Hellooooo!
Welcome to...my first delay Dx I apologize! I couldn't even imagine how unfaithful I was to my readers for going so long without updating :( that's what pushed me and inspired me! Amazing readers and reviewers like you all :) It's just not fair!
ANYWAYS! I have settled all in moving from Japan to America! It took me a few weeks to adjust! DX for that sorry! However, I have been good just watching anime and eating a lot of Japanese food to cure both my Japan withdrawal and quarantine time loneliness X'D
Overall, this is a good time to had made a break xD Right at the start of the new episode! Haha! Thank you for being patient!
Remember: Fox and Peach are dead...D: Ah, that's a good yet depressing synopsis, isn't it? xD Enjoy!
Episode 3
Who...is...the Mole?
NAME: DONKEY
SURNAME: Kong
AGE: 30
OCCUPATION: Cargo Manager
...
NAME: LUCARIO
SURNAME: Hanzo
AGE: 27
OCCUPATION: Kung Fu Instructor
...
NAME: WII FIT
SURNAME: Trainor
AGE: 27
OCCUPATION: Fitness Trainer
…
NAME: ISABELLE
SURNAME: Leafe
AGE: 22
OCCUPATION: Mayor's Assistant
…
NAME: KAZOOIE
SURNAME: Breegul
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: Egg Breeder
...
NAME: JOKER
SURNAME: Amamiya
AGE: 18
OCCUPATION: Student
...
NAME: DARK PIT
SURNAME: Angelent
AGE: 16
OCCUPATION: Temple Guard
...
NAME: LUCINA
SURNAME: Emblen
AGE: 19
OCCUPATION: Combat Instructor
Peach, the princess, the fairest one of so all,
Eight unsuspecting players just remaining left to fall.
Eight players remained. One Mole among them. The game continued.
The players exited their smaller-than-usual wooden houses and gathered at an outdoor breakfast table in the forest. An hour later, they were all peacefully, yet tensely, eating breakfast under the apple trees, a fireplace set up for them to roast any bacon or sausages that they desired.
"Well...uh...at least we get good food in this game," Kazooie chuckled a little greedily, getting a sausage for her plate. Sliced apples and pitchers of apple juice were also available in the appley woods, unsurprisingly.
Joker: Two have fallen. Hmm...the Mole is just getting their game started. The ball has just begun rolling...and what kind of ball is that, you may ask? A wrecking ball, I would assume.
Kazooie: Who's the Mole? Hey, don't look at me, because I don't know who it is! I do have my suspicions, however. And it could be a coalition partner, of all people...nah, just kidding. No way! ...
Lucario: I cannot lie...but I have been picking up some strange auras from several of the others around my own self. And whether or not I should take action due to these odd intuitions that I am strangely having...is something I have not decided yet.
"Geez! Those huts and beds we had to sleep in were not meant for big creatures like me!" DK complained, trying to crack his back. "Arggg! Why do the creatures in this Kirby world have to be so small?!"
"It seems like you're unwanted here by the inhabitants of Kirby's land," Wii Fit said with a smile, walking past him. DK's face turned to surprise, and then afterwards, understandably anger.
"Hey! What are you talking about? You're unwanted here!" DK replied to her. Wii Fit was too busy laughing to herself silently.
Wii Fit: Simply too easy to agitate everyone around me. I barely need to make effort.
Dark Pit: So Wii Fit is making other enemies in this game besides me? Fine with me.
"Everyone." Standing by the fireplace, Lucario had cleared his throat and spoken firmly. At his voice, they all turned to the aura-powered Pokemon with focus.
"I would just like to say: I am very glad to see you all...very safe and still remaining," Lucario spoke to them. All seven other players couldn't help but feel the same as well in agreement to his sentence. They took the chance to look at each other...almost appreciatively. One of them...Peach...had unexpectedly gone.
Lucario: It was the quintessential, eye-opening stage of the game where we all knew our time of mortality was unpredictable...for every existing moment. For when does death come for one? For me? For another player I have developed a close bond with? We do not know ourselves for sure. However, until then, we needed to stay together as a group.
"Just...not all of us are here," Lucario continued in his small speech. "The all-knowing Peach, for example." Isabelle, standing next to him, only looked down with a sad face. She had been one of Peach's best friends throughout the game, and everyone knew.
"We just...or I just... cannot help but miss her, unfortunately," the little dog said, expressing her feelings with a smile that was too drowned in forcefulness. "I hope I'm not the only one who feels so! I do realize I get stressed often." Everyone shook their heads: they indeed felt the same.
"Of course not…" Lucina spoke to Isabelle, the Ylisse princess putting a hand softly on the dog's shoulder. Her eyes were understanding, but also melancholy.
"A fruit?" Kazooie noticed, eyeing something in her hands. The others saw that the warrior was strangely holding a symbolic item in her hands: it was a single peach, retrieved from a rare, faraway tree.
"A peach…" Joker said inquisitively. "I didn't know they had one on this land."
"So...we wanted to hold a symbolic ceremony for her," Lucario informed everyone else. He motioned to Lucina, who obeyed.
"As the lower-rank in hierarchy to Peach...and sadly, regrettably, the only princess remaining in this dreadful game...I would like to dedicate the beginning of this new episode...to her," Lucina spoke aloud firmly. "Peach had been our ruler. With her gone, no other person can replace her. We also hold this ceremony to symbolize that we continue our game...without a ruler."
Lucina: It was a scary notion...but we had to take the decision: to play blindly forwards, like having a blindfold on upon a flying star.
Then, taking in a deep breath, she slowly placed the peach within the fire of the fireplace.
Pssshhhhh… Everyone watched with silence as the fruit was engulfed, almost peacefully, by the flames. It was a symbolic moment of respectful quietness.
DK: Without a ruler..dang! So Fox was our ruler for Episode 1, and Peach for Episode 2...now, no one?! But aren't we gonna just get lost? Won't the Mole beat us all?!
"In our missions up to now, Peach fought like a true Smash fighter...so she gets my respect too..." Wii Fit spoke with a nod.
Wii Fit: We lost our first female player. It was a devastating blow for the rest of us women.
"Despite Peach's disappearance...we cannot allow her loss to bring our spirits down," Wii Fit added resolutely. "I suppose I have even MORE incentive to beat everyone." She smiled, a look of confidence not just for herself but surprisingly for the team as well.
"Indeed," Lucario nodded. "Thank you, Wii Fit."
"Yep! We can't give up!" DK stepped forward with a heavy shake of his head, becoming a bit emotional himself. "No way! We win! For Peach...and also Fox." Isabelle smiled to him, a tear in her eye.
"Let's do this!" Isabelle said, tearfully but cheerfully to the group. Everyone nodded.
Dark Pit: Geez...they're all acting like she died or something. This is a game, not a funeral! Sheesh.
"Fighting...that's what we do best," Joker said truthfully, nodding and agreeing. "Aren't we all Smashers? Last time I checked, we indeed were."
"I suppose we must continue fighting, just like Fox and Peach had...into our next Episode 3."
"Yes...welcome indeed to the start of Episode 3." The host had finally approached them, a bruised, slightly old apple in his hand. It was as if it was already decaying. The players turned to him.
"Nice...apple picking," Kazooie commented sarcastically, looking at the host's rotten apple with humor. The others stared with disgust and uneasiness at it.
"There are just eight of you left...Peach herself is unimaginably gone," said the host. "So far, two players are gone...but who will be next? And next after that? And next after the next?" The players didn't look too happy hearing the host speak about it.
"Joker, you requested a new journal…" Smash Host said, looking at him strangely, as the host handed the black-clothed player a new book.
"Yes, thank you...I promise to not lose any more," Joker accepted, and Wii Fit and Kazooie froze, both with panic but also secret excitement.
Wii Fit: He did not know...we had taken his first journal.
