Krisetchers : Thank you for your review! And yes Mario's Rainbow Castle is just magical. Above the clouds, with the best soundtrack of Mario Party 1 and everything. It would be my favorite adventure board if Bowser didn't steal 40 coins from you each time you passed before him.
Krisetchers (2) : I'm glad you were fooled, lol! I mean, it's really cool when we find out who the Mole is before they are revealed, but it's even better to be fooled, because then you're telling yourself : 'The Mole got me good.'. As for the Donkey and Birdo, it was more random than anything, but I knew it would confuse people so I let it. XD
Krisetchers (3 & 4) : Yeah, I knew I had to make a reference to that, I mean, the weird logic of the Marioverse makes it possible for Mario (and Luigi too) to get rid of Boo which are supposedly already dead, lol. And yes, MacBallyhoo as an art critic was a cameo. I made another one to your second story before, I think. But it wasn't that visible. Thanks for your reviews! ^^
PrincessRosalinaFanboy : Thank you for your review and thanks, it's really kind of you to say that. ^^ And no, Monty Mole would definitely be a good player, so I understand why you would like him! ^^ As for Noki, I can understand why you wouldn't like her attitude. I briefly alluded to the reason why she was so defensive in this chapter. And Kamek is cool as a character. I miss Birdo and Toadette though. And yes, Yellow Toad is... Well, hnestly I don't really care but they could have at least put BLUE Toad as a host. I mean, Blue is way better than Yellow. *gets lynched*
PrincessRosalinaFanboy (2) : I really don't mind multiple reviews, I sometimes do this too so yeah... XD Actually, it's not the Horse-drawn carriage challenge and I don't know what's the Library Game... I mean, the horse-drawn carriage challenge was cool, but I don't really want to be seen as a leech wo would take other people's idea all the time. I already took the 3 questions game, and I asked Krisetchers if I could do things like he did, so that would be too much if I was taking this challenge too. Thanks for your review!
Shilo Burbans : Thanks for your review! Sorry for Jojora, but people only started to like her when I had finally decided that she wouldn't win, so yeah. Plus, she wasn't as suspicious as the other three. Looking at the reviews, I realized that nobody thought she was the Mole, so that was another reason to eliminate her. Though I'm glad you liked her too. ^^ I see that you're suspecting Noki the most, lol. I actually found a lot of clues pointing toward the Mole's identity in Kris' second story, but I kept on ignoring them. Or I would suspect the Mole for one chapter and change my mind all of a sudden. XD I see what you mean about innocence in this game, but the three remaining players all know who is the Mole, so they all have a shot at winning (except for the Mole). I liked Birdo too to be honest, but I knew she wouldn't get as far as I wanted her to go. In the initial draft, I think she was supposed to be executed before the sixth episode, but there were people that liked her so I kept her as long as I could. ^^ As for the next season, I'm also looking forward to it. Even if I don't know who will be the Mole (I have at least 7 candidates over 10, their personality offers many possibilities).
Krisetchers (5) : Yeah, as you said, Jojora was the 'villain'. She wasn't evil or bad, but she knew what she had to do in order to win the game. She wanted to make allies and not friends, though she kind of softened in the end. I'm glad you have an idea of the identity of the Mole, hopefully, you'll have guessed correctly! Thanks for your review!
Shilo Burbans (2) : Well, the last quiz is approaching rapidly, so you'll soon have your answers! ^^ Thanks for the review, by the way.
Previously on the Mole, the last three remaining players, Bootler, Noki and Toad were interviewed by the crew in a little building of Pipetown. After the three of them were finished with the interviews, they and Monty Mole returned to their own hotel to eat their usual meal. Shortly afterward, Monty Mole explained to the players that they were to partake in one of the final challenges, called the three questions game, at Grand Canal. Bootler was first to answer the three questions while Noki and Toad had to guess what was his responses. Noki and Toad did so, but they unfortunately did not manage to find Bootler who was hidden at the exact opposite of town, for they had completely failed the test. Once again, suspicions arose and another player was taken elsewhere, starting round two. Would the players even succeed in adding at least ten thousand coins to their team pot?
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
29 : Constant Interrogations
"And now, it's Noki's turn to partake in this funny game!" Monty Mole announced as the players laughed and rolled their eyes at the same time, annoyed by the host's attitude.
