A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter! And I just want to say... THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE LOVE! Just reading the reviews was enough to motivate me, so thank you so much for the feedback! And second, I think I came up with a schedule when it comes to posting chapters on this story. And that is... I'll just post whenever I have a finished chapter. I know that's not really a schedule lol, but it's flexible, and it provides me time to write the story as creatively as I can without the pressure of a deadline. And third, this is about the actual story. So, I have this episode arc (it's called Everyone's Here!). It's going to be about 4 or 5 episodes. Depends on how long I make each episode. So, if yall want to see the wacky, slice of life episodes, just hang in there! Okay, that's all! Bye now, and enjoy!

Episode Two: Game Plan (Everyone is Here! Part 2)

Description: With the originals back together, they take action in planning how to recruit newcomers. But, some potential newcomers turn out to be not so likeable, and may have conflicting pasts with certain members of the Big Eight.

Smash Manor loomed over the front yard, a dark shadow covering half of the lawn. Mario looked up at it with gleaming eyes.

"Smash Manor…. The place where all of the Smashers will be living! Ooh, I can't WAIT!"

Suddenly, he heard a grunt, and turned around. Luigi and Yoshi were busy hauling the many suitcases that they packed.

"Hey bro… I know that you're monologuing… but a little help, please?" Luigi asked in a strained voice.

Sighing, Mario came over and picked up a green suitcase. "You know… you didn't need to bring all of this. The luggage would be taken care of later."

"Oh, this isn't luggage. These are gifts!" Luigi said with a smile, "For all of the fighters!"

"And be lucky that I was there to stop him from going overboard." Yoshi added as he rolled his eyes, "He tried to sneak a flat screen TV into the trunk."

Mario shook his head with a smile. Suddenly, a voice shouted, "YOOO! MARIOOOOO!"

They turned around to see Donkey Kong jump from the roof of Smash Manor, and onto the lawn. He got up and grinned.

"You guys took forever! I thought that I was going to be the only one that was gonna participate and win this whole thing!"

"Hah! Not if I can help it!" Yoshi replied.

Mario looked at Donkey Kong with a grin. "I agree with Yoshi. It's going to take a lot more to get rid of me!"

Just then, another voice joined the conversation. "Same for me!"

Everyone turned to see Link walk towards them, waving as his long blonde hair swished behind him.

"Oh yeah! Link!" Luigi said with a grin.

After Link joined them, something sparkled in the sky. It was a Warp Star, coming in hot, with Kirby on it.

"Hey! That's Kirby!" Yoshi exclaimed.

But, as Mario looked closer, he saw that the Warp Star was swerving around haphazardly, not showing any signs of slowing down.

"Um, we should step back a little." Mario said, stepping back.

The others frowned in confusion but obeyed. "Okay, but why should we?" Link asked.

Just then, the Warp Star crashed in the exact same spot that they were standing in moments before. Kirby then went flying, and crashed into Luigi, making the two of them fall to the ground.

"... Touche." Link said.

"Ow… it's already been 5 minutes, and I'm getting beaten already." Luigi deadpanned.

Kirby sat up in Luigi's lap. "Poyo yo…" he said in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Luigi replied casually.

Suddenly, a huge spaceship came flying towards Smash Manor, and landed on the ground in front of the 5. It was the Blue Falcon, carrying Captain Falcon, Ness, Samus (who was now in her Zero Suit), and Fox.

"HEYYYY!" Fox shouted in greeting.

"HEYYYY!" the other 5 replied.

The four of them hopped out. Samus breathed in the air gratefully.

"Finally! I'm out of that stuffy ship!" she sighed.

"Hey! My Blue Falcon smells fine!" Captain Falcon protested.

"Um… no offense, but it smells like dirty socks and old pizza." Fox said.

"I know right? Like, it really makes you think if the smell was toxic or something." Samus said, scrunching her nose as she thought about it.

Before Captain Falcon could retort, they all heard, "Pika pika!"

They turned to see the last two arrivals, Pikachu and Jigglypuff, scampering towards them.

Samus gasped with glowing eyes. "MY PIKA-BABY!"

In response, Pikachu excitedly jumped into Samus's arms, hugging her in the process. The others watched, amused.

