Tribal Council: Night 18

Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Kazuma Kiryu - Tails - Princess Daisy - Tracer - Miles Edgeworth - Goro Majima - Nero - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Wii Fit Trainer.

The first to arrive and enter the Tribal Fortress was the Acogua tribe. Upon entering, they noticed a set of seats to the left and right facing Alexa and his desk. The members of Acogua each took a seat on the left, patiently waiting for the arrival of the other tribe.

Soon enough, Punjay entered the Tribal Fortress, taking the set of seats on the right. Once everyone had settled in, Alexa soon began Tribal Council.

"Welcome, both winners and losers!" He bowed dramatically. "This is the final Tribal Council before the Merge, and as stated before, you guys will be enduring a double elimination! I'll ask a few questions to each tribe, and then you'll be asked to vote. Due to Acogua lasting longer in the challenge, Punjay will have their votes read out first. By the end of tonight, two tribes would have voted out a member of their own."

The survivors nodded with understanding.

"Alright! Let's start by addressing Acogua!" Alexa exclaimed. "You guys haven't been to Tribal Council in a while. Some of you have spent a week away, and others have spent longer. However, Majima, you've spent eighteen days avoiding Tribal Council, and now that you've finally attended, you're unable to be eliminated! How does that achievement make you feel?"

Majima snickered. "Like a champ! I've busted my ass with some of these challenges, and to keep this streak up for so long just shows the payoff!"

"So you're saying that your performance is a primary reason for you going this far without having to attend?"

He shrugged. "Well, I ain't gonna say I was lucky! I had a hand in keepin' my tribe immune in all of the challenges I ended up winnin'. And this necklace just proves it!"

"Cocky bastard..." Nero muttered under his breath.

Alexa accepted his response. "Well, Kiryu, do you think that it's advantageous or disadvantageous to experience fewer Tribal Councils than your competition? After all, you, Scout, and Daisy only attended one Tribal Council before tonight, and that was towards the start of the competition."

Kiryu shook his head. "I don't think it's a disadvantage. When you spend less time at Tribal Council, you form stronger bonds, and those bonds are less likely to be broken if you don't attend many Tribal Councils."

"But not that it frickin' matters," Scout opined. "From what I've heard, everyone attends Tribal Council in the Merge, whether they win immunity or not."

"That's right," the host nodded. "But would you consider the experience of having to scramble for votes and go through the process of Tribal Council to be a strength for those who've experienced many? For example, of the nine Tribal Councils, including tonight, Wii Fit has participated in seven of them. Do you think she may be more aware than others?"

The mercenary shrugged. "Hell if I know!"

With him unable to answer the question, Kiryu took over once again. "After one or two Tribal Councils, I think you've gathered all the necessary experience."

"I doubt all the twists and turns of Tribal Council can be experienced and learned by attending a couple of times," Dante rebutted. "The two Tribal Councils I experienced were pretty distinct!"

"Very good points all around," Alexa admitted. "Well, moving on from Tribal Council experience... let's talk about those lovely necklaces around the necks of Kiryu and Majima! Tails, with those two out of the equation for elimination, that leaves you and five others as candidates for elimination. In addition, Kiryu and Majima still hold the power to vote. Do you think that changes things up?"

Tails nodded. "Well, when you have all of that immunity... you can get away with bigger risks."

"Do you think Majima or Kiryu might have taken some risks in courtesy of their immunity necklaces?"

"Maybe... I'm not sure where many people on this tribe lie," he said. "Which is a bad thing."

Alexa suddenly became interested in the comment. "Not being in the loop is certainly not good. Do you think that votes may land your way tonight?"

"...They won't all land in my favour," he replied. "But I have confidence in those I've put my trust in. They may have different plans, but I can only hope."

"I see..." He said. "Well, though there are plenty more questions to ask from Acogua, there's nothing better than a surprise! So, without further ado, let's move on to Punjay!"

Alexa then pointed to Edgeworth. "I can't not mention your performance today, Edgeworth. You were falling apart at the seams, yet you pushed through against some very strong opponents! What do you think motivated you to push yourself that far?"

