An update?! On time as scheduled?! How!? This is surely witchcraft! Haha, just the power of the Mole! I'm glad I was not late with this update! xD
Thanks all for your kind words last time :) I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Rereading this chapter, I feel like this chapter is a LOT more entertaining and enjoyable than last one's! The setting felt so dead in the Mushroomy Kingdom LOL! Poor players had to suffer xD But in this chapter, we see more player interactions as an entire group. Also, different locations. And it's just more exciting in my opinion!
The Mushroomy Kingdom games have ended...and now, we move on….to the next world. But what exactly is it? Enjoy!
Episode 3 (Part 3)
A dinner conversation in Bowser's Castle reveals an interesting truth about the host. The players transport to a story-like world to play a game which tests memory and teamwork.
"What?!" The entire group was shocked. Lucina's refusal of the offer to wear Peach's crown had just taken place. All seven other players looked, needless to say, bedazzled. Even Smash Host himself looked confused, frowning a bit and lowering down the crown within his outstretched hand.
"You...refuse?" Smash Host said, raising his eyebrow.
"HUHUH?!" DK let out an exclamation, the loudest of the other seven in the other group.
"I...I see," Lucario replied, wide-eyed and very surprised himself.
Lucario: I felt...as if...I had made a terrible mistake.
"Yes." The Ylisse princess herself looked indeed sorry, her face in a twist of apology... but even so...she seemed content, as if she was unwavering in her decision.
"For 10,000 coins! For a Plus 1! Ahh! What's gotten into you?!" DK was, hands in the air, flabbergasted. "Lucina, dude! Wear it and get a Plus One! Let's defeat that evil Mole!" But Lucina, after not another sound or second, only shook her head.
"I'm sure she has her reasons…" Joker began slowly, looking at her.
Joker: But it was truly a shocking decision. I did not know how to feel. What was she thinking?
"I...cannot disrespect Princess Peach like so...," Lucina finally spoke. "How terrible." Everyone turned to her fully, surprised.
"To wear a crown that was once worn by Princess Peach...and to claim it as my own...how certainly disrespectful it would be to both her and all of this land." She seemed solemn, almost sad...yet, her voice was strong and steady.
"Princess Peach is someone we must admire and respect...it is easy to forget her importance, and no one should replace her importance...so, therefore..." Lucina said, her mind in thought. The others saw that she had spoken her last sentence a bit tearfully, her expression and her voice having wavered just slightly. But she shook her emotions off with a clearing of her voice.
"In order to keep her respect and her remaining memory as one of the highest players to have ever been in our game...I will not wear the crown. It is her crown only. No one else should ever wear it upon their head...and especially not me." She concluded her final sentences loudly to the others. The players were silent for a second at her words.
"I completely understand," Wii Fit nodded, looking at her. "The crown of Peach has honor. Shame on anyone who doesn't think so "
"I don't!" Dark Pit sighed, jumping up. "What honor?! I don't understand this bologna one bit! It's just a crown! An old, stupid crown that was thrown in the dust! Who CARES?! Who-"
"Oh, simply shut up!" Wii Fit told him sharply. "How rude! As if you aren't annoying enough!" She glared at him.
"Though...I'm slightly with Dark Pit on this," Kazooie spoke up, turning to Lucina. "Maybe not for the Plus 1, but for 10,000 coins for the team? We need the money!" But Lucina shook her head resolutely. It was as if no one could say anything to change her mind.
"I will not wear it," she sounded. And the official decision was made.
Lucario: I suppose...it was her choice and her beliefs. I had to respect it.
Wii Fit: In a way, I understood her decision. It was not anyone's place to put Peach's crown on their head. Simply rude and a shame on the game producers for thinking of this element of the game.
Dark Pit: Am I the only person who can see through this bologna sandwich? She literally passed up a Plus 1...AND 10,000 coins! That was definitely an act of sabotage. Honor? Peach? Ugh! Please!
Joker: I was mixed. Honor, yes, and I know everyone was respecting Peach so much that I wasn't in a position to speak against them...but sabotage was also a yes. And Lucina managed to do both...and that was interesting.
"So NO ONE can get the Yoshi visor and that Plus 1?!" DK stammered. "Cause I really, really wanted it!" The host, however, cleared his throat...to everyone's surprise.
"Only 5,000 coins...is lost, due to the decision," Smash Host elaborated, as Lucina looked to the ground a little dejectedly, yet there was no regret in her face. The host continued.
"But Lucario...you can still assign the Yoshi visor to a male player. If you do so...5,000 coins can still be salvaged. But they will have the advantage of a Plus 1 if you choose to give this out."
Kazooie: Of course, Lucario also had the option to not give the Plus 1 to anyone. To not give any other guy an advantage on the next quiz. Which was kinda the option I was hoping for.
"I…" Lucario looked defeated. Everyone noticed his changed expression. It was one of guilt.
Lucario: I had felt so terrible to had made an extremely poor decision that did not have a good outcome...having put Lucina in the spotlight, and even I myself did not appear so noble as well. So my second decision...had to be wiser. I needed to choose someone who simply would take it. Who wouldn't refuse it at a second later to pass.
"The Yoshi visor…" Everyone held their breaths.
"It will go to...DK," Lucario announced, and the large ape himself jumped up with both surprise and the largest grin.
"WHAT?! WHOOOO hoo!" DK yelled out loud. Everyone's mouth dropped...especially Wii Fit's.
Wii Fit: Oh no. HE has a Plus 1? Mind I say, no one wanted someone like him to receive the Plus 1?!
Joker: What? Him? Not me?
"Lucario! DUDE! You're the best!" DK jumped up to the player in the Mario hat, almost crying with happiness himself. "I owe you! I knew you'd help me win the game! I LOVE YOU!"
"Here he goes, dramatically again," Kazooie sighed, rolling her eyes at the scene before her.
