A vast peak is shown. The camera quickly zooms up to the top and reveals a Monty Mole, wearing a black tie and blue cap. “Know who the Mole is, you’ll go far in this game. Forget your facts, you won’t come back. Last night, we lost two more players to the Mole: a ghost and a ghost hunter. Now 8 players and one question remain. Who is the Mole?”
Name: Lakitu Spine (female)
Age: 34
Homeland: Sky Land
Job: Fisherman
---
Name: Clubba Snorr (female)
Age: 45
Homeland: Gutsy Gulch
Job: Bouncer
---
Name: Koops Pettle
Age: 21
Homeland: Petal Meadows
Job: Law Student
---
Name: Toad Fungi
Age: 32
Homeland: Toad Town
Job: Bellhop
---
Name: Kammy Koopa
Age: 84
Homeland: Dark land
Job: Retired Architect
---
Name: Koopatrol Shells (male)
Age: 49
Homeland: Dark land
Job: Security Guard
---
Name: Wrinkly Kong
Age: 80
Homeland: DK Island
Job: Retired Teacher
---
Name: Chuck Chargin (Male)
Age: 38
Homeland: Donut Plains
Job: Minor-League Football Player
***
The Monty Mole continued. “I am standing on the tip top of Pagoda Peak, where the two last players took off from. The other contestants are back at the hotel.
***
***Koopatrol: What a doozy! Two players just went home last week. We are down to 8. Or should I say 7…
***Koops: I’m kind of missing my home, now. I miss my dad, and my girlfriend. Let’s just hope I can talk to them soon.
***Lakitu: It feels nice being part of the final 8. Let’s see if I can get further.
The players were all gathered for breakfast. The table was filled with steamed buns and bowls of porridge. Fred once again sat at the head of the table, but this time, he didn’t speak a word. Instead, he sat quietly, drinking a cup of coffee.
“Fred,” asked Wrinkly, kindly, ”I’m sure we all want to know, where are we going today?” Fred paid no attention to her, as he was absorbed in a newspaper. Wrinkly gave up and turned back to her bun.
***
As the waiters starting clearing the table, Fred closed his newspaper and turned to the players. “Oh, hello,” he said, as if he just saw them. “Are we done with breakfast? Good, we have a plane to catch. Pack your things and meet me quickly in the hotel’s lobby.” After he spoke, he scurried into the restaurant’s kitchen.
“Well that was odd,” noted Clubba as she stared at the Kitchen door.
“We’d better listen to him,” stated Wrinkly, “I don’t want to miss that flight.”
***
After 10 minutes, the players were all gathered at the Inn’s lobby, but Fred was nowhere in sight. “Is it just me, or is Fred acting strange today?” remarked Lakitu.
“Am I, now?” said a voice coming from behind. The players turned around to see the Monty Mole leaning against a railing. Lakitu turned red.
“I meant…” she stammered.
“Not to worry,” chuckled Fred, “I just didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m kind of off my game. But whatever, let’s catch that flight! Sorry, but we don’t have a private flight today.
The players exited the hotel and waited at the closest bus stop.
***
Just 45 minutes later, the players were flying over the vast ocean. It was a very small flight, so the players were alone in business class. Fred was sitting in his own row of seats in the front of the class.
“Fred?” asked Lakitu. “I’m just a little curious. Are we ever going to go to a place that’s not from Mario Party 7?”
“It’s funny you should ask,” said Fred, turning around. “We are headed to a location like that right now.”
“Where?” Lakitu asked eagerly.
“You’ll see soon enough,” said Fred, turning back around.
“I’m hungry,” whined Kammy.
“We just ate breakfast like an hour ago,” said Toad, who was sitting next to her, his head buried in his hands.
“Well,” she said, “I’m hungry again! That’s happens, you know, being hungry again after you ate. It’s called science!”
“Anyone want to switch seats with me?” mumbled Toad.
“Game is great,” Wrinkly told Koopatrol, quietly.
“Sure is,” he said, “I’ve been having a great time.”
“By the way,” asked Wrinkly, “why did you sign up for this show?”
“Well,” started Koopatrol, “as a loyal servant to Bowser, I almost never left his castle. I’ve been a security guard there for a long time and I forgot what the great outdoors felt like. When the news of this competition reached the castle, I signed up without haste.”
“I see, I see…” said Wrinkly, discreetly writing this information down in her journal.
***Wrinkly: I’ve realized that to go far in this game, I’m going to need information about the other players.
***
The plane landed and the players exited into an outdoor airport. This confused them for a very short amount of time, but then they looked around and forgot all about that. They saw two giant islands connected only by bridges, as the smell of fresh fruit filled their nostrils and the sound of tropical music and gentle waves relaxed them, until Fred spoke up.
“This,” he said, “is Yoshi’s Tropical Island. This island is surrounded by fresh water and colorful fish, and is about 1,000 miles away from the mainland. There are no hotels, but we rented out 4 Bungalows for you to stay in. Now… we walk!
***
The players arrived at a small beach adorned only by five Bungalows and two palm trees. A sunken boat could be viewed in the distance, and a dark blue Yoshi playing the ukulele rested in the sand. Fred marched up to him. He spoke some words that the players couldn’t hear, then the two walked back to where the players stood. “Right this way,” the Yoshi said, motioning towards the Bungalows.
“Right,” said Fred, taking out a piece of paper, “Here are your room assignments. In Bungalow number one: Koops and Toad. In Bungalow number two: Lakitu and Clubba. In Bungalow number 3: Wrinkly and Kammy, and in Bungalow number four: Koopatrol and Chuck.”
***Koops: Yikes, did that leave me in the dust. Chuck and Koopatrol would be together, and I’d be stuck with Toad, the only player to not have a coalition partner. Or so I think…
The players all started walking towards the bungalows. “Just drop your stuff off and come right back!” called Fred.
***
The players were all once again gathered around Fred. “Right,” he said. “In today’s challenge, I’ll need two groups to start with. Four “brainy” and four “sportive”.
“SPORTIVE!” called Chuck.
“I’ll do the sport one,” said Koopatrol, walking over to Chuck.
“Considering my age, I’d most likely be Brainy,” said Wrinkly.
“I’m not really into sports,” said Koops, quietly, “I’ll do Brainy.”
“There’s no way ANYONE would get me to do Sportive!” whined Kammy as she strode over to where Wrinkly and Koops were standing.
“I’m Sportive,” said Clubba.
“Me too,” said Lakitu, quickly.
***Clubba: Lakitu is very slowly stating to get on my nerves. I don’t think it’ll end our coalition anytime soon, but…
“I guess I’m Brainy then,” said Toad.
“Excellent. Well, will the Brainy team please follow that Yoshi?”
Team Brainy followed the dark blue Yoshi. When they were over the horizon, Fred turned back to the Sportive. “Now,” he said, “out of this group, I’m going to need one person who is good at driving, one person willing to pump iron, one person who is likely to get lost in the woods, and one person who is just putting along.”
“I’m a good driver,” said Koopatrol.
“I’m DEFINITELY the one willing to pump iron!” bragged Chuck. Clubba stared at him.
***Clubba: I’m almost positive there’s a hidden meaning to this.
“I’m putting along,” she said, slowly.
“I guess that makes me likely to get lost in the woods,” said Lakitu.
***Lakitu: I don’t really think that describes me, and, personally, I’d rather be on the Brainy team.
“All righty then,” said Fred, “Then will you guys follow me?
***
The Brainy team arrived at a small shack on the island opposite of the one where they were staying. The Yoshi held the door open and let the four players enter the dark building. The players heard a click.
“Yikes,” said Koops, “Not very roomy in here.”
“And it’s pitch black,” noted Toad.
“You’re standing on my foot, Toad!” whined Kammy.
“Sorry,” said Toad, quickly moving his foot.
