Happy New Year! :D

Yay! So! I'm so glad to be able to get an early-ish, on time update xD This might be my quickest to date in these recent days! Thank you so much for everyone who left a review :) Every review is seriously my inspiration! Thank you! Welcome to the happy new year :)

Small edits to last chapter if you read very early: the height that Lucina and Joker had to climb to reach the top of Lumiose Tower is now: from 100 to 200 floors! :O Yikes! I realized after watching a YouTube scenic video of the stage that Lumiose Tower was MUCH taller than I remembered xD

I hope you enjoy the continuation of the mission! More, deeper character interactions! And just what will happen in the mission's very end?! Who will win? Enjoy!

Episode 4 (Part 2)

As a struggling duo manages to reconcile, Lucina and Joker share their feelings on Lumiose Tower's grandiose stairs. Meanwhile, an angry kid picks a fight in the plaza.

Mission: Electrocution Tower

Goal: To run up the tower, get enough signatures...or survive.

"JUMP!"

Wii Fit gasped, her hand reaching out to Kazooie as she plummeted. With less than a second to think, Kazooie leaped forwards to grab her with both wings.

"Got you!" The red bird managed to grip a hold of her partner at the very last moment, and using their energy and combined effort, Wii Fit was able to be ultimately lifted, her body safely on the remaining platform…and then they heard the loud slams.

CRASH! The two of them screamed as smashing sounds of broken metal and grating were heard hitting parts of the tower below. Everything seemed to shake, and their loose platform swayed slightly, almost like a useless stick placed feebly into the sandy ground of Yoshi's Island. Cautiously, after a few seconds, the two of them managed to stand up...and then they stared down at their remaining flooring with new fear. It was severely, and unfortunately, diminished.

But they were both safe.

Kazooie: We almost died.

Kazooie peered over the edge carefully, looking down at the hundreds of feet below them. Various pieces of metal were collected by a hanging net.

"Well...that was unexpected," Kazooie spoke, eyes wide.

"Oh...how wonderful," Wii Fit sighed, looking and feeling dismayed at her current situation.

Wii Fit: And just here I was...stuck on a three-foot wide platform hundreds of feet in the air...with my very opponent.

"Huh? You KNEW your side of the platform was going to collapse?" Kazooie asked, face flabbergasted, the two of them now standing together on the small platform. Wii Fit was telling her story.

"Yes. Which is why I had to shamefully, embarrassingly, ask you for help five seconds ago. How degrading. If it weren't for these exemptions..." Wii Fit folded her arms, facing away disappointedly and defiantly.

Wii Fit: It also would never happen again. I was disappointed in myself.

"Would you have rather fallen down instead then?" Kazooie winked, as Wii Fit shook her head with vexation. Kazooie paused before speaking again. "Well, you know...there's nothing wrong with asking for help sometimes." At the bird's second line...Wii Fit's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly.

"Well…" she expressed slowly, her face not as angry as it was before, "As much as a parachute glide down does indeed sound very thrilling...I suppose I would rather be up here on this tower, safe upon this small platform." Wii Fit took a breath, before speaking her next line.

"So...truly, I can't even believe I'm even uttering this to you, but...well...thank you," Wii Fit finished quickly, after some hesitation and pausing of her own. Kazooie turned to her, surprised at the trainer's words. But after a second of realization, she grinned back to her.

It was a genuine moment in the game of 'The Mole'.

"Well...now what?" With uneasiness, they noticed that their remaining grating was no more than the length of three or four feet, and even for two players with such slender figures...it was far from being enough room to last for their remaining fifty minutes in the game.

Kazooie turned to Wii Fit.

"Imagine a large bloke like DK trying to fit onto this tiny platform," Kazooie wondered. She and Wii Fit faced each other, humored expressions on their faces.

And then, they couldn't help but laugh together. Even while perilously hundreds of feet in the air.

Timer: 48 minutes Remaining

Just one thousand feet below...three players in the middle of Lumiose City's courtyard were desperately trying to get their thirty needed signatures.

"YEAHHHH!" DK leaped up and jumped directly up to the open spot in front of a passing gentleman, blocking his way.

"Like, WHAT'S UP MAN?! Be a real man! If you wanna be cool, just sign this paper! Power to the both of us! Let's fight the Mole together! Yeaaahhhh! COME ON!"

"Ahhhh!" The startled man ran away without even a second glance back at DK. The large ape was left alone, silent and surprised.

"Oh dear," Isabelle voiced with dismay. Seeing the failed encounter, Dark Pit slapped his forehead.

DK: Huh! That guy must have been afraid of monkeys. Racist!

Dark Pit: Ergh, his strategy seemed to scare others away instead of getting them closer to us. Totally the opposite!

Isabelle: Other tactics may have worked better, unfortunately. His approach was a little too aggressive, which I didn't think would be working too well with the people of the peaceful town of Lumiose City.

DK: Dark Pit was also being a little defiant, just not really trying at all. I know he was maybe awkward and scared, but we were really not getting anywhere! We needed to better strategize, I felt.

"Practice makes perfect," DK shrugged, scratching his head and not losing his own grin. "So I gotta keep trying! Let's go again!" He jumped up to a second attempt, just as Isabelle decided to step forwards further into the crowd as well, as Dark Pit watched her. Peering around a little, the little dog spotted another passing man.

"Hello, sir!" Isabelle called out to him. "Would you take just ten seconds of your time to sign our petition? In addition, we'll enter your name into a free raffle!" The civilian looked surprised.

"Oh, uh...okay..." the man said slowly. Isabelle smiled as the man took her pen. But just as he was about to sign, the man's eyes widened at the petition title.

"Wait...Destroy Pikachu Statue?!" he read out loud, hesitant.

"Oh! You see, uh...the Pikachu statue is already falling apart, and we are actually planning to build even greater, more beautiful statues in replacement!" Isabelle lied quickly with a joyful face. "We're also planning to add more flora and trees to the plaza too!" She made a sad face.

"Sadly, the mayor won't approve any new projects until the old statue is removed. Overall, we really just want to help improve Lumiose City. We're hoping you do, too!"

