LINK TO SECTION BELOW
We now return to Drake and Ashley, grinning brightly.
"Welcome back!" Ashley smiled.
"Last time we left us, Donald had a sadistic choice between Big Guy Blocker or Unleash the Despair!" Drake grinned.
"So context, Monokuma had enough and waiting people to be stupid enough to pick either choice." Ashley noted. "I am actually impressed that it took him THIS long to be like 'Alright, I am taking matters into my own paws'."
"Does that mean 'You're The Boss' and 'Mystery Reserves' are dunzo?" Drake asked. "They better not. Especially since there are a lot more people who didn't get their choices in."
"Perhaps. Monokuma never said that the choices were EXCLUSIVELY 'Big Guy Blocker' and 'Unleash the Despair'. At this point, he just wanted to make it easier to pick HIS themes." Ashley mused.
"I sure hope so. Not only did a lot of voters suggest a lot of good ideas, but I hate to see the backlash Orange-Ratchet will face." Drake winced.
Ashley returned the wince. "Well, I am sure that he will inform us later. But for now, let's introduce the fighters."
"Righty-o! First things first, let's go into the surviving fighters!" Drake grinned.
DONALD DUCK
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY
ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 299
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 7
"Showing the magic of Classic Disney is strong in the Tournament of Kikai is Donald Duck!" Drake grinned. "So far, he has managed to overtake Solid Snake, K. Rool AND Captain Falcon from Super Smash Bros., Sgt. Byrd from Spyro the Dragon, Cerebella from Skullgirls, Zero from Megaman AND Hinata from Naruto!"
"Question is, will he be able to tie with his friend, Goofy?" Ashley mused. "Considering this is a Big Guy Blocker, he doesn't even have to worry about placing in the 11th-15th range so he could try to beat him."
BUBBLES
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 306
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 6
"Managing to be one of the few saviours of Cartoon Network: Punch-Time Explosion is the one who loves drawing and laughter!" Ashley beamed. "Bubbles!"
"Yeah, she has already taken care of Link and Mario from Super Smash Bros, Ed and Kolin from Street Fighter V and even THE Batman and Martian Manhunter from DC Comics!" Drake grinned. "And I don't think she is going to lose steam anytime soon!"
EARTHWORM JIM
NODE: EARTHWORM JIM
ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 334
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 4
"While taken a hard fall from his previous spotless spot, Earthworm Jim is still going groovingly!" Drake grinned.
"...Is groovingly even a word?" Ashley muttered before shaking his head. "Regardless, going off of his triple elimination of Billy and Tung from King of Fighters XIV and Sulley from Kingdom Hearts, he also had more of a chance to show off his skills against Tula from Pirates of Dark Water!"
SORA
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 342
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
"Continuing to show his presence as THE final Smash fighter AND coming in as the saviour for the original Kingdom Hearts is Sora!" Ashley beamed.
"He is already showing why with his eliminations of Abigail from Street Fighter V, Rajan from Sly Cooper and now Merlina from Sonic the Hedgehog!" Drake grinned. He then paused. "Well… Particularly the Dark Queen."
AKUMA
NODE: STREET FIGHTER V
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 343
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Showing why he is the first super boss in Street Fighter history is Akuma!" Drake grinned.
"Indeed, he has demonstrated his brutal fighting style against Colonel Radec from PSASBR." Ashley nodded. "Someone who is somehow just as bloodthirsty and ruthless as him!"
NIGHTWING
NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 346
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Okay, so admittedly his elimination of Valentine from Skullgirls didn't got seen, but that isn't because of too much screentime to share around." Ashley admitted.
"Yeah, I think our Robin is onto something." Drake nodded. "Even more so than his mentor and father figure, Batman. Question is… What IS it?"
BEASTBOY
NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 351
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Beastboy, on the other hand, DOES show more of his stuff! Even showing him turn into non-normal animals like Waddle Dees and Pokemon!" Drake grinned.
"Indeed, he demonstrated this against Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew!" Ashley nodded. He then paused. "...And Sackboy from PSASBR to a certain extent."
RETASU MIDORIKAWA
NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 353
OVERALL ELIMINATION: 1
DEMYX
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 354
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Despite finding a good chunk of the tournament trapped in that weird virtual world, this aquamancer duo has demonstrated that it did little to affect their abilities!" Ashley smiled.
"Yeah, Sword Man from Megaman learned that the hard way!" Drake nodded. He then chuckled nervously. "Oh, so did Ike from Super Smash Bros…"
ESPIO THE CHAMELEON
NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 356
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"And we cannot forget the chameleon ninja detective, Espio!" Drake smirked.
"Indeed. Despite Peach from Super Smash Bros having a lot of tricks up her skirt, so does a ninja!" Ashley nodded.
BEAST
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 360
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Showing that he has a long way to go in terms of his temper issues is Beast…" Ashley said, rolling his eyes.
Drake glared at his friend. "Oi… Okay so, admittedly Beast's elimination of Beowulf from Skullgirls was not his best moment, but hey, I am sure for a fact that he could bounce back from this! He already did so at Hollow Bastion!"
WALUIGI
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 362
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"And last, but certainly not least, the Reserve Mystery Fighter pick of SSBFreak, Waaaaaluigi!" Drake grinned.
"He has managed to take down THE Cream & Cheese from Sonic the Hedgehog!" Ashley noted. "One half of a super-powerful duo!"
"Well, that is everyone! Let's go to the next batch of fighters!"
YOSHI
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/YOSHI'S ISLAND
"SO HAPPY!" Drake grinned.
"Well… At least that is a Runawayguys meme that I am okay with you spamming." Ashley muttered. He then chuckled. "No, really. Yoshi is the embodiment of happiness."
Drake nodded his head. "Okay, Wally, Catherine, it's…"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Drake and Ashley winced at this as the camera went to, of course, Catherine squealing like a fangirl and Wally holding his ears.
"I thought that we may NEVER get to talk about him!" Catherine beamed.
Wally chuckled nervously, wringing his finger in his ear. "No kidding… Welp, in THAT case, ya might as well start us off."
Catherine happily nodded before looking at the camera. "Yoshi's Island is another Mario sub-series, not unlike Donkey Kong and Wario, starring the adorable green dinosaur, Yoshi!"
"Yoshi, just like Wario, didn't start off that way off the back. He was actually a supporting character for Super Mario World as a launch title for the SNES." Wally explained. "Basically, it is the standard 'Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach and Mario has to save her', however, he has a power-up mount in the form of Yoshi!"
