Episode 8 Part 3
As soon as all three players had arrived in Fiend's Burrow, Anderson appeared and ushered them back to the surface. He brought them to a random stretch of beach where a few standing tents had been set up, giving them a bit of shelter from the frigid rain. Anderson, however, chose to stand out in the elements as he delivered the mission's results.
"Well done tackling the perils of Molehill Isle, players!" he said, clapping limply. "Despite your completely different starting locations, each of you managed to make it to Fiend's Burrow within minutes of each other! Of course, that does little to help two of you. After all, only the first player to the burrow can lay claim to the dossier. And that player is of course… Shy Guy!"
Toadiko and Mallow glared enviously at Shy Guy as he held the dossier aloft. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words never came to him, so eventually he pulled the dossier close to his chest and looked back to Anderson.
"What does this mean? Well, if he's the Mole, than the two remaining players just lost out on some critical information. If he's a real player, then he's going to be a formidable foe. Or maybe he's a player, but still stands no chance and it was all a waste. Who can say?"
Mallow and Toadiko glared at Shy Guy. They knew exactly what his victory meant, but they kept their mouths shut.
"But after all that, you three look exhausted… and dirty." Indeed, all three players were covered in a mixture of mud and coal dust, which still clung to them despite the rain, and each had sustained a few small scrapes from the rougher sections of the woods (and from gravel, in Mallow's case). "Let's go ahead and take a breather here. I'm sure you all would appreciate some time to prepare for tonight's execution, right?"
"Yes please," said Mallow.
"Absolutely," Shy Guy said eagerly, staring at the dossier.
"Excellent! Well study hard then," said Anderson. "For all you know, this could be the last chance you get."
Without another word, Anderson walked back towards the ferry. The players cast each other nervous looks before each sitting down under separate tents and cracking open their journals and the dossier.
Mallow: These missions are exciting and all, but here's where our real last stand happens! Every bit of studying we do here could make the difference between being the winner and being the Mole's final victim!
Toadiko: Something about Shy Guy's behavior at the end of the mission really threw me off.
Flashback: "Toadiko, Toadiko, Toadiko… I'm so sorry, but it looks like I stole the prize from you once again."
Toadiko: Usually when he gets that smug it's because he's playing a character, but that's not the feeling I got from him. This was totally genuine. It was like he was claiming victory, not just in that mission, but over me entirely. I understand he's relieved to be holding something so powerful, but the smugness was a bit sickening. If anything, it makes me more determined to win. Shy Guy and Mallow, I don't care which one of you is the Mole and which one is real, I shall overcome both of you!
Shy Guy: This dossier is incredible. I can't give away too much, but everything is here. Every mission, every coalition, every musing about the game, all in one place. Yet, I don't know if this is the guaranteed victory I was hoping for. I still have to cram all this information into my brain and make sure I can remember it quickly and easily. I spent a lot of this game closing myself off to others, and while it's gotten me this far, I can't help but wonder if the events of this game stick out more to Mallow and Toadiko because they have a stronger emotional attachment. I mean, it's not like I was completely cold and emotionless or something. I still have a lot of memories with a lot of feelings attached. But I wonder how playing with my heart on my sleeve like them could've changed things. Oh well, I can't waste time wondering about these things.
Mallow had pulled out his first journal, flipped back to the very beginning, and read each page clearly.
Mallow: I don't have time to look at everything, but if Flashback Fun taught me anything, it's that my memory is still pretty good for later episodes, but pretty bad early on. There's a few things I remember well, like our first mission and the Master's challenges, but everything else needs a refresher. Those two seem like the meticulous types who will look at every episode, so if I really drill down to these earlier episodes, I might just be able to get the edge over my opponent!
Meanwhile, Toadiko was flipping rapidly through the pages of her journals, her eyes darting from line to line at lightning speed.
Toadiko: There's no telling what will be on the final quiz. Sure, it will likely focus primarily on missions, but I would not be surprised if a few questions pulled from other moments too. If I study these moments and my opponent doesn't, then that's one question I get over him. It's a lot of information to cover, so I'm thankful I managed to master speed reading back in college.
Shy Guy: The strangest part about this dossier is that it just… talks about the Mole. Sure, I had my suspicions (which turned out to be right), but to see their identity talked about freely feels deeply wrong. It's like some taboo has been violated. We truly are in the end times.