"Oh, in that case, I'd be glad!" the man replied more positively, and he signed his name fully. As Isabelle cheerfully waved him away, Dark Pit's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"What…that looked easy," Dark Pit said, surprised.

Signatures Achieved: 11/30

Dark Pit: And also lying about a raffle too...I guess that was smart...wait, Isabelle can lie?!

"When I was assistant mayor, I really had to encourage others to sign papers for projects and I also had to encourage villagers to donate to town projects as well," Isabelle explained with a smile, modestly. "I suppose I'm just used to it!" Dark Pit looked a bit jealous.

"I think being an assistant mayor also helps your skills in interacting with other humans too, doesn't it..." Dark Pit realized with reflection.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Isabelle encouraged, smiling at Dark Pit.

"Talking...to others?" Dark Pit stuttered. "Uh, oh no. No way. I'd rather sit back and watch you guys do it. Or climb the tower with Joker and Lucina."

"Oh, come on! It's just not so bad!" Isabelle cheered, giving him her own pen. The dark angel looked at her, then next at the loud DK who was a bit far away, the ape jumping up and down and aggressively trying to get a wary, defensive lady to sign his petition paper. Dark Pit sighed.

"Okay," he decided, grabbing her pen and stepping forwards into the crowd. He looked around a bit.

Dark Pit: Focus, Dark Pit. Positivity.

"Hello…uh...sup?" Dark Pit began to a man in his 40's, coat and shoes polished and face with a handlebar mustache. "You look...decent. Wanna sign a petition? There's free money involved too."

"Oh, of course," the man replied. Dark Pit slightly smiled.

"But it's too bad I'm not in the mood today to get scammed by somebody...especially by the likes of you," the man ended boastfully with a small snicker. With a belittling smile, he began walking away from them, leaving the two players stunned. Isabelle covered her mouth. Dark Pit's eye twitched.

Dark Pit: ...

"Umm...oh dear, don't mind him, let's go," Isabelle tried to begin positively, pulling the angel's arm, but Dark Pit ignored her, and his eyes...were glaring with anger towards the man.

"Likes...of you?" Dark Pit began, enraged. "What do you mean, LIKES OF YOU?!"

Everyone in the courtyard seemed to freeze. The man stopped in his tracks.

"HEY! I'm talking to you!" Dark Pit yelled again. The people around him ducked away, as the handlebar mustache man turned around.

"Oh...you're picking a fight?" the arrogant man replied loudly, frowning.

DK:This isn't the place to start a Pokémon battle, Dark Pit!

"What happened?!"

"That boy and man are arguing!" As gasps filled the vicinity, the air seemed to icen up in the spring-filled land. Some civilians, people, as well as a few Pokemon themselves, stopped in their walking tracks with wide eyes to stare at the outburst which had just occurred.

"Oh no," Isabelle yelped, covering her face.

"Abort, abort!" DK said panickedly, trying to run to an enraged Dark Pit. Isabelle was staring in disbelief. But the man turned around again to look at Dark Pit, grinning.

"Yeah...the likes of you," the man replied back again, sounding haughty and grinning maliciously. "Black clothes. Just a bad teenager hooligan who's mostly likely skipping school again. With dark energy that makes me just want to throw up my expensive morning meal. Also, you remind me of this guy named Pit-"

An unfortunate, vicious feud ensued that day in the peaceful town of Lumiose City.

DK: Well...on the bright side...at least we got to see some action and fighting for the day! Yeahh, Pokémon battle!

Tower Floor: 43rd/200th Floor

Timer: 45 minutes Remaining

Neither Joker nor Lucina would give up nor budge defeat in their strenuous climb to the top of Lumiose Tower.

Joker: So just what sanity would be left remaining in two people who were forced to climb 200 floors? I'm afraid...none at all.

With every step they took on the stairs, their shoes were once again overtaken by the blue, alluring reflection of the tower's windows, a blue which flourished the inside staircase. It was a hypnotic visual which slowly began to disorient them as they climbed tirelessly and tiredly to the top.

Lucina: And at one point, I felt dizzy...but I remained up and kept my balance. We had to.

Joker: But just how much balance could we keep if we continuously saw spiral after spiral in a kaleidoscope of blue...dare I say...hell?

"We're...almost...to the elevator…" Lucina breathed steadily. For the pair, the fiftieth floor was right in their grasp. Floor 48...Floor 49...

And then they made it. The large number "50" shined to them from the staircase wall like symbolic digits of relief and calmness. They sighed with relief.

Then, Joker's eyes fell upon the elevator door….and his expression was deadpan. He then laughed.

"The Mole wins," he breathed jokingly.

"What is it? ...Oh..." Lucina noticed with dismay. The entire front of the elevator door seemed to glow an illuminated yellow, as if bolts of nature's own lightning themselves were being contained within the elevator shaft. The static electricity and sounds of hazard that sparked from the front metal of the door were unmistakable. They had encountered their first obstacle, and in contrast to how much they succeeded in the first fifteen minutes of their run... they were blocked.

"Drat...simply, drat," Joker sighed with a shake of his head. "The elevator is electrocuted. We need the thirty signatures from the petitioners to use this elevator. Obviously, I'm afraid...our clipboard friends are a bit delayed."

A message was on the elevator's front:

A lift fifty floors up! Taking an elevator is not cheating, so there's no penalty! You won't lose money, but you won't gain any either.

"What is our remaining time?" Lucina asked nervously. Joker turned to the stopwatch in his hand: 43 Minutes remaining…

"Remember," Joker told her, smiling a bit to himself as he spoke to his partner, "One hour is not truly our time limit for this game." Lucina turned to him in confusion.

"Meaning?" she wondered.

"Even after our timer expires...Kazooie and Wii Fit still must also do the necessary actions in order to close an electrical circuit to lock the top door," Joker explained slowly. "We can still make it if they don't lock the circuit. Our timer isn't truly strict to an hour. I would estimate it is...a few minutes higher. We can still do it."

Lucina: And 20,000 coins could still be ours.

Lucina faced Joker silently.

"But...can we do it?"

"Of course we can, Lucina. That's why I chose you. But the true question is...can they do it?" Lucina looked confused.

"Isabelle, DK, and Dark Pit outside in the courtyard" Lucina asked in reply.

