Challenge Dunes: Day 26
Survivors: Phoenix Wright - Luigi - Little Mac - Princess Peach - Kirby - Engineer - ROB - Samus Aran.
In the first Merge challenge, the survivors were subjected to the old Laudable Leaves pipe, which had been repurposed from a brown pipe to an icy-blue pipe that, fitting to its color, brought them to the blisteringly cold Sherbet Land.
For the second Merge challenge, the Super Shrooms pipe had been repurposed from its old red design into a deeper blue. This time, the pipe brought them straight down and directly into the underground caves of Dry Dry Desert.
Finally, the third and previous Merge challenge brought the survivors to a Mushroom Kingdom Sports Stadium through the final old tribe pipe to be repurposed: Power Flowers. The pipe went from its classic green to pure white.
Now, with all of the visible pipes repurposed into new ones that even led survivors to different areas, they speculated what would happen for the next few challenges. Would it be back to the desert? Would the pipes be repurposed yet again for the next three challenges before the Finale? It was a question they had thought about since they discovered that Alexa would begin changing the old tribe pipes.
Ironically, the most carefree when it came to the pipes emerged from the Super Stars pipe first, and that survivor, in particular, was none other than the excited Kirby.
Next came Samus, then Luigi, Little Mac, Engineer, Peach, Phoenix, and finally, ROB. Unlike Kirby, they immediately gazed around the pipe they came from, looking at the repurposed yet blocked pipes to see if they had changed yet again, but instead... a dark green pipe proudly stood between the Sherbet Land and Stadium pipes. This pipe wasn't an older, repurposed pipe. This pipe was completely new.
"Welcome to the Challenge Dunes, Super Stars! Last time you were here, the last of the old tribe pipes had been repurposed into something leading you to your next challenge! Since we have no more pipes to repurpose, I thought I'd just add in more pipes to this area. That's right, nothing's changed!" Announced Alexa. "Though, I'm sure you weren't expecting much, anyway."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm-a sure the old Power Flowers pipe was-a much brighter than-a this one." Luigi scratched his head.
Engineer nodded. "Good thing Peach seems to be the Mushroom Kingdom encyclopedia," he joked. "So then Peach, anything in the kingdom that's dark green?"
"Hmm..." She stroked her chin before gasping. "Oh! The forests and jungles might be associated with that color."
Annoyed just as he was last time, Alexa firmly placed his hands on his hips. "Just enter the pipe and find out! No need for speculation when nothing's stopping you guys from walking over and, I dunno, doing what you're supposed to do?"
"I woke up about five minutes ago, so the longer we spend wasting time, the more awake I'll be for the challenge!" Thought Phoenix, though unfortunately, the others began walking over to the pipe, crushing his hopes instantly. Filled with resentment, Phoenix followed along, trailing at the back.
Making no haste, Samus jumped in after Alexa and was followed by Luigi, Kirby, Little Mac, Peach, Engineer, ROB, and hesitantly, Phoenix Wright.
?: Day 26
Survivors: Phoenix Wright - Luigi - Little Mac - Princess Peach - Kirby - Engineer - ROB - Samus Aran.
As Samus sprung out of the pipe, she swiftly landed onto a patch of yellowish dirt, surrounded by long, dark green grass. Her surroundings consisted of tall trees, dense shrubbery, and a bushy, thick canopy that blocked out all direct sunlight from above. Peach's hypothesis was right, and today's challenge would take place in this forest location.
Next came Luigi, Kirby, Little Mac, and Peach, the former and latter of the four unsure of where they were exactly. All they knew is that it was one of many forests that the Mushroom Kingdom housed.
"So it is a forest!" Said Luigi.
"I'm positive this is... no wait, I'm sure it's..." Peach paused numerous times, attempting to wrap her head around where she was. "I don't think I recognize this place, but it certainly is quite gloomy and dark."
Kirby nodded, agreeing with her on the "dark" comment. It was just enough to see where everything was, and that was it."
Scratching his head, Little Mac kept turning around, looking down four dirt paths that split up from around the pipe. "Sheesh, this looks like a place you'd get lost in."
Not long after taking in their surroundings, out came the final three survivors: Engineer, ROB, and the belated Phoenix.
"You truly are a darn Mushroom Kingdom encyclopedia!" Engineer clasped his hands. "So Peach, where the heck are we?"
Embarrassed, the princess shook her head. "I'm completely stumped. Maybe it's this specific part, but it doesn't feel like it's from any of the forests I've been to, and I've been to, well, all of them!"
"No shame in not knowin' every square inch of yer kingdom," he said.
"The kinder Engineer is to me, the worse I feel about having to eliminate him later. Oh well, at least he knows that there're no hard feelings. Because as much as I appreciate those who are in this newly branded alliance of ours, I'm still going to do my best to surpass them for that hotel prize." - Princess Peach.
Phoenix, similar to Little Mac, paid attention to the four paths leading away from the pipe. "Don't tell me it's another maze challenge... I still remember Jotaro creeping up behind me in that cave."
After they got somewhat comfortable in this new, almost alien environment, Alexa approached them. "Welcome to the next challenge's location, survivors! Now, I have a thought that Luigi or Peach may not recognize this specific forest, and it's a good reason! This location is TECHNICALLY beyond the Mushroom Kingdom, but don't underestimate it. Welcome... to the Forest of Illusion! A place that is seemingly impossible to navigate, no matter how straight your pathing seems to be..."
"It is another maze challenge?!" Thought Phoenix, now on the brink of anguish.
He continued. "So, with that in mind, let's talk about what I want you to do for today's immunity challenge!"
*This challenge is a race that will require you eight survivors to be split into four pairs. That's right, you'll be teaming up with one of your enemies for the prize of immunity! With your partner, you will traverse one of these four dirt paths branching away from the main pipe in the middle and into the dense forest ahead. After around a whole mile of running, you will be greeted with a vigorous river and a one-man canoe. Once the both of you get to this section, one of you will take the role of going down the river in your canoe, whilst the other will walk around the side of the river. The person in the canoe will use everything they have to row forward and out of the way of numerous obstacles that will be prevalent in the river. Meanwhile, the second person in the pair will be in charge of opening up massive gates that will block the path of the canoe. In order to open these gates, you will need to tug on a particularly tough rope, which will gradually lower the gate until the canoe can get past!
