Ice Cap Zone (South of Lake): Day 4

Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Phoenix Wright - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Kazuma Kiryu - Tails - Mr. Krabs - Princess Daisy - Tracer - Rodin - Miles Edgeworth - Goro Majima - Waluigi - Nero - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - King Dedede - Glass Joe - Wii Fit Trainer.

For today's challenge, the three tribes were guided to the south of the Ice Cap Zone's lake and over to a flat, large patch of snow and dirt. The weather was luckily calm, with very little wind present. In front of each team was a large cube of ice, and in front of each cube were two rusted steel pickaxes. Though the objective of the challenge seemed obvious, Alexa soon showed up to explain it to them.

"Welcome to your second challenge, survivors!" Said Alexa. "Last challenge had Denalo and Elbrass win immunity, with the former hopefully enjoying their fishing equipment and flint. Today's challenge is all about solving a problem that you've probably never been in before through strategy, technique, and of course, strength."

He pointed to the cubes of ice in front of each tribe and elaborated:

*Each tribe will be tasked with opening a small chest and solving a lovely little puzzle. The first tribe to do so will win immunity and a mystery prize. Meanwhile, second place will also win immunity alongside a smaller version of the mystery prize. And of course, the losing tribe wins nothing, and they will head back to their tribe in order to prepare for Tribal Council.

...Well, unfortunately, acquiring the chest that contains this puzzle is a little more complicated. You see, it's within the very centre of the ice cube in front of you. It is encased in inches upon inches of ice from every angle, so before your team is able to solve that puzzle, two members from each tribe will spend two minutes using a pickaxe to chip around the block of ice until they're able to rescue the valuable chest and puzzle from within! After two minutes, they will swap over with two more people from their tribe, who will also get two minutes to attack the ice block. This will keep going until the chest is retrieved, and from that point, everyone in the tribe will be allowed to participate in solving the puzzle.*

"It can't get any more simple than this!" Exclaimed Alexa. "Hit a block with a pickaxe for two minutes, then swap. The only issue is managing the pairs, but I luckily got a solution for that..."

"Kiryu, Majima, please step forward."

Though confused, the two made no hesitation in following his command.

"As the captains of the last challenge, you two will forfeit your role of participation in this challenge to undergo a new role," he explained. "Both of you will decide the pairs that your six teammates will be in, and after that, you'll decide the order in which the pairs will play. This order will repeat over and over until you manage to retrieve the chest from within the block, but you will still not be allowed to participate in solving the final puzzle."

"I don't get to take out all my frustration on that big block of frost?! What the hell?!" - Goro Majima.

Alexa then turned to Tracer. "Though you also played the vital captain role last challenge, your tribe lost. Therefore, instead of having you sit out to pick the pairs and the order that they'll play in, I'll let luck choose it for you! Consider it a collateral punishment for screwing up the first challenge."

"Pfff," Scout snickered, watching as the Manjari tribe endured another punch to their guts.

"Denalo, Elbrass, you have two minutes to choose three pairs and to decide their order," warned Alexa.

Starting off with Elbrass, Kiryu stared down each of his six tribe mates and attempted to pair up a weaker member with a stronger member. His only problem was that he didn't get to see any of them perform individually, meaning that he would have to go off of appearance. He saw that Dante, Polnareff, and Knuckles seemed to be the strongest looking, while Daisy, Scout, and Phoenix looked to be a little weaker.

Meanwhile, Majima couldn't care too much about the details of who would go with who. In fact, he was too bitter over not being able to participate in the challenge to properly think through this decision. Nonetheless, he pretended to look like he was thinking long and hard about the situation.

As the two minutes came to a close, Alexa started with Denalo. "Majima. Who did you decide on?"

"Eh? Oh yeah..." He pointed to Nero and Edgeworth. "Those two..."

After a short pause, he then shot his finger at Sniper and Waluigi. "Then I'll pick those two... and then whoever's left gets thrown at the back."

"Did you even think that through?" Pursued Edgeworth.

Majima shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to know who here would make a dynamic duo?!"

With a sigh, Alexa nodded. "Right. What about you, Kiryu? What will be the Elbrass composition?"

"The first pair will be Dante and Daisy. Then I'll pair Polnareff and Scout before finishing with Knuckles and Phoenix."

"Not bad!" He nodded. "Well, as I've already picked Manjari's pairing and order, I'll go over it again for clarity:"


Elbrass:

1. Dante & Daisy

2. Polnareff & Scout

3. Knuckles & Phoenix

Denalo:

1. Nero & Edgeworth

2. Sniper & Waluigi

3. Joseph & Tails

Manjari:

1. Tracer & Glass Joe

2. Rodin & King Dedede

3. Mr. Krabs & Wii Fit Trainer


"Paired with second strongest? Fine by me!" - King Dedede.

