*Last Time on Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone...*

With the arrival of the Shuffling event, the whole game was turned on its head within a single rock draw. Friendships and rivalries were put on pause as each survivor was forced to adapt to their old foes. And with Nero, Scout, and Rodin drawing white rocks, the former two were able to choose to willingly join Denalo and Manjari respectively, leaving Rodin to automatically join Manjari.

In the newly composed Elbrass tribe, Waluigi and his spontaneous gameplay got to work, immediately placing distrust in Dante while forming a secret alliance with Glass Joe.

For Manjari, the rivalry of Kiryu and Majima was put on hold for the sake of their mutual longevity, resulting in an unexpected alliance between the two of them.

And finally, the pair of Polnareff and Knuckles joined up with the pair of Nero and Tails, forming a majority that placed Wii Fit and Krabs into oncoming danger.

In the last challenge, immunity and an energising night of luxury at the Survivors' Shack were held up for grabs, offering as one of the greatest prizes for winning a challenge the season has seen so far. After many arduous rounds of racing across obstacle courses, Manjari was the first to score four wins and receive first place. Not long after, Elbrass followed suit with second place, leaving Denalo to lose without a single round won.

The victory of Manjari and Elbrass wasn't the only news to happen at the challenge. In an unprecedented event, loose-cannon Waluigi dropped a truth bomb to their enemy tribes regarding Nero's idol, endangering both of their games as a result.

Back at the Denalo tribe, Polnareff made his move, using the reveal that Waluigi gave him as a motive for blindsiding Nero: a member of his majority alliance. Through promising to partner up with Wii Fit and Krabs, the three attempted to swoon over the rest of the alliance without alerting Nero of his oncoming doom. Though Tails wouldn't budge, Knuckles seemingly decided to join them in their blindside.

At Tribal Council, a last-minute twist surprised the tribe. After days of battling his illness, Elbrass-member Glass Joe finally threw in the towel, confirming that he wanted to leave the game. With his elimination confirmed, Alexa revealed that the one voted off at Tribal Council would not leave the game, but instead join Elbrass to fill in for Joe's departure.

After an indecisive Knuckles brought the vote to a draw between Krabs and Nero, he finally chose to flip, evicting Nero from Denalo in the revote.

Seventeen now remain, and alliances and rivalries are only going to grow more intense from here. 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!


Elbrass Mk. II: Day 8

Survivors: Dante - Miles Edgeworth - Waluigi - Tracer - Glass Joe - Rodin.

Hours prior to the Tribal Council which resulted in Nero's eviction from Denalo, Alexa was forced to visit the Elbrass tribe upon hearing of Glass Joe's worsening status.

"Given how your condition has continued to worsen, with tonight's fainting fiasco adding evidence to that..." Said Alexa. "I'm gonna give you a big decision to make. I'm not gonna sway you to any choice, so your answer is all yours."

Temporarily provided with warmth, aid, and supervision, Joe sat slumped against the cave wall of his tribe. The rest of his members were outside, currently unable to enter.

A long pause took place, and to Alexa's surprise, he was seriously considering staying in spite of how weak he currently was.

"Well... I've won a couple of challenges and survived two Tribal Councils," Joe mumbled. "And next to my competition... I guess it's not possible for me to win. I might as well take myself out of the game before it kills me."

The host nodded. "Good. I didn't wanna say it, but considering how pale your face looks, you probably would have been forcefully eliminated unless a miracle happened anyway," he confessed. "So, your elimination has been solidified. You are the fourth contestant to be eliminated from the show, ranking you as 21st place. You'll leave very shortly, but since you're gonna be passing them anyway on your way out, you might as well say your goodbyes to your tribe."

"Good idea," he said, fumbling to his feet with fatigue.

As he strolled out of the cave, he walked up to his tribe, waiting beneath the shelter.

"What's up?" Asked Dante, concerned. "You don't look too hot."

Joe folded his arms, shivering. "W-well... to put things simply... I've chosen to leave the game."

"W-WAAH?!" Waluigi cried. "Can you-a not just sleep it off?!"

"If it let me sleep..." He said, his eyes sunken and dark. "But I've already made the choice. Even if I wanted to, I can't take it back now."

With Waluigi visibly panicking, the rest of the tribe decided to practice their sportsmanship by sending him their condolences.

"We were supposed to-a be an alliance, and now he's quitting because of-a some stupid little cold?! Well, if-a that's how he wants to-a be, then good riddance!" - Waluigi.

After saying his goodbyes, Joe eventually left the tribe, slowly making his way down the mountain before being escorted off of the Ice Cap Zone... just like that, he was the fourth to be eliminated, leaving twenty survivors left...


