Survivor - Mexico (Brain vs Brawn vs Beauty)
Chapter 20 - Day 18 Part 2
Welcome back to another chapter of Survivor - Mexico! After quite a bit of activity that occurred in the last chapter, it ended up with Quetzal losing immunity yet again because Incineroar misplaced a puzzle piece at the challenge. Now he, Funky, Isabelle, and Tifa will all go to Tribal Council for the second time in a row. And a certain someone is in the most hot water she possibly could be in right now...
Would a miracle actually happen?
~KF
Quetzal
Day 18
Tifa, Funky Kong, Isabelle, Incineroar
-/-
A loss, yet again. Though performing excellently in the previous reward challenge, they managed to place last in the immunity challenge that day. They did speculate on whether or not it was due to Quetzal somehow having some sort of 'curse', due to it being the tribe old Beauty was a part of and them having their own losing streak, speculating for the rest of the day was never going to change anything. They had to force themselves to go through the elimination process once again this evening.
Still, Incineroar blamed himself for the loss.
"Guys, honestly," He stated as he and the rest of the tribe were actually allowed to converse with one another the moment they were all back at their shelter. "all of you know that I'm not the best at puzzles. But still, for once all four of us had to play a part at a puzzle somehow. I thought that we were getting somewhere, and we were, and I blew it. Sorry..."
"It's fine. We all did our best." Isabelle nodded with a sigh. She knew that he knew that he was the cause of the team losing immunity for the second time in a row, yet she, as with most contestants, generally felt bad for any castaway that blamed his or herself for the challenge loss. It was rather relatable as well, knowing that the exact same scenario happened with her once.
"We've all heard the phrase: 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose as long as you have fun', but here everyone wants to win and have fun. We aren't merging yet, and it was a team challenge for immunity, and I've let my team down because the boxing-wrestling champion sucks at puzzles..." He shook his head in disappointment. "Yeah, not the best feeling ever. Competitively at home, I've always feared of losing and one of em is because I don't wanna let my coach down, or my own trainer. I don't participate in teams that much when it comes to stuff, so knowing that I have let an entire team down, it is very far more devastating... I feel like I've betrayed them in a way..."
"Let's just move on... We'll just enjoy our day the best we can..." Isabelle put her stuff down. "I don't how many hours we have until tribal, but we'll just... you know, make the best of it..."
He heaved a sigh, Funky resting a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll just talk a bit in a minute..." He mumbled his breath.
"The good news is that I kinda know that I'm not going home tonight. I don't know if I'm even an option to leave at this point. Funky, I kinda doubt that he is at least considered as well based on how the votes ended up at the last Tribal Council... This means that it's between the two girls we have here. Sure, Tifa is the obvious target due to her going behind my back trying to vote out my closest ally, but her one argument that she can make is her... throwing Isabelle of all people under the bus... But I haven't heard exactly what Funky Kong wants, yet... I will in a few minutes, though. This is kinda a big deal. Even though me and Tifa Lockhart are at opposite ends, we were still old tribe members. Same with those two, and after Isabelle lied about her wanting Funky home, his name was still thrown out there. Though no matter how this goes, it's a great thing that we're both the deciding votes. The girls tried to get rid of one of us, no we're gonna see how they like it."
...
At the shelter remained Isabelle and Tifa. The men never even tried to hide the fact that they were getting ready to have their own private conversation; one minute of settling in and they were up and way with their canteens, literally no words being spoken in the process.
To top it all off, the women sitting alone for nearly a minute made everything even more awkward than it already was.
"...You okay?"
The second Final Fantasy character in the series faced Isabelle almost immediately after her sudden voice was sounded. "Well,... I guess..."
She sighed. "No, you're not. You're clearly not..."
The other woman turned to face forward once more. "Well,... at least I'd rather actually know that I'm probably going home instead of being blindsided. That way I have proper closure to why I'm being voted out. Otherwise, you have too many unanswered questions."
"I still feel bad at what happened... I don't know what Funky and Incineroar are talking about, but if they still want to see you go home, I am pretty much the reason why..."
