*Last Time on Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone...*
With Krabs and Dedede were out hunting for idols, the rest of Manjari discovered that the leftovers of their recent prize of fruit had been completely depleted. Upon further investigation, it didn't take long for things to be pinned on the absent Dedede. This caused the tribe to form an agreement on voting him out of the competition in the next opportunity they were given.
In the Ring of Igloos, Majima had discovered the location of the idol that Nero had taken a few days prior. Though the idol's disappearance had him upset, a note had taken its place. Said note revealed that idols would return to their original hiding spot if the owner of the idol were to be eliminated before they could play it. With this newfound advantage of knowledge, he discretely returned to the tribe.
Tensions in Denalo grew as Waluigi ended up outing Nero, claiming that he had obtained an idol from the Ring of Igloos. Upon confirming this himself, survivors such as Edgeworth and Sniper aimed for the target on Nero's back, though Joseph's distrust of them was sure to complicate things.
In the Elbrass tribe, Dante found himself at the bottom of the tribe's hierarchy. With no alliance, no trust, and no idols, the devil hunter was guaranteed elimination if he were to lose the next challenge. As for the rest of the tribe, they discussed the potential threat of survivors from the competing tribes, such as Sniper's sneaky tendency to eavesdrop when people least expect it.
The next day was the third challenge of the show. Each team was tasked to nominate four teammates to play an offensive role, and one teammate to play a defensive role. Daisy begged her way to the role of Elbrass defense; Nero volunteered to take on Denalo defense, and Wii Fit Trainer took on the challenge of being Manjari's defense. Three rounds were played, with each tribe's offense being tasked with hitting a target with rocks four times to finish their round. The defense, meanwhile, was tasked with sabotaging the offense. The number of rocks used were recorded, and two tribes with the least rocks used would receive immunity.
The first round went fairly well for Elbrass, with them outsmarting Wii Fit Trainer enough to finish the round with twelve rocks used. The second round went even better for Denalo, with only seven rocks being used by the tribe to best Daisy's defense. With Denalo's score being better than Elbrass, their immunity was ultimately guaranteed.
After a failed bargain between Dedede and an uninterested Nero, the third round commenced. Thanks to Nero's quick speed and reaction time, the tribe struggled to get many successful hits on the target. Eventually, it came down to Tracer to force a tie between Elbrass and Manjari, but to the tribe's dismay, they found themselves at their second loss.
Returning to tribe, the old plan to vote Dedede quickly crumbled. Glass Joe's sudden illness concerned Wii Fit Trainer, and Dedede successfully managed to trick Joe and Krabs into thinking he had an idol that granted him full immunity.
With Manjari in a tricky situation, Tribal Council's vote resulted in a three-way tie between Dedede, Joe, and Rodin, proceeding Tribal Council into a revote. With only Krabs, Tracer, and Wii Fit able to vote, Dedede was eliminated with two votes to one.
Eighteen now remain, and all three tribes have reached the first Shuffling event in the season! Who will fall next? What obstacles, twists, and conflicts lie ahead? All and more will be answered in this episode of Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone!
Ice Cap Zone (Lake): Day 7
Survivors: Dante - Scout - Knuckles - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Kazuma Kiryu - Tails - Mr. Krabs - Princess Daisy - Tracer - Rodin - Miles Edgeworth - Goro Majima - Waluigi - Nero - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Glass Joe - Wii Fit Trainer.
The survivors poured in. Though they were grouped by their current tribes, they would soon be leaving with different allies and enemies alike. Today was the Shuffling, and the first one at that, a twist that Alexa had explained four days prior.
"I'm sure you all know why you're here, but before we get into that..." Alexa pointed to the Manjari tribe with a snuffed torch. "Take a good look at the finalised tribe of Manjari! Dedede's torch got snuffed last night, marking the third elimination in the game. There's only eighteen of you, but that's still a plentiful amount of eager survivors!"
Taking a few seconds to take in the loss of Dedede, most survivors found themselves unsurprised over his departure.
"There goes the other big talking blue chicken," Dante smirked. "I'm surprised there were two of them."
The host swiftly moved on to the main point of the gathering. "Moving on; let's finally get around to that looming twist: The Shuffling! A while back, I told you that after every three Tribal Councils, this twist will be put into place. All three tribes will be randomly shuffled into new groups of six, putting alliances and rivalries into potential dormancy, while allowing new ones to bloom and develop. However, I'm dying to know one thing from Manjari before we begin."
He stood forward and continued. "You guys have had a Tribal Council before learning about this twist, and then you had another right before this twist came into effect. How did the looming presence of the Shuffling change your decision on who to vote?"
Deciding to answer the question, Wii Fit quickly rose her hand. "Not by much. People that we may not want to work with still have a pretty big chance of being on the same team as us after the tribes are switched around, but long-term plans and strategies seem to be mostly down to luck."
"Having to switch up your strategy and keep it short-term is definitely your best bet. Maybe you can pray to be on the same team as your alliance all you want, but there's nothing more reliable than the ability to quickly adjust to big changes. I'm excited to see how this goes. So, without further ado, let's explain how this is going to work."
Behind him was an open crate filled with eighteen parcels. Each parcel was numbered from one to eighteen, and they were jumbled up inside the crate. He grabbed it and dragged it closer to the tribe. "In this crate lies one parcel for each survivor standing here. You all may grab one, but do not open it until I tell you to do so."