"There's no limit on how many extra journals you can receive," the host started, "but to save the trees around us, I'll officially limit it to three books in total. Think about tree conservation in the future."
"Do not worry about me," Joker winked to the host himself. "I'll promise to be more careful about my books from this episode on." Kazooie coughed. Lucario sighed.
Lucario: These two other players who I had to endure the Fountain game with...Joker and Kazooie...their auras were just simply not bright at all.
"And to the next episode and next world we go," the host informed, dropping the decaying apple to the floor. And the players turned to a sudden, bright light that appeared to the group's right. In front of one of the biggest apple trees within the woods, a large, glowing platform had materialized and made its way to existence. Wide in expanse, the players looked at it in wonder...and with a gasp, knew at once. They all recognized it as the same platform that had brought them into Episode 2 itself. Now, they would be continuing and elevating...into Episode 3.
"Going up again?" Dark Pit mocked.
"No...down, down, down...to Level 1," the host winked, as Dark Pit looked at him weirdly.
Dark Pit: I don't get this guy! Stop talking in riddles!
"I'll miss the stars!" Isabelle said out loud, looking to the sky and blue expanse around her. "At the same time, I will not at all, as they were just very frightening. But I'll be missing Peach and all she had brought to us all…"
"Yeah, no Peach, but even so, we gotta go to the next level...and down with the Mole!" DK cheered as he boarded the platform, being the first player upon it once again. The other seven slowly boarded upon the shining platform as well. They were soon to go to their next world and episode.
"Hmm...very unique once again." Wii Fit jumped with confidence to the platform. All eight of them were now on it, as she turned to the host with a little smile.
"Where will we go, host?" Wii Fit wondered, smiling. But the host only looked forwards, silent and humming to himself. At any second, they would be teleporting.
"Better be fun," Kazooie started, the bird herself speculating and thinking. "Also, we barely got time to finish breakfast! Maybe we can take some of these apples with us to the next lev-"
But before she could grab any more fruit, the platform and all the players as well had vanished in a flash of light.
Flash!
They had teleported and disappeared. And the woods...were empty.
Flash!
The players opened their eyes and looked at the desert-like...very deserted...landscape.
"What...huh?" The yellow-brownish dirt dunes stretched for miles upon miles into the distance. The players were treated to a place not full of life like the Fountain of Dreams, but almost completely dead. Blocks and structures into the distance looked as if they were unused for over thirty years, dilapidated and gone. The sky itself seemed dull in color.
Tap, tap. Below their feet, it was brick ground. Faded in color, the bricks below them were still robust and strong however. The flat ground seemed symbolic in a way.
"At least this bricked road ahead of us is still quite sturdy," Lucario noticed with relief and interest. He looked around the world: it was not as powerful and alive.
"But the rest of the land...is dead," Kazooie realized with surprise and then a heavy sigh. "Huh. Someone's neglected something." They looked to the land which they felt was once full of life and greenery, as they could tell from the withered bushes and decayed plants that littered everywhere in the deserted world before them. Mountains were also in the distance, and also seemed absent of life.
"These rivers...I cannot imagine," Lucina reflected with dismay, staring out at the deserted land. Droughted, lined paths in the distance hinted that everything before them once held lush, watery life. The rivers were all dried up.
Lucina: How...disrespectful. To realize, with near certainty, that the Mole themself had chosen this place to represent our fallen princess, angered me from within my bosom. I'm ashamed to be in a group with such a wicked individual.
Everyone turned to Smash Host.
"Well, like I said," the host shrugged, looking to the world surrounding them. "Welcome to, truly, Level 1." They were in the Mushroom Kingdom….or rather...the Mushroomy Kingdom.
"A place as dead as my soul," Dark Pit smiled happily. "Super nice! Yeahhh! Finally! Whoo hoo!" Everyone rolled their eyes at his exclamation.
"Oh...I don't like this place, really..." Isabelle realized, looking worried. "It is just too...dead, in my honest opinion."
"In a sense...I agree," Lucario reflected, peering at the odd land and its sandy, old distance. "It is a reminder of everything from the past. We shouldn't look back at the past."
"Mario's dead past, exactly," DK laughed.
"The fellow who beat you again and again, twenty-five meters at a time, in case you had forgotten," Joker snickered to him, as DK shot him a look of disbelieving anger.
"In fact, one of you will indeed be Mario for this next mission," the host said. "The next game will be called, "Jump for the Flag!" Everyone turned to the host in surprise.
"First, I'd like you all to choose one player...who will officially play the role as Mario himself," Smash Host began. The amusement and curiosity within the group couldn't be higher.
"Well, nobody said that Mario couldn't be female," Wii Fit smiled, hands on her hips and laughing. The role of Mario...could indeed be any of them.
"How should we choose this certain role?" Lucario wondered. "We must see which one of us reflects Mario's personality, appearance, and actions and abilities the most accurately. That player...we should choose." Everyone nodded to the wise Pokemon's words in agreement.
"I'm quite tall, unlike Mario," Joker shrugged. "So suppose I do not fit this criteria."
"I can't grow a mustache," Dark Pit snickered. "Bye bye." Everyone seemed lost.
"His name is 'Jumpman', right?" Isabelle remembered. "So definitely not me either! I just can't jump high at all, unfortunately."
"Actuallyyyy...how about you, Lucario?" Wii Fit suggested to him. "You can indeed actually jump high, and even cling to the wall and of the sorts. It is similar to Mario, as he can wall jump."
"Yeah! I second all that," Kazooie exclaimed. "Let's go, Lucario!" Everyone nodded.
Lucario: I was chosen to be Mario...and I could not have anticipated one bit the next action of the host himself.
"Here…" It was a Mario hat that was being held in Smash Host's outstretched hand, and he was holding the hat out to Lucario with a small smile. Knowing what he had to do next, the group erupted in enthusiastic laughter. Just a little sheepishly, but in the spirit of the game to continue, Lucario placed the red, symbolic hat upon his head. It was upon him like a red, valuable article of clothing.
"To be the revered Mario...thank you all," he nodded, noticing that the inside felt slightly bumpy. But it was a perfect fit.
"You just need an Italian accent," Wii Fit joked to Lucario. "Then you're bonafide."
"The others...please split into three groups….two players, two players, and a trio of three." And as soon as the host had spoken his sentence, Wii Fit and Kazooie turned to each other suddenly and immediately.
"Look at what he wrote…" Wii Fit had the journal open in her possession. She and Kazooie were sitting in the gazebo within the apple forest.
"All of Joker's thoughts…" Kazooie said with shock. They looked at one page randomly, and read a sentence at the top of the page.
Fox didn't know what came to him...it's good I tricked him in the first game.
"What does that mean?!" Kazooie wondered, flabbergasted. "Joker tricked Fox in the first mission? But how?!"
"Look...at the bottom," Wii Fit said silently in surprise. Together, the two females saw the last set of words that made them think a bit more about how they would play the rest of the game.
Top Suspects: Peach, Dark Pit, Kazooie, Wii Fit
"We're both there," Kazooie noticed, her eyes glowing. Wii Fit smirked.
"If one of us pairs with him...then we can do an act."
"Joker, I was thinking...how about we both pair up for this third episode?" Wii Fit immediately spoke up, going up to the male player. The masked man looked the tiniest bit of surprised at the player's request. But overall, he seemed at no objection. The masked man nodded.
"Indeed..." Joker replied, though the suspicion in his voice was still evident. "Let us go and win." Kazooie and Wii Fit looked at each other secretly, feeling slightly successful in their actions.
"Others?" Smash Host asked. Kazooie looked at DK.
"Okay, Episode 1 buddy...let's do it again," Kazooie said with a laugh, nudging DK besides her. He looked happy enough.
"Winning once again!" DK roared excitedly, calling back to their success in the first mission of the game. They were a pair.