"We were totally best buddies in the Apple game!" DK cried to the wide-eyed Lucario. "And we bonded so much throwing apples to each other over the river! You saved me! I knew we were best friends!" Lucario just awkwardly stood in place.
"I thought Fox was your best friend," Wii Fit said, rolling her own eyes.
"Well, both Fox and Lucario can be my friends!" DK explained to her, glaring. "Right?!"
"You're very lucky to receive the Yoshi visor," Joker said quietly and thoughtfully, looking at the hat.
Joker: It doesn't take an aura for me to know that Lucario doesn't trust me with a single bone in his body. That I knew. No surprise. But what did surprise me is that he didn't give me the Plus 1. Why not? Giving a Plus 1 to a Mole suspect is the best way to secure your own safety, after all. It makes me wonder...what is this Pokemon thinking? Am I even on his suspects list? Perhaps not, after all.
"Ahem, uh...DK, do you accept this offer?" the host began to the chosen player.
"Well, I'm not exactly brainless! Of course!" DK laughed, grabbing the visor from him.
"How do you feel about...Yoshi?" the host asked. DK looked at the host happily.
"Yoshi's an awesome guy; I absolutely love him!" DK said, putting the visor on his head as it fit upon him perfectly. "He's the coolest guy ever! And I'm glad to be him."
"A cool guy? Hah," Dark Pit laughed under his breath. "He's a complete lame-o." The host, hearing Dark Pit's sentence, changed his expression suddenly.
"Are you so sure? Because some may argue that Yoshi is actually one of the most respected characters in a way," the host began strangely. "Able to act innocently...but simultaneously, also able to deceive. A character of all trades. In fact…" He faced the group of eight.
"One of you in this very group might even overly admire Yoshi and respect him very much," the host concluded. The eight players looked at one another.
"Huh?" Isabelle began, confused. Everyone stared at the host with odd expressions.
Dark Pit: Is there something we're always missing? He's always saying weird stuff that nobody understands!
Kazooie: Sheesh. This riddley host.
"Because of that decision in assigning the Yoshi visor, Lucario...the team wins 5,000 coins and the pot now stands at 57,000 coins," the host concluded to them.
Team Pot
57,000 coins
"You won 5,000 coins for this mission...out of a potential 30,000 coins," the host concluded. "That is the conclusion of your game. Well...done?"
Everyone...did not feel as if it was a job well done. It was a low win for a game that could have potentially been a bigger victory. The Mole was satisfied.
"Amazing...outstanding….superb," Joker added. His sarcasm couldn't have echoed more across the desert land.
"Geez, totally love this outcome!" DK uttered, fake grinning. "A whole barrel of almost nothing! Not even bananas! But at least I get a Plus 1!"
"Better than hitting an entire basket of apples into a river," Wii Fit smiled to him, much to his chagrin.
Lucario: I could have given Peach's crown to anyone else...any other player...anyone but Lucina. I was too hasty. I regret all actions.
Joker: Lucario, our noble Pokemon, did two bad things. He gave a crown to a player who would have obviously refused it. And he missed the flag. That's a 20,000 coins sabotage right on him. Everything he did messed up everything. And it messed up Lucina, too. Sweet, innocent Lucina.
Lucina: I understood completely if none of the other players would have accepted my action when I decided to act upon it. I needed to do it, however. To refuse Peach's crown. It was the only way.
Kazooie: DK doesn't really deserve that Plus 1! In our Warp Pipe game, I couldn't believe him! He didn't even solve his riddle. That cost the entire second game. Even I was able to solve my riddle.
DK: Before you blame me, Kazooie, look at who couldn't even count a number of coins correctly! Ugh...and answer this, Wii Fit….why did you try to sabotage Joker on purpose? Are you the Mole? And just trying to pretend not to be?! Huh?! Wii Fit and Kazooie are mighty suspicious. One of them is the Mole, I think. But I don't care. I have a YOSHI VISOR!
Dark Pit: I'm just a bad guy waiting for my time to shine. Hater's gonna hate.
Wii Fit: Can we talk about Joker just completely faking the superhero role in the pit challenge? He's always a masked Mole to me. Joker himself is always suspicious, at least in my eyes. Maybe he was trying to deflect suspicion off from himself by winning that horrid rappelling game.
Isabelle: Oh, but really, whatever happened with both Wii Fit and Joker in the last game?! So much enemy stuff and fighting and tension. Everyone else here is so scary. Who is the deceiver in our group? ...it's just so scary to think of who it could be. Also...I wonder what's in store for the rest of this episode?
At night, dinner was served in Bowser's Castle. But all was not antique and dilapidated: the main dinner room was remodeled into a grand, stereotypical castle of evil everything. The flames were bright and lit up the entire dinner room, both menacing yet at the same time almost beautiful and stunning. The hall was filled with statues of Bowser himself, near the front gates and even laid against the wall, and portraits of the king hanging on the wall also decorated the newly-made, sparkling, devilish room as well.
The eight players, in a daunting yet renovated castle, were able to feel lively and content. And hungry too. And they couldn't help but be fascinated by their surroundings.
"Sooo….host...are these Bowser statues and portraits a clue?" Kazooie coughed, looking around the hall with suspicious eyes. "There are many of them. Almost too many. They're almost right in our face."
"A clue? To the Mole?! I wanna find out who the Mole is!" DK exclaimed, excitedly banging his silverware up and down as if he were digging for a very clue himself. Wii Fit sighed at him.
Wii Fit: I guess our Yoshi here was a loud, brainless Yoshi.
"I'll give you this clue, and it's that Bowser was the king of evilness...but also the king of dark humor and comedy," the host informed them. "He actually almost plays as many comedic roles as evil roles throughout his games. Did you know that?"
"Someone here was almost Bowser," Wii Fit said with a sly smile, turning to Lucario.
"Hmm." Finishing and swallowing his bite of Italian roasted chicken and mushroom pasta, Lucario then spoke.
