Iaaahh! Thanks guys for the wonderful support last episode beginning. I thank you so much for your words :) I feel like when Episode 3 hits in a Mole game, that's when it really starts to get interesting...and scary : o
Anyways, CAUTION! CHILDHOOD TRIGGER ALERT! This chapter may stir some of your childhood memories, if you have ever been a Mario Party player. But in the end, it's quite a delight : 3
Also, feel free to youtube a minigame first when its name comes up! : D Or, if you've never seen the game before, check it out to get a better image of it before the game begins! Sadly, the players cannot do this themselves. Not only that, but it would be cheating.
Anyways, enjoy!
Episode 3 (Part 2)
"Lava…Tile Isle?" stuttered Snifit, seeing the players thrust onto the land of stationary, yet soon-to-be-moving blocks on the screen. McHallyboo nodded.
"That…that is a hard game."
"It looks atrocious!" Even though the other three had never seen the minigame before, they all nodded and agreed: the sight of lava that surrounded the arena gave them all unpleasant feelings and quivers, and on top of that, happy relief that they had played Mushroom-Mixup instead.
"I was always particularly fond of Hot Rope Jump," Dashell said, shrugging and looking at the screen too. "Wish I could see that in person for once."
"I believe the bottom line is," McHallyboo told them, "is that you four must bet VERY very soon which two players have the highest probability of winning the game. If you bet correctly on the winner, I will add ten-thousand coins to the team pot."
"But…what is the game?" Éclair asked the host.
"They basically have to fight each other off into the lava, upon large moving tiles of lava. Until a winner stands," the host elaborated, and at his sentence, the players were appalled.
"That's terrible!" Mimi voiced out, looking shocked to the maximum in her face. "Who would design such a thing? Poor them."
"This time, it wasn't me who thought this up," McHallyboo said, looking blameless. "So. I'll give you guys around twenty to thirty seconds to decide your bets." They all faced each other.
Dashell: We all had different opinions, so I was understandably unsure how well we would agree as a team.
"I think we gotta agree on one thing: Piantissimo probably stands the greatest chance of winning this," Dashell told them, looking at the others for consent. Mimi folded her arms.
"Well, fine," she sounded. "Even though I HATE to admit it, he probably might be the winner, pushing the others off and being a big meanie." Everyone nodded in unison.
"How about Dry Bones?" Éclair though. "He has been in a Mario Party before, and is probably used to such...odd environments."
"Yes, but…I'd be cautious choosing him," Snifit said, shaking his head. "He's a good fellow…but he might crack under pressure. He has potential because he's sturdy on the exterior though, so we gotta think." Everyone thought again for a ten-second silence, until someone spoke up again.
"Hey, I think I know who to choose," Snifit spoke silently. "Zess." All three players shot their stunned looks back at him.
"Zess? Why Zess?!" Mimi exclaimed. "But she's….she's…."
"Older than us?" Eclair said, shaking her head. "It is of no significance. If anyone has the most gusto and will to win in that group…it is probably Zess. And I would choose her too, Snifit." McHallyboo began counting his fingers down.
"Well," Dashell said, seeming skeptical in their choices and wide eyes, "we will...go with that. I feel like that's our group pitch in on bets." He faced McHallyboo again.
"McHallyboo…we bet Piantissimo and Zess." Mimi seemed to shudder in fear.
It was seconds away from beginning. A burst of lava came out of the air from Tiny's side, making her step away from it.
"No way are we going to play this," Tiny Kong gasped, looking around at her surroundings with panic. Lava surrounded all four players on all sides, and the rules were known to all of them: they had to fight to the end.
"Wait, so we're allowed to punch each other?" whimpered Dry Bones. "Who designed this game?!" His feet were planted directly on the platform of the stone block before him.
"Don't look at me," Zess chortled, keeping her balance for the game's beginning.
Zess: Oh dear. Something was telling me that the future didn't hold well at all for me. Maybe since I was standing high above lava!
Dry Bones: Things were gonna get bad. The game didn't even start, and I was already scared for my life! Why couldn't we have gotten Group 1's minigame? All they did was hop above water!
"And the blocks move, according to the rules," Tiny said. Piantissimo nodded.
"You know what?" Piantissimo said, speaking up with an intimidating look on his face. "A game like this was designed for me! You're all just pawns!" The other three couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by their teammate's sentence.
Piantissimo: I had to affect them negatively psychologically to win the game, as a player in this game. You see...I had to put in their mindsets that they were going to lose.
"Ready, players?" came a voice from above, and they knew that McHallyboo's voice was being echoed strongly from above. The treacherous game of Lava Tile Isle was about to take place.
