They managed to hit the last set of poses in their entrance routine when the buzzer went off, heralding a voice and phrase they were quite familiar with by now:
"TIME'S UP, ICE CLIMBERS; CLEAR THE RING AND LET THE NEXT ONES GET THEIR TURN."
"Awesome! Thanks, Pat!" Popo called back to the Mii. He felt a giddy energy humming through his body as he and Nana exited the ring. The random applause, scattered across the forty some-odd Smashers sitting in the stands, tempered that giddiness with a surge of much-needed confidence. Their overall morale for these practices had been flagging for the past week or so; a byproduct of their struggle to iron out the last wrinkles of their routine over the past month and a half.
Finally, they had a breakthrough. Not only were they able to get the steps down on their very first try today, but every subsequent attempt as well! And since their actual routine lasted roughly a minute to a minute thirty, they had a comfortable fifteen or so tries to make sure they were set.
As he turned to give the all-clear to whoever was up next, he peered around to see who was clapping. Bowser Jr. and his cadre of Koopaling cohorts were definitely making the most noise, with a few of them waving hammers around while they whooped and hollered. There were a few others cheering, but many people were sitting further back from the front row, and the lighting wasn't as good beyond the first few rows. Popo squinted for a few moments, but he couldn't tell who or even where it was coming from.
Still, he couldn't resist a small bow before following Nana out of the side entrance, where they bid farewell to Pat with a genial wave of their hands.
Popo's muscles were tightening as he walked; no doubt physical manifestations of that giddy energy from earlier. He kept his eyes forward as they walked through the back halls of the Primary Arena, sidestepping carts of equipment that were still being set up, hopping over tangles of wires, and trying their best to stay out of the way of the Miis that were trying to control the chaos. Every so often, he would glance at Nana to see her practically vibrating with anticipation, all the way up to when they rounded the final corner leading to the locker rooms.
They must have had the urge to drop the casual act simultaneously, because they were all but instantly holding each other's hands as they bounced up and down together outside of the locker rooms.
"We did it! We did it! We-did-it-we-did-it-wedidit!" Nana squealed in an ever-quickening staccato.
"Yeah, finally!" Popo all but screamed out. He tried to say something else, but the rest of his words were drowned by a laughing fit.
After a few moments, they began to come down from their manic high. Popo, his hands still holding Nana's, spread his arms wide. The movement forced them to lean in towards one another, which presented the perfect opportunity to press his nose gently to hers. He closed his eyes while holding contact for a few seconds. In a sudden decision, he'd tilted his head to lightly brush his lips against hers before once again bringing their hands together and leaning back. As they reset positions, he opened his eyes to reap the reward of her blush and glowing smile.
"Why Popo, you rogue!" Her smile broadened, and her eyes had an approving glint in them. "Finally overcoming the whole public thing?" She disengaged their hand-holding stance, to lean back against the wall next to the door to the women's locker room.
"Way to kill the mood," Popo deadpanned. Mirroring her pose, he folded his arms over his chest with a sheepish smile. "You know, even though we've been away from home for nearly two months, it's still not easy. Honestly, I'm surprised I don't have a complex about it."
"I keep saying you need to let loose, Popo," Nana said in an encouraging tone. "We don't have anyone from home watching us and—oh, don't give me that look; I've seen how you're always glancing over your shoulder even when we're just holding hands!" Barking out a short laugh, she pushed off from the wall and crossed over to stand in front of him. "I'm not asking for us to suck face in front of the cameras, but…" She trailed off, appearing almost nervous. He fought the urge to look around again; no need to prove her earlier point.
He was about to say something when she suddenly thrust out her hand, smacking her palm into the wall next to his head. The sudden movement caused him to flinch and press his back flat to the wall's stone surface. While they were similar in height, he now felt… significantly smaller. She then leaned real close to him, her other hand pressing into the wall next to his waist. "But a little something here and there won't hurt."
"I think I can do that," He regained the smile he didn't even realize he'd dropped, and he gently hugged her. "Maybe we could become one of those...what's the word…Power-couples, yeah?" He started to lean towards her again.
"One step at a time, Popo. But I appreciate you trying; because if you resisted much more, I'd have you sleeping on the couch." She pushed away from him, but not before she tapped her nose with a fingertip. She then touched that same finger to his nose with a wink. "My nose can only stand so much of you right now. Please take a shower before you meet me back out here?" Before he could respond, she'd already skipped away into the women's locker room.
Popo stared for a moment, before he tentatively sniffed his underarm. Well, when she's right, she's right.
A few minutes later found him under the refreshing, steaming water. Master Hand's overhaul of the shower facilities never ceased to amaze Popo. The last locker room was no slouch, sure, but these showers were a lot more generous with the water's time limit after the button was pressed—around a full minute or so of flow, and it came out at the perfect temperature from the very first drop. There were also partitions installed between the numerous showers, which numbered thirty in all.
Popo thought about random subjects while he washed on autopilot. He was fully aware that they would still need another day or two to practice, just to make sure they really did have their routine polished. But right now, he didn't care about any of that. He wanted to get together with the gang or maybe order a special meal to celebrate their accomplishment. Above all that, he just wanted to relax. Maybe vegetate in front of the television and watch a movie or four.
