LINK TO SECTION RESULTS BELOW

Normally, this would be the part where we would go back to Drake and Ashley. However, we come back to… Wally and Catherine...? Both were smiling.

"G'day mates! And welcome back!" Wally grinned. "Ya're probably wondering why we are in Drake and Ashley's seats!"

"Well… We can't really say right now, but they are preparing for the theme of the next section." Catherine explained.

"Yo, how are those pumpkins coming along?" Drake called out from off-screen.

"So far, so good, though I WISH that you didn't force us to go along with this at the last minute!" Ashley's voice scolded.

"Oi! I rushed to you as soon as Xero told us!" Drake's voice countered.

Catherine growled. "Quiet back there! We are live!"

"Sorry, guys…" Drake and Ashley's voice said in unison.

Wally let out a nervous chuckle. "Like it or not, it more or less tells ya about what they are doing."

"Like we said, Xero is going to do a theme in the next section and Drake is SO overjoyed when he heard that he HAS to bring this show into it." Catherine explained. "Thus…"

Wally and Catherine then smirked before speaking in unison.

"We will be taking over for this round!"

"Ah still can't believe we will be doing a round!" Wally grinned, clenching his fists.

"I know, right? I know it can't be helped, but we rarely got screentime in the results recaps so this would be great!" Catherine said before beaming. "And honestly? There are a lot of fighters that I wanted to talk about individually, instead of their nodes."

"Same here!" Wally grinned. "So let's make it count!"

"Oh, don't worry!" Catherine smirked. "I know we will! But first things first, in case you are just tuning it, this section is a Big Guy Blocker so people who are usually Big Guys are negated. Thus there will be no double elimination and all fifteen fighters will survive the section."

"Of course, don't think that this will be a boring section. Far from it!" Wally smirked. "So let's start with the people who would have been screwed if it WASN'T for the Big Guy Blocker."

RAWK HAWK

NODE: PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD-DOOR

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 161

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

Wally's face fell as he slumped in his chair. "Anddddd just like that, my enthusiasm is gone."

"There, there." Catherine shook her head. "I swear why do everyone keep thinking that it is a good idea to do AOE Limit Breaks in the arena where there would be at least ONE innocent bystander caught in the crossfire."

Wally let out a deep sigh. "Okay, here is the deal. Rainbow Mika, Lucario and Katniss were fighting against Psycho Mantis. However, as ya could see by how he telepathically-hijacked Drake's mind, his psychic abilities are stronger than they look."

"So the three decided to do a Limit Break." Catherine said before shaking her head. "However, at the same time, Rawk Hawk and Little Mac from Punch-Out were double-teaming against Axl."

"The three got wrapped into it, along with Psycho Mantis." Wally frowned. He then slapped his head. "After that, Rawk Hawk and Little Mac were left dazed. THEN, Rawk Hawk accidentally smacked Little Mac out of the ring. He went out like a chump!"

"Now, now, I am sorry that your friend got taken out like that, but as much as I hate to say it, this isn't anything new." Catherine offered.

"Ah know, Ah know…. It's just… The fact that Rawk Hawk and Vanessa fought so hard just to fight Little Mac, only for the fight to end anticlimactically really stings." Wally sighed.

Catherine winced. "It seems that Lucario isn't immune to "Blunder Witch Projects"."

JOE HIGASHI

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS/FATAL FURY

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 182

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Andddddd here we have our obligation order skip."

Wally on the other hand, lit up. "Aye, but who cares? My boy, Joe, has scored another one for the folks back home!"

"Yeah, but it is not really much to gloat about." Catherine scolded. "He eliminated Pacman from Super Smash Bros when his guard was down."

Wally's ears drooped. "Aye… Ah can't defend that… But ta be fair? It was either that or face the wrath of Mai Shiranui.

"I guess…" Catherine shrugged. "I mean to be fair, he usually does poorly at these things so he is going to take any elimination he could see."

Wally immediately brightened up. "Ah know, right!? He is surprising everyone here by taking the MVP of King of Fighters XIV!"

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that Joe, Rawk Hawk and the fighter we skipped will be grateful to Wario for inadvertently saving them from elimination?"

"Depends. Do ya think that they will ever find out their eliminations are based on votes?" Wally asked.

"Oh, I am sure that they will find out eventually." Catherine said before smirking. "Around the first of… Never!"

The two laughed at this.

