Episode 29: Adversary
Do you remember when Bowser used to teach Shulk, and later Link, his asinine lessons that included extremely false information? Well, ever since the two swordsmen quit on the lessons, the Koopa King has longed for teaching a new pupil, a pupil that would soak in his fabricated facts like a sponge.
But today he found himself a new pupil, and now Bowser can continue his bogus lessons. The pupil was none other than the prince of Nohr, Corrin, who was viewed as a very easy target in the eyes of Bowser. Due to a lifetime's worth of pure, unadulterated sheltering at the hands of his father, none other than the mighty Garon, the king of Nohr, Corrin has ended up as a naive fellow who remains completely weary and unsure about the world around him and everyday surroundings. He's so unaware he believes that Sonic's newly created norms are the in thing right now.
Bowser: Man, do I feel stupid! Why didn't I teach Corrin sooner, he's the most naive person at the mansion, and by a long-shot too! Some of the decisions and choices he makes are borderline dumb - this one time, he even tried to "bathe" himself inside a washing machine - fortunately Peach saved Corrin before things got very ugly. After my lessons are through, he won't even consider bathing inside a washing machine ever again!
Corrin was told by Bowser to see the giant koopa in the room adjacent to the portrait of Diantha, the Pokemon champion of the Kalos region, and the prince soon find Bowser in this particular room, his giant foot rested on a table while sipping from a milkshake.
"Come right on in Corrin, don't be so shy, just take a seat," the koopa told the white-haired prince, and Corrin reluctantly entered the room and took a seat, wondering what he was getting himself into. The prince knew that he was a rather naive fellow, and he could really afford to learn much more about the world around him, though he was hesitant about learning from someone like Bowser. But he anticipates that learning from the koopa will be low risk, high reward...although in reality it will be the other way around - high risk, low reward.
"How long will my first lesson be?" the prince asked after taking his seat. "I have a chess match with Meta Knight very soon." Bowser felt offended when Corrin said this, believing that the prince would spend more time with some masked loner than with him. He did all that he could to keep down his growing temper.
"It will be short, sweet, and to the point; you won't have to worry about time constraints or changing your schedule!" Bowser will have to break his presumably fake promise and prolong the lesson if he has to, if he wants to keep Corrin away from Meta Knight as much as possible. "Now, what would you like to learn about in your first lesson? Tell me anything that your heart desires!"
"Independence Day was earlier this week on Monday..." Corrin stroked his chin, brainstorming of a good topic that Bowser could instruct (or in this case, mislead) in, and the perfect (or imperfect) topic popped up in his head. "I would like to learn more about this wonderful country, the United States of America!" Hoo boy, that's gonna be a real doozy right there.
"Excellent choice, kiddo, there's so much you can learn about America!" It's a near guarantee Bowser will screw up everything that has to do with America. "We can talk about the history of America, the U.S. presidents, and loads of other crap! First, we will start off by discussing how this lovely country was founded. Regardless of the ignorant losers that tell you, the United States was discovered...by aliens!" Corrin gasped when the Koopa King said this. "Yup, that's right, they were the ones who discovered America back in 1492, and they let that jerk Christopher Columbus take all of the credit. Sickening, I tell you!"
"So that's why they moved to Mars, so they can survey the entire earth and search for another uninhabited country, and give the credit to some fiend when they discover it! Pure genius!" Oh, Corrin, you poor, poor soul. Clearly the prince is still paranoid about the existence of aliens.
Corrin: I've have never known aliens to be despicable crooks! First they invent social networking platforms to distract the millennials, and now I have knowledge about their freeloading tendencies! Too insecure about acknowledging their existence that they had to go as far as letting Columbus take their credit...one of these days, I will expose them and every single one of their dastardly plans!
"Now that you got a good grasp on how the country was truly discovered, let's move on to the presidents of the United States," said Bowser, continuing on with the lesson. "James Buchanan is widely considered to be the greatest U.S. President to have ever lived, and he is ranked among the other greats, like George W. Bush, thanks to his gaudy approval rating. During his presidency, America was divided between the North and the South, and Buchanan's attempts for peace reform did nothing but bring both sides together, and keep the South from seceding...you writing this down kid?"
"Sure am!" Corrin gave Bowser a thumbs up, writing down what he just said on a piece of notebook paper. "Just keep feeding me more of your knowledge, and I'll write away!" Corrin's chess match with Meta Knight needs to hurry up soon, it would be an arguably much better use of time.
"That's the spirit! On the flipside, Abraham Lincoln is the worst president in American history, along with some of the more sorrier leaders of this country, like Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson." The latter three are sorry, yet their likeness is crafted on Mount Rushmore under the approval of Calvin Coolidge...wonder how Bowser is going to explain that one.
"B-B-But Abraham Lincoln is perhaps the most widely discussed U.S. president, if I'm not mistaken, how is he so horrible?" For once during this lesson, which is more dismal than Lincoln's made-up approval rating, Bowser got stumped. But like any other opportunistic villain, he managed to work around the situation.
"Exactly, throughout time there are many cases where the most terrible and untalented people get discussed the most just because of how bad they are! Michael Phelps is a prime example - he's an overrated Olympian, and is perhaps one of the worst Olympians to represent America...yet the committee insists on keeping him around." Also when you're a opportunistic villain, you gotta cover all your bases. Expect Bowser to dupe Corrin even more with his opportunistic mannerisms.
Until he has his chess match with Corrin, whenever that will happen ever, Meta Knight searched for a worthy opponent that he should go against until his match with the prince of Nohr begins. First he asked Chrom, who was using a computer to look up hot babes on a popular dating site with sword wielders (who would have guessed) being the demographic.
"I'm so sorry, Meta Knight, I would play with you, but my martial status is more crucial than a meaningless chess game," the prince of Ylisee told the Star Warrior. It was worth a shot.
After the failed attempt with Chrom, Meta Knight then went to go ask Yoshi, who was with his knitting club buddies - Toad, Ashley, and Pac-Man, knitting some quilts. The green dinosaur is pretty good at chess, and would make for a formidable opponent against the likes of Meta Knight.
"I would play against you in chess, but quite frankly these quilts can't knit themselves!" Yoshi said, turning down Meta Knight's offer. "Amirite, you guys?" Yoshi then asked his knitting club buddies. Toad nodded in agreement, Ashley was too indifferent to care, and Pac-Man kept looking down at the floor, wishing that he was never a part of the club to begin with.
Meta Knight: Another person in mind that I wish to play against in chess is King K. Rool, but I'm a bit hesitant about challenging him, he becomes downright insufferable when it comes to friendly competitions. Suppose we were having a karaoke contest at the mansion, and Rool was a participant. If he is singing in tune, and keeping up with the melody, he would start boasting about how he is the singing GOAT, and that he would be a "five-star act" on America's Got Talent, if he ever auditioned for the show. Heck, I've even heard him announce out of the blue that he would audition sometime in the foreseeable future. I feel that he should audition...in order to get a harsh reality check. Simon Cowell will tighten him up.