The pairs will be decided randomly. However, the roles of the two people in each pair are entirely up to them. The first and second pairs to make it to the end of the river and to the finish line will win immunity for themselves, allowing for a safer, cozier Tribal Council! And, because I'm generous, there's an extra reward for the very first pair that manages to cross the finish line first. Said reward is being able to pick one person from the pair that received third place to receive immunity for the next Tribal Council. As for the last pair to finish the challenge, they will be unable to receive immunity from the first pair. By the end of the challenge, three people should be up for elimination for tonight's Tribal Council.
That is all regarding the challenge itself. As for the main, singular rule: the survivor in the canoe must remain in it from the start of the river to the end of the river. Although, if you fall out, then the rule won't apply.
Good luck!*
Though the challenge itself was interesting, the fact that they would be directly working together with one other person was the biggest thing that caught the attention of the eight. Sure, the previous baseball challenge had most of the survivors grouped together, but never did they have to rely entirely on one person in particular. No matter how the deck was shuffled, things were bound to be interesting.
"Randomly decided pairs, huh? Worst case scenario is that Samus, Little Mac, and myself are all in a separate pair. And, if that's the case, then it'll require all of us to avoid fourth alongside some potential negotiatin' to get all of us immune. Seems tough." - Engineer.
Whilst the others pondered over their potential, temporary ally for tonight's challenge, Alexa slipped eight obscured cards from his back pocket and placed them down on the dirt path. After this was done, he called the survivors once more. "Alright! In order to decide who will be paired with who, I have eight cards in front of me. Among these cards are four matching pairs, and the two people who form one of these pairs will be working together for the challenge."
Though the survivors understood the cards, it didn't stop them from being eerily silent, waiting for the host to continue.
Eventually, Samus ended the silence with a piercing glare. "Are you going to have another eight cards decide who goes first?"
Alexa then chuckled nervously. "Aha! Y-yeah, I totally forgot about that. Don't worry, the order will go from the first to arrive at this forest to the last, meaning Samus Aran will be the first to choose her card."
Samus Aran chose the first card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be a Power Star.
Next, Luigi chose the third card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be an Ice Flower.
Kirby swapped places with the plumber and chose the eighth card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be a Fire Flower.
Little Mac chose the seventh card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be a Power Star, resulting in him and Samus becoming the first pair.
Peach then chose the fifth card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be a Mushroom. At this point, all remaining cards chosen would form a pair between two survivors.
Engineer chose the second card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be the second Ice Flower, forming a pair alongside Luigi.
ROB chose the fourth card in the row. The card's symbol was revealed to be the second Mushroom.
With Peach and ROB completed as the third pair, this left Phoenix with the last card, which was obviously revealed to be the second Fire Flower. This paired him with Kirby.
Now that all four pairs were formed, Alexa lined up each pair down one of the four paths that branched away from the center.
"Survivors! On the count of three, you and your partner will sprint down your designated path until you reach the river. From there, one of you will row down whilst the other clears the several gates in the way. The first two pairs receive immunity. And remember, first place gets to decide on a member from third place to receive immunity," the host recapped. "With that in mind, let's begin!"
Samus and Little Mac got into running position, peeking at each other from the corner of their eye as they readied up for the race. Them being grouped together was great for their hidden alliance with Engineer, but on the other hand, the two of them seemingly hated each other's guts. Regardless, they sucked up their inner-complaints and accepted that winning this race would be crucial to saving Samus's idol for a later vote.
Though tension spiked high for those two, Engineer and Luigi seemed as if they'd got on well in the challenge. Sure, Luigi was one of Engineer's many hidden targets, but it's not like the anxious plumber was obnoxious or a threat to his psyche.
ROB and Peach were happy being paired with one another. In fact, their loyalty to one another made them working together the best possible outcome.
Finally, the unorthodox pair that was a miracle-working lawyer and constantly hungry pink marshmallow would prove to be the roughest of the four. Whilst Phoenix believed that Kirby was in their alliance, they didn't have much physical chemistry that would benefit them well in a challenge. In fact, communication alone would be poor, as Kirby's language was far too strange for his partner to get.
Despite any of their differences, both beneficial and worrisome, they all lined up and awaited the classic countdown.
"Three..."
"Two..."
"ONE! GOOOOO!" He yelled, pulling out his whistle sending a jolt of adrenaline down their spines.
The four pairs dashed off into the forest, energized and ready to tackle the challenge.
Not long after starting, the first pair to slip into the forest and away from the starting point was Little Mac and Samus. Not long after it was ROB with Peach lagging behind, and then Luigi and Engineer. Finally, Phoenix and Kirby sluggishly made their way down the trail, the former at least saving his energy for the rowing he'd probably wind up doing.
"You're pretty fast," Little Mac admitted, beginning to speed away. "But regardless, I'll be seeing you at the first gate. You get dibs on all of that boring rowing."
Samus rolled her eyes as he zoomed ahead. "That idiot's going to use up all of his energy."
As the boxer looked back, he tutted. "That idiot's gonna screw up the rowing."
Meanwhile, ROB was now far ahead of Peach, but upon realizing this, he suddenly had an idea spring into his virtual mind.
The robot began slowing down, and eventually, let the confused princess catch up to him.
"What's wrong? You can't lose that lead now!" Peach warned.
"You seem to be lagging behind."
"...Well, it's not like I expected to be faster than a robot using fuel," she admitted.
ROB then leaned forward slightly, ready to take off again. "You see the bottom part of my body? If you stand on it and hang on, we'll both make it there quicker. At the same time, no less."
The princess nodded slowly. "I see. It won't hurt you, will it?"
"A robot built to feel the same physical pain that you humans do is a terribly designed one. Thankfully, I'm not one of those," he beeped. "Now, hold on."
With caution, she stood on ROB's base in a gentle yet hasty manner, clinging to his plastic shoulders before he began to suddenly accelerate forward. The force took her by surprise.
As they began making all of their lost time back at a speed far greater than all of their competition, Engineer and Luigi were unsure of how well they were doing. Both of them were around the same speed, neck-and-neck as they ran down the seemingly endless forest trail. No river was in sight, even though the path looked like it stretched on for miles.
"No wonder this place has its name," Engineer peered forward. "If this part of the race is a mile long, then where's that darn river?"