Obeying his order, the survivors clustered together, breaking away from their former tribes, and swarmed the crate, grabbing the closest parcel they could see.
Once everyone had their parcel, they stood away from the crate and spaced themselves out.
"Within your parcel is a stone," said Alexa. "Your stone will be one of four colours: green, purple, orange, and white. Of course, green represents the Elbrass tribe, purple represents the Denalo tribe, and orange represents the Manjari tribe. There are five green, purple and orange stones. In addition to that, there are also three white stones. They're pretty important, but I'll tell you what they do after you open your parcels."
The survivors clutched their parcels close to them. None of them knew the inner contents, and some were especially curious to know the purpose of the white stones. After enough waiting, Alexa gave them permission to open their parcels.
"Alright, go ahead and tear 'em open! Hold them out in front of you clearly so everyone around you can see your results!"
In unison, they tore open their parcels:
Dante held a green stone, assigning him to Elbrass...
Knuckles held a purple stone, assigning him to Denalo...
Polnareff held a purple stone, assigning him to Denalo...
Kiryu held an orange stone, assigning him to Manjari...
Daisy held an orange stone, assigning her to Manjari...
Tails held a purple stone, assigning him to Denalo...
Edgeworth held a green stone, assigning him to Elbrass...
Majima held an orange stone, assigning him to Manjari...
Waluigi held a green stone, assigning him to Elbrass...
Sniper held an orange stone, assigning him to Manjari...
Joseph held an orange stone, assigning him to Manjari...
Mr. Krabs held a purple stone, assigning him to Denalo...
Tracer held a green stone, assigning her to Elbrass...
Joe held a green stone, assigning him to Elbrass...
Wii Fit Trainer held a purple stone, assigning her to Denalo.
Nero held a white stone marked with the number one.
Scout held a white stone marked with the number two.
Rodin held a white stone marked with the number three.
"Alright! The tribes are looking a LOT different!" Alexa said. "So far, we have Dante, Edgeworth, Waluigi, Tracer, and Glass Joe on Elbrass. Then we have Knuckles, Polnareff, Tails, Mr. Krabs, and Wii Fit Trainer on Denalo. Finally, there's Kiryu, Daisy, Majima, Sniper, and Joseph on Manjari. Go ahead and group up! It's never too late to get to know each other."
As the three tribes formed into five-person teams, the three that drew white stones - Nero, Scout, and Rodin - were singled out.
"Hey, hold up," said Scout, growing paranoid by the second. "Are you sayin' that us white stone guys have no frickin' tribe?"
Alexa shook his head. "Not at all! In fact, I'd say you guys have it better than the others."
"Is that so?" Nero queried.
"Between the three of you, one of you has a white stone with the number one written on it. Another has a white stone with the number two written on it, and the third person has a white stone with the number three written on it," he explained. "The new formations of Elbrass, Denalo, and Manjari were chosen randomly, but if you have the white stone, then you get to choose which tribe that you'd like to join!"
The three were intrigued by the extra twist, though the extra power would force them to think hard about their decision.
"But this is where the number on your stones comes in," he grinned. "Nero, having the number one on his stone, gets to choose first. Scout, having the number two, gets to choose second. This leaves Rodin, having the number three, to enter the tribe picked by neither Nero nor Scout."
This left Nero with the most power of the three. He could choose any tribe he want, restricting Scout down to two options, which in turn will shove Rodin with the unwanted tribe. In order to decide which tribe was best for him, he had to think hard.
Alexa prompted him to make that decision sooner than expected, however. "So, Nero, which tribe do you see yourself lasting the longest in?"
He thought quickly, looking at each tribe and weighing up the people he would have to work with. Elbrass was out of the equation, with the likes of Edgeworth and Waluigi coming across as untrustworthy, even if they were from his previous tribe. This left forming a majority of ex-Denalo members in the new Manjari tribe, or trying to work with as many new people as possible on the new Denalo tribe, most of which seemed to be reasonable.
"Screw it. Might as well take a risk," he said under his breath. "I'll be joining Denalo."
With a nod, the host beckoned him to the group. "Very well! Feel free to join them. While you do that, however, Scout will be faced with a similar dilemma."
Scout proudly stood forward, glancing between Elbrass and Manjari. He saw that only Dante was in Elbrass, while Kiryu and Daisy were in Manjari. In addition, Sniper was someone he knew outside of the competition. All of a sudden, the decision was blatantly obvious.
"No way am I skippin' out on Manjari," he proclaimed.
"...And that means I'm goin' on to Elbrass," Rodin added. "Ain't that right?"
"Yep!" Alexa said. "Interesting choices from both Nero and Scout. Now that we have the three tribes fully finalised, let's take a look at the formation:
Elbrass Mk. II Tribe (Green)
- Dante
- Miles Edgeworth
- Waluigi
- Tracer
- Glass Joe
- Rodin
Denalo Mk. II Tribe (Purple)
- Knuckles
- Jean Pierre Polnareff
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Mr. Krabs
- Wii Fit Trainer
- Nero
Manjari Mk. II Tribe (Orange)
- Kazuma Kiryu
- Princess Daisy
- Goro Majima
- Sniper
- Joseph Joestar
- Scout
Very different to how it was before, huh?" He said rhetorically. "They're your new family for the next week! You may have a buddy or two from your previous tribe, but for the most part, you should make some good first impressions to those that you haven't quite talked to yet."