After the shower, his wait for Nana in the hall wasn't too long. She emerged about five minutes after he did, securing her hair into a ponytail via a leather cord during the walk to the exit.
As they got used to the heat of these past couple months, Popo found himself feeling…conflicted. While he definitely felt more…complete in his winter gear, he also liked seeing Nana in her new array of summer outfits. Back in the Icicle Mountain region, there wasn't a demand for much in the way of fashion; you wore what you needed, and what you needed was to be was covered and warm. Though in the warmest months of the mild season, there would be a fleeting time when more colorful displays on clothes would come out. But even the most daring hemlines of those dresses back home did not even come close to a 'modest' sundress Nana was eyeing the other day in the department store. He had many thoughts about that dress, which ranged from 'I hope I get to see her wearing that' to 'I hope the gang doesn't see her wearing that.'
Popo didn't like that ugly, possessive part of his mind. He'll have to talk to Nana about it sometime, even if all she did was tell him he was being stupid. And he was being stupid about this; these are good friends of his, not rivals in courtship.
It was late morning by the time they exited the building, and Popo was grateful for the cloud cover providing a respite of sorts from the scorching rays of the sun. Thankfully the shuttle service, which boasted on-demand service, was now available to transport Smashers to and from locations. They were content to walk on most days after practice, but today he was feeling accomplished. He gave Nana a nudge, and tilted his head towards one of the idling shuttle buses. She seemed to think on this for all of a half-second before nodding, and they began crossing the massive courtyard towards the squadron of transports.
They had taken no more than three steps before a boisterous, accented, and slightly raspy voice thundered from somewhere behind them. "HEY, CLIMBERS!"
Popo stopped short, teeth flashing in a broad grin. There was no mistaking that voice.
As one, they turned towards the source of the voice and charged.
"DEDEDE," They roared simultaneously, launching themselves into the open arms of the enormous robed penguin.
King Dedede cackled as he easily caught Nana and Popo, spinning around and locking his long arms around them in a pair of headlocks. After a beat, he set them on their feet and stepped back with an equally toothy grin.
"Ah, heh heh heh! Hey, I never thought I'd see you two lil' munchkins ever again!" He narrowed his eyes as he gave them a once-over. "Well I guess y'all is just regular munchkins, these days. When'd y'all get so big?"
Popo smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. He could see Nana mirroring his stance. "Oh, hard work and exercise I guess. I could ask you the same thing!" He stepped forward and poked the obi stretched over Dedede's midsection.
"Aw, Popo, that's just mean. Why, I even shrank the portions in all ten courses of all six of my daily meals—I'm as svelte as ever!" He slapped at his belly with a rumbling chuckle. "Anyway, I'm glad y'all made it back. I've been gettin' these here flyers posted all over the place today!"
The corpulent king clapped his hands and two Waddle Dees, one carrying a stack of papers and the other holding a staple gun, stepped into view from behind him. The Dee with the papers stepped forward with an air of presentation, and Nana took one off of the top of the stack to read it aloud. Popo stepped back to look over it as she read, and he couldn't help a fond smile at the graphic of two mallets crossing over each other at the top of the page.
"'Batter 'em with a hammer? Then you matter! Join the Mallet Club today! Send inquiries to #39's computer for details.' This isn't bad, Dedede," She said with a nod of approval, and placed the flyer back on top of the stack. "Ness mentioned something about the Club being dissolved last season…any truth to that?" Popo nodded at her question, hand rubbing at his chin.
"That lil' runt thinks he knows ever-thin' 'round here." Dedede muttered, before continuing in a (relatively) clearer voice. "We was down, but not out; it was just as few of us as ever last time. Meanwhile, that there Band of Blades gets a ever-growin' pool of possible recruits with each new tourney."
"I heard a few things about that group," Popo mused. "Open collusion in matches; they constantly cover each other even in the Free-For-All battles…"
Dedede clenched his fists, before pumping one into the air in a triumphant pose. "That's right. But I got me a good feelin' about this time! And with you two back in the fold, I think we'll be able to hold our own!"
"Welp, it's official. Last month of the off-season and everyone's confined to the Housing District," Popo groused as he walked into their kitchen.
Nana paused with a quirked eyebrow, a spoonful of delicious sugary cereal halfway to her mouth. "For the whole month, right?"
"Yeah, they're giving the vendors from off-world the nod to start setting their stuff up so they can be ready for the tourists. And then when the first waves of tourists show up, he'll set up the Opening Ceremonies at the beginning of next month." He sat down opposite her with a grunt and folded his arms over the table. "I know we were told this was coming, but I'm worried the training we did wasn't enough, you know?"
Nana took a moment to finish delivering the spoonful of cereal to her mouth before nodding. She didn't want to lose one bit of the chocolate morsels after all, so she made sure to properly chew and swallow before speaking again.
"I think we're gonna be fine. I just hope they keep a bunch of those Security Miis close by; when everyone's jammed together with nowhere to go, I bet we'll have more fights breaking out. I wouldn't be surprised if we had people start up with us because they still held a grudge."
"Yeah, maybe it's best to avoid Fox or Falco at least, just in case they can't let go of some of our matches in the past." Popo propped his chin up with a palm, frowning slightly. "If they try to start something, I'll probably just tell them to get lessons from Peach or…Meta Knight. Now that guy really had our number."
