Players worked their way through the haunted chambers of Creepy Castle. Once they reached their goal, they sat down to play a game of poker. The Mole was finally unmasked and Yoshi was forced to leave. It all comes down to a 1-on-1 showdown between Bowser and Ganondorf. Who will be the victor? Is it Ganondorf, evil Gerudo king and scourge of all Hyrule, or Bowser, Mario�s archnemesis and King of the Koopas? You�ll have to wait and see. We now bring you Episode 9 of Nintendo: The Mole:
A gong sounds and Bowser and Ganondorf awaken instantly. They find themselves in the castle dormitory and scream in fear.
�Why�d we stay in here?� Bowser asks in panic. �This place gives me the creeps.�
IngRaider walks into the room. �We had some reservations at a nice hotel on DK Isle!� he shouts. �Is it my fault SOMEBODY fell asleep in the castle?� he says, glaring at Bowser.
�I was tired. Had a long day, you know. I am in the final two of your stupid series.�
�If I had my way, you wouldn�t be in this series!�
�Well maybe I shouldn�t have.�
�Umm. Excuse me guys,� says Ganondorf, clearing his throat. �I hate to interrupt, but we do have a series to finish.�
�Oh yes, how silly of me,� interjects IngRaider. �As you know, you guys have made it to the final two. You must determine the victor in a little contest. Then, I will bring out the other eight players and they will vote for who they want to win. Finally, I will evaluate your performances throughout the series and make my decision as to who should win. Whoever has the highest score between my evaluations, the challenge, and the other players� votes is the winner. Today�s challenge will be waged on my personal favorite, my homeland, Aether.�
�Ooh. Ah,� gasp Bowser and Ganondorf, their mouths agape, but in a sarcastic way.
�Or, as I should say, Dark Aether. You see, I was born from a mixture of a Phazon puddle, Dark Samus�s DNA, and a Warrior Ing. A chemical reaction occurred and there I was. But enough about me. I�ll open the portal to Aether so we can get started.� He channels dark energy and a swirling vortex opens before him. �Here it is. Just jump into it like last time. Good luck gentlemen, I�ll explain the rules once inside.�
IngRaider backflips into the portal, leaving Bowser and Ganondorf behind.
�Let�s a-go!� says Bowser in an Italian accent mocking Mario�s as he leaps into the portal. Ganondorf follows suit and they land right on IngRaider, falling on top of him painfully.
�Ow. I forgot to um�ow tell you,� says IngRaider, his back cracking in pain every few seconds. �You should wait a few seconds before following someone into a portal. You could�..ow do some permanent damage to my�.er�.their back.�
�Oopsy,� says Bowser stupidly.
�It was his fault,� says Ganondorf, pointing to Bowser.
�Anyway,� says IngRaider, slowly making a recovery. �Welcome to Aether. There are several dark and light portals to use to travel between Dark and Light Aether. I know you do not have any beam weapons, so I will just leave all the portals in the area open. You are in a region known as Torvus Bog. You stand right in the temple, the hub of the place. You are free to wander as you wish. Now��
�Yo, Ing, what is the challenge?� interrupts Ganondorf.
�I was just getting to that. The game is no more complex than a simple game of cat-and-mouse. Or, as I should say, mole and victim. Since the Mole is gone, I will choose a new one. And since there is no point in keeping your identity secret, I will say who the Mole is. The new Mole is Bowser. You will be the predator.�
�Alright!� he says gleefully.
�Ganondorf will be the Mole�s victim: the prey. Bowser, to win, you must capture Ganondorf and keep him trapped for ten minutes or more. You may knock him out if you deem that necessary to your victory. Ganondorf, you win if you evade capture by Bowser for more than an hour straight. Also, you can win if you knock out or capture Bowser.�
�No fair,� whines Bowser. �He can win two different ways.�
�Yes, but it will be much harder for him to capture you because you will be armed and he will not.�
�With what?� gulps Ganondorf.
