighed. "They ruined this tribe."

"Such strong feelings," said Lucario, standing a few feet away. "I expected that of the others, but not you."

Olimar shook his head, refusing to look at him. "I wonder how you have survived so long. You don't deserve to."

"I would argue that I deserve this the most of anyone here," said Lucario. "I have been the target of more people than I would have liked. I have had incredible luck getting this far."

"Luck can't win you the game," argued Olimar.

Lucario nodded. "Choosing the right allies will win this game."

"And I chose poorly," said Olimar. He shook his head. "How anyone could be manipulated by you, I have no idea."

"It isn't manipulation," said Lucario. "Everyone uses that word. I merely show people their weaknesses and the weaknesses of others. What they choose to do with that is up to them. I have bettered the West Tribe with my 'manipulation'. I-"

"I'm sure you saved them from damnation," said Olimar, rolling his eyes. "I don't need to hear this story."

Lucario was surprised. Nobody had interrupted him before. "It's an interesting story."

"And I'm sure I'll hear you tell it until the day you're eliminated," said Olimar. "I'd rather not listen to your accomplishments after you eliminated my friend."

"Very well," said Lucario. "Then let me offer you some solace: my alliance is always open to competent, intelligent individuals. If you are ever in a situation where you need help, speak to me, and I'll help you."

Olimar glared at him. "I'll keep that in mind."

Reward Challenge

The four tribes met in the tunnel carved into the side of the mountain, where a reward challenge had been played many days ago. As before, various planks were dug into the wall and attached to each other, creating a jungle gym of platforms. The only protection from the trees below was a strong, firm net that hung around the set. What changed from the previous challenge was that several layers – three – of platforms had been added, creating a multiplatformed challenge.

Master Hand floated above the platforms. "Welcome to your final Reward Challenge as four! After tomorrow, you will become two. Today's challenge should be familiar to you: it is a challenge that a few of you participated in ten days ago.

"Before we begin, as you might have noticed, Samus was eliminated in last night's Tribal Council."

For those who hadn't noticed, this came as a huge surprise. They were thinking similarly to Falco's first reflection: A Tribe Leader had been eliminated. Mario, Link, and Snake in particular felt particularly vulnerable at that moment.

"For future reference, if a Tribe Leader is eliminated," Master Hand continued. "Then there will be a public drawing for his or her replacement. It will not matter for now, so a drawing will not take place.

"Now, as for the challenge, in the previous challenge, Lucario and Popo competed. As a result, they will not receive the advantage today. The advantage is the weapon you may use – " he pointed at the barrel containing several long poles – "which is the only weapon allowed. Lucario and Popo may use hand-to-hand combat, but otherwise they are defenseless.

"The goal is simple: be the last one remaining. It is a free-for-all, and there is only one prize: An immunity Idol. Win this, and you are guaranteed to survive until the merge. Lose, and hope your tribe wins Tribal Council. It is a single reprieve for a single person. Grab your weapons, and climb onto the battlefield."

The Survivors did as they were told, climbing onto various levels of the arena, but staying at the top two levels. One thing they were all hoping for is to be able to land onto one of the lower platforms should they fall. So long as they didn't touch the net, they were safe. When everyone was in position, Master Hand announced: "Survivors ready? Go!"

The two layers of players collapsed into one another in a barrage of poles. As with the swords, few people had experience with the weapons, and thus resorted to swinging wildly to win. Bowser was the first to fall off his platform, with Pokémon Trainer, Olimar, and Luigi following. Bowser crashed into the net, shell first, a spike tearing through the tough fabric of the net. Nobody noticed. The other three managed to land on a lower platform, and they attacked each other as more people fell.

The next wave of fighters fell from the top. King Dedede, Mario, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, and Sonic all fell to swordsmen or adept Pokémon. Sonic and King Dedede were flung too far away to reach the platform, while the others crashed onto the lower layers. Mario landed in the middle of Olimar and Luigi's fight on the lowest level, sending all three into the net.

Popo had managed to avoid fighting for a while, as had Lucario, but as the fighters above became fewer, so too did the distractions. Link sent Snake flying into the net and turned his attention to Lucario. While Lucario was able to dodge the first strike, he had misjudged his jump and fell off the platform. Popo, meanwhile, had been seen by Fox. Fox, grinning, swung his pole like a golf club, sending him directly into the net. He tumbled down out of sight.

Lucario landed on a lower level, but before he could recover Yoshi knocked him lower. He couldn't recover. Several other players had been knocked out by this point: Falco, Kirby, Pokémon Trainer, Diddy Kong, and Pikachu. Metaknight and Link were currently battling on the top layer, Fox and Marth on a lower layer, and Pit and Mewtwo on a third layer. Yoshi was on the lowest, waiting for anyone to fall.

Metaknight's speed was helping him greatly, but the pole was too long for his tiny body; he had trouble balancing with it and swinging it. He attempted to dive off the platform, swing below, and take Link by surprise from below, but Link had grown wise to this tactic. Metaknight had already succeeded with it against Olimar this challenge, and Link had noticed. As a result, when Metaknight jumped off, Link swung down where he expected Metaknight to appear. Metaknight crashed into the pole and fell into the net.

