Cyan Comet : The book he was talking about was indeed Kylie's book. And the link, well, she was a contestant in The Mole, as well as the Mole, and he is a literal mole. The last part with the fallen players is actually the revealing of the Mole. Lol, I have fake clues but not all of them are fake. XD Thanks for your review !
Previously on the Mole, the players had returned to Pipetown when Monty Mole informed them that they had the day off, that is, until seven P.M, time at which they had to come back to the hotel. The players enjoyed their free time, they went shopping and decided to pay a visit to an enigmatic fortune teller called Madame Clairvoya. They heard about their future and returned to the hotel before time was up. There, Monty Mole urged them to hurry up with their dinner, raising some questions from the players. Afterward, Monty Mole led them to the library of this very town where their second to last challenge took place. They had to find a series of clues hidden in books which would lead them to 'The Shroob Threat', another book written by Kylie Koopa, indicating that the group needed to find her to finish the challenge. Thanks to Noki's keen eyes, the group managed to find her. However, the challenge was not finished yet, as Kylie was going to tempt each of the players with the Mole's dossier.
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
31 : Test of Endurance
"Are you sure?"
Bootler glanced at Kylie, and then at the book she was holding in her hands, a look of uneasiness displayed on his face. "I am under the impression that you will later try to tempt my companions... And I am currently trying to figure out how everything will eventually play out," responded Bootler calmly, showing his impressive intellect.
"The smart one, eh?" the pink-shelled Koopa noticed, grinning.
"Oh, I can assure you, the others are nothing short of intelligent," the butler informed kindly.
Bootler : To be perfectly honest, I did not know what to do at the time. Obviously, I would like to keep the other two away from such a book, but there was not much I could do but bid and hope to have it. I also did not want to remove too much coins from the team pot either.
"Well," he started again, after a long time, "I will say that I would pay twenty five thousand and one coins for this book." Bootler nodded to himself before continuing. "And that is my final word."
Kylie took her pen and wrote quickly in her notebook. "Awesome! Can you please send me the next one? And don't tell them how much you bet."
"Very well." Bootler stood up from his chair and floated downstairs where Noki and Toad were waiting. As soon as they saw him, they started badgering the poor ghost with questions. Bootler raised his arm in the air so that they would stop instantly. "Kylie Koopa also wishes to speak with the both of you. I cannot tell you anything but it is very likely that you will be asked the same questions."
"Bummer," Toad scoffed lightly. "Well, do you want to go first?"
Noki shook her head, refusing his offer. "I will go last." Toad shrugged and waved to them as he ascended the stairs.
Kylie Koopa beckoned to him, giving him a huge smile. "So, Toad," she began, "As you probably already know, I'm not here to make small talk." She once again twirled the Mole's dossier in her hand. "I'm here because I have an offer for you."
Toad laughed a little, guessing what it was all about. "You're going to ask me how much I would pay to obtain the Mole's dossier?"
"Precisely," Kylie answered. "Bootler wasn't lying when he said that you were all sharp."
"I guess he didn't," Toad joked playfully. "Is there some kind of range I have to be aware of or something? Like, minimum and maximum bids?"
Kylie made an offhand gesture. "No, there's no minimum, and the maximum is obviously the wholeness of your team pot. So, how much would you think it's worth?"
Toad took a few seconds to analyze the dossier Kylie was holding in her hands, sizing it up. "Thirty thousand coins seem like a good price," Toad declared, his hands resting on the back of his head.
"Are you sure?" Kylie inquired. "I mean, once you're validating this answer, you won't be able to turn back."
"Mmmh... Yeah, I think it's enough. If I bet more, then the team pot will really take a hit whereas decreasing my bet is out of the question since I sincerely doubt the others' bet is something like five thousand coins," Toad described, explaining his train of thought.
Toad : People would be mad to only bid one thousand coins. We all know that the Mole's dossier is very important. Well, the people in the first season didn't bid anything, but they weren't forced to in the first place.
Kylie scribbled something in her notebook before turning to Toad. "Fetch me Noki, please."
"Alright!"
Once Toad had informed her that Kylie wanted to see her, Noki made her way to the table Kylie was seating at. "What did you want to ask me?" Noki went straight to the point.
"This mission wasn't here for nothing, as you might have already understood. Its purpose was to introduce the Mole's dossier, which I'm holding on at the very moment." Kylie showed it to her before putting it back at its place. "Your job is to tell me how much you would pay to have it."