Luigi decided that discussing their roles now would be the better usage of their time, and used the Texan's disgruntled comment as leeway. "Speaking of-a the river. Who's-a gonna row it?"
"I'll do all that malarkey. You can just tug on the gates as I come to 'em," Engineer explained. "It's important we get first or second place, so let's keep this pace goin'."
The plumber bobbed his head, slightly nervous but already growing tired from the sprint. "Do you-a think we're fast enough?"
"Hell knows."
"O-oh..."
Finally, at last place, Phoenix and Kirby ran at a similar speed to Luigi and Engineer. The only difference is that, well, they were just barely slower. Much like the aforementioned duo, they were neck-and-neck in speed.
"Are you going to do the rowing or the strength stuff?" Asked Phoenix.
"Poyo!"
The lawyer groaned. "Oh, right... maybe I should tackle my question from a different angle..."
After a few moments of thinking, Phoenix came up with an idea. "Kirby!"
"Poyo?"
"Say "Poyo" if you want to do the rowing, and say "Poyo Poyo" if you want to handle the gates."
"...Poyo Poyo!"
Phoenix grinned. "I hope that means what I think it does. Rowing seems like a far better job for me."
Gently, the creature smiled. Then, all focus was back onto running. Phoenix could only think about the conversation he had with ROB yesterday. Whether his logic was sound or not, at least he protected someone he thought deserved to survive to the top five, and he assumed ROB would do the same to Peach. Not that he objected that, as the lawyer also wanted to have Peach make it to the top five, and the same could be said for Luigi and the robot himself as well.
As ROB and Peach zipped down the repetitive forest trail, the horizon instantaneously shifted. Once, it was yet more of the path, but after a certain point, it quickly shifted into a flowing river, with a canoe placed on the side.
"What the..." The princess observed as ROB began to decelerate.
After the smooth halt, Peach hopped off the machine as they began to negotiate. "Okay, I think I'll manage the rowing."
"Are you sure?" He checked. "I should do pretty well in both roles."
Upon thinking it through a little more, she decided to stick with her original plan. "I'm fully sure."
"Very well."
ROB scanned the river, noticing that it flowed towards his right. From what he could see, there appeared to be five gates, and what they made up for in quantity was surely difficulty. They were large, bulky, and definitely were going to be a challenge to lift.
A simple glance wasn't enough to get a good idea, however. ROB needed to know how quickly he could lift the gate up in the event of Peach being a lot faster at rowing than anticipated, and so he boosted over.
Meanwhile, Peach was left to push her canoe into the stream and hop in. Next to the canoe were two oars that would slot in, making it easier for her to row. With both of them already busy, this river segment of the challenge was bound to keep them on their toes from start to finish.
After reaching the first gate, ROB spotted the rope he would need to tug in order to begin lowering it. Luckily, his grip and strength were far above the average of a human, so he assumed the task would be a breeze.
He clamped his hands down on the rope and began slowly pulling, edging backward. Oddly, no matter how hard he pulled it, the gate didn't begin lowering. At first, he assumed there was a chance that his gate would be faulty, but after reaching the point where the rope would no longer budge further, the gate finally began slowly lowering. From this, he came to the conclusion that the gate seemed to be more of an endurance task than a raw strength one.
Peach began slowly making it down the river, struggling with some jagged rocks that blocked her path, but eventually finding her groove and finding a route that spared her of any rocky problems. She would likely have to row for a straight five minutes before reaching ROB, with few mistakes no less, and it was at that moment where she began regretting her decision to take on the rowing job.
As they continued pulling ahead at first place, Samus and Little Mac were directly behind, arriving at their river just moments before they did.
"That was weird... thought there would be more trail up ahead," Mac admitted. "Not that I'm complaining..."
He bolted down the river's side, reaching the gate after just under a minute of sprinting. Contrary to what Samus believed, he still had plenty of energy to use for the five gates. But, unlike ROB, he decided to assume that the gate would begin lowering as soon as he began pulling, which was unfortunately not the case.
Not long after reaching the gate, Samus had already begun dragging the canoe into the river, the oars inside. As she got to work on rowing, Little Mac was surprised to see her effortlessly drift past the obstacles in her path, even taking risky, narrow paths formed by rocks just to spare a few seconds. Overall, her ability on moving the canoe was entirely different from what the biased boxer led himself to believe.
"Hey... she's pretty good," he admitted.
After getting to a certain point, he took his focus back onto the gate, grabbing the rope and beginning to pull on it. Doing so resulted in little movement from the gate, and the rope itself felt stubborn, only moving at a limited speed no matter how fiercely he tugged.
Samus eyed him as she drew closer, noticing that the wooden gate was still not lowering. "What's taking him so long?"
Coincidentally, that question was answered by the gate as it finally began moving downwards. Little Mac had pulled the rope to its limit, and Samus's canoe slipped over the gate at the perfect time. In spite of the timing, the bounty hunter wasn't too pleased over the close shave that her challenge partner had caused.
As they made progress quicker than the first pair, the third and fourth pairs were almost tied in pacing. Both had arrived at their rivers around the same time, and the only thing that edged Engineer and Luigi over Phoenix and Kirby was Engineer's speed of sorting out the canoe, which was far faster than Phoenix's.
Upon watching the canoe strike into the water and begin floating, Dell jumped into his seat and immediately began rowing. His rowing speed was akin to Peach, but his positioning and handling were just a little stronger.
Luigi gained lots of hope by watching him row, but for every inch the canoe moved forward, the plumber got more and more aware of the gate that he would begin lowering, making him notably anxious.
The canoe was now close enough to the gate for Luigi to begin lowering the gate. It was a struggle, but he was strong enough to lower it before Engineer's canoe was forced to slow down. Much like Samus and Little Mac, their pace was beginning to threaten Peach and ROB's chance of keeping the lead.
Although no party was fully aware of their placement in the challenge, Phoenix's gut told him that he and Kirby were last by a long shot. This wasn't entirely true, as the gap between them and third place wasn't awfully big. Despite this feeling, he pressed on with determination.
After finally getting the canoe into the river, he grabbed the oars behind his feet, entered the boat, and began rowing. His posture and speed were amateur, but he was smart enough to prevent hitting many obstacles after getting a good enough hang of rowing.
