Author note : Hi! Oh boy, it had been a while since I last posted something on here. I started this today, as a way to relieve stress while waiting for my exam results (which I got earlier than expected and were REALLY good. Hurray!). I'm not used to writing humor, but hey! Might as well try something new, right?
Hope you'll enjoy the adventures of the best babysitting duo ever and their little troublemaking friends!

As usual, on the first night of the Smash tournament, a party was to be held. And as usual, its access was forbidden to minors, including seventeen years old Mackenzie "Little Mac" Innocenti. Not that he really minded; Mac didn't enjoy parties that much, unless they consisted in a gathering of a dozen people maximum. Still, it would have been a good occasion to get to meet his fellow Smashers…
Ah, well, he'd spend a couple more hours in the gym and ask Ryu or Shulk to keep him some cake. Those two were the only persons he really had had time to talk to, and they were newcomers, just like him; the three of them had quickly bonded during their train ride to the Smash mansion.

As he made his way to his dorm room to pick up his training gear, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, Mac faced a beautiful woman, clad in a blue dress, a small star-shaped creature floating around her.

"I was looking for you, Mac. I'm sorry you can't attend the party."
"It's okay."
"Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Mac frowned. Was the lady going to ask him out or something? He didn't even know her name.

"Er, not really. I was thinking of training a bit. Why?"
"Because I'm looking for someone to keep an eye on the children."

Mac's jaw almost dropped. He loved kids, and more often than not enjoyed meeting with his younger fans more than the older ones. But babysitting them? He had babysat before, sure. Even Aran Ryan's demon spawn of a niece. But how many kids were there in the mansion?! He had seen a bunch...

"I'm not forcing you to anything, of course." quickly added the woman in blue. "I'll do it myself if you refuse."
"No, I can do it if you wanna, it's just that, uh…"

The boxer nervously scratched the back of his head.

"… how many kiddos are we talking about, exactly?"
"Hm, the Koopalings have their own babysitter, so that would leave you with Lucas, Ness, Kirby, Megaman, the Villager and Toon Link."

Six children, then. Maybe he could manage that. He'd just have to find a few board games, some crayons and make them sit in the gym; he could keep an eye on them while training.

"Alright, then. I'll do it."
"Thank you so much, Mac!" beamed the blond woman. "How about you meet up in their room around six?"
"Fine by me."
"You're such a nice person. Thanks again."

And she waved him goodbye, before walking towards the kitchen.

"Hey there, Lil' Mac! It seems we're roommates." smiled Shulk as he tossed a heavy bag on the bed on the left side of the room.

Dragging his eyes from his magazine to his friend, Mac returned the smile, as he had hoped he would get to share his room with the teen. While Mac had rushed to his room as soon as he could, only quickly spotting key places, Shulk had taken his time to tour the manor and talk to as many people as he could.

"So, are you excited to for tonight's big party?" asked Shulk as he put his clothes in the nearby wardrobe. "I heard Ike and Captain Falcon talk about it. Apparently, it's a really big thing."
"No, I've got other plans. I'm gonna be babysitting." answered Mac, flipping through his magazine.
" Babysitting?!"
"Yeah, no minors are allowed and, well, I'm seventeen."

Shulk stared at the boxer with wide eyes.

"You're seventeen? You're younger than me?!"
"Apparently." Mac nodded.
"Well… I was looking forwards to partying with you." sighed Shulk as he sat on the edge of Mac's bed. "It's not going to be the same if you don't come."

The Bronxite felt a small blush creep across his face at the hidden compliment. Even though he had known Shulk for only a few hours, the other teen was already considering him as a friend.

"I've got a bunch of kids to look after, don't worry, I won't get bored."
"I'm sure of that. Some of them look really… uh… weird."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that from what I've understood, some of them have psychic powers."
"Like you?"
"No, not really. I'm not sure if they have future sight, but apparently they can summon fire."

Mac audibly gulped. The woman – Rose? Lisa? he had heard someone call her name but couldn't quite remember it - had forgotten to mention that.

"F-Fire? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, at least that's what Marth told me. But maybe he was messing around?"
"I hope. I don't really want to spend an evening alone with six kids capable of setting me on fire."
"You won't be alone, Mac!" Shulk chuckled as he gave his friends a thumbs up. "I'm going to look after them with you!"

Mac tossed his magazine aside, and stared at his friend, his eyes almost sparkling.

"Are you serious?! You're going to miss on a big party with many interesting people to help me babysit pyromaniacs?!"
"Mmh. You might need help, right?"
"Yeah… but… I don't wanna…"
"Mac, I'm doing it out of my own will. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll have plenty of other occasions to have fun here!"
"Thanks a lot, buddy." solemnly said the boxer, awkwardly patting Shulk's back. "I owe you one."

"You're ready?"
"As I'll ever be."

Shulk flashed his new friend a warm smile. After Shulk was done organizing his stuff, they had slipped into more casual clothes, and then talked about their respective home worlds until 5:30. Before meeting up with the kids, the pair had found Mario to ask him where they could find games to entertain the youngsters; but apparently, the children's room was filled with more toys than needed to keep them busy.

Shulk took a deep breath, before knocking on the door in front of him. Some drawings were taped to it, all signed "Nana" or "Lucas".

No answer came.

Shulk and Mac exchanged a worried glance, and as the boxer opened the door, Shulk firmly grabbed his arm and yelled "DUCK!". Confused, Mac complied, and narrowly avoided a ball of thunder- wait, THUNDER?!

"PK FIRE!"
"LUCAS, STOP! PLEASE LISTEN-"
"PK FREEZE!"

The scene taking place in front of the duo's unbelieving eyes was one of utter chaos. A blond kid- Lucas, Mac guessed -was chasing another one who was trying to dodge the balls of fire, ice or thunder Lucas threw at him. A third child was trying – and failing- to restrain Lucas, while another was hidden behind a shelf, spying on the scene. Finally, a kid with wide eyes and an unsettling smile was sitting on the bed and watching the fight unfold, while a pink thing was eating some of the ice chunks.

"I think we're in for a very, very long night, Mac."