"Yes, indeed," said Lucario quietly. "And it would not have felt the slightest of good had I worn the Bowser cap for the remainder of the day and stolen the money from you all in our mission this morning for an exemption. What a nightmare indeed it would have been." Everyone else nodded a little agreeingly, but also, a little thankfully to the canine himself that he hadn't taken the tempting offer.
Lucario: I avoided a terrible situation...how fortunate and relieving to have done so.
"DK, how do you like your new attire?" the host asked humorously.
"Digging it like this pasta!" DK mumbled, eating. His Yoshi visor tongue licked his hair with every chew he made. "A Yoshi cap is...well, cool!"
"It quite suits you," Lucina said a little light-heartedly to him. Everyone couldn't help but turn to the royal princess herself. There was no crown or any sign of royalty upon her blue hair. A symbolic piece of attire which she had refused, Peach's crown...was not upon her head.
Lucina: I had already estimated, unfortunately, the amount of tension there would be present in the dinner room as I sat that night without Peach's crown. It meant that I had sabotaged the team for what I believed to be right. But I had no regrets.
"I wish Peach was here so she could have worn her own crown," Isabelle said with a sad smile. "That would have been quite a nice image to see!"
"I would have even worn Peach's crown for a Plus 1!" DK shouted, as everyone chuckled. Joker looked at the group...thinking.
Joker: So nice to see everyone in relatively good moods. And yet...so strange too. Because that meant...the Mole him or herself was laughing with everyone as well. And truly, do we want them laughing with us?
Dark Pit: Watch out for the Mole. That's the game. Cause he'll get you.
"Speaking of wearing things on your head, where did you ever get your very, very interesting top hat?" Wii Fit asked Smash Host, inquisitively looking at him. "With such a unique Smash Logo design...it was for sure custom made, I'm assuming." Smash Host stopped eating.
"It's a nice hat!" Isabelle commented in addition. "I truly admire it too. My town always has a variety of hats being shipped in from other lands and countries."
"Thank you both," the host told them, wiping his mouth.
"Did you make it?" Isabelle wondered.
"No…" the host continued slowly. "In fact...this very hat was a personal gift from my brother." At the host's sentence, the players stopped and looked intrigued. Some of the players stopped eating, their put-down utensils being heard echoing in the large room. It was the first piece of background information they had heard about the host.
"You have a brother..." Lucina whispered quietly, her eyes fascinated.
Lucina: How curious...to hear more about our very host. In a way, like Peach, I respected him very much too.
"Yes...and he's an interesting character, I'd say," Smash Host continued. "In fact, you can say we're in the same trade. He's actually a game show host too."
"What!" Kazooie sputtered. "Are you kidding us?! No way!" Everyone else seemed surprised at the host's mention.
"Can we leave family and deep talk out of this?" DK mumbled again, eating his pasta and avoiding any eye contact. "I just want to enjoy my food! That's more important"
"What kind of shows, exactly, does your brother host in his occupation?" Lucario asked the host, the Pokemon trying not to sound too intrusive. But he was obviously curious.
"A deceptive game...very similar to this one," Smash Host winked. He seemed to not continue his talking. Lucario looked at the host, then to everyone else instead.
"Well...thank you for sharing," the Pokemon said with a nod.
"We didn't mean to intrude!" Isabelle said, a little worriedly.
"Not at all!" The host himself flashed a smile.
Lucina: What other mysteries besides the Mole's identity did we not know?
"All of our lives are indeed like a book," the host added. "Nothing is known...until the book is opened. But if the book is never opened...then it all remains a secret." The players only nodded in slight understanding and continued on with their meal. The fires glowed from every corner of the large, bright dining hall...and the menacing stare from the portrait of Bowser matched the anger the Mole was holding…holding within their heart against the other seven.
In the castle hallway, Joker had just finished washing his hands and was putting back his gloves on. But...he did it at an intentionally slow pace...one slow enough that it would increase his chances of other players running into him. He smiled, a plan in his head: he wanted to bump into someone.
The person came around the corner...and Lucario hid a breath of exasperation as he spotted his opponent at the end of the hallway. But he walked with a stoic gait and face.
"We will not speak," was Lucario's only sentence as he approached closer to the grand restroom doors, where Joker was still standing.
"We don't have to," Joker said to him directly. "But I was wondering why DK was chosen for your selection of wearing the Yoshi and receiving the Plus 1."
"He seemed the most desiring in receiving a Plus 1," Lucario explained to him, hand already on the restroom door.
"Sorry, let me rectify my question," Joker said quickly. "Why did you not give the Plus 1 to me?" Lucario stopped for a second.
"Is it because you, in the back of your mind, do not truly suspect me as the Mole?" Joker added. "Because you would only give the Plus 1 to a suspect. You didn't choose me." Lucario wasn't sure of his reply to him.
"I didn't choose you for the Plus 1," Lucario said quickly, "because I did not want you to continue in the game."
"Darn," Joker grinned, surprised at his answer and feigning hurtness. "You really know how to cut in hard with honesty."
"It is not beneficial for the team to have such scheming players," Lucario explained honestly. "Between you, Dark Pit, and DK, I had to pick one male player. DK may have seemed the least evil."
"Fair answer, fair answer," Joker replied, shrugging.
"I apologize," Lucario said. But he nodded with respect to him.
"Good night." Lucario then entered the door.
Joker: Hmm. Perhaps he doesn't suspect me as the Mole after all. Confirmed my theories.
Lucario: I still suspected him as the Mole.
Joker turned to leave himself…but then saw another player who was already walking down the grand hallway to the restrooms as well. It was Lucina.
They both encountered each other.
"Well...a princess in a castle," Joker spoke to her in a smooth tone. Lucina's eyes fluttered at his sentence.
"Oh, hello," Lucina replied, mostly calm, but also surprised at his speaking.
