Dead. Silence.
That was the deafening noise that dominated the scene in the auditorium. Silence. It pressed on everyone's ears and made the place feel as if it were underwater.
It was the most uncomfortable mix of excitement and fear. The thrill of meeting newcomers, and the dread on not knowing who might be leaving their ranks. It was all coming together in such an awkward fashion that silence appeared to be the only reasonable response.
The Big Eight had taken their seats at the front of the hall, facing the stage where Mr. Hand would first announce who would be leaving, followed by the newcomers. This was how it was done in past years, in an attempt to end the ceremony on good spirits. After all, there were dozens of cameras perched silently in the corners and the walls of the room. No press members were allowed inside, but it was being broadcasted live.
Mario was looking dead ahead at the podium, not even blinking until, finally, Mr. Hand arrived.
There was no reaction to his echoing steps as he marched towards the podium. It sounded like he was walking down the hallway of an underground prison.
Mr. Hand cleared his throat and quickly glanced at his notes before looking at them.
"Over the years, as champions, you endure some of the hardest battles, take the hardest hits, and fight for the most difficult wins, but none of these physical trials measure up to saying goodbye to a friend. Throughout my time here, this has always been the most difficult thing to do, letting go of champions."
He paused and looked across those seated in front of him. Fox was gripping his seat tightly, and Link had a slight rocking motion in his chair.
"This part usually consists of me announcing each name of those who will be leaving us, as well as a short story after their name of their time with us and the impact they left on our family of champions."
Fox almost couldn't take the tension anymore. They were seconds away from hearing who would be cut. He was certain he could feel the vibrations of those shaking behind him.
"Usually," Hand said again. "Yes that is what we usually do. But this is no usual time."
Fox felt the vibrations stop. Hand was giving them a piercing yet unreadable stare.
"After all, there have been some…adjustments in the business and our goals. So, in response to those who will be leaving our family today…"
Fox held his breath.
"That answer… is no one."
If there was a cannon blast for silence, this was it. The words didn't even echo. A mouse scuttling in a far corner would have been like nails on a chalk board. Fox's mouth was completely open. DK's arms slumped off his chair. Samus's hand, which had been twirling her hair nervously, fell to her lap in shock.
A full three seconds of deafening, unyielding, unbelievable silence.
Then Link turned to face Fox.
"HA!" he roared triumphantly, causing Fox to jump out of his seat with a yelp.
Pandemonium.
Absolute chaos erupted in the auditorium. Everyone exploded into cheers simultaneously as they climbed over each other to hug and clap hands.
"The boys are sticking together!" shouted Captain Falcon, fist bumping Sonic and Falco.
Lucina had a total nervous breakdown of emotions as Zelda and Palutena danced around her in glee.
"Alright!" said Ganondorf with a fist pump, and then patting Wario and Bowser on the back.
The pair of Corrins and Robins were all gathered in a giant sobbing group hug.
The celebrations lasted for another five minutes before Mr. Hand finally tried regaining control.
"Alright everyone," he said with a huge smile, "I still need your attention for the rest of the ceremony now! After all we shouldn't keep our new, or for some returning, guests waiting!"
Everyone jumped back in their chairs and politely looked at Mr. Hand. It was quiet again but there was an undeniable buzz of excitement in the air following the incredible news.
No one leaving. Fox couldn't believe it. Absolutely no one left behind this time. No painful separations. Nothing. Turns out the massive mansion expansion was for a good reason, because their numbers were about to get even bigger. Even Lucina, the Robins and Corrins, all of them-
His bet with Link hit him like a train, and he groaned when he turned and saw the smug smile on Link's face.
"Alright we actually have a lot of people to introduce so let's get rolling so we don't shoot too far past our broadcast window!" said Hand.
"How many people are we adding?" Fox asked incredulously.
"From the top in alphabetical order!" said Hand.
"CHROM!"