"I'm sick of being in the limelight," he explained simply. "The past few Tribal Councils have been rough."

"You can say that again," the host agreed. "You've been the hot topic ever since the start of Punjay. With you immune, I'm sure the dynamic must be a lot different."

He then switched his gaze to Joseph. "Joseph, with the Merge just around the corner, I imagine this specific vote isn't going to be based on keeping the tribe strong. So, what will it be based on?"

"Alliances," he answered plainly.

"And do you have an alliance you can trust?"

"Yes."

Alexa peered over the rest of the tribe. "What about you, Tracer?"

"...Nope," she said, looking away. "I did, but to put things bluntly, I'm a lone wolf now."

He was shocked at her sullen tone. "If what your saying is true, then I thought I would have seen a little more fight. You almost seem to be giving up!"

"Well, I've come to mourn my loss since I dropped that statue a few hours ago," Tracer shrugged apathetically. "There's no way I can make one person in that loyal bunch budge, let alone two of them."

"Still, there's so much at stake here! Even groveling on your knees is worth the humility!"

Despite his convincing point, she remained silent.

"There are worse ways to handle elimination," Wii Fit chimed in. "...But that kind of defeatist attitude is very unfortunate to see."

Seeing that Punjay's vote was set to be a very predictable one, Alexa ended the questioning there. "Alright. I think I have all the info I need. Shortly, both tribes will head up to the voting area and cast their vote. After this is done, I will read Punjay's votes first, then Acogua's."

The vote was right around the corner, and in a moment of haste, Edgeworth stood up from his seat and walked a few seats down to where Sniper sat.

"What?" Sniper asked, feeling nervous.

The prosecutor leaned into his ear and whispered. "If you do not vote Joseph, then you will be eliminated. Tracer has an idol."

All colour drained from the mercenary's face. Edgeworth's words were deathly serious, yet the demand was all too sudden.

As quickly as he stood up, Edgeworth returned to his seat.

"Interesting..." Noted Alexa, giving a nod to the tribe. "Moving on from that... Punjay, you will be the first to cast your votes. Remember that Edgeworth and Wii Fit Trainer are both immune, though they are still able to vote," he looked to Tracer. "Alright! Tracer, you're up!"

Still continuing with her glum demeanour, Tracer slowly stood up from her seat and made her way to the corner of the Tribal Fortress:

Tracer: I'm excited to finally drop this miserable persona. It's even starting to get on my nerves! Sorry Sniper, but if you're gonna tear my game to pieces, then I'm more than happy to return the favour! (Sniper)

"Edgeworth, you're up."

Edgeworth votes, but doesn't leave a comment.

"Sniper, you're up."

Sniper votes, but doesn't leave a comment.

"Joseph, you're up."

Joseph votes, but doesn't leave a comment.

"Wii Fit, you're up."

Wii Fit Trainer: The plan was to vote off Edgeworth, but against all odds, he managed to win immunity tonight. Sorry Tracer. (Tracer)

As Wii Fit returned to her seat, it was then Acogua's turn.

"Alright, Acogua; same rules! Kiryu and Majima are both immune, yet still able to vote," he repeated. "Dante! You're up!"

Dante wrung his hands as he walked over to the corner to cast his vote:

Dante votes, but doesn't leave a comment.

"Scout, you're up."

Scout: Pack your bags, fox. The Merge ain't big enough for two talkin' animals. (Tails)

"Knuckles, you're up."

Knuckles: I hope this is the last time I have to vote you out. I felt kinda bad last time, but now I know that you deserve it. (Nero)

"Kiryu, you're up."

Kiryu votes, but doesn't leave a comment.

"Tails, you're up."

Tails: I hope this works. (Nero)

"Daisy, you're up."

Princess Daisy: I'm... really sorry you two. I need to vote with my tribe. That comes first! (Tails)

"Majima, you're up."

Goro Majima: See ya! (Tails)

"Nero, you're up."

Nero: I would've preferred Knuckles... but you'll do. (Tails)

As Nero returned to his seat, Alexa passed him and made his way over to the voting area. He grabbed two voting boxes, one red and one yellow, and returned to his desk.

