LINK TO SECTION BELOW
We now return to Wally and Catherine with grins on their faces (and still wearing their Colombian clothes).
"And we are back!" Wally grinned.
"And not a second too soon!" Catherine beamed. "Come on, this is the section where Xero is going to reveal not one, but TWO of his rabbit Mystery Fighters!"
Wally's grin vanished. "H-Hey! Ah am just as excited as ya are, but there are other things we have ta cover first."
"Alright, alright, fair enough…" Catherine sighed. "So yeah, there is nothing much to say here. Except this is supposed to be an "Unleash the Despair" which just translates to "Normal section."
"Well, Ah am happy fer the fighters, Ah sure hope that the new one will make up for the lack of a theme." Wally mused.
"They almost always do." Catherine offered. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves! First things first, let's cover those who DID survive the section!"
DONALD DUCK
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY
ENTERED IN: Section 14; Number 299
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 8
"Finally managing to tie with his mate, Goofy, for Kingdom Hearts MVP!" Wally smirked. "With his eliminations of Solid Snake, K. Rool and Captain Falcon from Super Smash Bros., Sgt. Byrd from Spyro the Dragon, Cerebella from Skullgirls, Zero from Megaman, Hinata from Naruto and now Metal Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog, he also looks good ta tie with Luna Loud. the holder of MVP PERIOD!"
"Now hold on, Wally, Donald definitely has a good chance to do so, but he also has a potential rival in…"
BUBBLES
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/CLASSIC DISNEY
ENTERED IN: Section 15; Number 306
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 7
"...Bubbles! At first, we were all looking at her at Cartoon Network: Punch-Time Explosion's saviour, but she may be becoming something more than that." Catherine mused.
"Aye, with her eliminations of Link and Mario from Super Smash Bros, Ed and Kolin from Street Fighter V, Batman and the Martian Manhunter from DC Comics and now Gulp from Spyro the Dragon, if Donald is not careful, Bubbles may take the top spot from right under his nose!" Wally grinned.
EARTHWORM JIM
NODE: EARTHWORM JIM
ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 334
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 5
Wally chuckled nervously while scratching his cheek. "Aye… We were so distracted by the story battle that Earthworm Jim that was in that we forget ta mention that he was on the Top 10 eliminations list."
"Anddddd the person he knocked off from Agent 9, his fellow trigger-happy space-gunanimal." Catherine nodded. "With an impressive showing of the eliminations of Billy & Tung from King of Fighters XIV, Sulley from Kingdom Hearts, Tula from Pirates of Dark Water and Nightwing from DC Comics."
SORA
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS
ENTERED IN: Section 16; Number 342
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 4
"While trailing a bit behind especially in comparison to his Disney buddies and would have been eliminated if not for the Big Guy Blocker, Sora's status is nothing to scoff at." Catherine admitted.
"Aye, if it was, then he wouldn't have taken down Abigail from Street Fighter V, Rajan from Sly Cooper, Merlina from Sonic the Hedgehog and now Heihachi from PSASBR!" Wally noted.
BEASTBOY
NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 351
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3
Wally chuckled nervously, releasing some non-existent team from his collar. "We… Kinda made another goof. And this one, we don't even have the privilege of being distracted by the out-of-tournament story."
"Right… Beast Boy has tied with his fellow Teen Titan, Starfire with his three eliminations of Mint from Tokyo Mew Mew, Sackboy from PSASBR and Drill Man from Megaman." Catherine winced. "Don't worry, I promise that we will edit it when this recap is done! Ashley will have our heads if we don't…"
BEAST
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 360
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
"Okay, I admit that Adam didn't have the strongest start with his reckless elimination of his own ally at the time, Beowulf from Skullgirls and the fact that he would have been gone if it wasn't for the Big Guy Blocker doesn't help his case either." Catherine frowned before brightening up. "But hey, at least he more or less redeemed himself."
"Aye, Balrog from Street Fighter V would think twice before messing with him again!" Wally smirked, crossing his arms.
WALUIGI
NODE: SUPER MARIO BROS.
ENTERED IN: Section 17; Number 362
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2
Wally chuckled nervously. "Well, fer better or fer worse, Waluigi knows how ta make things interesting."
"Again, I don't think that is a good thing." Catherine muttered, rolling her eyes. "But I suppose his eliminations of Cream & Cheese from Sonic the Hedgehog and Ienzo from Kingdom Hearts are nothing to sneeze at."
YOSHI
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/YOSHI
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 363
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Starting off with a flutter-jumping high start is the Happy Yoshi! He has gotten the top spot!" Catherine beamed. She then growled. "...Which Monokuma ruined for him!"
"Let it go, Cat…" Wally frowned before sighing. "But aye, he definitely earned that spot with his impressive elimination of Meow-Wow from Kingdom Hearts."
CARMELITA FOX
NODE: SLY COOPER
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 365
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Ya law-breakers better watch out, because just because ya are in the ring, that doesn't mean you are safe!" Wally smirked.
"That's right! Carmelita Fox taught Akuma from Street Fighter V the hard way!" Catherine laughed.
TERRA
NODE: DC COMICS/TEEN TITANS
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 366
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
Catherine frowned. "...Okay, I think that we all agree that Terra didn't get a good section with her accidental elimination of Retasu from Tokyo Mew Mew and would have been eliminated if not for the Big Guy Blocker, but it wasn't her fault."
"Aye, only a handful of people got out of that glitchfest looking clean." Wally winced. "So yeah, there is still a chance fer redemption."
KAT & DUSTY
NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/GRAVITY RUSH
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 367
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Due to their poor record thus far, PSASBR haven't gotten much chance to use their Smash Balls. But Kat & Dusty used theirs on their FIRST section!" Wally noted.