Monty Mole motioned for Noki to follow him, and she happily complied, trying her best to keep up with the speedy host, leaving both Bootler and Toad alone. The two coalition partners watched them until they disappeared, this time choosing to head toward a street located even more at the left of the town. It was then that Bootler decided Toad and him should have a conversation.
"So, now that it is only the two of us, would you mind telling me in greater detail what exactly happened?" the old butler asked, his mustache twitching slightly. Toad kept staring at the distance.
"To be honest, the questions were hard. And Noki didn't make them any easier," he sighed heavily.
Bootler raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I thought that you had picked her for the first two questions, because I have a loved one and she doesn't," Toad started as Bootler nodded, understanding clearly why Toad would think that. "But then, she got kind of angry I suppose, which was a bit out of character if you know what I mean. I guess I must have struck a sensible chord, because she suddenly told me that she didn't like the fact that I was calling her names." Bootler was about to open his mouth but Toad guessed what he would ask and responded in anticipation. "You know what the first two questions were, I don't think you need me to tell you what she said I implied."
"I see..."
"But to tell you the entire truth, I found it strange that we didn't even get one question right," Toad concluded.
Toad : Even I found it strange when it was revealed that Bootler had chosen Noki for the 'love' questions and me for the 'cowardice' one, even though I guessed correctly for the first two questions. It made absolutely no sense and I can't help but think that it could have been a sabotage on his part. But then again, maybe we really don't know each other's train of thought that much, or maybe we were just confused because it was the first time we had to answer offensive questions like those.
Bootler : When I was secluded from Noki and Toad, I could not hear their arguments, so clearly, I was obviously skeptical about what had truly happened. I knew that Toad would stay true to his words and stay loyal, that is for sure. However, he might have forgotten to mention something crucial unintentionally.
"I sure do hope that we will manage to answer Noki's questions correctly, although it might prove to be difficult, in view of the fact that we cannot use genders to determine what answer would be most likely the correct one," remarked the old Boo, patiently waiting for their host. He ran his hand into the clear water that was generated by the fountain, freshening himself.
"Yeah, especially when this strategy was a failure!" Toad laughed lightly, earning a smile from his friend.
…
At least a quarter of an hour after Monty Mole and Noki had departed, the former could be seen in the distance, jogging toward the waiting men. Surprisingly, Monty was not out of breath, which greatly impressed Bootler and even Toad, who would have never thought that the host could be so resourceful.
"Hello again, players!" the mole exclaimed cheerfully, staring at Bootler and Toad. "I sure hope you're ready for this, because round two starts about...now! Please follow me, we have to walk a short distance before arriving at our first junction," Monty directed gently, moving along the paved road. The players took that as their cue to start moving.
"I feel like I am melting," Bootler could not help but state. Toad glanced at him worriedly.
"We're not timed, we can rest if you're not feeling well," he proposed kindly. Monty Mole nodded behind him.
"Don't hesitate Bootler, we wouldn't want one of our finalist to miss on this grand finale, now, would we?"
"I am quite fine," Bootler reassured, fanning himself with his hand. "However, the weather is far too hot for my tastes. Let us go onward!" he shouted, suddenly regaining his vigor. Toad chuckled.
"You should have asked Lady Bow to lend you her fan when she was here, I'm sure she wouldn't have minded at all!" The group of three passed a shop which roof was a light blue. The three of them jumped on a medium-sized blue boat and escalated it to reach their first turn. Toad could see that near them was the place where he and Noki had been only moments ago.
"Oh no, he's preparing the questions of doom!" the mushroom yelled dramatically. Monty Mole smiled mysteriously, taking out a green card from his pocket. Bootler squinted his eyes to get a better look at it, but the host caught him.
"Caught in the act of cheating!" the host spoke loudly, giving a hard stare at the ghost. He waited a moment before laughing. "Just kidding, you wouldn't be able to cheat even if you wanted to."
Toad : Monty always likes to scare us and dramatize everything. He's a good host, alright, but sometimes I wish he weren't so mysterious. I mean, he's freaky sometimes.
"Well, I am ready for the question, so please ask it," Bootler demanded politely. Monty Mole nodded energetically.
"Very well. The first question Noki was asked was : 'Who would be more likely to hold a grudge over a petty, insignificant thing'? If you believe that Noki's answer was Bootler, we'll go straight ahead. However, if you think that Toad was her answer, we'll follow the path on our right. Your choice," Monty explained, once again.
"Oh my!" Bootler started, looking panicked for a second. He quickly regained his composure. "Well, I can tell that we will not have an easy time answering this question..."
