Author's Note:
Since I'm "boycotting" the NBA Finals this year (same dang matchup four years in a row now...) that should give me more time to focus and write this story. Or maybe not. We'll see. Let's just get to the reviews...
"Has Duo from Mega Man 8 shown up yet? Will the Shining Force EXA characters show up when Shining Resonance Refrain comes out in July? Will Mighty and Ray debut when Sonic Mania Plus comes out? And Finally, what are your thoughts on Mario and Luigi Partners in Time not getting a 3DS remake?"
Not yet, but he will. Yeah. Definitely. Partners in Time not getting a remake is absolutely criminal - it's one of the darkest Mario RPGs out there, which is saying a lot. Another guest review:
"i just thoguht of a great idea when i was playing super mario 3d world you know in that game there are these cherries that can make a clone of you so what if bowser accidentally ate one during breakfast and then his clone spreads mayhem and then bowser must prove"
Two Bowsers sounds disastrous...but it can work. One last guest review:
"i have an idea what if dark bowser from mario and luigi bowsers inside story somehow returns and spends his day tring to get revenge on bowser"
Ah, another Bowser-related request...Dark Bowser returning would also have to involve Fawful in some way, so we'll see.
Episode 128: Abandoned
Contrary to what Peach used to believe, Mario did not enjoy shopping. Sure, there was that one time went he went shopping with Dark Pit and Jacky, and he fell into a pond near the supermarket, but that wasn't a justifiable reason for why the plumber resented going shopping. It was a reason much deeper than that, a reason Mario refused to tell anyone.
So when Link kindly asked Mario to go with him on a shopping trip to the supermarket, to fetch some groceries for the mansion, Mario was more than quick to decline the offer. Truthfully, Link didn't appreciate shopping either, but since he was commanded by Master Hand to get groceries, the poor Hylian literally had no choice in the matter. Only reason why he asked Mario to tag along, was because he refused to go shopping by himself.
But two more individuals would be joining Mario and Link, on their shopping spree - Sonic, who wanted to buy some hot dog wieners so he could make some more chili dogs, and Berkut, who wanted to buy a new perfume for his wife, Rinea. It should be noted that thanks to Mario, Sonic and Berkut were seemingly on the same page, although it was very one-sided in Sonic's case.
"I do think we'll have a great time shopping together, Sonic - just you and me, and Mario and Link," Berkut said to the hedgehog, as they headed outside to join Mario and Link near Link's truck. "It will be a great learning experience not only for me, but for..."
"Don't say stuff like that, it just...sounds weird, especially when you say it," Sonic warned Berkut, trying to keep his distance from the paladin. "Stop getting all buddy buddy with me, it's starting to creep me out!"
Sonic: Berkut has been suspiciously friendly with me...ever since I allegedly "apologized" to him for accusing him of plotting to kill Alm, he suddenly wants to be friends with me, and always wants to share my company. This must be his secret plan, to get as close to me as possible so he can kill me off for good and focus on his assassination plan without any distractions! I'll invite Berkut's company for now, and when the most opportune moment strikes, I'll return the favor!
Berkut: So nice of Sonic to admit he was wrong about me, falsely accusing me of planning to kill Alm...but believe me, when I'm out of the mansion, Alm will be a goner. Him and his wife, too. And then, the throne of Valentia will be mine, mine for the taking...
"But I thought friends were supposed to be buddy buddy with one another, to build relationships that would last forever!" exclaimed Berkut; all this friendship talk was making Sonic sick to his stomach. "Is that what it's all about? I don't have that many friends, so I may not be doing the right thing..."
"You don't have that many friends?" asked Sonic, not surprised in the slightest. Should've known Rinea was Berkut's only companion. "Wow, what a shocker. Just so we're clear, we're just acquaintances - people who happen to know each other. We may never become friends, and if you keep acting weird and stuff, then our chances of friendship will be..."
"Mario, where are you and Link going?" gleamed Peach, as she ran over to Mario and Link in the driveway, with Jennifer in her arms. "Are you...going shopping? And I didn't even have to beg you to do it? Oh Mario, I'm so proud of you...you've really come a long way!"
"For the record, Princess-a Peach, I didn't decide-a to go shopping on my own, Link asked-a me," clarified Mario, as Peach held her head down in sadness and sighed. If only she had a husband who enjoyed shopping as much as she did. "I'm only doing this because-a Link was forced to go grocery shopping by Master Hand, and I want-a Link to be on Master Hand's good-a side."
"Okay then...in that case, can you do me a favor, and get some dog food for Poochy? Make sure not to get the vegetarian dog food, I think Poochy's allergic to it...or maybe it's just his stomach."
"Vegetarian dog-a food sounds as heinous as it sounds. I'll make sure to steer-a clear of that awful crap when I'm in-a the store." Just then, Impa entered the scene, taking a good look at Link's truck, Epona.
"I must say, that is one nice-looking vehicle..." the Sheikah remarked, before turning her head towards Link. Link, seeing that Impa was looking at him, straightened himself up, standing like a timid soldier in the army. "Hello, Link."
"H-Hello to you, Impa," Link meekly responded; why was Link acting like that in the presence of Impa? Was he scared of Impa? Did he find Impa intimidating? Or is it just another Cuccoo situation? "How have you been?"
"Can't complain, though Lana is starting to drive me insane. If she wasn't so sensitive, I'd punch her in the face, to teach her a lesson. But I know how to keep my boundaries, no matter how much I want to overstep them."
"This Lana chick sounds like she's a total bother," Link whispered to Mario, who found himself smiling in amusement. "If mean, if she can drive Impa crazy, who knows what she'll do to the others in the mansion."
"She's from Hyrule, just-a like you," Mario whispered back, as Link made a "Huh?" face. Evidently Mario had some explaining to do...
Link: I knew Impa was here at one point in time, when she was snooping around the mansion and Mario stressed the importance of not bothering her...but I had no idea she was living with Mario and Peach. How is it that those two are able to land hot babes to live as guests in their house? *pauses* ...please don't let Zelda see this.
"Mario, Link, are we gonna go shopping or what?" Sonic asked of the plumber and the Hylian, noticing how close Berkut was to him. Too close for comfort, a lot closer than supposed friends should be. "I have things to do, you know..."
"I must return to the house, got to see if Lana's messing around with the microwave again," Impa said to Mario and company, as she retreated to Mario's house. Probably didn't want to be associated with Sonic. You could say you wouldn't blame her.
"I should probably head back too, so I can feed Jennifer," Peach said to Mario, also retreating to Mario's house. At least she had a more justified reason than Impa. "Don't forget to buy the dog food! Oh, and while you're at it, get some baby food for Jennifer, too!"
"Will-a do, princess!" Mario gave a thumbs up to his wife, as she returned to her home. With Impa finally gone, Link became more relaxed, letting out a sigh as he returned to his normal posture and position. "So Link, shall we head-a down the road, to the supermarket?"
"Yes, please, what are we waiting for!" Sonic answered for Link, immediately hopping inside the truck even though Link had yet to get in. Which meant the truck's horn sounded off, its sound spreading throughout the surrounding area. "Let's go, let's go, LET'S GO!"
"Someone clearly is excited about going shopping today," remarked Link, as he, Mario, and Berkut got inside the car. Once Link stuck his keys into the ignition, turning off the horn, he turned on his vehicle, and snapped in his seat belt. Mario, Sonic, and Berkut - the latter two seated apart from one another in the backseat - did the same. "Okay boys, Master Hand gave me a shopping list and a Target gift card, so Target is where we're headed. Thankfully the list isn't that long, so this shopping trip should end in a jiffy."
And with that, Link pulled out of the mansion's driveway, and unto the road, on the way to Target.
With Link going to the supermarket, that meant his best friend Cloud was all alone, with nothing to do except for hanging around with Aerith and playing with his pet Chocobo, Cloud Jr. Unfortunately, the swordsman couldn't do neither - Aerith was down at the beauty parlor, and Cloud Jr. had a date with the veterinarian...that veterinarian being Leia. So until Aerith was done with her beauty stuff, and Leia was done treating Cloud Jr., Cloud pretty much had nothing to do...
...and so, he walked though the hallways, with his hands in his pockets, not giving a single care about the world. During his walk, he passed by the workshop, where Samus was working on something, as always. In a curious state of mind, Cloud stopped by the workshop, paying Samus a visit.
"What are you working on today, Samus?" Cloud kindly asked the bounty hunter as he entered the workshop, expecting a harsh answer in return. Samus was a pro when it came to giving snarky remarks to any question, no matter how light-hearted or serious it was.
"Like you ever cared about what I'm up to..." replied Samus - just the kind of answer Cloud expected from the bounty hunter. Sometimes Samus was so predictable, it wasn't even funny. "But if you must know, I'm working on a tracking device - first time I've ever built something of such nature."
"A tracking device, you say?" Cloud grabbed a wheelie chair, rolled it over to Samus, and took a seat in it. "What are you gonna use it for? Hunt down Metroids and stuff?"
"For a second there, I thought you were gonna ask me if I would use the invention to 'find a boyfriend'...which is what Wario and Heihachi said when I told them what my contraption was all about." Samus should be lucky that Cloud wasn't the kind of guy that would joke around. Well, not with people such as her. "I'm using the contraption to spy on the Broodals. They've been flying around in the vicinity of the mansion, and X and I are kinda dedicated to bringing them down."
X: Personally I've never seen the Broodals up close, or in person, but that won't stop me - and Samus - from making them go away. I fear that if they linger around any longer, they'll find the secret Iris mural on the mansion rooftop...
