Author's Note:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is released today, so I've included the main characters in this chapter. To make things easier, the events of XC2 have already happened. Hopefully this chapter is devoid of spoilers. The anonymous reviewer who has been supplying me with ideas since the beginning of this year asked if I would do anything for XC2...and I granted their wish. Let's see what else they had to say...
"Will the Resident Evil characters show up when the Resident Evil VII Gold Edition game comes out? Where does Meta Knight keep the Halberd parked? Have any characters or references from Kirby: Planet Robobot appeared yet?"
Sounds like a good idea. Meta Knight keeps his Halberd parked...somewhere, I dunno. And Planet Robobot characters haven't appeared yet.
Before I conclude this author's note, I posted a new poll on my profile page. Feel free to vote if you like...
Episode 102: Favors
With Thanksgiving out of the way, and everyone likely stuffed from eating too much turkey and stuffing, it was time for the Smash Mansion residents to focus on the last holiday of 2017, the most wonderful time of the year...Christmas.
It was a holiday well adored by everyone...well, almost everyone, if you take Cloud, Samus, and Meta Knight into account. It was a holiday in which Master Hand loved to see the disappointed faces of residents opening their gifts on Christmas Day. The giant hand was usually the one who bought the gifts, and with Star Records raking in a lot of dough this year, there was a likelihood Master Hand would return to his money-stealing ways, just to put a bunch of smiles and frowns on residents' faces.
Every year at the mansion, the residents would engage in a special Christmas tradition known as Secret Santa. The rules were very simple - you pick a name from a name of bags, and whoever name you drew, you had to get that person a Christmas gift. You weren't allowed to reveal the name you drew until everyone drew a name...Sonic typically messed up this rule for everyone.
With the mansion being more populated this Christmas time compared to last year, Master Hand imagined that it would be necessary for the Secret Santa festivities to be held today. So he gathered everyone in the meeting room, and extended an invitation to Amy and Fiora to join, since they frequented the mansion. Mario, Luigi, and their folks were also invited to partake in Secret Santa.
"Never did a Secret Santa before, how does it work?" asked Sora, who was once put on Santa Claus' naughty list. He told the others how he was on the naughty list because he was told that Santa did not exist, and he would share this information with his friends.
"Basically you just draw a name of some person, and you have to buy that person a gift," Cloud explained the rules for Sora, although he didn't feel like it. But Sora had to learn somehow. "You can't reveal that person until everyone draws a name. Sonic messed that up for us last year, and we had to start all over again."
"Fortunately we won't have to worry about a repeat this year," said Knuckles, who duct taped Sonic's mouth against the hedgehog's will. Sonic was trying to speak, but his words were inaudible thanks to the duct tape. "No way we're starting over!"
Knuckles: Last year I had to buy a gift for Lucina. It was annoying...the process of buying Lucina's gift, I mean. Chrom kept nagging me day in and day out, telling me the things Lucina likes and asking me what I'm gonna get her. I hope and pray that I don't draw Lucina's name ever again, because it nearly got to the point where I almost conspired to kill Chrom, and put the blame on my roommate Yoshi. It was that bad.
"Is everyone ready?" Isabelle asked everyone in the meeting room, entering with a bag of names inside. Master Hand entered behind the shih tzu, and assumed his position at the front of the meeting room. "Alright then, let's get started!"
Isabelle would start with Mario, going around the meeting room until she reached the final person, Ike. Because the urge was too hard for him to resist - and since he had duct tape on his mouth to prevent any potential spoiling - Sonic took a peek at the name he drew, only to make a loud audible sound. Sounded like he was trying to let out a big "NO!".
"Has everyone drawn a name?" asked Isabelle, as several people nodded. Sonic, on the other hand, shook his head no, for some reason. "You're now free to see whose name you drew, so go ahead!" So everyone took a glance at their slip of paper, as the residents were discussing what names they drew.
"Aw what, I got Jigglypuff!" complained the male Inkling, throwing his slip of paper on the table as the female Inkling pointed and laughed at him. "How did she get to participate?!"
"I drew Bowser's name..." remarked Lara, in an extremely deadpan tone. Too late to do Secret Santa over again? "That's just...great."
"Ooh I got Corrin's name, this will be TOO easy!" exclaimed Red the Pokemon Trainer. Some Star Wars merchandise would be enough to satisfy Corrin.
"I got Luigi, whoop-de-freaking-doo," announced Samus, quickly tossing her slip of paper into the nearest trash can. "I should just get my Secret Santa gift online, just to get it out of the way..."
"Fiora?" Cortex raised an eyebrow, reading the name he drew. "Fiora?" the mad scientist repeated. "Just who in the blazing heck is Fiora?!" A now offended Fiora looked at Cortex, distraught.
"So Sonic, whose name did you drew?" Tails asked his best friend, who still had duct tape on his mouth. Tails would (gently) rip it off, and once Sonic realized that he could speak again...
"I GOT PRINCESS PEACH!" the hedgehog yelled out loud for everyone to hear, before throwing a tantrum. Suddenly, a select number of residents started to sympathize for poor Sonic.
Amy: *with Sonic crying on her shoulder* It's not so much that finding a gift for Peach is stressful...it's just that Peach, well, kinda has ridicolously high standards for Christmas gifts, and birthday gifts as well. It could be the reason why Mario didn't really purchase any wedding gifts for Peach, because of how Peach might react...I should know, I got Peach a birthday gift one year, and she didn't like it, and then...some stuff happened. I hate going into the grimy details...
Peach: I do not understand, why does nobody want to buy me gifts? I mean, what's the worst I could possibly do?
MegaMan .EXE: The person I drew is Viridi - I already have the gift card I printed from Zero's printer, so you won't see me doing any shopping!
Akuma: Apparently drawing Lucina's name in Secret Santa is a bad thing...the moment I showed my slip of paper to Falco, he cringed at the sight of Lucina's name, and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Several others did the same. Asked Berkut about it, and he told me that the residents were just psyching me out, because it's my first time doing Secret Santa at the mansion. Pretty silly reason, if you ask me.
Once he got his depression over drawing Peach's name out of his system, Sonic returned to his happy, usual self, walking through the mansion hallways with his ever confident smile. On his way to the gaming room, where he expected to see Amy there, he saw Hisui, who due to some humiliating events in the previous episode, now went by an embarrassing moniker...
"Ay, what's good ilikehotgirls86!" Sonic addressed the young man, who glared at the hedgehog. Knuckles, against the order of Tails, would share Hisui's daily messaging username with others during the Thanksgiving feast, and soon enough, almost everyone was fully aware of Hisui's pen name.
"Did I not tell you bubs not to call me that anymore?" frowned Hisui, wanting to give Sonic a piece of his mind. "It's bad enough Knuckles revealed that name during the feast, and it's even worse that Kohaku mocks me in our room. To be picked on by your younger sister...a very sucky feeling, man."
"Hey, it's not my fault you not only fibbed that you had friends, but also stalked them online and wanted them to be your 'friends' so they could come over to the mansion. But I will admit, that Milla chick was pretty great company. Despite her being sheltered. She appeared sheltered to me, at least, especially when she saw Yoshi for the first time."
"Whoever said that I was stalking them online, I was just following them! Wasn't like I was saying inappropriate stuff to intimidate them." Sonic just rolled his eyes at Hisui's claim, still under the belief that he was stalking.
"Yeah yeah yeah, believe what you wanna believe...I'll just head to the arcade room, while I let you continue in your stalking ways." Sonic continued his way to the gaming room, as Hisui glared at him one last time. "Just don't stalk in real life, it might be more easy but the consequences are more harsh!"
"Who does that hedgehog think I am..." murmured Hisui, as he walked away shaking his head.
While everyone had a swell Thanksgiving, the same couldn't be said for Shulk, who was stabbed at Mario's Thanksgiving dinner. The Homs asked Lara to pass him a knife, and Lara, riddled with post-traumatic stress disorder since her perilous adventures in Yamatai, was triggered upon seeing the knife and stabbed Shulk's hand. Apparently Lara thought Shulk was some guy from a demented cult plotting to kill her, and she stabbed the Homs' hand with much aggression and force.
Thanks to Leia, Shulk's hand was bandaged, and the Homs - and Lara - moved on from the incident. Now Shulk was with Fiora and Dunban in the living room, decorating the Christmas tree Dunban had purchased. Let's hope that the Christmas tree doesn't catch on fire this time...
