Fire Tribe
As the tribe arrived, Yoshi finally felt it was time to voice his thoughts. "You guys really voted him out."
"We did," Fox clarified. "You seem surprised."
"More surprised it was Snake than it wasn't me," Yoshi said, stealing a glance at Mario. "Wasn't the whole reason he joined-"
"Yes," Lucario interrupted. "It was, and it was a foolish strategy for him to implement. He should never have trusted me, yet he felt I was his last hope." He had been debating telling them this, but he felt the time was as good as it ever could be. "The day he arrived, he spoke to me in private. He suggested that we have equal say in the matters of the alliance, and that in the end it would be the two of us who would compete in the final. 'Who better', he said. 'The two smartest players with a powerful rivalry.' A noble notion, but not one I was willing to fulfill."
"It would've been a good finale, you have to admit," said Falco.
"It never would have happened, unfortunately," said Lucario. "As I have said, I would prefer to eliminate threats before they are able to fight me. It has done me well so far."
"I still don't know if I should be insulted by that," said Falco.
"Don't be," said Fox. "There wouldn't be any point."
"Maybe I feel like being insulted," Falco retorted.
"Then don't come crying to me when your attitude gets you in trouble," Fox replied dismissively.
"I'm really glad you guys didn't vote for me," said Mario. "Really, I'm grateful."
"Mario, just keep doing what you're doing and everything will be fine," said Pit, patting him on the back. "Just keep watching what we do."
Mario nodded. "Of course, Pit, I'll do my best."
Yoshi rolled his eyes. Fox caught it and snickered. "What?" He asked. "You don't like how buddy-buddy they are?"
"It's ridiculous," Yoshi replied. "Tell me, Fox, before I say anything else, would you rather keep me or Mario?"
"Oh, there's no question that you're safe," said Fox. "None of us want Mario."
"Yet you still make him believe he's with you."
Fox shrugged. "Snake's last act, I guess. We're just keeping him happy because sad Mario won't help us much in challenges. It's a bit of work for not much gain, but it keeps Pit distracted."
"Okay, since I know: Mario shouldn't be coddled at this stage in the game," said Yoshi. "He's a grown man."
"He's in way over his head, and he realized it ages ago. I'm just wondering if he'll quit before being eliminated."
"If you guys stopped pretending to be his allies, he would."
"Bit harsh," Fox noted. "I know he screwed you, but you really hold a grudge."
"I may be surviving now, but I have no idea what to do if we reach the merge," Yoshi sighed. "I don't have any friends left."
Fox looked behind him, saw nobody was within earshot, and leaned close. "I'd need to get confirmation with the others, but I'd be perfectly fine with you joining us."
"I appreciate it, but I wouldn't ally with Lucario."
"I mean, technically Lucario's done nothing wrong to you. It was all your allies," Fox said, shrugging apologetically.
"Lucario manipulated them," said Yoshi without any trace of humor. "I'm well aware that that's what he does. I don't want to be associated with that."
"Fair enough. The offer's always open."
"Hey yo Fox!" Falco shouted. "Over here, mate. I gotta say something."
Fox groaned, patted Yoshi on the back, and walked over to his friend. Falco grabbed Fox's blaster from its holster.
"Pit and I made a bet, you see," he explained. "I said my blaster was bigger. He said yours was." He held them side by side. "But of course, Lucario was right. They're the exact same size."
Fox blinked, dumbfounded. "They came from the same company. Of course they'd be the same. Why wouldn't you know that?"
Falco shrugged. "Forgot. We just have different settings. Mine does damage, yours annoys." He winked and tossed the blaster back to him. "Just like real life."
Fox caught it and holstered it, shaking his head. "What did you bet?"
"Cooking duty," Pit replied. "Come on, Falco, let's cook another chicken."
"You wanna join me this time?" Falco asked, heading toward the pin.
"No, thanks, I'll just wait until you've prepared it."
"Oh sure, leave me with the boring part." Nevertheless, Falco got another chicken, and the two started preparing the meal.
"Tell me, Pit, since I don't think I've asked," Falco said while they were plucking the chicken's feathers. "How'd you get caught up in this alliance?"
"Well, the very first day our Tribe Leader Link told the three of us to gather something alone. We did it, and Lucario told us that we should ally. We did, and we've been together ever since."
"That's it?"
"Pretty much. It's worked out so far."
"I'm shocked. I thought Fox would have a better reason to be hanging out with you."
Pit raised an eyebrow, not sure how to take that comment. "Well, we've gotten to know each other over the game. We like each other, I guess."
"Do you trust him?"
"Yes, I do."
"Does he trust you?"
"I sure hope so."
Falco smiled. "I've asked him about you, you know? He thinks you're naïve, but trustworthy."
Pit was still unsure how to take these comments. He didn't reply, so Falco continued: "I think he's right. You've got this innocence about you that not many of us have. It's not nearly as bad as Mario, but you aren't cynical."
"Yeah," Pit smirked. "I'm definitely not you."
Falco nudged him playfully. "There you go! Jokes! Sense of humor, too! I think I get you, Pit. You're good in challenges. Resourceful. Smart. You're a good ally. Loyal. Trustworthy. And you've got a sense of humor. Playful. Friendly. Yep, you're a great survivor."
"Do you do this to everyone you meet?" Pit asked.
"Try to analyze them?" Falco clarified. "Of course. No point in not trying to gauge people. You learn a lot more. You learn who you can annoy without them getting upset, you learn who trusts whom and why, and you learn – most important – who'd be willing to throw you to the wolves to get ahead."
"There are… people like that in this game?"
Falco laughed. "There's that naivety, Pit. Of course! Just look around. There's more people who would do it than wouldn't." He pointed at Mario. "He's already done it, I'm sure you know." He pointed at Lucario. "As has he." He pointed at Fox and then himself. "Don't think we wouldn't do it."
Pit blinked, and then looked at Yoshi with slight hope. "Then…"
"Yeah, Yoshi's fine for now," Falco said. "I don't think he'd do anything that bad. But – and this is huge, Pit, because I don't give advice like this often. Mainly because I don't usually have good advice to give – these are the last days. We have less than a month. Maybe only twenty days left or so. There isn't a lot of time left. You, Pit, you have to be a true player in order to win. You have to be willing to sacrifice people to save yourself. Sure, there's a chance that you can get lucky and make it without doing anything bad, but it isn't likely."
"So your advice is that I should be willing to do bad things in order to get ahead?"
"More or less. Take it or leave it. I think Fox is right. This is an evolving game. It's changing all the time. You can't adapt and you'll get left behind, or you will adapt and win."
Pit frowned, deeply troubled by these thoughts. "I'll take your word for it, Falco. I just don't want to have to do it."
"Do it to others before they do it to you," Falco said. He pointed at Lucario. "What do you think we just did? Lucario said it himself. Snake would've attacked him eventually, so we just struck first. Snake couldn't react. Easy elimination."
Pit let the information sink in, and deep down he knew that Falco had a fair point, but he morally could not accept what was just said. Perhaps, he reasoned with himself, in the future he would have to change. But at this point, while he was sitting comfortably in a safe alliance, he didn't feel a need to have to change.
Day 54
Ice Tribe
Early in the morning, Marth woke Mewtwo up and led him out of camp to speak with him privately. When they stopped, Mewtwo waited patiently with his arms crossed, staring at Marth with thinly veiled suspicion.