Putting the red voting box to one side, he opened the yellow box and stared at Punjay. "Alright Punjay, your votes will be read first."

After a brief pause, Alexa continued. "If anyone has an idol and they would like to play it, then now's the time to do so."

Sniper leaned forward in his chair and began steadily switching his glance between Edgeworth and Tracer. The rest of the tribe eagerly waited, though as they would soon learn, this particular vote was about to be turned on its head.

In the blink of an eye, Tracer was cheerily waving, standing up from her seat as she showed off her ring. "I've already said this, but I'm not going down without a fight!"

She walked forward and passed her Ring of Punjay to Alexa, spinning around and winking to her tribe.

Sniper buried his head in his hands. "...I don't bloody believe it."

"S-she had an..." Joseph gulped. "...An IDOL?!"

After quickly studying the idol, Alexa gave a thumbs up. "I'm happy to inform the tribe that Tracer has played the Idol of Punjay! With this idol, she's able to grant immunity to any vulnerable person in her tribe. So then, Tracer. Who are you going to be playing this idol for?"

"It shouldn't be a surprise," said Tracer. "I'm playing it for myself."

The host smiled with thrill. "Alright! All votes cast towards Tracer will be nullified."

"That dramatic performance... I should've known that you weren't one for sulking like that!" Wii Fit covered her face with her hands. Though she was very frustrated at this turn of events, it was hard not to give Tracer props for her gameplay.

Alexa dipped his hands into the voting box. "With that turnabout revealed, Punjay's predictable Tribal Council has turned to one of uncertainty. Survivors! I'll now read out the votes!"

*VOTING TIME - PUNJAY*

The first vote goes to... Tracer. Does not count.

The second vote goes to... Tracer. Does not count. (Tracer beams with delight.)

The third vote goes to... Sniper. One vote Sniper. (Sniper stares intensely at Alexa.)

The fourth vote goes to... Joseph Joestar. One vote Joseph, and one vote Sniper.

"The first person voted out of tonight's Tribal Council is..." Alexa paused.

"Joseph. At two votes, that's enough," he announced. "You will stand by the door to my right, and you will leave Tribal Council along with the next eliminee following Acogua's vote."

Edgeworth folded his arms and closed his eyes. "Something feels off," he thought to himself. Alexa was acting ever-so-slightly off, which was more than enough to tip Edgeworth into believing that there was something he was hiding.

Meanwhile, Joseph stood up and slowly shook his head, overcome with shock. "Wow... just like that."

As he walked over to the exit, Tracer turned to Edgeworth. "Did you know?"

"I saw..." He answered.

"Huh," she groaned. "And here I was, thinking I would've gotten the last laugh."

As the Stand User stood by the door, attempting to sober up from his elimination, Alexa rushed to the next vote.

"And now it's time to see who will be joining Joseph!" He clapped, turning to Acogua and grabbing the red voting box. "You know the drill! If anyone has an idol and they would like to play it, then now's the time to do so!"

After a brief pause, Majima spoke up. "Well, if there's a damn Ring of Punjay, then there's gotta be one for our tribe too!"

"You're right," Tails agreed.

"Eh?!"

The fox stood up and pulled out the ring, Knuckles cheering him on from behind. "I have the idol right here!"

"...Nero, play your idol if he puts the idol on himself," Dante advised.

"You don't have to tell me," he replied, unable to take his eyes off of Tails' idol.

He approached Alexa as he retrieved the ring, studying it once more. "This is the Ring of Acogua! This idol allows Tails, similarly to the Ring of Punjay, to grant immunity to any vulnerable person in his tribe. That begs the question: who will that person be?"

Before Tails could make his decision, Knuckles spoke out. "Don't be afraid to play it on yourself, Tails."

"..." The fox shook his head. "No. I'm playing this for Knuckles. I'll be fine."

Alexa nodded. "Very well. All votes towards Knuckles will be nullified!"

Tails sat down, believing he had made the right decision.

"Now! For the second time tonight, I'll now read out the votes!"