"Do not mind me saying so," Lucina began, turning to them and speaking respectfully, "but in effort to practice my teamwork skills as much as possible for myself in future application...I would like to join in forming a trio team with you both. I hope you do not mind my joining request."
"Of course not!" Kazooie said, mostly with relief. "I'd take a swordfighter on our team any day! Phew. Less work for me." Lucina bowed to them and joined them: now, they were officially the team of three. The last pair, Isabelle and Dark Pit, made the final team.
"Just watch...we're gonna be blindfolded once again," Dark Pit sighed a little boringly. The little dog laughed nervously.
"Well, if you don't mind me yelling so sillily, like I did on the stars," Isabelle started, "then I'm going to try my best!" The groups were set.
"Well, this is how this game will work," the host began. "In this game of 'Jump for the Flag'...there will be three sections...and one final, surprising task. First...Dark Pit and Isabelle…" He faced the two players.
"Your task will involve jumping to find a mushroom within bricks," the host said quickly. "Get the mushroom...and win your game." Dark Pit looked ready to destroy, but Isabelle didn't.
"Our interesting trio...the loud bird, DK, and Lucina," Smash Host began, as Kazooie made a face to the host at her title.
"You will go to the underground world via an old warp pipe and must collect a specific number of coins," the host told them. "Get the correct number of coins as a team...and win the game."
"Easy!" said DK loudly. The trio nodded, understanding, yet still truly not understanding the exact constituents at all.
"Last pair...Joker and Wii Fit…" the host began. He looked at the two tall humans for a silent second.
"An interesting duo. Strong, but interesting." Smash Host realized curiously. Wii Fit hid her smile.
Wii Fit: Well! Even the host himself was surprised we willfully paired together.
"You must rappel down...a bottomless, endless gap," the host informed them, and all the players gasped. It was the most daunting task so far of the three. Joker and Wii Fit, though a bit taken back, still appeared with looks of confidence.
"You must make...a descent of bravery and intelligence," he finished, and Joker himself looked a little excited, a gleam in his eye.
"Sounds like a great game," Joker spoke.
"Of these three games...for every game that is successful...the flag at the end of this world will be slightly lowered," the host explained to them all. "So it can be lowered...a maximum of three times." Curiously, the players looked at the final, unmentioned player: Lucario.
"And then Mario...our super Mario…" Smash Host turned to the Pokemon of the group, donning the red, symbolic hat himself. Lucario, surprised and not knowing what to expect, turned to the host a little unsurely.
"Lucario...if you can run off from the top of a set of blocks...jump for the flag...and grab it successfully in just one, single jump…then the game is won and a full 20,000 coins goes into the pot."
"Oh shoot!" DK exclaimed. Lucario's eyes widened, hearing the host's final explanation of rules. Everyone was surprised by the last aspect of the game.
"So the game and an entire 20,000 coins single-handedly depends...on ONE jump by Lucario?" Kazooie wondered in disbelief. "Pressure, man!" She laughed.
"Indeed," the host stated, and they all turned to the blue canine himself.
"The game and its entirety...ultimately depends on me…" Lucario said in confirmation, and the host nodded once again. The Pokemon suddenly, surprisingly...looked nervous.
Lucina: I looked to him...and I was shocked. I saw a hint of apprehension in his countenance. It is always best to encourage your teammates in moments that they may be lacking confidence. For in the first episode, he had comforted me in our Castle mission.
"Lucario...you are the selection that I would have most faith in for our success," the young princess spoke to him in an encouraging, calm voice. "We all have heavy faith in your leap, Lucario." The Pokemon seemed more uplifted at her words. The other players made sounds of agreement, and Lucario couldn't help but lastly smile to them.
"Very well," he said, closing his eyes. "I will try my best. For the meantime...I will be meditating and concentrating on my jump."
Kazooie: I didn't want to mention that with my Shock Spring Jump, I would have been the best jumper over everyone else though. Not bragging!
Dark Pit: The entire game depended on him?! I mean, what if he just messed up the jump? I don't know, tripped on his aura or something?
Wii Fit: We all had faith in him. Out of our entire group, we trusted him the most.
The Mario Universe game of Episode 3 was soon to begin. 20,000 coins were on the line...an amount large enough to bring the team pot to a well-deserved spot and amount. Even with a Mole...the players could still win. But they could only still lose...and it was up to them to stop him or her. The one saboteur in their group would be up to no good.
Joker: As we had discussed in the previous episode...the Mole is going try very...very...hard this time. Unsurprisingly though. We won last mission. So the Mole would certainly strike in some way. Why wouldn't he or she?
Lucina: As Peach said, we had no other option but to fight. Together...we had to fight this Mole. Whoever they truly were.
Mission 6: Jump for the Flag
Goal: To lower a flag enough to reach it.
Rules: Three groups must play three games in spirit to Mario's Level 1. Group A must locate a mushroom hidden inside a block. Group B must collect a certain number of coins in an underground pipe. Group C must rappel down the side of a bottomless gap. For every game successful, the flag at the end of the level would be lowered. At the end of the game, if the player assigned as Mario could jump and reach the flag in a single jump, then 20,000 coins would be added to the pot. Later...an additional 10,000 coins could be earned for their group.
The empty, desert-like land stood as their backdrop. The first team, Dark Pit and Isabelle, looked to the empty land ahead of them with a bit of confusion. While Dark Pit seemed uncaring, Isabelle had more apprehension. A symbolic land, once thriving with green and life, was now empty, dusty and shriveled to the ground. Plants were dead and structures had collapsed all around in the land.
"When they say time flies...I guess it flies," Dark Pit stated, his mind spinning. "When did Mario last come here even?" Straight ahead of them they saw a brick-ground path, and above the land they were to walk on, several blocks were existing and positioned in the sky. They looked to the floating bricks in wonder.
"Seven floating bricks," Isabelle counted correctly and slowly. "At least we only have seven to choose from! This isn't so hard?"
"This is the first game...Mushroom Mania," Smash Host said, as the two players turned around to face him. "Before you...are seven ? blocks. Four of them are empty. Two of them have Poison Mushrooms. But just one...has the winning Mushroom you need." Isabelle shuddered.
"What...does a Poison Mushroom do?" she asked, worried.
"You immediately lose the game if you touch one," the host informed. Dark Pit's eyes widened.
"How do we break the bricks?" Dark Pit asked him.
"You can be a real Header and hit the brick with your head, like a soccer player...or, if you're a true Mario fan, you'd know to use your fist," the host slowly said. The players nodded...a bit still unsure.
"You have five block attempts," the host finished. "This game may be dangerous...but remember...you always must go far to win." Isabelle and Dark Pit looked at each other.
"Time starts now. You have ten minutes to find the correct Mushroom. This game won't last long."
"Oh dear...let's go!" Isabelle started running ahead, flustered. Dark Pit walked too, slowly enjoying the backdrop scenery.
"The Mole's favorite land...a land of death and emptiness," he said to himself, smiling evilly and looking around.
Dark Pit: Good job with this land, Mole. Or am I the Mole? I could be.
Finally, Dark Pit and Isabelle both reached the first block.
"Block One." They looked up at the first mysterious cube above their heads, strangely separated from the other six.
"Is the Mushroom in...the first one?" Isabelle wondered, wide-eyed. "Is it too obvious? Naturally they'd expect us to hit this one! Oh no! But what if it's a reverse psychology trick? What if the Mushroom is really in this first one? What if they-"
"Whoa...you're talking faster than I can even text!" Dark Pit exclaimed. "Calm down...geez."
"Okay, but do you get what I'm saying?" Isabelle concluded, anxious. "They might be tricking us and the Mushroom is in this first ? block."
"Maybe?" Dark Pit said, raising his eyebrow. Isabelle didn't know, silent.