"Paired with the weakest? You've got to be kidding." - Sniper.

Alexa clasped his hands together. "Right! This is sure to be interesting. Can the first pair of each group please walk to the block of ice and pick up one of the pickaxes beside it."

Without a second thought, they marched forward and picked up the pickaxes. They were pretty worn-out, but not bad enough to hold the risk of breaking mid-way through the challenge.

Preparing their first swing, Alexa began the countdown:

"Three..."

"Go from the side of the block," said Dante.

"Got it!" Daisy said ecstatically.

"Two..."

Nero tapped the block in front of him. "Straight through the middle."

"Very well," Edgeworth nodded.

"One..."

"As soon as I swing, you go to swing!" Tracer recommended.

"Uhh, okay!" Said Glass Joe.

"GO!"

"HYAH!"

*Crack*

As they plunged their pickaxes deep into the ice cube, shards sprayed from the side of the impact, creating a small chipped dent by where they struck.

Without a second thought, they pulled their pickaxes from the hole they made and went for their second swing. Though Elbrass and Denalo had no rhythm, Manjari attempted to make it so someone always had a pickaxe on the block. Unfortunately, Joe's sub-par strength and speed made things go a little slower than what Tracer had hoped.

Only ten seconds in and a fairly wide crater had been formed in the middle of each ice block.

Edgeworth watched in awe as Nero's pace clearly outmatched his. With far more strength and stamina to compensate for his lack of experience with a pickaxe, Edgeworth focused more on clearing the ice around the hole Nero was forming, making sure it would be wide enough to pull the chest through.

He peered behind him at Dante, who was hidden behind the block tackling it from the side with Daisy. Dante's swings were as strong and uniform as Nero's, and Daisy's crazed swings were surprisingly good at chipping the ice off.

"Take this! And that! And don't forget this either!" Daisy cried, quickly tiring herself out as she rampaged through the side of the block.

"Sheesh..." Dante whispered to himself, going at the hole whenever Daisy wasn't hogging it with her own swings.

"You have ten seconds left before the first swap!"

Upon hearing those dreaded words, Tracer peered to her left to find a completely drained Glass Joe. "Come on Joey! We still have a few seconds left!"

Knowing that he'd soon get a four-minute break, Joe decided to put all of his remaining energy into one last swing. He was praying that it would impress his tribe, and as he struck the ice cube... nothing much happened.

"Survivors! Swap over to the second pair!"

The pairs ran back, pickaxes in hand, giving it to the second set of pairs as they sat down, fatigued.

"Look at that progress!" Scout beamed. "We're gettin' that chest in no time."

"Not if you forget to swing," Polnareff chimed in, startling the mercenary with a violent swing against the block.

As the two hammered down on the block, Sniper and Waluigi struggled to cooperate.

"Swing it horizontally, mate! It's easier to hit the hole," Sniper advised.

"But that's not as-a powerful!" He argued.

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

With a sigh, Sniper continued to dig the hole deeper into the block of ice, making it harder and harder for Waluigi's overhead swings to do much.

"Does he have to argue?" Joseph folded his arms.

"Yes," said Tails with embarrassment. "Yes, he does."

As the other tribes were too busy focusing on their second pairs, Manjari were shocked to see the progress that Dedede and Rodin made. Their raw strength made each swing chip off a good chunk of ice, making them the best performers in the challenge so far. Within the two minutes, Manjari had gone from last to first, leaving Denalo to fall behind.

"Ten seconds before the next swap!"

Using the final ten seconds, the three pairs slammed their pickaxes against the blocks as hard as they could, Manjari just barely making it to the halfway point.

"TIME'S UP! Swap over to the third pair!"

Waluigi dropped his pickaxe in place, sprinting back to his resting spot as the rest of the survivors handed their pickaxes to the next pair.

As Knuckles approached the block of ice, he turned to Alexa. "Hey, you! Is it mandatory to use these crummy pickaxes?"

"Not at all! Dunno why you'd use anything other than a pickaxe, but if you want to use your fists, then go for it-"

With one punch to the block of ice, Knuckles grinned as shards of ice flew past his face.

Leaving Phoenix to watch with a gaping jaw, the echidna slammed his fists against the block over and over again, carving the crater deeper and wider. The noise he made was obnoxious, but considering the progress he was making, Elbrass couldn't mind any less.

Not even thirty seconds in, and Elbrass was back in the lead, leaving Krabs and Wii Fit Trainer against Tails and Joseph.

