Author's Note:
Do I even need to mention what I'll be doing for this author's note?
"Are Dr. Nitrus Brio and Dr. N. Gin going to appear? A villain team up with Antasma and Wizeman from NiGHTS? A small scene of X hanging out with his older siblings? (Since Mega Man, Roll, and Proto Man were created before him) Is Lloyd Irving using his Scott Menville voice or his Brian Beacock voice? A scene of Sora meeting the Final Fantasy X and X-2 crew? And finally, do you think Princess Elise from Sonic '06 gets way too much hate?"
Brio and N. Gin will appear. Antasma and Wizeman together sounds enticing. The X scene will be done soon. Lloyd is using his Scott Menville voice. Don't know about Sora meeting the Final Fantasy X crew. And yes, I do think Princess Elise gets too much hate - kiss aside, had she not debut in Sonic '06, she wouldn't be hated as much. Same goes for Silver. On to Smashfan76:
1. Can you include Sceptile in the series?
2. If Sceptile does appear in the series can we have a starter battle (Charizard, Greninja, Sceptile and maybe Pikachu?)
3. Can we see Espio, Charmy and Vector help Professer Layton with the mystery?
1. Sceptile is in the Pokemon sanctuary with all the other Pokemon, so yes.
2. Maybe, perhaps?
3. Team Chaotix will do stuff with Layton, same goes for Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey. Next is Derick Lindsey:
"Oh can I make a suggestion to maybe end the Sonic and Tails "feud": Alex Kidd shows up at the mansion to get revenge on Sonic for making him a forgotten character and being ignored by Sega so kidnaps him and tries to kill him only for Tails to show up at the last second saving Sonic and stopping Alex and then seeing Tails risk his life to save his Sonic feeling guilty for being rude to Tails apologizes and vows to not take anything out of proportion with Tails again."
Alex Kidd is a seriously underrated character, and I like your idea, so I may go with it in the future. Last up is Keeby:
"Can we see more of Villiger and R.O.B?"
Not in this chapter, but in the next I'll make some magic happen for those two...
Episode 89: Painting
The word was out - Princess Peach, the wedded wife of the famous plumber Mario, perhaps the only famous plumber in the world, was now pregnant with her first child. To many, like Master Hand, this was quite the momentous occasion, one Mario nor Peach would ever forget.
To raise Mario and Peach's spirits about their first child, Master Hand deliberately forced everyone in the mansion to give the married couple words of encouragement, wishing them the best and all that good stuff. Most of it was genuine - some folks were willing to wish Mario and Peach Godspeed regardless of Master Hand. But for apathetic folks like Cloud and Samus, it was hard for Master Hand to get around.
Rather than giving Mario and Peach good tidings, the ever ambitious Sonic decided to go one step further, and have a Smeargle paint a painting of Mario and Peach, one the hedgehog hoped the married couple would enjoy. It only took about a week for Smeargle to perfect the painting, and Sonic wished it would be worth all the effort.
"It was so nice of Sonic for wanting to make us a painting, though I fear that the painting itself might be...questionable," remarked Peach, as she and Mario were sitting on the couch in their living room, waiting for Sonic and Smeargle to stop by. "If it's anything inappropriate, then we're throwing it in the trash!"
"Now-a Peach, we can't throw away hard-a work away like that...even if said work was-a inspired by Sonic," stated Mario, as he was petting Poochy. The dog wanted to see the painting too, as evidence by his ever present smile and his wagging tail. "We should give-a Sonic a chance, despite how the painting might-a be." A knock was at the door, signifying that Sonic and Smeargle were here. "The door's-a open, come-a on in!"
So Sonic and Smeargle entered the home, with Sonic dragging in a painting on wheels with a curtain over it. The hedgehog would position this painting in front of a weary Mario and Peach, before assuming his position next to Smeargle.
"Before I begin, I want to thank you both for giving me the opportunity to grant you an wicked awesome painting of you both, it was totally worth all the endless begging I did last Saturday," said Sonic, with his hands behind his back. "This painting, that you're about to see, represents the future...it represents what the future holds for two lovers, it critiques the wonderful nature of love, and exemplifies the power of beauty in its every form! Now that I got the theatrics out of the way, it's time to reveal to you...the painting of greatness!"
With the help of Smeargle, Sonic took the curtain off, revealing to Mario and Peach a painting that almost made them cringe. It was a painting based upon The Creation of Adam, made by the ever famous painter Michelangelo, with Peach, naked, seated on some terrain, her hand stretched out, and Mario reaching out to his bride with his hand, also wearing a cloak, with several Toads surrounding him. Mario and Peach just stared at the painting, as Sonic excitedly looked on, waiting for a response.
"This...this isn't-a art, it's a straight-a up parody of a world-famous art-a work," Mario spoke up after finding the courage to do so, angering Sonic. All that time the hedgehog had Smeargle make the painting, and Mario said that the painting wasn't art?! The absolute nerve of that mustached plumber!
Sonic: How could that painting not be deemed art? Peach was wearing no pants, she was naked! If it's naked, then it's art! For that reason, I'm a living piece of artwork - there should be sculptures of me all over Venice! I deserve way more praise, absolutely universal praise!"
"How can you possibly hate on this beautiful masterpiece?" Sonic questioned Mario, as Smeargle felt the sudden need to painting something, like the wall behind him. "I gave Rayman a sneak peek at the painting, since he knows a thing or two about paintings and whatnot, and he saw nothing wrong with it!"
"We would have appreciated it if this artwork was more...original, Sonic," Peach offered her take on the painting, as Smeargle continued to paint away with nobody paying attention to the little fella. "You can't just take a famous Renaissance painting and re-create it so it could feature us!"
"Oh, so you wanted me to photoshop you and Mario into a painting?" retorted Sonic; Peach opted to remain silent, not wishing to follow up on the hedgehog. "Yeah, that's what I thought...can you believe these two, Smeargle? Smeargle?"
Sonic turned around, and saw that Smeargle had painted a very unflattering picture of Mario on the wall - it displayed the plumber as being very fat and portly, with his hands on his stomach like he had eaten the biggest dessert in existence. Sonic, seeing this drawing, nervously smiled and chuckled a little as he slowly turned around, seeing Mario looking at the painting disapprovingly and seething.
"You take-a Smeargle and leave-a my house at once..." the angered plumber ordered Sonic, who scooped up Smeargle before he could put on the finishing touches on his drawing and sped out of Mario's home, leaving behind the painting. Obviously Mario nor Peach wanted the painting in their house, so what to do with it...
Once out of Mario's household, Sonic would make his way back to the mansion, before Tails caught his eye. The yellow fox was busy flying a kite near the lake, while Villager was fishing, hoping not to catch a Magikarp or a Feebas, or any other crappy Pokemon the young lad would catch most of the time. Sonic wanted to hang out with Tails, but he suddenly remembered that he ended his friendship with the fox weeks ago, and therefore he could not be seen with him. So the hedgehog looked away from Tails and kept walking back to the mansion...
...before hearing a nearby conversation, between Layton and Luke. Sonic was very cynical of the two detectives...he called Layton "the most boring person in all of existence", and believed that Luke was a munchkin. In addition, the hedgehog also criticized the detective duo's fashion sense, believing that they were lowkey time travelers from the times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But what Layton and Luke were discussing interested Sonic, and it sounded like the detectives were ready to embark upon doing what they did best - looking for clues.
"Smeargle, you go ahead on inside the mansion, I got some important matters to attend to..." Sonic told the painter Pokemon; Smeargle did as he was told as Sonic tip-toed around the corner, before finding Layton and Luke speaking with one another.
"As it turned out, Snake had used a tracking device of his to find Jakob and bust his cover last week," Luke said to Layton, as Sonic listened with ever attentive ears. "The tracking device can track just about anyone in the world, after you plug in the coordinates and everything. So with that in mind..."
"...we could use the device to track down Team Flare grunts, and get one step closer to cracking the case!" Layton finished for Luke, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand. Chill out dude, no need to get so eager - not like you were in some intense rock-paper-scissors tournament.
"First we need to ask Snake if we can borrow his tracking device. Oddly enough, he's been wearing the strangest disguises as of late, so if we see someone who looks out of the ordinary, then we'll know that's Snake."
Snake: *wearing a gorilla costume* Mario no longer wanted me hiding in cardboard boxes anymore, so to keep myself away from Kiria, I'll be wearing different costumes everyday to keep that woman at bay. I happened to find this costume on Party City online, and it's kinda itchy...could be the fur, perhaps.
Pit: Brother Kuro, where are you? Make your presence known so that I may DELETE you from existence... *encounters Snake* ...Harambe, is that you, have you been resurrected from the dead?!
Snake: No Pit, it's me, Snake...I'm hiding from Kiria, since she's still infatuated with me, and I can't...
Pit: Oh man, I've always wanted to meet you in person, this is too unreal! Allow me to show you how much you mean to me, Harambe!
Snake: Kid, this isn't necessary, you don't have to do this...WHY ARE YOU UNZIPPING YOUR PANTS?!