"In three…two…one…"
START! At that very announcement, there was an unexpected tremor that hit and startled all four players simultaneously. The blocks below them, all at once, began to shake, but it was two blocks that began to wobble the most out of all of them.
Zess: Piantissimo...he is always so sure he's going to win! But it's hard to determine if it's just his characteristic, or just an act he puts out while playing in the missions of The Mole: Agent's Elevation.
"WHAT THE!" Piantissimo shouted, feeling the stone block directly below his feet move. "My block is shaking!" As Tiny and Dry Bones watched the shaking blocks in fear, Zess made her way to the corner of the playing field, away from the others.
"Ah, this block is moving too," Dry Bones said nervously, and he took a backwards steps towards Piantissimo's direction. Piantissimo's eyes gleamed.
"Hey Dry Bones…take this!" And with an outstretched shove, his hands pushed Dry Bones forwards, and Dry Bones fell onto the stone block roughly. Zess and Tiny Kong gasped.
"WHAT!" Dry Bones said, standing up breathlessly and turning around. "Why did you do that!" Zess watched from afar, helpless.
"You're playing this game rude!" Zess yelled out to him. "What goes around, comes around!"
"Well, it's a game!" Piantissimo shouted, taking a step closer to him. "And I'm going to win this!"
All of a sudden, there was an unanticipated shift of the field. The platform Piantissimo was directly upon now began to move violently, towards a south direction, and Piantissimo, who had one leg raised in the air in midstep, did not stand a chance in keeping his balance. He took a heavy stumble backwards, away from Dry Bones.
"Huh-AHH!" Piantissimo let out a shout, and seemingly tried to grab onto an invisible rope that didn't exist. It was too late, and with a shout, he fell directly off the edge of the block.
"I WAS GOING TO W-!" was his final shout, plummeting towards the lava. Dry Bones shielded his eyes at the terrible scene that took place in front of him. All three players still aboard the blocks were stunned.
"Hah!" Zess' shouted triumphantly from the corner of the field, seeing Piantissimo's fall. "That's what you get for giving us such an ego! Mmhm! Glad to see you burned...well, if you know what I mean!" Dry Bones eyes turned to the enthusiastic Zess, even more shocked.
The others in the instruction room were full of shock and disappointment.
"Did Piantissimo know the blocks were going to move?" Snifit wondered. "Did they go over that in the rules? If they didn't, then that's not fair and they should recall that!" Snifit shook his head, disappointed in their game choice.
"He is an athlete…but he fell," Éclair said, looking confused herself.
Éclair: I cannot believe Piantissimo fell down, and it disturbed me. He would always show off athleticism, but in this one, he fell off, at the very critical point that we depended ten-thousand coins on him. Perhaps it was on purpose.
"Oh my gosh." Mimi hid her laughter, looking at the screen almost with glee. "That was a sight to witness."
"It was a bit surprising, but what are we going to do?" Snifit voiced with a shrug. "I guess we just have to accept that we did bad...with our bet." Everyone nodded slowly, and they knew that they were closer to losing the game.
"Well, the bottom line is, now we must count on…well…Zess to win," Dashell said, and even when saying his statement, a hint of doubt was in his voice.
"Oh!" The tiles moves once again, and Zess was shaken off her balance from the vibration. While Tiny Kong was keeping her ground still, Dry Bones was attempting to move to another tile.
"Oh man!" Dry Bones shouted, stepping off a trembling tile, one that was about to move again. "I can't even walk on these shaking blocks!"
"It's so hot…I can't even see where I'm going!" Tiny cried, stepping to another tile. Zess stayed her corner, hoping that her tile wouldn't shake.
Zess: I was keeping in the distance as my strategy, and I was hoping that the other two would fight out first. That way, it would make my chances greater in surviving. But what did I know about how Mario Party worked?
"Tiny…Zess!" shouted out the voice of Dry Bones. "Want to just call this a draw! This is ridiculous! I don't want to fight any of you!" His other two teammates looked at him from their own corners.
"But we don't win any money if we draw and give up!" Tiny realized, trying to keep her balance on a shaking floor. "We have to continue!"
"Okay…then don't blame me if I lose to temptation and try to win!" Dry Bones shouted back, and he latched onto one of the moving tiles, not moving off from it as it sailed to the bottom of the area. "Sorry guys! I will fight my best!"
Tiny: Dry Bones wanted to end the competition…I saw a little point in it. I would rather have no one win, than an opponent getting a valuable plus one instead.
"Careful, Tiny…" Tiny hopped the tile, and she landed directly upon a tile. It was the tile that Dry Bones happened to be directly standing on. The two of them met face-to-face unexpectedly.
