Shilo : Yes, I know Birdo didn't react strongly, and I think I wrote in one of her confessional something like : 'Let me tell you that I did put a tag to my perfume, so I know I'm at an advantage' or something along these lines, but I wasn't able to find it in the story, so I assume I didn't include it in the end... Plus I honestly didn't want to reread the story yet another time just for one line. But, I'm almost sure Birdo did find her item first so there was no way she had forgotten to label it. XD I'm glad you liked most of the challenges (I agree, Mansion Nightmare was fun). I like to give them a little something which will differenciate them from basic challenges. Thanks for your review, by the way.
Cyan Comet : I'm glad you liked the chapter ! Thanks for your review and here are the clues you were looking forward to discover ! XD The last page's mystery is also explained there !
38 : The Curtains Fall
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back for the last part of this finale!" Monty Mole greeted in his usual charming voice.
The host and the players were all seated in the hotel lobby, calmly waiting for the rest of the event to unfold. All of them were particularly satisfied of the way the game turned out to be and they were dying to know what were the hidden clues leading to the Mole's identity.
"So earlier we uncovered the Mole's hidden acts of sabotage and discovered that Toad had kept out approximately two fifth of the total grand prize. Bootler, how do you feel after this revealing?"
"Well, I suppose I should be angry or resent the fact that he sabotaged so much since it diminished the amount of money I won, however that is not the case. If anything, I am proud of him, he did a splendid job!" Bootler congratulated the Mole.
"How about you, Birdo? Did you ever realized that Toad was the one behind the missing tag during the first challenge?"
Birdo let out a small giggle. "Not at all! I would have never guessed it happened that way. I even think that toward the end of my game, I just assumed that I had forgotten to put it on my perfume."
Jojora nodded. "I think Toad's greatest asset was that he knew how to blend in the crowd. We were all suspicious in our own ways, and we all sabotaged at one point of the game, but Toad's strength was that he took advantage of our sabotages to make us lose more money."
"So, next up are the clues, right?" Pauline inquired. "I'm pretty excited for that part!"
"Me too! I can't wait to see how many I missed," Noki chirped.
"Monty dear, let the show begin!" Flurrie encouraged him to start the video. Monty Mole chuckled and complied.
"Well, if I must..." The screen flicked on and everyone watched in delight as the video played.
…
The Hidden Clues
Throughout the adventure, all kind of subtle clues were disseminated, each of them pointing at Toad being the Mole. Though most of them were hidden carefully, others were in plain sight, waiting for you to find them. How many did you get?
The Festive Saboteur
Toad being the Mole, the game being hosted in different Mario Party Worlds, the link was more or less obvious. In Mario Party (1), Toad is the one who suggested to Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario and Donkey Kong that they should enter the Mushroom Village's Warp Pipe, in order to determine who was the Superstar. Without Toad's suggestion, there would have been no party at all. Because Toad is the one who introduced the Mario Parties, the adjective 'festive' qualifies him, determining him as the saboteur of the game : the Mole.
Toad's Last name
Toad's last name is very interesting indeed. It is not a random name but an actual word in French. 'L'Amanite Phalloïde' is a poisonous mushroom, which, in English, can be translated as a Death Cap Amanita. A fitting name for the Mole who executes players one after another...
Episode 1
Chapter One : The Colorful Helicopters
Five helicopters landed before the entrance of Pipetown. Each helicopter was painted in a different color, there was a pink one, a red one, a blue one, a green one and a yellow one. In the Mole, the dominant color of the logo is the green one. It is also the color of the exemption cards, and the color of the screen when a player survives a questionnaire. Basically, it is the color of the Mole. Jojora and Toad came out of the green helicopter, pointing at them being the Mole.
Chapter Three : Strange Line
When Monty Mole wishes to tell the players that they will have to wear costumes during most of the challenges, this happens :
"Now, let me explain you a few things," told them the Mole.
As you may have seen it, the initial of the word "mole", is capitalized. It has a double meaning, because Monty Mole indeed is a Mole and really is saying that sentence, but it can be linked to Toad, who was himself the host of Mario Party 2, who was explaining how it worked and giving the rules to the players.
Chapter Three : Instructive Instructions
'Your goal is to retrieve the clue from the cavern's walls. Be careful though, shining rocks reflecting light Shroob's color skin might deceive you more than they will help you. Their goal is to sabotage your hard work, so avoid them as much as you can'
The explanation of the light purple stones' job was very similar to the Mole's one. A clue to the Mole's identity was residing here, with the word "Shroob". Shroob are a mushroom alien species which tried to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom (Mario & Luigi : Partners in Time). Additionally, in chapter 2, Toad explained to Kooper that he was a Shroob during a particular game.
"Wouldn't it be the Shroob Threat? Because there was a girl named Bombette. She was playing low on the first days, but in the end, she waited for Gardevoir to reveal herself so they would eliminate my close ally, Peach, a Shroob. Then during the night I eliminated her, because she was the Neutral, or the Amanita as they call it in this game but Gardevoir also found me out because I sided with Peach. That was really well-played on her part!" recalled Toad.