"I wanted to discuss alliances with you," Marth began. "I wanted to know who you've been speaking to."
Mewtwo chuckled. "Marth, you cannot believe I would simply give you information like that."
"Of course not," Marth agreed. "Not without something in return. Which is why we should exchange a trade: information for information."
"Can we not just assume we have both been talking to everyone?"
"You know as well as I that not everyone can be included in an alliance," said Marth. "I'll name someone I'm serious about including, and you do the same."
"Fair enough."
"You."
"You."
Marth smiled, not sure if Mewtwo was being honest. He held his tongue about the subject and continued, "Link."
"Pikachu."
"Pikachu."
"Kirby."
"Kirby."
"Bowser."
"Bowser."
Marth waited for Mewtwo to name someone, but he remained silent. Marth smiled. "It seems you're out of names."
"You are pursuing one more player than I," Mewtwo noted. "I do not understand your interest in Link. I fear he is an unnecessary edition."
"We've been allies for months," Marth argued. "I cannot simply abandon him."
"But you can, and if you want to succeed you will have to. He is not a player who deserves to reach the finals."
"I could say the same to you about Bowser and Kirby," Marth reminded him. "Neither of them is fit to succeed, yet we both would like them in our alliance."
"Insurance and nothing more," Mewtwo clarified. "They have unique abilities in challenges, yet neither is strong enough to succeed on his own. And you know as well as I that King Dedede combines both of their strengths, and is therefore a much more powerful threat."
"Here we are, talking about including players in our alliance, and we share nearly every player," said Marth. "Is the charade worth continuing, or should we simply combine?"
"That depends solely on whether you are willing to sacrifice Link," said Mewtwo. "I have discussed this with them, and they are all in agreement that if we were to lose, they would eliminate Link."
Marth smirked. "I have it that they would all vote for you should we lose."
Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. "Threatening me is not a wise move, Marth."
"It isn't a threat," Marth smiled pleasantly. "It is a warning. Stay away from Link."
"Side with him, and you will be sacrificing your chance at winning," was Mewtwo's warning. "Need I remind you that you have never been in a winning position while on his side? There is a particular reason for this: he is dragging you into a grave you do not belong."
An hour later, Marth had fallen asleep and was roughly woken up by King Dedede. Marth blinked groggily, watching King Dedede whisper.
"What?" Marth asked, rubbing his ears.
"I said: meet me in the trees. We're having a meeting."
Getting the message, Marth nodded and lifted himself up. King Dedede was already heading toward the trees, and Marth saw few people remaining in their beds. When he reached the meeting place, he saw Mewtwo and Pikachu waiting. Marth watched King Dedede sit down and glanced between Mewtwo and him.
"Good to see you, Marth," Pikachu smiled. "Sorry to wake you up so early."
Marth rubbed the back of his head, trying to avoid Mewtwo's gaze. "I wasn't far from waking."
"Mewtwo called this meeting," said King Dedede. "No idea why he didn't include the others, but he has his reasons."
"I do," Mewtwo agreed. "My strategy is a simple one."
"Mystery and confusion," Marth muttered.
Mewtwo ignored him. "I want to eliminate undesirable players from the game. That is why I have chosen Bowser."
"Bowser?" King Dedede repeated. "Damn… I like the guy."
"You sure about that?" Pikachu asked. "I mean, Kirby's going to be so upset."
"If necessary, if his emotions limit his ability to play in the game, then we will eliminate him next," said Mewtwo.
"You're harsh," King Dedede sighed. "I'd hate to vote out the poor puffball."
"That's just how Mewtwo works," Pikachu shrugged. "No emotions. Just cold calculation."
"Why those two particularly?" Marth asked. "Bowser's strength has helped us a lot in challenges."
"It will be a danger if he survives until the merge," Mewtwo replied. "Need I remind you that there are only three eliminations remaining? If players who are strong in challenges remain, then they will dominate the individual Immunity Challenges, and we will not have a chance to eliminate them. Now, in the final fifteen, is the time to eliminate clear threats."
"What about you?" Marth asked. "You and your psychic abilities? You're a clear threat."
"If you would like to eliminate me, attempt to do so," said Mewtwo. "But I would suggest not discussing it in front of me."
"Or me, really," Pikachu added. "Sorry, Marth, but I'd rather not eliminate him."
"Yeah, you're out of luck here too," said King Dedede.
"It wasn't a serious suggestion," Marth said, quickly realizing he was overstaying his welcome. "But very well. Bowser it is."
After he disappeared, King Dedede turned to Mewtwo. "Think it worked?"
"No," Mewtwo replied. "It was not a guaranteed success to begin with. He still remains suspicious."
King Dedede frowned. "Then who are we voting for?"
"Who we initially agreed upon," Mewtwo replied. "Nothing has changed."
Fire Tribe
It was early in the morning, and everyone had woken up. Most of the tribe was sitting around the fire eating breakfast. Only Lucario seemed to have disappeared, choosing not to eat as usual.
"Think he's pissed?" Falco asked.
"Who? Snake?" Fox replied. Falco nodded. "I mean, we did betray him. I certainly wouldn't be happy."
"Yeah, but he just got what was coming to him," said Falco. "He did it to Metaknight, so we did it to him before he could do it to Lucario."
"I doubt he'd see it that way," said Pit.
"Think so?" Falco asked. "Seems to me like he'd see the logic in it."
"He isn't a robot," Yoshi reminded him. "He had feelings. He just didn't show them a lot."
"True," Fox agreed. "I did see him nearly smile once or twice."
"He'd be mad, but he wouldn't be furious," Yoshi continued.
"He wouldn't be Popo," said Pit.
Fox groaned. "Must we? We must mention Popo once a day."
Pit shrugged. "It's fun comparing things to him. Makes things seem better than they truly are."
"Every time you two mention him, it's comparing him to something worse," said Yoshi. "He really couldn't have been that awful?"
"When this thing is aired," said Pit. "Watch it. Pay close attention to Popo. I'm sure the cameras would be all over him."
"Oh yeah," Mario muttered. "There are cameras."
Although they were all aware of them, they still looked around camp. Everywhere they turned there was a Hammer Bro nearly concealed by the trees or a shiny piece of glass reflecting the light from a nook of a tree or under a rock.
"You do get used to them," said Fox. "I sometimes completely forget we're on a show."
"You know why we never notice them?" Falco asked. "It's because we don't talk into them."
"What do you mean?" Pit asked.
Fox smirked. "When we're at base and there's a break in missions, Falco likes to watch his shows."
Falco punched him playfully. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
"I doubt you get television where you're from, Pit, but with these types of shows, people talk into the camera," Fox explained. "Just like… a private way to reveal your thoughts."
"Confessional," said Falco. "They're everywhere in reality shows. Even on these Survivor shows that sometimes come on."
"Oh… so is that why we haven't noticed the cameras?"
Falco shrugged. "Hell, we've been around them for almost two months. I bet we'd ignore them even if we did talk into them. But yeah, I don't know why we don't do confessionals. They're some of the best parts."
"Let's be honest, are we ever not mouthing our thoughts to each other?" Fox asked.
"True, for you and me it'd be redundant. But some of these other people." Falco nodded at Mario. "Like him. What's he thinking right now?"
"Me?" Mario asked. "I'm thinking about how happy I am to… be a part of you guys."
Falco nudged Fox's shoulder. "See, this is why we need a confessional. Then Mario could explain to the audience why he's lying to us."
