Raccoon : Thanks for your review ! ^^ I actually listed Birdo and Donkey Kong randomly, because there aren't many stories in which they are put as the main characters. ^^' Do you think I should remove their names ?
Arrowson : Thanks for your comment, I hope you'll like the rest of the story as well ! ^^
Ice Empoleon : Actually, I thought there would be five chapters... But I kind of didn't know what to write, also, they had already played in two missions, so I didn't want them to have the possibility to win more money (my planning skills are so bad that I don't even know how much money the will have the possibility to have won at the end of the game). Anyway, I really like your comments, they are very complete, I think. ^^ Thank you, once again. And actually, only two persons voted for the Mole poll. Pauline and Noki both got one vote. ^^''''
Previously on the Mole, the players had to make a videotape of a song that Birdo would have to sing. While they were doing great, some major sabotage occurred, the most important one so far : someone deleted the data of the music that Toad had created, leaving the little group in trouble. Ultimately, they only earned six thousand coins, meaning that the team pot now stands at ninety nine thousand coins. After their pitiful performance, the players, accompanied by their loved ones, discussed strategy and exchanged information because the fourth quiz was coming soon. This time, another unlucky player got the boot : Pauline was the fourth victim of the Mole, leaving some players speechless. Only five genuine players remain, who will be eliminated next?
First name : Birdo
Surname : Ribbon
Birthday : May 15
Job : Fashion Designer
First name : Bootler
Surname : Majordome
Birthday : September 6
Job : Butler
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 : Mario
Surname : Mario
Birthday : January 22
Job : Plumber
16 : Chance Time!
That morning, only six players woke up and went out of their room. The loved ones had been transported to their home, and with Pauline gone, their number was cut short. The players had now all made it past the halfway point and were quite satisfied with themselves, although one of them was not striving for victory. That individual was the mysterious Mole who was responsible of the departure of Kooper, Donkey, Flurrie and Pauline. Henceforth, it is crucial for them to pay attention to everything, including the least significant detail.
Jojora : Making it to the final six isn't an achievement for me. I'm going all the way to the final, if everything goes as planned. As far as I know, the game's going pretty smoothly for me, I see no reason why that would change.
Toad : Pauline is gone, meaning that all this time I was relying on my luck. I'm glad I made it to another round, but I really need to step up my game. Players like Jojora and Bootler won't wait for me to catch up on them after all.
Noki : Sometimes, I think that I stole the spot of some players... Like Flurrie, for example... I can't stop to think that maybe there is a possibility that she knew that I was going home and that she saved me from my fate. I have no idea as to who the Mole can be... It's episode five, you would think that I have at least one tiny idea, but I don't. I'm really desperate right now... If only there was an efficient way to make it to the end with Birdo and the Mole, that would be perfect.
Mario : Well, Pauline's gone. I'll miss her, sure, but it's the game. Anyone could have been eliminated. And I'd rather have Pauline eliminated than Birdo, who is my prime suspect, Jojora, who is my coalition partner, or myself. To be honest, I'm still shaky about Birdo. I don't really find her consistent. One time she will do incredible things, and the other time she will screw up pretty badly, which is kind of annoying because you can't read her.
Birdo : Awesome, I made it to episode five! Really, I'm glad I'm still here today, this game is so interesting! Some players are more suspicious than others, but I'm still not picking a Mole. I think that that would be suicide at this point of the game. I'd rather continue into the game thanks to the mistakes of the others than going home because of my mistakes.
Bootler : I now have a vague idea as to who the Mole can be, but I am not saying anything. From now on, I will take my time during the quizzes, because it is rather useless to answer them promptly if you forget some things in the process. That is my opinion and I am sure that my fellow competitors do not think the same, but as the saying goes, 'slow and steady wins the race'. I will see for myself if that is true.
That morning, the players were told to stay in the hotel until Monty Mole arrived, so nothing of a real importance was going on in the lounge. The players were all relaxed and delighted to see that they were still in the game, and although Pauline's presence was missed, they were not dwelling on the past.
Mario was reviewing his journal and jotting down his feelings on the recent elimination when he heard the bang of a door. He jolted up from his position and smiled, noticing that the host was standing in the half-opened door. "Hello Monty! How are you?" he greeted warmly.
"Greetings everyone!" exclaimed Monty Mole. "Well, first of all, I wanted to congratulate you for having made it this far into the game. You will now enter the second half of the game, and let me tell you that it will be even more difficult than before. The first four episodes were a walk in the park compared to this."
"Yeah, I concur," agreed Jojora. "Seriously I thought this game would be a little more challenging. But I guess it's still okay."