It was a painful maneuver to do excessively, which was exactly what he had to do. His arms were aching, his body swayed side to side with the canoe, and his pants were slightly dampened. The only good thing about the repetitive nature of rowing was that time seemingly passed far quicker, leading him to end up near the gate after what seemed like only a couple of minutes of rowing.
"Kirby, lower the gates now!" He demanded.
"Poyo!"
Kirby clutched the rope, tugging and immediately losing grip.
"Great..." Phoenix bit his lip. "This isn't gonna end well."
As he went in for his second attempt of tugging, he seemed to have gotten a far better grip on the rope, slowly moving backward before eventually pulling as far as the rope could muster. Kirby was confused as to why it suddenly stopped, though the rumbling of the gate made him realize that he had done something right.
The gate inevitably lowered. After a nasty bump against it, Phoenix passed through. Though he was still in last place, he and Kirby had plenty of room to catch up. And so, he continued rowing through the pain.
At this point, all four pairs were on the river section. ROB and Peach had made the most distance, now between the first two gates. Albeit, they were about to lose their lead to Samus and Little Mac. Engineer and Luigi had a consistent pace: not enough to take the lead on those ahead; not enough to lose their lead on those behind.
After the first gate, the few obstacles that littered the first section of the river were taken up a notch. Long logs now blocked off large sections of the river, forcing the canoe to travel over to the very right or left in order to pass. In addition, the jagged rocks were more common.
Peach struggled far more on the obstacles now. Her pace was still decent, though the logs usually ended up killing a lot of her momentum. At least she had ROB on her side, who already had the second gate wide open for her to cross. After an unfortunate bump against a particularly pointy rock, Peach had unknowingly lost her lead to the masterful Samus Aran, who made incredibly small mistakes at most.
"Sheesh, she's good," Little Mac observed. "Oh right, I should probably open this gate a little earlier..."
He grabbed ahold of the rope and tugged once more, putting more ease into it instead of going all out. Using this new strategy, he managed to open the gate at a similar speed to the first without hurting or straining his arms, and Samus passed.
Upon dropping the gate, he walked along the river, shooting a compliment to Samus. "We're doing great! Keep this up and we're guaranteed first place. I just hope Engineer has it in the bag..."
"I think he will," she commented, a look of confidence across her face. It looked like she was also capable of small-talk whilst doing her magic, which only impressed Little Mac further.
For the third section, between the second and third gate, the obstacles were about the same in frequency. Though, a new obstacle was now present: some rocks that were scattered around the river were now obscured by the water, meaning that those in charge of the canoe would need a keener eye if they wanted to get by unscathed.
Eventually, Peach and ROB were also now on this section, though their lead of second place was clinging on by a thin thread. Engineer and Luigi were now beginning to overtake them.
"Beware, there's a hidden rock in front of your boat," warned ROB, his voice blaring in the distance.
She then stared down, seeing a dark shadow in the water and swaying the canoe to the left. If it wasn't for the heads-up, then that obstacle might have been enough to flip her canoe over.
Peach knew that she had made too many mistakes to be in the green. She had to step her game up and be warier, otherwise, she and ROB would be in peril at Tribal Council.
Meanwhile, Engineer learned the presence of the obscured rocks the hard way, minding his own business as he rowed straight forward until.
"Gaawwwrgh!"
His canoe almost flipped over, drenching him in water and nearly swiping away his hard hat. It was then that Engineer realized the dark blue shadows located in the river. "Looks like Alexa's gotten sneaky with these rocks."
"I-I can see," Luigi agreed. The gut-wrenching yell that Engineer gave had still knocked him to his knees, but it wasn't long before he had to stand back up and get to work on the next gate.
After rubbing his gloves together, he grabbed the rope and began yanking. If he had used his bare hands for the task, then it would have certainly been a far more painful experience.
As the third gate was lowered by every pair barring Kirby, Phoenix was having a surprisingly easy time navigating through the third section. From the second he saw the darker splotches in the water, he knew that it would be a bad idea to row over them. As a result, he managed to find a relatively simple route to row through, and despite his arms burning from the intense exercise, he didn't slow down. This time, he would win immunity!
When Kirby finally began opening the gate, Phoenix rowed past the final cluster of rocks and wood before finally making it past. Though, once again, he slammed into the gate before it was fully lowered.
By this point, Samus and Little Mac were already nearing the end of the fourth section, with the gate already wide open for the canoe to pass through. The fourth section was, without a doubt, taking the challenge to an extreme. Large buoys had now been added as obstacles, though what made them so difficult to navigate past were their tendencies to move from left to right rhythmically, almost as if they were attached to some form of conveyor-belt.
Like with the first three sections, Samus proved her competency in the challenge by getting through with only one major crash against an obstacle. Little Mac was beyond happy with her ability, and he had high hopes that he would be seeing Engineer tomorrow. It was all thanks to her; ignoring that wasn't possible.
Similarly, Engineer and Luigi also felt like cheering. Since the close-call calamity that the Texan experienced in the third section, neither of them had much trouble clearing the course. Even the horde of buoys wasn't too difficult to work around, as it was only a matter of timing and speed. They also passed Peach and ROB despite their valiant efforts, though they kept close.
"We're surely first place," thought Engineer. "The only people I wanna see in front of me at the end of the challenge is Mac n' Samus!"
Finally, Phoenix didn't breeze through the fourth section nearly as fast as the third. In fact, one of the buoys managed to cost him a full minute and a half of the challenge after it spun his canoe the wrong way. He still had some grain of hope left, and Kirby was as useful on the gates as ever. If the roles had been reversed, then both of them would still be on the first section.
Though not everyone was on the final section yet, Little Mac and Samus were. It was a mixup of the first four segments: the pointy rocks littered the first quarter; long logs forced away some of their time in the second quarter; the third quarter was a minefield filled with obscured rocks hidden under the river, and the final quarter was a nightmarishly crowded stretch of moving buoys. At the end of this final section lay the fifth gate, a short final stretch, and the finish line beyond it.
Despite her amazing performance in the previous sections, Samus was unlucky enough to get herself into several situations where she lost time. Whether it be because of her crashing into buoys or being forced to take a longer route, things were smooth no longer.
Even with all of these mistakes, Little Mac had plenty of hope for a first-place victory, as did Samus. The only pair they felt capable of making it to the end first was the duo of Peach and ROB.