Toad agreed, feeling a bit discontent. "I mean, come on! Why did Noki receive this question? We don't hold grudges. It's stupid and childlike."
Bootler : Well, now I can understand why it was so difficult for Noki and Toad to answer the first round of questions. With absolutely no way to know which criteria I used to answer each question, they were mostly guessing. Yes, this was a guessing game, we could not be one hundred percent sure we were right.
"If only we had a way to succeed easily in this challenge," Bootler muttered, racking his brains. "I wonder if we could use logic to get around this problem?" he pondered aloud.
"Hey! That's it Bootler! Noki and I tried to use logic during the first round, so in my opinion, she thought that we would process like this and predicted that we would go with the most logical answer!" Toad pumped his fist in the air cheerfully.
Bootler chuckled. "It is an assumption. However, this is the only clue we possess as of now. Let us try to use 'logic', although I fail to understand how it will help us for this question."
"Easy!" replied Toad. "We only have two answers possible, you and I. I can see two possible scenarios. One, Noki believes you are far too old to hold a grudge against someone and thus, she answered me. Two, Noki believes that in your long life, it's been possible for you to hold a grudge against someone, and thus answered you."
Bootler shook his head strongly. "Wait, Toad. Do you not think that you are interpreting the question?"
Toad had a quizzical look on his face. "Well, yes? We can't use logic if we don't try to understand the questions better. At least I think we can't..."
"You may be right, but you only base your reasoning on myself," Bootler pointed out. "There are two other possibilities. One, Noki thinks you are very forgiving in which case she would choose me. Two, Noki believes that you are not as forgiving as you let it seems, in which case she would choose you."
"So in the end, we have to find who she thinks is the most forgiving person between the two of us?" Toad asked, unsure.
Bootler nodded happily. "Yes. Also, I would personally think that she chose you for this question."
"Why?" Toad was puzzled. "I'm not a spiteful person."
"Oh, but I am far from saying that you are. Let me explain my case. Noki only knows you through this game, doesn't she?" Toad confirmed so Bootler carried on. "So far, in this game, I have been quite neutral and I have tried not to be involved in the fights that occurred. That and the fact that I have not been resentful at all are good reasons to believe that Noki has no reason to think I am more likely to hold grudges. Whereas you, Toad, have been in fights with Jojora. And you have also been vocal about the fact that you did not like the way she treated you."
"Alright, I see your point!" Toad grinned. "Let's go right, then!" he announced, leading the way.
Toad : Bootler is an extremely intelligent individual, he makes no mistake, he is the voice of reason, he is so smart that he can build very strong arguments with almost nothing, he has so many qualities that sometimes I wonder whether I'm falling in his trap... He once again showed that when it came to argumentation, he always had the upper hand. I have no doubt he's the one who deals the cards right now. Only thing to do is to hope I've the better hand...
Toad, Bootler and Monty Mole headed right and passed right where Noki and Toad had been a little earlier. They jumped onto the round platform which was usually swarming with Spiny and coins, and reached the other side of it, making their way toward the shop that had served as Noki's and Toad's second stop.
Monty Mole stopped in his tracks and turned toward the two male players, reaching for another green card. "Well, here you go, this is your second question. Earlier, Noki was asked this : 'Who would be more likely to take a peak at their female friends while they were bathing'? If you believe that Noki decided to go for Bootler, we'll cross the bridge. However, if you believe that Noki went with Toad, we'll go right. Feel free to think about this problem."
Bootler and Toad faced each other, uneasy. Evidently, neither one wanted to start the conversation. Finally, Bootler broke the silence. "Well, I believe we are both mature enough and respectable. As such, I also do believe that we would never do such a thing."
"I hate those questions," muttered Toad, frowning. He then tilted his head to the side. "Now, who did she choose? There's no way we're going to answer correctly."
"If you wish to hear my opinion, I would say that she chose you. People of my age tend not to do that. Besides, Noki would most likely think that an old Boo like me is far too respectable to look at his friends while they are bathing," he claimed, twirling his mustache around his fingers.
"Well, I don't know."
"But Toad, you have to realize that I am far too old for this," Bootler remarked.
Toad seemed to be thinking about the question. "As a Boo, you have far more possibilities than me to look at people while they wash. You could just turn invisible and nobody would find out what you did," noted the mushroom.
