DryBonesKing : I'm glad you like it ! Thanks for your comment ! And yeah, Bootler is awesome ! ^^ The little reveal might change things, we'll never know. XD
Champ : Yeah, but Toad's speech was for the lol's. ^^'' That's funny, because for once I thought Bootler had talked a little more than the other times. XD Anyway, I'm glad you like this story and thank you for your comment !
Previously, on the Mole, players had to tell the host which person they would like to see leaving the game. Donkey and Mario were first, because people thought they were respectively rude and a threat. Bootler avoided the drama by saying his own name, making some people think he was sly enough to be the Mole. Afterward, the players were led to Toad's Midway Madness, where their fourth challenge took place. Divided into three groups, their goal was to decipher three anagrams which letters would be given by three riders while five players were acting as chronometers. Last time, only Toad found some letters and already two virtual chronometers were out : Birdo and Donkey. How will this mission conclude ? Who will be the second victim of the Mole ? And who is this mysterious individual ?
First name : Birdo
Surname : Ribbon
Birthday : May 15
Job : Fashion Designer
First name : Bootler
Surname : Majordome
Birthday : September 6
Job : Butler
First name : Donkey
Surname : Kong
Birthday : March 12
Job : Glitz Pit's Fighter
First name : Noki
Surname : Delphis
Birthday : August 7
Job : Air Hostess
First name : Toad
Surname : Phalloïde
Birthday : June 1
Job : Gardener
First name : Jojora
Surname : Teeheena
Birthday : December 27
Job : Sculptor
First name : Pauline
Surname : Celeste
Birthday : June 16
Job : Model
First name : Mario
Surname : Mario
Birthday : January 22
Job : Plumber
First name : Flurrie
Surname : Cumulia
Birthday : October 29
Job : Actress
8 : A Ride Home
Mario was impatiently tapping the tip of his pencil on the paper he was facing. When he chose to take this role, his assumed it would be something exciting, something he was accustomed to but it wasn't the case apparently. With no idea as to what to do, he decided, once again, to look at his diary entry.
"Good thing is that I can't be eliminated tonight. And that's a relief. Still, I still have no idea as to who the Mole is with all the suspicious actions that have been made until now. I would like to have a coalition with someone, but most likely everyone sees me as a threat, so it's not the best idea I've had."
Another voice came out of the walkie-talkie. "Mario, are you here ? I think I've got everything you need. It's Pauline if you couldn't tell." Mario rolled his eyes knowing fully well that she wouldn't see it.
"So, the letters are ?" Mario inquired.
"Wait a second..."
Mario : I was curious. Why did it take so long for her to remember her letters ?
"Here. I hope you're ready ! E, C, E, Y, S, D, R, L, L, A, I, U, T, F. I think that's everything. I doubt I forgot a letter, because you know, the I was pretty high and I could see everything from where I was sitting. And remember, you better not screw up ! See ya !"
This prompted Mario to roll his eyes, once again. Eventually, when he understood that she would not say another word, he began to unscramble the letters to see which two words he could come up with.
Mario sighed. "This is going to be a long day..."
…
Now freed of any obligation, Pauline chose to ride once again the Ferris Wheel, thinking it would not hurt to have a little fun in this giant amusement park. As she relaxed in the nacelle, her eyes scanned the landscape and locked on a balloon shaped as a mole.
Pauline : That didn't look like a clue to the Mole's identity in my eyes, but it must have meant something since this game is one gigantic puzzle. So I made my decision : I decided to take a look at what was around that area. It was certainly smart of myself to do so.
Once her ride was finished, Pauline hopped off and began to make her way to the place where the balloon shaped as a mole was supposed to be, hiding among the crowd so Jojora would not see and question her after the the challenge was finished. Pauline found it and untied its string. A look of disappointment was displayed on her face.
"That's weird... There's like only one balloon like this one in the entire park... Yet it doesn't seem to have any particularity at all," she observed. "Well, I might as well put it back to where it was..."
…
Jojora struggled. Remembering all those letters was not quite easy in her opinion. "This mission...is by far the hardest to which we've ever played. The sheep were rather easy to handle compared to those anagrams."
The train had only covered three quarters of its route. Jojora sighed.
Jojora : I can't say it was hard. But it was so boring that you couldn't focus on your task at all. I'm sure I forgot some letters.
…
Back at the park's entrance, the three remaining players had some trouble. Visitors were now looking at them with amusement, making them nervous. Birdo and Donkey had tried to drive back the crowd, but to no avail.