Noki bit her lip, the sight of the dossier was making her nervous. "Just how much is there inside?"
"Stuff that you should already know, like the sabotages the Mole did, and some more useful information."
Noki closed her eyes, considering the possibilities. "Having this journal would be nice, but I don't want to spend too much coins for it... I think twenty five thousand coins would be a good idea. That would be equivalent to the amount of money we could make in various challenges, so to me it's the best bid I can make."
"Are you one hundred percent sure?"
"Toad and Bootler might have bidden more, but that's a risk I'm not willing to take. I won't reconsider," Noki refused politely.
Noki : Yes, it is true that the Mole's dossier is the most valuable item of the whole game. But tell me, if no one was to open it, would I really need to worry about its contents? We would all be on the same boat.
As Noki went back to the first floor, Monty Mole approached the group, a sly smile on his lips. When he reached them, he put on his usual poker face. "Well, congratulations everyone, you impressed me during this challenge!"
Bootler, Noki and Toad clapped for their success. "How much time did we use to complete our mission?" Bootler questioned, eyebrow raised.
"You were close, but it wasn't enough. You spent exactly thirty two minutes and fifty four seconds before grabbing Kylie's arm, which means that you added fifteen thousand coins to your team pot! You barely missed the twenty thousand coins mark, however, you did add a good amount of money."
The players celebrated together their success, but Monty Mole was not finished yet.
"Which brings me to my second announcement. Your team pot now stands at two hundred eight thousand coins. You've reached the two hundred thousand mark! Bravo!"
Challenge's Results :
Money Won : 20 000 - 5 000 = 15 000
Team Pot : 208 000 coins
That was a lot of money and the players were all delighted to see that their efforts had paid off. However, Monty Mole still had something to say.
"Not to rain on your parade, but as you all know, Kylie Koopa-" The friendly Koopa appeared behind Monty Mole. "-asked you all the same question. Your bets were relatively close but we know who won the Mole's dossier," Monty Mole breathed deeply. "The Mole's dossier is the most precious thing in this game," The players nodded at his remark. "Or is it?"
Now, the players were baffled. They sent each other confused glances as they were not understanding their host.
"Yes, the Mole's dossier is precious, that's why you can't bid so little to obtain it. Which means that with twenty five thousand coins, Noki won't have the dossier."
Noki pouted lightly, already regretting her earlier choice.
"But the Mole's dossier isn't the most precious thing in this game. I would like you to remember that the experience you got, the friends you made and the fun you had were all more important than the final piece of this puzzle. And that is why, with a bid of thirty thousand coins, Toad won't have access to the dossier either."
Toad's expression darkened a bit.
"And that means that you, Bootler, will have the possibility to read this dossier. Being a player of high intelligence granted you that opportunity, and the addition of this single coin to your bid might have just won you the game. With a bid of twenty five thousand and one coins, Bootler, you won this price," Monty Mole announced in his usual grand voice.
"This item can change your game," Kylie winked mischievously.
"Should you choose to read the book, your bid will be deduced from the team pot. It's your call, Bootler," the host precised.
Noki and Toad decided to stand aside, watching their friend make the toughest choice of the game. Both were sighing, as they would have never thought that such a minor decision would be so crucial.
"Honestly, I thought it didn't matter how much I bade, but that's only because I thought I would get the dossier and refuse it," Noki told her friend.
Toad frowned. "Well, that's exactly what I was thinking. And Bootler probably did think the same way. But there's a big difference between a thought and an act, I just hope Bootler will make the right choice."
"As do I," Noki prayed silently.
Toad : Saying that I was disappointed was an understatement. I should have bet more carefully instead of giving a random amount of money. Bootler did think since he had the intelligence to add a coin to his original plain value...
Noki : This dossier has the possibility to ruin our friendship. I just want it to stay closed.
Bootler cast an evasive glance at his comrades before studying the dossier he was holding. "I shall be honest. My bad side is telling me to open this book. However, my good side is telling me that I do not particularly need it and that it would hurt my friends if I do open it. Entering this game, I thought I would be the second one out, but here I am with a chance of winning the whole adventure. The dossier would help me achieve my goals, however... I wish to play the game fair and square, like I did from the very beginning, and for that reason, I will not take this book," he soliloquized, giving back the dossier.
Monty Mole and Kylie Koopa complimented the old Boo who later rejoined with the two others, who were happy and proud of what their friends had done.