"AH!" they both exclaimed, stepping back a bit in surprise. Both players, on the same stone block, were alarmed at their close proximity in the game of duels.
"Don't push me! Or I'll push you!" Dry Bones shouted directly at her, keeping his feet wobbily planted into the floor. The two players were just feet apart from each other, in a deadly duel.
"Dry Bones, I'm just trying to-"
"Get away from me!" Dry Bones lunged forwards, as Tiny Kong stepped back away from him. She faced him, panicked, and the ground shook again. They heard a yell from Zess, and then the stone tiles moved once more into different directions.
Tiny: The tiles were changing….I had to use this to my advantage.
"Take this!" Tiny lunged at Dry Bones, and in fear, he stepped back to counter her direction. But for the skeletonated Koopa, it was a failed attempt at safety. The block tile, which was behind Dry Bones just seconds ago, had switched at last second. It had move away, and unfortunately for the case of Dry Bones, it was no longer where he had believed it to be.
"WHAAA-" He had stepped back directly into the lava.
"Ouch!" Mimi, Dashell, and Eclair shielded their eyes from the screen, seeing Dry Bones fall into the lava's pool of existence.
"Well, that's two down," Snifit said, looking a little hopefully at the screen and not bothered by Dry Bones' demise at all.
"Ugh, did you see his body sink into the lava?" Mimi sighed with disgust. "That was terrifying.
"Hmm, we're getting closer to winning…come one," Dashell counted, looking closely and watching the last two players remaining on the field.
It was Tiny and Zess left upon the gridlock pattern of stone tiles. The lava below them bubbled threateningly. Lava Tile Isle was at its final stage.
As Zess looked a little nervously at the other female player that existed along with her, Tiny, started making her way to the other side of the tiles, towards Zess' direction.
"Well, I guess it's down to just you and me!" Zess called out, grinning mischievously with excitement.
Zess: I had to say, with true truth…if I were at that moment at Tiny Kong's age, I would have beaten her with no doubt.
Tiny Kong: Even though she was older than me and I had to respect her, in this game you're not supposed to show any mercy in this game. Especially for a plus one.
"No mercy," Tiny Kong said, grinning herself, as the toad nodded fully.
"Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I'm not going down without a battle!" Zess replied, and they were at it like two beetles at a stand-off. The stones shook once again, making them both caught off-guard.
"Hmph!" Zess shouted, stomping on the stone tile towards Tiny to scare her off.
Tiny: It was frightening. We were battling each other, without even using physical contact. And it was tense.
"Hyah!" Tiny Kong used one of her hands to swipe Zess backwards, and with a light touch of contact, it was successful. With a surprised gasp, Zess fell backwards onto the stone tile.
"Oh my," she coughed, shaking her head and her body still on the ground. A lava fountain burst by her side, as she covered her eyes with fear. Tiny Kong stepped closer to her.
Zess: Oh no. She got me cornered. All it would take was one push, and I was off the tile for good!
Suddenly, there was a shake louder than ever before for the two players. The tile on the left, which was two spaces away from them a second ago, had moved with full force right into their tile. Hitting their own stone cube, both players were thrown off their feet and into the air, roughly landing back onto the ground. However, one player, who was standing opposed to gripping the ground tightly, had been thrown father than the other.
"Ah!" Tiny cried, rolling across the ground viciously and her arm reaching out and grabbing onto the side of the stone cube. Zess immediately made her way over to her. Tiny Kong was grabbing onto the cube's edge, her feet above the lava itself.
"I can help!" the old lady immediately offered, her face determined to help her teammate. Still grabbing on and looking at her, Tiny Kong shook her head strongly.
"No," she said, sounding defeated smiling a bit. "This was a game. You won, Zess! Take the victory!" Zess shook her own head.
"I'll help you up, that's for sure!" But it was too late, as the edge-grabbing player let go, falling down into the sweltering lava below her. Tiny Kong fell, as Zess looked from on top of the stone block with shock and awe. Alone on top of the tile, Zess finally stood up from her place.
"Have…have I won this game?" And at that moment, Zess was declared the winner of the minigame of frenzy, fighting, and fire.
Everyone was back together again
"Zess!" Éclair exclaimed, running over to the arrived woman. "You had done it! You have won for us!" The game was well over, and Dry Bones, Tiny, and Piantissimo made their way to the rest of the group as well.
Éclair: It was a great joy to see Zess win the game. Many people did not believe that someone like me would win my game, but I did win. And then in Zess' case...she was the same example. Nobody expected her, but she won.
Zess grinned back, and looked at the others. She had won the team ten thousand coins.