Lucina, already overcome by emotion, nearly passed out when she jumped out of her chair at seeing her father appear from behind the curtain and take the stage. Her legs buckled and some quick hands by Zelda let her gently back into her chair. Everyone applauded raucously.
"Another one?" Fox said desperately as a man with a cape and a sword, the same style as Lucina and Marth, waved at the crowd. Link roared laughing through the applause. Chrom walked to the far left of the stage and took his place.
"I already have enough issues getting stabbed with the amount of swords this place has as it is, grumbled Fox. Link continued to snigger.
"DAISY!"
It was Luigi's turn to fall out of his chair. Peach, the blonde, tall princess of the Mushroom Kingdom wearing her typical pink dress, jumped up and down as Daisy, wearing an identical dress in orange, waved and stood next to Chrom.
"DARK SAMUS!"
Samus refused to clap and instead eyed the shadowy figure resembling Samus in her armored suit gliding across the stage. Everyone clapped politely but were confused as to what Dark Samus even was yet were too afraid to ask Samus.
"POPO AND NANA!"
This generated a great deal of noise. Popo and Nana, known together as the Ice Climbers, bounced across the stage to cheers. They had been cut out of the last competition due to what was rumored to be some internal controversy.
"INCINEROAR!"
A fireball smashed into center stage and the great fire Pokémon Incineroar rose from the flames in a striking pose. Everyone cheered at the spectacle and he soaked in every bit of applause on his way to stand next to the Ice Climbers.
"Okay another Pokémon I can handle just fine," remarked Fox.
"INKLING BOY AND GIRL!"
Two streaks of ink, blue and orange, streaked across the floor. There was some bubbling in the paint and suddenly two figures jumped out of the ink and landed on the stage.
"Okay," said Fox, applauding with everyone else. "That's weird."
"Are they like…made of ink or something?" asked Link. "And what's with the ink guns?"
The two newcomers stood next to the towering Incineroar, who waved at them with a big grin.
"ISABELLE!"
The following cheer was just as loud as when Mr. Hand announced no one would be leaving. Their beloved secretary, caretaker, and organizer, Isabelle, would be joining them on the field. She dashed across the stage with her little feet and bounced with each wave.
Link looked mortified. Fox roared with laughter and said, "Now she can legally smash you to bits when you're caught sneaking food from the kitchens! Better not break any more dishes, Hero of Time, or the puppy will getcha!"
"KEN!"
"HELL YEAH!" roared Ryu, a huge muscular fighter, from the back of the crowd as one of his rivals from back home took the stage.
"KING K. ROOL!"
DK clapped grudgingly while Ganondorf and Wario roared enthusiastically as what best looked like a walking, fat, short crocodile took the stage. K. Rool bowed with a smile at DK and the now irate Diddy Kong as he stood next to Ken, who was eyeing him with confusion.
"PICHU!"
A noise bomb went off. Everyone, villains and heroes alike, went ballistic as the tiny electric rat bounded onto the stage. Captain Falcon and crew were banging the chairs in front of them as they chanted "PI-CHU! PI-CHU! PI-CHU!" Ganondorf and Bowser were shouting and roaring triumphantly. Samus abandoned all regulation and ran to pick up Pichu, taking the tiny yellow ball back to her seat. Pichu had been part of one of the earliest competitions, back when there were only a handful of champions. The adorable rat had been dropped to everyone's dismay due to lack of support from the business side of things. The sudden return of Pichu after well over a decade had people beside themselves.
"POKÉMON TRAINERS! RED AND LEAF."
The noise continued to mount as more old time champions returned. Red and Leaf took the stage along with their Pokémon Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. A parade of Pokémon passed in front of the cheering crowd. Red and Leaf waved at Incineroar, who pounded his chest and waved back.
"RICHTER!"
After such an exciting return of a crowd favorite, there was a noticeable change in atmosphere as someone completely new took the stage. A handsome, strong man with black hair and an assortment of metal weapons including a gigantic chain whip and an iron cross.
"That looks painful," said Fox, eyeing the whip.
