Author's Note:
It's almost time for Christmas, which means that I'll be writing some holiday-themed chapters up until the 21st of December. Now you won't have to worry about what the next few chapters will be about. Probably. Gotta answer a lot of reviews today:
"Are Claris, Elliot, Will and Helen from NiGHTS into Dreams and Journey of Dreams be older when they show up? (Since the events of their games have finished) a chapter focused on Pikachu and Pichu? Is Krystal wearing her outfit from Star Fox Adventures or Assault? How soon will we see Pauline end her grudge with the Kongs and their friends? And finally what are your thoughts on the Sword Art Online games getting ported to Switch and do you hope they get a western release?"
I suppose those four can be older. I'll do a chapter focused on Pikachu and Pichu. Krystal is wearing her Adventures outfit. Expect to see Pauline and the Kongs soon (by soon, I mean after December). And as a Sword Art Online fan (despite the anime's faults), I'm all for the SAO games being ported to the Switch - hopefully they get released in the west. Another anonymous review:
"You should read the fanfic,"Sonic and Lilac:Power of Chaos," because then I would want you to Make your Sonic meet Araon's Lilac. Can you read it please?"
I can read it in my spare time. Another anonymous review:
"Can You get Paulutena to help the Inklings and Sonic for there Aquiaphobia?"
Palutena seems like a random character to cure someone of their aquaphobia, but sure. Another anonymous review:
"Hey Man, I just started reading this Fanfic and it's really getting me. I was wondering if you could make my idea in this fanfic. Like, I wanted Mario to get Tired of SMG4 making him look idiotic so Mario finally confronts SMG4 WOTFI style. Then, the next idea is when Sonic finally meets his parallel, Sash Lilac."
SMG4 the YouTube Channel? You want Mario to confront them...WOTFI style? What even is WOTFI? As for Sonic meeting Sash Lilac...I can make it happen. Wouldn't know who Sash Lilac was if not for Alpharad - a.k.a. my favorite YouTuber. Just wanted to throw that out there. On to Knuckles812:
"Oy, it's me, Knuckles812, the one that said Mario should challenge SMG4 WOTFI Style and Sash Lilac falls in love with Sonic. Well, I have another Idea where R.O.B gets a virus which affects every other Mechanical Thing in the mansion and is attacking every Brawler. So Mario, Link, Tails, and Samus must travel into R.O.B's database and prevent the Virus from Controlling every Mechanical thing in the World"
Sounds like a great idea to me. Could get R.O.B. and its new robot friends featured a lot. Let's see who else we have...oh, Knuckles812 once again:
"Can you do one about Where Sash Lilac from Freedom Planet falls in love with Sonic Please?"
Uh...sure. I'm debating whether or not I should include Amy, and make a love triangle situation...which I did already, back in episode 104. Up next is...Knuckles812?
"Hey, can you do one about Magalor, Tarzanza, and Susie from Kirby Games. I mean, they are the next dream friends coming to Kirby Star Allies in the Next Update. So it would be a good idea to add them to the cast."
Those three can appear, but would they be added to the cast? I don't know about that. Up next is GreaterDoomerUKI:
"Are you going to make sonic get in trouble for everything in this Fanfic?"
Sonic will get his just desserts soon. Soon...it appears that GreaterDoomerUKI has another request:
"Make a Sonic help Isebelle with K.K Slider"
Just a Sonic, you say? Not two Sonics? I think one Sonic should do the trick. Our last reviewer is tacolog:
"You know how Robin summons another Chrom as his final ash in wii u/ 3ds and in ultimate? Imagine if another Chrom appeared for an episode... Oh, and I swear if you make Tiki fall in love with Cotex, i would get pretty upset. Cortex sucks."
Let's see, we got regular Chrom, Final Smash Chrom, and costume Chrom...all we're missing is Google Chrom. But yeah, I could find a way to make another Chrom appear, somehow. And you think Cortex sucks? Well you're not alone there...I'm sure many people around the world share the same sentiments.
Episode 154: SantaClaus
Every year or so, when it was time for the holidays, the Smash Mansion always took upon the tradition of Secret Santa. It has been quite a holiday staple at the establishment, with folks a many exchanging gifts with one another.
This year, it was bound to be the biggest Secret Santa gift exchange ever, what with the addition of the Assist Tower. Originally planning on having the assist characters do their own special gift exchange thing, Master Hand opted to let the denizens of the tower join the mansion residents in the Secret Santa, since he loved doing things in big numbers. The more the merrier, as Master Hand would always say.
As always, the Mario Bros and their families - and pretty much anyone living with them - were invited to join the Secret Santa proceedings, which took place in the meeting room. Joining the festivities were a dragon and a cheetah who started living with Mario ever since Thanksgiving - Spyro and Hunter. Both have desired to make their abode in the guest room, but with Impa and Linkle vowing not to leave until they put the Yiga Clan in their place, Spyro and Hunter had no choice but to sleep on the living room couch.
"We will exchange names in less than a minute!" announced Isabelle, knowing that her small voice wouldn't be enough to garner everyone's attention. Mainly since everyone in the meeting room was too busy chatting up a storm or just getting to know each other. Corrin, for instance, had met Spyro for the first time, and was going full gaga over the purple firebreather.
"A dragon, just like me?" the prince gleamed, as he petted Spyro with delight like he was some kind of dog. "Ooh, you even feel slick and scaly like a dragon! You'd make for a perfect pet!"
"Sounds weird, considering you're a dragon yourself," remarked Spyro, who was grinning profusely with a profound Stepford smile. He looked up at Hunter, who was speaking with Falco. "Do something..." the dragon said to his best friend, speaking through his smile.
"I don't know Spyro, looks like Corrin really likes you," Hunter responded loudly, before covering his mouth. Falco looked at the cheetah with intrigue. "Did I just say that out loud? I'm sorry, that wasn't intentional..."
"Hold on just a minute, where on earth is Impa, Lana, and Linkle?" questioned Master Hand, frantically looking around for the three ladies from Hyrule. Whenever someone was missing, it greatly unnerved Master Hand.
"They can't be here today, since they're 'scouting' the Yiga Clan," replied Yuffie, recalling what Linkle had told her before she set off with Impa and Lana. "Don't know when or if they'll make it back..."
Spyro: Sometimes you really have to feel sorry for Lana and Linkle...two awesome chicks unable to have fun because the woman bossing them around has the same level of excitement as a wet paper towel. I mean I know she's all business, but every now and then you gotta loosen up a little. Master Hand even knows how to do it, judging from what I've seen from him in spades.
"Skipping out on the exchanging of names, to stop some Yiga Clan..." Master Hand said out of disgust; he clearly saw that Impa did not value participation as much. "...I'm surprised Linkle nor Lana have spoken up to Impa. It would do them wonders, that I know."
"Excuse me, Master Hand, but did you know about the Yiga Clan beforehand?" asked Champion Link, who had his share of battles with the clan. "Like, how did you have a sheet of directions to their hideout ready to go and..."
"Okay everyone it's time, everyone pipe down!" Master Hand shouted out, silencing the meeting room - and also copping out of speaking about the Yiga Clan. "Isabelle will go around with a bag of names, and each person will pick a name out from said bag. We can only do three do-overs - no more than that!"