"I keep on forgetting that Samus and Pikachu are best friends." Ness remarked.

Jigglypuff, meanwhile, spotted Kirby and immediately widened her eyes, starting to swoon. Kirby was one of the first people she got to know, and also the first crush that Jigglypuff developed, and still has. However, Kirby is completely clueless about this, taking Jigglypuff's affectionate behavior as some sort of friendliness.

Jigglypuff raced over to Kirby, batting her eyes. "Ah, mi amor. We meet again. I ~missed youu~!"

Kirby, completely oblivious, just replied with, "Hii!"

"Wait… that's everyone!" Luigi exclaimed.

Ness counted on his fingers. "That's right!"

"Well, this is it! We twelve are finally back!" Mario declared.

Everyone cheered. Then, a new voice spoke.

"Indeed you are." the voice said.

Slowly, the Original 12 looked over, recognizing the voice. And when they saw the speaker, they knew who he was immediately.

"MASTER HAND!" they exclaimed.

Master Hand nodded. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

The twelve of them ran up to him, excited, and hugged him.

"We missed you, big guy!" Mario said happily.

Just then, Crazy Hand comes up behind them. "Oh, so THAT'S how it is? Master Hand is the only one who you missed? What am I, chopped liver?!"

Samus looked over with a smug look. "And as for you, we did not miss you."

"HUH?! YOU GUYS ARE MEAN!" Crazy Hand exclaimed, his voice cracking.

Everyone laughed.

"We're joking. We missed you too. Kind of." Ness said.

Crazy Hand shook his head. "As backhanded as that was, I'll accept it."

When they stopped hugging, Master Hand got serious.

"Now, as glad as I am seeing you 12, there's still much work to be done. But since you've just got back on the job, Crazy Hand and I will handle the heavy lifting."

"Which I STILL don't understand! If they can kick people's butts every day, then a little bit of chores should be NOTHING!" Crazy Hand protested.

Master Hand ignored Crazy's protests.

"However, since we'll be doing a lot of stuff, we won't be able to go out and recruit the newcomers. Which is where you come in. We need all of you to go out and hand out the newcomer letters to everyone. In total, there's about 14."

"Wait. If everyone's coming back… that's about 60 people!" Samus said, counting on her fingers, "That, plus the newcomers, would come up to… 74 contestants?!"

"I told you that it would be the biggest Smash tournament. But, you shouldn't be worrying about that. We're the ones that will handle how things are gonna work around here from now on. As for you, we'll give you time to plan about who's going to go after who, and brainstorm on what each newcomer is going to bring to the table. That's all I want to say."

The twelve raised their hands in a salute. "Yessir!"

"Okay, then. You can go inside now." Master Hand concluded.

Quickly, everyone ran to the entrance, energetic (except Luigi, who was walking slow due to the bags he had to haul in). When they all went inside and when Master and Crazy were all alone, Crazy Hand turned to Master, frowning.

"You didn't tell them who the newcomers are, did you?" Crazy asked.

Master sighed. "I couldn't. They all seem so happy. It's too early to ruin the mood."

Crazy Hand looked at Smash Manor. "My guess is that some of them won't take it well. Especially Samus. I wouldn't be surprised if she put a laser burn on the wall, once she finds out."

"You shouldn't be quick to assume. Maybe, they won't take it hard, and act mature." Master Hand protested.

Crazy Hand gave Master Hand a look. "Hah! Since WHEN are Smashers mature?"

Meanwhile, the Original Twelve had gone into Smash Manor, and into a meeting room. This room was where the most important Smashers made decisions. The Big 8 mostly used the room, but when it came to important decisions, both the Big 8 and the Elite 4 made the decisions. And today was one of those days.

Quickly, everyone settled into their assigned spots, a comfy armchair, around the long table. At the head sat Mario, and in front of him was a list of papers.

"Alright then, Smashers," he started once everyone was settled, "I guess this is our first job. So, let's make it count!"

Everyone else grinned. "Roger!"

Mario looked down at the papers, and shuffled through them. "I think that before we decide who goes after who, we should see who the newbies are."

"I wonder who they are." Ness asked.

"I hope they're powerful," Captain Falcon said, "Or at least a WORTHY opponent."

Mario picked up the first paper. "First newbie we have is… Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from the Splatoon universe!"