"No...Kazooie and Wii Fit," Joker clarified. He paused, his own question resonating in his mind.

Joker: So can they do it? See past their differences and work together again? Because if they can...if they manage in some miraculous way...then we will be in ultimate trouble at the end of this episode. More trouble than simply being in an electrocuted tower: we'd be in the very room of execution and death itself.

Time Remaining: 37 minutes

Crumble… Another piece of the platform fell, as Wii Fit and Kazooie backed cautiously away from the newly broken edge. All their remaining energy and effort, at that perilous second in time, was towards balancing...and not plummeting down towards the Pokemon city below. The wind blew again, teetering their reduced flooring.

"Just...thirty-seven minutes left...to survive...easy Freezeezy Peak easy, " Kazooie spoke sarcastically, one of her talons gripping onto the platform while using her other leg and outstretched wing as balance to survive in the air. The remaining, rectangular metal of chipped, disappearing existence was smaller than ever.

"What is..." Wii Fit noticed a mysterious sign pasted above the metal door that would mark Joker and Lucina's finish line to the top of the tower. She read it carefully.

Four yellow lights close the circuit.

"I'm afraid to say...I do not have an abundance of confidence that we will both survive to the end on this diminishing platform," Wii Fit told her partner with a doubtful voice and a face of dismay, also balancing on one leg. "But, I train in yoga every day, Kazooie, so I will be okay. Will you?" Kazooie's eyes sharpened, and then the bird smiled.

"Wii Fit...I can fly off this platform if it collapses ," Kazooie reminded her with a grin. "But you can't." Wii Fit's face changed to one of realization. She did not have the upperhand.

Wii Fit: ...Well, I suppose not every situation is tipped in my favor after all in this game. A shame.

"Also...hehe...I can push you off at any moment," Kazooie laughed in addition. Wii Fit shot a shocked glare at her mission partner.

"Oh, you wouldn't dare!" the tall trainer declared.

"Calm down, calm down," Kazooie chuckled back, hopping onto her other talon for more balance as the platform shook again. "If...I wanted to...phew, almost lost my balance there! ...really wanted to push you off this small grating...I really wouldn't have helped you up onto this small platform in the first place, now would I have?" Kazooie winked at her. "Only the Mole would be evil enough to push you off, right? But don't worry: I'm not the Mole."

"If you say so." Wii Fit gave out an exhausted breath, giving up.

Wii Fit: Well...time to ask questions.

"So...if you're not the Mole, as you brazenly say, who do you think is the Mole then?" she slowly decided to ask her. Kazooie turned to her, eyes peeled and slightly suspicious.

"I dunno. Why should I tell you?" Kazooie shrugged, unwilling.

"If we're not coalition partners anymore...it doesn't truly matter anymore what each other think," Wii Fit replied to her, smiling. Kazooie thought a bit for a second before replying.

"Hmm," Kazooie began, folding her wings on the high platform. "Hmm. Hmmmm. Okay. I'll tell you. In terms of Mole suspicions, then it's most likely either you or DK." Wii Fit blinked in surprise.

"Why me?" Wii Fit asked, surprised. "And also, why DK? Scary to think that the producers would choose someone not only mentally strong, but also select one of the top two physically strongest players in our game to be the saboteur as well, don't you agree?"

"Scary notion indeed," Kazooie nodded. "But anything is possible! It makes sense, hehe. And for example, DK is clearly not as dumb as he appears. It might all be a cover as the Mole and he's just only showing us his physical strength, distracting us away from seeing or noticing any of his mental strength. Same with you a bit."

"An audacious theory: DK is smart," Wii Fit laughed lightly. "Do go on."

"Also, you're not quite dumb at all yourself, Wii Fit," Kazooie mentioned. Wii Fit laughed again at her line.

"Sounds fair...and so, if I'm the Mole then," Wii Fit questioned, curious, "then why would I be trying so hard right now in getting these exemptions for us?" Kazooie thought for a bit in the windy air.

"If you're the Mole...then you wouldn't need these exemptions at all," Kazooie wondered, putting a wing up to her lower beak in consideration. "If you're the Mole...you're just doing all this to keep 20,000 coins out of the pot." Wii Fit gave her a peculiar look at her sentence upon the tall platform ledge...then smiled again at her once more.

Kazooie: The thing is...I suspected her even back when we were in a coalition. So the question is...were we ever truly friends?

"You're evil enough," Kazooie shrugged.

Wii Fit let out a slow, soft laugh. "Ohoho. You really think I'd be that evil...to trick everyone willingly for such a long period of time...for days, even?" Wii Fit sighed in a humored, laughing voice. She looked to the grand mountains that existed farther past the buildings of the city. It was an appealing, captivating, peaceful sight...enough to make one reflect on themself.

"I may not be the most pleasant, kind player in our game...but at least I wouldn't ever sign up to be an individual who would intentionally cause havoc, chaos, and destruction among a group of innocent people for a very long period of time. Especially innocent people who just don't deserve it at all. You may believe me or not, but...that is simply just too much for me."

The wind blew softly. Thirty minutes remained until their circuits could be activated.

"So the question is...just who would?"

Kazooie: And what was really, kind of haunting, actually...was that one of us in our group of seven was doing exactly all that.

Time: 30 Minutes Remaining

Only one police officer was needed to settle the argument that had transpired within Lumiose City's once-peaceful plaza. Now, it was all peaceful once again...well, mostly peaceful again.

"SIGN MY PETITION!" DK yelled with unparalleled energy and a wide grin to a little boy. The boy was now running away, crying, tears streaming down his face as he carried his small Dedenne away in his hands.

Dark Pit: ...typical DK.

"That...is not... the approach we should be doing," Dark Pit muttered, rubbing an ice pack on his cheek.

"Your approach wasn't so good either," Isabelle told him with a sad smile. Dark Pit looked down at the ground: he was acknowledging that she was right.

Isabelle: So if Dark Pit's the Mole, then he tried to cause a commotion and disrupt our game as the bad double agent! That would confirm he's the saboteur then! But if he isn't the Mole, then this moment would definitely be a life lesson for him. Violence and anger isn't always the answer, you see. We shouldn't react so quickly and volatile to everything in our lives! Don't be a grumpy villager!

