The Mole : Festive Saboteur !

by Princess Toady

The Mole... A tale of betrayal where ten players try to find the saboteur's identity while competing in various challenges... Many of them will try, but only one will prevail, and that will be the person who answers this question : Who is the Mole ? THE MOLE IS FINALLY REVEALED ! Read the reviews at your own expense.

34. The Mole, Out of their Hole

Cyan Comet : Thank you so much for your nice review, it really means a lot to me ! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter !

Champ : Thanks for the awesome review, I hope this chapter will reach your expectations !

To the both of you : Your quiz results are at the end of the chapter. :p

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Previously on the Mole, Bootler, Noki and Toad succeeded in their last challenge, bringing the team pot to a final value of two hundred fifty eight thousand coins. Later that day, the players took the quiz that would end their adventure, the final quiz. Who will see their efforts rewarded and win it all? Who will fail on the brink of winning the whole game? And finally, just who is the Mole?

First name : Birdo

Surname : Ribbon

Birthday : May 15

Job : Fashion Designer

First name : Bootler

Surname : Majordome

Birthday : September 6

Job : Butler

First name : Donkey

Surname : Kong

Birthday : March 12

Job : Glitz Pit's Fighter

First name : Noki

Surname : Delphis

Birthday : August 7

Job : Air Hostess

First name : Toad

Surname : Phalloïde

Birthday : June 1

Job : Gardener

First name : Jojora

Surname : Teeheena

Birthday : December 27

Job : Sculptor

First name : Pauline

Surname : Celeste

Birthday : June 16

Job : Model

First name : Mario

Surname : Mario

Birthday : January 22

Job : Plumber

First name : Flurrie

Surname : Cumulia

Birthday : October 29

Job : Actress

First name : Kooper

Surname : Shelic

Birthday : July 7

Job : The Mole's Assistant

34 : The Mole, Out of their Hole

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the grand finale of The Mole : Festive Saboteur!" Monty Mole announced with a grand voice, standing near a television. A brief glance at his surroundings could confirm that he was back in the Moonlight Hotel, more specially in the lounge which had been decorated beautifully for the occasion. Red and yellow, two warm colors, could be seen everywhere in the room and the ever-present curtains heralded the end of the show. They would fall when everything was over.

"Three months have passed since we left the game with Bootler, Noki and Toad taking their final test in that small clearing. Three months of pure torture for our three finalists who did not know how they had done. Well, this isn't really true, one of them knew how they had done, for they were the Mole, the intruder you have been looking for this whole time," the host exclaimed, staring at the camera.

"However, ladies and gentlemen, you were not the only ones who were looking for the Mole. Seven others were trying to uncover the truth amidst lies, treachery, sabotages, deceit and perfidies. Everyone, please give a round of applause to our seven executed players!" Monty Mole stretched out his arm toward them.

"Oh dear!" Flurrie exclaimed suddenly. "Being here brings back so many splendastic and marvelous memories!"

"You can say that again," Kooper agreed wholeheartedly. "Argh, I can't believe I've been eliminated first, there was so much I could have done!" the first eliminated player joked, earning a laugh or two from the former contestants.

"I'm just glad we don't have to stress over our possible execution or who the Mole is this time around," Mario smiled pleasantly. The others could not help but agree with the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Well, I don't know for you guys," Donkey started, "but personally, I've been wondering who the Mole was from the time I was eliminated to...today, actually. I was kind or paranoid in front of my TV screen."

"Not me," Jojora smirked a little, showing her arrogant face. Some of the players groaned but Jojora quickly shut them up. "You should have seen your faces!" the ice fairy laughed to herself. "But seriously, that was true. I knew who the Mole was, I even found a hidden clue to their identity and I tied with one of the other two players and I got eliminated."

"I was so sure it was you!" Birdo blurted out, making everyone laugh once again.

Pauline shook her head in amusement. "It feels so great to be here again. No, seriously, I missed the show when I went home. I even went as far as to take notes about the episodes I missed when the game was broadcast!"

"It has been a while since you last were reunited together, right?" Monty questioned rhetorically. The players nodded in agreement.