“No,” whined Kammy, “your other foot.” Toad moved his other foot.
“I’m afraid you’re stepping on my foot now,” said Wrinkly. Toad sighed and moved his foot again.
“Why did you bring us here, Yoshi?” asked Koops. No answer. “Yoshi?” he asked again. No answer.
“I’m getting out of this stuffy room!” said Kammy, motioning towards the door. She tried to open it, but it was locked.
“I guess we’ve been locked in,” said Wrinkly.
“Well that’s great!” said Kammy.
Suddenly the Super Mario Brothe’s theme filled the players’ ears. “Does anyone else hear that?” asked Koops.
“I think it’s coming from over here,” said Toad, motioning towards the sound. He picked up a cell phone and flipped it open. “Hello?” he asked.
“Hello, Toad?” came a familiar voice.
“Who is it?” interrupted Kammy.
“Fred,” said Toad, with his hand over the receiver. Fred continued.
“So, locked in a shed, huh?”
“Please, get to our mission,” said Toad impatiently.
“Well, mister pushy,” said Fred, slightly offended. “Well, actually, I’m only here to give you some instructions. In that shack, there should be a small TV. Find it, and turn it on.” *click*
Toad closed the phone. “So what did he say?” blurted out Kammy.
“We have to find a TV,” said Toad, “and turn it on.”
***
Fred closed his phone and turned back to the other four players. They had arrived at what appeared to be a golf course. Suddenly a noise emitted from Fred’s backpack. He unzipped the back and pulled out a video camera and a tripod. He set the camera up onto the tripod, and turned the camera on.
***
“Look!” said Kammy, eagerly. “Fred is on the TV!”
***
Fred smiled at the camera. “Thank you for your enthusiasm, Kammy. Now. Today’s mission will require strength from both teams. Brainy team, from your group, I’ll need one person who you can count on, one person who is familiar with tables, one who has a great history, and one who is physically fit.
***Koops: To tell you the truth, these titles sounded pretty strange. Aren’t the physically fit people supposed to be on the other team? And tables? That was just weird.
“I think Wrinkly should be the person you can count on,” said Koops.
“That sounds… accurate,” said Toad, slowly.
***Toad: Wrinkly is probably the most trustworthy person here. I mean, I don’t THINK she’s the Mole.
“Fine,” said Kammy, “but I have a great history, unlike you young whippersnappers.”
“Ok,” said Koops. “Toad, you wanna be physically fit?”
“Why not,” he said, “you be tables.”
“Ok,” said Fred. “Now, of course, all of these titles have hidden meaning. Sportive team? You will be paired up with someone on the Brainy team. Choose now.”
“Ummm…” stammered Koopatrol. “I’ll take Koops.”
“Toad,” said Chuck.
***Chuck: What? I didn’t want any old ladies on my team! They would slow me down.
“I’ll take Kammy,” said Clubba.
“And that leaves Lakitu with Wrinkly,” said Fred, “Now: Today’s mission is called ‘Trivial Golfers’. As I was saying, all eight of you currently have titles in this next mission. However, they all have hidden meaning. Sportive team, you will be playing a game of golf today. As such, your titles all contain the names of golf clubs. Koopatrol? You’ll be using the driver. It will be your job to start the game off right for each of the four holes we will be playing. Chuck? You’ll be using the iron. You’ll be using your club to get the ball from wherever Koopatrol hit it, to the green. Lakitu? You’ll be using the Wood. If Chuck hits the ball out of bounds, it’s up to you to master this powerful club. And lastly, Lakitu? You’ll be using the putter. Once the ball is on the green, it’s up to you to get it into the hole.”
Fred turned to the video camera. “You guys will be assisting whoever your partner is by answering questions that relate to your title. Koops, since you are familiar with tables, you should be familiar with the periodic table. For each hole, you will be asked two chemistry questions. You must get at least one right for Koopatrol to take a swing at the golf ball. If you answer both questions wrong, then that hole will be skipped.
“Toad, if you are physically fit, you’d better be fit for physics. For each hole, you will be asked 3 physics question. For each one answered correctly, Chuck can hit the ball twice. Answer no questions correctly, the hole will be skipped. Chuck, if you run out of swings, then the hole will be skipped.
“Wrinkly, if players can count on you, then you’d better be able to count. For each hole, I will ask you two math questions. For each one, Lakitu can take two shots to get the ball out of the rough. Like I said before, get none right, the hole is skipped.
“Finally, Kammy, if you have a good history, you’d better be good at history. I will ask you two questions about the history of the Party World. For each one you get right, Clubba will get two putts. Get them both wrong, it’s bye-bye to that hole. For each hole that is successfully completed, 7,000 will be added to the pot. Are we clear? Good, because we need to get equipment.”
Fred led the sportive team to a building where they picked out their golf clubs.
***Koopatrol: I can tell this will be a VERY easy mission to sabotage, for both teams.
***Lakitu: I don’t think there’s anyone here who’s particularly good at golfing. We’ll just have to cross our fingers.
***
Both teams were now prepared for the mission. Koopatrol slowly walked up to the tee-off of the first hole. Fred turned to the camera. “Hello, Koops,” he said, “ready?”
“You bet!” said Koops, grinning.
***Koops: My goal is that, by the time that I’m executed, I’ll be a little more open and less shy. I think I’m doing a good job.
“Your first question is: What is the abbreviation for Silicon?”
“Uh… Is it Si?”
“That is correct. Question two: what is the abbreviation for phosphorus?”
“Ph?”
“I’m sorry, that is incorrect. Koopatrol: you get one swing.” Koopatrol sighed and placed a golf ball on his tee. He took a couple of practice swings.
***Koopatrol: I’d be the first to admit that I’m not the best golfer in the world. I did take golf lessons as a kid and, well…. they’re the only thing I’ve ever failed.
Koopatrol raised his club into the air, and swung it back down. The ball flew up into the air and about 15 yards down the course, and landed 125 yards from the hole. Koopatrol put his hand to his forehead.
***Koopatrol: What did I tell you?
“Come on, Koopatrol, it’s not THAT bad” said Lakitu, as Chuck walked up to the ball.
***
Fred turned back to the video camera. “Ok Toad, your question is: What kind of unit is electric resistance usually measured in?”
“Err…” he stuttered, searching for an answer. “Is it… um… a Watt?”
“I’m sorry, that is incorrect. Question two: What is the name of a person who studies physics?”
“Um… a physicist?”
“That is correct. Final question: True or false: Iron is attracted to magnets?”
“Errr… true?” Toad answered uncertainly.
“That is correct.” Fred turned away from the camera to face Chuck. “You have 4 swings,” he called.
Chuck: Well, this seemed impossible. Koopatrol hit the ball so weakly, that even with my athletic skills, I didn’t think I could pull this off.
Chuck bent his knees and took two practice swings. He raised his club back and… miss. He turned bright red. “Just a practice swing,” he said, nervously.
“I’m sorry, but that counts as a shot,” said Fred, sternly. Chuck looked back at his golf ball and took another swack. The ball flew through the air and landed about 30 yards away.
“That’s what I’M talkin’ ‘bout” Chuck said confidently.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” said Clubba as she rolled her eyes.
“You have two more swings,” said Fred, peering at his clipboard. Check walked up to his golf ball and took another swing. Miss. He once again turned bright red.
“One more,” said Fred, without looking up.
Chuck swung at the ball and sent it flying for 40 yards.
“I see,” said Fred, “Well, on to the next hole.”
***Clubba: Man, I REALLY don’t want this challenge to be a failure. We’ve had two failed challenges in a row. I want to at least earn SOME money.
***
“Here is your question, Koops,” said Fred when the company had arrived at the next hole. He rifled through pieces of paper until he pulled out a little script of paper. “Your question is: What two elements make up salt?”