"Even with that, I still had the chance to talk to Incineroar, but I chose not to." She recalled. "I am responsible for my own fate as well. We have no choice but to write each other's name down. Breaking up those two is like trying to break a brick wall with your bare hands. I don't wear gloves all the time, so if I were to punch it, it would probably be broken. That's the consequence I get for not knowing that Rosalina was going home... Sorry if I sound too negative and doubtful, but that's the truth. The only thing I can say to him at this point is that it's best for us to target you, and you and Funky are gonna do the same. Even then, Funky Kong would not even spell flipping, let alone actually do it to Incineroar..."
"On one side, it was somewhat satisfying that I had a hand in voting someone out, yet on the other,... it's really a shame that Tifa is going out like this... Because of me, she got the vote wrong, and now she's appearing as a villain to both Funky Kong and especially Incineroar because he stabbed him in the back. Whether she thinks that the whole thing is most of her fault or not, I could have save her if I just opened my mouth to Funky Kong. To have a hand in messing somebody's game up, I now have to live with that for the rest of my life, no matter how my game ends up going from here. Even if she somehow survives this, well, then there goes my game... But then since nothing is ever impossible out here, then me going home would basically pay the price for what I've done..." Isabelle sighed and stared down below. "It's gonna be a struggle for me sleeping well tonight either way..."
-/-
"So... her it is, then?"
Almost at the same time Isabelle and Tifa were having their conversation, the two males were having their own by the water well.
"I mean," The red, cat like creature replied to the brown-furred ape. "as a former tribe member,... had she not did what she did, I admittedly would at least consider on keeping her around. But at this point, I now have multiple reasons why she has to go... It doesn't matter if she's my old tribemate anymore."
"That is understandable..." Funky nodded in agreement. "If it was Iz, I... would probably think the same. I mean, it's all about working with people you can trust, right?"
"Stole the words right outta my mouth..." He responded, resorting to counting on his fingers. "I mean, she tried to get you out, went behind my back, and then I found out that Ryu lied to my face about where Jet stood on Brawn. That's three strikes right there. She's just... she's just not meant to be trusted! Now I can say that voting out Tifa would be the perfect revenge for Ryu getting rid of Jet if he actually played a part of it."
"There's only one argument Tifa would make against Isabelle, though." Funky raised a finger.
"...What is that?"
"...If we're not merging yet and we still got one more immunity challenge to take care of."
He widened his eyes and lowered his head a bit. Yet after a couple seconds, he heaved a sigh and slowly brought a hand down his face. "You're right... We don't wanna go back there again. I mean, Isabelle did in fact saved you from going home, and I don't really wanna send her to Ponderosa right after Tifa. Feel like we owe her something, you know? Especially since she's your ally... You are still on good terms with her, right?"
"Maybe there's a reason to why I would not trust her, but it kinda makes no sense for me personally to go after her." He hunched his shoulders before folding his arms. "Like, whatever she had to do to keep me her proves her loyalty. I'm not about to let her down..."
"I'm... I'm actually kinda surprised to be honest." Funky actually expected things to turn out somewhat in a different way. "This is easier than I thought... I was actually thinking that I would have to stirke a deal with Incineroar and have the both of us decide which of these two girls would get the boot, and have the strategy revolve around us for a minute. But no, Incineroar is certain on sending Tifa home, which benefits my game in a number of ways, as well as it... actually benefits his game, too. If he hadn't spilled about the dynamics of his tribe, he would have never figured out on the whole truth about Tifa and the rest of Toro. Old Brains would have the numbers, I keep Isabelle by my side, Incineroar would have perfect revenge for Jet, and we would both get rid of somebody that neither of us trust. The only way Tifa would actually not go home is if she miraculously finds a hidden immunity idol. She's been quiet, but that's how it normally is when it comes to her, anyway. She's simply sad that she's leaving. Don't get me wrong, I do feel kinda bad for her, but I'm playin' for a million dollars. Not getting rid of her, and I'm humiliated on public television."
"Im'ma talk with Isabelle." He pointed behind himself with his thumb. "If Tifa somehow shows up here, just tell her to write her name down like what Iz had to do to keep me here."