"Hard to believe I escaped the feral clutches of my old tribe. There wasn't a single person there that trusted me... not that I could blame them, considering the results of our first and only Tribal Council. Now I'm with all these new people, I can only hope that they don't single me out... who am I kidding? That's definitely gonna happen." - Dante.
"I'm essentially back to square one, and in trouble. Dante is on his own, I'm with Waluigi of all people, and Tracer, Joe and Rodin are all together. If people want to form easy alliances, then that leaves the former Manjari alliance on top. Thankfully, once they get a whiff of Waluigi's character, then all heat towards me will be diverted until he's gone. As for Dante, I'm not sure what to expect out of him." - Miles Edgeworth.
"Me and Tails? Things couldn't have gone better for the both of us! The first chance we get, we'll form an alliance... but, considering I'm already in an alliance with Polnareff, I'm not sure whether to keep it a secret from him or to let him in on our club." - Knuckles.
"This tribe is lookin' a lot neater than the shmucks I had to put up with before! Falco and Dedede got booted off first for a reason, and that Joe fella has heart, but he's gettin' more and more ill by the day. At this rate, he'll be taken right outta the game! Oh well, that's just one less person in between me and that sweet, sweet cash!" - Mr. Krabs.
"GAHAHAHA! Christmas came early! Who woulda thought that I'd only have to wait a week before gettin' face-to-face with Kiryu-chan! I hope he hasn't forgotten about our chat, because as much as I wanna see him win, I need to see him earn it! If the Dragon of Dojima can't win a brutal gameshow, then what makes him deserving of such a legendary title?!" - Goro Majima.
"Things are goin' pretty well so far. Nero's outta my sights for now, and I probably ain't gonna have to sleep next to that Waluigi bugger again. Not sure if Scout would want to team up with me, but I'm not sure if I'd want to team up with him either." - Sniper.
Every survivor had their own thoughts towards the new tribe. From alliances breaking up, to potential new ones springing up at every corner, things were bound to change.
"Oh, and while we're here, I thought I'd give a little extra announcement," Alexa said. "You may or may not be aware of this, but the idol from the Ring of Igloos has been found! Whoever has it has tremendous power, so beware. That person may just be in your very tribe!"
It came as a small shock to most, but two people that were especially taken back by the reveal were Krabs and Joe.
"So... if Dedede said he had an idol from that igloo place, and then Alexa tells us that an idol has been found from there, then that could only mean that he DID have an idol!" - Glass Joe.
With everyone caught up on all the events Alexa had to offer, the meeting came to its end. "It goes without saying, but the new Elbrass tribe will reside in Mount Elbrass, the new Denalo tribe will reside in Mount Denalo, and the new Manjari tribe will, you guessed it, reside in Mount Manjari. Out of kindness from yours truly, the fishing equipment and flint won by Denalo in the first challenge has been given to all three tribes. So, with all that said and done, you may head to your tribes!"
In groups, the tribes left the lakeside, wandering to their respective mountains. With this fresh twist on the game finally in play, no survivors thought to spend their day searching for idols...
Elbrass Mk. II: Day 7
Survivors: Dante - Miles Edgeworth - Waluigi - Tracer - Glass Joe - Rodin.
The newly formed team climbed up the steep Mount Elbrass trail, clashing against the tough winds as they drew closer to their tribe's camp. Most were intrigued to see where they would be staying for the next week, though Dante was the only exception to this, being the only Elbrass member to stay on the tribe.
Eventually, the trail came to its end, and the tribe spread out across the area. They were quick to discover that the camp in Elbrass was more or less the same as Denalo or Manjari's, the only difference being the colour of the shelter and flag. Bags of rice and beans lay lifelessly against the poles holding up the shelter. To the surprise of the tribe, an impressive pile of fish was spotted next to the soulless campfire.
"Whoa... look at all of that fish!" Glass Joe said, the promise of a hearty meal alone making him feel less ill. "Elbrass made good work of that fishing equipment won in the first challenge..."
Dante looked to him, giving a puzzled shrug. "We didn't win any fishing equipment? You mean Denalo, right?"
"Wait..." He said, suddenly remembering. "Yeah... it was! Then, what's with all the fish? No way did you fish with your bare hands..."
He folded his arms and shook his head. "I don't know much, but all I know is that it was a secret technique of Polnareff's. Some family thing, if I'm remembering correctly. Anyway, it looks like we could use the leftovers to good use."
Waluigi simply froze, his mouth ajar as he processed the word "leftovers" in his head over and over again. His tribe had won fishing equipment and fruit, but he never recalled being full. The fact that Elbrass was well-fed filled him with an unhealthy feeling of resentment.
"Strange. He doesn't look like the type to have family fishing traditions," Tracer giggled. "That sounds quite silly."
Meanwhile, Edgeworth was curious. "Nobody's witnessed this "technique"?"
"Not as far as I know," said Dante.
"Any clues as to what it could be?"
"You looking to discover it so you can use it yourself? I tried doing the same thing, but the only lead I got just leaves me with more questions."
"And what might that be?"
The devil hunter grabbed one of the fish from the pile and walked back, showing the tribe the small, clean hole in the middle of the fish. "It looks like some sort of tool was used, almost like he skewered them."
"Somethin' long, sharp, and strong like that ain't really somethin' you can find 'round here," Rodin said. "People here got their fair share of quirks, so maybe that family technique shtick was a cover-up."
