The past few days for Master Hand were split between working and writing letters, with the rest of the time devoted to sleeping, eating, and so on. He had always preferred keeping up a momentum with his work to make sure there was never a backlog of tasks to complete, and he had succeeded there for the most part.

One result of this wasn't really a problem, but a bit of an irritant when working on larger scale projects. While keeping up with work is always important, trying to maintain the same level of progress consistently relied on how many tasks needed to be complete.

There was only so much to do at any given time, and never any concrete way to ensure that he could move forward onto new ventures as soon as previous ones were complete. There were usually gaps in time, which came with the unpredictability of how fast or slow progress on a job could end up being.

Typically, Master Hand decided to double check his own schedules and perfect them as best as he could. He wasn't clairvoyant (to the disappointment of some) so these were always subject to changes and alterations.

As of late, it was starting to wear him out, and decided to spend some of his time between management tasks trying something else.

Card stacking.

While not necessarily productive, card stacking was something that Master Hand enjoyed, along with things in general that centered around cards. Doing something like this helped the God of Order steady himself. He would slow down, making sure everything went well and none of the time spent went to waste.

Doing so was great for letting Master Hand mellow out, and some fun here and there never hurt anyone.

As he placed the final cards on the third stack of what would be an eight row card pyramid, Master Hand decided to do a bit of multitasking. He pulled out his keyboard, and had the screen in his ceiling slide down. Careful not to shake his desk and ruin all of his hard work, Master Hand typed out a short message sent out to all of his contacts-

'For the next few hours, I will be taking some time to unwind, and will be unavailable. If there is any need for advice or aid from me, please let me know now and I will take care of it. If not, I will return by tonight if anything comes up

-Sincerely, Master Hand'

Taking just a bit more time to finish stacking his cards up, Master Hand looked at his message box, watching for any responses. Since nothing came, and his associates were always quick to reply, Master Hand decided that it was a sign that he could leave his office without fear of disturbance. He had time off before, but had not spent much of it enjoying another's company. Especially that of the one person he should be with the most-his companion, Crazy Hand.

As the name implied, he was… eccentric, to put it politely. Well known for his erratic tendencies and acting on impulse, Crazy Hand's heart was usually in the right place. It's just that his mind was usually somewhere else. Crazy Hand at least had a good sense of right and wrong, and with some outside help he was an asset to any public projects that needed the extra help. Never sticking to any one job, Crazy Hand was normally on call for the Miis, like Master Hand.

As a God of Chaos, he was Master Hand's opposite in many ways, but the two of them managed to get along fine. While he could certainly be a headache, Crazy Hand at least kept Master Hand entertained, and Crazy Hand himself was always delighted by any company. He could be so maddeningly positive and excitable, it would sometimes make Master Hand jealous.

At the moment though, that wasn't on his mind, just his thoughts on how the two of them were due for some bonding.

That, and the fact that the God of Chaos hadn't shown up at their mansion for a while. Even though he didn't completely trust his other half to avoid causing problems on his own, he did trust the Miis to keep an eye out for him. Crazy Hand was an infamous troublemaker, and since the two of them were so close, Master Hand was always to rein in his other half.

For now, it was time to find out what the other residential God had been up to. With no other responsibilities to take care of, Master Hand placed a piece of paper on his desk, and just before leaving, he wrote down the name of the recipient of his next letter, Yoshi. A reminder of what he would do later on.

With the thoughts of companionship on his mind, he decided his next letter would be to someone known for being among the most reliable of friends.

Yoshi, The Green Guardian,

As a denizen of Yoshi's Island, you are among the many members of your species, and like the rest, generally share the same living styles and ideals. You're passive unless attacked, polite to strangers, and prefer to remain neutral in any issues that don't involve you. However, there are exceptions to this rule, most notably when the helpless are put in peril.

Years back, when you were younger and your good friend Mario was a mere infant, you were among the many members of your kind to find Baby Mario, fallen from the sky, separated from his brother Luigi, and pursued by Kamek and his forces. All of you held the fate of those children in your hands, and would decide what would become of them.

All members wanted to do the right thing, protect them from harm, but that would mean placing themselves in direct danger. Going up against the organized forces of Kamek and all other creatures inhabiting your Island was a dangerous prospect. Everyone was afraid-except for you. Despite the odds, you didn't hesitate to stand up and convince the others to follow through with what they wanted.

You Yoshi were the first to take up the challenge, and convince your friends and family to fight alongside you. Throughout this venture, and another, to save babies from Kamek's grasp, your tribe would grow close to these denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom.

You would become particularly close with the Mario Bros., as you worked alongside them to free your people from Bowser's imprisonment.