"Yes, ever since Kooper's execution!" Birdo grinned.

"You don't have to smile when you say that!" Everyone laughed at Kooper's remark.

"We're still missing three players," Jojora noted smartly. Monty Mole gave her a broad smile.

"Indeed, you are correct, Jojora. Our three finalists are still at large-"

"Oh wait, before I forget," Donkey cut him. "Ah-hem, I wanted to apologize to Flurrie for being rude with her when I was in the game. I'm very sorry and I don't know what happened to me there. Will you pardon me?"

Flurrie shrugged, a motherly smile on her face. "My, how spontaneous you are!" Everyone laughed. "Don't worry about that, I quickly got over it."

"Yeah, me too," Jojora added. "Even if I never had anything against you, actually."

"People sure can change in three months," Pauline pointed out, glad to see that Donkey and Jojora apologized for their rude behaviors.

"Yes, they can, but do they?" Monty Mole wondered, giving a knowing smile to Jojora. The host moved from his spot toward red curtains which had been placed there for the interest of the show. In one swift move, Monty opened the curtains, revealing three green Warp Pipes. "Our three friends are hidden from sight inside these Warp Pipes," Monty explained. "All of them are dying to know who won and who is the Mole but since we're sadistic people, they won't know yet," Monty jested.

The players did not interrupt him, enthralled by his speech. "In soon time we shall reveal everything, but for now, I would like to ask you who you think is the Mole. Kooper, if you will," Monty Mole designated him.

"Hmm... It's kind of hard for me, I mean, I didn't get the time to really play the game... I'm taking a guess here and I'll say that... Noki is the Mole. She was way more suspicious than Bootler and Toad," Kooper voiced, uncertainty in his voice.

Donkey was the next one. "I'd probably say Bootler, because he seemed respectable and everything but it was probably a cover up or something. He looked innocent but looking at what he did during the first two episodes, I think he could be the Mole. Definitely," Donkey asserted.

"Interesting," Monty stated. "Flurrie, would you mind giving us your thoughts?"

"Not at all, dearie! Well, I actually agree with Donkey since I suspected Bootler when I was still playing. There was something fishy about him and he always seemed to hide and fade in the woodwork. A little mole-ish if you ask me," responded the actress delicately, feeling sure in her choice.

"Pauline?"

"Toad, he's a suspect of choice to me," answered the model. "I still remember the first challenge when he mistook Flurrie's dress for mine, it didn't make sense."

"You suspect him because you didn't like the fact that he gave you a big dress?" Monty teased.

Pauline grinned, amused. "No, I suspect him for different things. I was just giving you one of my reasons."

"And you, Mario? Who do you suspect?"

"I'll say Toad too, but don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to! I was kind of confused when I left since we had two questionnaires, so maybe I voted for the right person and still got executed or maybe everyone voted for the Mole... I just can't say," Mario explained.

"Birdo? You should have an idea as to who the Mole is, no?"

"No, I don't know who is the Mole," Birdo answered, giggling slightly. "However! I have my doubts on Noki. I never voted for her, so she could be it. I'd be such a shock if she really was the Mole," she testified.

"And finally, our last executed player, Jojora. Who do you think the Mole is?"

Jojora made an offhand gesture. "I'll keep my mouth shut unless you really want me to spoil your fun," she grinned.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore!" Monty surrendered, holding his hands in the air. "I have some footage for you guys, to jog your memory a little." The host waddled toward the screen turning on the television thanks to a remote control.

Only three players remain in the game, three players who all had their fair share of sabotages and heroic moments. All of them could be the Mole, however, only one of them is the traitor. Will you manage to tell fact from fiction?

Bootler

Mixed-Up Possessions

For the first mission of the game, the players had to correctly link ten items to their possessors. While most of the players easily scored an eight or more, Bootler was one of the only ones who had a pitiful score. He had the second lowest score, excluding Flurrie, with a four and only earned one thousand coins for the team.

Birdo : Needless to say, Bootler's performance was a let down for all of us.