Red: Remember, boys and girls - training your fire-type Pokmeon indoors is NEVER a good idea. Unless you want firefighters to come to your house and question your sanity. Just train your normal-type Pokemon instead, they're always the safest bet.
"Still can't believe Cortex doesn't even know my name..." said Fiora, as she placed the star on toe top of the tree. Dunban had to hold the ladder steady. "I know we've seen each other before...maybe Cortex has trouble remembering names."
"Cortex could still be learning a few names here and there, or he just has bad memory," said Dunban. Cortex has been living at the mansion since September - quit making up lousy excuses for the man, Dunban. "Even the brightest evil genius can have terrible memory!"
"If Cortex was an evil genius, he would have already defeated his arch nemesis," stated Shulk, hanging the ornaments on the tree. "Same could possibly be said for Dr. Eggman and several others." Suddenly, Shulk felt some grumbling in his tummy; his stomach really needed some food. "All this tree decorating is making me hungry...you two keep on working, I'll grab a bite to eat from the kitchen."
So Shulk left Dunban and Fiora be, as he went to the kitchen. On his way there, he slipped on a banana peel, likely felt on the floor by Diddy Kong. Bowser, who happened to walk by with his pet Baby Yoshi in his arm, saw Shulk slip on the floor and in a rare moment of breaking character...helped Shulk up to his feet!
"Shulk, my man, are you okay?" the koopa king asked the Homs, strangely concerned for his safety. Was Bowser suddenly turning over a new leaf, or was there another reason behind his nice gesture?
"I'm okay Bowser, just slipped on the floor, that's all," smiled Shulk, quickly recovering from his fall like a G. "Nothing serious. Didn't break any bones or limbs. I should be just fine."
"Good to hear Shulk, good to hear! Now if you excuse me, I have to give my Baby Yoshi a bath. Yoshi never said anything about how to bathe Baby Yoshis, but I'll figure it out on my own. Life is all about figuring out things. Man, that would be a great quote..." Bowser walked away with his pet Baby Yoshi, as Shulk looked on with a strange look. Why was Bowser being nice to him all of a sudden..?
Following his encounter with Bowser, Shulk went to the kitchen, and upon arrival, he saw Palutena, preparing some lunch, and Alph, fixing himself a glass of water. The goddess of light and the astronaut all saw Shulk at the same time, and both were...delighted. What gives?
"Well look who arrived - it's the Shulkster!" exclaimed Alph, coining one of the corniest times you could address someone as. "As you can see, I'm fixing myself a glass...can I fix you one too?"
No thank you Alph, I didn't come here for a drink," replied Shulk, unnerved by Alph's offer. Why was the astronaut so excited about the prospect of fixing a glass of water for Shulk. "Needed something to eat, that's all. Feeling kinda hungry!"
"How about some ramen noodles, that should satisfy your hunger!" exclaimed Palutena, as she completely stopped what she was doing and grabbed a bowl of microwavable ramen noodles from the kitchen cabinet. The goddess then placed the ramen noodles in the microwave, set the time, and pressed start. As Palutena waited for the microwaving to be done, Shulk couldn't help but notice that Alph was looking at him...rather intensely. Like the astronaut was starstruck, like he was standing in the presence of Morgan Freeman or some other big-name actor. Once the noodles were done, Palutena happily gave the noodles to Shulk.
"Uh, thanks for the noodles, Lady Palutena," thanked Shulk, looking over to see if Alph was still staring at him...and he still was. "Was gonna get myself some pork mignon, but this will do...can I get some chopsticks, please?"
"Anything for you, Shulk!" replied Palutena, fetching Shulk some chopsticks. And Alph was still staring at the Homs. "Here are your chopsticks - enjoy the noodles!" Shulk nodded and walked away, overwhelmed with the scary feeling that Alph was still looking at him.
Shulk: First Bowser helped me up off the floor, which is...is very unlike him. Then Palutena prepares for me a bowl of ramen noodles, and Alph...he was just looking at me with starstruck eyes, and a smile that was just as spooky. Throughout the week, people have been treating me nicely - opening doors for me, ironing my clothes, even giving me breakfast in bed! It's not because of my injured hand, is it?
Shulk would return to the living room, and he saw Fiora finishing his job for him, hanging the ornaments. Dunban was watering the Christmas tree when he looked up and saw Shulk, eating his noodles.
"So you went with some ramen noodles, eh?" grinned Dunban, down on one knee. "Wise choice, my friend, wise choice indeed!"
"Lady Palutena was kind enough to prepare some for me," explained Shulk, who wanted some pork mignon instead. "...just like how she was kind enough to give me seconds after dinner yesterday. Everyone is being nice to me this week...I suspect some foul play going on...
With the money they raised from Star Records, Fox and Falco both agreed to purchase something they could share together - something they could enjoy. They had a lot of options in mind - an RV, a gold Ferrari, even a Lamborghini just like Master Hand's. The options were endless, and were for more than the Star Fox pilots expected.
So what did Fox and Falco ultimately decide upon, you ask? They decided to purchase...a yacht! A fairly small yacht, to be exact, since they didn't want master Hand to feel all jealous and by an even larger yacht, just for himself. Fox and Falco were giving their yacht a "test run" on the mansion lake, and invited the two mansion maids - Felicia and Flora - to join them on their boat.
"I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!" Fox, standing at the bow of the yacht with his arms out wide, shouted out for the entire world to hear...or rather everyone that was in proximity. "Oh yeah, that was perhaps my best attempt, now I'll be ready when we take this bad boy out to sea..." Fox looked behind him, and saw Flora, cleaning up some bird poop that landed on the yacht with a rag. "Flora, what are you doing, why aren't you enjoying life? Why are you cleaning?"
"I didn't want your boat to be dirty, so I had to clean the excrement ASAP," explained Flora, after she was done with her job. "Wanted your new boat to be in tip top shape! That's my job, to clean..."
"No, Flora, it's okay, you don't have to do your job anymore!" Upon hearing this, Flora began to hyperventilate; she considered her maid work and cleaning duties to be the only things she was good at, and if she was disallowed from doing them...then her life would essentially be over. "While you're on the yacht, at least. All that cleaning stuff can come later, once we head back to shore."
"I-I d-don't have to...d-do m-m-my job...a-a-anymore..." Reitaring the words Fox said, Flora slowly collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands and sobbed away. Falco and Felicia, hearing Flora's sobs, exited the main deck, and saw the maid, with Felicia rushing over to Flora and comforting her sister.
"What's wrong Flora, who upset you?" Felicia asked her twin sister, not receiving an answer, before looking up at Fox. "Fox, were you the one responsible? How could you possibly make my sister cry?! Do you know how sensitive she is?!"
"I just told that girl to relax and unwind, and not have to worry about cleaning anything," stated Fox, his arms up in the air. "Excuse me for telling her to enjoy herself and not be so preoccupied with their maid duties!"
Flora: This is it, Felicia, I'm done for...I'm no longer allowed to continue with my maid duties...the only thing I'm good at, aside from cleaning...if I'm not allowed to be a maid...then what am I even good for?! *breaks down into tears*
Felicia: Take it easy Flora, Fox didn't really mean it...I'm sure he just didn't want you cleaning just for the moment, not forever! And if anyone has the authority to relieve you of your duties, it's Master Hand. He's more powerful and authoritative than anyone!
Fox: Since I apparently upset Flora, does that mean Corrin will write a letter to his folks in Nohr and tell them what I did? Will Garon bring me to Nohr and persecute me, because of what I did to Flora?
Falco: Nah, can't see Corrin being a snitch...I've seen his letters before, he blindly tells Garon that living at the mansion is like living in paradise, contrary to popular belief. And I'm sure Garon wouldn't care anyways, he'd probably be like, "Oh, Flora cried again, not a shocker". The Nohrian family must be pretty familiarized with how soft Flora is.
"I think Falco is speaking the truth - Flora has to blow everything out of proportion, as usual," Falco gave his take, before looking out before him and seeing Mario, in his front lawn with Poochy, flying a kite. And it irked the avian pilot greatly. "Bruh, Mario, why you flying a kite outside, who flies their kite in the winter?" Falco called out to the plumber.
"Wouldn't flying a kite during the spring-a and summer months be too-a 'mainstream'?" retorted Mario, giving Falco a taste of his own medicine. As the plumber did the quotation mark hand gesture, the kite handle fell out of his hand, and the kite flew away in the cold breeze. Poochy tried to alert Mario by barking.