“Well,” said Koops, “I know Sodium is one… is the other… Potassium?”
“I’m sorry, but that is incorrect,” said Fred. Chuck looked shocked
***Chuck: I thought EVERYONE knew that it was Sodium Chloride! Is Koops really that dumb? I dunno, but it seemed AWFULLY suspicious to me.
“Your second question is, surprisingly, related to what you said. What is the abbreviation for Potassium?” Koops looked fearful.
***Koops: The pressure was on me, right there, right then. I couldn’t think straight!
“It has to be either P or PO…” he stammered. “I’m guessing… um… PO?”
“I’m sorry, but that is incorrect,” said Fred, expressionless.
***Koopatrol: I really don’t know if it was the Mole at work or not. All I know is that we have to skip another hole.
***
“Let’s try again, Koops,” said Koops. Clubba looked anxious.
***Clubba; It could be good or bad if I don’t get to play at all during this challenge, but by the way we’re moving now, I don’t think I will.
“Question,” continued Fred, “Name two types of Alkali Metals”
***Koops: I know the basics of chemistry, but I’m in law school! I don’t know this!
“Um… Hydrogen and, um…. Sodium?”
“Hydrogen is not an Alkali metal,” Fred said matter-of-factly. “However: Sodium is. Koopatrol: You once again get one swing.”
Koopatrol walked up to the golf ball and took three nice-looking practice swingts. When he actually took a shot, he swacked the ball straight into the rough. He let out a deep sigh and sat down on the perfectly cut grass.
***
“Wrinkly, it is now your turn to answer questions,” said Fred, glaring at the camera. “Your first question: What is 11 squared?” Wrinkly smiled.
“That would be 115,” she said.
“That is incorrect” said Fred, sternly. Clubba gasped.
***Clubba: Excuse me for yelling, but she was a teacher. A TEACHER! How do you get that wrong?!
Wrinkly: I guess over the years, I’ve lost my skill for that kind of thing. Huh.
“Question 2: Is 67 a prime number?”
“Well, it’s not divisible by 2… not 3, not 5… But, to be safe, I’m going to go ahead and say it is not a prime number.”
“I’m sorry, but that is incorrect,” said Fred, expressionless. “The hole will, once again, be skipped.”
Everyone seemed extremely astonished.
***Wrinkly: I do feel terrible about what I did. I guess I just didn’t think straight during that challenge. I hope no one is too mad at me.
***
“Ok, Koops. Your question is… name two elements that begin with the letter ‘B’.” Koops looked uneasy.
“Um… There was that one… what was it… Oh yeah! Boron! The other was… um… I don’t know/”
“Come on!” yelled Chuck. “At least guess!”
“Is Boron your final answer?” Fred asked officially.
“Uh… yeah,” said Koops, still uncertain.
…
“That is correct,” said Fred. The players cheered.
***Lakitu: Yeah, I know we were cheering for a very minor victory, but to me it just meant, “We can still do this.”
Koopatroll slowly marched up to the golf ball, their one last chance at victory. They had lost the previous two challenges. They needed a victory. He raised his golf club in the air, and swung at the tiny golf ball. None of the players saw it clearly, but the golf ball disappeared from the tee.
“What happened?” asked Clubba. “Where’s the ball?”
*ring ring*
“Hold on,” said Fred and he rummaged through his pocket. He pulled out a cell phone.
“Hello? … Really? … OK, then”
“Those were the producers from the other side of the hole,” said Fred, trying to hide a smile. “Koopatrol, you hit the golf ball all the way to the green.”
Chuck, Chuck, and Lakitu looked at Koopatrol for two seconds before bursting out cheering. Koops, Wrinkly, Kammy, and Toad heard the news, and were also heavily excited.
***Koopatrol: How did I do that?! I’m amazed at the skill I don’t even realize I have! That was awesome!
“Well, let’s go to the other side of the hole!” said Fred, climbing into a golf cart.
***
“Kammy, are you finally ready to answer questions?” asked Fred.
“You bet, Fred. I’ve been ready for this for my whole life!”
“OK then. Your question is: What is the first location in the Party World that was used for an actual party? Your options are: Yoshi’s Tropical Island, Wario’s Battle Canyon, Mario’s Rainbow Castle, or Peach’s Birthday Cake.
“Err… well… This certain TYPE of history, I’m not especially good at… errr… I’m going to say Mario’s, because those dumb Toads always think Mario is SOO great and would want to have a party for him.”
Fred smiled. “That is corr-”
“What do you mean, ‘Dumb Toads’?’” stated Toad, agitatedly.
“I didn’t mean YOU, Toad!” said Kammy, defensively
“Well, either way, that is correct. Question Two. The parties in Mario Party One and Two were hosted by the same person. Who was that?”
“OH! I know this!” said Kammy, “It’s, um… Koopa Troopa, right?”
“Thanks a lot,” said Toad, crossing his arms angrily.
“What did I do?” Kammy asked innocently.
“I’m sorry, but that is incorrect. The answer is Toad. OUR Toad.”
For the first time, Kammy looked slightly guilty. “Oh, Toad, I’m so sor-”
“Just forget it,” said Toad. She could’ve sworn she saw tears in his eyes.
***Toad: I’m just tired of being forgotten. I may be quiet, but I still want to be known and liked (sniffles) that’s all
***Clubba: Is it appropriate to use the phrase ‘out of character’ here? That just didn’t seem like Toad to me.
“Well,” said Fred, trying to change the subject, “Clubba, you get two putts. You’d better get started.”
Clubba took a practice swing. Then another. She stepped up to the golf ball and measured her angle perfectly. She was about 8 yards away from the hole. She swung her club at the golf ball. She hit it a little too softly, so it stopped rolling around 2 yards away. She stepped back up to the ball and swung again. The ball rolled… 1 yard away. It started to slow down… and sunk right into the hole.
“YES!” exclaimed everyone.
“7,000 coins will be added to the pot,” said Fred. Everyone continued cheering except for Chuck.
***Chuck: Why should I cheer? We only won a fourth of the money we could’ve won. Everyone should be booing instead!
Total Pot:
TOTAL POT: 148,000/212,000
“Well,” said Fred, “we have a quite a while until our next mission, so why not explore the island? There are a couple villages to visit.”
***
Clubba and Lakitu had found their way back to the cabanas and were laying on the beach. Lakitu tried to open her journal, but Clubba wouldn’t let her.
“Not, now. Let’s just enjoy ourselves! You heard Fred; we have a long time until our next mission! Just relax by the ocean!”
“Well… OK,” said Lakitu, closing her journal and throwing it behind her. She sat up and looked towards the water. “Hey. Who is that?”
“Who?”
“That guy standing in the water?”
Clubba squinted at the clear ocean in front of her. She could make out a hat with red dots clustered on it. “Isn’t that… Toad?”
“Yeah, I think it is,” said Lakitu, still curious. “What’s he doing?”
“I dunno, but he certainly is a mysterious character. Did you hear how upset he was when Kammy didn’t know he had hosted the first two Mario Parties?”
“I did… but I didn’t think much of it…”
***Clubba: Toad is… well, mysterious. I wouldn’t go as far to call him fishy and fake, but, I want to know more. He hasn’t given anyone any information, as far as I know
***
Wrinkly and Kammy had stumbled across a small fishermen’s town. They were looking through an old bait shop when Kammy sighed.
“Do you ever find it tough to be one of the two eldest players?” asked Kammy, her voice sorrowful.
“I guess I’ve never really thought about that,” said Wrinkly, examining a rather odd fishing hook “But being here is such a blessing, that I don’t care how old I am. I only have four, maybe five years left. This was, well, it was on my bucket list. But why are YOU here?”
“Well, I wish my reason was as good and pure as yours” said Kammy, “but I’m here basically for the money. Bowser hasn’t been making as much money as he normally does, so there have been some setbacks. I just want to help out in any way that I can, so I’m here for the grand prize.”
