Author's Note:
Here we are, at the end of the year, with another year of Smash Life in the books...it's been three years. Three long years...
And honestly, it feels like those three years have gone by pretty fast. Just seemed like yesterday that I started writing this story, trying to get the first chapter uploaded before Christmas. It was well worth the effort. And it's been a fun ride ever since. One heck of a ride, at that. Now, I'm here to write another lengthy author's note...should've mentioned that in the last chapter. Oh well...
So what happened this year? Well, not much - I'm still in college, got a 3.4 GPA, and I'm almost dead set on graduating (for the second time) in May of next year. It's a day I've been looking forward to pretty much ever since I transferred to USC - which stands for the University of South Carolina, NOT University of Southern California. Don't get it twisted.
But wait, who am I trying to kid? Something DID happen this year. Super Smash Bros Ultimate...was released. And good golly, is it a great game. That's just lightly putting it.
Honestly, I was very surprised when Ultimate was announced. I had figured that Nintendo would release a Smash game next year, to commemorate Smash's 20th anniversary. (Although Ultimate's release IS a month away from January 15th, the day the first Smash game was released in 1999, so I rest my case.) I remember receiving a PM about the new Smash game, since I had missed the Nintendo Direct, and when I saw the Inklings, and that Smash logo, and Champion Link...boy was I hyped.
While all my friends were trying to figure out what characters were in that silhouette, from the reveal trailer, I was thinking about what new fighters would be in Smash - Spring Man, Rex, and many others. A new Smash game obviously meant a great chance at adding new characters, although I already have a lot to begin with.
Fast forward three months, to E3, and Nintendo dedicated a huge chunk of their Direct to Super Smash Bros...as I kinda expected. Watching all the confirmed fighters was pretty special, I'll say - I thought bringing back the Ice Climbers was a no brainer, and I was surprised when Pokemon Trainer returned along with Squirtle and Ivysaur. Kinda felt bad for Charizard, in a way.
But when Snake appeared, along with the text "EVERYONE IS HERE"...that was a tone-setter right there. It always amused me, watching online reactions and seeing people completely flip out over Snake. You probably know who I'm talking about.
However, bringing back every fighter in Smash came at a consequence - less newcomers than usual. While we had the Inklings, Daisy (best princess, no bias), and Ridley added to the fray, the amount of newcomers revealed after them would be few. I thought Sakurai was just pulling our tail, but in the end, he was right all along. The buildup to Smash really put into perspective how greedy people are when it comes to newcomers...
What with the small amount of newcomers, I decided to spice things up, and include new characters to the story - characters who are a part of one's Final Smash. Characters like Kumatora, Volnutt, and the rest of the Star Fox crew, Peppy Hare and Slippy Toad. There's still more characters to add, but I'll get to them at a later time. Not like I never forgot about them.
Since then, the Ultimate hype train kept on rolling - Simon and Richter were added to Smash. Chrom and Dark Samus were added, as Echoes. King K. Rool, a long-requested character, was also added. And you know how I rolled - as soon as someone was announced, they join the Smash Mansion, pronto.
Then came Isabelle. Then came another Echo Fighter, Ken. Then came the Grinch...erm, I mean, Incineroar, who effectively put the Grinch leak to bed. Kinda knew the leak was fishy when I saw the Chorus Kids. I can never envision them being playable fighters. However, there was one character from the leak that I wanted to be playable, in Shadow the Hedgehog. Thought he'd be an awesome Echo for Sonic.
Just because I wanted to give Shadow more shine in the story, I created the Assist Tower - a place for assist characters to live in. Folks like Shadow, Lakitu, and Dr. Wily had a chance to appear more often. Folks I had intended to debut, such as Spring Man, Mr. Resetti, Alucard, finally got to appear. And folks I never imagined would be in a Smash game, like Yuri, Guile, and even the Assist Bunny, get to be in Smash Life.
Then, on December 6, was the icing on the cake...Joker, from Persona 5, being announced as the second DLC character after Piranha Plant. First of the Challenger Pack. I enjoyed writing chapter 95 so much, that I couldn't resist but to...you know what, I'll just stop right there, don't wanna spoil anything.
All an all, I think I experienced the most growth this year, in terms of the amount of characters. When I first came up with the idea of the Assist Tower, I thought it was the most stupidest thing I've done, but it turns out that it wasn't that bad. More characters meant new interactions, and new scenarios to come up with a myriad of characters to choose from. The more the merrier...I feel like I've said that enough times already.
That being said, I'm really excited for how the rest of the Challenger Pack will turn out, since I'll be adding new blood to the mansion and whatnot. Really got my fingers crossed for my boy Crash Bandicoot - him being in Crash would be special for me, in a personal way. Loved Crash since I was 4 or 5, same goes for Spyro. Those two dudes are practically inseparable...and five-year old me knew it even back then.
Before I close things off with this author's note, I would love to thank everyone who has favorited/followed this story this year, and another thank you to everyone still reading and supporting to this day. Also, a big huge thank you to the one and only, Masahiro Sakurai, for making another Smash game - arguably the best of the series.
And now, I bid you all with another year-end Christmas-themed chapter. It's even longer than the previous year-end chapter, which is extremely surprising to me. You all probably think I'm crazy. But you probably knew that already, reading this story. Can't blame you for thinking that. And, without further ado...
...Merry Christmas...or Happy Hanukkah...or Happy Kwanzaa...to all, and to all a good night! Or day! Or whatever!
Episode 157: Crunchtime
Things between Impa and her two ladies friends, Lana and Linkle, were quite tense as of late. Being fed up with Impa's commanding ways, Lana and Linkle finally snapped on the Sheikah in the previous episode, down in the lair of the Yiga Clan. Never have those two been so fired up for anything.
The whole incident created a rift between the three ladies of Hyrule - a rift so deep that Lana moved out of Mario's house completely, so she could hang out with Linkle and Yuffie for the time being. Mario and Luigi did their best to remedy the situation, but to no avail. Couldn't get the three ladies on the same page.
Both Mario and Luigi had to make ends meet with Lana, Linkle, and Impa very soon, for they did not want any drama to persist with the Christmas Ball coming up. What was the Christmas Ball, you might ask? It was just a harmless social gathering, where everyone had to dance and whatnot. Kinda like homecoming, or a high school prom. Only requirement was that you needed a date. Mario and Luigi already had dates in Peach and Daisy, respectively, and Mario's guests, Spyro and Hunter, were actively looking for a date before the ball began.
"I spoke with Dr. Wily yesterday; he said that he could bring Bianca over from the Forgotten Realms with that device thingy of his," Hunter spoke with Spyro in the living room, on the couch. For those of you unaware, Bianca was Hunter's love interest. "What are you gonna do for the ball, Spyro?"
"I asked Dr. Wily the day before yesterday if he could bring Elora to the city, from Avalar!" replied Spyro, almost in a very bragging manner. Like he expected Hunter to feel some type of way. Instead of being salty, Hunter was left impressed.
"Ha ha, I always knew you had a thing for Elora!" Hunter's remark made Spyro look around suspiciously, trying not to blush. "But no worries, I'm not gonna tell anyone...it'll just be our little secret."
"Whose-a little secret?" asked Mario, as he entered the living room licking from a popsicle. Weird to be eating a popsicle during the winter months. "Is Spyro in love-a with someone?" Spyro glared at Hunter, now that Mario was on to the purple dragon.
"It's someone you don't know, Mario..." answered Spyro, still glaring at Hunter. Hunter could only smile sweetly and innocently, as someone rang the doorbell. "...I'll get it." Spyro flew to the front door, opening it with his mouth...
...and standing at the doorstep was Shovel Knight. Good thing the knight didn't believe in slaying dragons, otherwise Spyro would've been a goner. Instead of his trademark shovel, Shovel Knight was instead holding some flowers in his hand.
"Good evening, my scaly purple acquaintance!" greeted Shovel Knight - how is it that medieval knights and dragons can't get along that well? "Is Princess Peach here? I've got a slew of flowers, just for her..."
"Did someone call my name?" asked Peach, as the princess came running down the stairs. Mario looked on with disgust, as Peach ran from the staircase to the front door to greet Shovel Knight. "Hello Shovel Knight, what is it?"
"Flowers, for thou, my fair maiden!" Shovel Knight gave the flowers to Peach, who smiled as she held them close to her face. Mario never felt so disgusted before. "Mind if you come to the Christmas Ball with me, as my date? I'd hate to go alone..."
"Why of course, I'll go with you to the ball!" Mario could not believe Peach spurned him over Shovel Knight, as the plumber's jaw fell to the floor. Spyro and Hunter laughed at Mario. "I'll just find my white dress, and..."
"Seriously Peach, you pick-a Shovel Knight over ME?" Mario snapped on his wife, wanting to know what her deal was. "Some-a knight with a stupid shovel, over your own-a husband? Is this the message you wish-a to send to Jennifer?"
"In all fairness Mario, I really enjoyed dancing with Shovel Knight after that Christmas party food fight two years ago. And he's arguably a better dancer than you are." Mario refused to believe in such a lie.
Mario: Shovel Knight, being a better dancer than-a I? In what universe? How is it possible for some-a one to be better than a Dance Dance-a Revolution champion? *busts out some awkward dance moves* Oh yeah, you seeing this-a right now...uh huh, oh yeah...
Cappy: *analyzes Mario's "dancing"* Ha, you call that dancing? The only folks you'd school with moves like those are the elderly folk at the retirement home.
Mario: Pfft, you're a talking hat Cappy, what would you know about dancing?
Cappy: At least I'd know better than to dance in just one spot...
"Why waste your time looking for a dress in your closet...when you can wear the dress I handcrafted myself, just for you?" Shovel Knight asked Peach, who was gleaming. This made Mario even more angry. "Come with me, princess!"
"Ooh, a dress just for me, how lovely!" smiled Peach, as she took Shovel Knight's hand and followed the knight to the tower. Spyro closed the front door and looked back at Mario, who was seeming mad.
"You okay, Mario?" Spyro asked the plumber, who turned around and marched over to Impa's room. "You're not gonna ask Impa out to the ball, are you? Because I don't think she's in the right frame of mind to..."
"Impa?" Mario banged on Impa's door, waiting for a response. Got nothing but silence, just as he figured. "Would-a you be a dear, and be my date-a for the Christmas Ball at the mansion? Pretty please?"