ROY

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/FIRE EMBLEM

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 185

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Heh. Looks like Drake should have been chanting "Roy's our boy" after all!" Wally smirked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, just because he is fangirl-bait, that doesn't mean he can't be strong as he demonstrated against Zarina from King of Fighters XIV." Catherine added. Her face then fell. "Thennnnnn, he proved that early depictions of portraying Roy as an idiot are not unfounded."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Wally! He is the first fighter to point out that whoever is holding Luigi's original Smash Ball is cursed!" Catherine scolded. "You would think that he would find a new opponent or throw that thing out of the ring! But nooo!"

"Maybe he thinks he would be the one to break the curse?" Wally suggested.

Catherine let out a mirthless laugh. "Spare me. I am not saying that he does poorly at these times, but if he is not doing well, he is doing QUITE poorly! And now he cursed himself!"

"...I mean, SOMEONE has to break the cycle." Wally frowned.

"And you think it would be him?" Catherine asked before scoffing. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Wally just shook his head.

WARIO

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/WARIO

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 165

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"Living to stink up another day is THE Wario!" Wally grinned.

"Even though he only survived because he crashed into Ibuki from Street Fighter V!" Catherine muttered, rolling her eyes. "AFTER spending literally all of his time in the arena running from Mai!"

"Ah mean, a crash that ya could walk away from is still a victory, right?" Wally asked with a sheepish grin.

"Not wrong…" Catherine sighed. "Wario doesn't even care that he has gotten another elimination or survived the section. Just that he is safe from Mai's wrath. For now."

AURON

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/FINAL FANTASY X

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 190

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Heh. For an old fart from a polarizing game in the Final Fantasy franchise, Auron is doing surprisingly well." Catherine smirked.

"Aye, Love Heart from King of Fighters XIV may have fought hard, trying to take advantage of her final UVR appearance, but Auron was never one for holding out." Wally nodded. "Not in words and definitely not in combat!"

"Hey, then again, he is a Final Fantasy character so he would get at least ONE elimination." Catherine shrugged. "No, seriously, Firion, Ace, even GABRANTH getting an elimination?"

Wally frowned. "Ah don't think it is a bad idea ta talk about the Okron Tournament, but this is kinda the wrong way ta do it."

"I am just saying. The majority of the people supporting that tournament are clear fanboys!" Catherine said.

"...Would it do any good ta point out that Pokemon is doing MUCH better than Dissidia?" Wally asked, flatly.

"Would it do any good to point out that it is to be expected and can't be helped?" Catherine challenged.

Wally groaned, putting his hand on his forehead. "...How am AH the straight one in this situation?"

ROSALINA & LUMA

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO GALAXY

ENTERED IN: Section 7; Number 138

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 5

"Well, Rosalina & Luma have officially overtaken Pikachu as the Super Smash Bros MVP…" Catherine said before pausing. "...Even though Rosalina has spent a good chunk of the section as a victim."

"What Catherine means is that Psycho Mantis has hijacked Rosalina and Lucario, Rainbow Mika and Katniss went to save her." Wally explained. "Of course, this was where that Limit Break came into play."

"While Rawk Hawk and Little Mac ending up "finishing" their fight…" Catherine said, making Wally growl. "...Axl from Megaman was used as an unwilling arrow towards Rosalina, which managed to break Psycho Mantis' hold off of her. However, Axl fell out of the ring and the elimination went to Rosalina."

Wally just scoffed. "Ah don't care if the reasoning IS bullshit, he deserves it for not only hijacking Rosalina's body, but trying to eliminate people using her."

"Agreed. After what he did with Drake, I wished that he got screwed over in the worst way!" Catherine said, nodding in disgust.

MAI SHIRANUI

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV/FATAL FURY

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 159

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Ya know… Fer someone who is salty that she were snubbed a cameo in Super Smash Bros…" Wally said before narrowing his eyes. "She is not being a good girl, right now."

"While a running gag at these things is that she always has to be pissed off about SOMETHING." Catherine said, rolling her eyes. "At the first Battle of the Luminaries, she was pissed about Andy not being invited… DESPITE Andy never appeared in the Maximum Impact series. And at the second one, she was pissed about that Mystery Fighter fake-out."

"...Knowing what Xero did thus far, do ya think that HE would do something similar?" Wally mused.

"I don't know. While I am one of his few defenders, I am willing to admit that he is the annoyer than the annoyEE." Catherine shrugged. "Anyway, Cloud from Super Smash Bros has gotten screwed on the wheel and lost his Buster Sword. Mai… Isn't exactly the sporting people and took first advantage of it."