“That seems like a pure reason,” said Wrinkly, chuckling and patting Kammy on the back. “You don’t have to feel guilty about that.”
“Yeah, well, it’s whatever,” said Kammy, indifferently.
***
Koops, Koopatrol, and Chuck decided to go for a swim on the opposite side of the island. Koopatrol took off his outer armor.
***Koopatrol: Boy was it hot on that island! I didn’t think there would come a time when I would willingly take off any of my armor.
***Chuck: How dare they send us to an island with such extreme temperatures?! The conditions there were so bad! And the bugs! Don’t even get me started on the bugs!
“So,” said Chuck, “are your suspicions basically the same?”
“Pretty much,” said Koopatrol. Koops nodded.
***Koops: Like I said, I don’t want to give away too much information. If I want to win this game, I have to keep things to myself.
***
That night, the players gathered for dinner on the beach. The producers had brought out a table capable of meeting the needs of 8 people. The players were currently feasting on fresh fish.
“You know, I probably could’ve caught better,” said Lakitu with a laugh.
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” said Koopatrol. He pulled a strange lump out of his fish.
“All of a sudden, I’m not very hungry,” said Chuck, pushing his plate away. Everyone laughed. After a couple minutes of silence, Clubba spoke up.
“Has anyone noticed something is missing?”
“Good-tasting fish?” suggested Kammy as she also pushed her plate away. Clubba shook her head.
“I’m talking about the fact that Fred’s not at the table.”
The players looked at the head of the table, only to see it barren. The players gave each other weird looks. “He was acting weird this morning,” said Lakitu, “He claimed he was just tired, but I think something fishy is going on- er, no pun intended”
“He HAS been acting suspicious,” said Koopatrol.
“I bet he’s just ashamed to eat with us because of how lousy we’re doing in challenges,” said Chuck gloomily.
“Why do you ALWAYS do that?!” snapped Clubba unexpectedly.
“Do what?” said Chuck, mocking innocence
“You know, you don’t have to always be so negative! Just shut your mouth for once!”
“Whatever,” said Chuck indifferently.
***Clubba: Why does Chuck get on my nerves so much? How can he not get on my nerves?! He’s rude, has no empathy, and is arrogant BEYOND BELIEF. Let’s just hope he’s the next gone.
The players broke into many smaller groups of conversation, all chatting away as the sky grew even darker.
“So…,” asked Lakitu, “What’s our next move?”
“I dunno,” said Clubba, “but we’re going to need one soon. I’ve heard rumors that Koops, Chuck, and Koopatrol have an alliance.
“Really?” exclaimed Lakitu, quietly. “No way!”
“Yes way. I overheard Koops and Chuck talking on the plane,” said Clubba, “and it appears that they have a plan.”
“Are you sure it’s true?” asked Lakitu in disbelief.
“Not one hundred percent,” said Clubba, “but it’s best for us to be ready just in case.
“So, obviously, we need a plan!” said Lakitu.
“No duh,” said Clubba, quietly. The two looked over to the group of three guys and, although they couldn’t hear them, they watched them diligently.
“We will dominate the competition!” said Chuck, quietly chucking.
“You said it,” said Koopatrol, repositioning his glass.
“So,” said Koops, “what’s our next move?”
“Um,” thought Chuck, lazily, “I dunno, we’ll just wing it.”
“But don’t you think we ought to have a plan?” asked Koops. “I mean, what if everyone else knows exactly what to do and we don’t? That could be a dangerous game.”
“I’m with Koops,” said Koopatrol, slightly nervous. “I think it’d be good to have some basic form of a plan.”
“Whatever,” said Chuck, apathetically.
***Koopatrol: I must say I kind of agree with Clubba. Chuck can be extremely arrogant at times. However, I think it would be good to keep the coalition nevertheless.
***
It was 9:00. The players had finished their dinner and gone back to their Bungalows
***Chuck: Man, were those Bungalows old-fashioned. There were no lights, only candles. Also, we had to sleep in hammocks. And they smell like rotten cheese. (Sarcastic) Wow, are we living the live or what?
Clubba and Lakitu lit a candle and started playing cards. “How’s the game going for you?” asked Clubba.
“It’s great! I’m just surprised I lasted this long!”
“I know. It feels like we’ve been here, for, like, forever, right? I miss my friends and family.”
“Me too. But, it won’t be much longer”
Just then, a huge gust rolling through the bungalow, putting out all of the candles. “Should we call it a night?” said Lakitu after heaving a big sigh.
“I guess…” said Clubba, as she climbed into her hammock.
***
“The &%*$#-ing radio doesn’t work” said Chuck gruffly, endlessly turning the knob of the anachronism of an fm radio in their Bungalow.
“Ah well,” said Koopatrol, “I’m going to bed.”
***
A half an hour later everyone was asleep. They thought about many things, like what the next challenge would be about and how much longer they’d be staying. But there was one recurring question that passed through the mind of every player except for one. Who is the Mole? Most of the players had already drifted into the subconscious land.
“GOOOOOOOOOD EVENING! YOU ARE LISTENING TO W.K.K.P.T.F! WITH YOUR TOP THREE POLKA SONGS!!!”
“Uggh!” mumbled Kammy, groggily. “Wrinkly. Radio… turn… off…”
***
Toad switched off the radio that Koops amazingly slept through. He was agitated and needed sleep, so he climbed back into his hammock
***
The bungalows had just settled down again when something else happened: it started pouring rain. This wouldn’t have been a problem if there weren’t gaping holes in the ceilings of the bungalows.
***Kammy: You call THIS tropical?! HA! Tropical Storm, maybe!
***
Morning couldn’t have come soon enough. Most of the players had all had a rough night sleep. They were all moaning around the table for breakfast when Koops walked out of his bungalow and sat down cheerfully with everyone else. “Man, I slept liked a baby last night,” he said, helping himself to some fresh fruit.
“You and nobody else,” said Clubba, putting her head down.
“Goooooooood morning players!” said a cheery voice behind Clubba. Clubba snapped out of her sleepy trance. The players laughed. The players looked behind Clubba and saw someone they’d been hoping to see for a while.
“Fred!” exclaimed Lakitu, “Where have you been?”
“I’m afraid that is confidential,” he said, sitting down at the head of the table and helping himself to a slice of Watermelon. The players ate the rest of their meal in tranquil silence.
***
Once their bellies were filled, Fred stood up from the table. “Well, we’d better start getting ready for our next mission! If you’ll all follow me…” The players swallowed their last bites of food and stood up. Fred started walking away and the players followed him.
***
At 9:00, after a short hike, the players arrived at the river separating the two islands making up Yoshi’s Tropical Island. The center of the river swelled to form a small lake, with two white bridges lined up on either side of it. In the middle of the lake stood a bland island, rather tiny in size, holding a mysterious black object that the contestants couldn’t make out. Swimming in the water were 7 whirlpools, menacingly circling the island.
“Folks,” said Fred, “today’s mission is called ‘Dangerous Games’, and will test your resourcefulness. You see that island resting in the middle of the lake? It holds 40,000 coins in a black briefcase. In two and a half hours, the island will sink into the depths of the water. If the money is still on it at that time, well… let’s just say it won’t be recoverable. You must find a way onto that island. Oh, and I recommend not swimming. Those whirlpools can be pretty nasty. And, something else I should mention: there are people on this island who, well… don’t want you to complete this task. Be wary of them. Well, I guess that’s all. Good luck!” After saying these few words, Fred turned around and skipped off.
“That’s it?!” whined Kammy. “That’s all we get?”
“It’s all you’ll need!” called Fred, not turning around. Once Fred vanished over the horizon, the players exchanged baffled countenances.
