A/N: So I disappeared for a while to get through the semester, but now that I'm on break, I can finish up this competition. I think much of its fanbase has left, but whatever, I'm still going to write it since there's only 8 competitors left and it won't take that long to wrap up.

So thanks to those who reviewed!

Yoshpa: Boo is being annoying because he's upset at how things are falling out of his control. Before he and Noki were just kind of being cute and stuff cus no one was in danger, but with Boshi's reveal and the elimination of Zess T., his team has been shaken up.

ultimateCCC: Spooky? Hmm….also it's not Lucky 7. Eight are left!

Space Dimentio: Zess had to go. Her time was up! And I think Birdo could have chosen a better way to do that as well, so we'll have to see what the consequences of that choice are…

The DreamStakes!

Merged: Toadsworth, Boo, Noki, Birdo, Princess Shroob, Pauline, Wendy, Bowser

"Good morning, you wretched souls," Brighton said with a smile. Everyone had been instructed to meet early by the docks with their bags packed. They would finally be leaving Noki Bay and headed somewhere new. For many, this was a sign of relief. This place, while beautiful, brought up a lot of bad blood in the competition. Kammy and Don Pianta had been snuffed out, as had some more personal players, such as Zess T. and Boshi. Birdo was still recovering from the shock of her masked love, but she knew she had to be strong. Eliminating Zess T. had been the right thing to do in her mind, but now, she didn't know where to turn.

Birdo: I might have made a mistake, but you only get to play this game once. I think by eliminating Zess T., I proved to everyone I'm not afraid to stick up for myself after everything I've been through in this game!

"Where are we going now?" Bowser asked Brighton, picking at a bit of leftover food from dinner in his chompers. Disgusted, Brighton took a moment to suppress the rising bile in his throat before divulging their next location.

"Sirena Beach!" he told them with a smile. "For making the final eight, you all get to relax in the calming, sun-kissed sands of Sirena Beach and it's wonderful Hotel Delfino!"

"Really?" Noki asked, pleased beyond belief.

"Of course not!" Twila spat. "Like we'd let you relax for a while! Ha! Instead, you'll be put through some of your most grueling challenges yet!"

"Oh dear…" Toadsworth said with a frown, not looking forward to it all.

Toadsworth: Perhaps my ego is deflated because ol' Zess is gone…my dear Zess…how can I fight in this game without her by my side? She gave me such confidence after the poor princess was axed early…now what do I do?

"Just hop aboard and we'll leave Noki Bay behind!" Brighton instructed, waving his arm for everyone to board the boat which a Pianta was driving. Sashaying aboard, Princess Shroob cackled with confidence as she boarded the ship, Birdo and Pauline close behind her. Bowser picked up Wendy and threw her into the boat, not stopping for the wild screams of panic his daughter gave out. Behind them, the remaining members of the heroes' alliance somberly boarded the boat. Toadsworth looked most distraught, but Boo looked rather disappointed in not just the way things were playing out, but how he had been acting.

Boo: I was put on the heroes team for a reason…but I've been acting like a snarky kid. Noki must be so disappointed in me. My goal for Sirena Beach is to turn my gameplay around and return to my normal self!

"I'm sorry Noki," Boo told her as they sat down in the boat together.

"Sorry?" Noki asked him, frowning. "Whatever for?"

"I've been acting like a huge jerk," he admitted. "I was rash with Birdo, I was cruel during the challenges…I've been anything but a proper boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Noki asked, taken aback.

"Well, that's what we are, right?" he asked her. "Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I…I guess so," she said. "I just never really thought about it. But you're right, about both things. You have been acting like a jerk, but you've been under a lot of stress too. That doesn't make it inexcusable, but I can forgive you."

"Thanks," he told her with a smile. He snuggled up next to her, petting her arm softly. "Hopefully things will swing back in our favor once we hit Sirena Beach."

Noki wasn't too sure, though. Unless they could get Birdo and one of the villains on their side, things would look grim for the sea-shelled creature and her ghostly boyfriend.

Noki: The game is split down the middle at this point. If Birdo comes back to us, which I don't see why should would right now, but if she does, it'll be four to four. If she doesn't…they'll pick us all off one by one. I hope Boo is right. If our fortunes don't turn around at Sirena Beach, they probably never will…

As the boat skimmed across the surface of the water on it's way to Sirena Beach, Princess Shroob spoke to her lackeys.

"What a brilliant move!" she sneered, looking over to the downcast heroes. "If Zess T. wasn't cooking food for yours truly, what good was she? Bah! I say none at all, right ladies? Now that the game is in our grasp, it's one two three with those foppish little heroes! Then, we can turn the tables on that unruly koopa and his swine of a daughter!"