"Alright, man." Funky Kong's idol shook hands with him and they both separated. "We'll both be here tonight and it will be done."
-/-
"It feels kind of strange that we have to separate like this knowing that there's only four people at our camp..."
"On the surface it does..." Donkey Kong's cousin decided to take Isabelle away on the boat. "But I just don't wanna make it any more obvious in front of Tifa, so I picked a spot where she wouldn't see us. She's probably getting ready to talk to Incineroar, anyway... But, you and me, we're good, right?"
"I don't see why we shouldn't be..." The dog shook her head. "If your vote is locked in, my vote is locked in as well."
"Alright, then..." It was pretty much all he needed to hear. "Kinda great on how the Brains would be in the lead after this. The one time where a Brain went home was when Jimmy had to go."
"And in the end, making Plague upset." She reminded slightly giggling.
"Well, we'll talk more on that, later. Let's just get this tribal over with..."
-/-
As for Tifa Lockhart herself, she sat directly in front of the fire with a fist leaning against her face.
"I didn't exactly come out here expecting to win. I just decided to come out here after Cloud joined, because well,... curiosity got the better of me. I just wanted to see how things will end up for me... And..." She exhaled the deepest breath she could have. "Every decision I've made has brought me at this point... On the more positive side of things, I managed to avoid the first four Tribal Councils. A great achievement, but the very first tribal I visit, things simply didn't go as planned, and I put an immediate target on my back. Of course I didn't give up. I just tried talking with Incineroar. He claims that Isabelle is going home, but I can just tell that he's lying. I don't even think he's trying to hide it. I mean, people at home are probably telling me to stop doubting myself and do whatever I can to stay out here. But... what more can I do? I already tried looking for the idol, but someone from old Beauty already has it... There's just nothing else I can do. It is what it is and I have to deal with it. Not everything is in your favor all the time, and this pretty much proves it."
"Not saying that I don't mind if I'm going home of course, because if I knew I had a bigger chance, I would jump at the opportunity immediately. I would never go home knowing that I didn't give it everything I have, but... I did. I tried everything. ...I guess sometimes you just know that it is your time to go. Maybe just let nature take its course. I just don't like other people deciding my fate, but that's what it comes down to." Slowly, but surely, tears began streaming down her face. "However,... this experience has taught me, that... even though you probably aren't going to win, it is the feeling of knowing that you never gave up. And if you yourself know that, then you don't really have to prove anything to anyone other than yourself. I'll never give up on anything as long as I live, just how I never gave up before I started this..."
Tribal Council
Night 18
That night, swapped Quetzall re-visited the tribal for a second time in a row. Following them placing down their torches, each of them sat down in the seats near them, the big guys sitting in the back of course with both of the women in the front.
Master Hand jumped right into the discussion. "Alright... So here we are, once again. Two Brain, two Brawn. Yet whoever leaves tonight's Tribal Council, this tribe will be down to only three members. Let's talk about Rosalina's blindside last night. Tifa, you were clearly in shock at what happened."
"Well,..." she began, staring off to the side a bit. "I guess I should have been more aware of what was really going on, but I take responsibility. I really thought that the vote was going the way I thought it was going to end up, but I was wrong. Yet in the end, it is probably what I get due to not checking with the other members on the tribe."
"What was the reaction back at camp?"
"Well, when we all made it back to camp, I wouldn't say that it was really a confrontation, but I did end up talking with Incineroar, and he was not happy of what I did. The vote was supposed to be for Rosalina, but I wrote down Funky Kong instead."
"Incineroar, is this a conversation you recall?" Master Hand asked for his own confirmation.
"I do." He nodded. "Apparently, Rosalina wanted to make this all girls alliance, and Tifa agreed to it as long as Funky was going home. So I was kinda upset at Tifa, because I feel like if it is still tribe versus tribe, if we are both in the same alliance, like,... you really need to tell me these things."
"And I should have." Lockhart agreed. "I really should have, and I know I've said this before, but I apologize."
"Isabelle, why did Rosalina had to go?"