Donkey : I wanted to punch those morons in the mouth, because they were so close to make us lose more money. Flurrie wasn't affected by their presence, but Noki was. And everyone was depending on her.
Noki : It was so stressful to see the crowd watching us as if we were wild animals... Seriously, couldn't they do something else than to laugh at us ?
"Well, good job, it's been a while since we started this mission, so I'll give you the opportunity to drink a little. You can rest for two minutes and then we will continue with the challenge," announced the host, most to the relief of some players who saw the crowd scatter.
Birdo walked toward Noki, Bootler and Flurrie, to congratulate them about their performance. "Wow, you guys are doing well ! I cant believe I was out with a single stupid mistake though. Here take this water."
"I appreciate it," nodded formally Bootler as he took one water bottle. "I wonder what the host has in store for us..."
Flurrie giggled. "I wouldn't mind knowing it either, it would make our game so much more easier !"
"Well," pondered Noki, "it wouldn't be much of a challenge if we knew everything from the beginning, don't you think so ?"
"I suppose you're right," considered Flurrie. "We all signed up for an adventure, after all."
"But all of us didn't sign up for the same adventure," Donkey made them remember. "Well Monty's back so we should better leave you to try to win this challenge for us. Good luck."
Monty Mole came back after two minutes sharp had passed, and Birdo and Donkey decided to remain on the sidelines, struggling to prevent people from disturbing their allies. "So, I suppose we can start again ?" he asked. "Let's move on to...enigmas !" he continued with a mischievous smile.
"As you wish," answered Bootler, totally unfazed by the host's surprise. "Shall we commence then ?"
The host smiled, more to himself than to the players. "Very well. Let's suppose that a cell is located into a bottle full of liquid. Each minute, this very cell split in two. The newly born cell then split in two other cells the next minute, and it goes on that way. Assuming that the bottle is full within two hours, and assuming that you start with two cells instead of one. How long, in minutes, will you have to wait before the bottle is filled up with cells ?"
Noki quickly wrote down an answer, while the other two took more time to consider the problem they had to solve.
Flurrie : I was highly suspicious about Noki's performance in the challenge. It was as though she had known the answers beforehand. Had you been there, you would have thought the same, I would bet my life on it.
"Reveal your answers," commanded Monty Mole. "Mmmh... Boother, that is wrong. The correct answer was one hundred and nineteen minutes, for it would be exactly the same experience as before except for the fact that the cell would have already divided itself in two."
Bootler : I was so focused on my mathematics that I never realized the problem was actually quite easy to solve. I was ashamed with myself.
Birdo : Huh what ? Even I knew what the answer to this question was. That's saying how easy it was I mean, since I'm not that much into this hard stuff at all. Bootler could have tried to put some pressure on both Flurrie and Noki, you know. And I think he couldn't sabotage earlier, because everyone would have obviously suspected him as the Mole. Speaking of the Mole, I still don't know who it is... And two people are exempted from tonight's execution... I'm really afraid it will be between me or Noki, you know, the others seem more confident than us... I really really really want to stay in the game... Being the deceiver's second victim would suck so much... And no, I'm not pity-partying, you Luma Boy !
"Okay, next one... A classic one, as it is... Two Toad are hung up to a rope each, over boiling lava. One of them is a true innocent Toad, who never lies at all. The other one is a robot, which looks just the same as the true one. You have to ask them one question and hope for an answer that will determine who is who. What question will you ask ?"
Flurrie was puzzled and had apparently no idea as to what she had to write down. After a few moments, she decided to try a random question, while Noki took her time to think of a rational answer.
"Flurrie, you are out, Noki, you were correct. 'What would say the other Toad if I asked him who the right one was ?' was the right answer. But I guess it could have worked the other way around."
Flurrie walked toward the bench on which were sat the other players. "We're pretty much screwed now," Donkey told Birdo.
"Yup. Totally," was her answer.
…
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !" yelled Toad fearfully, as the rollercoaster was going through the loop at full speed. He closed his eyes, afraid of what he could have seen.
"Okay, I'm definitely gonna barf if it keeps on going at full speed like that," he commented, both of his hands on his mouth.
Toad : Actually, I never was afraid of rollercoaster... I was more afraid of me vomiting in front of the world. Hehe... Anyways, you can't blame me, I couldn't know that it would be so extreme to ride it continuously... I knew I shouldn't have eaten that much.
However, when his ride ended, Toad was puzzled. Where were the missing letters Mario needed to complete this challenge ? Toad had no idea as he began to talk to Mario.