Time and again, whether it was Kamek, Bowser, or some other dangerous force, you were always among the first of the Yoshi's to charge into battle for the sake of those you cared about. The odds and the danger have never mattered to you.

All that mattered to you was your loyalty to those you cared about, and your desire to stop those that would bring harm to any innocents. That you were there to fight for what you cared about whenever possible.

With the return of old friends, and the chance of meeting new ones, I would like to give you yet another opportunity to return to the Super Smash Bros Tournament. As much as you're willing to fight for your friends, I know you take just as much joy in hanging out with them, and just having a good time in general.

I hope you consider coming back, and bringing your enthusiasm and excitement with you for all to enjoy.

-Sincerely,

The God of Order,

Master Hand,

Grass rustled, and dirt flew as a swift creature dashed through them, with little time to spare, and a mission to accomplish. It zoomed past the other citizens of his island home, careful to avoid the ire of any potential threats. Rexes, Pirhana Plants, Monty Moles, no foe would get in his way.

Why?

Because Yoshi was on the hunt for fruit-and he was hungry as could be.

The green dinosaur had been spending his days calmly, ignoring the heat and enjoying a brief moment of quiet from the battles against the Koopa Troop. After thwarting the latest of Kamek's schemes, which involved turning him and everything else on his Island into yarn, he had been planning to spend the next few days relaxing.

Him and the rest of the Yoshi's across the Island had been taking extra effort to avoid getting into any scuffles for the sake of recuperating from their latest adventure. Recently, something had come up, and Yoshi was tasked with gathering as much fruit as he could. He wanted to get one more before he finished gathering, and soon-the green dinosaur was on a time crunch.

Unfortunately, there were two factors working against him.

First, he had wandered into a desert area while chasing away some Fly Guys from his village. There, the closest thing to fruit that he could find were cacti or Pokeys (neither of which ever went down easy) and it made the beginning of today's trek very hot and tiring.

Second, was a drought, which had been going on for the past few weeks. It had made finding any healthy vegetation in general challenging, since not as much had been growing without the water.

Despite a lot of good fruit getting eaten, and most of his recent findings being dried out, Yoshi refused to give up. He was positive that a tasty meal was out there somewhere, and that he would find it as long as he didn't give up. He didn't have any plans to give up, and couldn't imagine anything getting in his way.

Of course, he hadn't considered what had leapt out right in front of him mid-dash.

Trying hopelessly to break, Yoshi's boots just couldn't get enough friction to stop, and rammed straight into the scruffy beast, causing the two of them to roll down a nearby hill,

"Owhwohwohwohwohwohwah!"

After a bit of time spinning, Yoshi was taken out of his daze as he felt himself getting licked by the scruffy beast he had rammed into. Poochy hopped off of Yoshi, his good mood not affected by the tumble they had taken.

"Hup!"

Yoshi pushed himself up, stumbling before getting enough balance to get a good view of his friend, and give them a stern look for getting them both knocked around.

Poochy on the other hand simply tilted his head, sitting down to look up at his good friend with the same giddy grin he always had on. It was enough to keep Yoshi from staying mad at the wild dog.

Instead, Yoshi decided to start petting him, which Poochy took as an invitation to cuddle into Yoshi's chest. Yoshi himself responded with a strong hug for his furry friend, taking a moment to enjoy his company.

As Yoshi separated from Poochy (still petting him to make sure he stayed satisfied) Yoshi told his companion about his current predicament. Pooch got the general idea; that Yoshi wanted food, and that it had to be really tasty.

Fortunately for Yoshi, his good friend knew just what to do.

Doing an about face, Poochy ran off, barking at Yoshi to follow, to which he complied. Yoshi new Poochy wasn't the brightest around, but he never led him into danger, so he figured he would at least humor his dog. At worst, Yoshi figured that the two of them would just run in circles for a little while.

However, it seemed that Poochy was as good as Yoshi at finding something to eat.

In the dense greenery of the Island's jungle, the foliage within had managed to maintain most of its color thanks to the shade provided by the tallest trees. The sun's harshness faded, making way for the cool tropical air Yoshi found himself in. Plenty of plants were thriving, but most of the big fruits that the Yoshi liked had been snatched up by the nearby wildlife.

All but one.

As Poochy slowed to a stop, Yoshi followed suit, and noticed his friend staring up as he barked. Mimicking his companion, Yoshi than understood exactly why he was brought here.

"Woah…"

Near the top of the tallest tree in the jungle was a big, juicy pink fruit dangling off of one of the branches. Yoshi stared at it wide eyed, just imagining how delicious it would be-

But he shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He couldn't think of anything like that until he actually had the tasty treat in his hands.

Gesturing at Poochy to stay where he was, Yoshi stepped back from the tree, beginning his climb with a running leap.

