Caribbean - Ponderosa

Chapter 1 - Juror 1

Allllright, everyone. It is that time again!

It's time to start the sidefic of this era, "Caribbean - Ponderosa". Those of you who are new to this, here's how it works: if you have made it to the merge phase of the game, you get to be part of a "jury", where they will sit on this "jury bench" as they will watch every subsequent Tribal Council until the final day of the season. And this will go on until three castaways remain. On day thirty-nine, each juror will then ask the finalists questions on why they deserve the title of Sole Survivor and a million dollar check that goes along with it.

So if you've read the description, everyone here I should assume has read Survivor - Caribbean up to chapter 24 where Ridley (our first Metroid characters since Survivor - Kodai Island) has just been eliminated. And based off of how he was and behaved during his time on the island, perhaps this is fitting for him. Now he's going to be on Ponderosa all alone by himself as the other twelve competitors continue to fight for their spot in the final three.

Let's see how he feels about all this and we're gonna find out if he's learned anything about his Survivor experience.

~KF

"Hello. I am Ridley, juror number one. And this is my Ponderosa."

Night 21

Ridley Zabastian's time was up. No more Survivor - Caribbean for him. He was not coming back to the Aruba tribe, not going to compete in any more challenges, and most of all, he was officially confirmed to not be winning the season.

All this hit the man rather hard, even though he appeared to be taking it pretty well on the surface as he walked along the path outside the Tribal Council. He knew very well that the other twelve competitors that remained in the game were already on their way back to the camp.

"I suppose my temper ended up getting the better of me." He immediately began to admit his mistakes. "I came into the game wanting to play the best way I knew how. I tried to help lead the tribe with my leadership experience back on Zebes, I did my part in all the challenges (though I wish I won immunity), and I even forced people to work with me just for the sake of my own game..."

"Ugh..." He was obviously thinking of a certain Kirby character. "I regret it now, but then again, I was not going to let an immunity idol dictate my fate in the game. I control my own fate out here."

"Well, I got eliminated. I wanted to go the whole way, but that did not work out in my favor. But hey, I think I put up a pretty big fight over there. I don't know... why Vector decided that it was not tribe versus tribe anymore, but that's something I'm gonna have to wonder until when or... if he gets voted out."

"I feel like that the only person who is not Barahona strong is Chrom." He figured. "Chrom was the last member of his alliance due to Corrin getting eliminated three nights prior. Rodin, Charizard, Springtrap, K. Rool, Yoshi, and Val all seemed to be a pretty tight group of six. I mean, does nobody see this? Those six are gonna run this show. Maybe I was harsh on them, but was I that much of a threat comparing to those six?"

"I mean, if anything, they probably needed me to win challenges to keep immunity away from the opposing tribe alliance. One of those guys has Barahona old idol, and there's probably a new merged tribe idol out there (that me and Meta never found). If I won immunity and if I found an idol, I would have given it to Meta Knight, and good riddance K. Rool. He's running the entire show right now and I don't think people realize it."

No, he was wrong. Vector was actually running things at the time back on the Aruba tribe. He had a major secret of him aligning with three of the members from old Barahona that nobody of the entire cast even knew about with the exceptions of Banjo and Yoshi. And yet, unfortunately Ridley had to wait until the real truth came out.

In the meantime, it was time for him to enter the medical tent. He could not have even remembered the last time he was given a checkup, other than when the game first started.

"Aloha, Ridley!" A familiar voice sounded. "How are things?"

"'Aloha'?" He repeated to Doctor Crazy Hand. "This isn't Hawaii, last time I checked..."

"Well, this place to me is rather similar, anyway." He laughed it off. "But anyway, how are you doing? You're doing okay physically?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get this over with..." He suggested, sitting down on the metal, folded chair nearby. "I don't think anything wrong with me..."

"Well, this is the procedure. I have to get your blood pressure and we're going to see how much weight you lost." Crazy Hand reminded him that he just needed to do his job. "The interesting thing about this, Ridley, you are already a pretty slim guy despite how tall you are. I don't know if your weight is gonna be that big of a difference or not."

"Hmm..." That did in fact earned his interest at least a little bit.

"I mean, I have always been pretty physically fit. Perhaps the crazy one is right about that. I mean, there are survivors out here that literally never do well in challenge because they almost have no physical capability to speak of. In my book, you need to be at least a bit physical. You cannot just blow every challenge, and then expect to win Survivor. You don't need immunities, but if you keep losing and losing,... I'll be surprised if someone out there in a future season wins the whole thing without winning any tribe challenge or individual challenge."

He was now standing on the scale as he glanced down at the numbers that were shown.

"Tell me the numbers."

"...202.1"

And just to be clear, he was six feet, four inches in height. Though since he was a dragon, his weight was actually going to be a bit more than the average 'human' male.