Samus: Iris...mural? *smirks* A mural...of Iris? Zero's former girlfriend? Let me guess - you had a crush on Iris, and you didn't want to admit it, because you didn't want to ruin your friendship with Zero.
X: Who, me? I never had a crush on Iris - I don't think I've ever cared for her, to be honest. Zero wouldn't stop crying about how much he missed Iris, so I got a Smeargle from the Pokemon sanctuary to make him a mural of Iris, to go on the rooftop. Dude was the happiest robot on the planet when I revealed the mural to him for the first time.
Samus: Ah, so that's why Zero goes up to the mansion rooftop every day...say, does the mural ask Zero what he's fighting for?
X: Why would it even... *pauses* ooh, you're so wrong for that...
"Roy claimed that he met the Broodals before, but given the fast track of delusion that poor guy's riding on, I seriously doubt him," Cloud said to Samus, as X entered the workshop holding some metal scraps in his arms. "But he did get that mysterious voice-altering device Crash uses, so there's that..."
"Not gonna lie, you two would make for a great couple," X said to Cloud and Samus, who both turned around and gave the robot an inquisitive stare. "...that is, if Cloud wasn't in love with Aerith, and if Samus wasn't some cold witch who thinks love is 'for the weak'. But that's just my two cents..."
"As I've already stated before, nobody needs love to survive, since everyone is capable of doing something on their own," stated Samus, as X threw the metal scraps on the desk Samus was working at. "And where did you get these scraps from?"
"From the metal junkyard close to the mansion. Getting past those guard dogs was pretty hard - those Rottweilers sure don't know how to back down. Good thing I didn't have to use my Mega Buster to take care of 'em."
"Hey X, Samus said you two were building some invention that would allow you to spy on the Broodals," Cloud said to the robot, grabbing his attention. "Is there by any chance you're gonna use it to spy on anyone else?"
"Not really - aside from the Broodals, there's not that many suspicious folks around worth spying on. Unless you wanna give it a spin...gonna use it to spy on Aerith?" Cloud always got touched in his soft side when Aerith was mentioned, and such as was the case here, when Cloud got all befuddled.
"Why would I spy on Aerith for...in fact, what boyfriend would spy on their girlfriend to begin with? That stuff is beneath me." Despite Cloud's answer, the swordsman still appeared befuddled, and Samus found it amusing as she was smiling to herself.
"Aerith is gonna leave soon, right?" the bounty hunter asked Cloud, leaving him even more befuddled. How did Samus know this? "Aerith told me that she might be leaving the mansion, and Sora too...bet you'll be happy about Sora being gone."
"Aerith has been telling you too much, hasn't she..." Cloud looked down at the floor; he would put Aerith on blast, but he would never do that to his girlfriend, his one and only. Maybe a scolding will do the trick. "...shouldn't be surprised, Aerith is prone to leaking more stuff to others than she should. Just a quirk of hers."
"Just a quirk, you say, just a quirk..." said X, noticing how Cloud's demeanor had changed. All this talk about Aerith leaving made the swordsman feel some type of way, and X did not wish for Cloud to feel so down. "...you wanna help us out with building our tracking device, Cloud? We could use all the hands we can get!"
"Eh, I have nothing else to do, so why the heck not..." Cloud pulled up his chair, as X let out a relieved sigh. Had to give Cloud something, to keep his mind off of Aerith...
Cloud: As of right now, I don't have a timetable for when Aerith...and Sora...will be returning to their universe, but I'll do everything in my power to make their last days at the mansion count. By their, I mean Aerith. And Aerith only. Sora...Link can take care of him. He'll enjoy it...
Link and company's shopping trip was finished - Link got groceries for the mansion, Mario got dog food and baby food, Sonic got his wiener dogs, and Berkut got perfume and other beauty products for Rinea. With all the shopping done, the four men would return to the mansion, but not without some drama taking place during the drive back home.
"Will you two please-a cut that out?" Mario scolded Sonic and Berkut, the hedgehog and the paladin both seating in the backseat and toying with one another. Berkut tried to be friendly with Sonic by wrapping his arm around the hedgehog, but that didn't go to well. Which led to an ensuing playfight. "I want this ride-a to be smooth as possible..."
"Tell that to Berkut, he's the one causing all the ruckus here!" Sonic fired back, after he and Berkut were done fighting with one another. "Can you please drive a bit faster, Link? I really need to get away from this man, before he drives me insane..."
"No can do, Sonic, I have to go the speed limit," replied Link, with his eyes on the road and his hand on the steering wheel. The prototypical manly way to ride a truck in style. "Don't want a ticket."
"Oh I see how it is, my feelings mean absolutely nothing to you...you must be a covert sociopath. Nothing matters to you. The only thing that matters is your precious little speed limit."
"My goodness, someone's in a bad mood today," remarked Berkut, as Sonic shot a glare at the paladin. If the hedgehog could take the beauty products from Berkut, and throw it at Berkut's face, he would do it in a heartbeat.
"Says the guy who put me in said bad mood in the first place...you know what, how about we change the subject. How about we talk about Link? So, Link, how bad did you feel when you broke up with Linkle? Did you have that same feeling, when you knowingly cheated ON A PRINCESS with some chick trying to look and be like you?" Link certainly didn't appreciate Sonic bringing up Linkle, as he furrowed his brow and gripped his steering wheel harder.
"Okay, let's just turn on the radio and listen to some music," the Hylian said as he pressed a button to turn on his radio, and turned up the volume. "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden started to play.
"Link, I don't mean-a to be a bother, but I gotta pee," Mario said to the Hylian, with his hands over his crotch. That was a tell-tale sign that the plumber really needed to go.
"Mario why couldn't you use the restroom when we were at Target? You had all the time in the world to take care of your business..."
"I just didn't have-a to go at the time, okay? You don't know how-a my bladder works!" Hopefully Mario's bladder worked better than his stomach.
"We'll be at the mansion soon, it should only take us around ten minutes. You can hold it in until then, right?" Unfortunately Mario couldn't, as he squirmed around in his seat. He could burst at any given minute.
"No Link, I possibly can't-a wait! Can't you just pull-a over, so I can pee in the grass-a like naturalists do? My bladder is at full-a capacity, and if I don't go soon, I might get urine all-a over your truck...you wouldn't want that-a to happen, would-a you?"
"I'll pull over only if I see a gas station in sight. Gotta get some gas. I don't want you to get arrested by the police for peeing on the road." If a policeman did apprehend Mario, Mario could take care of him with pepper spray. Policemen wouldn't know how to deal with a man armed with pepper spray, as episode 124 proved.
"Better hope-a I can make it in-a time...otherwise this truck might-a be drenched in urine..."
Link soon found a gas station, and the Hylian pulled his truck up to a gas pump. Right before he could shut his truck off, Mario hopped out of the vehicle, rushing to the convenience store. Sonic followed after the plumber.
"You have to use-a the restroom too, Sonic?" Mario asked the hedgehog as he ran inside the convenience store, nearly knocking an old lady down along the way.
"Not really - I just need a mandatory break from Berkut," replied Sonic, following Mario inside the convenience store. And speaking of Berkut...
"Sonic wait up, I've yet to ask you about your favorite things!" the paladin called out as he hopped out of the car, also running inside the convenience store. "We must get to know each other better, as friends!" Link watched this go down, as he pumped his gas, and shook his head.
Link: Cloud was kind enough to give me twenty dollars for gas money. Dumb gas stations don't even accept rupees, for whatever reason. Cloud was also kind enough to lend me his cellphone, and he was pretty chill about it. Said that Barret was the only person that contacted him, so it's not like he needed his phone for anything.
Once Link was done pumping his gas, he suddenly heard a ringtone. The Hylian dug into his pocket, and pulled out Cloud's phone, seeing that Luigi was calling him. And Cloud said that Barret was the only one who'd call him...clearly Luigi was having an emergency situation of sorts.
"Hello?" Link answered the call, putting the pump back into his socket. In the background, Link could hear multiple voices, and what sounded like an ambulance siren. Definitely an emergency situation.
"Oh, hi Link, didn't expect-a you to answer the call," replied Luigi, while the siren sounds in the background overwhelmed Link with worry. "Is Cloud around?"
"No, he's at the mansion, doing stuff. Guy lent me his phone, while I went grocery shopping for Master Hand. You know I don't carry a cellular device...so what's up? Something happened?"
"I'm afraid-a so...my precious Dodge-a Charger is ON FIRE!" Oh no, not Luigi's Dodge Charger...it was a vehicle that Luigi took an immense amount of pride in, and for good reason. It wasn't that often you'd see an awkward plumber riding a Dodge Charger 'round town.
"Yikes, that's pretty bad...I take it that you got into an ugly car accident?" That would be the only logical explanation for the car fire - not like the Dodge Charger would randomly set itself on fire. Unless it was a defect that waited two years to actually do its job.
"Unfortunately, yes - you know-a that girl named Linkle, right? The Hylian who looks just-a like you?" Link wanted to answer yes, but the bad memories racing through his mind prevented him from doing so. "I let her take-a my car out for a spin behind-a the wheel, with and she crashed-a my car into a telephone pole and now it's on-a fire...the firetruck and-a the ambulance are here as I speak. Daisy, Charles, Yuffie and I were-a in the car when it crashed, and thankfully we got out-a in time. Yuffie and I got a few-a bruises, and Charles is crying non-a stop, but other than that..."