With a lot of energy and adrenaline left over, the boxer prematurely opened up the final gate. Quickly after doing so, he realized his mistake. The gate was heavy, far heavier than the previous four. He guessed that Alexa wanted to make the final section a true challenge for both parties.
"Good thing I decided to try this gate out early..." He gritted his teeth, yanking on the rope. "It's pretty tough!"
Back at the beginning of the section, Peach and ROB were unknowingly dueling Engineer and Luigi. As one pair made a mistake, the other managed to take the lead, and this continued over and over again as the final section pushed their rowing skills to the limit. Though, as the final section went on, the fourth pair, consisting of Phoenix and Kirby, were threatening to swipe their lead. It was likely down to a lot of luck, but learning how to row suddenly clicked for Phoenix, and he stormed the final section with much less trouble than he expected.
Whilst this chaos ensued, Alexa patiently waited at the very end of the race. From the grassy area, he stood at, the four rivers that the survivors were racing down all connected up to this finish line. Peach and ROB were on the North River; Samus and Little Mac were on the East River; Phoenix and Kirby were on the South River, and Engineer and Luigi were on the West River.
The host was constantly turning around, expecting one of the final gates to open at any second. He looked from North, to East, to South, to West, and continued looping until his eye managed to catch the East river gate lowering, a prideful Little Mac tugging it open. After thirty full seconds of waiting for the gate to open, Samus swiftly rowed past the gate and over to the finish line.
"Wh-what the?" Little Mac observed. "All four paths lead to the same place?"
Samus nodded. "As far as I know, the path and river have been in a completely straight line."
"Don't tell me we had some form of advantage over everyone else," he pouted. "Maybe that explains why nobody else seems to be here yet, now that I can see the other rivers."
"I don't think that's the case," she said. "Remember how the path in front of us seemingly vanished and turned into the river? I suppose this is related to it. They don't call it the Forest of Illusion for nothing."
The boxer's eyes widened. "Oooh!"
"It looks like Little Mac and Samus are about to win first place!" Announced Alexa, awaiting their arrival. "...And it appears to be by a long shot!"
After yet more tiresome rowing, the duo had finally completed the race first. Samus immediately sprung out and off of her canoe the second it fully crossed the finish line.
"You did awesome!" He grinned. "Thanks to you, we get full immunity!"
Samus gave a nod, more relieved that she didn't have to row in that cramped canoe any longer. "You also did well."
"Sure, but anyone could pull on a rope," Mac informed, shrugging off his strength. "But you made no real mistakes up until the last part!"
"It didn't take long for me to get used to," she admitted. "I doubt it was even possible to get through that final section without hitting a single obstacle."
As he gave a satisfied sigh, he sat down and drank in the victory...
"..."
"...WAIT!"
Samus and Alexa raised an eyebrow as he jumped into the air, refueled with excitement and joy.
"This means we can pick Engineer to get immunity if he gets third place!" Little Mac quickly explained. "I totally forgot about that part!"
"Wasn't that our biggest motive for getting first place?" She queried.
"Y-yeah..."
"Besides, don't think we're in the clear yet," warned Samus. "If he gets fourth, then I'll have to use my idol on him in order to keep him safe. We probably won't get lucky enough to have all three of us win immunity after today, so it counts that we save my idol until then."
Little Mac bit his lip, now fully aware of that possibility. Despite this, his faith was far too high for him to doubt Engineer avoiding last place. He was a pretty intelligent guy, and coupled with Luigi, he'd get third place at the worst-case scenario... right?
Fortunately, his answer was coming right at him, as Alexa gathered both of their attention with an excited holler. "Well well well. I don't believe it! The North, South, and West gates are all opening at the same time!" He commentated. "Things are looking close!"
The duo gawked to each gate. As they fully opened up, they were able to get a better view of the three canoeing survivors: Phoenix barely at the lead, Peach trailing behind, and Engineer just barely at the back. Now that they were at the end of the fifth section, it was simply just a test of whoever could row the fastest.
"E-Engineer looks like he's at the back," panicked Little Mac. "No... come on, we can't have all of this be for nothing!"
Samus immediately struck down his worries. "No, I think he's got this."
Shortly after emerging over the gate, their partners began cheering them on, giving them the determination needed to overtake the others.
"Samus and Mac beat us to the punch, eh?" Engineer snickered. "That's a darn relief."
After a few strong rows, Peach flew ahead of Phoenix, Engineer just barely scraping past moments later.
"Phoenix is shoved to last place, this is gonna be tight!" Alexa yelled, full of uncontainable excitement. "What's this?! It appears Phoenix overtook Engineer and Peach again! Looks like all three partners mean business."
At this point, even Samus was beginning to lose hope for her idol. "I never expected Phoenix of all people to take the lead."
Her assumption was fair. It was established plenty of times that the lawyer was one of the weaker survivors left, if not THE weakest. However, now that he was neck-and-neck with two others, he sacrificed everything he had in him to row faster and quicker. His arms, ached from shoulder to finger, continued to haul the canoe along the river. Against all odds, he was keeping his lead, but Engineer and Peach decided to follow by using what little energy they had left to finish the race first.
"Engineer takes over Peach! Wait no, Peach takes her lead back! Hang on, it looks like Engineer's taken over, will he keep his lead? It appears not, as Peach takes over yet again!"
Alexa's voice was picking up in speed, almost like he was giving an auction. His words rung true only for a few moments before becoming obsolete, and that's what made the race so clutch between the three of them.
As Phoenix felt his arms slowly turn into jelly, he felt as if he couldn't move the oars an inch further. As a result, his canoe began slowly losing speed, only a few strokes away from the finish line.
Kirby, quick to notice, decided it was best to cheer him on louder. "Poyo! Poyo! Poyooo!"
Through the cheering, through thinking of everyone cheering him on from their homes, and through an attempt to finally spend a night immune, Phoenix tortured his arms for the remaining few rows.
"Phoenix loses... wait, Phoenix keeps his lead! Engineer and Peach are obnoxiously close!" The host rambled, his face turning red. "Phoenix is one or two strong rows away from finishing!"
With one final stroke, all three of the canoes glided to the finish line.
"SECOND PLACE IS..." Alexa held his breath.
As they crossed the finish, nothing but silence filled the forest. Everyone waited for Alexa to announce the second pair to win immunity, but the announcement never came.
