Survivor - Emperors vs Knights

Chapter 37 - Day 30

(Longest chapter yet...)

Welcome back to another chapter of Emperors vs Knights where today we are just gonna go straight through day thirty and the twelfth person of this game will be eliminated and become the fifth member of the jury. And it a guarantee that it won't be Foxy Michaels who won individual immunity for the second time at the Survivor Folklore challenge.

So now that we have the Pirate Crew back in the majority thanks to Marth, now Sheik, Shovel Knight, Luigi, and Zelda are the ones who have to be the underdogs here. One of them is used to it at this point (Zelda) while the other three get a taste of what it feels like, since those up to the Greninja vote were the only people that were always in the majority and always voted correctly every Tribal Council and dominated the game. So they are officially getting a taste of what that feels like. But let's see if they can make an attempt to overcome the Pirate Crew once more...

Historyfan15: I'm excited for Panther, too! He literally has no recognition on this site when it comes to Smash, so I think it's time we make a change here. He's one of the most interesting characters from StarFox imo. But as for rivalries, wouldn't be surprised if one occurs, but if it ends up being Zelda vs Foxy, that could be rather interesting.

~KF

Bikutā

Day 30

Freddy, Sheik, Knuckles, Zelda, Luigi, Marth, Foxy, Shovel Knight, Bonnie

-/-

The following morning actually set somewhat of an unusual feelings among the castaways, solely because of the events of last night. Yet more specifically of how it all ended up in the end.

Sheik said it all while she was conversing with Shovel Knight. "...So weird..."

"What?"

"I mean... it's not every day where one wins an immunity challenge and then we have to vote somebody off the next day. And now we have all day to have as many conversations as we can before the Tribal Council. Definitely more time than usual."

"Ah, I see..." Shovel Knight nodded in agreement. Though the two were speaking rather quietly due to the entire tribe around them, each of them being involved in a conversation of their own. Yet for the shovel warrior and the ninja, they preferred to be more quieter than everyone for strategy purposes.

"...You know, Sheik?" The knight spoke again. "I don't think I've ever apologized for not playing my idol on Greninja the other day..."

"Oh?" She was laying down at first, so she lifted her head a bit. "Apologize? You think playing your own game and actually having legitimate reasons to not do it is something to apologize for? I mean, Greninja is gone now. But you and Luigi are left and now we have Zelda."

"I know, I know..." He waved it off. "I mean, I suppose I just... I really felt guilty about not doing it. For one, I had no intention on hurting you in any way, since it's apparent that the two of you are like siblings and it is rather not difficult to see why. But the other thing is that I myself liked the guy very much. And if there was a final four in Survivor (which obviously is never gonna happen) then I would have had no problems with us four going the whole way. You, Sheik, and Luigi all deserve to make it as far in the game as possible. You and Greninja have taught me many things, so I really have this desire to make up for what happened... or didn't happen..."

"Well,..." Sheik actually formed a warm smile, now actually feeling a shade of guilt herself for confronting Shovel Knight on night twenty-eight. "I guess I can't blame you for feeling some type of way, but you shouldn't have to. Like you said, Marth probably would have convinced Zelda to turn anyway. Though at this point the most important thing for us to do is to overcome the opposing alliance so that we can all make up for Greninja being blindsided."

"Of course I was shocked that Shovel didn't play his idol for Greninja. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. I was kind of annoyed at him about it. ...But not directly at Shovel Knight for playing his own game... I don't know... I... I guess I just wanted Greninja to stay. Not only for game reasons, but because he's also been a good friend and I know how much he loves this game. We've already made plans on how we're going to meet up in real life when all of this is done. Although, like Shovel said before. Zelda would have turned, even though I like Zelda as well. Regardless, that didn't happen. Right now, what we need to do is to figure out how do we get out of this hole that we're in. Obviously, besides Zelda, me, Shovel, and Luigi are in an awful spot at the moment. Now all three of us are the underdogs here that have to struggle... Though to be fair, based on my thoughts of what could happen to my game before I stepped foot on the island, I should have known that it was bound to happen sooner or later..."

"For the first time in this game, I am actually worried sick of my fate, as well as everyone else that's in our alliance right now..." Even by the tone of his voice one could have inferred that the shovel legend was thinking of the possible worst case scenario that could have occurred. "If we do not do anything now, we are going to remain on the bottom and be picked off one by one. I've always had control over my own fate. Now others have my fate in their hands... It is sort of terrifying to be honest..."

"Of course it's terrifying." Sheik could not have agreed more. "And to top it all off, since people don't see Luigi as a threat, and Zelda probably not going anywhere because I don't think they have any plans on voting an emperor any time soon, one of us could be sent off to the jury right behind Greninja, which is of course unsatisfying."

"So, what do you think would be our best play moving forward?"

"Well, clearly Foxy, Bonnie, Knuckles, and Freddy are a tight four, so of course none of them is gonna suddenly flip over to our side. So that means by default, we have to find someway to get Marth back. And luckily we have all day to try and convince him with the best approach we can come up with... I mean, Foxy won immunity last night. So he's crossed out..."