Arts and Craps

In the challenge Arts and Craps, Bootler volunteered to be Jojora's partner and one of the artsy players. He was instructed to create a beautiful masterpiece to win the challenge. However, it was later revealed that the goal of the challenge was for Noki and Toad to have a better creation than his team. When Noki told him the requirements of the mission, Bootler did not listen to her and went back to his part of the challenge, eventually costing twenty thousand coins to the team.

Noki : Bootler paid no heed to my warning, which is very strange coming from a focused and dedicated player like him. I warned him, I told him to stop working on his project and even told him what the true objective of the mission was, but in the end he decided to ignore me and go on with his part of the challenge. And then he blames me? I did what I could, and that's about it. There was no point in arguing with him since he thought that I had lied. But in my mind, he didn't give a good excuse. I mean, two exemptions on the penultimate episode? That's not going to happen anytime soon.

Last Journey

During this challenge, the players had to find Monty Mole under a time limit of two hours with six stars in hand. Bootler lost valuable time when he misdirected the team twice, once at Yoshi's Tropical Island and another time in Spiny Desert. Additionally, he lost most of the mini-games : 'Mushroom Mix-Up', 'All Fired Up', 'Avalanche!' and 'Deck Hands'.

Noki : Bootler didn't do much during the challenges which was quite strange. He was almost always the first one out of the games and just didn't seem to try. I didn't know what he was trying to accomplish, but come on, this is the final challenge, you want to do your best, don't you?

Toad : Yeah, that was kind of weird since Bootler often pays attention to details...

However, it was all thanks to Bootler's expertise at reading maps and his quick thinking, when he suggested that it would be better to buy a map first, that allowed the players to win the final challenge. So? Mole in hiding or clever thinker?

Noki

Jewelry Robbery

The challenge Jewelry Robbery was extremely easy to win. All the players had to do was to steal Holly Koopa's jewel and admit to it when they were interrogated by Mario, the honestest player. However, Noki put a plan together and managed to nab the exemption thanks to Birdo, her coalition partner, costing the team twenty thousand coins.

Mario : Wow... I can't believe I've been fooled by them... Where did Noki's team spirit go? Needless to say, I'm pretty disappointed in her. She may not be my prime suspect, but I know better than totally dismiss what she did.

Family Problems

Before the beginning of the challenge, Monty Mole had prohibited the players from discussing with the loved one they would be confronting. Noki clearly heard the rule, but when Toadette broke the ice with her, she exchanged a few words with her and lost three thousand coins in the process.

Toad : That was weird to see that the shy Noki, who wouldn't speak to us much at the beginning of the game, opened so quickly to my girlfriend. I mean, we waited I don't know how much time to finally hear her speaking to us in the first episode, and now, when Monty Mole specifically told us not to speak with our relatives, she breaks that rule. That's just suspicious.

Last Journey

During this challenge, the players had to find Monty Mole under a time limit of two hours with six stars in hand. Noki was the reason why the players were so close to losing the final episode, when she blurted out the fact that they wanted the Hammer Sis in the fire during 'All Fired Up'. Additionally, she was the one behind the steering wheel the whole time, was it her fault that the group had a flat tire?

Bootler : We had the perfect opportunity, but Noki ruined it. It is hard not to call that a sabotage.

Toad : Well, Noki didn't help much either, we almost lost last challenge because of her yelling our plan.

However, it was all thanks to Noki's intelligence and her ability to deduct things easily, when she discovered the meaning of the three clues put in the letter, that allowed the players to win the final challenge. So? Knowledgeable Mole or careless driver?

Toad

Split Homework

During this mission, Toad was supposed to ride a rollercoaster to find letters hidden all over the park that he would later transmit to Mario, who had to resolve an anagram. But Mario was not able to decipher the anagram because Toad never gave him all the letters, resulting in a loss of five thousand coins for the team.

Birdo : Right. As if you hadn't your part of responsibility in this fiasco. Remember that it's only episode two too!

Feet Versus Wheels

Bootler and Toad had been selected by the other players as the players who liked to wreck havoc and had the possibility of winning an exemption each during this challenge. Toad did his best to make the other group's course as hard as possible and won the exemptions when he chucked a rock at Flurrie's car, damaging it and making the team lose twenty thousand coins.