"Couldn't help noticing such royalty and beauty within one person," Joker added, grinning slightly. "So, Lucina Emblen, how is your night going so far in the haunting halls of Bowser's Castle?"
Morning hit.
"We are the Fly Guy Transportation Team!" the flock of cheerful, masked individuals spoke to the team, flying above them with joy and life. The group was stunned
"What…" Dark Pit sputtered in disbelief.
The eight players were upon the expanse, yet still pointy, grey roof of Bowser's Castle. It was the next morning after, and the host had ordered them all to wait upon the roof of the grand structure for their swift transportation to their next location. But none of them had expected this very exact mode of transportation.
"We'll be carrying you guys to your next location!" a Fly Guy in the front of the horde nodded with a confident, happy voice. "This game will continue on!"
"Carrying us?!" Kazooie repeated.
"Yep!" they all replied in unison.
Kazooie: Wait a minute...I could just fly there myself! How insulting.
"Well, beats a stuffy rocket, like last episode's transfer from Fountain of Dreams," Wii Fit said to them gratefully with a nod. "That small P. Model whatever rocket was not very good for my legs." The Fly Guys began to surround them slowly.
"Err, uhh...are you sure you guys can carry me?" DK began, his eyes skeptical and wide along with a hint of nervousness. He was indeed the largest of the players...and could weigh more than all of them combined.
"Don't worry, we're trained!" one of the Fly Guys replied. "And as masked as we are, we're not artificial or fake: we're the real deal!" And one by one, members of the transportation team began to approach each player.
"Quite polite fellows you all are, if I may say so myself," Lucario spoke aloud with a pleased expression, seeing two Fly Guys lift him by his arms. Calmly and politely, he was propelled into the air. The others followed suit as well, the team of Fly Guys professionally lifting and carrying them into the sandy air above, ready to fly off. And in organized pattern, they followed a leader, and all of them as a group soared through the air like migrating birds to their next destination.
The world began to change into an artificial universe. Clouds were no longer present in the sky and could no longer be seen: instead, they were pasted into a backdrop in chunky, cut-out shapes, moving slightly. As they looked to their left, the world of mountains and oceans into the horizon as far as they could see to see...was actually fake. It was blocked and flat and nothing else but a gigantic wall, stretching for miles in front of them. But even so, they could still tell that as big and bright and colorful as their new world seemed, they still felt trapped in a strange way.
A majority of what existed below them was water...if it could even be called water. Bobbing up and down, the grand ocean was nothing else but strips of cardboard.
"Those islands however…" Lucina admired in trance herself. The islands that they passed and flew over were all unmistakably made of cardboard as well, but beautifully and craftily made into realistic models of trees and ground. The effort of the world was appreciated.
"Lower down here!" It was the call from the host, who was already upon one of the gorgeously-constructed cardboard islands. He was waving his hands frantically to the players and the Fly Guys, and one by one, the disguised, polite carriers in red lowered down to the island, setting each wide-eyed player down safely onto the hard ground of the cardboard itself.
"What in the world…" Wii Fit started. The little island as well as even the trees upon the block-shaped land were multi-colored with various shades of green and brown were plastered together in square shapes to form a mini-world. It was an impressive island...because it was all man-made.
Wii Fit: It didn't matter what new world we were in. My confidence wasn't wavered. I could and would still win.
"Yoshi's Story!" the Fly Guys above them shouted in unison. The players were shocked at the fictitious world.
"A world of paper, cardboard, yes," the host confirmed. "Welcome, everyone, to your next location."
Isabelle: Literally...everything was just paper and stuff! I was very fascinated of course, but then...I get enough paper at home: paperwork. Oh, sigh...
"What!" DK exclaimed, pointing to a far point in the distance. "That's just a large piece of duct tape!" They could, very vaguely, make out an unnatural element...the corner of a box, taped together with thick, unwordly duct tape.
"Are we in a large box?" Lucario questioned, astounded. "Oh. How very peculiar."
Lucario: But if we are in a box...it means we are all safe. For now, that is.
Joker: If we're all in a box...that means we're in a box trapped with the Mole.
"I didn't even notice the world turning into a fake, little, tricky papier-mache toolbox as we flew...how peculiar," Joker said with thought. "I suppose this place was well-made. Well done, stage creators."
"It's just a bit similar to your land and stage," Wii Fit said to Joker suspiciously, smiling accusingly. "Could this be...your world?"
"Is it?" Joker said with a grin.
"Yoshi's Story….we begin our entrance here on this little island," Smash Host began. Everyone turned to the host, knowing he was beginning a speech.
"With a saboteur on this paper-y island itself," the host continued, his voice slightly changing tone, "you could even call this island itself...'Saboteur's Island'. You are all brought to this little story-book land to play a little story-book game," the host explained to them all. "This next mission will involve memory and acting skills." The players seemed curious.
DK: Two things I had no skill in. Wow! Not very excited, man!
"Oh...boy," DK sighed loudly to everyone. The host picked up a heavy item that was already sitting by his feet: a large, aged storybook. It was old, the edges of the pages slightly tattered as if it was used for a long time. The heavy object was now being held in the host's arms and was being stared at curiously by the eight players before him.
"I will show you all five pages from Yoshi's Story storybook," the host began. "They will depict Yoshis in certain poses, with certain background items, in certain lands. Each page will be open for fifteen seconds. Your job is to memorize each Yoshi and their poses as well as possible." Hearing the rules of the storybook game, the players looked surprised and intrigued.
"How well you memorize each Yoshi and their personal actions and poses within the pages I show you from this storybook will determine your success. This mission can be worth up to a total of 25,000 coins." The players seemed determined, wide-eyed and ready to win.
"This is an interesting game," Wii Fit said to herself, folding her arms. "And I really hope we can work together and win it. Last game was a disaster."
"We must all use our intelligence to the highest level," Lucario confirmed with everyone. The group nodded.