*VOTING TIME - ACOGUA*

The first vote goes to... Nero. One vote Nero. (Nero shows zero surprise.)

The second vote goes to... Nero. Two votes Nero.

The third vote goes to... Tails. One vote Tails, two votes Nero. (Knuckles winces. Tails had played his idol on the wrong person.)

The fourth vote goes to... Tails. Two votes Tails and Nero.

The fifth vote goes to... Tails. Three votes Tails, two votes Nero.

The sixth vote goes to... Tails. That's four votes Tails, and two votes Nero. (Tails smiles, happily accepting his defeat.)

"The second person voted out of tonight's Tribal Council is... Tails. At six votes to two, you've been voted out," Alexa stated.

Handling his elimination well, Tails stood up and patted Knuckles on the shoulder. "You got this. When the Merge comes around, work with the old Punjay tribe," he said in secrecy. "Get Nero and Dante out as soon as possible."

"Don't worry... I'm not gonna let you down, bud," the echidna promised. "I'll show 'em!"

As they said their personal goodbyes, Tails joined Joseph as the two faced Alexa.

"Tails and Joseph," he said, grabbing the torches that represented them from the wall. "You have been voted out of the game, therefore you are eliminated. However... you have one last chance to win a chance back in this game. Please take your torches."

As they grabbed their torches, Alexa continued. "Please follow me."

Before anyone could get a chance to discuss tonight's twist, he left through the backdoor to the right of his desk. Tails and Joseph both followed suit, looking at one another with a collective feeling of resolve...

The Last-Chance Trial: Night 18

Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Kazuma Kiryu - Tails - Princess Daisy - Tracer - Miles Edgeworth - Goro Majima - Nero - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Wii Fit Trainer.

Proceeding through the door, Tails and Joseph were brought to a large courtyard at the back of the Tribal Fortress. Though a carved path led the way out of the courtyard, their eyes were fixed on the large stone circle in the middle.

Upon the circle were two tables. Each table contained a basket of materials, a small string contraption, and two tools: a machete and a flint akin to the ones they had back at camp.

"Those who are eliminated typically walk through this courtyard down the carved path," explained Alexa, leading them to the circle. "But for you two, there's still a chance for you to return to the game and make it to the Merge."

As they made it to the circle, Alexa directed each of them to one table. They stared at the materials and tools, piecing together what they would have to do in order to return. The two were then instructed by Alexa to plant their torches in a small slot adjacent to their tables.

In the meantime, the spectating survivors were brought out, surrounding the circle.

"Alright! It's time to come clean." Alexa hung his head low. "Sure, I wasn't lying when I said tonight was a double vote. Two people were still eliminated, but what I failed to mention was that the two eliminated contestants had one more shot at returning. How do they achieve this? In a fire-making challenge, of course!"

He continued, addressing the items on the table. "On my mark, both Tails and Joseph will rush to construct and start a fire big enough to burn through a piece of string held up by a contraption. The first person to burn through this string will rejoin the game and thus make it to the Merge, leaving the loser of this challenge to leave the Ice Cap Zone for good."

"A trial by fire?" Nero grimaced. If Tails were to win his way back into the game, then that would prove troublesome for him and Dante. Despite not knowing much about Joseph, he was immediately rooting for him.

On the contrary was Tracer, hoping for the fox to pull through and win. Her plan was to get Sniper out, but with that out of the question thanks to Edgeworth's meddling, Joseph was the next best thing.

Alexa looked at them. "So, Joseph. Are you well-versed in the art of making fire with the tools available?"

"I've done it many times by now," said Joseph. "So I guess all of that handiwork might just pay off."

"And you, Tails?"

Tails didn't have nearly as much experience. "Only a few times since I came out here. But, I'm a quick learner. I think I've learned the process by now!"

"You both seem confident. More than that, you both seem eager to rejoin the game and get to the Merge." The host studied their faces. "But, of the two of you, only one can return!"

He clapped, moving on to beginning the round. "Enough wasting time. Let's get this done with!"