Shovel Knight sighed at the stress. "That's it. I'm playing my idol... And I probably need to look for another one so I can give it to you."

"...Oh, you would really do that for me?"

He bobbed his head up and down. "I am. It is only fair..."

"Well, I mean you don't have to... But that's entirely up to your choice."

"No matter what any of us might think of it, even though he quite literally just flipped on us last tribal, getting Marth back over to our side by flipping again is the only way we can get the majority back. He had a relationship with Zelda. Yes, I am aware that there's a possibility that it won't be the same anymore, but out of those people, he's the most likely to work with us since he and Zelda both did it before. None of those other people are ever gonna work with us for the rest of the game. So if we don't have Marth, either me or Shovel Knight's adventure will come to an end."

-/-

Bonnie and Foxy were both with Freddy lying down in the sand on the beach.

"Alright, I'd ourselves ten minutes max out here before one of Chatan Four comes over..."

"Let's just call it the Chatan Alliance at this point." Foxy suggested to Bonnie lying down on his stomach with his arms beneath his chin. "I mean Greninja is already out of the game and Zelda was never on Chatan to begin with... But sure, let's start talking now. Shovel Knight or Sheik? Those two are our only options."

"Yeah, I agree." Freddy nodded. "Luigi so far hasn't done anything to make himself a target and Marth clearly doesn't want Zelda gone and voting her out would do nothing for us, anyway."

Speaking of the swordsman, there he was approaching them nearby.

"Hello there. My apologies for being late. There was a large spider on my personal belongings."

"That's fine." Freddy smirked with a small laugh. "We were just discussing our options for tonight. Luigi and Zelda shouldn't even be options to vote for. Sure like last time, Luigi was a safe option but for, but because we didn't get rid of him the first time we went after the safe vote, this time, they're probably going to suspect it and give Luigi the idol. I mean, he is Shovel's number one ally after all."

"Agreed." Marth's nod was clearly more about Zelda, but he had no problems crossing both of their names out regardless. "Sheik is definitely more physical at some challenges than Shovel Knight. Those last two clearly weren't physical, so in the challenge department, I'd say Sheik is the more dangerous one."

"But on the other hand, we also have Shovel Knight who even has a greater social game than Sheik." Bonnie answered. "If Sheik somehow gets to the end, at least we would be more likely to beat her. Shovel could get a lot of jury votes."

"And then to top it all off..." Michaels heaved a heavy sigh. "We still don't know who has the idol... That's the most frustrating part."

"Man... Shovel Knight and Sheik are doing a really good job holding onto that idol." Foxy gradually shook his head. "I don't know which of the two had it but they're doing a great job by keeping their idol a secret. Heck, they're not even acting like either of them have it right now, unless they themselves predicted that they needed to play their idol sooner, they themselves probably forgot all about it, hahaha! But if neither of them is gonna play anything, especially now since they're on the bottom, at this point we'd better hope to get rid of the idol and flush it out. Then again, they're on the bottom. Somebody's playing it and it's really scaring me. We've just gotten the majority back and I don't exactly have plans on being back on the bottom myself."

-/-

"Sure, with my flip last night, based on the relationships people have with one another, I'm probably on the outs no matter the circumstances." Marth figured who was found within the forest. "However, if I am going to forever be part of this alliance until the season is done, then it is best for me to take advantage of the situation and have private conversations with the one individual that just so happens to be the one reason to why I flipped over. ...Pizza restaurant manager, Freddy Fazbear."

"Alright, so while we are both together walking to the water well, I'd like to use this time... if you don't mind of course..."

"You don't have to hesitate. This is the very first time we're talking together like this since your flip."

"Alright, then." Lowell and Fazbear were guiding themselves along the path way to collect water for themselves. "Now, I am well aware that Foxy, Bonnie, and Knuckles all saved you from being voted out, so you are probably naturally tighter with them. However, my personal opinion is that even though we've just voted out Greninja the previous tribal, it is exactly six knights with three emperors. Yes, quite clearly it is not Emperors vs Knights that much anymore, but I still trust you."

"I trust you as well."

"Good." That was exactly what Lowell wanted to hear. "So my opinion is that because of the numbers winding down at this stage in the competition, we need to figure out a plan for the finals in advance, rather than waiting until the last minute."

"Cool." He was all for it, kicking a rock away that was in his path. Fortunately he was wearing shoes at the time. "I'm sure final three deals this early wouldn't hurt. It's like hurrying up and submitting your application before somebody gets the job..."

That caused Marth to blink. "You know... I suppose it is also as if you are signing up for a position in the army back at home."

Fazbear grinned at that. "It is like that. Isn't it? Looks like we can relate to each other more than we think even though where I come from, swords, bows, and magic aren't the main use of weapons when it comes to defending yourself. But getting back to us relating to each other, it's probably because it's the whole authority thing, I guess. But anyway, what do you think?"