Bootler : I may have looked stupid and I do not care. I felt victorious, in my own way. As soon as I gave back the Mole's dossier to Monty, it was like I had gotten rid of a burden. Resisting the temptation was a nice feeling of accomplishment to me.
With that, the players and Monty departed from the library to their hotel, but not before Kylie gave a last advice to the players, and particularly the Mole.
"Congratulations everyone, if you made it this far, it means that you've correctly identified the Mole throughout this journey, don't let the truth obscure your path. And to the Mole, I'll tell you how I felt during the final. I knew they knew, like you possibly do. But knowing that fact shouldn't prevent you from doing your job and enjoying your time. Cheer up, the end is near in sight," she said as she did her trademark twirl and wink.
"Thank you!" replied the players at the same time. They waved to Kylie until they could not see her again.
As they made their way to their hotel, Noki suddenly realized something. "Wait, 'the end is near in sight'? Does that mean that our game isn't finished yet?"
"Of course it isn't!" Toad blurted out, making the others stare at him. "What?"
"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Bootler noted.
"It's a question of logic. There's someone missing in the picture. So far, we've seen Tanoo Kie, Boonty Ghoste and Kylie Koopa. Following this thread, our game isn't over yet, because we've yet to meet the second Mole."
"Lays Terryns," Noki whispered. "I wonder what kind of person he is..."
"I must say that I am looking forward to meet him. Kylie did not look like a saboteur either," Bootler smiled.
In front of them, Monty was smiling. "They really are something," he muttered to himself.
…
The next day, the players were eating their meal with Monty Mole and were particularly ecstatic. They knew that it was probably the last time they were eating at this restaurant together. They also knew that it was time to run the final home stretch, at long last. Their meeting with Kylie Koopa the previous day only reinforced their willpower and determination. For the players, it was time to end the Mole's reign. For the Mole, it was time to put as much doubt as possible in the others' mind.
"I'm going to miss the place," Noki giggled, before peeling an apple. "I mean, it's pretty, the hotel is cozy and there are many amiable people around here."
Toad nodded, drinking a glass of water. He put it down and added a remark. "What's more, the food is great."
"I concur," Bootler smiled, looking pleased. "Besides, this is a great touristic spot in my opinion. To be able to visit so many different places thanks to Warp Pipes is simply remarkable." He raised his glass in delight. "To our success!"
"To the Mole!" they all cheered at the same time.
Noki : Monty Mole was almost looking sad this morning, as if he were a little disappointed to see this game end. I guess it doesn't only affect us, once this is all over he'll have to find another game to host and the crew will have to look for other jobs as well. Or they might do yet another season. Who knows?
"Our challenge will start immediately after we're finished with our meal but you needn't worry, we aren't pressed by time," Monty Mole reassured them. "However, be sure that you will take your final quiz tonight."
"I'm almost having second thoughts about finishing the game," Noki laughed delicately.
"All good things have an end," Bootler whispered. He looked toward the window, catching a glimpse of their beautiful surroundings.
"Oh well, I'm not hungry anymore," announced the giddy Toad, "I'd rather play the last game right now."
Monty Mole raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Too bad, we were having a delicious Fruit Parfait for dessert... I guess you'll miss on it." Toad made a face, prompting everyone to laugh. "Just kidding! You can still have it," the host reassured him.
…
Monty Mole waddled toward a blue car that was used during the previous episode with the players right behind him. They were located before the many gates that connected the different lands together. The host rubbed his hands together as he finally spoke up.
"Players, this is your final mission," Monty Mole began, his voice becoming grave and serious.
"A car..?"
"Everything is explained in this envelope. This challenge is worth fifty thousand coins and is called 'Last Journey'. I have nothing else to tell you. Good luck, the challenge starts now." Monty Mole scampered off as fast as he could, leaving three very confused players behind him.
Still trying to understand what had just happened, the players just stood there, motionless, thinking that it was a joke and that Monty Mole would come back later to inform them of something. However, he did not come back, and the players had to do something.
Bootler : The feeling was quite strange. We were all wondering what we should do. Usually, Monty Mole always gives us hints or leads, but this time he gave us an envelope and left us. At that moment, I knew the challenge would be especially hard.
"Let's open it," suggested Noki. Toad nodded and ripped open the envelope, revealing a letter. Their instructions were on it.