"Uh oh, Mario, the kite's getting away!" Cappy alerted the plumber, as Mario turned around and saw the kite flying away. "Better hope it doesn't get stuck in a tree, or in some electrical power lines! That would be dangerous!"
"Mama mia!" exclaimed Mario, as he chased after his kite, running as far as his legs could carry him. Eventually he would catch up with the kite, a fair distance away from the mansion, and grabbed the kite before it flew up in a nearby tree. "Phew, that was a close-a one!" remarked Mario, wiping away the sweat from his forehead.
Just as Mario was about to head back, he saw two individuals standing near the tree that caught his attention. One was a brown-haired boy in blue attire, the other was a red-haired girl wearing skimpy red attire. Out of curiosity, Mario went over to eavesdrop on the two, to hear their discussion.
"We have to find a way to get back to Elysium, before it's too late..." said the boy, decked in his armor. "We shouldn't have stayed on this earth for a long time."
"But how do we even get back to Elysium?" asked the girl, as Mario inched a bit closer. All this talk about Elysium was interesting. "There's absolutely no mode of transportation for us to use. Even if there was..."
"This earth has a funny way of doing things, that's for sure. Living in a world without Titans is a little strange for me, to say the least. Regardless, I'm sure there is a way for us to return to...AUGH!" The boy jumped in fright when he saw Mario, a little too close for comfort.
"Hehe, sorry for sneaking up on-a you like that," apologized Mario, as the boy slowly caught his breath. "I take it that-a you two are lost?"
"We're not really lost - we're just trying to find a way to return to Elysium," explained the girl, as her friend was still catching his breath. Mario was perhaps the least likeliest guy to elicit a jumpscare but he pulled off a good one just now. "It's a world considered to be the ultimate paradise for humanity. We came from there to earth to do a little scoping...and now, we're stuck in regards to heading back."
"Ah, I see...how about you two head-a over to my place, so we can-a discuss a solution there? I can treat-a you to some snacks if you like..."
So Mario took the boy and girl to his home, got them all situated and stuff, and brought Luigi over. Mario and Luigi had a conversation with the boy and girl, Rex and Pyra, respectly - and also learned about things like Elysium, the Titans, Monado Arts, and several other topics.
"That chick kinda looks-a like a hooker," Luigi quietly whispered to Mario, only to receive a nudge in return. The green plumber was right on the money, though.
Peach: When Mario entered the house with Pyra, I was afraid that he came inside with a hooker, like he went to a nightclub like Captain Falcon did met some prostitute there, and brought her to his house "by accident". I was nervous that Mario was cheating on me, or practicing polygamy - two things he would never do. Just when I was about to whack Mario with my frying pan, he cleared things up, and said that Pyra was a living...a living sword. A Special Blade, whatever that is...
"To be honest, we're not even sure how we came to earth in the first place!" said Rex, in the living room and taking a bite from some sandwiches Peach provided for him and Pyra. "A distant memory to us, sadly."
"Currently we're a bit pressed on time, and we have to return to Elysium at once," added Pyra, looking down at her feet and seeing Poochy, looking up at her and excitedly wagging his tail. Might be checking her out, who knows. "Do you know any modes of transportation that would be useful for us?"
"Well there is a teleportation device-a that's in the Smash Mansion," replied Mario; if the teleportation device could access the TV World, a place Yu and his friends frequent, then it could certainly access Elysium. "Anyone's free to use-a it. Ask one of the operators to turn-a that bad boy on, and then just hop-a on inside, and the device will-a teleport you away!"
"Only one-a problem though...I've heard recently that the teleportation device-a is experience some technical issues," said Luigi, much to the concern of Rex and Pyra. The teleportation device was their only shot at returning to Elysium. "Mega Man, the one-a who usually operates the device, said that there might-a be an electrical bug in the system."
"Is there really a electrical bug-a in the system? I've heard from-a Isabelle that the problem might-a be an equipment failure. Let me call-a Isabelle, just to make-a sure..." So Mario whipped out his cellphone, dialed a number, and waited for Isabelle to pick up. Once the call was answered...
"Wrong number again, Mario..." said not Isabelle, but rather Ayaha, the flatness of her voice radiating through Mario's phone. Mario could only chuckle at his error. "I'll never understand how you get my number and Isabelle's number mixed up, and at this point of time, it's beyond ridiculous...so, what's up? Need me to give you more tips on serenading Peach?" Mario suddenly had a perturbed look on his face, as Rex, Pyra, and most definitely Luigi looked at the plumber inquisitively.
"I'll...I'll call you about-a that later, don't want Peach-a listening," Mario quietly whispered into his phone, before assuming his normal voice. "Anyways, I was just calling to see-a what's really wrong-a with the teleportation device. Luigi says-a there's a bug, Isabelle says there's an equipment-a failure..."
"Actually, it's more of an electrical outage...the teleportation device won't even turn on." That was greatly concerning Rex and Pyra. "Mega Man and his robot pals have tried everything they could to turn the device back on, but nothing seems to work...they're having Pikachu and Pichu power the device back on with their electricity as I speak. You're more than welcome to see how they're doing, if you like."
Given that she had an affinity for plant life, Viridi always adored decorating Christmas trees. In fact, Master Hand even gave the goddess of nature the final say on how the Christmas tree looked. The Homs trio, who were decorating the Christmas tree, would have their work evaluated by Viridi himself.
After finishing up her usual gardening duties in the gardens, Viridi gathered some colorful flowers to put on the Christmas tree. The goddess was walking to the living room with the flowers in hand, happily humming a Christmas tune. On her way there, she saw her boyfriend Pit, standing outside Captain Falcon's room, peering inside. Wondering what the angel was doing, Viridi went over to Pit, and heard Falcon speaking on the phone...but with who?
"Oh yeah, Toon Link and Young Link are the absolute worst!" exclaimed Captain Falcon, speaking with the mystery person. Good thing the buddy cops weren't around to hear that. "I was trying out my new Captain Rainbow outfit, and the Links both arrested me just for wearing it! I remember the words Toon Link said to me before my arrest...'IDENTITY THEFT IS NOT A JOKE FALCON, MILLIONS OF FAMILIES SUFFER EVERY YEAR!'" From whom did the Links learn that from? "What family could I possibly be harming?"
"You do have to admit though, you and Captain Falcon are pretty similar, what with how your bodies are built," said the mystery person on the phone, Alola Elite Four member Olivia. So Falcon managed to get in touch with Olivia, as he hoped in the previous episode. "It's impossible even for you to deny!"
Captain Falcon: Why must you guys assume that I'm moving on from Nowi and starting a new relationship with Olivia? Nowi and I, we have yet to speak with one another ever since our ugly breakup. And why would I fall in love with Olivia just a week after we met? I'm just looking for lady friends, that's all! Because of my romantic woes, I have very few lady friends - heck, I bet even R.O.B. has more than I do - so I'm just, testing the waters, if you will.
Wario: Aha, now I remember what Layton and I were supposed to do! We were supposed to keep Falcon away from Olivia, because of the possibility of Falcon falling in love with Olivia at first sight...did we do our job right? Red never gave us a physical description of Olivia. Not only that, but I kept going to the bathroom because my stomach was out of whack during Thanksgiving, and Layton was busy talking with Phoenix Wright, so it's safe to say that our mission might've been a failure...
"I have to go now - Sophocles challenged me to a Pokemon battle an hour ago, and I have to grant his wishes," said Olivia, as Viridi, standing next to Pit, grew questionable about Captain Falcon and his "lady friend". "My Probopass and Lycanroc should be enough to take out his Pokemon. Same time tomorrow?"
"Same time tomorrow indeed!" affirmed Captain Falcon, giving a thumbs up because he felt the need to. "Talk to you later!" And with that, Falcon ended his phone call, and placed his cellphone in his holster. The racer whistled a tune as he strutted out of his room, noticing Pit and Viridi standing near the doorway. "Howdy there, happy couple! How y'all doing this fine afternoon? And why you're looking at me like that?"
"You seem very...affable today, Captain Falcon," remarked Viridi, who was extremely certain that Falcon was trying to start a fling with Olivia. That phone call was definitely a context clue. "Especially after that phone call..."
"Pfft, I'm always happy, a hundred percent of the time! What have you been smoking Viridi? Did Snake grow some more cocaine in the gardens, got a good sniff of that coke? Or were you just living in denial until now? Whatever the reason, I'll just continue with my day and let you be great! Ta-ta!" Captain Falcon strolled down the hallway, continuing his whistle.