Survivors' Shack: Day 9

Survivors: Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy - Goro Majima - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Scout.

As daylight seeped through the windows of the shack, the Manjari tribe woke up one by one. As opposed to how they usually felt after spending their nights in cramped tents within a dark, gloomy cave, they were fully energised and comfortable. With not long left before they'd have to make their journey back to camp, they sat down and drank in their cozy surroundings one last time.

"Who do you think got the boot?" Asked Sniper, sat in a comfortable chair. "Gonna be surprised if I see that crab still with those blokes tomorrow. Nero's idol was thrown out and all, but he probably used it anyway."

"Yesterday, we sent those yobbos back to their mountains while we got to have a barbeque, a good night's sleep. Wasn't the best barbeque I've had, but it's a million times better than the watery sludge I gotta put in my throat. Hopefully, we can pull off a win in the next two challenges, which ain't impossible given the blokes I'm with. Kiryu, Majima, and Joseph are definitely the brawn of the tribe, and I've more than proved that I'm capable of anythin' accuracy-based." - Sniper.

"A sack of rocks like him ain't doin' any favours for his tribe in those challenges," Majima nodded, agreeing with the mercenary. "No way is he still here."

Joseph, meanwhile, decided to give an important reminder. "Well, when you think the game's going one way..."

"...It's goin' another?" The Yakuza rolled his eyes. "Guess ya could say that. Thought Denalo was gonna give us a challenge, but we stomped 'em. Elbrass stomped 'em too."

Sniper shivered. "Thought it was game over when I had a go against Tails. I still dunno how I won, if I'm honest."

"I managed to win one of those rounds too!" Daisy piped up, unable to tame her pride. "We all put in one-hundred percent with that challenge, and that's why we won!"

"Even at two-hundred percent, I ain't borin' enough to go across a balancing beam like a frickin' snail." Scout rolled his eyes. "That's why Sniper crushed it; he's the best at all the boring crap."

"Well, if it wins me challenges..." Sniper gave a shrug, mocking the cocky soldier.

Daisy watched the banter with amusement. However, as she was about to look away from Sniper, her eyes quickly honed in on a peculiar object located beneath his chair. It seemed to be a cloth package of some sort, which she immediately assumed to be something important.

In an attempt to bring any attention to herself, she snapped her head away and continued to listen to the conversations. Though, in the back of her mind, she was going to make sure that she got it without anyone knowing.

Half an hour later, the survivors finally began to take their leave. Leading the way was Joseph, opening the door and immediately squandering the cabin's warmth with a frosty gale. He left, with Sniper, Kiryu, Majima, and lastly Scout following him out the door.

As they left the shack and made their way down the dirt path, a sudden yell from behind them had the whole tribe quickly spin around. To their surprise, it was Daisy, whom they had momentarily forgotten about. "Sorry! It's so cold out there that I had to prepare myself to leave..."

"No worries," shrugged Sniper.

Luckily for Daisy, the tribe remained unskeptical of her lagging behind. The reality was that she spent her extra few seconds quickly sprinting to the chair Sniper rested in, grabbing the mysterious package underneath, and tucking it within her clothes. She hadn't had the chance to open it to check its contents, but with great enthusiasm, she hoped for it to be an idol worthy of keeping her safe...


Manjari Mk. II: Day 9

Survivors: Kazuma Kiryu - Princess Daisy - Goro Majima - Sniper - Joseph Joestar - Scout.

...After a long, tiring trek back to the foot of Mt. Manjari, Daisy decided to make another sneaky move.

"While we're here, I think I'm gonna go fetch some sticks for our fire," said Daisy.

Though it seemed to have worked yet again, a sudden chime from one of her tribemates unintentionally sabotaged her plan.

"I'll come with you," Kiryu nodded. "We don't have much back at camp."

Daisy at first wanted to deny the offer, but after thinking it through, she hesitantly nodded. "Fine by me! Let's go find some wood!"

Breaking off from the rest of the tribe, the two of them walked away to find wood.

"I wanted to read about this idol by myself, but I realised that Kiryu is someone I wanna be good friends with! He doesn't speak much, but he's wise, strong, and was one of the people who saved Scout from elimination, who I'm also good friends with. So, I'm more than happy to share the idol with him, which will definitely make him trust me more." - Princess Daisy.

A few minutes into their minor expedition, Daisy decided to pull out the cloth package, making sure nobody else was lingering around.

"What's that?" Asked Kiryu, immediately noticing it.

"I don't really know, but I think it's an idol!"

"An idol?"

Daisy nodded like a giddy child. "Yeah! I found it underneath the chair Sniper was sitting on in that cabin."