"Uhh...guys," DK interrupted slowly, eyes and face looking mopey and more than desolate as he approached them, clipboard in his hands. "I really...uh...didn't get so many signatures! I thought I'd be doing better! But...gahh...look!" As they stared at his board, they saw three names on three separate lines: he had gotten a mere tenth of their required names.

"I'm a fail!" DK moaned in dejection.

"If you didn't literally attack villagers yourself, maybe you'd have done better," Dark Pit snorted.

"What are you talking about?" DK retorted. "You actually, literally attacked a villager yourself!"

"Hmph." The game seemed at a loss.

"Don't worry, guys," Isabelle smiled reassuringly to him cheerfully. "Everything's under control! I got us to forty-five signatures."

Dark Pit: ...wut.

DK: Like literally when?!

"When?" DK hollered to her in incredulity.

"When did you even have time to get us to forty-five signatures?" Dark Pit demanded. Isabelle laughed at him.

"While you were rubbing your ice pack, silly!" Isabelle teased. "Also, I was able to intercept a large tour group three minutes ago too." Dark Pit was just silent.

Signatures Achieved: 45/30

"Well, what are we WAITING FOR?" DK shouted with excitement and panic, facing up at the tall tower behind them. "Let's alert our buddies Lucina and Joker! Hurry! They gotta go up the tower and beat Wii Fit and Kazooie!" He reached for the walkie-talkie in his pocket.

"Actually, I already alerted Lucina and Joker two minutes ago," Isabelle told them with reassurance. "At this very moment...they should already be taking the elevator up Lumiose Tower." And as time ticked down...the masked man and Ylisse princess, at that very second in time, were indeed elevating.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Time: 26 Minutes Remaining

Ding!

As soon as the elevator doors opened on Floor 100...they both dashed out with not a further second of delay or hesitation passed. It was a race against their opponents in the action-paced game of the Mole.

Joker: We didn't know just how much time we indeed had. It was either run now...or give up the entire game.

"Floor 101!" Lucina called out, seeing a number on a passing wall. Their eyes both lit up with relief as they continued to run up the stairs.

"The elevator brought us to the halfway mark of the tower," Joker thought with speculation. "I'm quite pleased." They passed another floor: 102.

"I find it quite hard to stay focused from running in such...strenuous, repeating circles," Lucina admitted to Joker. "I do wish our path was less...unendurable." They passed 103.

"Every floor that we pass...every minute that passes…" Lucina continued softly, "I feel a deeper sense of us giving up...a sense that I will keep on fighting and will never let win, no matter how tired I become."

"Then what's inspiring you to continue, Lucina?" Joker asked her, as they passed and climbed another floor: 106.

"The beautiful view of the city," Lucina explained, taking a moment to glance to their left window. Though they were running at no pause, for just a short glimpse and blur, the princess was able to smile at the resplendent view. They turned the corner for the next flight of stairs, and the city was gone.

"Joker...if I may ask too...what is inspiring you to continue these steps and run?" Lucina decided to ask him. At her question, Joker smiled slightly.

"A possible victory in the end to beat this Mole...and the prepossessing image of us six players showing the Mole that we're indeed the winners above him or her...is what's inspiring my climb right now," he told her, as they climbed more together. "I think we need to show the Mole a bit of their own medicine. Let us sabotage their efforts to sabotage us, shall we?" Lucina thought carefully about his words, and they were now on Floor 110.

Lucina: For a second, I just could not imagine that Joker was lying. It just was not possible, in my mind. He seemed determined, to a large extent, to win this game, so he could not be the Mole. Though, if he actually, truly is the hidden double agent...then this whole play of defeating the Mole is nothing else but an act of his...and the results would be bad for me.

"This may seem like an odd question...but do you consider yourself a good actor?" Lucina asked him suddenly. Joker almost stopped running at her question.

"...indeed, what an unusual question," he replied, humored. He paused. "Are you saying that the Mole is a good actor?"

"They must be," Lucina sounded. Joker thought before replying.

Joker: She was assuming I was an actor. I may be...but aren't we all actors in some way?

"Then you are a good actor, too...concealing your sadness over Lucario's execution, both last night and this morning on the beach," Joker replied, and Lucina almost gasped at his sentence.

Floor 120... Their feelings were still present within them both as they continued to run higher.

Floor 125... Lucina closed her eyes for a second.

Lucina: He was right.

130...135...

On Floor 140, they were stopped again. A fence blocked the next staircase, and its obvious, yellow glow was visible to them as a threat. They could not continue...and they were stopped.

Joker looked down at his stopwatch.

19 minutes remaining… it displayed.

Tired, they rested next to the staircase railing. Silently, Lucina looked out the grand, blue windows.

Outside...the beautiful land of Lumiose City was the clear view to them both. A town of peacefulness and serenity. A Pokémon world.

But their own Pokémon was not there to see it.

Lucina: And then...I could not keep my emotions in anymore.

A tear rolled down the princess' face. Hearing her make a sound of sadness, Joker turned to Lucina with alerted eyes. Lucina faced the outside world past the window, quietly and tearfully.

"...He... was so close to reaching his world," Lucina spoke in a soft tone. Her voice was saddened, and Joker, seeing her expression, paused.

Joker: It could perhaps be seen by almost everyone...that she had not yet recovered from his sudden disappearance.

"Are you still sad over his execution?" Joker asked her slowly, not sure what to say. The princess only nodded.

"Me too," Joker answered honestly. Lucina turned to him with surprise.

"In fact...I was looking at him as a possible coalition partner," Joker continued again. "The entire situation is quite a shame. These things are unpredictable."

Lucina: But I didn't know whether to believe him or not.

"It is rather cruel...our unknown time here on this world," Joker continued, his voice solemn. Lucina stared out the window once more, at the city and the sky.

"On the cliff, after Lucario's execution, and this morning too… I tried very hard to conceal my sadness, to not let the others see...but..." The princess seemed to look even more desolate.

"Was that not the very thing Lucario told me not to do, during the Castle mission? To not conceal my feelings?" she realized with wide, teary eyes. "To take a step back and realize who I was...oh, Lucario…"

Lucina: His wise words...his connection to me...I should not had taken any of it for granted.