"Captain Falcon has been acting differently as of late, after Thanksgiving..." Pit said to Viridi, stroking his chin. "I've seen him act like this around the others, like Samus...even Samus thinks there's something going on with Falcon. I should follow him more and see what's up."
"Do you think Falcon's sudden affability might have anything to do with meeting Olivia?" This was an interesting theory that deserved a lot of thought.
"Not exactly sure, but one question though...what is affability?" Never change, Pit, never change...
Toon Link and Young Link, the buddy cops who "arrested" Captain Falcon for simply wearing a Captain Rainbow suit, found another suspect to arrest in the gaming room, in Doc Louis. Toon Link was cuffing up the boxing trainer, as Young Link read his rights.
"Jerome 'Doc' Louis, you sir are under arrest, for engaging in identity theft!" Young Link said to the boxing trainer. "You have the right to remain silent; anything you say or do will be used against you. To think that you, of all people, would steal the identity of a beloved animated character and get away with it..."
"Oh please, you boys had no problem with my attire until today!" Doc Louis barked at the buddy cops; Toon Link, who was done cuffing up Doc, poked him in the leg with an arrow, making the trainer yelp in pain. "Also, how is this identify theft, not like I'm assuming the persona of someone else and stealing their credit card info!"
"But you were thinking about it while assuming your Fat Albert appearance!" frowned Toon Link; how would that be even possible? "Do you not realize, that when you steal someone's identity, a family suffers? Did you know, that for every identity stolen, a family deals with aching pain, because of the actions of another...did you know, that according to ID Analytics, five hundred thousand children have their identities stolen by..."
"Yeah, who cares about the children!" What a heartless thing for Doc to say. "Just take me to your office or whatever, so I can be released! My man Little Mac and his girl Leia are spending time in the park, and I need to be there to relish every second!" So Toon Link and Young Link escorted Doc Louis out of the gaming room, as Akuma looked on, sipping some soda.
Akuma: Did I ever get arrested by the buddy cops? Truthfully, I think everyone in the mansion has...I was arrested by those blokes for being an evil Gerudo (yes, they both thought I was a Gerudo) plotting with Ganon to take over the world. Don't get me wrong, the prospect of Ganondorf and I ruling the world sounds enticing, but the odds would be against our favor, because of Link. Ganon can never seem to win with Link around.
"Must suck to be Doc Louis right now..." chuckled Akuma, as he took a sip from his soda. As he was drinking, a finger tapped him on the shoulder, startling him and making him spit his drink out. Akuma, angrily turning around, saw Chrom standing by. "What's your problem, man - why interrupt an honest man enjoying his drink?!"
"My apologies Akuma, just trying to get your attention," Chrom apologized with a smile. "I heard that you drew my daughter's name during the Secret Santa thing, and I was wondering if you figured out what gift you'll buy for Lucina." Akuma just stared blankly at Chrom - was he being serious?
"Chrom, man, we just drew names today. It's not like once I drew Lucina's name, I knew exactly in that moment what to get for her. Gotta give me some time to think, before coming to a final decision."
"If you like, I can give you a rundown of the things Lucina likes, if that would help you. Lucina likes the Swordsman Weekly magazine, anime, manga, k-pop, the color blue, the Seattle Seahawks, to some extent..."
While Chrom kept running his mouth about Lucina's favorite things, Akuma tip-toed away from the prince, before running away. He ran to the barstool section of the gaming room, where he found Link and Zelda chilling out, and took a seat on a barstool.
"Wow Akuma, you look pretty annoyed," Link said to the fighter, observing the look on his face. "Did Ryu and Heihachi both drive you insane? I'm sure having two roommates is too much for one to deal with."
"Ryu and Heihachi aren't driving me insane, but Chrom is certainly on his way to doing that..." replied Akuma, not looking back to see if Chrom was still running his mouth. He might not even notice Akuma was no longer listening to him! "He came up to me and asked me if I already picked out a Secret Santa gift for Lucina, and was giving me a list of Lucina's...favorite things."
"Trust me Heihachi...nobody wants to draw Lucina's name, take it from me," said Zelda, as Link justifiably nodded his head, agreeing with Zelda wholeheartedly. "Drawing Lucina's name bears the same weight as Peach's name. Whoever drew Lucina's name will suffer from an endless barrage of Chrom's constant nagging; Chrom will ask you continually throughout the day if you decided on finding a gift for Lucina, and he won't stop until you picked out a gift for..."
"There you are Akuma, thought you could get away from me, didn't you?" Chrom approached Akuma, much to the fighter's chagrin. "Sorry if my list of Lucina's favorites was longer than you expected. If you want, I can place an even longer list on your bed." An even longer list, is Chrom being serious?!
"That would be nice, thank you Chrom," responded Akuma, as Chrom nodded his head and walked away. Once the prince was gone, Akuma turned to face Link and Zelda, with a pained look on his face. "Yeah...if I hear another peep from Chrom about Lucina's Secret Santa gift, then he's gonna have a seriously broken jaw from the uppercut I'm gonna give him..."
"I know, how about you hang out with Zelda and I for the rest of the day?" suggested Link, as Zelda shot a look at the Hylian; clearly she wasn't on board with the idea. "We could be doing something, the three of us together, and Chrom ever sees you, he won't even speak with you because he'll see that you're too busy."
"You sure that's such a great idea, Link?" Zelda asked her boyfriend, cynical about Link's ideas, like she was about most of the Hylian's crazy plans and whatnot. "Akuma was talking to the two of us, and Chrom still bothered him."
"Because even though we were talking, we weren't doing anything busy. And that's the problem. Our busyness will keep Chrom away. And the more busy we are, the less inclined Chrom will speak with Akuma. Sounds good, no?" The questionable looks Zelda and Akuma exchanged suggested otherwise...
Link: Call me, the Master Planner. There's a lot of masters throughout history...Master Hand, Master Emerald, and yours truly, Master Planner. Every master in history is best at what they do - Master Hand is great at ruling the Smash universe, the Master Emerald is great at...uh, being green and stuff, and I, the Master Planner, am great at coming up with awesome plans and ideas. You can't expect to go through life and achieve your goals if you don't have a surefire plan.
Mario and Luigi, along with Rex and Pyra, were in the teleportation room with Ayaha, where Mega Man and Proto Man were working on fixing the teleportation device. They had Pikachu and Pichu try and power up the device, thinking their electricity could do the trick.
"Pika...CHHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu unleashed his signature move, Thunderbolt, on the teleportation device, using as much electricity as possible.
"Piiii...CHHHUUUUUUU!" Pichu would use Thunderbolt as well, generating less electricity than Pikachu. Neither of the mouse Pokemon were able to power the device back on.
"Mega Man and Proto Man have been trying to power the device back on with Pikachu and Pichu, as you see, and despite their attempts, nothing is working," Ayaha would explain to Mario and company. "X and Zero both got tired of working on the machine, and MegaMan .EXE said he had to use the 'little robots room'...some lousy excuse to get away."
"Would it hurt-a to have Coco figure some-a thing out?" asked Luigi, as Pikachu and Pichu used their Thunderbolts once more. Unless those two had taken a lot of PP Up and PP Max, they'll likely run out of power points, and become exhausted. "She's a huge tech-a genius, after all - she could-a fix anything!"
"Unfortunately, Coco doesn't see eye-to-eye with Mega Man and his friends. Repeatedly called them stubborn, and also went on to say that Proto Man was a 'brooding sychopant'..." Well what else would you expect from a silent edgelord like Proto Man?
"Mario, would it be alright with you if we removed Rex and Pyra from the room?" Mega Man asked the plumber, glancing over at Rex and Pyra who were standing near a wall. The robot's focus was fixated on Pyra, however. "Got nothing against Rex, but Pyra...her attire is...too distracting. Looks like an anime hooker..."
"I'll say, she has more skin than clothes, or the lack thereof..." murmured Proto Man, taking a good look at Pyra's backside, only to walk away feeling somewhat disappointed. It was evident Pyra was more endowed in the chest. "I second that, Rex and Pyra looked bored in here, and should be somewhere else."
"Funny you should say-a that, Luigi said Pyra looked-a like a hooker too..." Mario said interestingly. Don't fault Mega Man and Luigi for keeping it real. "Rex, Pyra, would you two like-a to look around the mansion?" Mario asked the two, grabbing their attention. "We have an arcade-a room!"