"Yoshi is SO helpful! He could eat enemies, stop on Koopas for an instant-kick and certain coloured Yoshis could breathe fire and even fly!" Catherine grinned.
"...Used a sacrificial long jump." Wally added.
Catherine's smile vanished as she growled. "I swear if I find out the jackass who came up with that idea, I am going to come to their house and murder them!"
Wally chuckled at this. "Ah bet. So anyway, after Mario rescued Yoshi and the latter returned the favour by acting as a mount, it wasn't long until he was the protagonist of his own game. Where he and a bunch of Yoshis have to… Help a baby Mario rescue Baby Luigi and find their way home."
"Yeah, I don't get it either. Is the Yoshi that starred in Yoshi's Island appearing the same one from the mainline Mario games?" Catherine frowned. She then grinned. "But hey, that means a bunch of strangers took it upon themselves to brave dangerous terrain just to rescue two babies! Isn't that sweet!"
"...Especially since Baby Mario didn't make it exactly easy fer them." Wally muttered before looking at the camera. "You see, other than instant-death pits, spikes and lava, Baby Mario acts like a health bar. If Yoshi is attacked, Baby Mario will appear in a bubble, crying… Crying… Crying… Until you somehow managed to pop that stupid bubble! STOP CRYING!"
Catherine chuckled, nervously as Wally gripped his ears in pain. "...That brings me to Yoshi's mechanic. Just like in Super Mario World, Yoshi could eat enemies, but here, he could turn into eggs to use as projectiles."
Wally looked at Catherine, confused. "Hey, if Yoshis could be either gender, how could the male ones…?"
"They could also kick their legs multiple times for a long double jump called a Flutter Kick which is helpful for travelling against platforms!" The pink-haired woman grinned.
Wally shook his head. "So just like Donkey Kong and Wario, Yoshi spawned multiple games, both mainline and spin-offs. The mainline games are, of course, platformers, but the majority of the spin-offs are puzzles and… A light-gun game? Wait, YOSHI has been using guns before SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG?"
Catherine rolled her eyes. "They call it LIGHT-gun games, Wally? But yeah, despite one could argue that Yoshi is more than a Mario character, his own games cannot be overlooked."
"They cannot." Wally said before smirking. "Of course, they are the only reason when the IRS didn't…"
That was when Catherine nailed him with her cushion.
"Don't be fucking rude!" Catherine roared, angrily, beating Wally with said cushion. "How DARE you quote Kim Kardashian unironically!"
The kangaroo just laughed at this. "Back ta ya mates!"
The camera went back to Drake laughing heartily and Ashley looking exasperated.
"I… Have… So many complaints that I don't even know where to start." Ashley muttered.
"Well, in that case, don't complain and focus on Yoshi's fighting abilities." Drake said.
Ashley rolled his eyes. "FIne… So I have to ask, what else about them that we could say that Catherine and Wally didn't already mention? I mean he could do a flutter jump, throw eggs, LAY eggs."
"Well, he could easily do a Hip Drop." Drake said. "He could also turn into an Egg and roll, trying to stampede anyone in his spot."
Ashley blinked twice. "He is quite obsessed with eggs, isn't he?"
"Well, why do you think his icon is not only Super Smash Bros and any Mario spin-offs that has a character icon is an egg?" Drake challenged. "He may be SO HAPPY, but he wouldn't hesitate to get yolk on people's faces."
Ashley groaned. However, before anyone could say anything, the Mystery Fighter Alarm went off.
"Oh? Already?" Ashley asked, surprised. "We haven't had a Mystery Fighter Alarm go off THIS early since Beetlejuice in the Halloween section! And that was most likely done on purpose."
"Yeah." Drake said before looking to the side. "Yo, Cat, will you stop beating up Wally for a few minutes to go over the next Mystery Fighter's node?"
Catherine scoffed from off-screen. "Fine… I am mostly done, anyway. I am just tired of that joke. So what are we covering this time?"
ZACK FAIR
NODE: FINAL FANTASY VII: CRISIS CORE
"Oh, hey, it is Cloud's late-buddy!" Drake grinned. His grin then vanished. "But wait, I remembered him not being a bodybuilder, but I don't remember him being THAT scraw…"
That was when Ashley slumped in his chair, startling Drake. The former had an exasperated look on his face.
Drake blinked twice. "...Ash?"
"Yeah…?"
"Zack was in Kingdom Hearts as a party member, wasn't he…?" Drake asked.
"No… He WAS a prominent character in the Olympus Coliseum world of Birth by Sleep." Ashley said. "While that doesn't automatically equal a spot as Tifa and Squall aren't here, he IS the ONLY Final Fantasy character to appear in that game besides the Moogles."
Drake's face fell. "Ohhhh…"
Suddenly, his phone started to ring.
"Oh, THIS gotta be good." Drake said, rolling his eyes before answering his phone. "Hello?"
"Oh, hey, Drake, I just couldn't help, but notice that you are having a bit of trouble with preparing for the third Battle of the Luminaries." Xero said, sounding like he was trying to hide something.
"Mm-hmm. Trying to narrow down Big Guys to just four to three is harder than it sounds." Drake said, humouring Xero for now.
"Well, I don't blame you because there are a lot of people that could plausibly be Big Guys!" Xero chuckled. "But that is not what I am calling. Did you count everyone on your main roster?"
"Still doing it." Drake said.
"Well, do so because you don't want to do what Tinyhammer did at the first Battle of the Luminaries where he forgot Seth from the King of Fighters: Maximum Impact roster." Xero warned. "Same with SSBFreak at the second Megamix Tournament, though he cut Zato-1 from the Guilty Gear cast on purpose and only realised that he could have fun messing with Millia Rage."
Drake blinked twice before narrowing his eyes. "...Dude, just say 'Yeah, well, SSBFreak and Tinyhammer made the same mistake so I don't know why you are getting on MY case'."
Ashley rolled his eyes. "Seriously…"
"There is NO mistake to confess to!" Xero roared, angrily.
"Dude, I didn't even know Zack was in the cast until Sora brought it up! It's a simple mistake!" Drake scolded. "And this isn't even the biggest blunder you did! Just take the L!"
"Never! I refuse to take Ls for something I didn't do!" Xero roared.
"Listen to this guy…" Drake said, looking at the camera in disbelief.
"You're unbelievable…" Ashley muttered.
"...Just help me cover Zack's fighting style, Ash." Drake groaned.
"Fine…" The purple-haired man groaned, sitting up. "Now despite canonically wielding a giant Buster sword before Cloud first, he doesn't wield one."
"Makes sense seeing that considering when Birth by Sleep takes place, they shouldn't have met each other at all." Drake nodded.