"I'm...I'm gonna try it!" Isabelle nodded, closing her eyes and ready to hit the block above her. Then, she jumped...her hand hitting the underside of the block as it broke easily. Dark Pit himself jumped back in surprise at the debris that flew and scattered into the air.
Isabelle: Wow, I can't believe I did that...but I had to!
"Whoo...that was quite intense. But luckily I'm not hurt!" After a few seconds, both Dark Pit and Isabelle looked around at the scattered remains of the ? Block. There was no Mushroom.
Blocks: 1/5
No Mushroom Found
"Well, that settled your question," Dark Pit concluded. The two turned to the remaining blocks: five of them were floating in a straight line in the air, each block directly adjacent to each other forming a straight, levitating row. The five blocks formed even a little platform itself. However...one final, sixth block was located higher than the rest: one had to stand on top of the other blocks in order to reach the lone, highest square.
"Huh...looks like we really need to be Mario for that one," Dark Pit couldn't help but laugh.
"Excluding that weird super high-placed block, there's five blocks here in a row...oh no..." Isabelle uttered. "What do we do? We perhaps need a strategy."
"What kind of strategy?" Dark Pit ridiculed with a roll of his eyes. "Isn't this just a chance game?"
Dark Pit: Or...was it?
"What's your lucky number?" Isabelle began hastily to him. "Between one and five! Is that a silly question to ask?"
"Uh...two!" Dark Pit decided. Isabelle looked troubled.
"Oh no...two's my unlucky number...I'm going with four." As Dark Pit made a face of disbelief at her, Isabelle went up to the row of five blocks. She counted, going up to the position under the fourth block. She looked nervous, but was ready again.
Smash! And Dark Pit's mouth dropped, for as this time, Isabelle had used her head to hit the block. Seeing his shocked expression afterwards, Isabelle laughed, looking a little embarrassed.
"Lucario was really nice during the apple game and taught me that the head is stronger than it looks," she replied, looking surprised herself. However, looking at the shattered block parts...they realized there was no important Mushroom in the fourth ? Block either.
Blocks: 2/5
No Mushroom Found
"My turn," Dark Pit tried. He went to the row of blocks, about to hit the second one before him.
"Can I pick?" Isabelle asked eagerly. Dark Pit looked at her again with incredulity.
"What?! Oh fine," Dark Pit sighed. Isabelle immediately looked uncertain, but she thought and thought….then chose.
"Umm...umm...one!" she said. Dark Pit went under the shadow of the first ? Block. He paused, readying himself, a little nervous….then he finally jumped.
Crash! He used his head as well to break the block...and immediately fell to the ground, losing his balance and falling to the floor among the scattered debris.
"Dark Pit!" Isabelle squealed, alarmed. Dazed and on the ground, he was a bit embarrassed himself as he looked around, dusting himself off. But there was no Mushroom. They had only two more guesses remaining.
Blocks: 3/5
No Mushroom Found
Dark Pit: We were totally sucking and losing our brains. Ugh. Literally...Isabelle chose three blocks all by herself. And they were all blank. I couldn't even get my say on which block to use! I was losing. And against a little dog!? Ugh...there goes my self-esteem.
Isabelle: I was really trying to see which blocks it could have been! I was thinking back to the host's words...if he had said a clue or something. I don''t think it was luck!
"Umm...do you think…" Isabelle began slowly to him, "that the Mushroom is not randomly in a block? There might be a hint as to where the Mushroom is. Or symbolism as to where it could possibly be hidden?" Her eyes looked curiously, studying each block closely.
Isabelle: I was looking at each block closely...to see if there was a clue, that is! You never know what's hidden in this game of the Mole, I felt.
"If that's true...then…" Dark Pit began. He paused. "What's the symbolism?"
Dark Pit: Suddenly, I hated to admit it...the game suddenly seemed interesting.
"So the name of the game is Jump for the Flag...Jump...?"
"I was thinking…" Isabelle began slowly. She pointed to the single, out-of-place Block, higher above anything else in front of them. The particular square was placed higher than the others: it was the one, single block floating above the three others remaining. Dark Pit and Isabelle turned to each other slowly.
Dark Pit: Well...one of us had to climb up and hit it.
It was a struggling minute or so later.
"Almost...!" Isabelle shouted happily. Two minutes had passed, and three minutes remained on their timer. Now, she was upon Dark Pit's shoulders.
"Stop...moving…!" he grunted. "I can barely hold you!" The angel was desperately trying to keep his balance and also trying to lift and place Isabelle up upon one of the regular-leveled blocks. She was able to grab its ledge.
"Got it!" Successfully, she climbed up upon it. Then, she stood up, and gasped with delight and surprise at the view. She was higher up...and was able to see the wasteland's distance even further. But it wasn't all ugly. Majestic mountains were in the background before her eyes.
"It is almost so beautiful here!" she admired, eyes sparkling and looking at the captivating, full scenery of the Mushroomy Kingdom.
"Umm...we have a time limit," Dark Pit sighed loudly, reminding her.
"Oh! Yes, sorry." Isabelle turned immediately to the single block, floating above her.
"Ready…." She balanced on the block platform she was standing on.
"Set...use your fist this time, maybe…" Dark Pit scoffed. Isabelle nodded.
"Go!" She lightly hit the high block above her with her paw.
The block, now old and decrepit, burst easily, just as the others had. But this time, instead of air...something else had appeared.
Dark Pit: Then we suddenly remembered...another aspect of the game.
A Poison Mushroom, glistening and glowing, came right out.
"AHHH!" Isabelle jumped off her block piece in panic...and the small player landed right on top of Dark Pit.
"What the-!" He was thrown to the floor from his partner's weight as the two players fell to the dusty ground amidst broken block pieces in a disordered pile. Stunned and speechless, Dark Pit was motionless on the brick ground, tackled inadvertently to the floor by his partner. Immediately, Isabelle was able to get up to her feet.
"Get...off me! You...jumped me!" he stammered. "Why did you jump me!?"
"Get up!" Isabelle screamed, trying to drag him away from the approaching Poison Mushroom. Dark Pit immediately jumped up with a yell.
"Yeow!" he yelled, finally realizing the existence of the deadly mushroom, just inches away from him. He managed to jump away at the last second. But it was still moving...towards them.
"It's following me!" Isabelle yelped, grabbing Dark Pit's body and using it, almost like a shield for herself.
"Calm down! ...and GET off me!" he shouted, trying to get off from her tight grasp. Behind him, the Poison Mushroom approached.
"I've never touched a Poison Mushroom before!" Isabelle shrieked, grabbing tightly to his tunic and guarding herself fearfully. "It's so terrifying!" Dark Pit rolled his eyes.
"Isabelle, just-" As he pulled away, Isabelle immediately let go of his tunic. The young boy unfortunately was thrown off, startled at the sudden achieving of kinetic energy. He stumbled awkwardly away, took two, last pathetic-like steps...and fell.
Dark Pit: I could have fallen left. Or right. Or backwards. Or even jumped into the air and into the abyss if I had to. But no, you guessed it, TV viewers. Yep. I'm the saboteur. I fell on the Poison Mushroom.
The metallic, slightly-green structure that protruded from the ground was a sight intriguing and mysterious enough for anyone. It was intriguing for Kazooie, DK, and Lucina.
"It's...rusty as heck," Kazooie noticed, peering unimpressed and up close at its aged exterior. It was an old warp pipe, covered in dust and no longer so green.
"So Mario never came to this land after ALL these years?" she realized.
"I mean, he's busy all out in space and galaxies!" DK grunted, hitting the pipe with his fist while laughing. "Totally a bad chap for neglecting all the beauty down on Earth, I tell yah! Fox is better than Mario! At least he appreciated the Earth! Mario sucks."