"Yeah, but that was a fun feud. It's not like he had us every time, but he did win more than he lost." Nana nodded and ate another spoonful. "No, I think if Fox and Falco were going after anyone, it's gonna be Wolf. With whatever between them two years ago, and that one fight we saw, they must have some real bad blood between them…probably not as bad as what's between Ganondorf and Link, though." At Popo's quizzical look, she quickly added. "Uh, Young Link I mean. Oh, Sila—it's gonna be hard to just say 'Link' when they're not around, isn't it?"
"We do alright when we're all hanging out, at least, but we have the benefit of actually looking at the one we're addressing." Popo hummed in thought for a moment. "I think they're still touchy about it, deep down. Speaking of the Links, what do you think of the current Big Link?"
She blew out a puff of air, which trailed off into a quiet raspberry. "He's…actually not too hard to talk to, for once. Likes to eat, so you two should get along swimmingly, and he actually does a lot of climbing in his spare time. Knows how to swing a hammer too, but I don't think he'd give up his sword to join us." Nana took on a thoughtful look, squinting her eyes to look at an imaginary point on the ceiling. "Could you imagine the shakeup having someone like him on the team would cause?"
"One can dream! It would definitely bring us a lot of clout." Popo nodded with a soft chuckle, before he got up to make breakfast for himself. As he began mixing together some boring oatmeal, he started talking again.
"Before I forget, Dedede finally got back to my message; the Club meeting's at noon today. We probably don't need to suit up, but we definitely need to bring our mallets. Think we should color-code, too; traditional blue-pink for a first impression?"
Nana hummed in agreement, content to sit back and eat in silence while she watched Popo make his food. Mallet Club business was always a great time for her, even if their meetings usually just turned into bragging about their wins or something cool they did on a given day (Game and Watch had to draw pictures to get his stories across). The rumor mill had always produced a number of theories about like-minded fighters banding together—in spite of the rule forbidding such pacts before—in order to rig a match. The idea of possibly being able to stand up to what the sword-wielders were allegedly doing, though…well, it sent a tingle of excitement through her, to say the least!
Nana finished her breakfast and excused herself to freshen up for the day and change. Once she had finished, she sat down in the living room to wait for Popo. She started to flip through random channels on the television, but nothing interesting was on in the morning-to-late-morning timeslots. After a few excruciating minutes of bland news programs, she turned it off and closed her eyes.
Footsteps could be heard landing on the floor above her, and she focused her hearing entirely on the rhythmic sounds. Popo was in the bathroom at present, unless he was in the computer room again? No…no, there was the flush. Step, step, step, the grind of a pivoting foot…and there was the sink's faucet. Roughly a minute later, the very faint rhythmic sound of a toothbrush joined in with the running water. Good, good…Popo's fastidious adherence to hygiene was always an admirable trait in the boy.
Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she listened to his footsteps move from the bathroom to the bedroom. One foot was falling more heavily than the other.
"I told him to keep up those stretches," She muttered to herself. Popo had tweaked his back a week ago—the day after they'd met up with Dedede—when he'd pivoted wrong to throw the sandbag during that day's combat training. Like a dope, he'd pressed on with the rest of the regiment and woke up the next day almost completely immobile. Nana had to dust off her chiropractic knowledge to get him righted, and while she'd succeeded, he still had to keep up his half of the rehabilitation…
The thundering of Popo's footsteps on the stairs heralded his entrance into the living room, and she opened her eyes in time to see him set his mallet next to hers by the front door. He all but skidded to a halt as he came into the living room, no doubt stopped short by the look on her face. A part of her was proud she could somehow intimidate him while wearing pink overalls over a white sleeveless shirt, but right now she was focusing entirely on not raising her voice.
"Popo…" she began, before stopping herself. No, no, that sounded way too cold. She cleared her throat and took another run at it. "Popo—" Good enough "—what did I tell you after I straightened out your spine?"
"Oh, you could hear that…" How dare his guilty smile make him look so cute? Fortunately for him, it lessened her anger enough to where she wouldn't be too rough in…assisting him in a very thorough stretch routine before they met with Dedede in an hour.
Lacing her fingers together, Nana stretched her hands outwards as she stomped right up to where Popo stood. At least he understood that he had no chance in outrunning her if he fled.
"Lie on your back, and try not to scream," Nana commanded, separating her hands and wiggling her fingers.
Dedede's abode in the Housing District filled the entirety of its assigned lot. The homes of his neighbors, Sonic and Olimar, appeared minuscule by comparison.
Okay, so Olimar's home looked minuscule in comparison to everyone's house, save for Kirby's.
It wasn't a surprising sight anymore; Nana and Popo's row of neighbors consisted almost entirely of not-to-scale castles. At least Dedede's castle didn't have his face carved into the stone like Bowser's. The only personal touches here were the two windows that looked like angry eyes and the red pennants with yellow borders wafting in the breeze over the four inner towers.
Popo stared up at the tall door, resisting the urge to touch the small of his back. No, he wouldn't dare with Nana standing right behind him. He actually was feeling better, despite Nana's tough love, but the post-care soreness would linger for maybe an hour. In order to give his hands something to do, Popo shoved one hand into a pocket of his blue shorts and knocked on the door with the other.
There was no response. Weird, since Dedede was adamant about the timeframe. He felt Nana's arm drape over his shoulders, and he momentarily flinched in shame before all but melting into her embrace.