Having taken the words out of his mouth, Edgeworth swiftly agreed with him. "He's right. This Polnareff character seems pretty mysterious."
"Dante's all but confirmed the fact that Polnareff, much like Joseph, has a stand. A small, perfect hole in the fish; hiding his technique from others, and my already-existing suspicions lead to the conclusion that he has a Stand of some form. I'm not sure of what it does beyond being apparently great at catching fish, but this lead has definitely shown me that neither Joseph or Polnareff should be trusted." - Miles Edgeworth.
"Well, let's just say I lost my trust for him recently," replied Dante, strolling to the shelter. "Though the same could be said for the entirety of my old tribe. I was left out of the loop while some alliances and strategy was put into action, and if it weren't for this Shuffling thingamajig, then I'd still be at rock bottom of that tribe's ugly hierarchy."
Waluigi scoffed. Though he wasn't one for trust in general, he had none of it reserved for the devil hunter. "Yeah right! You must have done something to-a get yourself at the bottom!"
"Sometimes it just happens, my purple compadre," he shrugged. "Not much I can say to defend myself. But before we get on the wrong foot here, I think we should lower the tensions and introduce ourselves properly. My tribe did it, so I don't see why we shouldn't."
Glass Joe, rose his arm, his pale face lighting up at the chance to make a good impression in front of new people. "That's a good idea. I'll start!"
"Go on."
Standing up, he gave a weak point to his chest. Before he could speak, he was struck with a mild coughing fit, but quickly refocused. "I'm Glass Joe! I'm a world-famous French boxer that has fought previous contestants who have participated on the show before."
"Such as..." Waluigi folded his arms, struggling to take his confident boxer persona seriously upon looking at his frail body.
"Little Mac... Super Macho Man," he listed. "T-that's it, really."
Tracer raised her eyebrows. "Wow! Not even I knew that, and I've known you for quite some time, Joey."
Unexpectedly, Waluigi grinned wildly. "You mean... you kicked Mac's butt before?!"
"Well... no comment there-"
"WAHAHAHA!" He cackled, ignoring his meek comments. "That cheating loser was responsible for-a me losing in the last season! And you're telling me that you beat him to a pulp?! I don't know much about any of you, but I got a good feeling about you, Joe!"
Admittedly happy to finally have a fan, Joe didn't bother correcting Waluigi.
Meanwhile, Edgeworth held lots of skepticism. "Hard to believe someone that's had such a lackluster performance managed to beat such a skilled boxer."
"Pssh. Are you dumb, or do I really have to-a explain it to you?!" Waluigi rolled his eyes.
"I think an explanation would suffice."
"He's-a clearly keeping it under wraps!"
"That makes no sense-"
"But-a now that he's on our tribe, we're gonna witness the real deal!" He cackled further. "WAHAHAHAHAA!"
"Joe's got a whole lotta expectations to carry on his puny shoulders." - Rodin.
Attempting to humble himself, Joe tried to move things along. "W-well, that's my introduction done! Who wants to go next?"
"I might as well," Tracer volunteered.
As each member spent a few minutes in the limelight, tensions died down. It would definitely take some time for the whole tribe to warm up into a solid team full of people willing to take orders from one another, but they certainly didn't spend their first day as hostile as some as expected.
Event-wise, not much went on in the tribe for the remainder of the day. Dante and Rodin helped the tribe make good use out of their bounty of fish while the others continued to learn more about their new teammates. Edgeworth and Rodin didn't speak much about themselves personally, but by the time night had fallen on the tribe, things seemed peaceful.
Or so they thought...
With Joe beginning to feel the already-cool temperatures of the region drop to truly frigid levels, he exited the cloth shelter and walked to the cave. It was dark, but he could see just well enough to navigate to the cave entrance.
Right before entering, a hand shot from the darkness, clutching at his arm. Before he knew it, he was face-to-face with Waluigi in a discrete corner of the tribe.
"...W-wha-"
"Ssssh... do you want to get us both voted out?" He whispered, covering Joe's mouth. "Any of-a those snakes could be listening!"
"S-snakes?" He said, mumbling through Waluigi's glove.
Waluigi rolled his eyes. "C'mon! Just look at the people in our tribe! We both have what it takes to get them out!"
With more questions queuing up by the minute, Joe gently removed Waluigi's hand from his mouth and brought his voice down to a similar volume. "W-what do you mean by that?"
"Duh... if we both teamed up, we'd stay on top!"
"R-really?!"
"Do I look like I'm kidding?!"
He scratched his neck timidly. "Well, to be honest... I can't see much in this darkness."
"Whatever... point is, we're an alliance now! You'll need me, and I'd prefer to have you on my side," Waluigi explained. "You in?"
Joe, taking any opportunity he can to stay safe, immediately accepted his offer. "Yeah!"
"He's got his quirks, but I need to do what I can to keep myself from getting voted out. I'm feeling a little better from yesterday, but as long as that illness keeps haunting me, my tribe is gonna notice and use that against me. An extra vote on my side makes things easier." - Glass Joe.
"Good! With my vote and yours, we can get those cheaters out!" He snickered. "Not like a tribe consisting of-a both of us can even lose a challenge, so we might not even need to use our votes! WAAAHAHAHA!"
With his voice suddenly picking up as he cackled with laughter, Joe jumped back with widened eyes. "I thought we had to keep quiet!"
"Oh, yeah," Waluigi shrugged. "Whatever. We're unstoppable anyways!"