"Seriously, you let Linkle drive your car? Have you not known that she's never driven a car before?" Obviously Luigi didn't think of this, which is why his car is now in jeopardy. Hopefully a lesson learned for him.
"I'm-a sorry, Link...I had Linkle help-a me wash my car, and she kept asking me to drive-a it, and I caved in...you know how I can-a be sometimes. I tried-a calling Mario, but I got no answer; I then called Mario's house phone, and Peach told-a me that Mario was out-a shopping. I could really use-a his FLUDD right now..."
"Hang on Luigi, I'll come over and I'll see what I can do. Just tell me where you guys are, and I'll be there soon." Link immediately hopped inside his truck, but before he did, he had to relay a message to a convenience store worker outside, taking a smoke. "Hey guy, if you see a plumber and his friends, tell them to call Captain Falcon or Jacky Bryant! Or the Smash Mansion! Okay?"
"What was that?" the convenience store worker asked, as Link got inside his truck and drove away from the gas station, on his way to Luigi and company. The convenience store worker then shrugged, as he continued smoking.
Store Worker: That blonde guy with the funny hat...he wanted me to tell some drummer guy and his friends to call this Captain Balkin dude? And some other dude named Tacky? *nods his head* Okay then...
Back at the mansion, Layton and Luke were still in awe of the love letter written by Bowser, the one Ema found in an envelope in the previous episode. They marveled the letter so much, that they even showed it to the residents, to see how they felt. Right now, they had Zelda and Celica read the letter together, in the foyer.
"Well then...this letter is, uh, very descriptive, I'll say," remarked Celica, after she and Zelda were done reading. She had no idea Bowser was capable of writing love letters with such romantic potency. "Granted it wasn't anything explicit, but it was...what's the word I'm looking for?"
"I believe eccentric would be a great word to describe the tone and nature of that love letter, it was very...out there, I'll say," replied Layton, smiling a little. "It was also very campy, but in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable. You could imagine how Luke and I felt when we..." Layton was soon cut off, when the mansion's house phone rang.
"I'll go answer the phone," volunteered Zelda, as she headed over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello? Hi Link...Linkle did what?!...Why did Luigi let her drive the car?...Well I'm not surprised, he is a pretty easy person to walk over...Okay, will do. Alright then. Bye."
"Did something happen to Luigi's car?" Luke asked Zelda, after the princess hung up the hope. "I did hear the word 'car' mentioned..."
"Apparently Luigi let Linkle drive his car, and take it for a spin around town...and she crashed the car into a telephone pole, and set it ablaze. Since Link is coming over to pick up Luigi and the others, we need someone to pick up Mario, Sonic, and Berkut from the gas station Link left them at. Link said that Mario left his phone and wallet in his truck, and Sonic left his phone too."
"We should have Captain Falcon or Jacky to pick up those three, they do have a vehicle after all," suggested Celica - that only depended on which man was available.
Mario, Sonic, and Berkut eventually found out that Link abandoned them when they left the restroom (yes, they were in the restroom at the same time, and in the same stall no less), and all three were desperate to come back home. And with Mario's phone left in Link's truck, the plumber had to use the convenience store's phone to call somebody.
"I understand you have a cell-a phone policy in place, but this is an emergency!" Mario stressed to the convenience store worker, who was standing behind the counter mindlessly picking his nose. "Our friend isn't here, and for all-a we know he could've been abducted!"
"No worries bro, your friend didn't leave you behind..." responded the convenience store worker, as Mario let out a sigh of relief. "...actually, he did. Ditched you three, and drove away." That relief went away instantly, when Mario faceplanted unto the floor.
Store Worker: Turns out the drummer guy wasn't really a drummer, but actually that plumber guy named Mario...don't know what he's still doing as a plumber, though. Does he not have a better job for him to do?
"Ain't no way Link ditched us...he was supposed to take us back home!" frowned Sonic, salty that he now had to spend more time with Berkut. "And he took my wiener dogs with him...what if he fed them to some poor guy on the street? Oh, the humanity!"
"Relax, Sonic, Link would never do that - the poor are way beneath his level," said Berkut, displaying his disregard for the poor, before turning his attention to the convenience store worker. "Can we please use your phone? Our friend might have a panic attack..."
"Fine, I guess you can use the phone...but make it quick," replied the convenience store worker, as he grabbed the phone and handed it to Berkut...only for Mario to spring up, and grab the phone himself. Just a second ago, the plumber was acting like all hope in the universe was lost forever.
"Our phone call will-a be quick, I promise you," the plumber promised after grabbing the phone, before he realized something. "...aw crap, I totally forgot Link's-a phone number! Which is probably why I put Link on speed-a dial, since I always forget-a his number."
"Does the store phone come with a speed dial?" Berkut asked the convenience store worker, who shook his head no. If the phone did have speed dial, it would make Mario's life so much easier.
"I do think your friend left you behind on purpose - saw him drive away in a hurry," said the convenience store worker, and these were the words Mario did not want to hear. "Might wanna walk back home..."
Cappy: You know, walking back home doesn't sound that bad...this might be a great bonding experience, for the four of us!
Sonic: For the three of you, you mean...I refuse to be seen in public with Berkut. No way I'm traveling back home with him breathing down my neck!
Berkut: Who do you think I am, Sonic? I'm just trying to be your best friend! I've never had a friend before...
Mario: Hush up, you two - the sooner we get-a back home, the sooner you two can put-a your strife to rest. So let's-a get going...
So Mario, Sonic, and Berkut left the convenience store, on their way back home to the mansion. As they left the store, they failed to notice a flying ship hovering near the store, with four long-eared individuals spying on them from above...
There were five residents at the mansion who owned vehicles suitable for Mario and company to travel in...Jacky, with his Wanderlust car; Captain Falcon, with his Falcon Flyer, and Fox, Falco, and Wolf, with their Landmasters. The latter three were out unavailable, since they were busy at the moment, so Zelda had to ask either Jacky or Captain Falcon to pick up Mario and company from the gas station.
"You're talking about the Shell gas station in the Belltown neighborhood?" Jacky asked Zelda in the fitness center, as the Indy Car racer and Akira were doing push-ups together, to see who could outdo the other. "Yeah, I think I'll pass..."
"But why, is there something shady about that gas station?" asked Zelda. "Or do you have a beef with a convenience store worker there that nobody knows about?" Like Jacky would have a beef with someone who picked his nose while on the job...
"Well, Belltown is a pretty shady part of Seattle, and a lot of bad mojo has transpired near the gas station. Especially at night. That gas station is one of the few stations I try to avoid."
"I once saw an elementary school kid get mugged by a clown near that gas station, true story," stated Akira, leading Zelda to give him a weird glance. "What, you don't believe me? How about you take Villager over there at nighttime, and see what happens!"
"You guys are no help..." sighed Zelda as she walked away - before bumping into Captain Falcon. Just the guy she needed to see. "Hey Falcon - are you using your Falcon Flyer? Link left Mario, Sonic, and Berkut at the gas station in Belltown, and..."
"...you want me to pick them up?" Captain Falcon answered for Zelda. "Sure can do! I was gonna prepare myself for my epic trek around town, but I squeeze in some time to pick up a few friends!" Pit and Kirby soon walked by, having eavesdropped on Captain Falcon.
"Ooh, are you going on a rescue mission, Captain Falcon?" Pit asked the racer; if there was anything the angel loved, it was going on missions. Even missions he's not supposed to be a part of. "Can I come too, please?! I've always wanted to be in..."
"Pit you've been in a rescue mission before; do you not remember when you helped Snake escape from a Hawaiian jail?" asked Zelda, as Pit made an "Oh..." face. The angel must have some long-term memory loss. Or perhaps selective memory. Or both.
"You and Kirby are more than welcome to tag along, if you like. The more people, the merrier! Only real men are brave enough to head down to Belltown, so I commend you for stepping up to the plate!" Jacky was greatly offended when he heard this - perish the thought of Pit being deemed "manly" - so offended, he stopped doing push-ups and stood up on his feet. Akira did the same, following Jacky's lead.
"Well you may not think of it as much, but Akira and I are real men!" Jacky said to Captain Falcon's face, as Zelda rolled her eyes and walked away. "We're real enough to go to Belltown, and back, without a scratch!"
"Yeah, what he said!" affirmed Akira with the nodding of his head. Please don't be a suck-up, Akira. You're far better than this.
Jacky: Akira and I, we're the manliest men ever in the mansion! We got the best muscles, got chest hair before we turned a year old, and on top of that, we're both extraordinarily handsome! We ain't scared of the dark, and we sure ain't afraid of backing down to whatever's in our way!
Akira: But make no mistake of it, we're both pretty afraid of clowns! Like that clown I saw in Belltown, mugging that little kid.
Jacky: Can you please not mention clowns, they're not manly enough for us...and besides, thinking about clowns just gives me the creeps. We're trying to maintain a reputation for the camera, remember?
"If you two think that you're man enough to come along, then I'll let you join Pit, Kirby and I," responded Captain Falcon, as Jacky and Akira cheered and exchanged a high five with one another. "But if you wanna back out, then I'll give you all the time to..."
"Captain Falcon...Akira and I are known for not backing down from anything," Jacky explained to the racer, as Akira nodded his head convincingly. Akira was already really good playing the suck-up role. And he should probably stop immediately. "We don't back down from anyone, or anything, for any reason at all!"
