Ice Cap Zone (Lake): Day 10
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 - Wii Fit Trainer.
Standing in the centre of the Ice Cap Lake was Alexa. He stood adjacent to a small, ice platform that was floating in the water, topped with two padded bags with handles attached. To his left was a table with contents covered by a large, thick cloth.
The first tribe to traverse to the centre and lay their eyes on this challenge was Manjari. Though they'd spent their first night back in the caves, Alexa could tell that they looked more energised than before.
"Looks like a simple challenge," said Joseph.
"Welcome, Manjari," greeted Alexa, toying with a dim torch in his hand. "You missed quite the commotion at last Tribal Council. In fact, coming up behind you are the new Elbrass and Denalo tribes."
They were confused to hear him mention Elbrass, but as they turned around to see the damage, they were nothing short of surprised. Though Nero was missing from Denalo, he stood complacently within the Elbrass tribe. In addition, Glass Joe was nowhere to be found.
"Due to health complications, Glass Joe opted out of the competition," he explained. "Meaning Tribal Council was a little different..."
As the two tribes parked next to the dumbfounded Manjari tribe, Alexa continued.
"...Instead of voting someone off of the show, someone was voted off of Manjari and onto Elbrass. That person was Nero, who has taken Glass Joe's place."
He then turned to Manjari. "Scout, what do you think of their decision to vote Nero off?"
"I thought the challenge clown was obvious," he smirked. "They sucked last time, so gettin' rid of a decent player like Nero was a big mistake. Who cares that he had an idol?"
Alexa nodded, proceeding to turn to Elbrass. "Well now that Nero's on your tribe, how have things been back at camp, Edgeworth?"
"He'll be able to deliver better on the challenges than Joe ever could. As much as I don't wish to underestimate the power of an idol, I can't help but agree with Scout. Denalo made a massive error," he explained.
Nero smirked, basking in the ego boost as he shot a condescending look to the Denalo tribe. "You're damn right."
"Well... you all look very hungry for immunity," he observed. "So, let's get down to today's challenge!"
*Today's challenge will have you tackling an opponent on an icy platform floating in the middle of the Ice Cap Lake. You will use a bulky padded bag to shove your opponent off of the platform. You may use any body part other than your hands, as you'll be using that to grab ahold of your bag. If at any point, you fall into the water or remove a hand from your bag at any moment, then your opponent will win a point for their tribe.
Much like the previous challenge, you will nominate a member of your tribe for each round. The first two tribes that will be competing against each other will be decided via stones, but from there, the winning tribe stays on to the next round. A member cannot participate in another round until the whole tribe has participated in a round.
The first tribe to five points wins reward and immunity. The second tribe to five also wins reward and immunity. This leaves the losing tribe to have a bout with Tribal Council, which will reveal the fifth person to be eliminated from the show.*
Following his short explanation, Alexa pulled a toothy grin. "Want to know your reward for today's challenge?"
With many nods from the crowd of survivors, he walked over to the table on his left and yanked away the cloth masking the reward.
A large pile of oak firewood was revealed.
"Your reward is a hefty pile of firewood. Unlike the thin, sparse twigs and sticks scattered around your mountains, this wood burns long and well. If you want a warmer night, then this is the reward for you," he said, winking. "First place will receive three quarters of the firewood from this stash, leaving second place with a still-useful quarter to spare."
With the rules and reward out of the way, the focus was back on the challenge.
"Due to an imbalance with the tribes, we need one person from Elbrass and Manjari to sit out before we can begin the challenge."
After a short discussion, Elbrass and Manjari chose Edgeworth and Daisy respectively to sit out.
"Alright survivors, elect a member from each tribe to participate in the first round, and then we'll draw for spots."
As the tribes huddled together, they quickly chose their candidates. Elbrass chose Dante; Denalo chose Polnareff, and Manjari chose Joseph.
The three stood forward, Alexa approaching with a handful of cloth-wrapped stones.
"Of the three stones I've given you, two are white, and will allow you to compete in the first round. If you obtain the black stone, then you will sit out until the second round, where you will take over from the losing tribe." He placed one of the cloth-wrapped stones into each of their hands.
Shortly after they received their stones, Alexa allowed them to remove the cloth. "Go ahead and open them up!"
Polnareff and Joseph both drew white stone, leaving Dante out of the round with the black stone.
"Well, that sucks," Dante groaned. "Would have been fun to fight either of you."
As he backed away from the remaining two, they jumped into the freezing waters and swam to the platform.
ROUND ONE: Polnareff (Denalo) VS Joseph (Manjari)
After the cold waters delivered a well-needed shock to their system, Polnareff and Joseph reached the platform and grabbed their bags, eyeing one another.
"How's the vacation so far, Mr. Joestar?" He said, chortling at his joke.
"Not doing so bad myself. How was Tribal Council?" He retaliated, gripping his bag firmly.
Polnareff simply rolled his eyes as he maintained his smug grin, waiting for Alexa to begin the round.
"Alright. On my mark, you may begin your brawl," he announced before giving a countdown. "Three... two... ONE! GO!"
The two of them, at opposite ends of the platform, charged towards each other. Though they slipped a handful of times on the way, they built up speed as they became ready to clash.
Upon collision, Polnareff's stance was not able to withstand Joseph's strength, resulting in him tumbling over onto the ground. From there, Joseph continued to bombard him with shoves from his bag, slowly edging him towards the cold waters as he attempted to shift back up to his feet. All attempts were futile, however.
"It looks like Joseph's almost got Polnareff out!" Commentated Alexa.
However, at the last possible moment, Polnareff sprung up onto his feet and pushed Joseph back a step, not accepting his loss so easily.
As he stood forward in an attempt to draw closer to the centre, he slipped once again, allowing Joseph to retrieve the upper hand once again.