"Yo, yo, yo, to the yo, yo, yo, what's good, my British fellas!" Sonic approached Layton and Luke, believing that acting hip and cool could cure Layton's boring nature. "About to search for more clues, like Bloo's Clues? Keep on doing what you do best...dudes!"
"We're going to look for Team Flare grunts - they had some involvement in the hotel explosion at the wedding two months ago," Layton explained to Sonic, unnerving the hedgehog with his monotone voice. It sounded monotone, at least to Sonic. "You're more than welcome to join us if you like!"
"So you're just looking for people, and not clues? How much more boring can you possibly get?!" Sonic, realizing what he just said, did not wish to make Layton feel ticked, and tried to change his tune. "...uh, I mean, sure I would love to join, what could possibly go wrong!" Sonic originally was going to reject Layton's offer, but whatever kept the detective happy...
"That's excellent Sonic - now we have you AND Coco coming along with us!" exclaimed Luke, as the mere mention of Coco's name made Sonic feel some type of way. How could the hedgehog possibly work with someone who was in love with his former best friend? Things would not work out well.
"Um, on second thought, I just realized that I had something important to do - Shaymin really needs a bath, and if I don't give her one, she'll be complaining until I finally give her one. Can't listen to her complain forever!" Sonic was about to make a run for it and rush inside the mansion, until Coco appeared, with Crash and Aku with her.
"Layton, Luke, is it okay if I bring Crash and Aku along?" the blonde bandicoot asked the detectives. "Crash has a really great sense of smell and can track down anyone easily by their scent, and Aku...well, he can just ensure that we're safe." Coco looked past Layton and Luke, and saw Sonic idly standing by, like he wasn't about to run off. "You're tagging along too, Sonic? Well, this should be interesting!" Sonic thought otherwise, but at least he would have his BFF around in Crash.
"Crash's sense of smell could be quite beneficial for us..." stated Layton, paying attention to how Crash was scratching his ear like a dog. The bandicoot was even seated like a dog! Just from looking at Crash, Layton's mind was all made up. "...and therefore, he would be an excellent addition to our squad! But before we can leave, we must first ask Snake for his tracking device."
Cloud and Aerith were in the foyer, waiting for visitors to arrive. Just like from episode 71, these visitors were of Final Fantasy fame, friends that Aerith had befriended without Cloud knowing beforehand. And just like from episode 71, Cloud was very cynical about meeting these friends of Aerith's.
"You're acting like the people you're about to meet our the most wanted criminals in the world," Aerith said to the cynical Cloud, leaned against a wall with his arms folded, while the flower girl stopped Smeargle from painting on one of the paintings. The painter Pokemon, who was supposed to return to the Pokemon sanctuary, instead painted a monocle and a mustache on a painting of Rosalina. "At least give the two a chance!"
"Let me guess - are these visitors boyfriend and girlfriend?" questioned Cloud, not even caring to give Aerith any eye contact. "Brother or sisters? Or just best friends? Are they just like the Ice Climbers, and we have to figure out how exactly are they related?"
"Just try and be as friendly as possible, and don't be so cold and hostile, either. We want to make our visitors feel at home, and I fear that you might be the only obstacle in making our visitors feel content." Aerith held Smeargle in her arms until Mr. Game and Watch walked by, making beeping sounds with each and every step. "Hey Mr. GW, can you take this Smeargle back to the sanctuary?"
"Sure thing, Aerith!" replied Mr. Game and Watch, accepting Smeargle from Aerith as he walked away. Had to keep the painter Pokemon away from his face, just to be on the safe side...
Aerith: No, I didn't befriend anyone online like I did last time around...let's just say that however I met these people shall remain a secret. It's a brother and a sister, both twins, and they're both Mirage Keepers - not sure what that means. But I'm positive they'll absolutely LOVE what the mansion has to offer them!
Cloud: Again with meeting Aerith's stupid new friends...I don't know who these new friends of Aerith's are, other than that they're "mirage keepers", but I'm willing to bet someone is gonna confuse them somebody else who looks like them, and they're gonna be dragged into a world of trouble. Happened once to Sazh, and it might happen again to either one of the visitors...
"If anything, I'm gonna let you do all the talking, since I don't know jack about your new best friends," stated Cloud, as a discouraged Aerith looked at the now tarnished painting of Rosalina. "Only thing you told me about that is that they're Mirage Keepers, and I still have no idea what that...Aerith, are you even listening to me? Are you that concerned about that stupid painting?"
"Have to admit, Rosalina looks great with a monocle, though that mustache REALLY has to go..." Aerith, who completely ignored Cloud, and was seemingly in her own world, remarked as she stared at the painting. It wasn't until the sound of the doorbell was heard that Aerith finally snapped out of her mini-trance. "Oh, that must be them - Cloud, get the door!" Cloud did no such thing - he kept leaning against the wall, showing defiance towards his own girlfriend. "...since you want to make things overly difficult, I'll just have to do it myself."
Aerith made her way to the front door, and opened it, delighted to see two young individuals standing on the doorstep. Both had strawberry blonde hair, both had blue eyes, and both were around the same height - yup, these were definitely twins.
"Welcome, you two, come on in!" exclaimed Aerith, as she welcomed the twins into the mansion. Once inside, the twins found themselves in awe of Cloud, who couldn't care less that the twins were a little excited to see him. "Cloud, I would like to introduce you to Lann and Reynn, two Mirage Keepers who...do stuff as Mirage Keepers. Lann and Reynn, that swordsman you see before you is..."
"CLOUD STRIFE!" exclaimed Lann, as he excitedly ran up to Cloud and started to fanboy over him. "You're actually real! And here I thought you were just some silly folk hero made up just to swoon girls! And is that your Masamune?" Lann pointed at Cloud's Buster Sword, which was positioned next to him - no way Cloud was gonna let Lann's filthy hands on his beloved sword. "May I wield it, just for a minute? Promise you I'll give it back!"
"First off, kid, this is a Buster Sword, not a Masamune - my brotherly rival Sephiroth wields the Masamune," corrected Cloud, already seeing from the get-go that Lann wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. "Secondly, there's no way I'm gonna...let you...touch my sword..." Too late, for Lann snatched the Buster Sword when Cloud was looking, and was wielding it like a G, as Aerith and Reynn looked on.
"Oh yeah, definitely feel like the one-winged angel!" said Lann as he wielded Cloud's sword - did he somehow mix up Cloud's persona with Sephiroth's?! "Could wipe out legions of bad guys with a sword like this!"
"Can you please cut that out, you could hurt yourself swinging the sword like that!" Reynn approached Lann, and took the Buster Sword out of her brother's hands, before handing it back to Cloud. "Deeply sorry you had to witness that, Mr. Strife."
"No, it's totally fine - I now know what kind of brother you have to constantly put up with," replied Cloud, placing his sword back where it belonged. So far, so good, and Cloud was starting to warm up to the two twins. "So, Aerith told me that you two were 'mirage keepers'...care to explain what that means?"
"It's kinda hard to explain to some folks...but I'll give you the lowdown. Mirage keepers are those who wield these beings called Mirages - cute and adorable people, creatures, and monsters, all varying in different sizes. I can summon you one if you like!"
Without receiving a word of confirmation from Cloud, Reynn pulled out some funky blue object, which was called a prismarium, and used it to summon a Mirage - a Mirage of Cloud himself, but only in chibi form.
"Aw, look Cloud, it's you in chibi form!" gleamed Aerith as she pointed at the Mirage; to say Cloud was unamused would be a nigh understatement. "Looks so cute and adorable..." Those were words Cloud refused to let Aerith describe him as.
Cloud: Basically Mirage Keepers keep a bunch of beings that look like chibis...knew from the very beginning Aerith's friends were total nerds.
"We got plenty of more Mirages with us, all contained in our prismariums," explained Lann, taking out the blue objects of question from who-knows-where. Might have an infinite amount of imaginary pockets. "Would you like to see the Mirages we've brought?" Aerith excitedly nodded her head, while Cloud was too indifferent to give a response. "I can see the excitement radiating from you two already!"
So Lann and Reynn got out more prismariums, and used them to summon more Mirages. These Mirages resembled many famous Final Fantasy characters you knew and loved - from Vivi to Yuna, to Leon and Lightning. Heck, even Sora himself had a Mirage!
"You have GOT to be kidding me," Cloud shook his head in disapproval at the Sora Mirage, who wielded his Keyblade with all his might. And would you know it, Sora would walk by when he saw his Mirage, getting all giddy inside.
"Woah, is that me, is that supposed to be me?" the brunette ran up to the Mirage, kneeling down and inspecting it. "Oh man, it looks just like me, has the spiky hair and the blue eyes and even has the Keyblade! This is so cool!" Sora stopped fanboying when he looked up, and saw Lann and Reynn, who were both excited to finally see the Keyblade wielder in person for the first time. "I take it you have control over this...mini me?" Sora would ask Lann.
"Y-Yes I do, and so does my sister," answered Lann, as Sora stood up to his feet. "It's called a Mirage, actually. Lann's the name, and this is my twin sister Reynn. We have full control of the Mirages, and we have TONS of 'em, too!"