"Okay, taking advantage of someone's lack of a weapon that wasn't their fault is one thing, but she did it while Cloud was trying to save Rosalina from Psycho Mantis!" Wally exclaimed, gripping his head.

"I told you already. She has to have SOME reason to be pissed." Catherine shrugged.

LUCARIO

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/POKEMON

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 181

OVERALL ELIMINATION: 3

RAINBOW MIKA

NODE: STREET FIGHTER V

ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 168

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Aye, Lucario is the one who we skipped for this section." Wally noted. "Because he and R. Mika had eliminated their opponents at the same time."

"Yeah, again, this goes back to Psycho Mantis." Catherine said. "After saving Rosalina, Katniss from the Hunger Games has decided to pull a Karas."

"In other words, she restrained Psycho Mantis and TOLD Lucario and Rainbow Mika to eliminate the BOTH of them." Wally said. "And with what happened during the last section recap, Ah could see where she is going."

"So honouring her wishes, Lucario and Rainbow Mika eliminated Psycho Mantis and Katniss." Catherine said.

"She truly lives up to the "Girl On Fire"." Wally said, sternly before saluting. "A true trooper."

"Yeah, she even literally throws Monokuma's rigged prizes back into his face!" Catherine laughed.

LUNA LOUD

NODE: THE LOUD HOUSE

ENTERED IN: Section 5; Number 108

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 7

"Heh. Ah thought that Luna's morale would be down when she lost her guitar, but no! She turns out to be just as spunky as ever!" Wally grinned.

"Damn right, she is! She isn't going to let a sexist like Dr. Psycho from DC Comics gets the better of her!" Catherine smirked. "She put her unarmed combat from Super Brawl Universe to go use and took that loser down!"

"AND she is now on her SEVENTH Elimination, do you think she would tie with THE Goofy?" Wally asked.

"I don't know. She seems to be doing well in the rankings despite her heavy fatigue." Catherine noted.

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/TOY STORY

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 187

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

Wally and Catherine both blinked twice.

"Welp… That happened." Wally said.

"Um, again, I am probably one of Xero's only defenders, but isn't he playing favoritism?" Catherine asked.

"Ya know how much Xero loves his movies." Wally shrugged. "And it is not like he got his elimination through cheap moves."

"Yeah… While Xero was distracting everyone with his bad singing, Buzz actually went to the one person who was unaffected and someone who he will think Buzz is a hallucination." Catherine nodded. "Chin from King of Fighters XIV!"

"A drunken old man versus a toy the size… Of a toy has no right being as badass as it is!" Wally grinned. "But it is! Both fighters have demonstrated excellent fighting styles! But while outsized, BUZZ was definitely not outmatched."

"Okay, but he and Xero can't keep it up forever." Catherine warned. "Sooner or later, someone will get wise."

"Well, we'll just have to see in the next section, won't we?" Wally shrugged.

PALUTENA

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/KID ICARUS

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 188

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

Catherine immediately smirked. "And Palutena showed us that she is a freaking goddess!"

"Yeah, Terra from Kingdom Hearts may have fought against beings of darkness on a regular basis, he didn't know what ta do against a holy goddess!" Wally agreed. "She didn't use any custom moves like Drake predicted, but turned out she didn't need them."

"Yeah, her basic moveset was overwhelming already!" Catherine noted. "Both Terra and his slow speed didn't know what hit him!"

"All while looking heavenly while doing it! Aight! We are at the top 3 aka people who would have gotten TWO eliminations if it was for the Big Guy Blocker!" Wally grinned. "And Ah couldn't be more happy with the results!

KULA DIAMOND

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 191

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

Catherine jumped at this. "What the hell!? Where has the sudden traction the King of Fighters node has been getting recently?"

"Ah don't know, but Ah certainly not complaining!" Wally smirked. "Kula has demonstrated that even though she is eternally "14" in age and mind, she is not a pushover!"

"Indeed! And even though she is a cryomancer, she is actually a little ball of sunshine!" Catherine added. "While fighting Rapunzel from Kingdom Hearts, she helped the blonde princess get out of her slump from using her dark powers on Mian!"

"It is not that surprising! Kula has gone through so much! Physically and mentally so she isn't going to let this chance goes ta waste!" Wally smirked.

WOLF O'DONNELL

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/STAR FOX

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 193

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

Wally scowled in disgust. "Stinky told me that Wolf was the definition of a pragmatist, but Jesus Christ…"

"...Think he is paranoid about what happened at the second Battle of the Luminaries?" Catherine asked.