Players, your final mission will have begun once you have opened this letter. In a matter of two hours, you must reach me with six specific items in hands, items you will collect doing various tasks in the different Party Lands that are linked to Pipetown. My location will remain a mystery, an enigma, just like the game you have been playing this whole time.
To collect the items, you must undergo several trials. Do not skip them, for your goal will become impossible if you do. Our crew will give you the items you need whether you win or lose the games they ask you to play. However, you should know that winning a challenge will benefit you, as your timer will increase. If you lose, then, you only lose time. Do not forget that you are currently located in the Party World, that should give you an idea as to what type of items you have to bring me.
Of course, this mission would be impossible to win if I did not give you an hint to begin with. However, I have already given you three hints, so you will not gain anything else by reading this letter. I wish you luck,
Monty Mole.
"We are in quite a predicament," Bootler noticed, frowning. "I have never heard anything that looked like an hint coming from Monty Mole's mouth. And apparently, we already have three hints at our disposal."
"We're, like, clueless with all the clues!" Toad exclaimed jokingly, earning a smile from his former coalition partner.
"Guys, stop fooling around and help me," Noki whined, not liking the lack of seriousness of her friends. "Monty Mole didn't bring us here for nothing, and he didn't bring this car here for nothing either. I'm thinking there's a connection somewhere."
"It does seem a little suspicious," Bootler agreed, inspecting the car. "Where are the keys?"
Noki crossed her arms, thinking deeply. "I don't know. There was nothing in Monty's letter."
"Well, we sure will not get anywhere without the keys of this vehicle," Bootler realized. "Should we start searching?"
"This might be the best idea," shrugged the blue-shelled inhabitant of Isle Delfino. The Boo and the Noki began to scrutinize the grass, looking for something shiny. Toad raised an eyebrow and decided to search the car.
The mushroom looked inside the exhaust pipe, thinking it was the best hiding spot in which the producers could have hidden the key. Toad sighed deeply when he saw that there was not a thing inside. He was going to help Noki and Bootler, when suddenly, he realized something.
Toad : 'Sometimes, the answer is right in front of your eyes.' Have you ever heard this sentence one day? It turns out that, once again, it was true. The answer was so obvious that we totally forgot about it.
Toad smiled hopefully as he put his hand on the handle of the car. He pulled it lightly and saw that his suspicions were right all along. "Guys! The car was unlocked! I think the key's inside!"
Noki and Bootler looked at each other, embarrassed, and shared a laugh. "Well, they sure fooled us," stated the old Boo, shaking his head. "Who will be driving?"
"I don't mind driving," Noki answered positively. Toad opened all the doors so that the others could look inside too. The three players then tried to find the keys. Bootler found them hidden under the driver's seat and gave them to Noki, who happily took her place. Out of pure politeness, Toad let Bootler take the passenger's seat.
"Let's go!" Noki cheered as she started up the vehicle. Adjusting the rear-view mirrors, she started to drive off when she suddenly stopped and braked. The others were questioning her actions. "Where to?"
"Yes, that is an extremely good question," Bootler scratched his chin, ashamed of his omission. "I suggest buying a map in a shop. We will definitely need to know which Warp Pipe we must take to reach the places of the challenges," he explained cleverly. "Navigation will definitely take an important part in this final ordeal."
Noki nodded and drove off toward a small kiosk. "Still, I wonder what other clues Monty gave us..."
…
Remaining Time : 1 hour and 48 minutes.
The blue car containing the group slowly halted in front of a shop. Noki pulled the hand brake and stopped the engine. "I shall go," Bootler declared suddenly. "I do not want to stay here doing nothing."
"Okay," Toad agreed. "Have fun!"
Bootler nodded and exited the vehicle silently, going straight to the shop. Meanwhile, Noki and Toad were discussing.
"Ugh, these sun visors are bothering me," Toad complained. "I can't even see the landscape because of them!"
Noki turned around in her seat, to face him. "You should remove them, because we might need you to look around in the future."
"Yes," Toad confirmed. He pulled on the sun visors and to his surprise, he broke them. "Uh-oh... I hope Monty won't deduct that from our pot. And I can't remove this stupid star!" he yelled, aggravated. "And what's smelling like that? It's awful."
Noki rolled her eyes. "Please Toad, you're behaving like a child." Sniffing the air, she quickly localized the source of the fouled smell. "This air freshener is what stinks."
"Please put it somewhere else," Toad begged. "I'm going to barf otherwise."
