Survivor - Heroes vs Villains
Chapter 4 - Day 3 Part 2
Alright... Somebody is going home, and it's been guaranteed to not be anyone from the Villains tribe. Anyone that's a fan of Sheik, Springtrap, Foxy, Ridley, Plague Knight, Shadow, Specter Knight, Bowser, and Wolf, none of you should even think about panicking at the moment. You all have the luxury of your favs being safe while other peoples' favs are on the line. So...
It appears that both of the winners are on the block. Between Sonic and Isabelle as an easy first boot. ...But will it be that way, or will something else go down? Obviously at this point, things can go either way... They are set to be the very first All Star in the history of my show eliminated. Gulp...
~KF
Heroes
Day 3
Maro, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Zelda, Meta Knight, Sonic, Vector, Isabelle, Shovel Knight, Golden
-/-
What a bummer...
At least with the reward challenge by itself, the group managed to get fire going, anyway. But losing the opening challenge and the immunity challenge? Not the best start for the Heroes tribe at all. They could not have helped but feel at least a little embarrassed in front of the entire universe. Say if some fans were mean spirited, the blue team hoped that they were not a laughing stock of some sort by already losing two challenges in a row.
"Okay..." Sonic the Hedgehog was the first to speak to everyone, watching all of their disappointed faces upon returning home. "I'm gonna do a little throwback to my season when my team lost the first challenge... Anyone wanna say something? ...Anyone."
...
"All I gotta say is that this can not happen again." Vector shook his head unsatisfied. "I mean, my team lost the first challenge, too. I know what it's like. Definitely not fun..."
"More than half this tribe lost their first immunity challenge in our past seasons." Zelda realized. "We all know what the consequences are of that. But hopefully we can turn this around and win the next time, just like in my season."
"Three more days, I guess..." Vector sighed. "I'm already ready to take those Villains on again."
The minute when the group of good guys returned to camp, Mario immediately received about ten million flashbacks in his head. "This does not remind me of Kodai Island at all..."
Hooray for sarcasm.
"I mean, when Sumasshu lost the first challenge, things quickly fell into chaos. Bowser wanted me out of here for no real reason, giving me no choice but to retaliate against him in taking out his number one ally in Dedede, and the tribe was immediately divided after the first Tribal Council. And to top it all off, it was not only the first challenge of this season, it was my first challenge from my season, and I once again was on the puzzle... I don't know if I'll ever try to do that puzzle again as long as I live."
"Only way to go is up at this point." Meta Knight did not want to face too much pessimism. "We've got nothing else to lose as of now. We would just have to deal with the lack of fire until after Tribal Council, assuming most of us are too exhausted to make another one using the other method."
Besides, there was first Tribal Council strategizing to do, in which he wanted to be a part of.
Vector, Yoshi, and Shovel Knight were all together on their way to the water well.
"We really shoulda won that, guys... I don't think we did a bad job, at all. The Villains were just faster than us. The only benefit of us losing is that at least we get to see what Tribal Council looks like." The crocodile said. "But we're not losing again. And in order to do that, we've gotta get rid of one of the weaker players to keep the team strong."
"Not a bad argument to make." Shovel Knight was not against that. "Though it is not going to be as easy as it sounds. There are pre-game alliances that might have been made, and possible early targets for different reasons."
"Well, off the bat the two weakest players here are Isabelle and Zelda... Guess who's the bigger target of those two?"
...
"Exactly." Damn. Neither of them even gave him an answer. Yet Vector meant for it to be a rhetorical question, anyway. "Isabelle's going first. Brutal, yes. But it's only fair for the rest of us, and besides her, Sonic is the other winner. And I like Sonic and all, but I might have to go against him, too, just to propel myself further."
"I like Sonic, too." Yoshi nodded in agreement. "But,... I guess one thing I learned from Caribbean that it doesn't matter who you like or not."
"I can afford to write Isabelle's name down as well." Shovel Knight was down.
"Are we able to have a 8-2, then?" The larger survivor asked them. "'Cause the only other person I see voting with her is Sonic, who has no reason to go against her at all unless he wants to vote with the tribe."
"Hmm..." Shovel Knight found himself in thought. "I see Sonic voting with Isabelle, but I don't know if he would be the only one to do that. He and Mario played together before and they were the last two of their tribe in their season."
"You're right. That's another option Sonic can work with. I also see him working with DK, but he knows we need him for challenges. We can just let everybody in the Isabelle plan except those two. Besides, I haven't been talking with Mario too much, anyway."
"Morally I feel like a bad person because I feel like I'm betraying Sonic, since he did seem interested in working with me if he could. But strategically, I don't see any benefits from that." Sonic's Mobian friend stated. "My season was all about balancing morality and strategic gameplay, but this season, I really gotta get my head in the game. I don't know if I'm part of any alliance yet, but I can scratch the two winners and possibly Mario off my list off the bat. There is no point in us keeping the winners here, and Isabelle is conveniently the weakest of the tribe. She doesn't go home tonight, we're in for a world of trouble."
...
Back at the shelter remained seven people... literally the rest of the tribe. While the three water gatherers were out doing their job, everyone else was actually near silent. No one had anything rather important to say for the most part.
Golden was simply sitting in his shelter, Zelda sat right next to him, Meta Knight was standing around doing nothing, Isabelle remained still staring at the empty fire pit, Donkey Kong lied flat on his back with his arms behind his head, Mario had his cap off as he ran his fingers through his brown hair, and Sonic was standing across from Meta Knight tapping his foot.