"Splatoon? That's the universe that popped up about 4 years ago, right?" Samus asked.

"That's right! The Inkling boy and girl, known as Blue and Orange respectively, show MUCH potential as Smashers. Their agility and ink-based attacks can be very useful if they decide to train it here." Mario explained, as he lifted up the paper that showed Orange's and Blue's pictures.

Everyone else nodded in approval as they looked. Mario put the paper down, and picked up another.

"Next newbie is… Daisy from my, Luigi's, and Yoshi's universe!" Mario announced with a glowing smile.

Immediately, Luigi blushed. "WHAT?!"

Mario showed the paper to confirm it. "It says that since Peach is already a Smasher, it's only fair to give Daisy a chance too! And with all three princesses, they can prove to be a triple threat."

Luigi's eyes widened. "Daisy's coming?! Oh no! I didn't give her a gift! What should I wear when I see her? How will I act?!"

Fox looked over with a smirk. "Looks like someone has a case of lovesickness."

Mario moved on to the next paper. "The next one is… Isabelle from the Animal Crossing universe!"

"Ooh! I love Isabelle! I remember meeting her when I visited Villager! She's super nice!" Ness said excitedly.

"Isn't she the peppy yellow dog in the sweater vest?" Fox asked.

"Yes! But, don't be mistaken. Her smarts prove her to be a cunning fighter, according to her profile." Mario said as he showed Isabelle's paper.

"Ah, perhaps I should befriend her then! With my brawn and her brains, we'll be an unstoppable duo!" Donkey Kong boasted.

Mario moved on to the next paper. "The other newbie we have is… Ken from the Street Fighter universe!"

"Hey, don't we have a Street Fighter here too?" Fox asked.

"Ryu! Ryu!" Kirby said, hopping.

"That's right." Mario said with a nod as he showed Ken's profile. "Ken proves to be a powerful rival of Ryu's, as their fierce combat styles are both similar and different. So, Ken would also prove to be a powerful Smasher."

Mario moved to the next paper. "Next we have… Chrom from the Fire Emblem universe!"

"Hey! That's Lucina's dad!" Samus said excitedly. "I bet she's gonna FREAK when she sees him."

"Ooh! Another sword fighter!" Link said, his eyes gleaming.

Fox rolled his eyes teasingly. "As if we don't have ENOUGH."

"Even though he's a sword fighter, Fox, he's a skilled one." Mario said as he showed Chrom's profile. "His strong blade attacks are quite good."

"Imagine a fight between Link and Chrom. I wonder who would win." Ness said.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu said, which was actually, "Chrom. Easily. Link wouldn't stand a CHANCE."

Mario got the next paper. "These newbies are… Simon and Richter from the Castlevania universe."

"Oh! They're the guys who take on vampires and ghosts, right?" Ness asked.

Luigi froze at that sentence. "V-v-vampires?! G-G-GHOSTS?!"

"You have no reason to worry about those things, bro." Mario said as he showed their profiles, "They are very skilled at hunting them. And I mean VERY skilled."

"Good. They'll be useful. Because I am convinced that there's a ghost who is still living in the kitchen pantry, and that guy has overstayed his welcome." Fox said with a shudder.

Mario looked at the rest of the papers. Suddenly, he frowned.

"What? Why are they added?" he said to himself.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

Mario blinked and looked up, a little nervous. "Well, I should warn you. The rest of these newcomers, some of you won't like. So, don't get mad when you hear their name."

"Aw, they're adding villains huh? I'm sure that we can take it." Samus said with a shrug.

"Okay…" Mario replied as he looked at a paper, "I'll start off with the least shocking one. This newbie is an Incineroar from the Pokemon universe."

Pikachu's eyes widened. Immediately, his mind flashed back to the end of the battle that he had with Incineroar. This isn't over. When we face off again, I will not hesitate to bury you 6 feet under. Got that, sparkplug?

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no!" he said softly to himself. But everyone else (except for Kirby and Jigglypuff) heard a bunch of distressed "pika pika"s.

Jigglypuff noticed, and tried to comfort her friend. "Hey, it's not all that bad. There's MANY Incineroars! It could be a different one."

That calmed Pikachu down a little, but his fur still stood on edge. Donkey Kong noticed.