"Come on, don't hold it in for effect!" Whined Little Mac. "We need to know who won!"
The host sighed. "Sorry survivors, but that race was far too close for a mere human like me to fairly pick the second, third, and fourth place."
"So... it's a tie?" Asked Phoenix, now in tears from the aching of his arms.
Alexa shook his head. "That's highly improbable. I still have a trick up my sleeve to find out the order of second, third, and fourth place."
He pointed to the four rivers surrounding him. "Every river here has been laced with a camera. If I were to sync up the footage of Engineer, Peach, and Phoenix, I should hopefully find out the order! So, take this time to leave your canoes and rest your arms, because this is going to take a small while."
And, as suggested, the three rowers swiftly left their canoes, lying down on the grass next to the immune Little Mac and Engineer. They discussed their performances and the overall challenge, especially the arduous last section. Everyone had a worrying pit in their stomach, though ROB was oddly silent.
"Hang on a second, do we even need the cameras?" Questioned Peach. "I'm sure ROB has the results."
The robot shook his head. "Not quite. I was focusing only on your canoe entirely when it passed, so even I'm unsure of who placed where."
After ten minutes, Alexa excitedly approached them. "Survivors! The results have been revealed. You all must be dying to see. So, let's not hesitate any longer and get into it!"
"At second place, receiving immunity for both members, we have...
...ENGINEER AND LUIGI!"
The Texan and plumber both cheered. Additionally, Little Mac and Samus were equally as thrilled with the result.
"Which leaves Phoenix Wright and Kirby versus Princess Peach and ROB. One of you will get the chance to receive immunity from Little Mac and Samus Aran. And that pair is...
...PHOENIX WRIGHT AND KIRBY! Which means Princess Peach and ROB are sadly in last place," he pouted.
The two of them cheered, though deep down, Phoenix was still disappointed that he wasn't going to get immunity. He knew Kirby would receive it from the others, but at least he didn't come last place once again.
Meanwhile, Peach and ROB were upset. Their canoe performance wasn't the best, but they didn't expect to come dead last. Now they would have to fight for their chance to stay, with only one other person, to make matters worse.
"With these results now known, Little Mac and Samus may decide on who to make immune. Will it be Kirby or Phoenix?" said Alexa. "Take your time!"
"We've already come up with our answer," Samus replied. "We did so as you got the results."
His eyes widened. "Really? Then let's hear it!"
She pointed to Phoenix. "We both choose to make Phoenix immune, for tonight's council."
"M-me?!" He choked. "Umm, thanks a lot!"
Alexa nodded. "Very well. Kirby, you'll be joining Peach and ROB on a lovely trip to the chopping block."
"Aaaiii..." He sighed, disappointed.
With everything sorted out, he decided to send the survivors back to the Super Stars tribe. "Alright, survivors. You'll be brought back to your tribes very shortly. Anything you'd like to say before you leave?"
"One thing," asked ROB.
"What is it?"
"How did all four of these rivers connect to this part of the forest? It's impossible for me to wrap my mind around it," he admitted. "Especially considering all four pairs branched off into separate paths."
Alexa shrugged. "That's just how the Forest of Illusion rolls!"
"I... see?"
With the vague answer, the host promptly left the area, the survivors exiting through a pipe leading back to the desert minutes after.
Super Stars: Day 26
Survivors: Phoenix Wright - Luigi - Little Mac - Princess Peach - Kirby - Engineer - ROB - Samus Aran.
Kirby, ROB, and Peach. Those three were the hot topics of the twenty-sixth night that the ever-decreasing cast of survivors spent in the desert. The other five were, to their knowledge, completely safe; guaranteed to make it into the top seven. The fates of the mentioned three, on the other hand, were completely ambiguous.
Oddly, the two groups that the eight had split into were far different from the usual. Under the shelter lay Kirby, Peach, and ROB. Meanwhile, the hidden alliance of Samus, Little Mac, and Engineer were on the opposite end of the tribe, by the Jagged Rockies section. Finally, Luigi and Phoenix paired up with one another, both by the tribe's tents.
"I don't think there's gonna be much debate over who gets eliminated tonight," Little Mac said, scratching his neck with his gloves. "We planned ROB, so that's what we're going for, right?"
"Yep! Looks like our conclusion came quick," Engineer smirked. "Unless anyone has a second thought. I sure don't."
With minimal reconsideration, the boxer stubbornly nodded. "I don't either! Kirby may be strong, and Peach may be well-liked, but ROB's a robot. There's no way Peach or Kirby are bigger threats."
Though she didn't say much, Samus remained silent through the conversation, and Engineer eventually took notice.
"You also votin' for ROB?" He asked, leaning in with curiosity.
"I likely will," she answered.
"Likely?"
"Well... I've had some second thoughts," the bounty hunter added. "Kirby and Peach seem like great candidates to win the show if the Jury ends up picking the winner again. They're both friendly, devoid of drama, and in Kirby's case: exceptional at challenges."
Engineer shook his head. "C'mon now. We'll have our chance to win over the Jury when we get to it. Kirby only has babbles and his own lil' language, and Peach isn't exactly the most strategic player in the desert. It can go either way, so let's just focus on gettin' to that point. Besides, Kirby seems the most neutral of the others, so keepin' him is necessary."
"I think the finale would go pretty unpredictable no matter what three folks make it to that point. Other than Phoenix, I think everyone here has a good shot of bein' elected as the winner by the Jury. Heck, maybe Phoenix bein' the weak link is why Samus and Mac decided to save him over Kirby." - Engineer.
"Maybe I am thinking too far ahead," she admitted. "Right, I'll certainly stick to ROB."
With the consensus reached, Little Mac decided to take the time to congratulate his alliance partners. "We crushed the last challenge, and now that we're all immune, we'll be able to outweigh them. They'll go from five to four after tonight, then you can use your idol to get them down to three. From that point, it's just about getting Kirby onto our side, and then we can get to the Finale!"
Dell nodded, satisfied. "It feels like we've already made it. It's just a waitin' game for us now."
"Don't get too cocky."
As he turned back to Samus, her face was somehow more serious than it normally was.
"Huh? What's the worst that can happen?" Mac questioned.