Aside from King K. Rool, Meta Knight had one more person in mind, and this person, in addition to being an iconic video game character, happens to be the brother-in-law of Daisy. His name is none other than Mario, and the plumber was in his room dealing with financial stuff and whatnot while his roommate, Aerith, rested in her bed when Meta Knight entered the room. The Star Warrior pointed at Mario, making the plumber feel somewhat weary about himself. Was he about to be punished, or is Meta Knight planning on giving him the beating of a lifetime?
"You have been chosen..." Meta Knight said in a deep, dramatic voice...before pulling out the container with the chess board and pieces inside. "...to play a game of chess against the mighty Meta Knight!" Mario and Aeirth exchanged weird looks with each other, wondering what had gotten to the Star Warrior. "For the record, Fox and Falco put me up to this, now I feel slightly uncomfortable from what I just did."
"A game of-a chess you want, a game-a of chess you shall-a get!" Mario responded confidently, cracking his fingers. Mario is a pretty solid chess player - he has smacked Luigi's butt in chess numerous times, though beating your slightly less cooler twin brother doesn't mount up to a gaudy accomplishment.
"I didn't know you played chess, Mario," remarked Aerith. Every day the flower girl is living with Mario, she's learning more and more about the hidden and unknown depths of the most iconic character of all time (unless you think Pac-Man fits the bill, but that's your opinion).
"You should-a get your man Cloud to play-a chess; I've tried time and-a time again, and he refuses-a to come around. Perhaps some love can-a change his demeanor...hint, hint..."
Aerith just gave the plumber a questionable look; Mario isn't the one to be talking about using love to change one's demeanor - just look at how far he has gotten with his relationship with Peach. He has yet to propose to the girl, and they've been together for how long now?
"Let's set up the game over here," Meta Knight grabbed a small folding table laid against a wall, and set it up in the middle of the room. He then took out the chess board, and arranged the chess pieces. "Ready to take your loss?"
"I would...if I didn't have-a these financial duties to take-a care of," replied Mario; Meta Knight held his head down and facepalmed. Looks like he came too early... "You know how Master Hand-a can be..."
Master Hand: Why do I make Mario handle all the dirty stuff, like mansion maintenance, financial issues, and everything else? Simple - he's the man of the mansion. Were I an actual person, I would be handling all of Mario's duties and more, but obviously it didn't work out that way. Besides, who would want to be a lousy human anyway, when you can magically levitate in the air at free will like I can? Inferior beings...
"If you're still busy, then why were you acting all confident, like you were ready to have our match immediately?!" grumbled Meta Knight. The Star Warrior has very little patience, most of it has been deteriorated by the likes of Kirby. "I don't have anything to do to waste my time, so I guess I'll help you with your financial ventures..."
"Alright-a then, just take a seat!" Mario scooted over in the chair he was sitting in, leaving some room for Meta Knight and expecting the Star Warrior to sit in said chair. But instead Meta Knight blankly stared at the plumber, and this stare indicated that he wanted his own chair, rather than having to share with some flabby mustached man. "...Have it-a your way." Mario got up and grabbed a kiddie chair from his closet, filled to the brim with pictures of Peach (why the plumber even has a kiddie chair in his possession begs a serious question) and placed it next to his bigger, adult-sized chair.
"Not the most convenient seating choice, but I'll take what I get," Meta Knight sat in his kiddie chair, surprised that he was able to fit in it. "So where do we begin?"
Cloud was outside, enjoying the outdoors for once in his presumably miserable life, playing fetch with his pet Chocobo Cloud Jr. This game of fetch had a bit of a twist - Cloud would throw a stick as far as he could, and Cloud Jr. would fly to go retrieve it. Its wings allowed it to fly far distances - though not as far as Mega Man's robotic canine companion Rush can.
Also playing with their pet was Luigi, playing with Polterpup - a ghost dog Professor E. Gadd had brought to him. Luigi met the little fella during the events of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and Polterpup has grown attached to the plumber ever since.
"Sit-a boy!" commanded Luigi, and Polterpup did as he was told. "Roll over!" Polterpup rolled over on the ground, like he was the Great Fox doing a barrel roll in a highly intense battle with Andross. "Do a scary face!" Polterpup did a scary face, but it wasn't enough to faze Luigi - his cuteness was too insurmountable to be frightening towards the plumber. "Good-a boy!" Luigi petted Polterpup, and both the pet and the pet owner were smiling. You can definitely tell that a strong sense of chemistry has been established between Luigi and Polterpup.
"Luigi, sweetheart, you forgot to take your wedding suit to the dry cleaners!" Daisy called out to her man, standing at the front porch of her home while holding up Luigi's wedding suit. It's been a month since the wedding, and that suit hasn't even been cleaned yet. It's been left in the master room, tarrying away in the closet.
Daisy: Luigi is supposed to go down to the dry cleaners to get his wedding suit cleaned, but apparently he's afraid of the some old hag that runs the place. What is she going to do, pinch him on the cheek and magically curse him in the process? It's not like she's an evil witch or anything...
"But Daisy, that-a old woman might be there..." stated Luigi, too reluctant to go to the dry cleaners; Daisy gave him an intimidating stare - the kind of stare a girl would use of her boyfriend if he was texting a side chick while on a date. "Fine, I'll take-a the suit to the dry-a cleaners."
"I'll leave your suit here on the porch until you're man enough to go to the dry cleaners," Daisy placed Luigi's wedding suit on the railings of the porch. The suit was in a garment bag, which will prevent it from becoming even more unclean. Luigi's profuse sweating during the wedding ceremony has already done some damage to the suit.
"Scared of a lousy senior citizen?" Cloud smirked at Luigi, never imagining him to be that big of a scaredy cat. "You're an even bigger wimp than I've imagined. To think that marrying Daisy would have given you a boost of confidence or something...but I guess not..."
"You wouldn't-a mind-a if you watched over Polterpup while-a I'm away...would you?" Luigi asked the swordsman, with Polterpup looking at Cloud panting with his tongue out, probably as an attempt at provoking the appeal of pathos to win Cloud over.
"Already got my hands full with Cloud Jr..." Cloud mused over Luigi's offer. He has zero experience babysitting dogs - let alone supernatural beings - and that inexperience may cost him down the road. But it's worth a good shot. "Eh, what the heck, I'll watch over Polterpup for you. What can possibly go wrong?"