"Whatever you say..." Noki reached for the star-shaped air freshener and removed it from the central rear-view mirror. "As she was going to throw it out of the window, something caught her eyes. "What is this?" she asked, mostly to herself. Toad heard her and looked behind her shoulders.
"I don't think there should be-Wait! Wait! I know!" Toad exclaimed.
Noki smiled. "I believe it may be our next stop."
Toad tightened his grip on the star that was located on his windowpane and pulled as hard as he could. He finally managed to remove it. "I think we've finally managed to decipher Monty's second hint."
"Yes. We are in the Party World so we must collect a certain number of stars to resolve our 'problems'. And the stars located on this vehicle give us the location of the task we have to overcome," Noki summarized. Toad was surprised, but he quickly changed his expression and nodded happily.
Toad : Since when does Noki know so much about Mario Party and everything? I've never really told her what we were doing during our parties, how did she know? Either she made her researches or... Or it's something else.
"So... What is-" But Toad did not have to finish, as Bootler finally came back. The ghost opened the door and plopped onto his seat.
"I have the map. I apologize for the time I wasted, but I had to make sure that there was a map for each of the Party Land. I would not want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere because of a single omission," Bootler justified quickly.
"Awesome!" cheered Toad.
"Let's try to find where we have to go!" Noki demanded. "Something's written on this star : '10 – Sea – DT VS'. And that's about it," she concluded, puzzlement written or her face.
Bootler rubbed his temples, wondering what the clue could be dealing with. "Mmmh... In my opinion, the first number tells us which gate we should take. The word 'Sea' could give us an even more detailed location, but I am clueless concerning the last four letters."
Noki nodded, confirming Bootler's suspicions. "I was thinking along these lines too. 'VS' could stand for...versus, but I'm clueless concerning 'DT'."
"Well, we have a map, right? Let's look these initials up!" Toad proposed, glancing at the map Bootler was holding. "But we should get a move on because we don't have that much time."
"Indeed," Bootler concurred, inquietude drawn on his face. "Thankfully, this little booklet I have here should tell us what is Gate ten..." He put his finger on the map, triumphantly. "There it is! The map says that this Land was used during Mario Party Advance." Bootler flipped the pages of the small book and showed them the map of Shroom City.
Noki was the first to understand the meaning of the letters. "Look! There's a thing called 'Duel Tower', I think it's our next destination."
"Likewise," Bootler smiled. "Let us go to Duel Tower," the ghost instructed, stroking his mustache. "I will give you directions, Noki. In the meantime, Toad, I want you to find another star-shaped object that could possibly serve as a clue." The mushroom boy responded with a wink.
Noki smiled as she started the engine. "Toad, you were in this car in the last episode, didn't you see where the stars were located?"
"Mmh, I was blindfolded," Toad remarked. Noki put her palm to her forehead.
"I had completely forgotten about that."
…
Remaining Time : One hour and sixteen minutes
Bootler, Noki and Toad were riding in a blue car provided by the production of The Mole. Thanks to Bootler's expertise in navigating across the land, they reached Duel Tower sooner than they expected. They stopped the car near the edge of the sea in a parking lot designed to this effect and went out of their vehicle.
Noki : Time is an important issue in this challenge, we definitely need to win some of the games they'll propose to us in order to inflate our timer, otherwise we simply don't stand a chance.
"Come on guys!" Toad hurried them. "We can't waste any time!"
"Well," Bootler puffed, "I can float, however, I am not the fastest being alive. You are younger than me and I have a hard time following you two."
Bootler : I knew this would be a close challenge, I am simply not fit for these games. I would have to be quick and efficient. The latter I can manage, I have always managed. But the former? Not so much.
They crossed a makeshift bridge, careful not to fall into the water, and ran toward the first floor. A Squeek called Mouser was waiting for them at the entrance.
"Hello people, I'm Mouser. I assume you're the players of the Mole?"
"Yes we are!" Noki replied joyfully.
The Squeek acknowledged Noki's claim with a nod and immediately began his explanations. "You're here at the Duel Tower, so you'll play Duel Mini-Games. There are three floor and three of you. Each of you will pick a floor and for each Duel that you win, ten minutes will be added to your timer. There is a reaction mini-game on the first floor, a fighting mini-game on the second floor, and a sports mini-game on the third floor."
"I will stay on the first floor," Bootler declared.
"I'll take the second one, if you don't mind," Noki stated.
