WARNING: TALK ABOUT NAZIS BEFORE! PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE

LINK TO SECTION BELOW

We now return to Drake, Ashley… and Wally and Catherine still in their seats. Noticeably, Ashley was wearing Catherine's present.

"Anddddd we are back!" Drake grinned.

"As ya noticed, Cat and Ah didn't went back ta our posts!" Wally admitted. "Well, even though the Christmas section is over, there are a few more days before Christmas sooo…"

"Why not continue all four of us reacting to the fighters?" Catherine asked.

"We even asked Cacey to check ahead for us and see if there weren't too many new nodes or sub-nodes to cover." Ashley smiled, smoothing out his new dress. "So Wally and Catherine wouldn't get that much screentime, anyway."

"So just let's get started. Though before we start, I would like to remind everyone that the top slot fighter of the section has selected "Mystery Reserves" So the next fighter will be from one of the picks for the tournament." Drake explained. "And today's winner? SSBFreak!"

"Congratulations on your early Christmas present, SSBFreak!" Ashley beamed. "I hope you enjoy it!"

With that, the four clapped.

"Okay, let's introduce the new fighters!" Drake grinned. "But first things first, the surviving fighters!"

DONALD DUCK

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY SHORTS

ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 299

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 5

"Donald may be the one who gets stuck with all of the bad luck, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the same Classic Disney power that his buddy, Goofy, has!" Drake grinned.

"Indeed, with his eliminations of Solid Snake, K. Rool AND Captain Falcon from Super Smash Bros along with Sgt . Byrd from Spyro the Dragon and Cerebella from Skullgirls, he is now the longest-running fighter in the ring!" Ashley beamed.

BUBBLES

NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/THE POWERPUFF GIRLS

ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 306

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 4

"Bubbles may be understandably upset that her boyfriend, Mac and his imaginary friend, Bloo, have been eliminated, but the glass isn't half-empty for her." Ashley frowned.

"Aye, she has gotten the MVP spot of CN: PTE and saved her node from having a poor score." Wally nodded. "Link from Super Smash Bros, Ed from Street Fighter V and ESPECIALLY Batman and the Martian Manhunter learned that the hard way."

CREAM THE RABBIT

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 307

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"Cream may be lagging a bit against her new friend, Bubbles, but she and her Chao, Cheese, are still proving that they could rough it up with the others." Wally grinned.

"Oh, totally! They have already taken care of Ruto from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nelson from King of Fighters XIV and Rungo from Battle Arena Toshinden!" Catherine smiled before squealing. "All while looking cute doing so!"

PRINCESS PEACH TOADSTOOL

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS

ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 319

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"Speaking of being badass while looking cute doing it, Peach has proved that when she is in the mood, she CAN defend herself from getting kidnapped!" Catherine noted.

"Yeah, Sly Cooper from Sly Cooper, Chun-Li from Street Fighter V and Vilgax from CN: PTE will NOT forget that anytime soon." Drake smirked.

MARIO

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SUPER MARIO BROS

ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 325

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 4

"And what's a Bright Lady without her White Knight, Mario?" Drake grinned.

"While one may question Mario being a Knight… Or wearing white." Ashley said, shifting his eyes to the side. "No one could deny that he has the strength and determination of one, demonstrating this on Ushi from Fighters' Destiny, Shun'Ei from King of Fighters XIV, Larxene from Kingdom Hearts and Boyd from the Rumble Fish."

SACKBOY

NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE/LITTLEBIGPLANET

ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 331

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Accompanied by the narration of Stephen Fry is Sackboy and his trollish amount of stickers." Ashley said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, how Ashley put it isn't that impressive, but hey, he legit completely dominated Rogue from Sonic the Hedgehog so he must be doing SOMETHING right, right?" Wally shrugged.

EARTHWORM JIM

NODE: EARTHWORM JIM

ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 334

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"Showing that even though he hasn't seen work fer a while, that doesn't mean he or his suit are rusty is Earthworm Jim!" Wally grinned.

"Indeed. He is already off to an explosive start with not only eliminating Billy and Tung from King of Fighters XIV AND Sulley from Kingdom Hearts, but also having the rare honour of getting EVERYONE'S Live votes!" Catherine beamed. "I doubt it will last, but still this is a good sign for him!"

MINT AIZAWA

NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW

ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 335

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Mint may be a snob, but she is far from a pushover! Or in this case, far from an airhead!" Catherine smirked.

"Yeah, she used her quick thinking to eliminate Peter Pan & Tinker Bell from Kingdom Hearts on a technicality!" Drake noted.

IKE

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/FIRE EMBLEM TELLIUS

ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 338

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Heh, we should be chanting "We Like Ike" because while barely, he still managed to survive the round!" Drake smirked.

"Though his elimination of Mike from Kingdom Hearts is nothing to praise." Ashley said, rolling his eyes. "Though to be fair, I don't blame him at all. I more blame…"

SORA

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS

ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 342

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"HIM. His plan to get rid of Abigail from Street Fighter V and Rajan from Sly Cooper completely backfired and it got Mike, his ALLY, eliminated." Ashley muttered.

"Ta be fair, it wasn't a COMPLETE disaster. Sure, he didn't get Rajan like he intended, but he still eliminated Abigail." Wally reminded. "AND he was the one who got rid of Rajan eventually, granted with help from Donald so his first section isn't a total trainwreck."

"True…" Ashley said. He then brightened up. "But hey! That is all of the surviving fighters! Let's go into the new ones!"

AKUMA

NODE: STREET FIGHTER V

BIG GUY ALERT!

Drake smirked. "Hey, hey, hey! Looks like we are starting the new fighters of this section, literally big!"

Catherine blinked twice. "...I still don't understand what the hype is between Shotoclone. Yeah, he could teleport and throw Hadokens in the air, but at the end of the day, it is still the same thing."

Drake and Wally glared at Catherine.

"That shows how narrow-minded YOU are! Akuma is one of, if not THE first secret fighting boss!" Drake scolded.

"Dude literally just came out of nowhere, made Bison his bitch in just a few seconds and proceeds ta fight the player!" Wally added.

Catherine rolled her eyes."Yeah, yeah, if he's so powerful, why are his health and stun bars pathetic?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Wait, Catherine isn't just being Catherine right now. She is being correct, right?"

"Screw you." The pink-haired woman scoffed.

"More or less. Akuma trades defence for offence." Drake said. "That being said, taking advantage of this glaring weakness is harder than it looks."

"Aye, along with the mentioned teleport and air Hadokens, he hits both hard AND fast!" Wally added.

"Got any more snarks?" Drake asked, crossing his arms.

"Um, yes? Why does he look like a mutant lion in V?" Ashley piped up.

Drake, Wally and Catherine all blinked twice.

"...What? Even though it was clear that question was pointed at Catherine and Catherine only, there is no way I am going to miss the chance to point out THAT hairstyle." Ashley muttered.

Drake and Wally paused before sighing.

"...This may be our best AND worst idea we ever had." Drake muttered.