Birdo: It's true. I'm in an excellent position with Princess Shroob and Pauline. We pick off those so-called friends of mine, down with Bowser and Wendy…and we make the final three. But is that really how I want to play this game?

Princess Shroob: Now that that ugly pink thing and Pauline have come back around, I can dominate this game once more! Look out, Mushroom Kingdom! I'll soon have the coins to fund my death ray cannon!

"Don't you go defecting again, now," Pauline told Birdo, narrowing her eyes. "I can tell you wish you were still with them."

Birdo sighed. "Really, Pauline?" she asked, sounding a bit tired of the woman in scarlet's mocking tone. "You think after what they said to me that I'd go back to them?"

"Who knows?" Pauline asked, not bothering to look at Birdo as she applied some lipstick in a compact mirror. "You're unpredictable at best, Birdy."

Birdo shook her head, looking annoyed as she turned her gaze to the surface of the water. Soon, Noki Bay faded in the distance. Looking back at that place, Birdo hoped she made all the right decisions while she was there.

On the other side of the boat, Bowser was relaxing with his arms behind his head. To his side, Wendy looked pretty ruffled.

"This is the life, ain't it, Lemmy?" Bowser asked.

"For the millionth time, I'm Wendy!" Wendy spat. " Y!" she spelled out her name. "I am your only daughter among eight other kids! You don't think it'd be that hard to remember."

"Ah, quit yer yappin'," Bowser said. "I just like messing with ya. Now listen up. We're doing reaaaal fine. I've got quite the plan, you see. Toadsworth is all down in the dumps since that rotting old fungus woman went home. We can snatch him up, that awkward ghost and noki couple thing too! With them on our side, we can vote out Princess Shroob."

"Why on Earth would we do that?" Wendy asked him.

"Because she's gonna win this game!" Bowser hissed so no one could hear. "She's got the brains and the brawn! She's been doing all the planning for every elimination since the start of this crummy show. If we don't take her out soon, she'll get us…"

Bowser: Princess Shroob don't think I'm smart, but I know what she's up to! She'll win this whole game if I don't put a stop to her!

Wendy: I relied on my Dad to get me through that sordid Heroes vs. Villains twist…but now that that's over and only eight of us are left, I consider myself a free agent. He hasn't shown me anything but cruelty, despite our plan, he's taken it a little too far. If he calls me Lemmy one more time…he might wish he never had…

"Welcome to Sirena Beach!" Twila cried, throwing out her arms grandly as the boat pulled into the dock. The Pianta captain got out and quickly tied the boat down to the metal cleats on the boardwalk, and once he was done, he signaled for everyone to get off. The two hosts lead the group of eight players to the base of Hotel Delfino, basking in its grand entrance.

"Is this where we'll be staying?" Noki asked.

"Unfortunately, Brighton and I will have to endure your pig stench for a few nights," Twila told Noki. "We've booked rooms for all of you in the hotel. Two per room. That makes four rooms, if I remember first grade math. You can pick who you bunk with, just don't cause trouble or the manager will throw you out. Get settled in and then meet us outside for a special announcement! The manager will hand you your key cards for your rooms in the lobby."

"I'll room with Birdo," Noki told Boo. "I think I might be able to talk her back to our side." Boo nodded in agreement, hoping Noki could work some magic. He and Toadsworth moved into the lobby and took a card from the manager.

"Looks like you and I will be together, eh old boy?" Toadsworth asked Boo.

"Seems to be that way," Boo told Toadsworth. "Now hopefully Noki can do something about Birdo and we'll make it out of this intact."

The roommates were decided, with Boo and Toadsworth, Wendy and Bowser, Noki and Birdo, and Princess Shroob and Pauline being the pairs. Once they unpacked their bags and got settled in, they all met outside for the special announcement that Twila had mentioned.

"Well, welcome to Sirena Beach," Twila told them. "You all have done somewhat well enough to be able to make it this far in the game. But now, the stakes are higher than ever. No more rewards! From now, every challenge will be for immunity, and every challenge will result in an elimination."

Everyone gasped besides Bowser who plain didn't care.

"So that means today's challenge will grant immunity to one sole victor, and everyone else will be up for elimination!" Brighton announced. "And here comes to challenge, just on time!"

"I don't see anything?" Wendy questioned to no one in particular, looking out over the horizon. Slowly but surely, some odd blue ectoplasm was stretching its way across the ocean and onto the shores of Sirena Beach.

"What is that!?" Boo cried, stepping in front of Noki.