"Yet, even so...he is still the most influential and iconic character in Nintendo history," Lucina said, almost speaking disapprovingly towards DK for his words. "I believe Mario's high importance deserves him our respect and us holding him in high regard." She lowered her head.
"Ultimately, he is the highest character on our roster," she finished. "We should respect him." DK and Kazooie stared at her with disbelief.
Kazooie: Is there anyone she didn't bow down to the ground to and respect? First Peach? Now Mario? Or maybe she's biased towards the Mario series. Hey, the Banjo Kazooie franchise is pretty revered too itself, I'd say!
"He is...one of the best," Lucina concluded, a look of respect on her face and a small smile.
"What? He's not God, is he? ...Oh, fine," DK sighed to her, slightly acknowledging the truth a bit. Lucina smiled a little.
"He is high ranked," Lucina finished.
"Not the highest in our tier rank however," Kazooie snickered quietly under her breath. The host approached them, having walked down from the previous, brick portion of the land. If anyone was most in the role as Mario, walking through the land, traveling down Level 1-1...it was the host himself.
"This is the second game..."Coin Me Down". And...it'll be taking place down...there…" The host pointed to the alluring, no-longer-shining pipe. "You three chatty players will play in the Underground Section." The three of them, alert yet cautious, stepped up to view down the large pipe themselves with unsure feelings...into its darkness.
DK: I'm not afraid of the dark! No way! ...at least not when others are around.
"Once you are down there...you will reach the Center Room. And branching from that Center Room...there will be three very important riddle rooms," Smash Host explained further. "This is why you are a trio team: each of you must enter a room individually and solve a number riddle, designated to that room. With a five minute limit, you must-"
"Nooo!" DK groaned. Lucina and Kazooie turned to him in surprise at his sudden sound of unwant.
DK: A NUMBER riddle? Oh noooo...I already knew I would be bad at this game!
Lucina: I remember hearing from someone that in our first mission, our Hole in One game, I knew DK unfortunately wasn't good with numbers or math..
"Ahem," the host continued, glancing at DK. "Each of you must solve your individual riddles in each room, though once you solve your own room, you are free to help another player. The numeral answer you decipher from a riddle? That will be the number of coins you then must collect in that room...and bring to the center room." The players nodded, understanding the split roles.
"In combined coins...you must get less than three coins off the entire correct coin count total to win this game," Smash Host informed them.
"A near exact number...all three of us?! No way…!" DK sighed again, throwing his hands in the air. "It's impossible!" The ape himself didn't look enthusiastic.
"The more you keep on complaining, the more we're gonna self-fulfilling prophecy ourselves, and then we're really gonna lose," Kazooie sighed to him. "So STOP!"
"What does that even mean?!" DK exclaimed to her.
"Once you jump into the Warp Pipe...the five-minute timer will begin," Smash Host informed them. The players looked at each other tensely.
"So, uhh...is the jumping order we enter the pipe important?" Kazooie wondered. "Huh. I wonder." She peered into the pipe slightly. Lucina did as well.
Lucina: First...I know from experience that it is always beneficial before battle...to have a form of planned strategy. So before this game...we needed a strategy.
"Let's GO!" DK said a little overexcitedly, going too fast towards the direction of the pipe as soon as the host had ended his instructions. He immediately put his hands on the side of the pipe. "I wanna BEGIN! Let's...!"
Then, they all gasped.
DK: Wow...I'll admit, it was all a blur, and I was definitely a bit riled up. Okay. None of us could believe what happened. Well...I don't think anyone else would either if we told them. The first thought in my head was: this game seems hecka fun! Let's start! And then the next thought...darkness. The third thought that came to my mind was: did I just fall into the warp pipe accidentally?
And with horror, the two players saw DK plunge into the abyss of the pipe. They faced each other, wide eyes. Speechless.
"I...suppose we must sometimes...go into battle without preparation," Lucina voiced with panic, wide-eyed.
Kazooie: What just happened? Is this how we begin our game?! DK falling into a pipe? Are you KIDDING me!
"Well, I'll be darned. The timer began. Of COURSE we've gotta go!" Kazooie realized, and with only seconds to spare, the two females followed into the abyss of the warp pipe world as well. Taking a deep breath...they both jumped in.
Didididididi…
They immediately heard strange, base-like sounds the moment they had arrived into the odd world, their feet safely touching the ground. The area they witnessed before them had strangely an entire hue of blue, but overall, it was dark, mysterious, and very new to them. But they needed to think...and act...fast.
4 minutes...30 seconds remaining...
Kazooie and Lucina looked to the platform they landed on.
"This is the center room…" Lucina conjectured to Kazooie, as they both nodded. The princess saw that the center room was bricked all around with blue coloring. Kazooie turned to the surrounding walls: she noticed openings.
"Here's our game: three rooms!" They saw three openings, each on different walls around them. And staring at one sign at the entrance of the first opening was none other than the large ape himself, one who had just recently fallen through a warp pipe prematurely: DK.
"Hey!" DK yelled, happy to see them and calling their attention to him. The player seemed already comfortable in the underground area.
"You could have waited for us instead of jumping in like a madman...or a mad monkey," Kazooie huffed.
"Attack me later!" DK said to her, trying to look innocent. "We gotta solve this game!" They all stared at the sign at the entrance of the first room with confused looks.
Room 1: Alphabet
"Only one of us enters," Lucina remembered, recalling the host's words. "Who feels most confident with this category?" She turned to the other two, interested.
"Heck, I'll do it," Kazooie spoke, walking into the room. "I'm smart...and I know how to solve a good riddle or two...and...yeah, I'll go!" She talon-trotted quickly and confidently into the room.
4 minutes remaining… A voice seemed to echo through all the underground rooms.
DK and Lucina exchanged glances, then walked to the next room, an opening on another side of the wall. They stared at the sign.
Room 2: Players
The two turned to the last sign above the third wall opening.
Room 3: Lives
"Uh...which one do you want?! I have no idea" DK yelled panickedly to her. "We only have four minutes!" He shrugged quickly to Lucina, lost. "You choose! You're smarter, right?! Which one are YOU good at?!"
"If I may, Donkey Kong, I'd like to place you in the "Players" room, for I feel like you've interacted with the players the most...you are most advantageous in such a sector," Lucina directed him. DK sighed with relief.
"Yep! I can agree," he nodded with agreement.
"The word "Lives"...seems neutral and safe enough for me, so perhaps I will take that one." Lucina decided firmly.
"Bingo," DK grinned. The two players nodded with each other, and ran off. All three players were in their rooms.
Just a little over three and a half minutes remained for their tasks.
3 minutes...39 seconds...
"Money!" Kazooie exclaimed, entering the first room and seeing the bedazzling sight of yellow, spinning ovals in front of her. The coins floated magically in the air, a display of monetary beauty.
"Focus on the riddle," she reminded herself, shaking her head. She looked to a sign hanging above the coins from the ceiling. It was a riddle...and she had four minutes to get the answer.
How many letters are there in Mario mailbox at night?
"Letters and envelopes...in Mario's mailbox?!" she uttered. "How am I supposed to know? Like, a jillion?!" She looked at all the coins floating before her: there were thirty in total.
"Maybe I have to take all of them?" she thought, confused.
Kazooie: So I had to pocket the correct number of coins… but...hehehe...what if I secretly "pocketed" one of the coins for myself? Only kidding. Now, you guys won't post this confessional, will you?
In another room, DK was staring at the yellow coins with nothing else but a wide smile of glee. It shined to the large ape...unlike the riddle hanging on the very sign above the coins.
DK: If I win this game...all this money would be mine! I couldn't believe it.
After two seconds, he quickly snapped back to the game…and was immediately hit with flabbergasted emotions.
"...where's the riddle?!" he sputtered. He went to the first wall, looking at its hard surface. It was completely blank, blue with bricks. While the other two were already focused on their own riddles, DK was leaping about, searching each wall of the second room, but everything around him was wordless.