TRON

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/TRON

"Not going to lie, if it wasn't for Kingdom Hearts, of course, I wouldn't have found out that TRON is a DISNEY property." Ashley mused.

"Aye, same here." Wally said before smirking. "Looks like it is already our turn to step up!"

"Seems like it!" Catherine said, returning the smirk.

"This is all you!" Drake grinned. "Ash and I will only pipe up when we feel the need to comment on anything."

Wally nodded his head. "TRON is a Sci-Fi film made in 1982, written and directed by Steven Lisberger. The story is about a video game developed named Kevin Flynn that gotten his video games stolen by a corrupt CEO and was trying ta prove it."

"Emphasis on "trying" because he ended up getting literally sucked into the world inside of the computer where the programs are forced to fight in what is essentially Sci-Fi Gladiator Games." Catherine explained. "With the help of TRON, an independent security program, Flynn must destroy the MCP which stands for Master Control Programs, free the programs and return home."

"While computer-generated special effects were always a thing, TRON was the first film where said computer-generation made something "real" rather than computer graphics." Wally explained.

Ashley blinked twice. "That's… Kinda an oxymoron."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet. Apparently, a good chunk of the special effects are HAND-DRAWN, even the objects and environments." Catherine explained. "Granted, the light cycles, tanks, recognisers and the Solar Sail were CGI, but everytime was done on black and white on a piece of paper."

Drake gave a descending whistle. "Woah, that is impressive. But if that is the case, how come we rarely hear about it outside of Kingdom Hearts?"

"Yes, if it was bad, we would have heard about it more just like with Chicken Little." Ashley added.

"Oh, it is not bad. However, the box office said otherwise as it didn't do that well." Wally frowned. "Not helping is the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences considered it "cheating" to have computers ta create the special effects. This, not only TRON's reputation, but also CGI in general."

Drake winced. "Ouch…"

"Fortunately, it wasn't until Jurassic Park where people's views on CGI changed a bit. That and the movie got a cult following." Catherine explained. "It even spawned two video games, a graphic novel and television series."

"Also, not only did TRON show up in 2, but Nomura admitted that he wanted ta have it in the FIRST game, but couldn't find the time. Well, better late than never." Wally shrugged.

"AND in Dream Drop Distance, one of the worlds represented is one of the sequels to TRON, making it one of the very few that got a sequel in the series, the other honour going to Aladdin." Catherine noted.

Drake gave a descending whistle. "Nomura must REALLY love the series."

"Apparently, can't say Ah blame him from what Ah learned." Wally said. He then smiled before looking at Ashley. "Yer turn!"

Ashley returned the smile. "Thank you very much. Now TRON is one of the very few party members with a long-range weapon, his disc that he could throw like a boomerang."

"Ooh, that would definitely help." Drake smirked.

"Yes, but to balance this, he only has one accessory and armour slot and two item slots. Not helping is that his damage output is quite low." Ashley frowned. "However, he DOES have a Thunder spell and if someone decides to do a Limit Break with him, he could arguably be one of the most devastating ones thus far."

"AND he is one of the very few Disney party members required to defeat the boss." Catherine added. "That definitely should count for something since Sora is pretty much doing all of the heavy lifting."

KOLIN

NODE: STREET FIGHTER V

"Huh. Didn't Kolin show up in the latest Okron Tournament?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Aye. Granted, the sections she appeared in far apart in terms of numbers, but still. What a coincidence." Wally mused.

"What I'M confused about is how long it took Capcom THIS long to get a cryomancer in Street Fighter." Drake added. "Sure, we have Gill, but obviously he is more of a half-cryomancer."

"I know what you are trying to say, but I don't think HALF-cryomancer is accurate." Ashley said.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kolin is another blatant fanservice character."

"Aw, come on! She is not THAT bad!" Drake said, crossing his arms. "Until Laura, she actually has plot relevance, not only being the one to convince Nash to join her, but also helping link III to V!"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Um, I don't think that is much of a compliment because Capcom wouldn't let their story go beyond III."

"Oh, ya didn't hear? It has been said that VI should take place AFTER III!" Wally pointed out.

Ashley's eyes lit up at this. "Really? They are actually going FORWARD with the timeline for once?"

"As much as I love to snark about this, I think we are getting off-topic." Catherine said. "I know that Carver and Blunny already said this, but she pales in comparison next to Nash, Urien, Rashid and Gill!"

Wally's ears drooped. "Not… Wrong."

"Eh. She didn't get it as bad as Laura and Falke sooo…" Drake shrugged.

"Oh, I LOVE it that your argument is "Well, the bar for V's original women is already low so let's take what we got"!" Catherine said, rolling her eyes.

"Also, the very same people who said that the timeline of VI will go forward also said that Ed's story should actually continue sooo there would be a chance that Falke will get more focus." Wally added.

Catherine scoffed. "...I bet they will just replace her with the gorilla in the roster."

Drake blinked twice. "...Wait, that is a bad thing?"

Catherine actually winced at this. "Okay, point taken, but that still doesn't change the fact…"

"Can we PLEASE go talk about Kolin's fighting style before someone else derails the conversation!?" Ashley exclaimed.

Drake rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright! Anyway, like I said, Kolin is a cryomancer so she has arcing projectiles of ice, could make ice blades on her hands for a brutal assault and even create a platform of ice underneath her for a double jump."

"She also uses the Russian martial art, Systema, a fighting style that focuses on using the enemy's attacks against them." Wally added. "It should be noted that other than Marie Rose from Dead Or Alive, no one else could use that power."

"Her V-Skills and V-Triggers also take advantage of her cryomancy and Systema moves. Her first V-Skill is more fitted countering attacks while her second V-Skill is a grab that freezes her opponents." Catherine nodded. "Her first V-Trigger can literally freeze the stun gauge making it easy to dizzy or freeze opponents while her second V-Trigger gives her the ability to slide forward as if she was on ice."

"Kolin may not stand out and that's fine for her. She doesn't WANT to stand out. She just wants to take out any threats in her way." Drake said, grimly.

NIGHTWING

NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS

"Okay, so because there were at least THREE different Robins, I have to ask, is this one…" Ashley asked.

"The same one as the Teen Titans one? Yes." Drake said.

Wally then smirked. "He is also Dick Greyson, former age 12."

Catherine groaned, Drake laughed and Ashley blinked twice.

"...You know what? I am not even going to ask." The wizard said, shaking his head.

"Regardless, even though he is known as Nightwing, he is still Robin to US." Drake said, making the others nod their heads.

"So what now?" Ashley asked. "What we said about Batman could be said about Ro… Um, Nightwing more or less."

"Aye, the closest thing I could think of is his Bo staff." Wally said, scratching the back of his head.

"I heard that they are now Escrima Sticks that he could combine into a staff at any point." Drake added. "And don't forget. He was in the first Injustice game."

Catherine grunted in disgust. "I still can't believe he got killed by that brat, Damien Wayne."

"DON'T…" Drake roared, making everyone jump. "...Just don't."

