*Last time on Survivor Crossover: Dry Dry Desert...*

With Meta Knight out of the running, Samus was faced with threats around every corner, especially from Little Mac and Engineer. Early in the morning, she and Peach listen to Luigi's reasoning on why he changed his vote from Engineer to Meta Knight at the last second. After Samus leaves the shelter, ROB enters and forms an alliance between himself, Peach, Luigi, and the unaware Phoenix Wright. In addition, the ROB planned to exclude Kirby from the alliance due to his supposedly high chance of winning the competition.

Later that day, the survivors passed the time with Chess as they waited for their food to cook. Following a few games and a typical meal, Samus was unexpectedly approached by Engineer and Little Mac. The main focus of the talk revolved around the potential alliance between the rest of the tribe, and though previous enemies, the bounty hunter, mercenary, and boxer had no other choice than to team up. Their plan was to eliminate ROB, using Samus and her idol to gain the majority at the next Tribal Council.

Meanwhile, back under the shelter, Phoenix and ROB took themselves to one side and argued. After convincing and cracking some secrets out of ROB, Phoenix just managed to convince him into including Kirby into the alliance, making it a five-versus-three.

On the day of the challenge, the survivors were randomly assigned into pairs and were asked to race through the Forest of Illusion. It started as a simple foot-race but soon became a perilous row down a river; the other person in the pair was tasked with lowering hefty wooden gates. First and second place would have both members in the pair receive immunity, and first place would also receive the opportunity to make one member of the third place pair immune. As for the fourth place, they were simply vulnerable.

At the end of the race, Little Mac and Samus dominated their way into first place, but a close-call tie resulted in an analysis from Alexa. It turns out that second place went to Engineer and Luigi, third place went to Phoenix Wright - who was given immunity by Mac and Samus - and Kirby, and fourth place went to Princess Peach and ROB.

With only three people not receiving immunity, the discussion period prior to Tribal Council was tense. Engineer, Little Mac, and Samus all seemingly continued with targeting ROB, though Samus had momentary second thoughts. As for Luigi and Phoenix, who had also grouped away from the vulnerable three, they both chose to vote for Kirby and ROB respectively.

Tribal Council rolled around soon after, and the atmosphere was noticeably different thanks to Alexa's more serious tone that he displayed. After a few questions mainly directed towards Kirby, ROB, and Peach, it was revealed that it would be the very last opportunity to use idols, and so Samus was forced to use hers.

Once all of the votes had been read out, Kirby was the one eliminated at six votes (three of which from Samus and her idol). Though upset, Kirby left with a smile on his face, officially reducing the cast down to seven survivors.

This is it! The Finale draws closer and closer with each episode. Who will be eliminated next? What crazy challenge is in store for the Super Stars tribe? All and more will be answered in this episode of Survivor Crossover: Dry Dry Desert!

Super Stars: Day 27

Survivors: Phoenix Wright - Luigi - Little Mac - Princess Peach - Engineer - ROB - Samus Aran.

"God damn it. The hell were you thinkin'?!"

Though the three were disconnected far from the others in the tribe, the Texan's bellows echoed far and wide. Little Mac watched blankly as Engineer scolded Samus, confused and aggravated over her decision to vote for Kirby as opposed to the consensus that was ROB.

He continued, "I should've known you were gonna backstab our plan the second you told us you had second thoughts. Votin' for the most neutral of that damned alliance was the stupidest decision you could've made."

"I ain't one for losin' my temper often, but when someone chooses to get rid of some harmless lil' puffball over a powerful, strategic supercomputer is asinine. Before I know it, she'll be handin' ROB the prize money herself!" - Engineer.

Eager to defend her decision, Samus fought back. "Kirby was never going to jump ship. Ever since Meta Knight's elimination, and even before then, he stuck to the others."

"Did ya not see how Kirby reacted when the vote was split between Meta Knight and ma'self?"

"Of course I did, he didn't pick either side."

"Exactly!"

She folded her arms, tilting her head forward. "But what if it was between someone from his alliance and Little Mac, or someone from his alliance and myself? It would have been a no-brainer for him. Keeping Kirby over ROB only benefits yourself, and you know it."

Engineer gritted his teeth. Now he was painted in a bad light, he was slightly unsure over what to say next.