"If he can punch it, so can I!" Krabs growled, rolling up his sleeves as he slammed his claws against the block of ice, his punches nearly as efficient as Knuckles. Much like Phoenix, Wii Fit Trainer was forced to stand back and watch.

After a further minute, Alexa gave out his usual warning.

"Ten seconds before the next swap!"

"Why aren't you punchin' it?!" Majima cried.

"If I broke my hands, I'd be useless," Joseph said between swings.

"TIME'S UP! Swap back to the first pair!"

With his claws freezing from all of the punching, Krabs happily retreated to the resting area with Wii Fit Trainer as Tracer and Glass Joe returned.

"Are you alright?" Asked Wii Fit.

"Psssh, these claws have seen worse days!" He boasted. "All that matters is that we've won, as long as he doesn't screw it up for us, that is."

Nero and Edgeworth returned to their block, Nero now rampaging against it in an attempt to catch up. Meanwhile, Dante and Daisy were roughly an inch away from reaching the chest.

"I can see it!" Daisy yelled. "C'mooon! We're almost there."

Dante stared into the hole between swings. "A few more oughta do it. You clear the ice around it so we can pull that chest through."

"Gotcha!"

Meanwhile, it became obvious that the four-minute break was not enough for Glass Joe to recover. Only a few swings in, and he was just as tired as he was when he initially swapped.

"Come on, we're only an inch or two away!" Tracer beckoned. "You gotta hit just a little harder."

"Gh..." Joe said, his body completely drained. "We're so close..."

"Yeah! So give it your all," she encouraged.

"...I'll... try..."

"I like Joe... but I think it's starting to become apparent that he's just too weak to do this team any good. If we don't end up voting him off now, he'll definitely fall behind when the teams get shuffled." - Tracer.

"Ten seconds before the next swap!"

Edgeworth scowled as he caught a glimpse of Manjari. Glass Joe may have cost them a lot of time, but on the contrary, most of the other competitors had the brute strength that was necessary for setting the chest free.

As he turned back to his block, time was up once again.

"TIME'S UP! Swap over to the second pair! So far, Elbrass seems to have made the most progress, with Manjari not too far behind! Denalo meanwhile has a lot of catching up to do," said Alexa. "Keep it up!"

With the second set of pairs returning to the block of ice, Manjari and Elbrass suspected that they could potentially retrieve the chest before having to swap over again. With this newfound goal, Denalo continued to fall behind as Sniper and Waluigi's lack of cooperation slowed things down.

"Mate, I'm gonna say this only once more," said Sniper. "Stop swinging it overhead!"

"Shut up and focus on-a your own swings! You're making us fall behind!" Waluigi retaliated.

"You got issues, mate, and I'm not taking the fall for them."

All of a sudden, their soured moods were made worse by Alexa's announcement.

"Manjari, thanks to Rodin and Dedede, have retrieved their chest from their block!"

Not long after, a second announcement came through.

"With the assistance of Scout and Polnareff, Elbrass has also retrieved their chest! While the teams of Elbrass and Manjari are free to help with solving the puzzle from the chest, Denalo will have to swap to their third pair in twenty seconds!"

Placing the chest in front of the ice block, Dedede and Rodin flipped open the lid and began placing puzzle pieces on the floor. The image that they were to spell resembled the mountain that Manjari resided in. Similarly, Elbrass had a puzzle resembling their mountain also.

As both teams began piecing them together, Denalo were experiencing their next swap.

"Denalo! Swap over to your third pair!"

"The second I noticed that we still had about half an inch to go before we reached the chest, I knew we were done for." - Sniper.

As the pairing of Sniper and Waluigi changed to Joseph and Tails, the two tribes struggled to coordinate with six people all working on the same puzzle.

"Where're the corner pieces?" Tracer asked.

"Here!" Dedede and Glass Joe said in unison.

"The corners go in the corners, dimwits! They aren't for your greedy mitts," Krabs growled.

Unable to refrain from retaliating, Dedede lifted his head up. "Who're you callin' a dimwit?"

Rodin shut them down immediately. "Now's not the time!"

"As long as we get the outer frame of the puzzle done, we can easily fill in the rest," Wii Fit chimed.

Elbrass, meanwhile, encountered a different kind of problem.

"We got a corner piece missin'!" Announced Scout. "Who the hell has it?"

After a short pause, Scout perked up, this time angrier.

"I coulda sworn a square had four corner pieces!"

Thankfully, this problem was resolved by the same person who caused it, as Polnareff leaned back into the chest to discover a stray corner piece lying on its own. "Found it!"