"And it worked out with them overpowering Marshmallow from Kingdom Hearts aka someone who held up a giant ball of darkness!" Catherine beamed. "She definitely has a lot of potential!"
MISS PIGGY
NODE: THE MUPPETS
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 370
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"Okay, so one could argue she didn't get to show off much of her stuff, but to be fair, she was having too much fun to fight." Catherine shrugged.
"And she DID show Espio what happens when ya ruin said fun sooo whatcha gonna do?" Wally shrugged.
ALADDIN
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/ALADDIN
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 373
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
"And here we have the original Diamond in the Rough, Aladdin!" Wally grinned.
"With his Scimitar, projectile apples and a surprise cameo from Carpet, he completely overwhelmed Zack from Not-Kingdom Hearts!" Catherine giggled.
ROLL
NODE: MEGAMAN
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 377
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
Catherine frowned. "...It is too bad about the whole glitchfest. I would have loved to see Roll use her Roll Buster and broom in tandem a bit more like Ashley offered."
"...Ah mean ya wouldn't know of her accidental elimination of Demyx from Kingdom Hearts, but she DID get the top SECOND slot." Wally offered. "She has another chance ta do better."
SUPERMAN
NODE: DC COMICS/SUPERMAN
ENTERED IN: Section 18; Number 380
OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1
Wally gave a descending whistle. "And the fighter with the worst section ever despite surviving is ironically the face of DC Comics himself. First, it was as if someone asked Drake's potential benefactor to make the arena like Superman 64, next, he almost would have been eliminated if it was not for the Big Guy Blocker…"
"And finally, his elimination of Dr. Wily from Megaman is basically taking credit for Demyx and Retasu's work!" Catherine scoffed.
"Catherine, come on! What was Superman going ta do? Just let him go off and cause mischief?" Wally challenged.
"Um, how? Wally, we already established that Wily is a snivelling coward with his machine." The pink-clad woman countered.
Wally just sighed. "Well, fer better or fer worse, we are finally at the new fighters."
KAGE
NODE: STREET FIGHTER V
Wally grunted in disgust while Catherine looked in disbelief.
"ANOTHER angry version of Ryu?" Catherine exclaimed. "We literally just got rid of Akuma!"
"Oh, it gets worse!" Wally groaned, holding his forehead. "I'll tell you, but it involves a history lesson on characters ya may not like."
Catherine blinked twice. "Um, sure. Why not?"
"Well, in Street Fighter Alpha, there was a… Lack of a better word, character called Evil Ryu, which is basically Ryu if he gave into the Satsui no Hado." Wally explained. "Or his superpowered evil side."
Catherine paused. "...Mr. Vanilla has an evil side?"
"Oi…" Wally muttered. "But aye, Evil Ryu is basically what Ryu is training to overcome."
"Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Kinda cliche, but at least it gives him SOMETHING." Catherine said. "So if that is the case, why is Kage's problem?"
"Well, first off, he literally comes out of nowhere. For no reason, he just appears.. As a separate entity from Ryu." Wally said. "Second off, NOBODY takes him seriously."
"Oh, just like Necalli?" Catherine asked.
"Aye… About that… Ah don't know if he got it better or worse than Necalli." Wally frowned. "Because ya could argue Kage has a near-perfect record."
Catherine's eyes widened at this. "Wait, what!?"
"Aye, Kage curb-stomps everyone in his Story Mode and yet they STILL look down on him!" Wally added. "Sagat and Akuma see him as a mere shell of Ryu with the latter going through so much character development and even though he lost the fight, he inadvertently made Kage go bye-bye!"
Catherine blinked twice. "But if THAT'S the case, what is the point of even having him?"
"From a story standpoint, Ah have no idea." Wally frowned, shaking his head. "From a gameplay standpoint… Um, to have Evil Ryu in the cast?"
"WHY!? I may have roasted Akuma, but at least he was his own character!" Catherine exclaimed.
"Ah don't know…" Wally frowned with a shrug. "Ah could actually see him giving people a hard time, but his arrogance will get the better of him."
Catherine paused. "...So he fights like any other martial arts villain?"
MULAN
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/MULAN
Wally and Catherine's eyes lit up at this. "MULAN!"
"She is a badass!" Wally grinned.
"I know, right?" Catherine asked.
"Pardon me?"
Wally and Catherine looked up to see a familiar crystal ball.
"Oh, hey, Cacey? Want ta gush over Mulan too?" Wally asked.
"Not that I do not want to, but I wanted to relay a message from Ashley." Cacey offered.
Catherine blinked twice. "Oh, that's right. Drake and Ashley said that they were going to ask Xero to spoil them on this section's fighters to see if there is anything to talk about for themselves."
"That's right." Cacey nodded.
"Okay, what does Ash want to say about Mulan?" Wally asked.
"Well, while he acknowledges that Mulan is a skilled warrior, he also says that Mulan isn't supposed to be a one-woman army." Cacey explained. "Remember that iconic moment where she climbed up the pole to get the arrow? She did that, but TYING the weights together! Yes, it took a lot of strength and determination as well, but it was her BRAIN that got her ahead! She didn't even beat the Big Bad, Shan-Wu directly."
Catherine put her hand to her chin. "Huh. Good point. I guess that I just like women beating men at their own game, that I didn't realise that women could do so by being smart."
Wally gave an exasperated look. "Anywayyyyy, good thing that she is strong AND smart because ALL of her moves in Kingdom Hearts is linked solely to Mushu."
"Eh. Don't worry, Mulan will find a way." Catherine smirked.
"Agreed. There is a reason why she is the only playable Disney character in the Kingdom Hearts version of Talisman besides Mickey, Donald and Goofy, of course." Cacey added.