"Thank-a you Cloud, always knew you would be-a willing to help!" Luigi went to his home and grabbed his suit, before getting inside his car - a green 2016 Dodge Charger. For those of you who think the car is out of Luigi's league, just know that Tekken alumni Lili (full name Emilie de Rochefort) bought the car for him as a wedding gift of sorts. "I'll be seeing-a you later, take good-a care of Polterpup!" Luigi got inside his car and turned on the ignition, before driving out of the driveway. Cloud waved to Luigi as he drove down the street and to the dry cleaners, where he will face the dreaded old lady that runs the place. She's only dreaded in the eyes of Luigi...but no so much in the eyes of others.
"Woof woof!" Polterpup excitedly ran over to Cloud, standing at his feet panting happily. Ghostly saliva was dripping on Cloud's shoes, and the swordsman doesn't seem to care. Cloud Jr. landed on the swordsman's shoulder, looking down at Polterpup...this has all the makings of a lovely friendship - or maybe even a rivalry.
"Sup dudes, I got some great news for ya!" Little Mac told Fox, Falco, Doc Louis, Knuckles, and Big Top in the Star Records room. This news will either be meaningful, or a waste of time. "I just figured out what my new rapper name will be!" This type of news can go either way, depending on the name Little Mac chose.
"Alright then, let us hear it!" Doc Louis exclaimed chomping on his chocolate bar. The boxing trainer is as predictable as he comes.
"From this point forward, my rapper name shall be...One...Punch...Mac!" Little Mac did a punch in the air after every word uttered, but that didn't do much to change the looks of concern on everyone's faces, except for Big Top. One Punch Mac? Is that seriously the best Little Mac could come up with? He better have other names in store...
Knuckles: One of the most hardest things about being a rapper is coming up with a legit stage name. It is highly crucial that you use a rapper name that will not only resonate with your audience, but will make people assume that you're a great artist (trust me, a lot of people base a rapper's ability and potential off of their name). I would have went by my birth name, Knuckles the Echidna, but that was deemed "mainstream" in the innovative eyes of Fox and Falco, so my rapper name, is Emerald Master! Granted, it's not the best rapper name out there, but compared to "One Punch Mac"...
"What, you guys don't like it?" asked a disappointed Little Mac. "I think that it's a great name for a rapper, if you ask me..."
"It's not so much that it's a bad rapper name, it just sounds so freaking unoriginal," offered Fox. "Seriously, you took 'One Punch Man' and switched the N in Man with C, and boom...you got your lazy name. Where's the creativity?!" Creativity is a very vital part of a rapper's repertoire, and Little Mac appears to be seriously lacking in that aspect.
"Stop being so critical, One Punch Mac is the best rapper name ever conceived!" exclaimed Big Top. Evidently he has never heard of the One Punch Man anime/manga, and he's also relatively green in the world of hip hop and rap. Figured that he would have caught up by now...
"Too bad for you guys, but I've already settled on One Punch Mac, and unless I get a lawsuit or something, that's the way it will stand until further notice. If you guys need me, I'll be in the recording studio, finishing up on my mixtape!" Little Mac exited the room, and headed towards the recording studio. Dude's been working on his mixtape for weeks now...substance over style could definitely apply here. Fox, Falco, Knuckles, and Doc Louis all looked at each other, and they were all thinking the same thing...
"Bruh needs to change his rapper name real soon," Falco said what was on everyone's minds. Though it's a strong given not everyone was thinking the word "bruh".
"Sometimes it feels just great getting to do things like this together," Shulk remarked, playing a game of Cards Against Humanity with Fiora, Link, Zelda, Pit, and Viridi in the lounge. Yuffie had given the Cards Against Humanity game to Zelda (under the Shiek persona at the time) to hold unto until the next time Yuffie came over to the mansion, and Zelda decided, why not play the game with her best pals?
"I'm not even sure how these cards are allowed, but hey, at least I'm having a good time," Link commented on the despicable nature of Cards Against Humanity. Just visit the game's website and go to the lab, and you'll see why this party game as a bad reputation among some of the more pleasant people out there.
"Hide me!" Sonic came rushing inside the lounge, hiding underneath a sofa Proto Man was sitting on. "Should Amy stop by here, tell her that I stopped by Dr. Eggman's fortress, and the fatty gave me a bear hug and I succumbed to my injuries." He said this to everyone in the lounge before fully concealing himself under the sofa.
Pit: Sonic is still experiencing girl trouble with Amy, in case you haven't noticed...this isn't like that time when Viridi did everything she could to get me to love her from a far distance...Amy is literally stalking Sonic everywhere he goes, whether the dude likes it or not. Sonic went to Master Hand and told him to have Amy arrested for stalking, since she is supposedly "placing fear within him", or something like that.
"Still trying to get away from Amy Rose, I see," smiled Proto Man. Don't let this one instance fool you - Amy has visited the Smash Mansion close to three times this week, and she came all those times for one reason, and one reason only...to check on her man, Sonic the Hedgehog. Wherever the speeding hedgehog is, Amy will always be there no matter the cost. "When are you gonna man up, and face her without running away?"
"Don't tell that girl Amy I'm here!" was Sonic's lovely answer to Proto Man's question. It wasn't even close to a definite answer, and Sonic won't be giving out any definite answers in the state he's in. And would you know it, his girlfriend Amy arrived in the lounge, on the search for her boyfriend.
"Have any of you seen my darling boyfriend Sonic?" she asked everyone in the lounge. "I know you have seen him before today, he's quite the outgoing person and he must have spoken with any of you at least once today! Is he here in the lounge?"
"He might have passed through the lounge; we're playing a card game, so we must not have seen or heard him since we were too into it," stated Link, in an attempt to save Sonic's hide. "Perhaps he ran outside, you should go look for him there. Betcha he's hiding in a tree somewhere."
"Okay, thank you, have a nice day!" Amy waved as she exited the lounge, continuing her quest to find Sonic. Speaking of Sonic, the hedgehog appeared from under the sofa, and looked a bit angry.
"Nice going Link, now Amy is under the assumption that I'm still alive, and she'll resume her endless search until I show up!" he scolded the Hylian. "I thought I told you to tell her that I died from a bear hug at the hands of Dr. Eggman, but did you bother to listen at all? No you didn't!" Sonic should just follow Proto Man's advice, and reveal himself to Amy so he won't have to worry about his yandere girlfriend searching for him.
"Boo hoo freaking hoo, get over it buddy," Link remarked before returning to the Cards Against Humanity game. "It's nobody's problem but yours." Link can be such a straight-up savage towards Sonic - perhaps he doesn't like him?
"Now, now, Link, no need to be mean towards Sonic, he's fighting this battle to the best of his abilities," said Zelda. "We might even have to help out Sonic, if it has to come to that..."