"Well, I must say, that was one heck of a game," she said to the others, as Tiny Kong went up to her and gave her a small hug.
"That was way too scary," Tiny said with a small laugh, hugging Zess and a little emotional herself from the game. "I never want to do anything like that again!"
Tiny: Having to fight Zess off from a block over lava was one of the worst things I had ever done. If another mission forces me to do something similar…I'd run away and never ever do it. No way again.
"And Piantissimo, nobody likes you because you lost your game," Mimi said suddenly, out of the blue. It was Piantissimo's face who turned into an unexpected rage to her sentence.
"Listen, you little know-it-all!" he shouted, turning to look at her. "I tried my best in that game, and just cause a tile fell out of place when it wasn't supposed to doesn't mean that I'm still not the best one here." Mimi only laughed in reply.
"Piantissimo couldn't keep his balance on a rock, Piantissimo couldn't keep his balance on a rocke," she taunted, her voice in a small song form. As everyone looked worried, Piantissimo's face shot into full anger.
Dry Bones: And then he just ran off.
"I'M DONE!" Piantissimo shouted angrily, and he stormed right past McHallyboo, who stepped back with full surprise. A door, engraved into the white wall and leading out of the white room, was opened, and it was Piantissimo who stormed out of it.
"Whoa…" was all Dry Bones could say, looking at Mimi. "I've never seen him storm off like that. You're good!" Mimi, a little shocked herself at Piantissimo's action, just shook her head and beamed.
Tiny: Ugh…really? Did we really need this kind of drama again? This was reminiscent of Exemption or Bust, and that wasn't exactly the best experience.
"Now that was cruel!" Zess chided, and her voice turned into a scolding one as she began to give the little girl a verbal lesson. "How did your mother teach you your manners, young lady?"
"Umm, where did that door lead to?" asked a stunned Dry Bones.
"That door leads to the bathroom," McHallyboo explained to the no-longer confused player. "I showed it to the others during Game 1."
Zess: I had to teach this girl some manners! I couldn't believe it! This new generation of words!
"Hmm…but he is always so cocky and thinking he's the best!" Mimi pointed, pouting at the old toad's words of scolding. "So I wanted to show him his place!"
"Even if someone is mean themself," Éclair spoke, stepping in, "it is still not nice to attack with words. You must attack them with kindness." Mimi nodded, still pouting.
"Well…," McHallyboo announced, clearing his throat. "Even though all four of you aren't here at the moment, the game must go on. Umm…Team 1! You are scheduled to play the next game. Which is…" Everyone's attention turned back to the host, as they waited curiously for the name of their next minigame, one that some of them were about to partake in.
"Dungeon Duos!" announced the host.
"Isn't that the game where the teams have to do that crazy obstacle course and everything is so tired that don't want to play the board game anymore?" Snifit asked. Unfortunately, nobody knew what he was talking about.
"Before you guys go off," the host said, reaching into his pockets, "read this manual to explain how the game goes." He gave a two-sided paper to a disbelieving Mimi.
Mimi: A MANUAL? That's how complicated the game was? I didn't even want to play, because even Mushroom-Mixup was hard for me.
"Oh, and one more thing before I send you guys off into the arena!" McHallyboo remembered, and he smiled at the players. "This is a Team game! You guys had randomly been paired off into two's for this game. So…" He looked at his paper.
"Mimi and Eclair are Team 1, and Dashell and Snifit are Team 2. And a randomly-selected member of the winning team will be awarded a plus one, if you win." Dashell seemed to nod, but his face wasn't too happy.
Dashell: I would have liked to have been on Éclair's team, honestly. Winning a plus one meant that she had a chance of losing, and vice versa. McHallyboo's choices suck.
"So we bet on which team will win?" Dry Bones said eagerly, looking more excited at the new game's qualities. "Wow! The game just got easier." Zess and Tiny nodded as well.
"Well, with Piantissimo gone, I guess we'll have wiser voices to guess an opinion," Zess chortled. McHallyboo faced the others.
"Well…let's get started with Minigame 3. "Are you ready for the dungeon?"
"No, I am NOT ready," Mimi pouted, looking ahead of her at the dungeon path. The four players of Group 1 were now in the dungeon, stone walls surrounded them on sides and the paths ahead of them being filled with unknown obstacles to stumble upon. It was an unpleasant but intriguing sight.
"There's a wall blocking my way?" Dashell realized with curiosity, looking at the wall before him. "How am I supposed to get past this?"
"With my help!" came the voice of Snifit from besides Dashell, and Dashell could hear his partner's voice through the stone wall on his side. "I have to spin this…device." It was a dial device, one that would free their path and win their game. Éclair looked at the wall in front of her.
