T Plus 14 Days

"Rise and shine!" Vanessa said brightly as she roused Ethan and Anna from their sleep. "Time to get ready for a day of touring and exploring!"

Ethan sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Ten more minutes," he mumbled.

"Then I guess you don't want a pancake breakfast in the hotel lobby," said Vanessa.

Anna bolted up. "You had me at pancakes!" she laughed.

The two kids patiently waited for Theo to finish shaving and gargling with mouthwash before heading into the bathroom and washing their faces. While this was going on, Vanessa unmuted the TV, she and Theo watching the early morning news as they got dressed.

"When are you gonna tell her?" asked Theo.

"She's still recovering from what happened," said Vanessa. "It would be cruel to spring this on her now. I'll confess everything—when we're both ready."

"Better for her to hear it from you than from anyone else," Theo said gently.

"I agree," mused Vanessa.

Anna and Ethan finished their toilette and excitedly wrestled into their clothes.

"Remember," Vanessa told her son and daughter. "We'll be aboard a 'hop-on, hop-off' tour bus. At certain stops, we'll be allowed to disembark and walk around. However, don't hop out of your seats until your dad and I give the signal—and please, try to behave yourselves."

"We will," the two kids said in unison.

After the weather report, Vanessa turned off the TV, and the family went downstairs for breakfast.

The smell of pancakes beckoned them toward the lobby, where most of the other hotel guests helped themselves to the aforementioned breakfast item. Theo, Vanessa and their kids found themselves a relatively quiet table, just as the hotel employees set out a fresh batch of pancakes. There were a variety of syrups and toppings to choose from, and to wash it down was some ice cold, wholesome milk. Ethan and Anna were instructed to take only two pancakes each during their first trip, and then one pancake if they had room for seconds, so they wouldn't waste anything. Thankfully (for the parents, at least), the two kids' appetites were satisfied rather quickly.

After washing their hands, the family of four put on their jackets and exited the hotel. It was time for them to meet their tour bus.

1.1.1

Amy sat in the Smash cafeteria, her eyes surreptitiously on the man several tables away. As she observed him, she had no idea who was in the right and who was in the wrong—or if both parties were in the wrong. She knew that it was wrong for Mario to take a golf club to a car, and it was completely out of character for him. But it was also wrong for Rory, Remy and their colleagues to gang up on the little man and attack him over that. The four men at least admitted their wrongdoing and apologized, but Amy knew that it would take a while for Mario to regain his trust in them—if he was able to do so at all.

But since Mario made it clear that he wasn't about to let this go, Amy was worried for Rory. What if the man in red pushed back against Rory, attacked him unprovoked like he'd attacked the two Steves unprovoked? Unlike the latter two, Mario would have no justification for going after Rory just because his pride had been wounded. Rory had been such an awesome big brother to her, and she wanted to repay him by being a cool little sister to him. As such, she hoped to stop Mario before he escalated the conflict between him and Rory, or better—try to negotiate peace between the two.

Rory's voice crackled over her hidden earpiece. "What do you have for me?"

"Nothing to report," she replied. "He's chatting up Peach."

"What are they talking about?"

"Rory—is that really necessary?"

"How do you know they're not plotting against Master Hand?" Rory shot back.

"I don't recall you being this paranoid," chuckled Amy.

"Working for MH changes a person," said Rory. "Try to listen in on their conversation—if you can."

"Very well." Amy listened hard for a few moments, and then reported in. "Right now, they're talking about her recent stay 'in another castle'."

"Good—good," said Rory.

After some more listening, Amy picked up that Luigi was vacationing in Evershade Valley.

"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Rory told her when she passed along the info. "I'd want to take a break myself if all of that [bleep] happened to me in the space of ten days. Keep your eye on Mario for now."

"Okay," said Amy.

She sat back and finished her breakfast while continuing to pick up key snippets from Mario and Peach's conversation.

In another part of the cafeteria, Marth sat with Roy, Mewtwo, Rolf and Chase.

"Have you guys seen Falco?" he asked.

"Not since yesterday evening," said Rolf.

"He failed to mention he was taking time off," said Marth.

I overheard him in MH's office, Mewtwo put in, talking to him about something.

"Give him some credit," said Chase. "Maybe he needs some time for himself. To—think."

A beat.