Ashley returned the nod. "He wields a decently-sized sword and he seems to have the power of both light and darkness."
Drake jumped at this. "Woah, THAT is a rare sentence for this series!"
"Yes, he could use his light powers in a large projectile wave and his dark powers and jumping downwards slash." Ashley said.
"Woah, hopefully he will be able to show off his stuff." Drake mused.
"Especially after being humiliated in front of everyone by Xero." Ashley said, rolling his eyes.
CARMELITA FOX
NODE: SLY COOPER
Drake grinned. "And here we have Sly Cooper's perfect foil AND love interest, Carmelita Fox!"
"I have to ask, what do you think this entire time?" Ashley asked. "After all, literally EVERYONE in her cast is a criminal."
"Yeah, she must have had a lot to get paranoid over." Drake mused. He then brightened up. "Then again, this isn't her first rodeo! She was a Mystery Fighter in the third Megamix Tournament, even eliminating BATMAN at one point."
"I must admit I am surprised to hear that because a good chunk of her fighting style involves her stun gun." Ashley mused.
Drake blinked twice. "Umm, as opposed to what?"
"Oh, come on, Drake! Even I know that Carmelita is notorious for having the same accuracy as a STORMTROOPER!" Ashley pointed out.
Drake paused. "I mean… That is only in her unplayable appearances."
"Even still, what if she fights someone with nearly the same speed as her boyfriend? She is lucky that her stun gun doesn't have any ammo!" Ashley said.
Drake paused. "Ashley…?"
"Yes?" The wizard asked.
"You just insulted the leader of the new security team." Drake said.
Ashley's face paled. "W-What!?"
"Yeah… You made things a little awkward for me to convince her to join." Drake said.
Ashley gulped nervously.
"So yeah, her accuracy is literally hit-and-miss, she has a powerful spin kick, not unlike Tawna Bandicoot from Crash 4: It's About Time." Drake explained. "Also, one thing you can NOT underestimate. She. Never. Gives. Up."
TERRA
NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS
Ashley blinked twice. "Wait… Is she based on the Teen Titans cartoon?"
"Um, yeah?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Isn't she canonically dead?" Ashley asked.
"Or canonically lost her memories or canonically chose to be normal." Drake noted. "Yeah, I don't get it either. But then again, we have characters that are canonically dead here like Hyo Imawono from Rival Schools."
"Ah… Let's just get into it because we would have a big headache." Ashley groaned. "Terra is a geomancer?"
"Yep! Think of anything involving earth and she manipulates it!" Drake grinned. "Crystal, sand, stone, rock, dirt, brick, marble and concrete!"
"Woah. So the sky's the limit with her powers ironically." Ashley mused.
"Yeah, she even managed to defeat all of the Titans one time." Drake noted.
Ashley jumped. "Woah!"
"Yeah, she is a true powerhouse!" Drake nodded. "She is clearly on the side of good, but you BETTER not underestimate her!"
KAT & DUSTY
NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/GRAVITY RUSH
Ashley smiled. "Aww, she looks cute."
"What? The girl or the cat?" Drake asked with a smirk.
"Very well." Ashley muttered before pausing. "Though I would be lying if they made a great pair!"
"Indeed…" Drake said. "Yo, Wally, Catherine, I know how much you feel about most of the cast of PSASBR, but can you go double-time on this one? I actually want to know more about this series."
Ashley brightened up. "Here, here!"
The camera then went to Wally and Catherine, both looking eager.
"Oh, don't worry, you have to tell US twice!" Catherine grinned. "Gravity Rush, or Gravity Daze in Japan is a Sandbox Action RPG created as an exclusive game for the Playstation Vita!"
"The story takes place in a strange floating city called Hekseville. She is your average teenage protagonist that woke up one day without her memories. Then, this cat…" Wally started.
"...Who by the way, is BEAUTIFUL!" Catherine grinned.
"...Who she called Dusty has given her the power over gravity." Wally said, trying to ignore Catherine. "And these powers are SICK! So Kat went 'Okay, time to go With Power Comes Great Responsibility' on this crap and became a superhero!"
"Too bad the people of Hekseville don't deserve it!" Catherine spat in disgust. "I swear if they don't act like Kat doesn't exist, they treat her like crap! Personally, I think Kat should just ditch them!"
"Oi… So anyway, the aim of the game is to help the city. Whether it would be doing simple errands or protecting the city from shadowy monsters called the Nevi." Wally explained. "Oh, that is what it is at the start… Then, things get… Weird."
"Yeah, at some point, Dusty got turned into a panther at one point." Catherine admitted before shrugging. "But yeah, Kat could literally fly around Hekseville with her gravity powers."
"Well, if ya want ta be an Ashley about it…" Wally said, earning an exasperated grunt from Ashley. "It is not falling, but rather, falling… With style!"
"Nice Toy Story reference!" Catherine beamed. "As you could guess with all of these factors, the game became a cult classic! It has gotten a rerelease on the Playstation, a sequel and a midquel anime!"
"Aye, aside from Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, she also appeared in LittleBigPlanet and joined Kratos, Sackboy, Ratchet, Jak, Sir Daniel and Sweet Tooth in the Everybody's Golf series as a guest golfer!" Wally grinned. He then paused. "...I wonder where Gex is in this game."
"Yeah, he was a guest golfer in the first Everybody's Golf." Catherine noted. "With the amount of love the other guest golfers got in PSASBR I wonder why he didn't get in. Eh. Just more stuff to complain about the game's roster. Is that sufficient for you guys?"
Ashley blinked twice. "Um, sure… Maybe we should look into this Everybody's Golf one time."
"Perhaps, but for now, we have to go over Kat's abilities!" Drake said before reading his tablet. "So Kat is a Kick Chick, focusing on kicking rather than punching!"
"Uh-huh." Ashley nodded.
"She also could summon debris with her powers and throw them for a projectile. And of course, she could repel and attract enemies with her powers!" Drake said.
"I don't think we've seen a fighter with abilities like Kat, did we?" Ashley asked.
"I don't know. I DO know that hopefully Kat will show us all she could do!" Drake grinned.
BALROG
NODE: STREET FIGHTER V
"Hey, Ashley, want a fighting game history lesson?" Drake grinned.
The wizard raised an eyebrow. "Um, sure?"
"Balrog, Vega and M. Bison's eyes actually swapped around." Drake explained. "Balrog used to be M. Bison, Vega used to be Balrog and M. Bison used to be Vega."
"Well, THAT'S not confusing." Ashley said, blinking twice.