"Sorry Mario, but I'm not interested," replied Impa, sounding very ticked. Either by Mario for bothering her, or by Lana and Linkle. "Go find some broad at the mansion to tango with, and leave me alone."
"Man, she never likes-a social gatherings...what a loner." Mario walked away from Impa's door, as he made his way out of the house. Before opening the front door, Mario turned to Spyro and Hunter. "Looks like I'll be on-a the hunt for a date...wish-a me luck!"
"Uh, good luck to you, Mario," replied Hunter, as Mario left through the front door. "That guy should totally go with Yuffie, that chick from next door. Is Yuffie available?" Spyro didn't even bother to answer, instead looking away and rolling his eyes.
The moment Mario left his house, a car accident occurred, when two taxis collided against each other at the front of the mansion. One taxi was driven by B.D. Joe, the other by Dribble and Spitz. Like with any crash, the drivers got out of their cars just so they could yell in each other's faces.
"Hey bub, we got here first!" Dribble snapped on B.D. Joe, who confronted the orange bulldog with his chin held high. "This is our spot, fair and square!"
"You call this fair and square?" scoffed B.D. Joe, finding himself laughing at Dribble's ignorance. "I was gonna park in that very spot, until you came into my blindside and bumped into me! You could've injured me!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, it was only a scratch!" frowned Spitz, always the one to become agitated very quickly. This was not an ideal situation for him. "You're acting like Dribble here could've killed you!"
"Which he would have, if he wasn't such a crappy driver!" This caused Dribble to get ticked off, as he looked at B.D. Joe with fury in his eyes. "How is it even possible to drive around with such recklessness?"
"You saying that my driving sucks?! Hold me back Spitz, I'm gonna beat this guy up to a pulp!" Spitz tried to hold back Dribble, but since he was so small, he was struggling mightily. Luckily someone came to the rescue, when a certain sky pirate exited from B.D. Joe's taxi.
"Fellas, please stop with the fighting, it'll solve nothing!" the sky pirate said to Dribble and B.D. Joe, as the two taxi drivers looked at him. It was Balthier, the officiant of Berkut and Rinea's wedding. "It's certainly not going to make the damage on the cars go away."
"Uh, yeah, you right, you right...sorry about that, my dude," apologized B.D Joe, as he, Dribble, and Spitz backed away from each other, smiling and letting bygones be bygones. Balthier would brush back his hair with his hand, as Mario came over to greet the sky pirate.
"Balthier, welcome back-a to Seattle!" greeted Mario, shaking hands with the sky pirate. Balthier was gleeful to see the plumber's face again. "Still looking very handsome-a as usual...still not more handsome than-a me."
"Ah, that's very much debatable...but I will say, your mustache game is still very strong," grinned Balthier, as Mario proudly stroked his mustache. "The finest mustache I've ever laid my eyes on!"
Balthier: Unfortunately my lover Ashe could not come with me to the ball...you know how busy being a crown princess can be. Obviously I'll need a date to enter the ball, so I'll just have to swoon a lady from the mansion and make her my temporary date. Should be a lot of fish in the sea! *winks at the camera*
"Say, B.D. Joe, you said that you have one more person to deliver to the mansion, is that correct?" Balthier asked the driver, who pulled his taxi away from Dribble and Spitz's taxi, with Dribble and Spitz's help. Those drivers got over their differences pretty quick.
"Yeah, gotta pick up some chick from the airport or something," replied B.D. Joe, leaving Mario's mind to wonder who this chick was. Any guesses who it might be? "She had my phone number, somehow. Captain Falcon must've given it away."
"Nothing wrong with that - makes making reservations all the more easier!" Balthier, done speaking with B.D. Joe, returned his attention to Mario. "I was supposed to come here on my pirate ship, but my ship...erm, crash, so I asked B.D. Joe for a ride while he was driving around Seattle. Such a swell fellow..."
"Believe-a me, B.D. Joe sure is reliable when asked-a upon..." remarked Mario, grateful for all the solids B.D. Joe had done for Mario and the others. "...by the way, are you here-a for the Christmas Ball? Peach spurned-a me over Shovel Knight..."
"Oh! So sad to hear that! Peach picking a chivalrous knight over you doesn't sound that bad, though. As for me, my lover Ashe had to stay behind, so I'm currently flying solo until I find a date. Why don't we look for a date...together?"
"I see no harm-a in that." So Mario followed Balthier into the mansion, the plumber vowing to find a date before the ball began...
...and as Mario entered the mansion with Balthier, spying from the treehouse near the mansion was Sonic, looking out from some binoculars. The hedgehog could not believe what he was witnessing.
"How did I not realize it sooner...Mario is secretly conspiring with Balthier and Berkut to assassinate Alm!" Sonic exclaimed in shock, as he handed the binoculars to the person standing next to him, Dark Samus. The alien robot was also joined by Crash. "How can it be?"
"You're seriously still devoted to your dumb conspiracy theory?" Aku asked Sonic, the floating mask accompanying Crash. "Is that why you brought Crash up to this treehouse? So you spy on Balthier?"
"Yes Aku, I still believe that Balthier is guilty of being a part of Berkut's assassination plot. And my conspiracy theory is one hundred percent true, just to let you know. Balthier and Berkut, and anyone else working with Berkut, they'll get what's coming for them!"
"Oh boy, this is not going to end well..." Aku wished he could reason with Sonic, but deep down he knew the odds were greatly against him.
With Microwave Idol Mamorin being a very popular show as it was, it was only a matter of time before the online show had its own Christmas special. Not wanting to let the opportunity slip by, Mamori hosted an episode in the kitchen, with Ashley, Asuka...and today's special guest.
"Hello, to all my Mamorinis around the world!" smiled Mamori, as she, Ashley, and Asuka were all wearing Santa hats. Ashley wished she could take hers off. "This is yours truly, Mamori Minamoto, and my lovely co-hosts Ashley and Asuka! We're gonna warm up your heart, with the press of a button!"
"Today on our holiday-themed show, we have another special guest," said Asuka, as Mamori looked around to see where this special guest was. Can't be on the show if you can't even show up. "Everyone give it up...for CJ!"
The special guest appeared onscreen, smiling nervously like he somehow got lost...which he kinda did. It was an athletic dude, with red hair and a red beard; it was CJ, Link's friend from episode 111.
"What's good, ladies?" CJ asked the hosts of the show, smiling to downplay the fact that he got lost. Not a very good look. "Glad I could be on the show!"
CJ: Why am I back at the mansion again? Basically Master Hand, warping me from Philadelphia back to Seattle, just so I could attend a few Christmas-related social gatherings taking place at the mansion. "Participation matters", he claimed. I should be back home resting my back, since it's killing me, but Master Hand will ignore any ailment you have just to preserve his dumb agenda and philosophy.
"So CJ, would you mind telling the viewers where you're from?" Ashley asked the man, in the most uninterested way possible. She didn't believe that CJ's origins was vital information to the viewers.
"Sure! I'm from North Dakota - that's where I spent my entire childhood and adolescent life," CJ replied heartily, only for Mamori and Asuka to laugh at him. "Hey, what's so funny? What's wrong with North Dakota?"
"Silly CJ, nobody EVER admits they're from North Dakota," stated Mamori, leaving CJ with the sneaky feeling that Master Hand probably interfered in the creative process of the episode. "Let's try that again, shall we...CJ, can you tell us where you're REALLY from?"
"...I'm from North Carolina," answered CJ, lowering his head with shame. Why couldn't anyone believe that he was a North Dakotan? Nothing wrong with being a North Dakota bro.
"Much better! Now, since you're our guest for today, you'll be preparing us the meal of the day! So CJ, what is the meal you have in store for us?" It was a good thing CJ already had something in mind.
"Glad you asked that...for today, we'll be making, the Yuletide Cheesesteak! Was originally called the Pikachu Cheesesteak, but I changed up the name just for the season, hehe...but before we can begin, we must first gather our items."
So CJ went to the refrigerator, and pulled out the following items - Oscar Meyer roast beef, cheddar cheese, and some garlic bread. Mamori and friends looked at these ingredients with inquisitive faces, as CJ placed his ingredients on the table.
"First things first - we grab a pan, turn on the stove, and cover the bottom of the pan with canola oil," CJ laid out the cooking directions, performing each of them as he explained them out loud. "Then we add garlic and hot peppers..."
"Um, CJ, this is Microwave Idol Mamorin - we're supposed to be cooking in the microwave," Mamori pointed out, as CJ looked over and saw the microwave in question. He giggled, albeit in an embarrassing manner.
"Aw shucks, now you tell me..." CJ turned off the stove, before taking his ingredients to the microwave as he made a "Yuletide Cheesesteak" with the ingredients he had. Mamori and friends had so much pity for CJ. As CJ opened the microwave door...
...inside he saw Wario, who was hiding inside the kitchen appliance for unknown reasons. Didn't seem that stuck, unless he slimmed down some.
"Sorry if I was in your way," Wario apologized to CJ, as he climbed out of the microwave and ran away. CJ and the others looked at Wario, wondering why he was hiding in the first place.
Wario: I'm stuck in a rock and a hard place...I have plans to reconnect with Palutena at the Christmas Ball, by asking her to be my date, but Mona and the other WarioWare employees are coming over to the mansion! Stupid Master Hand, inviting people that I don't want...so to ensure that Mona won't see me, I'll just hide in the microwave, and then ask Palutena out when the coast is clear!
"Cut, time out, stop the presses!" shouted Roy as he ran into the kitchen, seen onscreen waving his hands in front of the camera. "This episode of Microwave Idol Mamorin...has been CANCELLED!"
"Cancelled?" questioned Mamori, as she and the others looked at Roy in confusion. Only she had the power to cancel her own show. "For what? What did we even do? We were just about to..."
"You did nothing wrong, trust me? It's just that, uh, we have a bit of an emergency on our hands. Brought someone here to explain things." That someone entered the kitchen, on the opposite side of where Roy was, tapping Mamori on the shoulder...
"STRANGER DANGER!" Mamori shouted out, feeling threatened, as she kicked the mystery person in their shin. The idol singer looked down, and saw that she had kicked Cloud, who was clutching his knee. "Oh, sorry about that Cloud!"
