It's not uncommon even in today's world that if there's something new or fancy you don't have but someone else does, the "Green-Eyed Monster" makes you want it too by any means necessary. Take, for example, a fancy item 9-Volt has but Ana does not. In that case, let's flashback to the time WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$! sold to the masses on Game Boy Advance to Wario's delight (even though he tried to make off with the profits before they fell into his friends' hands)...the one day in which 9-Volt was showing off his hi-tech skateboard to Kat and Ana, much to the latter's jealousy. Anyway, this short fic will be part of my "Diamond City Chronicles" series timeline, since I have a few WarioWare fan characters I'd like to use, such as Phoebe, 9-Volt's best friend from another earthly world though human like him.

DISCLAIMER: WarioWare Inc. is a property of Nintendo; Bomberman belongs to Hudson Soft even though it's in Konami's hands as of March 2012.

The Green-Eyed Monster

[Overworld BGM: Hoohoo Village (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)]

June 16, 200X...

One day at WarioWare Inc., 9-Volt was showing off his hi-tech skateboard to the other members, much to Wario, Jimmy Thang, and Mona's amazement. Even Kat liked its sleek appearance, but Ana thought otherwise. Ever since Wario formed his namesake company to impress Nintendo with WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, Ana had tried her hardest to hide her jealousy over the fact that Dr. Crygor made that skateboard for 9-Volt and not her - though it was his birthday present at the time. Still, she had an urge to have a skateboard just like his, because as she claims, four big green talking turtles ride skateboards sometimes.

Meanwhile, someone came knocking at the door. Wario groaned in annoyance, thinking the person had come to call him out on how he intended to make off with the money from the first WarioWare game's sales. Upon answering, it was two Caucasian guys he knew well from college as his "fraternity brothers" - Billy and Sid. For as long as he could remember, they used to compete with him in two of Midway's greatest arcade classics: NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. Though he didn't want to admit it in public, they actually kick butt at those games. While both of them had blue jeans on, Billy's shirt was green, whereas Sid's was colored purple.

"Hey hey, big W!" greeted Billy. "Long time no see!"

"Right back at ya," said Wario. "You're just in time to see how awesome my...erm...our first video game turned out!"

"I know, right?" agreed Sid. "We came back in town as soon as we heard all about it. Say, how's that Mona chick doing?"

Wario blushed. "Ehh, she's doing fine. Currently on break from her part-time job at the Gelateria, if I say so myself."

"I thought so," said Billy. "Anyway, the reason we stopped by is because our car's busted. Engine's run-down, and I figured it's time we got a new car. Wanna give us a ride in your Wario Car?"

"Well...I normally don't give anyone rides, but for you guys, I'll make an exception for about...say, 200 coins each?" He chuckled briefly at his joke. "Nah, I'm just foolin'."

Sid giggled with his "fraternity brother." "Same ol' Wario; you haven't changed a bit."

As Wario left with his two buddies, some of the staff members wondered why he never mentioned Billy and Sid in the first place, though one might understand it's because he was too busy bringing their video game company into fruition. In the meantime, 9-Volt had finished showing off his skateboard in the backyard to Kat, Ana, Cheerful White (aka. Shirobon, White Bomber), and Cute Pink (aka. Pretty Bomber), the latter two visiting from planet Bomber. When the Bomber-kids heard about WarioWare Inc. from an interdimensional news report, they went to Professor Ein's lab to request for an interdimensional portal, thus taking them to Diamond City, California, on planet Earth. Upon meeting the staff (albeit one by one at the time) to try out their microgames for the first time, Wario initially dreaded seeing White again, remembering the one time he "stumbled" upon a portal that took him to White's homeworld in an attempt to bag its riches before he was chased off. Since then, he refused to tell anyone, not even Mario, about his humiliating defeat to a kid like White. Throughout their tour, the young Bombermen eventually met up with 9-Volt and became fast friends after trying out his Nintendo-themed microgames.

In the end, WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgame$! became a big hit on Game Boy Advance, in spite of White and Pink's disappointment towards Wario's first attempt at taking off without paying his friends. Of course, the profits fell into their hands anyway when he accidentally crashed into Dr. Crygor (who was magically floating in midair then), sending both of them falling into the ocean to use Wario's ruined rocket ship as a makeshift raft. Despite all that, White and Pink remained best pals with 9-Volt.

"It sure was great showing us your skateboard and some neat tricks you did," commented White.