Wally and Catherine looked at the crystal ball with strange looks.
"...I am merely repeating what Ashley asked me to relay to you." Cacey muttered.
With that, she floated off. Wally and Catherine just looked at each other with a shrug. Suddenly, Catherine's phone started to ring. Raising an eyebrow, she picked it up.
…Only for the Mystery Fighter Alarm to go off.
Wally and Catherine's eyes lit up before looking at each other excitedly.
"...Do you think?" Catherine asked.
"Depends. Is it him?" Wally asked.
Catherine eagerly nodded.
"Yeah, what are we waiting fer!?" Wally asked.
Catherine again nodded before answering the phone.
"All right, I got my first rabbit pick coming in! Ready to see if your guesses are right?" Xero asked.
"You know it!" Catherine said in excitement. "And even though Ashley and Drake are busy with their plans, I'm sure they'll be hyped to hear this."
"All right! Maurice, announce the first of my three bunny picks!" Xero offered
Suddenly, Maurice could be heard groaning. "Do I have to?"
Wally and Catherine's smiles vanished.
"Yes." Xero scolded "Do it."
Another groan could be heard as Wally and Catherine looked at each other.
"...Well, THAT'S a good sign." Wally muttered.
BOINGO
NODE: HOODWINKED!
Wally and Catherine watched with wide eyes and slack jaws
"BOINGO is your first rabbit pick?" Catherine said in shock over the phone.
"Explain first." Maurice said, sounding exasperated.
"Because Orange loved the first movie." Xero simply said. "The second movie he's mixed on, but he LOVES the first movie. Plus, Boingo is one of those characters you either love or you hate, and I know Orange LOVES Boingo."
"But… what about Wolf… or-or Red… or Granny Puckett… heck, even Twitchy!" Catherine sputtered.
"Hey, he likes those guys too, but something about Boingo was just… right to put in." Xero shrugged. "Look, if it makes you feel better, my second rabbit pick is coming in the same section, so I'm sure you'll be more excited over that."
"Um, alright… Call me when that time comes." Catherine said with a small sigh. "Now if you excuse us, we have to make sure that most of this segment is literally copy-and-paste."
"Fair enough. Till then." Xero offered before hanging up the phone.
Wally frowned. "Is it ungrateful that Ah am disappointed?"
"Perhaps… Though to be fair, I am not disappointed that any of our picks didn't get mentioned." Catherine admitted. "It is more why the OTHER Hoodwinked characters didn't get picked."
"Aye…" Wally frowned. He then brightened up. "But hey! At least fer once we could sit back and let someone else to explain ta US!"
Catherine nodded her head before looking at the camera. "Welcome back, Stinky & Allison!"
The audience clapped as the camera went to the stink and alligator combo who were both smiling.
"Good to be back!" Stinky smiled.
"Thanks again for inviting us back!" Allison nodded.
"Hey, ya two did such a good job while we were… Busy so we knew we could trust ya ta do this fer us!" Wally reassured. "Show them what ya could do!"
"Oh, don't worry, we will!" Allison smiled. "Now Hoodwinked is a CG animated movie released in 2005, acting as a "Shrek" film. And by that, I mean an affectionate parody of fairy tales. In this case, Little Red Riding Hood."
"Basically, the movie acts like a crime mystery where four suspects were being interviewed in suspicion of being the goody bandit aka stealing food recipes." Stinky explained. "The suspects are unsurprisingly Little Red Riding Hood, known as Red Puckett here, the Big Bad Wolf, known as Wolf, Granny Puckett and the Woodcutter known as Kirk Kirkkendall."
"So the four take turns telling their stories, explaining what they were doing and of course subverting any and all expectations from the story." Allison explained. "It was interesting seeing all of the characters' stories and even though Boingo was an obvious twist villain considering the theme of the story, he more than works."
"Indeed. He did. So did the movie. Sure, the animation was more than a little out there, but the character, story and clever writing helped with that." Stinky smiled. He then scowled. "Now let's talk about when the sequel sucked."
"Stinky!" Allison scolded.
"Aw, come on! I think we are all aware that the sequel is a downgrade to the first movie!" The skunk scolded. "And whose fault was that!? The executives! Apparently, they oversaw the original design and made it more… Kiddie! For younger audiences! Because Hoodwinked can't be enjoyed by younger kids!"
"I must admit… I do not like how they turned a crime mystery into a generic buddy cop movie. Sure, like I said, Boingo started to feel obvious, but at least we had fun with the characters." Allison said.
"And yeah, if the characters haven't been brought back just to be there, they were ruined or at least moulded to fit stereotypical buddy-cop relationships!" Stinky exclaimed. "Especially Wolf. He was the Straight Man. The guy who takes his job seriously, even if the situation wouldn't let him. Somewhat of an angry man! Here, he is an impulsive "Cowboy Cop"! Also, why did they have Twitchy as a Chipmunk!"
Allison frowned, rubbing her wrist. "Maybe we should go back to Wally and Catherine. I don't want our first research segment to be one big rant-fest."
"Allie, Sheila, what Stinky is doing right now is considered tame compared ta what Catherine and Ah rant about." Wally muttered from off-screen.
"True, but I don't want to be the ranty guy." Stinky sighed. "Sorry, but I am with Allison on this one. We are ending this short."
The camera went back to a sympathetic Catherine. "It's alright, Stinky. We actually had a few duds ourselves."
Wally gave Catherine an unimpressed stare. "Mostly because of YOU."
"Oi…" The pink-haired woman muttered before sighing. "So anyway, aside from being a crazy criminal, Boingo is actually stronger than he looks."
"Aye, he could easily defeat Red Puckett and while that doesn't sound like an accomplishment, Red is actually a black belt." Wally added.