The two obliged, leaning over their tables as they looked at what they had to work with in more detail:

In the middle of a table was the string contraption: a small, square arch with a strand of string hung along the top. To the right of the contraption was a rectangular piece of flint adjacent to a rustic machete, and on the left side of the table was a basket of dried up leaves and husk, as well as a clump of sticks.

Alexa stood between Tails and Joseph, standing behind them. "Okay! It's time to begin this trial!"

They both shared one last gaze over their items as the countdown began.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"ONE!" Alexa yelled. "GO!"

Joseph emptied the contents of the basket onto the table as Tails simply pulled out the dried materials. Both he and Joseph placed them underneath the contraption before they both rushed to grab the flint and machete.

The first step was to scrape the flint's magnesium onto the husk, which allow it to spark when the flint is struck with the machete. While Joseph scraped the magnesium from the flint piece in big, long strokes of his machete, Tails scraped his flint a lot faster, almost chaotically, and with little consistency.

Despite the slight difference in their techniques, plenty of magnesium sat on the husk by the time they were finished scraping the flint. They were still neck-and-neck, and the time finally came for them to begin attempting to light their fire.

At an incline, Tails planted his flint upon the husk and began striking it with the machete. He focused on quick strikes, hitting the piece of flint on its edge. Joseph positioned his flint similarly, only his strikes were heavier and more aggressive. With either method, the flints began to spark onto the husk and scraped magnesium, with Tails' sparks more frequent and with Joseph's sparks less frequent but bigger.

"Very similar strategies so far, but Joseph seems to have a steadier grip on his blade," Alexa commentated. "Tails isn't doing half-bad either."

A few intense minutes passed as they continued to strike against the flint, slowly growing more impatient with each unsuccessful spark. Joseph even chose to scrape more magnesium onto his husk.

Suddenly, upon a very lucky strike from Joseph, the spark generated managed to catch onto the husk. A small, smoky ember was then born.

"Joseph finally has something!"

The spectators watched intently as he nurtured the fire, feeding the husk oxygen by blowing into it gently. In addition, he brought his sticks closer to the fire, hoping to assemble a tipi over the husk the second the fire begins to spread.

With enough luck and patience, the ember eventually turned into a flame, burning through the husk very quickly. Joseph then assembled the sticks onto and atop the burning husk, making sure that they weren't smothering the flame. Tails remained striking his flint, but eventually followed Joseph's strategy of adding more magnesium to the husk.

Assembling a tipi structure over the fire, it began to spread and catch onto the sticks. He fed more husk into the fire to keep it burning, and soon, he had a decent fire growing. It was still a few inches off from the string, but it was growing at a considerable rate.

"He's won it," Daisy whispered. Given that she was good friends with both Joseph and Tails, it was a hard duel to watch. Though for her alliance's sake, she hoped for Joseph to pull through.

He readjusted the sticks and continued to add to his structure, the fire climbing up the sticks as it became closer to the rope.

With an opportunity to catch up, Tails struck his flint and, at last, produced an ember within the husk. He picked it up, instinctively glancing to Joseph as he began gently blowing into it.

"Tails has something!" Alexa revealed.

Though eyes remained on Joseph's beast of a fire, Tails had successfully nurtured his ember into a flame. He then reached into the basket and placed sticks on, around, and over his husk. His structure was far more complex, yet more stable as it reached slightly higher into the air.

As the trial became an intense showdown, Joseph's flame began whipping the string of his contraption. The fibres of the string began to uncoil subtly as things were looking better than ever.

However, just when the Stand User began to feel comfortable, his structure caved in on itself, falling onto the charred husk and instantly injuring the fire.

He began panicking as he attempted to build the sticks back up, but the orange flames of his fire soon turned to black smoke with little visible fire. He immediately lost most of his progress, but Joseph was not one to give up.

Soon enough, Tails was now the one with the bigger fire. He added the rest of his husk, causing a small explosion of fire as it combusted in an instant. His flames raced up to the top of his structure, and before he knew it, his fire was already licking the string.

Joseph didn't look over, shoving more husk into his smoky fire before realising that he had to begin nurturing it again. He removed stray, fallen sticks and began blowing into it.

