Master Hand had issued a team's tournament today. Doubles didn't get as much attention as singles does from the spectators and the Smashers themselves. While singles focused on individual strengths while teams was all about synergy. Most of the Smashers did pair up with each other to enter into the tournament. Each of the teams had a strong showing of synergy together. Well, everyone except Bayonetta and Cloud.
Cloud is considered to be the best team's partner by all of the smashers. Whenever there's a team's event happening, everyone tries to get Cloud as his partner. Most of Cloud's tournament winnings come from the team events. He was already a strong and formidable fighter on his own, but teams are where he shines the best. Fighting with his friends back at Midgar helped Cloud a lot with team synergy. He was very good at protecting his partners while keeping himself alive in the process. He's always on cue when he sees an opportunity for team combos. Cloud was an amazing team's player.
Bayonetta was the complete opposite. While the Umbra Witch has teamed up with Jeanne to kill off angels, they were both able to handle them on their own. Bayonetta was a much stronger singles fighter than she was a team player. This was a problem when her and Cloud teamed up together. Bayonetta would always focuses on one person instead of both. Whenever Cloud was in trouble, Bayonetta wouldn't be able to help him because she's only focusing on herself. Bayonetta was also always putting herself at risk, so she loses her stocks very quickly putting Cloud in two versus one situation. Cloud was very well at handling himself if he at a disadvantage. Bayonetta has a much harder time since her moves are very high risk, so she never comes back from two versus ones. The duo always place top three, but they've never won a doubles tournament together.
After every tournament, the two would always get into a heated argument with each other. Corrin was always getting into the middle of the arguments. He hated seeing his girlfriend and best friend fight with each other. All he wanted was for them to have an understanding with each other. Corrin was in the living room waiting for the two to comeback after getting third place. Cloud and Bayonetta came into the living room feeling very angry about their performance. Corrin sensed another argument incoming
"Nice job screwing things up Cloud." Bayonetta grumbled to herself. Unfortunately, Cloud heard that and barked back almost immediately.
"I screwed up?! If it wasn't for you constantly getting yourself killed, we would've had a chance to win!" Cloud yelled.
"Well you should have been helping me whenever I was in trouble."
"I shouldn't have to constantly babysit you Bayo! You know how to handle yourself!"
"Well we would've won if you didn't kill me and then get yourself killed in the process. Great teamwork there Cloud." Bayonetta said the last sentence with sarcasm.
"You got in the way! Don't act like you don't kill me all the time! Teaming with you is always such a hassle! We never win anything because you don't know anything about teamwork! It always has to be about you doesn't it Bayo!?"
"You better watch who you're talking to Cloud! What makes you think that I wouldn't break your face right now!" Bayonetta threatened.
"You say all these threat but you never put them into action! You want to break my face? I'd like to see you try!"
Cloud and Bayonetta got up in each other faces growling at each other and gritting their teeth. Corrin got in between the two and blocked them before things get out of hand.
"Please stop fighting you two! I hate seeing you fight like this! You're supposed to be best friends!" Corrin cried.
"Honestly Cloud, you are so insensitive..." Bayonetta turned away from Cloud and folded her arms.
"Fine, if you want to be a child about it, go right ahead! You are so selfish!" Cloud leaves the living room and heads upstairs.
"Cloud! Come back! Cere!" Corrin wanted Bayonetta to go after Cloud, but she had no interest in chasing after him. Her pride wouldn't allow her to suck it up and work things out.
"Tch, whatever. I'm out of here." Bayonetta headed outside of the mansion to try and blow off her steam.
"Cere please!" Corrin reached out his hand to Bayonetta, but she was already out the door. Corrin sighed in frustrations. Nothing was getting solved between the two. This conflict felt like déjà vu for him. He was in the same situation as he was when he was trying to bring his siblings together. Corrin sat down on the couch very upset.
"Why can't we all just get along?"
Cloud has calmed down a bit after his argument with Bayonetta. However he still wasn't feeling like himself. Something was plaguing his mind. He started to think back home to Midgar. Cloud figured that his friends were alright, but what about the children? It was them he was mostly worried about. The children say their prayers at the church and they feel like their prayers aren't being answered. It was hurting Cloud that the kids were losing faith. He thought that maybe he could ask Palutena for some help.