"No it's fine Mamori, that's what I get for not wanting to be seen around with Roy," responded Cloud as he quickly recovered from the kick, leading Roy to wonder why being seen with him was so wrong. "Is CJ around?"
"Yeah, I'm right here," replied CJ, raising his index finger in the air so he could be quickly identified. "Did you want to see me or something?"
"You're kinda the guy I'm looking for. Name's Cloud Strife." Cloud introduced himself like CJ didn't know who he was - which he probably did. "I'm a friend of Link. And speaking of Link, he's kinda...he's completely lost it."
Master Hand: *laughs* Those Phantom Thief losers...those punks think they can top my holiday concert from last year? Last time I checked, my concert had a performance from a very talented singer, AND it also had a little Christmas play along with it. Don't see Joker topping that. Also, to ensure that the Phantom Thieves will fail, I made it a mandatory requirement for every resident to come to the Christmas Ball with a date, just so I could spoil the Phantom Thieves' chances of even having a remotely decent concert. And to add more salt to the wound, I made Pac-Man organize a party for the little ones in the gaming room, so they won't have to think about attending that crap concert. Makoto, Futaba, and Ryuji...kiss your chances of living at the mansion goodbye!
Master Hand was very heartless to a fault - he loved laughing at people's failures, and making fun of them at the most opportune moment. Feeling in a very picky mood today, the giant hand went to go check upon Joker and the Phantom Thieves in the lecture hall, knowing well that their concert would suck. The fact that The Phantom Thieves were unable to land Sonia Strumm really left Master Hand in a happy mood.
But when Master Hand floated inside the lecture hall, expecting to be disappointed but only in a humorous way...the giant hand was taken back at how decorative the lecture hall was. Chirstmas green was hanging among the red curtains, along with a slew of Christmas lights. Ryuji was at the top of the stage, working the stage lights, with Makoto directing him.
"A little more to the left...to the right...bingo!" Makoto directed Ryuji, the lights operator, before giving him a thumbs up of confirmation once he had the lights situated in the right spot. Master Hand saw this, still relatively shook by how nice the stage looked.
"Great work you two, you really are a great tag team," commended Joker, as Ryuji looked for a ladder of some sort to climb down from where he was. Joker looked behind him, and saw Master Hand. "Ah, Master Hand! Came to see our progress?"
"Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha..." stuttered Master Hand, very easily at a loss of words. He wanted to be amused and ridicule the Phantom Thieves, not be blown away by how well they were coming along. "...how is this even possible?!"
"Come with us, Master Hand, we have a lot to show you!" said Ann, as she and Makoto came over to walk the shook Master Hand down the aisle. The brought him to the stage, just so he could see everything in full view.
"Tell me, where did the greenery come from? I know you ladies weren't responsible...you were supposed to be in Japan!" As part of the deal made in the previous episode, the Phantom Thieves had to stay back in Japan, only allowed to return next Friday - Master Hand figured it would derail the concert.
"Piranha Plant had a lot of greenery to give me for decorating the stage," explained Joker; Master Hand never realized how much he loathed Piranha Plant until now. "He truly is a great roommate!"
"And what about the lights, you didn't take the lights already decorated around the mansion, did you?" Whoever provided the Christmas lights for the Phantom Thieves was bound to be on Master Hand's hate list.
"Zelda provided us some. She's very kind and generous." Master Hand had made it known that he always respected Zelda, but now he was wondering where all that respect went to.
"And what's that on the stage?" Master Hand looked towards the stage, seeing some kind of painted background - a giant cardboard piece with a snowy landscape drawn upon it, complete with Santa's workshop.
"It's the backdrop for the little Christmas play we're gonna have. Had Smeargle and Kirby's friend, Adeleine, make it for us." Master Hand was sure to ban Adeleine from the mansion forever, like he did with Dr. Eggman. "Adeleine is backstage, with the actors for our play."
"You found actors already?! Let me see them, so I'll know who to kill..." The Phantom Thieves looked at Master Hand, with concerned looks. "...erm, I mean, give credit to for a wonderful performance!"
Ann and Makoto would take Master Hand backstage, and there Master Hand saw the actors for the Christmas play - the four Champions of Hyrule, Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa. Master Hand dared not to question what killing the Champions would do to the Zelda timeline, at least not at the moment.
"Man, I really do look nice dressed up as Santa Claus..." marveled Daruk, adorned in a Santa Claus getup, as he looked at himself in front of a mirror while scratching his beard. "...I could be the official Santa Claus!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Daruk, you can't be the official someone of a fictional character," Revali told the Goron, dressed up as Jack Frost. The Rito was unsure what Jack Frost had to do with Christmas. "Besides, you're not even human..."
Revali: Ah, finally, I have the perfect platform to show off my acting chops in the Christmas play. Being on Microwave Idol Mamorin was somewhat of a start, in terms of stage presence, but today is where everything comes together.
"My goodness, all you two have done is bicker with each other," groaned Urbosa, who was dressed up as Miss Claus, while Adeleine was at the Gerudo's feet knitting her red dress. Mipha, sitting quietly in the corner, was dressed up as an elf. No ears, though.
"What bickering? Revali and I are just having fun conversations!" grinned Daruk, turning around from the mirror. "Not like we're calling out each other's mother! Wait, do I even have a mom?"
"The great Goron Champion doesn't even know jack about his family, what a shame..." Revali facepalmed, as Daruk stroked his chin wondering if he had a dad - let alone parents. Once Adeleine was done knitting Urbosa's dress, the young artist came over to speak with Mipha.
"Sure you don't want any elf ears?" Adeleine asked Mipha, who was looking down at the floor before looking up at Adeleine. The Zora wasn't depressed, mind you, she was just...feeling a little lonely. "They'd look great on you!"
"No, but thank you anyway - those ears might irritate my soft skin," Mipha responded softly, with a smile. The Zora looked past the other Champions of Hyrule, and saw Master Hand floating on the other end, joined by Ann and Makoto, and held her head back down quickly.
"So, Master Hand, what do you think?" Ann asked the giant hand, who turned around and floated away, much to Ann and Makoto's concern. "M-Master Hand, where are you going? We didn't even get to show you our props!"
"I think I need to take a breather..." replied Master Hand, having seen enough already. Was the giant hand blown away...or was he feeling nervous? Being nervous was something Master Hand was never used to.
Cortex stood outside the Assist Tower, and he was joined by his minions - N. Gin, Tiny, Dingodile, Koala Kong, Ripper Roo, the Komodo Bros, and Pinstripe Potoroo. None of the minions exactly knew what they were doing, although they were dressed up as band members...for they were in a marching band.
"Let's make one thing clear...we're all idiots," Dingodile said to Ripper Roo, who nodded his head, before turning towards Cortex, the conductor of the band. Cortex was sharply dressed, in a black tuxedo. "Dr. Cortex, why are we doing this for?"
"Because I need to impress my crush, Tiki," replied Cortex, leading his minions to wonder just who the heck Tiki was. A lot of murmurings among the minions. "Fox impressed his girlfriend, Krystal, by bringing a marching band to her...so we're doing the same thing!"
"Is this Tiki girl blind?" asked Pinstripe, as he raised his hand; Cortex gave the potoroo a very intense glare.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Cortex dropped his baton on the ground, before pulling out his ray gun, putting some fear in Pinstripe's eye.
"I was just...asking an honest question...sorry if I came off as insensitive." Following Pinstripe's apology, Cortex picked up his baton as he put his ray gun back.
Marth: Should I be monitoring Cortex and Tiki? I've got my hands full as it is, with Robin being a deadbeat towards his children from the future. Also don't know why Chrom and the others make such a big deal about Cortex liking Tiki...sure he's the equivalent of human feces, both in self-worth and looks, but he deserves to love too!
"Just be yourselves, and don't start playing until I raise my baton," Cortex instructed his minions, as he walked up to the front door. The mad scientist rang the doorbell, and the front door quickly opened...revealing a purple dragon.
"C'mon Hunter, we don't have much time!" shouted Spyro, as Cortex shrieked at the very sight of the dragon. The mad scientist fainted to the ground, as the minions quickly ran away and hide.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hunter called out, before eventually joining Spyro at the front door, nearly out of breath. "How long did Dr. Wily say it'll take to boot up his machine thingamajig?"
"Said it'll only take thirty minutes. So we'll just wait outside until then..." Spyro looked down, seeing a fainted Cortex lying on the doorstep. "Should we do something about him, or..."
"Nah, looks like he took his own self out. I think we should just leave him there." So Spyro and Hunter walked out of the tower and away from Cortex, as the minions appeared out of their hiding spots when the dragon and cheetah were no longer in sight.
"Is he...is he gone?" wondered N. Gin as he looked around, smiling with relief when he saw that Spyro was nowhere to be found. "We're saved, we've been saved!" The cyborg cheered, raising his arms in the air, only for Komodo Moe to silence him by putting his hand over his mouth.
"Not so loud, that dragon could still hear us..." advised Komodo Moe, as N. Gin stopped with the exuberance. Just then, a certain Manakete stopped by the front door of the Assist Tower, seeing the front door open...it was Tiki.
"Those two couldn't even be bothered to close the front door..." sighed Tiki as she was about to close the door...only to look down and spot Cortex lying on the doorstep, still fainted. "Oh, Cortex? What brings you here?"
"Errrrggh..." Cortex uttered, before raising up his baton up high in the air. He was hoping one of his minions noticed the baton...and one of them did, in N. Gin.
"Look you fools, that's our cue!" the cyborg alerted the other minions, pointing at the raised baton. "Let's make Master Cortex proud!" The minions all lined up together, forming a marching band line, and started playing their instruments at once.
"Is that supposed be some kind of marching band?" wondered Tiki, surprised by how well and how in tune the minions were playing. And they didn't even need Cortex to direct them, for crying out loud! "What is this for?"
"I had intended to make a marching band performance...for you," replied Cortex, looking up from the doorstep his face was on. He looked up at Tiki, grabbing the Manakete's attention. "Wanted to impress you enough to join me for the Christmas Ball. So, what do you say?"
"Well, seeing that I don't have a date yet for the ball..." Cortex's eyes grew wide as the sun, waiting for Tiki's response. "...I guess I can go with you."
"That's all I wanted to hear..." Cortex collapsed unto the doorstep once more, and then pumped his fist in the air, feeling victorious.