"Well, for better or for worse, we can't say that Xero made a… Boring choice." Catherine winced, scratching the back of her head.
"Don't get me wrong, this is FAR from Xero's biggest mistakes. Hell, Ah can't in good conscience call it a mistake period, either." Wally said before looking unimpressed. "What ya said is NOT a compliment."
BERRY SHIRAYUKI
NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW
Catherine blinked twice for a moment. She then got out her phone before pushing a couple of buttons. She then waited for someone to answer it.
Xero then spoke. "Let me guess… Come to roast me for inviting Berry?"
"Not really. I DO want to know that you invited Berry and not Ringo?" Catherine asked.
Wally blinked twice. "Ringo?"
"Oh, you mean from the turn-based JRPG?" Xero answered.
Catherine looked stunned at this. "You actually heard of it!"
"Dude, I am an OC of Orange-Ratchet and you know how much he loves Tokyo Mew Mew. So he must have visited Tokyo Mew Mew's TVTropes page a few times." Xero pointed out. "Ergo, everyone must know as well and the only ones who don't are just to be a 'Watson' character."
"Um, okay." Catherine said, blinking twice. "But if that's the case…"
"Just because Orange is a Tokyo Mew Mew fan, that doesn't mean he has access to any and ALL material involved with the franchise." Xero scolded. "As such, he couldn't get access to the JRPG."
"Well, I just looked it up and it turned out that there is an English playthrough on YouTube." Catherine explained.
"Really?" Xero asked before pausing. "Hmm… Okay, I will look into it. I doubt that she will make the second Tournament of Kikai, but hey, at least I get to watch a Tokyo Mew Mew game. Thanks for the heads-up!"
"No problem!" Catherine nodded. "See you later!"
With that, she hung up with Wally blinking twice.
"How did ya…" Wally started.
Catherine smirked. "Don't understand me and my research on animals or animal-based shows! Oh, speaking of which, Berry has the DNA of the Andes Mountain Cat and the Amami Black Rabbit."
Wally narrowed his eyes. "She better be a Twinkle Star Sprites fangirl."
"Nice one, Wally!" Catherine giggled before fiddling with her tablet. "But anyway, the Andean mountain cat is a wildcat that lives in the high… Well, Andes. It is considered a sacred animal by indigenous Aymara and Quechua people."
A picture of said cat shown up on-screen.
"Love the stripes." Wally mused.
"And this is the Amami Black Rabbit. It could only be found in Amami Oshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyushu and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan." Catherine added. "It is often called a living rabbit as it is a remnant of ancient rabbits."
A picture of said rabbit shown up on-screen.
"Cute." Wally smiled.
"As for Berry's combat capabilities, she wields the Loveerry Rod." Catherine explained. "She attacks with light magic."
"Fair enough." Wally said.
"Also, she ended up being the most powerful Mew Mew in A La Mode." Catherine frowned.
Wally's eyes widened at this. "What!? The new LEADER is one thing, but the most powerful!"
Catherine just shook her head. "To be fair, she stopped being a Mary Sue when the Re-Turn manga special and when Ichigo came back, but yeah… Her first appearance wasn't the best first impression for her."
Wally frowned. "...Then again, the same could be said for Silver the Hedgehog."
Catherine rolled her eyes. "Spare me… I know you are STILL salty about his boss fight in 06."
"He fucking spam-locked me! Of course, Ah am going ta hold a bit of trauma!" Wally roared.
FATHER
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR
BIG GUY ALERT!
"And here we have the Big Bad of Codename: Kids Next Door!" Wally grinned.
"...Until he got usurped by GRANDfather." Catherine muttered.
Wally's grin vanished. "Oi…"
"But yeah, before we go over his abilities in Punch-Time Explosion, what you see with Father is what you get." Catherine explained. "A pyromancer who could ignite his entire body."
"However, this is also his weakness as he can NOT take cold temperatures." Wally noted. "Seriously, the dude got defeated by ICE CREAM."
"Also, he is described as having high power with a Little Mac air game." Catherine mused.
"CAT!" Wally roared.
The animal-lover winced. "Sorry…"
Wally shook his head. "But aye, if he keeps his eye out for people with aquamancy or cryomancy, he should do decently. Especially since the plan gone ta pot, he is going ta be 100% focused on the tournament."
RAIDEN
NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/METAL GEAR RISING: VENGEANCE
Wally's eyes lit at this. "RULES OF NATURE!"
Catherine winced at this. "Really, Wally? I am not safe from loud singing even when Drake isn't even here!"
"Aw, come on! That song is a banger!" Wally grinned. "Anyway, Stinky and Allison, it is YOUR turn!"
The camera then went to a confused Stinky. "...But hasn't Metal Gear Solid already been covered?"
"Yeah, but Ah checked without spoiling myself and it turns out that if we don't cover Metal Gear Rising, you only have four nodes to cover this section." Catherine admitted.
"Besides, ta say that the game is different from the rest of the series is an understatement." Wally offered.
"Alright, alright, fair enough. Now before I get to Metal Gear Solid, I should explain the history of the protagonist and how the gamer community is full of dudebros!" Stinky said, rolling his eyes.
"What Stinky means is that the second game of the Metal Gear Solid series stars not the gruff, but the effeminate and soft-spoken Raiden." Allison said, shaking her head. "...May I remind you that this was in a time where people were more… close-minded."
"Always have to put the polite spin on everything, don't you, Allison? He was without a doubt one of the most hated protagonists in video game history at the time." Stinky explained. "...At least until the FOURTH game where he suddenly turned into a badass cyborg swordsman!