Link, with no opponents on his level, jumped below to interrupted Fox and Marth. Fox was the only Survivor who had used a pole, and he was clearly the best at it. While Marth was able to counter the majority of Fox's swings, Fox had the agility to leap onto other platforms, swing around with the pole, and attack where Marth couldn't counter. Marth was able to stay on the platform, but only just. And then their fight was interrupted from above. Link jumped in between them, taking them by surprise. Link immediately pushed Marth off, and Marth fell into the net. Fox managed to stay on, and the two began their fight.

Mewtwo and Pit had both fallen to the last platform, where Yoshi stood waiting. Surprised by the both of them, Yoshi was hesitant to join their fight, so they brought the fight to him. Mewtwo threw Pit at Yoshi, and Yoshi was forced to dive to the side to dodge. Pit landed on another platform and charged at Yoshi. Mewtwo then charged at them. After several minutes of back and forth fighting, Pit took Mewtwo down. Adrenaline rushing through him, he overpowered Yoshi and sent him into the net.

It was at this moment that Link crashed into the platform, groaning. Fox then leapt down next to them. Pit debated knocking Link off while he was down, but his debate didn't last long. Fox attacked him while his back was turned, and he lurched forward with the blow. He kept his footing, turned around quickly, and blocked Fox's next attack. Fox threw a barrage of swings at Pit, who only just managed to block them all. He saw Link getting to his feet behind Fox's back, so he tried keeping him distracted. He tried a few attacks of his own, trying to gain the ground he was quickly losing. Fox blocked the attacks easily, swept his pole and tripped Pit up. Pit was knocked to the ground and knocked off before he could get up. He grabbed onto the platform with his fingertips, and Fox looked at him carefully before finishing him.

Fox swung, and Pit was forced to let go. At the same time, Link had come from behind and took Fox by surprise. He was so close to the edge that he was knocked off the platform by Link's one swing. The pair landed in the net next to each other, exhausted, leaning on each other for support.

"Sorry," Fox said, grinning. "Got carried away."

Pit shrugged. "Doesn't matter who won. We had fun."

Fox sighed. "Our tribe's too good. We're going to be dangerous after the merge."

Pit looked at him. "Or we'll practically be celebrities. Everyone will want us."

"Hey, stop chatting and get up here!" Falco shouted.

When Fox and Pit had joined their tribe, Link was awarded the Immunity Idol. "With this Idol," Master Hand announced. "Link will be one of the final twenty Survivors! Congratulations!"

Link nodded. "Thanks," he said. He turned to Pit. "And thanks for the distraction."

Pit winked. "Anytime."

Fox looked around. "Guys," he said, suddenly worried. "Where's Popo?"

The South Tribe looked around as well, only just realizing they were missing one of their own. "Has anyone seen Popo?" Sonic asked.

The other tribes shook their heads. Mewtwo stepped forward. "He's below," he said. "I believe he fell."

"Impossible," said Master Hand. "It's impossible to fall. Send a search party!" This last comment was directed at people invisible to the Survivors. "Everyone, please return to your camps. We will tell you when we've found Popo."

Popo

He was dazed. Fox's smack had certainly hurt, and it left him out of breath. He couldn't help himself from rolling down the rough ropes, bouncing as he fell. He reached the bottom of the net, his vision blurred, expecting to hit the mountainside and stop. But he didn't stop. He hit the rock, and then he fell down the rock. He saw the net rising away from him, and then he was blinded by dust. Forced to shield his eyes, he could only feel himself hitting the rocks harder and harder as he fell further down the mountain. And then he felt only air. He had enough sense to wipe his eyes and blink the dust away. And then he saw the trees below, sticking out of the ground like thorns.

There was a moment in midair where he felt true fear, where he felt completely helpless. The only thing helping or hurting him was gravity; he couldn't stop it. He felt frozen in time. The trees looked like death inching slowly toward him in slow motion. And then the moment passed, and he fell.

He hit the first tree hard, crashing against it and getting the breath knocked out of him. He didn't stop falling. He hit the next tree, and then its tree branch. And then another branch below. He bounced off and hit a branch as thin as a twig. He heard a snap, but in a brief instant he saw the branch still attached. And then the pain came. He couldn't scream, he could only feel the burning, white hot agony crawling up from his leg.

And then he fell some more. He crashed into even more tree branches. And then he saw the rocks below. His fall had slowed greatly as he hit the trees, and just above the rocks was a large branch as thick as a tree trunk. He hit it stomach first. It left him completely breathless, but it stopped his fall. He lay on the branch, vision fading, completely numb to the pain. He blinked, and blinked, and blinked one last time. And then he slept.

South Tribe

It was a few hours after the challenge when Popo was brought in on a stretcher. The entire tribe rushed to him, staring at his unconscious body as doctors set him down.

"How is he?" Fox asked.