SWORD MAN

NODE: MEGAMAN

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "SWORD MAN?"

"Ta be fair, he WAS in the second Megamix Tournament so he has SOME form of seniority." Wally admitted.

"That and there aren't too many Robot Masters that could detach themselves from their body." Drake added. "He should make for some interesting content."

"That and most of the Megaman 8 Robot Masters line-up are take-it-or-leave-it." Catherine said, waving it out. "I don't blame Xero for picking the one that appeals to him and only him the most."

Drake rolled his eyes."Anyway, like I said earlier, Sword Man could detach his torso from his leg while swinging his sword for somewhat of a projectile."

"He could also ignite his sword in fire." Wally added. "But that also makes him weak to aquamancer."

Ashley's eyes widened. "Wait… Didn't the last section state that Retasu AND Demyx are both due for the arena in this section?"

Everyone winced.

"Villain or not, Ah can't say Ah don't sorry fer the poor bugger." Wally frowned with his ears dropping.

MERLINA

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Wally blinked twice. "Even ta this day, Ah don't understand why GreyRaine invited HER of all characters? Sure, the Deadly Six and Infinite were polarising at best, but at least ya can't say they DON'T get your attention."

"Wally, they get our attention for the wrong reasons." Drake muttered.

"Ah never said they did so fer the RIGHT reasons." The kangaroo countered.

"Okay, real talk, gameplay-wise, it is… Subpar." Ashley said. "However, I think the STORY is fine. Not on Adventure standards, but still."

"Yeah, and Merlina has to be one of the most compelling final bosses I've ever seen!" Catherine added.

"Also, Orange-Ratchet likes his mage and there are not that many mages in Sonic the Hedgehog sooo…" Drake said.

"Alright, alright." Wally said. "So what does she do combat-wise?"

Ashley frowned. "Good question. Both of her stronger attacks come from her time as the Dark Queen and since she is clearly not a villain here."

"The Okron Tournament DID show that she could use a weaker form of King Arthur as a puppet fighter, but seeing that she didn't survive the debut section." Drake frowned.

"It ISN'T a stretch to say that she has some form of barrier magic." Ashley mused, putting his hand on his chin. "I don't know. Most of her offensive kit could mostly be used in her villainous form."

"Well, let's see what she does." Catherine shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she will do something that she wasn't able to do in her short time in the Okron Tournament."

RYO SAKAZAKI

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV/ART OF FIGHTING

"And here we have the face of Art of Fighting!" Wally grinned.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Wally's grin vanished as his ears drooped. "Now Catherine, Ah know that Ryo was a strict prick ta Yuri in XV, but surely he learned his lesson."

"It's not that!" Catherine shot back before pausing. "Okay, it kinda is, but I would have still had an issue with this. Despite what I said about Shotoclones, I could GET the hype between them. But why would you unironically be hyped for RYO?"

"Ah mean… If it wasn't fer her, we wouldn't get Dan Hibiki in which we wouldn't get Yuri's delightfully-spiteful moveset!" Wally countered.

Catherine slumped her arms. "Um, you DO realise that you more or less admitted that Ryo is a shameless Ken clone?"

Wally shook his eyes. "Oh, fer cryin out loud."

"I mean… Ryo didn't exactly help redesign the Shotoclone drastically, but from what I could gather, he IS the first Guest Fighter in fighting games so THAT gotta count for something." Drake admitted.

Ashley blinked twice. "Wait… So there was a time where SNK weren't making big leaps in their crossovers?"

"Okay, even I have to admit that is the case, Ashley." Catherine said. "Sure, it is kinda the norm for now, considering that we got the main protagonists of Psycho Soldier AND Ikari Warriors in every King of Fighters game, even though said games are NOT fighting games."

"Wow…" Ashley said in awe.

"But yeah, I literally don't know you guys are going to hype up Ryo in terms of his abilities." Catherine noted.

"True… His kit is more simple compared to literally everyone else in the KOF roster." Drake mused, rubbing his chin. "However, there is a move that he has either as Super or a Climax Super where he hits once and really hard."

"Granted, it is not exactly flashy, but the camera angles and the sounds really sell that punch!" Wally grinned.

COLONEL RADEC

NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/KILLZONE

BIG GUY ALERT!

"Huh… Another character I didn't know existed before PSASBR." Ashley admitted. "Except whenever people talk about him, it was in a frustrating fashion."

"Not surprising because he is just as broken as Kratos in that game." Drake admitted with a scowl. "But let's cross that bridge when we get to it. Walls, Cat?"

"Aight!" Wally grinned. "Killzone is a series of first-person shooters developed by the Netherlands-based Guerilla Games."

"Huh. That is a country I didn't expect to hear from on this show." Ashley admitted.

"Basically it is known for taking classic war tropes and aesthetics of various stuff like the both World Wars, Vietnam and The Gulf War and adding a new twist on it." Catherine explained.

"In SPACE!" Wally piped up.

Ashley's eyes widened. "Wait… What!? Isn't that offensive to the people who suffered in those wars?"

"...We don't make the rules. The video game industry did." Wally scolded.

This resulted in a mixed reaction from the others. Ashley just gave an exasperated look on his face, Catherine visibly winced and Drake… Looked like he was about to throttle Wally.

"...Please continue before you say something else that would give Twitter material for a field day." Drake growled.

Wally gulped nervously. "A-Aight… The series is set in a space colonisation where the Helghast Empire was recovering from their curb-stomp in the first Helghast War."

"What is the Helghast Empire?" Ashley asked.

"Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and North Korea all recycled." Catherine said without missing a beat.

Drake and Ashley winced at this.

"Anywayyyy… They launched a blitzkrieg against the I.S.A. also known as the Interplanetary Strategic Alliances on their colony planet, Vekta. Normally, they had their Strategic Defence platforms protect them, but they mysteriously failed to work during the first assault." Wally frowned.

Drake narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, right. "Mysteriously"."

"As you could expect, all hell breaks loose and taking part of four different characters: Jan Templar, Shadow Marshall Luger and Gregor Hakha, they must stop the Helghast and save the I.S.A." Catherine explained.

"There are a lot of other games, but we are not going ta talk about the stories. That would take too long." Wally explained. "All we CAN say is that the series has gotten SIX games."

Drake's eyes widened. "SIX!? Then, how come I never heard of them outside of PSASBR?"

"Ah dunno." Wally shrugged.

Ashley frowned. "In any case, I don't feel right talking about a Nazi. Space or otherwise."

"To be fair, Colonel Radec doesn't share the racism that Nazis are known fer." Wally admitted before sheepishly grinning. "He just likes to revel in bloodshed indiscriminately?"

Drake, Ashley and Catherine paused.

"...We are going to talk about his fighting style now before you make Drake throw you like a javelin." Ashley muttered.

"Oi…" Wally muttered.

Catherine shook her head. "So as you would expect being an antagonist from a first-person shooter game, he is a long-range fighter. Shotguns, rifles, grenades, grenade LAUNCHERS and flamethrowers."