"It's the Phantamanta!" Twila snickered. "This thing makes Eely-Mouth look like a kitten! If you touch the Phantamanta, you'll get a nasty shock and be eliminated from the challenge. Every time it touches someone, it'll split in two, making it harder to evade!"

"This sounds painful," Toadsworth deduced. "Can't we do something else?"

"NO!" Twila shouted. "Now run for your lives!" She produced a taser from her robe and zapped it into the air, shocking everyone and causing them to split up and run from the approaching manta.

"Boo can float!" Princess Shroob spat. "That's no fair!"

"She's right!" Bowser yelled as he climbed a tree and kicked Wendy away at the same time.

"Hmmm…we didn't think about that," Brighton said. "Oh well! I'm sure he'll screw up somehow!" Folding his arms, Boo glared at the host but realized he didn't have time to be mad. The Phantamanta was approaching quickly, and its crackling blue fins were sweeping over the shore at that very moment. Gulping, he grabbed Noki and led her back up the shore towards the hotel.

"Where are we gonna hide!?" Birdo asked Princess Shroob and Pauline.

"Stop that ugly vacuum from moving!" Princess Shroob spat, giving Birdo a toxic look. "It creeps me out! Show us you've sworn your allegiance to us by doing everything to protect us."

"W-what?" Birdo asked.

"Quickly!" Pauline snapped. "Bend over. Let us use your back as a stepping stool to get on top of this hut!"

"No!" Birdo barked. "I want to win too!"

"Well we can't both win!" Pauline shot back. "If you want to be a part of this team, you have to show some loyalty! So come on and bend over!"

"Are you insane?" Birdo spat. "If I do that, I'll be eliminated!"

As the two of them argued, Princess Shroob noticed the Phantamanta rapidly approaching. Shimmying up the hut on her own, Princess Shroob didn't give a word of warning to her two allies as the manta approached and zapped them silly. Electricity surged over the skin, poofing out Pauline's hair and causing Birdo to look more repulsive than she already did.

"Birdo and Pauline are out!" Twila announced as the Phantamanta split in half twice. Now four mantas were running wild all over the beach, causing panic in the six remaining contestants.

"Come on Toadsworth!" Boo cried. "Let's go back to the water!"

"I'm too old!" Toadsworth huffed.

"Come on!" Boo cried, getting behind the old toad and shoving him. With the burst of momentum, Toadsworth toppled forward and rolled down the hill towards the beach, where no mantas presided at the moment. The four electric creatures were up near the hotel, giving Bowser and Wendy several jolts of fright.

"Daddy!" Wendy cried. "Let me climb on your shell!" Wendy tried to maneuver herself towards her father, but he shoved her away with a repugnant cry.

"Get away, ugly thing!" he hollered. Screaming, Wendy fell backwards and directly into a Phantamanta, which gave her a nasty jolt. Sizzling, Wendy collapsed.

"Wendy is out! Only five remain!"

"Bahahaha!" Bowser laughed, slapping his knee. "That was hilarious!" He spent so much time guffawing over Wendy's demise that he didn't notice the swarm of eight mantas headed straight towards him. They zapped him with all their might, causing the Koopa King to fall flat on his back.

"Bowser is out!" Princess Shroob heard Twila announce.

"Curse these infidels," Princess Shroob clucked. "Do I have to do everything by myself? Oh, what is that I spy? Do I see an old Toad and two dweebs with my little eye?" Peering out over the beach from her position on top of the hut, Princess Shroob saw Boo, Noki, and Toadsworth fleeing a group of mantas. Fishing out her ray gun, the alien princess fired off two shots, blasting the sand just before them.

"Watch out!" Boo cried. Growling, he looked across the way to see Princess Shroob readying her gun for another shot. Stalled now, the group of three were defenseless as the Phantamanta approached them. Noticing the coming rays, Toadsworth shuffled ahead.

"Look out!" Boo cried. But behind him, the mantas swarmed, zapping Noki and reaching up to zap him as well.

"I told you he'd screw up," Brighton told Twila, who begrudgingly slid him a few coins.

"Just me and you, hmm?" Princess Shroob mused to herself, eyeing the fleeing Toadsworth. "Let's see how you like – ZZZPFFFT!" A manta had slid up the hut and shocked her in the back, sending Princess Shroob tumbling off the roof and onto the stone floor below.

"Ouch," Brighton said with a wince. "Princess Shroob is the last to fall, meaning Toadsworth wins immunity!"

The Phantamantas receded back into the ocean, giving Toadsworth time to catch his breath. Wheezing and coughing, he made his way over to the two hosts. Everyone else was sizzling on the ground.