Though it looked like his lead was permanently lost, his flame started to increase exponentially in size. He must've done something right, because even with a half-collapsed structure, his flame matched that of Tails. He placed the sticks back onto the fire, carefully avoiding the injury of his fingers, and watched as his fire came back into contact with his contraption.

"Both fires are now of equal size," said Alexa. "I didn't think it'd be this close!"

By now, gusts of wind began to roll in, the breeze knocking the flame in every direction. Both strings looked slightly damaged.

As if things couldn't get more close, both fires continued to grow out of control. When the wind eventually died down, the fires engulfed the string, burning through the fibres.

Alexa leaned forward, attempting to stare at both contraptions at once. This win was going to be a very close one.

Tails eyed his fire with determination. There was nothing else he could do to make the fire any bigger, and he hoped that it would be the first to burn through the string.

And... after only ten more seconds... that's exactly what it did.

Despite the rocky start, Tails had his flame burn through the string first. A few seconds later, Joseph's fire did the same.

"TAILS WINS A SPOT BACK IN THE GAME!" Cheered Alexa.

Joseph folded his arms and sighed, turning to Tails to shake his hand. "Well played."

Breaking out of his state of shock and ecstasy, the fox reached out and shook his opponent's hand. "Sorry..."

"It's alright," he smiled. The moment was bittersweet, but given how far he came and how close he was to returning, he was satisfied.

Alexa approached Joseph with an ice cube in hand. "Well, Joseph. You fought valiantly for your second chance, but..." He placed the cube into the torch, watching the life fizzle away. "Your elimination has been finalised, meaning your time in the Ice Cap Zone has come to an end."

"Well, this isn't an experience I'll forget," he admitted before facing his old allies and enemies. "Good luck in the Merge, everyone!"

A collection of goodbyes and farewells were shared. Though Sniper was frustrated to see his closest ally go, he gave a thumbs up and smiled. "See ya later, mate!"

The Stand User, ironically going the whole game without ever using his Stand, turned around and walked off, leaving the courtyard. As for Tails, he rejoined the Acogua tribe, to Nero and Dante's dismay.

"Well, that was certainly an incredible end to tonight's Tribal Council! Idols were used, two people were booted off, and such an intense fire-making trial brought suspense to everyone here! But at long last, it's over, and you may all return to your tribes. Just be warned though, tomorrow is when the game really takes things up a notch! But for now, goodnight survivors."

Joseph's Last Words: "That was tough. I didn't even get a chance to take in what happened at the vote before I was suddenly making fires for a chance to return. I really underestimated Tails, he's going to use his second chance well for sure. I think Edgeworth had a hand in making sure I was the one voted off. I knew I couldn't trust him, but I suppose I should've trusted my gut sooner."

VOTES - PUNJAY

Tracer (2 - Nullified): Wii Fit Trainer - Joseph Joestar.

Joseph Joestar (2): Miles Edgeworth - Sniper.

Sniper (1): Tracer.

VOTES - ACOGUA

Tails (6): Dante - Nero - Kazuma Kiryu - Goro Majima - Scout - Princess Daisy.

Nero (2): Knuckles - Tails.

IDOLS

Ring of Reflection: Found in Ring of Igloos by Nero. Upon activating this ring in Tribal Council, every vote cast towards that person will be reflected onto a random contestant with no immunity.

Ring of Abduction: Found in the Survivors' Shack by Daisy. Upon activating this ring at Tribal Council, the user may steal a vote from anyone of their choice, additionally being able to use it as their second vote. The target must be able to vote for the effect to work, and those with immunity can still be targeted to have their vote stolen.

Ring of Acogua: Played by Tails for Knuckles. Originally found by Tracer.

Ring of Punjay: Played by Tracer for herself. Originally found by Tails.

REMAINING SURVIVORS

Acogua Tribe (Red)

- Dante

- Nero

- Knuckles

- Miles "Tails" Prower

- Kazuma Kiryu

- Goro Majima

- Scout

- Princess Daisy

Punjay Tribe (Yellow)

- Miles Edgeworth

- Tracer

- Wii Fit Trainer

- Sniper