"Alright..." Crazy Hand did the math in his calculator. "So that means that you have lost exactly... 8.2 pounds. You weighed 210.3 before this game started. ...Not really that much weight lost, like I said!"

He actually grinned at himself. "I suppose Survivor was never going to be a problem for me in that department."

"Okay, Ridley." His work at the tent was now done. "We are alll finished. Let's get you on the boat, and you will receive a menu of what you want to eat at the Ponderosa cafe."

"As long as there's meat, I'm down..."

The next scene showed the space dragon creature taking a long glance at what the cafe had to offer.

"Hmm... I'm actually undecided."

"Even though I only lost eight pounds, I did not care how much I was going to eat at Ponderosa. Even I can admit that the lack of food situation takes a toll on someone. However, the best part about Ponderosa is that I can enjoy eating as much as I like while I am away from all those losers that are still suffering on that island." For the very first time this era, Ridley was actually laughing, whether it was an 'evil' one or not.

He was now exiting boat and took his time making his way over to the Ponderosa cafe from the shore.

"Hmm... This is rather... decent." He said as he got up the steps and into said cafe, where there was a mirror not too far from him. "I suppose I should take a glance at my appearance for any major changes.."

And by the time he did so, he blinked once. Nothing was really changed about Ridley that much. Other than the minor cut on his left arm that was all bandaged up, he was just a bit dirtied. A nice shower and a new bandage should have done the trick.

He lifted his arm and took a sniff. "...Hmm... I'm actually not that bad..."

Within minutes, his food was literally being sat down right in front of his face, Ridley sitting at the very end of a long table. Clearly it was long enough for all ten jurors including the villain of the season, yet for obvious reasons, the table only sat one guest for that night. Not as if Ridley ever cared or anything.

His eyes were glazing upon his jerk chicken, saltfish fritters, and curry goat. Yes, all three were meat dishes. But Ridley was already making himself clear that he was an obvious carnivore to begin with, and the proof was literally sitting right in front of them.

However, in spite of him being a hundred percent satisfied, he still found a major problem. "...Ugh! I forgot to order steak! And I might actually get full from this! Now I have to order it tomorrow... Stupid!"

That insult was actually aimed at himself as he facepalmed. Nonetheless, he began eating away.

"You know, at the time when I was devouring all the food that I had in front of my face, I used to think that since I was finally sitting down, I would have immediately began thinking about the game and would have thought every single 'what-if' situation on the island. But in the end,... I didn't. Surprise, surprise, even though I... follow Survivor religiously, for once it was actually... quite a pleasure to not really think about the game for once. I didn't even think of my home planet. Maybe this was meant to be. I basically had a vacation from home, now I am having a vacation from everyone. Suddenly I am not beyond ticked that I've been eliminated anymore... Though obviously I wish I was, because I needed that million."

Just show the audience had the opportunity to laugh, poor Ridley got carried away. Now there were crumbs all over his face. But then, the scene cut to him with his bag walking to his small home that was meant for him and him only until it was time for him to officially leave the Caribbean.

"An outstanding meal if I do say so myself." He had to admit. "But as any Survivor that gets eliminated in this phase in the game, I am quite exhausted. Hopefully I don't have broken sleep..."

Day 22

Now Ridley had the opportunity to be the very first to enjoy the morning after the night he was eliminated at Ponderosa. Or at least, as far as the jury phase was concerned. Everyone who was unable to make the jury also arrived at Ponderosa one by one. Yet for them, they were now somewhere in the Caribbean for a post-game trip. Production could not have sent them back home, due to the possibility of the season being spoiled with the fans knowing who exactly did not make it to the merge. Basically, they knew the dates of when the filming of the season took place.

But anyway, Ridley was seen exiting his home, closing the door behind him. It was shortly after nine in the morning, and food was the only thing on his mind.

"Time for the breakfast of champions..."

"I have never slept so peacefully in my life. I felt like I slept for twelve hours. I was always getting constant headaches from strategizing all the time, or trying to 'lecture' people of the rational of my decision making for the group while I was dealing with all those people. And whenever someone did not take it very well, then I had to break it down for them... But the reality was that,... I realize that people have different styles of play here. It may be good for me personally, but not as good for everyone else involved."

He was now seen eating away, very similar to how he was eating to the previous night. This time, he had turkey bacon, sausage (both patties and links), biscuits, and hash browns. Unbeknownst to him however, there were certain staff members grinning, almost laughing at him as he ate away. For Ridley though, even if he was aware, he would not have cared anyway. After all the 'crap' he had to go through with his fellow tribe members, two straight up good meals in the row was the least he would have gotten in return. He did not in fact go through all that for nothing on the island, especially when it came to simply dealing with other people that did not think the same way he did.