Joker thought for a second. "Did you know that you and I...were the two players who were always closest to Lucario the most throughout the first three episodes?" Joker mentioned to her.

Lucina's eyes opened with realization. "I...had just realized so."

"So in a way...we must keep his memory alive. We are the ones who must do it. If one of us gets executed...then the other continues his memory. It just will not stop." The princess paused.

Lucina: And he was right. What better way to honor someone.

"...indeed. We must continue it," Lucina agreed, her eyes beginning to finally lighten up. And looking out at the Pokémon world...she was able to smile. Smile at Lucario's memory.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

16 minutes remaining…

"Oh no..." Wii Fit and Kazooie turned to each other, startled, then turned to the grating below them with new dread. The entire platform shook just once more...but it was a deadly rumble, stronger than any of the others they had encountered before.

Their entire floor would be collapsing in sixty seconds.

"I think this entire grating...is gonna fall," Kazooie gulped.

"Then where would we jump to next?!" Wii Fit exclaimed with disbelief. "This is absurd!" With realization, they turned to the four structural tower tops that served as pedestals of their own, surrounding them and serving as a support base for the tower's top universe. As they stared at them, it gave them one silver lining of hope in continuing on.

"I can double flap and reach one of those structure tops," Kazooie said confidently.

"But I'm afraid I can't," Wii Fit sounded. Her expression dropped. Before Kazooie could say anything, Wii Fit sighed and spoke once more, laughing out loud as well.

"I suppose you will have to go without a strong person like me, Kazooie," she said, her voice sounding uncaring. But her expression showed disappointment and regret. Kazooie looked at her in shock at her sentence.

"What? No way!" Kazooie exclaimed. "We've worked this far together! You can't just give up!"

"You already helped me before, so I have no more help tokens to use from you," Wii Fit voiced to her with honesty. She looked to their last bits of remaining metal at her feet, eyes...almost dejectedly. "I'm afraid...unbelievably...you just may be better than me at this game."

"Pfft: that's not the winning Wii Fit attitude I've always known," Kazooie complained to her crossly.

Rumble… Their platform shook once again. In a few seconds…its entirety would be falling into rubble.

"Go ahead," Wii Fit said to Kazooie, looking at her strongly. The trainer grinned. "Before I push you off myself." Kazooie looked at her, then smiled sadly back in response.

Flap, Flap… The bird herself was allowed only a few flaps of her own within the game of the Mole, and that was it. But...it was enough to enable her to reach one of the four structural tops that existed just a few feet away.

As Wii Fit watched her partner make it safely, she closed her eyes.

And fell.

Towards the beginning of one thousand feet of open air.

Whoosh…

With surprise, Wii Fit reached instinctively at a rope which had been thrown her way at the very last second. Shocked, but immediately taking action, Wii Fit grabbed it strongly with both arms as the falling grating metal smashed and plummeted below her...but she didn't join it. She looked up with stunned surprise: Kazooie was grinning, holding on to the other side of the rope from atop the structure she was on. Having found the hidden rope on the side of the platform she was standing on...the bird was lending a hand to her friend.

"You didn't have any help tokens left...but consider this a free one," the red bird spoke, winking down to the grateful Wii Fit.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

7 Minutes Remaining...

As the last minutes were entered, it could be seen by any passing tourist that the game in the plaza...was not going well. With a new petition title and a goal of sixty signatures in order to unblock their tower runners' path...the game was heading into a mode of desperation.

"WHY WON'T YOU SIGN MY PAPER?!" DK shouted with pleading eyes, loudly at a couple. The man and woman fled away hand-in-hand, in an appearance of two birds flying away from danger. DK, a bit enraged, threw his clipboard to the grassy ground in frustrated appearance.

"Oh...I just don't agree with that," a polite woman said worriedly to Isabelle. The dog nodded, then sadly backed away to try and join the others again.

"Oh, we were doing so well earlier...until the game producers switched our petition titles ten minutes ago," Isabelle realized in an unfortunate tone. Dark Pit huffed.

"Yeah...if our new petition wasn't called, 'Hold Up Your Arms and Make Team Rocket the New Leaders of Lumiose City!'...I think we'd be doing a lot better," Dark Pit groaned with annoyance and lost hope!

"Ahhh! Those are the Team Rocket supporters! Run, my child!" a mother said to her little son, and they both fled the plaza. Dark Pit looked in disbelief.

Dark Pit: The game makers really wanted us to lose, didn't they? And also be shunned as pariahs from all of Pokemon society.

"Hey, come on, guys! We have fifty-five signatures in total...we're almost there!" DK reminded his partners in an upbeat voice, running back to them. "We just need five more to let Joker and Lucina past the 140 Floor mark! Let's not throw our clipboards away yet!"

"But if you look at the number '6' displayed on our stopwatches, DK, then you'd see that we only have six minutes until Wii Fit and Kazooie get their exemptions," Dark Pit sighed.

"No, not quite," Isabelle remembered. "As soon as the timer expires, they only get access to being able to close their circuit! Maybe locking the top tower doors might be a difficult task. But...we don't quite know, however."

Time was ticking down faster than ever. The three players looked low-spirited and downhearted. Their task seemed unwinnable.

"Heyyy! Excuse me!" came a cute voice from behind them. They all turned around to see a teenage girl in a Jigglypuff outfit, to their surprise...and also her other five friends in similar, cute attire of soft-looking onesie costumes. The players faced them, surprised.

"Were you guys saying that you wanted to make Team Rocket the new leaders of this city?" the young girl asked them again, smiling.

"Yeah..uh, we are...?" DK confirmed, scratching his head.

"Cause...we LOVE Team Rocket!" her friend shouted, and all six girls squealed with delight. "And it's SUPER cool you guys are doing a great cause! We'd love to sign your petition!" The eyes of DK, Isabelle, and Dark Pit couldn't have become wider at their words.

"You...what?" Dark Pit exclaimed, not believing their words.

"Please, please, pleaaaaaase let us sign your petitions!" they begged. Isabelle surprisedly yet eagerly handed them a clipboard and pen each.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Isabelle cried. "Your signing support really means a lot to us! So you all like Team Rocket, I assume?"