"Well, that's because Balrog or at the time, M. Bison is based on Mike Tyson." Drake explained.
"Oh, that makes sense." Ashley said. His eyes widened in realisation. "Wait… Is this based on…?"
Drake solemnly nodded his head. "Yep. That is why the names were switched around."
"Wow." Ashley said in awe.
"Now onto Balrog. He may seem like a total brute." Drake said. "Well, that's because he is, but he is good at what he does."
Ashley raised a bored eyebrow. "Oh?"
"He once killed one of Dhalsim's elephants once." Drake said.
Ashley jumped. "Wait… WHAT!?"
"Yeah, there is no way M. Bison would keep a basic boxer for so long if he wasn't good at his job!" Drake nodded.
Ashley blinked twice. "But… Why would he kill an elephant in the first place?"
"THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW! KILL THE BASTARD! LET'S SEE HOW HE LIKES IT!" Catherine roared from off-screen.
Drake and Ashley both let out a deep sigh.
MEOW-WOW
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
Drake and Ashley immediately went solemn.
"...Still not over how Dream Eaters are basically the souls of dead child soldiers." Drake muttered.
"...Seriously." Ashley frowned.
Drake let out a deep sigh. "So you say that a Meow-Wow is a summon in III?"
"Yes, I know it sounds absurd, but this Meow-Wow is comparable to the Piranha Plant in Super Smash Bros." Ashley explained.
Drake's eyes bugged out at this. "No lie?"
"No lie. It could fly. It could hit hard. It could use Thunder AND Sleep magic. It could even use its Limit WITHOUT Sora." Ashley explained.
"Woah, that is…" Drake started.
Suddenly, Ashley's phone started to go off. The wizard winced before answering it.
"H-Hello?" Ashley asked.
"You literally just copied those words from Sora just now!" Xero roared.
Ashley winced. "Aw, come on, Xero! You were there! He inadvertently did our job for us!"
"You are just lucky that Sora is too busy fighting to notice your plagiarism!" The rabbit scoffed.
"P-P-Plagiarism!?" Ashley exclaimed before narrowing his eyes. "Like I need to hear that from YOU!?"
"Oh, come on! When did I do any plagiarism!?" Xero roared.
"Maybe not in THIS tournament…" Ashley muttered.
"How do you know!?" Xero snapped before pausing. "I mean, how WOULD you know?"
"WAIT!" Drake shouted at the top of his lungs.
Ashley jumped at this.
"...Kingdom Hearts had status effects magic like Sleep?" Drake asked.
This created an awkward silence at this.
"...So the next Mystery Fighter is next." Xero said. "At this point, I would stay to talk about them, but this one is what you see is what you get."
"...Well, I hope genuinely for YOUR sake that they will be less controversial than Zack." Ashley muttered.
"THERE IS NOTHING CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT ZACK BECAUSE I DIDN'T…" Xero roared. He then stopped to let out a sigh in defeat before hanging up.
Ashley shook his head in hopelessness. Then, the Mystery Fighter Alarm went off. Drake blinked twice.
"...Is my question really THAT dumb?" Drake asked.
"Just announce the Mystery Fighter, Mystery Fighter announcer." Ashley spat.
"Fine… Jackass." Drake muttered.
MISS PIGGY
NODE: THE MUPPETS
Drake's eyes lit up at this. "Miss Piggy!"
Ashley blinked twice. "...Well, THAT is a franchise I didn't expect to be represented here."
"Oh, trust me! If there is at least one Muppet to be a fighter, it is Miss Piggy!" Drake grinned. "But first things first, Walls, Cat! You're…"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Drake and Ashley winced as the camera went to Catherine squealing… Again while Wally looked annoyed.
"Ah swear, Catherine, how am Ah supposed ta do this job if Ah gone deaf?" Wally asked.
"I'm sorry, but… But… It's the Muppets!" Catherine beamed.
"Oh, and Ah know." Wally chuckled before looking at the camera. "The Muppets is a long-running puppet show created by Jim Henson and a wide array of characters!"
"Muppets are the term for a puppet or animontric to represent a non-human character on Live-Action television more or less." Catherine explained with a grin. "It is a combination of puppetry and marionettes with a person using their hand to make the Muppet talk and wires to make it move, making it look life-like."
"Despite that we will be covering mostly… Well, the Muppets, we should mention how Sesame Street and to a lesser extent, Fraggle Rock as they are played by Muppets." Wally explained.
"The Muppets… Or rather the Muppet Show when it first came out, is a comedy skit show starring… Well, the Muppets, along with various human guest stars." Catherine explained. "With iconic characters like the Straight Man, Kermit, pun-telling bear, Fozzie Bear, mega-stuntman, Gonzo and of course, Miss Piggy!"
"Aw, man, where do we even begin? The series has spawned the obligatory baby spin-off, several shows, several movies, a pre-school spinoff in the aforementioned Sesame Street that is way better than it has any right to be, several TV specials and of course there are the large number of cameos!" Wally grinned. "It has a cameo in LittleBigPlanet!"
"...Why are we just finding out how big LittleBigPlanet is until recently?" Catherine muttered.
"Ah don't know. But the Muppets are a huge part of ANYONE'S childhood because even now it is still going strong with… A CGI version of Muppet Babies and Muppet Viral Videos." Wally said, trailing off.
Catherine gave a nervous chuckle. "Welp, relevance is relevance. Back to you guys."
The camera then went back to a nodding Drake. "Thanks, guys, I knew we could count on you!"
"Xero WAS right." Ashley mused. "What you see from Miss Piggy is what you get."
"Yeah, along with her iconic "HI-YA" karate chop, there have been several movies where she has proven to be a competent fighter!" Drake nodded. "Like the time she came in on a motorcycle through a window and took down the villains in Muppets Great Caper! She is NOT someone who you piss off!"
"Plus, being a Muppet, she should add some major humour to the ring." Ashley noted.
GULP
NODE: SPYRO THE DRAGON
Drake blinked twice in confusion and Ashley just stared.
"Umm…" Drake started.
"EEEEEEEEEEE!"
Drake winced before glaring off-screen. "Wally, get her to shut up! My vampiric ears can't take this anymore!"
"Why are you bitching at me!? I didn't squeal!" Catherine scolded.
"Trust me, she is telling the truth. If it WAS her, I would know." Wally muttered.
Drake blinked twice before turning towards Ashley who was literally sparkly-eyed.
"...Wow, fanboying much?" Drake muttered.
"Oh, like it is any different than the times YOU fanboyed!" Ashley scolded. "This is arguably the most Spyro at any point that a section has gotten!"