This time, Polnareff was not so lucky, and after a few more shoves to the struggling Frenchman, he fumbled off of the platform's edge.
"JOSEPH WINS THE FIRST ROUND!" Bellowed Alexa. "This gives Manjari the first point, while also kicking Denalo out for the second round! Elbrass and Manjari have a few moments to select their members for the next round."
Upon scrambling back out of the water, Polnareff cursed himself for underestimating Joseph's brute strength.
ROUND TWO: Dante (Elbrass) VS Majima (Manjari)
As the two climbed up onto the platform, Majima hyped himself up for the round, leaving Dante to casually stretch in place before reaching for his bag.
"Don't make this borin' for me!" Majima barked, riled up and ready to go.
Dante couldn't help but appreciate his eagerness, cracking an amused smile while Alexa began the countdown:
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Majima darted towards him, his bag trailing off towards the side. Dante, meanwhile, ran with his bag directly in front of him, expecting his opponent to do the same.
Right before they clashed, the Yakuza swung his bag from his side to his front. Thanks to his perfect timing, he knocked Dante's own bag from the side before he was struck, knocking him off balance as Majima closed in for the kill.
With shove after shove, Dante was knocked closer and closer to the edge. However, halfway through this onslaught, Dante shoved Majima back while on his knees, using the opportunity to stand back up and charge back.
After both of them took their turns delivering blows to their enemy, they pressed their bags against each other and locked themselves into position.
About half a minute of struggling passed, until Majima eventually hatched his next plan.
He jumped backward, allowing Dante to advance forward, but immediately pushed back, nearly knocking Dante off balance. However, Dante remained resilient and followed up with a powerful shove to Majima. Though he nearly slipped from the recoil, Majima slid back as he remained in place.
From there, Dante charged forward. He geared up to strike Majima off of the platform, confident that he had enough strength to break through his guard.
However, right before he struck, Majima spun around, barely evading the attack. From there, he used the rest of his momentum to slam his own bag into Dante's back, sending him uncontrollably sliding towards the edge.
Despite every attempt to recover, Dante could not gain any footing on the ice, and was unable to save himself from plunging into the waters.
"If I hadn't slipped outta the way in time, you woulda killed me!" Majima cried, cackling from the adrenaline rush. "WOOHOOO!"
"Damn ice..." Dante said. "That guy's fast..."
"MAJIMA WINS THE SECOND ROUND! Manjari is leading at two points, kicking Elbrass out and allowing Denalo to re-enter for the third round!"
ROUND THREE: Wii Fit Trainer (Denalo) VS Scout (Manjari)
Right as he climbed up onto the platform, Scout picked up his bag and sneered at his opponent. "What're ya supposed to do, kill me with gymnastics?"
Ignoring his snide remark, Wii Fit hauled her bag up and locked eyes with him, ready to crush him.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
They ran towards each other head-on, both expecting their strength to knock their opponent off balance.
Coming to a collision, Wii Fit was knocked back as Scout slipped and rolled onto his side. It then became evident that Scout was the one at a disadvantage, as he continued to slip and fall in an attempt to get to his feet. With a heavy bag constantly in his grasp and a platform lacking in grip, it was no simple task for the mercenary.
After a couple of clumsy fails, Wii Fit ran back and slammed him forwards, knocking him towards the edge.
Scout continued to fight back, but eventually gave up trying to get back to his feet for the time being. Instead, he focused on scrambling towards the middle, but with Wii Fit on her feet and assaulting him, that too was challenging.
"Wii Fit's dominating the round! Scout can hardly catch a break!" Alexa remarked, enjoying the raw entertainment.
The new plan of escaping the clutches of his enemy soon turned out to also be far too tough for Scout. With him now inches away from falling into the frigid waters, he sprung onto his knees and swung his bag from the side, hoping to knock Wii Fit's bag out of her hands, winning him the third point for Manjari in a row.
However, whether it was pristine precision, timing, or simple luck, Wii Fit deflected his attack with one last ram, knocking him back and sending him tumbling backward off the platform.
"WII FIT WINS THE THIRD ROUND AND THE FIRST POINT FOR DENALO!"
As Scout resurfaced, shivering and eating his words simultaneously, Sniper couldn't help but chime in.
"Looks like she killed you with gymnastics, after all, you yobbo!" He said, bursting into raspy laughter
Unable to think of a comeback, Scout stomped back to the tribe with embarrassment written all over his battered face.
ROUND FOUR: Waluigi (Elbrass) VS Mr. Krabs (Denalo)
Waluigi smirked as he saw Krabs climb onto the platform. In spite of his scarily large claws and readiness, he underestimated him from the start.
"I'll make sure to imprint that patronisin' grin of yers onto this giant mat!" Krabs said, angrily noticing his cockiness.
"Yeah right!" He spat, his grin fading into a look of fury.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Krabs sprinted towards him, his bag just below his eyes as he continued to pick up momentum. Waluigi walked forward slowly, holding his bag like a shield. It was obvious that he was playing a far more defensive game.
As he came in to shove Waluigi, the lanky villain spun around and dodged to the left, causing Krabs to charge past and towards the waters.
His anger soon transformed into panic. Krabs attempted to stop himself from sliding off and into the water, even using the bag as an anchor.
Though he had only a few seconds to save himself, Krabs just barely managed to fully stop at the edge, taking a slight breather from the scare.
"That was close..." He huffed, turning around to see a victory-hungry Waluigi charging towards him.
With one clean push, Krabs was caught off guard and flew off the edge, giving Elbrass the first win.
"WALUIGI WINS THE FOURTH ROUND! ELBRASS EARNS THEIR FIRST POINT! MANJARI CONTINUES TO LEAD!"