In the middle of his meal, it came to his realization to how excited he actually was. And honestly, he was quite enjoying himself. It was refreshing to his mind, body, and spirit. For ones like Ridley, alone time was everything.

The downside of it though, in a couple more days, he would have been receiving company to join him. One of the other remaining twelve players was set to crash his party, in spite of Ridley being the only one in attendance.

"...Ugh..." He was not looking forward to it, but happy with the way were going at the time. "Why can't this last forever?"

And believe it or not, when Ridley turned behind him to watch the sun that was continuing to rise over the water, a small grin gradually appeared on his face. Perhaps it fit well with his current mood at the time, but for him to actually began to appreciate the location he was in was certainly interesting coming from him of all people.

"I suppose maybe this place is some sort of 'tropical paradise' as people call it. My curiosity is getting the better of me. Perhaps I should go poke my head around for a bit..."

Thus, he was actually going out of his way to walk along the sand and eye the waves crashing down, the water falling right on top of his feet.

"With the exception of those birds, I hear nothing but the waves crashing down as I lie back in the hammock minding my own business... It is rather... peaceful. ...Ponderosa is slowly proving to be some sort of escapism from all that I had to go through both on the show and in real life... I cannot believe I am saying this, but... I would take a vacation here any time... whenever I am not busy, of course. But if I've had enough, I can come here whenever I want. No one is going to stop me or tell me otherwise."

He was now lying in said hammock. Though he was not just resting his eyes. That was right. He was actually in a deep sleep. Sure, one would have argued that he was sleeping his life away, especially since he only had two to three days to spend alone at Ponderosa. In the dragon's defense, however, sleeping alone and peace and quiet were two of the major benefits. Why not let the man enjoy his Ponderosa at every minute to its fullest? If Ridley chose to sleep, he chose to sleep. His choice, his time.

"I am starting to... appreciate... certain aspects about this game. Not just the game itself, but everything this experience has brought me. When I signed up for to be on this show, my strategy was to have a big game plan from day one all the way to day thirty-nine... And unfortunately," He heaved a great sigh. "I was only to barely make it past the halfway point... Far below my expectations, but,... who is to say that I am a sore loser? If the tribe generally felt like it was my time to go, so be it. ...I just fail to understand why exactly have I been eliminated over other threats. But that is a topic for another time."

At lunch time, he made sure that steak was the first item he ordered off the menu. And of course when it was delivered to him, he wanted to make sure he remembered every last bite. However, it did not stop him from eating almost like a pig. But in case one had already forgotten, he or she would have had a hard time telling the Ridley what to do. That was not simply a crime, that was an entire life sentence without the possibility of parole right there.

The most in character Ridley was in his Ponderosa video was that he still did not bother interacting with the staff as much. He was simply focused on himself and him only. Yes, he listened to Meta Knight twice before he left. But hey, there was no changing overnight and thinking of how to change himself socially was beyond his mind at the time.

Maybe the more people were to show up, the more likely he would have been thinking about it. It was only a matter of time, and it all depended on who was set to join him.

"This could be a good final resting place if I do say so myself. ...For the most part, I do not miss anyone from that island, and that includes the people that have left before me." Alright. Maybe he was thinking about other people to an extent. "But maybe, the Survivor Gods wanted me to leave when I did so that I could have some time to... learn a few things about myself. ...Honestly, I am not doing terrible at the moment when it comes to self-reflection. Yet all I learned so far is that I am fond of... peace and quiet... It's likely because of me being so used to strategizing on the time back on Zebes, leaving me to do the same in the game. But still,... based on the criticism I have received from my former tribemates,... there are some things that I need to work on myself. ...Maybe time will tell on what exactly needs working on. That way I can find a way to hopefully move forward and become a stronger leader than ever. But first, I hope my time on Ponderosa moves slowly. I need to relax here as much as I possibly can, with little to, no..." He shook his head. "With literally no interruptions. Just let me enjoy this heavenly place. For now, this is not tropical paradise. This is Lord Ridley's Paradise. Take it or leave it."

Alright. Surprisingly Ridley is not talking game that much knowing him. But then again, I guess it was entertaining to write out the fact that Ridley is just now appreciating the location he was in, and he seems that he is willing to do everything in his power to avoid other people and to have some alone time as he relaxes at Ponderosa.

And yeah... Ridley is acknowledging that he is flawed, but we're not seeing that many signs of him actually changing. But as said in the story, there was no changing overnight. No one is perfect, myself included. And so, it is more realistic for a character like Ridley to actually take some time as he slowly improves himself, especially when it comes to him dealing with other people. But since he's alone right now, there isn't many options for him. He could try to interact with the Ponderosa staff, but he's clearly not interested.

If you like Ridley, vote on my poll. I'll see you all here when the next juror comes!