"Yeah, about that. Is it really necessary to do all of this?" Drake asked.
"Actually, it is. Gulp can't be damaged easily so he needs weapons from outside help to damage him!" Ashley explained.
Drake blinked twice. "Okay, fair enough… But isn't that unfair to Gulp? Yes, he is a villain, but still."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Gulp could easily eat one of said weapons and spit them at his opponents." Ashley said.
Drake gave a descending whistle. "Damn…"
"I am sure that Tinyhammer would totally do this when Gulp came out!" Ashley beamed.
"...Would he?" Drake asked. "Crush didn't get that treatment and you said he could only be damaged by magical sewers?"
Ashley's smile vanished. "Oh, right…"
"Still, this is actually pretty cool. I always preferred him to Crush because he actually has those cool electric shooters on his back!" Drake grinned. "Also, the weapons wouldn't be limited to just Gulp and his opponents!"
"That's right. Leave it to the Tournament of Kikai to find SOME way to make things more complicated." Ashley said, rolling his eyes.
DR. WILY
NODE: MEGAMAN
"And here we have the main antagonist of the Megaman classic games, Dr. Wily!" Ashley smiled.
"I am STILL stunned that he wasn't in the Megamix Tournaments." Drake noted. "I mean… He is THE Big Bad of the games!"
"Maybe it is more or less the same reason why he rarely has mages at his tournaments." Ashley shrugged. "Seriously, after three tournaments, he STILL refuses to have Luc and Viki in the cast?"
"Fair enough." Drake said. "Well, if Orange-Ratchet was more into Suikoden, that wouldn't be an issue for him so it wouldn't be an issue with Dr. Wily."
Ashley paused. "Sooo how will we cover Dr. Wily? I mean he IS the original Sigma."
"Heh! True dat, true dat!" Drake laughed. "But yeah, I think we should go with his moves from Super Smash Bros as a template."
"You mean as an Assist Trophy?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep, he could teleport, doing an electrifried charging attack and last, but not least, he could send out four homing projectiles of either fire, ice or electricity." Drake explained.
"That seems like a limited moveset, but definitely something good to base off on." Ashley nodded.
"Yes, how he fights… It all depends on what gadgets he brought into the ring." Drake mused.
ALADDIN
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/ALADDIN
"And here we have the Diamond in the Rough himself, Aladdin!" Drake grinned.
"It is admittedly at least two lines too early to talk about his combat capabilities, but do you think he will fight with his Scimitar?" Ashley asked.
Drake blinked twice. "Um, as opposed to what?"
"I don't know. As much as I could understand why Kingdom Hearts, heaven and hell, ANY game he stars in did so, but I think doing so misses the point of the movie." Ashley frowned.
"You mean how Aladdin is more of a Guile Hero?" Drake asked.
"Yes, despite wielding a sword in the climax, I don't think he ever directly fights with it." Ashley nodded. "It was his quick thinking that saved the day!"
"True… Still, I think a Scimitar will fit him." Drake noted.
"Then, why not give him a stick?" Ashley asked. "I swear that I gave JASMINE one in Disney's Sorcerer Arena, but HE got the Scimitar!"
Drake winced. "Oh, they did… I thought that they would give them matching Scimitars because…"
Ashley paused. "Because what?"
"Because there is a Disney GBA game starring the Disney Princess and in Jasmine's chapters, she wields a Scimitar against Jafar." Drake said.
Ashley blinked twice. "And that game is most likely aimed for younger girls."
"Pretty much." Drake said.
Ashley just sighed.
"Look on the bright side. Maybe he has some apples to throw at his enemies."
Ashley looked up confused. "What?"
"Yeah, in one of his more iconic games, he could throw apples as a projectile." Drake nodded.
Ashley blinked twice. "Um, shouldn't he, as a street rat, know how precious food is?"
Drake's grin vanished. "Ashley, I swear to Dracula, the only reason I never backhand you is because I don't want to accidentally tear your head off!"
METAL SONIC
NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
"What is it with some protagonist having an evil robot version of themselves?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Beats me, man. It was either that or the 'evil twin and/or doppleganger'." Drake mused.
"Well, obviously he is just as quick on his feet as Sonic and those sharp-looking claws are clearly NOT for show." Ashley mused, rubbing his chin. "But what ELSE could he do?"
"Well, his main purpose was to copy Sonic's abilities, but believe it or not, he could copy OTHER characters as well." Drake said.
Ashley jumped at this. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah, in Sonic Heroes, he copied Shadow, a Chao and Froggy for their affinity with Chaos and several other people to turn into Metal Madness and later Meta Overlord." Drake explained.
"Wow…" Ashley said in awe.
"And he can't copy anyone's powers here, he has two attacks that cover his entire body!" Drake noted. "One where he engulfs himself in electricity and spirals forward and one where he goes much slower, but surrounds himself in a harmful black diamond barrier for more defensive purposes."
"Wow, he sounds like a threat." Ashley said in awe.
"Oh, he does. He is one of Eggman's most consistent robots so he has to be good!" Drake grinned.
Ashley blinked twice. "But aren't some of his other consistent robots Orbot and Cubot?"
Drake's grin vanished as he growled before he was about to shout. Until he let out a deep sigh.
"Okay, fair point."
IENZO
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
Drake blinked twice. "Wait… Isn't he Zexion's Somebody?"
"I assume you are asking that because you remembered that Zexion didn't fight in his debut game." Ashley said.
"Yeah, he was killed by Axel and Riku Replica." Drake nodded.
"Well, not only did he have his own boss fight in the remake, but he had his own match in Kingdom Hearts II." Ashley explained.
"Oh, cool. So how does he fight? Or rather, how did Zexion fight?" Drake asked.
"Well, his weapon is a book and his element is illusion. Despite how strange that sounds." Ashley admitted.
"...So he is more of an indirect fighter? No wonder we couldn't fight him in the original Chain of Memories." Drake mused.
"Yes, in II, he doesn't fight in the "main'' battlefield and also does it by trapping the party into books and taking them to a dark realm to fight them." Ashley nodded.
"Oof. So it may be hard to figure out his fighting style?" Drake asked.
"Not exactly. If Even could make his powers work as a… Somebody, he could do the same for Ienzo." Ashley said.
"...Why didn't he do the same for Dilan and Aeleus?" Drake asked. "Dracula knows how much better they would have done in the arena."
Ashley growled. "Anywayyyyy, Ienzo should be able to create clones of his books and launch them forward, create a tornado of pages around himself, create clones of himself, he could even clone a person's weapon as his own as one point."