Cortex: It's a date, people! A date for the Christmas Ball! Only one step closer to winning Tiki's heart. I am astonished, astonished I say, at how well the minions performed without me - it was like they were rehearsing in secret! They're a whole lot smarter than I expected!
Pinstripe: Cortex is such a crap conductor - didn't even come to the castle for rehearsal. Just told us to find some band uniforms and instruments, and "be ready". We were only prepared for two days.
Dark Pit had a bit of an affair earlier this year, albeit one-sided, with a succubus named Lilith. Lilith, who worked with her sister Morrigan and catgirl Felicia at a tattoo parlor in town, had quite a huge crush on Dark Pit, and made it her number one goal, at one point, to be with the doppelganger.
To say that Lilith was crazy for Dark Pit would be lightly putting it - the succubus would send threatening messages to Dark Pit, vowing to kill his lover in Flora just so she could be with him. But thanks to the help of Snake and Solaire, Dark Pit successfully suppressed Lilith from the mansion, meaning that the succubus would never bother Dark Pit again...or would she?
"This has got to be the worst promo in wrestling history..." Pit said to Kirby and Incineroar, as the three best friends were in the movie room watching some old wrestling tapes on the big screen. They were watching some Santa Claus dude read "A Night Before Christmas" - and Pit thought he was cutting a promo. "I mean, where's the ferocity, where's the emotion, where's the attitude?"
"Pit, he's just reading a classic Christmas story to be a bunch of children," explained Kirby, extremely saddened that he had to describe the wrestling segment to Pit. "He's telling a story!"
"I knows, promos are meant to tell stories, but Santa Claus isn't even making his rivalry with his enemy personal enough. Who is he feuding with anyway? The Great Pumpkin? New Year's Baby? St. Patrick?"
Losing the willpower to keep on explaining, Kirby looked down as he facepalmed. Soon Dark Pit came running inside the movie room, in a frantic manner.
"Guys, I have some very bad news..." the doppelganger said to Pit and company, grabbing their attention. "...really bad news. She's back!" At that moment, Pit immediately feared for the worst, as he gasped deeply.
"Oh no, not Phosphora!" the angel panicked, as he jumped behind the couch he was sitting on and hide behind it. Incineroar reached over to Pit, giving him an assuring pat on the head. "She's still not trying to paint my toenails, is she?"
"No, Phosphora just left a while ago. It's all good in the hood now." Relieved, Pit walked away from the couch, with his hand over his chest. Acting like his life was about to end. "It's someone else that's got me worried."
"You sure it isn't Phosphora? Because you're really making it seem like it's her..." Who knew that having your toenails painted would be so scary?
"It's not her, I promise you...it's Lilith. That crazy succubus girl from the tattoo parlor." Pit suddenly remembered who Lilith was, and Kirby too. Incineroar, on the other hand, was left scratching his head. "Mega Man told me he saw her coming to the mansion, from the mansion roof."
"Okay...and what do you want us to do about it? I would deal with Lilith, but I can't have two demon girls falling heads over heels for me. And who knows what they'll do to Kirby and Incineroar - might make them their living pet toys!"
"Well I can't approach her...she might be even crazier than before!" Dark Pit looked to the side, unsure of what he should do. "I can't just throw in the towel...I gotta do something about Lilith."
"Why don't you go to Flora, tell her about Lilith, and then take her and get as far away from the mansion as possible?" Pit's suggestion made Dark Pit look up at the angel, making him wonder if what was the greatest idea ever heard, or the dumbest. Or both. "As for the three of us, we'll just do our own thing to counter Lilith."
"That sounds like it could either go good or bad...but I've got no other choice, so I'll just do it anyways." Dark Pit ran out of the movie room, on the search for his girl. "Lilith better be gone by the time I get back, or else!"
"How exactly do you plan on countering Lilith, Pit?" Kirby asked the angel, only to feel worried when Pit smiled, tapping his fingers together. "...you're about to do what I think you're about to do, aren't you?"
"Kirby, Incineroar, I think it's about time we get a little...WOKEN!" said Pit, before cackling loudly. Incineroar, get ready to eat your heart out.
One thing Akira missed about living at the mansion was going to the fitness center. Being that the tower never had a fitness center of its own, Akira had to come to the mansion whenever he could, to work out. The fighter was working out in the fitness center right now, doing some lunges, when Poo approached him.
"You never challenged me to a fight, Akira Yuki..." the young PSI master said to Akira, who was ignoring Po to the best of his ability. "Why is it that you avoid me? Is it because you're afraid of defeat? To lose to the likes of me?"
"Actually, it's you who's always challenging me to a fight," stated Akira, focusing more on his lunges and less on the annoying Poo. Hehe, the annoying Poo. "Also, I want actual competition, which is why I always turn you down."
Poo: Akuma said that in order for me to be the best fighter ever, and strike fear into my opponents, I have to learn how to cut a promo. Thought that was only a thing in wrestling, but I guess I thought wrong. Akuma gave me a "sample promo" to recite, so I'll just recite it now for you. *takes out a slip of paper, squinting his eyes at it* Where do I start at..."insert last name here" 3:16? You mean all I have to do to cut promos, is recite specific verses from the Bible? That's so easy!
"Jokes on you Akira, for I am competition...I embody it," stated Poo, as Akira felt the sudden urge to laugh. Couldn't let laughing get in the way of his exercising. "Either you accept my challenge to fight me, or I will..."
"Poo, are you seriously bothering Akira about wanting to fight him?" asked Paula, as she approached her best friend. She grabbed Poo by the collar, and dragged him away against his will. "When will you ever leave him alone?"
"We will have our fight, Mr. Yuk, you can't run away from me forever!" vowed Poo, pointing at Akira, who tuned out the PSI master as he continued his lunges. The fighter kept on exercising, until his friend Jacky came over to him.
"Hey Akira, Cilan's grilling some very manly steaks outside at the pool..." the indy car racer said to his friend. Cilan, grilling steaks, near the pool? With Christmas a few days away? "...you wanna join me in eating them?"
"What kind of dumb question is that, of course I'll join you!" replied Akira, ending his lunge exercise as he followed Jacky out of the fitness center, ready to resume his manly adventures with his best friend. Just as Jacky and Akira left the fitness center, Mario and Balthier entered in.
"No such-a luck just yet...Kiria had the gall-a to turn the both of us down," Mario said to Balthier, with a red hand mark on his face. Kiria sure knew how to strike. "What did we do-a wrong?"
"To be fair, Mario, Kiria isn't exactly your type," stated Balthier, whose face was still pure and handsome. Kiria dared not to slap the sky pirate, for he was too good-looking to have his visage scarred. "Poking her backside also wasn't the best way to get her attention..."
"But she was turned-a around, what else was I supposed to do?" Mario looked ahead, and saw Wii Fit Trainer, getting some push-ups in before the Christmas Ball. If she had a date, that is. "We should-a try asking out Wii Fit-a Trainer."
"You go first." Balthier pushed Mario forward, and the plumber gulped nervously as he approached Wii Fit. The fitness trainer kept on exercising, until she felt Mario's shadow over her.
"Hey Mario, what's up?" Wii Fit asked the plumber, as she sat herself on the floor. She could tell that Mario was nervous, and she was wondering why he was so.
"Princess Peach chose-a to go with Shovel Knight over me, leaving me all alone-a with no date. With-a that being said...would you mind-a being my date for the..."
"Outta my way, plumber boy!" King Dedede frantically ran inside the fitness center, brushing Balthier to the side, as he knocked over Mario on his way to Wii Fit Trainer. "Wii Fit, I must ask you a serious question...will you play Twister with me?" King Dedede took out a Twister board, holding it up for Wii Fit to see.
"Hmm, let's see, going to the ball with Mario, or play a game of Twister..." Wii Fit mulled over her decision, as Mario and King Dedede waited for the fitness trainer's response. A few seconds passed, and Wii Fit had made up her mind. "...I'll play Twister with you, King Dedede!"
"Then it's a date...uh, I mean, match! A Twister match! As in like, uh, a game! You're gonna go down, Wii Fit!" King Dedede would lead Wii Fit out of the fitness center, as Mario looked on with his mouth agape. Even Balthier found himself shook.
King Dedede: I may have failed to capture Impa's heart (she's even colder than I thought), but on the flipside, I know that Wii Fit has a fire burning in her heart..for me. I did try to flirt with Wii Fit a month ago, and I know for a fact it has left a lasting impression on her. She'll be the queen of Dream Land, in due time.
"Wii Fit would rather play games-a with King Dedede...over going to the ball-a with me?" questioned Mario, unable to process what transpired. The plumber just stood there, still dumbfounded, as Balthier came over.
"Don't be so down, there's still plenty of fish in the sea!" the sky pirate encouraged Mario, grabbing the plumber and dragging him away. Certainly Balthier didn't believe what he said.
For the very first time since Smash Life started filming, Donkey Kong extended a small invitation to his grandpa Cranky Kong, inviting the old gorilla geezer to attend a holiday-related event at the mansion. For Cranky, it truly was a long time coming.
"Thank you very much DK, for inviting me over to the mansion!" Cranky Kong thanked his grandson, as he waited outside with Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Fox, and Falco. As always, Cranky was rocking away in his rocking chair. "Took that author long enough to include in a holiday-themed chapter!"
"Cranky Kong, I thought you promised us not to break the fourth wall during your stay," Diddy said to the elderly gorilla, only for Cranky to hit Diddy on the head with his trusty cane. "Ow, not so hard, not so hard!"
"I can break the fourth wall however I please! Nobody's gonna stop me, not even that lousy author!" Cranky Kong, after his remark, let out a yawn. "Why are we outside again?"
"We're waiting for Diddy Kong's date for the ball to show up," replied Donkey Kong, before leaning in close to Cranky so he could whisper to his grandpa. "Master Hand sent her an invitation, through the mail."
"Master Hand sent Dixie an invitation to the ball? Diddy could've done that himself." Speaking of Diddy, the spidermonkey was nervously twiddling with his fingers as Krystal came over to speak with Fox.
"Still waiting on Krystal to show up?" the vixen asked her boyfriend, holding her hands behind her back. "You know she has a track record of showing up late."