...
Not awkward at all, right?
"So Vector, Shovel Knight, and Yoshi all went to collect water, while the rest of us were just sitting around in the shelter. I'd say there was a high possibility of the three of them discussing something in the woods." Zelda could have bet some rupees on that. "I suppose since we lost the first challenge, realizing we were now scheduled to go to Tribal Council, strategy was bound to happen sooner or later. Most likely, people were trying to wait for the right opportunity to talk, since nobody wanted the strategizing be too obvious. And yet, someone was going to be the first person to leave the shelter. And as soon as one person gets up, everybody else was going to consider on getting up and leaving the area. It was a matter of who was going to make the first move."
...
Now on paper, it seemed that Sonic's patience was likely to wear out first knowing his character. Though surprisingly, it did not turn out to be the case here.
...
But eventually, not too long after Donkey Kong sat up in his spot, he did in fact have the guts to be the first one to leave the shelter. All eyes laid on his back as he calmly made his way in the direction where the ocean was.
Eyebrows were raised, looks were exchanged, and thoughts were running through peoples' minds.
"Eventually, it was Donkey Kong that upped and walked off first. A few seconds later, Mario decided to head off in the same direction." Link's friend recalled, Mario in the middle of her confessional choosing to follow DK's way. "And from that moment, I knew that the strategizing was really starting to begin. Everybody's wondering who the first boot is going to be when we are all called to vote at tribal. My only job is to make sure that I'm off the radar. I can not afford a repeat of Emperors vs Knights."
Golden eventually decided to not give a damn and got up and left himself.
"I'm gonna go follow them and see what I can get..." ...Or, he was simply following them because he also wanted part of whatever conversation that was set to occur. He might have been the smartest player from Mexico, but it did not mean underestimate the intelligence of everybody else.
Finally, the blue blur had enough. He used his index finger to move it in a back and forth motion between himself and Isabelle, who immediately got up before the two wandered off in another direction toward the woods.
"Hmm..." Meta Knight looked all around him and actually snickered a little. "And then there were two..."
Zelda sighed. "Let the games begin..."
The three castaways that headed towards the ocean were now standing together in the water.
"I mean," Donkey Kong chuckled scratching his forehead. "it was either wait all day and waste crucial opportunities to talk to each other, or make a move now."
"Do either of the two of you know anything that I don't?" Mario outright asked. "I've been trying to be as patient as I can, but... there are not too many people here I recall strategizing with."
"All that we know is that there are obviously people that are against the winners being here, and that one of them has to go..."
"Most likely the target is gonna be on Isabelle due to her being a physical weakness." And Golden knew that it was why she was almost voted out at her first Tribal Council in Mexico. "And Mario, I'm not gonna lie, but people are putting you and Sonic together."
He heaved a great sigh in disappointment. "I'm not surprised..."
"And then they are worried about me being with the two of you." Donkey Kong pointed out. "We're not just three Kodai Island people. We were literally on the exact same tribe and in the exact same alliance."
And the three of them were three of the last remaining Sumasshu members in the merge.
Mario exhaled another big sigh. "Oh, Star Spirits... I mean, I kinda saw it coming, but..."
"I think people are worried about me and Isabelle." Golden presumed folding his arms at the predicament. "And it sucks because I'm not trying to have a target on my back... We obviously need to align together."
"Us three, Isabelle, Sonic,... and hopefully Meta Knight." The ape was already mentally crossing his fingers. "Meta Knight is literally the missing link to this. Vector is not going to work with the winners, and neither is Yoshi. Zelda, pretty much has no choice but to go against the winners, unless something crazy happens. Shovel Knight is a little more connected than Meta Knight because at least strategically, he and Zelda were on good terms with each other in their season. Meta Knight, is someone that I doubt has any close allies at the moment. We should pick him up to officially make a majority here so that we could blindside Zelda."
"I'm down for that." As if Mario really had a choice. "We would have the advantage, while at the same time, doing something good for the tribe. I'm pretty sure nobody wants to go back to Tribal Council."
"As soon as we lost that challenge," Everyone's favorite blue blur spoke again. "I felt like my game was immediately done, well not completely, since there is pretty much no reason we they should get rid of me first over Isabelle. ...I had a record of winning four immunities last season! But I can't afford Isabelle to go home, because the obvious is gonna happen. And I've been hearing from DK that people aren't really willing to work with Mario either, so now that's three of us that are on the chopping block."
"However, DK has spilled even more beans to me that things could actually be turned around. Despite the big target that I have on me right now, neither of us winners could be going home. If DK and Golden are willing to work with me, Iz, and Mario, I might actually have a shot of at least getting far in this season. ...All we gotta do is swing vote Meta and hope that Zelda has not found an idol yet."
He was speaking in the woods with his fellow Survivor winner.
"I mean, are you kidding me? Okay, one of my main goals is to have fun this season, but... three days? I haven't even really started on doing the things that I wanna do, yet."
"I get how you feel." Izzy nodded. ...Hey, another name for her! ...And no, not the Izzy from the Total Drama series. That was an entirely alternate universe in itself. "It is nothing more than a short camping trip, and it's already weird to go from winning to being the first out. Being the only winners coming back, we signed up for this show again knowing the risks. But because of us loving Survivor so much, we went for it, anyway. ...But at the same time, I know I did not come all the way out here to be voted out first."