"Oh yeaaah!" Waluigi cheered, dancing on the spot with pride as Krabs bitterly swam back to his tribe.
ROUND FIVE: Tracer (Elbrass) VS Sniper (Manjari)
Thus far, Manjari remained in the lead with two points after four rounds, leaving Elbrass and Denalo tied for last with one point each. With Denalo out of the picture for the fifth round, Tracer was especially eager to level her tribe's score with Manjari's, denying them their momentum.
With the round soon to commence, Tracer and Sniper grabbed their padded bags and stared each other down, Sniper gazing stoically whilst Tracer held a cheeky grin on her face.
Not long after, Alexa started the round.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
To the surprise of those around them, both chose a defensive game, starting the round with a slow walk, circling around the platform in opposite directions. They closed in on one another like bloodthirsty lions, expecting their opponent to make the first move.
Sniper especially held unwavering caution. He knew Tracer was capable of teleporting towards him. She did so in the previous challenge to obtain a flawless first place, so he didn't see why she wouldn't do it again.
On the other hand, Tracer was perfectly aware of Sniper's anticipation, using it to her advantage as she drew closer and closer. Though it was a very powerful tool, Sniper's seemingly decent strength meant that it had to be used wisely.
Eventually, after drawing close enough, Tracer made the first move, ramming into Sniper and attempting to shove him back.
After a short confrontation, Sniper found the strength to knock her away.
As she came in for another attempt, the mercenary pushed her back yet again, sending her ever-so-slightly closer to the edge of the platform.
Though she had lost the first two brief bouts with Sniper, Tracer repeated the battle, again and again, losing each time as Sniper managed to push her closer to the edge.
With only a few metres left before she'd be swimming in the numbing waters, Tracer grinned as she ran in for one last attempt at overpowering Sniper.
However, right before they smashed together, Tracer warped forwards, teleporting through Sniper and behind him in a flash.
Confused yet weary, Sniper held his bag up high and spun around. He managed to block Tracer's sudden attack, but because of his awkward stance from quickly turning around, he was knocked back. A few shoves later, and Sniper was helpless against Tracer's onslaught of bashes, causing him to roll off the platform.
"TRACER WINS THE FIFTH ROUND! ELBRASS TIES WITH MANJARI AT TWO POINTS!"
"You did your best, Sniper!" Daisy reassured from the sidelines.
ROUND SIX: Rodin (Elbrass) VS Knuckles (Denalo)
As Rodin stepped up onto the platform, Knuckles felt the platform begin to tip, intimidating the echidna. Though he held lots of bravery and pride, Rodin was several times his size.
"Something tells me that this is gonna be a quickie," Krabs said meekly, anguish in his tone.
Unsurprisingly, those around him thought the same.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Without any hesitation, both sides began running towards each other. Knuckles was much faster than Rodin. Though, with every step forward from his opponent, he could feel the platform sway from side to side.
After the long, running start, they slammed their bags into one another.
With massive amounts of strength from both sides, they flew back in the opposite direction, unable to control their speed due to the slippery ice they were on.
All of a sudden, the winning condition changed from ramming the opponent off the platform first to hoping that your opponent would be the first to inevitably slide off the platform. With Rodin closer to the edge than Knuckles, and with Knuckles far lighter, this could go either way for either Elbrass or Denalo.
Fortunately for the spectating survivors, they didn't have to wait long for the end result. Due to Rodin's edge in weight, Knuckles came flying off first, giving the gunsmith his tribe's third consecutive point right before landing in the water himself.
"INCREDIBLE!" Alexa admired, impressed at the outcome. "RODIN JUST BARELY WINS THE SIXTH ROUND! ELBRASS LEADS AT THREE POINTS!"
Soaked to the bone, Knuckles scrambled out of the water and groaned. Meanwhile, Rodin was simply impressed that someone significantly smaller than him had similar if not identical strength.
ROUND SEVEN: Nero (Elbrass) VS Kazuma Kiryu (Manjari)
The two of them swiftly pulled themselves up from the water and onto the platform, a stubborn glare on Nero's face as he approached forward towards his padded bag. Kiryu did the same, acknowledging Nero's visible rage as he picked up his bag, locking eyes with him competitively.
"Nero looks like he's ready to take his anger from last Tribal Council out on Kiryu!" Commented Alexa. "Kiryu better watch out!"
The young devil hunter raised his bag, itching to fight. "You're not the one I wanted to fight, but I'd rather not go back to Tribal Council..."
Kiryu remained silent...
Eventually, Alexa started the round.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Nero charged forward, leaving Kiryu to brace himself as he approached at a much slower pace.
After a solid running start, Nero crashed into his opponent, sending him sliding backward. However, Kiryu's poise wasn't broken, and he continued to slowly approach forward, fully on alert.
It wasn't long before Nero struck again. Kiryu countered with a shove of his own, knocking Nero slightly back. He then continued by shoving him with his bag a few more times.
Nero had lost some balance, but before Kiryu could knock him down, he swung his bag from the left and into Kiryu's torso, ending his assault by staggering him.
Both Nero and Kiryu circled each other in the middle of the platform. Adrenaline washed over them as they waited for the other to make the first move.
Nero's patience eventually got the better of him, and he slowly closed in on Kiryu, readying his attack.
He shifted his bag to the right and swung to the left, hoping to knock the bag straight out of Kiryu's hands.
Before it came into contact with him, Kiryu crouched down. Kiryu then sprung back up, swinging his bag upwards with him, clashing it against Nero's. The whole exchange only lasted a second, yet it was enough to quickly turn the whole round into Kiryu's favour.
The clash resulted in Nero losing grip of the bag, letting go with his left hand. Right before he regripped the bag and went to fight back, Alexa stopped the round.
"Nero lets go of his bag! That means he's out of the round!" Yelled Alexa.