"I'm not lying!" Mario said, hurt. "I really am glad!"
"And I'm the King of Corneria," said Falco. "You probably are glad, sure, but that's the one thing you're thinking about? Now at this particular moment, when we've been talking about revealing our private thoughts to the world instead of keeping them bottled up inside-"
"Or shouting them to the heavens when we get the chance because we have a big mouth," Fox interrupted.
"Or that. And you're thinking about how happy you are to be part of an alliance? I have a hard time believing that."
"You are just a naturally suspicious person," Yoshi noted.
"You can't tell me you believe him."
"I don't believe anything he says anymore," said Yoshi. "He's lost all of my faith."
"Yoshi… it's just a game…"
"Maybe when the game is over, I'll forgive you. Maybe only if you win. But right now, you've proven your true nature too many times to be forgiven."
Wanting desperately to change the subject, Pit turned to Falco. "You watch a lot of these types of shows. So is there anything we're missing?"
"Missing?"
"I don't know… the tribes, the people, anything?"
Falco shrugged. "To be honest, Pit, I don't read too much into them. Just the stuff that pops out at me."
"Confessionals happen all the time," said Fox. "All throughout the game, every few minutes or so. They're everywhere. That's why it's so strange that we've never been asked to do them."
"Maybe no one's ever tried?" Pit suggested.
"We'd have been told to do them," said Falco. He shrugged. "Ah well, too late now. Not like I'd have much use for them anyway."
Reward Challenge
They arrived at the Hole for the first time in weeks. They stared precariously over the edge, noticing that below the surface the Hole was a lot darker. Occasionally a small spark would appear, illuminating the sides. There was noticeable movement along the walls.
"Welcome, Survivors, to your next Reward Challenge," Master Hand announced once everyone had arrived. "As you can see, Snake was eliminated last night."
"Shoot, really?" King Dedede asked.
"Yeah. Couldn't help it," Falco shouted from his mat. "His plan didn't work."
"Oh, so he did have a plan!" Pikachu shouted. "We thought so!"
"Was it that obvious?"
"To Mewtwo, yea!"
Falco turned to Lucario, grinning. "Should be sneakier next time." Lucario ignored him.
"Today's challenge will be short and simple, but the reward may be far more important than it could appear," said Master Hand. "Two players and only two will compete. Whoever wins will choose whether they would like to visit the other tribe for the day or force the loser to visit their tribe for the day. Think of this as a miniature, temporary Tribal Switch."
"Question," Falco raised his hand. "Will the loser have to wear any collar or anything that forces him to do the bidding of the tribe?"
"No," said Master Hand. "That was a controversial decision, and one we will not make a second time. No, you will be free to do as you please. The only potential consequence is that you will be away from any potential plans that your tribe may make."
Falco turned to his tribe. "I'll do it then. No real danger there."
"Wait until we hear what the challenge is," said Fox. "You might be thrown into lava for all we know."
Master Hand coughed loudly, silencing everyone. "Now then, the challenge itself." He gestured toward the Hole. "The Hole has been darkened significantly. There will be very little vision throughout. Your only illumination is your only obstacle. Replacing the walls are grates that you can easily climb. However, Electro Koopas also cling to these walls, and if you get near them you will be shocked heavily. You may fall to the softened ground below, or you may fight the current and cling on. But you will be in complete darkness, and the Electro Koopas only flash once every few seconds. Thus, your challenge is to escape the Hole and climb back into the light."
Falco laughed. "Alright, screw that. Someone else can torture himself."
"I'll do it," Yoshi stepped forward. "Maybe the shocks will be good for me. Like electro shock therapy."
Falco clasped his shoulder. "Mate, I wish you the best of luck."
Mario stepped forward. "I should go," he said. "I've faced them before."
"And let you make another poor decision?" Yoshi scoffed. "I'll go. I need to be away from him."
Mario blinked a tear back and stepped back onto his mat. Pit tentatively patted his shoulder.
The Ice Tribe had little to debate about. The obvious choice stepped forward. When Yoshi saw his opponent, he sighed immediately. He walked over to his opponent and whispered, "Pikachu, take your time. I don't want to win. I just want to be away from my Tribe. Is that alright with you?"
Pikachu looked at him curiously, and then nodded. Yoshi smiled and the pair headed to the bottom of the hole. When they were at the bottom, Master Hand floated above, shadowing what little light shined through.
"Survivors ready?" He asked, genuinely not able to tell.
"Pika!" Pikachu confirmed.
"We're both ready," Yoshi shouted.
"Very well. Survivors, begin the climb!"
Pikachu hopped onto the grate, turned around and saw Yoshi sitting on the ground, waving. He waved back, giggled to himself, and began the slow climb up the grates. When he reached the first Electro Koopa, he ran straight into him, testing how strong the Koopas were. It was not very effective, and Pikachu barely felt a thing. Seeing this as an easy victory, Pikachu wanted to test his speed and agility, and he raced up the grates.
Yoshi watched him, somewhat envious of his natural resistance to electricity. He knew that if he had touched one of those Koopas, he would have been paralyzed and fallen to the ground. That wasn't a risk he wanted to take. This Reward was perfect for him. He could see how the other Tribe lived, see if they were worth allying with once the Merge happened. Yoshi had no doubt that if they were to lose one last Immunity Challenge, they would keep him over Mario. Lucario confirmed as much himself. So he wanted to give himself a head start, a fighting chance. Ally with the enemy to fight an even stronger enemy. It was perfect.
Pikachu reached the top a few minutes later, barely tired, ecstatic that he had won. He shouted in joy, and Yoshi took that as a sign to start walking up the stairs. When he reached the top, the Ice Tribe waved him over.
"I guess my choice was made for me," said Yoshi.
"Welcome to the Ice Tribe!" Pikachu shouted. Yoshi stared at Mewtwo in confusion. "He translates for me."
"I see," said Yoshi. "Smart."
"Isn't it?" Kirby asked, somewhat apprehensive. "I'm really glad that we can finally understand him."
Yoshi noted the nervousness. That was another reason he wanted to see the Ice Tribe, to speak with Kirby. He remained silent, listening to Master Hand conclude.
"Yoshi will join the Ice Tribe until the Immunity Challenge tomorrow," said Master Hand. "At that point, he will rejoin his old tribe. I hope the break will be beneficial to you and your tribe. Good luck, and I will see you tomorrow."
With that, Yoshi said his goodbyes to his tribe and followed his new, temporary tribe mates to his new, temporary home.
Ice Tribe
As he entered camp, he noted how similar the layout of the tribe looked. Similar sized table, only made of solid rock rather than wood, logs for chairs, a fire pit with a pot hanging underneath a spittle, several hammocks all lined up along the trees. Everything was far away from the beach, which was practically barren, exactly like the Fire Tribe.
"What do you think?" Bowser asked. "Comfy?"
"It's so much like the Fire Tribe," said Yoshi.
"Yep," said Bowser. "Shame, too."
"Why?"
"Bowser has heard stories of my buildings on the East Tribe," said Mewtwo. "Diddy Kong was sure to brag about it. But that was before I received this helmet, so I was unable to replicate the structure."
Bowser shook his head. "Such a shame."
"It's not about the tribe," Marth argued. "It's about the people."
"Yes!" Yoshi said. "You, Link and Pikachu. I've never been on the same tribe as you."
"You don't know how we work," Link smirked.