"I'm glad that you enjoy it in your own way, Jojora. Anyway, here's your first mini-challenge which will have an influence on who will make it to the next episode. Yes, your heard me right, this mini-challenge will involve...an exemption," the host announced dramatically.
"Do you mean, there's an exemption at stake?" questioned Noki, concerned by the sudden change of attitude of her comrades.
"Yes, that is exactly what I meant. You will have thirty minutes to try to win twenty thousand coins and one of the three exemptions of this episode. That does sound attractive, doesn't it?" he asked slyly.
"Okay, give us the rules please, I kind of want to play," demanded Birdo in an excited tone.
Toad nodded slowly, skeptical. "Yeah, I'm kind of interested myself...even if something tells me that I won't like your explanation."
"I called this challenge 'Exemption Roulette'. You will have half an hour to tell me the names of four players. At the end of the episode, I will spin a wheel, and whoever is designated by the wheel will win the exemption. If you can reach a decision before your time limit is over, twenty thousand coins will be added to your pot. However, if you do not succeed in reaching a decision, there will be no money and no exemption. The six of you must agree on a list of four persons, otherwise you lose. Was I clear enough?" questioned the host.
"Yes, very clear," confirmed Bootler, anxious about that challenge. Everyone eyed each other warily, not knowing how they would proceed.
Monty Mole nodded to himself. "You have thirty minutes, starting now."
Immediately Mario spoke up. "Do we really want to risk doing this challenge? An exemption is vital at this point of the game, and I'm not really sure Lady Luck's on everyone's side."
Birdo : Right after the challenge had begun, Mario tried to convince us that the risk wasn't worth it and that we shouldn't take our chance since it all comes down to who's the most lucky in the end. He did have a point, but what about the twenty thousand coins? That's not something you can overlook so easily.
"Hello Mario, twenty thousand coins at stake!" waved Toad, as if he was trying to make Mario realize what he had just said. "Just so you know, I won't hesitate to throw the challenge if you don't choose me to be one of the four contestants that will possibly win the exemption."
"Wait, what?" asked Jojora suspiciously.
"Is he trying to pull a Jojora?" inquired Birdo, making everyone laugh. Toad frowned.
"I'm dead serious. When Monty Mole will ask us who we want to nominate to have a chance at winning an exemption, I will say my name first, so you will be forced to follow suit or we'll lose. That's as simple as that. Sorry guys, but I need to secure my spot for the next round," apologized Toad, a hint of regret in his voice.
"And they say I'm forceful," stressed Jojora, shrugging. "You already sacrificed twenty thousand coins for your previous exemption, isn't that enough?"
"So what? It was during episode three. We're now at episode five. Do the maths, if I took an exemption back then, I'll obviously try to take one now too!" retorted the mushroom. "And don't tell me that you didn't intend to do the same, because everyone will know that you're lying."
"I was actually going to make a list. So far, Mario, Bootler and Toad won an exemption. Birdo won a plus one. And Noki and I won nothing. I think we both deserve one spot on the list," explained Jojora, cautious of the wording of her sentence.
"Huh? You don't deserve anything. Noki does, but you don't," cut in Birdo. "You sabotaged more missions than anyone here, so you shouldn't deserve a thing."
"Oh? That's funny coming from your mouth. As far as I know, you were the one that made us lose money last episode when you sacrificed money for your plus one and you were the one that didn't learn the lyrics of the song even though you had tons of time to do it!" snapped Jojora.
"Hmm, you know, I'd be glad to accept your offer, Jojora," piped in Noki. "Thank you for your concern about my safety!" she added, cunningly. "Is that okay with you guys?"
"Well... As much as it kills me to say that, you did help us many times in the past, so I guess we could let you have a chance," answered Mario.
Bootler : This challenge was definitely a difficult one, because it was evident, in my eyes, that nobody wanted to pass on such an opportunity. I also found Toad rather forceful. His actions during that challenge had me raise an eyebrow. Thankfully, Jojora did not push the point and let him do what he wanted.
"So, there are two other spots, and so little time left," remarked Noki. "You might want to hurry up a little, I'll agree with whatever choice you guys will make."
"Fine!" gave in Jojora. "You guys leave me with no choice. I was going to be nice for once, but I guess that you're way too stubborn to see my point, so I'll make a deal with you. It's simple, really. I will do like Noki and agree with whatever decision you all make. But, should my name be absent of your list, I guarantee you that the next exemption will be mine, even if it costs fifty thousand coins to the team. However, if you are inclined to let my name figure on that little list of yours, I guarantee you that I will not take any other exemption during this round. So... What do you guys think?"