"Yeah," Marth said after a while. "We all need time to think."

Another beat.

"Hey, remember when Luigi took on those Wireframe fighters in 15-Minute Melee?" asked Roy. "That was bad—s."

"Yeah—and he was the first Smasher to attempt that," Marth recalled with a wistful sigh, "but you wanna know what was more bad—s? His performance in Event 51!"

Mewtwo winced. You don't have to remind me, he said.

"Guys—I just think about what happened that day," said Marth, "and I remember exactly what drew me to Luigi in the first place—his selflessness and his love for his sibling."

His companions muttered their assent.

"When I was still in Altea, word got out fast about—the mansion," Marth went on, "and all I could think was, 'Holy [bleep]. I'd love to fight alongside a man like that'. And I did."

"I found out shortly after my father died," said Roy. "I was going through a bit of a crisis, and hearing about a not-so-brave man doing something that big helped restore my faith." He turned to Marth. "Alongside you, of course."

It restored a lot of people's faith, intoned Mewtwo. We all needed someone to believe in, given what happened a month before that. And then he faced me, Dorf and Giga Koopa in Event 51—wow. He was a worthy opponent, indeed.

"Then, Brawl happened," Marth said fondly. "I wish you were there to see how bad—s he was against Tabuu. Luigi, of all people, held out the longest against him—and he was the one who suggested dodging those Off Waves. He even landed the final blow!" His face fell. "Where did it all go wrong?"

"I guess we're the ones to blame," sighed Rolf. "We became proud and arrogant and started taking people like him for granted. So caught up in our pursuit for personal glory…"

"Time and again, people have ripped on Luigi for his personality and for being the second player, and we just—wound up swept in their rhetoric," said Chase. "When he started overwhelming us with his down throw combos, I don't think we could digest it."

"We should've practiced," said Marth. "Instead, we threw hissy fits and got him nerfed. And now look what's happened because of it."

"Do you think he'll forgive us?" asked Roy.

"I have hope that he will," said Marth, "but it won't be easy. Both sides will have to put in effort to make this work out. The hardest part is taking that first step—confessing."

Silence.

You're right, Mewtwo said after a while. After things settle down, we'll take Luigi aside and tell him everything. Perhaps we'll convince the Bennigan Brothers to do the same.

"They will—in time," said Rolf. "They're attitude started changing shortly after the stunt the two Steves pulled."

"And what about Crazy Hand?" asked Chase.

"[Bleep] him," said Marth. "Did you hear—he sent those four guys to beat up Mario."

"Yeah, we heard," said Rolf.

"Let's—leave him out of this for now," Marth told them. "I'm getting a bad feeling about him."

How so? Mewtwo queried.

"Crazy Hand favors chaos over order," Marth explained, "and there's been some chaos in the wake of Project Nerf. I fear that CH is enjoying this a little too much—and that he'll do anything to keep the truth from getting out."

The other occupants of Marth's table traded looks. In between confessing to Luigi and dealing with Crazy Hand—the former was starting to look better in comparison.

1.1.1

"Professor—I know that you mean well," said Luigi. "I know why you invited him over. But—I'm just having a hard time getting over what he said."

The man in green sat with Gadd and Falco inside the Gloomy Manor's lab, the avian looking minutely nervous as Luigi spoke. Of course, he didn't expect Luigi to react positively to seeing him here, but as Luigi recalled their heated exchange, he couldn't help but be worried.

"The two of us had been friends since Melee," Luigi went on. "He was the last person I expected to go off on me over my combos, which is why it hurts so badly. I tried to hide it, but his words made me feel—that maybe the others were right about my playstyle. That it was—wrong."

Falco stared at the ground.

"I should've talked it over with you first," Gadd conceded. "I'm sorry. But—all I want is for you to at least talk to him."

"We—kinda did," said Luigi, "when the elevator we were in lost power. Falco tried to make small talk, but—I just couldn't hold it in anymore. A voice in my head told me to take a risk and talk to him. And it paid off. First, Falco tried to make excuses, but when I asked him why he said what he said—he finally gave me a straight answer, that he didn't know."

"And I didn't think," murmured Falco.

"I can't reconcile the affable ace pilot of Star Fox with the bird who threw a hissy fit just because he lost to me," Luigi said quietly. "He could've practiced or found a sparring partner or learned from the loss. That's what I did. That's how I got those combos. I didn't just wake up one morning knowing how to pull them off. Because I started out at the bottom of the tier list, remember?"