"Yes, I'm well aware...we're also waiting on another person," replied Fox, before looking up at the sky and seeing two spaceships flying down towards the mansion. "Speak of the devil, they finally made it!"
The two spaceships landed on the ground, a short distance away from Fox and company. One ship was an Arwing, and the other was a red spaceship, possibly used for racing and whatnot. Katt Monroe, Falco's girl, got out of the Arwing, and hopping out of the red spaceship was...
"Chase!" exclaimed Diddy, seeing the Brazilian racer exit her spaceship. The spidermonkey ran up to Chase, giving her a hug. Cranky Kong looked all sorts of confused, wondering where the heck Dixie was.
"Alright Diddy, settle down, you're acting like you haven't seen me in ten years," smiled Chase, as she pried Diddy off of her and placed the spidermonkey back on the ground. Seeing this interaction made Cranky mind blown.
Cranky Kong: I simply cannot believe it...the author is trying to make Diddy Kong like me, falling in love with a smoking hot human girl and making him have strong affections for her. He's turning Diddy into a copycat! Thanks to that stupid idiot author, Dixie's entire existence has been rendered futile...author, I may not know your name yet, but one day, you'll get your own deserving taste, of JUSTICE!
"Hi Falco," Katt greeted the avian pilot with a smile, as Falco tried to keep his cool. Wasn't used to speaking with Katt, with friends such as Fox and Krystal around.
"Sup babe," Falco said to Katt, only for Katt to walk up to the pilot and give him a kiss on the cheek. A kiss powerful enough to make Falco smile profusely, like he was drunk in love.
"What's good ladies, nice spaceships you got there!" shouted Hunter, giving Katt and Chase two thumbs up. The cheetah was walking from the tower, and he was now accompanied by his date - a rabbit with a purple cape. "Yo, Fox and Falco, and the Kongs! Say hello to my girlfriend, Bianca!"
"It's very nice meeting you all!" grinned Bianca, waving to everyone, before leaning in close to Hunter with a frown. "I thought you said this place was Dragon Shores," the rabbit whispered to Hunter.
"Okay I might've lied, but believe me, this place is a whole lot closer to Dragon Shores than you think! C'mon, follow me - I'll show you an actual dragon inside that mansion over there!"
"Better be a legit dragon..." Bianca would follow Hunter to the mansion, and not long after Hunter and Bianca left, Spyro would show up, with his date for the ball. It was a faun, with brunette hair.
"Hey Spyro, are those your friends?" the faun asked Spyro, taking a great interest in Fox and company. "Or are they from that mansion?" At least Spyro told the faun the right location - something Hunter couldn't do.
"They're all from the mansion, except for the cat and that blonde girl," replied Spyro, as Fox was murmuring with Falco - particularly about Spyro's date. "As of right now, we're just acquaintances..."
"Spyro, why is your date a goat?" Fox asked the dragon, who felt slightly offended...although the faun felt even more offended than Spyro did. Understandably so. "Couldn't do better than a goat, huh?"
"I'm a faun, you dork..." the faun frowned at Fox; sadly for her, it wasn't the first time someone mistook her for being a goat. Spyro made the same mistake once.
"Leave Elora alone, it's not her fault she has goat legs," Spyro stood up for Elora, as the faun looked at the dragon with a frown. Not her fault she could control how the genealogy of her species worked.
"Thanks for sticking up for me, Spyro...so how about introducing me to that plumber guy you were telling me about? Sounds like an interesting guy." Someone like Impa would strongly think otherwise.
"You mean Mario? Yeah, he's over at the mansion looking for a date to go to the ball with. His own wife turned him down for someone else!" Laughing at the fact that Peach turned down Mario for Shovel Knight, Spyro would walk Elora to the mansion.
"A dragon going out with a faun, and a cheetah in love with a rabbit..." Falco shook his head, wondering how on earth Hunter and Bianca hooked up. "Cats these days are going all wild and out for no reason..."
"Says the bird whose in love with a cat," Cranky Kong muttered underneath his breath, but loud enough for Falco to hear. The avian pilot got ticked pretty quickly.
"IT'S ONLY ACCEPTABLE IN MOST WORLDS AND CUSTOMS, OKAY?!" Must only be acceptable in Corneria, then.
It was almost time for the Christmas Ball to begin, with a few folks still looking for a date. In the meanwhile, Touma and Ridley stood at the door to the ballroom, both sharply dressed. Touma wore a red suit, whereas Ridley simply wore a bowtie. Looked very fashionable, regardless.
"We got the easiest jobs in the world, Ridley...only let people in if they have a date with them," Touma said to the dragon, who was feigning to eat someone. He would eat Touma, if he didn't establish such great chemistry with him while filming Force Five. "We'll just keep on doing this until Eleonora asks me out to the ball."
Touma: Master Hand needed someone to protect the ballroom from "single people", so he hired me to do the job!...Well, he asked Ridley to do it, but he also asked me afterwards!...Okay, he only asked Ridley. But being the great person that I am, I offered to stay at Ridley's side, to intimidate anyone who sneaks in the ballroom without a date, and put them in their place!...Yeah, that's totally Ridley's doing.
The first couple to arrive at the ballroom was Hunter and Bianca, with Hunter vowing to show Bianca a dragon. The cheetah's quest would be fulfilled, when he saw Ridley in front of him.
"See Bianca, told you there was a dragon in the mansion!" said Hunter as he pointed at Ridley, who made Bianca feel very afraid with his scary yellow eyes. "And you didn't even believe me!"
"You never said that the dragon was extremely scary..." said Bianca, with Ridley staring the rabbit down as she and Hunter entered the ballroom. Showing up next was the wielder of the Camera Obscura, Yuri, arriving with her date...Dillon, the cowboy armadillo from the tower.
"Very interesting date you got there," Touma said to Yuri, who smiled lightly as Dillon tipped his hat to Touma and Ridley. The armadillo was very much a silent type.
"He was pretty much my last resort, as a date," stated Yuri, only asking Dillon to be her date just so she could attend the ball. Her best friend, Miu, might be running out of luck. "The ball hasn't started yet, has it?"
"It will, in a few minutes - Rosalina's inside setting everything up. You're still welcome to come in." So Yuri and Dillon entered the ballroom, with Dillon tipping his hat to Touma and Ridley one more time before walking through the door.
Next up was the threesome of R.O.B., Ray, and Chibi-Rpbo, the three robots being friends - having bonded with one another ever since Ray and Chibi joined the mansion a month ago. The robots were about to enter the ballroom...until Touma and Ridley stopped them.
"Hold on just a minute, fellas - only those with a date are allowed," Touma said to the robots, as R.O.B. lowered its head. Ray rested an assuring hand on the robot, as the robot friends walked away.
"It's okay R.O.B. - there's always next year!" Ray encouraged the robot, as he, R.O.B., and Chibi-Robo were out of sight. A mere moment later, Ken showed up at the ballroom entrance, with his wife Eliza and son Mel.
"Well Mel, looks the buck stops here for you," Ken said to his son, knowing that Mel wouldn't be allowed inside the ballroom. "Only adults allowed at the Christmas Ball - don't think they'll let in children!"
"We could let your son join the ball...if he has a date, that is," Touma said to the fighter, having overheard the fighter's conversation. Ken mulled over this, with a finger underneath his chin.
"Nah, we'll just let Mel join the kiddies in the gaming room. Pac-Man prepared a party specifically for the children." Mel was strongly against this, not wanting to be associated with the likes of the children in the mansion. You couldn't say you blame him.
"No dad, don't take me there, I can find a date for the ball!" Mel pleaded to Ken, knowing his chances of finding a date were extremely slim. "Just give me a chance!"
"Don't worry sweetheart, your dad isn't taking you to the party..." Elize reassured Mel, as her son let out a sigh of relief. "...for I'll be the one taking you to the party." Mel suddenly looked afraid, as Elize grabbed his hand and took him away.
"Mom, no, I don't deserve to be at that party! Save me, dad!" Mel looked back at Ken, who smiled and waved to his son as Elize took him away. What a lousy parent he was, letting his sun suffer with the Koopalings...
...speaking of the Koopalings, the youngins were acting like a bunch of rascals in the gaming room, as they were bouncing on an inflatable snowman meant to serve as decor. Bowser Jr. and his adopted siblings were bouncing on the poor snowman, as it was laid out on the floor.
"Stop it you guys, that thing is NOT a toy!" Pac-Man said to the young koopas, powerless to stop any of them. He wasn't going to let those youngsters ruin his Christmas party. "Leave it alone, or else!"
"Everyone get outta the way!" Morton yelled out, as the Koopalings moved away and allowed Morton some room. The koopa leaped from a billiards table to the inflatable snowman, and as he landed on it, the spikes on his shell pierced through the snowman, deflating him.
"That's it, I'm gonna need a distraction..." Pac-Man marched away, leaving the gaming room as the Koopalings laughed at the inflatable snowman. That laughing would stop, however, when they saw the buddy cops, Toon Link and Young Link, with the latter seething.
"YOU DORKS KILLED MY INFLATABLE SNOWMAN!" Toon Link yelled at the top of his lungs, as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the Hylian. Toon Link angrily hyperventilating, as the silence in the gaming room went away.
Toon Link: That inflatable snowman was supposed to be our third man - to monitor the gaming room while we're off-duty partying up a storm. And now, since it's dead, Hutch and I have no choice but to put our party on hold, and arrest some fools.
Young Link: Aw man, I was really enjoying this punch... *sips from a cup of fruit punch*
Toon Link: That's the second time this year the Koopalings deflated a possession of mine...that alone earns them a lifetime sentence in jail.
"What do you mean, we killed your inflatable snowman?' Bowser Jr. asked Toon Link out of confusion, as Morton rolled up the now deflated snowman. Doing a minor solid for Toon Link.
"Exactly what I meant, you killed him," stated Toon Link, resisting the urge to arrest Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. He really wanted to party a bit more...although nobody was stopping him. "He's in the inflatable afterlife, because of heartless jerks like you!"
As Bowser Jr. and Toon Link continued their conversation, 5-Volt brought her son 9-Volt to the gaming room, with 9-Volt's friend 18-Volt tagging along. That is a lot of Volts around.
"Wow, this party looks jumping!" 18-Volt smiled as he analyzed the scene - hardly anything was jumping at all. Only the buddy cops, the Koopalings, Kat and Ana, and Villager were present at this party. Oh, and Rodin, dressed up as Santa once again.