"Alright, these are our options. For option A, I'm thinking of me, you, and Zelda."

"Okay..."

"And as for option B, I'm thinking of me, you, and Knuckles... I..." Now feeling guilty, the poor hero of Altea hung his head down as he continued his walk. "It pains me to say this, but even though I promised Zelda that she would remain on the island, I never exactly informed her that it was a guarantee that she will make it to the end... So if I have to vote Zelda out of the game during one of the last few Tribal Councils of the season, then I will do just that... I've had to make sacrifices in my army before... Knuckles could be rather easy to be if he gets to the end, who you are close with. So with us three all at the end, it will satisfy the both of us..."

"You make good points..."

"I don't think me and Marth actually developed sort of a deep connection until now." Fazbear stated. "So it's nice that we're finally more talks with one another. He gave me two options so that the both of us can get to the end of the game... But I'm sorry. Neither of them actually work for me in my opinion. Marth's basically telling me that he wants me to betray all of my closest allies just so that he can make sure I'm his new number one since we're both emperors. Smart idea for him, terrible idea on my part. Not even option B works for me because even though it has Knuckles involved, that means I would have to betray both Foxy and Bonnie. However,... I think if Marth is going to be on the jury, I think what would satisfy him is that I can probably help him keep Zelda so that we can all make it to final six, so that it would probably be enough for him to give me his jury vote... So three knights, three emperors basically... Yeah, I think my game at this point is becoming about helping people. They help me, and I do my best to return the favor. ...That gives me enough points for my social game out there."

"Zelda helped me on how to adapt out here back on day three, Foxy helped me, I helped him by saving Knuckles. Now Marth has helped me, and now I probably need to help both him and Zelda get to final five. I think I'm finally figuring out what me long-term plan is now, rather than just making sure I survive by relying on the back of others when I'm the one who had authority back where I came from. So I think since last tribal, it was about time I started to return the favor."

"Tell you what." He was now speaking his thoughts to the sword wielder. "If we can both keep Zelda here, than I would help you both. Don't be surprised if you're a target by the Chatan Alliance, but I'll do my best to save you two for as long as I can."

Marth smiled warmly. "Okay. Then in that case, I'd do best to help you stay here in return."

"Emperors helping emperors. That sounds like a relieving concept in my book."

"Absolutely. We'll get through this tribal together, and we'll both make sure that Zelda stays. I am going to talk to her just after this... Shadow a while back told me that guns were the main weapon civilians use to defend themselves. The same goes for you too, right?"

"Any sort of pistol, yes... Did Shadow went on about the details of what those can do?"

"He sure was not hesitant about it..." Marth was now staring off to the side, looking to be a bit horrified. "I have no idea how my people would react..."

"Aside from me and Freddy finally building our relationship, now I have to worry about my relationship with Zelda. To be honest, I am clueless to what she thinks of me as of now. Sure, she might not seem bitter about the flip, but because of the fact that we're currently on opposite sides of the fence, we've been interacting with one another less these days... which is quite unfortunate... So hopefully with this much needed talk, hopefully she'll trust me again."

He found her in the water by herself where she was washing her clothes.

"Hello..."

The Hyrulian turned around. "Oh, hi... What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to have a chat..." The only remaining Fire Emblem character sat in the water beside her. "And I sort of wanted to get your attention from afar. You seem to be quite concentrated on doing laundry, so my fear was that if I got to close, I would speak and then you would have been startled."

She chuckled a small laugh. "I am fine... But I figured you are mainly coming to me for strategic reasons."

"Not just that alone." He shook in disagreement. "I also decided to come here just to check on you and to see how you are doing... Nonetheless, since I am already here, I will simply get straight to it... I was not kidding when I said that I was going to make sure you aren't going anywhere anytime soon."

"I remember..."

"..." Marth felt that if he had to make up for his flip on Zelda, he thought that it was not enough, even though he told her that he was going to make it his priority to keep the brunette around. "You know,... even though you might not be in a position of power right now due to others dictating your future (yes, including me...), the least I could do is to allow to have a say in the vote..."

That was when Zelda turned to stare at him with a slightly confounded look. "...What do you mean by that?"

"I am the one that flipped on Greninja. We all know it, including the alliance that I jumped to. To make me feel comfortable, they are going to say things that will work in my favor as well as theirs so that it would make me feel as if I am not on the bottom of the alliance. That being said, in order to use this power to my advantage to have a say in their decision, I am going to tell them on who you think we should keep other than yourself..."

"...Okay... Sheik, perhaps?" It did not even take Zelda two seconds to suggest a name.

"As you wish." Marth nodded. Although, clearly this meant that he somehow needed to not only persuade his new alliance of five, but to also risk blindsiding Shovel Knight with an idol in his pocket, even given the low possibility that he was not going to play it. Yet then again, to Marth, he was still unaware of who exactly had it. Either Shovel Knight or Sheik.