So Isabelle went around the meeting room, with each person pulling a name from the bag of names. Ken pulled out a name from the bag, and looked to see who it was...
"Aw shucks, I got my own name!" the fighter groaned, as several others groaned as well. But for a different reason. "What are the odds?"
"D'oh! Ken you bozo, you're supposed to wait until everyone picked out a name to see whose name you pulled! Do you not know how Secret Santa works? You're killing me, man..."
"I can't wait that long..." mumbled Ken, as he and everyone else was forced to put the name they pulled back in the bag. Isabelle went around the meeting room again, pulling out a name. Ken was silently talking to himself, resisting the urge to see whose name he pulled.
"On the count of three, everyone will unravel the small piece of paper they pulled, and see the name drawn," said Master Hand, once everyone had pulled a name. "Can't possibly be that hard...everyone ready? One...two...three!"
So everyone unraveled their small piece of paper, and read the name written on it. Some were delighted, others angered. A couple had a few mixed feelings; a few select folk didn't care at all.
"Really, I got Kapp'n?" frowned Berkut, as he looked at the turtle with great contempt. "Is it too late for a do-over? Can we trade?"
"No Berkut, you can't trade names - you should know better than that," replied Master Hand, as he gauged every single reaction in the meeting room. "You're pretty much stuck with the name you got!"
"Woe is me, then..." sighed Tsubasa, looking down at the floor. Whose name did she pulled? Waluigi. Oof...
Ghirahim: Hmph...I have to buy a gift for Kirby? *smiles* Shouldn't be that challenging...
Rex: Diddy Kong is my guy - and personally, I don't really know him that well. But it'll only take me three weeks, at the very least.
Olimar: Alucard? The half-vampire dude with the long hair? He's into gothic metal, right?
Samus: I have to buy Princess Daisy a stupid Christmas gift...pfft, easy peasy. Just give her some stinking flowers, and she's floored.
"I have to buy the freaking Piranha Plant a gift..." Cloud said to Aerith, as he looked at the small piece of paper in his hand. "...that's probably the easiest person to buy a gift for. Piranha Plant could really use some fertilizer."
"Look at you Cloud, always looking for the easy way out!" smiled Aerith, leading Cloud to wonder what exactly the flower girl meant. Just then, Isaac approached Cloud, and he was all smiles.
"Hey Cloud, I pulled your name!" the Earth Adept excitedly said to the swordsman, showing him the name he drew. "That means I'm gonna buy you a gift! I know you're gonna love it!"
"How sweet Cloud, it looks like you made a new friend!" It always warmed Aerith's heart, to see Cloud have some semblance of friendship - especially outside of Link and Champion Link (...and Sora).
"Well we already met two weeks ago, in the Assist Tower...but yeah, I guess you can say we're friends." Not what Cloud intended, but whatever made his girl happy.
With December closing in fastly, Master Hand tasked Champion Link and Pit with finding a Christmas tree, before November was over. The Hylian and the angel completed their assignment, and were ready to reveal the Christmas tree they select to a couple of residents in the living room.
"Alright people, it's time to reveal the tree!" announced Pit, as he and Champion Link were standing in front of the tree, which had a large white cover over it. Next to it was Incineroar, ready to take that white cover off.
"Christmas tree like the one from Rockefeller Center, let's go!" cheered Lloyd, who had some pretty high expectations for what the tree should look like. Shooting for the stars.
"Uh, I have actually been to Rock Center, and the tree will nothing like the one there," stated Cloud, as everyone looked at the swordsman. When was he ever in New York City? "...I've been there through virtual reality, I mean."
"This is the best tree we could find, since all the good ones were taken," stated Champion Link, hoping everyone would give the Christmas tree selected a chance. "Early holiday shopping is a beast I was never aware of!"
"Got a feeling this tree is about to be underwhelming..." Cloud furrowed his brow and folded his arms, feeling pessimistic; Aerith, who was standing next to Cloud, was feeling the exact opposite.
"No, the tree won't be underwhelming...it will be, FANTASTIC!" Champion Link used a lot of jazz fingers in his response, trying to build up hype and excitement.
"The tree will be the epitome of warm feelings," added Pit, as he smiled and hugged himself. Quite a strange display. "Everyone will hug it and feel cozy inside!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...how about you reveal the stinking tree already?" asked an impatient Eleonora, as she looked at the time on her phone. "We all have things to do, you know..."
"Let's do a countdown! Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven..." Several others would join in with Pit on the countdown, as Champion Link remained silent.
"Why would we start from such a high number...?" the Hylian wondered, before shaking his head and starting a countdown himself. "Let me do it...THREE...TWO...ONE!"
Shouting over everyone else, Champion Link finished the countdown, and right on cue, Incineroar took off the white cloth to reveal the Christmas tree. The tree was...well, as Cloud predicted, underwhelming. Wasn't a bad tree, it just looked plain and bare.
Champion Link: I'm not yet into the holiday stuff, so I left it up to Pit to handpick the Christmas tree. Might go down as the biggest mistake I've ever made, or the second biggest mistake I've ever made.
"You haven't decorated it yet?" Rosalina asked Champion Link and Pit, not really feeling the Christmas tree. As of right now, the tree was too bare bones to generate any amount of excitement.
"No we didn't, because we think it'd be better to do it together," replied Champion Link; some of the residents felt a bit skeptical about the idea.
"Everyone has to pitch in, whether it's something little or something big," added Pit, further fueling the residents' skepticism. The Christmas tree could only handle so much decoration.
"Why would you cover it up, if it's not yet decorated?" frowned Wolf, who felt like his time was being wasted. "The way you had the tree covered, we were all expecting to be surprised!"
"Is the tree a fake?" inquired Zelda, with Midna floating next to her. Champion Link felt offended, as he looked at the princess with a shocked expression.
"Princess Zelda, how could you say such a thing!" the Hylian scolded; he expected Midna to make such a remark, not Zelda. "Just because we got the tree from a dollar store doesn't...mean...anything. Probably shouldn't have said that..."
"The tree is one-hundred percent artificial, and will never die..." vowed Pit, as he clenched his fist with all his might. "...just like the spirit of Christmas!"
"Are we supposed to applaud Incineroar for taking a giant diaper-looking thing off a fake tree?" asked Little Mac, finding himself amused by how the white cloth looked. "Because that was more exciting than the tree itself..."
"This was a successful unveiling - you people are just finding lousy reasons to not feel impressed! Go away, you scum, you deserve nothing but coal!" Everyone walked away, as Champion Link let out a heavy sigh. He should've been the one to select the tree.
Like the Smash Mansion, the Assist Tower had its own lounge, where residents could chill out and relax. Three folks were in the lounge right now - the Sable Prince, practicing his sword fighting; Knuckle Joe, throwing punches on an innocent sandbag; and Phosphora, painting her nails on the couch. Peace and quiet, until...
"Hey everyone, don't mean to interrupt," greeted Krystal, as she entered the lounge. Sable Prince, Knuckle Joe, and Phosphora stopped what they were doing, as they looked up at Krystal. "All I wanna know is...who's responsible for putting THIS in my room?" Krystal held up a necklace, which caught Phosphora's eye. "Found it on my dresser...and I feel creeped out a little."