Noki : Jojora is an ambiguous person. By that, I mean that she can be extremely devious at times as well as a formidable opponent. Now, the question is : is she the Mole, or an extremely dangerous yet genuine player? I would have to say that, although my heart is torn between the two, the first possibility is more likely to be true...
"One spot left and three of us remain," sighed Mario. Bootler was not saying a thing.
"What's happening Bootler? Did you lose your tongue or something?" teased him Birdo.
Bootler shook his head. "I see no reason to argue my point. I already had an exemption before... You did not. To me, it is an open and close case. What do you think, Mario?"
"Fine, I guess..."
Mario : Needless to say, I wasn't very pleased with how the challenge ended. It didn't turn out well in my opinion. Two players blackmailed us and one player didn't deserve to have yet another advantage. I think that only Noki has her place on the list. Hopefully, she wins this exemption.
"Well, if you are finished... Toad, who did you choose?"
"Myself, Noki, Birdo and Jojora."
"Noki?"
"Toad, Jojora, Birdo and me."
"Jojora?"
"Toad, Jojora, Birdo and Noki."
"Birdo?"
"Me, Noki, Toad and Jojora, unfortunately..."
"Bootler?"
"Noki, Toad, Birdo and Jojora.
"Last but not least, Mario?"
"Noki, Toad, Jojora and...Birdo."
Monty Mole chuckled. "Well, well, well, all begins well that ends well, right? Congratulations, you added twenty thousand coins into the pot! You finally passed the one hundred thousand coins mark, bravo!"
Challenge's Results :
Money Won : 20 000
Team Pot : 119 000 coins
The players clapped, some being more hypocritical than others. Once the clapping died down a little, Monty Mole pursued. "Another challenge awaits you this afternoon, so relax a little for the time being and see you soon!" Monty waved goodbye and ran outside of the hotel.
Jojora took her journal. "I can't say that I've written many things in it... Thankfully, this challenge was not uneventful," she whispered to herself.
Jojora : There were definitely suspicious behaviors. For Toad to pull off such a trick was pretty strange. But we can't forget Birdo who was trying to make us lose time, Mario who didn't want to win the challenge and Noki and Bootler who just agreed with everyone and didn't try to give much input on the situation...
Bootler : The play-style of everyone's favorite sculptor becomes stranger as the time goes... She just does not seem to play fairly and always has her way, through blackmail or shady deals . Mario was the only one who could reason her, but somehow, he stopped doing that. I think that they are in a coalition, despite the fact that Jojora is a manipulator. Everyone seems to disregard her as the Mole, because she is too obvious but I find their argument invalid. Everyone can be the Mole.
Toad : I think I noticed a bit of hesitation in Mario's voice... Maybe he was still weighing the pros and cons of his action? I thought it was suspicious.
Birdo and Noki were chatting animatedly in the sofa, watching a funny comedy on television while the other four were just talking and exchanging impressions. It suddenly changed when Toad located an envelope lying on the floor. He bent and picked it up. A mildly interested Mario looked at his discovery over his shoulder.
"What do we have here?" he inquired, smelling that something good was inside the envelope.
Toad shrugged. "I don't know, should we open it? I think it fell from Monty's pocket..."
"So you saw it falling from his pocket?" frowned Mario. Toad shook his head negatively.
"No, I just assumed that he lost it. It wasn't here before his arrival, remember?" recalled Toad. "It shouldn't change anything anyway. Do we open it or what?" he questioned impatiently.
Jojora, who was spying on their conversation, approached the duo. "I think we shouldn't. Do you remember what happened to Kooper last time he did something he hadn't been told to?"
"I suppose you're right. Maybe I should leave it here," trailed Toad.
"Hmmm... I think you should hide it somewhere. Like, under the cushions of the sofa..." Toad immediately hid the envelope and resumed his activities.
…
Later, the players went out of the Hotel they had been in and noted that Monty Mole was waiting for them. They made their way hurriedly toward him and quickly apologized for their lateness. Monty chuckled and told them that it was nothing and that they should get a move on because their next challenge awaited them.
"Hmm... Will we have to wear strange clothes, once again?" asked Noki to the host.
Monty Mole sighed. "Unfortunately, no. It wouldn't be practical otherwise." Cheers could be heard near them.
"How I loathed the costume we had to wear," remembered Bootler, happy to know that he would be free of them during this challenge. "Say, where are we going exactly?"
"You'll see when we arrive," responded Monty Mole.
The seven individuals arrived to the gigantic gates and were surprised to see that one again, Monty Mole made them go through Gate Eight. "Well, this place is becoming more and more familiar as the time goes," laughed Birdo.