"Nice to meet you, Lann, same goes for your sister! I do have to admit, you kinda remind me of Roxas - he's my Nobody! And you also remind of another friend of mine, named Neku - he's a pretty chill guy."
"Who would be friends with a Nobody...?" wondered Cloud, as Sora and Lann were now discussing things with one another. Never was there a more opportune moment for the swordsman to judge Sora than right now.
Not wanting Pit to ever mistake him again as Harambe, Snake would ditch the gorilla costume, and instead wore a Batman costume - a costume that really complimented his gruff voice. Want to know how Snake looked as Batman? Picture Batman himself, but with a grey beard.
Before his accelerated age would make him forget, Snake had to give his tracking device to Luke; said device would be useful for Layton and company as they searched for traces of Team Flare within Seattle. Luke would meet up with Snake outside the gaming room, with Snake's black cape waving in the back - not because of any dramatic effect, but because of the air conditioning.
"I want you to guard this tracking device with your life," Snake told Luke as he handed the young detective the device. "It's the only tracking device I carry with me, since I let that stupid Johnny Sasaki borrow my last one, and he never gave it back. Why I gave that stupid idiot my device, I have no clue...I must be the bigger stupid idiot. Anyways, just make sure this device doesn't get broken, or fall into the wrong hands. Won't find stuff like this anywhere else!"
"I'll keep this device protected like a newborn baby!" said Luke, with a comforting smile. "Won't ever let it out of my sight!" Luke would walk away with his device close to his chest, as Snake turned around and also walked away. The former spy would make his way back to his room, passing by Link along the way.
"Hey Link, thanks for the Batman costume, really appreciate it!" Snake thanked the Hylian, who had Midna accompanying him. Midna looked at Snake's costume, then at Link, then back at Snake's costume...and shook her head.
"You're welcome, Snake - if you're ever in the need for another costume, don't hesitate to speak with me!" replied Link, as Snake nodded his head and kept on walking down the hallway - feeling a revived desire of kicking bad guys' butts again.
Link: Got the Batman costume, free of charge, when I bought that Joker costume for that Halloween party. Really great deal, for I didn't have that much money with me at the time.
Midna: "At the time"? Link, you hardly have any money on you at all! You let people like Jacky and Donkey Kong constantly steal your money from you, both in secret AND in broad daylight! Have you considered putting your money into a bank account? Heard Mario puts his money into his...
Link: Pfft, bank accounts are for people with insecure problems. They put their wealth in places of storage, because they can't trust themselves to keep their wealth with them at all times, like I try to do. I'm not the kind of guy that would put away treasure in chests - that's what insecure losers do.
(Gil, in the background of the talking head segment with a treasure chest in his hands, hears Link and runs off crying)
Link kept walking through the hallway, with Midna following him, until he walked by the room where the Knitting Club met. Link and Midna would peek inside the room, and see the four members - Toad, Yoshi, Ashley, and Pac-Man - gathered around sitting in their chairs, knitting away. Every Knitting Club meeting was almost the same - Toad the drug lord being happy as always, Yoshi basking in Toad's happiness, Ashley looking like she was done forever with life, and Pac-Man wishing he was in any club that had nothing to do with knitting.
"Please tell me those four have something better to spend their time with on Fridays..." Midna said to Link, refusing to believe that Toad and his friends would have the absolute gall to knit stuff, over things like video games, playing outside, and other activities that were actually fun.
"I'm afraid they don't, Midna - and in actuality, only three-fourths of the club enjoy knitting," answered Link, glancing at the downtrodden Pac-Man. "Toad, Ashley, and Yoshi, they practically forced Pac-Man to join their club, all because he asked the three to knit them a sweater for Cloud. Shulk put him up to it - doesn't make that much sense in context."
Toad would continue knitting when some beeping sound was heard. The presumed drug lord looked at his watch, and saw the time, realizing that he had some important matters to attend do. Possibly selling drugs to some folks around Seattle.
"Oh man, it's almost time for my meeting!" exclaimed Toad, as he stopped knitting and threw his fabric unto the floor. Yup, definitely sounded like Toad was a drug lord, no mistaking it... "I can't afford to be late!"
"Late for what, what is this meeting supposed to be about?" questioned Pac-Man; if Toad leaving on early notice meant that the Knitting Club meeting was cancelled, then that would really make Pac-Man's day.
"On every Friday the 1st, Toad has to attend this secret meeting, involving what he likes to call 'friends of a common allegiance,'" Ashley would explain to Pac-Man. So Toad could be meeting up with fellow drug lords somewhere in town. "He claims that everyone at such meetings are just like him, and they share a common goal, a common purpose...basically secret society stuff." A secret society composed of drug lords? Who knew!
"For the last time Ashley, it's not a secret society...if you ever attend one of my meetings, you would know," replied Toad, as he was about to exit the room. "But no one else in this mansion other than me is allowed to attend this meeting, so I suggest that you quit making assumptions about things you've never seen. Do you see me making rash assumptions about Niagara Falls, a beautiful sight that I've never seen in my entire life?"
"Nope, and that was a pretty terrible example you just used - at least you know what Niagara Falls is and where it's located. Me, on the other hand, don't know zilch about your secret society, or what you discuss at your secret society meetings."
"Again, it is not a..." Toad was about to correct Ashley one more time, but saved his breath for later, as he sighed. "...I'll see you guys later." Toad exited the room, not noticing Link and Midna, as he walked away.
Suddenly two hands snatched Link and Midna, dragging the Hylian and the imp to a closet. These hands were very feathery, which meant that they belonged to one certain avian pilot...Falco Lombardi, who was in the closet with a light bulb on, hanging from the ceiling.
"Y'all saw Toad walking away, did you?" Falco asked Link and Midna, as he closed the closet door. "Did he mention that he was going to some meeting? Well, I think I might know what's going on...Toad might be a drug lord, attending a meeting with drug lords like himself!" See, Falco knew what was up!
Falco: Saw it first-hand in July of last year - it was July 1, a Friday, and while Fox and I were trying to stop Zero from obsessing over Princess Daisy, we witnessed Toad leave the mansion, looking around suspiciously before leaving through the front door. We knew that guy was up to no good, and so when we asked Toad were he went to once we solved the whole Zero issue, he said that he had to attend a "very important" meeting, without giving us any details. Oh, and his breath? Smelt kinda funky...my nostrils picked up the scent just from a few meters away.
"What can possibly make you think Toad of all people is a drug lord?" Link whispered to Falco, only whispering because he didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to the issue at hand. Someone with very attentive ears could be walking by.
"Think about it - Toads are associated with mushrooms, mushrooms are associated with shrooms, shrooms are associated with drugs...and therefore, Toad must be selling drugs," explained Falco, even though Link and Midna still weren't convinced. "Transitive property, bruh - it can save lives!"
"So you're insisting that Toad sells drugs, and that ALL Toads sell drugs...you know what, this theory of yours is pure blasphemy," Midna said in disapproval, as she grabbed Link's hand. "Let's go Link, let's leave Falco toil in his own stupidity!"
"No, wait, please stay!" Falco pleaded to Link and Midna, preventing them from leaving the closet. "My theory may sound untrue, but hear me out...Fox and I saw Toad leave for his last meeting, last year, and when we asked Toad where the meeting took place, he said that it was near an apartment complex. That's a great hotspot for selling drugs. So we'll go to this apartment complex, Fox included, and we'll see if Toad is meeting up with drug lords. If my theory holds true, then I'll be a man of my word, and I'll put the matter to death. But if I'm in the wrong...then I'll give you my personal deep fryer. Might not be much, but it's better than nothing..."
"Is it the electric deep fryer with the exhaust system that you hide in your room?" asked Link, as Falco nodded his head, albeit with much reluctance. "Then you got yourself a deal!" Link shook hands with the now nervous Falco, who was making an offer he now wish he could take back.
In reality, the Flying Man only had one duty at the mansion - that duty being everyone's courage. From Sonic, to Lucina, to the Inklings, and even Master Hand himself - the Flying Man indebted his life to ensuring the safety of each and everyone individual that walked through the mansion halls. You could say that this mythical beast was like a lifeguard, but on the job 24/7, with little to no breaks.
Being of Earthbound fame, the Flying Man had a particular alligeance to two PSI boys - Ness and Lucas. Ness was the more extroverted out of the two, as Lucas was still introverted in most regards, too afraid to step out of his comfort zone. But today, the blonde was too afraid to step out of his own room, when the Flying Man stopped by and saw the boy playing with several darts while on his bed
"Don't throw that dart Lucas, it could kill you!" the Flying Man ran inside the room to save the day, knocking the dart out of Lucas's hand all heroically and majestically and many other adjectives. Lucas just looked in confusion, as the Flying Man picked up the dart off of the floor. "See this, Lucas? This dart as a pointy tip! And you were going to inject it into your skin, weren't you?!"
"...or maybe I was gonna throw the dart at the target over there," answered Lucas, pointing at the target hanging on the wall, on the opposite side of the room. The Flying Man, seeing this, sheepishly smiled, as he placed the dart where it belonged.