Saying that his close ally, Peach, was a Shroob also meant that Toad was one. It also meant that his job was to sabotage the team's hard work.
Episode 2
Chapter Five : Message on the Wall
'THE MOLE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU'. This message was supposedly left by the Mole on a wall Toad faced during the third morning of the players' adventure. However, in front of Toad was a wall, nothing else than that. This message was not addressed to any of the players, it was actually addressed to the viewers. Toad was in front of them.
Chapter Six : The Mole Knows It All
"Ah yes! Well, you sure couldn't find the Bub-Bulb seeds without her since she was giving you clues about the areas where they should have been, that's for sure. Thank goodness Birdo never left the wheel, though. But wouldn't that mean that Mario is suspicious? I mean he found an exemption yet he failed to find seeds?"
What Toad said was really interesting... It was also a big slip-up, because Monty Mole never described the Floral Composition mission and its goal in front of him at any point during the game. Soooo... How did he know?
Chapter Seven : Youtube Knowledge
"Yeah, maybe," shrugged Toad. "Anyway, I would like him to get here soon, because it's slightly boring around here." A familiar voice answered his request.
"Then, why wouldn't you try to be snooping as usual?" chuckled the host, surprising most of the players.
Toad's line is based on what Link says in most of them ('Gee, it sure is boring around here !') while Monty Mole's is based on what Robotnik says to Sonic (the funny part being snooPING AS usual, for obvious reasons if you have already seen this kind of videos.). It could be giving a nod to those videos only, yes. But when you use snoop around, you give off an idea of stealthiness, an adjective which can describe how the Mole sabotages and it was also a reference to Toad's first sabotage.
Episode 3
Chapter Nine : Suspicious Choice of Words
Toad : It kind of bugs me to see that people are being so strategic about the game and throw challenges because they want someone out. I mean, what's the point of the Mole if everyone blatantly sabotages and admits it? Also, I don't think it's fair to Flurrie...
Well, well, well... Is Toad upset about the way they treat Flurrie, or is he upset about his impersonators, who kind of steal his show?
Chapter Nine : The Gates' Numbers
In this chapter, the players compete in order to win a clue leading to the Mole's identity. The clue in itself is not that important, but its location is. The clue is situated under a palm tree, the palm tree from Gate Six, to be more precise. If you look carefully, all of the numbers in this chapter are written in letters. The only ones which are not are the ones of two Gates (number 1 and 6) which, strangely enough, are located near the only two palm trees of Pipetown. The clue given by Monty Mole to the players said that the clue to the Mole's identity was located in the Mole's palm. And that meant that the palm trees were connected to the Mole, since they were holding his identity and secret. If you were to connect the dots, you would know that the numbers 1 and 6 were crucial. And they were, since they were giving the Mole's birthday (June 1st – 06 / 01).
Chapter Eleven : Third Gate
8 – 6 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 7 – 6
If you were to look at your cellphones, you could translate this code into letters. 8=T, 6=O, 2=A, 3=D, 4=I, 7=S and 6=M. 'Toad is M', or 'Toad is Mole'.
Episode 4
Chapter Twelve : The Mole's Door
When the players decide to look for Monty Mole, they decide to go to his room. On the door of this very room, the inscription 'Mole' is written. It could simply mean that the room is the host's. But it could also be a clue to the true Mole's identity. The room's number is 106. Toad was born on June, the first. Toad is the Mole.
Chapter Thirteen : Strange Alphabetical Order
When the players were asked, along with their relatives, to answer some questions, they all answered alphabetically. Except for Toad. Situated between Mario and Noki, his location would be a perfect fit if he were to be called 'Mole'.
Chapter Thirteen : The Clue given to Jojora finally revealed
Although I am somewhat doing things upside down it does not mean that I do not have my head on my shoulders. I know perfectly what I am doing for I am the Mole, the worst traitor you have ever seen in your entire life. Beware, looks can be deceiving...
That was the clue that was given to Jojora during episode three. The reason why it was revealed in episode four was because it would have probably made things a little too obvious. Two things point at the Mole. The first one being the line "Although I am somewhat doing things upside down" which pointed to Toad's role in the fourth mission. He was the one riding in the Rollercoaster and thus had to do his part of the mission upside down, when came the looping.
The second one was less obvious. It was this part : " it does not mean that I do not have my head on my shoulders", which wasn't a figure of style but was a line which pointed to the Mole's anatomy. Toad does not have a neck, so his head directly rests on his shoulders. This point was later addressed in the story when, in chapter seventeen, Birdo joked about one of Toad's comments.
"I don't know," confessed Toad. "I mean, you can't tell whether they used reverse psychology and hid it near the door or not. We better get a move on though, the water's reaching my shoulders!"