�Bowser will be armed with a tranquilizer gun that has ten shots currently; you can fill it up at a refill station or by defeating bad guys in the level. You will also have a flashlight to guide you through the dark world and a rope to capture your prey with. Ganondorf, you will have nothing, so good luck. You can steal Bowser�s stuff, if you dare. And now let the challenge begin: Bowser you�ll start in the temple and Ganondorf in Torvus Lagoon. Ready, set, go!�
Ganondorf begins to flee the bog instantly via the Temple Transport room, not wanting to hang around in Torvus for Bowser to find him. Bowser heads for the Hydrodynamo region of the bog, the underground portion beneath the Torvus Temple and hops on the transport elevator for Sanctuary Fortress. Meanwhile, Ganondorf wanders the Temple Grounds area, looking for an entrance to Agon Wastes or Sanctuary Fortress, since he thinks Bowser is in the bog. After wandering the Sacred Path. Ganondorf finds a transport elevator to Sanctuary Fortress.
Bowser emerges in the Transit Area and begins to hunt for Ganondorf. Unfortunately for Ganondorf, he wanders in the same direction as Bowser, walking right into a trap. Bowser spots him and makes a move, firing several of his tranquilizer shots rapidly in the hopes of taking out Ganondorf. He misses however, and is down to three shots. Ganondorf, after dodging the assault, spies Bowser and heads back to the bog. Bowser follows him in hot pursuit, but leaps for the elevator a second too late and it closes, Bowser pressed against the glass like a bug on a windshield.
Ganondorf quickly descends into the bog and heads back to the Hydrodynamo Station. He then rushes to the Catacombs before realizing the mistake he made: The only way out is the way he came in and if Bowser finds him, he�s in bad shape. Bowser recovers from his collision rather quickly and triggers the elevator, allowing his descent into the Hydrodynamo Station and later the Catacombs.
Ganondorf senses Bowser�s arrival and knows he is doomed. He has come to a dead end and he knows it.
�I really didn�t want to have to do this,� Ganondorf says to himself, looking at the Dark Portal. �But I must in order to stand a chance at winning. I must enter the dark world,� he declares, jumping into the portal.
Bowser enters the Catacombs and is sure victory will be his. He looks around for Ganondorf, knowing he is in here and confident this room is pretty much a dead end.
�Huh?� thinks Bowser, dumbfounded. �I could�ve sworn he was here.�
Meanwhile, Ganondorf has entered the dark side of Aether and feels his skin burning. He thinks it�s just his imagination at first but then realizes the redness surrounding his skin and the unrelenting burn, as if the darkness itself is consuming him.
�Now I know why I had doubts about coming here,� he says to himself. �I feel like I�m on fire.� He continues to explore Dark Torvus and finds himself face-to-face with a Dark Grenchler. Being that he is unarmed, this is really bad. The beast growls at him menacingly, giving off an air of warning. Ganondorf doesn�t heed the warning and charges right at it, only to be lifted up effortlessly by the creature�s Grapple Beam ability and tossed aside. He lands in a bright area with a crystal on a stick in the middle. �Weird,� he says, before realizing that the light energy is restoring him to full vitality, completely healing all his wounds. �Nice!� He picks up the light crystal and uses it as a weapon to spear the monster right in the eye, knocking it out. A Warrior Ing appears and Ganondor easily spears it to death. Hundreds more appear and Ganondorf heads for the door before an Ing Webtrap forms around it. Luckily he escapes and moves on. Ganondorf uses the staff as a moving safe zone from the dark world and carries it with him.
Bowser encounters a group of Pirate Troopers and backs away, but he is trapped in the dead end of the Catacombs. A pirate slashes at him, breaking the skin and inflicting a painful wound. Another trooper gives him a hard shove and he falls off the platform and unfortunately for Ganondorf, lands in the Dark Portal. Bowser�s wounds burn him even more in the dark world. �Gotta find a safe zone,� he says to himself, knowing about the Luminoth light crystals and beacons.
Ganondorf quickly flees the dark version of the Catacombs, the Dungeon, and heads for the Crypt. He finds a dead end before him, only accessible by Morph Ball, an ability that he does not possess. Bowser rounds the corner and enters the Crypt. He aims his gun at Ganondorf and begins to taunt him. �You�ve come far, Ganondorf, but you didn�t count on the magnificently evil mind of Bowser, Koopa King.�
�Put a cork in it, dude. You haven�t won yet!� Ganondorf snaps. �You still gotta catch me.� Ganondorf uses his crystal as a pole to vault right over Bowser, quickly sprinting past him into the darkness. Bowser is angry at this and quickly follows him, breathing deadly flames at everything in sight and earning himself some tranquilizer ammo.