"Pikachu doesn't look all that jazzed about this one." he pointed out.

"Sorry buddy. But, Incineroar is a really good fighter, and can be very useful." Mario said as he showed the profile.

Slowly, Mario moved to the next one. "The next is King K Rool from Donkey Kong's universe."

"HIM?!" DK shouted as he slammed his hands on the table, "YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT?!"

Mario shook his head as he showed the profile. "I'm sorry but no. He's a formidable fighter."

DK looked distressed. "I can't BELIEVE this! That COWARD shows off a little, and the Hands suddenly decide that he's a good Smasher?!"

Kirby jumped up, frowning with determination. "Poyo!"

Captain Falcon clenched a fist. "The pink ball is right! We'll help you beat him up in battle. Then, he'll regret coming here!"

DK still looked mad, but smirked a little. "Thanks."

Mario picked up the last two papers. "And the one I've been avoiding… the last two newcomers."

"Come on, Mario. I'm sure you're overreacting. How bad can it be?" Samus said confidently.

Mario sucked in air through his teeth. "Pretty bad. Because they're from your universe. I think you'll know them."

Finally, he showed the two profiles. As Samus looked at the papers, her eyes widened.

"No." she whispered.

"Yes. It's Ridley and Dark Samus." he said.

This caused everyone else to go into shock. Ridley was a touchy subject. Not just for Samus, but for the others as well. And that was due to the things that he committed in the Subspace Emissary incident. Dark Samus also had a part to play in the incident as well, by kidnapping Pikachu and taking Samus's Power Suit.

It was as if something clicked in Samus. She didn't look angry, but the emotion she showed seemed worse, and she had a wild look in her eyes. Everyone else looked more concerned as they all glanced at her.

"...Are you okay?" Mario asked.

Samus closed her eyes slowly, and sighed. "... Yep. I'm good." she said in an eerily calm voice.

Fox looked nervous. "I don't know, man. You look like you are about to strangle something. Or someone."

Samus shook her head. "I'm good."

Slowly, she stood up out of her chair, to everyone's confusion.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked.

"Don't worry. I'm still fine. But, I think that I need a few moments." Samus reassured everyone, her face blank.

Mario blinked, uneasy. "Um… sure. Take as much time as you need."

With that, Samus walked with composure out of the room, and softly shut the door behind her. Everyone then looked at each other.

"Do you think she's mad?" Link asked in an apprehensive tone.

Just then, they heard a loud crash.

"WHAT THE F****** HELL?!" Samus shouted.

Mario blinked with a scared expression. "'Mad' seems like an understatement."

Fox stared at the door, as more crash sounds were heard. "Should we be worried? Samus is obviously PISSED."

"I think that the best thing that we can do is show our support. From a safe distance, of course. Who KNOWS what furious Samus can do to us." Mario said.

Everyone else nodded frantically in agreement. Yoshi sighed.

"At this rate, only a miracle can help the Hands calm HER down." Yoshi said.

In the office, Master Hand and Crazy Hand were busy looking through papers, when they heard stomping.

"Oh no. She found out." Crazy Hand said in a shaky voice as he gulped.

Master Hand looked at the door nervously. "It could be someone else."

"Who else could it BE?! The pizza man?!" Crazy snapped.

"Well… I DID hear that there's this event that this pizza place is doing, where they randomly show up with free pizza. Maybe, they're doing that?" Master Hand said while sweating.

Suddenly, a huge laser blasted through the door, making a huge hole. The Hands ducked, so that it barely missed them, and it created a burnt spot on the wall. Crazy Hand got up, shivering.

"Yeah! Except for one thing… I DOUBT THAT PIZZA MEN HAVE PLASMA CANNONS!" Crazy squealed in fear.

After he said that, Samus kicked down the door with her Power Suit on, while she charged another plasma shot.

"No. They f***ing DON'T." she growled in a dark voice.

Master Hand and Crazy Hand jumped, yelping.

"Oh… *ahem*. Hello Samus. Didn't expect you here." Crazy Hand said in a shaky and squeaky voice.

Samus marched in, livid. "Save the lies. I know what you did."

"Now, Samus. I'm sure that we can talk about this peacefully. Like a civil meeting." Master Hand said slowly.