"Funny, I thought you didn't have shoulders," laughed Birdo.
Toad groaned. "Well, you can't really see them, but I do have shoulders. I don't have a neck, though..."
Chapter Fourteen : Introduction Sentence
"The sun was shining brightly that morning, as though it had secretly known about the players' next assignment and wanted to show them that it was more knowledgeable than them. Or was it? One of the players obviously knew as well. That person was the Mole... A faker... The rival of the Sun, in some sort of way."
Indeed, there was a clue pointing to the Mole's identity, but one could have interpreted it differently from what the producers had imagined. However, the true meaning of this phrase was the following : Toad is the rival of Brighton, in some sort of ways, since they both host Mario Parties.
Chapter Fifteen : Questions with No Comment
Nobody ever comments on the last question which always asks the players who they think the Mole is, but this time around, two peculiar questions were left out : the first one and the sixth one. It was a reference to Toad's birthday : First of June. If you look closely, you could have seen that something was strange, because Birdo's comment was placed under the wrong question. Coincidentally, Pauline's comment was also placed under the wrong question.
Chapter Fifteen : The Mole's Theme
This clue was actually hidden throughout chapter fifteen. It appears at the end of the chapter, but its meaning can only be understood thanks to an element presented at the very beginning of the same chapter.
'Arriving on the roof, the players heard the sound of a piano, which was playing the Mole's theme. It produced a strange music and the players could not help but notice this change.
"Well, that's a nice change, music always eases one's emotions," noted Noki, smiling.
"Mmmh, that sounds like polka," pointed out Mario. Jojora scoffed.
"Bah, I don't like it."'
As you can see, when the mole, the mammal, is referred to, it does not take a capital. When the Mole, the saboteur, is referred to, there is a capital on the word 'Mole'. And when The Mole, the gameshow, is referred to, both words take a capital (at least, in that chapter).
What you had to understand in this extract was that a music associated to the Mole was being played. Another element leading to the Mole's identity was the instrument that played the music. It was a piano. And, at the beginning of the chapter, the piano was mentioned :
'Pauline frowned. "What do the dots mean?" She pointed at various spots on the computer.
Toad scratched the back of his head. "Well, since we have many instruments in this remix, each one has a corresponding color. Like, you see the violin here? It's blue. So if you followed the blue dots, you'd have the entire score of the violin. Yellow's for the harp, red dots are for the piano, green dots are for the guitar, etcetera."'
As you can see, red dots are for the piano. Well, we are almost at the end of the explanation. Now, if you look at what was written before, Mario noticed that the music that was playing was polka. Isn't Toad a red polka-dotted mushroom? Yes, that was indeed another very difficult clue, but it would not be funny if they were obvious.
Episode 5
Chapter Sixteen : The Mole Knows it All 2
Quite reminiscent of the clue hidden in the second chapter of episode two, this one was another slip of the tongue that Toad made.
"God, why can't we have some light? How are we supposed to make it through this maze without light?" asked an unnerved Toad.
It is later revealed that King Boo's Mansion is a big maze, but at this point of the game, a regular player could not have known it.
Chapter Seventeen : Chapter's Name
The title of this chapter is : "Another One, Taken by Surprise.". It strangely resembles a name that could be given to an execution chapter since nobody knows for sure who the Mole is and that they might fall short during an execution, thus being taken by surprise. Yet, there is no execution during this chapter. It merely is a fake organized by Monty Mole. However, if you were to look back at this chapter's name after the fifth execution, which would be Mario's, you could have been able to find something interesting.
'"Surprise, surprise!" Toad exclaimed as he took Mario's arm. "You heroes really aren't careful... You've been shot by a tranquilizer."'
Here, the Mole is the one who takes Mario by surprise (literally), as they did during the execution of that episode.
Chapter Eighteen : Title of Monty's Book
The Pennington Miles... While it does not seem particularly strange and could be seen as a cheap attempt at advertising another story (look for the account Cascore-Wimpzilla in my favorites), it actually contains a simple clue. Look at the mistake in the title. The initial of the final word is a 'M', instead of a 'F'. It was done so all three initials could be used to spell Toad Phalloïde Mole.
Chapter Nineteen : Toad's strange remark
"Still, it's only a game," retorted Toad. "Also, I like her ten times better as the Mole than you as a player, assuming you are a player and her the Mole." Jojora scoffed.
"It's only a game? I doubt you'd say that in front of the final quiz, when you are a few questions away from winning that whole game, as well as the money which comes with victory. Do I need to remind you that more than one hundred coins is at stake?"
"Well, it won't make a difference. At least to me. I've come here for the experience," told her Toad.
Indeed, in front of the final quiz, it will not make a difference for the Mole, as they know they will not be able to win the money. Which is exactly why Toad replied that way to Jojora.