"Mainly because she was the only Beauty here." She stated. "The Beauty tribe already had a disadvantage numbers wise, and since Rosalina didn't really have any allies, getting rid of her sooner rather than later was the best option. We honestly felt that if she made a deep run in the game, she would have became an underdog type of threat. Her wanting an all girls alliance benefited nobody but her, but Tifa was not aware that Rosalina was going to get the majority of the votes, and that is why people are not exactly happy with her at the moment."
"I mean, I am not gonna be exactly pleased about it..." Incineroar continued. "Me and Tifa shared zero conversations about us voting Funky Kong off, someone who I didn't even want to send home. He is useful in physical challenges, therefore, increasing our chances of winning. And the fact that we voted differently last tribal, well,... the simple thing is that when it comes to this game, I need to work with people that trust me. Tifa didn't vote with me, so that means that I can't really trust her moving forward in the game with me, even if we both started at the same camp."
"If I can say, master," Tifa decided to speak again. "is that in spite of us having different personalities, I have actually tried to make a strategic connection with Incineroar. Back when we swapped, my first thought was to not get rid of Incineroar, since no matter where we stood on our old tribe, we were on the red team together. That's why I've written down Funky Kong, since had all the girls vote together, we both would have had the advantage."
"But master," The celebrity responded back. "like I said, Tifa never told me about what was going on until I heard it from somebody else. So even if we would have had the majority, I didn't want to write down Funky that night. She would have still been seen as untrustworthy to an extent. It doesn't matter if I wanted to get rid of her today, tomorrow, the next day, day thirty-eight, she would have had some target on her back because due to what happened, she is not meant to be trusted. I don't know what she thinks because I can't read anyone's mind, but it's not worth me going into the merge with her and have her stab me in the back again and I'm sitting on the jury looking foolish because I didn't vote her out sooner."
"The thing is though, is that I knew that Incineroar was never really interested in working with me right from the get go."
!
"I've heard that he and Jet wanted me out because they thought I wasn't fitting in with my original group at the time. Next thing I knew, I get swapped with Incineroar, and we had a quick talk of us needing to be each other's allies in the game. And sure he had a different target in mind last tribal, but at the end of the day, at least I never wrote his name down, and I still won't write his name down tonight."
"Tifa, it wasn't that I never trusted you when we first started." The Pokemon immediately started to defend himself. "Me and Jet just figured that you weren't really fitting in when we all first hit our camp. And the number one rule is when you first get on the island or camp, wherever we are, the number one rule is that we all have to gel. Me and Jet figured that you weren't really being involved in the group like that, and that was why we targeted you because we wanted to keep the tribe together."
"Excuse me, but how did I exactly not fit in?" She turned and faced him directly.
Funky Kong widened his eyes under his sunglasses.
"Okay, well we were all out there for nine days straight without losing a single immunity challenge. You were always rather... distant unlike everyone else. And most of the conversations we all tried to have as a group, you always spoke the least. Even Specter talked a bit more than you did. But overall, we just felt that you weren't showing enough team spirit compared to the rest of us."
"'Team spirit?'" She repeated. "Well, okay, maybe I'm not the most vocal. Maybe I am not the most aggressive, and maybe I am more quiet than most people, but just because you were labeled to be on a certain tribe does not mean I have to behave a certain way to show that I was fitting in with the group. I've had side conversations with everyone one on one, just to get to know all of my tribemates little by little, including you and Jet. You don't have to be the most aggressive person to fit in with the people that you are with. As long as you are generally talking with others (which I've tried my best to), it is the only thing that matters."
"Tifa, even with all that, like I said, you were still rather quiet than everyone else." His opinion still stood. "Like, Ryu spoke when he wanted to, Specter spoke when he wanted to, Katt spoke when she wanted to, everyone got involved somehow whenever it came to getting along with each other, working on the shelter, challenges, everything. And out of all those areas, it still does not make that much of a difference. Just sayin'..."
...