"Don't expect every elimination to be in the form of a Tribal Council. Back in the island, one of the challenges towards the end of the Merge punished the last place with elimination," she warned. "What makes it more concerning was that the challenge was at the final seven contestants."
The boxer bit his lip. "R-really?"
"I completely forgot about that challenge. Sure, I was eliminated at that point, but I remember hearing that Arataka Reigen was eliminated for getting last place in a challenge. Let's hope I never have to go through one of those..." - Little Mac.
He hated to admit it, but Engineer was also aware of that challenge. "So, if Alexa wanted to suddenly make a pattern out of it, then the next challenge would be giving last place the boot, right?"
"It may not happen, but just know that things won't be as smooth as you think. That's just how Survivor goes," stated Samus.
The Texan gave a relaxed chuckle. "I ain't too scared of it. I may not be on the stronger half, but I think that challenge will spell doom for Phoenix."
Whilst the three of them discussed their uncertain future in the competition, Luigi and Phoenix were actively focusing on the three members of their newly-branded alliance. It sucked that things already took a grim turn, but one of the three would go home no matter what.
"I'm-a so unsure..." Luigi whined, clutching his hat with frustration. "Who do I vote?"
"As expected, this outcome makes picking someone to vote difficult," the lawyer thought to himself. "But I came on to this show expecting something like this to happen."
Showing a similar level of distress, Phoenix groaned with frustration. "No matter who we pick, that's someone in our alliance. It's tough, but we can't expect a win out of not voting."
The plumber sighed. He couldn't help but agree. "You're-a right."
"So, our options are ROB, Peach, and Kirby," he said. "On the contrary, there are three others voting alongside us, plus the three vulnerable people themselves. For all we know, our vote might not make a difference."
Luigi placed his hand on his chin. "Have you-a noticed how Samus, Engineer, and Little Mac are all grouped together?"
"What about it?" Phoenix then paused, his jaw dropping. "Wait a minute, I thought Little Mac and Engineer were against Samus, yet here they are discussing who to vote together!"
"You think they're in an alliance?"
The question brought shivers down to his spine. On the surface, their alliance would hold the majority even after tonight's council, so it would be nothing to worry about. Howbeit, he remembered something dangerous; it was something that had the potential to completely level the two alliances.
After coming back to reality, he began sweating. "If they are, then things are only going to get harder for our alliance to stay in one piece."
Though his words were chilling, Luigi had more than enough confidence to shoot down that assumption. "That's-a not true. Remember, we'll have-a four people by tomorrow, and they'll have-a three!"
"You're right, but I think there's something you've forgotten about, Luigi," warned Phoenix.
"There is?!"
*TAKE THAT!*
Proudly, he gave his evidence. "It seems you really have forgotten about it. After all, Alexa reminds us all every time we have Tribal Council."
"He... does?" Luigi was still stumped, it looked like Phoenix would have to be direct.
"The scariest part about their alliance is Samus Aran. Not only is she the most strategic of the three, but remember that she has an idol!"
"W-waaaaah!" He cried. "You're right! How did I forget?!"
Phoenix shrugged. "It doesn't matter how you forgot. What's important is that we let the others know tomorrow."
As the plumber nodded, the two of them flinched out of realization. Though their discussion was important, they still had a person from their alliance to eliminate. Luckily, Phoenix appeared to have finally come to a conclusion.
"We need to get back to the main focus of tonight," he said. "And I think I know who I'm voting now."
Coincidentally, Luigi felt the same way. "I've made my-a mind up too."
With a deep breath, the two of them gave their answers at the same time.
"ROB."
"Kirby."
Phoenix was shocked. He didn't expect Luigi to pick Kirby. "Kirby?!"
The plumber nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to-a vote Kirby, but I respect ROB and Peach too much to vote for-a them instead. I respect your vote, but I don't think I'm gonna be-a changing mine."
"Sheesh, way to deny me before I even try, Luigi..." He thought, shaking his head and speaking up. "Alright, you have my word."
"ROB's a smart and-a loyal robot that made this alliance, and if I were to vote for the-a princess even in my-a dreams, I'd have to-a wake up and apologize. Kirby doesn't talk much, and he doesn't really know what's going on around him most of-a the time, so that's why I feel like he's-a not deserving enough to stay." - Luigi.
As their secrets were kept between them, they looked around to see the others grouping up, supposedly preparing to make their way to Tribal Council.
"Looks like it's-a time," said Luigi, walking over to join them. Phoenix quickly followed, and the eight remaining survivors were now all together in one loose cluster. Nobody outside of their group knew who the others wanted to vote, and so the atmosphere had a natural building tension as they walked along the massive desert sands. Each step brought ROB, Peach, and Kirby closer to their unknown fate...
Tribal Council: Night 26
Survivors: Phoenix Wright - Luigi - Little Mac - Princess Peach - Kirby - Engineer - ROB - Samus Aran.
They knew the drill. The eight entered the Koopa Sphinx and made it to the main Tribal Council room, sitting down on the left-side stone benches, hence allowing Alexa to commence Tribal Council. The cast was truly beginning to shrink at this point, and it would shrink further by the end of the Tribal Council.
Alexa spoke slightly bleaker than usual. Not enough to abandon his playful tone, but enough to match the increasing intensity of each Tribal Council. After all, only a handful of them remained before the game was over.
"Survivors. Before we begin, please welcome the Jury."
From the left came a six-man Jury. Starting with the most recent eliminated, which was Meta Knight, and ending with Tails. Some exchanged their swift greetings whilst others stayed quiet, eyeing specific survivors to try and see who looked to be in peril.
As the sound of shuffling footsteps and whispers came to a quiet, all that remained was the crackling fire and Alexa's voice. "Eight of you remain. By tomorrow, that number will be down to seven, meaning that only a couple more councils will take place before the show's Finale," he reminded. "Although you guys should know that by now."
He then lifted his finger and circled ROB, Peach, and Kirby, the three of which coincidentally sitting together. "We are nearly a full month into Survivor Crossover: Dry Dry Desert, and it's a guarantee that at least one of you three will be gone by tomorrow. How confident are you that you'll still be called a survivor when tomorrow rolls around?"
The first one to speak up was Peach. "I don't want to jinx anything, but I have a hunch that I may not be the one going home tonight. The only thing making me unsure of that is the fact that none of us were really talked to throughout the discussion period. Maybe it's to save things being awkward, but it definitely makes things more ambiguous for the rest of us."