"Unless there's clowns involved," Akira stated matter-of-factly, as Jacky nudged him in the side. "...uh, what Jacky said was right, we're the toughest dudes around these parts. We're brave enough for Belltown, and any other shady part of town. Since Mario and company need rescuing, we'll do the manly job and rescue them, like the men we are!"
"Alright, alright, no need to ham it up you two, I get it!" smiled Captain Falcon, eager to see Jacky and Akira so willing to partake in the rescue mission of sorts. Though he wondered how dedicated the two fighters were to getting the job done. "We'll leave shortly, after I get my Falcon Flyer booted up. Do what you need to go before we head down to Belltown."
"We should probably take some beef jerky with us, to keep our manliness alive," Pit suggested to Jacky and Akira, as Captain Falcon left the fitness center. Like Pit was ever manly to begin with...
Star Records, by every stretch of the imagination, was very much a legit recording label. They had a cool underground rapper in Knuckles, five talented idol singers, and they even had two web shows to boot. Star Records hat a modest collection of accomplishments under their belt, and they were only two years into the game.
However, one thing Star Records lacked was a top notch logo - one that served a strong purpose for the recording label's identity. As of right now, the only logo the label had was just the words "Star Records", written in all caps in blue letters. Not exactly the most creative or exciting thing in the world. But Fox, Falco, and Itsuki, the three heads of Star Records, were going to change that.
"Obviously, we brought you three here for a reason, and for a very specific reason only," Fox said to three men, whom were seated at a round table - Chrom, whose hair was back to being fully grown again; Dark Pit, who was back on his quest of winning back Flora's heart; and Donkey Kong, who...well, DJ has nothing exciting going on for him, at the moment. "Your involvement today might change the fate of Star Records as we know it."
"What is this all about, are you trying to form a boy band to counter Roy's Straight Fiyah?" questioned Chrom, no doubt thinking in his mind that what he said sounded dumber out loud. "I've been in this boy band charade before, so you can count me out..."
"Don't get it twisted Chrom, we're not gonna force you to start up a new boy band," assured Itsuki, as Chrom let out a sigh of relief. The prince's worst nightmares were dashed in an instant. "We already have our hands full with Roy. We brought you three men to our office to help us, for some...creative purpose."
"Creative in a good way, or a bad way?" asked Donkey Kong, as he was eating a banana. He saw the three Star Records heads place three drawing notepads on the round table, along with some coloring utensils such as markers, crowns, and the like.
"Both, depending on how things go,' replied Falco, as Donkey Kong, Dark Pit, and Chrom took a good look at the materials presented to them. "Your mission, whether you choose to accept it or not, is to create a radically awesome logo for our label, Star Records. We need all the creativity we can get!"
"I don't understand why you would need a new logo for, the one you have is fine to me," Chrom offered his two cents, as everyone looked at the prince like he was a crazy madman. "It's simple and to the point, and isn't that distracting."
"It's also the most boring logo ever for a record label..." stated Dark Pit, though Chrom didn't seem to agree with the doppelganger. "Almost just as boring as you..." Chrom took great offense to Dark Pit's comment, shooting a glare at the doppelganger.
Chrom: I don't think I'm boring, per se - I believe the better word to describe me would be practical. *pauses* Though that sounds like the same exact thing as being boring...
"What exactly are you looking for in a logo, you three?" asked Donkey Kong, grabbing some markers. The drawing notepad was a bit on the small side, but the gorilla supposed he could make it work. "You want a star? A shooting star? A bunch of stars, in a constellation!"
"We're not going to tell you what we prefer - you just have to draw what you prefer instead," explained Itsuki, as Donkey Kong, Dark Pit, and Chrom exchanged looks with one another. "C'mon guys, it's not rocket science! Why, just look at the name, generate some ideas from that! The name is Star Records, so why not draw a freaking star as the freaking logo?!"
"Not that I'm criticizing you, Itsuki, but when you tell us to draw a star logo, it tells us that you prefer to have a star for a logo for your record label," Chrom pointed out, as he unintentionally made Itsuki furious. "So do you want us to draw a star or not?"
"No I don't want you to draw a star, I want you to draw whatever you want to draw! Just as long as it represents our company! What part of drawing what you prefer don't you understand?!"
"The part where we draw what we don't prefer, since it's not like we agreed to draw a stupid logo and you pretty much forced us to do this," replied Dark Pit, making Itsuki even angrier. You know it was a bad sign when Itsuki was showing more impulsiveness than Falco, let alone any impulsiveness, and the young man was ready to blow at any given minute.
"You know what? YOU KNOW WHAT?! Do what you want. I don't care. Do what you wanna do! If we catch a ton of flak for our new logo, then the blame will be squarely on you guys' shoulders. Just do what you wanna do!" On that note, Itsuki angrily walked out of the Star Records room, ensuing in awkward silence.
"Itsuki does realize that he can review what we drew, and come to a decision on what the new logo will be, along with input from you two, right?" Donkey Kong asked Falco and Itsuki, who didn't know what to say. To see Itsuki so upset...clearly there was something going on with the guy.
"Itsuki's temperament probably has something to do with Tsubasa, doesn't it?" Fox asked Falco, who couldn't help but nod his head warily. The pilots were already lowkey suspicious of Itsuki, but what just transpired only raised their levels of suspicion to an all-time high.
Thanks to the blazing fast speed of the Falcon Flyer, Captain Falcon and company arrived at the gas station in Belltown, to search for the whereabouts of Mario, Sonic, and Berkut. Neither of the three men were anywhere to be found, so questions had to be asked...
"Have you seen a midget man dressed up as a plumber, who looks like a Mexican but isn't really a Mexican?" Pit asked the convenience store worker behind the counter, who was confused by Pit's odd description of Mario. "Well then, have you seen a blue porcupine-looking guy wearing red shoes? He's actually a hedgehog. Or how about a man, who dresses and looks like a regal Pete Wentz?"
"Those descriptions aren't going to help us, Pit," Kirby said to the angel, as he walked up to the counter with three pictures in his hands. "Hoist me up unto the counter, will you?" Pit grabbed Kirby, and placed him on the counter, so the pink puffball could show the convenience store worker the pictures - pictures of Mario, Sonic, and Berkut. One has to wonder how Kirby acquired those pictures in the first place. "Have you seen these three?"
"Yup I've seen them - they left not so long ago," replied the convenience store worker, after recognizing the pictures. "They couldn't call for help, so they opted to walk back home on foot. Good thing this city doesn't have vultures..."
"Aw what, Mario, Sonic, and Berkut left before we got here?" frowned Captain Falcon, who had to pause eating from an ICEE machine he held his head under. "You know which they they went?"
Captain Falcon: Ooh, eating that ICEE stuff gave me brain freeze... *chatters his teeth* ...might have to let Jacky drive my Falcon Flyer. He'll owe me a month's worth of maid duties if he crashes my ride.
"No need to fear, let a REAL MAN handle this..." Jacky stepped up to the plate, brushing Pit aside as he reached the counter. He stared into the eyes of the convenience store worker - not in an intimidating way, but to let him know that he meant business. "You're a man, right? If you were left behind, and you had to head back home, what would a man like yourself do?"
"First I would, uh, make sure that my mind and spirit are both intact," replied the convenience store worker as Jacky nodded his head with a smile, relishing in the worker's invaluable instruction. "Then, uh, I would head out, following where my heart takes me."
"I agree with you wholeheartedly, my man, I would do the same thing do...but let's get more specific. What direction would a man take, where would a man go? Tell me where you would go from here, from this store, if you were abandoned."
"I would probably go...that way," The convenience store worker pointed out at the clear glass doors, as Jacky looked at where the worker was pointing at. "That's the way those three dudes went. Clearly they were following where their hearts took them."
"And their hearts were seemingly together...that's how men should be united, through their hearts. Thanks for everything, pal, knew we could trust you." Jacky gave some dap to the convenience store worker, now knowing where his group was headed.
"Looks like we're on our way then!" exclaimed Captain Falcon, done draining the ICEE machine of its icy contents as he wiped his mouth and his his crew out of the convenience store. "Let's get crackalackin', boys!"
"That was awesome what you just did," Akira quietly said to Jacky, as the two fighters, along with Pit and Kirby, followed Captain Falcon out of the store and to the Falcon Flyer.
Mario, Sonic, and Berkut - the manly men that they were - followed whatever their hearts took them. And their hearts, their hearts of manliness, took them to...a pet store, where pets can be adopted. Admit it, buying pets was the manliest thing ever - it's no wonder so many manly guys have pet dogs. At the pet store, Sonic was speaking with all sorts of different pets, while Mario and Berkut stood by and watched.
"Alright fellas, listen to me, and listen close..." Sonic said to a pound of puppies, speaking to them with his hands on his bent knees like he was giving a pep talk. "...you see that cute puppy over there? Hate to break it to ya, but she ain't meant for either one of ya...but don't get so bogged down, because there are a whole lot of other girls out there. You see those puppies over there? They're cute. They're worth your attention."
"If not for Amy Rose and several others, I would analyze Sonic's current behavior as a sign that he's totally lost it," Cappy said to Mario and Berkut, as Sonic moved on to the parrots, up in their bird cages. "Man, you guys are beautiful! So colorful! I wish I could understand you. I know you can speak the human language, but for all we know, you could be trash-talking me and my friends. I really wanna know your ways."
"I'm holding out that Sonic won't choose a lowly pet from this pet store as a friend over me..." remarked Berkut, as Sonic moved on to the snake, inside its cage. Sonic cringed deeply when he saw the reptilian slithering about.