"Me and Marth have not been speaking with each other since the Greninja blindside. Sure, this is because of the fact that we're in separate alliances. But, I felt that we've taken a bit of a break from one another. I needed to get over my emotions that night so that I could calmly begin to move forward in the morning. However, I'll be honest when I say that I am not aware of what Marth's overall plan is at this point. Then at the same time, I am listening to everything that he is telling me and I am actually thinking about it. When he asked me of who I wanted to keep here with me, I told him Sheik because she was the only one I bonded with on swapped Chatan, so I am more close to her than Luigi and Shovel Knight. But then right after Marth left, there Sheik came..."

And that was exactly what happened afterwards.

"I've watched and heard the whole thing."

"Were you hiding?"

"...Well, they don't call me a ninja for a reason." Sheik smirked, yet her smile nimbly lowered to a neutral look. "But anyway, it seems that Marth wants to try and abuse his power over there a little."

She chortled at her joke. "It seems so."

"I gotta admit, though. Pleasing you is the only option he has to try to get on good terms with you to make for the blindside the other night. But over the course of yesterday, I thought that if he was trying to make it up to you, why didn't he just get you to flip with him?"

"We were discussing our position in the game after the Shadow vote. He talked about flipping to the other alliance, but I figured that working with the Chatan Alliance would have been our best option at the time."

"Why exactly?"

"..." Zelda had no intentions on not telling her fellow Hyrulian the truth. "The truth is that... I figured that you guys would trust us more... I wasn't thinking of overall numbers since I knew that me and Marth would have been on the bottom no matter what, but I thought that you would trust us more than the other alliance because at the Shadow vote, we saved Luigi who is part of your alliance. I thought that would earn just enough trust. Yes I know that they have Freddy, and I know that I had a relationship with Freddy as well."

"What was your relationship with him like?" She cocked her head to the side with hands on her hips.

"Well, Freddy actually had some struggling when it came to adapting back in the early days, and he was able to open up to me about it. And then after the Shulk blindside, he came up to me and... You know, now that I think about it, Marth is basically doing the same thing that Freddy was doing right now..."

"...Okay, well here's what I can say..." Since Zelda was sitting, Sheik had to crouch down to her level in order to get closer. "Honestly, Zel, let me just ask you this..."

"Okay?"

"So it sounds like even though you and Marth were both put together in the position that you two were, it also sounds like you became closer with Freddy first. ...But if it came down to those two, who would you rather work with? Freddy or Marth?"

"..."

"If it came down to it. Not saying that it's a guarantee that it is between the two of them tonight."

"Marth for my game is clearly someone that I can not trust." Sheik remained by the water. "He's a threat. Freddy's a physical player who just played an idol and a really nice guy. He's a threat. Bonnie's also a nice guy, and even though he hasn't seem to have done much so far, he can be also good at physical challenges. So he's a threat. Knuckles, though may not being a threat to win, he's a threat to get to the end. And then we have Foxy, the ringleader of his own alliance, who just won immunity. So it sounds like Marth and Freddy are the main two options, but those other two are options just in case. So to continue to build my relationship with Zelda, I decided to ask on what she thinks, and who she thinks would be more trustworthy for her game so that I can use it to my advantage. They say you can't go down without a fight, but what if you can actually win that fight? I don't know if I can be in the majority again, but nothing is impossible. So here goes nothing..."

Tribal Council

Night 30

For the twelfth time, Master Hand's castaways made their trip to the Tribal Council, the nine of them going up the stairs to head into the area, placing down their torches as they came in before sitting down in their seats.

"We'll now bring in the members of our jury..."

There they came...

"Shulk, Roy, Shadow, and Greninja voted out at the last Tribal Council."

Sheik, Luigi, and Shovel Knight all eye the Pokémon finding his spot in the bench as he sat down making himself comfortable, giving the three of them a smile in return.

Shovel Knight's heart dropped from his chest at that point with guilt.

"Alright," Master Hand jumped right into the discussion. "let's talk about the challenge really quick. Day twenty-nine, you guys were apparently wondering about when is the next reward challenge going to take place, and by the time you all got to the challenge at night, you all were surprised to find out that it was actually an immunity challenge."

"But onto the main point, for the first time since Survivor - Cambodia, you guys were welcomed with classic Survivor Folklore. ...Foxy, you have immunity and won that challenge. Second immunity so far this season. ...You like history?"

He initially eyed Master Hand as if he was an actual, full person. "...No, I don't. I hate history."

Nearly everyone including the jury laughed at least a bit.

"But I mean, gotta win immunity of course. And also, that story of Japanese religion was actually kinda interesting. We kinda had no choice but to remember the story in full because that's how we were to get the correct answers."

"Well, I hate history and I hardly got anything right." Knuckles commented with a smirk and hunched shoulders.

"Knuckles, remember what I said?" The master asked him.

"..." He sighed. "Listening and paying attention."

"Exactly."

As the group, they shared a laugh once again.

"I guess no matter what situation I'm in, history will never be my thing as long as I live."