"I don't think he gets that two votes is enough to win the majority in a tribe of six. This alliance thing is sure gonna be a double-edged sword..." - Glass Joe.
Denalo Mk. II: Day 7
Survivors: Knuckles - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Miles "Tails" Prower - Mr. Krabs - Wii Fit Trainer - Nero.
Other than the slight theme of purple sprinkled around camp, the newcomers to Mount Denalo went through the same process that the newcomers to Mount Elbrass experienced. They took a brisk tour, found no major changes other than their beautiful view was now from a completely different angle, and quickly went back to making relationships with their new allies.
Though the tribe had a short period of sticking together, things quickly escalated into groups based on the old tribe formations. Polnareff and Knuckles - two members from the old Elbrass tribe - helped prepare the tribe's first meal together, with Knuckles staying at camp while Polnareff ventured down to the lake to catch fish. Krabs and Wii Fit - two members from the old Manjari tribe - overlooked the Ice Cap region from the fenced cliffside. This left the old Denalo duo of Tails and Nero paired together, taking refuge from the cold in the tribe's cave.
Leaning against a wall, Nero silently stared at the floor as Tails sat near him. Both were thinking hard about the new people they were paired with. Tails felt that being on the same tribe with Knuckles was nothing short of advantageous, and having mostly friendly faces around tribe compared to the stern, crazy faces of his old tribe left him feeling safer. On the other hand, Nero's reaction to his new tribe diverged greatly from his old teammate. He knew that the truth about the idol would eventually lead back to him, especially with Tails present. He went through plans that would have him survive a potential Tribal Council, but ultimately found nothing.
If he wanted to find out if the fox was planning on ratting him out, he'd have to interrogate him first.
"Better group than before, huh?" Remarked Nero. "Dunno about you, but there's something saner about these guys than our old tribe."
"You can say that again..." Tails sighed. "Majima was too eccentric for me, Waluigi was... Waluigi, and there's something about Edgeworth and Sniper that made them difficult to trust. You and Joseph were the easiest to get along with."
Nero folded his arms, rolling his eyes with embarrassment. "Glad I'm not around Waluigi anymore. All he did was put a massive target on my back."
"With the idol thing?"
"Yep."
"Take this as you will, but I still would have voted Waluigi out over someone with an idol," Tails said. "Unless that person was gunning for me, someone as unpredictable as him can be even more dangerous. I guess that's why people like him get voted out early..."
The devil hunter tried his best to trust the fox. His tone was friendly, his expression was genuine, but even still, Nero simply couldn't let his guard down.
It was then he realised that a risk would have to be played. One that would build a strong relationship with Tails while also snuffing out any reason for him to be blindsided by him.
"Screw it."
Tails looked over, puzzled, as Nero kicked himself off the wall, walking over to Tails as he reached deep into his pocket.
Out came the Ring of Reflection - his idol - as he held it out to the fox.
He was dumbfounded. The last thing he expected so soon was an idol being thrown his way.
"This thing's nothing but trouble," he said. "Take it."
"W-what does it do?"
"Any vote cast towards you will be bounced onto someone else. The thing is, that person is random," Nero explained. "It's called the Ring of Reflection."
The fox was still taken back by the gesture, unable to take it right away. "Why me?"
"There are two people from the old Elbrass, two from the old Manjari, and then there's us two from the old Denalo. I got a feeling people are going to pair up, and even if I'm wrong, it's better for us to have an alliance than be alone," he suggested. "That idol is a part of our deal. I give you a powerful idol that can save your skin, and you'll not tell anyone that I ever had it."
Tails understood the terms, but after some thought, pushed Nero's hand away gently. "If we're going to be an alliance, then you can keep it. I'm more than happy to work with you... especially now that we have half the votes."
Though he preferred to have the idol out of his hair, the fox's sincerity began to win him over.
"I guess I can't get through this game without putting trust in strangers. I was hoping that my idol could have been used to bribe Tails to not backstab me, but I didn't expect for him to throw it back at me. The more I talk to him, the more confident I feel that he's not interested in getting me out, but you can never be too sure with guys you've known for only a week." - Nero.
Moving away from his trust issues, the final remark about votes left Nero curious. "Half? Not to disappoint you, but half of six is three, not two. Besides, let's not forget that there are plenty of alliances that we don't know about."
"Exactly!" He beamed. "There's an alliance that you don't know about, but since you were willing to give me an idol, I feel like I can trust you enough to say."
"Who is it?"
"I'll tell you later tonight. If we can get a bigger alliance going than what we have now, then we can guarantee our safety," Tails said, excitement in his voice.
Nero had a suspicion on who that person was, but until then, he kept his theories to himself. "Sounds good, but I don't want anyone else knowing about my idol."
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me!" He promised.
"Maybe I got too hasty... Knuckles might not be happy that I decided to include Nero in our alliance without telling him, but as distant as Nero may be, I got too much faith in him wanting to have a strong alliance with me." - Tails.
Meanwhile, on the edge of the tribe's cliffs, paranoia began to take over Krabs. With so many new people and only one old tribe member on his side, he was too unaware of the situation for comfort.
"Alright lass, you know what this whole switcheroo thing means, right?" He said, turning to her discreetly. Knuckles was nearby, so the two of them were forced to keep their voices down. "It means that we have to stick together. You up for that?"
"...Well, I'm not too sure we should be thinking about that just yet." Wii Fit scratched her cheek, caught off guard. "You're making us sound like we're at the bottom."