Mallow: Mona was right. The final three really does feel different, though not because of the challenges like she thought. Yesterday, we were a party of four brought together by a wild adventure, but today I can't stop thinking about how one of my friends is the Mole, and the other is my opponent.
"Players, I must say I'm impressed with everything you all have achieved so far." The players were startled, but for once Anderson hadn't actively tried to sneak up on them, they'd simply been too absorbed in their studying. "I've put you through a lot over these past few weeks."
"You got that right," said Shy Guy.
"You've scoured Peach's Castle, surfed down a volcano, assassinated a governor, navigated a rooftop maze, rescued a princess, tracked down a thief, stolen art…"
"This is so much!" said Toadiko.
Anderson ignored her. "You've fought the Koopa Troop and Bowser himself, you've dueled with the dead, you've evaded hunters, and you've fled a flood of Fuzzies." He took a deep breath. "And that's still leaving out quite a few things."
"Jeez, we've really had quite the adventure, haven't we?" said Mallow.
"My point exactly," said Anderson. "The three of you have been on an adventure worthy of Mario himself. Heck, you've outlived him by four episodes!"
"When you put it like that, it really gives us something to be proud of, doesn't it?" said Toadiko.
"For real," said Shy Guy. "It's like I've transcended movies and become an action hero of my own."
"It's like my adventure with Mario, all those years ago," Mallow said wistfully.
"But it's not over yet," continued Anderson. "Before we can hold the final execution, you all must complete one final challenge."
The players' eyes widened, and they froze, not even breathing as they processed what had just been said.
Shy Guy: This is really it.
Just then, a massive patch of sand behind Anderson began to shift and shake before starting to tumble into the earth. They soon realized what they were looking at: a huge metal hatch hidden under the sand had started to slide open. They heard mechanical whirring echo out of the pit, but before they could gather what was happening, Anderson spoke once more.
"The rest of the pot is at stake here. The game's winner will receive a whopping 60,000 coins if you all are victorious in this final battle!"
Mallow: Did he just say battle?
Toadiko: I don't have a good feeling about this.
Finally, the saw the top of something metallic and humongous rise from the hatch. "A little confession," said Anderson. "I lied to you earlier. There weren't any rumors about the moles of Molehill Isle developing weapons." The object continued to rise, and it became clear that this thing was at least the size of a small house. "There were only cold, hard facts."
The lift completed its journey up the hatch, revealing the object in full: it was a huge, tank-like machine armed with a long pair of clawed arms. It was immediately clear what it was supposed to be. It was a giant, mechanical mole. Though the mole's green paint was mostly faded at this point, the slate gray metal exposed underneath was perhaps more intimidating – more monstrous.
Anderson climbed atop the monstrosity. "This bad boy was their proudest achievement. It's a prototype codenamed the M-Zero-Thirteen. Though if you write out the numbers, you can easily guess what they nicknamed it."
Anderson hopped into the M013's cockpit. "It would've been so dramatic if we could've had you two fight directly with the Mole," he said over the machine's crackly speaker. "Unfortunately, their identity is still a closely kept secret. But I'm willing to bet that a battle with this mole will be plenty climactic, don't you think?"
"This is insane!" screamed Toadiko.
Shy Guy: So Bowser really was a red herring after all? I guess taking on a mole and the host all at once is more dramatic.
"It is, isn't it!" said Anderson. "You wouldn't believe the amount of research that went into finding this place. All so we could have the perfectly insane finale!" He began cackling madly, leaning back in his chair and slamming his tentacles against the dashboard.
"He's gone full supervillain," said Shy Guy.
"I know he likes messing with us, but this is just scary," said Mallow.
Toadiko tried to steady her breathing. "It's just a game. We can make it through whatever he throws at us, right?"
Anderson's laughter finally died down. "Your goal is to defeat the M013, plain and simple. If you can defeat me before the sun sets, then the 60,000 coins are yours."
"And how do we lose?" asked Mallow.
Anderson reached into a bag and tossed three items out of the cockpit. They landed on the beach with a wet thud. "Like you lose any other fight."
Mallow ran up to grab the items. "Wait… these are Life Shrooms!"
Toadiko's eyes widened. "No no no no, you can't be serious!"
"I won't be holding back," Anderson said matter-of-factly. "If you're hit hard enough that you're knocked out, then your Life Shroom will trigger. If that happens, you are officially out of the fight and will be asked to flee immediately. If all three of you are knocked out, or you fail to defeat the M013 by sundown, then you earn nothing."