Dr. Mario sighed and rubbed his forehead. "He suffered numerous bruises. He has internal bleeding. His right leg is broken. He might have brain damage, but he certainly has a concussion."

"Oh my…" Sonic said. "He couldn't have gotten damaged from just that fall. There's… no way."

"We gave him a thorough analysis," Dr. Mario replied.

Fox looked sick. "Why is he here, then?"

"Legally, we can't eliminate him from the game. We treated his injuries, stopped his bleeding, and bandaged his leg. He will not die from his injuries, so he is allowed to compete."

"Looking like that?" Pit asked. "There's no way."

"That, unfortunately, is not my decision," said Dr. Mario. "My professional opinion is that he should be removed from the game as soon as possible, so that he gets proper medical treatment. This rough patch job that I put together in the past few hours will not last long."

Pit sighed. "Guess our winning streak's over."

"Thanks, Doctor," said Link. "We'll take care of him as best as we can."

Dr. Mario nodded and left, taking a pair of nurse Chanseys with him. Popo remained on the stretcher, his right leg bandaged, his shoulders bandaged, his forehead bandaged, his waist bandaged, his left leg bandaged. The sight made Fox dizzy.

"I did that," Fox said, fighting not to throw up. "I can't believe it…"

"You didn't break the net," said Metaknight. "You eliminated him from the challenge. The rest isn't your fault."

Fox shook his head. "If I hadn't hit him so hard… he wouldn't have fallen. I know that. I just… I wanted him gone. And now he practically is gone. I could've killed him."

Pit patted him on the shoulder. "He'll live. It's not a good thing he's injured this badly, but it's probably a good thing he has to go."

"He won't like it," said King Dedede.

"Oh, that you can be sure of," agreed Pit. "If he wakes up, he'll be pissed. Can't wait to avoid that show." He grinned at Fox. "You can be the one to tell him."

Fox looked at him for a while, and then nodded. "It's the least I could do."

North Tribe

After the challenge, there wasn't much for anyone to say. There were some feelings of worry for Popo around camp, but not enough to discuss them with each other. As a result, they were separated, distracting themselves silently, until Dr. Mario appeared, alone.

"Mario?" Falco asked as he saw him enter. "Where'd you get that getup?"

"Long story," said Dr. Mario. "I'm not Mario. I won't explain."

Falco looked him up and down and raised an eyebrow, but he didn't pursue the subject. Olimar, Lucario, and Diddy Kong walked up to them.

"Doctor's outfit," said Diddy Kong. "Did you find Popo?"

Dr. Mario nodded. "We found him in the forest below your Reward Challenged. He was injured by his fall. He received enough treatment to stay in the game, but it isn't permanent. He legally is allowed to stay in the game until he requests to be removed or he is eliminated."

"He'll live?" Diddy Kong asked.

"For now," Dr. Mario replied. "As I said, he received treatment to stay in this game, as is required by us. However, his condition is not stable, and he certainly will not last the competition."

"Does the South Tribe know about this?" Olimar asked.

"Popo is safely with them," Dr. Mario replied. "I am informing everyone else. Are there any more questions?"

"Why didn't you heal me when I fought Wario?" Falco asked. "I was sore for days."

"You were in a fight," Dr. Mario replied. "We have no obligation to help you with your own mistakes. You chose to fight, and you were injured as a result."

Falco smirked. "It was a joke. Go make your rounds, Doc. Hope we don't see you again."

Dr. Mario nodded and left without another word. Falco turned to the others and sighed. "Poor guy."

"I wouldn't feel sorry for him," said Lucario. "In the ten days I knew him, I found him to be confrontational, bitter, despicable – "

"Pre-Pichu Falco, then?" Olimar asked, smiling.

"I wouldn't imagine Falco could be worse," Lucario replied.

Falco frowned. "I don't think I would've been described as despicable. The other two, sure, but…"

"You really wouldn't feel sorry for Popo?" Diddy Kong asked. "He's hurt so bad he'll never win this game. He's out."

"Some may say it was an accident," said Lucario. "Of course Popo never meant to fall, and nobody intended for him to fall. I say it was karma for his actions in my tribe."

"That's harsh," said Falco. "I don't think anyone could've been that awful."

"If you don't believe me, ask others who were with him," said Lucario. "I'm sure they would agree with me."

"Surely they'd feel bad," said Olimar. "No matter who it was, I would feel bad that they're eliminated from the game so unfairly."

"You say it's unfair," said Lucario. "For those who knew him, this is a convenient way to see him leave the game without having to worry about Tribal Council. It's speeding the process up."

East Tribe

When Dr. Mario entered camp, the tribe immediately paused what they were doing and stared at him in silence. Mario walked up to him, scared to get too close.

"I don't see why you are confused," said Mewtwo, shaking his head at the others.

"Look at him," said Luigi. "It's a spitting image of my brother…"

"If you don't remember, there were three Links in this competition when it began," said Mewtwo.

"He looks exactly like me," said Mario.

"The Links were completely different from each other," said Yoshi. "Another Mario is hard to believe."

"Coming from a Yoshi," said Pokémon Trainer. "How many of you are there?"