"I still had a hand holding it!" He argued.
"Doesn't matter. As long as one hand is removed from the bag, that means you're out!"
"DAMN IT!"
Nero threw his padded bag across the platform, gritting his teeth as he stomped off. With Kiryu's victory, Manjari was comfortably sitting at a three-point tie with Elbrass, continuing to leave Denalo at an underwhelming single point...
ROUND EIGHT: Tails (Denalo) VS Scout (Manjari)
With Scout being the first to compete in a second round, he was eager to take his revenge on Denalo for defeating him back in the third round. This time, he was two-hundred-percent confident that Tails' size and demeanour meant it would be an easy challenge for the mercenary.
The two of them picked up their bags as Alexa swiftly started the round.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Within the first few seconds, Scout watched in horror as Tails zoomed towards him. To his mistake, he had forgotten how capable Tails was at agility, which had been spelled out for him in the previous challenge. All he could do was raise his guard and stand his ground. He prayed that Tails wouldn't also be blessed with the gift of strength. How strong could a small, youthful fox be?
Right before charging into Scout, Tails jumped up, still holding his bag in front of him, and bashed his opponent back. Though it wasn't enough to win the match alone, Scout was sent backward. But, before he had any chance to retaliate, Tails jumped up and bashed him again. Scout was sent straight into the waters.
"After a quick round... DENALO WINS THEIR SECOND POINT!"
As Scout emerged from the lake, he spat out a mouthful of water and bit his lip. His ego had shattered like glass, and he pitifully returned to his tribe.
ROUND NINE: Waluigi (Elbrass) VS Wii Fit Trainer (Denalo)
With one win under his belt, Waluigi snickered with excitement as he readied himself for his second battle. He raised his bag and awaited the round's start.
As Wii Fit attempted to figure out why he was inexplicably snickering to himself, Alexa began the countdown:
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Wii Fit power-walked through the platform, leaving Waluigi to linger around his starting point, his guard fully raised.
As she reached him, she faked him out with a half-baked swing, watching as he went to dodge to his left. The technique that seemingly worked flawlessly on Krabs proved to be futile against Wii Fit.
His perplexion was followed by an onslaught of shoves from Wii Fit. Waluigi was barely able to hold his ground.
At the end of her flurry, Waluigi parried her final push with an especially powerful shove forward, though this knocked him off balance, sending him tumbling forward. Seeing his attempt to scramble back up on wet, frictionless ice, Wii Fit regained her balance and returned to giving Waluigi zero breaks.
"Wii Fit's offense is proving to overpower Waluigi!" Said Alexa.
Now over the edge, Waluigi finally scrambled to his feet, holding his bag against Wii Fit's, attempting to overpower her. Though he had the strength to give her a run for her money, he was exhausted from his several attempts to stand back up.
After a long period of pushing into one another, a futile attempt to shift away and quickly push Wii Fit into the waters from Waluigi resulted in him slipping off the platform.
"WII FIT WINS! DENALO CATCHES UP TO ELBRASS AND MANJARI WITH THREE POINTS!"
Wii Fit humbly celebrated her victory. Meanwhile, Waluigi hissed at her with a vicious frown. "Cheater!"
"I cheated?" She asked, scratching her head. "Did I do something wrong?"
"DUHH!"
"..."
"..."
Waluigi then turned around and awkwardly swam off, leaving Wii Fit with many unanswered questions.
ROUND TEN: Mr. Krabs (Denalo) VS Joseph Joestar (Manjari)
"Battle of the old-timers!" Remarked Alexa, grinning as the two climbed onto the platform. "This should be interesting..."
As they grabbed their bags and positioned themselves, the round started:
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Not having learned his lesson, Krabs charged forward as fast as he could, planning to take out Joseph with one strike.
Though he could potentially dodge and gain the advantage, Joseph's curiosity got the better of him. Wanting to know the strength of his opponent, he slowly moved forward with his bag raised high.
Krabs slammed his bag into Joseph, sending the Stand User sliding backward by a few metres. He was impressed, but now focused on winning.
The sea creature readied himself once more. He charged forward and hoped for the best, his brutish fighting style proving capable of beating Joseph.
Yet for Joseph, there was more to the challenge than strength. As Krabs came in for the kill, he leaned to the right and shoved Krabs to the left, knocking him off his legs. Following that was a simple set of pushes, as Krabs was helplessly unable to get back onto his stubby feet.
As Krabs hit the waters, Manjari celebrated their fourth victory.
"JOSEPH WINS THE FOURTH POINT FOR MANJARI!"
"I ain't cut out for this..." Krabs groaned.
ROUND ELEVEN: Dante (Elbrass) VS Kazuma Kiryu (Manjari)
"Alright!" Yelled Alexa. "Kiryu could win this for Manjari right here. Otherwise, first place is still up for grabs."
Though he knew Kiryu wasn't going to give him the victory, Dante decided to toy with him. "I'm sure you've had your fair share of warmth and cooked food. I'm sure my tribe needs that firewood more than yours," he pleaded jokingly.
"I'm not budging."
"Oh well..." Dante sighed. "I might not be able to beat the crazy one, but I can still have a fair crack at the boring one," he teased.
They grabbed their bags as Alexa began the round:
"For reward and immunity! Three... two... ONE! GO!"
Kiryu slowly shifted forward, Dante running over with no time to lose. As he closed in, he shoved against Kiryu's bag, attempting to push him back. Kiryu followed suit, leaving the two of them in a locked position.
After thirty seconds of holding the position, neither could see that their enemy wasn't going to tire any soon. With that in mind, Dante stepped back then shoved forward, slightly staggering Kiryu.
"Jeez... did I find my long-lost demon cousin? You ain't half-bad with strength!" Dante smirked, lowering his bag to show Kiryu his smug face.
