Hello everyone! It's good to see everyone again :)
This is the lucky 2-2 chapter! I wonder how it'll turn out :)!
Thank you for your reviews once again! :)))
Enjoy below everyone!
Episode 2 (Part 2)
The warpstar riders encounter a final surprise which jeopardizes their entire game. The fountain players receive the most tempting offer of all.
"Slow...slow...slower...and...whoo! Nice landing. We did it! Now...uh...where are we?!"
A lone warpstar finally landed safely on the dark surface of the moon. As the lightning-fast vehicle came to a safe stop and landed gently upon the moon's surface, DK and Lucina waited a few cautious seconds before stepping off the star. Lucina stepped off first, blindfolded and reasonably disoriented. But although she couldn't see anything, her feet felt the smooth surface of the mini-planet and the small nuances of rocks and craters with each step.
"The Dark Side of the Moon," Lucina whispered to DK, regaining her balance by slowly walking and feeling her way around. "I can mostly see it."
"What?! How do you see the moon...without eyes?" DK, King of the Jungle, loud player, stepped off the warpstar and was now on the moon as well.
"With my feet," she replied. DK stared at the blue-haired princess with confusion
"What are you, an octopus?!" he exclaimed. Lucina closed her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh from his sentence.
"Let us go," she said firmly. "We mustn't waste time. We need to get the engine piece."
"Yep...we made it safely and can get our engine piece...unlike the other players...urgh..." DK groaned, remembering the fall of their teammates and looking a tad disappointed.
"Do not worry, Donkey Kong, for we will win this game for us all," Lucina told him, voice filled with confidence.
"If you say so," DK replied, evidently glumly. Lucina smiled, adjusting her blindfold slightly. They both looked at the dark world of the moon's mysterious side, a bit astounded at the view.
But nothing astounded them more than the next sound they heard.
"Hi! Hi, hi hi!" It was a cheerful voice that they both unexpectedly heard, and they recognized it immediately.
"...It can't possibly be," Lucina began. Shocked also, DK turned around: he saw Isabelle, hopping to them upon the moon, still with a blindfold on her eyes.
"WHU!? Isabelle?! It's you?!" DK exclaimed, wide eyes. "No way! But...you're alive?!"
"And I am alive as well," called out another voice. Along with Isabelle, another player was behind her as well, in her slightly ruffled yet still elegant pink dress. It was Princess Peach. The two friends were running their way to them from the horizon of the moon.
Peach: I guided our warp star with both care and elegance through a shortcut, and Isabelle did too. We didn't have to fly through the asteroid belt after all. A princess needs to be smart as well, you see.
"Wait, you ducked UNDER the asteroid belt and found a mini orbit?" DK repeated, hearing their story. They had taken five minutes to explain their perplexing situation.
"Yes, and just like a water current, it pushed us towards the direction of the moon safely," Peach explained. "Simple, with no worries at all! I'm afraid we cannot take it back, as it was one-way." Lucina listened to their story, astounded
Lucina: A strange story to hear...that they found a safe, separate galaxy to pass through. We did not see any. Was there truth in their statements? However, in a way, I believed them.
"Oh...what happened to Wii Fit and Dark Pit?" Peach asked, confused and worried. But nobody had to speak for her to know. With shock, Peach looked down, a bit regrettably.
DK: Peach had paired them together...that was suspicious. She didn't have to. She knew they were a bad team!
"Well, before we talk for too long, let's get the second half of this mission going!" DK began. He turned to Lucina, confused.
"You're blindfolded still...and we're not even in the air," DK laughed, almost ridiculing her still-blindfolded state. Lucina's mouth opened in surprise.
"Indeed," she replied. But just as the Ylisse princess touched her blindfold cloth...Peach suddenly became alerted. And she yelled.
"Ah! Do not remove it!" Peach immediately shouted to them. "It is not safe! Do not!" Lucina stopped, her hand still on one end of her blindfold cloth in surprise, stopping her process and also surprised at Peach's outburst. However, DK interrupted stepping up to look at Peach with another ridiculing look to her this time.
"The...host's words?!" DK laughed to Peach. "That puny guy who doesn't even know his own name? Hah! We can't let that silly, top-hatted guy dictate every move! Why can't we just do things for fun on our own? They can't catch every single little rule break we do!" Peach looked with incredulity to DK.
Peach: I didn't...even know how to even respond to this oblivious player.
"DK," she began slowly. "Firstly...do you know how this very game of the Mole works? They will...most certainly...catch every transgression we do. We cannot sneak past rules, like a child taking an extra biscuit from a dessert jar while their mother is not watching. Second...do not disparage the host. I'm surprised at you, DK." The large player only sighed loudly.
"You guys stress over every little thing! Peach...why can't we just have fun?"
Isabelle: Uh oh! Was DK arguing to take off our blindfolds? His words were even convincing to me!
"Peach...is absolutely right," Lucina admitted loudly, nodding and letting go of one end of her cloth. Her tone of voice was sorry, and she slightly bowed to the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Please humbly accept my apologies, Princess Peach...for DK and I had almost risked our money," the younger princess began. "How disrespectable that would have been: we might had indeed penalized the pot for taking this off. We displayed hastiness...and foolishness." Lucina ended her speech with a guilty countenance to her senior princess, but Peach only smiled back to the young woman.
"Do not worry; it is just so easy to be tricked, thinking that it's okay to take off your blindfold even on the moon," Peach reassured her, smiling. "This is not a serious offense!"
"Oh..are you sure we'll get penalized?" Isabelle wondered, touching her own blindfold. "I kinda wanna see the dark surface of the moon! The world around us seems so bright and fun! Oh, but how silly I am to want to! But..."
"Yes!" DK shouted, going up to Isabelle and patting her. "You're thinking how I'm thinking!" He grinned widely. Peach looked at him again with a shake of her head.
Lucina: DK...he may be truly smarter than he appears. He was convincing everybody to break the rules. But I trusted Peach's words.
"Hosts have always been so pedantic and exact about rules," Peach spoke to them all. "DK...we cannot just break rules left and right and not expect to be caught."
"Peach or DK...can you help me?" Isabelle spoke up. "I need to tie my shoes! It's embarrassing!" Peach smiled and went over to help her.
A minute went by. DK searched the moon.
DK: The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom...always ruling! And I seriously lost the battle against her! Argh...I'll have to get back at her later! You'll see!
"I...will wait here patiently." Blindfolded, Lucina stood where she was. Her blue hair was less refined and messy due to her earlier, fast flight upon the warpstars, but her thoughts were organized.
"There." Peach finished tying Isabelle's shoes, as she stood up with a smile. "DK and I...we will search for the engines. You should sit here and relax."
"Actually, my friends...you can all relax!" called out the ape victoriously, and as Peach turned around, she saw that in his arms he was carrying two engine parts. "Easy to find like bananas in a tree!" As he chuckled, he handed an engine piece to Lucina, and one to Isabelle as well.
"This is heavy…" Isabelle said nervously, grabbing the object from him and carrying it in her arms. The two teams were in the process of boarding back on their stars with their individual engine pieces.