Yoshi glared at him but remained silent. Dr. Mario waited for someone else to speak, and then he explained Popo's condition. When he finished, he waited for questions.

"He's alive," said Pokémon Trainer. "That's good."

"Thanks for telling us, Dr. Me," Mario said. Dr. Mario sighed and walked out of camp.

"Odd reaction," Pokémon Trainer said.

"He's probably getting that often," said Yoshi. "If he convinced you, Mario, he'll confuse everyone."

"One less player," said Mewtwo. "Everyone else will make it to the merge."

"It's not a guarantee," said Mario. "The South Tribe has been doing great in challenges."

"Dr. Mario made it sound like Popo was in a lot of pain," said Yoshi. "I don't think the South Tribe has a choice. They have to lose."

"He isn't a threat," said Mewtwo. "They could keep Popo in the game as long as possible."

"They couldn't be that cruel," said Mario. "I agree with Yoshi. They don't have a choice."

"Mewtwo's just being pessimistic," said Pokémon Trainer. "No one here would keep him in the game if he's as injured as Dr. Mario says he is."

"I would," said Mewtwo. "It is not simply a matter of eliminating competition. Popo can choose to leave the game if the pain is too much for him. Until then, I see no reason to sacrifice an advantage."

Luigi crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Mewtwo may be right. He can leave whenever he wants. No one is keeping him here. Maybe he really wants to win, and throwing a challenge could make him worse."

Yoshi shook his head. "It doesn't matter what he wants. If he's in danger of dying, he isn't fit to be here. If he needs to go to the hospital, then force him."

"That's his decision," said Pokémon Trainer.

"Not if it means letting him live or die," said Mario.

"This isn't a matter of life or death," argued Mewtwo. "Popo is not serious enough to be considered dying. Not at the moment."

"Which is why he should be eliminated before it gets to that moment," said Yoshi.

"That isn't our decision," said Luigi. "It's the South Tribe's choice."

"Then let's hope they choose selflessly," said Mario.

West Tribe

Dr. Mario entered camp and experienced a similar reaction to the other tribes. Kirby immediately questioned him, asking him why he was wearing a doctor's outfit instead of his usual overalls. Dr. Mario sighed at this, annoyed that the same mistake had been made in every tribe. He briefly explained that he was a different person from Mario, even though he looked identical.

Kirby looked unconvinced. "If you say so," he said dismissively. "Do you know what happened to Popo?"

Dr. Mario gave the same explanation he had given the other tribes. Marth and Bowser seemed unconcerned and Snake was his usual stoic self, but Pikachu and Kirby seemed distraught to hear of Popo's condition.

"I hope he's okay," Kirby said once Dr. Mario had finished. "I really hope he gets better."

"He will not heal quickly," said Dr. Mario. "Not without proper medical treatment or a lot of luck. Are there any other questions?"

"So he's not gone?" Bowser asked. "You said he's with the South Tribe right now, but he's not out of the game?"

"Officially, no," Dr. Mario replied. "Not unless he's eliminated tomorrow or he requests a dismissal. We cannot force him to leave so long as he isn't in critical condition."

"Damn," Bowser grumbled. "We still have to do tomorrow's challenge." He sighed. "You can go, Doc."

Dr. Mario nodded, looked at Bowser strangely, and left. Kirby was also looking at him strangely.

"Bowser?" Kirby asked. "You don't care about Popo?"

"Of course not," Bowser replied. "I had to live with him for nearly two weeks. He became a real character, I'll say that much. A real charmer, that guy."

Marth smirked. "In all honesty, you're being too gentle." He looked at Kirby, saw his reaction. "He was awful, Kirby. Truly an awful person. Whatever you three saw when Popo left this tribe that Tribal Switch, he became much worse. He was awful to live with."

"He doesn't deserve to be eliminated like this," said Kirby. "I don't believe he was bad enough to deserve it."

Bowser laughed. "You'd better believe it. He deserved to be eliminated a long time ago. I say this is a good excuse."

"I can't believe you," Kirby said. "How would you feel if that was you injured?"

"Probably that I deserved it in some way," Bowser shrugged. "Karma has a funny way of working out. Heck, Popo deserves it. And look what happened."

"Think of it this way," Marth said. "He'll be gone, and he won't have to suffer this island or this game. He was clearly unprepared, and his attitude showed. He'll join his partner and be free."

"It's still an awful way to go," Kirby said.

"It'll be over soon," said Snake. "And then we can focus on the real game."

Day 39

East Tribe

As the tribe was eating breakfast, Mario noticed his brother glancing at him constantly. He chose to ignore it, but Yoshi, who also noticed, didn't.

"What are you doing, Luigi?" Yoshi asked, his voice dripping with suspicion. The tone made Luigi wince.

"I was… thinking," Luigi said, glancing at Mario as he spoke.

Pokémon Trainer looked between the Mario brothers. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Mario shook his head, confused. Luigi didn't respond. There was something about Luigi's attitude that made Yoshi nervous.

"Spill it," said Pokémon Trainer. "You're definitely up to something."