"Zelda's right, just look at Sonic, I've haven't seen this dude scared and frightened since Villager pranked him last Halloween!" added Pit. Indeed, Sonic was looking pretty afraid, what with him still hiding underneath the sofa and looking about to see if Amy returned to the lounge.
Sonic: Starting tomorrow, I'll remain in my room with Tails, and the door will be locked 24/7! (Excluding the times for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and using the bathroom.) I'll just find a way to get myself grounded for life, and my plan will kick into action! Blowing up the police station downtown could get me grounded for life, who knows...
Tails: Apparently Sonic tried to get me involved in his plan to blow up one of Seattle's police stations, and he's enlisting me because I'm "the only friend that has knowledge of explosives". Little does Sonic know that blowing up a police station will not give him a lifetime grounding...but will instead send him straight to jail, or even prison! But Sonic believes that he's above the law, just because he's a speeding hedgehog, and that he'll never be incarcerated because of this. Must have forgotten about G.U.N. chasing him around...
"Fine, we'll do Sonic a solid and see if we can do anything to improve his situation," said Link, admitting defeat. The Hylian has several reasons for disliking Sonic (aggravating his injured knee, begging him to partake in a cinnamon challenge, etc.), but he'll put his differences aside for the sake of his adversary. "We'll do it after we're finished with this game, though. And if we can't improve Sonic's situation, and then the rest will be for him to deal with."
"Good enough, I suppose..." sighed Zelda. She has always been used to Link being this stubborn, could be a side-effect of endless adventuring.
"Put-a this in the paper shredder!" Mario handed Meta Knight an outdated financial document, and the Star Warrior stuck it in the shredder, which was adjacent to his seat. The document was shredded to pieces in an instant, its juicy information never to be seen by human (and other creatures) eyes again.
"I must say Mario, you sure are a very disorganized person," Meta Knight remarked after finishing the task. That document was the 37th document the Star Warrior had to shred, and he's expecting plenty of more documents to be shredded soon. "Why do you have so many important documents that are all outdated?"
"Do you not-a realize how hard it is to handle-a everyone's business while-a being the man of the mansion?" retorted Mario, displeased that Meta Knight doesn't understand the struggles he goes through on a day-to-day basis. "Isabelle can-a only do so much for me..."
"Care for a cup of tea?" Black Knight entered the room, carrying a plate with a tea kettle and two cups filled to the brim with tea. Mario smiled eagerly as he accepted his cup, and Meta Knight, on the other hand, didn't do anything when the Black Knight offered him his cup of tea.
"I would drink the tea, but I won't do it due to confidentiality issues," stated the Star Warrior. "I refuse to take off my mask in the presence of others." Black Knight seethed, so angry that he could drop the plate at any given second.
Black Knight: Any tea that is not consumed - regardless of the capacity, whether it be a single drop or a gallon - is tea that is wasted! Meta Knight committed a devious crime, by not drinking the tea that I had made for him, and for that, he will be punished severely, until he sips a single sip of tea, only when I'm around! Doesn't want to take off his mask "in the presence of others"...insecure much?!
"Not just one little sip?" indulged the Black Knight, ready to get down on his knees and beg like a dog with puppy eyes. "One sip won't hurt anyone!"
"Fuera de aqui!" Meta Knight snapped, flaunting his Hispanic heritage and resemblance to Zorro with the use of the Spanish language. The Black Knight grumbled angrily and departed from the room, just when Kirby came inside, happy as a beaver. (What a lame comparison.) "Oh great, it's you Kirby, just the person that had to show up..."
"Hi!" Kirby waved to Meta Knight, before his eyes caught the paper shredder situated next to the Star Warrior. He approached said shredder, and Mario and Meta Knight looked conspicuously as Kirby stuck his hand inside the shredder...thereby turning it on. Poor Kirby yelled in pain as his hand was being shredded by the shredder. Mario and Meta Knight took to action, with Mario grabbing Kirby and Meta Knight grabbing the shredder. The two pulled away, and managed to get Kirby's hand out of the shredder, leaving them with the puffball's injured hand to deal with.
"To the fitness center we must-a go!" Mario frantically said to Meta Knight, concealing Kirby's hand with his glove to stop the bleeding - though it wasn't enough.
Mario and Meta Knight arrived at the fitness center, and handed Kirby over to Wii Fit Trainer, who bandaged the puffball's injured hand and put some ointment on it to ease the pain, and control the bleeding. Jigglypuff, wearing her nurse hat, provided the ointment; it's been a good while since she returned to her post as a nurse, typically she only serves fatigued Pokemon.
"So how did this happen?" Wii Fit Trainer asked, curious as to how such a cute, innocent person like Kirby injure himself. To her, it's quite the mystery.
"Basically Kirby stuck his hand inside a paper shredder for reasons unknown, and hurt his hand in the process," explained Meta Knight, unnerved by the fact that Kirby was too busy smiling at him. This is one of the many reasons he hardly considers the pink puffball a friend or heroic companion.
"And neither of you didn't bother to stop him from doing so?" Wii Fit Trainer was starting to become angry with Mario's and Meta Knight's negligence.
"How were we supposed to know he Kirby was going to stick his hand in there, it's not my fault that dumb puffball is dumber than we made him out to be! This is his fault for being stupid, and not ours!"
"Let-a me have a word on-a this..." offered Mario, not having been able to give his two cents on Kirby's injury. Speaking of Kirby, the puffball was tearing up from Meta Knight's rude comments. Certainly he didn't appreciate the fellow Star Warrior calling him words like "stupid" and "dumb", Kirby's quite the sensitive fellow.
Meta Knight: I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. A Star Warrior's truthful, one hundred percent. Got a problem with it, go resurrect Dr. Seuss from the dead and cry about your problem to him, and then maybe the two of you can try and work things out.
"What's this about Kirby hurting his hand?" Marth showed up, intrigued by the story of Kirby injuring himself. It nearly broke the Hero-King's heart hearing what happened to the lovable Star Warrior. "Why would you let Kirby do such a thing?!" he snapped at both Mario and Meta Knight. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves!"
"Ashamed of what?" Soon Ness appeared, wondering what all the hullabaloo was about. And Marth told him. "Really?! Get out of here! Mario, Meta Knight, I expected better from you! Especially you, Mario..."
"Let me explain-a everything kid..." Mario tried to tell Ness, but it was too late, as the young teen ran out of the room to alert the others about Mario's and Meta Knight's negligence.
"This is just great, now everybody is going to hate us because of Kirby's idiocies," facepalmed Meta Knight. He meant what he said, and he said what he meant.
"Don't-a be so negative, not everyone is going to hate us," assured Mario, only to get questionable looks from Meta Knight, Wii Fit Trainer, and Jigglypuff. (Kirby is too busy smiling to give a reaction.) "...or so I-a hope."