"Hah! Then let me carry it!" DK laughed, slightly in a humored voice but also one-percent in a mocking tone. "You blind players can't do anything! As if you can carry these engine pieces AND fly!" Hearing this, Lucina suddenly stopped. She then turned to DK disapprovingly, frowning.
"Isabelle, allow me to suggest…" Lucina began quickly before DK could speak more. "Put the heavy object in front of you while you drive…in between your arms and thighs...and also against your chest," Lucina elaborated, already sitting on her star and demonstrating the actions to Peach. "In result, the engine will be nudged safely in front of you. You need not carry the heavy piece."
"Yay! Thanks for the idea!" Isabelle cried, happy to take her suggestion. Nodding, Peach assisted her partner; it took a difficult moment, but after a few seconds, Isabelle and Peach had successfully managed: the engines were now in the tight possessions of both Lucina and Isabelle. And seeing this final position...DK's mouth dropped.
"Umm, WHY?" DK called, baffled to Lucina in front of him.
"Us carrying the engines is a display of strength," Lucina said mysteriously, turning to him with a faint smile. "As you had wanted earlier, DK...we will have fun in this game." DK looked at her, heavily confused.
DK: What was this unnecessary self-righteousness?! I couldn't understand it at all!
But Peach nodded, understanding.
Peach: It was a symbol of strength. Even blinded...even when handicapped without sight...and even while underestimated...Lucina and Isabelle could still bring home the crucial items we needed to be victorious, blindfolded and all.
Lucina: It was a display of honor, if anything. It may have seemed silly...but it seemed very important, to me, to prove underestimating words incorrectly.
Just one more trip remained: the journey home. Taking another few seconds to make sure everything was set and secured, they all felt set to fly out again. The victory depended on them.
"Ready?" The four players looked to each other.
"Nervous...again!" Isabelle winced. Peach reached heavily forwards to give her a comforting pat. They looked to the galaxy ahead of them.
"3...2...1...and...go!"
And once again, the players gasped, feeling the unbelievably fast velocity of the stars. A speed fast enough, if one were to hit a rock, to destroy a flying vehicle.
Look into the fountain water...and give any other player of your choice a minus -5 on the next quiz.
The second game was ten minutes down. Twenty minutes remained, and the Fountain of Dreams glistened with temptation. Lucario, Kazooie, and Joker were staring at nothing else but the stars above them, still stunned in emotion and place. None of them had made a move since their second message's sudden appearance. The offer, alluring and deadly, was still shining to them from above.
"So, umm, any takers?" Kazooie asked nervously, glancing at her two opponents who also stood around the fountain. "A Minus 5 on a person's quiz? An automatic kill to another player?" When she saw Joker's signature expression, her mouth dropped.
Kazooie: Oh no. Crud. Joker was smiling. He was totally gonna use it. On me. I was dead.
"Hmm…" began Lucario, his eyes mostly intrigued. "A cruel, unusual punishment for a person we've only known for just a few days. Unfair, in a way. What do you think about this, Joker?" But his opponent was silent, not smiling, but with a face of realization.
Joker: And then it hit me. The trick. The answer.
"Hold on...look," the student began with realizing eyes, pointing up at one of the words in the middle of the starry phrase. "It says 'minus negative' five. Not just simply 'minus five'. Do you see the double negative?" Lucario and Kazooie looked baffled.
"Meaning?" Lucario asked him, looking at the stars carefully as well. Then, he made a sound of understanding.
"In other words, it's a plus 5 to another player," Joker concluded, snapping his fingers, almost as if directed at the stars themselves. "If one of us looked down at the water...we'd be giving one of our opponents a huge advantage instead!" He smirked.
"Well, this fountain isn't so honest after all, is it?" he finished.
"Whoa, good eye," Kazooie realized. "So are you a mathematician or something? What's up with your intelligence?" The stars above them then began to slowly dissipate, as if knowing that their ruse had been discovered and unveiled. After a minute, they were gone.
"It is strangely like the stars...have a mind of their own," Lucario spoke with curiosity.
Lucario: A strange world...a strange universe...and a strange game.
As Lucario closed his eyes again to meditate, Kazooie turned to Joker.
"Would you have used that strong penalty though...hypothetically speaking, of course," Kazooie asked Joker with curious thought. "That opportunity to give someone else a minus five?"
"Yes," Joker said without hesitation. Kazooie's eyes widened.
"Whoa," she replied, not having expected his swift, honest answer. "So, uh, if you could have hypothetically given a minus five to someone else...who would you have given it to then?" Joker didn't say anything. He only looked at his opponent, standing on the opposite side of the fountain from him. Feeling his stare, Lucario opened his eyes, looking back at the student with confusion. Joker then changed direction to the night sky again.
Lucario: Just which devils from which game depths was I playing with again? And how did I get mixed up with these people? ...or on third thought...would I eventually become one of these devils as well?
The star ride back to the Fountain of Dreams was less frightening than the players' initial travel. Having gained some familiarity with the rapid zooming and slight swaying off the warp stars themselves, the four remaining players seemed less panicked this time around.
Zooooooom… However, as they whizzed speedily on their stars through space, they remained incredibly alert through their rides for each passing second on the clock. And for some of them... they were still screaming as loudly as they had been before.
"OH, my GOOOOOOOODNESS!" Isabelle yelped, ducking her head down. "There was a shadow of something...b-big above me! Is there anything above us!?" Peach shook her head, trying to calm her down.
"No, no, do not worry!" Peach replied, trying her best to keep her tone of voice neutral. Above them...a gigantic, deadly asteroid soared.
"Isabelle...is your engine piece secure and tight in safe possession?" Lucina called out to her, blindfolded and tense on her own star.
"Yes!" Isabelle screamed. "Actually, I'm more for myself!" Lucina couldn't help but smile at her response.
Lucina: It would be our pride...for Isabelle and myself to be the ones to bring the engine pieces back home safely. Even if we were to fail...we showed honor in our decision to carry them.
DK: I didn't get Lucina's decision to carry the engine pieces! Sabotage? Defiance against me? Whatever! I didn't care. As long as we didn't crash!
"Huh...that's so weird…!" DK realized as they continued flying through the asteroid belt. "Where did all those scary rocks go?!" This lucky time around, the asteroid belt was surprisingly less cluttered, giving them more relief than they had during their initial star trip. As time had passed since their first journey, most of the rocks had already floated their way out of the specific area of air that separated the sage part of the galaxy and the moon. Though they still worryingly came across a colossal asteroid every ten seconds or so, it was overall less stressful and less dangerous. DK let out a big sigh of relaxation, enjoying the view of the wonders of space even more. He didn't speak, but only sighed every minute or so as they flew on.
"A little to the left," Peach guided Isabelle. She was guiding her with words almost every second of the way.
"Is the path...safe?" Lucina decided to speak up after five minutes of silence, once again not hearing DK for an extended period of time. Lucina looked a bit troubled.