"I'm not planning anything," said Luigi. "I'm nervous."

"We all are," said Pokémon Trainer. "But we aren't staring at Mario while we worry."

"I'm nervous for Mario," Luigi clarified. "He isn't safe."

"Of course not," said Yoshi. "You're here."

Luigi shook his head. "Not safe from anyone."

"Guys, please," said Mario. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Samus was eliminated," said Luigi. "I was up all night thinking about that. Mario, she was a Tribe Leader."

"We aren't invincible," said Mario.

"Mario's been in danger several times," said Yoshi.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Luigi. "You're always in danger!"

Yoshi and Mario glanced at each other. "What's your point?" Yoshi asked.

"My brother isn't safe-" Luigi began.

"Shut up." Pokémon Trainer interrupted. "Luigi… just stop. You survived until the Merge. Don't ruin it."

Luigi looked hurt. "I'm trying to make up for my mistake. You won't let me."

"Of course we won't," said Yoshi. "You showed us who you're truly with. This act won't fool anyone."

"Mario believes in me," said Luigi.

"I don't," Mario whispered, shaking his head and staring at the ground. "Luigi… I'm sorry… but I don't."

Luigi looked at him, close to tears. "After all we've been through?"

"This isn't about our past," said Mario. "It's… about the game."

Yoshi looked proud. It seemed like Mario had finally understood what this game was about. It took him longer than Yoshi had wanted, but he finally learned. His personal feelings didn't matter as much his survival did. If that meant letting go of friendships, then that was the price.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me," said Luigi. "You betrayed me."

Pokémon Trainer laughed, hard and loud, at that. "I never expected this out of you, Luigi. This is a real show, a real act."

Luigi glared at him. "You'll rue this day, Pokémon Trainer. Mark my words. I'll get my revenge for you tearing Mario away from me."

Pokémon Trainer rolled his eyes. "Say what you want. That's an empty threat."

"I don't make empty threats."

North Tribe

Olimar wanted one last conversation with Falco before they were separated. He managed to talk to him alone after breakfast, as the other two had gone in separate directions.

"What's up?" Falco had asked as Olimar walked up.

"It's just the two of us," Olimar replied. Falco raised an eyebrow curiously, so Olimar clarified. "Everyone else is on another tribe or out of the game. Wario, Zelda, Samus, Roy, Jigglypuff, Captain Falcon are all gone. Sonic and Yoshi are on other tribes. It's just you and me, here, out of the ten of us."

"We haven't been doing well," Falco admitted. "You just want to reminisce?"

"Maybe I want comfort," Olimar said. "Honestly, I don't know what I want. To talk with someone familiar? In case we're separated."

"Chances are, we'll be with one of the others when we merge," said Falco. "Even if we aren't together, we'll be with someone."

"That's one positive," Olimar agreed. "Hopefully Yoshi and Sonic haven't changed too much since they've been gone."

"They got out in time, I'd say," said Falco. He sighed. "You have to admit, we've been getting beaten up this entire game."

"We certainly are in the worst position. Is this really what we should talk about?"

"What else is there? I don't want to talk about the past."

"Too many bad memories?" Olimar asked.

"I've done a lot of things I regret," Falco admitted. "Thankfully, all those things were done to people out of the game. Not many people know about them. I suppose I'm lucky about that."

"But?"

"But I regret doing them. Maybe if I hadn't, we'd have more players."

"Things would have changed," said Olimar. "But I don't believe we would have fared much better. We had arguably the weakest tribe to begin with."

"Sounds like something I'd say," said Falco. "Never thought I'd hear you badmouth our tribe."

"It can't be a coincidence that we have the most eliminated players," said Olimar. "We eliminated most of them ourselves. Only Captain Falcon was eliminated on another tribe."

"Maybe it was leadership?" Falco suggested. "Samus took the backseat fairly early on."

Olimar nodded. "That is another problem we had. Samus's choices during Tribal Switch weren't the best."

"Trying to save her own skin," Falco shook his head. "Now I remember. Every time she chose players, her choices backfired. Maybe we made the right choice."

"Maybe. I think we're reminiscing on the bad more than the good."

"Like I said," said Falco. "There isn't much good to talk about. We've screwed up a lot."

"We'll make up for it," said Olimar.

Falco nodded in agreement. "We have to."

West Tribe

The mood in the tribe had never been more relaxed. Everyone was sitting on the beach, enjoying the sun, watching the waves roll across the sand. There wasn't much for them to do other than wait to be called for the Immunity Challenge. As cynical as Snake had been yesterday, nobody took him seriously. Kirby had convinced them: there was no way that the South Tribe could compete in the Immunity Challenge. They had to surrender, eliminate Popo, and get him to a doctor as soon as possible. This was the reasoning behind everyone relaxing.

"I never thought I'd make it," Bowser sighed.

"Make it to what?" Kirby asked.

Bowser glanced at him. "The Merge. I expected to be eliminated day one. I can't believe I've made it this far."

"Most of us can't," said Kirby.

"Most is an overstatement," said Snake.