"Why we are explaining this is because I think it is relevant because he is the protagonist of this spin-off. Yes, I said spin-off because while there are elements of a Metal Gear Solid game, the genre has completely changed." Allison explained.
"It is a Platinum Hack-And-Slash, not unlike Dante May Cry and Bayonetta, where the aim of the game is to tear apart anyone and anyTHING in your way." Stinky explained. "The game actually started a little bit after the development of the fourth game, handled by younger people entrusted by Hideo Kojima himself. While it being a Hack-and-Slash was always the plan, the idea was to strike a balance between the two. However, it turned out to be harder than it looks so they cancelled it."
"Until they gave it to Platinum Games, of course. The game was supposed to be set between 2 and 4, but it ended up taking four years after the fourth game." Allison explained. "At first, Raiden was on a revenge quest after an African Prime Minister he was guarding got killed, but as a Metal Gear Solid game, things got complicated."
"The game was the first one to get a multi-platform system, along with two DLC campaigns. You would THINK that all of that is the reason why he was put in PSASBR, but nope!" Stinky shrugged. "Turns out he was put in the game… To advertise for Rising. Kinda scummy if you asked me."
"...Perhaps. But considering how popular the game got, it all worked out in the end." Allison offered. "Besides, at least Raiden had a decent fanbase until… You-know-who."
"Ugh, don't remind me…" Stinky muttered. "Well, what do you guys think?"
The camera went back to a grinning Wally. "Oh, it was more than alright!"
"So seeing that Raiden is now a Platinum protagonist, that she strikes hard and fast." Catherine mused
"Aye and he can engulf his blade in electricity for elemental damage!" Wally grinned. "He is going ta make people remember him!"
"He better… Sure, it all worked out in the end, but he was still put in the game instead of SOLID SNAKE as a marketing tool and nothing more." Catherine muttered.
Wally's grin vanished. "And Drake thinks ASHLEY'S the killjoy."
ISABELLE
NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/ANIMAL CROSSING
"ISABELLE!" Wally and Catherine (along with Stinky and Allison) exclaimed happily.
"Oh my god, I love her SO much!" Catherine squealed, clenching her fists together.
"And it actually works in her and the Villager's favour that she came so late!" Wally added. "Tinyhammer wasn't a big fan of Animal Crossing at the time the Tournament of Kikai started. But now he is into New Horizons so we have more to work with!"
"Oh, we know! We know!" Catherine beamed. "Stinky! Allison! Please! I know that this is your job, but PLEASE do a great one!"
The camera then went to a chuckling Stinky. "Try not to put too much pressure on us! But yeah, let's not waste any time! Originally released for the Nintendo 64 as Dobutsu no Mori which translates to Animal Forest, most Western audiences know the series on the GameCube game as an updated release."
"The game is very simple. It is a "life sim" game where you play as a human in a village of animals." Allison explained.
"And no, the games NEVER addressed this." Stinky piped up.
Allison just continued. "Going by the 'plot' of the first game, you arrive in this town where you go to buy a house. After picking one, Tom Nook will ask for payment… But… you are a little short on cash. Or Bells in this case."
"People give Tom Nook a hard time, but really, what kind of idiot goes into a new town with no plans and limited money. If anything, being his workhor… Um, workhuman is better than he could had done!" Stinky pointed out.
"So basically you have to go around doing chores, talking to the various villagers, fish, hunt bugs and buy stuff for yourself." Allison explained. "Anddddd that's it. That's the game."
"You would think just a basic premise wouldn't make such a cult classic,but no. Not only it spawned many sequels along with an anime movie, a still ongoing mobile game, a home-creating spin-off and a bad party…" Stinky started.
"WE DO NOT TALK ABOUT AMIIBO FESTIVAL!" Wally roared from off-screen.
Stinky winced before glaring off-screen. "...It has become a fan-favourite series. Its latest game is actually the SECOND-best selling Switch game. The first is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Thus why we are getting the Booster Pass and not Mario Kart 9. Not that I am complaining, but still…"
"There is a lot to love about them!" Allison smiled. Her smile then vanished. "Even though their love could go too hard."
Stinky rolled his eyes. "Of course! Remember when there was a black market for Raymond? God, he isn't even THAT special!"
Allison paused. "I mean, he DOES have heterochromia."
Stinky blinked twice before looking bored and reaching behind him. Allison looked concerned until her boyfriend had up a card of a blue pig.
"So does Hugh and you clearly don't see people going crazy about HIM." Stinky muttered. "Seriously? Sure, heterochromia is rare, thus the "Special eyes" but it is not THAT cracked up to me! Gag me!"
Allison rolled her eyes. "Back to you guys."
The camera then went to Wally chuckling nervously. "Ah suppose it wouldn't be an Animal Crossing segment without mentioning Raymond at one point."
"I love Raymond, but I admit that I want to give my love to other villagers." Catherine said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Same. So Ah suppose ya might be wondering how someone from a Life Simulator could work as a fighter?" Wally asked before smirking. "Well, that is when the team gets creative!"
"Isabelle could plant Lloids as traps, use a fishing rod as a long-range grappling move and even cutely ride like a swing tied up balloons!" Catherine squealed.
"She could also pocket projectiles and save them fer later!" Wally added. "There is a lot ta talk about with Isabelle's moves, but there are too many ta go into."
"Indeed! You have to see for yourself to see how amazing she truly is!" Catherine beamed.
PARAPPA THE RAPPER
NODE: PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALE/PARAPPA THE RAPPER
Wally growled at the song being played. "...God, thank goodness Maurice is there. Xero would have destroyed the tournament far worse than the crystals and vines did at the second Battle of the Luminaries."