Ganondorf comes to the portal, but Bowser unleashes a deadly wave of flames wiping out everything in the area and causing the portal mechanism to malfunction. Ganondorf is stuck in the dark world and is running out of options as Bowser closes in on him. Thinking quickly, Ganondorf whips out a Hookshot and steals Bowser�s rope from around his waist. Ganondorf hooks in circles around Bowser in a fury of rope, tying him up. Bowser uses his immense strength to break the rope, tackle Ganondorf and pin him to the ground. Ganondorf kicks Bowser off him with a powerful boot to his gut and sends him flying.
The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife and both are silent and unrelenting, not willing to stop or give in until they are the victor. Bowser plummets painfully in a patch of thorns. Ganondorf leaps at Bowser, ready to deliver the finishing blow, but Bowser whips out his tranquilizer gun and begins firing. Ganondorf dodges most of the shots before taking a hit to the butt.
�Now we both got something up our butts,� jokes Bowser.
Ganondorf doesn�t find him that funny and he continues to pound Bowser with punches and kicks, but he barely has any effect on the Koopa King. With a flick of his wrist, Bowser sends Ganondorf to the other side of the room, taking the advantage. It looks bad for Ganondorf, being so far away from Bowser who has the gun. Bowser shoots, only to find he is out of ammo. He tosses the gun aside boldly, but Ganondorf knows that deep down Bowser is scared. He ties Bowser up once again using his rope-Hookshot combo. He then hooks around the room and causes a huge rock to fall on top of Bowser, surely knocking him out. The prey has turned things around and beaten the predator, winning the match, the game, and the $1 million. They are both warped back to the elimination room to speak with IngRaider.
�Congratulations Ganondorf,� says IngRaider. �You have won the challenge. But do not be fooled. It does not mean you have won the money yet. Now I will evaluate you and your performance in the series overall and tell you some stuff:
�Bowser in the first episode, you acted stupid and made no effort to do anything. In the second one, almost the same thing applies. In the third, you cost the team a win. In the fourth, you helped find an emerald. In the fifth, you didn�t answer many questions correctly. In the sixth, you were a terrible trainer. In the seventh, you helped defeat Lord Crump. In the eighth episode of this show, you played some nice Poker and navigated the castle well. Finally, you lost today�s challenge. Your total score is a 7 out of 10.
�Ganondorf, not a bad track record either. For the sake of time, I�ll only mention notable achievements and/or failures. You were always a strong team player in the team competitions. You found an emerald. You were a decent Pokemon trainer and raised a decent team. You socked it to Crump. Your Poker skills are ok. And you won today�s challenge. So how does that make you feel?�
�It feels great, Ing it really does. I don�t care about winning. I feel I�ve played the best game I could and the rest will fall into place. Good luck Bowser.�
�How do you think you scored?�
�Umm. 6 out of 10.�
�No, you�re too conservative. You got an 8. You get an additional point for winning today, so that gives you 9. And Bowser has 7. To win today, you need to get at least one less vote than Bowser. If he gets 2 more than you, it�s a tie. Now let�s bring in our other players to vote. But first, I must say a few things.�
The players file in and take their seats in the lounge area.
�Greetings. You�ve all played a great game. Now, you must vote to determine the winner. First, I must say a few things: You�ve all done well, despite the obstacles I�ve hurled your way.�
�What do you mean?� asks Link.
�You know. You see, I purposely made sure Lord Crump found the emerald and had him attack us. Those were all tests. Another thing: I deliberately hired villains to work against you and make your life harder. You, nevertheless, pulled through and I am proud. I ENCOURAGED the Moles and other players to cheat, lie, steal, to do anything to assure their victory. Because that�s what this game is about. And now, based on your knowledge, vote who you felt played the game most skillfully, Bowser or Ganondorf, and who will win all the money. We�ll start with the first eliminated. Link?�
Link: Ganondorf
DK: Bowser
Mario: Ganondorf
Peach: Ganondorf
Tingle: Bowser
Wario: G-Man
Zelda: Ganonodorf
Yoshi: Bowser
�Congratulations Ganondorf. You are our winner and take home the $1 million. Nice work. Join us next time for the reunion.�
On the next Nintendo: The Mole:
The game may be over, but the madness has just begun. Tension runs high at the reunion and resentment will fill the room. Who will survive for more than a minute in that room? Find out next time on Nintendo: The Mole.
(Just kidding. Tune in next time for a reunion that will reveal motives of the characters and behind-the-scenes secrets about the game.)