"We'll take you down, just you watch!" Mallow shouted defiantly.
Shy Guy raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"In your current state, you stand no chance of winning, though you're welcome to try," Anderson said with a wink. "But I'm sure there's tools all around the island that could even the odds. Maybe you've seen some, maybe you haven't."
"You guys got any ideas?" asked Shy Guy.
"I'm gonna need a minute," said Toadiko.
"Unfortunately, my explanation has come to a close," said Anderson. "But since I'm such a gracious host, I'll give you one minute to run away."
"One minute?" gasped Toadiko.
"Starting… now!"
"The mines!" whispered Toadiko. "It should be protected enough that we can stop and make a plan."
Shy Guy nodded. "Got it."
Mallow nodded as well. "Let'sa go!"
The final three bolted towards the forest, which was only a few feet away from their stretch of beach. Any hesitation certain players had previously had about climbing over roots and trees was gone as they all made a mad dash for their lives.
"Do we know where we're going?" called Mallow.
"Our spot on the beach wasn't too far from the fort," said Shy Guy. "It was a straight shot from there, so if we keep going at this angle then we should hit it."
They kept running at full speed. The dossier mission gave them just enough experience running through this forest that they were able to jump from foothold to foothold without too much issue. However, before they knew it, the first minute of the mission had passed.
The mechanical roar of an engine pierced the forest as Anderson revved up the M013. That sound alone was already enough cause for panic, but soon it was followed by the sounds of cracking wood and shifting earth.
"He's plowing right through the forest!" shouted Toadiko.
"We're so in over our heads," said Shy Guy.
"No! We can do this!" Toadiko and Shy Guy glanced back in shock.
"Mallow?"
"Listen, I'm just as terrified as you guys," said Mallow, leaping over a tangled mass of roots. "Heck, maybe even more scared! But this isn't my first time dealing with killer robots, believe it or not. And you guys may not be the same as Mario, Geno, Bowser, and Peach- "
"Real encouraging there," said Shy Guy.
"The point is!" said Mallow. "Even when the odds feel overwhelming and our backs are against the wall, we can do it if we work together!"
"Listen, that's great on paper, but this isn't the same," said Shy Guy. "Like you said, we're not Mario. Toadiko and I haven't done the hero thing before at all. Not to mention we have a traitor here who wants us to fail! Did you have to deal with that?"
"I mean, we had Bowser."
"Not the same thing," said Shy Guy.
"Shy Guy, I could really do without your negativity right now!" said Toadiko, sounding like she was on the verge of a panic attack.
"I'm being realistic," said Shy Guy. "We're the underdogs here."
Before anyone could reply, they hit the far side of the forest, emerging right in front of the entrance to the mine. "Underdogs or not, at least you got us to safety," said Mallow.
Shy Guy smiled weakly. "I guess so, yeah."
They filed into the mine one at a time, first Mallow, then Shy Guy, then Toadiko, who cast a nervous glance back at the woods. There was still no visible sign of the M013, but she could still hear its path of destruction clearly. They ran down the tunnel in silence until they neared the first chamber, when Shy Guy spoke up.
"Sorry for stressing you out Toadiko. I'm just scared out of my wits."
"No, I get it," said Toadiko. She sighed. "This just insane."
"Kinda weird to think he's been planning on doing this the whole time," said Mallow.
Shy Guy chuckled. "I hadn't thought of that. You guys think he watched us beat his missions and thought to himself 'Gee, I can't wait to beat these guys up with a giant mole robot!'?"
That earned full-throated laughter from Mallow and Toadiko. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has been practicing that evil laugh in the mirror for weeks," said Toadiko.
"What a mental image," said Mallow.
But before anyone else could add to the mockery, the heard a distant rumbling and felt the mine shake ever so slightly. They froze, looked between each other, and then looked towards the entrance.
"I don't like the sound of that," said Toadiko. "We should start formulating a plan in case something happens."
"Anderson said we could find things to help us around the island, right?" said Mallow.
Shy Guy looked around at the many small mineshafts splitting off from the chamber. "This seems like as good of a place as any. Let's split up and see what we can find."
Toadiko: With one of our three party members being a known traitor, I'm hesitant to let everyone wander off on their own, but I'm also worried about Anderson somehow finding us. I guess this is a risk I'll have to take.
Shy Guy and Mallow ran off into separate tunnels while Toadiko slowly walked towards the end of the chamber.