Wally turned to Catherine confused. "Hm? What do ya mean?"

"Well, when Wolf first appeared, he bumped into Veigue's group aka people brainwashing everyone except the robots, not unlike a cult." The pink-haired woman pointed out. "Next, they tried to brainwash HIM. THEN, Cruella's group come in with THEM being under the influence of Soul Edge."

Wally blinked twice. "...WAS Cruella brainwashed? She seems like her usual self ta me."

"I… I don't know… But the point is… Wolf was NOT happy about it." Catherine frowned.

"Aye, Ah never seen him get so flustered." Wally frowned with his ears drooping.

"Yeah, I could see him getting scared of going through that again." Catherine said.

"Okay, but taking advantage of Cloud and Lucas' worried states while they are trying to rescue a possessed Rosalina, eliminating Lucas and leaving Cloud on his own is more than a bit scummy." Wally said.

"Yeah, he is definitely going into the next round with a huge target on his back." Catherine frowned.

BOWSER

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS

ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 198

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

Wally blinked twice while Catherine's eyes sparkled.

"Umm…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Wally jumped before turning to Catherine.

"That… Squeal seemed a bit… Masculine?" The boxer asked.

Catherine blinked twice. "That wasn't me."

"BOWSER X ASGORE! BOWSER X ASGORE! BOWSER X ASGORE!"

Wally and Catherine jumped before they looked to the side. Then, a familiar blue-furred anthro wearing glasses and bright clothing ran in with sparkling eyes in front of them.

"HE DID IT! HE ACTUALLY DID IT!"

"T-Tinyhammer?" Wally asked.

The wolf turned his head to Wally. "Oh, hey, guys! Nice job so far! However, I decided to take over this segment!"

Catherine's eyes widened before narrowing her eyes. "You can't do that!"

"Why not!? If Orange-Ratchet could steal Danglars and Tybalt's bit when talking about Disney, I could steal your bit when talking about Bowser X Asgore!" Tinyhammer challenged.

"But that's not fair! I wanna talk about Bowser X Asgore!" Catherine whined.

"Tough! There is no way I would let a mouthpiece talk about this!" Tinyhammer snapped before turning to the camera. "Now you may be wondering why Orange-Ratchet supports Bowser X Asgore. Well, to be fair, while he doesn't have any problem with it, I don't think he ever supports it… Until I BROUGHT it up!"

He then stifled a cough.

"You see, you know how Orange-Ratchet would have suggestion journals on fanfics. While one time before February, he suggested possibly couples to write." He said before poking his fingers. "I… Suggested my own and one of them was, of course, Bowser and Asgore."

He then took a deep breath.

"I make it no secret. I… Have a thing for big men. Human or otherwise… And Bowser and Asgore are two of my favourite characters of all time. I am not even exaggerating! Bowser and Asgore are everything I love in characters!" He said. "Aside from being large and bulky, Bowser is hot-blooded and boisterous yet has a not-so-hidden soft side while Asgore is a gentle giant with a tragic past that I can't help, but sympathise with."

He then raised a finger.

"So thankfully, when you really like two characters, you ship them together. Honestly, they are the perfect Yin-Yang. Bowser is impulsive and short-tempered and Asgore has low self-esteem. They need each other to balance each other out." He smiled. "Bowser needs a "motherly" person and peace of mind and Asgore needs someone to be a motivator."

He then sighed.

"Of course, there are some people who are opposed to bara so I hid my desires. But if Orange-Ratchet is willing to make my OTP canon in his fic, then I should be more bold!" Tinyhammer said before smiling. "So thank you, Orange-Ratchet! Words couldn't tell how grateful I am!"

By this time, Catherine had her hands on her mouth with tears running down her eyes and Wally gave a small smile.

"Wow…" Wally said.

"Oh, that is just…" Catherine said before wiping her eyes.

"So anyway… I imagine that people may get some weird looks, just like the Sorceress from Spyro the Dragon." Tinyhammer said before sighing. "But that's what happens. Right? Anyway, one half of my OTP has gotten the top of the ranks so he gets to choose the next envelope."

"And stick it ta Wario." Wally smirked.

"Totally." Tinyhammer said, returning the smirk. "He chose the "You're The Boss" envelope and now he is a Really Big Guy, giving him an extra fatigue vote AND there is a chance for a TRIPLE elimination. Now, Wally, Catherine, back to you with the goodbyes, hellos and statistics while I wait here."