No response from Kiryu.
After ten rough seconds of awkward silence and being locked in the same position, Dante decided to initiate some casual conversation.
"Say I went Tokyo... you're from there, right?" He asked.
Confused, Kiryu went along with him. "...Yeah, I am. Kamurocho."
"Alright. Say I went Tokyo and stopped by Kamurocho. Where should I eat?"
"There are some places that serve good takoyaki."
"Eh... octopus ain't my thing," he shrugged. "Anyway... let's wrap this up."
Dante then stepped back and shoved forward again, this time with incredible strength. It still wasn't enough to knock Kiryu off his feet, but he was sent back, closer to the edge.
"Seriously?" He said, drawing closer and coming in for another shove.
Kiryu blocked shove-after-shove, attempting to counter but surprised at Dante's seemingly infinite stamina. As he was sent further back, Kiryu was running out of options.
In a last-ditch effort, he stuck his mat against Dante's and attempted to charge forward. At first, he seemed to make progress, pushing Dante back and escaping the edge in the process.
As soon as Dante began funneling in more strength, however, Kiryu's plan began to falter, but he still dug deep down to find the strength to resist Dante's impeccable strength.
He neared the edge again. If Kiryu moved from his position, then it would only send him off the platform sooner. All he could do was fight back.
But sadly, Dante was just too strong in a bout of raw strength, especially with Kiryu's arms being occupied by the padded bag he was carrying. Eventually, after nearly a minute of struggling, Dante managed to shove Kiryu off the platform.
"DANTE WINS THE FOURTH POINT FOR ELBRASS, TYING WITH MANJARI!"
"Damn..." Kiryu grunted, accepting his loss.
"Well played," said Dante, offering him some sportsmanship. "But that's what ya get when you exclude me from your alliances."
ROUND TWELVE: Nero (Elbrass) VS Polnareff (Denalo)
As soon as Polnareff was sent up by him and his tribe, Nero immediately volunteered for Elbrass.
"Wouldn't it be safer to send up Rodin or Tracer?" Asked Dante.
He nodded. "Maybe, but I got a score to settle. Give me hell if I lose, but that's not gonna happen."
"Elbrass can win it here!" Reminded Alexa. "But if Denalo wins this round, Elbrass will miss out on the next round. Hence, this is their only chance left for first place!"
While the stakes were illustrated, the dynamic between the two enemies couldn't be more hostile. Polnareff, who was responsible for Nero being sent off his tribe, was about to go up against a physical fight against him. As he expected, Nero didn't even bother hiding his need for revenge.
"Again, for reward and immunity! Three... two... ONE! GO!"
The two ran towards each other, Polnareff well aware of Nero's blind rage, hoping to use it to his advantage. With a plan to step away at the last second, Polnareff was confident in his abilities.
Once Nero felt he was close enough, he suddenly entered a kneeling position for stability, spinning himself around in a full circle as he flailed his padded bag around himself.
Caught off guard, Polnareff still managed to step away. To his relief, he had managed to avoid the hit. However, Nero's padded bag collided with his, ripping it out of his hands.
The bag skidded across the platform before coming to a complete stop. Nero had won the challenge for his tribe.
"THAT'S IT! ELBRASS WINS REWARD AND IMMUNITY!" Exclaimed Alexa. "You guys will NOT be heading to Tribal Council, and you will have a fat stash of firewood waiting back for you at camp!"
As Nero swam off the platform and back to his tribe, not even acknowledging the shocked Polnareff, he was swarmed with praise and cheering by his tribe.
The cheering soon died down, and Alexa turned to the two tribes remaining in the challenge. "It's now down to Denalo and Manjari. Remember, it's still a first to five, and Elbrass only needs one more point to win."
ROUND THIRTEEN: Knuckles (Denalo) VS Sniper (Manjari)
"I ain't gonna win this," he sighed.
"The only person in these mountains that could win against him is that giant over there," Joseph explained. "Thing is, we can afford a loss, and I think Majima has a better chance against Tails."
Sniper nodded. "Great. Didn't expect to be the sacrificial lamb, but I'll give it a go."
He swam over and picked up his bag, Knuckles doing the same.
"This could be Manjari's win right here!
Three... two... ONE! GO!"
The round went as expected. Sniper approached slowly while Knuckles made no time running over. From there, they clashed bags, and Knuckles's tremendous strength knocked Sniper off his feet. He attempted to get up, managing to do so a few times, though each powerful shove forced him back down onto the ground.
After a pitiful twenty seconds, Knuckles eventually guided his opponent into the frozen waters, guaranteeing his tribe's placement in the challenge's final round.
"KNUCKLES WINS FOR DENALO!" Said Alexa, applauding. "Now this is what I call a close challenge! Let's get on to the final round!"
ROUND FOURTEEN: Tails (Denalo) VS Majima (Manjari)
"If only you were allowed to fly in this challenge, eh bud?" Knuckles said, patting his tribemate's back.
Tails nodded, walking away from him and the rest of the tribe. "That would be a little TOO unfair, don't you think?"
As the fox arrived on the platform, he couldn't help but notice Majima's crazed stare. He attempted not to lock eyes as he picked up his bag, waiting for the final round to commence.
"Remember, this is for immunity and what's left of the reward!" Alexa said. "I'm sure neither of you want to go to Tribal Council, so give it all you got!"
The two nodded, readying themselves.
"Three... two... ONE! GO!"
With no hesitation from either side, both Majima and Tails zoomed towards one another, immediately clashing bags.
Following the initial slam, Majima jumped back and gripped his bag tightly, swinging it from left to right. Right before Tails could counter, he extended his onslaught by slamming his bag against the platform ground and performing a sweep kick, knocking Tails off balance and causing the fox to falter back.