Samus frowned, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, she looked over at a fallen chair, and in one full motion, she aggressively kicked it up, sat on it, took off her helmet, and plopped it on the floor with one loud clang.

"You better have a good reason. I have a plasma cannon, and I won't hesitate to use it if your answer isn't good enough." Samus snarled, putting extra venom into her tone on the last two words.

Hesitantly and with fear, the Hands settled at the desk, happy that Samus is at least giving them the chance to explain.

"So, I assume that you found out about Rid-" Master Hand started to say.

Samus growled loudly. "Don't say the bastard's name."

Master started to sweat. "Right. Um… I assume that you found out about 'You-Know-Who'. And I understand that you are angry with this decision."

"Oh, I'm not angry. I'm furious." Samus corrected.

"Yes, and you have every right to be. Considering what he has done in the past, nobody should be happy with him. But, he's…. He changed. He's not the- er… 'You-Know-Who' you once knew."

Samus looked unconvinced. "How, pray tell, has he 'changed'?"

Master and Crazy looked at each other, then at Samus. Then, Master Hand sighed.

"You see, he came to us a few months earlier. Back then, this project was in the works. But, he came to apologize. For the things he did in your universe, for the things he did in the Subspace Emissary, and especially for the things he did to you. He says that he's on the path to redemption. He's trying to be better, Samus. He acknowledged what he did, took accountability, and is working to make up for them."

"Oh so just because he supposedly 'regretted' what he did, and did all of this sucking up to you, you think that he's WORTHY to be a Smasher here?" Samus shouted.

Master Hand didn't flinch at her outburst this time, and held firm.

"Samus, I feel like you're not understanding the reason that we chose Ridley to be a newcomer."

Samus's head shot up with fury, at the mention of Ridley's name. But, Master Hand ignored it.

"We've seen these things before. With different villains from different universes. Bowser, King Dedede, Ganondorf, you name it. They came to us, looking to change. And before you point out the things they did in the Subspace Emissary, they have been manipulated by Tabuu. Heck, even I was manipulated, and I was the good guy. But, time and time again, they proved that they were trying to make up for their mistakes. That's why they're still coming here. That's why they're coming back for this tournament. When Ridley came to us, we knew that he was just like those villains. You may not forgive him, and that is completely fine. We're not asking you to. We're just asking you to let this rivalry go, and let it die in the past."

Crazy Hand cheered at the speech. "Well said! Well said!"

But then, he was silenced by Samus's withering glare, and he shut his mouth. Samus looked down at the floor, conflicted. Then, after a few minutes, she looked up.

"... I understand. If what you say is true and Ridley has changed, then I guess I'll allow him to stay."

Crazy and Master almost collapsed in relief.

"Thank you, Samus. You won't regret this."

Suddenly, Samus stood up with a withering glare.

"Oh, I know I won't. Because if he ever tries to come near me or if he tries to pull something with my friends, I swear I will skin him alive and break all of his bones. And then, there will be no more Ridley. You GOT that?!"

Master and Crazy started to shake. "Y-yes. Loud and clear." they said in a tiny, scared voice.

Samus picked up the helmet, and stormed out, her face dark. Master and Crazy finally collapsed, and exhaled.

"Note to self: Don't schedule Ridley to ever fight Samus." Master Hand whispered.

"I think it's best to change that to 'Don't schedule Ridley to ever fight Samus and anyone she likes." Crazy Hand corrected.

"So, nobody except for the villains can fight Ridley." Master asked.

"Exactly."

Meanwhile, in the meeting room, the rest of the Original 12 were talking and catching up, when Samus opened the door again, this time out of her Power Suit. She still kept on a blank face, as she walked to her chair silently and sat down. The others glanced at each other then her.

"Are you okay?" Mario asked finally after a few moments of silence.

Samus gave a small nod. "Yep."

"Okay then, I guess that we will continue our discussion." Mario replied.

Soon, the tension in the room died down, and was replaced by excitement of the newcomers. Although Ridley was not a well-liked newcomer, the Original Twelve were very excited for the others.

Mario now held up a chart, with pictures of not just the newcomers, but pictures of the Original Twelve as well.

