LINK TO SECTION BELOW
We now go back to the studio to see… The lights were off. However, it wasn't completely shrouded in darkness as there were small multi-coloured lights. From what little light it showed, it showed that it was Christmas lights on a pine tree decorated with fake snow, thistle, ornaments and popcorn with a silver star on top of it.
It also showed that they were more fake snow on the other with the chairs that Drake and Ashley usually sit on were a bright red and green respectively. In the background was a holly wreath hanging from it. On the table were a few mugs of hot chocolate.
Then, jingling could be heard. As if it was the sleigh of a certain jovial man. Then, the lights turn out with a bright ding-dong noise. And music started to play.
(Ohhhhh….)
Then, more sounds could be heard as a familiar vampire slid from off-screen while holding his microphone. Drake was wearing his usual suit. However, he had a Santa hat, a matching coat over said suit and a white bushy beard.
(Ohhhh…)
(Lights on the avenue)
(All seem so far away)
(I'm up here drinking a toast to you)
(On such a special day)
Then, Ashley walked on-screen while hitting a cowbell. He was almost dressed for the occasion as he also had a Santa Hat and his outfit looked like if Santa was a JPRG classic mage. Despite not having experience with music as Drake, he still smiled and sang along.
(Tonight's the night for I love yous)
(Wish we could have this feeling)
(Throughout the year)
(Christmas is here)
(Christmas is here)
Drake smiled as he made his way over to Wally who was drumming his way on a drum skit. He wasn't wearing a Santa Suit. He WAS wearing a green sweater with white reindeer running a horizontal line. He was also wearing antlers and had a red nose. Despite drumming to the beat, Wally was singing back-up, just like Ashley.
(Tonight's the night for I love yous)
(And if you hold me near you)
(You feel my heart beating)
(Beating for two)
Drake then made his way over to Catherine playing a keyboard. She was wearing an elf outfit, complete with the bell boots and the silly hat. Despite this, she looks like she was having as much fun as everyone else.
(Tonight's the night for I loveeeeeee youuuuuuuu)
(Up above the snow is falling)
(And stars disappear)
(My heart is calling)
(Christmas is here)
With that, the song ended. Everyone then started to cheer. Drake, Ashley, Wally and Catherine smiled as they bowed.
"Thank you, thank you, everyone!" Drake grinned. "Welcome back to the recap anddddd…"
With that, the four took in a deep breath.
"Merry Christmas!" Everyone grinned.
"That's right! This section is the Christmas episode!" Drake announced. "This was inevitable after what happened with the Halloween episode we have back there!"
"...I am still stunned that you are putting so much energy into something that is considered Jesus' birthday." Catherine mused.
"Hey, I am not one to be a party-pooper and it would be hypocritical if I don't put in the energy into this just like the Halloween one, right?" Drake smirked.
"True dat! True dat!" Wally grinned.
"Well… At the time the section came out, it would make sense to have a Christmas section." Ashley mused, putting his hands on his hips. "Especially since it should be around the exact holiday when Orange-Ratchet eventually puts up the results of this section."
"More or less, but we are getting ahead of ourselves." Drake said before looking at the camera. "Not unlike the Halloween section, none of the fighters, not even the Mystery ones will be fitting the Christmas theme."
"How could they? Sure, a lot of fighters could potentially fit into the Halloween sections, but Christmas… Is kinda hard to pin down." Catherine admitted.
"So to make up for it, Christmas songs will be playing through the section." Drake explained. "Also, when someone gets eliminated, they will end up in a Christmas-based world. Whether it be from a video game level, a cartoon special or even a film."
A glint then appeared in his eye.
"Also, Xero and Maurice have decided to give us their Christmas present. Basically, they are having the Millennium Star use his power to make it snow in the arena." Drake explained. "However, unlike in the Halloween section, it is NOT just aesthetic as you know how snow could get."
"...I am personally surprised that in all of the chaos that has gone on so far, this is the first section where the gimmick actually affects the ring." Ashley mused.
"So yeah, while I doubt that the arena changes will be so… Tame in the third Battle of the Luminaries 3, we all gotta start somewhere and this is the perfect way to show off the gimmick!" Drake grinned.
Wally then smirked. "Though I doubt the Millennium Star and Tumble are flattered."
The four then laughed.
"Oh, before I forget!" Ashley piped up. "It seems that we made a mistake in the last recap. Turns out…"
"Hey!" Catherine roared. "This should have happened last results so WALLY and I should cover it!"
Drake and Ashley rolled their eyes while Wally chuckled nervously.
"Alright, alright…" Ashley muttered.