"Got that right." Sonic a thousand percent agreed. "We can't just sit around like this. That's why I kept on talking to DK and Mario, and Mario has a feeling that people on this tribe are against him because of our relationship in our season."
"It's the exact same thing with me and Golden." Villager's co-worker sighed. "Only reason why he's not on the chopping block because other than DK, he's the strongest of the tribe. But,... you know, if anything, it would make sense for them to actually align with us. They're gonna be targeted for being physical players, anyway, might as well stick with people that you know and played with before."
"Yeah. You and Golden never turned on each other just like how me and Mario never turned on each other..." Sonic,... come on. What happened at the final six? "Well,... at least until I no choice but to help get rid of Mario to up my resume."
Much better.
"And if people are already gonna give me the side-eye for me being weak in the challenges, I'll just sit out when I need to and only do puzzles. Whatever it takes for this tribe to win." There was no way anyone could have blamed Isabelle. "But I'm loyal. If we manage to make this alliance official, due to my position, even if I have to eventually, I find no reason to turn on them any time soon."
"Just like how we can't turn on each other. The only way a winner can get to the end is if we both make an unbreakable alliance for the long run. So,... I suppose you're one less person to feel paranoid about. Hahahaha!"
She laughed with him. "Likewise... But,... this is all up to Meta Knight, here."
"...I know..."
"Unless we just vote 5-5 and have all of us draw rocks at our first Tribal Council, that's what we have to do." She paused as they stared at each other. "...Not worth it, right?"
"Obviously not as a whole. Me and you got nothing to lose, and if it was just us two, I'd say we go for it. But no one else is gonna be happy with that. Most of these folks never even got to the end at all and this is their second chance for them. Why blow it all away by getting out first at random,... all because they didn't pick a right rock? That's stupid... Besides, we don't need another Ike situation, anyway."
As part of the transition to the next scene, a creepy looking spider was seen crawling out of Shovel Knight's bag... Yeah. No.
But anywho, after about an hour passed, Golden and Meta Knight made sure they had their crucial one on one talk.
"How are you feeling?" The big bear asked the small Kirby-sized figure.
"...Feeling just a bit more relaxed at this stage in comparison to my previous season." He glanced up at him. "...Only because it is probably more likely that I'm not being the first boot here."
"You're not even a target." Golden shook his head. "Not even close to being one. Right now you are probably in the most powerful position, which I assume is a first for you."
"Indeed." He nodded in reply, not knowing exactly what to feel as a result. "And this is only the first vote... I am pretty sure the others are going to state their opinion of what the best move for my game would be."
"You mind if I restate mine's in case you are still undecided?"
"I am still undecided." Meta admitted. "My mind will probably be made up right before we head to tribal."
"If this was a tribe of nine, I would obviously feel less worried." But due to each tribe having ten players, it was not exactly the case for Golden. Sucked to be him. "But we need just one more person to change things up here. Meta Knight knows his vote is gonna matter the most. I don't know if Shovel, Vector, and Yoshi are aware of the possibility of something shaking up before tribal, but the main goal here for me is to simply show Meta Knight how much we need him, and what the benefits are for him to side with us."
The Freddy Fazbear recolor used his fingers to count. "Me, DK, Iz, Sonic, Mario. That's five, and then there's you. If you go along with us, you are pretty much almost guaranteed at least a single digit placement. Those are five bigger targets that are ahead of you, Meta. There's a high chance of a winner not winning this season, so they are going to be taken out eventually. But me and DK are aware that we would be even further on the chopping block close to the merge and right at the merge, so aligning with those three is not a bad option. But even us two would have a higher chance of being blindsided over you, unless our opponents would wanna pull something off, such as a safe vote due to idols or immunities. ...However, like I said, that would be a lower chance of that happening."
"If you side with Vector and Yoshi, the three of you would become targets together since you all share the same season in spite of your differences. To avoid being put on the chopping block, you would be the only Caribbean player in this six person alliance."
"Interesting points, I'll do admit." Meta Knight hand a hand underneath his mask. "I'll continue to take that into consideration. ...But after this, if we don't talk again, the vote would be for Zelda, correct."
"Correct. There's no reason for anyone to go home other than her and Isabelle."
"Mind if I say one thing?"
"Go on..."
"Alright, so honestly,... I am not close with pretty much anyone, at the moment. I really doubt I have any close allies at this time, so I am pretty much looking for a home. That could be with you all." Or not. "But you should know that there is a big risk that I cannot ignore. ...I am pretty much nothing comparing myself to you five. However, no matter what side I should go on,... are you opposed to being in a close alliance with me? I'm open for a core three alliance of us two and DK..."
"Hmm..." That was actually something to think about. "I've never really thought of it that way..."
"No rush." Meta turned his head side to side. "Though for this vote, the three of us should vote together no matter what. Those other folks as in people like Vector and Zelda, they know they need you two for the rest of the challenges. If I make the decision to go with them, for the best interest of the both of you, it is important to have the trust of the tribe if you still desire to be in a good standing."
"Yet if I end up choosing to work with the... Mario-Sonic-Isabelle alliance, if we are going to make a pact for the long haul, I feel like those three would be closer to each other than you and DK. I might need you two, but I feel both of you need me as well." Not a one-way street it seemed. "If we form our own three person alliance, it would be a good counter."