"Yesss!" the third girl squealed, dressed like an innocent Maril. "They're our idols! They're our dreams!"

"You guys ROCK!" DK shouted to them with the biggest grin ever.

"Thanks!" Isabelle said gratefully.

"My pleasure! We all want to join Team Rocket one day!" they cried with beams.

"You girls are weiiirrrd," Dark Pit murmured, side-eyeing them and handing the last one a pen.

Scribble Scribble… The girls, one by one, filled out their names, looking more than happy, as DK, Isabelle, and Dark Pit all exchanged glances of disbelief yet hope. But they were relieved: their task was successful.

Petition Signatures Acquired: 61/60

Sixty signatures were attained...and they were one step closer to securing a victory. A victory to save them all.

4 Minutes Remaining

The electricity of the fence...finally died down.

"We can go!" After what seemed like an eternity on the 140th floor of Lumiose's symbolic, tall gym, the two tower runners were able to finally run again. And they sped at near lightning-speed, as fast as they could, up to the long-awaited Floor 141.

Fifty-nine more to go.

"We are almost out of time…" Lucina voiced with worry, as they continued up. "I cannot believe the timer is down to just four minutes…"

"It's very close, but it's not over yet," Joker said with clenched teeth. "We have one final chance."

"If Wii Fit and Kazooie...just somehow manage to mess up..." Lucina spoke, looking more optimistic as they continued up faster than ever before.

"Then we can still win," Joker grinned with slight uncertainty, yet still, determination.

They were on Floor 157. But in their last remaining minutes of the game...and at the threat of two exemptions being obtained to eliminate them out of the game...they both ran faster than ever before, kicks of adrenaline and impending danger being their new mediums of inspiration.

In just four minutes, just when the timer expired, they had reached an unbelievable flight of seventeen floors up.

But at that second, four lights on the tall, structural tops of Lumiose Tower began to beep.

Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep! Beeeeeeep!

Wii Fit and Kazooie faced with sudden alarm at the electronic sounds that rang through the air. It was as if a siren or warning was activated, signifying them of bad news to end their game. But, luckily for them...it was not.

"What's that sound!?" Kazooie blurted, panicked. Wii Fit looked around.

"The lights!" she realized, and unmistakably, each light on top of the four structural columns surrounding them lit up in red. They stared around, mystified: the game was ending.

"Ah!" The two women looked between them: the red light was now glowing in the middle of their platform, directly right in their faces and blinding their eyes very, very much. They faced each other, confused and lost.

"Well, what do we do now?!" Kazooie wondered, shielding her eyes from the bright, red-emitting light in front of her face. As she did...she inadvertently touched the surface of the red-colored light itself. Wii Fit stared.

"I am not sure…" Wii Fit answered honestly, looking around. She was still holding the rope….and then looked to the other three tower column lights near them.

Wii Fit: And then...I felt like I perhaps knew what to do.

Stretching out her hand, Wii Fit touched the top of the large light on their platform. It was a gentle touch, but enough to activate a change which would transform the entire tower. The light between her and Kazooie suddenly began to glow...yellow.

"The yellow lights…" Wii Fit realized, gasping.

"I don't get it," Kazooie said, confused and staring at the new yellow light's glare. The tower began to shake.

"That is how we close the circuits...by touching and changing each of these lights yellow!" Wii Fit explained to her. "We must touch the three other lights! That is the key to win!" She held tightly onto the rope in her hands.

"And we need to use this, too. And unfortunately, Kazooie, it's not like we have another choice."

"What do you mean?"

"We have to work together, one final time."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The third petition was the most brutal and unbelievable of all:

Support the Start of a Second Great Pokemon War.

"World War II is not exactly a favorable event in the minds of its civilians...oh poo," Isabelle sighed. Dark Pit sat down on a rock, sulking. Ninety signatures were needed to unblock the tower's last obstacle.

"What's wrong with a big Pokémon war? What are you, A PACIFIST?!" DK shouted pleadingly after a crowd of people, who ran away quickly.

"Freakin' Giovanni!" a rude man yelled back.

"I'll show you!" DK hollered, running after him. Dark Pit snickered. Over the past hour...it couldn't be denied that they had become the focus of the plaza of Lumiose City. As well as the focus of people to avoid.

DK: We were like a circus show exactly!

Dark Pit: Honk, honk.

"That sounds cool!" a little boy said to DK, going up to him and signing his petition. It was the only signature DK got for his third round. He grinned proudly.

DK: This kid gets it!

Dark Pit: Seriously. If only some things went better.

Isabelle: Good luck...Lucina and Joker.

The runners paused with shock on Floor 170. They were struck with surprise.

It was an elevator...electrocuted and blocked.

"No…" Lucina said disheartedly.

Lucina: And we just couldn't use it.

"We don't need it," Joker said, gritting his teeth. Lucina faced him.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"We can run these thirty, last floors ourselves," Joker said with realization. "The petitioners may not have succeeded...but we still can. Let's go." Lucina nodded.

And just a few seconds later...they were on Floor 171. Twenty-nine floors separated them from their victorious end.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Hurry!" Wii Fit was now standing on the second structural column, and she was leaning out to Kazooie, the bird still crossing the rope that connected both tower tops. Kazooie looked down warily.

"You sure about this?" Kazooie asked.

"If we can activate all four yellow lights on these tower columns…we can do it!" Wii Fit called confidently, hurriedly and certainly.

Wii Fit: But...what if we had no time? What if our attempts...would not win us an exemption? My emotions were conflicted.

Kazooie: No matter how hard we tried in this game to unite our efforts together...was it worth it?

Finally, Kazooie had crossed, on her feathers and belly, the entire length of the rope, and was able to make it on top of the second structure. The two female players looked at each other, relieved. Then, they both pressed down on the top of the large, red light between them, strongly and together. It immediately turned yellow.

Two more to go.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Oh!"

Lucina tripped slightly on one of the steps. She gasped, having not expected it.

Joker grabbed her before she could lose her balance.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, holding her hand. Lucina shook her head, clearing it.

"I'm fine...let us hurry and go," she said confidently. And then the two players continued on again at fast speed.

Floor 190

Ten more floors were left.