“Real great,” said Kammy in a low voice. “Tell us absolutely nothing…”
“Well, that’s not true,” said Wrinkly “We know our basic objective: to reach that island.”
“I bet we could swim,” suggested Chuck.
“Did you not JUST hear Fred?” said Clubba, slightly cross. “Those are deadly whirlpools! They’d probably kill us or something!”
“Now I don’t remember Fred saying deadly,” said Chuck, laughing. “Plus he didn’t say it was against the rules. They probably just sting a little. It’s worth it for 40,000 coins,”
“Man,” said Koopatrol, warily, “I don’t think it’s a very good idea.”
“Let him go,” said Clubba, coldly, “he can die if he wants to.”
Chuck rolled his eyes and stuck his feet in the water. After a couple seconds, he pushed off the shore and paddled towards the island.
“Don’t!” called a pale Koops, with sudden terror.
“What an idiot,” said Clubba, rolling her eyes. “Now, let’s think of a REAL way to get to the center of the lake.”
“Wow, look at him go,” said Lakitu, watching Chuck’s arrogant breaststroke.
“Wait,” said Koopatrol, also watching, “he’s getting close to the whirlpools…”
Chuck lifted his head to find a gap between the whirlpools. Once he located a promising gap, he dove underwater.
“Aaaaaand now we can’t see him,” observed Lakitu. A few seconds passed, and a few bubbles appeared on the dark blue surface of the water. After a few more seconds, Chuck was yet to be located. Giving up hope, the players turned away from the lake. Some players looked terrified while others… not.
“Well,” said Clubba, slightly apathetically, “we lost Chuck.”
“LOST CHUCK?!” panicked Lakitu. “HE COULD BE DEAD!!!”
“I don’t think Fred would’ve put us in such a position,” said Wrinkly. “The producers would never put something in that could kill us. People might sue.”
“I have two ideas,” said Koopatrol, ignoring the whole incident with Chuck. “We either build a raft or build a bridge.”
“But what did Fred mean about the people who don’t want us to complete this mission?” asked Koops with concern.
“I dunno…” said Toad, quietly glancing at the bushes behind them.
“We could find a village,” suggested Koopatrol.
“But we don’t have any money,” said Clubba.
“Well,” said Lakitu, “we can start by finding some driftwood.”
“Um… Should we split up?” asked Koops. “You know… save time?”
“Not a bad idea” said Koopatrol. “Two groups of two looking for wood, and one group of three looking for vines to hold the wood together.”
“How about me, Lakitu, and Koopatrol look for vines,” offered Clubba.
“Ok,” said Wrinkly. “I’d like to search with Koops.”
“Ok…” said Koops, shyly.
“I guess that leaves me with you, Toad,” said Kammy.
“Yeah,“ mumbled Toad, still glaring at the bushes.
“Me and Toad will take the left island,” said Kammy.
“Koops and I shall take the right,” said Wrinkly.
***
Wrinkly bent over on the sand of the southern shore of the west island. She glanced at Koops, who added a large branch to their pile of wood.
“So,” said Wrinkly, trying to make conversation with the passive Koopa, “how are you enjoying the game?”
“It’s great!” said Koops, shyly full of expression, yet slightly absentminded. “Couldn’t be better. Yup…”
“Now, why’d you join?” asked Wrinkly, picking up a fairly large piece of driftwood.
“Pardon?” said Koops, releasing the sticks in his hands into their pile.
“What made you come on this show?”
“Oh, well…” started Koops, quietly, “As you probably know… I’m not the most outgoing person on the face of the planet and… I thought this show might help me get over that… As you can see, it’s not really working!” He let out a nervous laugh.
“I see…” said Wrinkly, taking note of this in her journal.
“Did you… write that down?” asked Koops, slightly afraid.
“Sorry if that bothers you,” apologized Wrinkly. “I’m asking everybody. It’s good to know stuff…”
“I guess…” said Koops, adding their largest piece of wood yet to the pile.
***
“Well,” said Lakitu, snagging a piece of vine that hung from a tree, “I guess it’s us three again.”
“I guess so,” said Clubba. After a moment, she looked towards Koopatrol. “You’ve been rather quiet.”
“Yeah,” said Koopatrol, “I’m just thinking.”
***Koopatrol: It seems that Lakitu and Clubba consider me part of their sacred coalition, so I’m not sure what to do. However, I DO feel like more of an equal when I’m working with Chuck and Koops. Hm… Perhaps I should think this through…
“So,” said Lakitu, partially climbing up a tree to receive more vines, “what plot-twists do you think await us in this challenge?”
“I dunno,” Clubba thought aloud, “what did Fred mean by people who didn’t want us to complete this challenge?”
***
9:15
“Well, boy,” said Kammy, slightly cross, “if I ask you a question, I expect more than just a mumble!”
“Whatever…” mumbled Toad, unperturbed. He pushed some tree branches aside and saw that they were looking at their bungalows.
“Well, look where we are!” said Kammy, astounded. “I wonder if we can find… anything…” she became distracted. Emitting from Fred’s bungalow was a radio. Toad slowly walked towards the bungalow. “Toad?” asked Kammy, nervously. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to find some stuff out,” said Toad in a clear, yet hushed voice.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” said Kammy. “You could get in trouble…” Toad answered her with silence. “Now Toad, I know you’re mad at me, but you have NO RIGHT to not respond to me!” After a couple more seconds of silence, Kammy jogged up to where Toad was dawdling towards the bungalow. “Listen to me, young man!” she said cantankerously.
“Look,” said Toad, quietly and obviously agitated, “I don’t think he would leave his bungalow door open and his radio on if he didn’t want someone to go inside.”
“But what if Fred is inside?” asked Kammy. Toad ignored her question. Kammy sighed and continued to trot next to Toad. They peered into the bungalow’s door and saw it was unoccupied. However, sitting on Fred’s desk on the opposite side of the room was a beige envelope with black marks on it. Next to the envelope was a radio, blaring out soothing jazz. Toad and Kammy slowly stepped inside. As if he was in a trance, Toad crept up on the envelope and read the letters. Suddenly his eyes widened.
“Kammy!” he said, urgently. “It’s a trap. Get out NOW”
But it was too late. A Yoshi had jumped down from the roof and padlocked the door shut. Toad sighed and handed the envelope to Kammy.
Trapped Forevermore it read, in askew black letters.
***
“That should be enough wood as long as the other team got some,” said Wrinkly, smiling at the rather large pile of lumber.
“I think it’ll do!” said Koops, grabbing as much wood as his arms could hold. Wrinkly did the same and they started walking back to the lake.
“I hope everyone else was as successful as us!” said Koops, grinning as he walked with his arms full of branches. Suddenly he heard a surprising sound, one that none of the players ever expected to hear. He looked over at Wrinkly, who obviously heard it too: It was the sound of Toad screaming.
***
“What was that unpleasant noise?” asked Clubba, clutching a string of vine in her hand.
“No time to investigate,” said Lakitu, tearing off another vine. “We have to get back to the lake.” The three started to trot back to base.
“Koopatrol,” said Clubba, “you’ve been unnervingly quiet. What’s up?”
“It’s just… nothing… for real,” said Koopatrol, uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck.
“Ok,” said Clubba, skeptically. “Lakitu we should probably-”
“Am I part of your coalition?” blurted out Koopatrol, unexpectedly. Lakitu and Clubba exchanged a quick glance, then looked back at Koopatrol.
“Of course!” said Lakitu in a slightly shaky voice. “Why wouldn’t you be?”
Koopatrol shuffled his feet. “It’s just… you guys seem so close and I kind of feel… out of the loop a bit with you guys.”
“Not at all!” said Lakitu with a slightly false voice.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
***Lakitu: Well what was I supposed to say? Of course he’s not a SERIOUS part of the coalition, but if we tell him that, then we won’t get any more information from him. I know that sounds really mean, but it’s the truth.