"...Okay, I could 100% understand not liking an animated movie that made light out of a real-life event, but now you are being extra." Catherine muttered. She then perked up. "And why be complaining extra when you could be squealing extra!?"
"Okay, okay, fair enough." Wally said. He then breathed in and out. "Give me a moment…"
Catherine raised an eyebrow.
"Love together! Love together! Living on the floor!" Wally sang. "Kimi o machikutabirete iru no saa baby!"
Catherine's eyes lit up at this. "Love together! Love together! Living on the floor! Zuitte to kanjite o yoru no saa Friday!"
Wally and Catherine then held each other and laughed. The camera then went to Allison smiling and Stinky… Blinking twice.
"That's not even rap. It's funk pop." Stinky pointed out.
"Oh, like they have this." Allison giggled. "Besides, that song is too catchy, not to sing regardless of genre."
"True, true…" Stinky sighed. "Anyway, Parappa the Rapper is a Rhythm Game released for the Playstation. Normally, I would talk about the gameplay, but I think we should talk about the story first."
"Agreed. The game is about a rapping dog called Parappa, not to be confused with the one from one of the two animated Titanic movies." Allison said before frowning. "And yes, they created TWO animated Titanic movies."
"...Let's continue before Wally yells at us again." Stinky sighed. "The story is simple. PaRappa is trying to impress a girl named Sunny Funny, but he is intimidated by your typical Jerk Jock, Joe Chin. And how does he do it?"
"HE GOTTA BELIEVE!" Stinky and Allison beamed.
"But real talk, PaRappa is going around, trying to do different things to impress Sunny. Whether it is learning karate, taking a driver's test and even selling things at a flea market." Allison explained. "And how does he do that? By rapping. I don't know how, but the story is already weird despite its simple story."
"The gameplay goes like this. Whoever is teaching PaRappa or their… "Teacher" will have him do a rhythm version of Simon Says. For example, it is like Ms Ruby's boss fight from Sly Cooper." Stinky said. "But not as infuriating or as memetic."
"But here is where the "Rap" part comes in. PaRappa could deviate from the teacher and do his own twisted set of button mashes. If he does well, he could go into freestyle-mode and get the best ending for the level." Allison explained.
"Like Allison said, the game is simple. But it manages to get a fanbase with its catchy songs, paper-like art style, unique character designs and a surprisingly relatable character for a RAPPING PROTAGONIST." Stinky grinned. "Hell, it is even the FIRST modern rhythm game. DDR, Guitar Hero, Pop'n Music, y'all have this series to thank!"
"Stinky said series because not only did it spawned a sequel, but also a spin-off called UnLammer Lemmy, a lamb with anxiety who could turn ANYTHING into a guitar." Allison explained. "It even spawned an anime."
"...Which has little to no rapping." Stinky piped up.
"...Okay, the 'Rapper' is in name only, but hey! It still has the same bizarre humour and character designs from the games." Allison offered. "One episode has PaRappa's friends think he is pregnant."
"...Andddddd I am going to end us off here." Stinky muttered. "So yeah, aside from obviously appearing in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, PaRappa the Rapper got its sequel on the Playstation Network and the original game got a remake for the Playstation 4! Back to you guys!"
The camera went to a smiling Catherine. "Nice one, guys!"
"Now, just like your fellow dog, Isabelle, PaRappa isn't a canon fighter, but rather uses items that are associated with his series." Wally mused.
"I mean he DOES have experience with karate, thanks to Chop Chop Master Onion, the only teacher who appeared in all three games." Catherine added. "He could also ride his board, literally rocking the mic and having his living boombox pump up the jams!"
"Despite how out there the series is, at the end of the day, PaRappa is still an ordinary kid." Wally frowned. "How is he going to do well against all of these professional fighters?"
Wally and Catherine grinned.
"HE GOTTA BELIEVE!"
BEN TENNYSON
NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH-TIME EXPLOSION/BEN 10
"Say what you want about Xero, but at least even he knows 'Um, yeah, limiting Ben 10's forms to only his specials is stupid.'" Catherine noted.
"Ah know, right? Having at least ten forms is the ENTIRE point of Ben 100! Ah don't know why they limit him like that." Wally frowned. "Ah just hope if he somehow gets into Multiversus, they wouldn't cut corners."
"Even if they don't, I doubt we will see that many forms." Catherine mused. "It is too early to say, but from what I could gather, Multiversus only has TWO specials."
Wally's ears drooped. "Aww…"
"So what do you think?" Catherine asked. "Which alien forms do you think we will see?"
Wally just sighed. "Well, we know that he has Four Arms, the literal four-armed bruiser of Ben's alien forms and Heatblast, a literal man who came out of magma, butttt… Well, there is Diamondhead, another bruiser, but somewhat more defence-based if that makes sense. Though if he wanted ALL defence, Cannonbolt is the go-to. And XLR8 is the speedster!"
"And there is Blitzwolfer!" Catherine grinned.
Wally rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "And there is Blitzwolfer."
"Real talk. Do you think we will just see ONLY alien forms from the original series?" Catherine asked.
"Ah don't know… On one hand, just the original alien forms are enough in terms of quality AND quantity." Wally frowned. "On the OTHER hand, it WOULD be a bit of waste because there are at least two unique forms in each season."
"Well, even if Ben only sees the original forms, it should still be fun." Catherine said before smirking. "Especially since his first opponent is BEAST BOY."
Then, the Mystery Alarm went off. Wally and Catherine's lit up.
"YAY!" Catherine cheered. "Who's That Bunny Reveal Number TWO!"
"Boingo may be… Polarising, but Xero reassured that this next pick is more fan-friendly." Wally mused.