"Being the middle man means that you have a bunch of options lying in front of you on the table. The biggest concern for me is if I side with Isabelle, Mario, Sonic, Golden, and DK to make a six person alliance,... I feel like I am number six. Everyone else knows each other. Then again, there are other possibilities. Perhaps the winners and Mario could decide to turn on DK and Golden to advance even further and they need my vote to help prevent that. Who knows? I'm simply exploring different scenarios here." Meta Knight needed to hurry up and pick a side already. Tribal Council was not going to wait for him. "But I really do feel like I have no one to call a close ally. And Golden has been trying to strategize with me from the get go, so why not take advantage of that? I already know that he has DK as his right hand man. That's two allies right there."
"If I decide to vote for Zelda, I can bring DK and Golden along. But if I decide to vote for Isabelle, I can still bring DK and Golden along. Both ways have their pros and cons, yet no matter what, there is always one side that is going to be better. The most important thing is if whether or not I would actually choose the right side depending on timing and the circumstances."
Tick tock... Tribal Council was coming up. Not much time left...
Zelda heaved a deep sigh at all the strategizing going on, Shovel Knight and Vector right by her at the tribe flag.
"You feel okay?" Her co-worker from Emperors vs Knights asked out of concern.
"I can't say exactly." She shook her head with honesty. "I should be thankful that I haven't been hearing my name coming up, but... part of me feels a bit uneasy... At this stage in the game, I wasn't exactly a number one target, but I was an option."
"Hmph..." Vector folded his arms. "My team was debating between Meta Knight and Sans and that was mostly due to Ridley. But,... I'm sorry. I'm gonna be hella surprised if it ain't Isabelle. ...There's no reason for it to not be her, right?"
On the surface, that was made sense to certain people in the tribe, including Vector.
"I'm gonna raise a brow myself if she doesn't get the majority of the votes at tribal." Shovel was on the crocodile's side on this one. "She is a former winner, and is the weakest physically. ...I feel rather sorry for her, though. She does not deserve this, especially since she made it to the end and win in her season..."
"I understand." Zelda nodded. "It's just... I guess this might sound a little mean, but in a weird way, Isabelle might have done me favor by her simply being on this cast. I'd say if it wasn't for her, I'd probably be the number one target. ...And I hope that it is in fact her, because she is most likely going to put my name down."
"Well, the only two people that I see aligning with her are Sonic and Mario." Vector presumed. "Sure, DK and Golden played with them, but even they realize that people don't wanna play with people who have won before."
Speaking of...
"I'm getting really nervous..." Golden just had to have some kind of talk with Donkey Kong. "Meta Knight has still not given me a clear answer, and worse comes to worse, he could very well be against the winners..."
"He's really putting us in a spot..." Donkey Kong folded his arms shaking his head. "So he's saying that even if he doesn't side with the winners, he still wants to form alliances with you and me?"
"That's what he told me. I mean,... for the both of our games here, morally and strategically, we should not have to vote against Isabelle and Sonic. But if we don't have Meta Knight's vote, we're either going to rocks or we have no choice but to vote with him. It's like he's making us be swing votes as well."
"It hurts on the moral side of things." DK was with him regarding the former. "I had to put up quite a fight to protect my Sumasshu alliance back in Kodai Island. I obviously trusted Mario and Sonic more than I trusted Bowser. The fact that the three of us are on the same tribe together again is really exciting, but it definitely puts me in a dilemma here."
"I never had to write Isabelle's name down." That was where it hurt the bear the most. "I helped spare her at our first tribal, but I really do not know if I can do that this time. Yeah, she's won my season, but I still would not feel any better if I have to send her home tonight."
"Past relationships are a really big problem here, and it's already taking its effect." Donkey Kong realized. "I would come back here from tribal feeling like an absolute villain by sending Sonic out of here even though we have an already established friendship. And me and Mario have visited each other quite a few times, now. His world ain't that far from mine."
Similar with Yoshi. Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country, and the Super Mario Bros series all had worlds that were basically in a cluster... Probably even WarioWare...
Wario for a future contestant, anyone?
"What kind of a friend am I to send them home like that this early in the game? If that's what I have to do, of course I'm gonna do what I can to stay in the game, but that comes with a huge price. Huge price."
"I'm trying to do all the convincing I can, but of course I can't bug him too much unless we need more problems."
Both former members of Mexico's Brain tribe were now seen together, minutes before they were scheduled to be called for tribal.
"Meta Knight should be getting back to me at any moment, now."
"...Any vibe from him that he might or might not do it?" Isabelle blinked. "I've actually barely talked with him..."
"He's still not giving anything. Look, the dude wears a mask, so I can't ever tell what he's really thinking at first glance. Just make sure you write down Zelda, and if you see more than three votes cast against her, that means that the plan is gonna work. If it is going to be you tonight, at least you're not gonna be blindsided."
The anthropomorphic bear simply felt guilty of doing that. "I'd rather not have you any more on edge. ...Are you gonna hate me for the rest of my life if I have to vote you out?"
"Hahaha, Golden, you know me better than that!" She grinned and chuckled. "Why do I have to be bitter? I signed up for this again knowing the high risks, and being the first out is the consequence of that. Nobody forced me to do this again. I came out here on my own terms."
"Well me and DK can subtly make some points in an attempt to save you at tribal." He figured. "I'll continue to fight for you, so don't wave the white flag just yet."