"Creatures like you make me sick...you are disgusting. You'll never find love. Stop being a snake...stop being like Kevin Durant. Start being someone like LeBron James or Michael Jordon instead. Be a goat!"
Sonic: *thinks* Who's the real GOAT, MJ or LeBron... *shrugs* ...honestly I don't have a dog in this fight, to be honest. I just love to watch people debate who's better on sports shows, like there's nothing worth discussing in sports. Or in the world, for that matter. I guess people have a dire need to discuss and argue over absolutely unnecessary things to waste their time.
As Sonic moved on to the other pets, Cappy looked outside the store windows, and saw a flying ship near the store. It was the Broodals' ship, and on the ship laughing away was...well, the Broodals. Cappy had every right to feel intimidated.
"Mario, I think we're being watched..." the talking hat warned Mario, who was too busy watching Sonic interact with a German shepherd. The dog tried to lunge at Sonic, but his leash kept him at bay.
"For the last-a time Cappy, that chameleon is not looking at us," replied Mario, laughing inside as the German shepherd was intimidating Sonic. Not even that respectable dog liked the hedgehog. "It's just minding its own-a business!"
"It's not the chameleon this time, I promise you, it's the Broodals! The Broodals are looking at us through the windows, on their ship! Quickly, Mario, you must see for yourself! They might be following us!"
"Okay Cappy, let's take a good-a look at those Broodals..." Mario turned his head around, looked for a few good seconds, and then turned his head back around. "Sorry Cappy, but I didn't see anything - all this talk about-a the Broodals must've gotten to your head."
"But they were here just a second ago!" Indeed the Broodals were here, but now they were gone away, nowhere to be found. "I do think we're being watched..."
Captain Falcon, due to eating from the ICEE machine (and without even paying nonetheless; you know that convenience store worker was gonna get fired), was suffering from a major brain freeze, and had Jacky drive his Falcon Flyer while he healed. As it turned out, the racer's brain freeze was worse than expected, and Akira suggested that the best (and manliest) way to stop Falcon's brain freeze was to drink a warm drink. So Jacky made a quick pit stop at a grocery store, to find the manliest warm drink possible for Captain Falcon.
"Such a shame the Starbucks stores in Seattle closed down..." lamented Pit, figuring that a coffee would be the best drink to heal Captain Falcon's brain. But was it the most manliest drink? Jacky and Akira would have to be the judges. Just then, Pit's phone rang, and it was a call from the mansion. Pit answered right away. "Hello, Pit speaking..."
"Hi Pit, it's me, Mamori," answered the caller, as Pit was quick to recognize Mamori's girly voice and adorable charm. "Can you do me a quick favor, pretty please?"
"I don't know, is today Pikachu Day?" Audible sighing could be heard from Pit's phone, and Kirby and Captain Falcon, both inside the Falcon Flyer, could hear the sighing from just a few feet away.
"Do I have to answer yes? Because I don't feel like..."
"Yes, Mamori, you do have answer yes. It'll be done in the spirit of spreading awareness. Do it!"
"Well I hate to break it to you, but today isn't Pikachu Day. No day is Pikachu Day."
"Alright then, suit yourself. Get someone else to do your stupid favor. Goodbye!"
"No Pit, don't hang up, this is super important! Can you get me a box of tissues? Now a box of tissues may not sound that important, but..."
"Mamori, I'm not on a shopping trip, I'm on a rescue mission. Or a manhunt. Just pick one. If you wanted a box of tissues so badly, you should've said that to Link before he headed out."
"I just didn't need it at the time, okay? A lot of things happened ever since you left...so will you please get me a box of tissues?"
"Ha ha, chill out Mamori, I was just messin' with ya! I'll get a box of tissues, and you can use them for whatever. What, you thought I was just raising my voice for no reason?"
"I thought you were being serious so..." Pit ended the phone call before Mamori could finish, as he placed his cellphone back in his pocket. Some knocking on the Falcon Flyer was heard, and Captain Falcon pressed a button to open the hachet, as Jacky and Akira were standing outside with shopping bags.
"Got a few bags of mocha, and Jacky's got a coffee maker," Akira said to Pit and company, showing off the items they bought from the store. "The manliest grocery items around, if I do say so myself. Now's who's ready to make some coffee?!"
"Not yet, Mamori called and she said that she needs a box of tissues," replied Pit, after Jacky and Akira placed the shopping bags inside the Falcon Flyer. "So you two will have to run back into the store."
"A box of tissues, eh?" jacky raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of it. "Tissues aren't exactly the manliest things around, but if they're for a woman, then we'll head back out and get some...anyone have any spare change?"
Fox: Chrom, Dark Pit, and Donkey Kong are all finished drawing their proposed logo for Star Records; Ayaha informed us while we were playing pool in the gaming room. Falco almost popped himself in the beak!
Falco: Hmph, like I expected that cue ball to ricochet and hit me in the face...I'm still worried about Ituski though. Never seen the man that angry in my entire life. You still think it might have something to do with Tsubasa?
Fox: It could be something else...maybe he came to terms with a midlife crisis after realizing how boring he is. He's not what I make out to be the most exciting person in the world.
Fox and Falco were in the Star Records room with Ayaha, as Chrom, Dark Pit, and Donkey Kong were ready to show off their proposed logo to the Star Fox pilots. Itsuki was nowhere to be found, so Ayaha had to take his place.
"Boys, when you're ready, you may show us what you've drawn," Ayaha said to the three men, bracing herself for whatever atrocity they might've drawn. Chrom, Dark Pit, and Donkey Kong all exchanged glances with one another, as they held up their drawing pads at the same time, revealing what they had draw. Fox, Falco, and Ayaha weren't sure what to make of the drawings.
"I drew a microphone, but with a star as the mic part!" Dark Pit explained his drawing; looked promising, and it was neatly shaded too.
"I drew a music note, and I included a star at the bottom!" Donkey Kong explained his drawing; very creative, though a bit rough around the edges.
"And I simply drew a star, because I legitimately couldn't think of anything I could draw well," Chrom explained his drawing...yeah, it was safe to say his logo would never get approved. Too basic.
"Those logos all look magnificent..." remarked Fox, giving his take on the three potential logos he saw. "...magnificently awful! What were you bums thinking? Couldn't you have drawn anything better?" Dark Pit and Donkey Kong were offended by Fox's comments; Chrom, on the other hand, couldn't care less.
"You wanted a star, and so we delivered," explained Dark Pit, taking a great sense of pride in his artwork. Just like he did with pretty much anything else, whether he excelled at it or not. "We did what you wanted us to do, draw a logo. Did you not want a star logo?"
"What I think Fox is trying to say is, is that those logos look cheesy and, dare I say it, childish," explained Falco. Dark Pit and Donkey Kong still felt offended; Chrom still didn't give a darn. "I mean, a star on a microphone, and a music note with a star on it? That's something my future five-year old would draw!"
"Falco you can't have a five-year old - not with Katt, at least," stated Fox, as Falco couldn't do nothing but face the facts. "You know birds and felines can't get together and...you know. That's not how biology works."
"I know bruh, no need to rain on my parade..." As Chrom, Dark Pit, and Donkey Kong put their drawing pads away, Eleonora entered the Star Records room, to speak with Fox and Falco.
"Fox, Falco, can you two come with me?" the blonde idol singer said to the pilots. "Itsuki is having a sobbing fit, apparently." So earlier Itsuki was having an outburst, and now the young man was crying...something was seriously going on with him today.
"A sobbing fit over what?" Ayaha asked Eleonora, unable to imagine someone like Itsuki crying. Almost unthinkable, even. "Itsuki has never cried over anything..."
"Mamori just asked him about Tsubasa, and after receiving no response, he just started crying...so weird. He's in the recording studio right now. Mamori and I were keeping him company.
"Do you mind if we can come too, Eleonora?" asked Chrom, who was lowkey best friends with Itsuki. Unwritten Rule #6: when a man is in a state of despair, he needs a best friend to cheer him up. "Got a bad feeling about this..."
Chrom: As far as I know, Itsuki has never cried. Not even after getting bit by that raccoon. Instead of moping and crying about dying from rabies, he was like, "Well there goes my weekend". Then again, Leia was around at the time...that girl is a real lifesaver, I tell you what.
Eleonora led everyone from the Star Records room to the recording studio, where Itsuki was seated on the floor sobbing like a baby. With him was Mamori, patting the young man on his shoulder.
"It's over, it's all over..." sobbed Itsuki, as Eleonora and company entered the recording studio. Fox, Falco, Ayaha, Chrom, Dark Pit, Donkey Kong...none of the individuals mentioned had ever seen Itsuki so overwhelmed with sadness before. "What's done is done, I've already buried the hatchet..."
"The heck are you talking about man?" Falco interrogated Itsuki, kneeling down at the young man with a stern face. "What is this so-called hatchet you buried? Who did you make peace with?"
"I had made peace with...with Tsubasa." It was at that very moment Falco and company assumed the very worst. "Even though I've yet to tell her the news personally, I've already came to my decision, and I hope that Tsubasa will understand."
"You made peace with Tsubasa? Does that mean...oh no, don't tell me what I think it means..." Falco knew what Itsuki was going to say, but he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth to believe it.
"Yes Falco, I do mean what I said. Tsubas and I...we're through." The others looked on with dismay, as Falco got up and looked around, not knowing what to say.
"I saw Itsuki in the recording studio earlier and asked me what's wrong, and that's when he made his little confession," explained Mamori, who was probably the most shocked out of everyone else when she first heard the news. "Apparently he said he's been mulling over pulling the plug with Tsubasa for a few weeks..."