"Elbrass appears to have the slight edge on cohesion over Manjari. But even despite this close duel, neither of them are as behind as Denalo, who are only now beginning to pull their chest from their ice block," explained Alexa.

Denalo huddled around Tails and Joseph as they fully removed their chest from the block, opening it and removing their puzzle pieces.

"Do what Manjari's doing; get the outer frame done first before we fill in the middle with the remaining puzzle pieces," Tails commanded.

"Aye-aye," Joseph replied, separating the corner and wall pieces from the centre pieces.

Surprisingly, while Elbrass and Manjari experienced an occasional error in teamwork, Denalo managed to build the puzzle piece relatively quickly. Most of the work was done by Tails, though most other Denalo players proved their work by assisting the fox.

"I don't believe it! It looks like Denalo's catching up, and fast! They still have a way's to go, but at this pace, who knows what might happen!"

Alexa's shock echoed straight into the remaining tribes, causing them to step up their game in speed.

As Manjari completed their frame and a bit of the interior, Elbrass was slightly behind with their less methodical approach.

"This goes here... uhh, and this goes here!" Daisy bellowed. "And this one goes here, right?"

"Not to put you down or anything, but you're gonna have to make those judgments yourself," said Knuckles. "But from what I see, I think you nailed it."

"What happened to Manjari sucking? Here I was, thinking my team had pretty good coordination, then I look over and see them acting like they were defusing a bomb." - Knuckles.

It turned out that the three people mainly responsible for Manjari's success in the segment were Wii Fit Trainer, Tracer and Rodin. With the three of them dominating the puzzle, the others were left to attempt to fit in.

"All I gotta do is sit here, occasionally slot in one of these tacky tiles, and let the others do the boring stuff for me. I already saved the team with my expert pickaxe wielding, so I got every right to dial it back with this annoying puzzle!" - King Dedede.

Alexa continued his commentary, now noticing how close things were getting. "While Manjari keeps a steady lead ahead, it looks like Elbrass and Denalo are neck and neck almost!"

"They're neck and neck?!" Polnareff gasped. "But they were so far behind us a few minutes ago!"

As Knuckles gave another quick glance over to one of the rival tribes, he saw Tails primarily doing most of the work. Though impressed at the fox's speed, he wasn't surprised.

"Pfft, no way are we losin' to them again! I bet we still got enough time to beat Manjari, too!" Scout said, his face rich with smugness.

Blindsiding his expectations, Tracer quickly filled in the final two pieces after a sudden burst in momentum.

"MANJARI HAVE JUST WON THEMSELVES IMMUNITY!"

With a roar of relief and glee from the tribe, Manjari stood up from where they knelt and congratulated one another.

"GAHA! Who sucks now, eh?!" Dedede wheezed. "We just stole that succulent first place from y'all, and there ain't nothin' you can do about it!"

After eventually calming down from their triumph, they joined Alexa in watching the final two tribes duke it out.

"Here! Uhhh..." Daisy bit her lip, holding a piece in her hand that didn't seem to fit anywhere.

Acknowledging her confusion, Scout snatched the piece from her hands and placed it beside himself. "If it ain't obvious, get someone else to do it!"

"C'mon c'mon c'mon," said Waluigi, eyeing the rest of his tribe as they finished up the puzzle.

"Wouldn't hurt for some help..." Sniper muttered.

But thankfully, it seemed like Waluigi's assistance wasn't needed, as Tails built up more and more momentum, eventually taking the lead from Elbrass. From there, momentum continued to build, with fewer pieces to deal with making the puzzle easier and easier until...

"One piece left for Denalo...

...And they've DONE IT! DENALO HAVE WON IMMUNITY!"

Majima ran back into the group as he began cheering alongside the rest of them. Of course, the title of second place had them cheering less than Manjari, but safety was always going to be something worth celebrating.

Throwing the final piece over his shoulder, Scout huffed as he slumped into the ice, exhausted.

"Hey, don't beat yourselves up. We did pretty great," Polnareff shrugged. "It's just that none of us were able to beat the captain of the Jigsaw Fanclub over there..."

"Tails never disappoints with his brains," added Knuckles.

With the results finally in, Alexa did the favour of revealing the prizes for winning. "Manjari! After redeeming yourself from that horrific first performance, I'm sure you can enjoy this prize feeling like you've earned it. And that prize is..."

Hidden behind a nearby rock, he retrieved a plentiful plate of fruit.

"A nice bit of fruit to keep your energy up!" He announced. "And for Denalo..."

A second plate was shown off. It contained a smaller portion of fruit.

"Not as much, but enough."

"I'm callin' dibs on that watermelon!" Dedede grinned.