"Yup, I agree!" beamed Pink. "Where'd you learn all this?"

"Let's just say Mona taught me how to ride a skateboard," answered 9-Volt, "ever since I got it along with my cool helmet on my last birthday."

Then Kat asked Ana, "Whaddya think, Ana? Hello? Earth to Ana!" She bonked her sister's head lightly to get her attention.

"Ow, watch it! Yeah, yeah, I heard you. It's...it's great, I guess. It's just that I wish I had one like he does..."

Kat sighed at her twin sister's remark. "Oh, boy...here we go again." It wasn't the first time that happened. In fact, the last time Ana expressed her jealousy was when 9-Volt showed them his skateboard right after Wario invited everyone he knew to come work with him on their first WarioWare game. "Sis, not everyone gets the same thing immediately just because one kid did. Besides, you know we're both too young to ride a skateboard."

Ana pouted in response. "Hmph! You're just saying it because you guys think I'm scared to ride on it!"

"No, no, it's not that," interrupted 9-Volt. "We don't want you to get hurt, and besides, you don't even have safety gear, much less a helmet."

"Ninjas can ride skateboards too, you know. Just ask four of those big green talking turtles." Then Ana walked away with a huff.

"Gee, what's wrong with her?" wondered Pink.

"I think I know that feeling," added White. "She's got the Green-Eyed Monster within her..."

[End BGM]

[Suspense BGM: Kammy Koopa's Theme (Paper Mario)]

Later that night, Kat and Ana were asleep at the Diamond Dojo, the latter tossing and turning in her sleep. She just had to have a fancy-looking skateboard like 9-Volt's sometime this week, or better yet, tomorrow. If only she were to prove she's big enough to skate around despite her size...

"...Not fair..." moaned Ana. "...gotta have that skateboard like 9-Volt...I have to have it right now...to show that even ninjas can ride them...just like on TV..."

She began to dream about wanting to ride her close friend's skateboard. It was the following morning when all of a sudden, a green-skinned creature with yellowish-green eyes appeared before her, perfectly resembling her in full detail: reddish-orange hair with two ponytails sticking out on top, the katana blade on her back, and even her outfit. When Ana opened her eyes, she shrieked in fear. She tried waking Kat up, only to see that it was a plush toy next to her.

"Hiya," said the green doppelganger. "Did I scare you?"

"G-get away from me!" cried Ana.

"Too bad, because you're stuck with me. Wanna know why?"

"Wait...I think I know who you are. You're me...but you're the..." Ana gulped briefly. "The Green-Eyed Monster!"

"Good guess. I'm merely the manifestation of your wants...not to mention your jealousy."

"But, but I'm not jealous! I just wanted-"

"9-Volt's super cool-looking skateboard?" interrupted the doppelganger. "You're right, it's unfair that he has one and you don't. C'mon, I'll show you where to find it."

Ana felt reluctant momentarily, torn between wanting to ride 9-Volt's skateboard and backing out of it. "Um...I don't know if I should. I mean, my sensei taught me that stealing is wrong..."

"Nobody said anything about stealing it. You deserve to have the same one he does, don't you?" Then the "Green-Eyed Monster" teleported both herself and Ana to 9-Volt's house at the backyard, and magically brought the hi-tech skateboard closer to them. Afterwards, she made a helmet appear on Ana's head. "All you have to do is prove you're big enough to ride it."

Just as the 5-year-old kindergartner stepped onto the skateboard, her dream ended abruptly as she woke up nearly out of her bed the following morning. Without waking up her twin sister, she figured if she couldn't have the one that actually hovers a bit above ground and could go really fast like a jet, she'd go for the one that belonged to 9-Volt firsthand before she's ready to ask Dr. Crygor to make a new skateboard exactly like his.

[End BGM]

Upon meeting with Cheerful White and Cute Pink at 9-Volt's house, Kat requested that they could play Mario Kart: Double Dash!, F-Zero GX, Mario Party 6, and even Bomberman Generation on the Nintendo GameCube. Ana, on the other hand, became even more tempted to hop on 9-Volt's skateboard and ride around the street, not caring one bit about playing video games with her friends at the moment. In spite of her jealousy, she immediately put on her helmet because as her sensei always said: safety first.

"Which of these games should we play first?" asked White.

"Ooh, I know!" beamed Kat. "Mario Party 6!"