"Look, Luigi," said Falco, "after what happened, I figured that if we were both away from it all, then we'd have time to disconnect and try to sort out this mess. I think that's where Professor Gadd is going with this."

Gadd nodded. "It sounds beneficial to you both."

Luigi bit his lip. "I miss you, Falco," he said.

"I miss you, too," Falco confessed. "That morning, when we were looking over our schedule, I wanted to talk to you, but you were so—aloof."

"I'm aloof because I'm afraid," said Luigi. "I don't wanna get hurt again."

"You said that you took a chance in that elevator," Falco told him. "Don't you wanna take a chance here, in the peaceful Evershade Valley?"

Falco's question gave Luigi pause, but the avian could see the answer in his eyes.

"Luigi, my boy—I brought Mr. Lombardi over because—I can't bear the thought of you holding grudges," Gadd explained.

"It's okay, Professor," said Falco. "You can call me Falco."

"I get that you're looking out for me, and I thank you for it," said Luigi, "but I don't hold grudges. At least—I try not to."

"That's—precisely why I invited Falco here," said Gadd. "Maybe if you two spent some time together—you'll be able to open up to each other and talk things out. And maybe you can let go of that grudge. Because if you let it fester inside you for years—it can eventually take you over—turn you into someone awful." Gadd shuddered, and Luigi knew exactly what he was saying.

"He has always had it in for me," said Luigi. "And he won't drop that grudge because he genuinely enjoys tormenting me."

"That's not the point," said Gadd. "My point is that although you and Falco might not be close friends again, you can't spend the rest of your days holding this against him."

"I—suppose the rift between us is my fault, as well," Luigi said after thinking Gadd's words over. "I didn't speak to him for nearly a month after it all went down; I was reluctant, and I was also worried that I'd lash out and say or do something I'd regret. But maybe if I'd taken that chance sooner…" He cleared his throat. "I think that at this point, we could get a semblance of our friendship back. But Falco, you've got to understand—it's just—it's never gonna be the same. I can forgive if I try hard enough, but I can't forget. And neither can Mario."

Falco winced at the mention of the man in red.

"That was another thing that rubbed me the wrong way—you were shirking from Mario, like you were trying to evade responsibility."

"Can you blame me for being wary of him?" asked Falco. "Given what he did to the two Steves and to MH's car—I have good reason to be afraid."

"I'll convince him not to attack you," said Luigi, "but you've got to understand that he's my brother. Of course he'll be angry if someone hurts me. I'll definitely be on the warpath if someone injures him."

"Luigi—I didn't mean to push, and I know that you retreated here to think. I just thought—I'd try. I'm sorry if I disturbed you." Falco rose from his chair. "I guess I'll go now…"

To his surprise, Luigi stopped him. "Wait," he said. "The Professor's right. We should spend some time together, cooling our heels. It's worth a shot. But if you really want to make this work, then I need you to meet me halfway. Can you do that?"

"I—can try."

"Don't try," said Luigi. "Do."

Falco smiled. "Okay."

Luigi smiled back. "Okay."

1.1.1

Master Hand was in his office, doing some work on his computer, when Timmy rushed in, a disbelieved expression on his face.

"What is it?" asked MH.

"The paper!" Timmy gasped out, holding out a copy of Smash News to him. "You're really not gonna believe this!"

MH took the newspaper, and what he saw on the front cover sent his mind into a tailspin.

JUMPED BY JUMPMAN! TWO SMASHERS INJURED AND TRAUMATIZED BY VICIOUS ATTACK BY NINTENDO'S MASCOT!

"They're saying—that he planned everything," said Timmy.

MH was silent as he read through the cover story, the two Steves' beaten faces taking up one full page each. When he finally addressed Timmy, his voice was calm and soft.

"Thank you, Timmy. I'll take care of it."

Timmy nodded before departing.

MH then reached over and pressed his intercom.

"I want Mario in my office yesterday, and he'd better not make the mistake of keeping me waiting!"

1.1.1

Mario was currently in Chad's room, listening as the New England native talked about his predicament.

"I was only involved for two days, but that still makes me part of it," Chad was saying. "Now, CH, Steve and Stevie want me to participate in their next plot, and they're using the evidence as collateral."