"So Shovel Knight, now that Foxy has won immunity, that certainly does not help your options on getting back the majority you all have just lost at all."

"Indeed you're right, master." He agreed a hundred percent. "Guess it is time for me to fully embrace the knight in me... even literally. Both for me personally, and this tribe. I even quite literally have the word 'knight' in my name."

"So basically what you're trying to say is that right now it is almost as if now that you're not in the best position as others are, that now is the time for you to live up to who you are in general."

"...Very good point." He admitted. "You know, I don't mean to brag or anything, but I'd say that throughout my life there were quite a few adventures that I've been a part of. Although, it of course wasn't easy at times, and there was one adventure in particular that I really had to fight my through in order to make it. But I did, and someone that is very special did as well. Thus, it gave me enough motivation to try this out to see what I'm made of. I've been doing good so far, but now I've come to a point where I really have to push through now."

"Sheik, what about you? You're on the wrong side of the numbers as well."

"...Well, what exactly can I say? Just because you're on the bottom, doesn't mean that you're eliminated. Literally every single person here has been on the bottom for at least one Tribal Council, so we all now know what it's like even if three of us get to experience it last."

"The three of you, meaning yourself, Shovel Knight, and Luigi..."

"Correct. And based on seasons past, there are clearly ways you can get back the majority." She recalled. "I might not have seen all thirty something seasons of the show, but I simply got word of how people can do it both prior coming out here, and thanks to a friend who informed me quite a couple creative ways of how people get out of these tight situations."

Greninja had a big smile.

"There have been big idol plays, flips, new deals being made, manipulation, you name it. People will do almost anything to pull themselves out of whatever hole they're in. They've all been on the bottom, and so I guess me, Zelda, Luigi, and Shovel are all next in line. Zelda herself has been on the bottom before this season, so she already knows what it's like."

"And Zelda, what exactly is the feeling of being on the bottom?"

"...Well, Sheik is correct. I've been on the bottom multiple times throughout the game. And even if I wasn't exactly on the bottom, I was still a target. Me and Peach were targets back on day three after the first immunity challenge, but then Peach left. The next time I went to tribal, my name was written down by Ghirahim, but then he left. When me and Pac were at the bottom back on old Chatan, Pac-Man left. Roy left after Marth played his idol. It seems that every time where I am at a disadvantage, something always seem to come up. So I suppose I somehow always find a way. I am not sure how long I may last in this game, but I have to say that I am impressed that I've actually made it this far after escaping tribal in one piece numerous times."

"Speaking of him, Marth, what was your reaction on last tribal? Because it was apparently six against four, Freddy plays his idol on Knuckles, five votes for Knuckles were cast, and five other votes were cast from Greninja. Were you the one that flipped?"

He calmly nodded. "Yes."

Nothing came from the water-type Pokémon but a blinked. Yet Roy was still in a state of disbelief.

"Me and Zelda had to part ways with Shadow for the sake of our own fate, but numbers wise, I figured that I could be an even better position if I jumped ship. Zelda didn't flip, though I did."

"So when you're talking about numbers, you're talking about old Nago numbers and old Chatan numbers. Before Greninja left, there were seven knights and three emperors remaining in the game. You and Zelda were with four old Chatan members while Freddy was with three of them. So basically you were thinking of Freddy and bringing Zelda with you for the sake of reuniting old Nago."

"That was my plan all along. Yes." Everything Master Hand was telling him was indeed correct. "Though Zelda never saw it that way. In her mind, she figured that it was best for us to remain in the Chatan Alliance basically because of us saving Luigi from being blindsided, who is a core member of the alliance."

"So Zelda, based on what Marth is saying, were you thinking more about trust than original numbers?"

"Yes, I was." She nodded in confirmation. "And Master Hand, let me just say this: I was without a doubt well aware of old Nago being a sinking ship at the time. Throughout most of the merge, the emperors were cannibalizing each other by helping the knights get rid of our own. There were literally plans that not even Marth himself knew about. To them, it was already not Emperors vs Knights anymore. So I figured that my strategy from that point on was going to be based on who I trusted and wanted to work with, rather than who I was with at the beginning. Like, this is a modern season of Survivor and this is coming from a person who, like Sheik and Marth, had no technology to watch all the seasons. So I really had to make sure I adapted out here correctly and it has come to my knowledge that old tribe members at times held no hesitation on backstabbing their own, and that was what me and Marth did to Shadow since we figured that he was not meant to be trusted."

"I trust every single person in this Chatan Alliance since they trust me. However," she began with the pointing. "when it comes to the other alliance, even though I trust Freddy, it is not a guarantee that I trust everyone in that alliance because of the fact that the Shadow blindside caused the line to be drawn in the sand."

"Okay, woah, woah, woah..."

All eyes were on Knuckles.