"Oh, sorry again! Hah, I was just getting carried away again by this, well...awesome warpstar ride!" DK hollered with excitement, looking with carefree attitude at the passing stars. Finally, after another three minutes, the two warpstars had successfully flown out of the dangerous area of the asteroid belt, and soon, the galaxy and path ahead of them became safer. A few minutes passed by, and even Isabelle seemed to have calmed down a bit. They were all silent, the only sound heard coming from the zooming warpstars, gliding through space as the four players continued strangely peacefully on their bright stars.
"The galaxy...is not as frightening as we initially thought it to be," Peach voiced with wonder. Then, she saw a familiar, color-filled land in their far distance.
"Oh, just look!" The Fountain of Dreams was ahead of them; both Peach and DK could see their destination in the distance, yet it was still miles and miles away.
"It is...just so calm now," Peach whispered. She gazed at the beautiful lights of the stars around her and the passing planets, full of vibrant color.
"That one looks like fire!" DK exclaimed with a laugh, seeing a special planet not too far from their spot that was mostly gas fumes.
Peach: Everything seemed okay. And everything seemed at peace. And oh...how mistaken we were.
Before any of them could say another sentence, something hit the back of Lucina and DK's warp star with a loud thud! Caught off guard, their bodies were both knocked forwards upon their star.
And in an unfortunate instant...Lucina's blindfold had suddenly loosened, and as she gasped, she realized one thing: it had suddenly fallen off.
Half of their time had ticked down...and now, the other fifteen minutes remained.
"Uh oh...here we go again..." Kazooie spoke a bit nervously, as the stars above them started to assemble again. Lucario and Joker looked in silence as well as another phrase began to spell out for them.
And then finally, the three players could read it.
Look into the fountain water...and receive exemptions for Episodes 2 and 3...but forever neutralize yourself for the rest of the game.
"TWO exemptions?!" Kazooie gasped. She looked at her two opponents, eyes wide. "That's big!"
"Neutralize?" Lucario repeated, staring at the word. "I don't recall...the meaning of...such a word as unusual as so. Is it a game rule?"
"If you're neutralized, it means that you cannot receive an exemption," Joker explained, putting a hand on his chin. "So if one of us takes this offer, then they automatically make it past Episode 2, and past Episode 3, straight and directly into Episode 4. But...then...there's a drawback. The player can never get another exemption starting from the fourth episode."
"And you know all these weird definitions... how?!" Kazooie asked him suspiciously.
"The host explained them all on Day 2," Joker laughed innocently, looking at her.
"This certain fountain temptation," Lucario thought out loud, looking at the starry sky, "is the opposite of immediate gratification. It is instant gratification. You instantly receive pleasure."
"But then you're punished...wait." Joker stopped, reading the sentence again.
Joker: And then I saw it. There was a trick in the fountain message. Yet again.
"Personally, I wouldn't take it," Joker said suddenly. He turned a sly eye to Lucario.
"How about you?" Joker asked him. "Will you take this offer? Two exemptions do sound useful."
Lucario: An exemption seemed very tempting, yes. It would be tempting to anybody.
"I am a believer in the idea of delayed gratification," Lucario told him. "I will not take this offer." Joker nodded to the Pokemon.
"And neither would I," Joker replied. He faced the final player in their circle, Kazooie. The red breegull still looked unsure, thinking.
Kazooie: Oh, boy. Two exemptions. All I had to do was look down at the fountain water...just inches away from my face! But something compelled me to stop. Maybe it was the magic of the fountain land.
"Nope," Kazooie replied, looking resolute. Joker frowned, looking a bit surprised.
And as the clock clicked down and the stars began to fade away again for the last time, only ten minutes remained for their game.
Crash! A meteor had hit the back of Lucina's star...and tragedy had struck for the princess and ape duo. Her blindfold...had fallen off behind her.
"Oh...!" Lucina gasped. In an instant, she knew what to do. The princess snapped into action.
Lucina: I had to take action...the quickest I could possibly do.
Her eyes fortunately still closed shut, she made her decision to reach for the cloth. She lifted one knee up to balance and keep her engine piece in a safe position, substituting in place for one arm. Using her now-free hand, she tried reaching for her blindfold from where it had fallen...behind her seat.
Lucina: I felt that the cloth had fallen behind me, upon the star...but was it still safely present upon the star? I could only hope within my heart.
After just a quick moment, Lucina gratefully felt the cloth behind her, still resting upon the warpstar's rough-like surface, stuck in place like weak velcro. She grasped it hastily, saving it from being lost forever into space.
"That was unexpected!" DK's mouth was agape, his eyes looking at the now-departing asteroid which had hit them several seconds ago. "What hit our star!?" He stared at a small, disappearing rock with disbelief and confusion.
DK: I swear: I didn't even notice it arriving to our spot! The asteroid seemed to have zoomed out from nowhere!
Lucina: In respect to my partner, I do wish DK had been paying more attention and warned me. He may had been able to prepare us for that unexpected collision.
Then, DK looked at Lucina, and his mouth dropped open even more.
"Wha….! Your...your blindfold!" DK hollered with fesr, seeing her face. "It came off! Ahhhh! We're penalized! The host does see everything! We're totally screwed!"
"Please calm down...we are still okay..." Lucina began, struggling to quickly retie her blindfold yet still trying to keep her driving on the star steady from the meteor's hit. "Believe it or not...I managed to close my eyes through the entire process. So I am okay, I believe."
Lucina: I felt my blindfold slowly unfolding off, and I did the only thing I could do...close my eyes in fast reaction. Luckily, I did it just in time. I hoped we would not be penalized. I thank my combat training for training my response speeds.
"What?!" DK exclaimed, flabbergasted; he couldn't believe it. Now, her blindfold was placed tightly back on her eyes, and Lucina gave out a determined breath of relief. Their drama and danger was over. They would make it to the destination.
DK: But then...uh-oh again.
"Whoa...a second one?!" he spotted, a few seconds later. Another tiny meteor flew past them, barely missing their star.
But it wasn't intended for them; the meteor that zoomed past them was heading to another warpstar: the flying star of Peach and Isabelle. This rock flying faster than the first one... there was no time to warn them at all.
"Peach! Isabelle!" DK yelled in panic.
"DK!" Peach called back, turning around with a smile. "What is-!"
And in an instant, the rock crashed directly into the back of the other, second warpstar of Peach and Isabelle.
Thud! It was a strong hit as well, and the two players screamed with fear.
Peach: And just suddenly...we were hit.
"AHHHH!" Isabelle screamed, having had no chance to embrace for the heavy impact. She lurched forwards, shocked...and then a second disaster struck. Her engine piece, once secure in place, partially slipped slightly off their very warpstar's surface as her leg moved partially away. Peach's eyes widened, spotting the engine slowly moving off the star's body.
"Isabelle! Grab the engine!" Peach shouted. "In...in front of you!"
"Ah!" Isabelle was in full panic, and she tilted the star suddenly to the right. Peach and her lurched to the right, their bodies jolted in a sudden direction.
Peach: She was losing her focus. Isabelle was probably sent into panic mode. It was a stressful situation for a small dog not used to high adventure and only used to simple office work.
