With all of the ideas from Bentley evenly divided up for him to evaluate a bit later, and the Mii and his fellow workers busy with their own duties, now seemed like the best time to look back at the progress of some of his other employees.

Pressing a button under his desk that brought his room's large monitor sliding down from his ceiling, while pulling out his middle drawer revealed a large keyboard. Fiddling with some of the buttons on it, twelve views showed up on the monitor in total, each one aimed at one of the new arena's where competitors would be fighting. Work which was handled by the Miis with near complete independence.

This wasn't always the case. Back when the first Tournament was made, actually getting set up was... well, quite a mess. Along with the original issues with security and transportation between worlds, creating arenas for combat was an incredible pain. With a lot of coordination between him and everyone else involved, it got finished, but left them all exhausted and Master Hand himself with a migraine due to the anxiety.

The fields in which combatants fight one another are constructed from the ground up, typically based on research done on competitors and the world's that they are from. Occasionally, there will be an oddball choice for a stage from another world that happened to look interesting to one of the Miis, but for the most part, this focuses on the fighters.

The process itself it fairly similar to what Master Hand and his workers were doing with their rides. The only difference is the amount of liberties that need to be taken. The stages are essentially platforms with designs built around one or more fighters and their home. The attractions were centered around social fun, and needed to have activities tailored around that.

Thankfully, while progress on their own creations was a bit slow, the making of stages was going swimmingly. After the first time around, the Miis had learned everything that needed to be done the hard way, and thankfully used their experience to manage themselves even better the second time around. More supplies were orders, more labor was commissioned, and construction began much sooner, leaving a bigger window of time to work in.

At that point, Master Hand was both delighted by their work, and a bit saddened by how superfluous he was at that point. He had been relegated to a mere supervisor, with his own advice far less necessary than it was to his current associates. At that point, the only times advice was needed was with the stages that had the trickiest designs.

One example of this was a stage meant to simulate a sense of motion, such as those based on the Lylat System. Due to Star Fox's adventures mainly taking place in space, many were centered there, and meant to replicate the feeling of flying around. Constructing entire scenes with all sorts of constantly moving parts was never easy, although in this case, being able to use one set of effects repeatedly made it manageable. With some fairly simple lighting effects for stars, and some more advanced practices for ships or buildings, they were usually squared away in no time.

Looking at all of the stages being made so far, it was clear that all of the experience had paid off in spades. While each team of workers was considerably smaller than the one Master Hand had together, they were all working on the twelve brand new stages at once, and at a decent pace as well.

A mix of refurnishing and reinforcing old stages, and rebuilding new stages based on who he has confirmed to be returning at this point was done as well. The speed wasn't amazing, but the consistent pace they were making progress made him concerned that he would have to choose members for the Tournament even faster than he had originally planned.

For now though, he knew he simply needed to keep them all fairly busy, and should get at least one new name confirmed so they can have a chance to make new stages for that person. With this, and the fact that he needed to write to another Smash member anyway, he decided that Fox McCloud would be who the next letter is written towards.

Fox rejoining everyone simply felt like a natural choice to make. With all of the excitement and craziness that can occur between all of the member of the big family he managed to get together every once in a while, he was among one of the members who were great about keeping a cool head. He had also become a bit of an authority figure, similar to Samus, which made sense

Master Hand wouldn't have any trouble finding words to fill up this sheet of paper. The only difficulty that lied ahead of this decision was whether or not he could keep everyone under control as well as the vulpine space fighter.

It wouldn't due for his colleagues to upstage him in all of his duties.

Fox McCloud, Leader of Star Fox,

As a leader of an elite fighter squad, one with a well-known reputation throughout the Lylat system, there are certain expectations that people are going to have for you.

Many will first question your judgement, and the best way to earn the confidence of those who will rely on your skills is to find good teammates to rely on. Those who are skilled enough to hold their own in battle.

Next is the confidence you have in yourself. How sure you are of your own skills, and how capable you are as a pilot will inspire the support of allies, fighting alongside you directly or otherwise. Those you wish to bring into battle should follow of their own volition.

Furthermore, with these teammates must come good communication, with equal respect between a leader and his followers. To command loyal comrades is about more than just giving orders-it's also about being willing to listen to those one leads. To trust in their skill and judgement just as much as they do with yours.

Finally, comes the task of proving that you are skilled enough to hold the mantle that has been taken up by you. That you will do right by the one who established it in the past, and ensure to honor the name and reputation of Star Fox as a force for good.

There are many trials that would have to occur to prove that you have accomplished these tasks.

You, Fox, have done well to face such challenges, and take them head on.

Throughout your trials against the many forces of Andross terrorizing the Lylat System, you and your companions Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad have all proven multiple times how strong Star Fox is. Through the trust you have established with one another as teammates and friends, you were able to dismantle Andross' schemes.