Drake jumped at this. "Really?"
"Yes. Again, he is more of an indirect fighter, but don't ever mistake indirect for weak." Ashley said.
MARSHMALLOW
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/FROZEN
Drake gave a descending whistle. "Kingdom Hearts is showing its own… Bizarre side this section. And that's saying a lot."
Ashley blinked twice. "What do you mean?"
"Well, let's review. Other than Aladdin, we have someone Xero forgot and had to put as a Mystery Fighter…" Drake said.
As if on cue, his phone started to ring. Drake pulled it out of his pocket… And threw it away.
"...The Com Mon for Dream Eaters and the most indirect fighter in the Organization XIII, even more than Luxord." Drake said. "And now, we have arguably the most WTF party member for Kingdom Hearts."
"...I must admit, I can't think of a good reason why out of all characters in Frozen, they chose MARSHMALLOW." Ashley admitted. "Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, even Olaf and Sven would have made more sense!"
"Sven wouldn't suck." Catherine piped up from off-screen.
Drake rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't."
"Might as well start, you guys." Ashley said, shaking his head. "Knowing THIS sub-node, you have a lot to talk about."
The camera then went to a chuckling Wally. "Hoo boy. Ya have NO idea."
"I have to ask." Catherine said. "How many Frozen jokes were told during Survivor Xover Version: All-Stars?"
"Your guess is as good as mine!" Wally admitted. "We were early boots, remember?"
"True…" Catherine sighed. "So anyway, Frozen is the 53rd entry in the Disney Animated Line-up and based on the Snow Queen."
"The story is about an evil troll that is actually the Devil. He created a magic mirror that distorts it so that people could only see the bad in themselves instead of the good." Wally explained. "One day, he went up to heaven to… Well, troll God and the angels, but it turns out the Devil has butterfingers and dropped the mirror."
"As comical as that sounds, when the mirror dropped, it broke into millions of pieces and went into people' hearts, making them only see the evils of the world." Catherine explained.
"Years later, a boy named Kai and a girl named Gerda lived together in a small city. However, Kai's heart was pierced by that damn mirror fragment." Wally lamented. "Also,next winter, the Snow Queen, a ruler of bee-like creatures made out of snow, came to him in his sled and brought him back to her kingdom at the North Pole, causing him to forget about his home. And now, Gerda must bring him back."
"Got that? Good. Because throw it all out because other than the whole snow motif, there is NOTHING to do with the original story. Granted, the fairy tale, like others, got adapted around a bit, but still." Catherine shrugged.
"The story is about two sisters, Elsa and Anna who were two princess sisters in the Scandinavian-esque kingdom of Arendelle. For princesses, their lives were normal for the most part." Wally said. "Unless you count Elsa having ice magic for no reason. Seriously, they didn't explain that until the sequel!"
"Getting a bit ahead of yourself, Wally. One day, Elsa accidentally froze Anna's brain. Or at least I think that's what happened so they decided her parents took her to the Rock Trolls." Catherine said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, and can we talk about the parents' brilliant strategy. 'Don't let them in! Conceal, don't feel!'" Fuck that noise!"
"Aye, Ah could see where they are coming from seeing that Elsa's powers are linked to her emotions, but still, that's not a good mindset to give to a child. Especially one who got traumatised for giving her sister a lobotomy." The boxer frowned.
"And it is not like they ever learned their lesson because they died in a ship crash." Catherine muttered. "So now Elsa and Anna are trapped in the castle walls for god-knows-how long until it is time for Elsa's coronation as a queen. That was when Anna finally left her gates and bumped into a stranger and after spending a few hours together, they decided to get married. Gag me!"
"And Elsa feels the same way, banning Anna from marrying said guy. Anna got upset and unloaded a lot of pent-up again." Wally frowned. "This resulted in Elsa revealing her powers and running away from home out of fear. However, while doing so, she accidentally created an eternal winter everywhere. Now Anna must find Elsa, tell her what she needs ta here and stop the eternal winter."
"Fun fact: Elsa was originally going to be the villain until the creators realised she didn't do anything wrong." Catherine explained. "This happened during 'Let It'..."
That was when Wally clamped his hand over her mouth with a horrified look on his face.
"Sheila, do ya want us getting spammed with calls about people complaining that they just got the song out of their heads!?" He scolded.
Catherine rolled her eyes. Wally just let out a sigh before removing his mouth.
"But aye, as ya could guess, Frozen was big. It got several shorts, a series where Olaf narrates Disney films and of course, the sequel." Wally explained. "It even got its own Bejewelled/Candy Crush game."
"...Why not?" Catherine muttered, rolling her eyes. "Everyone is doing it. Back to you."
The camera went back to a nodding Ashley. "That is more than sufficient, guys."
"So figuring out Marshmallow's fighting style is very easy." Drake said. "Marshmallow has super-strength and super-endurance, but is weak to fire."
"That's right." Ashley nodded. "Also, you aren't exaggerating when you said Marshmallow had super-strength."
Drake raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yeah, Marshmallow could hold up a giant ball of darkness that is fifty times the size of him" Ashley said.
Drake's eyes bugged out. "Woah!"
"Indeed. Marshmallow may be a… Weird pick for a party member, but they made the best out of him." Ashley chuckled.
ROLL
NODE: MEGAMAN
Drake's face fell. "Aww, she has her Roll Buster."
Ashley blinked twice. "Um, you make it sound like a bad thing."
"Well, not by itself, but…" Drake said. "I missed her original moveset in Tatsunoko VS Capcom."
"Oh?" Ashley said. "How did she fight in THAT game?"
"Oh, she fights with a broom, could throw water from buckets for projectiles AND traps, using it like a witch's broom and even scrub so fast that it creates a pillar of fire." Drake said.
Ashley blinked twice. "I'm sorry… What?"
"So she is basically a house-cleaning robot, just like her low-key sexist creator forced her to be!" Catherine roared from off-screen.
Drake frowned. "Yeah, but she is her own character in that game!"
"Yeah, her own character that Dr. Light made her be!" Catherine said.
Drake narrowed his eyes. "Oh, because having her as a watered-down Megaman clone in Marvel vs Capcom!"
"Oh, because Megaman's moveset in said series isn't just stealing from OTHER robot masters!" Catherine challenged. "Besides, the second Megamix Tournament showed that she could use more weapons."
"Yeah, because it is based on a M.U.G.E.N. form!" Drake retorted. "Do you think Xero will even know where that is from!?"
"Oh, so you would most likely use her appearances in Powered Up and Megaman Maker to justify her using a broom!" Catherine snapped.