"We're very mysterious," Pikachu winked. "You wouldn't be able to handle us."
"There really isn't much to say," said Marth. "I'm sure Kirby's told you all about us, and most of the old South Tribe is on the other side as well."
"I've heard stories, sure, but I wouldn't trust your opinions of Lucario without seeing him for myself," said Yoshi.
"I think we could give you a pretty clear picture," said Link.
"Not unbiased, but clear," Pikachu agreed.
"But Marth is right, there isn't much we could say," Link continued. "I suppose I could go into my past before the game began but-"
"I think he's referring to our current positions in the game," said Marth.
"Like who we're friends with?" Link asked. "I haven't even told people here, yet."
"Then it'd be good to share," said Pikachu. "Heck, I'll go first!" He pointed to Mewtwo. "He's my bestie-" Yoshi giggled at hearing Mewtwo say that word with disdain. "-and my translator. Without him, I'd go back to how I was on the West Tribe. Not fun, not being understood. Not fun at all. Kirby, Marth, and Bowser, kind of, are my other friends. All of us West Tribe are close."
Marth nodded. "As a result, I am fairly similar. Merely replace Mewtwo with Link, and that would be my major affiliation as well."
"Not being from the West Tribe, I'm at a disadvantage," Link admitted. "Really, the only one I truly trust is Marth."
"You guys are really… revealing," said Yoshi. He hadn't expected such information to be casually thrown out. "Are there a lot of secrets in this tribe?"
"It isn't really vital information," said Pikachu. "We all know who we're friends with. It's the allies part that's confusing."
"Are alliances not set in stone?" Yoshi asked.
"They haven't been since the Merge," said King Dedede. "Thank goodness we haven't had to go to Tribal Council in that time. I'd have no idea who to vote for."
"You guys have been talking, right?"
"Yes," said Mewtwo. "That is all we will say."
"Sorry, dino, we don't talk much about strategy to each other," said Bowser. "Much less you."
"Fair enough," said Yoshi. "I, however, would love to discuss my tribe with you all."
"Is that why you threw the challenge?" Mewtwo asked.
Yoshi nodded, glancing at Pikachu. "I have no doubt that I'll be seeing you guys in the Final Ten. My tribe hates Mario and would love to eliminate him before me. But to give you guys something to think about: My tribe consisted of two alliances. Lucario and his friends, and Mario and his friends. Lucario started manipulating us, causing us to vote against each other. He made Kirby betray Olimar-" Kirby winced in response. "-and at that point we lost. We merged. We lost Kirby and Bowser, but Falco and Snake just replaced them. Then they eliminated Pokemon Trainer. Mario joined them, leaving me by myself. But then, for some reason, they eliminated Snake. So now it's five versus me."
The Ice Tribe nodded, satisfied that his story was consistent with Bowser's earlier story. They knew the brief history of the Fire Tribe, but there were still some unanswered questions.
"You said that your tribe hates Mario," said Marth. "Why might that be?"
"Well," Yoshi chuckled nervously. "I guess only I hate him. See, Mario and I have been allies for weeks, friends for much longer. He made some mistakes way back on the East Tribe, but we always ended on top so it was fine. But then when we merged, he made a lot of mistakes. He didn't listen to Olimar, and as a result we eliminated friends rather than enemies, and when we realized our mistake it was too late. Then he listened to Kirby and not me, and sent two nonthreats out of the tribe rather than two threats. Then, when all hope was lost, he betrayed me and joined the other alliance. He saved his own skin rather than stick with me to the bitter end, rather than face the consequences of his actions. He's a coward."
"He saved me," Kirby argued. "He knew I was upset and wanted to help. I appreciate him for what he did. I don't know how anyone could-"
Yoshi pointed an accusing finger at Kirby. Bowser stepped in between them, glaring down at him. Yoshi was unfazed. "Need I remind you, Kirby, that our problems started because of you? If you had voted with us and voted out Lucario, we would've won the tribe. Instead, our whole alliance is shattered. You didn't deserve to be saved. You're just as bad."
"And that," said King Dedede. "Is enough." He, too, stood in between Yoshi and Kirby. "I'm disappointed in you, Yoshi. You've changed so much, and not for the better. You're upset and bitter and delusional. You're blaming everyone for your problems."
"I… I have every right to be upset," said Yoshi. "I've been loyal to my friends the entire game! They're the ones who betrayed me!"
"Maybe there's a reason for that," said King Dedede. "It could be that the moment something goes wrong, you turn on everyone and try to find fault in anyone who isn't you."
"No… you don't understand," Yoshi muttered. "I have every…"
"We'll talk later," said Mewtwo. "I would recommend that you eat and rest, Yoshi. I'd like to speak with you, but only when I have confirmed that you are not mad."
And so the Ice Tribe, some patting Yoshi reassuringly, some glancing at him sympathetically or angrily, abandoned Yoshi in the middle of their camp. Yoshi stared at the ground, confused, wondering what he'd done wrong.
Fire Tribe
The tribe reached camp with one missing member. Mario was clutching his stomach, feeling nauseous, with a severely worried expression across his face.
"Do you need to get to the ocean?" Pit offered. "I'll carry you."
Mario shook his head silently. He sat down, trying hard not to cry.
"Mario…" Fox sighed. "You coming down with something?"
Again, Mario merely shook his head.
"He's sick with worry," said Lucario.
"You're kidding me," said Falco. "Worry? What could he possibly be worried about?"
"Yo…" Mario whispered.
"Yoshi!" Falco shook his head. "The guy's been nothing but cruel to you the past few days, and you're worried? What's going to happen to him?"
"He'll miss… us…"
"The man's delusional," said Fox. "He's lost all his reason."
"Try to see things from his point of view," suggested Pit. "He got all his friends and family eliminated, his only remaining friend hates him, and he betrayed him as a result."
"Those your words or his?" asked Falco.
"His," Pit admitted. He shrugged. "I definitely see his point, though. He has every right to feel guilty."
"But why now?" Falco asked. "That's what I don't get. The one person who hates him doesn't have to talk to him for a day. I'd consider that a welcome break."
"He's my friend," whispered Mario, removing his hand from his stomach and keeping himself steady. "He's mad at me, but he's still my friend. I don't want to see him go."
"You'll see him again tomorrow," said Fox. "He isn't going anywhere."
"Hell, this gives us a lot of freedom," said Falco. "We can talk about stuff without trying to be sneaky. It's such a relief!"
"What is there to discuss?" Pit asked. "We know who we're voting for if we lose."
"Final ten?" Falco suggested. "We haven't talked much about that."
"Unfortunately, there are too many variables still remaining to create a solid plan," said Lucario.
"Bah! A solid plan will remain solid no matter how many variables are still left," said Falco. "Five of us against five of them, and we'll have Kirby and Bowser on our side potentially. We've got this won."
"See, those are the variables he's talking about," said Fox. "None of those are guarantees."
Falco raised an eyebrow. "You don't think the final ten will be five on five?"
"I do," Fox admitted. "But it's obviously not a guarantee."
"Pretty much is."
"But it isn't."
"Besides, how do we know Kirby and Bowser aren't in huge danger?" Pit asked. "We don't know what Yoshi's doing over there. What he's telling them. He could say the wrong thing, and then suddenly we have no more allies."
"Yoshi is our enemy," Fox agreed. "Like it or not, Falco, but he is."
"I know, I know. Damned if it doesn't make me sad to hear it, though."