"Hey, hey," she said soothingly. "I'm not upset with you; I just want you to be at your best." He let himself get turned around so she could press her forehead to his. "If you're a good boy though, maybe we'll hit the District's pool later on. You can even help me stretch beforehand—"
"Alright, ha haaa; maybe I just didn't knock loud enough," Popo interjected, possibly a bit too loudly—definitely a bit too high-pitched—before he stepped backwards to all but instantly face the door. Yet again, Nana had him on the defensive, and he wondered just what would happen if he took up the little offers she'd thrown his way. He liked to think she would be thrown off-balance, but maybe just as likely to rebuff him? Maybe she'd even play along with it? Where would it lead? The majority of his thoughts told him he was overthinking this; they shared a bed and constantly woke up wrapped around each other, for crying out loud! The evidence was strongly in favor of just saying 'to hell with it' and marching forward. However, there was still a loud, single voice of doubt screaming its head off that he would ruin everything if he made a move. Damn Harasen and damn those repressing mandates of his…
He couldn't even try to distract his mind with thoughts of Nana's little promise, whether she meant it or not. How could he even think of his lovely Nana, in that one-piece she'd bought on a whim last month, languidly reclining while he took a hands-on approach in helping her limber—nope, nope, NOPE.
Popo tried to mask over his internal strife with a nervous laugh while he undid the simple rope sling keeping the mallet on his back. He then swung said mallet at the door, with probably a little more force than needed. "You. Just. Have. To. Know. How. To. Knock." Each word was punctuated by a slam of his implement.
It worked! A few seconds later after the last slam, the massive wooden door opened by slowly sliding upwards like a portcullis. It revealed a Waddle Dee, which smiled—as much as a Waddle Dee could without a visible mouth—and waved for them to follow as it tottered off. Popo looked to Nana, shrugging and gesturing for her to lead the way with a flourish of his hands.
It may have only been a scale model of a castle, but it was still the largest home he and Nana had ever been in thus far, so of course he was going to stare. The Waddle Dee led them first to a large room—easily as large as their entire cabin—at the heart of the structure, and stood at attention before…an empty golden throne. As the group waited, Popo took note of some of the accoutrements of the room. There were lamps evenly distributed throughout the room, and a large curved television was held up to the throne's right by a bracket protruding from a large rectangular opening in the wall. The hole probably closed up when the set was put away.
This was getting a little awkward. The three of them had been standing there for a few minutes with no appearance by Dedede. The Waddle Dee didn't appear to be fazed by this, and Popo was not about to be outdone in the patience department by the creature that was thrown at him like a dang weapon. He slowed his breathing, and simply stared straight ahead at one of the decorative hemispheres on the throne's back-rest.
The Waddle Dee suddenly flinched, and turned to face them with a frantic wave of its stubby paw before dashing off to their right.
"Hey, wait a second—" Nana started to say before she took off after it, with Popo following close at her heels. They shot through a short hall, hooked left at a T-intersection, and their guide stopped to knock on a door. Nana, in her attempt to keep from colliding with the little fellow, skidded to an immediate halt, which forced Popo to run into her backside with a grunt. To prevent them both from falling over, he quickly wrapped his arms around her middle and planted his feet…
…Just as Dedede opened the door and took in this tableau. He just stood there for a moment, before his large eyes closed halfway and a smug grin crossed his blunt beak.
All Popo could do was blush furiously, quickly shake his head, and silently mouth "Please don't. Please don't."
"Well now! Heh heh heh! Always thought my place was good for one-a them romancified getaways, but I didn't think it'd work this fast! Y'all need a room or somethin' 'fore I start the meetin'?"
Before Popo could deny, Nana's hand shot up as if she were trying to get a teacher's attention. "Yes, your finest room, please. I'm afraid you're going to need to postpone the meeting for at least a couple hours, though."
If he swung he mallet just right, Popo should be able to knock himself out. Maybe Dedede would do it for him...
Dedede roared with that signature laugh of his, slapping his belly in rhythm with each 'heh'. "Dang, Nana! When'd ya get so sassy, girlie? Aw, this gonna be an interestin' day!" He then rounded on Popo. "Popo, don't ya ever let this one go! I mean that in a figurative sorta way, a-course; you get offa her before ya go on in there." And with that, Dedede pivoted to walk back into the room, his hands clasped at his back.
Popo grumbled and Nana shook with barely suppressed laughter; the Waddle Dee was completely oblivious. It simply stared at them before it casually walked back the way they came. After probably too long, Popo remembered to relinquish his hold on Nana and attempted to smooth out his rumpled clothes. He said nothing, ignored Nana's snickering, and strolled in through the open door with his head held high.
The familiar sight of a conference room greeted them, not too different from the one they'd often commandeered in the Mansion last season. Two tables dominated the center, joined together to form a large T. Maybe it was meant to represent a hammer? Dedede was seated at the center of the lateral table, and a flanked by four empty chairs. The perpendicular table had six chairs on each side.
Dedede stood up and waved to them. "Welcome to the first meetin' of the Mallet Club, you two! Come on up and seat y'selves at the head table over here!"
Popo smiled and waved back, a perplexed look crossing his features for a moment. "Thanks, Dedede, but uh…are we the first ones here?"