"Wish I could get paid for doing this crap again..." the demon grumbled, resting his cheek on his hand. He would look up, sighing deeply when he saw a person he least wanted to see...Waluigi.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" the lanky man rubbed his hands together, as he sat on Rodin's lap. To Rodin, Waluigi was still pretty heavy. "I've got a longer list than before, which means Tsubasa will have lots of options at her..."
"Wait, why can't you just let the woman buy a gift without your input?" It was becoming clear that Waluigi still didn't know how Secret Santa worked.
"Because then she'll buy a gift that I won't like, obviously - if Tsubasa wants to buy me a gift without input from me, I have to trust her. And frankly, I hardly trust her at all. So I put together a list of gifts that I want specifically for Christmas, and then some."
"That has GOT to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Rodin kicked Waluigi off of him, sending the lanky man to the floor. "Get out my sight, you punk!" Waluigi stood up, staring down Rodin and rubbing his bum as he walked away.
Meanwhile in the gaming room, Villager was eating some of the Christmas cookies Pac-Man had made for the party. Weren't the greatest cookies around, but they were still serviceable. The lad was busy enjoying the cookies...until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"I found you unmasked, Batman!" that someone said to Villager, who turned around and screamed when he saw Villager...back as the Joker. Link smiled at Villager, causing him to shiver.
"H-How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not even in costume!" stated Villager, as he backed away from Link, wishing he had a weapon. Didn't matter, as Link kept creeping closer and closer.
"Of course you're not in costume...it's a party, you gotta let loose. And sometimes you gotta be...daring!" Link whipped out a knife, smiling deviously as he had Villager cornered against the wall. Villager hid his face away from Link, seemingly in his last moment...
"Hey Joker, over here!" a certain Kremling called out to Link, who looked over and saw King K. Rool - wearing his favorite pirate hat. "Why don't you leave Batman alone and drink some rum with your boy...Captain Jack Sparrow?"
"Drinking rum with a pirate, how could I pass that down!" Link walked away from Villager - before stopping and turning around to give the lad one final message. "I'll be dealing with you later..." he said to the shivering Villager, before walking away for good.
"For the last time, I'm not Batman..." clarified Villager, unsure if Link heard him or not as the Hylian walked away. Not like it would even matter.
Link: Word of the wise, children...if you're good at something, never do it for free.
Red the Pokemon Trainer: *walking by* Y-You mean that I can't be a Pokemon trainer anymore? *runs away* NOOO, MY ENTIRE LIFE WAS A LIE!
Link: *shrugs* ...some learn it the hard way better than others.
Peeping through the closet of the gaming room was Cloud, spying on his buddy Link from afar. The swordsman was joined in the closet by Zelda and CJ, and all were committed to bringing Link back to normal again.
"Man, I've never seen Link act like this before..." remarked CJ, acting like he was a longtime friend of Link's - despite only knowing him for just one day. "...has he ever done this whole Joker stickup before?"
"He's done it two or three times," replied Cloud, as he pulled away from the door. He also closed the door for good measure, to lower any possible suspicion from Link. "Our biggest regret is never finding a way to make him snap out of that phase."
"If we are to bring Link back to normal, we need something to garner his attention," stated Zelda, conjuring a plan inside her head. "What exactly would take hold of Link's attention the most?" CJ got to thinking too...snapping his fingers when he came up with the perfect idea.
"Ooh, I know, what if we stole one of Link's weapons, and hold it hostage?" the man suggested, as Cloud and Zelda were down with the idea. Neither said a single word in objection. "Like, what if we stole his Master Sword?"
"Link doesn't care who steals his Master Sword nowadays," said Cloud, seeing Link demonstrating that he could survive without his trusty blade. "But he does care about if his word ends up in the hands of the 'wrong people'. We just have to figure out who those wrong people would...be."
Touma and Ridley remained at the ballroom door, serving as bodyguards. So far, everything was smooth sailing for them, as Little Mac and Leia entered the ballroom. Following the two was Doc Louis, who was stopped by Touma.
"Sorry Doc Louis, but you need a date to get inside," the redhead kindly told the boxing trainer, looking at the chocolate bar in Doc's hand. "You can't make that chocolate bar your date."
"Whoever said I was attending the ball with just chocolate?" grinned Doc Louis, as out of nowhere two Japanese ladies approached the boxing trainer, all smiles. Touma looked in shock, as the two ladies grabbed Doc Louis' arms.
"Are those...the maids from the Infinite Cafe?" Touma quickly recognized the faces of the Japanese ladies, and was left wondering how Doc Louis even hooked up with them in the first place. Ridley himself was shocked to see Doc Louis with an actual woman - let alone two!
"C'mon ladies, let's ditch these single posers and have a good time at the ball!" Doc Louis said to the Japanese women holding his arms, both of them giggling as they entered the ballroom with Doc Louis. Touma felt pretty offended by what Doc had said.
"I got a date for the prom, you know - I'm just waiting on her to show up!" the redhead called out to Doc Louis, before looking at Ridley. "You got a date for the ball too, right?" Ridley did not respond, instead lowering his head with shame.
Ridley: *sighs*
"Uh, Touma, who were you shouting at?" someone asked the redhead, making him turn around. It was Rex, who was joined by his lady friends - Pyra, Mythra, and Nia. Those ladies were like groupies to Rex.
"Aight Rex, I see you, got a foursome going on!" Touma commended the swordsman, biting his lip and smiling while nodding his head in approval. Dromarch was also present, with Nia, but Touma didn't include him in the foursome for obvious reasons. "You're all welcome to come inside! You too, Dromarch!"
"We're not really a foursome, but we'll just head on in anyways!" Rex would lead the ladies...and Dromarch...inside the ballroom, as Chrom walked by, looking at Rex with vengeance.
"Rex...your time is coming," the prince vowed, holding a shaver in his hand. Pac-Man's shaver, from episode 63. Will Chrom be successful?
Outside at the pool, Cilan was grilled some steaks on the grill, and gave said steaks to Jacky and Akira, who were both hoping that eating the steaks would increase their manliness. The two fighters were given plates of grilled steak from Cilan, waiting to devour the meat.
"Dig in, you two - courtesy of the chef!" Cilan said to Jacky and Akira, who absolutely wasted no time in devouring the steaks like madmen. Situated away from Jacky and Akira, seated in a beach chair, was Samus - the bounty hunter wanting to get away from the festivities taking place in the mansion.
"You're seriously giving Jacky and Akira all the food?" Samus frowned at Cilan, before shaking her head in disapproval. "Fine, I guess I don't deserve any food then..." Cilan looked pretty sad, not wanting Samus to be angry with him.
"But Samus, you never said you wanted any steak! I'm not a mind-reader, I'm only a chef! Cut me some slack, will ya?!"
Cilan: Wanted to have a party inside the mansion, but the gaming room and the ballroom were already taken, so the party had to be relocated to the pool. Not the best spot for a winter party, but at least there's a pool! Too bad it's too cold to swim in it...not that I can swim.
"Way to be mindful of your party guests..." grumbled Samus, being one of the very few party guests present, aside from Jacky and Akira. King Dedede and Wii Fit Trainer were there, playing Twister, and Dedede was struggling mightily against Wii Fit.
But fortunately for Cilan, the connoisseur would have two more party guests, in Mario and Balthier. The plumber and sky pirate showed up at the pool, and were still on the hunt for a date for the ball.
"How about Samus, how would she fare as a date?" Balthier asked Mario, who knew Samus much better than the sky pirate did. The plumber has always known Samus as being a tough lady, with very little patience for certain individuals...Mario wouldn't stand a chance with Samus.
"I think you're-a better suited for Samus," replied Mario, as he pushed Balthier forward. Mario couldn't afford to get slapped again. "Go get her, champ!" Exuding confidence, Balthier strutted his way to Samus, who was noodling around on her cellphone.
"We meet again, Miss Aran..." Balthier said to the bounty hunter, taking hold of her attention. Samus looked up at the sky pirate, smiling when she saw his handsome face. Not even Samus could resist Balthier.
"Hello...Balthier," greeted Samu as she tried not to blush, even taking a deep breath to keep her cool. Balthier was making the typically stoic Samus feel things she probably wasn't meant to feel. "You here for the party?"
"I'm not just here for the party...I'm here to ask you out, as a date for the Christmas Ball." Balthier took Samus' hand, holding it gently as Samus smiled even more. Jacky and Akira saw this go down, while eating their steaks.
"You see that, Akira? Balthier's trying to show us up, by proving how manlier he is!" an angry Jacky said to his best friend. Romancing with a woman obviously made you the manliest man alive. "We gotta do something!"
"Hold my plate, I got this..." Akira gave his plate to Jacky, as he stared down Balthier. Lining up his path and trajectory, Akira screamed as he ran towards Balthier, shoulder bumping him and knocking him into the nearby pool.
"Ack, someone save me, I can't swim! Mario!" Balthier pleaded for help, splashing around in the seemingly freezing pool. Mario would come to the rescue, tossing Cappy at Balthier and capturing his body, and swimming out of the pool as Balthier. An innovative way of saving someone's life.
"Really Akira, was that even necessary?" Samus scolded Akira, walking back to Jacky after a job well done as Balthier found himself in a fetal position, shivering from the cold. "Balthier and I were having a conversation!"
"That goody two-shoes pirate deserved what was coming for him..." replied Akira, as Sonic, Crash, and Dark Samus were spying on Balthier from afar, hiding behind the bushes. Aku was no longer with them.
"Akira knocking Balthier into the pool was a good start, but we need something else to dispose of Balthier for good..." stated Sonic, and that's when it hit the hedgehog. He had a surefire idea. "...I know, we'll just use that machine I've been working on, to send Balthier away! Gotta find it first."
Aku: I informed Coco that Crash is back to conspiring with Sonic against Balthier, and when I told her to do something, she said that I should take action. What does she expect me to do, I'm just a floating mask!
Preparations for the Christmas concert were going along pretty well, even though the Phantom Thieves haven't found a musical act yet. The group was looking for one right now, as they had K.K. Slider and Barbara audition for a spot in the concert onstage.
"Just so you know, I can only play one Christmas song," K.K. Slider said, much to the chagrin of the Phantom Thieves. "Christmas songs just aren't my thing."