Flying Man: There is no off-day for me when it comes to being the courage for others and protecting everyone from harm. Whenever I see someone doing something, even if it's practically harmless, I always assume the worst. When Isabelle uses a pair of scissors, I assume that she'll accidentally cut herself and bleed to death. When I see Crash using the microwave, I assume that the microwave will turn into some mechanical beast, and eat the poor bandicoot alive. When I watch Luigi in his sleep, more often than not without his permission, I assume that he'll suffer from a cardiac arrest, or even worse...King Boo takes over his body, makes him walk to some cliff, and fall off said cliff, sending Luigi towards his inevitable doom. I see death at every venture of my day, wherever I go...I can't escape death, and death can't escape me! For I am death's courage... *shakes head* ...nah, doesn't roll off the tongue. Doesn't sound right, either...
"Tell me, my boy - why spend this beautiful Friday in your room throwing darts at some wall, when you could be outside with your best friend Ness?" the Flying Man asked Lucas, taking a seat next to the PSI whiz on his bed.
"I've been trying to avoid Pit - ever since he went 'broken', he's been giving me the heebie-jeebies with his 'broken' nature, and his manner of doing things," explained Lucas, as he threw a dart at the target without the Flying Man's intervention. "Also, his monologues have become outright boring and redundant - keeps saying that he'll 'delete' Dark Pit from existence, and make the world more 'broken'. It's craziness, I tell you..."
"Oh my goodness, not the heebie-jeebies, anything but that! I wouldn't wish the heebie-jeebies on any soul, not even my worst enemy - it's worse than cancer and malaria COMBINED!" No need to be so dramatic, Flying Man. "But it's sure a good thing I don't have any mortal enemies to wish such a vile thing upon. Tell you what - how about you and I confront Pit, and tell him what he's doing is wrong, and we could tell him how the others feel as well. You will have nothing to worry about, because I'm your..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it now, no need to repeat your favorite catchphrase a gazillion times..." How will Lucas and the Flying Man handle Pit's 'brokenness'?
For as long as they've been living at the mansion together, Red the Pokemon Trainer and Cilan seldom had a Pokemon battle together. It was quite a surprise that the OG Pokemon trainer and the Striaton City gym leader never had a battle together, but given Cilan's busy days as a mansion chef, it was pretty understandable.
All of that would change today, when Red and Cilan were embroiled in a Pokemon battle in the Pokemon sanctuary - normal conditions, three Pokemon from each trainer, first trainer to have all his three Pokemon faint would lose. Red was down to his last Pokemon - his powerhouse Charizard - and Cilan was down to his last Pokemon to - Ferroseed, the thorn pod Pokemon, who was super weak to Charizard given his grass/steel typing. One powerful fire-type move could spell the end for Ferroseed, but fortunately Cilan had a plan.
"Alright, Ferroseed, use Thunderbolt on Charizard!" commanded Cilan, as Ferrothorn started sparking with electricity, before releasing a powerful bolt of lightning at Charizard. The flame Pokemon was weak to Thunderbolt, and had to avoid it at all costs.
"Charizard, dodge the Thunderbolt and use Flare Blitz!" commanded Red; Charizard, who could've moved out of the way of Thunderbolt if he wanted to, did as he was told, dodging the electricity before cloaking his entire body in flames. Ferroseed was about to become barbecue chicken soon - not even his high defense could save him now.
"STOP THE BATTLE THIS-A INSTANT!" ordered Mario, as he ran into the battlefield wheeling Sonic's painting; Charizard, seeing the plumber in his view, cancelled his Flare Blitz move as he came to a sudden stop, the flames around his body dispersing. "Sorry I had-a to interrupt your battle, but I have quite-a the dilemma on my-a hands..."
"What exactly could this dilemma...be?" asked Cilan, only to make a questionable face when Mario turned the painting around, showing the plumber in his white gown and Peach in her naked glory to the Pokemon connoisseur. "My goodness, I've never seen quite a painting like this. Quite extraordinary, I should say!"
"That means-a you'll buy it from-a me, right? I'll accept any amount-a of money you give me - ten-a dollars, twenty dollars, a hundred-a dollars, I don't care! Please, just-a buy this painting, I gotta get it out-a of my house!"
"As much as I appreciate the offer, Mario...I would NEVER, in my life, buy a piece of artwork with someone like Peach bare-naked. I will respect the time and effort put forth into the creation of this painting, but I cannot...
"But what's so-a wrong with Peach being naked?! If it's naked it's-a art!" Mario was now using Sonic's crazy art beliefs as selling points for Cilan to buy the painting, but it wouldn't work on the connoisseur.
"Mario, I can't buy any artwork if it has Peach naked - why, I wouldn't buy any artwork of my own self if I was naked!" Not even if you had a small, green leaf covering your crotch area, Cilan? "Again, I appreciate the offer, but I'm not interested in buying."
Cilan: Once bought a painting before - it was a painting of Lugia and Ho-oh, got it for a hefty amount of money! Got jumped and lost all my savings the very next day. Despite the trip to the hospital, the beating was strangely an enjoyable experience!
"Red, why not ask-a Charizard to burn down this-a painting with his Flamethrower, so I won't-a have to look at it again?" Mario would ask the Pokemon Trainer, turning the painting so it would face him. Red had a reaction very similar to Cilan's.
"Sonic showed me that painting after it was finished - adored it so much, that he even admitted he would break down in tears if something bad were to happen to it," replied Red, with Charizard and even Ferroseed wanting to continue their Pokemon battle. "So if I have Charizard burn the painting down, Sonic will be crying and complaining...and I don't think I can stomach any of that."
"Use-a less..." Mario sighed, as he rolled the painting off the battlefield, and out of the Pokemon sanctuary, leaving Red and Cilan to continue their Pokemon battle. Little did Mario know that he saved Ferroseed from getting murdered by Charizard!
With Cilan unable to get the painting off of him, and Red refusing to have Charizard burn the painting because he didn't know how to tolerate Sonic...Sonicisms, Mario would go to Meta Knight, a common frequenter of several art museums in town. Mario would visit the Star Warrior in his room, as Meta Knight analyzed the painting, stroking where his chin would be.
"You've-a seen many paintings during your trips-a to the art museums - do you think-a this painting would be a good addition for one of museums in-a town?" Mario asked Meta Knight, waiting for a response as he was sitting on Kirby's bed, apparently a king sized bed. Supposedly fit for a king, although Kirby was way too small.
"This painting is clearly missing something..." remarked Meta Knight, still analyzing the painting, noticing there was one blemish that was throwing the artwork off. "Your beard, tu barba, it's not white enough. If the artist of this Creation of Adam-esque painting were to fully capture the entire intent of the original artwork, all of the elements should be in place, from the aesthetics to the design. Princess Peach gets a pass though, due to her being a female - her hair color would have mattered a lot had she been a guy."
"So you believe-a that my beard not being white-a is the problem, but Peach being-a naked isn't." Mario failed to see the logic behind that. "Also, I don't-a even have a beard, so why do I even have-a one in that painting?!"
"Like I just said, if the artist of this Creation of Adam-esque painting were to fully capture the entire intent of the original artwork, all of the elements should be in place, from the aesthetics to the design - and therefore he had to give you a beard in order to fully capture the intentions Michelangelo had during the process of his painting. And what's so wrong with Peach being naked? In my book, if it's naked, it's art!" Did Sonic get his art ideology from Meta Knight?
"That is THE stupidest thing-a I've ever heard in-a my life! 'If it's naked, it's art'...provide-a me with some examples, I dare-a you!" Meta Knight would accept Mario's challenge, and the inhale he did signaled a long list the Star Warriors was ready to provide to Mario...
"Venus and the Lute Player, Venus and Adonis, Judgement of Paris, Last Judgement, Death and the Maiden...those are excellent examples of how incorporating nakedness in your artwork can easily enhance art and prestige. I've yet to delve into nude sculptures like David, mind you."
Mario didn't know what to say - Meta Knight absolutely schooled him. Instead of retorting and risk making himself look like an uncultured fool, the plumber just took the painting and wheeled it out of the bedroom, off to who-knows-where.
"Nudity is always the way to go when you're stuck creatively, take it from me!" Meta Knight called out to Mario. Yes, a puffball who wore his mask all the time was telling Mario nudity was always the answer. That doesn't necessarily account for going nude.
Meta Knight: I prefer my ideal woman to be naked, without clothes or undergarment - embracing her natural body and the curves of her body. But sometimes, you can't have nice things. Stupid societal standards.
Aerith, Cloud, and Sora were hanging out in the lounge with Lann, Reynn, and the Mirages the twins brought with them. Behemoth, Ifrit, Chocobo, Tomferry...these were the kind of Mirages Lann and Reynn summoned, in addition to the Mirages summoned earlier. What was truly remarkable was that Cloud was fine with Sora's presence...but only because he didn't want Lann and Reynn to assume he was a jerk by telling off the Keyblade wielder.