"He even has a knife for close-range combat." Wally added. "Honestly, it is not wise fer him ta come up close."

"He is also a strategic genius so he is good at thinking up plans." Catherine said.

"Yeah, you don't have to respect him as a person, but you SHOULD respect him as a fighter." Drake warned. "And if you don't, he WILL do so."

BEAST BOY

NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS

Drake, Wally and Catherine immediately brightened up. "BEAST BOY!"

Ashley winced as Wally and Catherine started to squeal. "No wonder why we had our posts separate."

"Oh, don't be a buzzkill!" Drake scolded.

"Hey. Hey, it is not like I don't get the hype." Ashley admitted. "Especially since he and Nightwing will be fighting in the same section!"

"Aye, about that…" Wally piped up. "What is Nightwing's plan?"

"Yeah, apparently he asked Beastboy to do something?" Ashley asked.

"It can't be because of what Batman told him because he didn't seem to have the same attitude." Catherine added.

Drake scratched the back of his head. "Didn't he? I wouldn't be surprised that he did and was more subtle at that than Nightwing."

Wally shook his head. "Eh, Ah am sure we will find out when the results come in."

"But for now, let's talk about Beast Boy!" Catherine squealed.

"Um, what CAN we talk into?" Ashley asked. "Beast Boy's main schtick is that he could transform into any animal!?"

"I know, right!?" Catherine beamed. "There are so many animals that we could talk about, I don't know where to start."

Drake rubbed his chin for a moment. His eyes lit up. "Hey, do you remember the episode where Starfire is forced into an arranged marriage?"

"Um, yeah, but what does that…?" Catherine asked before gasping. "Wait, you don't mean…"

"That's right! Beast Boy could transform into animals! Even those that don't exist in "Normal" worlds!" Drake grinned.

Catherine's eyes lit up as she clapped her hands. "Ooh, does that mean we will see unicorns!? And dragons!? And phoenixes!? And yetis!?"

"Yes, yes, yes and YES!" Drake grinned. "We may also see other animals like a Chain-Chomp from Mario or a Moogle from Final Fantasy!"

Ashley's eyes lit up at this. "Oh, right! As long as it counts as an animal in that world, the sky's the limit!"

"Especially since he has a lot of flying AND large transformation options!" Wally grinned.

G

NODE: STREET FIGHTER V

Ashley blinked twice. "What kind of name is G?"

"Who cares!? He is badass!" Drake grinned.

"...Why? He is just a ripped Uncle Sam." Catherine asked in disbelief.

Drake and Wally rolled at each other with grins.

"Ah know, right!?" Wally grinned.

Catherine rolled her eyes.

"So what is HIS story?" Ashley asked.

"That's just the thing. We DON'T know!" Drake grinned.

Ashley blinked twice. "...Huh?"

"Exactly! We don't know much about him! All we know is that he is crazy-strong!" Wally grinned. "Oh, and apparently he may or may not be a part of Season V."

"Oh, really?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, yeah. Apparently in Rose's Story Mode, she fought G and while it is hard to say who won, it was HIM where he sensed that a great evil still lingers or whatever." Catherine shrugged.

Ashley gulped nervously. "Oh, wow…"

"Hey, do ya think G may become Q?" Wally asked.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. The two may share a few attacks, but G is… Far too animated to Q." Catherine said, rolling her eyes.

"I agree with Cat. However, I DO think that Q is supposed to be a CLONE of G." Drake added.

The young woman blinked twice. "Um, if so, then he is a crappy clone."

"Never said otherwise." Drake shrugged.

Ashley paused. "And I assume that his fighting is just as mysterious as he is."

"Yeah, apparently he knows martial arts from all over the world. Next, you will see him using more moves from MMA, next you would see him using a backbreaker on his opponent." Drake said.

"He also got this gimmick called Presidentalty Level. When he uses his V-Skill, he could power up his special magma-based attacks." Wally explained.

Ashley jumped. "Wait… MAGMA?"

"Yeah, but it isn't as dangerous as fire, electricity or freaking KNIVES." Catherine muttered.

"G could stack these up to three times. However, if he gets knocked once, the level goes down." Drake said.

"So he has to keep himself from getting knocked down?" Ashley asked. "That sounds simple, but is actually hard."

"Oh, it is." Drake said before crossing his arms with a smirk. "But something tells me G could work around that."

RETASU MIDORIKAWA

NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW

DEMYX

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS

"And here we have two of the captured aquamancers!" Drake grinned.

Ashley sighed in relief. "I am so glad that their draws were so late so they wouldn't be brainwashed in the arena!"

"Too bad about Ariel. She is the only aquamancer who DIDN'T get rescued." Wally frowned.

"Probably for the best as she is the only one who hasn't got a chance to show her stuff thus far." Drake said. "For obvious reasons."

"Well, let's hope she goes. But for now…" Catherine said before brightening up. "Let's talk about Retasu and the animal she is based on."

Drake and Wally rolled their eyes at this. Ashley on the other hand blinked twice.

"Um, Catherine, I thought you aren't into sea animals and bugs. That was when you weren't into Oscar." Ashley reminded.

Drake's eyes widened before holding up his tablet. Oh, that's right! And according to the intel which YOU sent, Retasu's Mew form is based on the finless porpoise."

"Ooh, Oscar showed me the beauty of sea life when he offered." Catherine said, matter-of-factly. "

Drake and Ashley immediately shuffled back in their seats with wide eyes. Catherine immediately growled while Wally let out a loud laugh.

"WE ARE NOT DATING!" Catherine roared. "I swear to God, how many people are going to mistake me actually making up with him for going on a date together!?"

"Ya would think that it wouldn't be funny the umpteenth time, but it is!" Wally said between laughs.

"Oh, gee, thanks!" Catherine said, rolling her eyes.

"Um, well…" Ashley said before quickly reading his tablet. "The finless porpoise lives in the coastal waters of Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh."

"Gesundheit." Wally said, without missing a beat.

Ashley rolled his eyes. "Anyyyyyway, while they aren't aerobatic in the water, they are still seen as active swimmers. They swim just underneath the water and roll around for air. Despite this, the roll doesn't affect the water making it unable to be seen."

"That seems like the literal spirit animal of the shy girl of the group." Drake smirked.

"Aye, but unfortunately, she may be one of the least effective Mews due to being land-locked." Wally frowned.

"Sure, she may not be as affected as she was in the Virtual World, but she is still a Mew and she could create water-based attacks with Lettastanets which are… A pair of castanets." Drake said.

Wally blinked twice. "Ya mean those little instruments that flamenco dancers use?"

"Hey, at least they squirt out water." Ashley shrugged. "Anyway, onto Demyx."

"Ah yes." Drake said with a forced grin. "The person that always makes me turn into a Gollum."