"He isn't our enemy," Mario whispered. He shook his head, refusing to believe it. "He's our friend."
Fox and Falco exchanged a glance. Pit got down on his knee to pat Mario's back. "Of course not, Mario. Of course he isn't."
"Mario, do you mind if we leave you to yourself?" Lucario asked. "I fear you won't like what we will say."
Mario shook his head, choosing to lay on the ground and close his eyes. The rest wished him to get better and walked out of hearing range.
"You sure our plan is to keep Mario around?" Fox asked. "Seems like a really bad plan."
"Pit was the most astute," Lucario replied. "We do not, nor could we ever, know what Yoshi is telling them. He is a danger to us all, and he most likely has given the enemy tribe more information than they should know."
"I should've volunteered," Falco muttered. "Didn't realize they'd send Mr. Electric out."
"What's done is done," said Fox. "Fine, Yoshi gave the enemy info. We can't do anything to stop it, and eliminating Yoshi won't make things better."
"One less enemy," said Pit.
"You don't think a useful enemy is better than a useless ally?" Fox asked.
"One more vote in the only thing that matters," Pit shrugged. "I'm with Lucario on this one."
"Didn't you say that the strongest player should win?" Falco asked. "Why eliminate Yoshi when he's much stronger?"
"Neither of them is the strongest player," said Lucario. "It makes no matter who is eliminated first. However, to keep our advantage, we must sacrifice the stronger player."
"Damn shame," said Falco.
"There is always time to change our minds," Lucario admitted. "Should Mario prove himself to be more of a hindrance, we can always change our vote."
"That's what I like to hear," said Fox.
"Why have you suddenly taken Falco's side?" Pit asked.
"I like Yoshi," Fox replied. "I sure like him more than I like Mario at the moment. Hell, I like Popo more than I like Mario. The guy's given up on everything, and it's pathetic. I wish Snake hadn't given him hope, and I wish we wouldn't keep trying to make him feel better. It's way too far in the game for an attitude like that."
"You don't agree with Lucario because you actually like Mario," said Falco accusingly. "You just feel sorry for him."
"I do," Pit admitted. "He's had to make a lot of tough decisions he wasn't prepared for. Excuse me for trying to be compassionate instead of just giving up on him just because he isn't as strong as me."
"You'd be better off," Falco argued. "There are more important things in this game to worry about than Mario's feelings."
"We have seven players who despise our leader," said Pit. "We have to overcome them, and the only way we can do that is by keeping as many votes on our side as possible. As I said, there is no guarantee that Kirby and Bowser will still be on our side. No guarantee at all. If we want to win, we need to tie at the very least. Otherwise, we'll all be eliminated."
Day 55
Ice Tribe
Kirby and Bowser woke Yoshi, sleeping on Diddy Kong's old hammock, just after sunrise. Groggy but calm, Yoshi moaned a complaint and refused to move. Bowser picked Yoshi up and carried him over to the food. The odor woke him up quickly.
"What's going on?" Yoshi asked, rubbing his eyes.
"We woke up," said Kirby.
"He woke me up," Bowser grumbled. "So we woke you up. We're cooking."
"Oh," said Yoshi. It had been so long since he had last cooked; Lucario, Snake, Fox, and Falco normally took care of the tribe food. "I hope I'm not too rusty."
"Just cooking the last of the chicken," said Bowser. "It's already been defeathered, so we just have the easy part."
"What ever happened to your chickens?" Yoshi asked. "We still have several of ours."
Bowser glanced at Kirby. "Not now. Maybe later."
"Mewtwo killed them all," said Kirby.
"They were clucking up a storm," Bowser continued. "They were so annoying that Mewtwo decided to kill them right then and there."
"They were that loud?" Yoshi asked, feeling slightly sick. "Ours have barely made any noise the entire time."
"I think Bowser scared them," said Kirby.
"Probably. I do that to people."
They picked out their food and sat around the fire, putting chicken, pork, and vegetables on different pans. As the food cooked through, Yoshi decided to start the conversation.
"Why did you guys wake me up?"
"Cuz we missed you," said Kirby. "The old you. Not not-mean you."
"I'm not mean," Yoshi sighed. "People keep saying that, but I'm not… I'm just going through a hard time."
Bowser snorted. "Trust me. Trust the evil guy. You're mean. Downright nasty."
Yoshi glared at him. "I'm trying to be nice. I just remember what's happened and…"
"Shit happens to all of us," said Bowser. "You think any of us has had an easy time in this game? We've all suffered one way or another. You're nothing special."
"Maybe it just hit me the hardest," said Yoshi. "It was the people I trusted for so long."
"I apologized so many times," said Kirby. "I know I made a mistake. I'm sorry! I thought things would work out."
"You eli-"
Bowser immediately knew where Yoshi was going. "Don't mention him. Not to Kirby."
"Who?"
Yoshi nodded, realizing that blaming Kirby for Pokemon Trainer's elimination was a step too far. "What is your plan?"
"Ours?" Bowser asked. "Survive. Best we can do."
"Is the Ice Tribe truly that bad?"
"No one knows who's with whom," replied Bowser. "We think we're with Marth and Link, but we could also be with King Dedede, but we could also be with all three of them, but we could be by ourselves. It's a pain, and I hate it."
"You guys should know soon," said Yoshi. "If you guys don't know, you're the ones in danger."
"Don't we know it?" Bowser sighed.
"I don't think we're in danger," said Kirby. "I trust King Dedede."
"Can you?" Yoshi asked. "Can you trust anyone anymore?"
"We aren't bitter. Of course we can," said Bowser. "Our best bet is with the Pokemon. That's my opinion. The Pokemon and maybe King Dedede."
"Why them?"
"Because Mewtwo's smart, and he knows what he's doing. And last night, he told me privately that he was voting for Link. Who does that?"
"Someone wanting to throw you off their trail?" Yoshi suggested.
"Why? We can't be that much of a threat," said Bowser. "Hell, we barely know what's going on. If we could somehow get a group together, we'd be doing much better in this game than we already are."
"Okay, so you survive. What then?"
"When we merge?" Bowser asked. "Try to come back to Lucario's group. They trusted us before, and I sure trust them more than I trust these guys."
Yoshi rolled his eyes. "You trust Lucario? You'd rather be with Lucario than against him?"
"You're damn right," said Bowser. "He knows what he's doing, and he doesn't betray his allies."
"Were you not listening to me?" Yoshi asked. "Two days ago, they betrayed Snake."
"Snake was a traitor. He did a whole routine on this tribe. They told us."
Yoshi couldn't help but look at Kirby. "Who isn't a traitor in this game?"
"Apparently you," said Bowser. He imitated Yoshi's high-pitched voice. "'Oh, my friends betrayed me to get ahead. Oh, they're playing the game correctly! Oh woe is me!' You're delusional."
Yoshi got to his feet. "I'm done. You can cook the rest on your own."
"Learn to play the damn game, then come back to me," Bowser grumbled. Yoshi walked away. After a while, Kirby turned to Bowser.
"That went well," he sighed.
A few hours later, Yoshi had decided to speak with Pikachu and Mewtwo privately, wanting to know the full story of the alliances of the tribe. He managed to find them alone and walked up to them accusingly.
"What is going on?" He demanded. Pikachu stared at him with amusement.
"With what?" Pikachu asked.
"The tribe," said Yoshi. "No one is giving me a straight answer."