"Yes, that might be true, but the question is not : 'Who is more likely to look at their friend while they are bathing without getting caught?' Turning invisible has nothing to do with the question," Bootler pointed out smartly.
"Alright," Toad gave up, throwing his hands in the air. "Let's go with me, so right."
"Are you sure?" questioned the host, a sly smile on his lips.
"Sure, why not? I just hope she didn't put my name every time there was a negative answer," he replied.
Bootler stayed behind a little, shaking his head.
Bootler : I knew in my mind that Noki had obviously answered Toad for this one. It would have been immensely suspicious of her if she had not. So Toad's reluctance was puzzling me. Why would she think that I am more likely to do this because of my race? I am a Boo, not a voyeur.
The threesome decided to take the right path, jumping on the roof of two houses, before reaching the other side. "Well, this is certainly the most physical task we have ever been told to complete!" Bootler joked, panting.
"It doesn't compare to the 'Feet Versus Wheels' mission," Toad laughed. "That one was pretty epic."
Monty Mole and the players turned left and walked on a wood bridge, the cameraman behind them attracting attention. People began to clap for them, thinking they were celebrities. The trio chuckled heartily and waved back. Suddenly, Toad started to head toward the two houses he and Noki had reached before, only to be stopped immediately by the host.
"Wait Toad, this isn't our stop," Monty Mole declared, directing them toward their real final destination which was not that far away.
"Huh? We have to take a gondola?" Toad asked in disbelief, looking at the empty craft moving slightly on the water's surface.
"Why, this could be amusing," Bootler considered, eyeing the small boat.
"For you, it will. Not sure about Toad, though", Monty Mole grinned mischievously. Toad glanced at him, puzzled. "You and I will be rowing," finished the host. Bootler could not help but laugh as Toad groaned.
They jumped on board and set out toward two new houses. The ride was very short and uneventful, so it took them only seven minutes to get to their destination. In front of them were a pink house and an orange one.
"Well, here's your last question!" exclaimed the host suddenly. "For her third question, Noki was asked this : 'If you were dying and had only one more day to live, who would you rather spend your last day with'? If you think that Noki replied Bootler, then, knock on the left door. If you think that she replied Toad, then knock on the right door."
"So basically, the answer's the one she prefers?" Toad assumed, casting a look at the two doors. Bootler shook his head.
"I do not think this question is about who she prefers," Bootler disagreed.
"Well, I don't know how else we could answer this question."
"It is confusing, indeed."
"We should go with me," Toad decided. "I mean, she already answered two bad things about me, so maybe she would want to choose me for this one. Besides, I'm younger and livelier than you... Like literally, sorry for the bad pun."
Bootler frowned. "But would she not want to be reassured about the afterlife? If that was the case, I would be the best choice."
"No offense, but you don't want to see dead people when you're about to die. That would be just plain depressing," Toad retorted. "I mean, every time she'd look at you, she'd be reminded of her own death. Not to mention, I don't really think you have the same topics of conversation."
"Mmmh, you do have a point," Bootler nodded, rubbing his chin. "Well, let us give it a try. In her case, I believe we would not want an old Boo to keep us company. Monty, we decide to open the right door."
"Be my guests!"
Toad and Bootler knocked on the orange's house door and waited for Noki to answer. "Hopefully she's here!" hoped Toad.
"Unfortunately, that is not the case," Monty Mole replied. "Let's go back to our starting point, Noki will be brought back by someone else."
…
The players and Monty Mole took a shorter route to return to their starting point. There, they waited for Noki to come back for at least ten minutes before they could catch a glimpse of her. The petite girl made her way toward them, a knowing smile on her face.
"Hey guys!" she greeted when she finally could be heard. "I suppose you messed up somewhere, right?"
"Yes," Bootler confirmed. "Although I cannot help but wonder which question we answered incorrectly."
Toad stood up, letting her take his place on the fountain. "Hopefully we were better this time around."
"As a matter of fact, you were!" Monty Mole told them, in a rare moment of sympathy. "We'll do like the previous time. I remind you of the questions that were asked and then the questioned player will say what they chose and you'll compare, alright?" he inquired rhetorically. "First question you were asked, Noki, was : 'Who would be more likely to hold a grudge over a petty, insignificant thing'?"
Noki gave a small nod to Monty Mole. "Okay, for this one, I initially decided to go with Toad because to me, Bootler is someone who doesn't attach much importance to fights, like he demonstrated before in the game."
Bootler glanced at Toad, smiling a little. The mushroom shrugged in reply.