"Ha, never seen Tifa wearing a cowboy getup before," remarked Sora, kneeling down at a Tifa Lockhart Mirage, wearing a cowboy hat and skirt instead of the Advent Children attire Sora was used to. "Tifa and I used to kick butt together - we defeated an entire army of Heartless without breaking a sweat, and Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, and the Gullwings all pitched in to defeat the Heartless too!" And what about Aerith, she was a participant in the battle! Granted she didn't do any fighting, but Sora couldn't simply ignore her efforts.
"Well, uh...good for you, then," Lann awkwardly responded, scratching his head and wondering how Sora came up with such a strange story. Now he knew how Cloud felt about Sora. A blob of orange paint was splat unto Lann's face; Reynn giggled at her twin brother as he wiped the orange paint off. This orange paint came from none other than the female Inkling, who was engaged in a paint battle with the male Inkling that was carrying over into the lounge.
"Didn't Master Hand tell you kids no more paint battles indoors?" Aerith scolded the Inklings, with her hands on her hips - the Inklings ignored the flower girl, continuing on with their paint battle. "Must I bring up the last time you got paint all over the mansion? Mr. Game and Watch and the maids had to clean up after your mess, and Flora was so overwhelmed by it all that she even broke down in tears!"
"Not our fault Flora gets distressed easily from cleaning up paint," the male Inkling replied, hiding behind a couch shooting from his splattershot, and being on the lookout for the female Inkling. He should also be on the lookout for Dark Pit; the doppelganger wouldn't appreciate the Inkling talking junk about his...lovely friend. "She should find another job, let her sister Felicia do the work!"
"Found you!" exclaimed the female Inkling, finding her male counterpart behind the couch, as he splatted paint at him. "Don't think you could hide from me that easily!" The Inklings would continue their paint battle, leaving Cloud and company to hang out elsewhere.
"Eh, Master Hand will find these two and ground them or something," shrugged Cloud, as he was already making his exit out of the lounge. "Or he'll give them the benefit of the doubt and just have Mr. Game and Watch clean up the mess. Let's scram before we get caught up in the mix."
So Cloud, Aerith, Sora, and the twins left the lounge, leaving the Inklings to continue their paint battle and get paint all over the lounge, making Mr. Game and Watch's life harder in the process. However, the five wouldn't get that far, when Reynn felt that something was amiss...
"The Mirages, we completely forgot about the Mirages!" the girl panicked, as she ran back to the lounge to retrieve the cute chibi creatures...but they were nowhere to be found.
No longer in the lounge, the Mirages found themselves in some room, where Viridi was playing on some piano, and Pit was singing the word "obsolete" over and over again, like he was trying out for some downtown choir. Kirby was outside mowing the lawn, also singing "obsolete" repeatedly.
"Yes, I've found myself a legion...a legion of beings that will assist me in DELETING Brother Kuro for good!" Pit stopped singing, before addressing the Mirages gathered before him. "With Cloud and Aerith's friends, the Keepers of Mirages, having left the lounge, I struck upon the opportunity to bring you all here, so we can work together and DELETE Brother Kuro, robbing him of his soul! Would you like to participate also, Viridi?"
"No thanks Pit, I'll just remain here and practice my piano playing!" the goddess of nature happily responded. "My piano skills should be as INTOXICATING as possible!" How sweet of Viridi to be a part of Pit's shenanigans; when you're the girlfriend of an idiotic buffoon, you gotta make sacrifices!
Snake: *wearing Batman costume* This is SO much better than that gorilla costume...now when I go out in public, if that ever happens, I won't have to endure any Harambe jokes, or have people call me Harambe. Funny how it's been over a year since that gorilla got shot, and yet he's still treated as a folk hero. I've been shot multiple times before, where's MY folk hero status?!
Yoshi: *approaching Snake* Adam West, is that you, did Master Hand revive you from the dead? *gets out notepad and ink pen* May I have your autograph, good sir?
Snake: Yoshi, I'm not Adam West...it's me, Snake. I'm in incognito.
Yoshi: In that case...YO, KIRIA, SNAKE IS OVER HERE, COME AND GET HIM WHILE YOU CAN!
Snake: Stupid idiot! *runs away*
Layton and Luke, along with Sonic, Crash, Coco, and Aku, were rummaging in Seattle, looking for any traces of Team Flare. Sonic had two reasons for refusing to be here - one, he was very critical of Layton and Luke, and two, he refused to be seen with Coco, Tails's supposed girlfriend. But with Crash present, the hedgehog felt like tagging along. Oh, and Aku...he had no impact on Sonic whatsoever, he was just...there.
"Lovely weather we're having today, not a single cloud in the sky!" remarked Layton, looking up at the bright sun shining in his face. Sonic just looked at the detective with great disdain, shaking his head. He felt like sucker punching Layton when the opportunity arose, when nobody was looking.
"Here we are, looking for Team Flare grunts, or at least any form of evidence about that hotel explosion, and you're all, "Ooh, look at the sky, look how great the weather is, totally hype bro!' Sure man, just keep downplaying the matter at hand...basic man."
"Sometimes when you're doing busy things, you have to compliment on the bright and lively things about your day, it can't be all business. Like you're the one to call me 'basic man'...this coming from a hedgehog who only wears red shoes, never wearing the Jordans Tails gave him - the same Jordans YOU sold at your silly yard sale." This comeback from Layton was strong enough to elicit a reaction out of everyone - Luke went "Ooooh...", Crash pointed and laughed at Sonic, Coco covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, and Aku...just floated there, with a simple smile. Like he literally had no idea what just happened.
"For the record, nobody ever buys Jordans just to wear them - those are the kind of shoes that count as collectible items. The losers who wear the shoes just want to brag and show off and give away the false narrative that they're the best!"
"...this coming from a hedgehog who bragged about being the fastest mammal alive. What are you gonna say in retaliation about that? 'I'm just speaking facts.' There, I saved you from using a weak comeback attempt. You'll be thanking me later." Sonic was left speechless, Layton, Crash, and Coco were laughing at the hedgehog...and Aku was just...smiling, in an almost creepy way.
"Hey you guys, I think I've found a Team Flare grunt on this device!" Luke alerted everyone, glancing at the now-blinking radar on the tracking device, which had a map of the entire King county area. "According to this radar, the Team Flare grunt is spotted in the city's Chinatown-International district. Perhaps that's where they got the explosives for the hotel explosion?"
"Huh, I thought only only New York had a Chinatown, sounds like Seattle is just appeasing to their high Asian population," said Sonic, as Layton and Coco stared at the hedgehog, befuddled by his ignorance. Their attention would suddenly revert to a Landmaster flying over their heads, speeding through the Seattle skyline, with some trap music blasting loudly.
Piloting the Landmaster was Fox, and with him was Falco, Link, Midna, and some cameraman that was forced by the documentary crew to tag along. His passengers were treating him with respect...if you consider noogies and wet willies from Falco to be signs of respect.
"You know you could just fly over to the Riverpark Apartments, since that's where we're headed," Fox said to Midna, who had the ability to fly through stuff. Fox knew the location from asking Donkey Kong, who was told by Toad about where the meeting took place.
"Eh, don't really feel like it - I'm more interested in seeing how Falco's last minutes of righteousness turn out before he gets proven wrong," replied Midna, leering at a slightly nervous Falco. "Hope you enjoyed the last days with your stupid deep fryer, Falco..."
Donkey Kong: Found Falco's "secret" deep fryer in his room one time...used that thing many times afterwards to deep fry my bananas. *takes a bite from a deep fried banana* Anything is better deep fried anyways. Including non-food items, like this teddy bear! *takes a bite out of an apparently deep fried teddy bear, before grimacing* ...wait, isn't this Viridi's teddy bear? *looks around guiltily before dropping teddy bear and running off*
Fox would soon arrive at the destination, arriving at an apartment complex with some nice looking apartments. The group were at the Riverpark Apartments, where Toad's meeting with his fellow drug lords was to take place. Fox and company got out of the Landmaster, the trap music still playing as several folks near the apartments were giving the brawlers (and Midna) questionable looks.
"Just so people won't question our sanity again, we're never playing Migos again, you're not from Atlanta, mind you," Fox would say to Falco as the group began their search for Toad. Hopefully nobody ransacked Fox's Landmaster while the pilot was away.
Mario was still adamant on getting rid of that unflattering painting of him and Peach, but hardly anyone in the mansion refused to do anything with the artwork. Not even Master Hand, who kindly told Mario that burning the painting wouldn't even be worth it for him. However, Mario knew one person that would take the painting, and this person, like Meta Knight, had a fine hankering for fine arts...
"Samus, do you have-a any idea where Zelda might-a be?" Mario approached the bounty hunter, who was busy grooming Pichu in her room. Not only was Samus friends with Pikachu, she was also friends with Pikachu's pre-evolution buddy, it seemed like. "After all, you and-a Zelda are best friends, as one person told-a me..."