Kazooie: So unfortunately...our primitive friend had the impression that the riddle would be on the walls.
Lucina entered the third room, the coins glistening like stars. The swordswoman seemed baffled, but then noticed the banner from the ceiling. Quickly reading her puzzle, her lips mouthed every word she read above her.
On a September morning, a cat died and didn't feel too bothered. After all, it felt like it could travel to all the planets in the solar system before disappearing. But what number are we continuously referring to?
"What...number?" She was still for a moment, silent. But mostly, she looked with a confused expression at the riddle banner. She began counting her fingers.
Lucina: I was thinking...perhaps we had to count the number of letters in one of the words? I was not so certain.
"Seven…eight..." Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Where's my riddle thingamabob!" DK finally said, loud enough to catch Kazooie's notice from the other room. Two minutes remained for them to solve their number riddles.
"It's above your sign, doofus!" Kazooie shouted back to him. DK blinked, and looked above the coins.
"Oh, hahaha!" He laughed heavily. But then, he roared quietly, a bit angrily. "Well, you should've told me earlier!"
"As if it's my job to help with other players' incompetences," Kazooie mumbled. Sighing loud enough for them to hear, DK then read the numbers upon the floating sign.
3-5-6-5-6-8-6-?-7-7
He stopped, mouth dropped.
DK: I had no idea.
At that second, Lucina in her own room gasped with realization.
"September is the ninth month...cats are said to have nine lives...this is the key number," she said out loud. "Kazooie...DK...if I may…" She spoke loud enough for the others to hear.
Lucina: I did my mission. I ran and collected 9 coins. Each one glistened like a sword.
"Good for you!" DK hollered to her sarcastically. "Your riddle is nothing in difficulty compared to mine, I guess!"
"Can you stop yelling from the other room!" Kazooie yelled back to him. "We're focusing on our riddles!"
"Nine coins," Lucina nodded with confirmation, giving her room one final look before turning to leave. She had just finished her golden collecting and was about to leave. She exited...then turned directly into DK's riddle room. Noticing him with a giving-up face as if he was doing a familiar Smash taunt pose of his own, the princess went up to him, smiling and willing to offer help.
"Any idea?" DK said hopelessly, almost crumpled on the ground. Lucina stared at the numbers, also confused.
"I will try…" Lucina said, confidently. Her eyes focused on the numbers above their coins before them.
3-5-6-5-6-8-6-?-7-7
"It must have something to do with…a pattern, perhaps," Lucina began. She pointed to the question mark.
"We need to solve the eighth one…but ten numbers...what could it be?" Time was running out.
"Yes! I got it!" They both heard Kazooie jump in her own room. "It's a silly, easy trick." She counted a second time.
"M-A-R-I-O...M-A-I-L-B-OX...AT...NIGHT...nineteen letters. No wonder the grammar was a bit wrong and off. Gosh, that was easy." She jumped up to the pedestal of coins with satisfaction.
"Nineteen coins...all mine!" She began to collect coins with her wings.
Suddenly, a voice blared, echoing through all of the underground rooms. All players stared above them at the seemingly-invisible voice.
"ONE MINUTE AND TEN SECONDS REMAINING," the voice echoed strongly. "PLEASE BRING ALL COINS AND YOURSELVES INTO THE CENTER ROOM." Just one minute remained. DK turned to Lucina in panic.
"Hurry! Did you almost get it the riddle?" he asked panickedly.
"I...I.." she spoke slowly, concentrating hard and closing her eyes. She was silent.
Lucina: It was a dreadful feeling. I did not know. So I went with my best guess.
3-5-6-5-6-8-6-?-7-7
"DK, do you see that each pair adds up to a number? 3 plus 5 is 8…..and then the next sum is 11...then 14..."
"Uhh...so...?!" he replied, confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Since they're increasing by 3's...then 6 plus a number equals 17...and that is..." Lucina pointed out in realization. She turned to DK.
"Please grab eleven coins. We have no other option, unfortunately., but it is either this best guess that we have, or nothing at all." With a stunned face, DK had no option but to run ahead, seeing the floating coins before him, before hurriedly grabbing as many as he could...up to eleven coins.
"I hope this is correct!" he called out to the players behind him. But Lucina had already joined Kazooie back in the central room.
"All three numbers...must be almost correct for us to win," Lucina voiced worriedly. "An incredibly hard game."
"Well, at least you were able to help DK!" Kazooie pointed out. "You did two of our riddles! Well done." Lucina looked apprehensive, however, she managed to smile.
"Were you confident with your riddle?" Lucina asked her.
"Yep...super confident...how about you?" Kazooie asked her.
"I believed strongly mine was correct…" Lucina told her. They both turned together to see DK, still collecting his own coins. Their faces looked uneasy.
"DK's...I could not think of any other possible answer his could be." Then, they both faced the dark wipe pipe hole above them. It began to rumble...as if it was charging its power..and as if air was soon to being sucking in.
Lucina: If we ended up not getting the right number of coins, we would lose to the Mole...as well as lose to ourselves. This game was dangerous.
"If we end up causing Lucario to lose his jump in the end...that's 20,000 wasted coins down the drain!" Kazooie agreed with her. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that. Speaking of drain...we should all be here below the pipe. DK?!"
"Yeah, right here!" they heard DK yell. Only eight seconds remained...and DK was still in his own room.
"HURRY! RUN HERE NOW!" Kazooie shouted at her clueless teammate. They began to feel pressure from above them: the pipe was slowly, menacingly, beginning to suction. DK ran...and made it.
"AH!" DK yelled, leaping forwards and reaching finally into the center room, right at the last, remaining second.
VROOOOOOM! And then it was activated. The surge of power suddenly increased tenfold, and the pressure reached maximum power in a split second. The pipe opening above them turned into a merciless vacuum suction….and Lucina, DK, and DK all screamed as their bodies were sucked through the pipe...coins also flying in the air and through the pipe with them.
"Help!" It seemed like a tornado. Everything in the center room was sucked up to the safe, ground level of the Mushroomy Kingdom.
In their pockets, the incorrect number of coins were sucked up as well.
At the end of the World of 1-1...Lucario, Wii Fit, and Joker were chatting. A little too casually, and a little too calmly...they knew in the back of their heads that their own dreaded games were soon to take place.
"And then lo and behold...my Persona was awakened," Joker finished proudly, and he snickered as he put on his mask again. The now-masked man had finished his story of his life and history. Lucario and Wii Fit stared, stunned.
"A captivating story...how interesting," Lucario nodded to Joker, his unique Mario cap upon his head bobbing as he did so. "Thank you for telling us...part of your origins."
"Bravo, bravo," Wii Fit said while clapping her hands, half-impressed, but still a bit with sarcasm evident in her voice. "So why doesn't your Persona tell us who the Mole is then? Hmm?"
"First, you tell me why you suddenly jumped and volunteered to be partners with me," Joker smiled suspiciously. Wii Fit stopped, then looked at her opponent a little crossly.
"I don't see how that's related to my question," she reasoned back to him. As they chatted however, it was a rare time to be more or less relaxed amidst an occurring mission. All three of them except for Lucario. Reasonably more tense than his teammates were, Lucario sighed. And with the Mario Hat upon his head, his eyes glanced every few seconds out to the flagpole in the distance.
"Scared you won't make the jump?" Joker spoke to him. A little off-guard at his question, the Pokemon turned to Joker.
"I have...a sufficient amount of optimism," was Lucario's reply. And just a few seconds later, he glanced subconsciously at the flagpole...yet again.
Suddenly, there was a beep. Wii Fit turned to the device in her pocket, and she sighed.