"This next plot—is 'Operation Ballot Box'?" asked Mario.

"Yes," replied Chad. "Thankfully, there's talk that the three brothers involved in Project Nerf are planning to call it off."

"The Bennigan Brothers," said Mario.

Chad nodded. "If you heard it from them, then you'd be out for blood," he said. "I'm glad I didn't mire myself in too deep before stepping away, but Crazy Hand is insatiable! For whatever reason, he has it out for Luigi, and we need to stop him."

"He's the one who sent those four men after me," Mario told him. "Master Hand is working to implicate him in supporting Project Nerf, but it's not gonna be easy. I can protect you in the meantime. Now, about your meeting…"

Chad shushed him. "CH could have eyes everywhere," he warned. "I don't feel comfortable talking about it in the Smash Mansion. But I can tell you that I have a venue in mind. Once I get everything secure, I'll tell you."

"Wow, Chad—I can't believe that joining with them was your first choice."

Chad dropped his head. "I didn't think. I acted in the heat of the moment."

"I've done that, too," said Mario.

"I don't want to keep you hanging for six days, so…" Chad pressed a flash drive into Mario's hand. "These are photos, videos and audio recordings of the Project Nerf meetings—as well as the addresses of the locations. They're mostly restaurants, and the staff assured me that they'll happily tell you everything you need to know. But the meeting—that's gonna be the main event."

Mario's fist closed around the flash drive before he slipped it into his pocket.

"I also have a friend, Jeff, who works closely with Mr. Sakurai," said Chad. "He'll be present at the meeting, as well."

"About that—MH, Luigi and I are starting to suspect Mr. Sakurai, as well," said Mario.

"CH and Mr. Sakurai are powerful people," cautioned Chad, "and by extension, quite dangerous."

"I can handle them," said Mario.

"You still need MH in your corner," said Chad. "Otherwise…"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" asked Chad.

"It's Lauren."

"Come in," said Mario.

Lauren walked inside, her face grave. "Hey, Mario," she said.

"What's the matter?"

Lauren swallowed. "Master Hand wants to see you in his office," she said.

"Now?" asked Mario.

"Now."

Mario heaved a sigh as he stood up. "Thanks for telling me all of this, Chad," he said.

"I hope one day you can forgive me," said Chad.

"Well, that depends," said Mario.

"Just—lay low for now, okay?" entreated Chad.

"Very well," said Mario.

He turned and followed Lauren out of the room.

1.1.1

Lauren poked her head into MH's office. "Here he is, Master Hand," she said.

"Good. Send him in," MH tersely commanded.

Warily, Lauren pulled open the door, and Mario stepped inside.

"Thank you, Lauren. You may go," said MH.

"Okay," Lauren said softly before she withdrew.

MH and Mario regarded each other for a few moments before the latter spoke.

"Hey, Master Hand," greeted the portly plumber.

"Don't 'Hey, Master Hand' me," said MH, his tone severe but not angry. "Please, have a seat."

Mario obliged. "Is—something wrong?" he calmly asked.

"Oh, something is definitely wrong, all right," boomed MH. "Would you kindly do me the favor of explaining this?" He tossed the copy of Smash News before Mario.

"Wha…?" Mario breathed as he stared at the front page.

"You lied to me," MH said firmly.

"No, I didn't!" balked Mario.

"Well, according to the paper, you premeditated the attack on Steve and Stevie," said MH. "When I first confronted you about it, you told me that you were going for a walk when you came upon them gloating about what they did to Luigi. And now—I understand why you went on that walk. You needed a cover—an excuse."

Mario glared. "That's not true!" he said hotly. "I wouldn't plan out something like this! I'm not the one telling lies—the two Steves are!"

"Judging by what you did to my car—I wouldn't put a premeditated attack past you," said MH.

"Master Hand, I'm telling you—I didn't plan to beat up those two! I was minding my own business when I found them gloating, and I tried to hold it in, but…"

"Ah, yes. The same old song," scoffed Master Hand. "You lost control and felt this irrational need to defend Luigi. You always have to avenge every slight committed against him; you always have to bail him out. Why don't you let him fight his own battles for once?"