"For all we know, we are! Those two fuzzy critters are probably close, while those two silver-haired kids are probably also close. That's two alliances lookin' down on us, so it's best that we do the same!" Stated Krabs firmly. "Maybe we could tinker with one of them and get them to turn on each other... then that'll leave us with the honors of picking which team to boot! I'm thinkin' we get the beefy one out. I don't like the look of him..."
Wii Fit held her hands up, slowing him down. "Whoa whoa whoa... we've hardly spoken to any of them yet, and you've already made this big plan to turn them against one another?"
"Yep!" He grinned. "It's fool-proof."
"I feel like if we both went out there and tried to build some relationships, then maybe we won't have to tear the tribe apart so soon," she suggested. "What about that?"
The crustacean winced, not fond of her timid approach. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I'm not takin' any chances! I won't be drawin' any suspicion to myself, but tryin' to weasel my way into their alliances is a waste of time!"
"Krabs has definitely gone head-first into this phase with that plan of his. He's saying Tails and Knuckles, as well as Nero and Polnareff, are in alliances together. Sure, they could be related, but who's to say they aren't rivals or enemies? Thinking like he does is only going to get me into trouble, so I'm going to try and make some friends instead." - Wii Fit Trainer.
With them taking separate paths, they resumed their peaceful gaze into the Ice Cap's breathtaking landscape. They stared for a good couple of hours, not doing much beyond twiddling their thumbs and occasionally talking about the game. A couple of hours before nightfall, Polnareff arrived back with a trove of fish.
"Sorry for being late!" He yelled, walking over to Knuckles beneath the shelter. "There were fewer fish than usual."
"Maybe if you weren't so good at catching them, there'd be more," the echidna joked. "How many did you catch?"
"One each," he grinned, dumping a pile of six fish beside the fire.
Noticing that the rest of the tribe were still paired together, Polnareff leaned forward. "Did anything interesting happen?"
"Nope. But, I have an idea," Knuckles proclaimed.
Intrigued, the French swordsman leaned forward eagerly. "An idea?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Long story short, me and Tails are really close friends outside of this show."
"I figured... it's not exactly subtle that you two knew one another."
"Well, just know that our good terms will help us get through this week," Knuckles revealed. "I bet Tails would be open to joining our alliance, which means that we would have half the tribe's votes if we can pull that off."
"Really? That's perfect!" He said, brushing his hair with his hands. "From there, we just have to charm that beautiful fitness trainer, and then we can weed out the other two."
"Speaking of which..." Knuckles said, turning his head to the aforementioned Wii Fit Trainer.
"Hello!" She waved, spotting the pile of fish by the fire. "Wow! Did you seriously manage to catch all of that, Polnareff?"
Flattered, Polnareff gave a slow nod. "With ease! All it takes is time, patience, and a secret family technique of mine."
"Yeah... good luck trying to get that secret outta him," Knuckles added.
Wii Fit chuckled in response, turning around. "Should I get the others while you begin cooking that fish?"
"Everyone sorta split up since we got here, so it would be nice to have the first meal together," he explained.
Meanwhile, Polnareff was adamant on ensuring that she was comfortable. "Leave me to gather everyone! You sit right here while I do so," he said, proudly marching away from the shelter.
A few moments later, and the whole Denalo tribe eventually found themselves underneath the shelter. The meal was still far from exceptional, but with the added fish, it was enough energy to leave them satisfied... all but Krabs.
As he stared at his tribe, demolishing their meals and bonding with one another. His wariness had him reserved, and Wii Fit was quick to pick up on this shift in nature.
"Look at 'em... not a single one of them have any hint of wantin' to toss one another out. Things didn't work like that when I was in Manjari. So either Manjari had all the bad eggs... or more realistically, they're all plottin' to throw me out! And if that's the case, then I ain't goin' down without a fight! Mark my words, and mark 'em well!" - Mr. Krabs.
Krabs finished his food and stood up from the shelter, eyeing the five in front of him as he did so. "If ye need me, I'll be back at the cliff edge."
He walked off. As he did so, Polnareff immediately followed up with an audible scoff. "What's his problem?"
"Beats me," Wii Fit shrugged. "I think he's getting paranoid."
"So soon? I thought people started to go crazy a lot later than seven days."
"He'll warm up soon enough. I wouldn't worry about it," she assured. "Anyway, I'm going to head off for a walk. Does anyone care to join me?"
With Nero and Tails focused on being alone with Knuckles, and with Knuckles and Polnareff focused on being alone with Tails, none of them accepted her gesture.
"No thanks," said Knuckles.
"Suit yourselves. A light walk after eating is always ideal," Wii Fit remarked, turning away and walking off.
"Noted." Polnareff looked to what remained of the tribe under the shelter, noticing that Nero wasn't planning on budging away from the shelter any time soon. Concurrently, Nero observed the same from Polnareff.
"So... how was Dante?" Nero asked.
Polnareff raised an eyebrow. "What about him?"
"Well most people here came with someone they know," he said. "Dante's my guy."
"He didn't do too hot," said Knuckles. "He was probably the next out. The Shuffling really saved his skin."
"Being told that Dante was already clinging on for life was satisfying. We came onto this show as rivals, and I'm going to outlast him, no matter what it takes. But at this rate, maybe we won't even end up being on the same tribe together before he gets booted." - Nero.