"Perhaps it's because no one wants you to know the truth," suggested Mewtwo.
"Why not?"
"You aren't part of our tribe," said Pikachu. "You have no reason to know everything."
"I'm not part of their tribe," said Yoshi. "I'd love to be part of this tribe, and when we merge I'd join this tribe immediately."
"Forgive me if I don't believe you," said Mewtwo. "But I know your loyalty to your friends all too well."
"Friends?" Yoshi scoffed. "If you knew what they did…"
"Stories from a single person," said Mewtwo.
"Kirby and Bowser must've told you!"
"They told us about their actions. They said nothing about what Mario had done nor what you have done. For all we know, you were sent here as a spy to attempt to steal information for Lucario."
"You really believe I'd work for Lucario after all he's done?"
"I mean, we have no proof," said Pikachu.
"I can't believe this."
"We feel the same," said Mewtwo.
"Plus, you're still here for another hour or so," said Pikachu. "That's a lot of time to reveal secrets to everyone."
"I would never…"
"You've told us a lot about what the Fire Tribe has done," said Mewtwo. "You do not have a silent tongue."
"Because I have no loyalty to them! You are making the wrong assumptions!"
"You have little loyalty to us," said Mewtwo. "Your story may be consistent, but your attitude and your actions do not help you."
Frustrated that he was getting nowhere, Yoshi stomped his foot. "Fine. Don't tell me anything. I hope… I hope that when we meet after the Merge, you'll tell me all I want to know."
"When we have no doubts as to your loyalty, you have my word," said Mewtwo.
When Yoshi was out of eyesight, Pikachu turned to Mewtwo. "But we want him on our side."
"We do," Mewtwo agreed. "But at this moment, our position in this game is in jeopardy, and I will not let our efforts be undermined by Yoshi's inability to keep a secret. We will trust him should we all reach the final 10 but not before."
"He won't forget this."
"With what he has told us, he will have no other choice."
Fire Tribe
After a good night's rest, Mario was feeling much better. He woke up early and found Lucario beginning to cook their breakfast. Lucario sensed Mario approach and nodded in greeting.
"Nice to see you," Mario said.
"You seem refreshed," Lucario noted. "I trust you slept well."
"Fantastic!" Mario replied. "I'm sorry about how I acted yesterday. When Yoshi left-"
"It is no trouble," said Lucario. "No trouble at all."
"When Yoshi left, it felt like he was gone for good," Mario continued. "But I realized last night that he'll be back today, and things will be normal."
"Is that truly the only reason?"
"No…" Mario admitted. "I guess the real reason is that I thought he left before I could tell him how sorry I was."
"You have apologized multiple times," said Lucario. "I am sure he is aware of how sorry you are."
"But he doesn't act like it! It's so depressing that he won't accept my apology and let us be friends again!"
"Perhaps after the game."
"That's too long. I've seen too many friends go without saying goodbye. Too many… far too many. Lucario, I'm tired of seeing all of my friends leave."
"I am sorry to hear that."
"Do we have to eliminate Yoshi?"
"Not if we don't lose."
"But we will," Mario sighed. "We're going to lose. We've already lost twice."
"We will if you continue with this attitude," said Lucario. "You have to have faith in our individual abilities as well as our ability to coordinate as a tribe."
"We're all strong and smart and good in challenges," Mario agreed. "But the other tribe seems to be better."
"In certain circumstances, yes. However, I would argue that overall we would be the closer, better coordinated tribe."
"Do you think sending Yoshi to the other tribe was a good idea?"
"No, not him," Lucario said. "One of us, one who I trust, I would feel would have been acceptable. Yoshi is an enemy-"
"He's not!"
"He is. He is not part of our alliance, Mario, so he is an enemy. He may be your friend, but in the end we cannot trust him. And he will no doubt give the enemy far too much information, and that concerns me."
"Why?"
"I had hoped to keep Kirby and Bowser's trust should we all survive the Merge, but if Yoshi reveals information about what we have done, especially our elimination of Snake, I fear they would not be as accepting of our invitation to rejoin us. It will no doubt be a delicate time."
"We can trust them, and they can trust us," said Mario. "They won't change in such a short time."
"Everyone has changed," said Lucario. He stared right into Mario's eyes, watching his expression change as he continued: "Need I remind you of how much your brother changed just before we merged?"
"Don't talk about Luigi!" Mario shouted. "He didn't change! He just made mistakes! We forgave each other. Everything's okay now."
"Is that your only justification for people playing this game?" Lucario sighed. Even he was growing tired of Mario's obliviousness. "Everybody has and will make mistakes in this game, I admit. But people also change. This is a game of survival, and as we both know you must adapt in order to survive. Change is a natural process in this game. If you are unable to change, you will fail."
"I haven't changed. Luigi didn't change… Yoshi hasn't changed!"
"All have changed and all will change," Lucario said. "Enough with your denial. It is irritating and detrimental. If you cannot accept the basic fundamentals of this game, you do not belong in it."
Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by a third party coming from the hammocks, rubbing an eye.
"My goodness, you two talk a lot," Fox yawned. "You guys got so loud you woke me up."
"Apologies, Fox, I had no idea our conversation had woken you up," said Lucario. "You may sleep. We will go back to cooking."
"No, no. I'm up, I must as well stay up. Actually, I heard that last bit about change," Fox said, smirking slightly. "Very inspirational, Lucario, and well-versed as always. But I wanted to add something."
Fox turned to Mario, who was looking confused and slightly frightened. "Mario, you are a traitor."
"I'm-"
"Stop," Fox had little patience for Mario anymore. "You're a traitor. That's a fact. You threw Yoshi's friendship away. You have no god damn right to be crying over how Yoshi treated you. You deserve it. You deserve everything. You wanted to save your own skin. That was your very reason for joining us. So congrats, you joined us. You're one of the alliance now. But now you have no more friends. Tough. Your own fault. But don't cry to us, don't cry to Yoshi, don't cry to yourself about what you've done or how people treat you or how the game is unfair or anything. You don't deserve to cry."
"Fox…" Lucario sighed.
"Nearly done, Lucario, nearly done." Fox took a breath. "What I want you to remember, Mario, is that you've changed. Would you have ever thought about joining an alliance that didn't include Luigi or Yoshi or Peach or any of your old friends? Would you have thought that you would have left one of them for dead in order to save yourself? Doubt it. But here we are, where you have done exactly that. So don't lie to Lucario's face and say you haven't changed. Because you have. You're playing the game, which is great, but you're making a fool of yourself by feeling guilty about it. So quit crying and play the game like a Survivor, or you'll never win."
"I don't deserve to win," Mario whispered, so inaudibly that even Fox had to lean in to hear it.
"You don't," Fox agreed. "But we'll see what happens. Maybe by some miracle you do win. Then everyone will know the winner of Survivor is the one who cried over the things they did. How great would that be?"
"Enough, Fox," Lucario said sternly. "Leave us to our breakfast. We'll call everyone when it's ready."
Fox shrugged. "I gave my speech. I'm sick of Mario's attitude. We all are. The time when he finally grows up and quits feeling guilty is the time where I'll consider him an actual player in this game. Until then, he'll just be some wimp who got lucky."
Immunity Challenge
The two tribes met in the center of the island. The one most striking difference about the arena was the several story tall wooden wall that now resided in the middle. Master Hand avoided floating above it as usual, as if he did he would have been too far away to see.
"Yoshi, please join your tribe," Master Hand said.