"Mimi, you must spin the dial to rid my wall," Éclair called to Mimi from the other side of their wall. "And then I am able to go through!
"Okay, as long as we win this, we can do it!" Mimi called back out to her.
"So, predictions?" McHallyboo said to the three, as they all watched the beginning scene from the minigame instruction room.
"Umm, we pick a team to bet?" Dry Bones began. "Okay…we'll choose…."
Dry Bones: It was a tough choice. We had Dashell and Snifit on one side, and they probably looked stronger in competitiveness and smartness. But Éclair showed herself in the other game. And Mimi actually looked fit enough to do the obstacle. So I didn't know who would win.
"I have hope in the girls," Zess said, before any of them speak. "I know that Éclair is surprisingly strong. And Mimi might have been rejuvenated from her last loss, and…my speech lesson." Zess laughed.
"Hmm, I don't know," Tiny began, looking at the screen. "The game looks tough. Before, I had faith in Snifit winning the last game, but he didn't win. So I'm going to ignore the fact that he has prior knowledge of how this game works. Dashell…is also strong, but this game doesn't require so much running."
Tiny: It was a tough choice. I didn't know what to choose. Ten thousand coins were literally on our words.
"The guys are such an obvious choice though…but what if they don't win?" Tiny Kong said with frustration.
"Twenty seconds," began McHallyboo.
"I think we should have faith in the girls," Tiny said, siding with Zess. "I feel like teamwork is important. Éclair and Mimi seem to have a stronger connection than Dashell and Snifit."
"Are you sure?" Dry Bones spoke up warily with a nervous look on his face. "I've seen Snifit and Dashell work together really well and communicate a lot out of this game. They seem to be very compatible with each other!"
"Ten seconds…" began to McHallyboo. Dry Bones shrugged.
"I'm going to…ahh," Dry Bones mumbled, not knowing what to choose. He faced McHallyboo.
"Okay, fine! We bet the team of Mimi and Éclair will win, McHallyboo." The bet was established, as the three players turned their attention directly to the screen of the mini-game.
"Dungeon Duos to begin!" came a voice from above the players in the dungeon.
"In three…two…one…"
START! Each team member immediately dashed forwards, to the first obstacle of their game: while one member was blocked by a wall, the other had to turn a handle multiple times to lower the wall, foot by foot. Snifit and Mimi began to unwind their partner's doors, spinning each dial as much and as fast as they could.
Mimi: It was so tiring! We had to spin these handle things, and mine was so heavy to spin.
Snifit: If my hands weren't so stubby...perhaps I would have been able to spin that dial faster.
"Yes! Down!" Dashell saw his wall disappear, and with that, he dashed forwards to his own individual dial. The role was reversed, and it was his turn to free his wall-ridden partner.
"Ugh…so heavy…got it!" Mimi finished her spinning. Both teams were neck to neck.
"Man, this is harder than I thought!" Dashell yelled. Éclair ran forwards to her own metal dial, and began to spin it.
"This dial is…quite difficult!" Éclair said, grabbing her dial, but she managed to spin it. Dashell, on his side, was working faster at the metal dial, rotating it numerous times.
"Six times, seven times, eight times," Dashell counted, his voice getting heavier. It was only a few seconds before Snifit was free, and they both ran to the second part of their obstacle course.
"I'm free!" Snifit said with glee, and he and Dashell were united to their second obstacle of their dungeon path.
"No no no!" Dry Bones said, looking at the screen biting his shirt sleeve nervously. "If it wasn't for those heavy switches, the girls would have been winning at this point!"
"I guess strength was a big factor," Tiny said unfortunately. "Uh oh. And Dashell spun that dial pretty fast. I'm surprised at how fast he spun that, actually." Zess snapped her fingers, looking at the girls.
"Éclair seems to be struggling with her dial," Zess began, "but that doesn't mean we should give up! They have as much speed as their male competitors!"
"It is…strangely heavy to turn," Éclair huffed, using her hands to spin the metal dial. "I am struggling." She was on her third turn, but it was getting harder and harder by the second.
"No, it's really easy!" shouted Mimi from the other side. "You have to spin it clock-wise like ten times! And after ten times, the wall will come down!" Despite her words, Éclair was still beginning to lose strength in her dial spinning.
Mimi: I was so confused! Even though it was sort of difficult, I was able to spin my dial with ease! Eclair wasn't putting all her strength into it!
"I am…it is not moving," Éclair said, her voice tired by alarmed. She was thrusting her body into each turn, but only felt the dial get heavier and heavier in her hands.