"And that's the real reason why you stayed behind for a few moments?" Kiryu added, piecing it together.

She beamed. "Don't tell anyone. I'm only showing this to you because I trust you, and I really want you to trust me as well."

"Well, trusting me with such a big secret is definitely one way to earn trust," he admitted.

"Maybe we can form an alliance! If any of us are in danger, then I can use this idol to protect either of us," she said.

After thinking about it, Kiryu gave a nod. "I think that's a good idea..."

"That's great!"

"...But are you sure that cloth contains an idol?"

Suddenly remembering that she still had to open up the cloth to see if there was an idol inside, Daisy's face went blank. "Well... if it isn't... that'd be kinda awkward."

Without waiting any further, she dug into the cloth, untying the string wrapped around it before unraveling it. Within the cloth was a large, grey ring, big enough to fit Daisy's hand like a bracelet. Attached to this ring was a note:

"This is the Ring of Abduction. Upon activating this ring at Tribal Council, you will be able to steal a vote from any person of your choice and use it for yourself as a second vote. For this to work, they must have the ability to vote at that Tribal Council. You may steal a vote from those with immunity."

Daisy immediately began cheering. "It IS an idol!"

"Being able to steal a vote and use it is HUUUGE! Okay, maybe it's not as huge as an immunity idol, but it's still huge enough to change up a Tribal Council. I just need to know when to use it, and then Kiryu and myself will be untouchable!" - Princess Daisy.

After reading the note himself, Kiryu turned back to Daisy. "Make sure it's well hidden on you. Hopefully, we won't have to use it soon."

"That would suck," she admitted.

With the two of them now in possession of a deceptively powerful weapon, Daisy hid it in her clothes and walked back to camp with Kiryu, making sure to grab plenty of sticks along the way for the fire...


Elbrass Mk. II: Day 9

Survivors: Dante - Miles Edgeworth - Tracer - Nero - Rodin.

Following a night of bad news in spite of their second-place victory in the challenge, the mood around Elbrass was incredibly low. With Glass Joe's sudden elimination, they were down to five members.

Waluigi had left the tribe early in the morning to visit the Ice Cap Forest in hopes of finding an idol, leaving only Dante, Edgeworth, Tracer, and Rodin around camp. Little did any of them know, however, that they would soon be receiving their compensation for the unprecedented event.

Tracer and Rodin were under the shelter, tending to a dwindling fire and undercooked meal. Meanwhile, Edgeworth and Dante were resting a fair distance away from them, sitting against the walls of the mountain.

"Need any more wood for the fire, Rodin?" Asked Tracer. "It's looking a little small."

"That'd be handy."

The soldier nodded, spinning around and beginning her journey.

However, after a few steps, Rodin called back to her.

"Before you go, though," he said. "Mind explaining that stunt you pulled off in the last challenge?"

"Oh yeaaah..." She rubbed her arm apologetically. "Sorry for keeping it a secret for so long. I was planning on showing it off at the first challenge it would be useful in... but that took its time."

"So you can teleport short distances multiple times?"

Tracer stuck her thumbs up. "Close enough!"

"Here's hoping these next few challenges give ya an opportunity to use it more, because I ain't lyin' when I say an ability like that is a force to be reckoned with," he said, turning back to the fire. "...Beware though, because some people here probably don't wanna risk having you become their enemy in those future challenges."

"Yeah... I thought showing that off would intimidate others, even my own teammates," she shrugged. "But I'm too much of a team player to spend the whole game hiding it."

"There's no other game that fits my style like an honest and loyal game. It's one that people respect, but given how flimsy tribes are in these bloody mountains... it's pretty hard to pull it off without having that feeling that your tribe wants to get you out before you become their enemy." - Tracer.

Rodin nodded. "You do you. Just don't get yourself voted off. I got a big feeling that Edgeworth's buildin' up quite the army."

"Really?" She queried. "I didn't expect Edgeworth to be a social butterfly. He seems pretty quiet."

"Well, the fact that he's been makin' allies under the radar just adds to the caution you gotta take around him. Besides, he ain't the type of guy to speak to Waluigi, but I've seen him do that a couple of times," he explained. "Only time someone would do that is in the name of strategy."

She rubbed her chin, understanding his point. "Now that you mention it... you're right! I guess that makes him a threat... but as long as we're all on this team together, I'm gonna make sure that we don't lose. Figuring out which threats to get rid of can wait until I get to the Merge."

As Rodin continued to try and sustain the flame, Tracer suddenly remembered the wood she was due to find. "Oh! I almost forgot about the firewood!"