"I will open to the first page within this book...in thirty seconds...so this mission starts...in 30...29...28...," the host began, and a bit of sudden uncertainty swept through the players. Their next actions, unknown to some of them, would be crucial.
"Um, ummm," DK began, looking around at everyone panickedly. "So NOW what do we do?"
"Why are you so worried?" Wii Fit questioned, looking at him.
"Why aren't you NOT worried?" DK shot back at her. "Are you the MOLE?"
"It's not like we have anything to prepare," Dark Pit murmured. The host was silent. It was up to the players to decide.
"No...we actually can do something!" Everyone turned with surprise to the sudden yell from Isabelle. She gave a little smile before speaking out.
"We should split the roles and all memorize pages in an assigned order," Isabelle continued. "For example, two of us memorize page 1, the other two memorize page 2, and so on." Everyone listened to her words, then nodded.
"There's five pages...that's more than enough players for each page," Joker nodded, considering.
"How do we determine the assignment of pages?" Lucina wondered. Everyone seemed agitated and panicked, however.
Lucario: In times of group panic...I stayed calm and gave the simplest method.
"Us eight players...standing in this straight line of organization...should be good and sufficient," Lucario spoke up from the end of the group of players, taking a step forwards to look at them all. "I may take the last page, and Lucina and Isabelle, the fourth page...Joker and Dark Pit, the third page...Wii Fit and DK, the second page...and Kazooie, the first page."
"Wait, why do I get a whole page to memorize by myself?!" Kazooie asked back to Lucario after hearing his instructions. "I find that highly unfair and suspicious that you're giving me an entire page on my own!"
"I am simply...assigning it as we are standing," Lucario stated to her.
"Well, don't blame me if I get all the details wrong," Kazooie retorted, folding her wings. Everyone looked at her in disbelief.
DK: She's already...admitting to sabotaging! Whah! That's maybe suspicious!
"Five seconds until the book opens and the first page is seen," the host said.
"I think you'll be fine," Joker told her, laughing. "After all, you're quite quick at looking at fountain water." Kazooie made a snorting sound.
"Time's up," the host finished, and he once again picked up the very heavy book. Its width grand, the players could only wonder how Smash Host was going to open it with his small arms. But he managed, and before they knew it, he had opened the old story book to show its contents to the players, and the players saw the first page.
Page 1… It was an island, similar to theirs, but eight Yoshis stood around a happy tree. Complete with fruits and a heart in its center, the tree was indeed happy. Several of the Yoshis surrounding the tree had fruits in their hands as well.
"This...yeah, someone else help me cause I can't remember all the details of this page," Kazooie immediately spoke. "The colors of the Yoshis...and then the fruits in the trees...forget it! I need a hand!"
"I'll give that hand," Joker began, counting the types of fruits in the tree as well.
Lucina: We were all assigned our own pages, however, I found it problematic that Kazooie was telling some of us others to memorize her own page, which might have confused us with our own other pages we were assigned to.
Joker: Indeed, as confirming my earlier suspicions, Lucario did a suspicious act by letting Kazooie memorize a page all to herself.
After fifteen seconds, the book flipped. Its second page became available to everyone. This time, seven Yoshis were scaling rocky, cave-like mountains in an underground cavern. In front of them, an enemy was present: a skeleton dragon, its size and neck alone bigger than any Yoshi. Four Yoshi's fought, while three cowered in the back.
"Uh...dang! STILL too many Yoshis!" DK said with a bit of panic, turning to Wii Fit. "Yeah, I'm leaving it to you to memorize this one!" She shot him a look of disbelief.
"Leaving your incompetence to me?" Wii Fit snapped, turning away from the book to look and speak at him irately. "I'm just not surprised!"
"Look at the page, you guys!" Kazooie called out, not believing them both for turning away from viewing the story book. Wii Fit and DK just had five seconds before the book was turned to its third page for the game.
Kazooie: If they didn't argue so much, they could have done a better job of memorizing the page!
"Ugh," Wii Fit groaned. Joker and Dark Pit focused their eyes on Page 3.
The third page had six Yoshis upon clouds, no longer on the ground but in the sky. Two of them were jumping in the air, waving their hands like happy birds, pretending to fly.
"Look at how happy they are," Isabelle laughed lightly, amused at the faces of the Yoshis.
"Yeah, so happy," Dark Pit gagged. The fourth page was then flipped and shown, and Lucina and Isabelle immediately became alerted to its contents as they tried to memorize them all. It was five Yoshis, in a jungle-like setting. A hut hosted two of them, and the other three were fighting a giant Pirahna Plant. Isabelle turned to Lucina.
"I would suggest that you memorize the left half, and I will memorize the right half!" Isabelle said to her quickly. "I think that's better...it'll make it easier for us to remember it that way!"
"It is an excellent idea," Lucina replied. Their eyes continued glazing the page, until ten seconds later, it was flipped. The final image shone to them on its tattered pages.
"This...is mine," Lucario spoke to himself quietly. The last picture, luckily for the aura Pokemon, was a simple one. Three Yoshis stood on an island, very similar to theirs. One had a peace sign pointed up, another was lying on the ground in a relaxed manner, and the last one was winking straight forwards, almost as if right at the players. But in front of them...a green box sat. It was only a few seconds until the host closed the big book finally.
The story...was finished.
"Now that you've viewed all five pages...this is how the game will work," Smash Host explained to them all. "This game is called, 'Picture Book'. Please look...at that device." He turned around...and everyone saw an object situated peacefully at the edge of the island, facing them in perfect position. It was a green camera, hoisted onto a tall tripod.
"That camera will take five pictures," the host explained to them further. "There will be five rounds. For each round….you must replicate a page from the story book. You must pose...just as the Yoshis had been posing upon each page."
"We have to act?" Dark Pit said, not sounding willing.
Dark Pit: Can we play a more violent game? Just no acting.