BUGS BUNNY
NODE: LOONEY TUNES
Catherine's pupils shrieked. "EEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"OH HELL YEAH!" Wally grinned. "BUGS MOTHERFUCKING ICON OF LOONEY TUNES BUNNY IS IN THE HOUSE!"
Wally and Catherine then held their hands and started to dance together happily while humming the Looney Tunes theme. The camera then went to a smirking Stinky and Allison.
"...Anddddd this is what happens when BOTH people are hyped with no Straight Man." Stinky smirked.
Allison giggled. "Come on, Stinky. Let's make this count!"
"Of course! It is our final node to cover!" The skunk chuckled. "Looney Tunes is a series of theatrical cartoon shorts released between the 30s and the 70s, alongside Merrie Melodies. The latter title is based on Disney's Silly Symphonies. Not that they were making fun of them like Shrek, but they had a lot of public-domain songs in their cartoons. In short, it was cheaper."
"But hy, it worked! The first set of Looney Tunes was introduced with 'Sinking in the Bathtub' starring Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid who is the Oswald the Rabbit of Looney Tunes. As for Merrie Melodies, it appeared with 'Lady, Play Your Mandolin' with THEIR version of Mickey Mouse, Foxy!" Allison explained. "No, really. Foxy is just Mickey with fox ears for ears and a tail!"
"While they were played in black and white, Looney Tunes finally got played in colour in 1942 in favour of a certain grey bunny…" Stinky smirked. "And not just that, the line-up of staff grew up to be big names like Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Frank Tashlin, Art Davis and Robert McKimson!"
"And don't forget the wild array of characters, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Taz, Pepe Le Pew." Allison started.
"...Actually, not Pepe Le Pew, he was cancelled, remember?" Stinky asked.
"Oh, right…" Allison said before pausing. "Wait… Didn't they already try to cancel Speedy Gonzales?"
"Yeah, but I think if they tried to do it again, they may succeed." Stinky started.
"Um, guys?" Wally asked from off-screen. "If Drake sees ya talking about this, he is going ta mad at US, not YA."
"Alright, alright… But yeah, it is hard to talk about the success seeing that they have made many cartoons, spin-offs, video games and movies." Stinky explained. "They even made a gacha game that is still going on to this day!"
"And don't forget! Bugs is going to be in Multiversus and there is a strong chance that Daffy and another Looney Tune may join him!" Allison added. "So yes, there is probably more, but not to fit inside of this. Back to you guys!"
We now return to Wally grinning and Catherine… On the phone.
"Thanks, mates! Ya really brought yer A-game!" Wally grinned.
"Okay, there isn't much to talk about Bugs' combat capabilities without saying… Cartoon logic." Catherine explained before smiling. "So I called Xero to hear HIS thoughts."
"Umm… I really wish I could elaborate on why I invited Bugs, but that's just it. He is BUGS BUNNY." Xero explained. "Like I could invite ANY Looney Tune, even Lola Bunny from the Looney Tune show like Drake and it would arguably be just the same, but… even though I want to embrace the obscure, you can't go wrong with the classics."
"I don't disagree." Catherine said. "Neither would Drake."
"Anddddd while ya didn't planned this, if ya decide ta invite Multiversus than this would be some great practice!" Wally offered.
"Agreed. Between him, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Tom & Jerry, Multiversus is looking more and more tempting to invite!" Xero noted. "But we will see! Later!"
"Later!" Catherine nodded.
"We have a real Game-Breaker here." Wally smirked.
"I know, right!? Catherine grinned.
MASAYA AOYAMA
NODE: TOKYO MEW MEW
Catherine grunted in disgust. "...And I thought the section Duke appeared in was the low point for Tokyo Mew Mew."
Wally raised an eyebrow. "He's THAT bad?"
"Well, he didn't do anything BAD per say…" Catherine admitted. "But that's the problem…"
"Ahh… He is your standard 'Shoujo Perfect Boyfriend'." Wally frowned.
"Exactly!" Catherine added, rolling her eyes. "He is your standard shoe-in Magical Girl love interest!"
"Ahh…" Wally said. "...So how does he fight?"
"Well, in the manga and anime, he assumes an alter ego called Blue Knight which makes him transform whenever he is in trouble." Catherine explained. "However, he can't do that here and mainly uses a sword with his kendo training."
"...Think he has a chance?" Wally asked.
"Nope. Being "basic and boring" shouldn't affect your fighting style, but in this case, Waluigi is 100% right!" Catherine scoffed, crossing her arms.
TURBO MAN
NODE: MEGAMAN
Wally's eyes lit up at this. "It's Turbo Man!"
"Hoo boy… Another male power fantasy Robot Masters." Catherine said, rolling her eyes.
Wally's smile vanished. "Aw, come on! What's wrong with liking a robot that looks like a race car driver and turning into a miniature version of one too?"
"I guess nothing by itself…" Catherine muttered. "Standing in a game where they are literally TWO female robots doesn't bode well."
"Oi…" Wally muttered.
"Real talk though. How does he fight?" Catherine asked.
"Well, like Ah said, he could turn himself into a car, not unlike Transformers and tries to ram into his opponent!" Wally explained.
"...I mean if you are going to make a car-based Robot Master, might as well go all of the way." Catherine said.
"Also, if an electric attack hits him, not only would he be invincible for a short amount of time, but he is able to use his car form more often." Wally explained.
"Oof, that's… Actually sounds scary." Catherine winced. She then realised something. "Wait, how about you didn't talk about his weapon yet?"
"Ah am getting ta it!" Wally reassured. "It is the Scorch Wheel! It is a move where three fireballs revolve around Turbo Man ta act as a projectile, traps or a barrier."
"So he is good against electricity AND fire." Catherine noted. "Two common elements!"
"Yep!" Wally smirked. "And considering his weakness are sound-based attacks, it is going ta be hard ta pull the red light on him!"