As both tribes salivated over their delicious reward, Alexa continued. "Of course, the bigger prize you both receive is immunity! Sadly, however, your pleasure is another tribe's suffering, and this time, Elbrass will be visiting me later tonight for Tribal Council. You'll be attending it for the first time, so remember to decide on a member of the tribe to vote off. With all that said, Manjari and Denalo can spend their night enjoying themselves!"

All three tribes parted ways, returning to their respective mountain...


Elbrass Tribe: Day 4

Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Phoenix Wright - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy.

After being bested by Denalo for the second challenge in a row, Elbrass were faced with the punishment of attending Tribal Council. Unlike Manjari's approach of having a group discussion between all members, Elbrass had split up into three small groups.

Polnareff, Kiryu, and Knuckles placed themselves under the tribe's cloth shelter, leaving Phoenix and Dante by the entrance of the cave whilst Scout and Daisy discussed their plans deeper into the cave.

"You guys did well out there. It was a shame that Denalo and Manjari outperformed us with the puzzle," Kiryu said. "I wish I could've helped."

"Someone like you would have done wonders on that block of ice, but Knuckles was definitely our greatest asset," Polnareff explained. "If Manjari didn't also have someone capable of doing better with his fists, then they'd be at the bottom again."

Deciding to take a risk, he leaned forward and looked left to right, making sure nobody else lingered too close. "Hear me out... I think us three should form an alliance."

"An alliance?" Knuckles queried.

He grinned. "Yeah! Look, I have brawn, you have brawn, and Kiryu has brawn. Not only that, but Kiryu's a good leader, I can make sure we're topped up on food, and Knuckles and his fists will certainly come in handy. We basically don't need the other four, which is why we should stick together."

"Interesting idea..." Said the echidna. "Well, the more people I have on my side, the better my chances are of staying the night. What do you think, Kiryu?"

After a short pause, he gave a nod of approval. "Yeah. I'm willing to work with you two."

"Great!" Polnareff beamed. "Now, all we need is one other person to vote with us, and then we have the majority."

"Well, that's not the only thing we need." Knuckles folded his arms. "We need a target, too."

"I'm thinking we try and get Daisy to vote with us," stated Kiryu. "Out of our four options, she seems to be the most loyal. That leaves us with targeting Dante, Phoenix, and Scout."

Without much thought, the other two agreed with his decision. "I'll approach her later and ask her to vote out whoever we agree on," said Polnareff.

"Who knew building an alliance could be so easy! I approached two of the strongest members, asked to team up, and now I feel invincible! Sure, this team's gonna be scrambled in a few days, but what are the odds that I don't have Kiryu nor Knuckles brought with me? But I gotta say, I don't have as much trust in Knuckles as I do Kiryu... he could have found an idol yesterday, and I don't want to trust someone with an idol." - Jean Pierre Polnareff.

Now that they had decided on that, the next step of their plan was deciding tonight's vote.

"I don't know about you, but I'm thinking Dante," said Knuckles. "He's treating this whole game a little too lightly, and I don't mind that... but I feel like he's up to something. Scout's pretty aggressive, but he doesn't seem the type to be a mastermind strategist, and I think Phoenix is another person that wouldn't question us if we told him to vote with us."

Polnareff shook his head. "I dunno... he seems to be on the stronger side out of the three. I think we can trick Scout into voting with us, but Phoenix might have the ability to turn the tables on us if we don't get rid of him now."

Also disagreeing, Kiryu interjected his own belief. "Phoenix got to the end of the last season through making enemies with nobody. He's a social player and isn't that strong, so if there's someone that couldn't turn against us, it's him. Scout is hot-headed, as I've seen from how he acted in the last challenge, and someone that's impulsive is never safe to be around."

"Oh right... here's the difficulty in forming an alliance... all of us have to agree on everything." - Jean Pierre Polnareff.

"Well I don't wanna give Dante the benefit of the doubt. You can easily get everyone else on your side, but he seems to be far more aware," said Knuckles. "I've caught him and Phoenix staring at us a few times now."

With an idea forming, Polnareff stood up with pride. "I know how to settle this."

"How's that?" Asked Kiryu.

"Daisy is someone you could press without much consequence. With that in mind, I'll give her the option between Phoenix, Dante, and Scout."

"So you're leaving the vote to her?"

"If we give her the option, and we vote alongside her, then her loyalty toward us will be much higher!" Polnareff explained.

"That's... not a bad idea," he admitted. "If Knuckles doesn't object, then I recommend you do that."

Knuckles leaned back and gave a thumbs-up. "Ask away, Polnareff."

With gusto, the Stand-user stood up from his seat and marched towards the cave, leaving Kiryu and Knuckles beneath the shelter.