Memories of that heated exchange ten nights ago swept across Mario's mindscape. "It's not like that!" he thundered at MH. "It isn't! I had good reason for what I was doing, and that's the truth!"

"You and the truth, playing the part of the hero, saving the Princess together," huffed MH. "I live in the presence of great truth. And this…" He waved the paper in Mario's face. "…is the truth that you left behind."

Roughly, Mario shoved the paper away. "I'm telling you, that paper is lying," he said.

"And I'm telling you, I know that you're more than capable of doing that," MH shot back. "Stalking Steve and Stevie throughout the day and waiting for the perfect moment to strike so you could feign innocence. So you could claim that you did it for Luigi. Bull. You did it for you."

Mario turned scarlet and clenched his fists.

"I am no longer treating you with kid gloves just because you're Nintendo's mascot, Mario. And I will not see this tournament dragged through the mud just because of your constant need to coddle Luigi! Why did you do it—to make up for your own shortcomings as a brother?!"

Mario gaped. "Here we go again, Master Hand!" he cried. "Why would I want to deliberately plot an attack on those two?! They weren't worth it! I was perfectly content with waiting for the opportunity to fight them on the battlefield, but then they just had to…"

"Don't. Blame. Them," said MH. "I never thought you would stoop this low and then play the victim about it, but I guess I thought wrong. You are suspended indefinitely, and you'd better be sure that I'm notifying Toadsworth about this."

Mario's mouth dropped open. "You can't possibly entertain the thought of believing those two," he said. "Can't you see what they're doing? They're trying to discredit me!"

MH sighed heavily. "I—I don't know who or what to believe anymore," he said. "But I actually believed you were better than this."

"D—n you, Master Hand, don't say that!" Mario exclaimed. "You have to believe me! I didn't mean to attack the two Steves—it just happened!"

"Fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice," huffed MH. "I really hope this made you feel better about yourself, because you single-handedly put the spirit of Super Smash Brothers at stake. If I so much as sense you coming within a mile of Steve or Stevie, then I'll have you dismissed from the tournament entirely."

"Oh, yeah? How about I quit?!"

"Maybe you should! Maybe you should quit, so you can get your priorities straight for once! You're not as good as you think you are when it comes to fighting! You don't even know how to be a brother! I hope you rot in Hell! You stinking [bleep]! You…"

Mario screamed with rage and lunged at Master Hand, tackling him to the floor and sending punch after punch into him.

"You figlio di p—a! You have no right!" Mario bellowed as he unleashed his pent-up plumber rage.

The door flew open, and Lauren, Chad and Charlie rushed onto the scene.

"J—s!" Charlie exclaimed. "What's going on in here?!"

"Mario, for God's sake, stop!" shouted Lauren, dashing over and dragging Mario off of the Hand of Creation.

Charlie and Chad rushed into action, pulling Master Hand away. The two of them struggled against the people holding them, trying to get at each other.

"We're supposed to be in this together!" admonished Chad. "Get ahold of yourselves, please!"

"Oooh—that's rich, coming from the guy who wanted my brother nerfed!" screamed Mario.

"Hey! I apologized, didn't I?"

"It's just not good enough, okay?!" Mario broke into sobs. "It's—it's just good enough…"

Lauren pulled him into a hug as MH stopped struggling against Chad and Charlie's grip.

"He—he's right," said the giant glove. "Wh—what are we doing, Mario? Why are we tearing each other apart?"

"You started it," hissed Mario.

"Well, I'm ending it," MH said firmly. Softening his voice, he added, "Maybe the two Steves are the ones lying to get sympathy and attention. But right now, I just don't know. I'm taking back the indefinite suspension, but make no mistake, Mario Jumpman, I'm keeping my eye on you from now on."

Mario began to calm down, and Lauren withdrew her hold on him as Chad and Charlie did the same with MH.

And then the Hand of Creation lurched forward and threw up some more of that black stuff.

"Dio!" cried Mario, completely forgetting the altercation that just occurred. "Master Hand, are you okay?"

"I'll live," MH assured him.

"I shouldn't have stressed you out," sighed Mario. "I…"

"It's not your fault," said MH. "It's been going on since the new update patch was released. Mario, I—I am so sorry. I can't believe I flew off the handle like that again. What can I say? I guess I just—lost my mind."

"Everybody loses their minds sometimes, Master Hand," Mario said quietly.

