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

In the Acogua tribe, things turned eventful as Tails uncovered the Ring of Punjay in the early hours of the morning. The idol would grant immunity, but it can only be played if in the hands of a Punjay member. In addition, the fox learned that there was a Ring of Acogua likely in the possession of a member within the opposite tribe, meaning he would have to trade his idol for theirs, allowing both parties to reap the benefits of the idol.

Later on in the tribe, Tails and Nero fell into conflict before Nero offered Tails to work with him and Dante for the price of blindsiding Knuckles. Being thrown into this newfound dilemma, their relationship only became rockier. Although the majority alliance was unable to decide on whether to target the alliance of Tails and Knuckles or Dante and Nero, Majima secretly aligned with the latter, with his goal being to take full control of the Acogua tribe.

Meanwhile, at the Punjay tribe, the events of last night's Tribal Council had perfectly divided the camp into two factions of three: the fresh alliance of Edgeworth, Joseph, and Sniper, and the old alliance of Rodin, Tracer, and Wii Fit Trainer. Unfortunately for the new alliance, cracks already began to form as Joseph started to consider taking out Edgeworth before the Merge.

The next day, the challenge was a series of one-on-one races, where the survivors would rush to retrieve a bag and place it into their tribe's circle, even if it meant wrestling it out of their opponent's hands. After eight grueling rounds, Acogua managed to land their second victory in a row, sending Punjay to Tribal Council.

Back at camp, Joseph confessed to Sniper that he couldn't risk going to rocks to save Edgeworth. However, after enough convincing and bargaining from Sniper, they made a deal to vote alongside Edgeworth in the first vote, and then against him in the revote if there was an initial tie. As a result, Sniper pitched his case to Wii Fit, offering her plenty of promises while convincing her that Tracer and Rodin were too strong of a duo to keep together.

At Tribal Council, their many conversations and promises were finally put to the test. Though Wii Fit was conflicted on her decision to the very last second, she made the final choice to vote with Sniper, Joseph and Edgeworth. Unfortunately for Rodin, his unparalleled strength placed him onto the chopping block, and with four votes against him, he was eliminated from the game.

Thirteen remain. The Merge is drawing closer with each passing day, and the survivors continue to step up their game! Which unlucky few will be voted out before the Merge? Who will attempt to take control of the game, and will they succeed? All and more will be answered in this episode of Survivor Crossover: Ice Cap Zone!


Acogua: Day 17

Survivors: Dante - Nero - Knuckles - Miles "Tails" Prower - Kazuma Kiryu - Goro Majima - Scout - Princess Daisy.

The day was well into the evening, and with the night just around the corner, the tribe were fully gathered under the shelter for their usual ration of rice and beans. With constant bonding, morale boosts from winning challenges, and minimal drama due to the lack of Tribal Councils, Acogua felt very united and connected as a tribe. Though there was a hidden majority, and several other alliances, the whole tribe of eight were mainly able to get along well.

Right after scoffing down his meal, Majima looked to his tribe and grinned. "Look at us! We might actually get to the Merge with the eight of us still intact!"

"We've kicked ass twice in a row! First, it was the race, and then it was yesterday's wrestlin' match! Plus, I've lasted nearly twenty days without a damn Tribal Council to attend! It's borin', I'll admit, but an achievement is a damn achievement! Once I get to Merge, that's when shit gets REAL, and I'm gonna be flippin' this game on its head every opportunity I get! Chaos will keep things fresh!" - Goro Majima.

Scout smirked. "It's a friggin' guarantee at this rate! This game's too easy."

"Yeah!" Agreed Daisy, hyped up. "Oh! Who do you think got voted out last night? My bets are on... hmm..."

While she continued to think, Scout piped up with an answer. "It better be that wizard!"

"You mean Tracer?" Nero folded his arms. "I wouldn't be upset. Does anyone really want to go up against someone who can teleport?"

"I know I don't. Not again..." Dante groaned. "Actually, come to think of it... she was saying some pretty weird stuff to me in the last challenge. Right before the round began, she said something pretty damn vague."

Knuckles tilted his head, vaguely recalling that Tracer had said something fairly strange to him before the round began.

"What'd she say?" Tails asked.

He rubbed his chin. "She asked me if I "had it". Whatever it meant, she didn't bother explaining."

Suddenly, Knuckles flinched, fully remembering the exchange she had with Tracer. "Wait... she asked me the same question!"

"You serious?" Knowing it wasn't a bizarre coincidence had Dante completely confused. "I thought she was losing her mind after being out here for so long. Do you think she's hiding something?"

"Beats me," said the echidna. "I probably would've forgotten all about it if you hadn't mentioned it."

Though he didn't show too much interest on the outside, Tails was incredibly excited.