"What are the chances of a blindside?" Knuckles asked, slightly paranoid.

"Slim. He seems genuine about this alliance, and I think we can make it pretty far as long as luck has us stick together," said Kiryu.

Meanwhile, within the Elbrass cave, Daisy and Scout were sitting at the wall talking to one another.

"I'm gonna be honest. I don't trust any of 'em," said Scout.

"What makes you say that?"

"You're gonna think I'm a genius for this, but I've figured out an alliance."

"...WHAAA?!" Daisy gasped.

The mercenary scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding. Yesterday, when we all went searching for idols, I noticed that Polnareff, Phoenix, Kiryu, and Dante all stayed behind. They've formed an alliance of four, and unless we throw Knuckles under the bus, we're both screwed."

She audibly gulped, looking at the entrance of the cave. "Y-you're right! Look, it's Dante and Phoenix!"

"They're talkin' about tossin' me, you, or Knuckles. And considerin' Knuckles ain't here with us, we gotta kick his ass before he joins them and kicks ours," Scout explained.

Daisy grumbled to herself, standing up as she got ready to give everyone else a piece of her mind.

Before she could leave, however, the two noticed Polnareff marching towards them.

"Damn it... she's with Scout," he thought. "Looks like I'll have to tell them both."

Not even a few feet into the cave, and Polnareff noticed the glares of venom that the other two gave him.

"Uh... hey..." He smiled, attempting to look friendly. "There's something I need you two to know."

"Oh yeah? What's that," Daisy said, attempting to look intimidating. Though she failed miserably, Polnareff could tell they had no trust in him.

Out of desperation, Polnareff decided to feed them a lie.

"Dante and Phoenix have formed an alliance, and just now, they told me that they wanted me to join them in voting you two out. Naturally, a guy like me doesn't see much trust in them, so I decided to leak that info over to you."

Hoping he wouldn't have to elaborate or give further detail, Scout and Daisy looked to each other before turning their heads back.

"So let's say you ain't lyin' to us," Scout paused. "...Which one of us will go out first?"

Polnareff scratched the back of his neck before locking eyes with him. "That would be you."

"And which one of them came up with that crap?!"

Knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to throw his biggest target under the bus, Polnareff gave out one last lie, hoping it'd be enough to seal the deal. "That was Phoenix."

"The hell did I do to that lawyer for him to target me?!" He asked, filled with rage.

"I don't know, but the fact they're both playing the game intensely so early is bad news for all of us. If you vote with me on Phoenix and pray that the others decide to group with us, then we can tear down their alliance!"

His words were enough to win over Daisy as she was filled with adrenaline. "YEAH!" She bellowed down the tunnel, alerting the attention of the two outside of it.

"Hey hey hey... if they find out we're having this conversation, who knows what'll happen!" Polnareff warned.

Joining Polnareff alongside her was Scout, albeit with more skepticism. "Screw it. You could be lyin' to my face, but as long as this saves my pretty mug from that lousy Phoenix schmuck, I'll vote with ya."

"Good! I'll go tell the others." The Frenchman spun around and walked back out of the cave, noticing that Dante and Phoenix were now a little more aware of his presence.

As he returned to Kiryu and Knuckles to tell them about the situation he had created, Dante leaned toward Phoenix. "Looks like Daisy's in on whatever Polnareff suggested to her."

"What do you think it was?"

The devil hunter rubbed his chin. "I'm not the sharpest at knowing what people are up to, but I think he's fooling them into voting one of us."

"But that's bad news for us!" Phoenix said.

"Yeah, but think about it. Polnareff and Scout had bad blood, both Scout and Daisy went idol hunting while Polnareff, Kiryu, and us two stayed behind, and I think Knuckles has some tribe respect for nearly having us win." Dante followed his list with a grin. "I'm sure they're going to blindside them."

With a feeling of dread lingering around him, the lawyer was not fully sold on his safety.

*HOLD IT!*

"What's the point in blindsiding them?" He pressed.

Dante, taken slightly off guard by his firm command, answered with confidence as usual. "Us two plus them two equals a number that outnumbers the three under that shelter, so getting them to vote us will break that chance of them teaming with us. I'm sure they have an alliance forming, and as weird of a duo they are, Scout and Daisy probably have one too."

"I see..." Phoenix nodded. "Looks like we're at the bottom then. That is unless we do what they're all doing."

"You want us to form an alliance too?"

"It only makes sense. Whoever gets eliminated between Daisy and Scout as you predict can team up with us. Then that way, we'll match their alliance, and it'll all be about getting one of them onto our side." Phoenix placed both of his hands onto his hips with confidence.