Toadiko: Anderson made such a fuss about Fiend's Burrow. Maybe there's something special hidden in there.
But much to her dismay, the path to Fiend's Burrow was blocked by a thick iron door. She banged on it, pushed against it with all her weight, and pulled on the handle as hard as she could, but it refused to budge. Finally, she sighed, turned around, and headed into one of the tunnels.
After searching around the tunnel for fifteen or so minutes, the trio converged back in the central chamber.
"Did you guys feel more shaking while you were in there?" asked Mallow.
Shy Guy nodded. "Yeah. Not a good sign at all."
"We really should start making a plan before something horrible happens," said Toadiko. "Did you all manage to find anything?"
Shy Guy grinned. "Look familiar?" he said, revealing a slender, plastic, rifle-like object.
"A Super Scope!" gasped Mallow. "It's been ages since we've seen one of those!"
"Hopefully a charged shot is enough to bust that thing," said Shy Guy. "But I'm not sure."
"You should hold onto that," said Toadiko. "We need your sharpshooting skills now more than ever."
"You got it."
"This should help too!" said Mallow, holding out a folded blue piece of paper.
Toadiko gently grabbed the paper and unfolded, a smile creeping over her face as she realized what she was holding. "These are the M013's blueprints!"
"Sure looks like it!" said Mallow. "I'm not sure how much you know about weapons, but you're probably the best person to look at it."
"I suppose it depends on when and where it was made," said Toadiko. "Or rather, who those Monty Moles learned from." She held it up, trying to keep it out of her own shadow as she squinted to read it.
Boom! The entire chamber shook violently and the everyone was sprayed from below by dirt.
"What was that?" gasped Mallow, coughing as a cloud of dirt wafted over his face.
"Oh no," said Toadiko. "Look at this." She was pointing to the ground, where a huge crack had formed, running all the way from their feet to somewhere deep in a nearby tunnel.
"We gotta go!" shouted Shy Guy.
A deafening roar blasted through the mine as an explosion of dirt flew out of the cracked mineshaft. When the dust settled, they saw one of the M013's claws cutting through the ground, digging a tunnel for the rest of itself.
Mallow and Toadiko immediately ran for the entrance, but Shy Guy stayed put. "Shy Guy!" called Toadiko. "I thought you said we should run!"
"Hold on, I need to see something," said Shy Guy, carefully mounting the Super Scope on his shoulder and squeezing the trigger. The muzzle began to glow and emit light as it built up energy. "Come on out, Anderson."
Finally, the cockpit emerged from the new pit. "Didn't think the mole robot could find you underground?" asked Anderson. "Use your imagination, players!" He noticed Shy Guy standing there with the Super Scope. They locked eyes for a moment before Shy Guy released the trigger.
A huge ball of light rocketed out of the Super Scope, heading right towards Anderson. The host hastily flicked a few levers, causing the M013 to thrust its arm into the shot's path. The shot ricocheted off the arm, barely denting it before exploding against the wall.
"Now we run!" shouted Shy Guy.
They burst out of the tunnel, finally escaping the deafening sounds of cracking rocks and shifting earth from the M013's digging. In front of them stood the wake of the machine's earlier chase: a section of the woods had been completely flattened in a straight line from their starting point to the mine's entrance. They stopped to admire the carnage for only a few moments before snapping back to the peril at hand.
"Where to now?" asked Mallow.
"I saw a mushroom in the villa I started in for the dossier challenge," said Toadiko. "I think it would be worth checking out more."
Shy Guy shrugged. "Sounds good to me. This thing isn't going to be enough to win on its own," he said, holding up the Super Scope.
"Are you going to be fine to run with that?" asked Toadiko.
"Yeah, it's pretty light," said Shy Guy. "You still have the blueprint."
Toadiko pulled the folded-up blueprint out of her pocket. "All good!"
Mallow stared at the empty expanse of beach as they crossed onto the far side of the island. "Are we sure about this? It's pretty far from anything else. What if Anderson tracks us down?"
"We don't have much of a choice," said Shy Guy. "Let's just hope Toadiko wasn't lying about that mushroom."
Toadiko rolled her eyes. "You'll see for yourself soon enough."
Mallow peaked over his shoulder. "Still no sign of Anderson. Do you think he's stuck in the mine?"
"Nah," said Shy Guy. "Like he said, a mole robot is probably pretty good at digging. Maybe he just lost us."