Bootler : It is obvious that I am suspicious of Toad. Even though I am grateful that he won us the exemptions, I still think that he was fishy during this whole challenge. He was not doing much, and ultimately caused the other team to lose the challenge when he threw a rock at Flurrie's car. Talking about rocks, where did he find it exactly?

Last Journey

During this challenge, the players had to find Monty Mole under a time limit of two hours with six stars in hand. Toad made the team lose time when he pushed both Noki and Bootler into the water in 'Mushroom Mix-Up' and he did not partake in the mini-game 'Avalanche!' that he could have won, being a regular at Mario Parties.

Noki : Toad is so going to get it.

Bootler : I must admit that it was quite strange. I can understand that he panicked, but he pushed both Noki and myself into the water... We are now all drenched to the skin and soaking wet, which is not a nice feeling. In addition to that, we lost the opportunity to add a twenty minutes to our timer, so we had to hurry up.

However, it was all thanks to Toad's quick decisions and adrenaline rush, when he figured out that Mystery Land was their last stop, that allowed the players to win their final challenge. So? Pushy Mole or honest passenger?

The television screen shut off once the footage stopped and Monty Mole turned to the seven executed players, a slight grin on his face. "So? Any change of heart?"

"I don't know anymore, they all seem so suspicious!" Birdo justified, clearly amused by the situation. "I guess there really were three Moles all along!"

"The producers are smart when it comes to confuse us," Jojora agreed, "but I'm fairly sure there is only one Mole."

"I would still say Bootler," Flurrie confirmed with a vigorous nod of the head. "Some of his sabotages were glaring and we all thought that he was trying to make us think he was the Mole, but it could really be genuine sabotage!"

"Genuine sabotage? Really?" Pauline laughed.

"But Toad's sabotages were even more obvious," Mario pointed out, tipping his red cap. "He always had a good position to sabotage."

"Still Noki for me!" Kooper exclaimed. "Everything went wrong with her during most of the challenges. Plus I believe it's the only possible explanation for her to be in the final three. Birdo and her voted for the same person since they were in a coalition, and the night Birdo was executed there was no tie! Which means that Noki had to have scored two more correct answers than Birdo," Kooper deduced.

"But that doesn't mean they both went for the same suspect," Jojora told him, eyebrow raised.

"Well, I suppose we're going to have an answer to your questions very soon," the host announced suddenly. The players were so ecstatic that they were leaning forward in their chair, eyes riveted on the Warp Pipes.

"I think we have waited more than enough," Monty Mole went on, walking toward the three green pipes. In his hands was a small trampoline he had picked up from behind the curtains. "In one of these three Warp Pipes, is the Mole, waiting for the truth to be finally revealed. After a whole adventure of deceit, it is time for the Mole to reveal themselves for the very first time."

"Oh please hurry up, the suspense is killing me!" Donkey let out, frowning.

"My, this is so exciting!" Flurrie chirped in delight.

"Are you ready to learn who the Mole is?" Monty taunted the executed players who were all dying to know the identity of the mysterious traitor. Some of them were chewing their nails while others were tapping their feet on the floor. Only Jojora remained calm and collected, for she had a strong suspicion that she had been right all along.

"Players, I will drop a trampoline in the pipe where the Mole is hidden. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" yelled the finalists at the same time, all wearing a confident expression on their face.

"Okay then, please take a few steps back, I wouldn't want to knock you senseless," Monty warned, smiling. The remaining three shared a laugh. Without any further ado, Monty Mole dropped the trampoline in the middle pipe.

"Mole, come out of your hole," Monty ordered, his voice solemn. The executed players watched the pipe on the right with great interest, most of them wondering who would come out of it.

They all heard a slight noise, as if the trampoline was being moved and it all stopped.

Then, they listened closely and were able to distinguish the sound of someone jumping on a trampoline.

In soon time, their interrogations would end.

Someone jumped out of a warp pipe and landed in the room, all the fallen players gaping at them. The Mole was finally revealed.

"Hello everyone, I am the Mole," the figure said. There was something dignified about them, as if they had rehearsed this scene beforehand.

The Mole had just came out of their hole.

Toad was the Mole.