"No! Stay still!" DK yelled from behind them, seeing them veer off the straight path they had been traveling. "Stay...still! Don't go left and right and left and right!"
"They need to stay calm...or they will fail," Lucina gasped, sensing the danger of the other team ahead of her.
"We gotta help them," DK decided. "Lucina, we have to push faster! We need to reach them!" But Lucina shook her head.
"This is our maximum speed," Lucina said fearfully, holding her steering device steadily.
"Help! Peach!" Isabelle still had both hands on the star's steering control, not letting go due to fear. The engine piece was just inches away from falling off the warpstar's edge. Peach took in a deep breath.
Peach: If I didn't grab the engine ….it would most certainly be gone to the galaxy. I needed to do something.
Peach made the heroic move. She started to scoot forwards on the star, moving a few feet up to Isabelle's spot. Then, she started to get up onto her knees. DK started shouting for her to stop.
"No! That's dangerous!" DK exclaimed, but she ignored him. She picked up the heavy engine piece into her hands, trying to keep her balance, barely able to see due to the fast velocity of the star.
"Here...Isabelle! I have it! And...I'm giving it to you!" Peach then placed the engine piece back firmly in front of Isabelle's body, between Isabelle's legs, arms, and against her chest. It was back in position...safe and sound.
Peach sighed, then attempted to sit down again hastily.
And then...the warpstar swerved suddenly to the right….and Peach's body flew right off the star. The Mushroom Kingdom ruler was gone.
The fountain water flowed quietly as Joker continued his explanation of the stars' last message.
"So if we had taken that offer...it would have neutralized us first, and THEN given us the exemptions?!" Kazooie repeated, shocked.
"Meaning...that whoever would have taken the offer...would have been a permanently neutralized player. They wouldn't have even been able to use their received exemptions for Episodes 2 or 3 at all," Joker explained smartly. "They would have been playing a dangerous game...eternally neutralized to the end." Kazooie stared at him with a flabbergasted expression.
"Dang! That's evil!" Kazooie exclaimed, now immediately more careful not to look down.
"This fountain...is evil," Joker agreed, putting his hand on its edge and feeling its water, though not looking at it at all. Lucario kept his eyes on the stars above him, curious.
"Maybe those stars are of evilness as well," Lucario added. He saw them moving again. The Pokemon sighed.
"And yet again, they tempt us," the legendary Pokemon voiced unfortunately.
Lucario: If this game had an aura, it'd be like a siren. if a Pokemon...a siren Pokemon, perhaps? Beautiful, yet full of evil.
Only five minutes remained for their game, but the stars were making their final arrangement of letters and words. The three players waited, knowing how the process of their game worked, silently watching the stars above them make their final offer. As the other two watched carefully, Joker only shook his head, laughing and eyeing his opponents.
Joker: Didn't they know? Every time so far...it had been a trick. Heh.
"Look: the last message," Joker said with a laugh, pointing to it with slight uninterest. They all read it individually:
Look into the fountain water...and receive a Plus 7 on the next quiz.
"Again...nothing but false words," Joker decided confidently. He then looked instead at a distant tree with disinterest for the rest of the round.
"Oh…" Kazooie said a bit glumly. The three players continued the game in silence. However...Lucario was still looking above him at the stars' sentence. The Pokemon was confused.
"May I ask..." Lucario began to Joker, as the timer ticked down, "where exactly...is the trick?" Joker sighed, then looked up at the message above them.
"You see," Joker began, adjusting his mask and looking up at the stars again, "It states that you receive a Plus 7...and that's simply too high of a number...and then..." But then Joker's voice faded off. He furrowed his eyebrows..
"And then…?" Kazooie questioned, suspicious. But Joker was silent, and his expression wasn't as confident or smiling anymore. And at that second, Lucario alerted up.
Lucario: He had no answer. Which meant...he was mistaken. And it was indeed the truth.
"It's real…!" Lucario jumped up, realizing the truth.
And then at that second...one of them instantly looked down at the fountain water.
And the game was lost. The players had lost...and the fountain had won.
Seeing two stars whiz over the Fountain of Dreams, the game was signalled to be over. Producers rushed off within their more reliable, sturdier rockets and vehicles through space, their mechanisms enabling their drivers to navigate extremely well among the Gamble Galaxy...unlike the unreliable mechanisms of the perilous, unpredictable warpstars the players themselves had ridden upon.
Peach, Wii Fit, and Dark Pit were also rescued from the unnerving world of space.
"Peach!" Isabelle exclaimed, jumping up and giving Peach a joyful hug. The princess smiled back: she was back safe on land. All nine players were gathered before the Fountain of Dreams, back on the colorful, vibrant planet.
Peach: What an exhilarating, terrifying moment. However...strangely...I had thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the part being sent off into space...what a once in a lifetime opportunity! But, never again, please.
"Are we all here?' Lucina wanted to confirm, turning to everyone. "Nobody had been left away?" The players were safe and sound...and relieved.
"What a fun episode so far!" DK roared, recalling the tense feelings from their earlier warp star travels. "I'd do it again! Just, uh...not with meteorites suddenly zooming in on us at the last, darned second...what the heck was that?"
"This episode so far has been everything far from exciting," Wii Fit sighed, her eyes in disbelief. "I do hope I don't spend the rest of this episode in space...like I did during this very ridiculous mission."
Wii Fit: There I was, waiting to be rescued...floating in space, bored beyond my own comprehension...while the others had literally a blast, traveling to the moon and back. I was not amused by these games' results. Not one bit.
"We...had a quieter time as well," Lucario told the other six players, remembering his unique game around the fountain. "Though not physically stressful...our game was mentally stressful, I suppose." Joker laughed.
"Yes...super stressful, indeed," Joker commented, turning to his teammate. "I bet you're very stressed with your little prize...Lucario." Everyone's eyes alerted. Lucario looked surprised as well.
"Wait...prize?!" Dark Pit questioned, eyes widening and accusingly to them. "You won a prize?!" And before all the other players could jump at the Fountain players with further questions and accusations, another person appeared into their circle. The host had approached them from behind, and they all immediately wanted more answers.
"Hey, what prize did they get?" Dark Pit demanded to the host. "And why did they have a special prize offer while none of us others did? That's not fair!"
"Your first game, Warp Star Travel..." began the host, ignoring Dark Pit completely. "Six of you had to travel in pairs upon swerving, unpredictable warp stars and retrieve engine parts, while avoiding meteors and asteroids." The host's eyes shined, as he smiled slightly.
"In fact...in the final leg of the race...two homing missiles disguised in the appearance of meteors were sent to hit each of your warpstars at the very end." At hearing this, DK, Lucina, Isabelle, and Peach's mouth all dropped open.
"NO...way!" DK realized, looking at the others and nodding. "So those...were rigged! I knew it!"
"They weren't even real?" Isabelle asked, wide-eyed. "Oh my gosh!" The host only smiled.
"First off...Wii Fit and Dark Pit," the host started. "You were hit by an asteroid while on the way to the moon. You didn't even retrieve an engine piece. You two had failed. 8,000 coins down the drain...or rather, down the galaxy."