Noki watched their exchange, confused, but shrug it off. "As I was saying, I first went with Toad, but then I remembered that Toad and I were previously answering our questions in a sensible way. Or at least, we tried. So I changed my answer to Bootler."
"But why?" the ghost stuttered. "Your first answer was perfectly sensible." Noki blushed, smiling apologetically.
"Well, you are a ghost. And as far as I recall, people become ghosts after they die, because there is something that prevents them from reaching the beyond. In most books and films where ghosts are involved, they usually can't get peace because of insignificant things that they couldn't sort out while they lived," Noki explained her choice, looking at Toad for support.
The mushroom intervened. "She's right, Bootler. That's how we portray ghosts."
Bootler furrowed his brow. "I am not a simple 'ghost'. I am a Boo. We are really different. A Boo is classified as a ghost, but he or she never died." Noki, Toad and Monty Mole looked at him with a bewildered look on their face. "You did not know? Ghosts are the reincarnation of dead people who are torn. They want to find peace, but cannot, as there is still something that binds them to the earth. Boo are a natural species. I was born a Boo."
"Oh, excuse me Bootler, I didn't know," Noki apologized sincerely.
Bootler waved his hands in front of him. "Oh, do not apologize. You could not have possibly known. It is basic knowledge for us, however I can understand why non-Boo would be confused."
Toad : Well, I think I said somewhere along those lines in my argumentation. Bootler completely ignored it, though. I mean, I don't want to blame him, but the facts are here. We lost a round because we made a wrong turn somewhere.
"We learn new things everyday!" chuckled the host. "Thank you for this bit of insight, Bootler. As you can see, you failed the first question so it would have been impossible for you to win the money at that point. Now, let's move on to the second question which was : 'Who would be more likely to take a peak at their female friends while they were bathing'?"
Noki giggled, clearly feeling embarrassed. "It was hard to answer this, but at the same time it wasn't. I just couldn't picture Bootler being some sort of stalker or pervert, so I chose you by default, Toad."
Toad smiled. "No problem, I mean- Hey! Wait a second! Do you mean that I could be a voyeur?" He asked, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Bootler : Toad tried to twist the questions. He did not do it one time, nor did he do it two times, but three times! With every interpretation he made, he led us astray from the truth. This game is not difficult to sabotage, you only need to make one mistake and surprise, you lost it.
"And now, the last question. It was : 'If you were dying and had only one more day to live, who would you rather spend your last day with'? So Noki, who did you choose?"
"Bootler being a ghost, he would remind me of my impending demise. Besides, he's too old, I would only be able to either make small talk with him, or talk about serious subjects. Personally, I thought they would answer Toad right away, so I chose him," she smiled. "Thankfully, my questions weren't that insulting..."
Bootler cleared his throat and replied to her. "We had to consider the two options, so we did struggle before giving our answer. It was correct, however."
"Unfortunately, two out of three weren't enough, so you lost yet again another ten thousand coins!" Monty Mole interrupted them.
Noki : Bootler and Toad both made mistakes during this round. This mission was really hard, because you could only rely on your impulses, and you knew that the Mole would strike but even if they did, you had no idea how to prevent them from doing so. Because, one time they could say the truth, the other time twist it around a bit, and the next time give a wrong answer.
The three finalists all groaned. They knew that Monty Mole was right, they were not doing well : already twenty thousand coins had gone down the drain and the last episode had just started. Worst of all, they knew that everyone had made a mistake, yet there was only one Mole.
"With that said, it's time for our last player to be questioned! Toad, you're up," Monty Mole declared, pointing at the mushroom. The player waved to his two friends and followed Monty Mole, this time going to the right side of the town. Noki and Bootler looked at them until they could not see them anymore, then turned toward each other.
"Do you think we'll win the coins?" Noki inquired.
Bootler pondered for a moment, rubbing his temples. "We were close during the second round, I think we should be able to guess the last round correctly. This time around, let us be careful. If we do not take things personally, I have no doubt that we could win."
"Yes, you might be right," Noki trailed off, glancing at the place where Toad and Monty Mole had disappeared from her view.
…
Noki and Bootler could see Monty Mole running toward them from afar. The two calm contestants stood up and decided to walked toward him, closing the gap between them. Strangely, Monty Mole was still not out of breath when he reached them. Scanning the two players, he nodded. "You both know how this game is played, so I won't waste time telling you what to do. Please follow me!" he demanded.