"RIDLEY!"
Ganondorf and Bowser went nuts.
"No way," said Fox, floored.
"Holy crap," said Link, running his hand through his hair, his eyes wide open. Even Mario couldn't help but drop his jaw for a half second before coming to his senses and applauding politely.
A couple more curses were uttered as a monstrous creature took the stage. It looked like a small purple dragon, hunched over and staring at them with cold dead eyes. It seemed almost timid as it stood next to Richter, who's mouth was slightly open staring at the beast.
"Hand has gone mad," said Fox, nervously laughing and looking for Samus's reaction. "I thought that Dark Samus weirdo was what she got called into Hand's office for. Not this freak!"
Samus was very focused on Pichu, and didn't even bother looking up.
"SIMON!"
A large man with long blond hair and weapons identical to Richter's arrived. The two obviously knew each other and seemed to be from the same place, but aside from that no one knew anything about these people. They waved at each other across the massive beast.
"SNAKE!"
"How many people did he manage to bring back?" roared Fox over the cheering, standing with everyone to greet another old friend. Yet another former champion had returned in the form of a tall, lanky man with a sharp haircut, chiseled face, and beard. It had been a decade since Snake had been a champion.
"I think that's everyone we've ever had!" Link shouted back. "Everyone except-"
"WOLF!"
Fox swore and fell to his seat. Somewhere over the noise the villains were making he heard Falco do the same. Of course, Hand was bringing everyone back, when meant he had to bring back this tool of a space pirate.
Wolf walked smoothly to his spot next to Snake.
"YOUR NEW AND RETURNING CHAMPIONS, EVERYONE!" shouted Hand.
It was quite a mess trying to get everyone sorted after all the introductions. New seats had been brought in and the new champions had taken their places among the crowd. There was so much excitement going on that it took Mario having to call through the mic for everyone's silence.
"Now-a," he started. "We have-a Loy to get to today. I will-a start with some basic assignments."
"First, all-a the newcomers and returners will need to-a turn in their luggage to Pikachu. Then, Yoshi will-a go over some basic a-rules after you turn that in. Then-a Fox will take you to a-show you your rooms. Afterwards those who have a-tools will turn them into Link and a-Samus in the equipment room."
"Pikachu is-a going to be just outside the right door. He will-a show you where exactly to put everything so it can be a-taken to your room."
Pikachu bounded for the door on the right and slipped through.
"Just beyond-a that, Yoshi will be there to hand you some a-books that go over all the rules of the a-house and the competition. He can also answer any questions you might a-have."
Yoshi got up and followed Pikachu.
"Yoshi will then point-a you to where Fox is. Fox will-a show you where you will be a-living."
"That's my cue," Fox said, getting up and patting Link on the back before leaving.
Fox heard Mario say, "And-a after the tour, anyone with items will-a check them in with Link and a-Samus."
Not a single person cut, thought Fox as he left the room and headed for the bottom of the new dorms. Not only that, they brought back everyone who had ever lived here, and they brought new faces on top of that.
Fox smiled. "Who's strings on the board did you have to pull to get this to happen," he muttered to himself.
Hand was their boss, but Hand also had to answer to a board of people who were investors of the competitions. They generally oversaw the health of the business, making sure it wasn't suddenly going to tank. However they also had a vested interest in who would be among the current roster of champions. After all, more champions cost more to maintain and keep healthy, and crowds sometimes turned out more for one champion than another. Fox assumed Hand really played his cards well to pull this off.
Note: Unfortunately a bit of shameless exposition dump below because it goes through all the characters very quickly
"Alright!" roared Fox. They had arrived at the entrance to the dorms. The huge gaggle of newcomers was amassed in front of him. Even some current champions were tagging along to see the new building and where they'd be living. Some of the veterans had already passed by earlier to get an early look at their room.
Most of the members looked up excitedly at him. Even Incineroar and Ridley looked anxious enough, although Ridley's paranoia was probably from how out of place he still felt. Ryu had tagged along with Ken and both had their huge arms folded looking expectantly at Fox.