He followed up with a few more shoves before Tails could regain a sturdy stance. He then began to circle his opponent, not taking his eye off for a second.
Majima proceeded with another attack, though this time, Tails managed to counter it by jumping up and slamming his bag into his shoulder. Tails now had his turn to knock Majima off balance, but out of the many shoves and pushes, the Yakuza barely remained standing.
Naturally, the high stakes resulted in both sides putting in the extra effort. However, after over ten minutes of back-to-back fighting, everyone was surprised either side had lasted this long.
Several attempts had been made to knock the bag out of the opponent's hand, but with plenty of grip from either side, it seemed that the only option was getting them to the edge. Coincidentally, the fight had slowly but surely made its way toward the edge. The two fought over it, taking turns wielding the upper hand, but taking it nowhere.
Eventually, however, while pressuring Tails, the fox staggered and fell close to the edge, quickly scrambling up and holding up the bag before Majima could knock him off.
"KIRYU-CHAN!" Yelled Majima, straining on his face. "I THINK I FOUND MY NEW FAVOURITE SPARRING PARTNER!" He joked, cackling.
As they stuck their bags together, Tails began pushing forward. He was near-exhausted, but he continued to use all of his strength to stay in the challenge. He knew the next Tribal Council would be shaky, so it was a top priority to protect himself and Knuckles from potential elimination.
Before he could get enough footing to escape the edge, Majima suddenly crouched down and swept his legs again, still holding his bag against Tails. This was enough to knock him off balance, losing all the progress he had made.
Tails was unable to get up in time, and after a long bout, he fell into the water.
"MAJIMA WINS IMMUNITY AND REWARD FOR MANJARI!" Announced Alexa, resulting in a roar of cheers from Manjari.
As Tails stuck his head from under the water, soaked to the bone, Majima reached down from the platform and whispered to him. "Don't get eliminated before we can get ourselves on the same tribe. I ain't one for the alliance shit, but I wanna work with the strongest."
He then jumped into the water, swimming back to his tribe before a response could be given.
After the cheering between Elbrass and Manjari died down, Alexa approached the tribes and gave his congratulations.
"Well done Elbrass and Manjari!" He clapped. "You guys will be immune once again. Not only that, but you'll both be receiving firewood at your camp, with Elbrass receiving far more than Manjari. Give yourselves a pat on the back on the way back to camp. As for Denalo, you guys will be spending your night at Tribal Council for the second time in a row, where you will vote for the fifth person to be eliminated from Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone. I'll see you tonight."
The tribes split off back to their mountains. While Elbrass and Manjari were ecstatic over another night of immunity, Denalo were once again forced to go through the painstaking process of saving themselves from elimination...
Denalo Mk. II: Day 10
Survivors: Knuckles - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Miles "Tails" Prower - Mr. Krabs - Wii Fit Trainer.
Having to return to Tribal so soon after the last one had the whole tribe in a sour mood. Tails and Knuckles had felt uneasy over their future in the game since the day before, and now that Tribal Council was nearing, Mr. Krabs and Wii Fit couldn't help but feel similar concerns.
The only person in the tribe that wasn't dreading Tribal Council was Polnareff. He would have preferred to avoid the hassle altogether, but his confidence was unmatched.
After a short period of congratulating each other on trying their hardest, the two alliances split off in separate directions. Tails and Knuckles hung around by the cave's entrance, leaving Wii Fit and Krabs to retreat to the cliff edge they commonly resided in. Following the former alliance of Tails and Knuckles was Polnareff, a look of reassurance on his face.
"Alright, here's the plan," said Polnareff. "I'll tell Wii Fit and Krabs to put their votes on you, Tails. But of course, I'm voting with you two, and we're actually going to be voting for Wii Fit."
Of course, many questions were immediately raised by the two.
"Wii Fit? Wouldn't Krabs be a better target?" Knuckles questioned.
The Stand User shook his head. "Wii Fit is a socialite that got herself nearly to the end of the first season. Krabs was booted out long before the first season's Merge. I think getting out the bigger threat of the two is the better move. If we get out Wii Fit, I'm sure Krabs will be deadweight for us to vote out if we lose again."
Tails could see his point, but before any of them could ask any more questions, Polnareff began drawing away from them.
"Alright... the brisker I make this conversation between us look, the more likely those two are to believe that I'm on their side and not yours," he said. "I'll update you guys later!"
He then quickly walked off, leaving the two in an instant.
"When it comes to duels and fighting, I'm a very honorable person. Any tactics that go against that are things I would never do in any situation... other than a game like this, where you must use them before others use them on you if you want to win. With my double-agent position, I'll be given the opportunity to choose my future alliance out of the two that already exist, while also remaining out of the firing range for elimination." - Jean Pierre Polnareff.
Knuckles scoffed as he left. "So much for an alliance. It feels like I'm taking orders from this guy."
"That's because we are," Tails groaned. "Our game is in his hands."
"He was never like this when we were in Elbrass together," the echidna admitted. "It's getting pretty hard to trust him."
"I don't want to vote Wii Fit. I know she probably doesn't trust me anymore since I lied to her in the last vote, but I think it'd be more worthwhile to salvage that relationship with her after voting Krabs out," he said.
"Don't worry, I want Krabs gone too... but if Polnareff's not gonna budge, then we have to go along with his antics for now."
Meanwhile, Polnareff approached Wii Fit and Krabs, planning on feeding them a similar story.
"I just spoke to Tails and Knuckles," he said.
Krabs nodded. "Well?"
He shrugged. "All went to plan! I threw Wii Fit's name out and they took the bait."
"Well colour me surprised! Considerin' Tails went for me last time, I'm surprised they ain't stickin' with me," Krabs snickered.