"You know I'm not a quitter. I'm gonna defend myself to why I should stay in the game when we go there..."
"Time is running out and me and Golden are still uncertain about Meta Knight, and we need to know soon. Isabelle's life on the line, which means that Sonic's life on the line, and so is Mario's. If we can possibly pull this blindside off on Zelda, it would be a major relief. But I know sometimes in Survivor, things do not go your way. Meta might back out and put me in a predicament for the next couple rounds out here. If I was brutally honest, my heart would be broken if I gotta do this. This is my second time playing and I want to give it my all, but... if you vote your friends out of here without any remorse,... I can't consider you to be a decent person. Friendship and strategy is already being put to the test and it's only day three, so everything is in the Survivor Gods' hands..."
He, as well as the other players of the Heroes tribe were all gathering up their belongings. It was officially time to begin the journey to Tribal Council. Who was ready?
...Well,... no one was ready to die, but fans knew the point.
Tribal Council
Night 3
Excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and anxiety all at the same time.
Tribal Council was always the biggest part of the Survivor episode, for obvious reasons. One of the players was set to go home, and it was the audience's job to correctly predict who was going to get their torch snuffed by Master Hand.
For this Tribal Council in particular, it appeared to be huge on the outside alone, largely due to the fact that castaways needed to climb up not one, not two, but three sets of stairs in order to reach the tribal. Guess this was in fact All Stars, and Master Hand likely had its producers making sure they kept the idea in mind.
And by the time the group actually made it to the tribal, there was Master Hand. Mixed emotions to sum it all up. He was the host of the show, but they felt that seeing him meant trouble. One group member had to be sacrificed in order for the rest of the team to move forward.
"Alright..." If he had a mouth, the hand definitely would have been grinning all over. He was already enjoying this. "Unless you all have short term memory loss, you all should know the drill. Behind each of you is a torch, dip it in, and get fire."
'Not this again!' That was definitely going through their heads at the time. But, it had to be done. The sooner tribal started, the sooner it finished.
"This is part of the ritual of Tribal Council where in this game, fire represents your life. When your fire is gone, so are you. And tonight, one of you is set to be the very first All Star eliminated in this show."
Not fun...
As for the seating arrangements, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Yoshi, Golden, and Vector all sat in the back with Mario, Shovel Knight, Isabelle, Meta Knight, and Sonic were all seated in the front.
"Okay... Welcome to Tribal Council." The Heroes tribe glanced around yet again. "We are twenty feet in the air, and we're above water."
That was right. The few Caribbean bungalows were the main attraction of the set. Pirate ships were the theme of the previous season, so they had to come up with something else. And as for the twenty feet part, well... it was All Stars. Things were made special for season five.
"Whoever leaves here tonight, it's gonna definitely be a long way down."
Well it was going to be a long walk for everyone, anyway, considering the rest of the team needing to head back to camp after the ceremony.
"Okay..." The discussion commenced. "So, first All Star season. A number of you were candidates to come back for a second time to play this game, twenty of you were selected to be brought back. ...How fast did the Survivor reality set in for you? ...Meta Knight, you've just played last season. Did something hit you? 'Oh yeah, this is familiar. Here I am again.'"
He chuckled with a grin underneath his mask. "You could pretty much say that. Playing a rather dangerous game under all these circumstances, the very moment when you realize what you are doing, it is a feeling we know all too well. You instantly become familiar of what you have to go through. And yes, I was just on the last season. This is the exact same location and even the beach is familiar. The Heroes camp is nothing other than the former Samana camp from my season. So it did not take long for me to get used to my surroundings."
Vector had a laugh in as well. Obviously he related.
"Mario, you came all the way from season one." Master Hand brought up. "You might not have played on the most recent season, but you've played on the very first one with Sonic and DK. ...Does it still feel like yesterday seeing me again out on the island?"
"Well,... I have actually seen you on the beach in between my season and this one. I was Luigi's loved one for the Loved Ones visit back in Emperors vs Knights, but me actually playing again? Yes. I had almost a million flashbacks from Kodai Island right when you are introducing us to this season once we all hit our mat."
"And you know, despite of these harsh conditions that you have to face again, at least you have one less thorn in your side to worry about... Bowser is not on your tribe this time."
More than half the tribe, including Mario himself, found it to be a bit amusing.
"So my life is a bit easier. That I can agree with. We both put each other on the chopping block and I was nervous as ever, since I knew he was putting my name down."
"You still have two familiar faces though in Sonic and DK." The master held his hand out. "Both have played with you before, all three of you started out on the exact same tribe, and the three of you made it to the merge together with Bowser."
Mario could have thanked the man for reminding him.
"Sumasshu for life." Sonic made fun of it all.
#SumasshuForLife
Hey, perfect opportunity, right?
"While I'm at it, let's get into this: past relationships."
The audience predicted it was going to be a topic of discussion at some point.
"So you are all coming into this game as All Stars... who know each other of course. Five people from each season. And yet, the things is that when you all first played, of course nobody knew anybody. Now everybody knows everybody. Zelda, what do you make of that? How do past relationships affect a season like this as a whole?"