Ashley chuckled nervously. "I could see what you mean. On one hand, for an antagonist at the time, he is a breath of fresh air from the dark and edgy villains. On the OTHER hand…"

"I NEVER FINISHED KH2 BECAUSE OF HIM!" Drake roared at the top of his lungs, startling the others. "COULD SOMEONE TELL HOW NOT BEATING ALL OF DEMYX'S WATER CLONES IN TIME CAUSE AN INSTANT GAME OVER!? HOW!? HOW!? HOW!?"

Wally and Catherine shrank back scared.

"Sure, I could take the Reaction Command, which is hard to do! I could take the rushing pillars of water! I could even take the water ball barrage! And that attack is annoying as hell!" Drake roared. "But that attack… Dance, Water, Dance! I had nightmares about that move and I STILL do!"

Ashley just sighed.

"And to add insult to injury, it is not like you spawned just before his boss fight, you have to go through the same pathway again and again and again until every inch feels like a mile!" Drake roared. "And THIS guy is supposed to be the "weak link" of the Organization!? My ass!"

The vampire panted heavily as an awkward silence emerged.

"...Anything else before we move to the next fighter?" Drake muttered.

"Umm… His sitar is cool?" Wally piped up.

Catherine gasped, looking horrified at this while Ashley slapped his forehead. Thankfully, all Drake did was sigh.

"Yeah, it kinda is…" He admitted.

Then, the Mystery Fighter Alarm went off.

"O-Oh, it is the first Mystery Fighter of the round!" Ashley noted.

"Let's hope that THIS one will help me get over my funk." Drake muttered.

TULA

NODE: PIRATES OF DARK WATER

Everyone paused.

Then, Drake slumped in his seat, "Nnnnnope. I am literally feeling NO improvements."

"Hey, show some respect!" Ashley scolded. "Sure, she is obscure, but she is clearly a fan-favourite to SOMEONE!"

"Aye, and while nobody cheered fer her, nobody went "WTF?" at her appearance." Wally said. "Hell, Earthworm Jim more or less heard of her!"

"Well, it is not our job to speculate on these things, Wally." Catherine warned before reading her tablet. "Anyway, Pirates of Dark Water is a… HANNA-BARBERA cartoon of all things. Huh."

"Apparently it kept switching between syndication and the ABC channel after beginning as a five-part miniseries on Fox Kids. Back then, it was just Dark Water." Wally explained. "Also, it is apparently one of the few cartoons to have legit stakes and a badass story."

"The story stars Ren, a prince. Or rather, he WAS a prince. His kingdom was taken over and now he must find the Thirteen Treasures of Rules to restore it. Coming with him is the ecomancer, Tula, roguish Liz…" Catherine started before squealing. "This strange, but adorable creature called Niddler!"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "There's that word again. Ecomancer."

"Aye, Ah am still trying ta figure it out myself, but let's not get ahead of ourselves." Wally said. "Anyway, the story isn't that cookie cutter as Ren's crew, known as the Wraith's crew, has to deal with the titular Dark Water, a strange substance that threatens any life it touches."

"It started out high, but apparently art and budget dropped its movement to ABC and it was cancelled 21 episodes in." Catherine frowned.

"Ouch…" Drake winced.

"But SOMEONE didn't want it ta ironically fall into the Dark Water. It was released on DVD in 2010, TWENTY YEARS after its first appearance as the "Complete Series"." Wally said before pouting. "Even though we never got those lost episodes…"

"But it DID get its own comic series published by Marvel and even got its own beat-em-up game." Catherine added. "It was also created by David Kirscher, producer of Child's Play and writer of An American Tail AND the first animated television series to have a decently-large and more streamlined animation."

Drake blinked twice. "I don't get it. Sure, it got cut off abruptly, but it sounds like it got all of the traits of a cult classic. How did THIS go past our radar?"

"Yer guess is as good as ours." Wally sighed.

"Remember, Tinyhammer grew up in Trinidad with no cable TV. Maybe he couldn't find out about it." Ashley reminded.

"And a good chunk of the obscure stuff he learned was because of his friend. Hank the Cowdog, Suikoden III, Cyborg 009…" Drake added.

Ashley just sighed. "Well, for now, let's talk about Tula. And what in the world is Ecomancy!"

"Apparently it is a made-up word to explain whatever the plot needs." Catherine said.

Ashley rolled his eyes. "Charming."

"But really, it is having deep physical AND spiritual bonds with the elements." Wally said. "And Ah am not just talking about the basic wind, water, fire and earth. Ah am talking about lightning, ice, mist, magna and weather. She could even communicate with animals!"

Drake grinned. "Ooh."

"However, apparently she forgot about her powers when the plot could have benefited from it despite it being a Game Breaker," Catherine said, rolling her eyes.

Ashley's face fell. "Oh, good grief."

Wally chuckled nervously. "As for her appearance in that beat-em-up, she is your basic Fragile Speedster, wielding a knife . From what Ah could gather, it didn't have special moves."

"Eh, that's fine. Let's hope her Ecomancy would be able to put on a show like Boyd did." Drake grinned.

"If she doesn't forget about specific parts of said Ecomancy." Catherine muttered.

ESPIO THE CHAMELEON

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I WAS wondering that we haven't seen Vector's partners in a long…"

Then, his phone started to ring. Raising an eyebrow, he went into his pocket and pulled it out.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOO!"

Drake winced in pain from the loud shout before holding out his phone.

"Carver from the Okron Tournament, ladies and gentlemen." Drake muttered, still feeling his ear ringing.

"I am sorry, I am sorry, I don't mean to shout your ear off! It's just…" Carver said, trying to calm down. "Espio is my favourite Sonic character and to see I could root for him in not only the Okron Tournament, but also the Tournament of Kikai? That's MY Christmas present the tournament gave me!"

Drake chuckled. "Well, when you put it THAT way, I could see why you are so hyped."

"Oh, Espio is SO cool! I mean he is a NINJA CHAMELEON! That alone is only a brilliant concept! Now being a ninja, Espio is obviously the Speed character of the Chaotic!" Carver explained. "He has your standard ninja abilities, throwing shuriken, clinging to walls and he could even turn invisible! However, he could also do it when using his Leaf Tornado which, when compared to the other Speed characters' "tornados" of Sonic Heroes, has the worse range, but I think the trade-off is well worth it!"

"Um, wow." Ashley said, blinking twice.

"Oh crud! Did I steal your job away from you!" Carver exclaimed, sounding regretful.

"Um, ya kinda did." Wally chuckled.

"Oh, I am SO sorry!" Carver apologised.

"Hey, this is payback for letting Catherine interrupt Danglars and Tybalt's segment on Bloody Roar." Ashley chuckled.

"Screw you!" Catherine roared.

"Also, we are friends now. We could call each other at any time if you feel like you have something to add." Drake offered. "Especially since Orange-Ratchet confirmed that we are entering the third and final act."

"T-True… We'll see if we will take advantage of this when the time comes." Carver offered. "For now, farewell!"

Everyone said their farewells as Carver hung up.

"...Context or not, it still feels surreal for Carver and his crew to call all of the way here." Ashley said with a chuckle.