"I believe the trio had finished their game," she said, getting ready to run off. "We must go now. Adieu." Joker gave a wink to Lucario, and he and Wii Fit began running off in the backwards direction, away from the flagpole and to the meeting place for the start of their third, unique game.
Lucario let out a large sigh.
"Why!" Lucario groaned. "20,000 coins...they will blame me, most certainly, if I lose. And most certainly...if I miss the jump….I will also blame myself."
Lucario: I fully admit...I lacked very much the positivity surrounding my crucial role.
"I now understand Peach's cries from episodes before of not desiring stressful, crucial roles " Lucario spoke to himself, shaking his head unfortunately. But suddenly, there was a loud beep. With an odd expression, he looked to the device in his pocket. Unexpectedly, it had beeped...though the players were told in the beginning that it would only make sound if one's role in the game were to come up. Lucario took out the metal device from his pocket strangely and held it up, looking at it.
"Lucario…" It began to speak. The player himself jumped at the sound of none other than his own name. His eyes widened.
"This...is the host, yes?" Lucario confirmed after a few seconds. "Am I not mistaken?"
"Correct...Mario. Or is that really who you are?" At the strange sentence, Lucario stopped, not answering.
"I know very well that you have a Mario cap upon your head," the voice of the host continued. "But if you could kindly take it off...I think you'd be surprised to see what's in the inside." Lucario suddenly froze.
"What...is in the inside?" he asked slowly. And then even more slowly...he removed his Mario cap. He stared inside...and couldn't believe his eyes.
"Green color...and white...dots…?" The inside was not normal, but a shade of dark green, scattered evenly with white, protruding cones that seemed to have a bad aura of their own. He suddenly realized why the hat itself had felt so bumpy earlier when he had placed it on his head.
"Another...secret design…" Instinctively and immediately, Lucario reversed it, pulling the inside out and pushing the red, original outside in. And when he saw what it had turned into...he almost dropped the hat in unexpected surprise. It had transformed...into something evil.
"No…" Lucario whispered quietly. In his hands was unmistakeably the design of a Bowser Shell.
"Depending on who you end this game as...the game's end will be so," Smash Host said, his voice full of temptation. "Touch the flag as Mario...and 20,000 coins will go to the pot. But, touch the flag as Bowser...and destroy the game and the money with your exemption-holding claw. So...Lucario...who are you really?"
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! :D
It was a little long, just cause it was the beginning of a new world and episode xD I hope you didn't mind. The next two chapters are not as elongated! How do I know? They're already written out! xD
What will Wii Fit and Joker's game entail exactly? And how will Mario...or Bowser's...jump go? And just as importantly, what surprises are in store for the rest of this episode?
Stay tuned for next update! :) I will try my best to aim for 2 weeks!
Until then! -jumps into warp pipe-
Dark Symphony: Wow...that story. I felt EMOTIONS! It had the perfect amount of mystery! And also it was a mix of just enough sadness and a little bit of hope! I figure I almost teared up at the "Do you miss Snifit?" Line. And McHallyboo and Sherry seem so broken...they are strangers meeting for the first time yet express all their troubles and feelings to each other :') and surprisingly end up finding similarity! And they are reliving something in the building? MC with Peach? I wonder what Sherry meant by "wants to ask the author"...maybe they can ask me in a DM ;) I'm so dumb so if you lowered the mystery vagueness in your storries by 5-10 percent itd be right perfect for me xD Anyways I am so happy that Peach's leaving was able to inspire you to write that story of emotion! It truly touched me emotionally in a way and I'm not just saying that : ) you should write more! I love your storytelling and plots!
sixthsense6: Super super awesome thinking; it's like you moved on successfully right into the next, other mystery! :) That being: What is Donkey Kong's connection with the past history and games? He indeed had TWO relatives in the previous Mole games. Would they make an appearance? :o Wow, you are have expertise in analytical/psychological terms and what not! Edgic?! That's my first time hearing that word but I realize with a gasp: I use the same thing sometimes when I watch TV shows and reality shows! :O I'm super impressed you're using it in here, in this case, predicting Lucina might be in the final three! With Lucario as your main suspect, I find your Mole choice of these two players very intriguing as they had heavy connections throughout the first episode :) They will interact once again in Episode 3.
Masking What Remains: My idiom knowledge is so rusty so you actually taught me a new phrase "Coming in clutch!" XD Yess! Thank you! :D Omg, does that not describe Peach enough?! What I also loved about Peach is she never acknowledged these wins on her own will; she's just so humble and just going with the flow :) it is soooo sad to see her executed:(. But now we know answers! She indeed was a returning player! Eyyy:D And yeah, the "hat" line! Does that mean McHallyboo is back too?! The host does deny it at the end of the episode though! I guess we'll never know for sure until later :o Haha regardless, I will cry RIGHT with you about the top-hatted Mario series host because I miss him dearly too! X'D
TheMarioMole: Whaa?! You made your username because of my Mario Mole trilogy!? :D AWW? Yayy! That makes me so super duper happy and honored! :) that's truly such a humbling honor and I do so very like your username very much so please keep it! ;) Peach leaving is just so sad! But you're right: it will be SO interesting to see how the game and the rest of the players go without her! The beginning of Episode 3 explores that more :) I absolutely love the playful conversation with the host too :D yes! Wii Fit and Kazooie's coalition is such an interesting one...I wanna take a unique spin on their pair, compared to last coalitions in previous seasons! Anyways thanks so much for your reply and review :)
Princess Toady: I love how you think out of the box! :D I guess you know my history of being misleading, hahaa, so you counter that very well :) I'm so fascinated by how you say you must "realize that some characters are more transparent than others" and its importance. Aww! Well, I'm glad you think I put a lot into this story! I don't want to admit it for some reason...but the secret is, I do ;). I put all these secrets and mysteries cause I know YOU all readers are just so amazing at analyzing and figuring out everything! And it makes it fun seeing you guys solve it or theorize about certain elements, lines and mysteries! :) Honestly, thank you so much :') ….and oh, how I thank you back by executing your VERY OWN PROFILE CHARACTER! DDDX one of my first thoughts after finishing the chapter was , "Oh F*** T.T How will Toady react?" Hahahaha! But you took it better than I expected and I love (and am sad) how you were able to see the character foreshadowing (hear refusing the exemption, getting the right apple), leading to her execution :( Anyways again great great suspect list! I am so intrigued by your Number 2 choice and kudos to somehow connecting it to the blue apple that was present in the game :) Could it be her? Wii Fit takes the princess' spot! Hehee! Imagine her being all royal. Interesting! The host does deny Peach's sentence at the end of the episode, but could he still be bluffing? Exactly! The Mole figured out Peach was indeed a former player. Just wanted to incorporate a little connection with Peach and the Mole at the end of the episode, haha. And yeahhh! I totally love the connection between Lucario and Joker! They indeed had their very menacing/tense interaction in the first episode in the underground cafe so I had to build up on that :) I'm glad Lucario finally had screentime with another player...does this counter the production crew conferencing theory?! Hahahaha.