"Toadsworth is safe at tonight's vote, meaning you cannot vote for him," Twila told everyone, who wasn't listening because they had been shocked into unconsciousness. "See you there!"

After a while, everyone woke up and tended to their wounds, bobbing about in the saltwater to heal. While doing that, talk of strategy for the night's coming elimination dominated conversation.

"I think it's clear," Toadsworth said. "We vote for Princess Shroob. She's the most physical and smartest of the baddies, and if she goes, they'll scatter without their leader."

Toadsworth: Huzzah! I won immunity and am safe tonight! Oh Zess, if you could see me now! Now we can sack that Princess Shroob at last!

"But we need numbers to get rid of her," Noki told him. "Do you think Birdo would be willing to vote her out? I should speak with her…"

Noki did just that, calling Birdo over. She folded her arms and stared down at the three heroes in the water.

"What?" she asked, sounding rather angry.

Birdo: Unless these fools apologize…I won't say anything nice.

"Well, we…we're sorry, Birdo," Noki told her, sounding very heartfelt. "We assumed…and we looked like fools. We discarded our friendship with you over something so stupid, and…if you'll forgive me, I'd like to be your friend again."

"You just want my vote," Birdo said flippantly.

"I'd rather have your friendship, if I'm honest," Boo told her. "We've come through this whole game together. Why would realign yourself with Princess Shroob and Pauline? All they do is put you down. Look what Pauline did to you today during the challenge! Ordering you around like that…she's not your friend, Birdo, but we are."

"I'm supposed to believe you guys are my friends after all the hurtful things you said to me?" she asked, sounding unconvinced.

"We were duped by that craven trick of Pauline's!" Toadsworth implored. "Can't you see, Birdo? We were tricked! We never meant those things, because we thought circumstances were different. And they were different, just not in the way we perceived. We're sorry, my dear, and we really would like to be friends again. We'll look out for you, just like before. Stanley isn't here to help you anymore."

She took a shaky breath in.

"Stanley was never here," she told him sadly, looking out over the ocean. "He was just a figment. And…if the values Boshi displayed through his masquerade taught me anything…well, the Stanley that I thought existed would want me to forgive you. You're all much better people than Princess Shroob and Pauline, so…I'd rather work with you."

"So we're good?" Noki asked her. "You don't have to vote with us. We just want your friendship back."

"That means a lot to me," Birdo told her with a smile. "If you're being sincere, which you sound like you are…you've got my friendship and my vote."

Noki: I'm ecstatic that Birdo is back on our side! Not only do I have my friend back, but our days in this game just might stay alive with her on our side!

"That's all good and fine," Boo said with a smile, "but we still can't make a move against Princess Shroob. The numbers are split right down the middle."

"Perhaps I might be able to help with that," came the voice of Wendy O. Koopa.

"What is it you want?" Toadsworth asked her. "Can't you see we're busy mourning our nonexistent friends?"

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Look, old man, if you want a hope of staying alive in this game, I'm your only source. Princess Shroob has been on a mad power trip since day one, I agree, but she's not the biggest threat. My Dad wants to take her out, then take you out, and then nab the money. If he's not stopped, he'll steamroll this whole game."

"Bowser doesn't seem like much of a threat," Birdo said, folding her arms.

"Not right now, but he hasn't showcased half of his raw strength," Wendy divulged, lying through her teeth. Bowser was certainly a fool, but Wendy didn't need them knowing that. "Besides, he's been bullying me the whole time. If you all want someone from our side to go home, I'll only help you if it's my Dad."

"Seems like our hand is forced," Boo said. "We vote for Bowser, or one of us goes home."

"So we have an agreement?" Wendy asked, narrowing her eyes. Everyone agreed, sending Wendy on her way as a devilish grin appeared across her face.

Wendy: Those stupid heroes better vote for my Dad! If they don't, they'll all look even dumber and I'll send them home one by one!

Before the voting, everyone had dinner in the hotel. Birdo sat away from Princess Shroob and Pauline, sparking worry within the two women.

"You! Pink thing!" Princess Shroob cried, pointing a clawed hand at Birdo. "What are you doing with these plebes?"

"They're my friends, Shroob," Birdo said. "They apologized for everything that happened at Noki Bay, and I've decided to forgive them. So buzz off."

"EXCUSE YOU!?" Princess Shroob roared. "Did you just tell me, the eternal queen of space, to buzz of!?"

Birdo: Ugh, I hate Princess Shroob! Maybe Toadsworth is right! We should just send her home!

"That's right," Birdo told her calmly. "Now go away!"

"Oh, you'll pay for this," Princess Shroob vowed. "You'll pay!"