Drake gave a small smile. "Yeah, I kinda getcha."

ZERO

NODE: MEGAMAN/MEGAMAN X

"And here we have the protagonist of Megaman X!" Catherine grinned.

Drake narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Catherine, low blow!"

"Hey, I didn't make the rules, Capcom did." The animal-lover scoffed, crossing her arms.

"...Now that Ah heard someone else used that reasoning." Wally said before narrowing his eyes. "That argument is lazy in the most obnoxious way."

"Trying to get to the point before Catherine makes Drake ANOTHER pillow at her." Ashley said, shaking his head (and making Catherine roll her eyes). "I wouldn't expect a close-range fighter to be so effective."

"I know, right!?" Drake grinned. "Who knew that running up to enemies and slashing them up would be satisfying!"

"And don't forget, while not as varied as X, Zero still has his ability to take the fallen Maverick's powers!" Wally grinned. "Like a flaming Shoryuken with his blade, sending an energy arc forward and creating mirror images of himself to double his damage output."

"And don't forget. He has his own games so he has even MORE experience than X!" Drake grinned.

Catherine scoffed. "I could have told you that."

Drake and Wally glared at Catherine.

"Cat, Ah love ya, but so help me!" Wally growled.

VALENTINE

NODE: SKULLGIRLS

Wally smirked. "People love sexy nurses. People love sexy ninjas. So naturally, they have no chance, but ta LOVE Valentine!"

Catherine grunted in disgust. "Wally, have ya forgotten what that bitch did ta Painwheel?"

"Yes, about that, apparently it is implied that Valentine didn't WANT to experiment on Painwheel." Ashley piped up.

"Well, I strongly doubt that would make Painwheel calm down!" Catherine scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I know, I know, Painwheel has every right to be bitter at her, but her main goal has and already has been to kill Marie." Ashley said.

"Kinda been beaten ta the punch there, mate." Wally frowned.

Everyone winced.

"A-Anyway, Valentine is exactly like Wally said. She is a ninja AND a nurse." Drake offered. "So most of her standard ninja stuff is replaced with medical stuff."

"Yes, she uses a bonesaw as a kodachi, syringes as shuriken, scalpels as kunais." Ashley explained. "And she has an Izuna Drop that trapped her opponent in a body bag."

"Don't forget, a big part of her moveset involves putting special poison in her syringes." Drake added. "The classic poison, the slow poison and the combo-fodder poison."

Wally winced. "Wait.. Xero actually invited HER as part of the medical staff?"

Ashley looked in disbelief. "...You are really asking that?"

The Mystery Alarm then went off.

"And it is time for the next Mystery Fighter!" Drake grinned.

"Well, let's hope that this next Mystery Fighter is a breath of fresh air compared to Valentine." Ashley frowned.

HINATA HYUGA

NODE: NARUTO

Drake and Wally blinked twice before looking at each other.

"We are fighting dreamers!" The two sang in unison.

"Takami wo mezashite!" Drake sang.

"Fighting dreamers!"

"Narifuri kamawazu!" Wally sang.

"Fighting dreamers! Shinjiru ga mama ni! Oli Oli Oli Oh! Just go my way!"

Ashley and Catherine looked in disbelief as Drake and Wally put their arms around each other and started to laugh.

"...Great. Now I have to deal with Drake in STEREO." Ashley muttered.

Drake's grin vanished. "Hey, lighten up!"

"I mean a lot of Naruto songs ARE bops." Catherine admitted.

"See? Even Catherine gets us!" Drake smirked.

Ashley just shook his head. "Just get to work. From what I heard, you guys have a LOT of cover.

"Well, Ah can't argue with ya THERE." Wally muttered, rolling his eyes before readying his tablet. "Now imagine that there is literally a world FULL of ninjas, complete with five great ninja villages."

"Yeah, this premise is already stupid. Definitely a shonen anime. The main character, Naruto, wants to become the Hokage, which is basically the leader and strongest ninja in the Hidden Ninja Village." Catherine said before rolling her eyes. "However, when Naruto was born, his village was attacked by the Nine-Tailed Fox, forcing the 4th Hokage to risk his life to seal the creature in Naruto. So he has to deal with people coming after him and his teacher, Kakashi, crush, Sakura and Sasuke. The living reason why the "All Girls Want Bad Boys"

"Aye, seriously." Wally said, rolling his eyes. "Well, the manga started small in 1999, it grew into a multimedia franchise, competing with fellow Shonen Jump contenders One Piece and Bleach with them even being called the "Big Three"!"

"The manga has managed to last a whopping FIFTEEN years before finally concluding." Catherine explained. She then rolled her eyes. "But THEN, they had to milk the franchise further by adding Boruto, Naruto's son."

"Hold up, Cat, ya are getting ahead of yerself." Wally scolded.

"Oh, right. I forget the inevitable time skip." Catherine said, rolling her eyes. "Naruto Shippuden."

"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad!" Wally scolded.

"I… Guess? Naruto in the original manga and anime was annoying as hell so it is nice that he more or less matured while not taking away what makes him… Him." Catherine admitted. "Hell, a lot of people have improved. EXCEPT Sasuke."

"For once, I agree with you, Catherine. There is turning into an antagonist and then thinking that gives you the right to treat everyone like crap." Drake said.

"Personally, I think he always treated everyone like crap. Especially Naruto and Sakura." Catherine ranted. "I still can't believe Sakura married the creep."

"Me neither. But personally, as much as I think Sakura deserves better than him, NARUTO deserves better than Sakura." Ashley said in disgust.

"Aye, Ah wasn't expecting HINATA ta come out on top in the shipping wars, but here we are!" Wally grinned.

"But yeah, there are a LOT to talk about, but honestly, there are so many to talk about and honestly, there are a lot of good videos on Youtube for or AGAINST Naruto." Catherine shrugged. "Just know that it has gotten a LOT of games and a spin-off light novel talking about what happened AFTER the original manga ended."

"Fair enough, fair enough." Ashley nodded. "Let's focus on Hinata's fighting abilities."

"Aight!" Wally grinned. "Now Ah think could skip the parts of her having a somewhat basic ninja moveset."

"Now despite what I said earlier, we are going to talk about Chakra because it is a major part of Hinata's kit. Because it is the Ki or Chi or whatever you want to call it around her body." Catherine said.

"I… Don't think that is right, but go on." Ashley nodded.

"Well the Hyuga family excels in not only Chakra manipulation, but also anti-Chakra shields. I think it isn't a stretch that she could no-sell any Hadokens." Wally said. "Also, she is a practitioner of the Gentle Fist."

Ashley smiled. "That fits Hinata's personality."

"Woah, woah, woah there, mate, just because it said GENTLE Fist, that only means that she rarely does EXTERNAL damage." Wally warned.

Ashley gulped nervously. "As opposed to what?"

"INTERNAL DAMAGE. Hinata focuses on swiftness, chakra blocking, speed and exploiting her opponent's weak points." Catherine said. "She should also be hard to get the jump on. See those weird eyes. They are the signs that show she could use the Byakugan where she gave 360-degree vision."