"Ew, what creep would send you that as a gift?" questioned Phosphora, acting and sounding disgusted...when deep down inside, she was very jealous.
Fox: I begged Isabelle to rig the name exchange so I could get Krystal for Secret Santa. And, surprisingly, she came through! *pumps his fist* However, that didn't stop me from leaving a necklace on Krystal's dresser, which I did stealthily after we exchanged names. Falco found a secret way inside the tower.
Falco: Yeah, but it wasn't worth taking a beating... *walks over to Falco, with a black eye* ...who knew the Black Knight took trespassing seriously?
Phosphora: Krystal got a necklace...and I didn't...ooh, I just know it was from Fox McCloud! Why can Pit ever buy me fashionable jewelry, and be secret about it? Grr...
Bayonetta stood outside her room, with the door locked. Why, you ask? Because Rodin was in the room, and he was changing. Changing into an outfit that made Bayonetta smile to herself, just thinking about it.
"Almost done in there, Rodin?" the Umbra Witch asked the weapons dealer, looking back behind her to see if anyone was coming. "You're taking an awfully long time..."
"Man I still can't believe you put me up to this, Bayonetta!" shouted Rodin, sounded very ticked. He could be heard grunting loudly, like he wanted to say some profane words. "Why did it have to be me?"
"Because Doc Louis got tired of doing it, that's why. Those kids of Bowser's can really drive a man crazy. Please tell me, are you done yet?"
"Didn't you ask me that already? Yeah, I'm done...I'm coming out soon. Gotta get these boots on and..."
Seconds later, Rodin would step out of Bayonetta's room, all dressed up...as Father Christmas himself, Santa Claus. Wasn't Rodin's first rodeo dressing up as the jolly ol' fellow. This time around, however, the weapons dealer was wearing a beard to complete the look.
"Well don't you look spiffy..." Bayonetta checked Rodin out, with a smirk upon her face. It was a good thing Rodin still maintained his usual attire. "...now follow me, we have a lot of little children to please!"
"Gonna punch all of 'em in the throats..." vowed Rodin, as Bayonetta took his hand and walked him to the gaming room, just down the hallway.
Upon entering the gaming room, Rodin kept a straight face, as everyone looked at the weapons dealer. This would only last for a little bit, when Bayonetta nudged Rodin in his side, expecting the weapons dealer to say something.
"Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas boys and girls!" exclaimed Rodin in faux excitement, as he waved to everyone. "It's me, Santa Claus!"
"Hi Santa!" Tails waved back at Rodin, who in his mind wondered what was wrong with the yellow fox.
"Santa Claus is in the house, oh yeah!" cheered Ike, as Rodin wondered why a grown man was so hype for Santa.
"You look so edgy, Santa Claus!" Mamori said to Rodin, who glared down the idol singer as Bayonetta sat him in a chair. A chair only fitting for Santa Claus.
"You be a good boy and delight the children, okay?" Bayonetta said to Rodin, before retreating; she later came back with Link, who looked around in confusion. "Link here will monitor you, while Jeanne and I go out for some Christmas shopping. Capiche?"
"Why do I have to be the one to monitor Rodin?" questioned Link, as Bayonetta smiled and pinched the Hylian's cheek. Like that was meant to give him good luck.
Bayonetta: Ever since Doc Louis gave up on his Santa duties, I suggested to Master Hand that Rodin replaced Doc Louis, and he was happy to oblige! Link should keep Rodin's tempers low, while Jeanne and I go out shopping for the freshest clothes and jewelry. And yes, they're all for ourselves...
"So Santa, what can we expect from this year's Christmas party?" Wendy asked Rodin, shortly after Bayonetta had left, as a few residents gathered around the weapons dealer. How Rodin wanted to punch them all in the throat...
"It's going to be a real jolly time if you've been good!" assured Rodin, doing his best to fake his excitement. He didn't know that being a fake happy person would be so hard. And exhausting.
"What if you've been bad?" asked Snake, before eyeing around the gaming room. "...not that I've been bad or anything."
"Oh then nothing but a lump of coal for you!" Lump of coals was always a designated gift for naughty children - always sucked to find coal in your Christmas stocking.
"What if you've been really, really bad? More evil, and strictly wrong? Breaking the moral code and whatnot?"
"Hey, Snake, we covered it, lump of coal!" Link shouted at the former spy, before leaning in close to Rodin. "I got your back, man," he whispered to the weapons dealer.
"Thanks buddy..." replied Rodin, as he was adjusting his chair. Was gonna be a long day for the demon...
Sonic: For a few weeks, I've been receiving pieces of a machine that I've been attempting to assemble. Kinda weird since I had the exact same idea, for assassinating Berkut before he assassinates Alm.. I would simply send the finished product to Berkut, and then he'll turn on the machine, and the machine...will kill him! Hehe...
Poor Ribbon Girl...with her gigantic Arms, the blonde pop idol singer had a tough time doing any normal activity. Whether it was opening a can, opening a door, or simply just going through a door, Ribbon Girl always found a struggle. Having Arms looked fun, yet at the same time was quite a hindrance on normal life.
Ribbon Girl would experience another hardship, as she was trying to sip a cup of coffee in the cafe. She had the cup between her giant hands, and she was trying to bring the cup up to her mouth...but her giant hands kept getting in the way.
"You know, Dr. Cortex, every time I drink people always ask me if my Arms are getting in the way, but it's actually my hands that's causing the most trouble!" Ribbon Girl said to Cortex, who was seated in a chair near the window. He was looking outside.
"That's funny," replied Cortex, not even bothering to look up at Ribbon Girl or give her any eye contact. Ribbon Girl got up curiously, wondering what kept Cortex's attention, doing her best not to spill her coffee.
"Is it funny? I thought it was more ...interesting, than funny." As Ribbon Girl stood up, she accidentally spilled her coffee all over her skirt. "Dang it, I wasted my coffee! Not again..."
"That's too funny." Although he said it was funny, Cortex didn't laugh, for his eyes were fixated on whatever was taking place outside. In a curious mood, Ribbon Girl went over to the window, and saw whom Cortex was looking at...Tiki, the manakete speaking with Lyn outside the tower.
Ribbon Girl: Don't tell me that Dr. Cortex is in love with...with Tiki...He is? Oh...
Dressing up as Santa Claus and charming the little ones was something Mario always wanted to do. So when the plumber learned that there was a spot open for Santa after Doc Louis quit his job, he did not hesitate to dress up as the jolly ol' fellow.
"Watch-a out people, Santa Claus is in-a town!" announced Mario, adorned in his Santa costume, as he strutted his stuff to the gaming room while carrying a large brown sack over his shoulders. Following Mario were his "elves", Spyro and Hunter; both were wearing elf hats and elf ears. Both also agreed to never speak of this experience again.
"This is one very specific Christmas list..." Zelda said to herself as she walked through the hallway, encountering Mario along the way. "Oh, hey Mario. I see you're all dressed up as Santa...and I see that you roped your new friends into being your elf lackeys."