"Well, I couldn't," said Kirby. "I don't have the confidence."

"You should," Marth said. "You've proven yourself many times. You're a great competitor."

"And you aren't a giant koopa threatening to burn everyone alive," said Bowser. "I said some dumb things."

"You said a lot of things," said Marth. "Most of them I don't even remember."

"I'm sure you remember how I acted," said Bowser. He shook his head. "I wish I didn't."

"It's for the best that you changed," said Snake. "If you hadn't, you wouldn't be here."

Bowser nodded. "For the game, at least, I can be calm."

"Be calm," said Kirby. "But don't lose your snarkiness. It's part of your charm."

"Snarkiness," Bowser rolled his eyes. "What a word. Of course you'd use a word like that."

"What's wrong with that word?" Kirby asked.

"It's cutesy," said Bowser. "It fits you."

"But I'm not snarky," Kirby frowned.

"You should try it," said Bowser. "It's cathartic."

"I don't want to try," said Kirby. "I don't want to annoy anyone. I just want to love everyone."

"It doesn't annoy people," said Bowser. "I say it's a voice of realism. When everyone's arguing with each other or pretending the world is working out for them, the snarky one lets them know that the world isn't as good as they think."

"That's pessimism," said Marth.

"Whatever," Bowser muttered. "Maybe that's not the best explanation. I'm not the best with words, remember?"

"You use whatever humor you want to use," said Marth. "No one can say it's correct or incorrect."

"I'm glad I have your permission," said Bowser.

"Just remember that if you annoy people, you'll lose allies," Marth said.

"Yes, Mom," Bowser grumbled.

South Tribe

The tribe was sitting around the fire, stoking it, waiting for the challenge to begin. Popo was lying on his lowered stretcher, beginning to drift into consciousness. He groaned weakly, and Fox immediately turned around.

"He's waking up," he said, and he and the others crowded around Popo. Popo opened his eyes a bit, his vision blurred, and groaned again. The others stepped back to give him some breathing room.

"Where am I?" Popo asked.

"Back at camp," said Link. "Do you know what happened?"

"Fell," Popo grunted. "Hurt myself."

"Doctors found you," said Pit. "They patched you up as best they could."

"I'm not out of the game, am I?" Popo was quickly regaining his senses. He tried getting up, grunted in pain, and lied back down.

"No, you're in so long as you don't want to leave," said Link.

"I don't… I don't want to leave," Popo sighed. "I have to do this for Nana."

"There isn't anything we can do," said Sonic. "Your life is in danger."

"My life? My life's in danger if I lose," said Popo.

"You can't mean that," King Dedede seemed shocked. "This game isn't worth your life."

Popo spat. "None of this is worth anything. I want to win. If I lose, I might as well be dead."

"You'll still have Nana if you lose," said Link.

"You should give up now," said Metaknight. "We'll lose tonight. You'll save us the time and energy."

"Never," said Popo. "I… I'm competing, remember? I'm going to win."

"Not in that condition, you're not," said Fox.

Popo looked at him. "You did this to me."

"I did," said Fox.

"You keep me in."

"I won't," said Fox.

"Damn you… you've ruined me."

Fox was quickly losing sympathy. He had hoped that Popo wouldn't react like this. "You ruined yourself a long time ago."

"We were doing so well. I could've been safe."

Fox shook his head and walked away. Shortly after, Metaknight joined him at the fire. The others were still talking to Popo. Fox looked at them, disgusted.

"I'm sure you aren't surprised," said Fox. "I can't say I'm surprised. Popo's still an asshole, even when he's dying."

"He can't change his nature," Metaknight said. "We'll be done with him soon."

"Can't come soon enough." Fox sighed. "It's going to be a huge weight off our shoulders. He's been a burden since the day he arrived."

Metaknight looked at him silently. Fox looked back. "You know, I think you're trying to tell me something," said Fox. "Talking about him behind his back… fine. I won't do it anymore. I'm done thinking about him. Thinking about him… will just make me angry."

"Actually I was going to tell you not to speak ill of the dead," Metaknight said. "But that advice works as well."

"He's not dead," said Fox. "Although, he probably should be considered dead to us. Dead weight."

Metaknight raised an eyebrow. Fox realized what he had just said and stomped a foot in frustration. "It's hard, alright? I'll start when he's gone."

Immunity Challenge

The four tribes reached the giant hole in the ground, where their final Immunity Challenge as four was being held. When they arrived, Master Hand was nowhere to be found. Although they could not leave their mats, their mats were close together, on one side of the hole, so they were able to speak to each other.

"One more day," said Falco to the South Tribe. "Just one more day, Fox."

"And then what?" Fox grinned.

"And then we do what we should've done ages ago," Falco winked.

"You two need to get a room," Pokemon Trainer taunted.

"Maybe he's just jealous he doesn't have a bromance like we do," said Fox.

"Bromance?" Falco asked, feigning disgust. "Who'd use that word?"

"Don't deny it, Falco," Fox chuckled. "Everyone else knows it. You might as well get used to it."