"Goodness! For someone who is shy and docile, she sounds like a huge threat." Ashley exclaimed.

"She should. She IS a Shonen Jump character." Wally smirked.

"Granted, Shonen Jump doesn't always treat their women fairly, but for what Hinata got HERE?" Catherine asked before shrugging. "Eh, she should do fine."

The three men rolled their eyes.

BEAST

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS

Catherine's eyes lit up before squealing. "EEEEE! My favourite Disney Prince!"

"Gee, I wonder why?" Ashley asked, rolling his eyes.

"Blatant bias aside, Adam is pretty cool." Drake chuckled.

Ashley looked stunned at this. "Wait… The Beast have an official name?"

"Um, no, it has proven that Prince Adam being the Beast's real name is false." Wally corrected. "The people who use it unironically do so as a placeholder name."

"Yeah, he deserves a better name than… The Beast." Catherine muttered. "Seriously, what kind of degrading name is THAT?"

Wally blinked twice before raising a hand. "Um, Hank McCoy?"

"Codenames don't count!" Catherine roared.

Wally rolled his eyes before picking up his tablet. "Anywayyyy, Beauty and the Beast is the thirtieth entry in the Disney Animated Canon, being a retelling of the fairy tale AND the 1946 film of the same name."

Drake's eyes lit up. "Ooh, may I talk about the fairy tale?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Umm… Sure."

"The fairy tale story is about a prince who has been cursed by a fairy for… Reasons. Despite what you may think, fairies could be assholes. But anyway, he is cursed to be a beast. Meanwhile, there is a stupid old man that makes SHANNON seems like a genius in business studies." Drake explained.

Normally, Ashley would laugh at the comparison, but he is too busy slapping his forehead.

"He has two entitled little shits for children, along with a third child who is the embodiment of "Generic Beauty" even having BEAUTY as her name. The father leaves to check up on his work, but it got all wet so it is completely useless now!" Drake grinned. "So the stupid old man walked into this castle and think that just because no one said no, he could waltz in, eat their food and spend the night. Too bad they didn't have police back then."

Wally and Catherine blinked twice before looking at each other.

"So the stupid old man tries to leave, but then remembered that his clearly-his-favourite child, Beauty wanted a rose so picks it. THIS is the straw that broke the Beast's back. Not the trespassing. Not the theft of his food. Nope, his actually-not-magical roses! The old man begged for his life, but the Beast agreed if they let him have his daughter as a prisoner." Drake said. "So despite Beauty being his so-called favourite, the old man was like "Sure" and let her go. It is then Beast acted like an incel until Beauty was like "Oh, fine. I will marry you if you shut up" and they lived happily ever after."

By the end of the speech, Ashley, Wally and Catherine with varying negative emotions.

Finally, Wally broke the silence. "Phelous fan."

Ashley just let out a deep sigh. "Phelous fan."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Anywayyyy, like other Disney films, they gave some major improvement. The Beast was actually a spoiled prince who was punished for his greedy heart and everyone, even the STAFF got punished as well. Like I heard of punishing Bystander Syndrome, but this is ridiculous!"

"Also, the main heroine, Belle, while isn't that subtle, but still better than Beauty, is given more positive traits like a passion fer reading, not taking crap fer that chode, Gaston and being strong-willed." Catherine added. She then rolled her eyes. "And SOME people think she has Stockholm Syndrome!"

"Bruh, she left on her own when Beast scared her in the East Wing and only came back BECAUSE he saved her from wolves!" Drake said in disgust. "Did anyone even REMEMBER that part?"

"I don't know… But yeah the movie was a financial hit and became one of the greatest movies of all time." Catherine smiled. "It even spawned two dir…"

"WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE MOVIES!" Wally yelled, making the three jumps.

"Yeahhhh, while not as loud, I am with Wally on this." Drake said.

Catherine let out a deep sigh. "Fair…"

"But regardless, Beauty and the Beast EARNED its place in Disney history." Drake smirked. Said smirk then vanished. "Sooo what do we do with Beast's fighting style?"

"Good question." Wally said, putting his hand on his chin. "What you see from the Beast is what you get. Super-strength, razor-sharp claws, deceptive speed."

"He DOES have a roar attack, but that's it." Ashley shrugged.

"...Well, we could talk about how much Adam looks better in his Beast form." Catherine piped up.

Ashley rolled his eyes. "Of course…"

"No, I am with Cat on this one." Drake added. "Maybe I am just used to the Beast form, but something about Adam doesn't sit right with me."

"Well, they DID say that they didn't really bother with the human design of the prince because it is the BEAST who people fell in love with." Wally piped up.

"I… Don't disagree." Catherine frowned. "But still, Shrek did the ending better."

"Also, I think people will just put someone like Flynn Rider as the human prince and no one will care." Ashley muttered.

BEOWULF

NODE: SKULLGIRLS

BIG GUY ALERT!

Drake and Wally's eyes lit up at this. "BEOWULF!"

Ashley rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. Just what we need. ANOTHER loud, over-the-top wrestler."

Catherine blinked twice. "Am I the only one confused that Beowulf is a BIG GUY and Adam isn't?"

"Normally, I would agree with you, Catherine, but it can't be helped." Ashley frowned. "Xero underestimated the process of picking Big Guys and now it is a bit of a mess."

"Yeah and I am looking at my potential picks and I look like I would be favouring more bosses characters than actually big fighters." Drake said before looking at his list. "I had to cut GEESE HOWARD'S Big Guy status for crying out loud!"

Catherine sighed. "Okay, fair. So let's get this meatheaded hype-fest over with."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Well, first off, despite Beowulf seems like a grappler and in some ways he is, he is more into a resource-based, okizeme-oriented rushdown fighter."

Ashley blinked twice. "I know what rushdown is and while I am a little confused by the resource-based part, I have a feeling if you explain his gameplay, it would make more sense, but…"

"...Okizeme. It is not exactly as common as the likes of rushdown, zoner or grappler, but still prominent." Drake said. "You know that when a fighter is knocked down, they come back up? Well, Okizeme fighters could lay the pressure and assault the enemy the moment they are up."

Ashley winced. "Sounds aggressive."

"Oh, it is! As for Beowulf's gimmick, he actually has two." Drake said, holding up two fingers. "The first one is the Hype meter where he plays to the ground and amplifies some of his special moves. Particularly the ones that looked like finishers."

"The other one is his folding chair, the Hurting." Wally said.

Catherine blinked twice. "Wait… He actually NAMED his CHAIR?"

"Aye, Beowulf could remove his chair and use it as a projectile before laying it on the ground. There, he has some special moves depending on his location." Wally grinned. "Like doing the Cossack Dance on top of it to his opponent's face."

"And don't forget that he was Grendel's severed arm that he could use for a powerful punch!" Drake grinned.

Catherine blinked twice. "Wait… Did you say severed arm?"