"An arcade room for playing games?" asked Rex; what other reason would you go to the arcade room for? Stealing tokens? Stealing tickets? Why even have tokens and tickets, it's not like the arcade room is an operating business! "That sounds AWESOME! Where is it?"
"I go to the arcade room every day - I can take you guys there if you want," volunteered Proto Man. Going to the arcade room on a daily basis is not worth mentioning around anyone, including your homies, Proto Man.
Rex: Never been to an actual arcade before, but from what I've heard, it's a pretty neat place in general...might not be much compared to Elysium, but I'm willing to keep an open mind and try something new.
Pyra: Rex, I don't know about you, but it feels like I'm being...watched.
King K. Rool: *following closely behind Rex and Pyra* That red-haired chick, with the skimpy outfit...SHE HAS NO BUNS! None to be found! I hope the boy she's with is just a friend, and not her boyfriend - kid deserves so much better.
Rex and Pyra, led by Proto Man, entered the arcade room, and saw all the arcade machines inside. Space Invaders, Shovel Knight, Space Galaga, The Simpsons Arcade Game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and many, many others. All properly functioning, waiting for someone (Rex) to insert a token in them and play them.
"In order to play the arcade games, you need to spend tokens," explained Proto Man, handing both Rex and Pyra 20 tokens apiece. Who knew silent edgelords could be so generous? "Insert a token into the coin slot, start the game, and get the highest score possible, so you can earn tickets and redeem said tickets for prizes. Prizes that you can bring with you to that Elysium place. Don't ask me why we have tokens and tickets at a living residency, it all seems like a monetization attempt by the mansion owner, Master Hand...but enough yapping from me, go ahead and have your fun."
So Proto Man would return to the teleportation room, leaving Rex and Pyra in the arcade room. Pyra would hand all her tokens to Rex, and Rex would run to the first arcade game he laid his eyes on, Shovel Knight, as Pyra followed him. Very wise choice by Rex.
"You're not gonna stay in here all day until the teleportation device is fixed, are you?" Pyra would ask, as Rex inserted a token into the coin slot. "I fear that you might get carried away and play forever..."
"I have self-control, Pyra, it's not like I'm gonna play every single arcade game and hog them to death," replied Rex, starting a new game. Just seeing a pixelated Shovel Knight on the screen made the boy all giddy inside. "Proto Man was very generous with the tokens, but I won't use up all of them, promise!"
As Rex got into the first goings of Shovel Knight, the mansion's newest punching bag walked into the arcade room...
"HEY EVERYONE IT'S ILIKEHOTGIRLS86!" shouted Wolf, bringing everyone's attention to the now bummed out Hisui. The young man heaved a sigh as he went to the token machine, with several people laughing at him along the way. "Everyone, give him a hand!"
"Told you that's not my name..." frowned Hisui, as he inserted a dollar into the token machine and got some tokens in exchange. Why he kept doing this, he and many other residents did not know. "When will you guys cut it out?"
"Well nobody told you to choose an embarrassing name online to communicate with your 'friends'," said Meta Knight, who was chilling near the token machine. "Bet they don't even remember your name..."
"My friends do remember my name...well, one of them, at least. Milla. She addressed me by saying "History"...not my actual name, but she's making progress..." Hisui walked away from the token machine, as Sonic and Amy watched the young man from afar.
"Sonic, we have to do something, we can't let this go on any longer," a concerned Amy said to her boyfriend. "Hisui is being straight up bullied at this point - people are pointing and laughing at him!"
"You're just overreacting Amy...it's not bullying if Hisui goes into full depression mode," remarked Sonic, receiving an understandably questionable look from Amy. "Hisui doesn't look bothered in the slightest, so he's just being teased, that's all. People get teased all the time, including myself!"
"At this point, it might escalate to the point where Hisui gets bullied day in and day out, and likely forever! And you know Master Hand wouldn't want a bullying situation in his own mansion." Amy had a good point - there should be only one bully roaming through the mansion, named Master Hand. "So since you were the one who allowed Knuckles to let this happen, you're gonna put an end to this whole mess!"
"Fine then, but since you're so concerned about Hisui...you're gonna put an end to this mess too!" Sonic fired back. Two heads are better than one.
Shulk: Tons of people have been acting nice towards me, especially the people that I least expect! Meta Knight, the cold and distant Star Warrior, treated me to some homemade Mexican food. Ganondorf, who typically calls me "blondie" in a mocking tone, gave me a random back massage. And Kiria, who never cared for me once, sang a song dedicated to me! Me! But I know that most of these nice gestures aren't genuine...for all we know, Meta Knight could have poisoned my enchiladas.
As if Shulk's day couldn't get any weirder, things would turn all the way up to eleven, when Shulk encountered Samus. The Homs, who went to fetch something from the basement, was returning to the living room, noodling around on his phone, when he accidentally bumped into Samus. Samus, who was about to unwrap the ice cream bar in her hand, fell to the floor along with Shulk, dropping her treat to the floor.
"Whoops, sorry about that Samus, that should teach me to never walk while using my phone ever again," apologized Shulk, helping Samus back up to her feet. What would the bounty hunter do in response?
"It's okay Shulk, I know you didn't mean to bump into me like that," replied Samus...as she leaned in towards Shulk and kissed him on the cheek. Samus kissing anyone was a rare moment - she wouldn't even kiss her Galactic Federation buddy, Anthony Higgs! The bounty hunter then patted Shulk on the shoulder; she seldom touched anyone like that. "I practically look at my phone when I'm walking too!"
"Yeah I'm sure everyone does that..." Not everyone checks their phone and walk at the same time, Shulk, quit generalizing people! "Now if you excuse me, I have to return to the living room..."
"Oh, before you go..." Samus picked up her ice cream bar...and handed it to Shulk. Something was very fishy. "...how about you take my ice cream bar? I don't really need it, you need it more than I do."
"Lady Palutena already prepared me some ramen noodles earlier...but I'll accept your ice cream bar." Shulk took the ice cream bar from Samus, who smiled as she went on her own way. Shulk just shook his head in confusion...
Link's plan to keep Chrom away from Akuma was to have the veteran fighter not only hang out with him and Zelda, but to do "busy" things that would keep Akuma occupied to the point where Chrom wouldn't dare to bother him.
So what "busy" thing was Akuma doing with Link and Zelda? Doing the laundry, of course! The fighter and Link were in the laundry room, folding up clothes, while Zelda was overseeing the clothes being washed right now. Akuma loved every single second of folding clothes, and he showed it by frowning angrily into the blue eyes of Link.
"Went from being one of the greatest fighters in the world, to being stuck in laundry duty...oh how the mighty have fallen," smirked Heihachi, who was only in the laundry room to pick up his clothes, which Akuma was folding right now. "I find it funny how many months ago, you and I were engaged in a fight of epic proportions...and this is what you're stuck with at the mansion. Meanwhile I, on the other hand, am getting better and stronger by the day! But I still can't thank you enough for providing those English lessons though, you were good for something!"
"Take your stinking clothes and leave..." growled Akuma, tossing Heihachi's clothes at the Japanese fighter. "While I fold up the rest of these clothes, you should perhaps work on the relationship you have with your grandson, Jin Kazama..."
"Joke's on you, Akuma...Jin and I have been getting along with each other better over the phone. Not saying much, but it's still progress. If you want me to take the 'L', then I'll do so, if it will make you feel any better..." Heihachi sneered as he exited the laundry room, leading Akuma to growl once more.
Heihachi: Yes, Jin and I have been improving our relationship recently...we talk with each other on the phone constantly, talking about things like fighting techniques, world news, and who has the best biceps in the Mishima family (that distinction obviously goes to me). But whenever I ask Jin about his lady friend, Ling Xiayou...he always hangs up after a long silence. Little does he know that actions like those reveal that he's in love with the girl...
As Akuma and company continued their laundry work, a man entered the laundry room, surprised to see Akuma doing laundry. It was just as shocking as what Samus did to Shulk earlier.
"Akuma!" this man called out to the fighter; Akuma, frowning after recognizing the voice, slowly turned around, and was bummed to see Chrom standing there. "You're doing my laundry duties for me? Thanks a bunch Akuma, you're such a bro...never thought I'd say that. Wonder what Robin would think of me..."