"Hup!"

After scrambling to get his grip in the wood, the brave lizard started climbing up to the top.

"Hnnnnnnng… Hnnnnnnng… Hnnnnnnng…"

As he climbed up, he managed to reach one of the nearest branches on the tree, and take a quick breather before moving upwards.

As he was about to move up, he was stopped by a stream of seeds being shot at him.

"Yoshi!"

Shouting for his enemy to stop, Yoshi looked around angrily for his opponents, the light of the sun breaking through the thick foliage from above. Around him were the forests most well-known trouble makers-the Ukiki. Mischievous apes that spats seeds at anyone they didn't like, and a whole troop of them had their sights set on him.

The Ukikis of the forest leered at Yoshi, confident thanks to their numbers and that they were facing off against Yoshi in their element, without a single egg to his name. They hadn't forgotten any of their past run-ins with each other, and with Yoshi not having much room to move around on a tree branch, it was clear that they had the advantage.

Yoshi didn't shy away. He simply looked at all of the Ukikis menacingly, staring them down. Each knew what the other was capable of, and neither wanted to act recklessly.

If only Yoshi thought he had any choice.

Leaping to his left, Yoshi hopped up to the nearest tree branch, bring him just a bit closer to his objective. Then he did it again. And again. He kept leaping from branch to branch, getting a little bit higher each time, and doing his best to keep his foes from hitting him.

The Ukikis took but a second to respond, bombarding the tree with seeds, and the occasional Needlenose, stopping only to refuel and swiftly return to attacking their target.

Save for a few lucky shots, Yoshi managed to remain unscathed.

As he hopped up to the top, Yoshi continuously misdirected the Ukikis, switching up his movements constantly. As he made some leaps, he would shift around his location, making sure to avoid the most obvious ones right in front of him. At least until he was sure they were aiming everywhere else.

Beyond that, he had more complex methods only a Yoshi like him could manage. He would frequently use his tongue to swing off of different branches, or hook onto the trunk of the tree, to shift his location. He even used the occasional flutter jump to catch them completely off-guard. It only worked twice, but it helped tremendously.

After much more running than Yoshi ever thought he'd do this afternoon, he was closing in on his target. His effort was paying off, and the Ukikis had depleted the ammo around them. All looked like it was over, with just one Ukiki refusing to give up. This ape in particular had tossed a Needlenose at Yoshi, just as he had jumped towards the pink delicacy he was after. It grinned excitedly, delighted to finally be successful in its interference with Yoshi.

Yoshi was undeterred.

He remained determined, grabbing the projectile with his tongue, snatching the fruit, and spitting the Needlenose back at his enemy, knocking him out.

Minor payback against the troublemakers, but it was enough for now.

"Yoshi!"

Calling out as he freefell to the ground, Yoshi was thankfully caught by his companion Poochy, who ran off out of the jungle, away from the dangers that had plagued Yoshi.

"Haaangh…"

Relieved that he could rest after the chaos he was suddenly thrown into, Yoshi eyed the fruit hungrily, tempted to devour it whole, but remembering his entire purpose for collecting it, and restraining himself.

If he spoiled his appetite now, he wouldn't be able to properly enjoy himself at the celebration.

Recently, Yoshi had received a new invitation to the latest big Smash Bros. Tournament, and let everyone else in his village know immediately. They were overjoyed, proud to be represented by him and meet all of the other denizens of other worlds as guests (as well as enjoy the unique cuisines).

Naturally, they needed to commemorate this with a big party, and decided to spend time setting up in different ways, which included gathering food. While Yoshi was the cause of celebration, he was still a worker for them, and was asked to help with the food.

Naturally, with all of their appetites, he knew he needed to put in overtime just to make ends meet, and had been working to grab the best food they could enjoy.

Most others wouldn't bother going to all of this trouble for just one more fruit, but if it meant that the rest of his village, and any other visitors he knew were just a little bit happier for it, than the extra effort was well worth the aches and pain of a few seeds.

I try to plan out how these end up, but some things just come into my head during the process, and certain ideas just feel right. I had no idea what the view on Yoshi was at first, I kind of realized it in the middle. Heck, it'll probably happen even when I'm more thorough about planning things out (something I'll try in the future, whether it be this, or other personal projects)

Anyway, Yoshi. He's one of several member of his kind, and I wanted to try and give him the spotlight while giving credit to the other Yoshi's. Making him the first to step up and take action, rather than the only one who didn't want to, works well in my opinion. After all, Yoshi games are sometimes technically team efforts, with different Yoshi's working together to fight baddies.

Anyway, time for the next character, and someone who rivals Sonic himself in terms of speed. That's right, get your moves ready, because Captain Falcon's racing over!