Your skill in and out of your ship, as well as your reliability as a friend, can be corroborated by the other members of the fighter squad that you reestablished. Star Fox is in good hands, and your father, James McCloud, would be proud to see how you've grown into such a fine leader.

For these reasons, I wish to ask that you join the roster of the latest Super Smash Bros Tournament. Like the lofty title you've taken up, this is something you have earned, and something I am proud to offer you.

-Sincerely, Master Hand

Throughout the far reaches of the Lylat System, peace had become commonplace for everyone. While criminal activity was common, it was a far cry from the chaos of the Lylat Wars that had permeated the galaxy for five years straight.

No longer did people have to fear the soldiers and machines of Andross, all working towards his mad goal of conquering the entire system. Without the looming threat of these deadly and coordinated assaults, there was a sense of calm that could be appreciated by all denizens who had been a part of this war, directly, tangentially, or anywhere in between.

While this could be appreciated by most, there were a few who were left anxious by this time of tranquility, for one reason or another.

In the case of Fox McCloud, he had grown a bit tired of the peace. He was all but delighted to have saved his home from the madman who took his father from him in the first place, but Fox had grown accustomed to the fierce battles that faced his squad throughout the Lylat Wars. He trained for years to build up his skill before the final stand was taken to stop Andross, and after doing just that, what he dealt with now just... didn't match up.

Sure, helping civilians was part of the job, and he wouldn't have started up his father's team again if he wasn't prepared for parts that were less than enjoyable. It was just that the common thugs in space ships weren't as dangerous or engaging as the ones in the war.

In a sense, this was a good thing. No one could amass forces as numerous or as deadly as the diabolical madman who had tormented his home for years. Fox knew these feelings were personal, and ones that he shouldn't be paying too much attention to in the first place. He should just do his job, and be happy that there's less danger for everyone.

And he was.

He was also bored with the lack of challenge.

Training in the Arwing and the other vehicles always went smoothly, and everyone was always happy to go. Falco loved to make bets on who could get the shortest time in a race or a digital test, to which Fox and the others were happy to oblige. Enthusiasm wasn't lacking, so the practice went well and everyone was at the top of their game for the most part. Stopping common criminals was no problem-what Fox needed was something out of the ordinary. Something he normally didn't do.

Something that involved close quarter combat. And the primitively crafted message in his hand would give him exactly the kind of thrill he was looking for. Fox was thrilled to get up close and personal with his old friends, and this good mood could be seen by the spring in the leaders step as he walked towards the bridge. The doors slid open, and Star Fox was officially reunited once more.

Not that anyone else in the room had really noticed, with all members preoccupied.

"OOF!"

Fox turned to his right, at the sound of a young familiar voice, and saw a young familiar pilot.

"Sorry! Wrong connection! Let me just plug that into this outlet, and you should be good..."

Slippy worked carefully to repair their robotic companion, using a pair of tools to adjust some of the wires within Direct-i's chest compartment. It was a routine systems check, nothing too complicated, but Slippy liked to be extra careful whenever he was working on an A.I. He would always compare adjusting a robot to a surgeon working on a live patient, with them putting their trust in their operator to make sure they functioned properly.

It was an analogy that Fox liked a lot.

"…Come on, you blasted… Dang it!"

"Stop taking hits, or you'll get blown out of the sky!"

"M' eyes work jus' fine, Falco, I know what I'm doin-AUGH!"

"'Sure you don't want to get those checked out, old man?"

"Don' you get smart with me!"

To his right, Fox overheard his teams veteran pilot Peppy, arguing with Falco. Peppy was busy trying to get through a level in what was a more advanced version of the game that Falco had been struggling with a while back, with Falco looking like a back seat driver.

It seemed like the two of them, were having some sort of competition. Looking at the two discarded headset, and knowing both of them, Fox had an idea of what was going on. Peppy had been bugging Falco about relying on the headsets to fight in his Arwing, rather than using his own skill, and Falco obviously fought back.

He usually mentioned how he was still just as good, and mentioned how Peppy had come to rely on Slippy's headsets as well.

Knowing this and the two of them, Fox had a good idea of what was going on. Falco probably bet that Peppy wasn't good enough without the headset on, and Peppy decided to try and prove Falco wrong. Fox wasn't sure if they bet anything that could be spent, but he was positive that one thing was on the line for each of them that neither would ever give up; their pride.

Both of them would sooner scrap their Arwings than admit they were wrong, or that the other was right. That would explain Peppy and Falco's intensity on what was supposed to just be a fun game, albeit a difficult one.

It was a sequel to the previous game, and could be about as challenging, if not more so. Like the previous iteration, Fox found the outdated graphics and simplified version of their fights incredibly endearing. He had a lot of fun playing it, but at times, the difficulty made it feel more like a training simulation than a simple videogame.