"Hey Mario !" he started. "Huh ? Why doesn't he respond to me ?"
"What do you mean you forgot half of your letters ?" came the voice of Mario thought the communication device.
"I didn't !" half shouted and half murmured Toad.
"Look, I don't know how much time we have left, but you better have a good idea to get us out of this mess ! I know you have the longest ride of the three, but still, it isn't so good of an excuse. C'mon, ! Go go go !"
"Aaaah... I get it. He was speaking with Jojora..."
Toad waited a moment and spoke again in the walkie-talkie. "Mario, it's Toad. Unfortunately, I have NO idea as to what the other letters are. Seriously, I've kept my eyes peeled for the last three rides of so, but I never saw them. Sorry, it seems that you're on your own now..."
…
The blue fairy cursed. She was quite annoyed at the slowness of her ride, and wanted it to accelerate a little just so she could come back in time to give Mario all of her letters.
"I should have been with the school players, they seem to be doing good after-"
To the players of the Mole ! Your host, Monty Mole, kindly informs you that only one person of the school group is still standing, the other four being already out. I repeat, to the players of the Mole ! Your host-
"Crap. I jinxed it," muttered Jojora as she slapped her forehead.
Jojora : I decided to cheat. And mind you, cheating was the best thing I could have done in this challenge, at least for myself. I'll explain. Firstly, even if we were penalized afterward, it didn't matter, because at least we would have won some money for the team pot. Secondly, cheating while you know that you are cheating is seen as a blatant sabotage by the other contestants. So, in a way, I was helping the team and helping myself to get further into the game.
…
Letters given by Pauline : E, C, E, Y, S, D, R, L, L, A, I, U, T, F.
Letters given by Toad : R, U, L, A, L, M, O, I, A, R, M, S, S, E.
Letters given by Jojora : P, H, I, O, M, E, A, A.
Mario was still trying to discover the meaning hidden behind Pauline's letter, when all of a sudden, he pointed his finger to the board and shouted "EUREKA" !
"Errr... Cut that part at the final montage, will you ?" ordered an embarrassed Mario to the camera he was facing. "Anyway, I think Pauline forgot one letter, and that's why I had trouble finding the solution of her anagram..."
Mario stood up from his chair and walked briskly to the board. He took a piece of chalk and began to write. "Now that I know what kind of words they expect me to find, I think I'll be more efficient," Mario declared after having written the words 'Deceitful Players'.
He turned back and went back to his chair. "Now... I think it might form a full sentence..."
Mario : In all honesty, it was like a puzzle of a mathematics problem. Once you figured out the first two or three steps, it all begins to make sense. Well, I have to admit that sometimes, it doesn't make much sense, but whatever.
"I think I got it ! Liars...a word that begin with a 'A' and another one which starts by 'compuls' and finishes by a 'E'. Maybe..." Mario trailed with his sentence. He immediately went to the board and wrote 'And Compulsive Liars'. "Now, I just have to wait for Jojora. Let's hope that whoever's left will hang on a little bit longer..."
…
"Ten candles are lighted in a room. A rush of cold air coming from the window blows out three of them. Assuming that you shut the window, how many candles will remain ?"
Noki immediately wrote down an answer on her slate, smiling to herself. The other four were rather confident with their own answers, even though they could not state them.
"Reveal your answer, " commanded Monty Mole. The others' hope faded away when they saw Noki's answer.
"That is correct," Monty Mole nodded. The other four were dumbfounded. "Three is indeed the right answer. Assuming three of the candles are blown out, only seven of them remain lit and as such, they will continue to melt until they are no more."
Flurrie : The more time passes, the more I'm being suspicious of Noki. Some of those riddles were almost impossible to solve, yet she was still able to answer them. Furthermore, there is something definitely fishy with her.
"An old man who lives in Dry Dry Outpost has two sons. He wishes to leave one of his sons his inheritance. For that, he gives them two camels and tells them that the one whose camel will arrive the last to Sec-Sec Town, a little village situated at twenty leagues of their position, will have it. Obviously, the two young men try to use all the subterfuges they know to stay in last, but to no avail. Having only covered one hundred meters at the end of the day, they decide to leave their camels where they were and to head to a local bar. There, the barman hears their predicament and give them a two words advice. The next day, the camels are nearly dead. What advice did the barman give them ?"
Bootler : There was practically no way of knowing the answer to this riddle. Riddles are like mysteries. One never understands them the first time they hear about them. But should they hear them again at any point of their life, they will recall the answers. Do you see where I intend to go with this reasoning ? Unless Noki heard about them before, she had no way to know the answer to such hard enigmas. And what better way she had to hear about them than to be the Mole ?