Catherine blinked twice. "Wait… You are not leaving."

"If Bowser was lower in the ranks, I would leave as soon as I am done, but I got an announcement and I figure there is no point in leaving and having someone else speak for me." Tinyhammer shrugged.

"Um, fair enough. Anyway, we'll say goodbye ta Rapunzel, Pac-Man, Cloud, Terra, Little Mac, Zarina and Lucas." Wally said.

"And say hello to Roy, Buzz, Palutena, Auron, Kula, Katniss, Wolf and Bowser." Catherine smiled.

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Heh. Talk about a reversal."

"What is?" Catherine asked.

"Drake and Ashley have been commenting on these last few sections how there have been few survivors that lasted more than one section." Wally noted. "Now we have NINE to the newcomers' six."

"Damn… You are right…" Catherine said in awe. "Anyway, here is the statistics!"

CURRENT MVPS

STREET FIGHTER V: Sakura Kasugano - 4 (Eliminated)

KING OF FIGHTERS XIV: Joe Higashi - 3 (Still in the ring)

SUPER SMASH BROS: Rosalina & Luma - 5 (Still in the ring)

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: Big the Cat - 4 (Eliminated)

SPYRO THE DRAGON: Agent 9 - 5 (Eliminated)

SLY COOPER: Murray - 2 (Eliminated)

KINGDOM HEARTS: Goofy - 8 (Eliminated)

PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE: Jak & Daxter - 4 (Eliminated)

MEGAMAN: Napalm Man - 1 (Eliminated)/Megaman - 1 (Eliminated)

DC COMICS: Clayface - 2 (Eliminated)/Raven - 2 (Eliminated)

TOKYO MEW MEW: Kisshu Ikasatashi - 4 (Eliminated)

SKULLGIRLS: Parasoul - 3 (Eliminated)

BATTLE ARENA TOSHINDEN: Eiji Shinto - 1 (Eliminated)/Sofia - 1 (Eliminated)

CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION: Blossom - 2 (Eliminated)/Mojo Jojo - 2 (Eliminated)

MYSTERY FIGHTERS: Luna Loud - 7 (Still the ring)

"Luna is really setting the bar for Mystery Fighters. Question is, will she tie with Goofy?" Wally asked.

"Only time will tell." Catherine shrugged. She then turned to Tinyhammer. "So what is your big announcement?"

Tinyhammer nodded his head before turning to the camera. "You know how I usually take 2-3 days to put the recap of the next section out? Well, it may take a week."

Wally jumped at this. "Did something happen?"

"Don't worry. Nothing serious." Tinyhammer offered. "It is just that I will be in a gaming mood for the next one or two months."

"Oh, yeah. Your birthday was two weeks ago, wasn't it?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, and I got Legend of Zelda: Age of Calamity and I am currently trying to collect all of the treasure chests and Korok seeds in the main stories." Tinyhammer explained.

Wally winced. "Oof… I heard how tricky it is finding all of the items in a Zelda game could be so Ah could understand how tedious it is."

"Oh, it is not that bad." Tinyhammer reassured. "I actually just need to finish the final five chapters so I have to do a lot of side missions."

Catherine blinked twice. "So… What is the problem? That never stopped you before."

"It didn't. But on Friday, Miitopia is coming out!" Tinyhammer said.

"Wait, I thought you sucked at art." Catherine piped up.

"First off, thanks for that, Cat." Tinyhammer muttered with his eyebrow twitching. "But yeah. I don't have to make my own Miis. There are literal hundreds I could use. And I already played the demo and loved it."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Oh, who are your party?"

"Well, me, of course, as the Cautious Warrior, Kaede Akamatsu as the Stubborn Cleric, Captain Falcon as the Cool Thief and Scooby Doo as the Kind Pop Star." Tinyhammer explained.

Wally's eyes lit up at this. "Ooh, nice selection."

"Thanks!" Tinyhammer grinned. His face then fell. "And also the first DLC pack is coming out soon and I have to prepare for it. Between that, I have a lot to do gaming-wise so the next update will not be immediate."

"Well, that's cool." Wally nodded. "I am sure that Orange-Ratchet and everyone will understand."

Tinyhammer nodded his head. "Yeah, besides Drake and the others needs more time for the theme on the next section."

He then looked at the camera.

"I won't say we will be right back. However, we WILL have it out before the first of June which is when the deadline will be over."

LINK TO SECTION RESULTS: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 76191830