Cloud watched over Polterpup in the comfort of his room, allowing him to sprawl all over the floor while chewing on the bone in his mouth. The dog doesn't have any fur due to him being a ghost, so Cloud has nothing to worry about when it comes to cleaning the floor of any fur.
Also present with Cloud was the swordsman's pet Chocobo, Cloud Jr., who is visibly salty about having Polterpup around. He believes that Polterpup will use his charm to subdue Cloud, thereby causing him to like him more. That's what happens when you have two pets in the same room, one antagonizes against the other, and usually the one being antagonized against is innocent, most of the time.
"Did Luigi say how long he will be at the dry cleaners?" asked Aerith, who was sitting on the bed with Cloud, spending some quality time with her man. "Daisy spoke of an old lady that runs the place, and Luigi, for whatever reason, is afraid of the woman..."
"Eh, I'll give Luigi at least a hour or two until he returns," guesstimated Cloud. "He'll probably spend the first couple of minutes or so debating whether or not he should go inside the place."
Cloud: In all actuality...I think that we won't be seeing Luigi again until it's past midnight...And no, it won't because of his reluctance to go inside the dry cleaners, if that oh so scary old lady is present - best guess is that Luigi gets jumped on the way to his car, and he somehow ends up inside a post office mailbox not far from the dry cleaners. He's been stuck in one before, trying to get a love letter he threw in by accident, so it won't be a totally new experience for him.
"I'll be right back, gonna go get myself a drink," Cloud got up from his bed and left the room, heading to the vending machine and leaving Aerith behind with Polterpup and Cloud Jr. Polterpup approached the flower girl, wagging his tongue in happiness after dropping his bone at Aerith's feet. This mutt sure knows how to use pathos in his favor.
"Aw, you're just the cutest!" Aerith gleamed, petting Polterpup. Cloud Jr., rested at the end of the bed, was feeling all sorts of salty as Polterpup was being petted. "You are just so adorable!" Cloud Jr. has never been called cute nor adorable...
"Guess who made some sundaes?" Olimar came inside the room, accompanied by Alph; their Pikmin were carrying a plate of sundaes over their heads, and Alph grabbed the plate and offered it to Aerith.
"The Ice Climbers helped us make these," the young astronaut explained, while admiring Aerith's beauty. If only she wasn't single...but we all know Aerith is way out of Alph's league, and by a very wide margin. "We got vanilla, strawberry, caramel - pretty much every flavor we could think of." Aerith grabbed a strawberry sundae, took a spoon offered by Olimar, and took a bite out of said sundae. What does the flower girl think of it?
"This is absolutely delicious!" Aerith gleamed, smiling with her hand on her cheek. Not because she's having a brain freeze or a toothache, it's because the sundae is that great. "Oh, you must give the Ice Climbers my best regards!"
During this time, Cloud Jr. caught Polterpup's attention, and flew out of the room. Polterpup barked in excitement and wagged his tail as he followed Cloud Jr. out of the room, and to who-knows-where.
"We'll be sure to do so, we're going to spread the word about these sundaes," said Alph, before looking around and inspecting the room. "Hold up just a sec, wasn't Polterpup in here a few seconds ago? Thought I saw him on the floor..."
"And it appears as if Cloud Jr. has vanished as well!" Olimar exclaimed after scanning the room. "Where could those two have gone off to? Do they not know how big this mansion is, they might end up lost somewhere!"
"Cloud is supposed to be babysitting Polterpup!" Aerith panicked, wondering what is taking the swordsman too long. Luigi would be greatly displeased with Cloud if he found out that the blonde let his trusting ghostly companion run off to places unknown. "Cloud, where are you...?"
Bowser: Corrin has been progressing very well during our lessons, he's soaking up every little bit of information I'm feeding him like a giant sponge! He has learned many new things, like how lead dioxide is the most abundant oxide in the atmosphere, and that is perfectly fine for us living things to breathe in! Additionally, he has also learned about world history, like how Adolf Hitler was the nicest dictator of his time, and that Nelson Mandela was evil to the bone! Corrin's a far better student than Shulk ever was...I don't wanna talk about Link, to be honest with you.
Bowser was teaching Corrin about the solar system - showing the prince a diagram of the solar system with the planets in randomized order - when Cloud Jr. and Polterpup ran inside the room, with Polterpup continuously chasing the Chocobo all over the place. He was running around and inadvertently knocked down the erroneous solar system diagram in the process.
"Stupid dog!" growled Bowser, channeling his inner Eustance from Courage the Cowardly Dog, as he stopped Polterpup in his tracks and snatched Cloud Jr. in his giant hand. "What business do you and your Chocobo pal have here, I'm trying to teach Corrin some valuable lessons that he can apply in his life!"
"Aren't those Luigi's and Cloud's pets?" inquired Corrin, fearful that Bowser might harm both of them. The Koopa King may still be a teacher at the moment, but he won't hesitate to use his villainous ways on just about anyone. "Please tell me you aren't going to hurt them!"
"Like I would want to hear Luigi's dumb mouth until the end of the time...now Cloud, I wouldn't worry about, he's not the type of guy to go off on you at every occasion, like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He's too chill for that type of stuff." Bowser gently placed Cloud Jr. atop of Polterpup, and the Chocobo didn't like it one bit - he still has a slight grudge against the ghost dog. "Now I want the both of you to scram, I ain't got no time teaching dumb animals!"
Bowser's command didn't seem to faze Polterpup, as it completely used pathos in his favor - smiling, panting happily with his tongue out, and chasing his tail while running around in place. Cloud Jr. had to hop off of Polterpup when the dog started running about, and he gave him the stank look, envious that he can't do the things Polterpup does to win over people.
"Eh, I'll let you two stay in here. Just make yourselves comfy over in that corner and don't disturb my lessons, Corrin's learning is nigh important!" Polterpup and Cloud Jr. went to the corner Bowser pointed at, and on his way to said corner, Cloud Jr. couldn't help but glare down his ghostly adversary...
Suddenly, Polterpup screamed in pain when Cloud Jr. poked him (despite being a ghost, Polterpup can feel physical objects touching him). The dog screamed so loudly, it made Bowser, who was setting the solar system diagram back up, drop the diagram on the floor. The Koopa King growled, and angrily marched towards Polterpup and Cloud Jr., making them shiver as his shadow hovered over them.
While Fox, Falco, and Big Top remained in the Star Records room, brainstorming of a legit rapper name for Little Mac, the Star Fox pilots had Doc Louis and Knuckles walk through the mansion, wanting to see if having the two look at random objects and/or people would help them think of a name. So far, this hasn't proved to be quite effective as the pilots hoped it would be.