"If that's the case then why did you bother coming here to audition..." questioned Joker, who couldn't afford to have any time wasted. He had to find a musical act very soon.
"Because the Ice Climbers wanted me to get a concert gig, so I could promote their food to the audience." Frowning, Joker looked back and saw the Ice Climbers, in the seats, with Popo nonchalantly waving to Joker. Obviously it was his idea.
"...Barbara, can you play some Christmas songs?" Joker turned to the guitar-playing bat, who was the last resort as of right now. The Phantom Thieves had nobody else to turn to, what with Ribbon Girl booked for the Christmas Ball.
"You bet I can - I know how to play a mean Carol of the Bells!" exclaimed Barbara, as she strummed the first guitar chord of "Carol of the Bells" on her guitar. It was loud enough to make Joker and company cover their ears, as the music blared from the loudspeakers.
"Okay, Barbara, not so loud! We don't want anyone to go deaf!" Hearing this, Barbara played the rest of the song in a softer tune. Playing soft just wasn't Barbara's style - loud and raucous was how she rolled.
"Everyone stop the music! Stop the music, I say! I've been told that there's a concert afoot...and I have brought forth the act of the night!"
Barbara stopped her guitar playing, as everyone looked towards the entrance to the lecture hall. There, standing at the door, was a sharply dressed attorney and his faithful female assistant. Joker and the Phantom Thieves were quick to recognize the famous duo.
"...Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey?" Yusuke marveled, feeling all sorts of starstruck - finally getting to see Phoenix and Maya in person was clearly a big deal to him and his friends.
"The one and only, Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey!" corrected Phoenix, like that even needed correction to begin with. "And what's this? The Phantom Thieves, planning the holiday concert? Why am I not surprised..."
"How does he know about us?" Makoto whispered to her friends, as Joker shrugged. Phoenix walked his way down the aisle, with Maya following after him.
"I've been told that you guys are looking for a musical act for your concert, and luckily for you, I have found the perfect one...Maya Fey!" Phoenix held out his arms at Maya, presenting his assistant to the Phantom Thieves.
"He's being dead serious, in case you weren't aware," Maya said to the the Phantom Thieves. Maya, singing at the Christmas concert? How would that work out?
Master Hand: I totally forgot to invite Phoenix and Maya to last year's Christmas party, so I'm gonna make it up to them by inviting them to the Christmas Ball. If I see those two anywhere near that putrid Christmas concert...
Maya: Most people may not know it yet, but I know how to sing - guess you could say I'm a bit of a singer. *smiles* Phoenix makes me out to be the greatest singer alive, but that's what best friends are for - hyping you up and making you think you're awesome, when everyone else thinks you're crap, or worse.
"This has got to be a joke, right?" sneered Ryuji, believing that Phoenix was pulling the Phantom Thieves' tails. "What would an assistant to an attorney know about singing? We're trying to have a legit Christmas concert here!"
"And your concert WILL be legit, if you giving Maya a chance," retorted Phoenix, folding his arms to the side as he smirked at the Phantom Thieves. "Besides, I don't see any singers around here...so what do you have to lose?"
"You do have a good point there..." said Joker, analyzing the options he had. And there weren't that many. "...fine, I'll give Maya Fey a gig in the concert. Barbara and K.K. Slider over there will provide the instrumental backup."
"Sounds fine with me!" exclaimed Barbara, as she played another loud chord on her guitar, making everyone wince and cover their ears. "Whoops, sorry!"
In addition to Phoenix and Maya, Master Hand invited a handful of other folks to the mansion - including a fellow the giant hand once met in Pyeongchang. It was Roger, a man Master Hand met in the Athlete Village, He was brought to the mansion via the teleportation device, and was currently lost.
"That Geo Stelar kid sure did a terrible job at directions..." Roger said to himself, wandering endlessly in the hallway of the mansion. He would continue to wander around, until he came across Chrom. "Hey man, do you know the Christmas party is?" Roger asked the prince, who wasn't even paying attention.
"Beats me," replied Chrom, too focused with the shaver in his hands. "Now where can I find those stupid batteries..." Chrom said to himself, walking down the hallway. Roger looked up at the heavens and sighed, not knowing what to do.
"Ah, I see that you're lost, my friend..." a man with a very calming voice said to Roger, who turned around and saw a knight in white armor. A medieval knight was probably the last thing Roger expected to see in the mansion.
"Nice armor you got there, dude...are you supposed to be from a cult or something?" The knight would chuckle at Roger's question, with an almost infectious laughter.
"No, far from it! I am Solaire of Astora, an adherent of the Lord of Sunlight." After Solaire introduced himself to Roger, that good ol' trumpet solo sounded, as Roger looked around in confusion. His mansion experience was getting weirder and weirder.
"Okay...and you worship the sun because why exactly? Not that I'm making fun of you or anything, I'm just very curious." As always, Solaire was willing to explain his life goal to new friends. Or, people he considered friends.
"Being Undead, I have one purpose to fulfill on this earth...to seek my very own sun. It is my destiny, one that I cannot afford to run away from."
Before Solaire could continue, a certain angel barged out of a nearby door, accompanied by his pink puffball friend in Kirby who was controller a drone named Vanguard 1. The angel was Pit, and he was back to being "woken" again - had the black attire and white in his hair and all.
"Yes, Senor Kirby, I feel alive again...I feel, WOKEN!" announced Pit, as Roger and Solaire gave the angel funny looks. The former was most definitely concerned. "How about we put an end to that filthy succubus, Lilith?"
"The sooner we do it, the better," replied Kirby, as he and Pit set off to stop Lilith in her tracks. Unable to process what just went down, Roger held his hand on his forehead, like he was about to go dizzy.
"What in the heck just happened..." the man wondered, stumbling as if he was ready to faint. Solaire came to the rescue, grabbing Roger before he could fall to the floor.
"Come with me, I know just the thing to keep your spirits up," Solaire said to Roger, escorting the man away. What a nice guy Solaire was.
Several ladies were down in the beauty salon, getting touched up before the Christmas Ball which was about to begin. One of those ladies was Pauline, having her makeup done by Celica.
"So, Pauline, who's your date for the ball?" asked 5-Volt, seated next to the brunette having her nails done by Rinea. 5-Volt, a single mother, was in no rush to find herself a date.
"Don't know, I haven't found one yet," replied Pauline, as Celica started to powder her face. "But if that dastardly Cranky Kong comes running to me, and asks me to be his date..."
"Why go with Cranky Kong when you can go...with me?" Snake approached Pauline, alarming her and the other ladies. Mainly because the former spy had his face powdered, and wore eyeliner and eye shadow. Just like in episode 118.
"Uh...nice eyeliner, Snake," uttered Rinea, after finding the courage to speak. Snake appreciated Rinea, for knowing good looks whenever she saw one.
"Thanks..." the former spy walked away, exuding confidence in every step he took. Pauline and company, meanwhile, deleted Snake's visage out of their minds.
Snake: Things didn't turn out so well the first time I used facial cosmetics - I thought the beauty stuff would hide how old I looked, but instead it made me look worse and caused some people to be scarred for life. But since I'm young again, I'm giving the beauty thing another go, and this time I feel better than before! Just like Gray Fox, I feel...alive again.
Elsewhere in the beauty salon, Dark Pit was doing his best to convince his girlfriend Flora to run away with him away from the mansion. Nothing he said seemed to work with Flora.
"I'm telling you Flora, we gotta get outta here, and fast!" Dark Pit said to the maid, who still was having her doubts about leaving the mansion. "Lilith isn't the kind of demon girl you wanna mess around with."
"Can't we hide in the basement, for safety?" asked Flora; Dark Pit refused to take any chances with the basement, especially with the abundance of Rabbids. "Besides, where would be run to?"
"We'll just go to the Yiga Clan hideout, and hide down there." The very thought of hiding in the Yiga Clan hideout made Flora feel very hesitant. "Listen, staying put won't do us any good. We gotta take chances if we - you, rather - wanna survive."
"Do you mind if we take Felicia with us? I can't stand to leave my twin sister behind." Dark Pit had a feeling Flora would say that, as he let out a sigh.
"Yeah, you can bring Felicia with us to the hideout. It's a good thing that Yiga Clan is reformed...I think we should be just fine."
Having found a singer for the concert, in Maya Fey, Joker and the Phantom Thieves still aspired to make their concert better, for they felt like having a singer and a Christmas play just wasn't enough. While Maya was backstage, practicing her singing, Phoenix went over to speak with the Phantom Thieves, who were brainstorming ideas.
"You know, your concert would be so much better if you had someone to host it..." the attorney said to Joker and company, as Joker looked up at Phoenix with intrigue. "...someone to keep the crowd engaged, from start to end!"
"Are you implying that you would want to be the host?" Joker asked Phoenix, who shook his head in a hurry. Phoenix could never host a concert, let alone a party.
"Good heaves, no! Not at all! Being an attorney in court is already stressful and nerve-inducing for me...being a host of a concert would take the fight outta me! I think some of your friends should go around and scout a potential host."
"Well, there should be more than enough worthy candidates in this mansion alone." Joker looked towards his friends, figuring out who was worthy for the task. "Haru, Yusuke, you two go find us a host for the concert. We don't have much time to waste!"
Haru: Joker made us look for a host because we're both new to the mansion, is it? Oh...
Yusuke: On the plus side, we can marvel at the paintings hanging up on the walls. Whoever did them truly has an eye for talent!
Bothered by how well the Phantom Thieves were coming along with their Christmas concert, Master Hand hid himself in the comfort of his own room, convincing himself that last year's Christmas concert was vastly superior. Yes, he was that conceited.
"I highly doubt Joker even promoted his concert..." assumed Master Hand, as the very thought of that made him feel more relieved. "...which means that the concert will suck as a result! Can't have a good concert if you don't have a crowd!"
"Hello, Master Hand, will you please open up?" someone knocked on the door, as Master Hand gasped when he recognized whose voice it was. "It's me, Tom Nook, your old friend. I'm back again."
"Crap, who let him inside?!" Master Hand looked out the window, wondering who the culprit was, only to see that nobody was outside. "Should've put a 'No Tom Nook Allowed' sign at the front of the mansion."