"A few weeks, huh..." Fox said deep in thought, before a light bulb dinged over his head. The pilot might have a good theory as to why Itsuki broke up with Tsubasa. "...say, Itsuki, were you the one who bought those Victoria's Secret magazines, under our name? And what about Little Mac, being your 'chauffeur'?"
"It was indeed I who bought those magazines. While I spent my time reflecting upon my relationship with Tsubasa, I bought a few magazines to look for a new girlfriend. You know, to keep evaluating my options. I found this one girl, got her contact information, and snagged Little Mac as a chauffeur, and arranged a date with this woman so that Little Mac could drive us and..."
"You know what Itsuki, we've heard enough." Fox grabbed Falco's feathery hand, and rushed out of the recording studio. "Screw your date, and screw that girl. We're gonna make you happy again!"
"Stuff like this always happen when I'm not the most impetuous one on any day..." murmured Falco, as Fox dragged him out of the studio, and to places unknown.
After the pet store visit, Mario, Sonic, and Berkut continued on their quest on their way back home. Their latest stop was a hot dog stand, and unfortunately for the vendor, he was already familiar with one of the three men...
"Ay, what up dude?" Sonic waved to the now groaning hot dog vendor, the same vendor present during that whole Heartless invasion bit in episode 77. Sonic and company hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so now was the perfect time for some lunch.
"Oh good, you've brought some friends along..." mumbled the hot dog vendor, hoping Mario and Berkut could keep Sonic in check. The vendor could really use someone like Barret right now. "How exciting..."
Hot Dog Vendor: This is my punishment...having to work on the daily as a hot dog vendor, in a city full of annoying people and hippies... *sighs* ...knew I shouldn't have dropped out of community college. But the girls were pretty nice, though.
"I would like-a one hot dog, good-a sir," Mario said to the hot dog vendor, before placing his watch on the stand. Who knew the plumber had a watch to begin with? Must not use it as much. "Sadly I don't have-a any money with me, since I left it in some-a one's truck, so I'll leave-a you here with my watch. I'll come-a back later, to pay for my hot-a dog."
"Sorry sir, but this isn't a pawn shop..." said the hot dog vendor in a flat, deadbeat tone. Like he was ready to give up in life and spend the rest of his days being a lazy, self-loathing homebody.
"I understand that this-a isn't a pawn shop, but...that watch right there is worth-a fifty dollars. Five zero. You can only wish-a you had a watch that fly."
"Ooh, a watch worth fifty dollars, I'm so impressed..." The boredom in the hot dog vendor's voice could easily put the cheeriest person in the world to sleep. "...it ain't a Rolex watch, so I don't know why you're showing it off..."
"Wait, here-a me out! I look at your-a menu, and I see that most-a of the prices are pretty cheap. With that very watch, I could-a buy more than half-a of the menu!"
"Nice try, but no...I can't just give out free hot dogs like they're handouts." Soon a flying ship entered the premises, and Cappy turned around and saw that it was...yup, you guessed it, the Broodals. Only he noticed the rabbits.
"Okay then buster, have it your-a way...what do you do with the hog dogs that you don't sell?" Mario was very adamant about getting some free hot dogs - he must be that hungry.
"It's simple, I just throw them away." Even the hot dog vendor failed to notice the Broodals, who were laughing wickedly while they looked down upon Mario and company. Cappy was terrified, for sure.
"Wow what a waste...instead of throwing them-a away into the trash, how about you just-a throw them away now into our-a mouths?" At this point, the hot dog vendor was more frustrated than ever - he was starting to find Mario just as annoying as Sonic. He now hoped Berkut wasn't the same.
"I second that," agreed Sonic, wanting some chili dogs, as Berkut nodded his head in agreement. First time Sonic and Berkut were on the same page.
"No, I'm NOT giving you any hot dogs. No money, no service. Got it?" The hot dog vendor was stern in his response, and Mario had no choice but to give up. But it was a rather valiant effort by the plumber.
"Fine-a then - we'll just have-a our lunch some-a where else," frowned Mario, as he led Sonic and Berkut away from the hot dog stand. "Hopefully we'll get-a better - and free - service somewhere else..."
As Mario walked away, he suddenly forgot something...his watch! The plumber ran back to the hot dog stand to retrieve his watch, and at that moment, the Broodals fired a bomb at the plumber. Fortunately Mario walked away in the nick of time, and so the bomb struck the hot dog stand instead. The Broodals could only grunt in failure as they flew their ship away, and the hot dog vendor looked up and saw the Broodals' ship for the first time, as he took out his cellphone.
"Hello...Seattle food vending services?" the vendor said into his phone, as he analyzed the damage left behind by the Broodals. His precious little hot dog stand was broken in half, and on fire.
Kirby: Feel like both Jacky and Akira have lost sight of why they're on this rescue mission - to find Mario, Sonic, and Berkut and take them back home before complications arise. But alas, Jacky and Akira are more dedicated to showing off their manliness, and their dedication to manliness has led pretty much dictated how our rescue mission is turning out. Captain Falcon, as the leader, should be taking an authorative role, but sadly that has never happened...
As Kirby stated, Jacky and Akira were dead-set on proving their manliness. This very much seemed to be the case, as Captain Falcon stopped at a fitness gym, being told by Jacky and Akira that Mario and company might've "followed their hearts" to this very location. However, Mario and company were nowhere to be found...
"Oh yeah, look at these pecs, the manliest pecs around!" bragged a shirtless Jacky, showing off his chest for everyone in the gym to see. The ladies were impressed, while the men could only scoff.
"Those pecs are nothing to brag about - check out these rock-solid biceps!" exclaimed Akira, as he flexed his right bicep, and then his left. Again the ladies were impressed, but the same couldn't be said for the men. Jacky and Akira sure knew how to waste time...
"This has gotten ridiculous, at this rate we'll never find Mario and the others!" Kirby shook his head in disdain, as he and Pit were standing by themselves. The manliness taking place in front of them was simply too much. "And where on earth is Captain Falcon?"
"He's over there buying some supplements and whatnot," Pit pointed at Captain Falcon, who was standing at a counter with his wallet out. "Didn't know they sell stuff at gyms...always thought gyms were the most free places in America. But I guess nowhere in America is free...we've been lied to our entire lives!"
"That'll be eight twenty-nine, sir," the guy at the counter said to Captain Falcon, who gave him a ten dollar bill. The guy took the money, gave Falcon his bag of supplements, and then his change. "Thank you sir, and have a great day."
"And you do the same, my man!" Captain Falcon flashed a smile to the guy, doing his trademark two-finger salute, before heading on his way. He would be stopped by Kirby, who had a frown on his face. "Get ready Kirby, because once I try out these supplements, I'm gonna be the hunkiest hunk the world has ever..."
"I couldn't care less about your lousy supplements!" frowned Kirby, slapping Captain Falcon's bag unto the floor. It scared Falcon, to see Kirby so angry. "But what I do care about, is finding Mario and the others, in the event Master Hand starts worrying about their whereabouts. While you were buying your needless supplements, and Jacky and Akira were posturing to the crowd, Pit and I were...Pit? Pit? Where are you, Pit?"
Kirby would soon find Pit, when he turned around and saw the angel showing off his body with Jacky and Akira. Pit wasn't showing off much, since he had no real definition to his body, so the crowd was perpetually mild. It was Jacky and Akira they were going crazy for. Well, the ladies, at least.
"We are doomed..." Kirby facepalmed as Captain Falcon smiled and watched, wishing he could hop in on the action.
Surprisingly, Mario and the gang were able to find free food service, when they stopped by a restaurant that came with waiter service. It was a steakhouse done in the vein of Longhorn's. Mario, Sonic, and Berkut were seated a table, and were finishing off their delicious meal.
"This truly was a very special meal," remarked Berkut, having finished off his plate of sirloin steak and steak fries. "It really was. But being with you made it all the more special!" the paladin said this to Sonic, who had every right to feel uncomfortable.
Sonic: Tried hiding in the restroom, but Mario wouldn't let me...I know what he's up to. I can see him being a predator in the future. He's got the look for it down pact.
"Are you fellas ready to pay for your meal?" the waiter approached Mario and company, and he could tell that the three was done with their food. Sonic was even rubbing his belly, with a contented smile.
"I shall be the one-a to pay for our food," said Mario, gathering all the plates and putting them to the side of the table. "Ah, that was some-a delicious food...do you mind if I get-a my wallet out of my car?"
"Go ahead, and take your time," replied the waiter, as Mario got out of his seat and headed for the restaurant doors...before returning a few seconds later. "Anything wrong, sir?" the waiter asked out of concern.
"I'm sorry. I'm-a so sorry. I don't have-a my wallet with me, and my friends-a and I thought we could-a dine and dash. Now I've realized how-a stupid that was of us, and now I realized that-a you can't simply do-a that to fine people, like yourself."
"So what you're trying to say is, you can't pay for your food." Mario looked somber, before giving a quick glare to Sonic, who shrugged his shoulders in innocence. Evidently the whole "dine and dash" shtick was the hedgehog's idea.
"I can-a pay for the food, but I will have-a to come back later tonight and-a pay you. But the point-a is I did the right thing. Or at least I think-a I did the right thing. Right, guys?"
"Nope, you did no right thing at all. You have no money. But you fellas dined, and you dined so much." Indeed - Mario, Sonic, and Berkut had a bunch of plates stacked on top of another, ready to fall and crash unto the floor.