"Acting is optional," the host said. "But just pose correctly...because after two minutes, the shutter will click. And depending on how accurate your poses are...money will be added to the pot."
"Sounds like a fun game!" DK exclaimed to the host, jumping up with changed feelings. Now, the ape seemed more than excited.
"You were just complaining about it three seconds ago," Kazooie pointed out to him, rolling her eyes.
"I want you all to get ready," the host began, "because this island...like a pop-up story book...will change."
"What do you mean, change?" Wii Fit questioned to him. And her question was quickly answered by the sound of rumbling originating behind the entire group of eight. Off-guard and precariously, the players moved away from the center of the island they were upon with sudden panic. A grand protrusion became present before their eyes as a tree, papery but as large as any other real tree, began growing at rapid speed from the ground before them. Soon, it towered them all.
"Look!" One by one, each branch of the tree bloomed in succession, and the players saw fruits present on its edges as well. The players saw an apple, grapes, strawberries, and even a watermelon. And from the tree's center, and from its heart...was nothing else but it's own heart, smiling out to them and blinking brightly with nothing but love.
Lucina: Before we knew it...a grand tree had appeared before us on the island. A heart tree.
"Look familiar?" the host began to the surprised players. And more surprising than that, he said one more sentence and did one more surprising action.
PAGE 1
"Your game starts in 3...2...1...goodbye!" And he jumped off the edge.
"Ah!" Lucario went to reach for the host instinctively. The others were flabbergasted at what the host had done… but unbenownced to them, some of them later in the game would soon take the same exact action their host had just taken.
2 Minutes...
"Hey, our game BEGAN!?" DK realized.
"We have to recreate that picture!" Lucina gasped.
"Oh no!" Isabelle squealed. "We've got to hurry!" The eight players began to surround the tree, going into various positions that they could recollect from memory of their earlier viewing. They all stood, surrounding the tree, and one could say they were halfway to completing the post. But after a few seconds, just one of them felt the stares of seven others' eyes upon them like cardboard bricks, almost piercing her very soul. Kazooie blinked at them.
"Err...why are you all looking at me?" Kazooie said blankly.
"YOU were assigned to this page!" Dark Pit yelled, saying what everyone else was thinking.
Kazooie: Oh snap.
"Don't tell me you forgot everything," Joker said with a sigh.
"Hey, hey," Kazooie said, putting up her wings. "There were literally seven of you who also saw the page. You can't pin this all on me." One minute remained.
Wii Fit: Wow. Deflecting blame off from herself to the seven others? My coalition partner was better than this. If she weren't my partner, I would have been a little more annoyed.
Dark Pit: Assigning Kazooie one whole page to her only was an error in itself. Lucario did that action. I'm suspicious of him.
"Oh dear…" Lucario, with a hand on his forehead, stepped forwards. He seemed to have acknowledged his error, looking guilty. But he did have good news.
"I did realize my hasty error, so I paid special attention to the first page as well," Lucario began, as everyone seemed to sigh with relief. "Every other Yoshi, beginning with the green one in the front, was holding a fruit."
"I remember too!" Isabelle began, jumping up. "The order starting from the first Yoshi was either grapes, bananas, pear, melon, and peach...or peach and melon…or melon then peach?" Her face dropped.
"I thought it may have been a broccoli in there," DK shrugged, scratching his head and adding to the confusion.
"Where are the fruits anyway?" Wii Fit sighed, frustrated. She gazed around the island.
"Here…" Lucina, who had spotted the fruits before, were carrying a few of them in her arms as she trudged her way back to the group. "I couldn't find a pear however...could it have been this other fruit?" Some of them could tell it was a papaya.
"The pear is here," Kazooie realized, seeing it by her foot.
"Was it a pear or a papaya in the storybook?" DK yelled. "Ah!"
DK: I guess none of us knew anything! I thought I could rely on the others...
"Do not panic...we have plenty of time left," Lucario spoke to the group, but his statement couldn't have been more incorrect. The camera, situated about twenty feet in front of the tree, began to blink red, and a beeping sound being emitted from its front made the players know that time was running out. They had just twenty seconds left.
"Quick!" The passing of the fruits were at a fast rate of teamwork and confusion. Lucina and Kazooie hastily passed fruits to some of the players, and Isabelle and Lucario pointed at the locations where each player should go and stand.
"Yeah!" The bananas were being held by DK, who held onto them with a grin. The melon and peach made it also, as well as the papaya which made it into the circle of players instead of the pear.
"Ugh, this better be correct," Dark Pit sighed, unwillingly holding the grapes.
"Yoshi's favorite fruit," Joker said, a bit slyly and a bit with a smile, standing directly in front of the camera and holding the iconic melon in his possession.
"A peach," Lucina said quietly, seeing the pink fruit in her hands.
Like eight Yoshis, they were standing around the tree. As the camera clicked down...the large heart in the middle of the grand tree shined to the lens of the camera.
And so did the Mole's smile, knowing they were wrong.
And that is the end of the chapter! :) A lot of things happened. Just what went wrong in the game?
In the next chapter, the rest of the storybook mission plays out and finishes! How will the players do? Will they succeed in cooperation...or fall to feuds?
Just how prevalent was Yoshi this chapter? I must really miss him, huh. XD
I will be updating in...2 weeks! More likely than not :D Since the next chapter is all written out, I think I got this one in the bag :) Thank you guys so much! :D Stay tuned!