"Now, since we know who the newcomers are, it's time to decide who should go after them. But before we do that, I should clarify that there will be some who will have to go after more than one newcomer. So keep that in mind. First, we start with the Inklings. Since they're not really from a universe we know, I couldn't find a pair to go after them. So, we should decide by vote. Who wants to invite them?"

Link and Kirby raised their hands.

"I guess I'll go. After all, I want to see these… squid-human people up close." Link said.

"Poyo!" Kirby said.

"Alright! Link and Kirby can go for the Inklings. Now, for Daisy, I think that Yoshi can go and tell her. It'll be more efficient since you are from the same universe as her."

"Okay!" Yoshi said with a nod.

Mario looked at the chart. "And for Isabelle, I think that Ness should go to recruit her. After all, you do say that you've met her before."

Ness nodded with a smile. "Right!"

"For Ken, Captain Falcon can go. According to his profile, you two have similar personalities., so maybe you can convince him easier."

"NICE! That means we shall bond like BROTHERS!" Captain Falcon declared.

Mario looked at the chart even more. "As for Simon and Richter, Luigi should go."

"WHAT?! ME?! WHYYY? YOU KNOW I HATE GHOSTS!" Luigi screamed.

Mario looked sad. "I'm sorry bro. But, you are as equally good at catching them as you are scared of them, so to be honest, you stand more of a chance there. Plus, once you encounter Simon and Richter, they can help you. Trust me, I wouldn't put you there if there's a chance of you getting attacked."

Luigi shuddered, but slowly nodded.

Mario looked down the chart and sighed. "And finally, the others."

And just like that, the uncomfortable feel of the room was back, as the rest of the twelve glanced at each other.

"For Incineroar, I think that Pikachu and Jigglypuff are fit for this. After all, only they can understand other Pokemon and communicate with them."

Pikachu froze at this, his eyes wide. Frantically, he shook his head.

Jigglypuff noticed this, and leaned over towards Pikachu.

"We'll be okay." she whispered, trying to ease Pikachu's fears.

Of course, this did nothing. But, Pikachu had realized by then that he had no choice in the matter of getting out of recruiting Incineroar. So grudgingly, he kept his mouth shut.

"As for King K Rool, Donkey Kong should go after him."

Instead of freaking out, Donkey Kong just rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Gee, how lucky am I?" he said sarcastically.

"And finally, for Dark Samus and Ridley, I'll be the one to go." Mario concluded.

This got Samus's attention, as she realized that he hadn't said that SHE should go.

"What about me?" Samus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mario glanced over the chart. "Oh right! I forgot to mention that you can go after Chrom with Fox."

Fox didn't look like he minded it. But Samus, on the other hand, seemed a little suspicious.

"How come I'm not going after Ridley and Dark Samus?" she asked.

"No reason in particular. It's just arranged that way." Mario answered simply.

This didn't convince Samus, but she just let it go and leaned back in her chair.

"And that's all for now! Of course, there might be some more newcomers in the future, but for now, we have all of the newcomers covered!" Mario announced.

This prompted some scattered excited cheers from everyone else.

"Now, I think that all we have to do is go to Master Hand to get supplies that will help us track down the newcomers, and after that… I guess that we'll set off! And when we come back, it will only be a few days until everyone else comes to the mansion!"

This caused everyone to fully cheer, even Samus. Each and every one of them had missed their other friends, and knowing that they'll meet again in the next few days made them happy.

Mario stood up from his chair, and did a fist pump.

"Alright, gang! Let's-a-go!" he cheered.

"YEAH!" the others cheered in reply.

Energetic, everyone ran out of the meeting room, excited. However, Samus lingered back until only her and Mario were in the room.

"Hey, Mario? Can I tell you something?" she finally asked.

Mario looked back, then came back to the table.

"Yes? What's up?" he asked.

Samus sighed. "...I want to be the one who goes after Dark Samus and Ridley."

Mario almost cringed, but instead just clenched his teeth. "Um… I don't think that's possible."

Samus looked a little disappointed. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"No! That's not it at all!" Mario quickly replied.

Samus gave him a look that seemed to say, "Don't lie to me," that made Mario sigh.