The fourth column was just out of reach.

Both Kazooie and Wii Fit stood on the third column, eyes panicked but determined.

"One more...!" Having cleared the third light...victory was just out of reach as well. They faced each other.

"The last one!" Kazooie threw the rope across the air, and it clipped onto the large light on the fourth column's top. Miraculously...it hooked on just the first try.

"Nice shot!" Wii Fit exclaimed. Kazooie couldn't help but smile slyly at her words.

"Complimenting me? That's surprising," Kazooie smiled.

"Oh, this is no time for remarks of such!" Wii Fit frowned hurriedly. "Just go across, quickly!" Kazooie began her way across the rope, shuffling with her body as fast as she could across the length of the long string. Wii Fit watched her in panic...but relief. The bird had reached the other end.

And then, once she was across, Wii Fit herself began to cross the very same rope. Wii Fit was almost there.

"Victory is so close!" Kazooie squealed, seeing her partner cross the rope.

Wii Fit breathed, smiling. "Yes, and we can finally—-"

Another rumble shook the entire tower. And the attached hook on the third column disconnected, sending Wii Fit plummeting as she screamed in surprise.

Whooooosh!

"Wii Fit!" Kazooie yelled, reaching down to her. Her eyes widened with shock.

"I'm…" But the trainer had luckily grabbed onto the rope, one end still connected on the fourth column next to Kazooie. Now...she had to climb the now-vertical, hanging wire.

"I...can do it," Wii Fit gasped, sweating and panting, as she tried to grab on tighter to the rope.

Wii Fit: Could we? Was it worth it? Or...did none of our attempts of teamwork matter? Was teamwork...the futile element which we believed in just too much?

But two other climbers...within the body of Lumiose Tower...were already in victory's reach as well.

It was the final step.

"Three more floors!"

And they were closer to victory than ever before.

And they ran, as if their lives depended on it. Because two exemptions would indeed put their lives in danger within the game of the Mole

"Floor 197…." Joker yelled, grimacing as they ran their last flights of stairs.

"198…" Lucina gasped, as they ran closer to the top of the tower.

"199…" They were jumping, skipping steps, as if flying themselves up the last floors of the grand Lumiose building.

Joker: And the floor number we reached next...we could not believe it ourselves. We had made it.

Lucina and Joker stared.

"200."

And then they both leaped forwards and lunged to open the metal door.

And were both electrocuted back.

Oh, YEOWWW!

That was a crazy chapter :) I was happy I was able to write it all!

Oh snap snap…what happened?

Anyways, the mission is finished! I hope you all enjoyed it! What will happen next for the players?

Up next! We will see more of the Pokémon world in the upcoming chapter! :) and...guest appearances of several other people?!

Stay tuned!

LuaisyLover: Oh boy, you writing about Luigi refreshing for the new chapter xD...so...you have no idea how many times I try to refresh my OWN STORY when I newly update and it doesn't even show up sometimes LOL! Anyways, wearing DK a Speedo was obviously the best way to begin Episode 4! What else? -notices many stares- And Wii Fit and her goddess talk: maybe goddesses are supposed to talk about themselves obsessively all the time? xD Very interesting theory with Lucina's line of "6, then 5 then 4...who will make it?" possibly being a clue for how Lucina is just talking about the Mole game in general/her. I love your enthusiasm for the Pokémon world! :D yayy. I'm very glad to say that we have very two action-filled, thought-provoking missions for this episode. The second game is actually very mystery game-esque , so I hope you like that too :) Lmfao! So the elevator is literally a mission death trap because you theorize Joker and Lucina will just kiss in it if they enter the car? I approve this prediction, LOL. Interesting to see Dashell's name pop up in your suspicions list! :) and very nostalgic too…. You comparing Kazooie to both Dashell and Yoshi: is Kazooie their love child?! (Realizes dinosaurs are in fact birds) I also love and laugh at how you mention Dark Pit as "just there", lmao, many players in the past seasons end up in that funny limbo lol, but hopefully his story gets more developed soon through this episode. :) And omg! The Koopa siblings are on their own little adventure :) I like how they're now disguised as Mole players and we know just how deadly and dangerous it is to be a player in the Mole so personally I'd never even pretend to be one ever xD and huge mega "Awww" at them trying to find out beloved, caught Lucario ,)

Derick Lindsey: Yeah! The worlds connect! This is an interesting universe where their Smash Lives have occurred (Even clues existed since the very first episode, during Fox and Joker's very first discussion about Melee and Ultimate). But the way they treat their Smash Lives are almost as if they were all...simulated, fake fights? All these players in the Mole game are scared of heights...yet did they not always fight hundreds of feet in the air on platforms in Smash? It's interesting. Nice pointing out how Joker may have possibly paired Wii Fit and Kazooie as the final volunteers cleverly, knowing they'd mess up. And yeah! The triangle of Joker, Lucario and Kazooie was always in my mind :) Maybe your review propelled me to mention it more explicitly in Episode 4's beginning four other readers to notice :) So true: I always picture Lucina every time I think of Lucario as well! And thanks for that Lucario history lesson with Spear Pillar being his hometown! I need to play that Pokémon game cause I missed out on it! I need...to play...to honor Lucario -cries-.

Masking-What-Remains: Yeah! A mole game wouldn't be complete without the quintessential group tension xD But luckily we had players such as Lucina to pacify that huh. Having had personal nightmare experiences of petitioning and crowd engaging myself, I can only imagine the horrors of DK, Isabelle, and Dark Pit's experiences x'D And yeah! I'm glad to be able to reach out to world number two, good old AOOO hahaha.