"Obviously," Wii Fit replied, rolling her eyes. "And it's all because little Mr. Dark couldn't react in time to dodge a rock."
"WHAT?!" Dark Pit erupted, angry and turning to her. "You yelled two different directions when the asteroid was about to hit us! You were obviously unclear!"
"I clearly ended my sentence with, 'Turn right', and if you weren't deaf, you would have known to have turned the star right at the last second," Wii Fit replied, tossing her head. "It was a purposeful, obvious sabotage."
"You...you...purposely tried to trick me!" Dark Pit accused. Wi Fit stopped, her eyes wide. The other players looked at her. Wii Fit seemed strangely silent at first, but then she just smiled with a laugh.
"Why would I do that?" Wii Fit replied, laughing. "Why would I try to trick you? Why would I lose money...for myself?"
"If you were the Mole!" Dark Pit began, his eyes raging at her, "then you would absolutely, certainly try to sabotage me!" Wii Fit frowned at him. Dark Pit faced the group.
"She was the one who sabotaged! You gotta believe me!" But nobody else had said anything, as there had been no true witnesses to the event. Wii Fit only laughed a bit.
"You have to take responsibility for your own mistakes,...and your slow reactions," she replied. "If I had made an error, hypothetically...then I'd have admitted it myself." She smirked.
"Nice try...Pittoo."
A barrage of expletives exited Dark Pit's mouth, and it took an entire minute to settle everyone down from the tense scene.
Lucario: Oh dear. Not the peace I imagined.
Dark Pit: I'm done. I'm SO. SO. Done with this game! Someone else fails, and then everyone looks at me in a bad way. Everything I say always falls on deaf ears. Nobody ever listens to me. It's as if...I don't exist. Why even be a player?
Peach: It was very hard to even see what was happening with the other team on the first warpstar, so for all we know, both Dark Pit or Wii Fit could have been responsible for the destruction of their own star. I think it must have been a two-part blame. They need to both admit that they were responsible.
"Well, let us continue…" the host began slowly, clearing his throat at the awkward, tense situation which had finally settled down. "Peach, Isabelle, Lucina, and DK..."
"Yes..." All called player looked a little nervously at the host. Though they had ultimately succeeded in retrieving two engines back to the land, other things through the Warpstar mission...and other faults...had occurred.
"DK...at one point during the trip to the moon, you had touched Lucina's shoulders," the host began. DK's mouth opened with shock at Smash Host's claim.
"What!" DK shouted with incredulity, looking at Lucina. He then laughed, going up to Smash Host and trying to pat the host's back to ease him up.
"It was to make sure she didn't fall off!" he explained to the host, stepping back and shrugging his shoulders. "What's wrong with that? I didn't guide her! I just wanted to...make...sure she turned...yeah. " DK's voice gave up. He knew he was guilty...and there was no method of him escaping it.
"When you had touched Lucina's shoulders, you guided her slightly to the right," the host elaborated even further, as DK and Lucina looked at each other. "That was a breach of the rules. You were only allowed to guide the players using words and speaking. Using physical contact, that was a penalty. 3,000 coins." The players became silent. DK looked a little bit in disbelief, and a little angry too, but understanding, he nodded.
Peach: Ultimately, DK could have been more useful with his words through the game. I don't understand why he was so silent to Lucina through the game. He didn't need to touch her shoulders at all.
"There was a second, other incident," the host brought up, as Lucina nodded, acknowledging the host's mention right away. "As you may have known, Lucina's blindfold at one point came undone." Everyone turned to the princess, who was looking at the host with focused, waiting eyes.
Lucina: Was it worth having kept my eyes shut closed after my blindfold had fallen off? Had my efforts gone in vain? Or was there virtue in the act I decided to partake in?
"There was, for that unfortunate blindfold unfolding, a penalty. 8,000 coins," Smash Host finished, as everyone seemed to sigh with disappointment, the warrior princess especially.
"However..." the host suddenly added, as everyone alerted back to him.
"Lucina...you had claimed that you had kept your eyes closed, even when your blindfold had suddenly become undone," the host said, looking at her. "And afterwards...you had tied it back yourself, even while driving on the star."
"Yes...that's correct," Lucina began, holding her breath silently.
"We observed your eyes...and you indeed kept them closed through the entire ride back to this land. For that surprising, good action...we will, instead of penalizing an entire engine piece for 8,000 coins...only penalize 3,000 coins."
"Oh, I'm glad!" Peach exclaimed. Lucina could only breathe a sigh of relief as everyone around her clapped with smiles. Everyone seemed happier in mood.
"Lucina, you did it!" Isabelle cheered. Everyone nodded.
"I do not deserve credit...for I had caused the downfall in the first place with my own blindfold coming off," Lucina said in an honest voice to them. "But never the less...thank you all."
Isabelle: I was really proud of my team! A lot of bad stuff happened...but then things like Lucina keeping her eyes closed, EVEN after her blindfold fell off, was truly great. I was quite happy!
Dark Pit: Lucina still penalized the pot...yet despite so...everyone still clapped for her because she was such a hero. Hoorah. That's not fair. Why didn't anyone clap for me when I helped get one of the holes in the first game? This game isn't fair in many areas.
"And finally...Warpstar 2...Peach and Isabelle," the host said lastly, as the two females looked to the host nervously. The host first looked at Isabelle.
"There was no penalty with you," the host began, as the little dog looked relieved. "Peach did guide you in the beginning of the game to sit on the warpstar...but that was not the official game's start. You could have even done that sitting down portion without blindfolds, even." Some of the players looked amused.
"But Peach...you had fallen off your star," the host spoke, turning to her. "That is, unfortunately, 3,000 coins gone for the team." The princess smiled, remembering the unfortunate event as clear as day. The memory, and the terrifying experience, could not leave her head.
"However…" The host smiled back at Peach. "You did something a bit heroic for a Mole game. Could you explain?" Surprised, the Mushroom Kingdom ruler turned to the group.
"Well...Isabelle's engine was slipping away from her grasp...and before I even knew what I was doing...I knelt up, trying to stand on the star…" Peach said to the other players. Some of the other players' eyes widened with surprise, having not known.
"And finally, I was just able to place the engine piece back in safety with Isabelle, between her arms…" Her eyes widened, remember.
"Everything seemed safe...but then suddenly...oh dear! The warpstar moved to the side all of a sudden...and I fell off. Whoops! And I'm completely sorry."
"Doesn't matter," Joker nodded to the brave player. "You saved the engine. You're no less than a hero. Well done." The players all seemed happy as well, clapping for Peach.
"Whoo hoo!" DK cheered. "All right!"
"Nice," Wii Fit nodded, smiling to herself.
Wii Fit: Female power. It's what we needed. Super proud of us all.
Lucario: I had...a few qualms. I do not like to judge, but why was Isabelle not holding the engine more carefully? Why wasn't Peach holding it in the first place? Either one of them could very well possibly be the Mole.
"Two engine parts made it back here safely," Smash Host concluded, announcing their final winnings. "That's sixteen thousand coins to the team. Penalties combined however, you lose...9,000 coins from that total." The host faced the group.