Knuckles: All this walking is making be bored as heck...I know, maybe I should run instead, to get those creative juices flowing! *runs at a moderately fast pace*
Doc Louis: *panting* Slow down, Knuckles! *heaves* My legs don't know how to be skinny and agile like yours... *tries to run faster than usual*
"You two getting your exercising on?" MegaMan .EXE asked Doc Louis and Knuckles as they were running through the halls of the mansion. Knuckles was running relatively fast, while Doc Louis struggled to keep up due to his weight. Serves him right for choosing to eat chocolate bars 24/7.
"Gotta stay active and fit at all times!" replied Knuckles, not revealing the real reason why he and Doc are running. "That's the way to go if you wanna get them ladies!"
"Don't be fooled .EXE, despite my current struggles, I run and jog all the time!" replied Doc Louis. That running and jogging all the time must have happened a long time ago...
"Okay then, you two keep up the good work!" MegaMan .EXE gave the echidna and the boxing trainer a thumbs up as he went inside the ball pit room. "Time to see if I can use any of these plastic balls as ammo..." Using colored plastic balls as ammo instead of the traditional Mega Buster? That kind of idea can be disastrous!
MegaMan .EXE: Will using plastic balls as ammo for my Mega Buster be risky? Why wouldn't it be, after all, I'm trying a new thing. Can't hurt to try new things out every now and then! *accidentally shoots himself in face with Mega Buster* Gah, my eye! This is why I need some new alternatives...
"Ah, it's great to see fellow workout warriors at the mansion, sometimes it brings a tear to my eye!" Ryu exclaimed as Knuckles and Doc Louis ran past the kung fu fighter. Ryu was about to do a workout himself, but just seeing Knuckles and Doc run made him stop and appreciate how wonderful it is to see individuals other than him getting fit and staying in shape. Which means that he's also a weirdo, even though he won't admit it by any means. "I applaud you for taking initave and putting your mind and health first!"
"Um, Ryu, we're not really exercising or working out, whichever one you prefer," Knuckles began, trying to tell Ryu the true intentions behind him and Doc Louis running, but the kung fu fighter ran up to the two running men and wrapped his arms around them, like they were his best bros. Does Ryu even have any bros? Ken could count as one, but he's a bit of a rival to Ryu, such as Blue towards Red the Pokemon Trainer.
"The three of us, we could be workout buddies! Doing squats together, lifting weights together, jumping rope together...just think of all the wonderful things we can do together if we put our minds to it!" Only problem would be that Doc Louis might be unable to do the exercises Ryu just mentioned...but weight lifting may not be ruled out.
"Well to be honest with you...we're not really working out," Doc explained to Ryu, giving the fighter's hopes up. "Fox and Falco tasked us with coming up of a rapper name for my boy Little Mac, and Knuckles believed that running a bit would speed up our creative and thinking process."
"Good thing for you, I know just the place to get those creative juices flowing properly!" You know it's bad when you have to depend on Ryu for assistance in areas outside of fighting. Just look at the events that transpired back in episode 2; Wolf is still bitter with Ryu to this very day. "Follow me, and I'll show you the way!"
"Sonic, where are you?" Amy called out in the front of the mansion, still on the search for her boyfriend. "Have any of you seen Sonic anywhere?" the pink hedgehog asked Palutena and Dark Pit, who were having a picnic of sorts. Palutena originally planned to have her picnic with Pit, but she'll settle with Dark Pit instead, given that he doesn't have an attitude.
"No I haven't, I don't think neither of us have seen Sonic at all today," replied Palutena. Not seeing Sonic is a blessing in disguise for the goddess of nature, since she doesn't have to put up with the hedgehog's jerkface ways. "Funny how he's extroverted most of the time, and gets all soft and quiet when you show up. Must be a telltale sign that he secretly likes you!"
"Don't encourage her..." Dark Pit warned her, knowing Amy's extremely yandere tendencies.
Dark Pit: Amy is already crazy about Sonic, almost to the point of insanity...can you imagine how she would react if Sonic were to tell her he loves her? Sure, she would probably stop following Sonic around and Sonic can drop the entire Waldo act, but then Amy would take her relationship to a whole other level - like building a statue of her and Sonic for the entire world to see! Sally Acorn is a part of Sonic canon, is she? I would love to see what she would think of that...
Sonic reluctantly stepped out of the front door of the mansion and towards Amy, getting the butterflies in his stomach. In his hand was a walkie-talkie - who is he keeping in contact with?
"Sonic over, do you read me?" Fiora spoke into a walkie-talkie, her voice emitting out of Sonic's. The Homs was huddled together with Pit, Viridi, Link, Zelda, and Shulk, all situated at the window in the foyer. "Can you hear me, Sonic?" These six individuals are tasked with solving Sonic's situation, so he won't have to deal with Amy's yandere-ness ever again.
"I can hear ya loud and clear!" Sonic said into his walkie-talkie, keeping his volume down to a minimum so Amy won't overhear him. "Your dumb plan better work or else!"
"Hey Viridi, you got a minute?" Lloyd Irving approached the goddess of nature, holding a fish bowl with a dead fish inside. Not surprising to see the poor fish deceased, especially with Lloyd being his owner. "My pet fish died this morning, and I was wondering if you could..."
"Begone with you!" Viridi sprayed a can of "Human-Be-Gone" - a dear creation of Viridi's, mind you - at Lloyd, making the swordsman scream and run away with the fish bowl in his hand. "Okay Sonic, you remember what to say to Amy, is that correct?"
"Yeah, I've been rehearsing so I won't screw up," Sonic said into his walkie-talkie. In spite of how long the hedgehog has been practicing, let alone how many times he's been practicing, Sonic is still nervous about what may happen.
"Oh Amy, I believe Sonic is right behind you!" Palutena called out, making the pink hedgehog turn around and face her boyfriend. And boy was she delighted to see him.
"What brought Sonic here?" Dark Pit wondered. His wonder soon ended when he saw his rival, Pit, at the window in the foyer with the others. "Figures..."
"Just remain calm and collected, and everything will go as planned!" Shulk's voice emitted from Sonic's walkie-talkie as Amy approached her man, smiling seductively and making Sonic even more nervous.
"Something you want to tell me, Sonic?" Amy asked, batting her eyes at Sonic. The blue hedgehog took a deep breath, and said the words that will hopefully put his troubles to rest.
"I just want to say that...I love you," Sonic said tenderheartedly to her girlfriend, expecting Amy to give some sort of jovial reaction. But all he got was nothing; Amy just stood there dumbfounded, and Palutena, Dark Pit, and those huddled at the window were wondering what may be going on.
"That's it?" Amy finally spoke up. "That's all you have to say? 'I love you'? Wouldn't it have hurt to ELABORATE?"