"The reason why I missed out on winning last season was because I didn't do enough to deserve it. I floated from the beginning to the end, made too few relationships, and paid the price for it. This time, if I form more friendships and alliances, then I'll have enough votes on my side to win... at least, that's what I hope will happen." - Phoenix Wright.

Making sure nobody was staring at them from either group, Dante grabbed his hand and shook it, solidifying their alliance.

"There's not a single person in these mountains as normal as Phoenix. He's level-headed, smart, and cautious, and there aren't many opportunities to form alliances with people like that considering that everyone else ranges from odd to psychotic." - Dante.

"So, who do we vote?" Asked Phoenix.

"Well... it'd be stupid to not join the others in picking between Daisy and Scout," said Dante. "I think they're more likely to boot the Scout, and I think a guy like him doesn't have much use on the team anyway. Besides, Daisy seems far easier to get onto our side."

"Your logic makes sense. Scout it is."

The three groups spent the rest of their time together until it was finally time for them to make their way down to Tribal Council. After one last look at their tribe, knowing it could be their last, they journeyed off the mountain, across the Ice Cap plains, and eventually to Tribal Fortress: a large, grey building lit up by several torches. With varying levels of confidence, the Elbrass tribe entered the building...


Tribal Council: Night 4

Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Phoenix Wright - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy.

Making their way down the stone corridor brought them to the main room of the building. At the far back in the middle of the room was a desk, and behind that desk was Alexa sitting contently in his seat. To the left of the desk was the voting booth, and to the right was a door where eliminated survivors exited through.

What caught their attention the most were the raging fires at the back wall. Twenty-one were displayed, but only twenty were lit. Above each torch was an iron plaque displaying a name of a survivor. "FALCO" was the name of the plaque adjacent to the unlit torch, giving Elbrass an idea of what happens to the torch representing them if they ever got eliminated.

Each member took a seat on one of the seven stone stools and waited for Alexa to commence the Tribal Council.

"Welcome survivors," he said. "Many of you look disappointed over the temperature of the Tribal Fortress. Don't worry, Manjari experienced familiar despair when they realised it was no colder in here than it currently is out there."

As they peeked at one another to see how others were coping with the bitter cold, Alexa let out a smirk. "Moving on from that, let's address the elephant in the room: you guys just BARELY missed out on a succulent taste of fruit and glory. I'm sure all of you thought that your jigsaw skills could do with some work, as your performance on the ice block was very good. Knuckles, what are your thoughts on such a disappointing loss?"

"You know, if it wasn't so close, then maybe it wouldn't have annoyed me so much. Denalo were too good at the puzzle, and as much as I hate to admit it, none of us are cut out for a duel of intelligence against that tribe," he confessed.

"So you're admitting that, if the next challenge was all about testing that brain of yours, then Manjari would be your only realistic opponent to challenge due to Denalo?"

Knuckles folded his arms. "Both of them have pretty smart players. If there's a challenge that'll let us fully operate as a team at once, then that's where we shine."

"I see. Then again, your performance in the first challenge allowed all of you to work at once, and that didn't exactly result in a first-place victory," said Alexa. "But I digress, not even I saw Denalo's barbaric move incoming. Speaking of that challenge, Kiryu's leadership in that challenge resulted in him sitting out alongside Goro Majima in Denalo. Kiryu, how did it feel watching your team perform knowing that you weren't able to assist them on a physical level?"

"It was frustrating," said Kiryu. "As the captain of the first challenge, I had to take responsibility for our team missing out on first place. Knowing that I wasn't able to redeem myself wasn't pleasant, even if I had high hopes that my tribe would win."

Dante turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, what were you supposed to do? Jump onto Denalo's ship and row them backward? Don't sweat it. Second place still meant immunity, and that's all that matters."

"Agreed. No matter who was at the helm, nobody could have foreseen them crashing into us," Phoenix supported.

Seeing the positivity within the tribe made an impression on Alexa. "Well, maybe you didn't have the brawn or brains, but you certainly have the spirit of a team. As a result, I assume finding who to vote was a painful process. Daisy, was it difficult choosing a target tonight?"

"Duh! I'm not evil, y'know," she sighed. "Our team is full of cool people! Even though there's someone in here that wants to play dirty, I wish we could all stay!"

Though her optimism was clear, everyone around her was more focused on her offhand remark.

"When Polnareff told us about the lies he fed them, I knew that this Tribal Council wasn't going to go smoothly. If Dante and Phoenix don't vote for Scout like he said they would, then that means neither of them will trust him from that point onward." - Knuckles.

"Someone that wants to play dirty? Something tells me that's related to what Polnareff told her in that cave." - Phoenix Wright.