"Funky Kong," Master Hand broke the abrupt silence. "you haven't really said anything this entire tribal so far? What is your take on it? Though you were never on the Brawn tribe when we first started? What is your overall opinion in terms of 'getting along' with other tribe mates, since it can play a crucial part when it comes to the strategic decision making in this game?"
"Well,... I guess on our tribe everyone was getting along well." He talked. "I mean, I can't speak for either Tifa nor Incineroar, not even the entire Brawn tribe since I was not even there. But I guess if Tifa says that she tried at her hardest in getting along with others, then I suppose it is up to Incineroar to take her word for it. However, bonding with others could mean pretty much anything. It is not about who's right or who's wrong in terms of that as long as everyone is happy with each other. But in Survivor, if you are going to tribal for instance, somebody has to go. And no matter what Tifa thinks, well, Incineroar might have his own criteria. It is however you wanna handle a situation. If he felt that everyone except Tifa had something in common, if that's what Incineroar wants to go by, then that is his own personal opinion. There are no rules when it comes to this stuff, so whether people like it or not, you can pretty much do whatever you want. It's based off of how people wanna play here. You just gotta adapt to anything no matter what."
"So Tifa, Funky Kong makes an interesting point." The master focused his attention back to her. "When you're on Survivor, you never know who exactly you are gonna play with until the last minute. And when you all hit the camp, you're gonna get all types of people. We all know that everyone is gonna come across others from different walks of life. And if you say that you've tried your best to gel with the rest of your tribe, like Funky said, it's all about adaptability. Whatever the overall mood is, it is about finding your own way on how you approach others to make those connections."
"I agree... I can not agree more." She exhaled a sigh. "Maybe the thing with me is that I have a hard time expressing myself. Not saying that I was exactly a shy person for instance (...or maybe I am a little bit), but because of me being rather quiet, I've grown used to seeing and hearing others around me expressing themselves so much, I hardly ever express my own thoughts on things. But with me not fitting in, I think I was generally placed on the right tribe."
"How so?"
"Well,... I kinda do not want to say too much of this, but... back where I am from, I am in this group called AVALANCHE. It is a rather rebellious group, but when I see that something is not right, I am not gonna just simply sit there and watch what is going around me. I am gonna stand up and do something about it. There are certain things that I really have to fight for in order to... let's just that it's... worth it fighting for all the people you love."
...
"...Sorry if my wording is kind of strange, but..." She stayed silent for a moment in an attempt to find the right words. "I guess it's just another sign of me finding it hard to express myself, even though now's not a good time for details. But,... all in all, I believe that I did in fact deserved a spot on the old Brawn tribe, just as everyone else. I simply had my own reasons to why I was put on there, just as Incineroar has his own reasons to why he was selected to be part of the Brawn tribe. Same with Jet, Ryu, Specter Knight, and Katt. I may not know as much about bonding and finding stuff to relate to others, but generally fitting in,... I understand when a person is completely anti-sociable, but in this case scenario,... everyone has their own reasons to why they are in a specific group or tribe. You just have to look in the right places."
...
At that point, Isabelle was simply staring at the ground. She was actually attempting to avoid tears forming in her eyes, both gentlemen simply sitting around in silence.
"...Alright. It is time to vote. Funky Kong, you're up."
With no other words spoken, it was time to vote, yet again.
Following Funky Kong closing the urn, Isabelle got up next and took her own turn.
Incineroar was then called up to vote, actually getting his target's name right that time (T-I-F-A).
"If this is real life, we would have had a better chance at getting along. But since I am playing to be the title of Sole Survivor, I have multiple reasons to why sending you home is the best move I can make for this tribal. No disrespect intended. Maybe you can tell me more about yourself after this game is over."
Last but not least was Tifa Lockhart herself. True to her word, she wrote down the person she had in mind for a while.
"I don't know how relevant or irrelevant this vote is gonna be, but no matter what happens, this is my last ditch effort to prove my loyalty to someone."
With her voting confessional being out of the way, the final vote for the tribal was cast.
"I'll go tally the votes..."
...
No one really showed any emotion at all for the next minute or so until Master Hand came back with the urn.
"If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you wanna play it, now would be the time to do so..."
...