It seemed as though Noki was pondering very hard at this very moment. Ultimately, she wore a confident smile as she showed her answer to Monty Mole. "That is correct. 'Change Camels' is the advice he gave them. Once they changed of mount, they raced each other, knowing that if they were first, they would make the other lose."
Noki : I'm sure people saw me as suspicious during that challenge... Oh, I hope they don't think I'm the Mole or it could be really bad...
At the same moment, Pauline and Toad appeared in the distance, waving at their friends.
"Wow, you guys suck so much !" joked Toad as he approached them. Pauline smiled uneasily.
"I'm not sure we did better than them..."
"Riiight," sighed Toad, reminded of the fact that he had been unable to find all the letters he needed to give to Mario.
"When you are far away from it, you don't think about it. When you approach it, you think about it. When it is here you don't think about it anymore. What is it ?" inquired the host.
Once again, Noki took her time before writing a single word. "Death is indeed the correct answer, but I guess that you could think about the end of the game as well as the Mole's identity as answers. Quite funny actually, right ?"
…
Jojora could see the end of her ride. Soon enough, assuming that Mario was done with the two other anagrams, they would be done with their challenge, because Jojora had already found the hidden meaning behind the fourteen letters she had to give to Mario.
As soon as she arrived, she took her walkie-talkie and blurted out the answer to Mario. "My guess would be 'To play the game'," she told him.
"How would you know that ?" came Mario's voice on the other end of the non-existing line.
"Just write it already !" groaned a rather forceful Jojora. "Look, I wrote all the letters down and it was the only thing that would make sense in a game like this. Plus, you told me that you needed four words the last time I talked to you, so how could I be mistaken ?"
Mario was silent. "Fine. I'm writing it. Here, happy ?"
"I'll be happy once this damn mission is finished !" retorted Jojora. "Ring the bell so we can do something else, something more productive."
The bell rang.
The mission was finished.
Would the fifteen thousand coins get into the players' pot ?
…
"Welcome everyone ! I hope you all had fun here."
Jojora rubbed her temples. "One, it was no fun, and two, we've already seen you today, so why greet us ?"
"Errr... I just thought of being polite, you know. But anyway, I'm going to sump up how this mission went. That way, everyone will have a bit of insight into what truly happened."
Donkey raised his hand in the air. "What do you mean by 'truly' ?"
"Well, everything isn't what it seems to be, there's always more than meets the eye... Anyways, as you all know, five players were playing the role of chronometers. Noki was the only one who survived until the end of the game, so congratulations to her !" The host clapped for her, as did the others.
"Unfortunately, I think that some players were relying a little too much on you, my dear friend. Notably Donkey and Birdo who dropped out almost at the beginning of the game. Bootler and Flurrie went on quite a long time, but eventually failed when it came to enigmas. Then, we move on to Toad, Pauline and Jojora, who were the ones in charge of gathering the letters needed for Mario to decipher the three anagrams. I'm afraid to say that it didn't go quite well, but I'll come back to this later," Monty Mole added, before anyone could interrupt him.
"As you all know, Mario was in charge of discovering what the hidden words were. Let's see what he found... 'Deceiful Players', 'And Compulsive Liars', and 'To Play This Game'..."
"Well, I don't know about you, but it seems splendically right !" cheered Flurrie.
Monty Mole shook his head. "Out of these three discovering, two out of three are right. I'm afraid Mario, that 'And Compulsive Liars' is wrong. The correct words were 'Liars are Compulsory'."
Bootler put a hand to his chin. "That does not seem very English in my opinion."
"Well, we never said the words you had to discover spelled some sense. You thought they were. Anyway, Mario did not find Toad's word, but Toad did not give him all the letters he needed to form it. Any explanation ?"
"Well, as you have so well-said, I didn't find those letters. I have no idea as to where they were, but I can tell you that they had to be hidden somewhere I wouldn't have thought to look at," explained the mushroom.
Monty Mole nodded. "I see. Well there's something else I have to tell you all. Pauline and Jojora cheated."
Birdo : But I thought there was only one Mole ? Can't they do anything right ?
Everyone but the two girls mentioned was shocked by this news. This time, it was Mario who spoke up. "Could we have a little more detail about the way they cheated ?"
