Ike was upset.

This was not the most unusual thing, and Fox was quite used to it.

But all the same, it was getting tiring.

Every day, Ike went off to the Smash Run stage.

Every day, Ike tried the Crystal Smash challenge door.

Every day, he came just short of beating it.

And every day, he came back to the mansion and would whine about it.

Of course, Fox would have to suffer through this. He was his best friend after all.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Fox was beginning to wonder if the benefits truly outweighed the negatives, however.

"I SWEAR I WAS JUST ONE GOOD HIT AWAY"

Having "friendship pancakes" made for you every Saturday was certainly a plus.

"I WAS SO CLOSE MAN, I MEAN IT THIS TIME"

Ike was certainly one to take his friendships seriously, and Fox couldn't exactly complain.

Fox gave a resigned sigh and said the same thing he always did.

"You know, you could just equip some powers."

Fox tuned out the resulting onslaught of hissy fits regarding "cheating" and "cheap tactics" to focus on his thoughts once more. It had been nearly two months since this whole thing had started, and it showed no signs of slowing down.

Ike prided himself on being an incredibly powerful fighter, one of the hardest hitters on the roster.

So naturally, getting bested repeatedly by an immobile chunk of rock had a bit of an effect on him.

"LISTEN. LISTEN? I DON'T NEED SPINNY SWORDS AND ACTUAL METEORS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY TO HIT THINGS FOR ME. I CAN DO THAT MYSELF."

Fox nearly forgot his next sentence. Without a doubt, this was the most interesting thing to happen in the conversation so far.

"Ike, my god, are you hearing yourself? You're getting worked up because you weren't able to bust a few crystals open! This is an incredibly petty thing to get upset about."

As Ike went on about how his incessant need to smash things was simply "the principle of the thing", Fox zoned out once more. He'd heard the whole spiel enough times to know exactly when he'd speak up.

The crew had been staying at the mansion considerably longer than expected. No one had gotten any details as of yet, but there were rumors floating about of a follow-up tournament coming a lot sooner than expected.

One can't trust rumors, of course.

Fox smiled, thinking back to when the fourth major tourney was still being conceptualized. Rumors for new fighters were a dime a dozen and nine times a day someone claimed to have stolen some choice files from Master Hand's personal cabinets. It was incredibly entertaining, albeit unbelievably stupid.

"Fox?"

Oh, crap. Fox had missed his cue.

"Uh, I…" Fox had absolutely no idea at what point in the conversation Ike had gotten to. This was an issue, to say the least. Beads of sweat formed on his furry forehead.

"H-hey man, you'll… break those rocks eventually…!"

Ike nodded, a determined look crossing his face.

"Damn right, I will! C'mon Fox, let's go get some grub!"

As Ike marched off in the general direction of food, Fox sighed in relief and wiped his brow. It was a pathetic save, but it had at least worked.

Fox stood up from his place on the couch and stretched his arms outwards. He wasn't quite sure, but the daily whine-sessions seemed to be getting shorter somehow.

A nice thought.

Fox jogged down the hallway that Ike had exited through.

"Hey Ike, wait up!"

END.