"What? No, we—wait a sec." Dedede looked at the chair to his immediate left with narrowed eyes. He then reached over to turn the chair a bit.
Mr. Game & Watch simply…rotated into existence and rang his bell in greeting.
Popo smiled, offering up another wave as they approached the main table. "I forgot you can do that. Is that why we haven't seen you around until today?" Game & Watch gave off a series of short, harsh-sounding beeps; his equivalent of a laugh, Popo learned a long time ago. "So once the others show up, what's gonna—"
"POYOOOOOOO!"
The rapid pattering of feet accompanied that familiar cry, and Popo whirled around just in time to see Nana deftly catch the pink and red missile that launched itself at her from its hiding spot.
"Kirby!" she shrieked, spinning from the momentum of his impact. After a couple rotations, she managed to adjust how she held the puffball, now cradling him in her arms. "Aw, did you miss us?" she cooed, gently ticking his belly and being rewarded with giggling and a flailing of his stubby limbs. "We missed you too! Yes, we did!"
Dedede came around the tables to join them, a broad smile on his face. "Yep, that lil' guy was plumb excited when we said y'all was back." He chuckled then. "When Lucas came back last season, everybody thought y'all had a shot too, but I guess it just didn't happen. Well, y'all is here now, so let's see who else shows their face!"
As Dedede ambled back over to his seat, Nana absently started tossing Kirby into the air, catching him with ease and repeating the process while she spoke to Popo. "I forgot Lucas came in late. I guess he just never brought it up, but I wonder what happened there." She caught Kirby once more, and held him up under his stubby arms. "Still the tournament's favorite little baby I see…it's gonna be real weird when you grow up!"
Popo moved to stand next to Nana, reaching over to pat the babbling puffball on the head. "What's weird is how he just suddenly gets so…capable when it's time for a scrap." He turned to Kirby. "Are you hustling us? I think so!"
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped with a smile.
A loud cacophony from somewhere inside the castle gained everyone's attention.
Dedede grinned, spinning in his chair a few times. "Heh heh heh, I think we have some new members rollin' on in here! Ever-body grab a seat at this here head table; we gotta leave a good impression!"
Nana quickly sat in her assigned chair next to Popo's, setting her mallet head-down on the floor to her right, per Dedede's instructions. They patiently sat to the right of the mighty monarch, while Kirby and Mr. Game & Watch sat to his left. Dedede pressed his palms together, and held them in front of his beak while resting his elbows on the table. She and Popo leaned back and folded their arms over their chests.
She had barely settled into position when the door flew open like a burst dam, allowing Bowser Jr. and his band of Koopalings to surge in; the unlucky Waddle Dee escorting them all but flattened in a miniature stampede of green, blue, pink, and orange hues. Their coloring wasn't the only loud part about them; they were chattering, laughing, and in a couple cases, slapping each other around in their approach. She'd seen this rowdy mob as a prominent feature during the broadcasts of the last tournament, and she was rather surprised to learn they weren't already members of the club.
They stopped at the end of the table perpendicular to the head table, arraying themselves in a line with Bowser Jr. at the table's edge. Nana squinted and straightened up in her chair; was there someone behind them?
Dedede cleared his throat loudly, somehow managing a regal presence in his cushy office chair. "Allow me to welcome all y'all to the very first meetin' of the Mallet Club! Before we kick off this here hootenanny, I want everyone to present their identifyin' armaments!" He reached down and grabbed the handle of his mallet, and held it overhead with one hand. Nana followed suit, Popo only a split second ahead of her action.
There was a moment of hesitation at the other end of the room, before the chaotic Koopa Troop leaders quickly formed into a huddle and started whispering among themselves. Every so often, one of them would straighten up and look to the head table before ducking back down. On the plus side, at least someone had listened to the order; a small hammer rose up directly behind the group, confirming Nana's earlier suspicion. It was an odd-looking one, featuring a red head attached to a yellow handle. It almost looked like a toy…
"Well? What's takin' y'all so long? Show us whatcha got!" Dedede thundered, slamming his unoccupied fist onto the table with a loud thump. "Somebody back there's tryin' to join and y'all is holdin' up the processification!"
They conversed for a few long seconds after Dedede's demand, though now there was a frantic edge behind the voices. They finally broke their huddle and fanned out into a line formation once again. After a moment of hesitation, they finally produced their weapons. The boys all held up crude, but effective-looking hammers. The girl, however, was holding a silver rod with a round purple orb affixed to the end. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't a hammer.
Dedede was equally confused. "Wuzzat ya got there, girlie? That don't look like no hammer to me!" He pounded his fist again, which seemed to incite some laughter from the boys of that group. The girl had a defiant spark in her blue eyes now, and her chin rose haughtily while her (very) full lips pulled back in a sneer.
The hammer behind them stayed in view, and didn't waver; whoever was back there was a patient sort.
"This," she drawled, "is an inert wand. It hurts just as much to get smacked with this—"
"You can say that again," muttered the shortest of the Koopalings, running a hand through his multicolored mohawk.
"—as it does with any of their hammers." She finished, throwing a pointed glare at the one who interrupted her. She'd snapped her gaze over so suddenly, the large bow on her head continued to wiggle for a full minute after she'd stopped her explanation.