With the crustacean remaining unskeptical, Wii Fit was simply confused. "Krabs has a point... wouldn't it make more sense to throw his name out instead of mine considering he was the original target of the last vote?"
Polnareff grinned awkwardly, realising the oversight in his plan. "Of course, I threw Krabs out first, but they seemed to be more adamant on you."
"Why's that?"
"Something about you being a threat that got far the last time you played this game."
Wii Fit's suspicions died out momentarily, but soon after, she began to think of more holes in Polnareff's alibi.
Noticing the confusion on her face, Krabs rolled his eyes. "Relax! We'll go into Tribal Council tonight, and then it'll be a simple three-to-two vote. No hassle required! Those chumps won't know what hit 'em."
Deciding to let it go for the time being, she nodded. "Alright."
"If they wanted to get me out for being a threat, then how come they didn't do that in the last vote? I thought Polnareff was on our side at first, but now I'm starting to worry that he's gonna flip over to Tails and Knuckles and blindside me. Something tells me that it was him who suggested to vote myself out..." - Wii Fit Trainer.
Polnareff smirked with accomplishment, relaxing against the wooden fencing lining the cliff's edge. "Alright! I'll be putting my vote on Tails tonight. He seems to be a lot more dangerous than Knuckles strategically."
"Sounds good to me," Krabs clasped his claws together.
With both groups now pitted against one another, the tribe was left to wait until Tribal Council. Polnareff had seemingly convinced both sides that he was with them, even with their skepticism towards his loyalty.
However, nearing the time to attend Tribal Council, Wii Fit branched off from Krabs and walked over to the shelter, where Knuckles was alone, tending to the fire.
"Hey," he said blankly, his eyes remaining on the fire. "You know who you're voting for Tribal?"
She nodded slowly. "Yeah..."
"Me or Tails, correct?"
"Tails."
Knuckles sighed. "If I had to guess... I bet you don't feel like he's one-hundred percent on your side."
The fitness trainer sat down by him, nodding. "Yeah."
Given how she told him that Tails was their target, it only felt fair to follow up with the same. "We're going to be voting you tonight, just so you know."
"Don't worry, I'm aware," she said. "Polnareff told me that you guys wanted me out because I got far back when I played in the first season. I think the way people play this game is different now than it was back then, so I don't agree with that reasoning... but I'm not gonna throw Krabs under the bus either."
Knuckles suddenly dropped the bundle of sticks he was about to feed to the fire beside him, looking straight at her. "You kidding?"
Wii Fit stared at him, puzzled. "Huh?"
"We both wanted to vote Mr. Krabs out, but he told us that he wanted you out for that exact same reason that you just told me," he said, beginning to lose his patience with his so-called alliance member. "I don't know why he's feeding both sides these dumb lies. There's pretty much no way for either side to have an idol. Why can't the guy just be honest about which side he's on?"
"He's playing a very strange game... maybe he hasn't decided which side he's on yet. That, or he's an idiot," she responded.
Suddenly, the two of them died down as Polnareff quickly approached from behind. "Ready for Tribal Council?"
"Nope," Knuckles said jokingly.
As Krabs and Tails walked over, the tribe headed down to Tribal Council as a group. For Wii Fit and Krabs, this was their fourth Tribal Council of the five that have taken place, meaning that they were especially sick of attending the dreadful event...
Tribal Council: Night 10
Survivors: Knuckles - Jean Pierre Polnareff - Miles "Tails" Prower - Mr. Krabs - Wii Fit Trainer.
Entering the freezing building once again, the survivors greeted Alexa as they silently made their way to the five seats available. They honed in on the wall behind Alexa, displaying the snuffed torches of Falco, Phoenix, King Dedede and Glass Joe. Tonight would decide the fifth person to have their torches snuffed through elimination.
"Welcome, survivors," waved Alexa.
After attempting to settle into their uncomfortable seats, Tribal Council swiftly began.
"Tails," called Alexa. "Last Tribal Council resulted not in elimination, but migration from this tribe to the Elbrass tribe. How does that affect the game differently from the usual elimination?"
"It's kinda simple. The fact they're still in the game is the biggest difference," he said. "Nero probably wants revenge, and given how people he thought he could trust turned on him, I don't blame him. There's also another Shuffling event after the next couple of Tribals, and a while after that, there's the Merge. I bet at least a couple of us here will probably encounter him again."
Knuckles nodded. "Yep. I doubt he'd want Tails out. He was the only one that stuck with him. As for the rest of us... we might be on his hit list now."
"Understandable," he said. "And as Tails said, the Shuffling is only after the Tribal following this one. With that in mind, what guides your vote tonight, Krabs?"
"Based on my alliance. I'm hopin' for a smooth vote that leaves me safer than before," Mr. Krabs replied.
"Well, in the last vote, you were the other name that came up in the last Tribal Council. Do you feel that you're gonna be a target tonight?"
Wii Fit suddenly chimed in, giving a confident answer. "It's Tails and myself. We're the two targets for tonight."
"I see," Alexa then turned to Polnareff. "Well, Polnareff, assuming that these two will vote for one another, that leaves you with a third of the power, correct?"
"Yep, it does," he nodded. "Like Krabs, I'm voting based on my loyalty to my alliance-"
"Which one?"
Polnareff suddenly froze, turning to his left and locking eyes with a frustrated Wii Fit.
"Ours, obviously!" Krabs spat.
"If that were the case, he wouldn't need to play with our heads like he's done both sides," she retaliated.
Intrigued in the direction Tribal Council was turning, Alexa lit up.
However, before he could respond, Polnareff attempted to defend himself. "What are you talking about?"
"You told me that Tails and Knuckles both wanted to vote for me. I spoke to Knuckles, and he said that they originally wanted to vote for Krabs, but you managed to sway them onto me," she said.