"Dante or Knuckles might not have understood what Tracer was getting at, but I think I do! I'm one hundred percent confident that she was asking them if they had the Ring of Punjay, which is currently in my possession. This could only mean that Tracer has the Ring of Acogua that I'm looking for, and all I have to do in tomorrow's challenge is trade my idol for her's without anyone noticing. It'll be tough, but I'm hoping I'll find an opening!" - Tails.

Bored over the directionless speculation, Majima stepped in. "Ahhh who cares! Dumb theories like this ain't my thing. If we're gonna mention that challenge, then we should at least be mentionin' the jackass who ran to the wrong circle!" He cried, looking to Scout.

Offended, Scout curled his lip in anger. "FYI, pal, I had that round in the bag! I made a lil' mistake and ran in the wrong direction. That's it! And hey, we won anyway, so it ain't a big deal!"

The Yakuza snarled. "Well, if we hadn't won, then I would've had the pleasure of havin' you as my first vote!"

"...W-well, that didn't happen! So let's quit mentionin' it!" He yelled. Though, towards the end of his sentence, his demand sounded more like a plea of desperation.

Majima rolled his eyes. "Fine... if it helps ya sleep at night."

After a short moment of silence, Scout ironically brought the memory back up. "Oh, and another thing, I ain't losin' another one-on-one against Sniper again!"

"...You two have quite the rivalry..." Daisy remarked.

"They are polar opposites, after all," Kiryu added.

"Yep!" The soldier nodded frantically. "I'm the fast one, and he's the slow one. I'm the exciting one, and he's the borin' camper that sits in a watchtower all day, peein' into jars! I have a cool hat, and he wears a dumb, tacky hat! It's pretty simple."

"...I like his hat," muttered Daisy.

The conversations continued well into the evening, though eventually, people began to leave the shelter, whether it was to spend some time alone or to talk with others.

Tails was the first to leave, and after beckoning Knuckles, he followed him over to the camp's entrance. By now, things were getting dark, though they were still clearly able to see each other.

"What's up?" Asked Knuckles.

"Remember earlier today, when you and Dante mentioned Tracer asking a strange question?" He queried. "What was it that she asked?"

He scratched his head. "Uhh... she asked us if we "had it". Whatever "it" is supposed to mean."

Tails gave an excited smile. "She was talking about an idol that I have."

"Oh!" Exclaimed Knuckles. "Wait... you have an idol?!"

The fox nodded, and after a celebratory high five, he explained. "I found it not long ago down the mountain path. I stumbled across this string, and it led to a pouch with the idol inside."

"Where is it?"

"Buried where I found it. Beneath the snow and dirt."

"Well, I believe you!" Knuckles grinned. "...But... how does Tracer know about this idol?"

Tails sighed. "That's the complicated part. My idol doesn't work."

"It... doesn't work? Then what's the point in getting all excited about it?!" He asked.

"My idol only works if someone from the Punjay tribe uses it. That's why Tracer wants it," he stated. "But the good news is that Tracer should have an idol that only works if somebody from the Acogua tribe uses it. The plan is for me to trade my idol for hers. That way, we'll both have idols that grant immunity to whoever it's played for."

Just barely understanding the situation, Knuckles gave a thumbs up. "Well, good! The only problem is swapping it with her without anyone noticing. If Nero and Dante try to target us, then having the idol hidden would be much more useful than having it exposed to the whole tribe. We know how that turned out for Nero, after all..."

"Yeah... that part hasn't been figured out yet," Tails confessed. "But! I'm sure there'll be an opportunity at the next challenge. Oh, and I forgot to mention that both idols lose their power at the Merge."

"Well, in that case, there isn't much time left for us to retrieve and play that idol!" He warned. "Though if we keep winning these challenges, we might not have to use it!"

"We can only hope," said the fox. "But if we do have to go to Tribal Council, then this ace card will surely save our skin!"

"A couple of days ago, Nero offered me to align with them for the cost of blindsiding Knuckles. At first, this threw me into a dilemma, but then I realised that I couldn't just vote off my best friend to work with two people I couldn't fully trust. If Nero's gonna let his grudge against Knuckles guide every decision he makes, then that'll eventually backfire, and it might just cost him the game." - Tails.

Their conversation soon came to a close, and they returned back to the shelter, where only Daisy remained.

She beamed. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks," said Knuckles. "Where'd everyone go?"

"I think everyone's gone to the cave to sleep. It is pretty late," the princess responded. "But I'm not tired yet."

"I see."

The three stared at the fire for a few minutes, thinking to themselves and about what the future may hold. What kind of challenge was next? When will the Merge begin? What other twists does Alexa have in store for the remaining contestants?