Éclair: It had become so much heavier at a certain point when I was rotating the dial. It seemed as if something had changed, while I was spinning it, that made it extremely difficult to turn.
"Mimi…I do not know," Éclair said, her voice weak as well as she let go off her dial. "I am sorry. I cannot do this."" Mimi, from the other side of the wall, gasped with worry.
"No, we gotta win this Éclair!" she shouted. "Come on! You have the strength!" Éclair nodded, and attempted once more at the metal dial.
"Huh…it seems like something's up with the girl's team," Zess noticed, pointing closer at the large screen ahead of them. The others looked as well, as Tiny looked closer with worry.
"It seems like Éclair is having trouble with her metal dial," Tiny saw. "Does she know how to use it correctly?"
"What! But…but," Dry Bones began, "Mimi had such an easy time spinning it! Why is Éclair having so much trouble?"
Dry Bones: It seemed like sabotage to me! Éclair was a strong player, but she couldn't spin a simple dial? It was suspicious from the start! I couldn't believe she was messing up so early in the minigame.
"Hey…wha, what's happening?" Piantissimo walked back into the room, seeing the panicked looks on all three of their faces. He saw the game going on.
"What! You guys didn't wait for me to come back start the game?" he exclaimed to them. "I didn't even know the game started!" Nobody seemed bothered by his statement.
"And at such a bad time," Zess said, shaking her head with confusion. "Éclair seems to be struggling with her dial for some reason…and Mimi is just standing there." Piantissimo looked at the screen, then back at Zess.
"Eclair! What is she doing?!" All of a sudden, he turned to Dry Bones slowly.
"Wait...don't tell me you guys voted for the team Mimi was on," Piantissimo voiced with disbelief. Dry Bones slowly nodded, covering his eyes.
"Hmm, I wonder how the girls are doing?" Dashell said, as he began to spin a dial for a rotating platform he had just crossed. They were at the second obstacle section of the game, and a distance ahead of their competitors. Snifit aimed his jump carefully, and when Dashell stopped spinning, Snifit jumped onto it with careful precision.
"Good teamwork," Snifit said, giving a thumbs up and lying belly-down after his jump. He was thankful that he didn't fall to his demise, as his own platform began to rotate to safety.
"It's funny too," Dashell began, spinning Snifit around on the platform so he could reach him. "I hear Mimi's constant yelling, getting farther and farther away from us. Think they're okay?"
"As much as I want to win these plus ones….I cannot help but feel concerned too," Snifit said, face in confusion as he jumped onto the safe land with Dashell on the other side of the course.
"You're halfway there, Éclair!" Mimi called out to her, watching the wall before her lower foot by foot. It was a tall wall, and she could not simply climb above it.
Mimi: I didn't know what to do. Éclair couldn't lower the wall, and I wanted to win that plus one so badly. But I couldn't just hop over it like Mario! So…I was making peace with my loss at the moment. Like a grown girl.
"I am…very sorry Mimi," Éclair began, and she sat down on the cold tile floor. "I am not strong enough. I cannot spin it." She had given up her actions, as Dashell and Snifit raced to their personal victory.
Éclair: I did not know why that dial was so heavy for me to spin. And it was more hurtful to know that Mimi did not win, than me not winning.
"So…the bet is lost," McHallyboo concluded, as both Mimi and Éclair looked tired and defeated. Éclair's face was troubled, looking more tired than her partner.
Piantissimo: From what I distinctly heard, Éclair couldn't spin a dial that Mimi could spin? Pfft! My suspicions were high for the princess from what she did. She pretended to struggle, but honestly, I think it was sabotage.
Mimi: I wasn't mad at Eclair for not getting the plus one. I didn't want to lose her as a friend, since we were both in this game. So I let it go. Grudges are bad! I'm still surprise that I'm stronger than her though.
"I am sorry for letting the team down," Éclair told them, facing everybody, "But on the contrary, I am glad that you had faith in us to win." When she said that, she was facing Zess. Zess smiled at her.
"Well, faith one way, faith the other," the toad said with a wink. Everyone seemed dejected from the loss.
"So I know we lost," Snifit began, "but….I'm excited to see who will win the plus one between Dashell and me." Everyone eyed the two males a little curiously, and McHallyboo flipped through a small packet of papers in his hands.
"Umm…again, this was randomly selected," McHallyboo began, reading the text on his page, "but the plus one goes to Dashell Knot for the victory." Everyone faced, Dashell, who looked surprised at the statement.
"Oh, well," he started, looking directly at Snifit, "Snifit was kinda the one who pumped that hot air balloon at the end really fast. I think he should get it." Snifit shook his head, holding his hand out to deflect Dashell's offer.