"And that leaves me with the third one," Toad finished. Suddenly, he flinched. "Wait, Noki, you picked...?" Noki giggled.
"The games are harmless, aren't they? Besides, I want to try new things." Bootler and Toad glanced at each other, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh well, good luck," Bootler wished, concluding their exchange.
…
Bootler was led to a bright room. Before him, he saw a rotating panel as well as a machine with two levers. There was a gigantic hammer risen above his head, and Bootler silently wished he had not picked this mini-game. Nevertheless, he stayed brave and looked at the rules.
"Very well... If my picture appears on the panel over here, I have to pull the blue lever as fast as I can to damage my 'enemy'. However, if another picture appears, I have to pull the red lever to protect myself. This doesn't look that bad," he muttered to himself, looking anxious.
Soon, he heard a voice coming from above, indicating that the challenge had started. Focusing on the panel, Bootler looked at it until it stopped moving. It was his lucky day, his picture appeared first. With one swift motion and a battle cry, Bootler reached for the blue lever. "Take that!" shouted the Boo, as the gigantic hammer hit his opponent. "Oh, that will leave a mark..."
Since the two players had three lives, Bootler knew he could not let his guard down. However, he also knew that while his opponent had not suffered any damage, they were probably disoriented. "I shall use that as my advantage," Bootler smiled to himself.
The panel stopped, showing his opponent, a blue Goomba. Bootler panicked and pulled a random lever. He was lucky. His enemy tried to hit him with a hammer but it bounced back, flattening them. "Alright, one more time," Bootler soothed himself, growing confident in his own abilities.
Bootler stared at the panel, glancing from time to time at the blue Goomba. The picture stopped earlier than the two previous times, but Bootler was focused. As soon as he saw his glorious mustache, he pulled the blue lever, ending the game. "A perfect," he noticed calmly, dusting his hands and going back to the previous room, leaving a bewildered Goomba wondering how he could have lost to an old man.
…
Noki and Toad climbed the stairs to the second floor together, before Toad left for his own challenge. The blue-shelled girl went inside the tower and walked until she found her own duel place. In a rectangular area were disposed two gloves. Noki picked one and read the rules of the mini-games, conveniently placed on the right of the gloves.
"Your goal is to hit your opponent three times with a hammer. Using one of these gloves will provide you with an infinite supply of hammers, so please equip one. The hammers will always be thrown in the air and not directly at your adversary and only two of your hammers can be in the air at the same time. The gravity in this area is less important, you will feel lighter, it's normal. Good luck," Noki read rapidly, as she put on her glove. Jumping a little, she was amused to see that her skills had improved significantly. "Awesome!"
A green Blooper made her way toward the last glove and put it on. "Good luck!" she smiled.
"You too!" Noki returned the smile. As they wished each other luck, a voice announced that it was time to start.
Noki immediately threw a hammer in the air, just to see its trajectory, while the Blooper swiftly evaded the projectile, sidestepping carefully to her right. She retaliated by throwing two hammers in Noki's direction and the blue-shelled girl almost got hit. At the last second, Noki dived to her left, firing two more hammers toward the Blooper who easily avoided the first one by jumping back a little but was struck dead on my the second one, which trajectory differed a little. Noki used this time to stand up and run a fair distance from her adversary.
"Nice throw!" complimented the Blooper. Noki blushed a little and thanked her.
"Thank-Ack!" she shouted as a hammer hit her on the head. Narrowing her eyes, she threw herself at the Blooper who simply jumped in the air. But it was exactly what Noki wanted. As soon as the green octopus left the floor, Noki threw two hammers in her direction. With less gravity came less control of the players' jumps, and try as she might, the Blooper could not avoid Noki's hammers.
Grunting a little, the Blooper tried Noki's strategy. She ran at full speed toward Noki, who seemed to be helpless, and jumped back, firing two hammers during her flight. But Noki only faked being surprised, as she rushed forward, barely escaping the hammers, and repeated her previous action, easily defeating her foe. Showing sportsmanship, Noki helped her on her tentacles and shook one of them. "That was really funny!"
"Same here. It seems that I underestimated you. Well, I hope I'll see you around," waved the green octopus.
…
Toad climbed the last set of stairs and barged into the only room of the third floor. A volleyball net had been set up in the middle of the room, and two hammers were under the net, waiting for the two duelists. "Alright, I'm pretty good at volleyball!" Toad rubbed his hands together, feeling already victorious.