The Boo and the Noki obliged and strolled besides Monty Mole. "So, how do you think you will do?" the host asked, breaking the silence.
Bootler shrugged. "We are hoping we will be able to earn the last ten thousand coins, however, we will not know that for sure until the three questions are answered."
"Honestly, I'm not confident," Noki shook her head.
Monty Mole raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?" The players turned left and followed the straight road.
"Toad is unpredictable, you can never say what's going on in his mind," Noki replied calmly. "He could have answered his questions randomly, just like he could have answered them with his heart. Or... He could have answered them in a logical way that isn't logical at all for Bootler and I. There are many possible scenarios." Bootler's eyes widened, but he quickly went back to his usual collected self.
"I see," nodded Monty Mole. "Here's our first junction," he announced, stopping in his track. Taking out a green card from his pocket, he read what was written on it aloud. "The first question that Toad was asked is : 'Who do you think would be more likely wreck havoc during the party of someone they didn't like'? If you believe that Toad answered Bootler, we will go left. If you think he answered Noki, we will go straight."
Bootler : I knew straight away that going with Noki for this round, it would be a battle of the sexes. I would say that Toad himself would be more likely to consider a girl for one question for multiple reasons, and Noki would say the contrary for other reasons. That is why I told her beforehand that we should not take things personally. I could only hope that she would listen to me.
Noki stared at her feet, nervously. "I knew this wouldn't be easy... You and I... We would never be able to sabotage someone's party, even if we don't like them. It just isn't in our nature."
Bootler smiled, happy to see that Noki realized that the questions meant nothing. "That is very true," he confirmed. Then, his face became serious. "However, Toad had to answer someone, and I believe he answered you."
Noki frowned. "Well, I thought he would answer you. You are a Boo, and Boo are known for their mischievous nature, aren't they?"
"That is true, but the question does not deal with species but rather unique characters. Between you, a young lively girl, and I, an old boring man, who would go to a party? Who would have the possibility to wreck havoc during this party? Also, Toad is the kind of person who would go with genders to answer those questions."
"Fine," Noki muttered unenthusiastically, "I have a feeling all the bad answers are for me anyway..."
Noki : Somehow, I knew that they would say me for most of the negative things... I'm not very happy with it, but if I must, I might as well entertain them... Still, it made me sad.
Bootler shook his head. "Noki. Toad and I know that you would never do the things we said you were more likely to do. I do not want to lose this round, so that is why I have to use my head and answer the questions logically. We do not think that you would wreck havoc during someone's party because you are a girl, but we think that most people are more likely to answer that a girl would do that, which is why we picked you as an answer."
"I'm still not convinced. I just think you like him better, that's all."
Bootler furrowed his brow. "Noki, I do not like him better, but I do know him better than you. And you know that it is true, you were with Flurrie and Birdo while I was with him and Pauline. Actually, I think the whole problem is that we do not know you as much as we know each other..."
"Oh, you're right!" Noki realized, putting a hand to her mouth, her expression brightening. "This game revolves around what we think the others will answer! So during the first round, you actually answered your questions thinking about what Toad would answer, not me."
Bootler looked troubled for an instant, but he quickly regained his composure. "Yes, that is exactly that! I had no idea as to what you would answer, so I instead focused on Toad's thinking."
Seeing that the explanations were coming to an end (that and he always loved a good drama), Monty Mole cleared his throat loudly. "Is Noki your final answer?"
"Yes," smiled Noki, looking no longer morose. "We'll go straight."
"Alright! Let's go!" ordered the host, leading the players further down the paved road. They walked until they reached the place where Toad and Noki had first finished at. There Monty Mole turned to them and showed them the two ways that were offered to them.
"For this question, if you choose Bootler, we'll jump onto the roof of those two houses and continue on that way. If you answer Noki, we will continue our way toward that boat," he pointed at the distance. Then everyone waited.
"Hmm, Monty? You forgot to ask us the question," Noki pointed out awkwardly. The host put his palm on his forehead.
"My bad. The question is : 'If you committed a crime, had a thirty year sentence and had the possibility to pin the blame on someone between Bootler and Noki, who would you choose'?"
That time, Noki was first to suggest something. "Okay, I know that you know him better than me, but I don't think he would blame me. I'm a female, you're a male, if he's chivalrous he would say you."
"My first impression would be that he would blame me too. Not only are you a female, but I am a Boo. I could easily go through the walls of the jail and escape," Bootler explained thoughtfully. Noki nodded, pleased.