"Let's just stop. Let's just stop for a second..." He had his hand out, actually rotating his entire body just to face Zelda, who was sitting four seats away from him on his right. "I wanna ask you something... How can you say that you don't trust me, Foxy, and Bonnie, when we were the ones that wanted you to come with us in the first place? Shadow over there had the guts to face you and Marth to come to you to give you both an opportunity to work with us, but both of you rejected. Now you're over here sayin' that you don't trust us? Like, I don't mean to be rude, but I fail to see your logic here..."

Shadow actually nodded in agreement on that.

Zelda sighed quietly in response. "When I say that I don't trust you all, what I really mean is that simply because of the side that we chose, later down the line in the future, when it comes to me trusting others, I personally feel that you all might not trust mean after the Shadow vote. The Chatan Alliance on the other hand could continue to trust me in the future because those are the people that I chose to align with. And to you, Foxy, and Bonnie, with all due respect, the line has been drawn in the sand two tribals ago."

"You're good, Zelda." Bonnie spoke up. "I respect that."

"I respect that, too." Foxy replied. "The game moves on."

With Zelda nodding out of relief, Knuckles shook his head.

"So Bonnie, if I'm guessing correctly, you have aligned with Freddy for a while even though the two of you were on different tribes for example." Master Hand brought up. "And that of course means that clearly if your relationship with each other, old tribe alliances are out the window and it's all about you two trusting each other."

"Exactly. Freddy trusts me, Foxy, and Knux, and we all trust him. Sure none of us were a hundred percent certain that we should trust him coming into the merge because he started off on a different tribe, and as talked about before in a previous Tribal Council, the emperors, like the knights, have a certain reputation given the theme of the season. So none of the three of us weren't completely sure on Freddy yet until Shulk was eliminated, and that was when us three, plus Freddy and Shadow became a solidified alliance. ...Okay, maybe Foxy already trusted Freddy because they were on Motobu together. But based on what happened last time, playing his only idol on Knuckles to blindside Greninja was just more proof of his loyalty to us. Zelda trust the Chatan Alliance, we all trust Freddy. So that is why I think I have no reason to have any bitter feelings towards Marth or Zelda for taking out Shadow, since to them, he was untrustworthy."

"Bonnie's smart. I think he's a great speaker..." Shulk mumbled to the other jurors.

"So Freddy, Bonnie's saying that he, Foxy, and Knuckles all trust you after you helped them with their plan, and played your idol on Knuckles as proof of your loyalty. However, as a consequence, you had to betray your own people. Now Marth has betrayed the people that he was with, and now the two of you are aligned together again. Do you feel like you can trust Marth now?"

"Well, I do apologize if this is a lame answer, but I guess as long as the two of us are on the same page, then of course we would trust each other." He bobbed is head up and down. "We generally like each other just how we like Zelda. I still have some level of trust with Zelda, too. The same way how she says that I'm the only one in the alliance that she trusts, naturally, with her being the only remaining emperor on the other side, that's who I trust the most, and same with Marth."

"Three words, master: Survivor is complicated." Foxy heaved a breath of fresh air, ignoring a few chuckles from his fellow tribe members. "This is why people strategize every single second, twenty-four hours a day. It is literally non-stop, and I feel as each season passes, the game is becoming more complex than ever before."

"Why do you think that's the case?"

"My guess is that because of people continuing to watch every season, the newer players are trying to prevent the same mistakes that previous contestants have gone through so that they wouldn't have to go through them in order to become better Survivor players. With most players, they only have one chance to play and once chance to win a million dollars. And you know how one mistake can cost your torch to be snuffed? That is why people are constantly talking strategy and calculating the moves not only that they themselves make, but also the moves of others. It's so complicated, though at the same time it's just what makes this game heck of a lot of fun to play."

"Well put." The master commented. "And that's why this game has been going on for such a long time... What a perfect way to end off. Let's see how much trust does this group have, because it is time to vote. Luigi, you're up."

"Master?"

After immediately moving, Master Hand floated the couple inches back towards his seat which basically never needed to exist. Literally everyone in the Tribal Council area all had their eyes fixated on Sheik who was now digging through her bag.

"My apologies, master. I should have had it somewhere where I can just pull it out because I've had it for quite a bit..."

Knuckles the Echidna squinted his eyes out of confusion and astonishment.

"Here we go." Sheik finally pulled out what he was looking for. "Like I said. No matter the type of hole that you're in, you can always find ways to crawl yourself back out. Here's my way of overcoming this obstacle: I have a Secret Advantage that is still in play up until the final six, and with this advantage, I am allowed to steal someone's vote, in that way that person will not be voting at this tribal, and that I will be voting twice tonight."

Words alone were never enough to describe it. The jury, Freddy, Marth, Foxy, Knuckles, and Bonnie were all completely staggered. Greninja himself was quite dumbfounded. No words were spoken, whatsoever.

"Alright. You heard her." Master Hand went on to explain to the rest of the competitors. "Sheik has a Secret Advantage that is called a 'Steal-A-Vote', in which gives the power to take away someone's vote so that she will vote twice."

"...You've got to be kidding me..." Knuckles buried his face in his hands.

"So Sheik, who's vote are you going to steal?"