"This is a one-day only affair, so don't expect me to do your job next time," Akuma informed Chrom, hoping he would go away. But the prince would stay put. "I'm only doing this just because I felt like I had to."
"That's understandable. Anyways, I have a question to ask you, before I forget...have you decided what to..."
"NOPE!" Akuma, knowing the road the conversation was headed, ran out of the laundry room, and to who-knows-where. He knew Chrom was gonna ask him about Lucina's gift, and he wanted no part of it.
"Well then...that was unexpected. I'll just ask Akuma later." And with that, Chrom departed from the laundry room, as Zelda stared at Link. What was the so-called "Master Planner" gonna say?
"Don't think we were busy enough - left Akuma all out in the open and made him vulnerable to Chrom," the Hylian said, leading Zelda to roll her eyes. What an extremely wack answer. "But wherever Akuma is, we shall follow, and then we'll just pick up from there."
"Or we can just quit and put your stupid 'plan' to bed while we're ahead..." suggested Zelda, but Link was against using suggestions unless he agreed upon them.
Rex, having never played a single arcade game in his life, was pretty much a novice when playing Shovel Knight. And it showed, as the swordsman saw the game over screen multiple times - three times, to be exact. Nonetheless, Rex was determined to beat the game, and to do that, he had to "get good" - a common phrase used by jerk Smash players telling those below them to improve their skills.
"Pretty sure the teleportation device is already fixed now..." said Pyra, glancing at the clock. Rex had sweat running down his determined face - losing over and over again was somehow making him sweaty. Or maybe he was putting in too much effort.
"No word of confirmation has been made yet, so until then, I'll just keep on playing!" replied Rex, and he had all the time in the world to continue playing, with the amount of tokens he had. Nothing was gonna stop him now.
Tired of waiting in the arcade room, waiting for Rex to be done, Pyra left her friend, and walked around the mansion for something to consume her time with. During her trek, she saw Berkut and Rinea, coming her way.
Berkut: As you may know, I'm strictly prohibited from killing Alm. If I even lay as much as a single finger on him, Rinea and I will not be forced to return to Rigel...but rather deal with a "very strict and inhumane punishment" from Master Hand. However, I've detected a giant loophole that I plan on exploiting...
"Aerith is the best roommate ever!" Rinea gushed over her roommate, the flower girl known as Aerith. "She gives me flowers, and has even helped me with my shyness. She's really great company to have!"
"Wish I could say the same for my roommate, Dr. Cortex..." Berkut sighed, looking down at the floor. "Every night I have to deal with Cortex murmuring in his sleep about how he's going to take over the world, not to mention that I'm the victim of his laser gun misfires. His guardian mask Uka berates me every chance he gets, even more than he berates Cortex!"
Berkut and Rinea would meet with Pyra in the hallway, both parties coming to a sudden halt. Berkut was doing his best not to pay as much attention to Pyra's body, especially with his girl standing with him.
"You must be a newcomer to the mansion, are you?" Rinea would ask Pyra out of utter curiosity. "I'm Rinea, and this is my lovely fiance Berkut. We're both from the kingdom of Rigel, and we moved in into the mansion two weeks ago."
"I'm not really a new resident of this mansion, I'm only here temporarily...name's Pyra, by the way," Pyra would introduce herself to the Rigelian couple. "I'm a Special Blade, hailing from a place called Elysium - the ultimate paradise for all mankind." The words "Special Blade" made Berkut smile curiously...
"Special Blade, you say?" said the paladin, leading Rinea to look at him with a concerning glance. "Is there by any chance your 'master', the one who wields you, is in the mansion?" Whatever Berkut was planning, it clearly had something to do with Alm.
"Well, let's just say that my 'master', my friend Rex...he's my Driver. I granted him my powers and stuff. Do you want me to fetch him for you? He's been spending time in the arcade room, and and he's doing terribly at the game he's playing...telling him to stop would do no good."
"Yes, tell your Rex friend to meet me here, pronto. I have something big planned for you and Rex." Pyra nodded, and went back to the arcade room, as Berkut received a nudged from Rinea. The noblewoman's face grew with concern. "Why must you look like that Rinea...I'm not doing a single thing involving Alm. I'm fully aware of the repercussions that comes with hurting that man."
Pyra returned to the arcade room, and saw Rex still playing the Shovel Knight game. The swordsman lost his fourth life, but was coming back for more. Just as he was about to insert another token into the coin slot...
"We have some matters to take care of Rex, so your little playing time is over," Pyra grabbed Rex, and dragged him out of the gaming room. All of Rex's tokens were left on the arcade machine, and Larry noticed this as he walked by.
"Hehehe..." the Koopaling rubbed his hands together excitedly, as he approached the arcade machine.
Shulk: Samus kissing me on the cheek and offering her ice cream bar to me was completely strange, and out of the ordinary. But she wasn't the only person doing nice things to me. Ashley gave me a back massage, with some assistance from her friend, Red. The Inklings gave me painting painted in my likeness. And King Dedede gave me full control of his Waddle Dees! I just told those cute little simpletons iron my clothes, my entire wardrobe should be ironed by now.
Shulk, Fiora, and Dunban had finished decorating the Christmas tree, and were now seeking the approval of Viridi, who added some flowers to the tree. The goddess of nature analyzed the Yuletide tree from a distance, with a finger underneath her chin and an analyzing look on her face.
"This Christmas tree...receives a Viridi stamp of approval!" announced Viridi, giving two thumbs up. Why Shulk and company had to receive approval from a young goddess, instead of Master Hand himself, we may never know... "Though it's only because of the flowers - if not for me, you'd all be screwed!"
"Viridi, Captain Falcon is back at it again!" Pit rushed inside the living room to alert the goddess of nature. "Was eavesdropping on his conversation with Gil, and he was dropping some nuggets of knowledge...come with me!"
"Are you sure it had anything to do with him and Olivia?" Pit did not answer Viridi's question, as he grabbed the goddess' and ran out of the living room. After Pit departed with his goddess girlfriend, Cortex, accompanied by Uka, would show up a few moments later, needing to speak with someone...
"Ah, just the girl I needed to see!" the mad scientist gleamed when he saw Fiora. "So during the Secret Santa proceedings, I drew the name Fiora, and I'm not sure who this Fiora chick could be." Oh, if only she was around here, somewhere, to reveal herself... "I was thinking that since you were a girl, you might know what Fiora would want as a gift. What do most girls usually like? Beauty sets? Manicure products? New clothes? Bathroom wear? Do you think Fiora would appreciate any of the things I've listed?"
"Actually, I think Fiora would really love a pet Nopon for Christmas," replied Fiora, as she slyly winked at Shulk and Dunban. The Homs was explicitly telling Cortex what to get her, and the mad scientist apparently had no idea. "Nopons are small, adorable pets that you can hold in your arms, and they're very fuzzy too! Fiora loves fuzzy and adorable."
"A pet Nopon, what a lovely gift! Don't even know what a Nopon is, but I'll see if one is offered at a pawn shop somewhere. Pawn shops are an excellent place for finding Christmas and birthday gifts, especially for my minions. I should go now, but before I do..." Cortex went up to Shulk...and gave him a hundred dollar bill. "Found this on the sidewalk one day - wanted to keep it, but I thought you would need it more. The thought that counts!"
"Uh, thanks for the bill, Dr. Cortex," thanked Shulk, accepting the hundred dollar bill and putting it in his pocket. Seriously, too many people were being nice to the Homs today...what's next, Uka's gonna be nice with him too?!
"I have something of worth to give to you too, Shulk...some fancy gold bars I stole from the bank down the street!" exclaimed Uka. Pigs must be outside the mansion right now, flying in unison. "Placed them on your bed. So nice and shiny...you should definitely sell it for some cash!"
"Thank you too Uka, you really shouldn't have!" Really though, Uka shouldn't have. Cortex and Uka both said "you're welcome" to Shulk, as they departed from the living room. Bowser, Samus, Cortex, AND Uka, showing compassion towards Shulk, on the same day? The odds of that were one in three trillion! "I'm not particularly fond of these gifts..."
"At least I know what to expect during the gift exchange..." smiled Fiora, already looking forward to Christmas Eve, when the exchange took place.
Pit would take Viridi to where Captain Falcon's conversation was taking place, in the lounge. There, the racer was sitting on a couch with Gil and Akira, the latter recently joining in on the conversation. The two were watching Falcon from afar, making sure they weren't seen.