It seemed safe to assume the pressure of two steamed pilots didn't make the struggle any easier. Fox could almost see Peppy sweating through his fur, and Falco's eyes were wide with anticipation. They were near the end of the level, and there would be no breaking the concentration.

Deciding to give everyone another moment to finish what they were doing, Fox decided that it would be prudent to check over their living space.

"R.O.B., status report."

Fox called out to the helm of their ship, and the mechanical pilot responded concisely,

"Oxygen levels are normal. Artificial gravity is functional. The Great Fox had suffered no external damage. Internal systems are functioning at 97.65578% efficiency."

"Alright." Fox nodded, noticing Slippy giving him a small wave to Fox as he propped up Direct-i, the diagnostics checkup finished. The small robot wheeled passed him out into the hallway as Fox continued, "Any alerts or messages for us?"

"Checking messages… No distress signals have been retrieved. Nor have any messages been sent to the Great Fox."

Fox sighed as he moved to lean against the wall. "Right. Thanks R.O.B., carry on." Fox shuthis eyes and put his head back, taking a brief moment to appreciate the rare moment of silence on his ship.

"Ha! Got it!"

And it was just as brief as Fox thought it would be. Not that he minded.

Opening his eyes, he saw Peppy slumped back in his chair, while Falco was left scratching his head.

"Well I'll be, you actually pulled it off..."

"Heehee, darn straight! Toldja' I could manage without these fancy gadgets." Peppy got up from his seat and picked up the visors from the couch, "I'll admit though... it would've been a lot easier using one o' these."

Falco picked his own up, and placed it on his head, "You sure you want to admit that, Peppy? I thought you hated these things."

"Oh, o'course not!" Peppy placed his own on him, "What I hate is the idea o' you guys gettin' lazy on me. What if these things short out on us? You might have to do things the ol' fashioned way, and you don' wanna get caught with yer pants down."

"Old fashions from an old man..." Falco griped.

"Watch it, Falco."

"Alright, alright, I hear you! But I'll be fine. Visor or not, I'm still the top pilot in the Lylat System, with the best aim out there. A little technical bug isn't gonna stop me." Peppy shrugged his shoulders,

"Hmph! Well, if ya' say so. You better be right, 'cause I don' wanna have to look for new help any time soon."

"Trust me, Peppy, you're gonna be stuck with me for a goooooood long while."

"I hope so."

Peppy handed the controller back to Falco, walking back to his own workspace, and stopping when he noticed their leader,

"Good mornin' Fox, how's it goin'? Ready to hop into the trainin' sim yet?" Fox nodded in Peppy's direction.

"In a bit Peppy, I just wanted to make a quick announcement since we're all here." Fox looked around him, "Slippy? Falco?"

"Huh? O-oh sure, I'm here for, uh... whatever you need me for, Fox!" Slippy placed the magazine he was buried in aside, giving his commander full attention,

"Yeah, sure, got it." Falco said, attention set on the game in front of him. He had his headset off, and while he probably wasn't sore aboutit, Fox figured Falco wanted to proof that he could make do without the extra help-if only for himself, "Just give me a minute here, alright? I'm halfway there."

Fox let out a small chuckle, pulling out the letter he had received, and showing it to Peppy and Slippy with the stamp at the front. Both of them were surprised, but then left amused when Fox gestured his head towards Falco. Their commander walked towards the avian pilot, holding the letter in front of him. It didn't obscure his view, it was just close enough into his line of sight that he could identify it. Shifting his eyes at the paper in question, it took Falco a moment to register what he had seen. After identifying the invitation, Falco's eyes widened, and he jumped out of his seat, dropped his controller, and snatched the letter out of Fox's hand!

"Alright, finally, I've been waiting forever for another one of these! I-"

"Um..."

Falco looked at Fox, at Peppy grinning, at Slippy giggling, and then back at the letter, before handing it back to his commander,

"I'm so glad that you got one! You know, since you had it, and I didn't... and it's addressed to you..."

Fox looked apologetic towards his friend's disappointment. "Sorry Falco, I wanted to get your attention somehow, and I knew this would work. I didn't mean to fool you."

"Hey, it's fine, forget it. It'll happen sooner or later."

"And we'll all be the first ta know." Peppy said, "I remember the last time, ya' woke us up right when we were headin' for bed!"

Slippy groaned at the memory, while Falco just shrugged, "Hey, I said I was sorry, I just got excited. I had to live with watching the action on the sidelines twice before I finally got my shot." Falco looked at the paper once more, "Say, did that giant glove write anything about me? Maaaaaybe something about my letter?"

Fox looked at the letter, "I don't think so, but I only went over it once. Maybe I should check again."