"I don't think he would say me at all, there's just no way... Or is it?" she interrogated Bootler. The butler reassured her.
"If Toad answered you for this one, he had better give us a good explanation once we are finished with this challenge," Bootler chuckled. Then, he faced Monty Mole. "We decide to go with me."
Noki : There was nothing hard about this question. Nobody in their right mind would imprison a girl instead of a boy.
Monty Mole nodded and jumped onto the roof of the house located on their left. He helped Bootler and Noki onto the roof and the trio made its way toward the bridge. They walked across an unstable plank of wood and reached the bridge they decided to go forward and could not help but be amazed when the Tower of Pizza could be seen on their right.
"Nice architecture," Bootler commented.
"Jojora would have liked to see it, I'm sure," Noki stated, remembering the previous executed player. "I wonder why it's so inclined, though... What if it falls on the houses below?"
Bootler shuddered at the thought while Monty stared at the tower, musing on Noki's interrogation. The three of them finally arrived before two houses, much like the previous times. There was a pink house on the left and an orange one on the right, the players had to take a gondola to knock on the door. Thankfully, the mole was kind enough to offer the players a ride, and so, they all set sail toward their final destination.
Monty Mole put the paddle on the gondola and took out the ninth and final green card of the game. Looking intently at the players, he enunciated clearly the words written on it. "Toad's final question was : 'If someone told you that one person between Bootler and Noki was a criminal, who would you deem as untrustworthy at first glance?' If Bootler is your reply, open the left door. If Noki is your answer, open the right door."
Noki bit her lip. "This is hard. We're both innocent looking."
"I am afraid we will have to take a wild guess, here." Bootler shook his head, unhappy with his proposal. "Our criteria are definitely different."
Bootler : The question was asking Toad who he thought was most suspicious on the outside, that is not something you can answer with logic. Impressions are not the same from one individual to another.
Noki sighed. "I suggest going with you, just because you are a Boo." Bootler was going to object, so the blue-shelled girl quickly expand her comments. "Like, put you in his situation. If someone asked you to tell him or her at first glance who you thought was most suspicious between a Toad and a Goomba, what would you say?"
"Well, it definitely depends on-"
"No," Noki cut in abruptly. "Just imagine a normal Goomba and a normal Toad."
"I see what you mean, the Goomba is much more suspicious looking," Bootler realized. "Very well, we will open the left door."
"Are you sure about that?" Monty Mole checked. The contestants nodded, so Monty Mole approached the edge of the property. Noki jumped on the flight of steps before the house and knocked on the door, ultimately receiving no reply.
"Well, that's too bad," shrugged Monty Mole. "Toad wasn't here. Let's go get him."
The mission had been an utter failure.
…
Noki, Bootler and Monty did not have to go far to find Toad. Located behind the Tower of Pizza, the mushroom gave a weak smile as his partners approached, knowing full well that their challenge had been lost. The host rowed toward a yellow house and let Toad inside the gondola, giving him the paddle in the process. Toad looked puzzled for a moment and groaned, realizing he had been tricked by the host.
"That's the second time today," the mushroom complained, sailing toward the land. "So I take it we didn't win any money?"
"Your assumptions are unfortunately correct," Bootler sigh, resting inside the boat.
"Oh well, we still have the next challenge," Noki reminded them.
Monty Mole nodded. "Yes, you unfortunately didn't manage to add any coin during the challenge, so your team pot still stands at one hundred ninety three thousand coins. It's still pretty good, you know?"
Challenge's Results :
Money Won : 0
Team Pot : 193 000 coins
"Well, yes, but we would have liked to win more coins," Noki told him. "When we remove the Mole's sabotages from the game, we see that they're not the only one who made us lose money. I would even go as far as saying that the players of this game made the team lose more money than the Mole alone."
"Yeah, but if the Mole was the sole saboteur, everyone would find them out during the first episode and the game wouldn't be as exciting," Toad noted.
"Say, Monty, would you happen to know which questions we got wrong?"
"Man, the questions were almost impossible to answer! You have no idea how much I struggled to answer them!"
"I think we can relate to that," Bootler considered.
"Trust me, you really don't know. They were much more difficult than yours and Noki's."
Monty Mole grinned. "Well, I found them funny!"
Noki rolled her eyes. "Of course you would."
Monty Mole widened his eyes in fake surprise. "Do you think I'm that heartless?"