Captain Falcon: I know Nowi will be coming back to me for my love...she's just nervous at the moment. Nervous that she might try and reconcile with me when I'm with another woman. Wouldn't blame her for that, most people feel suspicious about their ex when they try to get back together again. If, and when, Nowi comes back, I'll welcome her back with arms wide open... *starts singing "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed* ...Yes, I'll do the same for her daughter too.
"But yeah, Olivia is a great lady, and an even greater Pokemon trainer!" Captain Falcon was telling Gil and Akira all the details about his new "lady friend". "She says that Probopass is the strongest on her team, but that her Lycanroc perhaps her best Pokemon."
"Can't help but feel that Probopass kinda looks like Mario a bit..." remarked Akira; could be because of the mustache. "Hope I'm not the only one who thinks that. So, since you're single again...are you gonna make a move on Olivia?"
"Yeah, Akira, am I gonna make a move on a woman who lives far away...why would I do that for? Did I mention that she's an island kahuna AND an Elite Four member? She already has enough on her plate as it is, why make her even more busy by making her have a boyfriend?"
"Nowi lives far away, even farther from the mansion than Olivia I'm sure, yet you had a relationship with her," stated Gil; Captain Falcon couldn't deny that. "You could reaffirm your relationship, but I'm afraid Jakob might've ruined everything for you guys..."
"Man screw Jakob, all he was doing was following up Dr. Eggman and doing his bidding! Nowi will eventually understand that Jakob wanted us to break up to create some drama in the mansion. Once she understands, we'll be back together again. It'll be happily ever after!"
"I dunno, Pit, Captain Falcon might still be committed to Nowi," Viridi said to the angel, breaking away from the lounge. "He could really just be friends with Olivia - I have yet to see any signs of him wanting to start a fling with her."
"Captain Falcon could be starting a THREESOME!" theorized Pit, leading Viridi to scoff at her boyfriend's theory. "Setting up a threesome so that if either Olivia or Nowi leave, then the other chick will still be around to keep him company...does it make too much sense, or it doesn't make any sense at all?"
"Totally the latter, for sure...we might be wrong about Falcon being in love with Olivia. But we won't fully know until later..."
Link and Zelda, having found Akuma submerged in the ball pit, moved on to the next part of Link's plan...monitoring the kiddies in the ball pit. Only thing was, there was nobody in the ball pit save for Akuma, so Link had to "hire" some kids...
"FROG SPLASH!" the male Inkling exclaimed, as he dived into the ball pit. He and the female Inkling were playing with the balls, and throwing them around, not paying any attention to Akuma.
"Can you two please calm yourself, you've kicked me multiple times already!" growled Akuma, his voice slightly muffled by the balls covering him. How was he able to breathe?
"How about you calm yourself, grandpa!" retorted the female Inkling. Akuma certainly didn't like being called a grandpa, but his skin and resemblance to Ganondorf might not be doing him any favors...
Akuma: I do not have what you call age...I'm a self-professed denizen from Hell, and evil incarnate! Age means nothing to me! So while Ryu and his friends grow old and develop wrinkles on their faces, I'll be in tip-top shape forever, and maintain my strength! It doesn't mean I'm a "grandpa"...it means that I'll always forever be one step ahead of the curve!
"Link, Zelda, have you two seen Akuma anywhere?" Chrom entered the ball pit room to ask the Hylians, but only because he believed they were the last to see the fighter. Doesn't he have anything else better to do?
"We haven't seen Akuma anywhere - for all we know, he could have traveled to Japan and not told anyone," replied Link, as the Inklings listened closely. "I expect him to return with bundles of Christmas presents when he returns..."
"Akuma is hiding from you in the ball pit, Chrom," the male Inkling informed the prince, pointing at where Akuma was. Some grumbling could be heard loudly from underneath the colored balls, as the Inklings dragged Akuma from under the ball pit.
"Thought you could hide from me forever, huh Akuma?" Akuma strongly wished he could. "You can't possibly hide from me in a place like the Smash Mansion. Anyways, I only need to ask you one important question..."
"Uh, I have to use the bathroom first," said Akuma, releasing the Inklings' grip on him as he exited the ball pit, and left the room, running away as far as possible once the coast was clear. Chrom looked out through the doorway, and then looked at Link and Zelda, with Link shrugging. The Hylian's plan wasn't going so well...
"There goes Akuma, running from me again...but he'll come around shortly. Once he's done with his 'bathroom break', I shall speak with him." Chrom would leave the ball pit room, and as he did, he saw Hisui, walking by. "Hey there, 'History'...or should I call you by your online pen name instead? How are you online friends doing, chatted with them recently?"
"Even you're teasing me, Chrom..." Hisui shook his head in disgust. You know you dun goofed up when even Chrom is making fun of you. "Why must you do this to me, what have I done to deserve this?"
"Had you not been so desperate for friends, maybe you wouldn't find yourself in this predicament. Personally, I just wanted to tease you to see how you would react. Never seen you so ticked before!"
"This whole thing will all come to pass soon, everyone will forget about my online gaffe...so you better have your fun while it lasts."
Hisui and Chrom would go their separate ways, with Hisui heading to his room, and Chrom likely heading to his room as well. As he walked down the hallway, Hisui walked into Amy, standing with her hands behind her back, like she was expecting Hisui.
"You're not busy at the moment, are you Hisui?" the pink hedgehog would ask the young man, who shook his head no. "I think someone wishes to owe you an apology..."
Alm and Celica were very much in love with one another. That much was already made obvious in most episodes, especially episode 81. Like any other married couple, there were many things Alm and Celica enjoyed together...and some things they didn't. And knitting was one of the latter things.
Following an offer proposed to her by Yoshi, Celica agreed to become the newest member of the Knitting Club, increasing the member total to five. She was in the usual meeting spot, knitting away with Toad, Yoshi, Ashley, and Pac-Man. In that same room, Alm and Cloud were playing a card game, to pass the time.
Alm: I could never involve myself in knitting...it just takes an eternity to make an entire quilt, not to mention the constant threading and needling with your fingers. I used to think knitting was only a practice done by women, but when I saw Toad and Yoshi knit for the first time...I was one very confused man.
"I think this card game could use another player," smiled Alm, as Cloud looked up at the king. He wasn't referring to what he thought he was referring to, was he?
"If you thinking about playing a card game with Sora, then you can think again," said Cloud, as he drew his card. "Knowing him, he would tell an excruciatingly long story about his stupid adventures, and somehow relate it to cards." To be fair, Sora did have an adventure about cards...he just has no memory of it.
"You could do what Tails did earlier, and apply duct tape to Sora's mouth. Granted he could just take the duct tape off...unless the duct tape was ultra thick!"
"Sora would still be bothersome anyways, so I'm not taking any chances. He'll find some magical way to make himself annoying." As the Knitting Club continued their knitting, and Alm and Cloud continued their card game, Berkut stood with Rex and Pyra, away from Alm, as Berkut pointed at his nemesis.
"See that blue-haired man, with his blue armor?" asked Berkut; just seeing Alm made him stick to his stomach. "His name is Alm, and he's a gigantic pest...and like any other pest, he must PERISH!"
"But why, I don't see anything wrong with this Alm guy," remarked Rex, only to be slapped by Berkut. How dare he defend Alm in the presence of the paladin!
"That's the point, he wants you to assume there's nothing wrong with him...when there is! And killing him will be the only way to stop him from doing heinous deeds. Now, Pyra, do your thing!"
"Whatever you say..." Pyra said reluctantly, as the Special Blade sent Rex inside the room, feeding him her energy. Rex would approach Alm and Cloud, interrupting their card game. Alm and the rest of the Knitting Club paid no mind.
"Hello stranger, what is your name?" Alm asked Rex, who was showing signs of nervousness. Rex had never killed a single soul in his life before, and now Berkut was forcing him to take the life of another person.
"My name...my name is Rex," answered Rex, as sweat poured down his face. He was clearly not up to the task of killing someone. "And I am here...to take your life!" Rex donned his sword, causing a scene, as everyone looked at the nervous swordsman.
"Some random kid like yourself just waltzes into this mansion, in this room, wanting to kill Alm," Cloud analyzed the situation, failing (and neglecting) to see the logic behind Rex's actions. "Why kill Alm of all people?"
"Because...because...because...no comment." Unable to deal the fatal blow to Alm, Rex sheepishly exited the room, as everything went back to normal. A concerned Pyra would chase after Rex, leaving Berkut alone to gripe about being unable to exploit his "loophole".