"I intended to have-a Lana and Linkle as elves, but they're obviously busy at-a the moment," stated Mario; Impa would never let Mario use Lana and Linkle as elves, she hated fun. "Me and my boys-a are heading over to the game room."
"Yeah, about that...there's already someone there dressed up as Santa." This greatly alarmed Mario, as he had a very shocked facial expression. "Sorry Mario, but someone beat you to the punch."
"Awesome, that means we can no longer dress up as elves!" exclaimed Spyro, leaping up so he could give Hunter a high-five. The friends were ready to head back.
But unfortunately for them, that wouldn't be the case, as a now ticked off Mario took Spyro and Hunter with him to the gaming room. There the three found Rodin, sitting on a chair with Crash on his lap. Rodin hated every single second of it.
"Link, is Rodin really Santa?" Mario asked the Hylian, who was standing next to Rodin. Link looked up at Mario, reluctant to provide an answer.
"Yes he is - Bayonetta put him up to it," the Hylian reluctantly responded, as Mario now had a newfound hatred for Bayonetta. "She was the one who requested to Master Hand that Rodin dress up as Santa, in Doc Louis' place."
"I don't believe-a you. Take it back. That is absurd. What a stupid, idiotic decision-a by Master Hand."
"Take what back, Rodin's Santa job? I'm afraid I can't do that - you would have to speak with Master Hand first."
"Well I'm the former head-a of the mansion, so my word is just as good-a as Master Hand's. Do what I tell-a you!"
"I think Rodin's doing a pretty good job." Rodin begged to differ, as he was grumbling to himself.
" It's-a insane! A demon posing as Santa, where does-a it stop? No! Link, what if this was the last-a Christmas in the mansion, doesn't it make-a you a tiny bit anxious that a demon is dressed-a up as Santa?"
"I can't just tell Rodin he can't be Santa, he would kill me." Rodin would give up the Santa job in a heartbeat, to be honest.
"Fine! Then-a do it anonymously. Ransom note-a style. You can...I have a bunch of letters cut-a out of magazines in my bath-a room you can use. You can use-a those...you know what? Forget about it. I'll be right-a back..."
"Wait, so those magazines aren't just for toilet paper?" Hunter asked Spyro, who facepalmed as Mario left the gaming room.
Mario: If this were-a the Soviet Union, yeah sure. Everyone would-a go to one Santa, and there would be a line-a around the block and once you sat on his-a lap and he'd ask you what-a you wanted, you would say-a probably "freedom." At which point the KGB would arrest-a you and send you to Siberia. It's a good-a thing the Soviet Union doesn't exist anymore.
Mario would come back, this time with a chair similar to Rodin's. He sat the chair near the wall, making sure it was lined up.
"Ho ho ho! Why pay more-a to sit next to old-a Satan Claus over there, when you can sit-a on my lap?" Mario asked everyone in the gaming room, giving his best Santa Claus impersonation albeit with a flair of Italian. "Rodin is only...pretending to be-a white. I'm no Uncle Tom, I'm the real-a thing. Sit down on my lap-a and there will be no doubt!"
"'Satan Claus'? Pretending to be white?" questioned Rodin, as he angrily stood up. Link, doing his job, calmly sat the demon back down in his chair. "Why I oughta..."
"First-a come, first serve!" The first person to approach Mario was not a child, but rather Waluigi. Not a child by any stretch of the imagination. "Hello young-a man, what's your name?"
"Mario it's me, Waluigi," replied Waluigi, like Mario had tragic memory loss ever since he put on the Santa costume. "Rodin says I'm too big for his lap."
"Oh! I am so sorry that Rodin hates-a you. And hates-a your body. But, Santa remembers a reindeer that was-a just a tiny bit different as well."
"Where can I sit on your lap?" Waluigi looked at Mario's lap, seeing that the surface area of Mario's lap wasn't to his liking.
"Right now! Come on-a over here, ya lanky string-a bean! There we go..." Waluigi sat down on Mario's lap, and the lanky man was too much for Mario to handle. "Ah, mayday, mayday!" Spyro and Hunter came to the rescue, getting Waluigi properly adjusted on Mario's lap.
"Thanks you guys, I feel more comfortable now!" Waluigi thanked Spyro and Hunter, while Mario was struggling to sustain Waluigi. The plumber was even gasping for air at this point!
"What would you like-a for Christmas little boy?" Mario was hoping Waluigi wouldn't take as long; he could feel his legs getting numb.
"I don't know. I didn't know you were gonna ask me that." Well what else would Mario ask?!
"What did you think-a was going to happen? Thought we would discuss-a sports or something?"
"I didn't know. Nobody's ever let me sit on their lap before." It was a first for Mario...a very embarrassing first at that.
"All right, just say 'some toys' please-a and be done with it. I'm begging of you..."
"Can you give me some choices? Cause I really don't want to mess up on this list I have." Waluigi dug into his pocket and pulled out a list, showing it to Mario. "It's got some things I want my Secret Santa, Tsubasa, to buy for me."
"Darn it Waluigi, you can't just tell-a Tsubasa the things you want her to buy-a for you. That's not how Secret Santa works!"
"What about if I tell you the things I don't want? That'll make simplifying my list much easier."
"Okay that's-a enough, get off, get off!" Mario pushed Waluigi off of him, as the plumber gasped for air. "Hoo boy, hoo boy..." Spyro and Hunter came over to help Mario regain his breath.
"I didn't even get to tell you what I wanted!" cried Waluigi, as he got himself off the floor. Mario had to appease the lanky man in some way.
"Okay you know-a what you get? You get a thousand helium-a balloons attached to you so Santa doesn't have-a to go through you again."
"Sounds like the best Christmas gift ever to me! Not sure what that will do for my list, but it's a start!"
Tsubasa: *sighs deeply* Life is pain...
While Mario had to deal with Waluigi, Rodin had Lemmy sitting on his lap, and the young Koopaling was running off his mouth about a bunch of things he wanted for Christmas. During the koopa's spiel, an agitated Rodin rested his chin in his hand, not even listening to a single word from Lemmy.
"Settle down Rodin, he's just a little kid," Link warned the demon, seeing how furious he was. "Think that you're Santa Claus - have that Santa mindset!"
"Have that Santa mindset?" questioned Rodin, as he looked up at Link. Lemmy was still running his mouth. "Boy, don't make me get Bayonetta on you!"
"Oh please, what would Bayonetta do? Is she your girlfriend or something?" Rodin, realizing what he just said, turned away from Link.
"Never mind, I shouldn't have said that..." Imagine if he said that if Luka Redgrave was around.
Fox returned to the tower - and yes, he only went there just to hang around with his girlfriend Krystal. The two were walking through the hallway of the tower, with Krystal wearing the necklace she found around her neck.
"I keep trying to figure out who's sending me these gifts," Krystal said to Fox, grabbing her necklace as the lovebirds walked to the Assist Tower's arcade room - which was like the one at the mansion, but smaller. "I've been seeing jewelry in my room."
"That must be weird," remarked Fox, doing his best to hide a slick smile. He did this by licking his lips, which Krystal found strange.
"So far no one will admit to it. I've asked everyone - Ghirahim, Samurai Goroh, even Kat and Ana - and they don't know who the sender is."