As soon as the players got over their surprise, they erupted in cheers, laughter and various demonstrations of their joy, surprise and happiness. "Holy crap, it was really you?" Pauline shouted, not caring about the words she used. "I can't believe it!" She carried on, contradicting one of her previous statements.

"Dude! I would've never pegged you as the Mole!" Kooper yelled, surprised.

"Oh boy," Flurrie whispered, still in shock at this revelation. "Who would have thought?"

"I did," Jojora answered, going toward Toad to congratulate him. The Mole hugged her as the other players finally regained their senses and sprang forward to felicitate him for a job well done.

"Dang, you were really good," Donkey told him as he lightly tapped him on the shoulder. "I didn't stand a chance!"

"Toooooad! How could you?" Birdo spluttered. "I trusted you!" she laughed in glee.

Mario clapped for the mushroom, shoving him playfully. "I thought we were friends!" he joked, making everyone laugh. Monty Mole himself was clapping for the Mole.

"It has been a long adventure, and now that we know who the Mole is... I suppose we have to find out who brought the bacon home, don't you think so?" Monty asked mysteriously, a playful grin plastered on his sly face. "Toad, you have been informed of the winner when you were waiting down there, would you mind dropping this trampoline in the winner's Warp Pipe?" Monty inquired, giving him the item he was speaking of.

"Haha, I don't mind at all," Toad answered truthfully. "They were both awesome contenders, it's a shame we can't have more than one winner," he trailed on. The others were all at the edge of their chairs, watching the scene unfold before their eyes. This time, even Jojora was concentrated for she could not know who had won the game.

Toad went to the right Warp Pipe and cupped his hands together, acting as if he had a megaphone in his hands. "Incoming!" he yelled, throwing the object he had put down onto the floor afterward. Toad took a few steps back as the winner made their way onto the trampoline. They jumped out of their own Warp Pipe and were instantly greeted by loud squeals and claps of triumph.

The figured staggered a bit before regaining their composure. Everyone began to holler their name in harmony, earning a huge smile from the winner.

"I did it? I really did it?" A certain excited Boo wondered, pinching himself to see if it was a dream or not. "Ow, that hurt," he cringed, as everyone erupted in a fit of laughter. Bootler was the winner.

Toad went to Bootler and hugged him. "Congratulations, 'coalition partner'." The mushroom smirked a little as he pronounced those words while Bootler chuckled. "Hehe, you figured me out in the end," Toad said as he shook Bootler's hand.

Most of the players were flabbergasted as Toad pronounced those words. "Huh? How?" Mario could not help but wonder.

"How the heck did Bootler win if he was deceived by his coalition partner the whole time?" Kooper uttered in surprise. The others were thinking along the same lines.

"Oh well, this is a very long story," Bootler replied enigmatically as Monty Mole went to him to congratulate him properly.

"Congratulations, Bootler, you are the official winner of 'The Mole : Festive Saboteur!' and the sole owner of the team pot which contained exactly two hundred fifty eight thousand coins! How does it feel to be the winner of such an intense game?" Monty Mole interviewed him as the butler finally realized that he had really done it.

"I am truly in shock!" Bootler commented. "I thought I had no chance of winning against Noki! To be honest, I do not know what to say!" Bootler exclaimed, overjoyed. "You have no idea how much it meant to me, I would not even be there if it were not for my mistress, Lady Bow. I am so happy to have been part of such an adventure, and to win it all... It just seems like a dream, it is too good to be true!"

"Well you were a great player," Toad explained. "I think your efforts paid off in the end."

"Oh, but you were truly a great Mole, you do not know how much doubt you put into my mind, even toward the end of the game, since you were a really good player and Noki was also extremely suspicious in the last challenge," Bootler grinned.

"Oh come on, I wasn't that good," Toad blushed and laughed immediately afterward. "You might want to revise your judgment concerning the last mission, though," the mushroom kept on laughing.

Monty Mole interrupted them before their conversation dragged on any further. "Well, we're still missing one player," he reminded them.

"Oh, poor Noki," Birdo felt sorry for her coalition partner. "She was so close..." The others felt bad for Noki too, but such was the nature of the game. There could only be one winner.