"Sure, I was going to say it anyway. Toad, Pauline and Jojora were told to use their only memory to give you their letters. Toad did that, but unfortunately, he came five letters short. However, Pauline and Jojora both use a pencil and a paper to write down the letters they saw. Mario, I think that you were surprised when Jojora told you the right answer, weren't you ? Now I guess that you know why Toad was struggling and why Pauline and Jojora had an easy time. Any explanation girls ?"
Jojora stepped up. "I prefer losing a small portion of coins than to lose it all, that's all I'm going to say."
"Well, actually, I thought it would be impossible to do it without cheating. And like Jojora said, it was better to lose two thousand coins than five thousand coins. And before you start asking me why I know that, it's because the three of us were told so by the crew just before we started the game," winked the lady in red.
Donkey : If Jojora did it, it must mean that it was difficult, but come on ! Pauline was on the Ferris Wheel which was probably the easiest of them all !
"Well, I guess that explains it. Out of fifteen thousand coins, you won six thousand of them. Nice try !"
Challenge's Results :
Money Won : 15 000 – 5 000 – 2 000 x 2 = 6 000
Team Pot : 34 000 coins.
"We SUCK !" screamed Toad, frustrated. "If I remember correctly, in season one, they had already won forty five thousand coins and in season two, they had already won seventy one thousand coins ! We might as well put on dunce caps, symbols of our mediocrity."
Birdo rolled her eyes. "Right. As if you hadn't your part of responsibility in this fiasco. Remember that it's only episode two too !"
"Oh yeah, and we hid a balloon shaped as a Monty Mole in this very park. If you were to burst it, you would see that there's an exemption inside of it," smiled slyly the host.
It was Pauline's turn to be aggravated. "Oh come on ! Are you kidding me ? I gave this balloon to a little girl who was leaving the park ! Well, talk about a failure !"
"Well, excuuuuse-me, princess. Anyway, you won't have dinner in a hotel tonight, so eat something while you're here. Oh, and tonight, we have our second execution quiz. Will you be a strategist, trying to gather as much information as you can, or will you be a dilettante, having the time of your life in this amusement park ? This is up to you ! Later !"
Pauline was the first one to leave. "Well, I'm sorry, but I have to find the bathroom ! See you later guys !" She ran out at a fast pace. The others were left puzzled by her sudden urge to go to the restroom, while Monty Mole chuckled to himself.
"What is it you wish to say, dear host ?" asked Bootler, confused about Monty Mole's behavior. Monty Mole never said a thing. Instead, he directed them with his eyes to a nearby sign, indicating something very interesting.
The bathroom was at the opposite direction to the one Pauline took. Immediately, realization spread out on the players' faces. "Oh, the little weasel !" yelled Donkey. "Everyone, after her ! She went after the exemption !"
On the side, Mario, Flurrie and Monty Mole were seen chuckling. "Well, I never said anything, so you can't say that I alluded to something nor that I influenced them."
Flurrie giggled. "You really are a sly one, aren't you ?"
"Heh, I try my best."
…
Donkey, Jojora, Noki, Birdo, Bootler and Toad were chasing after Pauline, but soon enough, they realize that it was useless. That was before Noki had located her.
"Look, she's here !" yelled Noki with all her might, which was not too much considering her petite nature.
"Where ?" roared Donkey. "Crap, we're too late ! She has the mole balloon !"
"Tough luck guys !" she called when she heard them. She then proceeded to take her high-heel in her hand and burst the balloon with its help. A green card fell onto the ground, green card that Pauline picked from the ground.
"Oh well, it was well-played on her part," applauded Birdo.
"Indeed," Bootler conceded. "What shall we do now though ?" he asked at no one in particular. Just then Mario and Flurrie caught up with the seven of them. "Should we talk about the game or should we enjoy ourselves ?" Nobody had the answer.
"Well, if you don't mind, I think that me and-" Donkey was abruptly cut off by Noki.
"I know what we could do !" she exclaimed. "Let's all take a photograph right here, right now ! After that I'll leave you alone, but please, let's take a picture ! Too bad Kooper isn't here anymore though..."
Jojora looked at Donkey, who shrugged. "Well, it seems that nobody is against it, so why not ?"
Jojora : We decided to play the nice guys, you know. Plus a photograph won't kill us.
Surprisingly, everyone complied to Noki's request, and they took a picture of themselves...together. Needless to say, Noki was the happiest of the group at this very moment.
"Well, why wouldn't we grab something to eat girls ? I'm starving !" suggested Birdo. Flurrie let out a chuckle.
"Why not, it would be great," graciously declared the cloud spirit.
The three girls left, and so were going to Pauline, Toad and Bootler, before Mario called for them. "Would you mind waiting here for a bit please ? We have something to ask you about..."