"Oh well, you'll see more of Gate Eight in the future, trust me," chimed in the host. Jojora raised an eyebrow.
"Hopefully, we'll get to see many other things during our time in this show," hinted Mario.
"As long as it doesn't involve us wearing carnival clothes, I'm fine with it," shrugged Toad. Monty Mole pointed to a warp pipe.
"We'll take this one if you don't mind."
Noki smiled. "We've never been into this pipe, so that means..."
"New location!" cheered Birdo excitedly.
Their host said no more as he entered into the warp pipe which stood before them. One after another, the players went inside and traveled to a new place which would test their strength, their intelligence, their dexterity and most of all, their loyalty to the team.
…
"Oh, I love this place!" grinned Bootler, in a rare moment of excitement. "It looks exactly like the Boo Mansion!" he smiled to himself.
The players discovered a replica of Boo Mansion when they had gone out of the warp pipe they had been in seconds ago. Most of them were not particularly joyful, but then again, King Boo's Mansion was not a heavenly location, except for Bootler who felt as if it was his home. Birdo looked disgusted.
"Ugh, this mansion stinks... It's dirty as well as ugly. Hopefully the challenge will be a quick one," she hoped sincerely.
Noki agreed. "I don't feel so well around such a repulsive place."
Monty Mole ignored them. "Please follow me." They followed a path which led to the gloomy mansion and stopped when they saw strange harnesses labeled with their names. "Would you be so kind as to take the harness on which your name is written... It would be much appreciated."
Each player took a harness and put it on, some with more difficulties than others, but they eventually succeeded in a matter of minutes.
"Now, put on these glasses, please." A few seconds later, he continued. "This mission is called 'Mansion Nightmare'. You will be able to win up to thirty thousand coins." The players rejoiced. "But! Because there is always a but. With these glasses and harnesses, the mansion which is naturally harmless, will be transformed in a dangerous place with many death traps. Don't worry, they are just illusions, you won't actually be killed."
"Thank goodness," Noki let out a sigh of relief.
"I doubt it would be good for the ratings if some of you died a gruesome death anyway. Where was I... Oh, yeah. Well, there are many traps in here, but they can easily be avoided if you have in your possession the envelope I 'accidentally' dropped this morning."
Toad glared at Jojora. "Thank you so much for your advice!"
Mario : Jojora was the one who told Toad to hide the envelope somewhere, and that's indeed suspicious because we could have had an easy time with the challenge... Could she be playing me? That may be a possibility...
Noki : I'm suspicious of Toad and Jojora. What was Toad's outburst all about, exactly? I think we need to do some investigating.
"Right," stressed Monty Mole. "Anyway, if you trigger a trap and fall right into it, a red light should emanate from your harness. That would mean that you're out and that the final sum you can add into the pot at the end of the challenge will suffer a loss of five thousand coins."
"Well, that's good and everything, but how do we actually win this challenge?" inquired Jojora.
"Simple. All you have to do is reach the room where King Boo awaits. Well, there are other twists, but it wouldn't be fun if I told you everything. Oh, yeah, another thing, when you are out, remove the glasses and you'll be transported here. So players who are still in the game should never take off their glasses. Do you understand?"
"I assume that it will not be easy at all, but at least, I can safely say that the rules of this challenge are not too hard to understand," declared Bootler calmly.
"Yeah, it's all good," confirmed Mario, wearing a confident grin on his face.
"Then, open the doors!" barked Monty Mole as the doors magically opened. Noki jumped a little but Bootler remarked smartly that some Boo must have been pushing them. After that the players enter the mansion and the door quickly shut.
…
Needless to say, the mansion's interior was very dark and only a few spots were illuminated by the dim light of some candles. Bootler did not mind the darkness, but it was quite different for the other players.
"Ow! Who stepped on my foot?" grumbled Birdo.
"Whoops, sorry!" apologized Mario. "I didn't see it."
"God, why can't we have some light? How are we supposed to make it through this maze without light?" asked a unnerved Toad.
Mario took a few steps. "We'll have to be careful not to trigger any trap." As he warned them, he stepped on a slab which triggered a trap. "Crap."
The room was suddenly filled with light and beamed of electricity. Everyone turned to Mario and sent him annoyed glares. "Now that mister hero over here headed right into danger, we have to be careful. I guess those lasers might cause us to be eliminated if we touch them, so don't take any risk, got it?" questioned Jojora.
"Yes, ma'am!" shouted the other five.
The six players maneuvered their way carefully over and under the electricity beams and managed to make it to the end of the room safe and sound. They now had a choice to make because they were offered the possibility to go to three rooms. "Hmmm, what do we do now? I mean, there are three rooms and we're six, so maybe we could split up?" suggested Noki.