"I see..." Alexa nodded. "Luigi, may you describe to me how the groups were arranged throughout your tribe?"
The plumber took a few seconds to recall before delivering his response. "Well, as-a Peach said, her, ROB and Kirby were all together under the-a shelter. Meanwhile, Little Mac, Engineer and-a Samus were on-a the opposite end of-a the tribe. As for myself, I was-a with Phoenix by the tents," he said.
Meta Knight shot a shocked gaze at Samus. Why was she with the two that he assumed to be against her?
Intrigued by the answer, the host got back on topic. "With that clarified, I would like ROB and Kirby to tell me how confident they feel about tonight."
"From assumptions and rough estimations, my chance of elimination seems to be the highest," he revealed. "In spite of that, I still believe that me staying is not out of the question."
"Who's second?"
ROB tilted his head. "Perhaps things would be more interesting if that question remained unanswered?"
"You're speaking my language," Alexa joked lightly. "Very well. Kirby, what about your confidence?"
Kirby sighed. "Poyo... poyo poyo." His voice seemed upset at first, but determination soon came rolling in, causing his tone to change for the better. "Poyo, poyo poyo! Aiii!"
"Seems mixed," he guessed. "Fear not, we'll soon be seeing if your confidence is warranted. Survivors, please cast your votes!"
One by one, the survivors stood up and walked into the voting room, all of them had a target in mind...
Princess Peach: None of us had the chance to talk much, as well, our targets were sitting right next to us. However, I think ROB and I both have the same idea. (Kirby)
ROB: Peach and I are incredibly loyal. It's a shame, and he had just been off my radar, but it looks like I'll have to be voting him off anyway. (Kirby)
Kirby: Poyo! Poyo, poyo poyo. (?)
Engineer: Once that darn robot's outta the game, gettin' to the Finale as a trio will be a cinch. (ROB)
"Survivors, the votes are now with me," said Alexa. "However, before we begin. I have some very important news to the survivors who have an idol in possession!"
Samus leaned forward slightly, confused.
"You might have expected idols to expire at the Finale, but that's not going to be the case this time," he smirked. "This is the final opportunity to use idols this season, meaning that using them after tonight will be absolutely useless. I could have given some warning, but I felt like doing it last second would be a tad more unique."
Engineer and Little Mac both froze from the announcement. All of their hard efforts were put to waste by this short-notice announcement.
"God damn it..." Dell growled.
Alexa continued. "With that in mind. Is there anyone that would like to use their idol?"
"Here it comes..." Anticipated Phoenix.
"I will use this idol on myself," said Samus. She stood up from her bench, walked over to Alexa and handed over her idol to him.
He observed it. "Samus Aran has played the Fire Flower Idol! With it, her voting power has been tripled, and the first vote cast towards her will be nullified, though that's a moot feature considering her immunity."
"This sucks! We both kicked butt at that challenge just so Samus didn't have to use that idol, but then she's forced to use it anyway?! Well... at least that only makes ROB more unable to fight back." - Little Mac.
With her vote now tripled, Alexa continued with the Tribal Council, adjusting the votes to the played idol. "Survivors... I shall now read out the votes!"
*VOTING TIME*
First vote goes to Kirby. One vote Kirby. ("Poyo...")
Second vote goes to Kirby. Two votes Kirby. (Kirby continues to mutter with fear.)
Third vote goes to ROB. One vote ROB, two votes Kirby.
Fourth vote goes to ROB. Two votes ROB and Kirby. (The two stare at Alexa, the tension growing.)
Fifth vote goes to ROB. Three votes ROB and two votes Kirby.
Sixth vote goes to ROB. That's four votes ROB and two votes Kirby. (ROB begins to accept his fate.)
Seventh vote goes to Kirby. Three votes Kirby, four votes ROB.
Eighth vote goes to Kirby. Four votes Kirby, four votes ROB. (Engineer begins to eye Samus.)
Ninth vote goes to Kirby. That's five votes Kirby, and four votes ROB.
"Finally, the tenth vote goes to..." Alexa held his breath, giving a long pause. "Kirby! Ranked eighth place throughout the entire competition, and the seventh Jury member. Sorry bud, but your time here is over."
"Poyo?!" Kirby cried, confused and upset.
Though Peach and ROB were happy to be safe, this elimination was bound to hurt. Not only had they lost one of the kindest souls in the competition, but it was one that they had accepted into their new alliance. It was also incredibly apparent to everyone that Samus had originally voted for Kirby.
"God damn it Samus..." Engineer said to himself, bitter. "I trusted ya to go for ROB and not for Kirby..."
The puffball jumped from his bench, sadly strolling over to where Alexa was.
"Say your final words, and please leave Survivor Crossover: Dry Dry Desert."
Kirby turned to the seven, and although they expected nothing but heartbreak, they were surprised to see him suddenly smile, waving.
"Poyo!" He exclaimed, now using both of his stubby arms to say his goodbyes.
Peach waved back, causing everyone else to follow. "Goodbye Kirby!" She yelled.
He gave one last cheer, flipped himself around, and walked off, ignoring Alexa's usual routine of burning down his portrait. Just like that, Kirby was out of the competition.
"I have this thought every time, but what a wild Tribal Council! Now only seven of you remain, but despite it being a lucky number, things are only going to get tougher from here. As for Kirby, a technically mute cutesy addition with a plethora of abilities got just as far as I expected him to, but towards the end of his stay, I was thinking that he really had a shot at becoming the winner! But, it looks like that's not going to be the case. Stay sharp, survivors, and I'll see you soon. Good night..."
Kirby's last words: "Poyo poyo! Poyo poyo... poyo, poyo poyo poyo poyo. Poyo, poyo POYO! Baiiiiiiiii!"
VOTES
Kirby's Voters: Samus (x3), Luigi, Princess Peach, ROB.
ROB's Voters: Engineer, Little Mac, Phoenix Wright, Kirby.
REMAINING SURVIVORS
Super Stars Tribe (Yellow)
- Phoenix Wright
- Luigi
- Little Mac
- Princess Peach
- Engineer
- ROB
- Samus Aran
Jury Tribe (Gray)
- Squidward Tentacles
- Waluigi
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Jotaro Kujo
- Spy
- Meta Knight
- Kirby