Episode 6
Chapter Twenty One : The Mole Knows it All 3
"Why are you so focused on that armor? It isn't like you to act like that. Let's go back to the challenge, we can still inspect whatever you want to inspect after this challenge's over. But for now, twenty thousand coins are waiting for us at the top of this castle," retorted the gardener. Bootler complied and followed him.
Monty Mole never specified the worth of the challenge. Additionally, earlier in the chapter, Bootler mentions that the Mole is bound to slip up one time or another, which is exactly what happened here and led the Boo to victory.
Chapter Twenty One : Interesting Opponents
When Birdo, Jojora and Noki challenged football players to clear their last mini-mission, they were up against three other females. The Toad was called Toodia, the Boo Booenissima and the Monty Mole was called Girolle, a curious name for a Monty Mole. If you were to translate her name from French to English, you would know that Girolle is the name of the Chanterelle mushroom. So why would a Monty Mole be named after a mushroom? It does not make much sense, unless we were to link the fact that her name and her species were giving us the identity of the Mole.
Chapter Twenty Two : Hidden Clue From The Mole
Mole, the very individual that you have tried to catch for so long, it must be hard to actually play the game, so I will give you a clue : BTMF... Until we reach the end of the game, that is, but by then, you will probably be aware of who I am. So yes, you can choose to acknowledge my words. Hello to whomever you might be. Reorder this clue, and its meaning will become clear to you. Or you can dismiss them, do as you wish. Oh, before I forget, I'm the Mole. My name will remain a secret, as I do not want to spoil your game.
The clue leading to the Mole's identity found by Noki told its possessor to reorder the sentence around. The message, reordered, was :
Hello to whomever you might be. Oh, before I forget, I'm the Mole. So yes, you can choose to acknowledge my words. Or you can dismiss them, do as you wish. Mole, the very individual that you have tried to catch for so long, it must be hard to actually play the game, so I will give you a clue : BTMF... My name will remain a secret, as I do not want to spoil your game. Until we reach the end of the game, that is, but by then, you will probably be aware of who I am. Reorder this clue, and its meaning will become clear to you.
As you can see, no message appeared and its meaning is still foggy. The Mole did a clever thing when he created the clue, he encouraged the receiver to 'hide' its meaning. Indeed, the message was here from the beginning. If you were to take a look at the first letter of each sentence, you would find the following string : M-U-S-H-R-O-O-M.
The obvious clue given by the Mole in the message, BTMF, is a reference to a soundtrack of Super Mario RPG : Beware The Forest's Mushrooms, except that the last two letters were not in the right order. Hence why the Mole asked you to reorder the clue.
Fun Fact : The clue could also have been interpreted as a red herring. 'B' for Bootler, 'T' for Toad, 'M' for Mole and 'F' for Final. Bootler, Toad and Noki were the final three, so you could have thought that this clue led to Noki.
Episode 7
Chapter Twenty Four : Introduction of the Players
"It's kind of lonely without Birdo," remarked Toad, eating a grapefruit. The players were once again reunited around the table of the dining room.
The Mole, could they be parading as the happy-go-lucky yet forgetful mushroom, known as Toad?
"Don't remind me," replied Noki absent-mindedly, picking at her food. "I wish she were still on the show."
Or would they rather use the disguise of the shy, weak and intelligent inhabitant of Delfino Island, known as Noki?
"Told you it wouldn't be me," shrugged Jojora. She looked at her competition, all the while grinning slightly.
And how about the harsh and arrogant, yet clever blue fairy, known as Jojora? Surely, she could get the job done.
Bootler remained as calm as ever. "You should not assume that victory is yours just yet. Trust my experience..." When Bootler noticed the confused expression of Jojora, he developed. "You should never take things for granted, for the Mole might be playing you at this very moment." Jojora rolled her eyes.
Dedicated, focused and mysterious, such are the qualities of the old ghost, known as Bootler. Would he be uncovered as the Mole?
If you were to look at the beginning letter of each of the italicized statements, you would have been able to find out the identity of the Mole : T-O-A-D.
Chapter Twenty Four : The Mole Knows it All 4
"Yes you have, but for now I only need Jojora and Bootler. You won't play in the same mission," told them their host. Jojora and Bootler followed the host, leaving Noki and Toad by themselves.
"Weird."
"I also find it strange that we don't get to accompany them or even hear what they will be doing," voiced Noki. "I mean, our challenge also conveniently takes place in Koopa's Tycoon Town, so I don't really understand why we should be waiting here."
Toad sat down on the pavement. "I think..." He stopped for a moment, looking at the sky.
"Yes?" encouraged him Noki, patiently.
"I think we should be extremely careful during our own part of the mission. I'm pretty sure Monty will purposely omit some details when he gives us the rules and everything we need in order to win."
While Monty Mole states that the two groups composed of Jojora and Bootler in one hand, and Toad and Noki in the other hand, will partake in two different challenges and that Noki uses the words 'our challenge', Toad clearly implies that there is only one challenge with the line 'our own part of the mission'. He would not have known that, had he been a normal player.