"Ah... well..." Unsure of what to say next, Polnareff paused.
All while this was going on, Alexa took a backseat, watching as the tribe began to collapse.
"A blindside is the safest and nicest way to eliminate someone," said Polnareff, attempting to salvage the broken pieces of his plan. "But now that you've figured it out, the plan was to blindside you with Tails and Knuckles."
The whole tribe was shocked as Wii Fit felt a wave of vulnerability hit her.
"WHAAAA?!" Krabs bellowed, completely dumbfounded. "I knew I couldn't trust a pompous nitwit like you!"
"You could have told us that you were on their side. Toying with us like this wasn't necessary at all," said Wii Fit.
"It's far less villainous than you're making it out to be," Polnareff said, defending his actions. "You could have found an idol. Who's to say they aren't hiding somewhere around camp?"
Wii Fit shook her head, locking eyes with the silent Tails and Knuckles. "You guys can't trust him. He's telling you to vote me out for being a threat, but I think tonight has shown that he's playing a lot harder than anyone else in this camp. He flipped on your alliance, and he will definitely do it again if you keep him around."
Meanwhile, Krabs couldn't help but panic. "LISTEN TO THE LASS! Don't leave us for dead... that's just... cruel!"
"I'm a threat to you, not to them. Someone who plays hard and can convince people that they're absolutely safe when they aren't is someone you want to be on good terms with," explained Polnareff.
"If that's what you want in an alliance, then don't be surprised if they blindside you after convincing you that you're absolutely safe... when you aren't." Wii Fit folded her arms.
Knuckles and Tails remained silent, stressing Krabs out and causing Alexa to get down to the main meat of Tribal Council: the vote.
"Looks like it's time to vote," said Alexa. "This will be interesting... Knuckles, you're first."
With little time to reconsider, Knuckles grabbed the box and went to vote:
Knuckles: My head hurts... (?)
"Polnareff, you're up."
Polnareff: My plan was to play both sides, and I was actually leaning towards getting out Tails. But after you blew it all up at Tribal Council, I guess I'll be flipping back to my old alliance. (Wii Fit Trainer)
"Tails, you're up."
Tails votes, but doesn't leave a comment.
"Mr. Krabs, you're up."
Mr. Krabs votes, but doesn't leave a comment.
"Wii Fit Trainer, you're up."
Wii Fit Trainer: Your gameplay is too convoluted for anyone to want to associate themselves with you in an alliance, especially after you flipped on them. Now that you've flipped back, I hope they do the right thing and shut the door on you. (Jean Pierre Polnareff)
As Alexa received the voting box back from Wii Fit, he readied it and stared down the five nervous survivors.
"If anyone has an idol, and would like to play it, then now would be the time to do so..."
With nobody in the tribe wielding an idol, nothing but silence came back to Alexa.
"Alright! It's time to read out the votes!"
*VOTING TIME*
The first vote goes to... Jean Pierre Polnareff. (Polnareff scoffs.)
The second vote goes to... Jean Pierre Polnareff. Two votes Polnareff.
The third vote goes to... Wii Fit Trainer. That's one vote Wii Fit Trainer, and two votes Polnareff.
Alexa removed the next slip from the box and studied it with his eyes. He then glanced up at the tribe.
"The fifth person eliminated from Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone is...
Jean Pierre Polnareff. That's enough; the tribe has spoken."
Taking the elimination well, even through the shock and disappointment, he stood up and nodded. "Right..."
He broke off from his tribe, accepting their unanimous decision to vote him off as Alexa grabbed an ice cube and placed it on his torch along the back wall.
"After ten days, you've been eliminated from the show. Please leave through the entrance on your right," Alexa commanded.
Before doing so, he turned back to his tribe. "Well-played, guys, and good luck."
He quietly made his leave through the exit. Following his departure, Alexa turned to the remaining four tribe members. "Well, Polnareff was clearly playing a much bigger game, and it looks like you guys took care of the elephant in the room before it stomped you all to death. Good on you for that, but for the sake of the tribe, it's best you avoid a third Tribal Council in a row. Goodnight, survivors. Head back to camp."
The Denalo tribe swiftly made their way out of the building, more united than ever before...
Jean Pierre Polnareff's Last Words: "I guess I should have picked an alliance sooner and stuck to it. I thought my double-agent game would keep me fully protected, but it only ended up being my downfall in the end. You can't play this game without being a little dishonest and mischievous... but maybe I MIGHT have taken that a little too far. Oh well, at least nobody suspected that I had a Stand under the wraps!"
VOTES
Jean Pierre Polnareff (4): Knuckles - Miles "Tails" Prower - Mr. Krabs - Wii Fit Trainer.
Wii Fit Trainer (1): Jean Pierre Polnareff.
IDOLS
Ring of Reflection: Found in Ring of Igloos by Nero. Upon activating this ring in Tribal Council, every vote cast towards that person will be reflected onto a random contestant with no immunity.
Ring of Abduction: Found in the Survivors' Shack by Daisy. Upon activating this ring at Tribal Council, the user may steal a vote from any person of their choice, additionally being able to use it as their second vote. The target must be able to vote at Tribal Council for the effect to work, and those with immunity can still be targeted to have their vote stolen.
REMAINING SURVIVORS
Elbrass Mk. II Tribe (Green)
- Dante
- Miles Edgeworth
- Waluigi
- Tracer
- Nero
- Rodin
Denalo Mk. II Tribe (Purple)
- Knuckles
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Mr. Krabs
- Wii Fit Trainer
Manjari Mk. II Tribe (Orange)
- Kazuma Kiryu
- Princess Daisy
- Goro Majima
- Sniper
- Joseph Joestar
- Scout
Days until the next Shuffling: 3.