With silence looming, Little Mac was now given an opportunity to give his two cents on the situation. "I think I would've preferred if ROB went out instead. The guy is smarter than all of us combined, and he's strong, fast, and has good connections. But I think Kirby going out wasn't a bad idea either, because Kirby IS still one of the stronger members of their alliance, and that's a fact!

The two of them continued the silence, turning things glum for the alliance.

"Sheesh... so much for being able to celebrate me getting further than I did in the first season." - Little Mac.

"Come on!" He added. "Look, no matter how loyal they were, they're one man down. If we can somehow get leveled with them, then we're set!"

Samus shot down his optimism. "That's not going to be the case. Do you really think we can all stay immune in the next challenge? And even if we do, having both of the alliances at three members doesn't mean we'll have it easy making it to the Finale in one piece."

"Okay yeah... it's an uphill battle for a good while," he admitted. "But we're gonna have to try and get ourselves immune again, and I know that's possible because we're some of the best contestants here! Samus and I got to team up, and we got first place by a landslide. Combine Engineer's brains, and we're an unstoppable team!"

Engineer nodded. "You're right, kid. I still think Kirby was the worst option, not just for myself, but for all of us. Yet, we ain't winnin' as an alliance if we're all sour towards one another."

Upon seeing the Texan drop his resentment over her decision, Samus joined in on the nod. "Don't worry, Dell."

"Huh?"

"ROB's the next target on my list. Don't expect any second thoughts," she underhandedly teased.

With the light-hearted poke, his sternness had disintegrated. Dell cracked a grin and shook his head with amusement. "You're a darn wildcard, Samus."

As the loyalty between the three was swiftly rebuilt, the remaining survivors lay beneath the shelter as usual. All they could do was discuss the events of yesterday, which still had them in disbelief.

"Well... I guess we know who the second-most likely candidate for elimination was based on your estimates, eh ROB?" Remarked Phoenix. "You know, I didn't expect Kirby to go. And, I definitely didn't expect it to be by the hand of Samus Aran and her idol, of all things."

ROB stiffly declined the first comment he made. "Actually, Phoenix... the second-most likely candidate for elimination wasn't Kirby."

"You mean it was-"

"Yes, Princess Peach." He explained. "Judging by her lack of votes, you wouldn't think so. Then again, my estimations were incredibly rough."

Peach placed a hand over her mouth, shocked. "Wow. I'm glad you didn't tell us that, or it would have been unbearably tense. Not that it wasn't already..."

The robot gave a positive, high-pitched beep. "Exactly. That's why it remained ambiguous. Regardless, I'm still surprised over how I wasn't tonight's candidate for elimination. Alexa's idol twist shook things up tenfold."

With a sigh, Luigi rested his chin on his fist, relieved. "At least we don't have to-a worry about that idol."

"You can say that again. We only pieced together that Samus had joined Engineer and Little Mac yesterday, and if that idol twist hadn't been put in place, then we would have been toast," shuddered Phoenix.

"Still, remember the last challenge," said Peach. "The three of them were all immune. If that were to happen again, then not only would we be voting for our alliance once more, but then we'll be tied just as they intended to do with that idol. And, if that happened, then a rock draw would be imminent."

Luigi, afraid, remembered the last time his tribe experienced a rock draw. "Yeah... poor Gordon."

Now knowing that it's more important than ever to not have the alliance forced into the same situation as before, Phoenix proudly stood up. "Then it's settled! Unless we give our all into these challenges and beat the others out of immunity, then it's all going to be downhill from there."

"My arms are still killing me after yesterday's rowing, so I hope I don't have to use them much for the next challenge. But even if I have to, I'm too far into this gameshow to lose my chance to enter the Finale, and I need to make Maya and the others proud." - Phoenix Wright.

"If only the smartest, strongest, and-a most strategic didn't team up into one super-alliance. And I-a thought Meta Knight and Samus was-a bad." - Luigi.

With optimism, Peach joined in. "That's right. We're all so close to the end, and as long as we can get two of them out, we'll be in it together."

"And from there, we'll be forced to turn on one another," admitted ROB. "Which... isn't the most exciting part of the Finale. Being in a guaranteed situation where we have to vote off one of our alliance members is going to be just as pleasant as it was last night."

Phoenix then joined in. "Which is not at all?"

"Exactly."