"Yeah, because as much as M.U.G.E.N. is fun, it is an unbalanced mess!" Drake scolded. "And besides, Roll was basically ZERO in Megaman Maker!"
"So it is okay to use a fan-made game as an excuse to justify Roll fighting with a broom, but not okay to use a fan-made game as an excuse to justify Roll as a combat robot!?" Catherine roared.
"ENOUGH!" Ashley shouted.
Drake jumped before looking at Ashley in shock who was looking angry.
"...Is it THAT much of a stretch to suggest that Roll could use a combination of BOTH fighting styles!?" Ashley snapped.
Drake paused at this.
"...I mean, it is not like Megaman doesn't have joke weapons or at least weapons that seem like jokes so fighting with a broom while having her Roll Buster isn't TOO offensive." Catherine admitted.
"And if she uses her broom and other house-cleaning items in tandem with the weapons in her Roll Buster, she could do a lot of cool stuff." Drake added.
"THANK YOU!" Ashley said, throwing up his arms in frustration.
"...Well, THIS is the most interesting combat capability discussion we had thus far." Wally muttered from off-screen.
HEIHACHI MISHIMA
NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/TEKKEN
Drake's face fell. "Aww…"
Ashley groaned. "What now?"
"I am just lamenting the missed opportunity to have him and Kazuya invited to the same tournament, albeit through different sides." Drake lamented.
"It can't be helped. The tournament started long before Super Smash Bros Ultimate finally ended." Ashley frowned.
"I guess, but…" Drake said.
"H-Hey, what are you…"
"You can't just…"
Drake and Ashley blinked twice before looking off-screen to see Wally and Catherine, staring at someone. A young-looking girl with blonde hair tied in pigtails. She was clad in light pink, white and black with a pair of cat-eared headphones. The girl looked at the camera with a bright look on her face.
"Luckyyyyyyy…" She said before doing a pose. "Chloe Dayo!"
"Lucky Chloe, what are YOU doing here?" Wally asked.
The girl looked at Wally with a confused look on her face. "I am the obligatory node research guest star!"
Catherine blinked twice. "Um, what?"
"You know, like what the recap team for the Okron Tournament has." Lucky Chloe offered.
"Now hold on, something sounds fishy about this!" Catherine scolded before getting out her phone and pushing a few numbers on it before waiting patiently for someone to answer it.
"Ello?"
"Hey, Danglars, are you watching this right now?" Catherine asked.
"I am and I think that Lucky Chloe is referring to how Tybalt invited the Trapper from Dead by Daylight onto the show to cover his node." Danglars noted.
"Well, I didn't invite her!" Catherine snapped.
"Ah didn't invite her either!" Wally insisted.
"That's because you didn't. I invited myself!" Lucky Chloe beamed.
Catherine glared at the blonde. "You can't do that!"
"Umm, I think I just did. What's the big deal, anyway?" Lucky Chloe asked with a shrug. "The Okron Tournament recap had a cameo in the node research part!"
"...You know, I could understand why you guys are against this, but what is the big deal?" Danglars asked. "Sure, she may seem annoying, but at least she isn't a killer like the Trapper!"
"Hey, the Trapper is cool!" Tybalt's voice scolded.
"And like Lucky Chloe said, it wouldn't hurt for you to have someone do a cameo." Danglars said before trailing off. "At least without hijacking the show like what Psycho Mantis did."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, what do YOU think, Drake?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to it." The vampire offered.
"Ah guess Ah am the same." Wally said.
"Fine… Please help us, Lucky Chloe." Catherine said.
The pink-clad girl pumped her arms in the air. "YAY!"
"I swear, Danglars, if we regret this…" Catherine muttered.
"Hey, even if this goes badly, remember it could be worse!" Danglars offered. "It could be a killer."
"I swear you are no fun…" Tybalt pouted.
Catherine rolled her eyes before hanging up the phone.
"Okay so Tekken, which is Japanese for Iron Fist." Lucky Chloe said before flexing her non-biceps. "...Is not only one of Bandai-Namco's most popular games of all-time, but also THE most successful 3D fighting game of all time!"
"She's not exaggerating!" Wally nodded.
"Oh, don't let my cutesy looks fool you. Tekken is NOT a beginner-friendly game! Uh-uh! You have to know each and every hitbox. Like if someone punches at you, just duck and punish him!" Lucky Chloe beamed. "No, really, by Tekken 7, which has me, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, my boss, Kazuya, has over 60 moves to use!"
"...Not going to lie, I am dying to hear the story of how you two met." Catherine mused.
"Oh, I am MORE than happy to share that story to the world! But not now!" Lucky Chloe offered. "For now, let's talk about how Tekken won the Guinness World Record for longest-running story!"
"Sure, why not? I saw dumber reasons to get a World Record." Catherine said, rolling her eyes.
Lucky Chloe puffed out her cheeks "You don't match your hair at all…"
"Oh, like I haven't heard THAT one before!" Catherine said, rolling her eyes.
"Ya gotta admit, L.C., the Mishima storyline has been dominating most of their screentime." Wally frowned. "Like remember why Paul Phoenix was KAZUYA'S rival?"
"THAT meathead?" Lucky Chloe asked in disbelief before scoffing. "Could have fooled me."
"Or Azuka is Jin's cousin and supposedly has the same power as JUN?" Catherine asked.
"I WAS wondering seeing that they shared the same last name, but waved it off when Asuka spent too much time having her rivalry with Lili." Lucky Chloe admitted.
"Or Steve being Nina's son?" Wally asked.
"That woman got into a relationship?" Lucky Chloe asked, blinking twice. She then sighed. "Okay, I probably shouldn't say this seeing that Kazuya is my boss, but I could see what you mean… Well, for better or for worse, Heihachi is canonically dead."
Catherine let out a mirthless laugh. "I'll believe it when I see it!"
"Ta be fair… Heihachi's death was… In detail to say the least." Wally admitted with a grimace. "Also, his VA died after Tekken 7 is done."
"...Oh, I… Suppose that makes sense." Catherine said, crossing her arms. "Well, we still have to worry about Jin and Kazuya, but at least we have more to do!"
"Exactly!" Wally grinned.
"The game has spawned seven mainline games, two tag-team dream match games, several spin-offs, an action game starring Nina Williams, a crossover with Street Fighter and last, but not least, they even got Pokemon to have their own tournament!" Lucky Chloe smiled.
"Oh, I remembered that!" Catherine smiled.
"So basically Tekken is all that and a bag of chips so you should support Tekken 7!" Lucky Chloe beamed. "Also, remember to buy my Woolie's Tears Cups!"