Yoshi nodded and left the Ice Tribe's mat, waving goodbye. Kirby and Bowser were the only ones to wave back, which was something the Fire Tribe made note of. Yoshi rejoined his tribe, making eye contact with nobody and staring at Master Hand with slight bitterness in his eyes. Master Hand also noted this.
"Welcome, Survivors, to your next Immunity Challenge," he began. "Today there will be three obstacles: this wall and your own tribe. You will begin chained together at the waist at the bottom of the wall. You will then attempt to climb the wall however you can. You will reach four checkpoints along the way, at every ten feet of progress. At that point, a platform will extend and you will be able to rest. Should you fall, you will be able to use ladders to climb back to the checkpoint. Once you reach the top, you will finish the challenge.
"This is not an active race against each other. You will only get one chance to climb, and once you all reach the top and place your hands on the flag your time will be secure. The fastest tribe will win. Of course, the wall is obvious, but your tribe must be able to coordinate. If you are unable to, you will lose a lot of time. One way or another."
Falco raised his hand. "You said three obstacles."
"I did," Master Hand agreed. He motioned toward a circled spot nearby where six remotes rested on the ground. "The enemy tribe will be able to hamper your progress. Each remote controls an electric shock which will pulse throughout the chain. You will all be shocked, and most of you will be stunned for a few seconds. Make sure to keep your grip, or you will fall. Any questions?"
Link pulled out his Samus bobble head. Master Hand claimed it and said, "The Fire Tribes' buttons will not work until the Ice Tribe has reached the second checkpoint. They will have to plan their strategy around this. If there are no more questions, Ice Tribe please sit a member out, and Fire Tribe put on your chain. You will go first."
And so the Fire Tribe chained themselves together and watched the Ice Tribe sans King Dedede gather around the remotes, each picking one off the ground greedily. Master Hand floated up to the halfway point and said, "Survivors ready? Begin!"
Immediately, the tribe felt an electric shock. It was fairly painful and caused many of them to flinch. Some turned around to see Kirby sheepishly placing his remote on the ground.
"I wanted… to see what it would do," Kirby muttered an explanation to his confused tribe.
Barely hampered and now knowing what to expect, the tribe grabbed onto the various footholds that were provided. With all of them being fairly agile, they moved together quickly. Yoshi was having the most struggle, but Mario – to his annoyance – and Falco kept lifting him up to their level. They cleared the first checkpoint quickly, and then they experienced their next shock. They kept their grip and continued after the shock subsided.
They moved up and up without much hindrance. They reached the fourth checkpoint, and then just as they were about to clear it and witness the platform extending, they were shocked. Surprised by this one, Falco and Pit let go, causing the tribe to sag to one side. Lucario grabbed Falco to keep him upright, and Fox struggled to reach Pit's wing. Pit jumped up to the wall, apologizing briefly, but before Falco could regain his grip the tribe was met with another shock. Once again, Pit got the worst of it, and even Yoshi was struggling to hold on. Mario couldn't hold onto Yoshi on his own, and he struggled to hold on with the added weight.
Then as soon as the fourth shock finished, the fifth came. Yoshi fought through the pain and pulled himself up, saving the tribe from losing their grip. Then the sixth came, and Mario let go. With only Fox and Lucario able to hold on, the tribe fell. They collapsed onto the platform. They recovered as fast as they could and got back onto the wall. With no more shocks to fear, the tribe reached the top and grabbed the flag, thankful that it was over.
"The Fire Tribe has completed the Wall in 5:23," Master Hand announced. "For reference, our best six-man team completed it without shocks in just under five minutes, so this is a fairly good time. Now, it's time for the Ice Tribe to beat it."
As the tribes switched places, they discussed strategy. The Fire Tribe grabbed their buttons, eager to give the Ice Tribe a taste of their own medicine. When the Ice Tribe was ready to climb, Master Hand returned to his position.
"Ice Tribe, ready? Begin!"
The Ice Tribe climbed. Slightly slower than the Fire Tribe due to the lack of acrobatic climbers, and primarily because Bowser had to pull his weight. Mewtwo helped him, pushing him up telekinetically as best as he could, but even he could only help so much. Kirby and Pikachu were light and fast, and they were helping Link and Marth up.
The Ice Tribe reached the first, second, third, and fourth checkpoints without any struggles, and they were wondering what the Fire Tribe was planning. They hadn't experienced a single surprise, and with the eagerness they noticed in the Fire Tribe they were concerned that they hadn't felt anything. They were nearing the top, some already forgetting about the chains, and were less than two feet from victory.
"Mario!" Came a shout from below.
The Ice Tribe felt the chains, and Kirby yelped in surprise. Bowser clawed into the wood, struggling to keep his grip. The tribe paused, so close to the end.
"Fight through it," Bowser muttered. "We're so close. Just climb."
And so when the second shout and second shock came, the tribe tried to climb. Link could barely move, and Kirby was frozen. Bowser missed a handhold, closing his eyes to help fight the electricity, and gasped in surprise when his hand felt only air. He clawed into the wood, keeping himself stable.
The third came, and the tribe refused to move. They didn't want to risk it. They were so close, teasingly close, but they couldn't fall. If they fell at this point, knowing how slow they were, they wouldn't have a chance. Mewtwo attempted to lift Bowser up, but even he couldn't ignore the pain. Only Pikachu could climb, and he was already at the top, trying to lift his chain.
The fourth shock came. Pikachu shouted something, but Mewtwo was too distracted to translate. Link lost his grip and fell. He moved on instinct, pulling out his hookshot and shooting the wall. He pulled himself in and kept both hands on the instrument. Marth was also beginning to fall, so Mewtwo released his grip from Bowser and pulled Marth up. But Bowser, having gotten used to the constant pushing and was relying on it to keep him from falling, found his legs feeling nothing but air. He, once again, panicked and scraped the wall trying to find a foothold.
And then the fifth shock came. And Bowser fell. And when Bowser fell, his whole tribe fell with him. Bowser fell shell first, and because of his he crashed straight through the wooden platforms below. His tribe could do nothing, and all six of them crashed into the ground or into Bowser. Mewtwo barely managed to right himself and land on his feet, and Kirby bounced off Bowser's stomach onto the ground. The rest were flat on the ground, too tired to move.
Falco was the last button left, but when he saw everyone on the ground he shrugged and placed it. Fox saw this and smiled proudly.
"They already lost," Falco explained, trying to avoid Fox's gaze. "Why make them suffer?"
"The time has passed," said Master Hand. "Which means the Fire Tribe has won Immunity. Ice Tribe, please rest. When you're able, join me at Tribal Council."
Master Hand left in a hurry, and the remaining Survivors helped the Ice Tribe to their feet. They spoke for a while, the Fire Tribe apologized about the victory, and eventually they went their separate ways.
Tribal Council
Having recovered enough to walk, the Ice Tribe had gathered their lit torches and reached Tribal Council. They rested on the logs and waited for their host to arrive.
"I apologize about the challenge," Master Hand said. "I'm sure you weren't badly injured."
"Shell's fine," Bowser muttered. "Head's gonna be throbbing for a while. The Doc wasn't too helpful."
"He is only there for potentially threatening injuries," Master Hand admitted. "However, a throbbing head should have been taken care of."
"Oh, I got medicine. Doesn't mean it won't hurt."