He approached a hammer, took it, and saw that a note was attached to its end. "Let's see... Your goal is to play volleyball with bob-bombs and hammers, if three bob-bombs fall on the floor which is on your side, you lose the game. Be careful, bob-bombs explode after a small amount of time, and if they explode in your side, it takes away one of your lives," Toad grinned. "This shouldn't be too hard."
A Hammer Bro nodded to him from the other side of the field. "I hope you're ready, 'cause I won't let you win."
Toad smirked in response, choosing an adequate position for this game. A voice shouted the word 'Start' and a bob-bomb fell on the Hammer Bro. He was quick to hit it and watched it fly toward Toad. The mushroom saw it coming and swung it back to the other side, grimacing a little for the Hammer Bro was really strong. However, in spite of his strength, he was a bit of an oaf and did not realize that Toad's counterattack would pass the net. The bob-bomb exploded on his part of the floor.
The next point went by quite fast. Toad expected a strong toss from the Hammer Bro, but he decided to make a weak hit. Toad was not fast enough to send the bob-bomb back and the red turtle scored.
Toad waited for the bob-bomb to fall on him and gave it a strong hit with his hammer, surprising the Hammer Bro who thought that, wit his puny arms, there was not much he could accomplish. Toad scored his second point and immediately darted to the middle of his part of the field. "One more point, I can do it..."
The red Hammer Bro used another tactic. Going for a strong hit, he knocked the bob-bomb away on the end of Toad's side. The mushroom saw it coming and got ready to send it back to the other side, action that he accomplished successfully. But then, his opponent hit the bob-bomb lightly, thinking Toad would not have time to sent it back. However, Toad proved him wrong as his fast legs carried him all the way to the inner part of his side, and with a jump, he smashed the bob-bomb on his opponent's side, claiming victory in the process.
"Wow," uttered the red turtle. "That was pretty...radical." He shook hands with Toad, ending their match.
"Good game to you too!" Toad exclaimed before leaving the room.
…
The players met up on the first floor of the tower and Mouser went toward them, a shiny yellow star in his hands. "Well, congratulations, players, for you have defeated the three duelists and won a star!" He handed them the power star and added another comment. "Also, thirty minutes were added to your timer! Well, good luck with your challenge!"
"Thanks!" Toad replied, absorbing the star in his hands.
Remaining Time : One hour and forty minutes
"Okay, let's go back to our car," Noki suggested.
"We should also try to look for the four other clues," Bootler reminded them as they walked or floated to their car. "One person should try to locate our next destination in the meantime."
Noki : So far, everything is great, no one sabotaged and we've managed to keep up our steady pace. I think we've made progress, but we have to be careful. An error could send us tumbling down the road. In a figurative way of speaking, of course.
Toad : Bootler and Noki looked like they enjoyed their mini-games. I thought they would have had more troubles than that, but oh well, I can't always be right.
Noki opened the car, and she and Toad began to look for the other clues, while Bootler took his seat, trying to resolve the clue Toad had found earlier. "'1 – YI – H20meloen.' This one is rather easy," Bootler commented, flipping through the pages of his booklet. "'YI' for Yoshi's Island, I suppose, and I would assume that the last word is 'Watermelon', that would make sense."
Meanwhile, Noki was inspecting the trunk of the car whereas Toad decided he would look for clues outside the vehicle. The inhabitant of Isle Delfino pushed many things aside for the trunk was cluttered. Something yellow caught her eyes in a red toolbox. "I think I have one!" she called out to the others as she reached for the star.
"Me too!" Toad exclaimed suddenly, showing his discovery. "It was in the wheel spokes!"
"Very well then, let us get a move on," Bootler demanded, already determining the shorter route to their destination. "I have our next location."
Toad and Noki entered the vehicle, and after they had all fastened their seat-belts, the group left for Yoshi's Tropical Island.
Next part the players get a little wet and a mistake is made.
I put a new poll on my profile, this time including only the three finalists with the question that everyone is asking themselves (or not) : Who is the Mole? I would be very pleased if you could vote. ^^
Additionally, I have put a link on my profile which will give you the first page of the Mole's dossier (located under the story progress). Now, you can't click on it so you just have to copy/paste it in the bar on the top of your screen and try some other codes in the end. Each page should give you a clue, you don't need all of them to resolve the mystery. Don't forget the (dot) jpg at the end of the link, otherwise it won't work.
And...that's it! Have a nice day!
Until next time.