"You could say this is more of a scepter," offered another of the boys, this one with a head of voluminous blue hair that looked like it was styled on top of Icicle Mountain on a windy day. "Sort of like…a mace, I suppose."
"A scepter, huh?" Dedede stared at a spot on the table for a moment, stroking his chin with his free hand. "So why the heck is y'all carryin' hammers while she swings around that scepter?"
The face of yet another boy lit up at Dedede's question, this one had a tall shock of green hair—not unlike the turnips from back home—that he certainly didn't need to stand taller than the rest of the group. He had wild, freaky eyes behind his glasses, and he seemed to be constantly fidgeting as he tried to restrain his laughter.
"Easy—heh heh—question; we were told to pick, and everyone—ha, ha, ha—wanted a hammer 'cept her."
Nana groaned, slumping back into her chair with a shake of her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Popo smirking.
Dedede was stunned; his mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide as saucers. After a moment, he started repeatedly slapping the table as he burst out into laughter. "Heh heh heh, ''cept her,' he says! That's a good one!" Composing himself somewhat, he brought his raised hammer—gently—onto the table, like a gavel. Even the 'soft' swing produced a bang that sounded like the report of cannon fire.
"Alright, alright, we'll figure somethin' out with your scepter thingamajig. Everyone have a seat, and we can get down to business here!" Everyone at the head table finally set down their hammers at that, following Dedede's example.
Bowser Jr. and company quickly nodded, scrambling into the available chairs. Their movement revealed the final mystery applicant: A small yellow dog woman dressed in a pink gingham vest over a white blouse, and a purple skirt. For some reason, the band holding her hair up had a bell on it.
She'd barely settled into her chair before Dedede pointed right at her. "Hey, I recognize you. You was one of them assistants last time, izzat right?"
All eyes turned to this newcomer, who blushed so powerfully it was seen through her fur. She spoke in a chipper, yet firm voice. "Well, I haven't exactly stopped being an assistant," she stated with a giggle. "I take it you're talking about the matches?" At Dedede's nod, she continued. "Yes and no; I wasn't actually here. After the Mayor and his friends were brought in last season, a group of technicians showed up in our village. Most of them were tasked with linking up everyone's TVs to watch the tournament, giving out loose schedules, et cetera, but a few were just kind of…looking around. Eventually they had approached me and asked if they could put me in as an 'Assist Trophy'. I agreed, and they had me stand in this weird open-air machine that 'scanned' me in to their computers, and that was it."
Dedede scratched his head in silence for a moment. "Well, that checks out. I remember hearin' reports about some weirdos pokin' 'round town not long after I left to come here. Wonder how they got that pipsqueak Knuckle Joe to agree to it... Anyways, welcome aboard! I say we run through inner-ductions and then we'll have lunch!"
Everyone shouted their assent, and began introductions from the far end of the table on up to those seated at the head table. At least now Nana had names to those who spoke earlier: Wendy O. Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Ludwig Von Koopa, and Iggy Koopa in that order. The last applicant was Isabelle. Nana wasn't exactly sure what to make of her; her cheery, nonthreatening demeanor might make her a target of pranks from the Koopas within the Club, and who knows how many others outside of it. But the more Nana thought about it, she and Popo look less threatening next to the average, and Kirby looked the least threatening next to…well, anyone. If Isabelle was brought in as a competitor, it was for a good reason, and she shouldn't have any more pranks played on her than anyone else.
If Isabelle was ever targeted in malicious pranks, Nana would make sure she and Popo paid back whoever was doing it.
After Dedede ended things with his introduction, he pressed a button that signaled for fourteen Waddle Dees to come in bearing covered trays of food for everyone present. Yes, even Mr. Game & Watch. He…ate?
Nana absently worked through her meal, a filling helping of curry and rice, while listening to the conversation flow around. Eventually Dedede, his mouth full of food, started talking again.
"Now Wendy," He began before washing the food down with a long swig of juice. "Y'ain't gonna use a hammer at all?"
The girl Koopaling sighed, taking a look at her polished claws for a moment before answering. "No, I've really come to like my scepter. Is that going to be a problem?" There was a challenging edge to her voice, enough to visibly rattle Isabelle's cheery demeanor.
Unimpressed by her tone, Dedede paused his food consumption to fold his arms over his chest. "Yeah, this is the Mallet Club. Not 'Scepter Club' or 'Wand Club'." Dedede first glanced at Kirby and Mr. Game & Watch, then over to Popo and herself, the look on his face broadcasting loud and clear that he was demanding solidarity.
Fortunately, Popo seemed to be already on the case; he held up a finger as he finished his bite of food before he jumped into the conversation. "I remember seeing you guys in action last season. Didn't your Clownmobiles—"
"That's 'Clown Cars', dingus," Bowser Jr. muttered into his food. Nana began testing the weight and balance of her fork as she gauged the distance to where the little whelp sat...
"—Clown Car, sorry," Popo amended. He reached back and plucked Nana's fork from her hand. In response, Nana folded her arms and stuck her tongue out at the back of Popo's head as he pressed on. "Anyway, don't they come equipped with mallets of some kind? Like when you grappled opponents, you would smack 'em around with that instead of using the hammers you actually swung around?"
Wendy nodded for a moment, before her eyes widened in realization. "Wait, that counts?"