“Well then don’t believe me,” said Lakitu, “but it’s true.”
“Oh really?” said Koopatrol, raising both his eyes and his voice.
“Anyone else feel really tired?” asked Clubba, yawning.
“Don’t change the subject,” said Koopatrol sharply. “I want to know the truth.”
“I just feel so tired all of a sudden!”
“DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!” screamed Koopatrol. He looked at the two girls and sighed. “I’m sorry, I just…”
“My body!” said Clubba. “I’m so tired it’s going… numb…”
“C’mon Clubba,” said Lakitu. “We can rest once we get back to the lake.”
“I don’t think… I can… go on…”
Koopatrol sighed. “It’s just a bit fur-”
Clubba fell to the ground with a thud. Koopatrol and Lakitu’s eyes stared with curiosity and horror until they found the source of the problem: a tranquilizer dart injected into the back of her left leg.
***
Toad paced around the bungalow, his face letting off sweat. Kammy sat on the bed, rereading the two words they had previously found. “You know,” she said, “we could try to find a way out.”
“That’s what I’m trying to THINK of,” said Toad, coldly and stressfully.
“Look, Toad, ma-“
“Just shut up and let me think!” screamed Toad, on the verge of being hysterical.
***Kammy: This challenge had awaken a Toad that none of us had seen before. I’ve never seen him so stressed before!
***Toad: Claustrophobia: an abnormal fear of being in enclosed or narrow spaces.
***
“Just leave her here,” said Koopatrol. “It’s no use to bring her.” Koopatrol and Clubba walked on
***
9:30
Wrinkly and Koops had arrived back at the lake to find no one.
“Do you think that the other players need help?” asked Wrinkly curiously.
“They’re probably fine,” said Koops. “Shall we get started?”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do until we get the vines,” said Wrinkly, dropping her wood. “I say we go see what that screaming was about.
“I guess…” said Koops, following Wrinkly.
“Put your wood down,” said Wrinkly, kindly. “You don’t want to lug that everywhere, do you?” Koops shook his head and dropped his wood onto the new pile that Wrinkly had started. They started back through the jungle terrain.
***
Koopatrol and Lakitu found the lake just 3 minutes after Wrinkly and Koops had left. “Well, we’re back,” said Lakitu, panting. She placed her vines on the sandy terrain and stared at the island.
“Well, what are we supposed to do now?” said Koopatrol. “Sit and wait for the others to arrive? There’s nothing we can do until we get some wood.”
Lakitu grabbed a stick. “We can plan out our raft,” she said, drawing plans in the sand.
***
“Well,” said Wrinkly, ”we’re back at our bungalows. I think this was the source of the screaming.”
“Look!” yelled Koops, pointing at Fred’s bungalow.
***
“Toad!” exclaimed Kammy, standing up from the bed.
“What,” said Toad, coldly.
“Wrinkly and Koops are here!”
***
Wrinkly turned to Koops. “Go back to the lake. I’ll help those two.” Koops ran back into the jungle as Wrinkly ran up to the bungalow.
“I’ll get you guys out,” she said, walking up to the front door.
“It’s padlocked,” said Kammy. “You’ll need a key.”
***
“All right!” said Lakitu, standing up. “I’d say we have a pretty decent blueprint.”
“I agree with that,” said Koopatrol as Koops came jogging in.
“Hey guys,” he said, panting. “What’re you guys up to?”
“Hi Koops,” said Lakitu. “We just made a blueprint… hey. Weren’t you supposed to bring wood?”
“Didn’t you see it?” said Koops. “I left it right… haha. Very funny, guys.”
“What are you talking about?” said Lakitu, genuinely innocent. Koops looked horrified.
“It was all right here!” he said, turning pale.
“Wait,” said Lakitu, slowly, “are you saying that you left wood here earlier and it disappeared?” Koops nodded, a look of heavy discomfort displayed on his face.
“Something’s up about this game,” said Koopatrol skeptically. “First Clubba getting hit by a tranquilizer dart, and now this?”
“That’s not all,” said Koops nervously. “Kammy and Toad are locked in a cabin. Wrinkly’s trying to get them out now.”
“People not wanting us on the island…” said Koopatrol, with revelation. All of a sudden the three players saw a dart fly into the sand right next to Koops. The three caught eye contact, glaring with eyes filled with fear.
“RUN!” yelled Lakitu.
“Wait,” yelled Koopatrol, “pick up your vines!” The three dispersed in different directions.
***
“There’s no key lying on the sand anywhere,” said Wrinkly, desperately staring at the sandy beach.
“So find another way in!” whined Kammy. “It’s really stuffy in here!”
Wrinkly stared around, searching for anything. Eventually her eyes settled on a jagged, yet handheld rock. She stared at it for a second, then stared at the Bungalow. Without warning, she heaved the rock at one of the glass window, immediately shattering the glass across the cabin.
***
Koops sprinted through the jungle, desperately trying to escape whoever might’ve fired the dart. He heard another shot fire, which nearly sent him into a coma. He turned his head to see if anyone was following him and, to his fortune, no one was in sight. He started to slow down, but before he could decelerate to a simple walk, he shot up into the air, left leg first. He tried to scream, but was paralyzed with fear. He was viewing the world in a new angle, petrified. He was caught in a classic rope trap.
***
“Are you mad?” hollered Kammy as she stepped out of the broken window with caution. “You could’ve killed me!”
“At least we’re out!” bellowed Toad, running out of the cabin with a large grin on his face.
“Well you’re welcome, Toad,” said Wrinkly, also smiling. “Now I’m guessing you two didn’t gather any wood?”
“We didn’t have time,” said Kammy, sitting down on a log and adjusting her hat.
“Well,” she said, warmly, “me and Koops might have collected enough. Shall we go back or look for some more?”
“Go back!” whine Kammy. “I can’t take a second more of this challenge! Or this stupid island!”
***
The dart sunk into the banana tree right in front Koopatrol. He let out a high-pitched squeal, barely audible. He turned his head and saw a lime green Yoshi, baring a copious amount of darts. Adrenaline pumping through him, he darted between the indigenous trees, trying his best to avoid the unfortunate fate of one of his fellow players. As soon as he thought he was in the clear, the vines he was carrying snagged onto a firm tree branch. Panicking, he dropped the vines and continued running for his life. Soon after, he saw someone else in front of him. Expecting the worst, he made a sharp left turn.
“KOOPATROL!” the voice called. Koopatrol stopped dead in his tracks.
“There you are, Lakitu!” he said, continuing his run. She ran up beside him.
“Why… are we running?” she panted.
“Yoshi… Dart Gun…” Koopatrol breathed, sweating.
***
10:00
“You must be pulling my leg,” said Kammy, crossly. “No one and nothing is here!”
“How peculiar,” said Wrinkly, quietly rubbing her chin. “Well then, we should search for wood. Toad?”
Toad was staring at a little gleam in the sand, just about two yards away. He walked towards it and picked it up. As he stared at it, his eyes widened as they had just done earlier that morning. “It’s a dart,” said Toad, stiffly. “There was another trap.” The players looked at each other for a short amount of time, pondering their next move. They came to a conclusion when they heard an unnerving sound.
***
“HEEEEEEELP!” cried Koops as he attempted to pull at the ropes holding him in his uncomfortable position. Affected by gravity, his sweat splattered to the ground below him, screaming in the silent agony that only inanimate objects have. Desperately desiring for someone to hear his plea, he screeched the same words again. “HEEEEEEEEEEELP!” He screamed once more, this time louder and longer.
***
“Did you hear that?” said Lakitu, coming to a halt.
“No time!” he panted. “Keep running!”
“Come on!” said Lakitu, refusing to heed Koopatrol’s instructions. “We probably lost him! I haven’t heard anything behind me for a long time! That sounded like Koops. Do you think we should help?”