"You know, it is nice seeing some of the people you have played with before. We have all bonded over the fact that we were all playing the universe's most intense competition, dealing with everything that comes with it, and some of us have actually managed to form great relationships with each other. And the fact that some of us are playing together again, even on the same tribe," There was a brief look at DK's way during Zelda's reply. "it sort of makes things easier with the survival aspect of the game. You are dealing with people that you are familiar with, which you could say is a sigh or relief. However, the downside to that is this is a strategic game. Somebody knowing somebody automatically makes that person a threat. ...I'd say we're pretty much all threats because of our relationships with others alone, though I suppose some of us are more obvious."
"More obvious as in going back to Mario, Donkey Kong, and Sonic."
"Yes." She nodded. "It's nice to see those three reunite and be fortunate enough to be on the same starting tribe again, but at the same time, that could be a threat to the rest of us."
"You might have a valid point there." said Mario, without looking in her direction. "But it does not have to be black and white with everything. Sure, we all do know each other. Yet it is not as simple as it looks. Relationships are in fact complicated, even on the other side with the Villains. For example, Bowser and I both hated each other. There's already a chance that the two of us aren't ever going to work with one another based off our history. We have nothing personal against each other, though if people expect us to align together, we already know that could be a problem."
"And as for Sonic," He went on. "we were the last two members of our tribe, but he helped vote me out at final six. I was a target at the time, and even though the edit made it seem like Sonic had no other choice but to vote me out, the truth was that Sonic was not entirely opposed to voting me out like the rest of the tribe. He felt that if I made it to the end, the jury would have voted for me to win over him. Sonic cost me a million dollars. If he could vote me out on our old season, he could very well do it again, and I'd do the same to him if it serves my best interest."
Donkey Kong aggressively bobbed his head up and down.
"DK, you're agreeing to that." Master Hand assumed.
"I do completely. Relationships are in fact complicated. Mario could write down Sonic, Sonic could write down Mario,... I could pretty much write off both of them." Really? Including now? "You never know what to expect in Survivor. Just because we're all friends here does not automatically mean we're going to work together. Besides, I don't think past relationships should be the only deciding factor when it comes to voting people off this season, master."
That, he was not wrong about.
"We lost the first challenge, and we have an entire other tribe to worry about. So we still have to factor in the challenges, how people played in their previous season, that sort of stuff. But I believe right now the biggest priority is winning against the Villains in the next challenge. So I feel that we simply need to keep the team strong if we want any chance of survival."
"It is simply a matter of picking off the weakest link for you?"
"The most generic reason to send somebody home, but sometimes the easiest move is the best way to go." Overall, but if one was paying attention, there was more to the story. Alliances were playing a factor at this first vote.
"...Anyone feel any heat from that?"
...
Isabelle of course raised her hand, followed by Zelda, the two women both exchanging glances before suddenly laughing, more of their tribe joining in.
"Isabelle." Master Hand then called on. "Thoughts?"
"Well, I am obviously on the chopping block, and it's more than just me being the weakest of the tribe. I am one of only two winners of this season, so that's already a major strike against me. Those two things combined, I am someone that this team could afford to lose: a weak physical player and a winner that not many people would want to play with. And I mean, I get that. My first season, my play style was about me playing who I wanted to play with. ...I helped keep the Brains together."
Oh, goodness...
Golden snickered and shook his head rapidly. Iconic phrase from his friend indeed.
"You can pretty much vote anyone out over anything. We make our own rules out here, and if the tribe does not want to play with winners, who am I to criticize that? That's the way they would want to play. ...The most I can do, however, is argue my perspective and my point of view on things."
"So what is your way of thinking?"
"Well,... okay. So I have won a previous season, which puts me in a different category than most of these other players. They feel that me and Sonic have already completed the full experience of Survivor, and that we shouldn't be here right now. Maybe fans from home are gonna feel like Lucario and Daisy should have took our places."
The fact that Isabelle herself thought of that. How selfless of her.
"We both feel kinda bad that we're the reason why they aren't on this season, even though we have no control over who has the final say of who gets to be on All Stars. However,... I don't think that I absolutely need to be voted out right now. I don't really have to go home, here."
Majority of her peers were eyeing her way. "I'm an easy vote, but... I'll be surprised if I even get to the end of this again, let alone win for a second time, which is basically a 0.1 percent chance of that happening. But,... people could actually use me as an extra vote in case somebody needs me for something. The exact same can be said about Sonic. You vote me out, he's obviously going to be next. But if you keep me, you keep Sonic. You're keeping two people, two extra votes in case you wanna use us so that others can progress further in the game."
...
Meta Knight, Sonic, Golden, and Donkey Kong were all shown one after the other on screen following her explanation.
"Hmm..." Master Hand gave it some thought. "Interesting. Now Sonic, given that you won the first season, you know what Isabelle is feeling like. She's saying that if she goes, you're going home right after her. But if the tribe keeps you two here, they could use the both of you as two voted needed to get out somebody else for different reasons. Good news for you, say if that is the case anyway, right?"
"Definitely would be." The hedgehog hunched his shoulders smirking. "I mean, if alliances have already been formed and someone feels they want to have an advantage over other players, me and Isabelle are right here when you need us. We have nothing else to lose right now. You know what, I'm even gonna go out of my way and say that we are obviously in an alliance together."
Isabelle's grin grew rather large, chuckling as she turned Master Hand's way.
"I mean, why hide it?" The hedgehog lifted his hands up. "It's not gonna hurt or kill anyone."
Vector shrugged his shoulders and smirked. His Mobian friend had a point. Like Izzy said, nothing else to lose.