"That would be very fortunate," said Toadiko. "That thing's bound to catch up if it's actively chasing us, but it doesn't exactly look well-equipped for searches."
"Hopefully we'll have more time here then we did at the mine then," said Mallow.
"Wow, what a dump!" said Mallow as they walked through the front door of the villa.
"It must have been abandoned at the same time as everything else," said Toadiko. "Which makes it even more strange that I found such a fresh-looking mushroom."
"Where was that?" asked Shy Guy.
"In the pantry by the kitchen," said Toadiko. "You two look while I study these blueprints."
Shy Guy and Mallow entered the pantry. The smell was immediately overwhelming. The whole room reeked of garbage and decay. The floor was coated in a thick layer of compost and most of the shelves were rotten and collapsed.
Something on one of the shelves caught Mallows eye. "What's this?" he muttered. He leaned in, attempting to not step in the compost, and just managed to snag the item from the shelf.
"That's one weird mushroom," said Shy Guy. The cap was navy blue with yellow thunderbolts for spots, and its eyes had a permanent scowl.
"Let's take this back to Toadiko," said Mallow. They backed away from the pantry and ran back over to the living room area.
Toadiko looked up from the blueprint. "Good news!" she said. "I'm pretty sure the M013 is based on old Koopa Troop tech!"
"Do you know much about that?" asked Shy Guy.
"Well, I'm not big on military history, but I remember learning something very important about their old gear," she said. "The treads are supposedly very flimsy. If we had way to break them, we might be able to stop Anderson in his tracks!"
Shy Guy scratched his chin for a moment before exclaiming "Right! I think I know something that can help. There was a ballista on the roof of the fortress. If I can get a clean shot, I could bust its treads."
Toadiko looked down at the blueprints as she mulled over his suggestion. "I don't want to make any promises, but that could work."
"Sounds like a plan then," said Shy Guy. "Let's head that way."
"Hold on," said Mallow. "Can you take a look at this first? We found it in the pantry." He held out the strange mushroom.
"Ah, that's a Volt Shroom! From what I've read, it temporarily gives you lightning powers if you eat it. Who knows what sort of havoc this would cause in all that machinery," said Toadiko.
"I'll hold on to it," said Mallow. "It's been a long time, but I used lightning magic back on my adventure with Mario. I might be able to figure this out pretty quickly."
Shy Guy nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
"Excellent!" Toadiko stood up, folded up the blueprint, and tucked it in her pocket. "Ready to head out?"
After some nods of confirmation, the trio made their way to the door and out onto the beach. They prepared to run before immediately stopping in their tracks.
"No no no! Not now!"
With a thunderous roar, the edge of the distant forest split open, and out of it stormed the M013.
Author's Note: A lot has changed about Episode 8 over the course of this story, from the finalists (sans the Mole), to the other missions, to the details of this mission, but the final mission was always going to be a climactic final battle against this moley mechanical menace, the M013. In fact, I'm pretty sure I thought of the concept for this mission as far back as when I was writing the very first chapter. 13-year-old me would be so hyped to see the M013 finally brought to life, and current me is so hyped to be bringing you the rest of that fight!
Fun fact: Bowser's appearance on the ferry is more than just a fake-out, it's actually an easter egg referencing my original idea for this episode. When I first thought of the M013 years ago, it was supposed to be preceded by a final battle against Bowser on the ferry. But I (thankfully) decided that two fights would be a bit too much, and decided to put more focus on a battle that more comprehensively tested the players. I briefly considered making Bowser the M013's pilot after that, but eventually concluded that, despite Bowser's role as a consistent antagonist this season, Anderson was a much more fitting final boss, since he concocted the many devious challenges and relished in tormenting the players.
Princess Toady: As you predicted, the dossier challenge wasn't quiet what it seemed, though not in the way you thought. The mission itself was less a game of trickery and more just a desperate dash to the dossier, which was inspired by the second American season's dossier mission (though its's been quite a few years since I've seen it, so it might've been more complex than I'm remembering lol). The main reason I included it was to help give the players (and by extension the readers) an overview of the island in preparation for this true final mission. And yeah, Shy Guy's definitely got a knack for nabbing those special game items! Shy Guy's got his metagaming, Toadiko's got her knowledge, and Mallow's advantage has yet to be seen (maybe it's hidden savviness, maybe it's dumb luck, or maybe he's the Mole like you expect, we shall see), hopefully these strategies will give you a lot of food for thought as we close in on the end. As always, thanks for reviewing!