Catherine nodded her head before looking at the camera. "Turns out that the MVP elimination is not 5, but a simple 4. So Eggman actually managed to tie with Big and Shadow for MVP."
"Heh. So we have a three-way tie. Do ya think anyone would be able to break it?" Wally asked.
"I mean, it is not impossible." Catherine shrugged. "There are still a lot of big name Sonic fighters that haven't come out yet. And even if people will continue to tie, four eliminations is nothing to sneeze at."
"Aye!" Wally grinned.
Drake just sighed. "Oh, right. Shall we start?"
"Aight!" Wally brightly, nodded. "Just introduce the surviving fighters and holler if there is a node or sub-node we haven't covered yet."
Wally and Catherine nodded their heads before walking off-screen. Drake and Ashley smiled before going to sit in their seats.
"Shall we?" Drake asked.
"Yes. Let's spread some Christmas cheer!" Ashley beamed.
MAC & BLOO
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS
ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 285
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"I must say that in a way I am very impressed. Despite Bloo acting like a little shit the entire time and Mac mostly unable to keep his imaginary friend on a leash, the mismatched duo is doing well for themselves." Drake mused.
"Yes, and Alex from Street Fighter V and Cyborg from DC Comics learned that the hard way." Ashley said before smirking and crossing his arms. "But let's see if the third time's a charm with them now that they are tiny thanks to the wheel's penalty!"
DONALD DUCK
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY
ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 299
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
"Despite the Big Guy Blocker section that he appeared in may have forced him to get off to a slow start, Donald is showing that little hiccup is not enough to deter him!" Ashley smiled.
"Yeah, his resume is taking off Solid Snake and K. Rool from Super Smash Bros and Sgt. Byrd from Spyro the Dragon is more than impressive!" Drake grinned. "No matter how he started big or small."
BATMAN
NODE: DC COMICS/BATMAN
ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 300
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Showing why he's the Goddamn Batman is… Well, Batman!" Drake smirked.
"Ugh, really, a Frank Miller reference!?" Catherine grunted in disgust from off-screen.
"I told you that if Catherine was there when you first said that meme, she would NOT be pleased." Ashley said, rolling his eyes. He then brightened up. "But regardless, Batman is definitely showing his stuff against the likes of Robin from Super Smash Bros and Emmett from Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale."
SULLEY
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/MONSTERS INC
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 304
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
BIG GUY ALERT!
MIKE WAZOWZKI
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/MONSTERS INC
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 305
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Seeing that these two have entered the same section together, it is only fitting that we introduce them together." Ashley smiled.
"Um, duh! These two have shown their teamworks skills against the Battle Couple of Robert Garcia and Yuri Sakazaki from King of the Fighters XIV!" Drake grinned. "And don't forget, the latter is currently third place for most eliminations PERIOD!"
BUBBLES
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/THE POWERPUFF GIRLS
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 306
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
CREAM THE RABBIT
NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 307
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"But from one power pair to another, we have Bubbles and Cream! Now you would think out of the two pairs, Sulley and Mike will be the scariest ones for obvious reasons!" Drake grinned. "But that is narrow-minded thinking!"
"Indeed. Link from Super Smash Bros, Ruto from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Ed from Street Fighter V and Nelson from King of Fighters XIV thought the same way and look where they all ended up." Ashley warned.
GUTSMAN
NODE: MEGAMAN
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 310
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
REALLY BIG GUY ALERT!
Ashley blinked twice before slapping his forehead. "Ugh, I can't believe in all of the madness, we have forgotten to report the theme of this section."
"To be fair, usually these mostly affect the… Well, Really Big Guy." Drake admitted with a shrug. "What's done is done. At least we actually remember during THIS recap unlike with the elimination count for the Sonic the Hedgehog MVP."
"True…" Ashley sighed before stifling a cough. "So yes, despite being labelled as the "brute" of the classic Megaman games, Gutsman has shown that there is more to him than meets the eye as he showed against Roger Smith from American Dad and Wreck-it Ralph from Kingdom Hearts, making him the first Megaman fighter to get more than one elimination! In a single section no less!"
"Not only that, but he has gotten the top slot so he gets to choose from the envelopes and he has chosen "You're The Boss!" Drake grinned. "So now he has more power, but at the cost of having an extra fatigue vote. Plus, there is literally a bounty prize on his metal head so he has to prove it!"
MISS DECIBEL
NODE: SLY COOPER
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 311
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Drake said with a wince. "And boy did Miss Decibel demonstrate that onto Needles Kane from PSASBR."
"Admittedly, she did so with a slow start, barely surviving the section." Ashley frowned. He then smirked darkly. "Buttttt… She may find more motivation to get an elimination in her second section."