"Long story short: he voted the wrong person at the wrong time," Polnareff interjected. "After Phoenix got eliminated, everyone besides him was close with someone else. Kiryu, Knuckles, and I were especially tight as an alli..."
Pausing halfway through his sentence, he knew that he had given away far too much information. The piercing gaze of disappointment from Knuckles affirmed that, leaving Polnareff to quickly backtrack.
"...I mean, err, a group of friends!" He blurted. "Ones that made our own decisions on who to vote. But it just so happened that we all wanted to vote Dante out!"
"You said too much." Nero shook his head.
"W-what? I said nothing worth-"
While his alliance with Knuckles was more or less fully exposed, Tails saw his slip-up as a miracle.
In the midst of the chaos, an optimistic "This is great!" had the other three confused.
"I couldn't think of anything worse... and you're calling this great?" Knuckles grumbled.
"Well, if you two are currently working together..." Tails said. "Then that means Nero and I can join you!"
Polnareff, head buried in his hands, suddenly jolted with surprise. "R-really? You're in an alliance too?"
"Yeah! Look, if we combine our alliances, then we have the majority. I'm not planning on having us lose any challenges, but if we ever do, then we'll all be safe," he explained. "Things couldn't have turned out better!"
"I expected to rely on Tails and Knuckles only, and now I have to work with Polnareff too? He could barely keep a secret about his small alliance with Knuckles. But I guess it's not like I can back out now. Even if he slipped up, we have more votes than Wii Fit and Krabs... and as far as I know, neither of them have an idol." - Nero.
"Well, I'm up for smooth sailing for the next few days." Knuckles gave a thumbs up, turning to Polnareff beside him. "Are you in?"
"Obviously," he agreed.
Nero folded his arms. "I guess we're all in. Not like I expected any of us to back out."
With a new, large alliance of four, there was no question that Tails, Knuckles, Nero, and Polnareff now controlled the tribe. Unfortunately for Wii Fit and Krabs, they had plummeted to the bottom of the tribe's hierarchy in an instant...
Manjari Mk. II: Day 7
Survivors: Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy - Goro Majima - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Scout.
Having been pulled away from the tribe after settling in, Kiryu found himself face-to-face with Majima. They situated themselves on the opposite side of camp from where the tribe was, between the cliff's edge and the map. Meanwhile, Scout, Joseph, and Daisy were located beneath the shelter. Sniper was the only member who hadn't arrived at the tribe yet, as he volunteered to gather more sticks for the fire.
Though Kiryu was wary of his complicated rival, and fairly so, Majima was nothing short of ecstatic.
"I could win the lottery a thousand times and become a trillionaire overnight, and I'd still call this the luckiest moment of my life!" Majima cried, dancing on the spot. "I had a gut feelin' that we wouldn't meet for a damn while, but I guess my gut ain't so sharp after being fed slop for a week. You as excited as I am, Kiryu-chan?!"
The Dragon of Dojima stared at him, half-amused at his eccentric outburst. Though, deep down, he knew that Majima was going to make things harder for him. "Well, you did say you were gonna make sure that I earned my win. Now that you have the opportunity to vote me off when we lose a challenge, being on the same team as you doesn't sound too good."
"Eh?" Majima raised an eyebrow, his mouth gaping with exaggerated shock. "You should know me by now, Kiryu-chan! I'm all up for testin' ya now and then, but a better opportunity than that is workin' with ya! So I'll tell ya what: as long as we're on the same team, then you can consider me your closest ally. But as soon as the Merge kicks in, then you're gonna get that run for your money like I promised you would!"
Kiryu smirked. "I suppose we've helped each other out as many times as we've fought."
"That's the spirit, Kiryu-chan!" He cackled.
Looking over his shoulder, the ex-Yakuza stared across the camp to where the others were sitting. "Alright, we should probably head over to the shelter."
"Good thinkin'. Don't want them to think we're workin' together."
From beneath the shelter, Scout watched them turn around and begin their trek over, placing his hands over his eyes. "They're heading back."
"What do you think they were talking about?" Daisy asked. "Remember that he jumped out of a freezing lake just to tell Kiryu that they were enemies. It must be more talk about that!" She guessed. Unbeknownst to her and the rest of Manjari, they had just agreed on a short-term alliance.
"Yeah, well, if that's the case then good for us."
"But they're on our team. How can that be good for us?"
Scout groaned. "Ain't it obvious? If they're at each other's throats, then that'll guarantee that neither of us have to be concerned."
"That's true..." Daisy admitted.
Thanks to their inability to stay subtle, Joseph - who was busy trying to kindle the fire - caught wind of their chat. He pretended to remain blissfully unaware, resuming his task of blowing oxygen into the young flames. The information he had been given was certainly interesting, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for Majima.
"In the case of havin' to choose between 'em, I'm stickin' with Kiryu," said Scout. "We know him, and workin' with him's not gonna be a chore. Bet the weirdo with the eyepatch ain't gonna play loyal to us."
Joseph perked his head up slightly at their words. He didn't like the way their conversation was going and thought it soon ended as Kiryu and Majima eventually reached the shelter, his impression had been made of Scout and Daisy.
"What I heard back there was proof of two people playing hard way too early. People here have barely gotten the time to know each other as a team, and they already seem to be taking it by the horns. All I need to do is stay vigilant of anything else they might say, which won't be hard given out bad they are at keeping to themselves." - Joseph Joestar.