Bootler raised an eyebrow. "Seeing as you waited for the three girls to depart, I suppose it is about one of them. Am I wrong ?"
"No you aren't. Listen," started Jojora. "Flurrie hogs all of the exemptions. Donkey and I want her gone, because while she takes her precious things, she makes us lose more money."
"Well, who's to say that it will continue like this ?" smartly spoke Toad. "And let's suppose that she's gone... Also, who's to say that you won't be the one to take the exemption ? You know, I won't be part of your plan unless you give us good reasons to do so."
"Fine. Bootler, did you listen to what she said this morning about you ? She considers you as a threat. I think that you got my point, right ? If she wants you out, she'll try to give you false information so it would be only logical to do the same to her... Or at least, not to say her anything useful."
"I would rather not do it, but you are right," Bootler sighed, defeated. "I hope I will not regret this."
Donkey waved his finger around. "We just want you not to give her any useful information. You can still talk to her if you wish to."
"As for me, I'm already in," continued Mario. Pauline gasped.
"Since when ?"
"Since they asked me, duh." Pauline tapped her feet impatiently against the ground. "Okay, since the previous challenge !"
Jojora thought of something. "It's just for the next episode, you know. If she isn't gone by the third episode, we stop this little coalition of ours. Oh, and if you join, we will share the information we acquired with you for both this episode and the next one. Is that a deal ?"
Pauline and Toad looked at each other before nodding. "We have a deal," they proclaimed at the same time. Jojora added one last thing.
Toad : I wasn't particularly happy to make a deal like this, but oh well... It will definitely help my chances, should I make it to the next episode.
"And, assuming that she leaves the game during episode three... That will mean that we will all be safe for another episode ! Isn't that great ?"
Mario laughed. "Oh yeah, I had totally forgotten about this when you asked me the first time. But it's true, and it's another reason to join."
"What do we do now ?" asked Toad. "We talk about the game or...?"
Donkey shook his head. "Let's talk later, when we eat, for example. The girls already left to grab a little something to eat, so we know that they won't show up later. Unless they're pigs, of course. Let's meet up here in...two hours, okay ?" Everyone nodded and went to do whatever they wanted to do.
…
Birdo, Noki and Flurrie made their way to the only restaurant of Toad's Midway Madness, like they had said before. The three of them were laughing between each other, having a good time. However, two of them could not help but to be anxious about the upcoming quiz. With three people having an exemption out of nine, it lowered their chance to make it to the next episode by a third. And that was only if the Mole hadn't won an exemption during this episode.
Flurrie floated to a nearby comfy chair and sat down. "I hope that we'll all make it to the next round girls !" Birdo smiled.
"As we do Flurrie, as we do... I wonder if the others are having a good time out there... Too bad everyone doesn't get along with everyone or we could have stayed together," sighed Noki.
"Well I doubt that we all like the same things. We wouldn't have stayed together anyway, even if Donkey and I had liked each other," She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he thinks of me as an exemption whore. But whatever, it's not like his opinion mattered to me."
"Still, it would improve our collaborative work so much ! Oh well, you can't force people, can you ?" shrugged Birdo.
"Yeah, that's sad really..."
"Well, now that we're talking about collaborative work, how about we try to piece things together ? I say us three to the final four !"
"Huh ? Why not to the final three ?"
"Mmh, hello Birdo, what about the Mole ?" reminded her Noki. Birdo hit her forehead.
"Gosh, I can be so slow sometimes !" she laughed. Flurrie and Noki glanced at one another for a brief time, then shrugged it off.
"Well, who is the most suspicious player, as of now ?" asked Flurrie.
"In my eyes, I would definitely say either Donkey Kong or Pauline," answered Birdo. "Sometimes, the obvious answer is the right one."
Noki put her finger to her mouth. "That's hard to say, with all the sabotages that have occurred since the beginning of the game... I'm suspecting the quiet characters, like Toad and Bootler. Toad failed quite a few time already, as did Bootler. The later one, though... Well, I don't know really. My gut instinct tells me to go with Bootler, but I'm not dumb enough to based my answers on a single player."
"You know what's funny ? Nobody considers that Mario could be the Mole. Same with Jojora. But Jojora is more than a suspect in this story. Anyway, when Toad didn't find his letters a few hours ago... Mario still managed to figure out a word, and strangely it wasn't the right one."
Noki looked at Birdo a few seconds. "You're right ! But what would you have done in his place ?"