Link: What, were you expecting Sonic to say more than just "I love you"? Gotta start off the man with baby steps, and then build him up. Love isn't as easy as it seems, and I've learned that from experience...
"Woah, Amy, chill out, I was just trying to tell you how I feel..." Sonic pleaded to Amy, who now has her Piko Hammer in her hands, ready to squash Sonic. He then ran away from Amy, fearing for his life.
"Get back here, I'm not finished with you!" a now angry Amy chased after Sonic, Piko Hammer in hand. Palutena and Dark Pit just looked on bewildered, wondering what had gotten into Amy. Was only saying "I love you" not enough for her?
"This is not good, not good at all..." worried Shulk, now sympathizing for Sonic and getting a full grasp of what the hedgehog has to go through regarding Amy. "We just made Sonic's situation even worse, rather than making it better!"
Mario and Meta Knight were making their way back to Mario's room, their reputations slightly tarnished. They are now known as the two men that let poor Kirby injure himself, and because of this, they were receiving glares from the brawlers for their actions after Ness spread the word about their deeds. To say Mario and Meta Knight felt miserable and displeased with themselves would be an understatement.
"Mario, Mario, we have a major issue on our hands!" Toad frantically ran to the plumber, in a very panicky state. "Polterpup, and Cloud Jr! They're in grave danger!"
"Polterpup and Cloud-a Jr. are in danger?" Mario raised an eyebrow. The plumber has no idea that Cloud was watching over both pets, so he assumed that the swordsman and Luigi are poor pet owners. "Give-a me all the full details!"
So Toad explained to Mario (and Meta Knight, who was briefly ignored) about Polterpup and Cloud Jr. in the room where Bowser was teaching Corrin, and how Polterpup yelped loudly, ruining Bowser's focus and temper. And now the Koopa King is threatening to throw Polterpup in the mansion's lake...and Cloud Jr. as well, just for good measure.
"To the lake-a we go!" Mario led the way, with Meta Knight and Toad following after the plumber. "Bowser must-a be stopped at once!"
"Thanks for the foot massage Cloud, I knew you would be the right guy for the job!" Captain Falcon thanked Cloud, as the two were making their way down the hallway. Falcon is the main reason for holding up Cloud, for his foot was getting itchy, and he had Cloud massage his foot for him since the ladies didn't want anything to do with the racer, understandably.
Cloud: Minutes of my life have been wasted, all thanks to Captain Falcon. Why does he want a woman to massage his feet, when he can just borrow that foot massager from Peach? Better question is, why did he choose me of all people to massage his feet for him...?
"Don't mention it buddy," Cloud responded, attempting to keep his distance from Captain Falcon. The swordsman was soon approached by Aerith, Olimar, and Alph, who all are clearly in a hurry.
"Cloud, I'm afraid I have some terrible news!" said Aerith. "Polterpup and Cloud Jr. both ran away! They were in the room not so long ago, and then they just ran away! I'm so sorry for letting this happen..."
"It'll be fine Aerith, it's not like they ran away for good or anything." Even in dire situations, such as having a pet running off to places unknown, Cloud retains his demeanor without breaking a single sweat.
"Just got a text from Toad that Bowser is attempt to drown both Polterpup and Cloud Jr. at the mansion's lake," Olimar told the others after receiving the text message. "Bowser has completely lost it!"
"Bowser may be a fellow resident of the mansion, but his villainous ways are pretty much intact. We have time to lose, I can't afford to see my pet - and Luigi's pet - go out like this!"
Luigi finally arrived home, returning from the dry cleaners. The old lady running the place didn't give the plumber that much problems - sure, there was the occasional pinching on the cheek and even on the butt, but other than that, Luigi handled his trip pretty well. The plumber pulled up in the driveway, and immediately after he turned of the ignition, Sonic came by screaming, jumping on the car's hood and sliding off, before Amy came by and smacked the hood of the car with her Piko Hammer, chasing Sonic.
"Eh, it was-a bound to happen," Luigi simply shrugged in response to his now damaged Charger; honestly he's surprised his vehicle lasted this long without blemish. Nothing like a trip to the car repair shop to get his smooth ride fixed. "Now let's see how Cloud is handling things with Polterpup!" Hoo boy...
At the lake, Bowser held Polterpup and Cloud Jr. (whose left foot was tied to a rock to prevent it from flying) over the water of the mansion's lake, and Master Hand, Corrin, and several other brawlers were pleading the Koopa King to drop the two pets...on the ground, that is.
"Release those animals at once!" commanded Master Hand. If Bowser denies Master Hand's command, then all hope is lost. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"
"If I didn't have any idea, then I wouldn't be here in the first place!" retorted Bowser. Mario, Toad, Meta Knight, Cloud, Captain Falcon, Aerith, Olimar, and Alph all arrived, but did their arrival change Bowser's decision? Not one bit.
Corrin: I tried telling Bowser that he could have just kicked Polterpup and Cloud Jr. out, but then he went on about how they could still return to the room unwanted, and be an even bigger distraction. He said drowning them would be the only "permanent" solution to the problem...
"Bowser why do you have my pet in your hands?!" Cloud frowned at Bowser. This is perhaps the first time the swordsman cared that much for any living thing not named Aerith. "You don't have to do this!"
"Your pet was being a nuisance, and so he must suffer the consequences!" replied Bowser. Cloud Jr. looked at his pet owner with nearly teary eyes, and Cloud felt it in his heart that he can't stop Bowser, lest his feathery companion will be gone for good.
"Please tell me you have your hammer with you," Mario whispered to King Dedede, who was one of the brawlers already present outside.
"Left it inside, underneath the bed," King Dedede whispered back. A very interesting place to keep a large hammer at... "I would go back inside and fetch it, but knowing Bowser, I don't wanna take that risk..."
"I saw Amy Rose chasing after Sonic with her hammer," Mewtwo, another brawler that was already present, came over to Mario and King Dedede after eavesdropping on their conversation. "Given that she comes by here..."
"GET BACK HERE SONIC!" And would you know it, Amy Rose appeared, chasing Sonic towards the lake. The blue hedgehog jumped inside the lake to escape from his girlfriend. He can hardly swim, so his decision to jump in the lake might end up being a fatal mistake.
"I do believe that's your cue, Mario," Mewtwo told the plumber. Mario leaped to action, making his way towards Amy and grabbing her Piko Hammer while she was seething, and used her hammer to smack Bowser, sending him flying like a baseball. Polterpup fell on the ground, and walked towards Cloud, who picked him up and held him in his arms. However, only half of the deed was done...
"Wait just a second, where's Cloud Jr?" panicked Cloud. Polterpup was safe, but Cloud Jr. isn't. "He must have fell in the water because of that rock that was attached to his leg! If he drowns, then Bowser is gonna get it..."