"If I were to take it, I would feel bad instead. It's a paradox," Snifit said to his partner. "So you take the plus one. I'm good for the quiz." Dashell nodded, as the host gave the green coin into Dashell's possession for the quiz.
Tiny: So now Dashell gets a plus one…it was really intimidating. Éclair, Zess, and him all have advantages on the next quiz. That's three people…and it just makes my chances smaller at surviving.
"Final game!" McHallyboo announced, looking at the members of Group 2. "It's nice that you're all here, instead of being scattered to the bathroom and whatnot." Piantissimo made an irritated sound at McHallyboo's comment at him.
"So, you're all wondering what final amazing game stands in your way," the host began. "Well…it's a quick one!"
"Which is?" Tiny asked the host, anxious on his next words.
"Three Door Monty."
For this minigame, the playershave to watch a Boo,Koopa, andGoombaenter separate doors. The objective is for the players to answer the question of which character entered which door. The player who answers the question right and is the quickest wins the minigame. It is a very speed-oriented game.
"Huh…speed," Piantissimo said in a sure voice, reading the instructions above him. All three players had three sign posts in their hands: one with an 'A' sign, one with a 'B' sign, and the final one with a 'Z' sign.
"Speed as in reflexes, not running," Zess said, wagging her finger at him. "Don't be so sure, Piantissimo!"
"Say, Zess," Dry Bones said slowly, holding up a sign to her, "if I win this game, do you think you can give me one of your plus ones? Maybe…just for security for myself?"
"Well…only if you tell me who the Mole is," Zess smirked. Dry Bones was silent.
"Oh my gosh…I need this," Tiny Kong said, looking closely at the doors in front of her.
"I think we should just…flip coins," Snifit said, looking at the screen and giving up. They as a group had to bet on their two player selections for the game.
"This is an intellectual-based challenge," Éclair said, looking at the others. "The mind is involved. Not just strength."
"Speed…Piantissimo?" Mimi began. "Even though I just can't stand him, I guess I'll pick him."
"And not only that, but the action of raising the right sign in your hand quick enough is a challenge itself," Dashell began. "I'm not going to pick Zess for this one. She was able to win Lava Tile Isle..."
"And now she is less motivated to win a plus one," Snifit noticed cleverly. "So Zess isn't as pumped to win as the others are! Because everyone else doesn't have a plus one yet."
"Do you think Tiny might win?" Éclair wondered. "She is a very clever individual and is determined."
"Poor Dry Bones might just fumble with the signs," Mimi said with a laugh. "And Piantissimo is just so arrogant…he might win."
"I think I'll agree with you on Tiny, Éclair," Dashell said, as the princess smiled with a nod. "And…Piantissimo as well. Maybe he has more energy from his bathroom break." The group seemed content. Even though none of them knew how accurate their answers would be, they had a small sense of hope together.
"Tiny and Piantissimo!" declared Mimi at the host. "We bet them!" The host nodded, writing down their bets.
START!
The game had begun. Before them, a Koopa-troopa came out from a door, then a Boo, and lastly, a Toad. The three figures, before their eyes, began to run amuck, their locations switching over and over again.
Tiny: I…couldn't keep track. They were just running everywhere. I was so lost, but I was just keeping my eye on two of them, just hoping that the ones I was keeping track to would end up being the one being called.
"Boo…Koopa-troopa…Toad…Boo," Piantissimo said out loud enough for the others to hear. Dry Bones winced at his talking.
"Stop it!" he whispered to Piantissimo ."You're messing me up!" Piantissimo's mouth curled into a smile.
"Toad….Boo….Koopa-troopa," Piantissimo continued, being clever in his words. Dry Bones covered his ears.
All of a sudden, all three figures entered their respect doors, and the doors closed shut.
"Oh, this is it," Zess said, clenching her teeth. "This is the moment…" Tiny sighed, crossing her fingers tightly with her other hand.
And then, a sudden sound echoed through the air. All four players gripped onto their signs, ready to raise them. A voice echoed.
"FIND…BOO!"
Not gonna lie. I absolutely SUCKED at that game. Three-Door Monty….man, I would literally just guess and happily hope that someone like Boo popped up. Or Toad. Or Koopa?
Anyways, Dungeon Duos! That is definitely a classic and sticks out in the Mario Party series as being one of the most complex and fun games ever. I knew I had to include that for the players. Button mashing, mah specialty ; D
Anyways, a small announcement after the jump! Ah, but first, let me reply to you great people! : ) It makes me happy to!