Cloud knocks on Palutena's room door and gets greeted by Pit.
"Hey Cloud! What's up?"
"Hey Pit. Is Palutena in? I would like to speak to her about something."
"Yeah she's in. Lady Palutena! Cloud wants to speak to you!"
"Let him in Pit." Palutena ordered.
Cloud goes inside the room. "Afternoon Palutena."
"Hey Cloud. Boy, you don't look to good. Had a rough day in the team's event I assume. Well you were teaming with Bayonetta, so I shouldn't be so surprised that things didn't go well. It's hilarious to watch her fail at being a good partner. If you needed a good partner Cloud, you could've asked me." Palutena smirked.
"I didn't come here to talk about that...It's about something else. So, I know there are probably some people who pray for you and want you to heed their calls."
"Hmm? Where are you going with this?" Palutena wondered.
"Well, there are these group of kids back in my world that pray and don't have their answers. I was wondering if maybe you could go to my world and-"
"Woah there Cloud! I know I'm a Goddess and all, but I don't have the time to do all of that. It's not really my job."
"Oh..." Cloud looked down disappointed at the Goddess' response.
Bayonetta comes back inside the mansion after cooling down from her argument with Cloud. The Umbra Witch never let words get the best of her, but this was different. Cloud was one of her first friends she made when she first arrived. The two did develop a close friendship despite the Umbra Witch's personality. Cloud telling her how bad of a partner she was and refusing to team with her in favor of others didn't make Bayonetta feel good at all.
"Ugh. I shouldn't be letting this get to me. I shouldn't care what anybody thinks. If that's how he wants to be then fine! Saying I'm a child…idiot."
As Bayonetta was heading for her room, she sees that Palutena's room door was open. Her curiosity was peaked. Bayonetta hugged the wall and took a peek inside the room to see Cloud speaking with Palutena.
"What's he doing speaking with that Goddess?" Bayonetta wondered.
"I'm sorry Cloud. It's not that I don't care, it's just not my job." Palutena told the ex-SOLDIER.
"But you really don't care Lady Palutena. You never heed the human's call and answer their prayers." Pit grumbled to himself.
"I don't really have a good relationship with the humans anyway. I hate being called by nuns when I'm trying to enjoy my personal time."
"Nuns are good people Lady Palutena. They call on us so we can help the people of their world. I mean, it's not like they're nuns who call us down just to kill us. That would be ridiculous." Pit joked.
Pit's remark did take offense to the Umbra Witch. While the Umbra Witch was known for slaying angels and demons, she also has a job as a nun. One thing Bayonetta couldn't deny was that she has used her nun job to lure the angels to their deaths.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Although Cloud, I do know someone else who can maybe help you with your problem."
"Hmm? You do?" Cloud asked.
"Not a lot of people know this, but Bayonetta is a nun. I had to do a bit of research to find out that interesting piece of info."
"What?! Bayo a nun?!" Cloud and Pit shouted at the same time.
"Lady Palutena, you're messing with me, right?" Pit asked in a scared tone. "That can't be true!"
Palutena just gave Pit the evil smile as a response.
"No way! I kind of find that a little hard to believe." Cloud said in a surprised tone. He tried to imagine his sexy friend as a nun and couldn't picture it. Nuns were covered up individuals after all and there was no way nuns wore skimpy clothing.
"It's crazy I know, but it is indeed true. How about you ask her to help you with your dilemma?"
"I would...but I don't think she'd agree help me. Especially after the argument we had. It'd probably a waste of time if I tried."
"You sure about that? Well you can. Here's your chance to ask her while she's spying on us." The Goddess smirked as she peaked at Bayonetta at her door.
Cloud turned around. "Bayo?!"
"Goddamn you Goddess!" Bayonetta growled. Bayonetta quickly ran away from the scene.
"Bayo! Wait!" Cloud chased after the Umbra Witch.
With Cloud gone, Palutena turned her attention to the terrified angel.
"Don't worry Pit. It's not true. You just got to make sure to keep your distance."
Pit was easily fooled. He would believe her now, but he's going to keep that information in the back of his mind. He didn't want to go to church and answer prayers now.
"I-I think I'll go…" Pit mumbled as he quickly dismissed himself. He was suddenly feeling sick now.