"Well, yeah…" Drake said, matter-of-factly. "He may be one of the least… Intense fighter story-wise, but he is still a Skullgirls character."

Catherine just groaned. However, before she could snark further, everyone heard the Mystery Fighter Alarm.

"Anddddd what brilliant timing!" Drake grinned. "We talked about the guy who actually uses hype as a game mechanic so we could hype up the fourth Reserve Mystery Fighter!"

"Who do you think it is?" Wally asked, bouncing in his seat excitedly.

"Well, it is a long-shot, but it is most likely someone who already appeared in the Megamix Tournament." Ashley suggested.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Catherine asked. "This may be SSBFreak's Christmas present, but it could also be someone else's."

LANDIS

NODE: SUIKODEN III

Drake's eyes lit up and he jumped up to his feet. "YES! YES! XERO & MAURICE DID IT!"

Ashley, Wally and even Catherine couldn't help, but smile at this reaction.

"Heh. Should have known that SSBFreak opted to use Landis." Wally smirked. "Didn't Drake cosplay as him on that one EA-LEC comic from Diana-HND."

"Yes. He even forced me to dress up as a Suikoden III character to match." Ashley chuckled while shaking his head.

Catherine just giggled. She then looked at the big screen. Her smile then vanished when she saw that some of the letters on it were disappearing.

"Um, guys?" She asked, getting Ashley and Wally's attention. However, Drake was too wrapped up with his excitement to notice.

"Dude, Landis is SO cool! His design is so badass! And I love his signature laugh and eyepatch!" Drake grinned.

Wally frowned. "Drake, mate?"

"Also, the way you get him is SO cool! You have to go through Kaput Forest with one empty party slot and if you get lucky and a random encounter happens, he will be there!" The vampire grinned.

"DRAKE!" Ashley shouted at the top of his lungs.

The winged mayor jumped before looking at Ashley while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, I…"

It was just then he finally noticed the disappearing letter.

"What the? What is happening to the screen?" Drake asked.

"Hell if I know. I was the first to notice it and even now, I don't want to know what is going on!" Catherine shrugged.

Before anyone could say anything, they all heard a loud voice.

"You were expecting an obscure character from a video game SSBFreak likes?"

By this time, the only letters that remained were an "A", a "D" and two "O"s, Then, they started to move around the screen.

Then, two more letters appeared. A "T" and a "B". They then started to form two words.

"TOO BAD! WALUIGI TIME!"

WALUIGI

NODE: SUPER MARIO BROS.

Everyone stood completely thunderstruck at this. Then, a few seconds later, Drake collapsed on his hands and knees.

"H-Hey!" Wally said, getting up and rushing to Drake's side.

Ashley looked at his friend in concern. He then growled before getting out his phone and started to push a number. He then waited impatiently before someone answered.

"Um, ello?" Xero answered.

"I don't freaking care how "cruel" you think we are when we call you out for your horrible actions!" Ashley roared. "You do NOT mess with my friend's hopes like that!"

"W-What!? Are you implying…?" Xero started.

"Damn straight!" Ashley roared.

Catherine gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. "Ashley swore!"

"Oh, for crying out…" Xero muttered. "MAURICE, HELP ME OUT HERE!"

"...I know that this sounds weird, but I think Xero is innocent." The bull answered.

Ashley's eyes widened at this. "What?"

"Dude, the point of a Reserve Mystery Fighter is that they get to join the tournament at the last freaking minute!" Xero snapped. "How the hell was I able to get Waluigi to find some props that would look like a silhouette of Landis in that short amount of time!?"

Ashley blinked twice. "But… Your announcement."

"Easy. Xero saw Waluigi's disguised silhouette and completely forgot who he invited." Maurice said, flatly. "Granted, you CAN yell at him for the brain-fart, but still."

"I am THIS close to becoming a Scrooge!" Xero roared.

"And the screen?" Ashley asked, stunned.

"Again, wasn't me. That would mean I planned for Earthworm Jim to pick Mystery Reserves." Xero insisted.

"But then who… What… How… It couldn't be." Ashley said.

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. But whatever is the case…" Xero started before shouting. "NOT EVERYTHING IS MY FREAKING FAULT!"

As Ashley winced from the yell, Xero angrily hung up. Meanwhile, Wally was still comforting Drake.

"...Now I know how HE feels whenever he sees any other person other than HIM get into Super Smash Bros." Drake lamented.

"Seriously…" Catherine winced.

Ashley winced before holding his tablet. "...Let's just cut to Waluigi's fighting style. I think his… Grand entrance speaks volumes about him."

Catherine just sighed. "For better or for worse, because he is only an Assist Trophy, he isn't mostly limited to his Super Smash Bros moveset."

"Agreed. Regardless, it is a good starting point. He uses his long legs to stomp so hard and fast and he buries his foe into the ground." Ashley read. "And his swing from his tennis racket is surprisingly strong."

"Speaking of long limbs, he could use them for good range. Also, one of his recurring moves is the Whirluigi." Catherine said. "A move where he spins himself around for an attack."

"He could also… Swim through air for a possible recovery?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow. "Also, in Mario Strikers Charged, he has herbomancy in the form of dark purple vines which he could leave behind him while running."

"Also, apparently he has experience in kickboxing?" Catherine asked. "In Game & Watch Gallery 4, he is the final opponent in the Boxing game."

Ashley blinked twice. "Um, why did you leave out the "kick" part in the last part?"

"Because it IS a boxing match. But Waluigi uses his legs like a kickboxer! Also, he cheats!" Catherine said, rolling her eyes. "Get it?"

"Oh…" Ashley said.

By this time, Drake finally got back up.

"...Sorry for killing the mood, guys." Drake frowned.

"It's… Fine." Ashley frowned. "I know how much you loved Landis."

"And it's just like Waluigi ta ruin someone's Christmas like that." Wally growled.

"We don't know if it was really Waluigi, though!" Catherine insisted.

Wally just frowned. "But Catherine, if it WASN'T Waluigi, then who was it?"

Everyone paused.

"L-Let's just end the segment." Ashley said.

"R-Right…" Wally said before giving a weak smile. "Anyway…

Then, the boxer paused before looking at his tablet with a confused look on his face. Drake just groaned before looking where Wally was.

Then, Drake blinked twice before laughing, much to everyone's surprise.

"Dude, whoever messed with the screen didn't mess with the results." Drake said.

Wally blinked twice stunned. "Um, alright. Um, Akuma, Colonel Radec and Beowulf are all Big Guys so eighteen people will be eliminated this round. That's right. We are having not one, but TWO LESS Big Guys than the usual fare."

"Also, the Side Battles this time around are Ariel from the Little Mermaid VS Xigbar from Kingdom Hearts." Ashley explained. "Also Captain Olimar from Super Smash Bros VS Psy-Crow from Earthworm Jim."

Drake then took a deep breath before having a big grin on his face.

"We'll hope we'll see you for the first section results of 2021. Merry Christmas!"

LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 89346277