"We both literally have no other choice but to align together."
"But Master, that pretty much furthers my point." Isabelle talked again. "If me and Sonic are gonna stick together, we are locked in as two votes. Two votes could mean two crucial allies someone could have. If both of us are eliminated one by one, only to find out that are you are the next to have your torch snuffed, that is going to be a blown opportunity, especially since this is your second chance to win. And as these eighteen non-winners are well aware, not everybody gets a second chance. So,... why not take advantage of what you could do with us right now?"
Ooh. That was good. That was real good.
DK was seen sharing glances with Mario, Meta Knight simply blinking.
"Shovel Knight. You are a non-winner. Do you feel like Isabelle and Sonic make valid arguments here? Are there in fact advantages of keeping them here? ...Because if that's the case, somebody might get blindsided tonight."
Zelda's face was seen for a brief moment.
"Everything they are saying, they are not wrong. We could possibly have some big gamers in this group that will do everything in their power to earn the million. Now that they have realized the title of Sole Survivor was not theirs the first time, they are even more motivated to play the best game possible. Mentally, they are likely already a million moves ahead of the rest of us. Who knows what they could have up their sleeve? And if the two winners are both staying strong, four more votes are all that would be needed to have a majority. If I'm on the wrong side of the vote because of that,... I'm in hot water already."
"Are there any disadvantages in keeping the winners here?" Yes. There were in fact pros and cons to everything.
"I do believe there are. The longer both Isabelle and Sonic remain in the game, the more powerful they might become, which only increases how threatening they are. If they are both with a solid alliance and that group remains strong, Isabelle and Sonic would then be far more difficult to be rid of for the long haul. It is to why some might be saying that it would be best to send them packing now, before things get any worse."
"Long story short, no offense to Sonic and Iz, but easy targets are easy targets for a reason. And I don't think some folks understand that." Vector added in his own two cents. "Not saying they ain't got good arguments, but worst comes to worst, if one of them ain't gone now, you might gotta deal with them for the rest of the game. And if one of them somehow makes it to the end, everybody on the jury is gonna wonder how in the world they got there. And then they'll be like, 'Damn. I should have got rid of Sonic and Isabelle, but I didn't do it.' So I feel we all need to really think about who would we rather play with here."
...Well that was one way to throw what Isabelle did in Mexico right back in her face...
"Okay, well let's see how do people want to vote this first round. It is time to vote. Yoshi, you're up."
Getting up from his seat, the dinosaur calmly began to make his way to the voting urn. Yet by the time the urn was shown, Sonic was seen right by it, writing down the name of his intended target. Z-E-L-D-A.
"Sorry to do this to you, Zel. You've made it all the way to the end of your season and some fans argue that you should have won, but if you aren't gonna be the first boot of this season, my game is already gonna be in shambles. I need Isabelle to stay in just so I could stay in."
Golden was then seen writing a name down, his body covering up whatever was written on the piece of parchment paper.
Vector held his vote up to the camera, holding Isabelle's name to the audience. "Two winners here. Y'all already had your shot. It's our turn now."
As for Zelda herself, she already knew who she wanted to vote for.
"You've played a great game in Mexico and I really like you, but I pretty don't have a choice here. Hopefully there isn't any plan going on right now that I don't know about..."
The cameras zoomed in on Mario making his way back to his spot, Donkey Kong shortly rising afterwards to have his turn at the vote. Shovel Knight was then shown to be putting his vote in, before the scene faded into Isabelle having a go.
"Me or you, Zel. Either way, one of us is gonna go from not being voted out at all, to being the first vote off this season."
The castaway from Hyrule was seen with a fist beneath her chin, Meta Knight just so happening to be the last one to enter the voting booth, heaving somewhat of a heavy sigh. Yeah... he was definitely not really known for being a swing vote in situations like this.
Certain castaways watched from afar, their minds having quite a few thoughts and questions flowing around.
Once the captain of the Halberd battleship sat down, it was time for Master Hand to do his part of the job.
"I'll go tally the votes."
Now Zelda had both of her fists beneath her chin, Isabelle curling up her lips out of anxiousness.
Sonic's smirk was currently not visible. Even he was feeling rather tense.
Master Hand came back.
"Once the votes are read, the decision is final. Person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately. I'll read the votes."
Oh no.
"First vote... Zelda."
Way to already have suspense in the air.
...
"...Zelda. Two votes Zelda."
Vector gradually shook his head in reaction. He really hoped this was not the direction the group was going to take.
"...Isabelle."
...
"...Isabelle. Two votes Isabelle, two votes Zelda."
Sonic began to feel a pit in his stomach.
"Isabelle. That's three votes Isabelle, two votes Zelda."
Come on... The master needed to reveal another vote against her opponent already.
Donkey Kong and Golden both seemed rather calm, staring the master's way. Meta Knight not really making a reaction either.
"Isabelle. Four votes Isabelle."
...
"...Zelda."
Oh, Goddesses...
"Four votes Isabelle, three votes Zelda."
Shovel Knight did a quick look at the tribe, Sonic widening his eyes a little.
Golden was then spotted again, the bear exhaling through his nose, Donkey Kong turning his head a little.
Meta Knight all the while remained completely still.
"...Isabelle."
Damn...
The Animal Crossing Smash Ultimate newcomer heaved a small sigh. That was already five votes against her name. She had a feeling of what was going to happen a that point.