"Oooh! Let me! Let me!" Slippy rushed up to Fox, who happily let the young engineer have his letter, "Maybe there'll be something about me!" Slippy gasped, "MAYBE I can join the Tournament too!" He opened up the letter, looking at it closely.

"Puh-lease Slippy, you're gonna need at least a few more years under your belt before you're anywhere ready for this." Slippy looked at him with a blank expression, "I mean, well... no offense, it's just that when they say the best of the best join, they mean it, and things can get a lot more chaotic than you'd think in the group fights."

Slippy seemed unperturbed as he looked back down at the letter, and then looked a bit distressed, "Uh... Falco?"

"What's up Slippy?" Falco asked, curious about his friend's look,

"I was looking to see if there was something written about you, and... well, it isn't anything good..." Slippy shook his head, and Falco just got excited,

"What? Don't leave me in suspense here Slip, what's it say?!"

Slippy simply handed the letter to Falco reluctantly, and started walking towards the exit after Falco took the paper. Quickly scanning through it, one problem did stick out to Falco; there was no mention of him.

At all.

"Hey, what gives?! I thought I was kicked out of the Tournament for a second!" Falco turned towards the young pilot as he was stepping through the doors,

"What makes you say that?"

"You said-"

"That there was nothing good about you." A smug grin suddenly appeared, "There also wasn't anything bad, but I guess I forgot to mention that. Oh well, later!"

"Hey, get back here you tadpole!"

As Falco ran after Slippy, the two of them leaving the bridge, Fox picked up the letter that the two of them had dropped, and decided to take a seat at his station, with Peppy following behind him,

"So you know Peppy, I'm going to tell General Pepper I'll be gone."

"And yer sure ya can afford to be away?"

"Yeah, we could all get away for a bit. There hasn't been anything that forces like the Cornerian Army couldn't handle, and Star Wolf hasn't been on the radar for a while. As of now, there aren't any immediate threats to worry about."

Peppy nodded, agreeing with his commander's sentiment as he moved towards his own workplace, "I guess it'll be alright to head back. I'm sure the others'll appreciate it."

"Yeah, Falco's getting back into the fight, no doubt. The audience loves him, and I don't think Master Hand even has the heart to cut him out given how much he enjoyed himself. Slippy's always excited to tinker with tech from other world's and meet new characters, and I know you always love learning about new cultures."

"Eeyup, never know when some otherworldly ideas'll give ya inspiration. I actually come up with a few moves fer mahself thanks to a bit o' watchin' and learnin'."

"Speaking of which, you think you could ever show me any of these 'moves' of yours some time?"

"Sorry Fox, can't teach ya' everything. You'll probably learn'em on your own. By the by," Peppy sat in his seat, facing Fox, "What're you looking forward to, Fox? Most outta everythin', I mean."

"Do I have to pick?"

"It's what I asked."

Fox turned towards Peppy himself, "It's nothing special. Besides the action, I'd say I'm looking forward to being a bit of a guide to the newcomers again."

"Haha, on the job, or off, you just can't help giving orders, can ya?" Peppy was met with a suspicious gaze,

"Something you want to discuss, Mr. Hare?" Fox was answered with a smile from the veteran pilot, which he eventually returned with his own toothy grin. "Haahaha, no, it's nothing like ordering them around. I just like giving the new guys some help learning the ropes. Me and the others in the first Tournament never had much help, so it feels good to take care of that for the next entries before it becomes a problem."

"I see. Ain't that noble of ya!"

Fox chuckled, "Not entirely. I also love seeing how shocked the newcomers are with all of the other worlds out there, and what they have. Heck, I still remember Pit's freak-out when him when I let him fly with me in the Arwing."

Peppy let out a guffaw before going on, "Well, there ain't nothing wrong with a little personal benefits when yer helpin' out. At least yer workin' for free, so the big hand can't complain.

"Now, it's high time to get to work. We need to catch up for Falco and Slippy while they're goofin' off."

"Go easy on them when they get back, Peppy, they're just having fun." Fox said calmly, as he sat down, and got to work. With all of the free time he had nowadays, he had planned out some of the things he needed to do before he left for the Super Smash Bros. Tournament. The ship was ready, the Lylat System was prepared, and his crew was just as excited as he was.

The only problem was the inevitable wait until it all started.

Well, this one came a lot sooner than last, and longer, probably due to me finishing Star Fox Zero so recently (and still needing to collect all of the medals). This is another more dialogue heavy chapter, and again I felt pretty good writing it. I loved the banter and personalities to the characters, and of course I did my best to capture that. A bit less introspective than most of what I've done so far, but it's nice to try something different here and there.

The next character up is pretty different himself, despite his series branching off of a certain plumber's. That's right, Yoshi's up next, and ready to roll!