Gingerly, MH held out a pointer finger to Mario. Hesitatingly, Mario shook it.

"We'll talk this over tomorrow—properly," said MH. "Deal?"

Mario smiled. "Deal."

As Lauren and Mario walked out of the office, MH couldn't help but wonder—was the black substance causing him to act so aggressively? And where did it come from?

1.1.1

Meanwhile, Crazy Hand viewed the surveillance footage from five days ago, trying to root out the person who tipped off Mario and took away, Jimmy, Timmy, Remy and Rory's element of surprise. He saw the Smashers bustling about in the lobby, preparing for their matches. Then, the four men appeared, jogging in a single-file line toward Mario's room. And then they paused to briefly talk to one of the Smashers.

Peach.

CH zoomed in on the Mushroom Princess as she exchanged a few words with the four men. As they departed the lobby, the Hand of Destruction watched as Peach took out her phone, dialed a few numbers and then put the phone to her ear.

She was calling Mario.

She was the one!

CH gave Peach's image a wicked smile. "Gotcha," he said.

Then, he picked up his own phone to call the two Steves.

1.1.1

"Are those two gonna be okay?" asked Charlie.

"Hope so," replied Chad.

"I know Mario didn't plot the attack on the two Steves in advance," said Charlie. "That's not his style."

"Why would the two Steves lie to the newspaper?" Chad wanted to know. "Petty revenge?"

"Maybe," murmured Charlie.

"MH should consider himself lucky that Luigi's in Evershade Valley right now," said Chad.

"Yeah," laughed Charlie.

"Before Mario was called to MH's office, I confessed to him," said Chad.

"Really? How'd he take it?"

Chad shrugged. "It's hard to tell," he said. "I guess I'll have to wait for it to fully sink in before the other shoe drops." He cleared his throat. "In other words—I'm going to Sarasaland."

"What's going on there?" asked Charlie.

"That's where I've decided to—you know," said Chad, worried that CH or the two Steves could be listening in.

Charlie understood instantly.

"I'm catching a flight out later tonight, and the airline is having a promotion where a companion gets to fly for free." Chad smiled. "Would you like to go to Sarasaland with me?"

"Sure," Charlie said brightly. "Why not?"

"Great," said Chad. "Let me call the airline and secure our tickets."

One quick phone call later, Chad and Charlie were booked for a late-night flight from the Smash World to Sarasaland. Jeff would pick them up about two hours prior to their plane's departure and drive them to the airport, giving them plenty of time to check their baggage.

"Frankly, Dracula's Castle would've made a better—and more interesting—venue," said Charlie.

The two of them laughed.

"I'd love to check out Dracula's Castle one day," said Chad.

"Our next matches are coming up," said Charlie. "See you later tonight."

"Yeah. See ya."

They parted after exchanging friendly smiles.

1.1.1

As the sun began to set in the sky, Koopa's airship came to a stop near the Smash Mansion's entrance. Her ramp descended, and two green-shelled Koopa Troopas helped their King disembark. Koopa was still aching from his latest clash with the Mario Bros, but at least the bruises were beginning to fade. He hoped that he could slip into his room, rest up and deal with MH tomorrow.

Koopa limped inside the Smash Mansion, exchanging friendly nods with Dorf and Wario as he headed toward his room.

"There you are."

Koopa paused.

Eden stood in front of him, flanked by three other Miis.

"Hey, Eden," said Koopa.

"Welcome back," Eden said simply. "You must be exhausted after that long trip."

"I am," Koopa replied.

"Very well," said Eden. "MH has agreed to let you relax—for now. But don't think you've aborted talking about your little excursion. The two of you are still gonna discuss it."

"Understood," said Koopa.

Eden watched as the Koopa Troopas helped the hulking reptile the rest of the way to his room.

1.1.1

And late that night, CH was finishing up some work in his office when the two Steves burst in, wild-eyed.

"What's the matter?" asked CH.

"We've searched the Smash Mansion top to bottom," panted Steve, "but we still can't find him."

"Who?"

"Chad," said Stevie. "He's—gone!"

CH spat out a curse and pounded on his desk. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked when he recovered. "Find out where he went!"

"Oh, we will," Steve ominously promised. "We'll uncover the little worm, even if we have to tear the Nintendo multiverse apart!"

Please R&R.