"...I don't know how to feel about that." Catherine muttered.
"See you next time!" Lucky Chloe smiled, waving at the camera.
It then went back to a stunned Drake and Ashley.
"...Well, THAT happened." Ashley noted.
Drake shook his head. "Anyway, Heihachi is a Mishima."
Ashley looked at Drake, confused. "Um, didn't you already say that?"
"No, that is an archetype in Tekken." The vampire explained.
Ashley blinked twice. "Wait… I knew that the Mishimas are a big part of the story, but to get their own ARCHETYPE?"
Drake rolled his eyes. "Pretty much. So Mishimas could do three things: The Electric Wind God Fist, an electric uppercut that is great for offence AND defence, Flash-Punch Combo, which is one of the best jab strings in the games and wave-dash mix-ups! In other words, he is a jack-of-all-trades without being a master of none."
"Ah…" Ashley said before gulping. "He sounds like a threat!"
"Oh, he is. He may or may not come back in Tekken 8, but he sure as hell is willing to show all of the young fighters that he still got it!" Drake grinned.
DRILL MAN
NODE: MEGAMAN
Drake blinked twice. "Drill Man?"
"...Why are you surprised?" Ashley asked. "It is a guy with drills on his hands AND head."
"No, no, it is not that. It is just that… He is from Megaman 4!" Drake insisted.
"So?" Ashley asked.
"Well, that is the same game where Skull Man AND Pharaoh Man appeared. Both iconic Robot Masters in their own right." Drake explained.
"Heh. Maybe Xero took a look at their NetNavi versions and was so disgusted by them that he disqualified him." Catherine sneered from off-screen.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Drake scolded. "They couldn't have been that bad!"
With that, he started to fish around for his phone. His eyes widened in realisation before looking at Ashley with a sheepish grin.
"Umm…" Drake started.
"...I know. Hold on." Ashley said, rolling his eyes. He then got out his own phone. "Skull Man and Pharoah Man NetNavi, right?"
"Right." Drake nodded.
"Okay, give me a few seconds anddddddd…" Ashley started.
Then, Drake and Ashley jumped in horror
"Oh, yuck!" Drake said in disgust.
"Oh, wow… That's… That's definitely a downgrade." Ashley frowned.
"WHY!?" Drake exclaimed. "I LOVE Papyrus, but that is clearly not what the creators of Skull Man had in mind!"
Ashley chuckled nervously. "Let's… Let's go to Drill Man."
"Yeah… Yeah…" Drake said before sighing. "So as you could see, Drill Man fights… With the drills on his hands."
"So I noticed." Ashley snarked.
"Not only could he dig underground, but he could also send out on of his drills as a bomb." Drake explained.
Ashley jumped. "What? Isn't that dangerous?"
"It is. Be grateful that Dr. Cossack created him and not Dr. Wily." Drake offered.
"Also, I just looked it up." Wally said from off-screen. "Drill Man's NetNavi counterpart goes crazier with the drill theming. No, really, it looks sick!"
"You… You don't really think Xero excluded Skull Man and Pharaoh Man just because they had downgraded NetNavi designs?" Ashley asked.
"I doubt it… He probably just liked Drill Man's original design more than Skull Man and Pharoah Man's, which is fair." Drake nodded. He then groaned. "Why? Skull Man is NOT meant to be Papyrus!"
SUPERMAN
NODE: DC COMICS/SUPERMAN
"And fitting for the final fighter of the section is the Man of Steel himself, Superman!" Drake grinned.
"Indeed. He IS the face of DC, after all." Ashley said. He then paused. "Wait… Or is that Batman?"
Drake paused. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Anyway, even ignoring that, he should do well due to the practice he's been getting recently."
Ashley blinked twice. "Hm? What practice?"
"The Multiversus game! You know, that huge WB Games crossover?" Drake asked.
Ashley's eyes widened. "Oh, right. It seems that everyone is trying to get in on that platform fighter pie, huh?"
"Apparently." Drake said before sighing. "Such a shame. If I wasn't so determined to have the tournament start shortly after Valentine's Day, I would have invited them."
Ashley put a hand on Drake's shoulder. "It can't be helped… Besides, you already have two other platformer fighters on the cast besides Super Smash Bros, of course."
"True… Maybe next time." Drake frowned.
"So the combat segment will be short because we already covered Bizarro, huh?" Ashley asked.
"Pretty much. Eye Beams, Super Breath, Ice Breath, Super Strength, Flight. He got the package!" Drake said before smirking. "Not a speck of Kryptonite in sight!"
"Don't jinx it… That stuff is just as common as Captain Planet's weakness." Ashley muttered.
Drake's smirk vanished. "Oi…"
Ashley shook his head. "Regardless, that is everyone! Now normally Akuma, Balrog, Gulp and Marshmallow will be Big Guys so nineteen people will be eliminated. However, due to the Big Guy Blocker, only fifteen people will be eliminated!"
"Also, Merlina from Sonic the Hedgehog will be facing off against Boris & Natasha from Rocky & Bullwinkle." Drake explained.
"Don't let the Big Guy Blocker fool you, this round will be just as chaotic as ever!" Ashley said.
"Indeed, now before we go, I have a short announcement." Drake nodded. "Due to us getting ready for the tournament, we will not be in charge of the recap for the next one."
"Instead, we will hand the reins over to Wally and Catherine!" Ashley smiled.
The camera then went back to Wally and Catherine grinning… And Lucky Chloe looking stunned.
"That's right! It won't be a holiday special, but it would definitely feel like one!" Wally grinned.
"So wait… You are going to host the show AND do the research bit at the same time?" Lucky Chloe asked.
"No, Stinky and Allison will do our usual jobs." Catherine said. "It's not fair for them to only get one chance to shine!"
"Aye, it would be nice fer us four ta work together!" Wally grinned.
Lucky Chloe's eyes sparkled at this. "Ohhhhhh!"
The camera then went back to Drake and Ashley.
"Don't worry, that doesn't mean we will abandon our role as hosts indefinitely, we will still be able to come back after the next episode!" Ashley offered.
"Regardless, we'll hope YOU will look forward to it!" Drake grinned. "In more ways than one!"
"Sooo…"
Drake and Ashley blinked twice before looking off-screen.
"Could anyone help me get back home?" Lucky Chloe asked, sounding sheepish. "I spent so much trouble trying to get here that I didn't bother with a return trip."
Ashley groaned as he slapped his forehead while Drake looked at the camera with a nervous chuckle.
"Looks like we ALL got a lot of work to do…"
LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 90878773