"How about Bomberman Generation?" suggested Pink.

9-Volt shook his head no. "Not yet. I'm still practicing up on the Battle mode for another time, but I think what we'll play first is Mario Kart: Double Dash!. Hey Ana, you wanna come join us? Ana?"

"That's odd..." said White. "She was right next to us a minute ago."

"You don't think she'd...uh-oh..."

"What is it, 9-Volt?" asked Pink.

"I have a bad feeling she's probably outside-" He was interrupted by Ana's screaming from outside his house. "Oh no! Guys, you better alert my mom real quick! I'm gonna find Ana before she gets hurt!"

[Alert BGM: Face-Off (Mario Party 7)]

While the other youngsters went to tell 9-Volt's mom, 5-Volt, about the situation at hand, he ran outside to spot something horrifying to him: Ana was actually riding on his skateboard, struggling to support her balance as it flew really fast beyond her control. "Oh my gosh! She'll get killed! Ana, I'm coming to help you, just hold on!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" screamed Ana. "I CAN'T STOP IT! 9-VOLT, HELP ME!"

9-Volt ran as fast as he could, trying to hop onto his skateboard before anything else could go wrong. Sooner or later, 5-Volt stepped outside with White, Pink, and Kat to help him. Realizing they would never catch up with Ana now, they all rode in 5-Volt's car, making sure Ana got onto the sidewalk so 9-Volt can help her. As soon as they were close, he called out to her. "Ana, we're here to help! Do you see a big red button on the back of my skateboard? Just step on it, and it'll stop!"

"I...I'll try!" The ninja kindergartner did as 9-Volt instructed her, despite being scared. She quickly pushed the switch down with her left foot, eventually turning off the skateboard's small jets. As 5-Volt slowed down her car and put it on park, Ana stopped to catch her breath.

[End BGM]

"Whew...that was too close...thanks, 9-Volt."

[Comfort BGM: Helpers' Rest (Kirby Super Star Ultra)]

"Oh, you had us so worried!" 9-Volt breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought we'd lost you!"

"Just what were you thinking, sis?!" berated Kat, hugging her twin sister afterwards. "You could've died, much less crashed his skateboard!"

"Ana, I didn't want you to get hurt since you're smaller than me. Skateboards aren't easy to ride; I've been there."

The younger twin tried to explain, fighting her tears. "I had a dream last night, where the Green-Eyed Monster told me I was big enough to ride your skateboard, so I tried, but I couldn't stop it when it went too fast! All because I wanted to show that even ninjas can ride them like on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the late 80s, and also...I couldn't stand you having such an awesome skateboard and not me. I'm sorry, 9-Volt..." She hugged him tightly, having admitted her guilt.

"It's okay, Ana," said 9-Volt, wiping his tears away. "Maybe it'll be easier for us if you ride my skateboard with me. You just need to hold onto me and I'll take us wherever we want to go. But for now, we should play some video games now that you're okay."

Just then, Mona stopped by his house on her scooter. "I got here as soon as your mom called me, 9-Volt. What happened?"

"Ana's gonna be alright. I've just saved her by talking her into slowing down my skateboard to a complete stop. Thank goodness it wasn't too late..."

Mona gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad everything's okay. You did good, sweetie." She knelt down to his level and hugged him, kissing his cheek as thanks for his good deed done today while she was on her way to the house.

"Now that things are back to normal, I'm thinking we can start off our day with Mario Party 6." 9-Volt glanced over to Ana and continued, "What do you think?"

She smiled warmly in response. "That would be nice..."

The group stepped back inside the house, relieved that Ana learned her lesson about jealousy over someone having whatever accessory she doesn't already have, let alone a skateboard like 9-Volt's. Now if only Wario could keep his own jealousy in check - and not just towards Mario - if by any chance he does get Billy and Sid a new car supposedly cooler than his own...

[End BGM]

[Ending BGM: Onett (EarthBound)]

The following night after, Kat and Ana discussed the lesson the latter had learned with their sensei. He told them that while it's important to focus on their training, it's also imperative to keep their jealousies in check as well, even quoting on the old saying: "Jealousy is a vile beast." That's when Ana made a promise to never again be jealous because 9-Volt has something she doesn't already have, for as long as she lived.