Dark-Punxysaur: LOL. Your memory bank is traumatized xD and I split half compensation liability payment with DK, bahaha (though he'd be offended and refuse, thinking he was beautiful). And Right? There's a suspicious trend with the worlds and the fact that Isabelle points it out too confirms that even the players somewhat realize it to an extent and find it rather odd. Are these worlds coincidences or manipulated choices? Interesting prediction of a win for the Wii Fit and Kazooie team! Cause, even though they are less desired to win, even by you, you still predict they might actually might! XD Not everything that should happen in the game of the Mole happens, huh. Quite the accurate analysis on the petition trio characters haha! So DK is just way too boisterous and rowdy... and you worded it perfectly: Dark Pit just doesn't give a damn sometimes xD baha. Joker's desire in pairing up with Lucina does bring up the big question mark and whether that's something Moley or suspicious or not, we'll see. And good suspicions list as always :D our trio of deceit: the two lovebirds and our little dog! Hahaa

Darksymphony777: Yay, more Tiny footage! :D Okay so let's see...wow. We get the real world of the game's true story. All the behind the scenes stuff with Snifit and Tiny is being acknowledged and it's interesting to see it because it was so hidden in AE. I actually truly love that Tiny refers to Piantissimo as P. Does he resent him? Whoa… and now we get...the true sequel to Agent's Elevation? This is what happened after everyone left the building?! And why does it seem so canon, this story between Tiny and McHallyboo? AH, a letter from Snifit! Anyways, wow. They toured the world together. And became much better friends. That makes sense that they did since they did have some bond during the game. Poor Sherry: I already know she's damaged, but scars and burn? :( Yikes, whoever this girl is, you better go down.

Cavin856: Hello Cavin Official Name 856! "Smash Host responds to Lucina in such a way that it sounds like Lucario actually died". Not gonna lie, I almost died myself and spit out my drink laughing at that xD Just WHY does everyone talk as of the executed past players died?! Well, I've had crazier twists in my past seasons like a player being AI so anything's possible haha. Nice colorful rooftop searching for clues :) I'll reveal that the colors aren't a clue but rather my observation attempt on the town after observing it in great YouTube tour videos! :) A person on YouTube has ambience videos of each stage xD. -freezes upon seeing Cavin's WOAH WOAH RED ALERT!- omg I jumped! But yes, Interesting theories on these sentence double meanings! Of course, the Mole does have double meanings in their sentences from time to time, so if Lucina's mention about Green Greens is one of these, could it be that she's referring to how Peach and the others were able to succeed too much back then? Yes! Spot on, on Isabelle ending up being the star of the Petition section :) "Social-oriented public work" are definitely a set of words right up her alley :D Omgg picturing the tower rotating vigorously in an attempt to destroy Kazooie and Wii Fit is so hilarious in my eyes xD But you are right to question, "How will the mission be difficult?" Luckily I was able to make the top of the tower a bit more threatening-sounding :) and though that's bad for the players, it's always a good thing for the Mole hahaa.

Mr. Rainbow Dude: So true! With every player that gets eliminated, the group dynamic becomes very different! It is definitely less wholesome and less of a unified team now with Lucario gone. Lucina did seem to take a bit of his steps, yes, and I wonder if she's getting the inspiration from her past fallen teammates. Interesting lose-lose prediction and pointing out that INDEED this entire game could be lose-lose! It's rare in the game of the Mole, but there was an instance in Season 2 during a camera taking game where both teams both broke rules/insufficient actions so no one got money or an exemption xDYES! I DO change the chapter titles! I always experiment what title looks good in the scroll-down list with the others :) Because Chapter 15 started with a "C", the original name for "City Saboteur" or something for Chapter 16 just couldn't work! I also couldn't do "Enter the City" cause Chapter 17 starts with an "E"...so particular yet it works haha. And I wonder: what will happen to Dark Pit's mopiness? Hahah.

FFWF: Merry belated Christmas! :D At this rate it'll be belated New Year! Haha! Oh thank you for nicely calling urban areas strong areas in my Mole fanfics! :) I always like it when the Mole players and Mole missions get thrust into real areas and crowds of population; it's a cool feel that makes it FEEL just all more real :) Whoa, your mathematician skills here with the tower floors and the timer! You're so right and I'm embarrassed I didn't do the floor math until the second chapter myself xD I find it such tradition to have a Mole game of two players racing against the rest of the group, as it happens in the Mole series all the time...maybe not coincidentally Episode 4 of Saboteur's Island had the same exact concept. Nice realizing that players totally did not get their "strong point" roles xD Wii Fit did not get the running role and Dark Pit had thrown into the socializing role xD Will he surprise us? We'll see! Yeah, thank goodness characters like Kazooie or Isabelle did not get the climbing tower portion cause lo and behold, you can just picture just how poorly and inept that would go, bahaha. I love love loooooove your last paragraph reflecting on the concept of "The Mole" itself...so eye opening and meditative! What's, hahaa! But truly, just WHAT is the game of the Mole? Is it a teamwork game….or a game against each other? Or is it truly both in a strange, switching-every-ten-minutes combination? That's how I see it! And wow, the concept of a player bargaining with the Mole?! How unprecedented! How scandalous and unlawful! But then again, they have to figure out themself who the Mole actually is first, don't they? Bahaha. I imagine someone trolly pretending to be the Mole and accepting such bargain from someone else LOL.

CocoTots: Hey! Congrats on the Puerto Rico move! :D Yah it's really cool that you point out how the lady was not scared of Isabelle! Which is why there must be some sort of world overlap going on between these universes. *finger on chin* Very on point of DK just scaring everyone away during the Petition role xD. Interesting point about the elevators being illegal according to the mission rules! You actually encouraged me in this chapter to put elevator signs that state, "These elevators are allowed and no penalty!" So thank you for making everything more clear and clarified for both readers and the players too xD. Very cool theory on who falls between Wii Fit and Kazooie! I always have tricks up my sleeve, so indeed, perhaps I would have very much made it deceptive in that you wouldn't expect a flying character like Kazooie to fall and be eliminated...but then she would! Muahahaha! And lastly, yes yes yes! I love your Suspects list with a passion :) Because your list tends to differ very much from most list in these reviews. Seeing Kazooie and DK as your Top 2 Suspects is very eye-opening and so fresh! Kazooie is definitely the drama starter and sometimes even drifts out of the picture to let blame on others. :o Examples of these were the breakfast start of Episode 2 and even discussing Page 3 after the Storybook game, so you are very right about all this! In terms of DK, wow...you are doing a really good comprehensive list of his fishy actions, from the Apple Basket to the Warp Stars, and it seems like you're doing a thorough job keeping track of them :o well done! And I like your line very much about Joker: it may seem too obvious that he's the Mole...but could it just all be a trick?