"Funny you should say that..." Fox stopped hiding his smile, just when he and Krystal reached the arcade room. Krystal looked at her boyfriend, wondering why he was smiling.
"...it was you who sent me this necklace and the other jewelry, isn't it?" His cover blown, Fox bit his lip excitedly as he nodded his head.
"Yeah! Totally! I admit it! It's me. It was me." Krystal looked at Fox with surprise, before she found herself in a laughing fit. She should've known her man would send her jewelry all along.
"Seriously, you sent me all that jewelry?" No need for Krystal to act so surprised - wasn't like Fox was a broke man. Star Records is one heck of a money maker. Straight cash, homie.
"Yeah, totally serious!" replied Falco, poking his head out from the arcade room door. "Fox was the secret man all along! Busted!" He, Fox, and Krystal shared a laugh together, as the Arcade Bunny stood there in the arcade room and watched, with sadness.
Arcade Bunny: *sniffs, as he wipes away a tear from his eye* I wish someone would send me free expensive stuff...
Standing at the door to the tower was Cortex, who knocked on the door three times. He wouldn't wait that long, as Magnus answered the door.
"Who goes there?" asked Magnus as he looked around, only to look down and spot Cortex. "Oh, didn't see you there man. Your gigantic head wasn't big enough for me to notice it. So what's up?"
"Is Tiki inside?" Cortex asked Magnus, before pulling out a small box. Magnus took a very curious look at it. "Got some chocolate I wanted to share with her. Provided she can eat chocolate, of course."
"Uh, Tiki went with Lyn to run a few errands around town. Errands for the Squid Sisters, mostly. Probably some promotional stuff. You can just give me your chocolate, and I'll give it to..."
"You must be out of your mind!" Cortex clutched the box of chocolate to his chest, away from Magnus, before realizing that he was starting a scene. "...ah, I mean, I'll wait inside until Tiki returns."
"Tiki's one fine woman, don't ya think? You'd have to be the luckiest man in the world to end up with a gal like her..."
"How about this..." Cortex took out a small notepad, ripped a small piece out of it, and wrote "FOR TIKI" on said piece with a blank ink pen before taping the piece onto the box of chocolate. "...put this in the living room or somewhere so Tiki can see it."
"Okay then. I'll try not to open it." Cortex handed the box of chocolate to Magnus, giving the warrior a very suspicious look before he left.
Mario and Rodin were in a competition to see who the better Santa was, and so far nobody wanted to sit on Mario's lap. The plumber felt lonely, with Spyro and Hunter (and Sparx) the only ones keeping him company. Just then, Mario saw a certain swordsman walk by...
"Yo, Cloud, come-a here!" the plumber called out to Cloud, who stopped and sighed when he heard his name called. He knew what Mario wanted from him.
"I'm not interested," the swordsman responded, as he continued on his way. Mario could not afford to let this opportunity slip through his hands.
"Spyro, Hunter, get-a that swordsman!" ordered Mario, as his "elves" ran over to Cloud. Hunter ambushed Cloud by jumping on top of him, and Spyro would be the one to hit the swordsman in the legs to bring him down.
"Mario I can't do this, I'm actually pretty busy." That didn't stop Spyro and Hunter from grabbing Cloud up to his feet, and then taking him over to Mario. They weren't commanded to do that, but the cheetah knew it was coming.
"Thank you Spyro and-a Hunter, you're both great-a elves," Mario thanked the dragon and cheetah, who both felt too bummed out about being "elves" to respond. "Come on-a Cloud, I need this. Bring-a him over here, you two!"
"Mario, what are you talking about? You're making this whole Santa thing a lot more personal than you should."
"Spyro, Hunter, sit-a Cloud down in my lap." Spyro and Hunter, holding unto Cloud, looked at each other wondering if that was a good idea, before pinning Cloud down on Mario's lap. Or at least they tried to.
"I don't want to sit in your lap - it'll make me feel awkward and uncomfortable, It'll make you feel the same way, too. You couldn't even handle Waluigi, for crying out loud."
"Everything okay?" asked Link as he entered the scene, seeing his friend Cloud being harassed from where he was standing. Cloud resented the fact that it took forever for Link to notice.
"Yup, the four of us were-a just having some fun!" smiled Mario, giving Link a thumbs up; Cloud, Spyro, and Hunter all wanted to give a thumbs down.
Hunter: Mario's such a liar, there's no way I'm having fun being an elf! In fact, I'm having...what's the opposite of fun... *scratches his chin* ...I'm having...not-fun! Yeah! It's the worst fun one can possibly have!
Spyro: You wanna talk about not having fun? Mario literally put the elf ears over my horns. Has he forgotten that dragons can have ears?!
"Can I talk with you for a second, in private?" Link asked Mario; this private talk would afford Spyro and Hunter a much-needed break.
"Sure-a thing!" replied Mario, hopping down from his chair. Spyro and Hunter sighed in happiness, letting go of Cloud and letting him free as Mario followed Link to a corner of the gaming room. "What's up?"
"You can't yell out 'I need this, I need this' as you pin down a grown man on your lap!" The context of that sentence, without the Santa bit, was quite interesting.
"Well you know-a what Link, there are two Santas in-a the room. Things get ruthless!" The way Mario responded, it really was a competition between him and Rodin for best Santa. "You get-a what I'm saying?"
"I understand, but Rodin was put in place to be Santa Claus by Master Hand. It was his choice...and Bayonetta's choice, too."
"Oh really? Then how about-a we take a vote, to see if anyone else-a approved?"
"Go ahead and be my guest then..." Mario went to the front of the gaming room, with Link following after him, before clearing his throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Attention everyone!" shouted Mario, when his throat-clearing failed to garner anyone's attention. Everybody in the gaming room soon looked up at Mario. "I understand that we have-a two Santas in this very room. Traditions are-a at stake. And there are..."
"By a show of hands, how many of you prefer Rodin as Santa?" Link asked the crowd, as a majority of the people raised their hands. Much to Mario's chagrin.
"No no no, wait! No! There-a are other choices, there is information that-a we..." Mario stopped speaking, when he saw that Waluigi had his hand raised. "Are you kidding me? Waluigi? After you almost-a killed me?"
"Mario I had you; I just want to try Rodin," replied Waluigi, although Rodin would make the lanky man walk away from him in an instant.
"And if you want Mario as Santa, raise your hand," said Link, as nobody raised their hand...save for Mario. The plumber looked towards Spyro and Hunter, who both sighed and raised their hands. Spyro nearly tipped over raising his dragon hand in the air. "Well, Mario, looks like the majority rules...now, would you care for some punch?"
"I'll get some-a punch, alright..." vowed Mario, as he took off his Santa beard and stormed out of the gaming room, with Spyro and Hunter (and Sparx) following after him. Link was unsure what Mario meant by that.
Over in the living room, Ema Skye was doing some forensics work, as she was investigating a weird spot on the living room wall Villager noticed. The forensics expert inspected said spot, with Villager behind her, as Sonic entered the living room with a metallic contraption of sorts.
"Ema, I have a dilemma!" the hedgehog called out to the forensics expert, who stopped and turned around. "Some mystery person has been sending me the parts to this gun, and I think they sent me a gear instead of a trigger."