"Funny," said Falco. "Didn't expect to hear that from you. I'd expect it more from me."

"I miss you, Falco," Fox held his arms out. "I need you in my life."

"Now you're just being ridiculous," Falco rolled his eyes.

"Metaknight!" Kirby shouted. The South Tribe heard Metaknight groan immediately. "Why don't you ever talk to me like that? We have a bromance, too!"

"He's too shy," said King Dedede, patting his friend's head. "He just doesn't want everyone to know about your love."

"Awww!" Kirby squealed. "That's so cute!"

"Kill me now," Metaknight muttered.

"Nice to see that you're okay, Popo," said Yoshi. "I was worried."

Popo was leaning on Sonic, clutching his side. He had struggled out of his stretcher and refused to be carried by King Dedede. He limped the entire way from camp, putting as little pressure on his broken leg as possible.

"I'm not okay," Popo grumbled. "But I'm not giving up."

"Good to hear!" Mario said happily. "That's a great attitude to have!"

"He looks awful," Marth whispered to his tribe.

"He'll be gone soon," Bowser whispered back. "He won't suffer much longer."

"You're awful," Kirby whispered. "He was one of us, remember?"

"A long time ago," Bowser replied.

"I miss you guys!" Diddy Kong shouted to his old tribe. "We'll be reunited soon!"

"Of course, Diddy!" Mario said. "There's always room for you, here!"

"We could trade," Luigi suggested. "I don't think anyone would mind."

Mario glanced at his brother. The others hadn't expected this comment from Luigi. They had, naturally, expected Luigi to be happy being on Mario's tribe.

"Something wrong, Luigi?" Pit asked.

"Everything," Luigi replied.

"I don't think it's the best time to tell everyone about our problems," said Pokemon Trainer. "Complain later."

Luigi opened his mouth to explain to the others, but he realized Pokemon Trainer was right. There would be time for that later. He kept quiet and nodded. The moment passed, and everyone went back to their own conversations.

"Have you thought about the Merge?" Lucario asked his old alliance. Fox and Pit glanced at each other. They knew Lucario would notice this motion, possibly read too much into it, but they were waiting for the other to respond.

"Of course," Metaknight replied. "Who hasn't?"

"Then I hope you've prepared," said Lucario. "It isn't hard to guess what will happen tomorrow. If we're together, you should know what to do."

"You're too vague," Pit said. "We don't know what to do."

"But we don't want you to guide us," added Fox. "We're done with that."

Lucario nodded. "Of course. I have no more sway in your decisions. Should we be together, our decisions will be together." He turned away.

"Did Lucario just tell everyone about our alliance?" Pit whispered. Fox nodded. "What is his plan?"

"He always has a plan," said Fox. "This was definitely intentional."

"Did he turn against us?" Pit asked.

"Maybe. Be cautious."

Pit sighed. "He's such a mystery."

Fox smirked. "Makes him a good ally."

Master Hand chose that moment to appear, floating out of the hole as if he had been there the entire time. This confused and surprised many Survivors, a lot of whom had looked down the hole to see if their host was hiding there. Master Hand floated above them, watching over them.

"I apologize for my tardiness," said Master Hand. "But, I suppose it gave you all a chance to mingle with your future tribe members. First, Popo has been found, as you are all aware. He is in steady condition and has opted to stay in the game. There will be no reprieve for him; if he wants to stay in the game, he must compete in today's challenge.

"Second, today's challenge is a rather simple one. You are all preparing yourselves for the next stage of your journey, so today's challenge is a break from the complex, laborious challenges from before. It is a simple battle. As you have no doubt seen, there are two planks of wood extending along the diameters of the circle. Each tribe will stand on one side of each plank of wood, lined up and facing the center. The goal of the challenge is to be the last tribe still on your planks. How you accomplish that is up to you. You may run up to attack a single tribe on your own, or your tribe may charge as one, or all tribes may meet in the center. Projectiles are allowed and encouraged. So long as a part of your body is touching or above the plank, you are still in the challenge.

"The three tribes who still have at least one of their members on a plank will win Immunity. The losing tribe will enter their final Tribal Council. You will have five minutes to prepare."

From the South Tribe, Pit, Metaknight, and Sonic sat out; from the East Tribe, Pokémon Trainer sat out; from the West Tribe, Pikachu sat out. After five minutes, the four tribes met on opposite ends of the circle. Master Hand floated in the center, above them.

"Survivors ready? Go!" Master Hand called.

And in a second, the challenge was over. Link and Fox grabbed Popo and King Dedede and the four of them jumped off the plank. The others were stunned as they watched them fall. There was silence.

"The…" even Master Hand was surprised. He quickly composed himself and continued. "The North, East, and West Tribes win Immunity. The South Tribe, however, will join me in Tribal Council."

They heard a thump as the four members of the South Tribe bounced from the trampoline at the bottom of the hole. They then heard the echo of a very angry member.

"You idiots!" Popo shouted. "Do you know what you've done? We lost! We lost! Why would you do this? We could've won! All you had to do was-"

Master Hand quickly drowned out Popo's shouting that soon dissolved into incoherent swearing: "You may all return to your camps. South Tribe, when your fallen members have returned, please follow me to Tribal Council."