Koopatrol stopped running and immediately let out a huge sigh. “I guess,” he said, with exhaustion invading his voice. “Let’s follow the voice.”
***
Koops dangled from his spot on an ancient
tree as he prayed to be located. As the blood slowly and mournfully
seeped into his head, he saw silhouettes of multiple people in the distance.
Pleading for it to be his fellow contestants, he stared at them.
From another location entirely, yet still in his view, he located another
group of shadows speedily walking towards him. “Wrinkly?’ he called.
“Kammy? Toad? Is that you? Koopatrol? Lakitu?
Guys?!” He screamed the last one, now uncertain about the people closing
in on him. He watched in horror as the shadows approached him.
Fearing what they would do to him, he closed his eyes.
“Koops?” he heard, eyes still shut
closed. Recognizing the voice of Lakitu, he opened his eyes and found
the remaining five contestants standing in front of him. He tried
to sigh, but found it quite difficult.
“Guys,” he said relieved, “Can you, um… help me down?”
“Koopatrol,” said Lakitu, taking control, “stay here and help Koops down. The rest of us will split up and search for more wood. We need a win here, guys.”
“I would like to search with Toad,” said Wrinkly calmly.
“All right then,” said Lakitu, clapping her hands together. “Let’s get a move on!”
***Toad: Lakitu really took the role as a leader, which is good because before we were really just in chaos.
The four departed as Koopatrol looked up the tree where Koops was held captive. “This isn’t too tall!” he said, chuckling, “I’ll have you down in no time!” He reached his arms around the tree and began to climb.
***
“You think we’ll find enough wood in time?” asked Kammy, slightly panicking.
“Well,” said Lakitu, “we only have an hour left and we still have to build something, but I’m keeping my hopes up.”
Kammy looked over at her, admiring her optimism. “Well,” she said, “we should be careful this time so we don’t run into any of the Yoshis. Where do you recommend we look?”
“Just look for scattered wood as we walk,” said Lakitu, bending down to pick of a piece of driftwood. “We might win this challenge yet!”
***
10:30
“C’mon, Toad,” Wrinkly said gently. “I just want to know your reason for coming out here on this show!” Toad looked at her.
“No thanks,” he said crossly.
***Wrinkly: Toad is an enigma in the game. Therefore, I must know as much information as I possibly can.
“Why are you so against giving this information out?” Wrinkly asked kindly.
Toad responded with silence.
“Look,” Wrinkly said empathetically, “I know you must be really upset. Being forgotten like that must’ve been hard.”
More silence.
“But if you just keep to yourself, you’re losing a whole side of this game,” said Wrinkly.
“I admit,” said Toad, opening up, “it was hard to be forgotten, but the social game just isn’t my game! …look. If I just gave you the info, would you leave me alone?”
“Of course I would,” said Wrinkly.
***Wrinkly: I did feel a bit guilty about playing Toad like that, but it’s a game. I guess some things need to be done…
“Watch out for this sand here,” said Toad, as they approached a gap in the road filled with sand. The two started walking across the sand.
“Well,” said Toad, “I just didn’t know what was happening with my life. Most people of my species are very happy-go-lucky, and I… never was. I didn’t know why, but it created a barrio between me and the other Toads my age. After a while-”
“Pardon my interruption,” said Wrinkly, slightly alarmed, “but are we getting shorter?”
The two looked down at their feet and noticed that they weren’t visible. The two turned to each other, now unable to move.
“Quicksand!” said Toad, alarmed, trying to dig his feet out. Wrinkly looked grave.
“It’s no use,” she said quietly, “quicksand is impossible to get out of. Toad looked mortified.
“WHAT?!” he exclaimed, looking around. “HEEELP!” he bellowed, “HEEEELP!”
***
“Not again,” said Koopatrol, as he continued to attempt cutting the rope holding Koops. The jagged rock he held was doing its job poorly, and Koopatrol was losing hope. Nevertheless, he kept slashing through the rope, and was making some progress. “Do you feel the rope getting looser?”
“A bit,” said Koops, “but not much. Are you sure that’s the best way to get me down? I mean, have you tried untying the ropes?”
“Yeah,” said Koopatrol, “but I can’t find the knot. The rope kind of just loops over the tree and disappears.” He continued to hack at the rope.
“You think we’ll win?” asked Koops. Koopatrol laughed.
“We’d better,” he said. “After what the producers are putting us through for this challenge, if we don’t get money, I’ll be angry.”
“Yeah,” said Koops, feeling a bit faint. He started to close his eyes but was interrupted by a sudden jerk. “I felt something that time,” he said with hope. “I think you’re getting close!”
Koopatrol continued to hack at the rope, and it got thinner and thinner. After a short while, the rope snapped, releasing Koops from his spot. Before they could celebrate, the cut rope released a net from a high tree, catching Koopatrol and Koops and leaving them pinned to the ground. Koops let out a huge sigh as he realized his containment wasn’t over yet. Koopatrol appeared disgruntled.
***
“Well, I think we have a fair amount of wood,” said Kammy. “I mean, if Wrinkly and Toad have done their share…”
“But what if they haven’t?” said Lakitu. “I mean, what if they’re trapped or something? We should gather some more just in case.”
“But I’m tired!” complained Kammy. “Even if they are captured, we still probably have enough to get us across.”
“NO!” said Clubba, loudly and firmly. “We will continue to look for wood, and you will NOT complain!”
***Lakitu: All right, so maybe I abused my power a bit, but so what? I wanted to win this, and so did all of my fellow contestants. Well, maybe not ONE of them…
***Kammy: Why the little brat… Does she know who I am?! The great and beautiful Kammy Koopa! How dare she try to order ME around! There was simply no way I would allow that!
“All right all right, fine fine,” said Kammy, following Lakitu deeper into the woods.
***Kammy: All right, so maybe I was a bit tired at the time. But NO MORE!
***
10:45
“There has got to be a way to cut ourselves out!” said Koopatrol, frantically searching for another rock he could use.
“Forget it,” said Koops, “it’s over for us. There’s no way we’re going to get out of here in time. It’s already 10:45!”
“True,” said Koopatrol, “but may- Wait… How did you know what time it is?” Koops flashed his cell phone in front of Koopatrol, whose face lit up. “We can use it to call Lakitu and Kammy!”
“Except for one thing,” said Koops, “we’re on an island in the middle of the ocean. There’s no reception.
“Right… right…” said Koopatrol, going slightly pink.
“Besides,” said Koops, “they don’t need any distractions. They need to finish this.”
***
“There,” said Kammy, panting. Their amount of wood had increased to twice the size of their previous amount. “Can we go back NOW? We’re almost out of time!”
“Fine, fine,” said Lakitu, slightly annoyed by Kammy’s whines. They started walking back. “Just be cautious of traps.”
“FINALLY,” said Kammy, heaving a big sigh.
The two started a light jog back to the lake.
***
11:00
“Ok,” said Lakitu, clapping her hands together, “let’s get started!”
“Wait,” said Kammy, pointing at a tree, “there’s a note.” She walked up to the tree and read the note. “Hello Contestants,” she read, “Not much time is left in the challenge, better hurry up. Remember: only one player must reach the center to win the challenge. In fact, if only one person does reach the center…”
“Well,” said Lakitu, “if only one player reaches the middle…”
“It just cuts off,” said Kammy, stuffing the note in her pocket. “So, what should we do?”
“Well,” said Lakitu, “I say we find a REALLY large rock.”
“WHY would we need that?” said Kammy crossly.
“To hold down the bridge we build,” said Lakitu. Iit doesn’t have to be a rock, just find anything that can be used as a clamp.”
***
11:10
“This will work,” said Kammy as they got back to camp. She and Lakitu were carrying a rather large stone that was indented in the center.