"How did you even...you know what, forget about it," Samus was about to question Mario, but decided to save it for another time, when she was in the mood. Kudos if you know the person that could've told Mario about Samus's lowkey best friend. "If you must know, Zelda is doing some dumb ninja initiation thingy with Greninja, Yuffie, and Asuka. You might find them in the backyard, or you might not find them at all...I don't care."
So Mario would take the painting with him to the backyard, where he would find Sheik, Yuffie, and Greninja gathered outside with Asuka. The three ninjas were letting the young peppy ninja join their ninja club, and if Asuka wanted in, she had to prove her worth first.
"You guys sure this is a good idea?" asked a blindfolded Asuka, as she was standing in the center with several sack dummies surrounding her. She was holding a long staff in her hand...she had to prove her worth to Sheik and company by pretending to be a butt-kicking monk?
"Of course it's a good idea, we did the same thing with Kirby...before we found out Kirby was just a phony," answered Yuffie, as she, Sheik, and Greninja were idly standing by, a safe distance from Asuka in the event the ninja started swinging like a madman and tried to kill someone with her staff. "You should never trust anyone who's a ninja only temporarily...though I deserve the blame for wanting to initiate Kirby in the first place. His cute, adorable face was too hard to resist!"
Sheik: Adding Asuka to our little ninja club would have been a done deal a long time ago - given her status as a Star Records member, we weren't sure whether to give the green light on Asuka or not. Then again, her only purpose on Microwave Idol Mamorin is to provide "fanservice", as Master Hand calls it, to the perverted men that watch Mamori's show, for "fanservice" reasons, so Asuka might not be a true member of Star Records after all...
"Don't start until we give you cue, I'll count you off," Sheik instructed Asuka, who still wasn't all that confident about this initiation. Wouldn't a truce be a better option than going ham on some sack dummies? "Are you ready for your initiation to begin, Asuka?" Asuka nodded her head, wearing nervousness on her face. "Okay then, here it goes...three...two..."
"Sheik, I have a problem-a on my hands!" Mario called out to the Hylian ninja, interrupting her count and at the worse possible moment too. A now angered Sheik turned to face Mario, and saw the painting...the bandages around her face were able to hide her cringe. "Sonic made-a Peach and I this-a painting, and I've been-a spending my entire day trying to dispose-a of it! Do you know what-a I can do? Please-a Sheik, you're my only hope..."
"Wow, I don't know what to do Mario, almost seems like burning the painting would be a no-go in my book...hint, hint."
"But I can't-a do that, Sonic will find out and then-a he'll gripe and moan and-a complain that his beloved painting was-a destroyed. I just want-a this painting gone, not allow the mansion to endure-a suffering from Sonic!" Sheik, Yuffie, and Greninja were all shocked...who knew Mario cared that much about the mansion residents?
"So you're saying that you're afraid of Sonic and how he'll react...give me a break. C'mon, Yuffie and Greninja, let's help Mario with his problem before he goes ballistic and does something completely desperate." So Yuffie and Greninja would follow Sheik, with Mario wheeling away the painting...and a particular ninja being left behind.
"Um, Sheik, are you gonna give me the cue or not?" Asuka asked after Sheik and company departed, still standing with the staff in her hands. Asuka was already feeling a vibe that the ninja trio was playing a prank on her, giving her hopes up, and not initiating her at all...and that was a sucky vibe.
It was safe to say that Dark Pit's time spent with Flora was, for the most part, limited. Flora was always busy and on task with her maid duties, and since the maid felt like doing housework was the only thing she was good at, she would devote her entire day perfecting her craft, even if it came at the risk of spending more quality time with Dark Pit.
While Flora was dusting off tables, cleaning the floors, or anything she was called to do, Dark Pit was walking through the mansion strutting his stuff. He would do this until he came across a bunch of small chibi creatures, gathered together in the hallway and creating a blockade for Dark Pit...those chibi creatures being the Mirages.
"Woah, what do we have here?" smirked Dark Pit, folding his arms and admiring the Mirages' cuteness. "A bunch of Final Fantasy characters, stuck in chibi form? How's it feel to be the small guy around here, Cloud?" If only Dark Pit knew...
"Brother Kuro, you fool, what you see before you is not Cloud, but rather a small representation of Cloud!" said Pit, who popped out of nowhere, with Kirby standing next to him, and the flying drone, Vanguard 1, hovering in the air. Dark Pit saw the angel and gritted his teeth, not wanting to put up with this foolishness again. "These are small creatures called Mirages, and they shall play a pivotal role in DELETING you from existence! Prepare to say your last words, Brother Kuro!"
Viridi: I've tried telling Pit to quit it with his "broken" madness, but he just won't listen to me...he keeps remaining in character, throughout the day, even when Lady Palutena takes him shopping for groceries. Luigi is through with Pit after the whole Charles incident, so now I'm controlling Pit's stupid drone...I want to tell Pit to stop what he's doing, but like I said, he won't listen... *sighs* ...still makes up for it with his cuteness, though.
"Do not fret, Dark Pit, for I...no, we...are your courage!"
Dark Pit, fearing for the worst, turned around and saw the Flying Man and Lucas, right on time. While Dark Pit didn't want the Flying Man's help, if he got rid of Pit for him, and it wouldn't matter.
"Pit, you think deleting 'Brother Kuro' might solve your problems, but if you want to delete him, you'll just have to delete us first!" proclaimed the Flying Man, as he and Lucas joined Dark Pit. The doppelganger could just go with Lucas, screw the Flying Man!
"You dare attempt to defy my broken brilliance?" questioned a disgusted Pit, who was left with no other choice but to use the Mirages. "Mirages, attack!" The Mirages would do as they were told, rushing towards Dark Pit and company, initiating a fight. The Flying Man and Lucas would be doing all the fighting though, as Dark Pit made a run for it.
"Keep up the good work, you guys!" the doppelganger would call out to his two compadres, as the Mirages were now getting the upper hand during the fight.
Dark Pit kept running, and he did so until he ran into Cloud and Lann. The swordsman and the Mirage Keeper were looking for the Mirages, and fortunately they ran into someone who knew where those creatures were.
"Pit, Kirby, Mirages, delete, fight, save me!" panted Dark Pit, almost out of breath, leaving Cloud to piece the words together. Lann, who wasn't exactly bright, had a hard time piecing the words together himself.
"Show us where the Mirages are," demanded Cloud, and so Dark Pit would lead Cloud and Lann to where the Mirages where, but once he returned...
...the Mirages, nor Lucas, the Flying Man, Pit, or Kirby were to be found!
Fox and company spent most of their time at the Riverpark Apartment complex, looking for any sign of Toad. They would find the presumed drug lord, gathered with other fellow Toads on some grassy terrain, behind the apartments. The brawlers...and Midna...assumed their hiding positions, as a Toad joined the meeting.
"Never seen so many generic Toads gathered in one location..." Fox muttered under his breath, as he counted over a dozen Toads gathered together. ".feels like I'm in a Sticker Star game. Or Color Splash. Only without Mario in the fancy gimmicks."
"Shh, the meeting is about to begin!" Midna shushed Fox, as a Toad wearing some fancy robe stood out from the crowd, with a smile on his face. Yup...all those Toads were definitely drug lords. They were perhaps discussing starting their own drug cartel.
"Looks like everyone is present, which means we'll now kick things off," the Toad addressed his fellow Toads, speaking to his drug lord buddies. "Well, we've waited fourteen months for today, and so we gotta make today count. And now, I have one question to ask you, and one question only...WHO'S READY TO GET THIS FRIDAY THE FIRST FESTIVAL STARTED?!"
To Fox and company's confusion, all the Toads erupted into cheers, as confetti started popping out and balloons were being raised in the air. The Toads were all celebrating - bouncing beach balls over their heads, forming conga lines and dancing, all sorts of stuff! Maybe Toad wasn't a drug lord after all...
"...so this is what Toad and his buddies do every Friday the 1st?" questioned Falco, as "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang was playing from who-knows-where. A pretty funny location for the Toads to have their festival, don't you think?
"I do believe you owe me a deep fryer, good sir," smirked Link, as Falco guiltily looked around, pretending he didn't know what Link was talking about. "Coming to this place, I had a feeling I would have the bet won..."
"If they randomly start singing 'We Are Number One' out of nowhere, we're heading back to the mansion ASAP," stated Fox, who wished to stick around to see what else this "Friday the First Festival" had to offer. "I'd never take any Toad seriously if they sing that song as part of their stupid festival."
Donkey Kong: Okay, just told Viridi about me deep frying her teddy bear. I apologized to her, and she accepted my apology - she said it was only because I wasn't a human. Understandably, she didn't want her teddy back after what I did to it, which means... *holds up deep fried teddy bear, and eats it in one gulp* ...there, I feel so much better now!
Fox and company would continue watching the "Friday the First Festival", as the Toads were now dancing to some Lionel Richie, the music blaring from some imaginary loudspeakers, it seemed like. Nothing the Toads were doing screamed "drug lord", which meant Falco was truly in the wrong this whole time.
The festival would be put on hold, however, when Falco's cellphone started blaring. And yes, it was trap music...very loud trap music, rather. Loud enough to halt the festival, as the Lionel Richie music paused and the Toads were looking around, all confused.