"How do you know it's a gun?" asked Villager; he knew Sonic would approach Ema, after the forensics expert worked on that gun for Organization XIII.
"What else would a gun look like? You should totally enhance your knowledge on firearms, Villager - it might save you one day!"
"It definitely doesn't look like a gun," replied Ema, taking a closer look at the contraption Sonic was holding.
"Maybe that's because I don't have all the final pieces yet. I should wait until it's fully completed, before showing this bad boy off."
"Well, unless the missing piece is a gun, you don't have a gun. End of story."
"Not a gun...not a gun..." Sonic pulled out a list - a "What could it be?" list - and scratched off the gun item off of it. "...got it. Thanks Ema!"
Mario: I don't ask for much-a for Christmas, I really don't. It's not like I'm begging Princess-a Peach to buy me diamonds and...broach-a pendants. "Oh, buy me something expensive or I'm gonna kill myself!" That's not me. All I want-a to be is Santa. Just one time. And, you want to take-a that away from me? Fine. Go ahead. But when-a you need my help because-a I am ruining everything, don't look at me.
Mario would return to the gaming room, and this time he looked different...he was dressed up as the Grim Reaper, wearing a black hooded coat and holding a scythe. Hunter was wearing a green robe with a long brown wig on his head, and Spyro was dressed up...as a candle. How oddly fitting, for Spyro that is.
"Something is definitely wrong with this picture..." Spyro said quietly to Sparx, thinking that Mario should be the one to be dressed up as the raper given his height. The green rob and long brown wig were perfect for Mario to wear - unless Mario couldn't find a green robe his size.
"Behold, the Ghosts-a of Christmas have arrived!" announced Mario, garnering everyone's attention, as he held his arms out wide. "The Ghost-a of Christmas Past, the Ghost-a of Christmas Present, and I, the Ghost-a of Christmas Future! And we bring to you glad-a Christmas tidings. I want to remind everyone the true-a meaning of Christmas."
"They're dressed up as the ghostly figures from A Christmas Carol," Viridi, the only person interested in Mario's shtick, whispered to Pit, who nodded his head with much intrigue. "We started reading that book in our book club."
Cappy: Mario's original plan was to dress up as Jesus, and have Spyro and Hunter serve as his angels, wearing halos and wings and whatnot. Thankfully, the Belmonts talked Mario out of it, before he could go around and start offending people.
"Wow Mario, you are really craving for attention today," remarked Mewtwo, knowing that someone like Impa would stop Mario's shenanigans and put the plumber in his place. "Rodin dressing up as Santa must've somehow gotten to you."
"Aha, a Christmas grouch detected!" Mario accusingly pointed at Mewtwo, who couldn't care less what Mario called him. Wasn't like the psychic Pokemon actually cared about Christmas, or the holidays.
"You can't just dress up as ghostly holiday figures. That's just stupid. But at least you're aren't dressed up as Jesus, and pushing religion on the others."
"Oh but I can't push drugs in here? Is that what you're saying?" Mario put his hands on his hips, nearly poking his eye out with his scythe in the process.
"That's not what I'm trying to say, but...what point are you trying to make?"
"Well you have to pick-a one or the other. Your choice. Pick-a your poison, and get back to me. In the mean-a time, we're going to spread our-a goodness all over this mansion! Gonna turn a couple-a of Jacob Marleys into reformed Ebenezer Scrooges! Let's-a go, boys!"
"When Peach asked us if we wanted to decorate the Christmas tree, we should have totally obliged," Hunter whispered to Spyro, who nodded his head as the two friends (and Spyro) begrudgingly followed Mario out of the gaming room.
Peppy Hare was in the vending machine room, as he grabbed a bottle of lemonade out from a vending machine. As the rabbit unscrewed the bottle and left the room, he was caught off-guard by Fox, who popped out of the corner.
"Peppy, just the hare I needed to see!" Fox said to the rabbit, who was spooked as he nearly spilled his lemonade unto the floor. "Can you do me a favor? Don't tell Krystal that I'm her Secret Santa...I pulled her name during the drawing name thing." Fox took out his piece of paper, which had Krystal's name written on it, and revealed it to Peppy.
"Alrighty then, I'll just tell her that Geno pulled her name," responded Peppy, before giving Fox an assuring wink. Fox knew he could trust Peppy - he certainly trusted him more than Peppy, that's for sure.
"Okay, appreciate it! I've been giving Krystal all sorts of jewelry over the week, and she found out today. But soon it'll all come together at the gift exchange, when I give Krystal the best Christmas gift a girl could ask for..."
Expecting Tiki to return the tower soon, Cortex sat at one of the picnic tables near the tower, as he listened to K.K. Slider play his guitar. Nana and Popo were behind the hippie dog, singing Christmas carol songs.
"Good work you two, keep up the work and no one will turn down your ice cream!" K.K. Slider commended the Ice Climbers, knowing what their end goal was - go to every doorstep in Seattle, impress the townsfolk with their singing, and then force them to eat their ice cream. In all actuality, it was Popo's end goal. "Usually you would ask someone at the doorstep for fig pudding, but...howdy Ribbon Girl!"
"Hi K.K. Slider!" greeted Ribbon Girl, waving to the hippie dog as she headed over to Cortex. "Have you talked to her yet?" the pop singer asked Cortex, who looked up with surprise.
"Her, who's her?" questioned Cortex, doing his best to play it cool. "Can you be a bit more specific? 'Her' could literally be anyone!"
"Tiki, that dragon girl from the Assist Tower. I saw you staring at her from the window in the cafe." Overhearing the conversation, K.K. Slider and the Ice Climbers stopped what they were doing, as they all looked at a now nervous Cortex.
"How did you know I was looking at Tiki? I could have been looking at...someone...else..." Cortex trailed off when he saw Tiki and Lyn appear, and Ribbon Girl, seeing the two ladies, approached them. "No, Ribbon Girl, wait!"
"Golly, that's a lot of Squid Sisters posters you got there!" remarked Ribbon Girl, looking down at Lyn's arms and seeing a bunch of Squid Sisters posters. Lyn and Tiki were promoting the Squid Sisters around town, as Magnus had assumed. "I know a guy named Dr. Cortex, who likes the Squid Sisters. Have either one of you met Dr. Cortex?"
"I met Cortex at some court trial in the mansion," replied Lyn, remembering when Mario and Cortex handed out jury duty forms in the living room. "Picked his nose the entire time, it seemed like."
"What about you, Tiki?" Ribbon Girl turned around, seeing a still nervous Cortex. "Dr. Cortex, come here!" Biting his lip and sucking up his pride, Cortex got up from the bench and walked over to Ribbon Girl and company. "You've met Dr. Cortex before, right Tiki?"
"Yes I have - we fought Rathalos together, two weeks ago!" replied Tiki, as Lyn looked at the manakete with a disgusted face. "Well he didn't do much really...he just rode on top of me, while I was in dragon form. Didn't even know he was there!"
"Hmm, sounds to me like Dr. Cortex has an affinity for dragons!" The very thought of this was enough to make Lyn, K.K. Sliders, and the Ice Climbers cringe.