Chapter Twenty Seven : Special Items
The items Toad needed to bring at Mystery Mansion were giving the identity of the Mole. Indeed, the Music Box, the Magical Flute and the Frog were all references to items that appeared in Super Mario Bros 3 (the first two having the same names while the last one was the Frog Costume). In the game, Toad was the one who was giving Mario (or Luigi) the possibility to look inside one of his treasure chests to acquire an item at the end of each level. Additionally, the Magical Flute was a special artifact, existing in only three exemplars, thus leading to his identity as the Mole.
Chapter Twenty Seven : Precious Items
Toad was rushing toward Mystery Mansion, holding the most valuable items of the game.
The reason why this line is not "Toad was rushing toward Mystery Mansion, holding the most valuable items of this game/challenge/mission" is because that sentence in itself was a clue.
In the Mole, the most valuable items are exemptions, plus one and the Mole's dossier. Why use this sentence to qualify items of no apparent value to the game called The Mole then? Because they were giving the identity of the Mole, that is why.
Chapter Twenty Seven : Execution Vehicle
When Monty Mole accompanies Jojora to the vehicle which will help her return home, this happens :
'From afar, the host and the ice fairy could see the deep blue car that Toad had used to reach Horror Land. Jojora frowned.
"I kind of hoped I'd ride in something a little more...exciting, oh well."'
As you saw, the execution vehicle was previously used by none other than the Mole. Also, when Jojora caught sight of the vehicle, she frowned. Not because she was disappointed, but because she realized that it was a clue, explaining why she later wrote in her journal.
'She buckled her seat-belt and grabbed her journal, scribbling down her final thoughts.'
Episode 8
Chapter Twenty Eight : Specific Order
Have you ever noticed that, when Monty Mole or the off voice explains what the last three players will be – The victor, the loser and the Mole – a specific order is always respected? Have you ever noticed that the order in which the three remaining players were introduced was always the same too? Whether it was Monty Mole's doing or simply their apparition order at the beginning of each chapter?
That was actually foreshadowing their final placement. Bootler who was always introduced first, would be the winner, Noki, always second, would be the runner-up, and Toad, the Mole, would always be third.
Chapter Twenty Eight : Monty's Witty Wordplay
Monty Mole cleared his throat and closed the door. He waddled his way toward the center of the room and faced them. "Bootler, Noki, Toad. You are the final three of this game. At the beginning, there were ten of you, ten players striving for victory. And now, only you three survived. The Mole left nothing behind their path as the game progressed. Nothing? No, this isn't correct. Two of you were spared, for they knew more about the Mole than anyone else. This final episode will help determine who knows the most about the Mole, I hope you're all ready," he wished, taking a close look at the last three players.
Here, the important phrase was this one : " The Mole left nothing behind their path as the game progressed". If you were to look at the introduction of the players at the beginning of episode one and compare it to the introduction of the players at the beginning of episode eight, you would see that, indeed, the Mole left nothing behind them. As the game progressed, the Mole executed Jojora, Pauline, Flurrie, Kooper and Mario, leaving nothing behind their introduction. Toad is the last one presented at the beginning of episode eight, meaning that he was the Mole.
Chapter Twenty Nine : Toad's Confessional
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.
The important sentence here is 'Even I found it strange when […].'. Why would Toad insist on the fact that Bootler's choices were strange to him if he were not the Mole?
Chapter Twenty Nine : The 3 Questions Game
Each of Toad's questions dealt with crimes, sabotages or lies, which was kind of ironical, seeing that he was the Mole.
"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 you," Bootler considered.
"Trust me, you really don't know. They were much more difficult than yours and Noki's."
And during this part, Toad complains about the difficulty of the questions. While one could think that Bootler and Toad are discussing the challenge casually, the truth is that Bootler cannot relate to Toad, because Toad is the Mole and never questioned his friends' honesty.
Chapter Thirty : Monty Mole's Dish
The first and only time the meals of the host and the players are described, Monty Mole had a Mushroom Omelette. And Toad is a mushroom.
Chapter Thirty : Kylie's Book
Kylie's book is entitled 'The Shroob Threat', and it was not a sheer happenstance that it was picked as the final book the players had to find. Indeed, its contents have nothing to do with Toad, as the book narrates the adventure of Mario, Luigi and their baby forms as they traveled through time to save the Mushroom Kingdom from the Shroob's Invasion.
However, the title of the book holds a true significance for the Mole. The clue located inside the book 'Congratulations, you found me! Or did you?' was also strange. The 'me' stands for the Mole, and the fact that the players 'found the Mole' meant that the book was giving out the identity of the Mole in some way. The second part was also here to show them that everything was not as it seemed. There were actually two Moles in the challenge, and both Moles were linked to the book. The players only discovered one of the Moles : Kylie Koopa.
If you were to look back at the very beginning of the game (chapter 2), you would see that Toad claimed to have been a participant in a game show called 'The Shroob Threat', effectively tying him to the role of the Mole.