"Katt Monroe's at it again..." sighed Falco, as he took out his cellphone and put it on silent. When he looked up, he saw an angry mob of Toads, looking at him and the others, strangely holding pitchforks and torches. Those Toads sure acted fast!
"Good thing we bought some pitchforks and torches prior to the festival, for moments like these...now let's get those trespassers!" the lead Toad pointed at Fox and company, who all ran away as the Toads were now chasing them. But much credit to the Toads for coming prepared, though!
Layton and his accomplices were in Seattle's Chinatown distract, looking for any signs of Team Flare. The district wasn't as concentrated and crowded, which raised the likelihood of finding someone with red hair, red glasses, and a red suit. The required dress code for all Team Flare grunts.
"Ha ha ha!" exclaimed Crash, showing off some dragon head he was wearing to Sonic. The bandicoot purchased this dragon head with money Coco gave him - the head wasn't heavy enough to make him topple over.
"Gotta admit Crash, you look kinda scary wearing that thing on!" Sonic complimented the bandicoot on his scariness, taking note of the dragon head's intimidating frown and scowl. "If only Layton was scary, instead of being boring all the time..." Sonic turned around, and was spooked by Layton, his eyes wide open while wearing a duck bill on his face. Sonic shrieked as he fell unto the ground; Layton chuckled as he took the duck bill off of him.
"Still think I'm the most boring person in existence, Sonic?" the detective asked the hedgehog, who was recuperating from his shock as he got back on his feet and dusted himself off, his heart rate at a rapid pace. Sonic was about to say something, until Coco and Luke showed up.
"Professor Layton, we've found the Team Flare grunt in the Chinatown district - and they're with another fellow grunt as we speak!" Luke informed the detective, still using Snake's tracking device. "They're located behind the China Gate restaurant."
Luke and Coco would guide Layton, Sonic, and Crash to the back of the China Gate restaurant, where they would find two dudes having a private conversation with one another. Both had red hair, and were wearing red suits, and had on red glasses - definite Team Flare grunts.
"Any word about the ally at the Smash Mansion?" the first Team Flare grunt asked. An ally at the Smash Mansion? Just who could this ally be?
"Nope, haven't really heard anything ever since the mansion had that Sweeny Todd play, wish I was there," replied the second Team Flare grunt, as Layton and company were listening closely with attentive ears. "But Lysandre told us specifically to remain in Seattle, until further notice."
"And what about Malva? Spotted her last week, don't know what she was doing, or why she was even in town...you think Lysandre might have something to do with her presence?"
"Doubt it, unless Lysandre let her back in Team Flare and had her do some lowkey reconnaissance mission. That could be the reason."
Team Flare Grunt: When you're committing evil deeds, and doing evil stuff, you gotta do it... *strikes a pose* ...in style. Everything we do at Team Flare is in style, from her fashion sense, to the way we carry ourselves...Why isn't our leader Lysandre as fashionable as us? Well, it's hard for him to be fashionable at all with his goofy hair, his Pyroar-looking self...don't tell him I said that, I don't want to get fired!
"Yeah, Lysandre and Malva possibly made up and we just didn't know it," said the first Team Flare grunt, before looking to his right and saw Layton and company, spying on him and his partner. "Wait a second! A blue hedgehog with red shoes...a tall British guy with a top hat...an orange-furred bandicoot and his sister..."
"...these must be the mansion residents our ally once told us about!" the second Team Flare grunt pointed at Layton and company, who all backed away. "Oh, you think you punks can try and run away?! Well think again!"
Both Team Flare grunts got out their Poke Balls, and sent out their Pokemon - a Houndoom, a Mightyena, and two Golbats. Golbats were a common staple for evil Pokemon grunts everywhere.
"Oh man, just wait until we tell Lysandre that we took care of some peons from the mansion, he'll be so proud of us!" the first Team Flare grunt said, feeling more excited than he should. "We'll be the most successful Team Flare grunts since...since...since ever!"
"You guys know what to do...RUN!" shouted Sonic, as he and the others ran away from the Team Flare grunts and their Pokemon. A lot of running taking place in this week's episode...
Captain Falcon, throughout the week, was nervous that the word about him dancing with Malva would somehow make it to Nowi, and the half-Manakete would break up with the racer. But fortunately for Falcon, that wouldn't be the case, as he was hanging out with Nowi in the gaming room, reeling sorta relieved.
Little did Captain Falcon and Nowi know that somebody was spying on them, peeking through the gaming room entrance unseen. This spy was Jakob, who said in an earlier episode that he would be spying on Dark Pit and Flora. Now he was taking his spying talents to Captain Falcon and Nowi...did the butler have some sort of fascination with cross-canon relationships involving Fire Emblem characters? Or was it something deeper than that?
"Jakob, Jakob, we need-a your help!" Mario ran to the butler, wheeling the painting with the three ninja pals - Sheik, Yuffie, and Greninja - behind him. "I've been trying to get-a rid of this painting all day, but-a to no avail! I thought Sheik and-a her friends could help-a me, but none-a of their methods worked!"
"May I ask why Peach is naked?" said Jakob, looking inquisitively at the painting and stroking his chin. "Also, whose bright idea was it to make a damning rendition of The Creation of Adam, and include you and Peach in it?"
"Mario said it was mainly Sonic's doing," stated Sheik; Jakob found very little reason for him to ask further questions.
"Hmm, that really explains everything. Only Sonic would think making this painting would be a brilliant idea. Gotta wonder what goes on in his head sometimes." Suddenly a loud shriek was heard, and it came from downstairs, too. "How about we see what's going on downstairs first?"
Mario, Jakob, and the ninja crew headed downstairs, and headed to the room where the shriek came from. Once inside, the five found Viridi playing on a piano, Pit singing off-key, and Lucas and the Flying Man, tied up together with the Mirages surrounding them. Pit and Viridi took sight of Mario and company, as Viridi stopped playing the piano.
"Ah, you all must've came to partake in my broken brilliance, to join me in the Great War!" said Pit, his arms raised out in the air. "Or, you're here to suffer a fate similar to Lucas and the Man of Flying...meeting your end from the Mirages!"
Viridi: The "Man of Flying"...the "Man of Flying"...why do I even...
"Pit, with the jurisdiction bestowed in Mario and I by Master Hand, we command you to release Lucas and the Flying Man, and stop with this broken foolishness!" commanded Jakob, pointing at Pit with authority. But Pit did not know authority.
"Like you can talk to me like that, man who has yet to be named the official butler of the Mansion of Smash!" retorted Pit, ready to use his magical powers on Mario and Jakob...if he even had magical powers to begin with. "Don't make me have Vanguard 1 fire lasers at you!"
"A silly drone-a firing lasers at us, we're-a so scared..." Mario mocked Pit, pretending to be scared and angering the angel in the process. "Why waste your time-a with your drone...when you could-a get a load of this-a instead!" Mario would reveal to Pit and Viridi the painting - a piece of artwork enough to scar Pit's innocence, while Viridi looked away.
"AUGH, MY EYES, I WAS IN NO WAY PREPARED FOR THIS!" screamed Pit, squinting his eyes, as Mario and company made most of the opportunity, untying and releasing Lucas and the Flying Man, before gathering the Mirages and making their exit.
Layton and company were still running away from the Team Flare grunts and their Pokemon, with Sonic leading the way. The hedgehog looked up, and saw the Landmaster flying in the sky...albeit with many Toads on the flying vehicle, stabbing it with their pitchforks and torches.
"You guys see that?" Sonic asked the others, pointing up at the Landmaster. "Aren't those Toads violating a safety hazard of some sort?"
"Like you're the one to talk about safety hazards, Sonic!" replied Coco, not caring to look up at the Landmaster. Getting away from the Team Flare grunts was a much higher priority at hand.
"Luke, can you look at that device and see how far we are from the mansion?" Layton would ask his apprentice; this was by far the most physical thing the professor had ever done in his life.
"We're only a few miles away from the mansion - good chance Fox and Falco will beat us there!" replied Luke, looking at the device. Not unless the raging Toads bring the Landmaster down.
The Flying Man, who preached helping and saving others, got a taste of his own medicine, after Mario and company saved him from the maniacal Pit. Now the mythical beast and Lucas were in the foyer with their rescuers, the painting, and the Mirages.
"Yuffie for the last time, we're not selling the Mirages online, they already belong to someone," Sheik would say to Yuffie, who apparently wanted to make a profit off of the chibi creatures. "Did Aerith not tell you about the Mirage Keepers bringing the Mirages to the mansion?"
"Pretty sure she only told Cloud instead - I only found it by eavesdropping," stated Yuffie, as Jakob analyzed the painting of Mario and Peach, shaking his head. "And why can't we sell them online, we could profit from their cuteness! We could sell Kirby online if we wanted to!"
Yuffie: Selling Kirby online won't violate any human rights, what with Kirby being just a pink puffball...so what's there to lose?
In almost the blink of an eye, Sonic ran inside the mansion, running through the front door before speeding through the foyer. The hedgehog would return to the foyer, however, to address what was going on.