Moley Koopa: Yes, the aftermath of an episode! And them relaxing. I love picturing the players relaxing after a stressful episode. The lobby was a favorite setting for the players during Saboteur's Island, so I thought it was a cool touch to have them all there. And yes, Dry Bones is quite a likable guy! His character and quirkiness…I'm not going to lie. He reminds me of myself a lot.
AdmiralBobbery: Hello hello! A pleasure seeing you again! Wasn't the same without Bobbery himself, hehe. Yes, there has been a history of off-screen sabotages. Though there are maybe a few in this story, there are not such a large amount. I will give you that = ) Having a LOT of off-screen sabotage to conduct a Mole's game is a bit cheating, even in a story sense so the Mole this season made sure to keep it to an occasional minimum xD. I missed ya!
Shilo Burbans: The game! Ahh, you're giving me happy memories! Oh man, I never knew you blackmailed Princess Toady, where was I when that happened? I laugh thinking about it, hahah. Watchful like Vivian…you know, even in a virtual reality self-being, she was still able to be smart and catch a stolen megaphone. That's kinda….extreme and scary.
wendychristensen: Ah, hello hello! It has been a small while since I saw you last. You actually brought up intriguing points in your analytical view. I will not comment any more of that, but I'll at least say that you have a very watchful eye as a reader. And thank you for calling my writing clever! Dx I will…thank you and walk away now, hehhee.
fredthemontymole: Yo. Lava Tile Isle D: the heck. Every time I try to punch a computer, it seems to go through their bodies, and they don't even get knocked away. I share your hate! I really do! But Mario Party as a whole…I have loved it forever! A lot of people dislike it for its luck qualities, but, Mario Party has always been my game for hangouts with friends who are Nintendo lovers (I always make sure someone's a Nintendo fan before I make friends with them. LOL. And also, nice suspicion points and analyzing! I see you've crossed off suspects and added some. Shall it change or hold water? Hehe.
TheJoker21: Thank you! I am always glad to get reviews : ] and whoot! A Top-3 list. It's like those are always necessary for a Mole game, heh.
PJCanada: Ahh, wow! I'm actually so intrigued and blown by your "reading between the lines method". Predicting where a story-line is going, etc. what not. And I was even more impressed when you mentioned my virtual fanfiction Mole game and the deal with Princess Toady. YOU WERE ABLE TO FOLLOW THAT GAME? XD I apologize that the forums were so messy, but what you brought up in your review was a good point and a nice catch of eye : ) Ah, please, and about telling your friends to read my story…ah, I cannot take it. I am too bashful and honored! Hehee, thank you!
KhaosOmega: Ah, I must say, very sorry that I did not include Toadstool Titan! But just saying, I think that was the first game I ever played in Mario Party 3? Such joy! Thanks for memory : )
Vivalahomestar: Hey hey hey! Awesome seeing you again! I know, why did you not know my story existed?! –shot for ego- Haha, I kid. Anyways, I'm so glad reading that you liked the virtual-building aspect of the story! I really wanted to pick out a setting that just destroys all physics and expectations, and I felt it was perfect for this third season. It was a pleasure doing this third season, for people like you! Yes, and the friendships and enemies in this game…man, I'm making sure that everything goes perfectly, hehe. And YOU MIGHT GET THE MOLE RIGHT! No lose hope!
FireKai: I was excited for this chapter! So I was happy when you said, "Best chapter ever" (insert happy smiley : D). Hehe. Oh yes, Mushroom Mix-up was such an iconic game in my opinion. I figure everyone must have remembered it, so I immediately included that for the players to play. About the players betting, yes! Some of their choices, I would have agreed on, but others would probably have flat out shaken my head. And MECHA MARATHON, noooo! Terrible memories…but fun : )
Ice Empoleon: Right before I was about to upload this chapter, I looked at the reviews and saw "WHAAA" this long great review! Then I saw Ice Empoleon and was like, "Oh, understandable." xD Ah, this wonderful list of words and sabotages! You know? It even makes me even realize what Non-Mole players have actually done in this game to sabotage! And it blows my mind, seeing how much some have truly messed up the efforts of this entire game. And even as I write this, I look over some of your player summaries : )
Anyways! I am proud to announce…
The official intro video of The Mole: Agent's Elevation! Just look right under "Videos" on the site, on my profile. : )
I didn't know how to introduce the players one by one in this one, to keep the effect of a spy-ish and virtual world. But I added some stuff and I hope you all like it ; ) Also, I added sound effects at the last second, so I'm sure those made it great too! All for an awesome video intro.
Anyways, upcoming is the halfway point of Ep. 3! And just who won first at 3-Door krisetchers-failsathatgame Monty? Stay tuned for next part!