With mixed feelings, the three winning tribes left the arena and headed back to their camps. Eventually, King Dedede carried a very tired Popo out from the hole, with Link and Fox following. They joined the others, and together the South Tribe went to their final Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

The South Tribe entered the familiar ruins, sat along their logs, and placed their torches down. Master Hand was waiting for them above the fire.

"I suppose we should start with the challenge," Master Hand said. "Link, Fox, why did you do that?"

Fox pointed at Popo, who had recovered and was clutching his side angrily. "It's a mixed reason, really. It's for his own good. And we're sick of him."

"I'm sick of all of you," Popo muttered.

"Then you won't be sad to go," countered Fox. He shook his head. "Living with him has been a rollercoaster. At times, he's pleasant, quiet, and calm. At other times he's loud, annoying, rude, violent, and argumentative."

"Choosing Popo to join this tribe," Link agreed. "Has been one of the decisions I question the most. At first, it was for safety and security, but that backfired when Toon Link was eliminated. I kept him for the security, but he was such a pain."

"What kind of safety?" Master Hand asked.

"Weakness," Link admitted. "Our tribe was strong with only a few weak players. Adding another weak player, a player less helpful to the tribe than me, would help me stay in the game."

"You've seen it before," said King Dedede. "That's what Samus did. That's why the North Tribe got Pokémon."

"Popo, how do you feel?"

"I feel used," Popo said. "I feel like I shouldn't have lost. I feel like I had so much more to offer, but they wouldn't let me. They always treated me terribly, from the first day. Always argued. Always-"

"They have proof," Metaknight said. "Nobody will believe your lies."

"Piss off," Popo said, flipping Metaknight off. "I can't wait to see you lose. You of everyone here. You're so full of yourself. Thinking you're mysterious and cool just because you wear a mask and don't talk. You're not. You're pathetic."

Metaknight stared at Popo with cool, calculated eyes. But he didn't respond, and that angered Popo even more.

"Can we please not argue?" King Dedede asked. "There's been too much of that."

"It'll end tonight," said Pit. "Hopefully."

"How do you feel about your tribe members' decision to eliminate you, King Dedede?" Master Hand asked.

"Felt it was a betrayal," King Dedede admitted. "I know why they did it, and I agree with why they did it. Or I wish they'd told me beforehand. That push really surprised me. But I don't think they should've done it. It seemed like it would've been a fun challenge. We might've lost anyway; they probably would've ganged up on us. But losing fairly would've been more satisfying."

"That was a risk I didn't want to take," said Fox. "Us winning this challenge would've sent a good player home today. Nobody else deserves to leave before Popo does."

"I'm a better player than you'll ever be," said Popo venomously.

"Sonic, what's your opinion?" Master Hand asked.

Sonic had zoned out. "Hm?" It took him a second to comprehend. He shrugged. "I'm too new here to have an opinion. They seem decided on Popo, and I'm okay with that."

"You aren't paying attention," said Pit.

"Do I have to?" Sonic asked.

Pit thought a moment. "I guess not. Seems rude, though."

"Sorry," Sonic said. "I was just thinking about other things."

"I agree with Sonic," said Fox. "There are more important things to worry about."

"I want to be rid of him," said Metaknight. "May we vote?"

Master Hand waited for others to comment. "Very well," he said. "Let's begin the voting."

King Dedede went up to vote.

Link went up to vote.

"You saved me. You're… awful… but you saved me."

Metaknight went up to vote.

Popo went up to vote.

"If this one vote means the difference between you staying and leaving, my time here will have been worth it."

Sonic went up to vote.

Pit went up to vote.

Fox went up to vote.

"Maybe I treated you unfairly. I'll worry about that after you're gone."

When Fox sat down, Master Hand floated off and collected the voting urn. He returned, placed it on his podium, and spoke: "When the votes have been tallied, the player with the most votes must exit Tribal Council immediately. I'll read the votes."

He pulled the first vote out. It surprised nobody. "First vote: Popo." The second. "Popo." The third. "Popo." The fourth was also not a surprise. "Metaknight." And then the final votes were read quickly after another, confirming what was known to everyone. "Popo. Popo. And Popo. With a score of 6-1, Popo, you have been eliminated from the game. Please bring me your torch."

Popo picked up his torch and gingerly limped to Master Hand. He placed his torch down, watched as Master Hand snuffed the flame, and walked to the exit. He paused for a second, contemplating what he was going to say.

"Nana," he sniffed. "I'm coming home."

Popo left.

Master Hand turned back to the remaining players. "Congratulations! You have all reached the final twenty! Tomorrow, you will be sorted into your new tribes, and a new stage of the game will begin. The challenges will be tougher, the players will be more difficult to eliminate, and the game will be more stressful than ever. Prepare yourselves. You all are in the running for first place. Good luck to all of you!"

The South Tribe grabbed their torches and left Tribal Council.

"Fuck everyone," Popo said in an overview.