Bayonetta stormed out of the mansion. She was furious at Palutena. What gave her the right to tell anyone about her personal business? This was something even Corrin doesn't know about. Bayonetta wanted to teach Palutena a lesson, but was too frustrated to figure out what she could do to the meddling Goddess. Cloud caught up to Bayonetta and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hands off of me Cloud!" Bayonetta pushed Cloud away. Her back was turned to Cloud and showing no signs of turning around to talk to him.
"I just want to talk to you Bayo! I had no idea you were a nun."
"No one was supposed to know! The nerve of her to give out my personal information! Lousy Goddess!" Bayonetta bolded her fist. "Listen Cloud, I won't do my nun job while we're in the Smash Realm. That business was supposed to be kept to myself and myself alone. You should find someone else to help you."
"I'm asking you because I trust you Bayo. You're my friend. I'm depending on you to help the kids in my world."
Bayonetta folded her arms. "Hmph, I still haven't forgiven you for what you said to me."
Cloud sighed. "Look Bayo, I want to win when it comes to tournaments. We can never win when we team up. We don't have synergy with each other at all. It's why we're always losing."
"So it's about winning now huh? I guess that's why you switched me out in favor of Lucina to win that one tournament. How about all the times you've rejected me to team with Mario? I must not really matter to you if you need a teammate to help you win."
Cloud couldn't deny those things. There have been many occasions where he's deliberately avoided teaming Bayonetta to team with others. He didn't think much about how Bayonetta was feeling about it all.
"…But you never voiced your discontent…" Cloud murmured more to himself more than Bayonetta even if it was true. The Umbra Witch kept her feelings to herself and to see it come out now of all times was just bad timing. "Don't think I'm the only one at fault here Bayo. Remember, you owe me for all the times I've helped you. All those times you wanted me to talk to Kamui so you could be alone with Corrin. I did those for you because I cared. This is the only favor I ask from you Bayo. Help me for once!"
"Come now Cloud. You're probably using those things as an excuse to see me in a sexy nun outfit."
Cloud was baffled. Here he was pleading for his friend's help and she thinks of it as an excuse for a perverted intention. "You've...got to be kidding me! I don't even know what you're nun outfit looks like! You know what...fine. I guess asking you for help was too much to ask for..." Cloud sighed. He walked back to the mansion very disappointed.
Bayonetta turned to look at her friend. Deep down she didn't want to turn down Cloud like that. She really didn't want to get her personal job involved during Smash. The Umbra Witch was feeling conflicted on what she should do. Bayonetta shook her head in frustration and starts walking back into the mansion.
Hades was watching from the Underworld. The exchange between Bayonetta and Cloud interested the demon king. He smiled in amusement.
"Well, that was a very interesting sight to see. So the witch does have a weakness. She's not as strong as she makes herself out to be. Okay witch, now I know what I must do. The next time we meet, I'll leave you a broken mess!" Hades lets out an evil laugh.
Night time falls. All the smashers are in their rooms sleeping soundly except for Bayonetta. She was in her room. Her nun uniform was lying on her bed. She couldn't stop thinking about Cloud. After their argument, Cloud didn't come out of his room and did not want to speak to anybody. It was worrying Corrin and Kamui was very upset with the Umbra Witch. Bayonetta picks up her nun outfit and sighs.
"I haven't worn this in a long time. Let's see if it still fits." Bayonetta murmured to herself.
Midgar…the capital city and power base of the Shinra Electric Power Company in the world of Gaia. This is where Cloud lives along with his friends. It was a peaceful night into the city. There were two children, a boy and a girl, walking inside of a church that was a little run down and not in the best of shape. The children went up to the alter and all kneeled, clasped their hands, and bowed their heads around a flower bed. The flower bed was memorial for Aerith.
"My, you children are up late." A voice said.
The children turned around and see Bayonetta in her nun outfit holding a bible in her hand. Bayonetta approached the children.
"A nun? We usually don't have those here in Midgar." The boy said.
"What are you doing here miss?" The girl asked.
"I've come to answer your prayers little ones. You'd wish to speak to your lost loved ones right? I'm going to heed your calls. Allow me."
The children stood aside and watched Bayonetta. The Umbra Witch opens her bible and starts reciting scriptures. A white light began to emerge from the sky. The children looked up in amusement. The light began to grow bigger and a huge shockwave came out expanding all the way across Midgar. Bayonetta closed her book and the light when away.