"I'm glad to hear that it was dealt with. Well, shall we begin?" Master Hand cleared his throat. "Welcome to your first Tribal Council together, Ice Tribe. We shall begin by bringing out the Jury."
And so Pokemon Trainer and Snake, in clean clothes, cleaned up but otherwise unchanged, moved to the Jury seats and sat down.
"Unlike other Survivors, the Jury will be allowed to speak and ask questions up until the voting begins," explained Master Hand. "If there's anything you'd like to say, now would be a great time."
"Pokemon Trainer," Kirby whispered.
"Kirby," Pokemon Trainer whispered back.
"We didn't make it."
"I didn't. You still can. I believe in you."
"Sorry to hear you went like that," said Bowser. "We heard what Mario did."
"Yeah… it wasn't great," Pokemon Trainer admitted. "Hopefully he'll get what's coming to him."
"Yeah," Bowser said, not making eye contact. "Hope so."
"Snake," said Mewtwo. "It appears your plan did not succeed."
"I failed," Snake agreed. "I hope you don't do the same."
The conversation died down, so Master Hand spoke up, "Are there any questions you'd like to ask?"
"Actually, Kirby, how are you getting along with everyone? Are you feeling better?" Pokemon Trainer asked.
"They're all treating me great!" Kirby answered. "And I'm feeling a lot better!"
"Still getting along with Bowser?"
"More or less," Bowser muttered. "He still won't leave me alone."
"We're best friends!" Kirby said teasingly.
Pokemon Trainer smiled. "That's great to hear." He turned to Marth. "You're doing well as well, I hope."
Marth nodded. "As well as I can."
"Hey Pokémon Trainer," Pikachu said, winking. "Bet you wish you heard me now."
Pokémon Trainer laughed, turning from Mewtwo to Pikachu. "So you can speak now! You're right, I do wish that happened earlier. Although, didn't you try doing that with Lucario?"
Pikachu glared. "Don't mention him. He lied about a lot of what I was saying."
"That's right!" Pokémon Trainer recalled. "You got really mad a lot at him."
"And he's still not eliminated," Pikachu sighed.
"Not much chance of that happening soon, either," Pokémon Trainer said. "He won the Fire Tribe."
"He won't last forever," said Mewtwo. "We'll take care of it."
"I wish you luck. Hopefully you'll make it."
"You rooting for everyone?" King Dedede asked.
"I'm done."
"I shall continue from here," said Master Hand. "It has been a while since I've seen you all here. You all seem to be getting along. Are you enjoying your new members?"
"They're fun to be around," said King Dedede. "Especially Kirby. I forgot how much I missed the puffball."
"Trust me, you'll wish you forgot," Bowser grumbled.
"Now I am never sure," Master Hand said. "Are you being serious, Bowser, because Kirby seems absolutely infatuated with you?"
"I'm joking… I hate admitting that the puffball cheers me up," said Bowser.
"Okay, I had thought so," Master Hand seemed satisfied. "Do others share your enthusiasm for each other?"
"Like, everyone else has paired off?" King Dedede asked. "Yeah, it's annoying. The Pokémon are together-"
"By necessity, not choice," Mewtwo interrupted.
"-and the swordsmen are together. Little old me is all by myself."
"I'll trade you," Bowser offered.
King Dedede grinned. "No thanks. Maybe I like him so much because he isn't latched onto me."
"Guys, you're hurting my feelings!" Kirby frowned.
"So there are a lot of pairs," Master Hand noted. "Are there a lot of alliances?"
"We'll find out tonight," said Marth. "To be truly honest, I do not believe many of us know."
"Don't play coy," said King Dedede. "I'm pretty sure some of us know more than others."
"Oh, I have no doubt," Marth replied. "However, I feel it's best not to reveal anything too damaging so close to elimination."
"You and your caution," King Dedede shook his head. "Why not reveal everything?"
"Why not?" Pikachu agreed. "You can start, King Dedede."
King Dedede blinked. "Nah."
"Then don't harass him," Pikachu said, smiling at Marth. Marth smiled appreciatively back.
The conversation died down once more. Master Hand assumed that everyone had finished, and that they would find out who truly was in an alliance after the vote. "Very well, Pikachu, if you would begin."
Pikachu sighed, hating that even though he could speak he still had to pick a bobblehead rather than vote like the others. But he got up to vote, placing his bobble head into the jar.
Mewtwo went up to vote.
King Dedede went up to vote.
"I don't mean anything by this vote. It's just what everyone else wants."
Marth went up to vote.
Link went up to vote.
"You weren't my first vote, but this is what Mewtwo wanted."
Bowser went up to vote.
Kirby went up to vote.
"I'm sorry. I'll miss you."
Kirby sat back down, and Master Hand left to collect the urn. He returned with the votes, ad he placed the urn on his podium. He pulled out the first vote.
"Link."
Marth blinked, realizing immediately that the others were enacting some sort of plan. He had only heard mention of Link's elimination from one person, and he turned to face that person accusingly. Mewtwo ignored him, staring only at Master Hand. Link, meanwhile, stared at the ground, mentally preparing himself for disappointment.
"Link."
There was silence as the third vote was pulled out.
"Bowser," Master Hand read.
"No…" Kirby whispered. Link held his breath, hoping against hope that the vote would change in his favor. Marth felt the same, and Bowser of course felt the complete opposite.
The fourth vote was pulled out. "Bowser."
The votes were tied, now, and everyone knew that the next vote would decide it. Bowser and Link glanced at each other, wanting to wish the other luck but also wanting the other to have the worst luck possible. And then Marth realized something very important, something that should've happened a while ago.
"Doesn't he pick out the bobble head first?" He whispered to Link. Link blinked, wondering suddenly why this wasn't the case this time.
And then Master Hand pulled out the bobble head. "Link."
Link looked up at the sky, closing his eyes and tuning out every other sound. He barely heard as the final two votes were revealed to have his name on them. Marth placed a reassuring hand on Link's shoulder. Link tore his gaze from the sky and looked at Marth's saddened smiling face.
"Thanks for being there for me," Link said, sharing the smile.
"Always," Marth replied. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."
"Survive," Link said. "Avenge me, if you can."
"I'll try. You keep your spirits up."
The two clasped hands and shook, and feeling a warmth of reassurance Link grabbed his torch and placed it in front of Master Hand. He watched the flame get snuffed out.
"Goodbye, guys," Link said. "I don't take any offense. You did what you had to do."
"Take care, Link," said Pikachu.
Link waved one last time before disappearing into the darkness.
"Only twelve of you remain," said Master Hand. "It seems there is a shift in power, now. Three Tribe Leaders have been eliminated, two right after each other. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come. Whatever happens, ensure that you keep your allies close. Know who your enemies are and plan against them. It is more important now than it has ever been. Good luck in the future, and I hope not to see you next time."
With that, the Ice Tribe grabbed their torches and left. Nobody had wanted to make this decision. One member in particular was thinking frantically about his place in his game and the consequences that would result from this decision.
"I don't feel bad," Link admitted in an overview. "In fact, I'm sure I've said before that I had expected it. I think I'm one of these players who overstayed his welcome. Is that a good attitude to have? I mean, I've never had an advantage, and I've just managed to barely survive because of luck. Should the winner of the game be someone like me, or should it be someone intelligent and thoughtful, like Marth? It should be Marth. Marth… my one true friend in this game, who stuck with me against everyone else. If anyone deserves to win, it's Marth, and I'll vote for him so long as he survives."