As for 9-Volt, he nestled himself comfortably in his bed at home, still relieved his close friend learned her lesson. An hour later, he dreamed he was in a fantasy kingdom almost similar to Diamond City, except it went by the name: "Video Game Dream." It was a peaceful land where the games, regardless of whichever company developed it (not just Nintendo), are brought before its benevolent king to judge on whether it was good or not, based mostly on gameplay, in addition to graphics, audio, and even replayability. The most important aspect, though, was being able to play the game if the developers programmed it correctly. If the game was good, then its copies were magically distributed publicly for people to play on their downtime; if it was bad, however (as in poorly programmed most of the time, for example), then it was banished instead to an underworld-like region known only as "Video Game Nightmare."

Within the kingdom 9-Volt would often visit in his dreams ever since he was 5 years old, lived a fair young girl about a year older than him, and a couple inches taller. The auburn-haired girl, like him, loved video games - mostly the ones made by Nintendo. However, she differed from him in which she's a big fan of Bomberman and is good at it, while he was merely a beginner. On top of that, she was also great at bowling and as far as he admitted, she's better than him but is always happy to give him some helpful lessons. He wanted to be better like her ever since Mona taught him how to bowl (at least, back when she was still his babysitter). Also, she would happily encourage people like him, as well as both her friends and his own, to stay healthy like she's doing. She lived in a house next door to the king's castle, bearing a Nintendo-themed appearance inside along with its four-lane bowling alley in the basement. Whenever he had a nightmare, she would comfort him to the best of her abilities, such as the fact that his dad died over 4 years ago during the Alien Wars. Since the first day he met her in his dreams, he always looked up to her as his best friend and guardian angel.

Tonight, 9-Volt discussed with the girl, known as Phoebe, about what he had recently experienced in the real world as soon as they started playing Bomberman Generation on her Nintendo GameCube. "You'll never believe what I'd been through today in real life. My friend, Ana, wanted a skateboard like mine, so she tried riding on it first but then I had to save her. I know she's nice, but the reason she acted strange was because she was jealous of me having a fancy skateboard...and I felt bad, so I thought it'd be better if we both rode my skateboard together next time."

"That's a relief," said Phoebe. "The king of Video Game Dream would always tell us not to be jealous just because some guy's got something better and we don't, or that one person is more skillful than the other at video games, bowling, tennis, you name it."

In the end after the two CPU players were blasted away during the standard Battle mode, Phoebe timed her in-game character's bomb kick and defeated 9-Volt. "Aw, man!" he groaned. "Now I know what you mean. I never could get much better at Bomberman anyway, especially in multiplayer. Oh yeah, and also Super Smash Bros. Melee, but I know it's a different story..."

"Hey, don't worry about it, 9-Volt. It's good to practice with your friends, but having fun is what's more important, even if you're losing. You came a little close though, so smile and be happy."

"I know, Phoebe. Thanks again for inviting me over, I really needed someone to talk to at night after I helped Ana."

"You're welcome, sweetie." The girl paused to think of what she and 9-Volt could do next. "Now how about we go practice our bowling? There's an advanced technique I want to show you, called the hook ball. It's pretty complicated and I'm still learning, but I thought it'd be better if we try it out together."

"Yeah, it does sound tough. I only saw Mona try it once, but that was it."

"I see. Well, if we can't master it, let alone get the hang of it, that's okay. We can just stick with what we know, at least until we're older."

9-Volt nodded in agreement, accompanying Phoebe as they went to practice their bowling skills before going to tour around Video Game Dream. Though he needed to wake up the following morning in the real world, he didn't mind hanging around for as long as wanted.

THE END

(Ending Credits)
9-Volt - TARA STRONG
Kat - GREY DELISLE
Ana - TARA STRONG
Cheerful White - TARA STRONG
Cute Pink - JANICE KAWAYE
Phoebe - HYNDEN WALCH
Wario - CHARLES MARTINET
Mona - LESLIE SWAN
Billy - SAM RIEGEL
Sid - FRANK FRANKSON

[End BGM]
[End Credits]

And there you have it, folks! Hope you enjoyed this short fic, for I have based it on one of the Berenstain Bears books I once read when I was a kid, though I did take a slightly different approach there. Even so, like I said, it's not uncommon in today's world that people are bound to get jealous sometimes, especially if someone out there is better than the other at certain video games. Heck, I'll admit I am simply an average joe at fighting games, much less Street Fighter or Soul Calibur, but the least I can do is make the best of it, like it or not, even if I lose to the computer or a human opponent.