And then, in miraculous fashion, a white glove reached out of the lake, and pulled itself up to land. This white glove belonged to Sonic...who had Cloud Jr. in his hands. The hedgehog laid on his back once he was fully on land, heaving and panting, with Cloud's pet Chocobo on his stomach.
"Don't worry, I'm coming to save you!" Cloud headed over to his pet Chocobo, and did a few CPR reps to get the water out of Cloud Jr. When that didn't solve anything, Polterpup came over and licked Cloud Jr...and just like magic, the Chocobo regained his consciousness, and the strength to spring up in the air and fly about, before landing on Cloud's shoulder. Everyone couldn't help but feel glad for Cloud, Cloud Jr., and Polterpup, the hero (although Cloud deserves some credit as well). "Glad to see you back in one piece..." Cloud said to his dear pet Chocobo.
Master Hand: Watching Cloud revive his pet Chocobo...and seeing his pet alive, safe and sound...it just tears me up, you know...to see a pet owner and his pet, having a perfect bond...WHY ARE THERE TEARDROPS COMING OUT OF MY SHEATHS?!
"Hey-a you guys, sorry I'm late," Luigi finally showed up. "My pants leg got-a stuck in the front door-a of my car, and once I got that-a out, I had to put my wedding suit-a back inside." He looked over to Cloud, and saw Polterpup smiling at him with his tongue out, wagging his tail. "Thank-a you for watching over Polterpup, Cloud!" he thanked the swordsman.
"Don't mention it, just doing my job," replied Cloud. He may have sucked at his babysitting job, but he'll cover up his inefficiencies as a babysitter, at least for the time being. Cloud Jr. looked down at Polterpup, and Polterpup looked up at Cloud Jr., and the Chocobo...was actually smiling! The pet beef has finally ended, after Polterpup played a huge role in reviving Cloud Jr.
"Sonic, I'm so sorry for chasing you and scaring you like that!" Amy, after cooling down and being more calm and peaceful, ran over to Sonic and knelt down at his side, now acting all apologetic. Sonic slowly opened his eyes and looked over to his woman. "I just don't know what got into me..."
"Ahem," Master Hand magically appeared before Sonic and Amy, demanding their full attention. "Meet me in my room, you two, we have some important matters to discuss..."
"This is where we can get our creative juices flowing?" Knuckles asked Ryu...inside the star records room with Fox, Falco, Doc Louis, and Big Top. "We spend most of our days in here, why did you take us here of all places?!"
"Like I'm supposed to know what rooms you spend time in..." Ryu scoffed, folding his arms in disgust. All the guy is trying to do is help out! "I'm doing the best I can to make you guys come up with ideas!"
"Can't believe you enlisted Ryu's help, of all the people you could have asked..." Fox shook his head at Knuckles and Doc Louis. Just then, Little Mac entered the Star Records room, and he was feeling somewhat inspired. "Sup Mac, you still using your lame 'One Punch Mac' rapper name?"
"That was originally the plan," the young boxer replied. "But after seeing Mario rescue Polterpup and Cloud Jr. from the hands of Bowser, and seeing Cloud care so much for his pet...I thought of a new name. Why not...Savior of Heroes?" Everyone mused over Little Mac's new name, and they all nodded in agreement.
"Not a bad name I should say, has a lot of potential," replied Falco. "So what's this about Bowser and Polterpup and Cloud Jr. and all of that stuff?"
Master Hand had Sonic and Amy in his room, wanting to know why Amy was chasing Sonic around outside. At first, he had no problem with Amy at the mansion, but after today's events, he's beginning to have his doubts and suspicions.
Sonic: Given how ticked Master Hand is, my ambition to be grounded for life may come true! It's up to Master Hand to finally make it happen!
"I see that you two lovebirds were involved in a chase in the mansion outdoors," said Master Hand. "One furiously running with a hammer, the other running away like a scaredy cat...and I think I may know the antidote to all your problems."
"Here it comes..." Sonic anticipated, expecting Master Hand to give him a lifetime punishment (even if it was just a minor punishment, he'll still take it anyways). But what Master Hand said next would kill the hedgehog's anticipation.
"Sonic, I want you to put everything to rest, and confess your love to Amy Rose, for once, and for all."
Sonic gulped when the Smash Universe creator said this. He nervously looked over to Amy, who was looking down at the floor, thumbs pressed against one another, as she reflected on her previous behavior. The behavior she exhibited may not happen again...and that may be only dependent on Sonic.
"Look, Amy, when you went off on me after saying 'I love you', I understood why you reacted that way..." Sonic began, making Amy look up at the blue hedgehog. "Since we've known each other for so long, you were probably expecting more than three words - you were expecting something heartfelt, something that you would remember for an eternity. And since you want heartfelt, I guess I'll just say this...truth be told, I didn't want to make any confession, because let's face it, you're crazy. But no matter how crazy you may get, I will always like you, love you, whichever one works best for you, and I will do so until the end of time..."
Sonic didn't need to say anymore - in an instant, Amy gave him a hug, a heartfelt one. Surprisingly enough, Sonic didn't mind it one bit.
"I've been waiting for you to say that..." Amy smiled, her eyes closed to soak in the moment. Watching through the slight creak of Master Hand's door was Link and Zelda, feeling jovial for Sonic and Amy. The end goal of their plan has seemingly been reached.
"This would have happened sooner if we had Sonic say more than just 'I love you'," Zelda frowned at Link.
"Like I told you and the others earlier, love requires baby steps," replied Link, walking away from the room. "Gotta start off small!" Zelda groaned and shook her head, following after Link.
A now proud Mario strolled through the mansion, winking at every brawler he saw, and getting a smile in return. The man who was despised for letting Kirby hurt himself is now the most liked person of the moment, for saving Polterpup and Cloud Jr. from Bowser. As Mario went down to the foyer, he saw a depressed Lloyd, sitting on the floor holding the fish bowl with his deceased pet fish, with Cloud at his side.
"She was so young..." Lloyd shook his head depressingly. His pet fish was a female...makes you wonder what name he gave her. Had it been a male fish, Lloyd would have came up with all sorts of names.
"Well, that's a part of life, they gotta die sometime," Cloud said to the fellow swordsman. "Pets come and go, they can't stay here forever. Just like the rest of us. I may not know when Cloud Jr. will leave me, but I'll make sure to make the most of our time together, and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts."
Cloud's comments gave Lloyd a glimmer of hope. Should he choose to get another pet fish, he'll follow Cloud's adage, and treat every moment with his new pet fish like it's his last.
"You should also get that fish bowl cleaned out, while you're at it," Cloud got up and gave Lloyd a strong pat on his shoulder, before walking away. Mario, who eavesdropped on the conversation, also walked away, with a lovely grin written on his face.