Eventually, Daisy killed the silence. "Hey, Knuckles."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you vote off Polnareff?" She twiddled her thumbs. "Ever since Phoenix got voted out, our tribe had a big alliance of me, you, Scout, Kiryu, and Polnareff. I dunno why you'd vote for him, but ever since we found out that you did, nobody's really trusted you as much as we did before."

"...He started doing some shady stuff. That's the honest truth," he answered. "He started playing both sides. He'd promise me and Tails that he'd be working with us, and then he'd go over to the others in the tribe and promise that he'd work with them to get us out. Nobody knew who he was aligned with, and after realising how hard he was playing, we decided to band together and vote him out."

Daisy slowly nodded. "Wow... that's just... crazy!"

"I wasn't sure before, but I think Knuckles could be telling the truth! Right now, Scout seems adamant about voting out Knuckles, and Kiryu seems to prefer voting out either Dante or Nero. I'm still not sure, but if Knuckles really did vote out Polnareff to protect himself, then I'm leaning towards keeping him and Tails safe. I think Dante and Nero are cool, but Kiryu doesn't trust them, and I know that Kiryu's smart enough to make the right call!" - Princess Daisy.

"...Well, at least this time I was able to think straight without being scolded by Scout. I hope Daisy realises that I'm no backstabber!" - Knuckles.

The three stayed out at the shelter for a short while longer before Knuckles and Tails eventually began feeling tired. As such, they eventually left the shelter and joined the rest of their tribe in the caves. Though Daisy remained in the shelter, it didn't take long before she soon followed. With the tribe in high spirits, securing a third consecutive win in tomorrow's challenge was everyone's top priority. Some wanted to keep themselves safe as long as possible, while others wanted more time to build connections.


Punjay: Day 17

Survivors: Miles Edgeworth - Tracer - Wii Fit Trainer - Sniper - Joseph Joestar.

It was early in the morning, less than twelve hours since Rodin had been eliminated from the tribe. Tracer was completely on her own, and after being deceived by multiple members of the tribe, she knew that the only person left to rely on was herself. She sat at the far end of camp and pieced it all together in her head.

She especially felt betrayed by Wii Fit. Though Rodin was her number one ally in the game, something she didn't bother hiding, she had a good, long-lasting friendship with Wii Fit that made her decision flip all the more confusing. Was she manipulated and lied to? And, if so, who was responsible for it? She wouldn't get any clear answers unless she confronted her ex-alliance member, and with nothing else to lose, she stood up and looked around the camp for her.

The first person she saw in the distance was Joseph. Last night, he offered to flip to Tracer's side to vote off Edgeworth, albeit with the bizarre condition of only doing so if Tribal Council went to a revote via a tie. Though Tracer initially shrugged this detail off, she now assumed that Joseph had simply lied to her face.

Despite her bitterness towards him, she decided to ask him for Wii Fit's whereabouts. "Heya Joseph!"

"Hey," he said.

"Do you know where Wii Fit's ran off to? I just wanted to have a chat with her."

"She's probably still on her walk. You know how much she likes those." Joseph looked around. "Though, given how long she's been out for, she'll probably be back any second now."

Tracer nodded, beginning to walk off. "Alright. Thanks."

However, as she went to leave, Joseph called out to her. "Wait a second!"

"Huh?"

"I just want you to know that there are no hard feelings about what happened last night," he apologised.

She placed her hand on her hip. "It's fine. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how people made the decision to protect Edgeworth."

"People really wanted Rodin out. People are starting to vote with this Merge thing in mind, myself included. But don't worry, we know how much of a threat Edgeworth is right now. In fact, I wouldn't worry too much about being picked off next as long as he's around."

Tracer smirked, unable to take him seriously. "Come on! You might have managed to convince me that you were willing to vote Edgeworth twice before, if you think you can do it a third time, then you're just being cheeky!"

Before Joseph could reply, she abruptly began walking off. "Anyway, I'll talk to ya later!" She yelled, briskly leaving. Having noticed her self-protective attitude, he was left with a bad taste in his mouth.

"With Tracer losing her whole alliance within two Tribal Councils, I wouldn't be surprised if she started playing a more destructive game. Personally, if I had to choose between taking out her or Edgeworth, then I'd choose Edgeworth in a heartbeat. He's been pretty dependent these last few days, but I guarantee that he'll begin playing hard once he finally gets an opportunity to make some moves for himself. But... it looks like Tracer doesn't believe me." - Joseph Joestar.

Shrugging off what she perceived to be yet another lie from Joseph, Tracer headed to the camp's exit and made her way down the mountain, hoping to run into Wii Fit.

Making it to the base of Mt. Manjari, she saw Wii Fit emerging from a cluster of trees nearby, lightly jogging. It didn't take long before Wii Fit noticed her and waved.