"Well it's your fault for have so many great menu choices - maybe you should dilute your menu with more common folk food," stated Berkut. No way was the waiter gonna let Mario and company get away without paying their food.
"Mr. Wright, these fellas won't pay for their meal!" the waiter called out, and soon his manager showed up with an angry scowl. He was big, and he had a manly mustache Jacky and Akira would be proud of. Would be unwise for Mario and company to mess with him.
"Are you trying to steal food from us?" Mr. Wright angrily asked Mario, pointing his finger accusingly at the plumber. His arm was long and broad, and the manner in which he was pointing made Mario afraid.
"No, I'm not trying to steal-a any food!" defended Mario, feeling salty that Sonic and Berkut have never came to his defense. Well Berkut did, just a little. "I just have had a bad-a day, the same can be said-a for my friends. But I promise, I'll return-a later with some money."
"Yeah, what he said," said Sonic, as he and Berkut slowly got up and followed Mario out of the store. No way was Mr. Wright gonna let them get that far.
"THIEVES!" the restaurant manager shouted, his booming voice rattling in the bones of everyone in his restaurant. "Get back here!"
So Mr. Wright and the waiter chased after Mario and company, and it seemed like they had them right where they wanted them when they saw the three standing outside in front of the restaurant. But when Mr. Wright and the waiter exited through the front doors, they found out why Mario and company were standing...
...they looked up at the sky, and saw the flying ship with the Broodals on it. The Broodals were laughing in a sinister manner, because honestly, they literally had nothing better to do.
"Look at who it is - da famous, one and only Mario!" exclaimed Topper, giddy that he got the chance to see Mario in person. "And who else is there? Sonic da Hedgehog, fastest thing in da world! Funny see you two together. And da other guy...meh, don't care about you." Berkut frowned, not appreciating that comment in the slightest.
Berkut: That rabbit creature is gonna get it one of these days...
"You must-a be...the Broodals!" shouted Mario, as the Broodals laughed in unison, amused that Mario already knew who they were. Mr. Wright and the waiter looked at one another, wondering where Mario knew the Broodals from.
"That's right, it's us!" cackled Topper, once he and his crew was done laughing. "I'm Topper, that's Harriet, that's Spewart, and the lanky one behind us is Rango. But you probably knew that already."
"Get away from my store, before I have to call the cops!" ordered Mr. Wright, as the Broodals laughed at the manager's threat. Like they would ever bow down to the cops...
"'Get away from my store, before I have to call the cops'...what a real cop-out move!" snickered Harriet, the lone female Broodal, as her compadres laughed and chortled at her remark. "No worries mister, it's not your restaurant we're her for...it's them." Harriet pointed at Mario and company, with Cappy looking on in fear. "We kinda have our eyes on Mario, but we're after his friends too, just for association..."
"Wow Mario, you really need to stop having beef with so many evil dudes," Sonic said to Mario, who gave him a questioning look. "Bowser, Cackletta, Fawful, the Koopalings...list goes on and on! Have you ever tried having a tea party?"
"You should-a do the same with Dr. Eggman," retorted Mario, as Sonic immediately shut his mouth. Couldn't say a single word after that.
"Silence you fools!" shouted Topper, alerting Mario and company. "Now that we've formally met, it's only convenient for us that we get rid of you punks, so you won't be a distraction!" Hariet placed a spiky sunbonnet-shaped helmet on her head, as two bombs appeared at the end of her ponytails. "Ready to go, Hariet?"
"You don't have to say that twice!" smiled Hariet, as Mr. Wright and the waiter backed away towards the restaurant doors. They didn't like the look they saw in Hariet's eyes. "BOMB VOYAGE!"
"Hurry man, back to the restaurant!" Mr. Wright said to the waiter, rushing back inside the restaurant in the nick of time as Hariet hurled a bomb at Mario and company. The three jumped out of the way, as the bomb left behind a crater in the ground.
"Out of all the worst-a case scenarios, this has to be the worst-a one..." remarked Mario, as he led Sonic and Berkut away from the Broodals. Outrunning the Broodals wasn't the plumber's current M.O...but getting back to the mansion in time certainly was.
Thanks to the involvement of Cloud, Samus and X were able to finish their tracking device. The three workers looked at their finished creation in the workshop, which was on the workshop desk for display.
"With this device, we can track down any moving vehicle - car, boat, plane - in the Seattle metropolitan area, without having to type in any coordinates," explained X, who was bound to treat the tracking device like it was his baby. "The Broodals flying ship will certainly be no exception."
"Any moving vehicle, huh?" said Cloud, grateful for the experience he had working with X and Samus. Definitely kept his mind off of Aerith, for sure. "Wonder if it can track down Fox, Falco, and Wolf's Landmasters. Such a stupid question for me to ask..."
Cloud: Glad I could work on the tracking device with Samus and X. Got along well with them, and there wasn't much bickering. Now if it was Zero in X's place, that would be a different story...
"Hey guys, do any of you know where Mario is?" asked .EXE, as he entered the workshop. "I've tried calling the man on his phone, but it went to voicemail..." Cloud, Samus, and X, having been in the workshop all day, unfortunately did not know about Mario's whereabouts. "Tried asking Peach, but only Impa and that blue-haired chick who brought the doughnuts was there...
"I would've called Mario's cellphone, but I gave it to Link when he went shopping, as an emergency precaution," replied Cloud, wondering if giving his phone to Link was a grand idea. "Mario probably went around town with Link, for all we know. Have you tried asking Luigi?"
"Strangely enough, his vehicle wasn't in the driveway, so I would assume he went around town too, considering Daisy and Yuffie weren't home. Though I wonder why Yuffie tagged along...so, what were you guys working on?"
"Just a little tracking device used to hunt down the Broodals," explained Samus, as .EXE closed the door behind him. "You got a radar map, and buttons with a variety of different functions, and...well, that's pretty much all there is to it."
"Awesome. Can you track down the Broodals as of right now?" The tracking device was finished, so Samus and company had to test it out right away.
"Sure can do - but first, we gotta turn this thing on." X pressed the power button on the tracking device, and in a flash, the radar map appeared, displaying the entire map of the Seattle metropolitan area. "Just gotta zoom in and..." X used his fingers to zoom in on the map. "There! Now we have a closer proximity of Seattle, with the mansion smack in the middle."
"Hold on just a second, is that the Broodals ship?" inquired Cloud, pointing at a ship symbol moving across the radar map. "Why does it look like it's heading towards the mansion...?"
Captain Falcon and the Manly Gang's search for Mario, Sonic, and Berkut led them to the very restaurant the three dined at, and Jacky and Akira told Captain Falcon to stop at this restaurant because they felt like it was "the manliest restaurant in town".
"Excuse me sir, do you speak English?" Pit asked a random Indian waiter, who was confused. "We are looking for a man named Mario - he's short like a Gremlin, and he may or may not legally identify as a Mexican. We're also looking for a hedgehog named Sonic - he's blue and has long limbs, so it's hard to determine what his species truly is. We're also looking for another man, named Berkut..." Only reason why the Indian waiter was confused was because he wasn't a waiter to begin with...he just wore clothing that suggested he worked for the restaurant. Honest mistake by Pit.
"Have you seen these three anywhere, by chance?" Kirby asked the manager of the restaurant, Mr. Wright, as Jacky and Akira were indulging themselves with steaks "to increase their manliness". And yes, they had their wallets on them. Or at least Jacky did.
"Those three were here...and they didn't even pay for their food," replied Mr. Wright with a frown, now having a vendetta against Mario for not paying. "But yeah, they left after some crazy rabbits started firing bombs at them. That explains the crater left at the store entrance."
"Oh believe me, good sir, I've heard that those rabbits were nothing but trouble..." Kirby, knowing who the crazy rabbits were, turned to Captain Falcon...who was watching a soccer game on one of the restaurant's televisions screens, with a bunch of men. "Captain Falcon, seriously?!"
"GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAL!" cheered Captain Falcon after a goal was scored, exchanging high fives with the other men. Dude had no idea who he was even rooting for. And he didn't care...
Kirby: *sighs* Surrounded by idiots, I tell you...
"Jacky, Akira, we have to go - Mario and the gang are being chased down by the Broodals!" Kirby alerted the Virtua Fighter veterans, who were too busy chowing down on their steaks. They had yet to reach peak manliness.
"Hold on Kirbs, we have to pay for our food first," replied Jacky after finishing a steak - didn't want Mr. Wright to chase him down for not paying. "Before we can do that, we must first finish all the steaks we ordered. Give us five minutes."
"No way are we gonna rescue Mario and the others now..." Kirby should just put the team on his back - and save Mario, Sonic, and Berkut by himself.
Touma took his show Force Five seriously. So seriously, that he went around the mansion wearing his Force Five suit until Master Hand told him to stop. The redhead greatly adored his superhero suit, and he wanted to give it an "upgrade", since he was the main character. When it came to fashion, Yashiro was his guy.
"I've measured the shoulder pads, so it won't be too heavy on your shoulders," Yashiro explained to Touma, showing off the redhead's new and improved Force Five suit in his room. Not only did the suit come with shoulder pads, but it also came with a belt, and golden wristbands. "They should feel pretty light. But if you have any concerns, then just let me know!"
"Will do!" smiled Touma, before turning around and seeing Fox and Falco, both with stern faces. To say that Touma was initially spooked would be an understatement. "You two wanted to speak with me, yes?"