"Okay." Master Hand was ready to get the show on the road. "Once the votes are in, the decision is final. Person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately. I'll read the votes."
Tifa was already feeling it coming.
"First vote... Tifa."
At least her name was spelled right.
"...Isabelle."
She nodded as if it was something she expected.
"One vote Isabelle, one vote Tifa."
Funky Kong looked rather bored, as he appeared to be simply ready to return to camp already. The man next to him feeling a similar way.
"Tifa. Two votes Tifa, one vote Isabelle, one vote left..."
And she was still not picking up her bags at the time.
"Sixth person voted out of Survivor - Mexico (Brain vs Brawn vs Beauty)," The final vote was read. "Tifa. You need to bring me your torch."
Though she of course never wanted to, it was an order. She picked up her belongings and went behind everyone to retrieve said torch.
"Tifa, the tribe has spoken."
Snuff.
"...Time for you to go."
"It was worth a try..."
She quietly made her way out of the Tribal Council, Funky Kong heaving a sigh.
"Glad that's over and done with."
"I agree..." Incineroar bobbed his head up and down.
Isabelle on the other hand felt rather horrible on the inside. She listened very carefully to Tifa Lockhart's words as she spoke during the discussion. In terms of working hard, it was something she actually related to, whether it was for a completely different reason or not.
"Alright... We are now down to three members here." Master Hand noted. "Maybe with fewer people remaining in Quetzal now, maybe this group of three can mesh together well. Grab your torches, head back to camp. Goodnight."
Incineroar, Isabelle, and Funky Kong all stood up and retrieve the remaining torches from their holes, the trio of survivors exiting one after the other.
Votes:
Funky Kong - Tifa
Isabelle - Tifa
Incineroar - Tifa
Tifa - Isabelle
13th Place: Tifa
3-1
-/-
Castaways Remaining:
Plague Knight, Katt, Specter Knight, Panther, Chica / Ryu, Espio, Golden, Daisy / Funky Kong, Isabelle, Incineroar
"Well,... I've tried... Not really sure what to say here... Maybe this can go out to everyone from my hometown... My friends, my family, everyone. Perhaps this could be a lesson that even though you are not guaranteed to win everything, it is not pointless to at least try. Not only I've done that, but I've went the extra mile and gotten as far as I could have. I will still keeping fighting for you until all of you are fully avenged. I know Cloud is watching. Sorry, Cloud. I'm not winning this thing. But still,... it was kind of fun."
Character Confessional Count:
20: Ryu (+2)
18: Panther (+2)
17: Funky Kong (+4)
16: Daisy (+1), Golden (+2)
15: Incineroar (+4)
14: Plague Knight (+3)
12: Espio (+2)
11: Specter Knight (+1), Chica (+1)
10: Katt (+2)
8: Isabelle (+2)
-/-
14: Rosalina (+2)
11: Tifa (+3)
7: Jet, Jimmy
4: Bandanna Dee
3: King Knight
Wow... Now this is downright sad... Tifa really didn't deserve that... I can't even say she got swapped screwed because she was with Incineroar, so she had a number. It was just that he never really got along with Tifa simply because they had different personalities. Though she would have been even worse if it was Jet she was stuck with, but if it was either Ryu or Specter Knight, she probably would have survived tonight. But unfortunately, it just so happened to be Incineroar, who then made a bond with Funky Kong... Just... She deserved way more than 13th place. I'm adding her to my top 10 saddest eliminations list in my series lol.
Questions:
1. (For those who have read my other two Survivor stories) What was your saddest elimination and why?
2. Was Incineroar a bit too harsh and unreasonable towards Tifa, or did he actually make pretty sensible arguments at this tribal? (Or were they both right to an extent lol)
3. (Also for those who read my other stories) Who was the most swap screwed in this series?
Announcement for next season coming soon. ;-)
Vote for your top five players this season if you haven't already (Funky and Incineroar are conveniently both in the lead so far with 4 votes lol), watch my YouTube intro for this season, and I encourage everyone to review. (I am so sorry, Tifa fans. She really had so much potential lol)
I'll see you guys later!