"If only dragons liked me in return..." sighed Cortex, as memories of Spyro kicking his butt rushed through his head. "...that's all I could really ask for."
K.K. Slider: Is Cortex trying to guilt trip Tiki into...liking him? Uh...okay.
Lyn: Either Ribbon Girl has gone mad, or Cortex has become super desperate. Got a lot of money riding on the latter.
Popo: I see what's going on...I see it clear as day...CORTEX IS TRYING TO TAKE MY PRECIOUS TIKI FOR HIMSELF!
Nana: No offense Popo, but why would you want Tiki in the first place?
Popo: Because you can't be my girlfriend, you're just my...uh...side chick. A main chick's what I'm looking for!
The Postman - the one that delivered mail to Link - always had it rough. Whether it was abused for being skinny, abused for his attire, or abused just in general, he was constantly finding himself on the wrong end of things, both physically and verbally. Despite all of this, the Postman was still proficient at his job, delivering mail to Link - and to others as well.
For instance, the Postman stopped by the mansion, to deliver a package to someone. He rang the doorbell, and Celica would answer it, as she opened the front door and looked down to see the package the Postman left behind.
"Ooh, a package!" she squealed, bringing the package inside the mansion as she slammed the door. She held up the package, as Sonic entered the foyer. "Must be from the North Pole!"
"The North Pole doesn't exist, ya silly goose..." Sonic scolded Celica, before taking the package away from her. The hedgehog tore off the brown packaging paper and opened the box, before pumping his fist when he saw the contents inside.
"So Sonic, what's-a in the box?" inquired Mario, as he, Spyro, and Hunter showed up in the foyer. He saw Sonic's visible excitement from afar.
"It's another machine part, for my mystery machine!" Sonic took out the machine part from the box, showing it off to Mario and company. "Just what I needed..."
"Oh yes. It's space-a garbage. You're gonna be able to build-a yourself a worth-a less piece of junk!" Mario cleared his throat, before he started to sing. "Deck the halls-a with crappy gifts..."
"Hey guys, got some good news!" announced Little Mac, as he showed up in the foyer with a smile on his face. "Santa Rodin said that I've been a good boy this year! How great is that?"
"Yeah, except-a for cheating on your girl-a friend, Leia. Don't think I saw-a you hanging out with-a Yuri. Adultery's a sin, look it up-a in the Bible people." Just then, Alm showed up in the foyer, also with a smile.
"Hi Alm, I take it you had a word with Santa Rodin too?" Celica asked her husband, who eagerly nodded his head as he took out some scented candles.
"Rodin was kind enough to get me some scented candles!" exclaimed Alm, showing off his scented candles. Link must have had those candles lying about somewhere in the gaming room. "Always wanted these!"
"Oh, that's appropriate - lots-a of fire where you're going," Mario said to Alm, very disapproving of the king's gift. "Better get used-a to it. You're going to H-E double-a hockey sticks. You're going to Hell, Alm, for the Ghost-a of Christmas Future said so!"
"Mario..." Celica looked at the plumber, giving him a very distasteful look. Mario was about to respond, until Aerith showed up, holding some fabric.
"Rodin gave me some fabric!" the flower girl smiled, as Mario was more than ready to lay a verbal beating on her. "I wonder if I should tell Cloud, would he care?"
"New fabric, that's-a fantastic. You can make another dress that goes-a past your feet. And go tell Cloud about-a your little 'gift', it's not some kind-a of secret. Like the secret I told Krystal, when I informed her that Fox is-a her Secret Santa."
Talk about a wrong moment at a wrong time...for Fox just so happened to walk by when he overheard Mario. Furious, Fox groaned, pulling on his hair and frowning as he walked away.
"Can we speak with you for a hot minute?" Spyro said to Mario, as he and Hunter led the plumber to a part of the foyer where they could speak in private. Alm, Celica, Sonic, and Aerith all went their own separate ways. "I don't know how to say this, but...you really need to give this up."
"Really, have I complete gone off the rails?" asked Mario, as both Spyro and Hunter were quick to nod their heads. It was about time Mario realized.
"I mean, you pretty much destined Alm to go to Hell, even though you have no power to do that. And you also hurt Fox's feelings, by spilling the beans."
"And I don't think you've ever had an attitude with that Aerith chick," added Hunter, as Mario looked down at the floor, reflecting upon the things he had done earlier. "But with Sonic...I'm sure that was justified."
"You boys are-a right, I was only acting like-a that because I was feeling salty..." Mario said somberly, before lifting his head up with confidence and making the somberness go away. "...boys, let's-a ditch these stupid costumes. How about it?"
"Mario, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to say that!" grinned Spyro, as he and Mario took off their costumes. Hunter, on the other hand, only took off his green robe. "The wig has to go too, Hunter," Spyro said to the cheetah.
"Aw man, but I look so good with it!" whined Hunter; Mario, Spyro, and even Sparx thought otherwise. "I can guarantee you nobody will feel slighted in any way!"
Mario: Earlier today this mansion-a needed a Santa. And then it needed a second-a Santa. And then it needed the Ghosts-a of Christmas. And now, it needs-a a Mario. And that's one suit-a Rodin cannot fit into.
Mario returned to the gaming room along with Spyro and Hunter, wanting to make up for today's mistakes. He saw Rodin in the gaming room, still in his Santa getup, with Larry on his lap. Link was standing next to Rodin, when he saw Mario at the doorway; he came over the plumber seconds later.
"Hey, how's everyone-a doing?" Mario asked Link, once the Hylian came over to speak with him.
"Not so good - you heckled anyone who sat on Rodin's lap, or spoke with Rodin in person," replied Link, as Mario made a disheartening face. "Everyone is pretty much chilling in here, just so they could avoid you."
"That was a different-a guy. That was the Ghost-a of Christmas Future. But he's gone now with-a the other ghosts, and I'm back to make-a things right..." Mario dug into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and pulled out a debit card before handing it to Hunter. " Here's-a my debit card. I want you and-a Spyro to go pick up a bunch-a of pizzas and meet me back here."
"What's your pin number?" inquired Hunter, as there were now suddenly many eavesdropping ears in the gaming room. Mario would never be that foolish enough to give his PIN out in the open.
"I don't want-a to say. But, 'it's fun to stay at the...'" Mario sang a song, expecting Hunter to finish it, but the cheetah was left confused. "'It's fun to stay at the...''"
"Where, the Assist Tower? Marriott Inn? Space Needle? I have no clue..." Grunting in frustration, Mario was forced to do the YMCA dance, and Hunter soon caught on. "Oh yeah, that YMCA video you showed us online! I got it now! Spyro and I will be back with those pizzas!" Hunter and Spyro would leave the gaming room, with the former holding Mario's debit card.
"You have no idea what the number is, do you?" Spyro asked Hunter, who shook his head no. Spyro sighed deeply. "Let's ask Peach and see if she knows..."
With his cover blown thanks to Mario, Fox had no choice but to reveal to Krystal the gift he intended to give to her during the gift exchange. He presented the gift to his girlfriend in the tower, and it was...a golden statue of Krystal.
"I...I thought you would like it," Fox smiled nervously, awaiting Krystal's response as he rubbed his hands together in nervousness.