"We've been waiting forever for you to be finished..." replied Fox; his sternness made Touma back away just a little. "We've got a question for you, Touma, and it's about your friend, Itsuki...did you know that he broke up with Tsubasa today?"
"Itsuki, breaking up with Tsubasa?! Say it ain't so!" Yashiro shared Touma's shock, as his mouth was left agape. "But they were so perfect together...why do you think Itsuki broke up in the first place?"
"Fox nor I know the reason...which is why we wanted to ask you," replied Falco, effectively putting Touma in the hot seat. "Perhaps you might've had something to do with Itsuki's decision...you and Itsuki are pretty close with one another, so you might have some..."
"So you think that because I'm friends with Itsuki, I know why he broke up with Tsubasa? I've done absolutely NOTHING that contributed to Itsuki wanting to break up with Tsubasa! Except maybe for that one time when I told him that Tsubasa was just using him. But other than that..."
"Aha, so it WAS your fault!" Fox pointed accusingly at Touma, who had his hand on his chest with a face of shock. Touma was the culprit all along! "You made Itsuki feel some type of way, and now look what you've done!"
"I didn't do anything, I promise! I didn't mean what I said - I was just trying to get Itsuki all riled up when he was dressed to dress up as Bruce Banner, when we were all superheroes. I was trying to unlock his inner Hulk! Please don't take your frustration out on me...I can make it up to you!"
"You don't have to make it up to us...you can just make it up to your man, Itsuki. He's in the recording studio, sobbing. Maybe an apology can cheer him up..."
Touma: I didn't mean to make Itsuki feel sad and break up with Tsubasa...thank goodness Tsubasa doesn't know yet. I was just trying to do the right thing! That's what heroes do, doing the right thing...I should know, I'm a hero myself! *sighs* But only a fictional one...
Fox and Falco took Touma to the recording studio, where Itsuki was with the others still feeling pretty sad. Touma noticed how said Itsuki was, no doubt feeling guilty.
"Came to join the pity party?" Itsuki asked when he looked up at Touma; he wasn't sobbing anymore, but the tears and sadness was still prevalent.
"I didn't come here to party..." responded Touma, as everyone was wondering what the redhead had to say. "I came here to apologize, straight up." Itsuki wiped away the tears with his jacket sleeve, as he gave Touma his full attention. "So remember when I said that Tsbuasa was using you, for the money?"
"I remember...it was when we were forced to be Marvel superheroes, for a day. I was Bruce Banner. And what you told me regarding Tsubasa made me all emotionally angry, and turned me into the Hulk."
"True dat. And what I said about Tsubasa...wasn't true. I just made it all up so you could be the Hulk. She's not using you for money. And she totally digs your fashion sense and style. She's never said anything bad about it, so I think she digs it..."
"So I was in the wrong, this whole time...for believing your contrived lies and wanting to break up with Tsubasa." Itsuki chuckled, thinking of how big a fool he was. "Guess that means i have to call off that date I arranged with that Victoria's Secret model. I should notify Little Mac soon."
"Wait, YOU scored a date with a magazine model? Not that I'm saying you couldn't do it, but...why'd you do it in the first place?"
"Sometimes, Touma, you do very desperate things when it comes to love...one day you'll learn. One day."
Captain Falcon and the Manly Gang were back in the Falcon Flyer, on the search for Mario and company. As they patrolled the city of Seattle, Captain Falcon spotted the Broodals' ship, with Hariet hurling bombs like she was delivering presents.
"Broodals spotted at three o'clock!" alerted Captain Falcon, his eyes focused on the Broodals' ship. "I repeat, Broodals spotted at three o'clock!"
"Actually Captain Falcon, it's thirty minutes till three," stated Pit, glancing at a built-in clock inside the Falcon Flyer. Kirby could only facepalm. "We'll just have to wait it out until we can stop the Broodals."
"Looks like they're headed towards the mansion - which must mean that Mario is leading them there!" If only Captain Falcon knew how right he was. "He must be heading back home! Full speed ahead! Let's see if we can land a sneak attack on those Broodals..."
While Captain Falcon and the Manly Gang were planning an attack on the Broodals, Samus and company were one step ahead, as she, Cloud, X, and .EXE were standing on top of the garage, expecting the Broodals to show up. The bounty hunter was wearing his Power Suit, just in case.
Samus: Usually I save my Power Suit for more important stuff, but I would kill to get those Broodals off our turf. Wouldn't want those ugly-looking things anywhere near my stuff.
"Do you know if the Broodals are in range of the mansion?" Samus asked X, who was looking at the radar map on his tracking device, with the Broodals' ship the only icon flashing on the radar. Cloud and .EXE were looking along with X.
"They're getting closer and closer to the mansion as I speak," informed .EXE, noticing how close the flashing icon was getting. .EXE and company looked up, and there they saw the Broodals, coming towards the mansion on their ship, with Hariet still hurling bombs at Mario, Sonic, and Berkut. The three came to a stop, in front of the mansion, so they could take a breather.
"My heart-a is racing right now..." panted Mario, inhaling and exhaling, and once the breather session was over, the plumber, Sonic, and Berkut turned around and saw the Broodals flew their ship into the front yard, laughing like they always did.
"Who do you boys think we should take out first?" Hariet asked her Broodal buddies, giving them three choices to choose from. Those rabbits weren't above killing, especially if it meant satisfying their own needs.
"I'd say we take out da black-haired guy, he doesn't look that important," replied Rango, as Hariet turned her attention to Berkut. The paladin backed away, as Hariet had a bomb just for him.
"Say your last words, pretty boy!" cackled Hariet, as she hurled a bomb at Berkut. Sonic, seeing the bomb, and Berkut, unable to defend himself, did the most heroic thing possible...
...he did a Spin Dash on the bomb, in front of Berkut, sending the bomb flying back at the Broodals. The bomb struck their ship, as smoke came out of it.
"Berkut, you okay?" Sonic approached the paladin, with Mario coming over, as the Broodals were panicking over their ship. Berkut looked at Sonic, grateful that the hedgehog saved his life.
"I feel just fine, thanks to you Sonic," replied Berkut. AS the paladin relished in the fact that he was kept safe, the Falcon Flyer entered the scene, crashing into the Broodals' ship, sending it upwards with its tip. Topper, Hariet, Spewart, and Rango all fell out of their ship, and looked up and saw their ship rise into the sky.
"No, our ship!" exclaimed Topper, as the ship flew up into the sky and exploded. The rabbit grew angry, as Captain Falcon landed his Falcon Flyer and hopped out, along with the rest of his Manly Crew. "It was you who wrecked our ship, wasn't it?!" Topper pointed at Captain Falcon. "You're gonna pay for it, bub!"
"Oh I don't think so..." shouted a voice, as the Broodals turned around and saw Samus on the garage, with a Charge Shot ready to go. The absolute terror in the Broodals' eyes could not be overstated.
"SCRAM!" Topper yelled as Samsu fired her Charge Shot. The Broodals ran away (and Mario, Sonic, and Berkut moved out of harm's way) as the Charge Shot missed the Broodals, striking the ground and leaving behind a giant hole.
"Well that takes care of that," remarked Samus, taking off her helmet as she went over to X. "You're gonna be my fall guy for that hole, right?" X looked bummed out, as Samus continued on her way.
X: *shrugs* When you agree to work with Samus on new projects, you also have agree to be her "fall guy". Happens more with me than anyone else, sadly.
"Wow Sonic, that was such a manly thing you did there, saving Berkut's life like that!" Akira approached the hedgehog along with Jacky. He had seen Sonic make the save from the Falcon Flyer, and it left a lasting impression on him.
"There isn't anything more manly than saving another man's life," stated Jacky, proud of the manliness Sonic eschewed in his heroic moment. "You honestly deserve the undisputed crown of manliness Sonic, for the courageous act you've done!"
"Aw, it was nothing, I save people all the time!" said Sonic, flashing a confident smile. "Saving people is literally in my blood, in my DNA. And maybe even in my hair."
"We all know Sonic saved me because he wanted to prove how great of a friend he is to me," stated Berkut, resting his hand on Sonic's head much to the hedgehog's great chagrin. "Isn't that right, good friend?"
"Ha, as if! Keep your hands off of me!" Sonic slapped Berkut's hand away, as the others laughed. Sonic may not want to be Berkut's friend, but today marked a step in the right direction. Or did it?
Itsuki, feeling a lot better, was in the cafe, chilling out with guess who? Tsubasa, the young woman he had considered breaking up with until Touma made his confession. Hopefully nobody told Tsubasa about that date Itsuki arranged with that model.
"First time in a good while I've seen you two together," smiled Rinea, as she was fixing herself a cup of coffee. "Any explanation as to why you were apart for so long?" Tsubasa smiled as she looked at Itsuki, expecting him to give an answer.
"Let's just say that being a head of a record label is a pretty time-consuming job," answered Itsuki with a smile, sharing Tsubasa's delight. Just then, Pit rushed inside the cafe, with the box of tissues Jacky and Akira bought.
"Mamori informed me that you needed these," the angel displayed the tissues to Itsuki, whose smile faded slowly. "Still need 'em?" Tsubasa looked at Itsuki yet again; good thing her man had an answer.
"No I don't need them - you can put them in the foyer or something." Pit nodded his head, as he ran out of the cafe. Once he was gone, Itsuki and Tsubasa went back to doing their thing. Great to see that Itsuki didn't abandon Tsubasa for good - just look at what abandonment happened to Mario, Sonic, and Berkut today.
Abandonment was always never a good thing.