"I would like to steal... Marth's vote."

Marth immediately faced her with a look as if he was a deer caught in her headlights, even though Sheik never really drove a car before.

But then suddenly, Marth began digging his bag himself.

"Master?"

As if things were not already crazy enough.

Now it was Roy that was in a state of shock, let alone everyone else. Though unlike last time, everyone except Sheik herself were astounded.

"Oh my god..." Freddy breathed.

"Like Sheik, I also have a Secret Advantage." He pulled his out. "Although, this advantage specifically states that I have no right to open the advantage until Tribal Council after you announce that it is time to vote. Also like Sheik's, it can be played up until and through the final six. I was planning on using this some time later, closer to the final six, but clearly now is where it is most necessary. Therefore, I will be opening the advantage now..."

...

Everyone watched as Marth Lowell unclipped a solid black box containing the envelope that contained the Secret Advantage.

"Alright..." He cleared his throat as he began to read. "This advantage is being used to... block your vote..."

Things just kept getting better.

"...that will prevent you from voting at Tribal Council tonight..."

Astonished like there was no tomorrow, Luigi gradually shifted his head to the master, looking somewhat confused.

"Wait a minute..." Foxy spoke. "So if Sheik already played her advantage, than what about Marth's advantage?"

"Let me just make this clear." Master Hand explained. "Marth, you clearly know that Sheik has played her advantage that steals your vote, already preventing you from voting at the urn. Your vote is now hers. Now if you have played your advantage before her, than Sheik can not take your vote. But Sheik has already taken your vote away, which is now hers, which then just provoked to play an advantage that blocks your vote. You are the one who received that advantage and therefore, you would be the only one that can't physically vote tonight. However, your vote was already stolen and because of that, Marth,... your 'advantage' is basically useless..."

...

Absolutely flabbergasting.

"I need to tell Marth something really quick..."

Sheik got up from her seat and made her way over to the Marth, use her advantage to cover up whatever she had to say, and whisper in Marth's ear.

"I am going to give you a choice. You can either come with us, or I will use this advantage to vote you out of this game."

While that was going on, Foxy leaned over to whisper to Knuckles.

"We need to swing over Zelda. Marth's still on our side. If we can get Zelda to jump ship, we would still make it a 5-4 in our favor and counter the advantage. Go tell Marth to talk to Zelda."

He immediately done what he was told and the echidna literally pulled Marth away from Sheik and spoke with him directly.

Sheik then went back over and whisper to Marth and Luigi while the jury was looking all over the place at what was happening.

"So is our plan still the same?" Freddy was whispering with Bonnie. "Shovel Knight?"

"I... I'm not sure now at this point..." Roberts for the first time appeared to be very worried. "Do you think they'll think that we'll try to outsmart them?"

"Okay, I will." Marth answered to Knuckles, now pulling Zelda off to the side (not literally this time). "Are you sure these are the people you desire to be with? Even with Sheik's advantage, with you, we can still have the majority to vote one member of the Chatan Alliance off."

"Okay... Who do you think will be our best option?"

"Zelda?" Now Freddy wanted her attention. "You still have a chance to come with us. We'll all make it through the night and I will protect the both of you. Me and Marth already talked by the water well. You can still come with us."

Before Marth could have done anything else, he was approached by Bonnie.

"What did Sheik tell you?"

Shovel Knight and Luigi, who were the only two that never got up from their seats at the time, were busy having their own conversation.

"Do you think this plan will work?"

"Hopefully..." Shovel Knight wanted to reassure Luigi with all of his heart. Yet he seemed to be rather nervous himself. "Hopefully it does, because otherwise, I'm playing my idol..."

"Suddenly I'm glad to be on the jury, now..." Shulk commented on everything that was occurring before him. "We get a free ticket to Tribal Council. Now all we need are the drinks and snacks."

"_ is done..." said Shadow.

"So, what do we do? Who are we voting for?" Bonnie was now speaking with Foxy. "Do we just vote off Sheik?"

"No..." He declined. "Zelda is tight with her and doesn't want her to go, and either she or Shovel Knight could play the idol..."

"Dang it, man..."

He sighed in frustration. "Okay, do we just vote off Luigi and get it over with? At least someone over there will be gone..."

"Whoever of the three you think, I'll put down..."

"Marth? Zelda?" Michaels was now motioning them his way.

By the time Marth heard what Bonnie and Foxy had to say, he rotated his body around to see Sheik standing literally right beside him to his right.

"Have you decided? Are you with us?"

...

With a few more private conversations with each other, the volume of the tribal was near silent once again.

"Okay..." Master Hand took a breather. "Everybody is now back in their seats... Are we actually ready to vote this time?"

Various answers of 'yes' were given.

"Alright, then... It is time to vote. Luigi, you're up."

"Phew..." Luigi wiped sweat from his forehead, slowly making his way past the eight eyes of the current four members of the jury and to the urn.

"All I can say is that if the plan I've been told is not happening tonight, I don't know how much longer I would be here..."