Mario's head lowered in disappointment, Sonic already beginning to feel a little down.
"...First person voted out of Survivor - Heroes vs Villains... Isabelle. That's six, that's enough. You need to bring me your torch."
It was time to cue in some sad elimination music (how about from the sixteenth place finisher in Survivor - Ghost Island? The same music played when Peach was first voted out in Emperors vs Knights.). Geez... What a tragedy. From winner to first boot, Isabelle Cosgrove from Survivor - Mexico (Brain vs Brawn vs Beauty).
Golden felt absolutely terrible. The poor man could not have even remain seated as he decided to get up before his former tribe mate even retrieved her torch.
"Am I a bad person now?'
"Haha, nah. It's just a game. At least you won't have to worry about me anymore." She replied, sharing a quick hug with him before switching over to meet Sonic for a final time. "Hang in there for as long as you can."
"You know me."
She was then seen sharing a hug with Meta.
"My apologies. I wanted you to stay in just so that you can avoid this, but..."
"You gotta go with your gut. I've been there."
The woman finally retrieved her torch.
"You guys are gonna have a blast. This is All Stars. Make every second of this worth it."
The tribe all either grinned or giggled together, in spite of the type of music that was playing.
Even though Zelda realized she was spared, she still felt rather bad, having similar vibes to her first tribal in season two.
"Isabelle, the tribe has spoken."
Snuff.
"...Time for you to go."
Before she left though, she turned around to get her final words in. "Would be sweet if the Heroes stick together on this one. I'm rooting for everyone on this tribe... Sonic, you most of all."
"I'll do my best!"
"Sorry, Izzy..."
"Good luck Isabelle!"
"Thank you, Iz."
With her bags in hand, she calmly began to make the trip down the stairs. It was definitely going to be a long way down for her.
Donkey Kong brought a hand up to his head in stress, knowing full well what he just did.
"Well, apparently this tribe for the most part is against the winners, which means that you all have the mentality of getting rid of them early for the better... or for some of you, for worse. No matter how complicated the vote might get, don't make decisions that you will later regret. That is one thing you can always take out of writing somebody off."
"One thing to note: because you all have been to tribal, fire in the form of flint." Master Hand held the item the tribe needed in order for them to have a much easier time living on the island, tossing it directly to Shovel Knight. "Grab your torches, head back to camp. Goodnight."
With all that being done, the Tribal Council was over. Time to head all the way back home.
Votes:
Mario - Zelda
Donkey Kong - Isabelle
Yoshi - Isabelle
Zelda - Isabelle
Meta Knight - Isabelle
Sonic - Zelda
Vector - Isabelle
Isabelle - Zelda
Shovel Knight - Isabelle
Golden - Isabelle
-/-
6-4
20th Place: Isabelle
Total Votes Received: 7
"I guess since that Meta Knight probably decided to not vote with me, Sonic, and Mario before Tribal Council, Golden and DK ended up voting against me as well just to avoid a 5-5 tie and stick with the majority of the tribe. And for that, I can not blame them for. I just feel bad for Sonic because his head is even further on the chopping block now. I came back out here knowing I was going to have a giant target on my back, but you know, even if it was only for three days, it was worth it. If this is my last season and if I decide to not come back in the future, I'd rather come back now for three days than never come back at all."
Castaways Remaining:
Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Zelda, Meta Knight, Sonic, Vector, Shovel Knight, Golden / Bowser, Sheik, Wolf, Ridley, Shadow, Ryu, Specter Knight, Plague Knight, Foxy, Springtrap
Character Confessional Count:
4: Donkey Kong, Bowser, Zelda, Meta Knight, Ridley, Sonic, Vector, Golden
3: Mario, Wolf, Shadow, Isabelle, Foxy, Springtrap
2: Yoshi, Ryu, Shovel Knight, Specter Knight, Plague Knight, Sheik
(So due to the episode being ninety minutes and me making sure every last castaway had something to say, all twenty contestants earned themselves at least not one, but two confessionals to their name.)
Okay, then... Sorry, Animal Crossing fans. Your fav is out. :-(
Winner to first boot. Isabelle is already breaking records. She's the first All Star voted out, first former finalist voted out, and first ever winner voted out. So at least this adds onto her legacy in spite of her only being on this season for three days.
But yeah, sad first boot here. Saddest first boot since Peach... or maybe this is even more tragic considering that Isabelle came back on the show, knowing the amount of pressure she had on her, only to be voted out first anyway... Sure, she had a 0.1 percent chance of winning this, but she almost lucked out, had Meta Knight decided to vote with her. It was not just a matter of "everyone is against the two winners". Things were in fact a little more complicated than that. And in the end, Sonic and Isabelle just couldn't get the numbers.
So what are your overall thoughts about this episode guys? You know what, this just came to me as I am writing this. I'm gonna add something else to this era. I noticed that in the real series for Heroes vs Villains, final words were extended and full version was displayed on the internet. ...Why not have me do the exact same thing? I'm gonna be posting an extra story for this era titled "Heroes vs Villains - Final Words Extended" or something lol. First chapter tomorrow.
Now I've gotta new poll up. You can officially vote for your top five players of this season. Obviously the winner is gonna be rewarded 100 thousand dollars as the fan voted player of the season. So it is going to be up until one of the last few chapters.
I encourage everyone to review and I will see you all in the next episode!