Cavin856: You now have an account?! :O Your name is clickable?! This is to be celebrated! :D I am more than happy that you have an account; I feel like you were born again out of the Fountain of Dreams, or on a Smash fighter glowing platform. -confetti amuck- Yess! You noticing that it would have been impossible to even reach all ten questions in the bottomless pit is clever of you to notice, as it's one of those game elements where it's like "We're gonna put an unnecessary ten questions, when only truly you have six chances to get three correct answers." Wii Fit is filling the prerequisite antagonist roles to the brim it seems, huh! It's interesting to have a female character being the villain this time around...usually the female players are the goodie-goodie characters in my Mole fanfictions, except for the scheming Luvbi in Season 2. Hahaha! Maybe you are indeed Lucario, skilled but still susceptible to slip naturally and unfortunately on sand. The motif's of assigning character representations of people is something I really like too! :) I believe the real Mole seasons sometimes had things like this...I remember in one mission, they had a gladiator fight, and they assigned Julius Caesar and Brutus via wreath and helmet (the Brutus role being secret and unknown until after). Lucina has 2 weeks to come up with an excuse on why she refused the helmet LOL! I laugh because this is a 4th wall break when in reality she only has a few seconds..though to be fair, this entire chapter was already written out! I love how you connected the coin count numbers to the year 1997, which is indeed a year that falls well into the Nintendo retro-ish era! Nice looking into that and it is possible :)
Dark Punxysaur: I like seeing Final 3 predictions! Wii Fit and Joker being in the final three will indeed be a very tense, heated, clashy one...of course, I already know whether or not they both make it that far or not xD It's interesting to randomly test out characters as the Final 3 and see how they interact. Dark Pit taking the blame and possibly diverting suspicion away from the true Mole is both a bad yet good thing! Bad because the Mole gets away, but good for Dark Pit because now, everyone will be focused on the wrong Mole. Oh, it's interesting that you theorize Kazooie got the wrong number of coins; she tried to play it off as a genuine error, so does that mean she might be on your suspects list? I like your theorizing of the coin numbers! I laughed when you wrote, "But no one's name is 19 letters long" because I mean, imagine? xD Lmfao. But very cool matching the numbers to letters. You do indeed get the letter G, I, and T, and whether that means something, I guess we'll see :) Thanks for your review like always Punxy! Always count on you on being so early! Of course, if you're not early on occasion, I'm totally fine with that too :D No pressure ever!
KirbyPwnz2143: AHHHHHHH! Sorry, I just got triggered. Yes, I'm very familiar with Among Us, and seeing how popular the "whodunnit" concept is and the game has become, I'm always frustrated and crying cause I always feel and think, "IF YOU LIKE AMONG US, YOU WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE "THE MOLE"!" Haha, I do understand the Mole is older, yet on the other hand it's still alive and on Youtube so it's alway accessible. In addition, the Netherlands really loves The Mole and it's already past twenty seasons, bahaha. Anyways nice to see you! :D Thanks for leaving a review and discovering my story! You've found the story pretty early actually, with just 3 episodes written so far so catching up isn't horrible.
LuiasyLover: Wow! A triple review? I don't deserve such! Thanks for explaining all of your theories and thought processes out, I really appreciated that! :D Yeah, am ALL for Luigi over Mario, it is not just you! Hahaa. I love the phrase "thicc" villain, I am stealing that for the future xD "The Mole is also a game meant for mourning people who are still alive" LMFAO! I am dead xD I think when the game of the Mole is written in story format, it becomes so real and the concept of execution is like death in our eyes haha. Interesting analyses on Wii Fit and Joker in the mission: maybe Wii Fit chose the 1st question if she was the Mole knowing it was the hardest. You saying you suspect Isabelle but ALSO love her is soooooo common! :D Like I feel like both me and a lot of readers end up liking their suspects as their favorite characters xD HAHA! The Warp Parp trio definitely didnt do so well, and your name of Princess Mole for Lucina...why am I getting Princess Eclair vibes? ;) Yayy! I'm glad you thought that Lucario's fall was a big SYKE moment! Bahaha! X) I had to write the buildup as optimistic as possible...I actually thought it was too obvious he'd fail, so I had to write the buildup before that to be as happy as possible. Oh, and Toadsworth and Zess T. are DEF. a couple.
Derick Lindsey: Nice prediction on why Lucina chose not to wear Peach's crown! According to her statement this chapter, she feels as if she doesn't deserve to wear it. It's interestingly foreshadowed when Lucario was preparing to jump, Lucina says, "Lucario deserves to wear Mario's hat." Honor much? Very interesting/good analysis on Isabelle and her line of "staying in the background" connecting her to possibly being the Mole! She's an interesting character, and indeed the line is weird, especially if one is not the Mole. Things aside, it was weird to see her paired with Dark Pit, lol. Speaking of Wii Fit and Dark Pit, it could be possible that Wii Fit suspects him. Does she suspect him as the Mole or is she just terribly annoyed by him? Haha. As for DK begging for the Plus 1...muahaha! You will see in this Part 3 chapter that his beginning and groans over the Plus 1 just get worse. He's a dramatic guy sometimes. Oh, cool thought on whoever gets the visor being a subtle hint to the Mole! I mean, who could forget our beloved dinosaur? Hehe.
Masking What Remains: So happy to see my friend here in the reviews as well :) Yes! We know there IS a reason Lucina refuses to wear Peach's crown, but WHY she did it is the question! This chapter def lays everything down. And very interesting theory on the Yoshi visor :O He was indeed the Mole in a previous Mole game...so could the player who wears the hat very well be the Mole himself? I guess time will tell…hehe. Yeah, the fact that the players in the Warp Pipe game totally disregarded and forgot the "Players" clue may have messed up some readers! I guess they are breaking the 4th wall...sabotaging even the readers on ! :O Hahahaa!
LuiasyLover 2: I needed to at least thank you for your two extra reviews! :) Haha! Like always, the Suspects list! I alwaysss love it. You found a big potential dialogue clue for Isabelle and I'm glad you're getting more for your Suspect Number 1! And...wow! Totally awesome to see Kazooie jump to your Number 2! I love your finding of the potentially poetic clue of Kazooie arriving last, and the players going like, "Who is it?" Really cool how you analyzed the players arriving in Chapter 1 :) Lucina and Lucario are pretty intertwined: one sabotage led to the other, so it's cool to see them as your Numbers 3 and 4 respectively. And lastly, GREAT detective work on trying to figure out who suspects who! That is definitely one of the most important elements revealed in the finale, when all the stories of the players are revealed :) So you're already ahead by like Plus 1! No pun intended hehe.