“It better,” said Lakitu, “or else I might just go insane.” She unwrapped the wire of vines that had been around her shoulder. “Now let’s build!”
“How are we going to do this?” Kammy asked skeptically.
“Easy,” she said, “we get one piece of wood and put half of it under the clamp, then get another one and tie it to the first piece. Then we repeat.”
“All right,” said Kammy, not completely giving up her skeptical look. Kammy grabbed a rather large piece of wood and lay it on the ground.
9:15
“Getting closer,” said Lakitu. They were about 7 feet off the shore.
***Kammy: I’m surprised it was working! It didn’t sound like something that could work, but whatever works, I guess…
“Let’s pick up the pace!” said Lakitu to Kammy, who was going back to get some more wood.
9:20
About 1 foot away from the island, Lakitu sighed. “We’re going to make it!” she exclaimed. “Kammy, can you go get some more wood?”
Kammy turned around to follow the order, but stopped in her tracks. “Don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she said slowly.
“Why not?” said Lakitu, turning around. She saw it too. “Oh,” she said slowly. Over at the shore, the Yoshis stood, struggling to lift up the stone.
“We have no time to go back!” said Lakitu, quickly panicking. “We can make a foot jump!” Lakitu was about to lift off of the ground when she felt a pain in the back of her head. She had been smacked. “What was THAT?” she said, a mix of curiosity and panic in her voice. Kammy stared into the water and sighed. She pushed out both of her hands with a high velocity, forcing Lakitu to fall into the lake. She quickly jumped across the gap and picked up the case.
***
The players had returned to the beach where their cabins reside. They were sitting at their dining table with Fred at the head. “Well that was a fun challenge,” he said, staring at all of the discontent in the faces of most of the players.
“Yeah, fun,” Chuck said sarcastically. He was wrapped in a towel, sopping wet.
“May I ask whose idea this was?” asked Clubba, still groggy.
“I would say it was mine,” said Fred, “but it was the producers’. Fun though, right?”
“More like demonic,” Toad said quietly. He was completely covered in sand from head to toe.
“But you guys won!” said Fred gleefully. “40,000 coins are going into the pot!
Total Pot
198,000/252,000
“And we have an exemption,” said Fred, “for Kammy. For being the only one to reach the center island.
“So the note DID say something else!” exclaimed Lakitu, drenched in water. Kammy blushed nervously.
“Well,” said Fred, “dinner’s at 6:30 tonight, so don’t be late. It will be followed by a quiz, so make sure to review your notes.” Fred stood up at the table and watched as the contestants fled the scene, thinking to himself that one of them would no longer be here in 24 hours.
***
6:30
The players re-gathered at the spot that had become oh so familiar: the dining table. While the players were presentED with another buffet of fresh fish, it was harder to eat that night than it had been the previous. The thought of losing another was hard to fathom by this point of the game. While all players looked afraid in their own ways, only one player felt safe on the inside. There had never been such a quiet meal before on the show. Everyone ate in complete silence, until Fred cleared his throat.
“The quiz will begin now,” said Fred, quietly observing the contestants. “Whoever would like to begin, please enter my cabin and take the quiz on my computer.”
“No way I’m going back in there,” Toad said quietly. An assortment of chuckles could be heard.
“I’ll start” said Wrinkly, standing up from her seat.
***
Question 1: Is the Mole male or
female?
*Male
*Female
Question 2: In “Trivial Golfers”,
which team was the Mole on?
*Brainy
*Sportive
***Koops: Man, was the golfing challenge a miss. It seems that no one could get the game quite right. Even Koopatrol, who made that amazing shot, messed up the first couple times around.
Question 3: In “Trivial Golfers”,
what was the Mole’s part of the challenge?
*Chemistry
*Physics
*Math
*History
*Using the Driver
*Using the Wedge
*Using the Iron
*Using the Putter
***Clubba: It’s hard to think who could’ve sabotaged the Brainy team more, for all of them missed really easy questions! All of them have the potential to be the Mole.
Question 4: In “Trivial Golfers”,
who was the Mole paired up with?
*Lakitu
*Clubba
*Wrinkly
*Koops
*Kammy
*Toad
*Chuck
*Koopatrol
***Wrinkly: The sportive team really made a mess of themselves. Koopatrol only hit the ball remotely well once, Chuck missed his shot a lot, and Lakitu had trouble getting the ball out of the rough! The only one who has managed to come out of this mission without potentially sabotaging anyone is Clubba.
Question 5: In “Dangerous Games”,
did the Mole reach the center of the island?
*Yes
*No
***Lakitu: I didn’t know Kammy would be so vicious about an exemption! Well, I mean, it would be pretty easy to get, and we didn’t lose any money, but… still!
Question 6: In “Dangerous Games”,
did the Mole get trapped/caught by the Yoshis?
*Yes
*No
***Kammy: What a hectic game that was! Trap after trap after trap! I’ll never forget being trapped in that cabin while Toad went nutso. I can still hear the whimpers!
Question7: Who did the Mole sit
next to on the plane?
*Lakitu
*Koopatrol
*Clubba
*Chuck
*Koops
*Wrinkly
*Kammy
*Toad
***Toad: …
Question 8: Who sat on the Mole’s
right during breakfast this morning?
*Koopatrol
*Wrinkly
*Koops
*Lakitu
*Chuck
*Clubba
*Kammy
*Toad
***Chuck: Man, these questions are tough! I mean, no question is too tough more me… but still!
Question 9: Who did the Mole share
a cabin with?
*Lakitu
*Koopatrol
*Toad
*Koops
*Kammy
*Chuck
*Wrinkly
*Clubba
***Koopatrol: The whole coalition thing is still kinda tripping me up. I have no clue which I should stay loyal to. Still, I think I’ve pinpointed the Mole. I just hope I’m right…
Question 10: Who is the Mole?
*Lakitu
*Clubba
*Koops
*Toad
*Koopatrol
*Kammy
*Wrinkly
*Chuck
***
The players had all returned to the dining room table, but, this time, it had a different setup. Resting on the table was a large computer monitor, connected to a laptop at the head of the table. The chairs were set up in rows, facing the monitor. In each chair was a nervous contestant, watching the screen anxiously.
“The execution will begin,” said Fred, powering up his laptop. “Who would like to begin?”
No one volunteered.
“I will choose one, then,” said Fred, “Clubba.”
C L U B B A
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“Toad,” said Fred.
T O A D
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“Koopatrol,” said Fred.
K O O P A T R O L
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“Koops,” said Fred.
K O O P S
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“Chuck.”
C H U C K
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“May I just note that there are only two people who have not had their names read yet,” said Fred, staring at Wrinkly, and then Lakitu, both displaying a countenance of extreme terror.
“Wrinkly.”
W R I N K L Y
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Green
“Lakitu,” said Fred, sadly looking at the last remaining player.
L A K I T U
…
…
…
…
…
…
RED
Lakitu stared at her feet, smiling. “I knew it would be me eventually,” she said. Clubba shot up from her seat and ran over to hug her.
“I’ll miss you,” she said, letting go.
“I’ll miss you too,” said Lakitu, following Fred to a nearby boat.
“Sorry it had to be you,” said Fred, motioning Lakitu into the boat.
“Hey,” she said, “there’s a time for everyone to leave. GOODBYE EVERYONE!” she hollered to her ex-contestants.
“I’m probably going to miss her,” said Koopatrol. “She was a great competitor.
“There goes my alliance,” Clubba said quietly, “and my best friend in the game…”
The players watched as the boat sailed away.
***
And another player gone! That leaves 7 people still struggling to find the Mole. What? You say my rope trap is physically impossible? Well maybe YOUR rope trap is physically impossible! Think about THAT!
To Be Continued...
For more information on the contestants, locations, and missions, click here.
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