ROB's head then snapped to the left, gazing at three hazy figures on the horizon as they made their way over. "Looks like the others are coming over. That's my cue to begin dishing up food. How's the slow cooking method?"

"Your prediction was right!" The princess beamed. "It feels like there's something edible in my mouth, which is a step in the right direction."

With a pleased beep, he turned around and drifted over to the fire, preparing to finish up the rice and beans that had been cooking over the course of two hours.

Now that ROB had left the shelter, the other three took his place. Engineer was the first to strike a conversation with the other group, and the atmosphere between them was noticeably awkward. Peach, Luigi, ROB, and Phoenix knew that Engineer, Little Mac, and Samus were teamed up, and vice-versa.

"Good mornin'," he said. "Thought I'd go outta my way to wake up earlier than usual just so I could have an important chat with these two. And, unexpectedly, I caught the bot out here already beginnin' to cook up breakfast. I suppose that is his new method, after all."

His attempt for small-talk completely went through them. Instead of the three taking the opportunity to continue the conversation casually, Phoenix decided to interrogate him a little.

*HOLD IT!*

"You had an important chat with Samus and Little Mac?"

"Sure did."

"What was it about?"

Though he knew that both alliances had no point in being secretive anymore, Engineer was still taken back by the direct approach the lawyer decided to take.

Little Mac leaned forward. "Well, if it was meant to be public, then we wouldn't have gone across the tribe just to have it-"

"Just a talk about our alliance. Personally, I wasn't too pleased with Kirby's elimination," Engineer said. "That robot is bigger priority, but I suppose we'll take what we can get."

The boxer went pale, his pupils shrinking and his jaw-dropping at the sound of his ally spilling the beans. He presumed that Engineer only brought them out there because there were others sleeping at the time.

Little Mac wasn't the only one stunned by the comment. Luigi, Phoenix, and Peach were incredibly surprised, and even Samus didn't expect words as bold as that.

With the atmosphere completely shattered, Peach decided to pick up the pieces. "Well, I suppose there was no point pretending that the four of us weren't in an alliance."

"There wasn't, but it-a felt like there was-a one..." Luigi said.

Engineer grinned. "Apologies if things are more awkward. But as the princess said, there was no point in bein' secretive. This next challenge is gonna foreshadow our futures in this damned barren wasteland, whether my alliance loses a member, or whether your alliance loses a member. I ain't gonna quit fightin' until you four are out of the show, but even with that said, I ain't gonna be hostile about it. So, with that in mind: good luck. You fellas may need it."

"He's acting like both teams are even, and despite our majority, it's for good reason. Little Mac is fast and strong, Engineer is undoubtedly smart and not to be underestimated, and Samus is well-balanced in everything! We may have the number advantage, but I'm unsure if we have the skill advantage." - Phoenix Wright.

Through the slight tint of cockiness in his voice, Peach played along. "Well, good luck to you three as well. Let us never forget that, at the end of the day, it's just a game show."

"...A game show with a million and paradise at stake!" Added Phoenix. "We aren't splitting into factions and backstabbing each other for nothing, after all!"

And that was that. The two alliances had skipped the unneeded hassle of secrecy and had revealed themselves to one another. Though it seemed to be a rather awkward situation, it seemed to die down as they went on to eat their first ration of the day. Both alliances were hellbent on doing well in the next challenge, and Engineer's alliance was specifically aiming to achieve the impossible once more: getting every member into immunity. Which alliance will succeed, and will the losing alliance be able to come back with one less member? These thoughts stayed at the back of their minds as they talked to one another, even through the friendliest of interactions...

Jury Tribe: Night 27

Survivors: Squidward Tentacles - Waluigi - Tails - Jotaro Kujo - Spy - Meta Knight - Kirby.

"How come most of-a you people don't know who you would vote to win?!" Whined Waluigi. "It's-a no-brainer for me!"

Disinterested, Squidward continued reading from his newspaper. "Someone as loud as you could be considered a no-brainer."

As the lanky villain shrugged it off, Tails pursued him for an answer. "You say that, but we don't know who you're voting for."

"Well, it's easy once you use the process of elimination!" He cackled. "I'd never give my-a vote to Luigi, and I'd never give one to-a Peach either! Little Mac doomed me to-a fail, and so Engineer and Samus teaming up with-a him as Meta Knight said means I won't vote for-a them either. I'd never vote for a robot, either."