"It's a little too much, in my opinion," replied Krystal, as Fox snapped his fingers in disgust. That response meant Krystal did not like that statue one bit.
"Well it's the thought that counts." At that moment, Krystal turned around to face Fox, alarming her boyfriend with a glare.
"What were you thinking then, buying all that jewelry for me? What was even the point? I just can't believe you sometimes..." Krystal walked away, as Fox tried to chase after her. But he stopped, because he knew it was no use.
Fox: I suppose a gentlemen might... throw in the towel, at this point. Guess what? Not gonna happen. I will redeem myself.
Sonic continued to work on his little machine thing in his room, with his pet Shaymin keeping watch. Tails entered the room, seeing what Sonic was doing.
"I take it you're still working on that machine thingamajig?" the yellow fox asked Sonic, who stopped his work and looked up at his best friend. "Almost done with it?"
"Not quite, but I did find this freaky note in the box that came in today," replied Sonic, picking up a note left on the floor and handing it to Tails. "It's really giving me some very bad vibes..."
"'Here is another part of the device, my favorite pupil...sincerely, the Seattle Stalker,'" Tails read the note out loud, and like Sonic, he had a very uneasy feeling about what exactly the note entailed. "We should probably show this to Master Hand. Before it's too late."
"No way, he'll launch an all-out investigation and waste everyone's time. Even worse - he'll make those lameos Layton and Luke investigate the Seattle Stalker! We should just finish this contraption, and just go from there." Sonic continued his work, while Tails remained very troubled...
Outside of the tower, Ribbon Girl had Tiki and Cortex speak with one another, at the picnic table. K.K. Slider and the Ice Climbers remained outside, practicing their Christmas carols while eavesdropping on the conversation.
"It was nice speaking with you, Dr. Cortex," Tiki said to the mad scientist, once their conversation was over with. "You're not as bad as everyone made you out to be!"
"It was nice speaking with you too, Tiki," responded Cortex, as he got up from the picnic table. "It was fun, getting to speak with a manokite!"
"Manakete. It's pronounced, 'manakete'. But don't worry, you're not the first person to mess that up...and you certainly won't be the last. Hope to speak with you soon!"
"Likewise, my dear!" Cortex waved to Tiki, who waved back. Nothing was set in stone yet, but for Cortex, it was a step in the right direction. Ribbon Girl, who was spying on Cortex from a distance and listened to the entire conversation, followed the mad scientist back to the mansion. And on his way back, Cortex saw K.K. Slider and the Ice Climbers, seeing their disgusted faces, and thought that they were just being haters.
"Pinch me Nana, we must be living in a nightmare..." ordered Popo, as Nana did what she was told and pinched her fellow Ice Climber, making him wince in pain. "Oh, that stings! Owie!"
"You never specified how hard you wanted to be pinched," Nana smiled in return, as Popo massaged the place where he was pinched at.
With the help of Peach, who provided the PIN to Mario's debit card, Spyro and Hunter were able to buy some pizza, and bring said pizza to the gaming room before Mario grew upset. While everyone in the gaming room was enjoying their pizza, there was some karaoke going on...with Mega Man and Proto Man on the stage. Barbara was the DJ, filling in for K.K Slider.
"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known..." Mega Man sang into the microphone, as Green Day music was playing from the loudspeakers. Wasn't the best singing, but at least he was trying. "..don't know where it goes, but it's home to me and I walk alone."
"It's true...we all walk alone," stated Proto Man, in the edgiest way possible, during the music solo. Mario, having finished his slice of pizza, approached Rodin, who was still in his chair dressed up as Santa.
"Hi Santa," Mario greeted Rodin, grabbing the demon's attention. Rodin was caught off-guard by how remorseful the plumber looked.
"Hi Mario," Rodin responded, before Mario took a seat on the demon's lap. Rodin had every right to be confused. "Hey, what are you doing...?"
"MY SHADOW'S THE ONLY ONE THAT WALKS BESIDE ME..." Mega Man and Proto Man sang, at the same time, harming everyone's ears with their singing ineptitude. "MY SHALLOW HEART'S THE ONLY THING THAT'S BEATING..."
"Santa Claus, I'd like-a to make a wish," Mario said to Rodin, once Mega Man and Proto Man were done screaming into the microphone. One microphone, mind you.
"Alright, what kind of wish is it?" inquired Rodin, finding himself surprised by how heavy Mario was for his size. "Make it snappy, before people give us weird looks..."
"I would-a like a Sega Genesis, and a TV that's compatible-a with a Sega Genesis. Oh, and I'm-a sorry, for everything I did-a earlier." I'm sorry...the very words wanted to hear, yet did not expect to hear from Mario.
"A Sega Genesis it is. Because you're a good man now. A changed man. That's all Santa could ask from a..."
"Rodin?" a man appeared, dressed up as Santa, as he grabbed Rodin and Mario's attention. It was Rodin's employee, Luka Redgrave. "The heck is going on here?"
Luka: Got a call from Link earlier - he told me Rodin was being Santa for the day, and that he wanted me to fill in for Rodin in the event Rodin went berserk and hurt somebody. That's why I came to the mansion, dressed as Santa.
"Nothing Luka, Mario and I were just working things out," replied Rodin, as Luka was feeling very skeptical about what he was seeing.
"You called Luka? You wanted him to beat-a some sense into me or some-a thing?" Mario asked Rodin, sensing the feeling that he was targeted. Rodin was more than quick to shut down Mario's suspicions.
"No, no, not one bit! I just had Link call Luka, and tell him to fill in for me as Santa. This whole Santa gig ain't as easy as it looks!"
"Honestly I can't believe you let little kids sit on your lap all day long," Luka said to Rodin, who suddenly realized what he had done. The demon has never felt so disgusted with himself in his life. "That is so unlike you. Maybe you're the changed man, Rodin!"
Rodin certainly didn't feel like a changed man, but he did feel very angry with himself as he returned to the tower. Upon entering, he saw Krystal and Ghirahim, chilling out.
"Someone's quite the happy camper today," Ghirahim said to Rodin in a very sarcastic tone, as the scowl on Rodin's face grew in intensity. "A Santa should always be happy, 24/7!"
"Remind me never to do anything involving Bayonetta ever again..." remarked Rodin, as he walked to his room with his brown sack over his shoulder. "There's a 'surprise' for you outside..." The demon said to Krystal, as he passed by the fox.
"A surprise? For me?" said an astonished Krystal, as she got up from her seat and left the tower. To her surprise, she saw a marching band...
...a marching band of twelve drummers. Like that Christmas song. All twelve drummers were marching outside, drumming away while wearing blue uniforms. Their drums were also blue, with each drum having Krystal's face on them. Fox would appear out from the twelve drummers, wielding cymbals.
"Promised myself I'd make it up to you and redeem myself!" the pilot said to Krystal, as he clanged his cymbals together. Falco, Slippy, and Peppy also appeared out from the drummers, clanging their cymbals together, as Krystal was left smiling and clapping along. "Happy holidays, Krystal!"
Why wish someone happy holidays for...it'ts not even December yet! But, in all fairness, that Christmas spirit was brewing...