"Hello!" She called. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much," Tracer said. "You up for a small chat in private?"

Wii Fit nodded. "Sure."

They grouped up as Wii Fit was led back to the tall, evergreen trees she had just came from. Tracer sat on a snowy, decaying log as Wii Fit stayed on her feet.

"Is this about yesterday?" The trainer questioned.

She nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry, I'm not mad. After all, I'm still in this game. I just want to know what they said to make you flip?"

Not wanting to give away much information that could potentially backfire, she stared at the snowy forest floor and sighed. "I don't know if I should really say."

"I'm not that scary, am I?" Tracer smirked. "I'm not gonna press you for any more info than that. I just want to know why you decided to join those three."

Feeling as if she owed her ex-ally something, Wii Fit lowered her guard. "...Right. I'm not one for breaking loyalty, but what Sniper told me had a lot of sense to it!"

Already, Tracer learned the person responsible for swaying her over. She was surprised for it to be Sniper, but upon reflection, it made more sense.

Wii Fit continued. "He said that sticking with you was a pretty big risk and that you'd both become targets at the Merge. Usually, I'd tough out those circumstances, but from what he was saying, it really felt like a battle I wouldn't be able to win." She confessed with an apologetic pout. "And after thinking about it, I realised he was right. Joseph, Edgeworth, and himself have plenty of connections from the old Denalo tribe. Meanwhile, most people from our old tribe had been eliminated. In fact, now that Rodin's gone, we're the only people left from the first Manjari tribe."

"Well, I respect your choice," she sighed. "You put your game before mine and Rodin's, and I probably would have done the same."

She smiled. "Glad you've taken it well. And, if it makes you feel better... Sniper also said that after voting Rodin out, Edgeworth would be next."

The Brit raised her eyebrows, realising that Joseph had said the same thing. "Are you serious?!"

"Yeah!" Wii Fit assured.

Tracer folded her arms. "And how do you know that he isn't just winding us up? We two together are now outnumbered. Those three can easily lie once again about voting out Edgeworth, only to take me or you out."

"I thought I'd take a risk," she stated.

"Well, instead of taking those chances, I'm gonna give my all into this next challenge," Tracer affirmed. "Whether it be speed, strength, endurance or being able to solve some cryptic puzzle. I'll be doin' my part for immunity tomorrow!"

"Sounds like a good plan!" Wii Fit said supportively.

She grinned cheerily. "Yep!"

"Well, I learned quite a bit from Wii Fit. Her lips weren't nearly as tight as I thought they would be. Thanks to her, I've learned that Sniper's the one pulling the strings. I was so focused on voting out Edgeworth that I completely missed out on how much of a threat Sniper is! If I want to take him down, I need to swap my Idol of Acogua with whoever has the Idol of Punjay. I've not found them yet, but I'm hoping tomorrow gives me a chance!" - Tracer.

With Tracer knowing everything she had wanted to know and much more, the two began heading up the mountain and back to the Punjay camp.

Meanwhile, at the camp itself, Joseph approached Sniper and took him to one side with the intention of relaying some important information.

"So," he said. "Tracer came over and wanted to talk with Wii Fit. She tried to play off last night like it didn't affect her, but I doubt that."

"Let 'em talk," shrugged Sniper. "I got faith that Wii Fit won't flip on us again. Besides, even if she did want to work with Tracer, she ain't the next target."

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "You mean that we're voting out Edgeworth next, correct?"

The mercenary gave a thumbs up. "That's the promise I made, mate."

"Now that I've crumpled up that alliance, I don't need Edgeworth anymore! The bugger's only been kept around as an extra vote, and with Krabs n' Rodin gone, I'm plannin' on goin' into the Merge with Joseph, Wii Fit, and a desperate Tracer." - Sniper.

The stand user scoffed. "It's about time."

"Y'know..." Sniper smirked. "Given that we've been keepin' someone like him dependent on us these last few days, that's gonna look good on our record when we get to the end."

Joseph fixed his hat as he peered around the camp. "We've really turned this game around. All thanks to that idol, too."

"Trust me," he said. "The next time I find an idol, you'll be knowin' about it ASAP."

"Same here," responded Joseph. "It's important we stick together, and with Wii Fit."

"If us three got to the end, I wouldn't be complainin' at all!" Sniper wrung his hands with excitement.

As it stood, the tribe was in a very peculiar state. Though the fall of an alliance resulted in a majority alliance forming, said majority alliance were gearing up to pick off one of their own. Meanwhile, though her position in the tribe was towards the bottom, Tracer planned to take aim at Sniper. And, with nobody on her side, she was hellbent on retrieving the ultimate ace card: the Idol of Punjay...

*TO BE CONTINUED*