Mr. Rainbow Dude: Hehe! I like how you are in line with the "Didn't get exemption equals executed next" curse! XD Poor Fox and Peach...and...If the curse is true, Lucario is in danger. Spot on with analyzing why Lucina didn't take the crown! :D You were right! Isn't it weird that honor still exists in a Mole game? The fact that Lucario slipped IS suspicious: out of all players, if I had to pick blindly without knowing anything, I'd have definitely picked either him or Joker as most likely to have gotten that flag. Could he be the Mole? :o And I'm totally loving that Wii Fit is your Number 1 suspect! She doesn't fit the mold of any of my previous Moles...I'd love it to be her ;) If she is, how simple would it be that the person who built the Mole's trap was none other than the one who had encountered it.
Skerioni Bassio: Love the emphatic beginning xD Wow! That's so awesome and I'm so glad you have a Mole experience history! :D I am actually REALLY impressed that Lakitu was your suspect. You see, writing his story in like the 4th-6th episodes, I didnt even attempt to portray him as subtly suspicious. I think I was like "Screw that I'm putting the sus effort on Luigi and Blooper. Oh, darn I should have made Lakitu the Mole. He's def the least suspicious of the Final 4!" So the fact you suspected him shows you don't go for the intended fake Mole targets :) You're reading Agent's Elevation!? It's sooo long! Dx You dont need to! Absolutely LOVE Snifit is your Number 1 suspect. No other readers had him as Number 1! :) Tying in with your opening emphaticness, I truly have to acknowledge that this may be Lucina's most suspicious action yet xD Interesting theory on Dark Pit, maybe he's a super Mole and even fooling the TV viewers at home lol! You're not the only person to call Isabelle mysterious! Another reader said that and I have to take both your opinions deeply now :) Wow! Nice noticing the 3rd girl home pattern. The 3rd victim is already written in stone so we will see if the curse continues! And hehe! If DK, Lucario, or Joker ends up as the Mole...I guess that is mindblow Number 4 xD But in the end, I guess anyone can be it, huh...
FFWF: Hello! :D Really cool and clear analyses on Wii Fit and Joker's personalities and goals! If they're NOT the Mole, then you're spot on with them :)! (Well technically only one of them can be the Mole LOL so you're def right about one of them haha). Wii Fit is indeed spitting and sabotaging on personal agenda over everything else it seems, and Joker, choosing not to sabotage in the bottomless pit, does seem to innocent himself as the Mole. Then again we never know! Very unique analysis on Dark Pit too! Why did he take the blame and seem nonchalant? Is he more confident in his Mole suspicions? Is he deciding to go for a gameplay to pretend to be the Mole? Or maybe even it could be both. Yeah, to see Lucario not give up on his principles was a relief! It's almost painful to see good characters go bad xD The symbolism of passing on the crown down to Lucina...wow! So thought-provoking. A crown, shining and glistening :) if the crown was symbolic, it's def a visually-appealing one! And lastly...linking Toadette's super crown and Yoshi's visor….whoa. Youre really sleuthing well in these theories! These hats may def not be as innocent as we think, huh. I love how detective-seeking you are because you discover so many open doors and possibilities and possible truths :D they are indeed fun to read! Well done!
TheMarioMole: I'm still ALWAYS fanboying over your penname...just to let you know! xD Every time I see it I'm like "I love the Mario/Mole universe!" Ahaha! :) I agree, what a strange cliffhanger! I had the bias of knowing what Lucina's explanation to not taking the crown was, so I never thought how strange the cliffhanger was. But looking back at it in the perspective of an unknowing reader, it is a little weird huh xD. You are spot on 100 percent about it being connected to Lucina's honor character and her respect for Peach however! Joker would not laugh with you saying that his 5,000 plummet was a highlight of the chapter, bahahaha. You have a great point in realizing that Lucario was put in two big money spots. The fact that both failed is a reason for Mole speculation. Yes, the players' reactions to Lucina's decision was one of my favorite moments in this chapter to be honest xD Thank you, Mario Mole!
D4Ghostwriter: Friendo! How are you :) The fact that you came here to review my story means so much to me! By the way guys, he's writing a pretty sick Little Mac fighting/mystery fanfic called "A Hero's Journey" on Archive OOO, so if you're into that genre or want a well-written story, def check it out! :) Going back to your review, awww, it seriously made my day! Reality show fanfics are SUPER hard to write, I hecka AGREE! My first Mole fanfic took like 3 or 4 episodes in before I could get the hang of it! I think some shows are just...nearly impossible to write. Amazing Race for example...switching character stories every 5 sentences? I tried once and almost died DX! You and all the readers supporting my work is the highlight of my life here...you are all amazing and I can't thank you guys enough :) I absolutely love and also laughed at your Next Executed victim prediction! Dark Pit HAS been getting a bit gloomy and pessimistic in especially this episode! Whether this is buildup of Dark Pit's execution from the game, we will soon see :O
Guest: I actually put you in my Insta story xD You're that one guy or girl who comes out of nowhere and gives a huge ego boost to the author :D Hahaha! I love you! You did make me take a step back and realize: just how gifted am I to receive such a number of reviews and comments from everyone? And in such a short time. I am always, ALWAYS happy and thankful.
Darksymphony777: You DEF need to write your own Fanfiction! It deserves its space :) The plot continues, and now we have another mysterious character who is both half evil yet half good. Who is Sophita? The plot thickens! Bahaha, for some reason I really loved McHallyboo at the end, swearing to Donkey Kong and then mumbling about a lawsuit towards Carpaccio. I realize, the elevator is almost an ominous individual itself.