BIG BAND
NODE: SKULLGIRLS
BIG GUY ALERT!
Wally smirked. "Hey, Catherine… Do ya like jazz?"
Catherine groaned before throwing up her hands. "Oh, come on!"
"Sorry, sorry, Ah just had ta get that meme out of the way." Wally chuckled.
"I feel SO bad for the jazz fanatics who can't enjoy their favourite music without seeing that meme." Catherine said, shaking her head.
"So anyway, Big Band is a defensive powerhouse and one-man band that could armour through most attacks and have long reach on his moves!" Wally explained.
"He's not exaggerating about the one-man band! Think of any instrument you could think of in a jazz band and he has it!" Catherine added. "Trumpets, trombones, clarinets!"
"And don't forget a giant bell!" Wally grinned.
"I must admit, I wanted Skullgirls to be a woman-only fighter, but I admit that the designs of the Skullgirls cast are too interesting to waste." Catherine admitted.
"But of course, he is a jazz enthusiast's wet dream!" Wally grinned. "Ah bet we will see a lot of jazz references in this section!"
SHEILA THE KANGAROO
NODE: SPYRO THE DRAGON
Wally and Catherine's eyes lit up at this before holding hands. "SHEILA!"
"Kangaroo power REPRESENT!" Wally grinned.
"I am SO happy to see her finally enter!" Catherine beamed. "I am SO angry that she lost her chance in the second Battle of the Luminaries!"
Wally nodded before his grin vanished. "Um, Catherine?"
"Hm?" The pink-clad woman asked.
"...Ya consider yourself a feminist, right?" Wally asked.
Catherine blinked twice. She then rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, no, I never found a problem with Sheila's redesign in the Ignited Trilogy." She muttered.
"Oh, thank goodness…" Wally said, putting his hand on his chest in relief.
"I don't get it! It is not like they sexualised her!" Catherine pointed out. "They just gave her hair and a feminine voice!"
"Aye, there wasn't anything bad with the original design. But that's just it. She was just a kangaroo." Wally admitted. "At least her new design made her stand out more."
"Seriously… No wonder Drake doesn't like talking about politics when off-duty. Now let's get into her fighting style before we give Drake more reason to bitch at us when he comes back." Catherine said, rolling her eyes.
"Aight…" Wally sighed. "But yeah, what ya see with Sheila the Kangaroo is what ya get. She acts with kicks."
"She could also do a double jump and if she lands at the right time, she could do a Spring Jump." Catherine explained.
"Sheila may have a basic moveset. But it has gotten her this hard and if anyone met a kangaroo, they know that we are NOT ta be trifled with!" Wally smirked.
MICKEY MOUSE
NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY SHORTS
Wally and Catherine's eyes bugged out at this.
"It's the king!" Wally grinned before taking a deep breath. "Who's the leader of the club that's made fer ya and me!?"
Catherine just continued to stare up at the screen stunned.
Wally's grin vanished. "Um, Catherine… Are ya okay? Cat?"
"...Along with Donald, Beast Boy, Yoshi, Beast, Kat & Dusty and Miss Piggy, we are also having Isabelle, PaRappa, Bugs and now, Mickey?" The young woman asked.
She then collapsed backwards in her chair, knocking it over.
"Cat!" Wally gasped before turning to the camera with a sheepish grin. "Umm… Ya know what? Ah think we will let Stinky and Allison end us off!"
With that, the camera went to a stunned Stinky and Allison.
"...Well, THAT happened." Stinky piped up.
"To be fair, I do not blame her for doing that." Allison admitted. "We DO have an All-Star cast here."
"Agreed. Speaking of All-Star, as the mascot of Disney, Mickey has picked up a lot of tricks over the years!" Stinky grinned. "And that's not getting into the fact that he is basically the Yoda of the Kingdom Hearts series! Hell, he DID fight Yoda in Death Battle and WON!"
"That's right! He could use his paintbrush from Epic Mickey, star projectiles from Mickey Mousecapade, grab objects and spin them at his opponent like in the Magical Quest series!" Allison beamed. "Ooh, and that is in his 'base outfit'! He could put on various costumes and use their special abilities!"
"And last, but certainly not least! He could use his Fantasia magic! You know the one I am talking about!" Stinky smirked.
"Mickey has been around for a long time so naturally, he knows how to throw a punch! Or star1 Or spinning block! And even his Keyblade via Strike Raid!" Allison beamed.
"And that's everyone!" Stinky grinned. It then vanished. "Oh, and as it turned out… The third time is NOT the charm with Junko."
"Agreed. She finally got wise and unleashed her minions in the elimination portal." Allison said. "So now whatever penalty the wheel lands on, it will affect EVERYONE."
"Heh. Simple yet effective." Stinky mused, rubbing his chin. "I wonder why she didn't just do that from the start."
"...You know, Junko, she HAS to make things go over-the-top." Allison groaned, rolling her eyes.
"True… Anyway, Father and Big Band are Big Guys so seventeen people will be eliminated in this section." Stinky added. He then paused. "Wait, only seventeen?"
"We ARE approaching the final hurdle soon." Allison admitted. "Anyway, the Side Battles are Bowser from Super Smash Bros versus Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown."
"And an UVR-first, we will be having a three-way!" Stinky grinned. "Nack from Sonic the Hedgehog versus Taz from Looney Tunes versus the Rhynocs from Spyro the Dragon!"
"This should be one of the biggest rounds yet so please bring your votes in!" Allison smiled.
"As for us, we have an animal-lover having a hype overload." Stinky muttered, rolling his eyes.
LINK TO SECTION: archiveofourown / works / 25531129 / chapters / 92729167