"I'm about to take you to see your rooms! They're all 4 people per unit except for one that's 3. 4 units per floor except the top, which has 2. Obviously there are some exceptions for people like Popo and Nana. Each unit has a common area. Kitchens and utilities will be in a separate location. Make sure you listen to what I'm saying and where you're at! The last thing you want is to open the wrong door and see Cap half naked and posing in front of the mirror before he punches you into the room across the hall!"
The newcomers laughed at this idea, although some of the smaller ones seemed to wonder if Fox was joking or not about getting punched like that.
"Also, your rooms inside each room have already been preassigned! There's a nameplate on each door once you get inside. First floor it is then!" Fox marched the group up the first flight of stairs.
The hallways were very wide, with various tabletop games in the middle and four doors, two on each side a good distance apart.
"Unit A!" Fox started, pointing to the second door on the left. "Pikachu, Yoshi, Kirby, Jigglypuff! If you want some damn good food, talk to these guys. Don't steal any though or Kirby will eat you to make up for it."
"Unit B!" He pointed to the second door on the right. "Little Mac, Ken, Ike, and Ryu! Probably the most muscular unit and I wouldn't be surprised to see half a gym stuffed in their common area by the end of the week."
"Unit C!" The first door on the left. "Duck Hunt, Game and Watch, Pac-Man, and Pichu! Honestly, I have no idea what to expect from this group so explore at your own risk."
"And the first door on the right, Unit D! Greninja, Lucario, Rob, and Popo and Nana! Those guys will probably be testing some weird stuff to try and use in fights so think of them as a kind of lab."
"Alright keep moving! Turn around and go up the stairs behind you to the second floor!"
The group waddled up to the next floor.
"Unit A!" Fox started right away. "Luigi, Lucas, Mega Man, Chrom! Pretty friendly group of guys once you get to know them, but they all got experience as champions here, especially Luigi and Lucas."
"Unit B; Pit, Ness, Diddy Kong, and the Inkling Guy!" Fox pointed aimlessly into the crowd.
The boy with the blue, squid like hair jumped up and waved.
"The three returners in there are also quite experienced. Diddy likes to lay bananas everywhere to watch people fall on them so if you live on the floor, just be aware of that. Also, Pit is a terrible reader. We've tried to teach him some but he just never seems interested so don't hand him a book to read."
"In Unit C, we have Simon, Richter, Marth, and Snake!" The two relatives near the back of the crowd clapped hands. "Pretty sure those guys have enough personal belongings to blow the whole building up, so hopefully they put them away when we take them to the item storage. Just don't be surprised if Snake has an explosive lying around. Also do not touch Marth's stuff unless you're in the mood for provoking him…which I am in half the time!"
"And for Unit D, Shulk, Redhead Marth-,"
"HEY!"
"-Cloud, and that buff fitness dude-,"
"It's Steve…"
"-anyways fun group! Moving on! Next floor!"
More shuffling. They ascended higher into the building. They could now see the people walking across the lawn on the other side of the road from the mansion at this height.
"Unit A, Falco, Captain Falcon, Incineroar-,"
A huge roar was let out.
"- and Sonic! Yeah, this is pretty much party central. You're not going to get a frattier group of guys than this. I think Cap and Falco held parties for two weeks straight one time. They'll let you know when they plan on tearing it up. Also if you live near their unit, expect a lot of noise."
"Unit B, Mario, Link, DK, and yours truly," Fox said with an excessive bow. Some of the newcomers gave a low whistle. "Obviously, four of the Big Eight. If you need anything, we can probably help you out. Mario is pretty much the leader underneath Hand, so he'll have important stuff posted next to our unit and downstairs. We've been around since the beginning so we can tell you how things work around here."
"Unit C, Bowser, King K Rool, Wario, and Bowser Jr."
The large, fat crocodile gave a fist pump.