With gusto, she spun around again and began her journey for firewood. But not even a few steps in, she was stopped once again, this time by a familiar face.

"...Hm? What's he doing here?"

Her question caused Rodin to take a look for himself. To his surprise, Nero walked through the entrance of the tribe.

Instinctively, Rodin and Tracer moved from where they stood, making their way towards Nero. Not long after, Edgeworth and Dante noticed, and walked over to see the commotion.

"Hey," said Nero. "Room for one more member?"

Dante smirked, walking up to him. "Did Alexa order a replacement for Joe or something?"

"...Long story short, I got voted out of my tribe," he confessed. "Like everyone still playing this damn game, they knew about my idol, so they tossed me out alongside it."

The devil hunter laughed, deciding to tease him. "Well Nero, you shoulda played it."

Though Nero desperately wanted to argue against Dante's suggestion, he didn't have any rebuttal. "I should have gotten rid of it the first chance I got. Trust me, I'm not wasting the miracle that's kept me in this game, that's for sure."

"After getting blindsided by my sorry excuse of an alliance, I'm now with my worst nightmares: Dante and Waluigi. This is usually the part where I begin my plan to get rid of Dante, show him what dead weight can really do... but before that, I gotta settle the score with Waluigi..." - Nero.

With Elbrass all caught up on Nero's presence, he was welcomed by the majority of the tribe with open arms.

"I remember you shutting down Dedede's pathetic bargaining," mentioned Edgeworth. "It definitely made me think highly of you as a competitor. Having you in these challenges over Joe will definitely improve our chances of avoiding Tribal Council."

Nero nodded. "Good to know. Anyway, where's Waluigi?"

"Off to find an idol... probably in that Ice Cap Forest near us," said Rodin.

"Well, as long as he has nobody to lurk behind in hopes that he can steal the idol from them before they get to it, then he won't find it anytime soon," Nero said, wielding an undertone of bitterness.

"Things have gone south rather quickly. Before, I planned on using Waluigi and Dante to vote off Tracer or Rodin if we ever attended Tribal Council. With Nero in the picture, we have an idol to worry about, and his grudge against Waluigi. I have reason to believe him and Dante knowing each other could make things worse, too... I'll have to think of a new plan if I want to get enough of these threats out before the Merge." - Miles Edgeworth.

As Nero properly greeted Rodin and Tracer, he was quick to settle into the tribe. His ability to fully rely on others had more or less been tarnished in its entirety. He spent some time helping around camp, such as a failed attempt to catch fish and gathering firewood with Tracer, but not much strategising was thrown his way from the others. As expected, Nero felt that he was on the bottom, even lower than Waluigi, in spite of his controversy. If he wanted to stay, he would certainly have to fight the big fight in tomorrow's challenge...


Denalo Mk. II: Day 9

Survivors: Knuckles - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Miles "Tails" Prower - Mr. Krabs - Wii Fit Trainer.

The mood at camp was expectedly split. With last night coming down to the wire in a revote, some were happy, and some were unhappy.

Krabs and Wii Fit reveled in last night's victory. Thanks to Polnareff and Knuckles turning on their newly formed alliance of four, their smaller alliance of two was kept alive. They were especially grateful towards Polnareff, who had orchestrated the event.

The two of them were sat near the cliff's edge as usual. All of the day's chores had been done, and they had just wolved down dinner, though the mood during the feast was admittedly awkward for everyone.

"Well lass; it's smooth sailin' from here!" Krabs snickered. "I was right to suspect they all had it out for me. Good thing Nero was dumb enough to let the wrong person find out about his idol."

"He's still in the game, though," warned Wii Fit. "This could still come back at us."

Deciding to not heed her warning, he continued to chuckle. "Don't be dumb! We'll send Elbrass to Tribal Council, then Nero will either use his idol or get blindsided again like the chump he is."

"Havin' survived three Tribal Councils, I'm feelin' indestructible! As long as I stick to the people I've known from day one, then I'm sure to get to that Merge without much fuss. Then from there, I can drop 'em and play a game that only involves me'self!" - Mr. Krabs.

Hearing in towards the end of Krabs's bold prediction, Polnareff stepped towards them, nonchalantly joining in.

"Yeah... Tails is glum," he admitted. "Knuckles told me he wants to go over and apologise to Tails for voting the way he did. Those two are pretty close, am I right?"

Krabs rolled his eyes. "If that fox is gonna sulk over what happened, then leave him to it. He's a kid, he'll get over it in five minutes tops."

"Well, it's sunset, and he's still not over it," Wii Fit explained. "He probably feels as if he's at the bottom..."

Polnareff nodded. "Because he is?"

"Well, yeah, you're right."