Kiryu and Majima parked themselves beside Joseph.
"Damn good fire," said Majima. "Dunno how you managed to live without flint for a week."
With a sigh, Daisy slumped over and shuddered at the memories of trying to keep the fire lit. "I don't know either! Sometimes it felt like I was trying to set water on fire!"
"Got that right. The first night we spent without flint was hell on Earth. Everyone tried and nobody could get it lit," Joseph chuckled. "Good thing nobody has to struggle with that now. This twist might have turned everyone's games on their head, but at least it gave everyone the necessities to survive."
"Pff, this twist still stinks," said Scout. "Our team was dominatin', and now I gotta play against them!"
The old man shook his head, disagreeing with Scout's dissatisfaction. "Well, now you got three people from the tribe that haven't lost a single challenge."
"Not to mention all the fat's been trimmed," Majima chimed in. "The weakest are gone, and the biggest threat's outta the picture too."
"Gonna go out on a limb and say that the rough lookin' purple dude with the mustache is frickin' useless," the mercenary grinned. "Surprised he knows how to put his hat the right way."
Daisy rose her hand, gathering the attention of everyone. "Hey! Waluigi may be... odd, but I've played enough sports with him to know that he's pretty sharp when he comes to that stuff."
Scout's eyes widened, turning to her with shock. "You know that guy?"
"Yeah!"
"What is he... your third cousin or something?"
"More like, um, a friend of a friend's rival?"
"...Huh."
Out of nowhere, Daisy's attention snapped to the right of her. As everyone soon joined in, they saw Sniper returning, holding a pile of sticks up to his neck.
"Snap these buggers in two when you need 'em, and we won't have to fetch sticks for a good while," he said, dumping them in a pile next to the shelter. He then scurried his tired self to the nearest available seat, next to Kiryu.
As Sniper took in a deep breath of relief, knowing that the hard work was finished, his comfort was soon to be interrupted.
After a few seconds of silence, he saw Daisy staring at him. Her gaze was intense and curious, as if she had discovered a new creature.
"What? Is somethin' up?" He asked with uncertainty.
Daisy rubbed her chin. "I heard you're the guy with that Australian accent."
"Well lady, you heard right," he said, shrugging.
"I like it!" She smiled. "As soon as my tribe mentioned that about you, I knew I had to hear it. I don't think I really heard your voice much before today."
Sniper, though still weirded out by her mannerisms, took the compliment to heart anyway. "Well, thanks."
A few seconds then passed, and Sniper suddenly flinched. "Hang on... why was I even brought up?"
The answer was one that Scout and Kiryu did not want him to hear, causing the former to come in and de-escalate the situation before Daisy could reply. "Well, considerin' you showed off last challenge, everyone was talkin' about that. Obviously, I saw those amateur tricks of yours a trillion times, so I wasn't impressed."
The Aussie tutted, folding his arms. "If it's such a bloody cakewalk then how about you pick up the rifle next time?"
"And sit in a tower or a corner with nothin' but a coffee? Sounds like a frickin' nightmare," Scout taunted.
"Bloody Scout. He can have the credibility of bein' a blimmin' blur when it comes to races, but as soon as he steps on the battlefield, he doesn't think anythin' he does over. Guess that describes the bloke as a whole, now that I think about it." - Sniper.
"Well, that confirms that you two know one another," said Joseph, pointing to the two of them. "Not like it's difficult to figure out, like how I can easily tell that Kiryu and Majima know one another. Two Japanese men, neither of which bearing clothing that I'd wear."
While his teasing got no response from Kiryu, Majima became livid, furiously pointing to his snakeskin jacket. "The hell is wrong with what I'm wearing?!"
"I'd wear it to a party," Daisy added. "I love the colour!"
"Glad someone's on the same page," Majima sighed, glaring at Joseph. "But enough about pokin' at my damn fashion sense. What are you two good at?" He asked, turning to Scout and Daisy. "Kiryu-chan here's a beast at anythin' physical, Joseph is built like a truck, and Sniper couldn't miss a target if he wanted to. What we really need to stay outta Tribal Council is someone good at puzzles."
Immediately, his wishes were shot down by Scout. "Sorry pal, I ain't that guy you're lookin' for. I'm the quickest on this team by a long shot, but I'm not enough of a wimp to have my strong suit be at dumb crap like puzzles."
"What about you, Daisy?" Kiryu questioned, the spotlight now on her.
She shook her head. "Puzzles aren't my thing. I'm more into the physical stuff."
"I'm still angry over how bad I did in that last challenge! The defense on the other two tribes did way better than me, and that made me realise that I could easily be responsible for my tribe's loss in future challenges unless I step my game up. I need to make my impression, and fast!" - Princess Daisy.
Joseph nodded. "Well, in that case, I might as well step up. I'm not perfect at puzzles, but I'm not exactly useless at them either."
"Don't think we'll be able to outdo that fox, but if we can kick ass everywhere else, then we'll be able to win!" Scout explained, hyping himself up. "It'll be even better if the next challenge doesn't even have a frickin' puzzle! Personally, I'm hopin' for a race."
"No surprise there," said Sniper.
With the tribe slowly but surely settling in, much like their two rival tribes. The Shuffling might have cut plenty of rivalries, alliances, and friendships short, but many survivors managed to use this game-flipping twist to find new opportunities. How would these newly formed teams cope with tomorrow's challenge? Only time will tell...
*TO BE CONTINUED*