"Yes!" the three players chorused, laughing.
"Heh, you might be right. So let's take a look at Toad's questions, shall we? His first question was : 'Who do you think would be more likely wreck havoc during the party of someone they didn't like'?"
Toad focused his eyes on the water, rowing faster than before. "Well, no offense Noki, but I chose you for this one. Bootler is way too old to do this kind of stuff. And while I think you'd never do that either, I can always picture you doing it, whereas it's out of the question for Bootler."
"We guessed this one correctly then," Bootler hesitated, unsure about something. "But the last two questions were quite transparent. I doubt we answered them wrong..."
"How about the last one?" Noki recalled. "We weren't sure at all."
"The next question was : 'If you committed a crime, had a thirty year sentence and had the possibility to pin the blame on someone between Bootler and Noki, who would you choose'? Toad, who did you choose for this one?"
Toad hesitated. "That was a horrible question, I didn't know who to choose and I almost chose at random, but then I thought we'd lose so that would be even worse. I picked Noki, sorry."
Bootler and Noki were shocked. "Why did you choose her?" inquired the host.
"Bootler is old. I'm not sure he would survive thirty years in jail. But Noki's much younger, so she would be out before her sixtieth birthday. Also, I thought she would probably get a remission."
"I have to say, I am greatly surprised. We both thought that you would say me, since Noki is a female," Bootler explained to the mushroom.
"And he's a Boo," the inhabitant of Isle Delfino piped up, "he would be able to get out of his cell easily."
Toad slapped his forehead. "Oh yeah, that was another deciding factor! Bootler would have never been able to escape. And he wouldn't have been able to interact with anyone for thirty long years." Bootler and Noki were intrigued. "You wouldn't know since you've never done anything wrong, but if a criminal is a Boo or a ghost, they aren't locked in a cell. Instead, they are trapped within a portrait, so that they can't escape. They only do that to people who commit crimes, though."
"Oh, that makes sense now..."
As the gondola reached the land, Monty spoke up again. "And the last question was : 'If someone told you that one person between Bootler and Noki was a criminal, who would you deem as untrustworthy at first glance?'"
"Well, I said Bootler because he is a Boo."
"Racist," Noki joked as everyone began to laugh. The small group made hopped off the gondola and started making its way back to Pipetown. The players' heads full with thoughts.
Bootler : Both Noki and Toad were suspicious during the mission. Noki would not stop to go against our answers and then she did as if she were the victim, even when Toad and I specifically told her that we were not targeting her on purpose! The first round was mainly lost because of her if I recall. And while Toad was doing as if he did not sabotage, I cannot help but wonder if he thought through his answers which were very fishy. Especially the one dealing with sending us to jail for thirty years.
Noki : Toad and Bootler can justify themselves all they want, I really think they did sabotage today. First, we have Bootler who answered the opposite of what Toad and I had chose, and then we have Toad who decided to twist the question so that he would be able to take advantage of our confusion. I can agree that I did make some mistakes, to an extent, but they both did more sabotages than me in the end. With the mission completely lost, the Mole must have taken action.
Toad : This is ridiculous. Noki completely led me astray from the truth when I was with her, she didn't want to be chosen by Bootler so I basically had no choice but to comply and choose to say me for the first two questions. She takes the word 'Mole' to a whole new level. But Bootler isn't in the clear either. Every time I was saying something, he would argue with me and find a way to prove me wrong. However, in the end, he was wrong, so that definitely didn't help us at all.
And so ends the first mission of episode eight! I hope you liked it and I apologize for all the mistakes I could have made. I gave it another read to hunt the mistakes and I corrected a few, but I might have missed some.
Thank you to the people who voted on the poll, I appreciate it. However, I decided not to reveal you the results of the poll. At least, not before the winner, runner-up and Mole are known. I will change the poll toward the very end of the story to ask you your final guess of the Mole (with only three choices and a marvelous SPOILER alert), which will also be revealed later so that you won't be influenced.
If you were offended because you thought there was sexism (whether you are a female or a male) in this mission, I humbly apologize.
The next mission isn't action-filled but I think it will still be good. The last one, however, will be the most Mario Party-esque we've seen so far.
You might have to wait a long time for it, unfortunately (like, at least one month). My finals should happen sometime in April/May (heh, a clue from my first French Mole story *shot*) and well, let's just say that the annoying university teachers like to make up for their absences by forcing us to come during the last week.
Until next time!