Here's something I came up with on my head, which I intend to post here to make up for my lack of activity as of late. Let's just say it's related to the final three DLC characters confirmed for SSB4, but this short fic will show how my two favorite Bomberman characters feel about being left out. Also, I will be including Shantae because I thought she too deserved some attention. Poor Half-Genie Hero didn't make the cut either...

DISCLAIMER: Super Smash Bros., WarioWare Inc., The Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem and Kid Icarus are properties of Nintendo; Bomberman will always be remembered as one of Hudson Soft's finest franchises despite Konami's complete takeover as of March 2012; Contra is owned by Konami whereas Square-Enix owns Final Fantasy; Bayonetta belongs to PlatinumGames; Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is owned by Renegade Animation; and Shantae is a property of WayForward Technologies (mostly Matt Bozon himself).

-A day at the Milk Bar-

[Overworld BGM: Milk Bar (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask)]

"So it's all come down to this...First they buy out the company whose key employees gave birth to our franchise, now they toss us aside in favor of Pachinko slots..."

"I know, White...Every year these days since March 2012, it's Pro Evolution Soccer this and Pro Evolution Soccer that!"

Two young Bombermen, Cheerful White and Cute Pink, exchanged their saddened glances with each other as they ordered non-alcoholic drinks at Smash Milk 'R Wii, a well-known locale in Smash World for serving Termina's finest (albeit alcoholic) milk product from Romani Ranch, Chateau Romani. While in Clock Town customers had to wear Romani's Mask, which bore the shape of a cow's face, as proof of membership in order gain entry to the members-only Latte Milk Bar and purchase milk products, Smash World's milk establishment need not require said proof just to enter. However, because Chateau Romani was known to make people tipsy, the mask is still required at all times for whoever wears it is technically an adult. Only adult customers could acquire that mask, but "adults" isn't really the right term. It is not based on age, but on a person's way of thinking and acting.

"Well, at least we're still allowed to order some Lon Lon Milk," White said with a painful sigh, looking over at their friends who were cheering up what appeared to be a half-genie with pointy ears and purple hair. "Poor Shantae sure didn't take that loss well..."

"Just like you...erm...we Bomber-kids didn't make the cut."

Suddenly, they were approached by none other than two muscular men in casual wear: Bill Rizer in a light blue shirt and navy blue jeans, and Lance Bean in a red shirt and black pants. "White, Pink, what're you two doing here all alone?" asked Bill. "I thought you were with Cool Black, Acrobat Aqua, Aaron, Ami and Yumi to help Sky and Bolo cheer Shantae up."

"We were, but suddenly had other things in mind...9-Volt, 18-Volt and Phoebe are with both Mona and 9-Volt's mom to buy something nice for Shantae. Well, thing is...I wanted to be in Smash 4 and Pink encouraged our friends and fans to show support."

"It worked well, I'm sure of it, but then without warning, we were both denied in favor of Cloud, Corrin and Bayonetta. Shantae too, though..."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, fellas," said Lance with a reassuring pat. "I mean, look at me and my longtime buddy Bill. We weren't added to Smash 4, but at least we still get to compete as Mii Fighters."

"It won't make a difference, guys," sighed White. "Besides, Mii Fighters of any class, be they Bombermen in disguise or whatever, can't use cartoon bombs big as a bowling ball. Why's Konami being so mean to us?!"

"Dude, screw Konami. If that's the way they wanna treat us and their other franchises, then we might as well migrate over to Nintendo whether they like it or not. We'll work something out. I can feel it in my soul."

Bill, on the other hand, had his mind set on ordering himself a glass of Chateau Romani after reading a short ad on the table: Drink Chateau Romani today in Smash World, produced by the best of Romani Ranch's specially-bred cows from Termina! Swirl it around with your tongue to enjoy its flavor to the fullest! FOR ADULTS ONLY. THOSE WITHOUT ROMANI'S MASK WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ORDER CHATEAU ROMANI - NO EXCEPTIONS. "Uh, Lance, is it really possible that people can get tipsy from drinking milk? And do we really have to wear that stupid mask just to buy one of those, even when both of us are already over 18?"

"C'mon, buddy, we're trying to set an example here. If what Link and Zelda told us is true, then of course we have to put on the mask unless we're getting ordinary milk." Lance turned over to the man in charge of serving milk to his customers. "Just a glass of Lon Lon Milk for each of us, bartender."

"Okey-dokey," answered the bartender, whose appearance was not unlike Talon's. "Coming right up."

[End BGM]

"Ohhh, I wish Aunt Phosphora was here now, if not for Uncle Pit and Dark Pit's team battle against Marth and Roy!"

9-Volt's best friend and "Player 3", Princess Phoebe of Video Game Dream - clad in her green Hudson Soft T-shirt and red knee-length skirt - calmed him down by rubbing his shoulders soothingly. "Relax. We just need to figure out what kind of gift a half-genie hero like Shantae could ever love."

"Yeah, it was your idea as part of our plan to give Sky and Bolo a hand," added 18-Volt, 9-Volt's large best friend and "Player 2." "All we gotta do is be creative! Think of a gift that would bring happiness."

Mona took a closer look at the merchandise available inside the gift shop, eyeing some Chinese souvenirs. "Where Young Cricket and his Master Mantis come from, there are two metal balls small enough to hold in one hand and fit inside a chest box. These are baoding balls, or Chinese meditation balls, used to improve finger dexterity, relax the hand, or aid in the recovery of muscle strength and motor skills after surgery. Simply put, baoding balls work similarly to Western stress balls."

"Hmm. I remember Young Cricket gave you some of those as a token of good friendship right after WarioWare: Smooth Moves became a smash hit in our company," said 9-Volt. "Maybe Shantae could use some stress relief now and then."

"9-Volt's right," agreed his mother, "even heroes need to relax from time to time. Speaking of which, why don't we get something nice for Cheerful White and Cute Pink too?"

5-Volt's son and the others couldn't agree with her more, but could the Chinese meditation balls make one wondrous gift for Sequin Land's Half-Genie Hero herself? Only their thoughts know the right answer for certain.

TO BE CONTINUED...