"I think it should. Whaddya think, Dedede?"
Dedede folded his arms and nodded with a serious look on his face. "Yeah, reckon that's fine. Even if we didn't find that lil' loophole, we woulda figured out somethin'." He leaned over and tousled Popo's hair with a grin. "That was some fast thinkin' there!"
Wendy leveled a long look at Popo. "Yeah, you're pretty smart, Popo," she finally said with a wink and a smile.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Popo muttered, quickly averting his eyes to stare at his meal. After a moment, Wendy also resumed eating, occasionally making snippy chitchat with one of the stockier boys—Roy, if she recalled.
Nana's full attention was on the girl Koopaling now, and she ate slowly while she pondered the situation. A scene right now was not something the Club needed; she had a strong feeling that Miss Wendy O. Koopa was part of a package deal here. If she left, the boys would surely pack up and leave as well. Maybe; the bond between these eight was a strange one, but it wasn't a risk worth pursuing.
Nana decided that the best course of action was to not throw her spoon.
Popo's sudden loss of appetite disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. One second, he didn't feel like eating the first course offered up by the Waddle Dees, and then the feeling passed. He didn't know how it happened; only that it did. While he worked through the dessert course, Popo turned to Morton in hopes of striking up a conversation with the bulky Koopaling.
"I thought you guys would've already been members by now. What happened last time?"
Morton's reply was delayed due to a current focus on scarfing down his chow, but eventually the stout fellow answered. "Thought we could be own crew. Did okay, but they had more. Heard they have even more now, so we must need more." He shrugged with an annoyed sigh.
Larry piped up after a moment, slowly reaching over to pat Morton's broad shoulder. "Hey man, we might be able to rally this time! We're fourteen strong, and that should keep us on an even footing even if they outnumber us still!" He grinned, blue eyes flashing.
Popo noticed Larry was holding a rigid posture throughout the meeting, and never seemed to look down beyond a certain angle too many times; he just looked so uncomfortably stiff. Every so often, Larry would look over in Popo's general direction, and then snap his gaze straight ahead. Popo witnessed this three more times before he got bored with observing it and turned his focus to the rest of the people here. Everyone was chatting amiably—even Isabelle was included, which Popo was admittedly worried about at the onset.
His ruminations were interrupted by someone calling his name. He looked up to see a Koopaling in pink sunglasses—Roy, as he recalled—waving him over. He was a bit far down the table running lengthwise to the room, and Popo didn't feel like yelling, so he got up and strolled over to flop into the empty chair next to the brutish-looking boy.
"Hey Roy, whatcha need?"
"I don't need nothin', but thought I'd give ya a warnin'," With a smirk, Roy jerked his head over to indicate Larry, who was still looking towards…wait; he was looking at Nana the whole time? Only now his attention was completely focused on her, instead of constantly looking away. It still didn't explain his posture, though; in fact, he was looking even more wound up.
"I think he likes her," Roy said simply, popping a cupcake into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously loud.
"…There's a lot to like," Popo admitted with a shrug. He was surprised at how well he was taking this. Not long ago, he might have gotten angry or withdrawn about such a revelation, but it was probably because he felt Larry wasn't much of a threat in this instance.
Roy was staring hard at him. After a moment, he sat back and adjusted his sunglasses. "Tch. Was kinda hopin' ya'd get all puffed up and start somethin'."
Popo slouched in his seat and folded his arms with a grumpy expression. "What, you have a file on me or are you just testing the waters?"
Roy guffawed, lightly slapping Popo in the back. Even that 'light' slap made him lurch forward to where he had to grab the edge of the table to keep his position stable. "Hah! Yer alright, Popo!" His expression sobered after a moment. "Still, ya oughta look out all the same. Larry thinks himself a Casanova, and he'll pour on the flirtin'. But I've watched him put moves on the chicks before, so ya might not have anything to worry about..."
"Well right now, he seems scared to even make…eye-contact…" Popo trailed off for a moment, as a thought occurred...
Propping his feet up on the table, Popo leaned back far in his chair and stared at Nana until he gained her attention, using the other Koopalings as cover from Larry's potential line of sight. Smirking, he gestured to his eyes with two fingers, and then nodded to his right. At her quizzical look, he rolled his eyes and made a few more gestures. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Roy looking at him with an unreadable expression—well any expression would be unreadable with those sunglasses.
"Don't say anything; just watch Larry," Popo said quietly without looking away from Nana or stopping his hand signals.
After a few moments, Nana nodded in understanding, and Popo removed his feet from the table so he could sit up and watch the plan unfold.
Popo smiled with glee as he watched his partner slowly turn and meet Larry's gaze. Time all but froze as Larry's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and his mouth hung open. Nana, to her credit, maintained an air of neutral-to-congenial boredom; to anyone else, she only happened to be glancing in his direction.
A few things happened in rapid succession: Larry suddenly reared back and threw his spoon onto the floor, squeaked out an "Oh, clumsy me!" and practically dove under the table to retrieve it. A few annoyed grumbles could be heard as he searched under the table for his 'missing' utensil. A few moments—and a couple of thumps from underneath the table—later, he re-emerged with his hair flattened and disheveled. Snickers broke out among his immediate neighbors, Bowser Jr. and Morton most notably. Popo watched as the former leaned in to say something to Larry, who immediately looked panicked and put his hands on his head.