"I like Tails a lot. He's smart, charismatic, and a fundamental component of any tribe. I don't really want to vote him off, but everyone else on the tribe has proven that they want to work with me more than him with the last vote... not to mention he lied to me about who he was voting for last night, so that makes me feel a little better." - Wii Fit Trainer.

Though he was already under the impression that Polnareff had joined his and Wii Fit's alliance, Krabs decided to double-check. "So, unless you're dumb, I suspect you ain't crawlin' on back to Tails. That makes us four an alliance, right?"

He rubbed his chin. "I'm on board to work with you two some more, but I'm starting to doubt if Knuckles is. As far as I'm aware, he still thinks that he can salvage our old alliance."

While the three speculated Knuckles' status in the tribe, the echidna was sat by the cave entrance, sitting next to Tails. He clearly felt guilt for his decision, even if he thought it was ultimately the right one.

"Sorry about Nero, Tails," he said. "I wanted a four-man alliance too, but Nero had an idol. He never even told us if it grants immunity or does some other thing that we're unaware of!"

The fox was understanding, though Knuckles seemed to have misunderstood the reason for his low mood. "You avoided a rock draw that could have had anyone going to Elbrass. I'm not upset that you flipped; I just know I'm now on the bottom. You, Polnareff, Wii Fit, and Mr. Krabs all form a majority alliance, while I was the only one who kept my vote on Krabs last night. Plus, I lied to Wii Fit because Polnareff was desperate to have them unaware of the elimination."

"You mean they form a majority alliance," he smirked. "I may have blindsided a guy you trusted, but no way am I voting for you. Maybe when we're in the final three I'll see you as an enemy, but we're gonna stick with each other till the end."

His reassurance helped Tails to feel a lot better, but even with the two of them, Tails knew it wasn't enough. "What about Polnareff?"

"...I'm not sure," he said. "He's spent more time with those two throughout the day than me or especially you. Something tells me he'll say yes to an alliance with us, whether he's being genuine or not."

"I think my trust in Polnareff is starting to wear just a LITTLE thin. Ever since this big blindside, he's not bothered with me much beyond small talk. Maybe my decision to vote for Krabs in the initial vote might have ticked the guy off or something. Either way, he's been acting a little strange lately." - Knuckles.

Tails sighed. "Well, we need to convince him to stick with us if we have another Tribal Council on our hands. I doubt Krabs or Wii Fit will budge."

"Yeah, but for all we know, he could be willing to get back with us and vote off Krabs," said Knuckles, a look of optimism on his face. "So let's hope it's as easy as that."

After spending a few more minutes in silence, drinking in the chilly yet tranquil atmosphere of the mountains, their peace was disturbed by Polnareff walking over to them. Considering he had just joined Krabs and Wii Fit a mere minutes ago in their talk, this was unexpected to them.

"Just talked with the other two," he said.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Well, they think I'm working with them. Now that there's a threat out of our alliance, I can comfortably go back to you guys."

"Really?"

"Krabs is too eccentric for me," he scoffed. "No way would I want to commit to an alliance with him in there. You guys are a much better choice."

Though they felt a little relieved, Knuckles and Tails were fairly wary of Polnareff's gameplay by now. He had a spontaneous tendency to flip and successfully pull off a blindside, and that was not a trait Tails and Knuckles particularly wanted in a member of their alliance.

Of course, unknowing to either alliance, Polnareff walking up to each alliance and pretending to join was all part of his greater strategy.

"Now that I can play double-agent, I've solidified myself as safe in the next Tribal Council we attend. As the swing vote, they're gonna be voting each other, which gives me both safety, and the honours of picking which alliance I want to stick with. And as it stands... I'm not fully sure which one will make or break my game in the future..." - Jean Pierre Polnareff.


Ice Cap Zone (Forest): Day 9

Survivors: Waluigi.

Arriving extremely early, Waluigi was eager to find an idol. His alliance partner, Glass Joe, had only recently been eliminated after choosing to do so following getting too sick to perform properly. With this in mind, he immediately assumed that he was on the bottom, as he had zero faith or trust in the tribe he was placed with.

He searched the forest far and wide. He darted through every corridor of trees he could find, stuck his hand into every crevice he could reach, and even climbed a few trees just for the chance of discovering an idol. It was the ultimate failsafe for his longevity in the competition.

Ultimately, after five whole hours of searching, he was too hungry and exhausted to continue. He still looked everywhere even whilst making his way out of the forest, but by the time he left the cluster of trees, Waluigi returned to Elbrass empty-handed, soon to discover Nero's newfound presence in the tribe...

*TO BE CONTINUED*