"W-What was that?! I've never seen anything like that?!" The girl said.
"Your prayers have been answered little ones. You will now be able to speak to your lost loved ones."
"R-Really? What makes you so sure of that?" The boy asked.
"You have to have faith child. You shouldn't give up on hope. No one ever should. What you pray for may take a little longer than expected, but God does listen to your prayers. Now run along little ones. It is past your bed time at this point."
The children hugged Bayonetta. "Thank you Sister. You're a really nice person." The girl said.
"Thank you for giving us hope again." The boy said in a pleasant tone.
Bayonetta blushed. She was touched by the children thanking her. "It was no problem at all."
The children walked out of the church. Bayonetta was preparing to leave, but another person was coming into the church. It was Tifa. After observing Tifa, Bayonetta got the idea that she must be one of Cloud's friends. The one thing that The Umbra Witch noticed was the chest size of the girl. Tifa's breast was significantly larger hers and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of that. Bayonetta shook her head of the thought of being jealous of someone's body size when other women were the ones that were usually jealous of her.
"Hi there. You know, we don't see a lot of nuns here in Midgar. My name is Tifa. I saw what you did. Thank you for helping the children. You really did help them regain their faith again." Tifa smiled.
"It was no problem at all. I was just doing my job. I must go now." Bayonetta turned away from Tifa.
"Wait! Do you mind if I ask who you are?"
"Cereza. I'm just a friend of Cloud."
"You know Cloud?! How is he doing? I know he's out there doing that Smash tournament thing. Is he doing well? Is he kicking butt like I wanted him to?"
"Oh yes. Cloud is doing just fine. He's won a lot of tournaments during his time there. He's one of the best fighters there."
"Well that's good to hear. You know, I really do miss Cloud. He's my childhood best friend...and my first love."
Bayonetta raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"
"Yes. Cloud is a little rough I will admit. He just doesn't understand a woman's feelings. He does come off as an insensitive jerk a lot of the times."
"Tell me about it." Bayonetta said to herself.
"But Cloud really does care for everyone. He risked his life for us all. Everyone loves Cloud. He's our family. I'm glad that everything is going well for him over there."
"Yeah…Cloud is a really good friend."
"I'm sorry for keeping you Sister. You can go now. You think you can tell Cloud that I said hi? Make sure he's not slacking off, or I'll have to go there and get him myself."
Bayonetta chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell him. Goodbye Tifa."
"Thank you for coming Cereza! I really appreciate your heart!" Tifa yelled as Bayonetta left the church.
Back in the Smash Realm, Cloud was starting to wake up from his slumber. He didn't find himself on his bed, but on top clouds. Cloud just looked around wondering where he was. Was he dreaming?
"So you're finally awake sleepy head." A voice said in a teasing tone.
Cloud recognized that voice. He turned around and was shocked to see what was in front of him. He wondered if his mind were playing tricks on him. He got up from the ground. Cloud was standing face to face with his best friend Zack.
"Z-Zack...Zack is that you?!" Cloud asked in shock.
"Who else would it be? Look at you, you've grown up a lot the last time I saw you. You turned out to be just as handsome as me." Zack smiled.
"Zack...It's been so long...I..." Cloud hugged Zack. He was on the verge of crying.
"Easy there Cloud. I'm happy to see you too buddy. I made the right choice passing my legacy on to you. I've been watching down there kicking butt in those tournaments. I couldn't be any more proud of you. You even made yourself some really good friends and a girlfriend. They all really care for you Cloud."
"Y-Yeah. I care for them too. I swore I'd protect them at all. They mean a lot to me Zack. They're my family."
Zack smiled and put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'm proud of you Cloud. You're doing great on your own and I'm happy to see that. Hey, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Hmm?"
"Don't die on me, okay?"
"I promise." Cloud gave Zack a smile. Zack ruffled Cloud's hair.
Cloud woke up. He found himself in his bed again. He realized it was all a dream. He got up from his bed and went out to the hallway. He looked downstairs and sees Bayonetta coming to the mansion dressed as nun.
Cloud realizes what Bayonetta had done and a smile appeared on his face. "Bayo...Thank you."