Right after Knuckles, it was already Sheik's turn to vote. Following her casting her first vote into the urn, she unfolded a somewhat fancier piece of parchment and began writing once more, before casting her second vote in.

Marth could have only watched.

Zelda and Shovel Knight were the next to go, with Bonnie coming afterwards.

"This is what I have to say: Marth, I feel sorry for you. Your useless advantage has actually been made even more useless. You've been hit hard, my friend."

Freddy held up his piece of parchment up.

"I really hope you're the one that's going home tonight... I feel like I'm about to have a panic attack right at Tribal Council... Here goes nothing..."

Once Foxy made it back to his seat to sit down, Master Hand was ready.

"I'll go tall the votes..."

Unlike all the previous Tribal Councils, not a single individual had their eyes on Master Hand, nor even at another survivor castaway. Literally all nine of them were so worried of how the vote was going to turn out, none of them bothered to look with one another.

The hand came back. "If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you wanna play it, now would be the time to do so."

...

The jury watched, but no one seemed to be planning to pull anything out from anywhere. And in the end, Shovel Knight never changed his mind as he remained still, everyone's blank facial expression remaining consistent for the reading of the votes.

"Alright. Once the votes are read, the decision is final. Person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately. I'll read the votes..."

…

"First vote..."

Roy, Shulk, and Greninja all leaned in.

"...Luigi."

Not even a blink.

"Luigi."

...

"Luigi. Three votes Luigi."

...

"...Freddy."

No movement was made from the bear.

"Freddy. Two votes Freddy."

Roy had a hand over his mouth.

"Freddy. Three votes Freddy, three votes Luigi."

Foxy's eyes remained focused on the names, Luigi feeling a major pit in his stomach while Marth sat still the entire time.

"...Freddy. Four votes Freddy, three votes Luigi."

Knuckles had his lips curled up.

"...Luigi. Tied again. Four votes Luigi, four votes Freddy, one vote left..."

Shadow could not have looked anymore interested than he was. Sheik, with one fist underneath her chin, had her head leaning against it as if she was as still as a statue.

"Twelfth person voted out of Survivor and the fifth member of our jury..."

Marth waited.

"...Freddy."

With no emotion, Fazbear calmly stood up from his spot.'

Foxy almost instantly clapped a hand over his face.

"Props to Sheik. That's all I have to say..."

Greninja's mouth was still hung open.

Unlike Foxy, both of Knuckles's hands were over his face.

Sheik rotated her head to make a single not at Zelda.

"Freddy, the tribe has spoken."

With one snuff, his fire was officially gone.

"Time for you to go."

Without being asked twice, he calmly made his way down the stairs.

Bonnie exhaled greatly, though quietly.

"Well,..." Even the master was struggling to find words to describe the event. "like I said... You guys are talented at blindsides. ...Now what? Grab your torches, head back to camp. Goodnight..."

#WOW

Votes:

Zelda - Freddy

Freddy - Luigi

Luigi - Freddy

Sheik - Freddy (x2)

Knuckles - Luigi

Shovel Knight - Freddy

Bonnie - Luigi

Foxy - Luigi

"Well... I don't think this is how I preferred to get voted out the game if I was ever to get blindsided... Dang, Sheik. Haha! I have no idea where Marth got that voting block from, but my guess is that Sheik had that advantage too and actually knew what it was, and was allowed to give the advantage to somebody else so that they can read it at Tribal Council. But anyway, I enjoyed myself. Didn't get to do everything I wanted, which was to win of course, but hey, I didn't even expect to make it this far, so I'm still proud of myself."

...

Sheik happened. That is all. (Dang... I think this is what happens when you let ninjas play Survivor lol. Like a boss.) She basically forced Marth to flip or she literally would have voted him out right there on the spot. What a devious play. But it worked lol. Now if Marth is truly not working with the Pirate Crew anymore, that means Sheik is not only back in the majority, but that means that Marth would have flipped again without even voting lol, though it didn't even matter if he didn't even want to flip back, or else Sheik would have cut him off lol. I don't think that something like this has ever happened before. Sheik really lived up to her tribe name here. Poor Marth. Sheik played him like a fiddle and Freddy paid the price. But I gotta say this is absolutely my favorite "episode" of this season so far. We had that surprise Folklore challenge, the strategy that occurred today, and now one of my favorite Tribal Councils of my entire series! (Don't know if it's my absolute favorite yet since there are already so many tribals... I'll think about it.)

Tifa from Final Fantasy 7 is going to be on the Brawn tribe for Survivor - Mexico! (She was one of the last minute additions. Final Fantasy 7 already barely has any sort of representation in Smash, and I think that Tifa is a strong female based on what little I played of FF7 (I need to get back on it.))

Questions:

1. What do you think of this Tribal Council?

2. What do you think is the biggest blindside of the season thus far?

Vote for your top five characters, watch my Emperors vs Knights YouTube intro, and I encourage everyone to review! Freddy's Ponderosa chapter will be up soon!