"Aw crap," Larry loudly groaned. "Crap, crap, crap." From somewhere within his shell, he'd produced a comb and began to frantically fix his hair back into place. Popo let out a low whistle as he watched the guy lock his hair back into position in only a few seconds. Finally appearing satisfied, Larry went back to eating his meal without looking at anyone.
"His hair's his pride and joy," Roy rumbled with a chortle. "Cost him a few matches before. On his very first day, he refused to look down during his fight; dat Little Mac snuck one right under his chin and sent him packin'." He then turned to face Popo, the light glinting dramatically off of the right lens of his sunglasses. "Dat signalin' thing ya did was really cool, though! How'd ya do dat?"
Popo nodded with a wide grin. "We've been through a lot of stuff over the years. We've developed so many ways to communicate with each other; sometimes they overlap and trip over one another." He laughed, reclining in his chair. "So tell me, what do you think of this Mallet Club idea?"
Roy shrugged his broad shoulders, one corner of his mouth lifting in a lopsided frown. "I don't like dat we have to form a gang at all. But if they're doin' it, we may as well too, ya dig? Guys and gals think they have the run of the place, but I think an 'Awakening' is in store for a few of 'em." He let out a loud laugh, shaking his head as if he'd just told a great joke. "Lookin' forward to bustin' some heads with ya guys!"
After a while of socializing, Dedede had eventually set up a schedule for future meetings before adjourning. After everyone went their separate ways, Popo found himself strolling through the streets of the Residential District alongside Nana. Their destination was ultimately home, but he was content to meander for a while. Without thinking about it, he took a loose hold of Nana's hand and lightly rubbed his thumb over hers.
"So whatcha think of the Club's first meeting?" he queried, once he felt they had traveled far enough away from Dedede's place.
"I think the only part I didn't like was the table setup," She replied with a shrug. "Too much like something I saw on television in one of those boring law shows. I think a circular or square setup would at least make it easier for everyone to talk to each other."
"Good point, though I'd definitely miss some of the antics that we had today. Thanks for obliging my little request, by the way." Popo laughed with a hand over his stomach. "
"Was that why Roy wanted to see you? I should give him a piece of my mind; my radiant beauty is for all to admire," Nana stated with aplomb, with her free hand lightly touching her chest. "Still it was funny watching that guy panic just from being looked at." She joined in his laughter and leaned into him while they strolled about.
"Yeah, well…" Popo muttered with a small shrug. He couldn't think of anything else to add, so he just kind of let himself trail off.
"…Well, what?" Nana pressed, stopping in her tracks and holding tight so Popo was forced to also stop. "C'mon now, out with it."
Popo let out an overly-dramatic, put-upon sigh when he realized she wasn't going to let him go until he answered. She was even breaking out the old 'How can you resist this adorable face of mine' tactic he hated so much. Well, hated that it worked, anyway.
With a soft chuckle, he raised his hand between their faces to block further effects. "Alright, you win. I was just...maybe feeling greedy about sharing that radiant beauty, that's all."
When Nana didn't respond for a bit, he moved his hand slightly to look at her eyes and immediately snapped it back to the original position with a surprised laugh. Somehow, she'd made her already weapons-grade adorableness become even more adorable! "Gah, stop that!"
"You reject my gift, boy?" Nana wasn't laughing, but he could still hear her grinning as she spoke. "You wound me, Popo!" He felt her hand grip the wrist of his shielding hand, before she guided it so his palm was resting on the side of her face.
In a stunned silence, Popo caressed her face and her hair. Judging by how she leaned into his touch, Nana seemed content to let him do it for a while before she finally spoke in a soft voice. "You see what's going on here, right?"
He thought for a moment. "Uh, I'm touching your face?"
She rolled her eyes. "Popo, how can you be considered Chief material—"
His dramatic sigh was genuine now.
"—and be so dense? Rub my temple please," she added with exasperation. Popo did so, and Nana rubbed at her other temple with her free hand. "Alright, so the difference between everyone else bearing witness to my looks and you, is that you get to do more than just look at it."
"Oh." He continued to rub at her temple for a few more seconds before the weight of her words caught up to him. Eventually he stopped, blinked, and blushed. "Oh! Well I, uh…I guess you're right!"
"Of course I am," she quipped, finally stepping back with a proud smile on her face. "That's why you're gonna name me Advisor or something that sounds equally important when you're running things. But that's for later." She twirled around and started to walk up towards the front door of their home. "For today, I believe I said something about going for a swim."
Popo watched her go with a wistful sigh, a surprising variety of thoughts bouncing around his mind while he stared. Yes, he was looking forward to that swim, of course; he was also feeling…prepared for the next month's passing. He and Nana had their friends all back together, their training was paying off (they'd have to at least continue the jogging regiment to keep up their stamina), and the Mallet Club numbers were bolstered. All in all, it was the perfect beginning for the final stretch. When the tournament started, they would be ready.
Author's Notes: (01/02/2020) As I've sat here writing and editing this chapter, I often check the stats of LSiDfCS so I can see the views I've been getting over the past month. Holy CRAP, December had a LOT of hits (for me anyway)! You all humble me, and I thank you all for sticking with me through these trying, overly-wordy times.
Dubbed Dedede is the best character on the show. That is all.