Chapter Thirty Two : Toad's strange remark
When Bootler, Noki and Toad played Mushroom Mix-Up, this happened :
'"Ah!" Noki shouted as she hit the water. "You pushed me, Toad!" she yelled angrily as she swam toward Francesca's boat.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" Toad apologized. "It's just that... I was trained that way, this is how we usually play the game! Sorry!"
Toad : I really didn't mean to, I swear! At the time I didn't even realize that I was pushing her off the platform. But seriously, that's how the game is played.'
Toad is definitely right. In Mario Party, you can push your opponents off the edge of the mushrooms, you can also prevent them from reaching the platform by blocking them with your body, or you can squash them under your derriere with a ground pound. The strange fact is that Toad claims to have been trained to do that to his opponents, but this cannot be, for he never played this game himself during Mario Party, as he was the one holding the flags. But if he never played this game, what is this training he refers to? His training as the Mole, evidently.
Besides, later on during the same chapter, when the players have a game of All Fired Up, Toad makes no effort whatsoever to warn them about the difficulty of the challenge and does not even tell them what kind of formations the Podoboo can adopt. If he did partake in the mini-games of Mario Party One, then he should have partaken in the mini-games of Mario Party Three too.
Chapter Thirty Two : A Mole-ish Replacement
After Toad decided to stay behind to replace the flat tire, Bootler and Noki went up the snowy mountain and found their next challenge. When they go there, the Eerie in charge of the mini-game notices that there is one missing player, so he decides to replace that player, as seen there :
'"This mini-game is called 'Avalanche!'. All you have to do is ski down the slope and reach the final jump first to win the game and add twenty minutes to your timer. Since there are only two of you, one additional player will compete against you, did you get it?"'
One of their opponents is a Monty Mole, and he coincidentally is presented after the Cheep Cheep. Why? Because he was not supposed to play in the challenge, thus this Monty Mole is the replacement.
'The Eerie from before came back and told them that the race would begin shortly, however, Noki and Bootler did not hear him. They barely heard the familiar voice saying 'Start' and gave their opponents – a red Cheep Cheep wearing a cowboy hat and a Monty Mole with a big brown mustache – a head start.'
And what is a better replacement for Toad, the Mole, than a literal mole?
Chapter Thirty Three : The Mole's (Un)Lucky Draw
At the beginning of their encounter with Goomba, the owner of the Casino asks Toad to pick a card first. Toad chose the one which gave him thirteen points, however, the cards were not shuffled beforehand, so he knew where were the cards. Thus, he chose the one which fitted him best, the one decorated with a Thirteen, which could stand for a 'M', or the Mole.
Chapter Thirty Three : Monty's Final Clue
'"We're in a Party Land to be," Monty Mole declared mysteriously, grinning as he did so. "However, I don't want to spoil you so don't expect precisions. Princess Peach and your friend Mario told us that we could use this place which is somehow significant to you guys. You've been playing this game for a while, and your quiz awaits you at the end of the road. But no one knows what is beyond this road, it will be your job to write the end of this history, and for one of you, it will change your life forever," Monty exclaimed, using some of his witty sentences to add more mystery to the atmosphere. '
As you can read, Monty Mole explains to the players that they are in a Party Land to be, but does not want to say more because it would spoil them. The question is, what would it spoil them about? As Monty told them, the place is significant to the players, but in what way exactly? If the road is an image for the game, then it means that the road symbolizes the game, thus it symbolizes the endless search for the Mole and at the end of this road one would be able to find the Mole.
Everything makes much more sense when one knows that this road is actually called 'Toad Road'. It would spoil the players and viewers by giving them the name of the Mole.
The Mole's Dossier
The Mole's Dossier, which can be accessed via Princess Toady's profile, contained eight pages. You could access them by typing 'bootler', 'noki', 'toad', 'taupe', 'mol' and 'topo'. The names of the three finalists were a given while the other words all meant 'Mole' in another language. They could be found thanks to the noki page, which told you to try another language.
However, the bootler, toad and noki pages combined with the description of the dossier, on Princess Toady's profile, should have led you to the eighth and last page of this dossier. On the profile was written this line :
'Here's the first page of the Mole's dossier. Seven others can be discovered, do you think you have the key to this whole mystery?'
On the noki page this line :
'Maybe you need to use another language to unlock my secret...'
On the bootler page this line :
'Did you try to look at this puzzle looking outside the box?'
On the toad page this line :
'If you gather every little piece of information you've found thus far, victory is yours.'
With this information in mind, looking back at the story and more particularly chapter Nineteen, you would have seen that the Mole had left a Mole which bore a striking resemblance to the profile phrase.
'"I'm surprised that nobody saw the message left by the Mole..."
Jojora immediately focused. "Which message? I didn't see any message." Toad looked around the table and noticed a crumpled piece of paper. He reached for it and unfolded it.