"Calm down," Pauline told Princess Shroob. "We can rebound. We'll just send pinky home tonight! Heehee! Have fun at home, loser!"

Pauline: Birdo's a big doofus and she'll vote based on emotion, like always. So we can swoop in and vote her off while she votes for Princess Shroob like the big idiot she is!

"Don't listen to them," Noki said, calming Birdo with a touch of her hand. "We've got your back." Toadsworth saluted Birdo with a raise of his glass and Boo accompanied it with a smile. Feeling better about her chances, Birdo let them all know how grateful she was to have them as friends.

"So what's the gameplan?" Bowser asked Wendy as they ate.

"Boo," she told him. "We've got to send him home. He's the fastest and smartest of those heroes. With their leader gone, they'll scatter, and we can pick them off one by one."

"Sounds like a great plan, but what about my plan?" Bowser asked. "I want to recruit those heroes and vote off Princess Shroob."

"We can do that another time," Wendy pointed out. "We'll snatch them up once we cut off the head of the snake! Then we can vote for Princess Shroob and Pauline, and Toadsworth will be easy enough to bully that we'll slide into the finals!"

Wendy: Now that I think about it…my Dad's plan does sound good. Well actually, it's my plan that I was pretending to be real but now sounds like quite the deal. If we send home Boo…the heroes scatter, we can scoop them up, I'll use them to vote out my Dad…and then I'll win the whole game! Flawless!

After dinner, the eight remaining players met by torchlight on the beach. The eight of them had been mulling over the vote all night long. Targets had come and gone, and everyone sounded like they'd be voting for someone different.

"Welcome to your first elimination ceremony at Sirena Beach," Twila told them. "Tonight, Toadsworth has immunity, so you can't vote for him. One by one, everyone will cast your votes, and for one of you sorry suckers without immunity, it'll be the end of the line."

"Bowser," Brighton told the Koopa King, who cracked his knuckles, "you're up first."

As customary, everyone went to vote. Once they were done, Twila put a hand on top of the vote box.

"Alright," she said. "I'll read the votes."

"First vote…PRINCESS SHROOB."

Princess Shroob gave the piece of parchment with her name on it a dismissive look, as if to scoff at it.

"Second vote…BOO."

Boo looked confused, wondering who had targeted him.

"Third vote…BIRDO."

Birdo rolled her eyes, knowing there was another vote out there with her name on it.

"Fourth vote…BOWSER."

Bowser looked miffed, snorting out a few cinders at seeing his name written down.

"Fifth vote…BOO."

Boo was beginning to look worried. He was the only who's name popped up twice so far.

"Sixth vote…BIRDO."

Birdo hoped that was the end of the votes with her name on them.

"Seventh vote…BOWSER."

Bowser picked at his teeth, stomping his foot with anger at the second vote for him.

"That's two votes Birdo, two votes Boo, two votes Bowser, and one for Princess Shroob," Twila recapped. "One vote left."

Birdo, Boo and Bowser looked nervous as the final vote was revealed.

"Thirteenth person voted out of the DreamStakes…" Twila read. "BOWSER."

"What!?" the Koopa King roared. "How dare you!? Who did this!?"

"Not me, Daddy!" Wendy cried. "I voted for Boo!" She then winked at the cameras. She had indeed voted for Boo, but the majority of the votes had been thrown at her father anyway. She had got what she wanted while remaining under the radar.

"Bowser, grab your bag, you're coming with me," Brighton said.

"Hell I am!" Bowser roared. "I demand a recount! I'll burn this place to the ground! I'm the Koopa King, baby! You hear me? King! I'll twist you into a….ZZZZPFFFTT!" Bowser crumpled to the ground as Twila tased him with the taser she had pulled out earlier.

"Shut up," she said. "Someone remove him!"

Some of the production crew came and took Bowser away, tossing his unconscious body onto a boat and firing up the engine. Bowser was gone for good.

"So, tonight's vote was a little sporadic," Twila summarized. "Four people received votes, and now that just seven remain, the game is in anyone's hands. Goodnight."

Rising, the seven remaining competitors headed back to the hotel, ready for the next step of the game.

Bowser had it coming! He lasted a lot longer than I originally had him scheduled for, but that's what happens when you write! You get different inspiration every time you sit down. So now that Bowser is out of the picture, can Wendy play this game the way she wants to? Will Princess Shroob be targeted next now that Bowser is out of the way? The heroes seem to be on top now that Birdo has forgiven Boo, Noki, and Toadsworth. Will they reach the final four, or will someone throw a wrench in their plans? Find out next time on The DreamStakes!

~AdmiralBobbery