"Bowser is pretty chill nowadays, probably got too old and grumpy. Wario and Bowser Jr are the pranksters. You'll want to watch out for them."
"Unit D…whew, still got a floor and a half of this….Unit D! Ridley, Ganondorf, Wolf, King Dedede. The three vets here are pretty much the group of guys who had a bad rep coming in then turned into the chill tough guys." Ridley's head picked up. "Don't pick a fight with them though cause they still know how to kill you. Also, don't piss off Ganondorf unless you want that gigantic sword I saw him bring to the place in your face. Alright move it! Next floor!"
"Unit A! Zelda, Rosalina, Palutena, and Lucina!" Lucina had tagged along as well and beamed at her name being mentioned. Fox felt a bit of guilt in him. Meanwhile some of the guys had exchanged looks.
"Yeah, and if you guys get any ideas, Zelda is a very seasoned veteran who will burn you alive if you try to break in. Seriously, people have tried, none have succeeded. I'm sure someone will try again, and we will get to laugh at their burn scars when they appear at breakfast the next morning."
Fox wasn't quite sure he had convinced everyone, but that wasn't his problem. Zelda could take on five of these newcomers right now and not get a scratch.
"Unit B, Corinth, Cora, Robbie, and Robin." Fox paused for a moment. "…I would not want to help with organizing belongings in that room. Cora and Corinth have really cool swords if you're interested, and Robbie and Robin have some spell books but hardly anyone can read them. Also they're all really good at chess if anyone wants to challenge them."
"Unit C! Daisy, Samus, Bayonetta, and the buff fitness girl!"
"October…"
"Yeah her! Same advice as Unit A, except Samus will actually take pleasure in dangling you from her window while you plead for forgiveness. She kinda turns into a sadist when you piss her off."
"Unit D, The Inkling Girl," Fox pointed aimlessly again, and a girl with pink, squidlike hair jumped up and waved. "Isabelle, Peach, and Leaf!" Leaf also jumped up and gave Red a high-five."Peach and Isabelle are basically the moms of this place, so they're really good to talk to if you're having any personal issues. Really helps if you're in a slump and need to get back into the fighting spirit quickly."
"Alright, last floor, cram on up there before I lose my voice!"
The last floor was half the size of the others, this time with only two doors and a lot of windows on top.
"Unit A, Dark Samus, Mewtwo, Meta Knight, Dark Pit…honestly I'm surprised this group wasn't put in the basement."
"Hey, you're just jealous you don't have the top floor," called a voice. This person looked like Pit's twin but with black wings instead.
"When did you get here?" asked Fox. "Wouldn't expect you to care about newcomers."
"I don't, but your posse is in my way."
"Alright, whatever" said Fox, rolling his eyes. "Let Sir Edgelord through, guys."
The crowd parted and let Dark Pit through to his door.
"I'm sure he's got a very important meeting with the dark corner of his room or something," taunted Fox. Dark Pit ignored him and shut the door behind him.
"Yeesh, always so unhappy. I don't know how you'll put up with them Dark Samaaaaaaand you're already in that room as well."
Dark Samus had floated silently to the door and disappeared inside as well.
Fox paused for a moment.
"Anyways…the last unit on the top floor, Unit B! There's only three of you and hopefully you'll be a happier lot. Ollimar, Villager, and Red."
Fox sighed. "Alright finally. Now, you can't go to your rooms just yet. Get back here Incineroar. You'll just get in the way of the people moving your stuff into your room. I want all of you to go down to the item storage with Link and Samus, even if you don't have anything to turn in, and listen to them. Then you're free to go to your room. Dinner will be served by Kirby at seven, so be back in the dining hall around then. Don't need to be there before seven, just know that's when food will be appearing."
"There's no way I could tell you all the rules and what you need to know about this place. We'd be here until winter if I tried. You'll learn plenty just hanging around everyone."
Note: Bit of a harsh stop to this chapter. Will probably patch it up some since the next chapter doesn't do much to connect.