LINK TO SECTION BELOW
We now went back to the studio. However, instead of showing Drake and Ashley in the main seat or even Wally and Catherine, we saw… A bunch of pumpkins. Pumpkins with faces carved into them.
The camera then scanned up to show that the wallpaper was dark with shadowy silhouettes of houses along with dead trees, a full moon and flying bats. Then, music started to play.
i(You know me the fighting freak, Knuckles)
(And we're at Pumpkin Hill)
(You're ready?)/I
Finally, we saw Drake. However, instead of his suit, he was dressed in a black suit, a red overcoat, a large red fedora, orange round-tinted glasses and black boots. He grinned as he held a guitar as he started to sing.
i(I ain't gonna let it get to me, I'm just gonna creep)
(Down in Pumpkin Hill I gots to find my lost piece)
(I know that it's here, I can sense it in my feet.)
(The great Emerald's power allows me to feel)/i
Drake then started to move to the right with the camera following him, showing more of the scenery with the various pumpkins everywhere.
i(I can't see a thing but it's around somewhere)
(I'm gonna hold my head 'cause I have no fear)
(This probably seems crazy, crazy, a graveyard theory)
(A ghost tried to approach me and got leery!)/i
Drake continued to make his way. As he did so, lightning could be seen from the side. When Drake got closer to it, we now see Ashley using his rod to create electricity, making a "stormy night" effect. However, he was also wearing a different outfit. This time, a full black bodysuit with a large orange cloak and a black headband around his forehead. He had a neutral look on his face.
i(Asked him a question and he vanished in a second)
(I'm walkin' through valleys cryin' pumpkin in the alley)
(Didn't seem happy but they sure tried to get me)
(Had to back 'em up with the fist, metal crack 'em)/i
Drake continued to walk past Ashley as their hair waver from the latter's electricity.
i(I'm hearing someone sayin' "You a chicken, don't be scared!")
(It had to be the wind, 'cause nobody wasn't there)
(I searched and I searched as I climbed up the wall)
(And then I started to fly, I went in deeper!)/i
He then walked over to Wally who was on the ground playing on a drum set. Unlike Drake and Ashley, his outfit was more simple with a white shirt over a black one with a red fire-streak on it and black cargo shorts.
i(Let it get to me? I'm just gonna creep)
(Down in Pumpkin Hill I gots to find my lost piece)
(I know that it's here, I sense it in my feet)
(The great Emerald's power allows me to feel)/i
Drake and Wally looked at each other and grinned wider.
i(I can't see a thing but it's around somewhere)
(I gotta hold my head, I have no fear)
(It probably seems crazy, crazy, a graveyard theory)
(A ghost tried to approach me, he got leery)/i
Finally, he walked over to Catherine who was… beating a stick against a cowbell. She… Didn't look pleased. She was wearing dark Ainu clothing with a matching hat. Her hair… Was actually dark.
i(This is Knuckles, who fears none.)
(It's real deal when it comes to my name, kid!)/i
With that, he made one final riff, promptly ending the song. This resulted in a huge applause from the crowd (that's right, they are still there). Drake smirked as Ashley, Wally and Catherine joined in. Ashley had a small smile, Wally was smirking nearly as big as Drake and Catherine… Just looked neutral.
"Welcome back!" Drake greeted. "Andddddd!"
With that, all four spoke in unison.
"HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"
"And before you ask, we are aware that it is July." Ashley said with a deep sigh.
"And for those who are asking "Wait, isn't this in May?" Well, the date is taking place on the creation of the Tournament of Kikai." Drake pointed out.
"...Why are we doing this again?" Ashley muttered.
"Um, we've been over this, Ash." Drake scolded. "Because Xero and Maurice are making the theme of this section, Halloween! And you know that as the mayor of Night Town, it would be a disservice NOT to get in the action."
"Okayyyyyy. So WHY is Xero doing it?" The wizard scolded.
"Because a good chunk of the incoming fighters are characters that would fit in a "spooky" environment." Drake pointed out.
"Sooo… Just make it "Spooky" themed." Ashley scolded. "Don't pretend that it is late October."
"Hey, you got Xero's number! You wanna argue this, take it up with him!" Drake scolded.
Ashley opened his mouth to respond, but then he realized that it would be too little, too late to argue with him.
"...Fine." The wizard spat.
"But yeah, the moment Xero told me about this theme for this round, I KNEW that I had to get everyone to start decorating!" Drake grinned.
Ashley paused. "...Yes, about that call."
However, before he could elaborate more about it, Drake already turned to Wally and Catherine.
"Speaking of which, thanks again for covering the last results recap." Drake grinned.
"No probs!" Wally grinned. "It was actually a blast!"
"Yeah, it was nice to actually talk about the fighters individually." Catherine nodded. She then sighed. "I just wish there were more animals that survived the section so I could have more enthusiasm to talk about it."