Alexa, meanwhile, ignored the remark. "Sadly, not everyone will be staying in this tribe by the end of tonight. Not only will one of you be eliminated from the show, but it's important to note that The Shuffling isn't too far from now. Anyhow, I think we've had a good chat, and I'm sure you're all itching to get this wicked part of the game over with.

Survivors, please stand up, make your way to the voting booth on your left. The first one to cast their vote will be Dante."

One by one, the members of Elbrass stood up and entered the voting booth...


Dante: "You don't seem loyal, you don't seem very strong, and you definitely don't seem sane either. Sorry to kick you out so early, but I gotta choose someone." (Scout)

Scout: "If there's one rule embedded into my brain, it's that you don't trust lawyers." (Phoenix Wright)

Phoenix: "You seem a little too spontaneous for my liking. If everyone else is going to vote for you, then I might as well join in." (Scout)

Polnareff: "Sorry Phoenix, but you're too innocent to snuff out later on. I may not get this opportunity again, so this better work out for me!" (Phoenix Wright)

Knuckles: "I still don't trust Dante and Phoenix to vote for Scout. If they don't, then that makes Polnareff look bad. Hopefully, nobody gets the same idea, but I have an idea that'll keep Scout and Daisy loyal to us... (?)

"Survivors! It's time for me to read out the votes. But before I do so, does anyone here have an idol that they would like to play? Feel free to keep it a secret. Otherwise, let me know now if you'd like to use it."

Silence...

Eventually, Alexa assumed no idols were going to be played. "Very well... Elbrass Tribe, hold onto your seats. I will now read out the votes!"


*VOTING TIME*

The first vote goes to... Phoenix Wright.

The second vote goes to... Phoenix Wright. That's two votes Phoenix. ("That must be Scout and Daisy." Phoenix thinks to himself.)

The third vote goes to... Scout. One vote Scout, two votes Phoenix.

The fourth vote goes to... Scout. Two votes Scout and Phoenix.

The fifth vote goes to... Scout. Three votes Scout, two votes Phoenix. (Phoenix finds himself calming down as Scout glares at Polnareff.)

The sixth vote goes to... Phoenix Wright. That's three votes Phoenix and Scout.

"Behind this slip is the confirmation of the second contestant to be eliminated from Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone," stated Alexa.

After a pause, he flipped it around and revealed it.

"Phoenix Wright. At a four-to-three vote, your time in Survivor Crossover has come to an end," said Alexa.

Stunned over the blindside, all Dante could do was place his hand on his shoulder, giving out a soft "Damn...".

As Alexa pulled out an ice cube, he approached Phoenix's torch. "Fire represents your life in this show, and as it goes out..."

He dropped the cube into his flame, snuffing it within seconds.

"...You go out with it. Please exit through the door to your right."

Phoenix turned to the others and gave a wave. "Well played. Elimination feels worse than I thought..."

"Sorry, Phoenix," said Kiryu.

As he walked out, Scout turned to Polnareff and gave him a thumbs-up. "Thanks a million, pal."

"Once upon a time, Phoenix Wright made it to the finale of Survivor Crossover: Dry Dry Desert. He got to the final three, had nowhere near enough support to win, and decided to return for season three. Sadly, before he could truly show off his improvements from the last season, you guys decided to pull the plug on him. Here's hoping Elbrass comes out of here a better tribe for the next challenge. You may return to your tribes to rest. Goodnight survivors."

With only six Elbrass members remaining, they left the Tribal Fortress with plenty of questions on their minds...


Phoenix Wright's Last Words: "Man, that was embarrassing. Me and Dante were almost certain that Polnareff was attempting a blindside on either Scout or Daisy. When I saw my name show up on the voting slip for the third time, I knew it was over. Though he was probably going to blindside me himself, I hope Edgeworth makes it far, and the same goes for Dante, too. Oh well, at least I had fun."


VOTES

Phoenix Wright (4): Scout - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy.

Scout (3): Dante - Knuckles - Phoenix Wright.


IDOLS

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


REMAINING SURVIVORS

Elbrass Tribe (Green)

- Dante

- Scout

- Knuckles

- Jean Pierre Polnareff

- Kazuma Kiryu

- Princess Daisy

Denalo Tribe (Purple)

- Nero

- Sniper

- Miles "Tails" Prower

- Miles Edgeworth

- Joseph Joestar

- Goro Majima

- Waluigi

Manjari Tribe (Orange)

- Mr. Krabs

- Tracer

- Rodin

- King Dedede

- Glass Joe

- Wii Fit Trainer


Days Until The Shuffling: 3