"So...in the end...you win...7,000 coins to the team pot." The players nodded, looking overall a tad disappointed at their low winnings. However, Peach turned to her team with a smile: unexpectedly, and very much unplanned, some of them had partaken in individual, heroic moves.
"Well done, everyone," Peach told her. With smiles, they were appreciative to each other.
"And it's better than a low, fat zero," Wii Fit stated, nodding with a pleased face. "Well done...you didn't crash like me and Gloomy Pit here." Everyone nodded to each other and clapped. They had won, even if lower than expected.
Team Pot
27,000 coins
"So...expose us," Joker began with a sly smile to the host.
"I...do not believe that is the best way to begin our story..." Lucario started with a bit of displeasure and wide eyes. The entire group slowly turned to the three fountain players, awaiting to hear its results.
"What...exactly happened in your Fountain of Temptations game?" Wii Fit asked them, both suspicious and curious.
Flashback...
The stars held a tempting message for them.
Look into the fountain water...and receive a Plus 7 on the next quiz.
"It's a trick," Joker said confidently.
"May I ask..." Lucario began to Joker, "Where exactly...is the trick?" Joker sighed, then looked up at the message above them.
"You see," Joker began, adjusting his mask and looking up at the stars again, "It says that you receive a Plus 5...and then..." Joker's voice faded off. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"It's real…!" Lucario jumped up, realizing the truth.
And then at that second...one of them looked down at the fountain water.
Joker turned to his left in disbelief. Lucario turned to his right, surprised.
And they both saw Kazooie, looking directly at the fountain water, staring at her own reflection within the fateful Fountain of Dreams.
She had taken the offer...and had received her Plus 7.
"You took the offer?!" Dark Pit exclaimed to Kazooie. The rest of the players, having heard the entire story as well, all faced Kazooie with surprise.
"Yyyyyyyyep," Kazooie said, grinning a little guiltedly. The game had been lost.
"But I thought you said that Lucario had a prize!" Dark Pit exclaimed, confused and looking at Joker.
"He...had lied," Lucario spoke up blankly. As everyone looked with raised eyebrows at the student, Joker started laughing under his breath.
Dark Pit: Ugh, stupid trolls. First on the internet...and now in this game.
Joker: I just like to stir up drama sometimes.
"You won...no money for that game," the host confirmed to them all. "That is...zero coins for the team." The players, of course, all turned to Kazooie suspiciously.
"Oh, just why did you take the Plus 5?" Wii Fit asked her, hands on her hips.
DK: So now she had a large advantage for the quiz...oh, great! It was a good, Moley move. 15,000 coins from the pot gone...for a Plus 7.
Wii Fit: I was mad not about her new advantage, but mad at the fact that she cost us all 15,000 coins. It was no accident; it was blatant sabotage. I was irritated, so I needed to know her reason. Could she be the Mole?
"Honestly...huh," Kazooie started, thinking quickly. "I think Lucario and Joker pressured me somehow. Yep. That's it! That's why I did it. I'm really sorry, guys."
"Oh...?" Lucario began, looking at the bird, slightly surprised and curious. "How did I pressure you? I am not denying your statement, not at all. I am just curious." Lucario seemed genuinely interested in reply to the bird's sentence.
"Well...you sort of jumped up, right before I took the offer," Kazooie told him. "When you realized that the offer wasn't a trick, you jumped and said something out loud, and then I became excited, so yeah…" Lucario looked surprised.
Kazooie: Did he do it on purpose? Maybe Lucario tried to influence me? That would make him a possible suspect.
"And Joker...oh, Joker," the bird continued, laughing and turning to her partner, "You were just too plain suspicious throughout the entire game too. Like, from the first jiffy-second, actually. You knew every answer! Suspicious man."
"And you are suspicious yourself as well, Ms. Breegull," Joker retorted, grinning. "Costing fifteen thousand coins from our very pot." Kazooie just shrugged.
Joker: The Mole's job is to sabotage money. And that is exactly what Kazooie did.
"Well, the pot stands at a total of 27,000 coins," concluded the host. "It is not a bad amount at all." The players nodded, looking content to each other. Two games had finished...and Episode 2 was nearly halfway done.
"However...out of a possible 80,000 coins so far...you have won only just 27,000 of that..." the host spoke out to the group, adding a final statement. "Only a little bit over a third of the possible amount. Interesting. That means...that 53,000 thousand coins...has so far been kept away from your pot total since the beginning." The players were silent at the realization. Smash Host eyed each of them slowly.
"And that means...the Mole has apparently been doing their job very, very well since the first episode. One of you has been slowly evaporating the money out of the pot successfully. Yet... nevertheless, 27,000 coins remain." He shrugged.
"Well done, group...and also, well done, Mole." From the host's speaking, the group's feelings had changed completely.
"Hmm." The host turned to the brightest star to them, almost appearing like the sun itself. He did a little salute to it.
"I will see you tomorrow in the morning. Rest well." Then, he turned around to leave, shoes splashing lightly on the surface of the water-layered, beautiful planet as he walked, watery step by step, away from the group. The nine players remained, looking rather dejectedly at each other.
Peach: So many troubles. So many worries. And so many suspicious events. But just who was the Mole? Is it someone innately evil, like Dark Pit? Is it someone just too tricky, like Joker? Or someone else?
"Those 53,000 coins...one of us is responsible," Wii Fit said firmly. Everyone nodded silently to themselves, facing each other.
"The Mole..." Lucario finished, closing his eyes and thinking deeply. "We must destroy him or her...before they destroy us even more. It is the only way we can be successful and win." In the colorful world of the Fountain of Dreams...they felt a sense of darkness and bleakness.
But the Mole at that very moment felt nothing but success and victory...and a lot of color. The color of success and sabotage.
Lucario: There were quite a number of suspicious moments in our games. We had to take in all questionable actions and analyze them ourselves. Such a variety of acts happened...for example, in the Warpstar Game, for instance.
Isabelle: Oh my gosh, please. No more scary missions! Even ones filled with bright colors and pretty stars...I mean, it was secretly fun, I suppose. Flying blindfolded...oh, no! Just thinking about it again already gives me bad nightmares!
Lucina: I expected no less of Peach to stand up and rescue the engine piece at the last second. I do feel guilty for suggesting Isabelle to hold the engine piece, and some may have seen it as sabotage, but I wanted both her and I to stand strong and righteously so at the end of the game. It unfortunately cost the game a bit though.
DK: I just want people to know that I tried my best! Geez! So what if I touched Lucina's shoulders? Can we please focus on more suspicious players in the missions? Kazooie and Lucario in the Fountain game? And even Peach, falling off! Let's win this game, guys...for Fox. All for Fox!
Peach: I just don't want to throw fingers at people...but you can't help but believe some of your intuitions, no? And I have many friends too. Friends like Isabelle. Noble, peaceful, respectable people such as Lucario. But they can sometimes also act like the Mole sometimes as well. Unimaginable truths. Oh, no.
Kazooie: Uhh...suspicious? I don't know! I guess Dark Pit. He's so Moley and can be the traitor. Always mad. And Wii Fit for saying those fast, vague instructions. Both were bad because they crashed an entire warpstar!