"Hey, it happens. Anyway, for those we don't know what we are wearing." Drake piped up. "I am dressed as Alucard from Hellsing!"
Ashley nodded his head. "I am dressed as Dhaos, the Demon King from Tales of Phantasia!"
"I am dressed as Yugo Ogami from Bloody Roar!" Wally grinned before doing a wolf-like howl. "Ah-roooo!"
"And I am Rera from Samurai Shodown." Catherine concluded.
"As you could see, while some are more on-the-nose than others, we are ALL dressed for the theme!" Drake grinned. He then looked at Ashley. "Though you could afford to dye your hair blond."
"I could think of ten reasons to not dye my hair blond." The wizard said, putting his hand through his hair.
Drake, Wally and Catherine rolled their eyes.
"Anywayyyyy, other that THAT, the theme is also "You're the Boss". Drake smirked. "Bowser is now a "Really Big Guy" so he would count as TWO Big Guys. However, at the cost of having an extra point of fatigue."
"However, it is not all gloom and doom. If Bowser survives the section, he will get a prize." Wally grinned. "Of course, if he is eliminated in the same section, the person who eliminated him will get the prize."
"Also, there is a strong chance that the top slot fighter will get THREE eliminations in one go." Catherine nodded.
Ashley nodded his head. "Also, Wally and Catherine, I should probably warn you…"
"Hm?" Wally asked as he and Catherine looked confused.
"Because of the lengthy intro, we may have to make this recap another two-parter." Ashley said. "And I think it would be more efficient to do the fighters in half so…"
"So because the last section was a "Big Guy Blocker" round, all of the fighters will be ones we already covered." Catherine noted.
Wally's ears drooped. "Aw, come on!"
"Unfortunately, yes." Ashley frowned.
"It's fine, Wally." Catherine reassured, putting a hand on Wally's shoulder. "This late into the game, other than Mystery Fighters, of course, we would be running out chances for screentime, anyway."
"Ah guess…" Wally said.
"You know, Walls, Xero DID say that if this goes well, he may do a Christmas round." Drake pointed out.
"Of course he thought of that." Ashley said, rolling his eyes.
"Which means we would have to stop recapping to decorating." Drake offered before grinning. "Which means there is another chance for you and Catherine to recap another section results."
Wally's eyes bugged out at this. "Get out!"
"I won't!" Drake smirked. "In fact, I want you and Catherine to show me and Ash when we go to the Crossover Dome."
Wally and Catherine lit up at this.
"Really?" Catherine asked, clasping her hands together.
"I mean there wouldn't be much for you to do in the final section for obvious reasons and it would be unfair for you to be left out sooo…" Drake chuckled.
"Dude, you are the best!" Wally grinned.
"I can't wait to see all of the cuties in person!" Catherine beamed.
"I know, I know, same here!" Drake laughed.
Ashley chuckled. "Sorry for ruining the mood, but this has gone on long enough."
"Oh, right, sorry!" Wally nodded.
Catherine nodded. "We will rest up and get ready for the second half."
"Alright, see you around!" Drake offered.
With that, Wally and Catherine walked off-screen.
"Sorry about that!" Drake reassured. "Now, shall we?"
LUNA LOUD
NODE: THE LOUD HOUSE
ENTERED IN: Section 5; Number 108
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 7
"Heh. Not having her guitar for one round would be a downer on her morale, huh? Well, Luna was never one to get down!" Drake smirked.
"Indeed, along with Dhalsim and Ken from Street Fighter, Flapjack from Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, Dumbo from Kingdom Hearts, Megaman from Megaman and K' from King of Fighters XIV, she just recently disposed of Dr. Psycho from DC Comics." Ashley said. "Now the question is: Would she be able to tie with the current overall MVP, Goofy!"
ROSALINA & LUMA
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO GALAXY
ENTERED IN: Section 7; Number 138
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 5
"Staying strong and graceful is the ever-mysterious Rosalina and her Luma Child!" Ashley smiled. "They demonstrated their might over the likes of Sakura from Street Fighter V, Wave and Blaze from Sonic the Hedgehog, Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden and Axl from Megaman!"
"She has now officially taken Pikachu as the Super Smash Bros MVP! Question is, would she be able to extend the bar a little higher?" Drake smirked.
MAI SHIRANUI
NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS/FATAL FURY
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 159
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
Drake gave a descending whistle. "Mai's REALLY salty about being snuffed out of her cameo in Super Smash Brothers, huh."
"Indeed… Kirby and Cloud Strife, both from Super Smash Bros learned that the hard way." Ashley winced.
RAWK HAWK
NODE: PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD DOOR
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 161
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"I must say, Rawk Hawk is surprising me." Ashley noted before pausing. "For the most part."
"Yeah, his elimination of Vanessa from King of Fighters XIV is nothing short of impressive." Drake grinned. His grin then vanished. "His elimination of Little Mac from Super Smash Bros on the other hand… Could be better."