Flurrie nodded. "Exactly, you would have done the same. But that's because you are not the Mole. I honestly think his mistake was an awesome cover..."
Birdo held her head in her hands. "What I wouldn't do to have a clue right now... This is so confusing... We'll all have what we deserve in the end, so best of luck to the three of us."
Noki : Three people have an exemption... I have to answer my quiz quickly and efficiently. Oh please, make it work ! I don't want to be eliminated tonight.
…
Flurrie, Donkey, Noki, Bootler, Birdo, Toad, Pauline, Mario, Jojora. The nine of them met up with their host, later this night, near the Rockets, an attraction which involved...rockets. It was time for them to take their second quiz.
"I wish success to all of you. May the most knowledgeable player emerge at top !"
1. Did the Mole win an exemption during this episode ?
-Yes
-No
Toad : I guess I'll go with the 'No' on that question, since you know, five players didn't receive an exemption. We're all really stressed for this quiz... Three players having an exemption ? That's huuuge... And that's risky for the other ones, above all.
2. The Mole is...
-Male
-Female
Pauline : Well, even if I don't really care for my results on this questionnaire, I still need to think about it. For now, I think the Mole is a female, just for the reason that females make better Moles than men. What ? I'm not sexist, just realistic, we are by far weaker than men, so we can take advantage of that weakness and make it look like it's impossible for us to do physical stuff while we actually can.
3. During the first mission of this episode, the Mole was part of...
-The Twenty Thousand Bucks Under The Sheep group
-The Floral Composition group
Mario : Even if our group was the one which succeed, as opposed to the Sheep group, I can't shake the feeling that the Mole could have been on ours. There were way too many things which happened. Pauline and Bootler discussing calmly and not helping me ? Very strange. Noki leaving the windmill to give water to Birdo ? Super duper suspicious. Birdo could have simply stopped running before she came back, because she took a while... Overall, Birdo is just plain suspicious.
4. During the Floral Composition challenge, what was the role of the Mole ?
-Smart One
-People who are good at following orders
-Individual who thinks they need to suffer to be beautiful
-The Mole wasn't part of this group
Bootler : I talked to everyone before the quiz, apparently, they are either going for Birdo, Donkey, Pauline, Noki, Flurrie or Toad. I think you get the picture. Nobody here knows who the Mole is. Except for the Mole but that is obvious. I think I have a fair chance at surviving this episode, so I will not let it go to a waste.
5. When Monty Mole asked the players who they wanted to be eliminated, who did the Mole pick ?
-Mario
-Flurrie
-Donkey
-Jojora
-Noki
-Bootler
Donkey : Toad appears as the most innocent of us all, but when you look at it closely, you notice that he actually has screwed up quite a bit. Mostly during the second episode though, that's why I'm not too sure about him.
6. Did the Mole cheat during the Split Homework challenge ?
-Yes
-No
Flurrie : When you think about it it was really suspicious of Pauline and Jojora. I don't know how long was their ride, because they strangely didn't want to tell me, but I highly doubt that they had to sabotage. They could have tried to memorize them... Cheating is a suspicious move, at least for me.
7. During the Split Homework challenge, what was the role of the Mole ?
-Person who likes to be the center of attention
-Person who has keen eyes
-Person for who school brings back memories
Jojora : Come on. Donkey told me that Noki was right from the beginning to the end. He also told me that she was almost always the first one to come up with a response, and that only a few seconds after the host had asked it to her ! If that's not suspicious, then I don't know what it is.
8. During the Split Homework challenge, when did the Mole fail at answering questions ?
-They failed first
-They failed second
-They failed third
-They failed fourth
-They never failed
-They were doing something else
Birdo : Okay, I know I didn't do great during that challenge, but I'm not the Mole ! Donkey on the other hand could very well be the Mole. For a guy who acts tough, he sure does crumble under the tiniest effort.
9. What is the Mole's Journal number ?
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
-8
-9
-10
Noki : Tonight, I chose to divide my answers on three different people. Let's hope that it works, for I am totally clueless about the Mole's identity. Hopefully, we'll get a clue soon. I took this questionnaire really fast, so maybe I'll stand a chance...
10. Who is the Mole ?
-Mario
-Bootler
-Donkey
-Toad
-Noki
-Jojora
-Birdo
-Pauline
-Flurrie
…
The nine remaining players all took a seat on a different nacelle of the Ferris Wheel. Monty Mole was situated below them, on the ground. Before Pauline, Mario and Flurrie entered their own nacelle, he asked for their exemptions, in order to put them in the device when their names would be called.