CAPTAIN FALCON
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/F-ZERO
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 317
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Despite some people doubting him…" Ashley said, earning a "Seriously" from an off-screen Catherine. "Captain Falcon has proven that doesn't make him any less of a fighter than anyone else!"
"Yeah, if he wasn't, he wouldn't be able to beat Genie from Kingdom Hearts and Blue Mary from King of Fighters XIV!" Drake smirked.
PRINCESS PEACH TOADSTOOL
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 319
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Despite being the poster child for Damsel in Distress, Princess Peach has proven that when forced, she could potentially make everyone regret wanting to kidnap her!" Drake smirked.
"Indeed. Sly Cooper from… Sly Cooper and Chun-Li from Street Fighter V have learned that the hard way." Ashley winced.
BILLY KANE
NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV/FATAL FURY
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 320
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Okay… By itself, his elimination of the evolved Venusaur from Super Smash Bros wasn't that impressive seeing that the Pokemon was too tired to continue." Ashley frowned. "However, he DID spend more of the section, distracting a GIANT ROBOT."
"Yeah! And if he wanted to do a traditional elimination, he had a Smash Ball from the wheel so he could be flashy!" Drake smirked.
MARIO
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 325
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Okay, is anyone else surprised that Mario is taking a big leap into the next round?" Drake smirked.
"Indeed. Ushi from Fighters Destiny and Shun'Ei from King of Fighters XIV have learned not to take on Mario head-on!" Ashley added. He then paused. "Granted, they didn't really take him head-on and neither did Peach's opponents, but still…"
Drake rolled his eyes. "I swear, Ashley."
"I-In any case, let's go on the new fighters!" The wizard said, sheepishly.
CYRILLE LE PARADOX
NODE: SLY COOPER
Drake immediately sneered. "And here we have the biggest stinker in the Sly Cooper series!"
Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that offensive to Stinky?"
"Dude, trust me, while Stinky and I are not close, I KNOW for a fact that he would agree with me!" Drake scoffed.
Ashley nodded his head, sternly. "And deservingly so. Like I said earlier, Miss Decibel isn't a good person, but no woman, nay, noBODY deserves to have their heart played with like a toy!"
"Not going that, but even if you somehow managed to ignore that, Le Paradox is without a doubt the weakest final boss in the series!" Drake pointed out. "No, really, he has a petty-ass motivation, he never got any of the canes himself, but let his henchmen do it for him, he is a fucking creep, no, really, did you see how he handled Carmelita when she was kidnapped by him! And on top of that, his final fight is nothing more than a glorified Quick-Time Event!"
Ashley's eyes widened at this. "Quick-Time Event? As a FINAL BOSS!"
"I know and considering that the other bosses did not follow this formula, that makes him even MORE pathetic!" Drake added.
Ashley just groaned while shaking his head. "...Let's just make it to his fighting style."
"That's just the thing: Because he had everyone do everything for him and his QTE battle, we don't KNOW how good he is in battle!" Drake exclaimed. "Sure, he is about as athletic as Sly and he wields a rapier, but that's about it!"
"...So in other words, the only good thing about him is that he will give Miss Decibel the revenge he desperately needs." Ashley mused.
"Totally." Drake nodded, sternly. "Send that jackass to the same void they sent Pepe Le Pew too!"
LARXENE
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
"And here we go from one person with a detestable personality to another." Drake said. "But where credit goes, at least she more or less makes it work to her advantage."
"Indeed. While some of her scenes could be unpleasant to watch, I admit that she does get the rare chuckle out of me now and then." Ashley nodded.
"Okay so even I know that Larxene is the electromancer of Organization XIII." Drake said before pausing. "Um, the original one, I mean."
Ashley nodded his head. "And as if you expected anything else, she is one of, if not THE fastest members. In terms of movement AND attack speed. This is complimented by her kunai that she uses as makeshift claws."
Drake returned the nod. "I could see that."
"Also, she could create clones out of herself to overwhelm her enemies and the only way to get rid of them is to throw them into… Each other." Ashley added.
Drake's eyes bugged out at this. "Woah! That sounds annoying!"
"Well, what do you expect from Larxene? She revels in messing with people." Ashley scolded. "Whether it is physically or emotionally."
"...Do you think we should cut it in half for now?" Drake asked.
"I would recommend it." Ashley nodded. "Even though Tiny didn't tell us, apparently there are going to be at least EIGHT nodes or sub-nodes to cover this round. That and we spent a lot of time on that opening."
"Fair enough." Drake said before looking at the camera. "But stay tuned. This is getting good!"
LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 87910831