WARIO
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/WARIO
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 165
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
"Heh. I doubt for sure that Wario would go through hell on Earth for inadvertently causing the Big Guy Blocker." Drake smirked. "But while from the skin of his rotting teeth, he still made it through!"
"And with an impressive streak so far of Daimon from King of Fighters XIV, Green Lantern from DC Comics and Ibuki from Street Fighter V as well." Ashley nodded.
RAINBOW MIKA
NODE: STREET FIGHTER V
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 168
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"I must say, Mika is doing exceptionally well for someone who only appeared in ONE game before V." Ashley noted. "And no, the re-releases do NOT count."
"That's right, Ash. She has proven that her comeback was deserved with her eliminations of Taruto from Tokyo Mew Mew and Katniss from the Hunger Games." Drake nodded.
LUCARIO
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/POKEMON
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 181
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
"Little aura? Little problem!" Drake grinned. "Lucario has proven that even without his aura, he is a formidable being!"
"Indeed, he showed that to Wonder Woman from DC Comics, Laura from Street Fighter V and Psycho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid!" Ashley nodded.
JOE HIGASHI
NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV/FATAL FURY
ENTERED IN: Section 8; Number 182
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
Ashley blinked twice. "...I am STILL in awe that THIS guy is the MVP for King of Fighters XIV. Sure, the bar was very low to begin with, but still…"
"Yeah, most people would bet against him if they heard that he would be facing the likes of Dark Samus and Pacman from Super Smash Bros AND Jak & Daxter from PSASBR, but here we are!" Drake said in awe.
ROY
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/FIRE EMBLEM
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 185
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Well, Wally was definitely right. I should have chanted "Roy's our boy" because he is off to a slow, but still commendable start with his elimination of Zarina from King of Fighters XIV." Drake chuckled.
"But Catherine was also definitely right. He more or less handicapped himself by keeping that cursed Smash Ball." Ashley frowned. "I mean I am sure that SOMEONE has to break the curse EVENTUALLY, but the question is, would he be the one?"
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/TOY STORY
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 187
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
Ashley blinked twice. "...I admit that he more or less had a bit of help, but I am still impressed at Buzz's feat."
"Yeah, despite his small size, he still overpowered Chin from King of Fighters XIV." Drake grinned. "Not going to lie, now I am even more curious about how he is going to fight!"
PALUTENA
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/KID ICARUS
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 188
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Shining her way into the darkness of the Halloween round is Palutena!" Drake grinned. "She definitely made Terra from Kingdom Hearts bow down to her!"
"Hey, yeah!" Ashley exclaimed in realization. "Palutena actually has an advantage because of her holy powers and it is super effective against a good chunk of the fighters."
AURON
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/FINAL FANTASY X
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 190
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"This may or not be his story, but even if it isn't, his time in the arena is far from over!" Ashley noted.
"Yeah, he figuratively cut Love Heart from King of Fighters XIV down to size!" Drake grinned. "And he still has a lot to go!"
KULA DIAMOND
NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 191
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Coming with the force of a winter storm, but the disposition of a summer sun is Kula!" Drake grinned. "She, along with Mai and Joe are helping pick up some much needed slack for the King of Fighters node."
"Indeed, she has demonstrated her cryomancer powers against the likes of Rapunzel, who was an unlikely powerhouse in her own right!" Ashley nodded.
WOLF O'DONNELL
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/STARFOX
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 193
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Okay, okay, OKAY! Let's not pretend that Wolf's start is a good one, but I could see where he is coming from." Ashley reassured. "After some of the blunders that happened with Limit Breaks, particularly with Leona, Ralf and King Shark, I could think that he has made a smart choice."
Drake rolled his eyes. "I mean he IS the only StarFox to survive a section so yeah, I suppose that if it works… Let's hope that he will have more impressive eliminations than one of his nodal companions, Lucas."
BOWSER
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS
ENTERED IN: Section 9; Number 197
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
REALLY BIG GUY ALERT!
"Andddddd last, but definitely not least, THE Big Bad of video games, Bowser!" Drake grinned. "Admittedly, his elimination of the Sorceress from Spyro the Dragon isn't that impressive on its own. Even though he showed that he is not unable to move on and… Explore new venues."
"And he definitely has a chance to prove himself now that he has made himself a Really Big Guy, purposefully giving himself an extra fatigue vote AND making it easier for him to get eliminated." Ashley admitted.
"...Still stunned that he is with Asgore." Drake piped up.
"Yes. Especially since Tinyhammer was just as blindsided as everyone else…" Ashley admitted.
Drake just shrugged before turning to the others. "And that's everyone!"
"Sorry for the uneventful first part. Hopefully, the opening is more than enough to balance it out!" Ashley offered.
"We will be right back!" Drake offered. "Trust me. We WILL make sure that the second part will be worth the wait!"
LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 77586614