"Splitting up might help us find where King Boo is located, but maybe the Mole will take that as an opportunity to sabotage," reminded them Bootler. "We should not play with fire."
Jojora rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the reminder, but we already knew that. Thing is, if we split up, we'll cover more ground, thus we'll win faster."
"Well, blabber all you want, but I'm not wasting time here, I'd rather look for King Boo or something else," Birdo announced slyly. She quickly reached for the handle of the door on the far right and pushed. Noki followed her and the two friends disappeared from the others' view.
Bootler : Birdo forced us to start the challenge, while it could have been easier to concert each other and to establish a strategy. I am not saying that it would have made a difference but I am sure that being impulsive is not the way to go.
"I guess it's settled then. I take this door!" exclaimed Toad, pointing at the door in the middle. "Who comes?"
"I imagine it will not kill me," shrugged Bootler.
That left Mario and Jojora with only one possibility. "Oh well, let's try our best!" tried Mario.
"I'd rather not try but win this game."
…
Noki and Birdo saw an endless straight path disappearing far far away from their position. They did not know what to do in the first place, and were startled to see that Bootler and Toad had joined them. "What are you doing here exactly? You thought we couldn't handle this alone or...?" questioned Noki.
"Not really. We didn't even take the same door as the both of you," Toad explained, confused at the whole thing. "I don't know, but maybe the paths are connected somehow?"
"That is a possibility, but let us not waste our time talking about that. We need to get going," motivated them Bootler.
"You can lead the way if you want," proposed Birdo.
"Don't mind if I do!" answered the mushroom.
He and Bootler took a few steps and let the girls behind them. However, as they progressed through the dark corridor, Bootler and Toad activated another trap. They froze at first, thinking that something bad was going to happen, but then they turned around and saw that a giant boulder was rolling toward them. They hastened and sought refuge in a recess of the wall which was on their right.
Noki : That was suspicious of them. We knew there were tons of traps in the mansion, but they paid no attention to the warnings... Sometimes, I wish people were more careful... Am I the only one who worries all the time?
"Aaaaaaah!" screamed Noki, trying hard not to trip while running away from the boulder which was closing on her and Birdo.
"Bootler, what do we do?" asked Toad, worried about the other two players.
"You should relax Toad. Or did you already forget that Monty Mole specifically told us that we would not be harmed by the traps of this mansion?" replied the ghost. Toad raised an eyebrow.
Toad : Sometimes, I think that young and old people can't understand each other...
"Hmm, I know that. The two of them represent ten thousand coins, I was worried about that," emphasized Toad.
Well, we obviously cannot save the two of them, but maybe we could pull the nearest one with us?" suggested the old Boo.
"Let's do this!" grinned Toad.
The two girls were a few feet away from them and did not seem to notice the two pairs of arms at the ready. Just as Birdo and Noki passed, Toad and Bootler quickly pulled one of them in the recess of the wall they were in.
"What the-" started Birdo, before being interrupted.
"We saved you and five thousand coins at the same time," summed up Toad.
Birdo was angry at them. "And you couldn't help Noki because...?"
"As much as we would have wanted to help her as well, we just could not. We would have been flattened by the boulder. Not to mention that fifteen thousand coins would have been lost," explained thoroughly Bootler to the pink dinosaur.
"Sorry, I wasn't being rational. Hopefully, Noki managed to escape," concluded Birdo.
…
As for Mario and Jojora, they were in a pitch black room. They were advancing carefully, hoping not to trigger any trap. When they reached the middle of the room, an eerie music came to their ears, making them shudder in fright.
"Monty sure does know how to mess with our heads. Thankfully, we're not in a near death situation," sighed Mario, happy to be in a game.
"Hum, Mario, why are you pushing me?" inquired Jojora impatiently. "I thought we agreed to do this one calmly?"
"What are you talking about? You are pushing me!" retorted Mario, confused at the whole situation.
"Wait! The wall! It's closing on us!" shouted Jojora, panicked.
"Crap!" yelled Mario running straight for the wall he was facing and touching it, to feel a door or a handle. Jojora did the same but started at the opposing end. "I've got it!" he cried. Mario opened the door and dived in the next room. However, Jojora could not reach the door in time and ultimately got flattened between the walls.
"Sorry Mario!" she shouted just before she was transported outside of the mansion.
"Heeheehee... Jojora has been deleted permanently from my mansion... How well will the five of you fare?" A frightening voice asked, coming out of hidden speakers.
"I don't know," mumbled Mario to himself, "I don't know."