Dark Pit: Everyone blames me for crashing the star. Whatever, I don't care. Vote for me on the quiz and I'll laugh when you get sent away. I'm looking at you, Wii Fit.
Wii Fit: The Fountain Game players: what a suspicious trio. A Pokemon of capability and unfair aura sensing, a conniving bird, and an intelligent student who's planning on ruining your every, next step. Though...just imagine, being partners or friends with one of them in this game. Hmm…and now, I have an idea.
Kazooie was sitting near the edge of the planet, greedily eating a bag of colorful chips upon a rock. It had been an hour since their games had both ended. They were all tasked to relax and explore their new world...and at least one of them had decided to do such by eating profusely.
"Hello, Kazooie..." The bird turned around and saw a female player approaching her small rock. It was Wii Fit who was approaching her, having walked all the way from the other side of the planet to reach her very spot. Now, the tall woman was standing right behind her...and opened her mouth to speak.
"I'd like to tell you something…" Wii Fit began, a smile on her face, "and I was interested to see...if you were interested in what I had to say."
"Mmm...I'd like to take this time to eat in peace, no offense," Kazooie said to her, munching and looking out at the nice galaxy. "Not to be rude! This is precious alone time for me. And for a character who's always in a duo...hah! Put yourself in my shoes." Wii Fit rolled her eyes, but then quickly, changed her face into another fake smile towards her opponent.
"Oh, then pardon me...I'll be off," Wii Fit replied, waving her hand to her. "I just thought you might have found this certain item I'd discovered earlier...intriguing. But perhaps...never mind, if it's of no interest to you" Hearing this, Kazooie stopped munching on her snack.
"Sigh…" Kazooie uttered, and she got up from the colorful stone she was sitting on. "Okay. Reverse psychology got me. What is it?" Wii Fit smirked.
"Nothing too special, so don't be disappointed. Just...this little book." And Wii Fit held something in the air with a last smile, Kazooie's eyes widened.
"No...way."
It was Joker's journal.
"Give me just a single one of your Plus 1's...and I will give you the book of one of the most mysterious players of this game."
Ayieeee! That's the chapter's end :D
I hope you liked it!
Surprisingly the ends of these games were more action packed then I thought :)
In the next chapter...some very interesting discussions happen between some people :o Stay tuned, all! :) I will be updating in a week and a half...on a Saturday!
Thankyousosososo much for your reviews! :DDD
Dark Punxysaur: The suspicions increase for this Peach player! Ah, mysteries! :D Actually, DK was never a previous player, hehe but I maybe understand why you believed so! Because... Many of his relatives were in fact previous Mole players! :o Diddy and Tiny Kong...the Kong family goes strong in the Mole! I do agree; having a leader in the game of the Mole, in my opinion, is probably just not effective in the end! Probably a waste, because in the end, survival is based just upon yourself only and how you perform on that individualistic quiz. Nice theories on the Fountain of Temptation! :) Right? The name itself is just like an omen got something bad and bad things to come xD Anyways, I like how you're basing your suspicions on Peach on both her speech and confessionals, and hidden clues! It's bad just to base suspicions on clues themselves I feel hehe. Nice journal finding and analyzing ;) Your sheep theory ties into what other reader DarkSymphony spotted with the sheep in the throne room...so hmm. Readers uniting, I see ;)
Cavin856: The changing player intros! I'm so intrigued how analytic you've been on many things! :) And the breakfast items too! I swear, if anything, there will probably ultimately fifty official food clues towards the Mole by the end, reflecting on my personal life and love for desserts and eating! XD (only kidding of course...but there will be definitely at least one or two lol). Dang, and your sabotage analyses are on point too! You're getting a perfect score here! Catching Peach's hand guiding Isabelle, and also your theory on Lucina's subtle sabotage of role choosing...kudos everywhere :) And wow, nice catch with the host saying, "Reflection can be good sometimes"...he was foreshadowing the fountain mission to come! :) though not necessarily what to do; just the mission itself rofl. Also, the burnt grass on the castle grounds the host was picking at was supposed to symbolize the hot sun and the hot stars of space. Just some subtle hints! Yeah, about that -5! If someone did hypothetically get a -5 and didnt get executed...they're most certainly either 1) the Mole, or 2) a very lucky player who went full 10/10 on the quiz towards the Mole. The former being obviously more likely I suppose xD.
Darksymphony777: "Amazonian trainer", literally I cannot get that name pit of my head...might as well rename Wii Fit Trainer that xD The Moleskine journal spotting, nice nice, indeed this is a real journal upon our real planet. Whether I chose this simply because it has the word "Mole" in it or for more reason, I will not say ;) Ah YES YES! Someone noted the reference to Agent's Elevation! As the players were floating on the large glowing platform...I was like...dang it, it's a fricken elevator...I need to subtly place a narrative to the title. LOL. And trust me...this Kris guy will superly, absolutely, unquestionably LOVE the Mole introspection that will ultimately end up on your channel :) AND P.S. I WATCHED HALF OF YOUR REVIEW OF TM:AE...I agreed SO much with what you said! :) TOOO much focus on players really does remove the mystery of the question, "Who is the Mole?", and I plan to do a better job this time around :) Thank youuuuu!