"I think I got it! So, let's see," he hesitated for a moment, but everyone looked at him impatiently, urging him to start, so the player cleared his throat and spoke loudly. "'Hello, it's the Mole here! I've had a wonderful time seeing you struggle during this episode. Really, that was fun! But, you know, sometimes I'm wondering. Maybe it's really hard to be a genuine player. So yeah, I decided to leave you the key to this whole mystery, it will help you in the future. I don't know exactly when, but I'm sure it will help. Here you go!' and then there are numbers. 'Two, One, Four, Two, Two, Five, Five, Three, Six, Five,'" recited the mushroom.'
Truth is, the Mole had already given the solution to this puzzle, or the key to this whole mystery, as they put it. Thanks to the noki and bootler pages' messages, you would have known to think of a different language, one that isn't obvious at all, the language of numbers.
Entering the combination 2142255365 would lead to a very blatant picture of the Mole.
The Name of the Album
The Album on which the dossier was hosted was called : 'La Taupe : Menace du Xhampi'. Translating this title from French to English would have given to you the Mole's identity (The Mole : Threat of the Shroob). And Toad had stated he was a Shroob at the very beginning of the game (chapter two).
…
The players were speechless at the end of the video while Toad and the host were simply grinning from ear to ear. "There were more clues than I expected!" Toad remarked as Monty Mole winked to him.
"Well, the Mole doesn't have to know everything, do they?" It was then that Pauline broke out of her trance.
"You mean to tell me that Toad actually made a slip of the tongue right in front of me and I still didn't get it? I swear, I'm going to hit myself so hard after this..." Noki giggled.
"If it had not been for that clue, I would have never reached the finale," she admitted, smiling. "I don't even imagine what would've happened if I had been five minutes slower preparing myself for the day... I guess I would have been executed instead of Birdo..."
"Yeah, but then I would have probably thought that the others were all going for Jojora too and that that was the reason why you left," Birdo assumed thoughtfully. "I can't believe I've avoided my execution by two times!"
Donkey stared blankly in front of him. "I knew the title of this game. I was there when Toad suggested we had a party in the first place. I couldn't make the connection," Donkey sighed. "I suck at this game." Mario patted him on the back.
"I didn't do so hot myself either," Mario told him, grinning as he did so.
"I guess it was easier for Toad to deceive you as you knew him beforehand," Kooper hypothesized.
"Wouldn't they have been able to catch his lies more easily for that same reason?" Flurrie wondered. Nobody had an answer to her question.
"I'm glad I found one clue at least," Jojora smirked. "Actually two, but the second one didn't matter that much since I had already been executed."
"Before everything ends, I would like to ask you guys a question. Who here would've liked to be the Mole?" Pauline raised her hand immediately, followed by Jojora, Mario and Donkey Kong. "Why, Pauline? Do you think you would have done a great job?"
"Well, from what I've gathered during this reunion show, I actually seemed to be a prime suspect back when I was still in the game. The winner voted for me, I know that much," she smiled cutely. "Besides, I'm great at sabotaging, aren't I?" Everyone began to laugh and Jojora began to give her reasons.
"I don't have much to say except that it would have been awesome to use the strategy I used as the Mole. I think that some people wouldn't have suspected me at all because my actions would be way too suspicious. And the greatest reward for the Mole is to execute people, as it means they've done a good job."
"What about you, Mario? I'm surprised to see you would have liked to be the Mole..."
"Who would expect the 'great Mario' as the Mole?" the plumber inquired. "I'm sure some of you thought I couldn't be the Mole because I was Mario. It would make for an interesting twist of events, don't you think so?" Everyone nodded, confirming his suspicions.
"And finally, Donkey...?"
"As I said before, I sucked at that game, so my incompetence would have been a great asset to the Mole," he stated as everyone around him began to laugh.
"Hmm, Toad, I was wondering... What advice would you give to the future Moles...?" Monty Mole questioned.
"That's a good question!" Kooper piped up. "I'm wondering myself."
Toad shrugged. "Well, I have tons of advice for them, but only one of them seems important to me. Two words : 'Have fun.' Being the Mole is a wonderful experience, don't let it go to waste." The players nodded, pleased with his response.
"You're right," Noki giggled. "It's just a game, so no matter what happens, no hard feelings."
"Ah, alas the ends is nigh!" Monty Mole realized. "I'm going to miss you, players, I had fun with your crazy antics."
"The end's coming so soon?" Birdo pouted. "I still want to play and talk with everyone."
"Well, we could host a small party just after this episode concludes," Mario proposed. "The Mole or the winner is buying us dinner of course."
"I guess it's on me then? After all I've done to you guys," Toad joked. Once again, the group erupted in a fit of laughter.
"Well, this season ends on a positive note, I am glad to have hosted it and who knows, maybe we'll see each other in the future?" Monty Mole asked to no one in particular, facing the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, it was my pleasure to be your host."