"I was doing stuff with Layton and Chinatown, looking for evidence and whatnot, when we saw some Team Flare grunts that are now hunting us down," the blue blur would explain. "Or they were hunting me down, or me rather - Layton and the others were running too slow for my taste, so I had to outrun them so I wouldn't be seen in public with a bunch of slowpokes. If they ask, tell them I fell off the wayside and fell into the water and got washed away. They'll believe it!" Sonic ran to his room, leaving the others slightly bewildered.
"Some trouble is clearly heading towards our way..." remarked the Flying Man, "and I don't believe I'm in any capacity to deal with any Team Flare grunts on my own, or their Pokemon for their matter." Lucas nudged the Flying Man, grabbing his attention. "What is it, my dear lad?"
"Why can't we just get these Mirages to do the work for us instead?" the PSI whiz suggested, and that got the Flying Man thinking...
Having been "betrayed" by Sonic, Layton and company finally reached the mansion, down to their last breath as the stumbled, coming to a stop so they could all catch their breath. The only person who was fine was Aku, who had simply floated to the mansion with ease.
"I may sweat buckets, but it's a good thing I can't sweat from floating too much!" exclaimed the floating mask, garnering glares from Crash and the others. Just then, the two Team Flare grunts and their Pokemon - Houndoom, Mightyena, and their Golbats - arrived at the Smash Mansion, striking a pose.
"Got you right where we want you..." one of the grunts snarled, looking stylish and cool even with a sweaty face. "All that running you did paid off - you practically led us to the mansion, where our ally is located!"
"Tell us who this ally of yours is this instant!" demanded a sweaty Layton, refusing to end today's investigation without any substantial information. An ally at the mansion was only a tipping point for Layton.
"Like we'll tell you who the ally is that easily...but we can tell you that soon that mansion will be blown up to smithereens, and Mario, and Peach, and their in-laws, and pretty much everyone else will suffer! Actually, I don't think I was supposed to say that...but oh well. Now, to take care of some business..."
Before any business could be taken care of, the Flying Man burst out of the front door, with authority, but he didn't come out alone...standing at his feet were the Mirages, all ready and positioned for battle.
"Are we...supposed to be scared of them?" the other Team Flare grunt asked the Flying Man, confused. Almost felt like laughing. "They're so small, and harmless, I could kick one of them far away...this isn't even worth a fight. Houndoom, use Fire Blast...I guess..."
"MIRAGES, ATTACK!" ordered the Flying Man, as the Mirages all advanced towards Houndoom and the other Pokemon, attacking them with their weapons and magic and such. Some Mirages attacked the Pokemon, while the others went after the Team Flare grunts. It was a great effort all around.
As the beating continued, and the Flying Man proudly watched the Mirages with his arms folded, Layton and company went inside the mansion, as the Landmaster smoothly landed in the driveway, with the Toads still hanging on. The Toads were giving Fox a hard time piloting his vehicle.
Fox: Remind me to purchase an invisibility feature for my Landmaster so nobody will attack it again...I don't care how expensive it might be.
The vicious beatdown would come to a close, when all four Pokemon were down for the count, and both Team Flare grunts were battered and bruised. Clearly they had enough of the Mirages, as they returned their Pokemon back to their Poke Balls and slowly got away.
"Lysandre's plan will go through sooner than you think...just you wait and see!" the Team Flare grunt vowed to the Flying Man, as he and his partner ran off, losing like the other grunts were typically accustomed to.
"Don't ever underestimate the power of cuteness!" the Flying Man called out to the grunts, shaking his fist. The Mirages, after a job well done, saw the Landmaster, and saw the Toads wrecking havoc on it, and knew what they had to do...
Without any command from the Flying Man, the Mirages attacked the Toads, possibly because they sensed the Toads were being troublemakers, and any troublemaker in the Mirages' presence was bound to pay, as the Team Flare grunts had just learned. The Toads, saving themselves from any trouble, quickly got off the Landmaster, dropped their weapons, and ran off, and Fox, sensing that the coast was clear, exited the Landmaster, along with Falco, Link, and Midna.
"The fact that those Toads bought their own pitchforks and torches is the most asinine thing I've heard all week," remarked Fox, getting out of his vehicle, before seeing that one Toad was left...the Toad who led the festival, wearing his fancy robe. "State your business, tell us why you're here and what that festival was all about!" demanded Fox, pointing his Blaster at the Toad, who was left unfazed.
"Fox, what has gotten into you...it's me, your buddy Toad!" exclaimed the Toad, who was actually named...well, Toad. "That Friday the First Festival is a thing I do with my other fellow Toad buddies! It's a little something we do every Friday the 1st."
"But why did you keep it a secret, how come you would just tell everyone that it was just a meeting?" asked Falco, not ready yet to give up his deep fryer. "I thought you were a drug lord, doing sneaky things?"
"Me, being a drug lord?" Toad laughed at this thought, possibly thinking Falco was an idiot. "You think just because I'm associated with mushrooms that I sell drugs to others? Give me a break! And technically, the festival is a meeting...a fun meeting, but a meeting nonetheless!"
"Oh, okay then, gotcha. Glad we got that cleared up. Sucks that I'll have to lose my deep fryer to Link because of this...it's a long story."
Fearing that their Mirages were lost forever, Lann and Reynn returned to the foyer, looking for any signs of the creatures...but when Lann stepped foot in the foyer, he gasped when he saw not Jakob, but rather Mario, the famous plumber.
"Mario!" the teen approached Mario, shaking his hand eagerly as Reynn looked on. "I've heard great things about you, and it's so cool getting to see you in person and..." Lann saw the painting next to Mario, and gasped yet again. "Is this a painting of you and Peach...with Peach naked?! Can I have it, please?!"
"Why would you want a painting like that - a princess lying naked is NOT in your taste!" scolded Reynn, with her hands on her hips. But Lann didn't care, as long as Mario was in the painting.
"You're a girl, of course you would be objected to any naked woman in art." Reynn would roll her eyes, as Lann returned his attention to Mario. "I'm willing to take this painting from you if you don't want it, Mario."
"Then-a go on ahead, be my guest!" replied Mario, as Lann took the painting and wheeled it over to his side. Where the heck will the teen put the painting at?
Lann: The painting would look great at the coffee shop, especially if we hang it outside. It'll bring a lot of customers...
Reynn: *shaking her head* That painting is going to be shredded soon. Or burned. Either will do.
The Flying Man would return to the mansion with the Mirages, along with Fox, Falco, Link, Midna, and Toad. Lann and Reynn were obviously delighted to see the Mirages, safe and sound and in one peace.
"Sweet, you found our Mirages for us!" exclaimed Lann, as Reynn counted the Mirages to ensure that all of them were present. "Thanks a bunch, flying bird dude!"
"That's the Man of Flying to you!" responded the Flying Man energetically, before realizing the error he made. "...I mean, the Flying Man. Stupid Pit..."
Later that day, when Link was deep frying stuff with the deep fryer Falco gave him, there was a visitor that came to the mansion, ringing the doorbell. Layton would answer the door, surprised to see a person of interest in the previous episode...
"Glad to meet you in person, Professor Herschel Layton," greeted Malva, the Pokemon trainer who once had ties to Team Flare. "Malva's the name, but I'm pretty sure you've already known me from somewhere."
"Good evening to you, Malva," Layton would return the greeting with a hat tip. "I am very much familiar with who you are, what you do, and your status as a Kalos Elite Four member. So what brings you to the mansion?"
"Funny you should mention that - I saw you and your apprentice and a few others in the Chinatown district, and I saw the Team Flare grunts chasing you out of the district with their Pokemon. Tried my best not to get myself involved..."
"Now I must ask you...why were you at Chinatown in the first place? And at the club Captain Falcon went to last week? I mean, I'm not entirely sure if Falcon was at the club to begin with, or if he got drunk and was imagining things..."
"Captain Falcon was at the club, I saw him in plain sight too." Malva looked around, before saying the following in a quiet tone: "Been spying on Team Flare out of my own curiosity, they've been popping up within the city and the city limits. Looking for clues, just like you are. And speaking of clues..."
Malva would give Layton a clue she found herself - a pair of glasses, dusty to the point where the color could not be distinguished. Layton would accept the glasses from Malva, inspecting them closely.
"Can't tell you where I found those glasses, but I saw them at some site where a bunch of Team Flare grunts were gathered. Thought you might want to hold on to them, just for convenience sake's. Oh, and about Captain Falcon...I need you to watch him very closely. Although he wasn't really in the wrong, he is a part of setup that will be initiated later...a setup I felt stupid and ashamed to be a part of."
"What do you possibly mean by that, what is this setup about?" asked Layton, but Malva wouldn't answer, as she took a step away from the front door.
"That's all I have to share with you, for today at least. I'll keep you posted in the following weeks, if I can. Just stay safe and out of trouble, like I should've done!" And on that remark, Malva closed the front door, and left the mansion for good, as Layton stared at the glasses in his hand.
Things were suddenly starting to take shape...