Meta Knight peered to him. "So you're picking Phoenix?"

"Pssh, that guy's a total loser," Waluigi claimed. "I'd never vote for-a him!"

And just like that, the room fell even more fed-up with his antics.

"Poyo..." Kirby sighed with impatience.

Spy slammed his coffee down onto the table next to him. "It's a no-brainer, huh? You've ticked off every last man remaining you incompetent freakshow!"

After counting with his fingers, Waluigi paused. "Oh..."

"How long do I have to stay with you people again? This is a punishment worse than death!" He folded his arms. "Now I hope Engineer doesn't get eliminated. If he does, then that'll be another fool added to the pile of fools that's already in this very room!"

"You think everyone around you is annoying?" Asked Squidward, turning a page over. "Welcome to the club."

Jotaro turned to him. "This is hardly a prison. A large building located who-knows-where filled with everything you need. Besides, your yelling doesn't help."

Still half-scared from the night he and the Stand User were eliminated, the Frenchie sat back down and huffed loudly, going back to reading a novel in one hand and sipping his milk-less coffee in the other. Needless to say, he wasn't in the mood to challenge JoJo.

"Pssh, yeah! Besides, if you don't like my "yelling", then how about you-a take a hike in another room?!" Waluigi argued.

With Spy not bothering with a response, Tails jumped in. "Do you not remember about yesterday's note?"

"Note?"

"The one that told all of us to be in the main lounge, which is here, for eight in the evening?"

To their great lack of surprise, Waluigi had forgotten about it. "Ooooh, you-a mean the note with the crummy handwriting?"

"Strange. I thought stupidity was his... gimmick. But it seems like he's just as forgetful as he is idiotic." - Meta Knight.

"I guess it wasn't perfect," the fox admitted. "Either way, that's the reason why this is the first time all of us have been in the same room outside of Tribal Councils."

Conveniently, the door bridging the outside world and the main lounge of the mysterious Jury Tribe building was knocked on three consecutive times. Following that, the doorknob spun and the door itself flew open, revealing Alexa.

"How's paradise, Jury?" Said Alexa.

"Luxurious..." Sarcastically muttered Squidward, lowering his newspaper and gearing up for a rant. "So luxurious that it feels like a slightly bigger, less comfy version of my home. And come on, I work lower than minimum wage as a cashier, for crying out loud. But I guess it's better than boiling out in the sun," he shrugged.

With the rant purposefully flying over his head, he continued. "This is the first time I've spoken to you guys beyond Tribal Council, and from that, you can deduct one thing: you guys will be playing a big part in the next challenge."

"Poyo?" Kirby questioned further.

Alexa pointed to them. "That's right, the seven of you will ultimately be responsible for eliminating one of the remaining seven members of Super Stars!"

"Looks like we'll be of worth sooner than I thought," thought Meta Knight.

"So, instead of their tribe voting, it's us?" Jotaro asked.

"Bingo!" He said. "Like previous challenges, there'll be a select number of survivors that receive immunity for doing the best on the next challenge. As for the runts that miss the mark, they'll be attempting to convince you on why they should stay over the other. And of course, the one who receives the most votes will awkwardly shift over to you guys."

"I'm not looking forward to living with the guy I might end up screwing out of a million bucks and a stay at a hotel." - Tails.

Spy placed his coffee and novel down fully, leaning forward and gazing to the host. "So then, how many are we working with?"

"How many candidates for elimination?" He queried, before beginning to slowly count upwards. "Not one, but TWO individuals. Like a duel, if you will."

"Only two?" Said Meta Knight. "That's a low amount."

"I know I know, I've been a little generous with the immunity throughout the Merge," commented Alexa. "But slots for immunity are only going to get stricter from here. Oh, and of course, nobody aside from you and I know yet. With all of that said, I'll be taking my leave now! There are just a few more things that I have to set up regarding the next challenge."

As he walked back towards the door, Tails had his ears perk up with curiosity. "Is there any harm in telling us?"

With the door swinging wide open, Alexa peered at him from the corner of his eye. "I like keeping secrets, but let's just say that this challenge is gonna go back to basics. And by back, I mean FAR back."

And, as those vague words circled the room, he closed the door behind him and walked away from the Jury Tribe's villa, getting back to work...

*TO BE CONTINUED*