If the players had looked up to the sky, they could have seen an endless starry night, one of those who are the most beautiful. "Players, welcome to your second execution. As you all know it, the player who scored the lowest on the questionnaire you took earlier, will leave the game. In case of a tie, the player who was the slowest is executed. It wasn't the case tonight, but I thought it would be nice to say it another time. Let's begin now... Who wishes to start ?"
One hand was held up in the air. The Ferris Wheel turned until the volunteer was at the top.
"Bootler," stated the host, his voice booming.
B-O-O-T-L-E-R
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
A green light shone upon Bootler, which startled him. Needless to say, he was rather relieved.
"Well, since nobody wants to volunteer... Pauline." Monty Mole passed her exemption card into the device.
P-A-U-L-I-N-E
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
Another green light shone upon another player, who wore a content smile on her face.
"Flurrie." Once again, Monty Mole used her exemption card. Flurrie moved to the top of the Ferris Wheel, waiting for the green light to appear.
F-L-U-R-R-I-E
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
"Mario." The host used the final exemption of this round and Mario's nacelle moved to the top of the attraction.
M-A-R-I-O
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
A tiny hand rose from a particular nacelle. Monty Mole noticed it and entered the volunteer's name. "Toad."
T-O-A-D
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
Toad let out a deep sigh, thanking the stars to be here for another episode. Jojora chose to go next.
"Jojora," smiled the host.
J-O-J-O-R-A
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
She only nodded, illuminated by a green light. Only three players were remaining. The host entered Noki's name in the computer as she moved to the top of the attraction. "Noki !" he exclaimed seriously. She was shivering.
N-O-K-I
…
…
…
…
…
GREEN
She let out a small cry of joy, but quickly regained her composure. Tonight, either Birdo or Donkey would be going home. They looked at each other mentally hoping that the person they were watching would be the one who would go.
"Donkey."
D-O-N-K-E-Y
…
…
…
…
…
RED
A red light engulfed his nacelle. The big ape's time into the game was over. Birdo watched him depart with Monty Mole, sad to see him go.
"Donkey, we must leave the game immediately. I'm sorry, you are the second victim of the Mole..."
"It's okay... Good luck everyone ! And you too Jojora ! I'm rooting for you !"
Donkey and Monty Mole left, leaving the players in a state of shock. "You mean that he wasn't the Mole ? In spite of all his sabotage ? That's crazy. I'm glad I didn't entirely vote for him though," commented Mario.
"I knew he wasn't the Mole," declared Jojora. "That's bullshit, he should still be here instead of someone... I can't believe it." She was angry at something or someone, apparently.
Flurrie sighed. "Maybe that's why he wanted me to be gone. Maybe he would have won the exemption if I hadn't taken it..."
"Overall, that's a pretty sad execution... I'm glad it wasn't me, but I feel bad for him, now that I know that he was a genuine player. Unfortunately, one of us had to go... That's the game after all !" Birdo exclaimed.
"With Donkey's execution, I think the game will go more smoothly than before, but at the same time we lost a strong player who was doing his best throughout the game. This game is like hanging on to a tightrope, you never know when you will fall," finished Noki.
…
"I know that we weren't always agreeing, but we'll miss you Donkey."
"Yeah, me too..." Donkey trailed off. "I know that I can come as an arrogant idiot, but I really don't mean all of what I said. most of the time I was just stressed out because I didn't know who the Mole was, and it was getting to my nerves... That and I was pissed off at Flurrie, because you know, I was really trying my best and she didn't care for our work... I'm pretty disappointed with myself, I thought I could have gone further into the game, but here I am, standing as the second victim of the Mole."
Monty Mole smiled truthfully. "Well I'm sure the others will miss too, in one way or another. What was your favorite part of the game ?"
Donkey did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a few steps towards his taxi.
"Maybe there wasn't. Maybe the game itself was my favorite part of it. Well, I think I should go. Bye."
"Take care Donkey !" shouted the host as Donkey's taxi was speeding off in the distance.
Monty Mole turned to the camera... "Seven players and a Traitor remain into the game... Who will be eliminated next ? Who shall emerge victorious of this glorious adventure that is the Mole ? And just who is the Mole ? Stay tuned for the next episode of 'The Mole : Festive Saboteur !'..."
There you go ! This players was the second victim of the Mole ! ^^
I hope you liked this chapter. ^^
Next time, we'll see how greedy the players can become, and blackmailing issues will arise. ^^' XD
As always, it would be really appreciated if you left a review with your favorite players, top suspects and everything. ^^