Monty warned the blue-shelled girl that he was going to drop the final trampoline and she soon appeared in the players' field of vision. "Noki, I am very sorry, you are the eighth and final victim of the Mole," the host announced gravely. Noki had a sad smile on her face as she heard the news.

"Let it be said that you played an amazing game as well, and that you deserved your spot in the final three," Monty Mole finished, as everyone began to clap for the inhabitant of Isle Delfino.

"I tried to take on Bootler with a last minute idea but he was way too strong for me," Noki shrugged. "Although it would have been awesome if I had won, I'm still happy I made it this far and the fact that Bootler is the winner makes it all the more easier to swallow," she smiled as the Mole and the winner hugged her. The others were still puzzled by Noki's first statement but they joined in the group hug, sharing memories together.

"I definitely didn't expect those results," Mario told everyone. Pauline shook her head, smiling.

"Me neither. I should be the winner!" she joked.

"Too bad you weren't on the right track," Donkey teased her, chuckling. Pauline continued to smile nevertheless.

"Or was I?"

Monty Mole had a huge grin on his face as he turned back toward the camera. "There you have it! Bootler was the victor and earned the money the team made throughout this game! Noki was the unfortunate runner-up but didn't leave empty-handed, she has had the experience of a lifetime and the pride of discovering who was the Mole! And Toad, well, he was the Mole, the enigma of the game... The Festive Saboteur," the host winked at the camera. "But the show isn't over yet! We still have some stuff to uncover! After the break, we'll take a look at Jojora's strategical game, how did she get eliminated so close to the finale? And we will also take a look at Noki's amazing game, just how close was she to winning the entire thing? That and more to come, on The Mole!"

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Here are the results of the poll 'Final Episode : Who is the Mole? - SPOILERS-'

Noki : 3

Bootler : 3

Toad : 2

As you can see, there is no clear majority! Congratulations to the people who guessed correctly that Toad was the Mole! Congratulations to the people who didn't guess that Toad was the Mole too, you guys were awesome too! I don't know who voted for whom, but I can safely assume what some of you did by reading your reviews.

I wanted to congratulate Charz for suspecting Toad for a major portion of the game, too bad you finally fell into the Noki trap. But I liked your reasoning. Ice Empoleon was also a good detective, since Toad was one of his top suspicions.

Koopa2pa, you did find a hidden clue, haha! x)

Kris, you spotted at least three clues I believe, but you unfortunately misinterpreted them. XD

For those who didn't think Toad was the Mole at all, don't fret, you might have stumbled upon a red herring. There were some pointing at various players hidden throughout the story. The most obvious one being the banana peels littered in Chomp Jail.

And here are the results of the poll 'The Mole : Festive Saboteur! ; Final : Who will win the game?'

Toad : 3

Bootler : 3

Noki : 0

I suppose the reason why Noki didn't win was because most people were suspecting her of being the Mole at the moment. :p It's actually funny how much this story differed from the one I had first imagined. But I'll probably make a trivia chapter later.

Last thing, Quiz Results!

Champ : 5/20

Cyan Comet : 3/20

The correct answers were :

1 : Green.

2 : 8.

3 : Shy Guy Pirate Boat.

4 : Twenty Thousand Bucks Under The Sheep

5 : Person who has keen eyes.

6 : Havoc Group.

7 : First.

8 : Luigi.

9 : Creating a musical arrangement.

10 : The Mole never got eliminated.

11 : Flute.

12 : Noki.

13 : Looking for items in Horror Land.

14 : 30 000 coins.

15 : 1.

16 : 26.

17 : 1. (Chapter 24, Toad talks about his brother)

18 : 2. (Chapter 11, Toad shows that he knows a bit of Dutch)

19 : Gardener.

20 : Toad.

I wanted to thank you all for your support. It was really awesome reading your reviews and suspicions. I hope you were happy with the ending, though it might not matter actually... *hint hint*

There's still more to come. Next chapter we'll see Jojora's and Noki's strategies and some of you might be surprised. :p I know there aren't clues leading to the Mole's identity anymore, but I tried to foreshadow some things. :p