The Wise Zora: Yayyy! :) I'm happy to remember that you're a fellow Mole show watcher! Because now I don't feel alone whenever I watch it! Or wanna talk about it or reference it or all that! xD US Season 3 was actually not bad at all! Even I knew the Mole while watching, yet it was still entertaining with real interactions! US Season 4...some of the editing and show format was indeed lacking bahahaa but I still enjoyed it, Your dad must be like me cause all my suspects always get eliminated first or second! xD Ah, UK Season 2 is absolutely so awesome! :D One of my favorite seasons and Moles! And the missions….loveddd the missions! :) I love your ongoing theorizing on the orders of the names! It's like a continutation clue! The missions being dangerous, yes, waivers were definitely filled xD I forgot to mention this, but the fiery catapult stones in the last game were designed to explode beforehand if a predicted a hit was too dangerous for the players...forgotten trivia xD Oh, that's so interesting, hearing about the Fountain and the Mole appearing for a split second! Must have been another Mole fanfic, but I love the idea :o Wow, nice sabotage analyzing for the Warpstar game! You really got down the actions and potential sabotages of Isabelle, Peach, DK, and Wii Fit, etc, and noticed Peach touching Isabelle's hands, so wow, points to you :)
Princess Toady: I'm glad you're a lover of the Fountain of Dreams too! :D It's funny you mention the music…it is for sure in my top 5 songs of all of Smash :) Nice theory on Peach thinking of leadership problems from her past! Hypothetically, maybe she had watched and witnessed the other Mole season on TV, and witnessed Diddy and Piantissimo/Dashell taking too much leadership? And thought badly of them? :) Nice thinking about the roles of the Warpstar players! It's so interesting how you reasoned that Isabelle would be a better Guider as a Mayor's assistant, and how Lucina and Peach's roles also didn't make sense, etc. Yayy! NICE SUSPECT LIST! I like seeing your thoughts do organized like that for some reason, haha :) Yayy! You spotted the Agent's Elevation reference ;) not surprised. Also, I'm soooooo glad to hear your likable thoughts towards the characters :) such as DK and Wii Fit! Lastly, CONGRATS! :D New Mole story? Yayy! And awww! I'm so, so honored to hear that in some way I had inspired you to start :') to be honest, you're already 1-2 Mole stories ahead of me wow :O! I didn't know you had 2 in French!? Though I'm sad I cannot read French, I want to try my best! I'm gonna Google translate the first chapter and read it! :))) It's the least I can try and do! :D
Guest: I'm so sure that you could come up with some wicked challenges and interesting concepts yourself! :D If you ever get an idea, throw me a message! Peach and Isabelle making a comeback in the Warpstar mission: Prediction 100 percent perfect! :) I like your theory about the Fountain eliminating the Mole too! :D But to be a fair, honest author: Joker's stated logic sentence at the end of the chapter, of the Mole simply seeing the reflection of one of the other two innocent players in the water if they looked down…was correct x.x. Bahaha. A clue pointing to a certain player in my profile? What are you talking about?! *wink* ;) Hehe! Congrats on finding a clue! :) It may be a real clue to the Mole, you never know! :D I miss Piantissimo! A part of him seriously reminds me of him in a way! Watch out for...a cameo next chapter? HUH?! And lastly...your character analyses…Omg. You do just...too well every time! T_T I love it! My three favorite parts are: your calling of Joker being a good boy scout; I want to cry cause there's potentially a good slimmer in him xD Peach and everyone expecting her to be a leader: yes! In fact, she says multiple times that she doesnt like the stress of roles, yet everyone throws her into it! And lastly, you saying how Kazooie is a "Mole's Dream Player"...what a really cool way to put that :) perhaps the Mole does have a certain other player they consider as their "favorite" and are pleased that he or she unintentionalyl helps? Oh, lastly lastly...you're an ASOUE fan?! Ahhh! :D we gotta discuss! And your Esme theory...which I just read...was so bomb! Not correct unfortunately, but wayyyyy better than the truth ahaha, which I'll tell you next review!
LuiasyLover: Yay! :D I'm happy you like the always-beautiful Fountain of Dreams! I love LOVE how you are a fan of Princess Toady! I am too! XD Did you know they were the Mole in my fanfiction author Mole game I hosted a few years ago? No one suspected Toady until the final three D: ! Well I'm glad you guys have same suspects :) Isabelle indeed did go "AHHHH!" and slammed on the breaks XD I give you that haha. It's so awesome to see your suspect number 2! Though you credit Cavin a lot, I bet you also yourself probably did more Mole-hunting and sleuthing than you think on your own, so kudos on finding some moments of suspicion pointing to Lucina :) though I do love Cavin too hehee. Wow...nice NICE listed points at the end of your review! Your Number 2, "The Mole always has a friend", is such an interesting, interesting theory and reoccurring theme! You have so much validity! :) I'm so glad by the way to have readers like you who had read my past stories :) It makes everything feel like a complete world! And I have great friends from it :D but wow, nice clue hunting! I give it to you that and you're so great at sleuthing! Uh-oh, now I have another reader I have to seriously start looking out for :O haha! :D
wg152: I am SO floored you were able to read the past Mole stories in such short time! :O seriously! I am so slow and always take forever to read myself xD! Anyways, yeah this quarantine over the past 2-3 months enabled me to kick off this new Mole story so I'm so glad for both of us :) You did such a thorough, unique list of the players and their suspicion levels! Nice theory on Peach's breakfast leadership playing out at the beginning of the Star mission when they had to choose a leader ;) It did seem too match up and perhaps too coincidental. Your theory on Lucina having partial vision: such awesome theorizing! :) haha! Wishing your favorite player isn't the Mole happened with me all the time on the real Mole show xD Let's hope Dark Pit is a good boy. And your Number 1 suspect! I give you a lot of credit for choosing Kazooie as a Mole suspect and finding a lot of the suspicious things she's done, even some subtly. Your pick is good and you seem very bent on it :) I dont think I can change your mind much! Anyways, you did such a good job playing everything out! :D
Sixth Sense: Yay! Good to see you again :) thank you so much for reading! I love your suspicions and predictions! :D Lucina as the winner is an interesting thought; what makes you believe so? Lucario as the Mole is a good guess and you are maybe one of the remaining only readers as Lucario as a suspect which is great because many readers I feel switched their Lucario suspicions for Episode 2 xD so glad he is in the suspicion rankings hehe :) Unless he's truly the Mole then that's bad, lol! Oh, you believe this is the same Peach as before?! What crazy theories...you are definitely not correct…cough….yay! I'm glad you like DK :) He was literally the player who wasn't likable by anyone in the beginning, yet I'm happy that you and a few of the other readers like him! :)
Vivalahomestar: Omg! I'm so proud of you! :D Whether you choose to finish Fiend's Burrow or not, you are still an amazing author! If you finish it, how outstanding and yay! :D Yet if you decide to start on a new project too that would be amazing :) Ah, I love your analysis on the Fountain of Dreams! The ominous mood is slightly present, knowing that a terrible Kirby villain finds home in that land! I love that :D Interesting theories on the lands too...what is the significance of some of them? I'm happy you enjoy the simple yet tense game of the Fountain of Temptation :) And wow, indeed: a -5 for another player IS indeed an exemption for yourself in a way! Also, such a cool analysis on the different danger levels of each Mole game! Indeed, the past Mario Mole stories felt a sense of mortality, while here, it's different!? What a very cool way to think of it! :D I think I subconsciously wrote it that way! Interesting theory on Peach and how, if she is the Mole, how having her as a repeat player who made it far into the Final 5 before, may be very deadly. Joker's "Today I will cause problems on purpose" made me laugh so much, he basically screams it without saying it too obviously xD A big clue to Dark Pit!? I'm curious in hearing, you should say it cause I'm genuinely interested in theories and ideas! :D And I'm so happy you like DK! Yay! :) Ah, yes, the always "favorite character becomes the Mole" trope strikes too often to Mole readers and Mole-show watchers around the world :) Whenever I watched the real show, I died xD US Season 1 for example. So let's hope it isn't (or it?) this time around? Hehe! Thanks so much for your wonderful, great review! :D
Wendychristensen: I of COURSE remember you! :) How are you doing?! I'm so so so so so so so glad to know you've been reading my story all this time! :D It makes me SO happy! I remember last story, you jumped in randomly sometimes to state clues you found at random times xD Haha! So this certain clue you may have found in my profile...well done! :) I really give it to you! :o You are definitely a great hunter for clues! And the question is: it is a real clue or fake clue? :) You will have to find out and determine for yourself! Speaking of my Instragm, AHHH! I'm so shy about it and I remember your PM a long time ago asking for my Insta, but at that time I had no photos so I didn't find a reason to give you xD bahaha, forgive me. Anyways, thank you for your review and so awesome to see you're doing fine and okay! :D