Cavin856: Yeahh! :D When you say Live review, I feel like I am watching from the Cavin MKTV Live viewing and I am for it! -munches chips- hehe :D. Peach refusing the apple was a twist! I liked how it turned her into a bad looking character to a good wholesome one! I love how you're predicting Lucina's departure based on poetic outing! Across all the clue mentions, Gao Gao and the Saluting Star is seriously one of my favorite true clue findings?/imaginative theories? of yours (obviously can't say which one, haha) so you have so many points already :) About the players getting all the apples correct,YOU'RE TOO SMART! I need to up my game and twists xD Haha, I see you were playing Wheel of Fortune there a bit. No vowels though, darn. Lucina and the heartfelt talk with Peach! :O Ahhh! Red flags! I feel your tenseness as the chapter gets closer to the end execution LOL! XD I'm so happy you took the quiz and so cool to see your reasonings for each answer :)! I like how you were like "strange question" with the Number of Apples because I agree, it was an interesting one! HAHA! Knowing my weird past with Final Destination and Mario characters dying story history, I assure you that the executed player being shoved into the river is NOT out of my ordinary ;) "Wii Fit is safe, now you're just torturing me" LOL I'm sorry xD I'm dead. But Peach! In a way I'm happy that I was able to surprise you! :) You're so smart and kept on getting all these predictions correct! So I'm happy you weren't bored in the end xD An interesting theory with how Peach was close to Lucina and perhaps of that played a factor or not. What is the host hiding?! Darn it host! Oh and I love the percentages: "30% chance of Peach returning", I wouldn't be surprised if you calculated that logically somehow xD
Dark Punxysaur: Punxy tackling the quiz one again! :D I am ready for it. I love hearing about your true Smash life! And that Lucina is your top player! :D Never shy away hehe! Ooh good point about the three apple colors still existing in that scene with Peach in Super Paper Mario! I loved your "she's not out of the woods yet"...it strangely foreshadowed the end of the episode, didn't it xD Yeah! The irony of Joker losing his journal while he's usually the thief haha! I agree, a bit of it is not fair, but Joker will counter back eventually lol. Lucario and his auras: so interesting and a mystery too! And how he's even allowed in the game. And if he ever made a coalition with Joker, how would that turn out? :o I agree that the convo between Peach and Lucina waaassss kind of giving a vibe that one of them would be leaving xD Love seeing you take the quiz! It makes everything seem more real! And….ahh! Alas your suspect was executed T.T Dont worry! cause you did the smart strategy of splitting your votes :) So you had a high chance of making it to the next round! -green prints Dark Punxy- Anyways in terms of clues, yeah Peach did have that "soft sheep" potential clue to her that you really intelligently pointed out! :) But alas, it turned out to be a complete coincidence! I do admire your hunting skills and now with her gone, the real Mole may actually soon be acquired by you:)
amalgamie: I love your end of episode reviews! You were here for Episode 1's end too, right? :D Yes! Peach's reason for her method of playing (prioritizing other things besides the identity of the Mole) was very sweet and wholesome to her character I felt :) Yeah, Lucario's really branching out! His connections with other characters is really going to blossom more in this episode : o I like your analysis of Joker and how he's quite an enigma, because you're certainly right! He's confusing even for me xD I find it fascinating and also interesting how your suspects are changing! Your lowered suspicions of Kazooie are interesting to point out! I feel like we Mole hunt very similarly as when I watch the real show, my top suspects change every fifteen minutes within each episode, hahaa! I also love how you said you weren't gonna be biased but have found a liking towards Dark Pit :) Haha, "my heart says anyone but Isabelle", now I'm truly convinced we Mole hunt the same way because my head and heart were always choosing different people when I watched the show xD
Derick Lindsey: True right?! If Kazooie had found out about the green apple, would she have taken it even if she had a Plus 6? Depends on how greedy she truly is at heart...and if she's the Mole or not, haha. I was surprised myself that the players got all 3 correct colored apples but hey, the Mole has to be beat sometimes! :) Interesting theories on Lucina and Lucario and I like how you state they may be "red herrings" instead of the Mole. Lucario's aura also has to be something we must keep in mind, right? And lastly, HAHAHAHAHA! The fact that even in another Smash franchise...a Mario character ends up being the Mole. The humor of it all xD Wouldn't that be something? ;) IF DK was truly the Mole of this game...then I would have had the biggest troll planned ever from the start, huh.
Wise Zora: First of all, your c̸̢̕l͜͡ų̸́͞e͠͝ gave me a heart attack. So you won from the getgo xD Oh, and then you start writing about how you check my profile after every chapter. Now my heart attacks just exemplified and increased by tenfold. I really like detectives like you guys and at the same time part of me desires to destroy you guys so you can't solve any more...I kid! xD You guys are always right at my heart. You congratulated another reviewer for solving the red apple clue! :D Aww, you're just the sweetest. You get an apple for that! Hehe. Wii Fit and Kazooie were indeed gossiping about crushes like high school girls and I can't help but view them as the popular girl bullies if this was a high school xD DK throwing and smashing a laptop across the river makes me laugh so hard cause I picture it as a deleted alternate scene of the story, hahaa! Oh man, I love that you state your strategy for the quiz before you take it! I feel like I'm in your shoes as you take the very quiz! LOL! You continued the DK rampage plotline! That crossed-out line ironically is now the highlight of your review, lol. Ahhh! I seriously myself pictured Peach making it halfway when I was writing the draft for the entire story! But then making her 2nd executed was a twist even for myself, ahaha. I LOVE your theorizing and curiosity over the flashforwards scene. It makes me even think about it more myself. Thanks for your smart theorizing as its so fun to read :) Haha, those apples colors, I seriously just like the color "bloo", yah know, hahaha. Nice spotting of the stars being mentioned before Peach's execution! You really catch little things like that! And analyzing Peach's thoughts and possible suspects before her execution. You really have a lot done and thought out! Thanks again for the awesome review! I enjoyed reading it :)
FFWF: Yes! Real, genuineness, at ease and calm downtime! :) I'm so happy you treasure them as much as I treasure them! That's where you get their personalities outside of missions...so important and they become more crucial as the number of players get smaller :o I initially was NOT expecting to eliminate the mysterious Peach so early! Not until I already finished Chapter 4, and after I fully outlined her mystery plotline...that I decided to plan her as 2nd executed Dx I love how you are connecting Peach's existence to DK! And truly, you have opened up a book that hasn't been opened much: DK's silence and lack of mention of his previous family. And high kudos on noticing the pecking order being similar to the introduction order! I love all the clues indicators you are gathering for DK, up until the very duel both he and Fox had possibly being symbolic of executor and executed :) Now going on to another intelligent spotting of yours: Joker not mentioning anything of his stolen journal! You have an interesting theory with a fake notebook! And whether that makes him a genuine player or the Mole :o I'm happy you like Wii Fit! :D She inadvertently became one of my favorites too! I can't believe I was gonna make her character generic in the preplan of the story. But once Chapter 1 starts rolling out and I started typing...her true, boastful, sassy personality began to form and was this born ;) I like how you describe Lucina and I really really agree with your comment of Lucario being the most different from the others and "fish out of water". He is starting to realize that the game is more treacherous and darker than he had expected it to be! Overall, I'm impressed with your location predictions! :D The heart of civilization or somewhere even stranger...Episodes 3 and 4 will certainly be both of those! :o spot on! Okay Mr. Psychic hahaha :D
LuiasyLover: Thanks for your double review! :D I am laughing cause you said that Peach's execution made you happy, but then you cried? xD Oh don't worry, that's me watching the real Mole show when someone gets executed haha. I love your suspects list! You do have a very good point that a lot of Isabelle's sabotages are subtle, so you have a good eye for that ;) VERy very interesting in how you say that some of the quiz questions seem tailored to Lucina. You do have a point because the quiz' objective is to find the Mole, and if that's so, then the questions may be tailored to them specially : o I laughed hard and nodded when you pointed out that Lucario is indeed also a canine, and that everyone was pointing the Sirius star clue to just only Isabelle, but nobody was really connecting it with Lucario xD haha loved your dialogue of the players at the end! So Kazooie is definitely the internet troll and types like one. Wii Fit is even tricky and suspicious, even in your written dialogue huh :O haha. Thanks for your review and list! :D
Mr. Rainbow Dude: Aww, I'm not too sweet for this world! But if I was, I'd prob disintegrate into a pile of colorful apples. I do like apples! Having a suspect as a hunch is not a bad thing! Maybe you have subconsiously picked up suspicious acts or hidden clues for Lucario and that's what made him your hunch guess for you? Ahaha. Thanks so much!