"Those good-for-nothing dorks..." the paladin seethed through his clenched teeth. "Shouldn't even bother having themredeem themselves. Alm, you might have lived to see another day, but just know that your days are still numbered..."
Akuma: ...is this what it has come to? Following me around to the bathroom, really? Can't respect my privacy? You guys are turning into TMZ, with the way you're filming us now. Is the coast clear, is it safe for me to exit? How about I take a look... *flushes toilet and makes his way to the bathroom door* ...fine, I'll wash my hands, you stinking germaphobes. *washes hands, then exits bathroom for good*
Akuma exited the bathroom, looking both ways for any sign of Chrom, before sneaking away. As he was sneaking away, he passed by Chrom's room. He looked inside, and saw Chrom, taking a nap. Leaving himself out in the open...
Akuma kept on walking, and then he saw Pyra, comforting her friend Rex. The adrenaline from being seconds away from killing Alm was taking a toll on poor Rex.
"I couldn't get the job done Pyra, it was too much for me..." said Rex, as the adrenaline slowly oozed out of his body. His face was red, and also quite sweaty. "I could never be an assassin - too much pressure!"
"Honestly I had no idea Berkut wanted to outright kill Alm...should have stopped you while I had the chance," Pyra patted Rex on the shoulder. Akuma drew an inch closer, noticing Rex's sword. "Not sensing Berkut's malice was truly an oversight, on my part."
"Ahem..." Akuma cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of Rex and Pyra. "Sorry to disturb you two, but I'm in a bit of a rush, and I have a short little favor to ask of you...are you two in any way familiarized with...cutting hair?" Akuma looked back, glancing at Chrom's room - thankfully his plan had nothing to do with anyone being murdered.
"Not really..." replied Rex, understandably feeling wary about Akuma's intentions. "Why do you ask...?"
Thanks to a meeting arranged by both Amy and Sonic, Hisui and Knuckles met in the foyer, face-to-face, with Hisui having to look down at Knuckles since Knuckles had to be so short. Hisui was brought to the foyer by Amy, and Knuckles was brought by Sonic, who struggled to bring his echidna friend.
"I think you have something to say to Mr. Hearts, don't you, Knuckles?" Amy asked the echidna, who tried to act like nothing was going on. Like he and Hisui were randomly dragged to the foyer, to practice some exquisite handshake that couldn't be seen by mortal eyes.
"Do I REALLY have something to say?" asked Knuckles, leading Sonic to nudge him. Sensing why he was here, Knuckles looked at Hisui...looked up at Hisui, to owe him an apology. "Sorry about making fun of you for that whole online friends thing. It was intended to last for one day, the teasing and all, but it accelerated under my watch and I didn't do anything about it..."
"I want to apologize to; I might have been responsible for making the whole teasing thing go out of proportion," Sonic also apologized, in a somewhat rare moment. "But you lowkey did this to yourself, just wanted you to know that..."
"Apologies accepted," said Hisui, more trusting towards Knuckles than he was to Sonic. He believed Sonic had his fingers crossed behind his back. "Now I expect an apology from Kohaku. And if she doesn't apologize, I'll have to disown her as a little sister..."
"OR you can send her to live with Shadow," suggested Knuckles, as Sonic turned away to laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. "Shadow could really use some company..."
Knuckles: Master Hand once sent Ness to Shadow's place, to deliver something. Ness came back one week later, looking like he had seen stuff. Kept running his mouth incessantly about how overbearing Shadow was with his brooding, about how he was "going to make the world suffer for its inducing pain"... *smiles* ...as someone who has known Shadow for the longest now, I find that stuff HILARIOUS!
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" a loud scream was heard from upstairs, alarming Knuckles and company. It sounded like it came from Chrom. What could have possibly happened to the prince? Whatever it was, it had something to do with Akuma...
Finally, after many failed efforts, the teleportation device was fixed! It was up and running again, after the electrical outage issue was resolved. It was thanks not to Pikachu and Pichu, who were both depleted from using too many Thunderbolts, but rather to a certain blonde bandicoot...
"We will never speak of this again," Coco, the tech-savvy genius and da real MVP responsible for fixing the teleportation device, said to Mega Man and Proto Man, as she took her laptop, unplugged the cords connected to her laptop and the device, and left the room. Mega Man would look proudly at his teleportation device - the machine he built leading up to episode 35 - as his baby was back to business.
"Eureka, the machine's-a back on!" exclaimed Mario, who remained in the teleportation room while Ayaha left. Luigi also remained, sleeping soundly until Mario woke him up. Poor plumber wasn't awake to see his suggestion earlier - have Coco work on the machine - come to fruition. "Where's Rex and-a Pyra, are they still-a playing arcade games?"
"I'll go get them, be right back," said Proto Man, leaving the teleportation room. A while later, he came back with Rex and Pyra...who, oddly enough, were smiling. Almost like they were trying to contain their laughter!
"I'm sure you two had a fun time during your short stay at the mansion," Mega Man said to the two, figuring that was why they were smiling so much. "Ready to head back to Elysium?"
"Seeing that the device is repaired, we can go back now," replied Rex, as Proto Man checked out Pyra's backside one more time. You'd think Pyra would be a bit mroe curvaceous, what with her outfit. "We step on that pad, right?"
"Yes, that is correct! Stand on that pad, and I'll key in the coordinates so you can head back to Elysium."
So Rex and Pyra stepped on the pad, and Mega Man keyed in the coordinates, sending the two back to Elysium. Rex and Pyra would say their goodbyes, before being warped back to the ultimate paradise for humanity, as Rex called it.
"Is it just-a me, or did Rex have some blue-a strands of hair between his fingers?" Luigi asked the others, hoping he wasn't seeing things.
King Dedede was in his favorite place of the mansion, the vending room, and was inserting a dollar bill into a vending machine, as Crash waited patiently behind him. Shulk would enter the room, and King Dedede, seeing the Homs, rushed his transaction...but not because he wanted to keep the line moving.
"Here's a bag of Lays potato chips for my favorite blonde in the mansion, Shulk!" the penguin took the bag of chips once it was vended, and tossed it to Shulk, who caught it. Now even Dedede was being nice to Shulk!
"Lays aren't really my favorite snack, but I appreciate it, King Dedede," Shulk thanked King Dedede, who nodded with a smile as he left the vending room. Crash would walk up to the vending machine, and inserted a dollar, pushing in random buttons, as a bottle of Gatorade was vended. Grabbing the Gatorade, the bandicoot would approach Shulk...
"Ta-da!" ...and handed him the Gatorade, expecting Shulk to accept the drink. With how this day was going for him, the Homs might as well...
"Thank you too Crash - I don't drink Gatorade unless I'm working out, so I'll save this bottle for later." Crash would leave the vending room, and Shulk, with the free grub in his hands, would leave as well. The Homs then saw Akuma from afar, standing near the bathroom doorway, with a devious smile on his face.
"Something going on?" Shulk approached Akuma, to see what was so funny. It wasn't until the Homs peered inside that he saw a true horror...
Chrom. Prince of Yliesse. Completely bald. The poor prince was looking at himself in the mirror, rubbing his bald head, expecting his hair to grow back or something.
"How could this have happened to me...I've done nothing to deserve this!" fretted Chrom, as his daughter Lucina was there to be his moral support. He needed all the support he could get.
"Heh heh...that should keep Chrom away from me for the time being, that'll teach him a lesson," snarled Akuma, as Chrom continued to panic. "He'll be more concerned about growing his hair back, and spend less time annoying me about Lucina's gift. Those kids Rex and Pyra were a great help." Akuma looked to his left, and saw Shulk standing. "Hey Shulk, how about a souvenir?" Akuma gave the Homs a fistful of Chrom's hair - the gift Shulk least wanted to accept today. "It's not much, but as the old saying goes, anything is better than nothing!"
"Isn't this...Chrom's hair?" Shulk would ask Akuma, who walked away laughing to himself. "Akuma, wait!" Shulk would chase after the fighter, but came to a stop when he realized it was no use. He just looked down at his "souvenir", Chrom's hair.
So Shulk received hair from Akuma, an ice cream bar from Samus, some chips from King Dedede, Gatorade from Crash, a hundred dollars from Cortex, stolen gold from Uka, and ramen noodles from Palutena. All in one day.
What's next, Fox and Falco are going to give away their new yacht to Shulk?!