And with that, the players and the host headed out of the hotel, talking about their experience and the things that they would never forget. A grand adventure of deceit had come to a close, but they were all feeling closer than ever, a special bond linking them ever since they first stepped out of their helicopter near Pipetown's outskirts.
Kooper, the first eliminated player, looked back at his short adventure a little remorseful over his minus one but still glad it had ended the way it did. Now understanding the hard tasks the players were faced with, the young Koopa was able to get his job back, as Monty Mole's personal assistant, thanks to the host's persuasion.
Donkey returned to Glitz Pit, satisfied with how things turned out in the end. Thanks to this adventure, the fighter decided to rely less on brute strength and more on sly tactics and was able to claim the title of best fighter of Glitz Pit, surpassing Rawk Hawk, Prince Mush and even Gonzales Junior.
Flurrie went back to her home in Boggly Woods, only to have a 'splendastic' idea once again. The actress convinced everyone who had partaken in The Mole : Festive Saboteur to come and join her on the scene to reenact their adventures in order to raise money for her association. Everyone complied and Doopliss, her personal assistant, would fill in for the ones who had an unforeseen difficulty. Her play was a huge hit in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Thanks to her performance during the game, Pauline was able to get in contact with a producer who gave her a major role in a movie. The model did not forget about her friends and continued her job at the model agency, doing two jobs at a time. She also gained in popularity in the Mushroom Kingdom, helping her possible rise to fame.
Mario returned home and told Luigi everything that had happened in great detail. His brother would often ask him questions about the game and its difficulty, and Mario would always answer with a smile on his face, remembering his adventure. Princess Peach was also glad that he returned and asked him if he wanted to take some vacations with her and Daisy (Luigi was also invited) in Diamond City. Hopefully, they managed to have an actual vacation for once...
Thanking the stars for the amazing time she had in the game, Birdo went back to LavaLava Island with Yoshi. As soon as she was reunited with her loved one, he proposed to her and she accepted happily. The couple had their honeymoon at Isle Delfino, where Birdo had the pleasure to see Noki who had become her best friend after the game ended.
The inhabitant of Joke End became surprisingly famous once the game ended. The ice fairy gained in popularity and was even invited by Prince Peasly to have dinner and discuss of their experiences. Art critics also swarmed her house to look at her creations, evaluating their price and judging their quality. All in all, the game had a very positive influence on her life.
After an adventure of a lifetime, Noki opted to return to her house, taking a well-deserved vacation from her job. The Mole was not as popular at Isle Delfino as it was in the Mushroom Kingdom, so the calm Noki managed to get some time to herself until her friends heard that she was back home. From there on, she had to tell countless times what had happened during her adventure, not that it bothered her. Although she had come close to win it, Noki was not disappointed. If anything, she was glad she had been able to be experience it fully.
It was price in hand that Bootler returned to the Boo Mansion in Forever Forest. Startled, puzzled, befuddled, flabbergasted were the words that correctly described the faces of his friends when he showed them his reward. Everyone congratulated him on a job well done, however the old Boo was only waiting to see the smile on his mistress' face when he would announce her his success. Once Lady Bow heard about the news, she demanded that a great party should be hosted for the hero of Boo Mansion. She was glad for Bootler, and her butler was immensely thankful for her actions.
As for the Mole, they went back to their usual life. The gardener went home with the satisfaction of a job well done and connections to ten other persons that he would never ever forget. When Toadette heard that he had been the Mole all along, she could not utter a single word for an hour, but when she regained her senses she bombarded him with questions. Overall, the happy-go-lucky Toad was happy to get back to his normal life in company of his lovely girlfriend, but at times he could not help but feel a tiny bit nostalgic as he remembered his adventure. However, nothing really ended for the Mole.
After all, 'Once a Mole, always a Mole'.
This it it. The story is essentially finished now. I might add a parody chapter, a result/trivia/special thanks/disclaimer chapter, but I think that will be all. I actually wanted to create an alternate finale with Noki winning, but I honestly couldn't be bothered to change everything (yeah, it would be pointless to copy/paste everything and just change like 5 lines or something... I thought it would be best to change mostly everything.). Who knows, maybe I'll do it, like in a few years. *shot*
So, yeah, that's all, I suppose. *sniffles*
Oh and concerning the clues, I know some of them SUCK, but like, big time (mostly the one which connected Brighton to Toad) but hopefully you won't think they all do, because some of them actually took me some time to think of.
I hope you guys have had a good a read and...
I think I'll do a sequel. :p I have all characters chosen, as I already sent Champ a 'trailer', so he can testify if I changed something. But I might take a few months to start it. There's still the second Mole story which is on hiatus... I'm completely demotivated for this one, seriously. If someone out there is reading this author note, and wants to create their own Mole story, I suggest sticking wit ten characters max. My second story would be long finished if I hadn't put twelve characters (psh, just for one clue too... XD).
Well, until next time !