"Okay. I'll tell the truth. I do trust you. You've done many things to earn my trust. But, when it comes to this issue, I can't. I'm sorry, but I'm doing this not just to protect Ridley and Dark Samus, but to protect you as well. If you were to encounter one of the two, maybe even both, I know that you will react badly in some sort of way. I don't want to bring up all of the trauma and conflicted past you had with them. Trust me, when Bowser came in, I had the same feelings. So, I figured that keeping you and Ridley apart would be the best solution."

Samus nodded slowly. "I see. But, Mario. I don't want to hurt Dark Samus or Ridley. I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to hurt them just a few minutes ago. But during the rest of the meeting, I was thinking. Maybe Ridley had changed. It wouldn't hurt to hear him out. I want to go and recruit them because I feel like that's the best way of getting closure. And if I miss this chance, what other chance will I have? And I promise that after I do get my closure, I'll leave him alone. Even if it's for the whole tournament."

Mario blinked, a little surprised. He didn't expect this emotion from Samus. In the past, Samus rarely showed emotions like these. But now, she was displaying them openly.

After a few moments, Mario finally relented.

"Okay. I think that I can make a few changes to the chart. Fox can go on his own to recruit Chrom, and you can go and recruit Ridley and Dark Samus."

Immediately, Samus brightened up. "Really? Thank you, Mario!"

Mario raised a gloved finger. "But, under one condition. I'm coming with you. I need to make sure that you're safe, as well as Ridley and Dark Samus. If it comes to it, I'll stop you guys from fighting each other, whether it's you, Dark Samus, Ridley, or even all of you."

Samus nodded. "Alright. That's fine with me."

Mario smiled.

"Good. Now, let's go quickly to Master Hand, before he starts wondering where we are."

Samus stood up, her hands curled into fists. "Right!"

After that was just a few moments of preparation. When they came to Master Hand, he had given them all special supplies to use on their recruiting journey (but not before he sniffed and blubbered, and said a speech for 30 minutes straight about how proud and happy he was by seeing the main 12 all back together in action). And it was only a matter of time after that before the 12 were back out on the front yard.

On the lawn, everyone stood separately in their groups (the ones going alone stood alone, while the ones going together stood in pairs). Mario stood in front of the scattered group with Samus next to him.

"Well, everyone! This is it! We're finally setting off on our separate ways. But this time, we're coming back together again in a time limit that's definitely less than 3 years. However, before we all go, let me recap one more time what we're doing."

Mario held up something in his hand. It was some sort of pill-shaped capsule that was glowing blue and purple.

"These are the Telebeamers. They're special machines that will transport everyone to where they want to go. All you need to use this for is to take you to the newcomer's universe and back. Once you're in the newcomer's universe, simply find them and give them their designated letter that invites them to Smash. When you do that, then you are free to go back to Smash Manor. Pretty simple steps."

Everyone else nodded in approval. Meanwhile, Kirby looked down at the Telebeamer in his hands. Slowly, he put it near his open mouth. But, Link noticed just in time and took it away.

"No, Kirby! It's not food! How many times have I told you to not eat things that are glowing, toxic, hazardous, people except in battles, and not edible! Remember, those things are bad." Link scolded.

Kirby simply blinked, then nodded. "Good! Good!"

Simultaneously, everyone sighed heavily at Kirby's naiveness.

"Anyways, let's all set off now if we want to make it back in time for dinner!" Mario concluded.

With them about to leave, everyone said their goodbyes, and the first transportations were made. First, Link and Kirby went. Next, Yoshi went. Then, Ness went. Following Ness was Luigi. After that, Captain Falcon went, followed by Pikachu and Jigglypuff. Then, Donkey Kong went. And finally, Mario and Samus left.

After that, the lawn was empty for a few moments. Then, out of nowhere, a pizza man walked across the lawn to the front door, and rang the doorbell. Crazy Hand opened the door.

"What?" Crazy asked.

"Hey, um… there's this event where the Just Pizza! Shop in town is giving out free, large, extra cheese, pan-crust pizzas. So, would you like some free pizza?"

Behind Crazy Hand, Master Hand popped out.

"HA! I knew it! I told ya so!" Master Hand declared.

And that's it for Chapter Two! Chapter Three is currently in the works, so be prepared! Also, I may or may not fix Chapter One, and make it more organized, but I'll do that when I don't have chapters to write lol.