"Master Hand, I don't have all day - I didn't come here just so I could stand in front of your door." Sighing deeply, Master Hand sucked up his pride as he opened the door and saw Tom Nook, with his deadpan eyes. "Thank you, Master Hand."
"Okay Tom Nook, fess up...who told you that you were allowed to come back? I was hoping that I wouldn't see your face again, after that second mortgage was paid. You really want to make my life a living pain?"
"Nobody told me to come back to the mansion, I just so happened to be invited." Hearing that made Master Hand laugh heartily. "What's so funny, Master Hand?"
"You being invited to the mansion would somehow imply that Isabelle was the one who invited you. Which would mean that I would have to hate her forever, and find another assistant to replace her."
"That doesn't sound very nice, and it doesn't sound fair either. Just because Isabelle invited me over doesn't mean that you have to..."
Tom Nook could not finish, for the tanoki got trampled by a cat entering Master Hand's room, accompanied by a man with purple hair and a woman with red hair. You know what they were gonna do, don't you?
"Prepare for trouble!" said the woman, named Jessie.
"And make it double!" said the man, named James.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!" exclaimed the cat, a Pokemon named Meowth, as he, Jessie, and James struck a pose.
"My...insides...hurt..." wheezed Tom Nook, as Meowth was standing on the poor tanoki.
Jessie: We've gained respect from Master Hand, lost it, and got it back again, but we're still not satisfied!
James: Jessie's right - we won't stop until we get what we really deserve!
Meowth: And what do we deserve, you might ask? Recognition for being the REAL starters of Pikachu Day!
"Team Rocket?" said Master Hand, having never felt so happy to see the trio in his entire life. "You came to rescue me from that evil sociopath, Tom Nook? Why, thank you, you shouldn't have!"
"Um, no...Tom Nook is the least of our worries," stated Jessie, as she looked down at Tom Nook in a very distasteful manner. "But what's the most of our worries is that we gain the respect that we..."
"You seriously came back looking for even more respect? Haven't I given you fools enough respect already?! Wasn't beating up the Gang Green guys not enough?! How much more respect do you want?!"
"We just want some recognition for starting Pikachu Day!" stated James, refusing to let go of Pikachu Day until he and his friends got their dues. "If it wasn't for us, neither Pikachu nor Pichu would've been in position to turn off that snow machine!"
"Oh ho ho! Sorry to break it to you, but Pikachu Day's old news - it's done with, it's over. Besides, everyone and their mother knows Pikachu and Pichu turned off that machine, without anyone telling them to or helping them. Quit being delusional."
"So that's how you wanna be, huh Master Hand?" frowned Meowth, taking his foot off of Tom Nook as he and Jessie and James walked away, now on a mission. "We'll just have to prove it to you then!" Master Hand laughed to himself, as Team Rocket exited his room.
"I think he almost broke my spine..." Tom Nook said as he got himself off the floor, holding his back. It pleased Master Hand, seeing the tanoki suffer.
Bowser waited on the front porch of the mansion, waiting for someone to show up. The koopa king tapped his foot impatiently, looking at his watch on his wrist...only to realize he didn't have a watch. Could never find one his size.
"When is that B.D. Joe gonna show up..." wondered Bowser, feeling lonely by himself on the porch. That was, until Layton and Luke showed up. "You guys waiting on someone, too?" Bowser asked the British detectives.
"No, we just wanted to relax on the porch," smiled Layton, as he and Luke sat on the rocking chairs on the porch. "Who are you waiting on, King Bowser?"
"A person you two bums wouldn't let me fall in love with." Confused, Layton and Luke looked up at Bowser, feeling salty all of a sudden. "Yeah, don't think I didn't see you give Lara Croft that plane ticket to London!"
"Bowser you have to understand, Lara was starting to feel homesick. I don't think she couldn't bare to live in Seattle another day. She really misses being home."
"She was only feeling homesick because she didn't have a man - like me - to make her appreciate being in Seattle more. Had you allowed me to work my magic on Lara, then maybe...oh wait, she's here!"
Bowser got all giddy, when he saw B.D. Joe pull up to the front of the mansion with his passenger...Lara Croft. Bowser's date for the ball had finally arrived.
"Sorry for the long ride, Miss Croft, traffic in this city can be quite hectic!" B.D. Joe apologized to the tomb raider, before looking to his right after seeing and hearing some commotion far away. "Oh snap, is that a pool party?"
"It's fine, thank you for the ride," Lara thanked B.D. Joe, who hopped out of his taxi so he could join the pool party. Lara got out of the taxi and walked to the mansion porch, with Layton and Luke being the first individuals she saw.
"Hi Layton, hi Luke," the tomb raider greeted the detectives, with Luke waving and Layton tipping his hat, as Lara marched up the porch stairs. Once on the porch, she was greeted by Bowser, with his arms wide open. "Hello Bowser..."
"I missed you so much!" Bowser smiled, as he hugged Lara tightly, but not tight enough to make her gasp for air. Lara eyed around the porch, before Bowser released her hold on her. "You ready for the Christmas Ball?"
"I suppose so...I was sent an invite for it at a very late notice, but I think I'm ready regardless. Kinda wished I had on formal attire..."
Spying on Bowser through a window in the foyer was Simon, with Richter standing behind him with his arms folded. If you recall from episode 143, Simon accused Bowser of being a demon, and he still held on to his belief. He felt like today was a perfect time to kill Bowser for good.
Simon: Bowser will die a slow, painful death, once I'm done destroying him. After that, I'll take care of his children, to guarantee that they won't reproduce and make even more demons. Demonic activity removed from the mansion will only make things better around here.
"For the last time Simon, Bowser is NOT a demon, he's just a turtle," Richter tried to tell the elder Belmont, who held up his finger to Richter to shush him. Simon was listening along to Bowser and Lara's conversation.
"It sounds like Bowser's inviting Lara to the Christmas Ball," said Simon, making sure he heard every word spoken. "The ballroom is a great place to kill...oh no, here they come! Quick, hide!"
Hearing the sound of the doorknob, Simon grabbed Richter as he hid an inflatable reindeer in the foyer, as the front door opened. Being the gentleman that he was, Bowser let Lara inside the mansion first, and followed after her as he closed the door.
"OH MY GOODNESS, IT'S LARA CROFT!" squealed Slippy, who was walking by with Pepy when he saw Lara in full sight. "I love you so much Lara, you literally have no idea! I'm your number one fan!"
"Behave yourself, Slippy, she just got here..." Peppy scolded the frog, grabbing his hand and taking him away. Slippy smiled at Lara as she waved at her; the tomb raider would wave right back.
"Just ignore that frog, he fangirls over pretty much anything," Bowser advised Lara, once Peppy and Slippy were gone away. "He'd be spazzing all over the place if he saw ink eking out of an ink pen. So! You ready to head to the ballroom?"
"You seem like you're in a rush, so we might as well," replied Lara, as she followed Bowser to the ballroom. Simon appeared out of his hiding spot, bringing Richter along with him.
"Egad, Bowser is trying to possess Lara and take over her whole body!" fretted Simon, as Richter looked up at the heavens in disbelief. "We must put an end to his demonic ways, before Lara is doomed!"
"Who is we, I'm not coming along..." said Richter, as Simon walked away from the inflatable reindeer. He looked behind at Richter, who sighed as he followed after the elder Belmont.
While Bowser found his date for the ball, his arch-nemesis Mario was still without one, as the despondent plumber sat in a beach chair next to Balthier, also seated in a beach chair. Mario looked sad, while B.D. Joe was chatting up with one of the guests at the pool party, Beat.
"What you mean, you're not into rollerskating and grafitti?" B.D. Joe asked Beat, who was chilling out with his friend Neku. It was clear the taxi driver got this Beat mixed up with the one of Jet Set Radio fame.
"How many times do I have to tell you man, I'm a Reaper!" replied Beat, annoyed that B.D. Joe kept asking him the same question over and over again. "I. DON'T. KNOW. HOW. TO. ROLLERSKATE!"
"Does that mean that you had a bad accident and a serious concussion, and lost your memories and your ability to rollerskate? Wow, that really explains a lot!" Beat sighed, as Neku found himself amused.
"He really knows how to push your buttons," the teen told Beat, who punched Neku in the arm out of frustration.
Neku: Good call having a party outside the mansion, with only a few people. Last thing I'd want is to be suspected of being a ghost again...
"It's hope-a less, Balthier, we'll never find a date-a for the ball..." Mario said to the sky pirate, who was doing his best to remain optimistic about the situation. "Princess Peach and-a Shovel Knight just had to ruin my day..."
"Don't be so down chum, you'll never find a date with that sad face!" Balthier encouraged Mario, who let out a sigh. Soon Haru and Yusuke showed up to the pool party, still on the hunt for a concert host.
"That guy...he'd be perfect for the gig," Yusuke pointed at Balthier, seeing the sky pirate's visible swag and coolness. "We should totally ask him to be the host."
"Good thinking," said Haru, as she and Yusuke walked over to Balthier. The sky pirate looked up at the two Phantom Thieves, while Mario remained depressed. "Hello sir - I'm Haru Okumura, and this is my friend, Yusuke Kitagawa. What's your name?"
"Hmm, I don't recall seeing your faces before..." smirked Balthier, standing up so he could give a proper introduction. "...I am Balthier, a renowned sky pirate! And excellent romancer...though I'm already taken."
"Balthier, what a cool name..." remarked Yusuke, before getting back on topic. "...so Balthier, how interested would you be in hosting our Christmas concert? I know you might find it random to..."
"Yes, I'd love to host the Christmas concert!" Balthier agreed to the offer faster than either Haru or Yusuke expected. "Where do I start? When do I start? Please do tell, feed me as much info as you can!"
"Glad you asked, because you can start...right now! Just follow us, and we'll tell you what you have to do." So Balthier followed after Haru and Yusuke, looking back at the despondent Mario.
"I'm going off to host a concert, Mario - good luck on finding a date!" Heaving another sigh, Mario kept looking sad as Balthier left him and headed back inside the mansion. Mario now had to fly solo.
Shortly after Balthier left, things at the pool party got a little spooky, when a certain ghost appeared behind B.D Joe - the taxi driver was still annoying Beat. The ghost would tap B.D. Joe on the shoulder, and Joe turned around...only to scream and run away when he saw King Boo.
"Ha ha ha, gets 'em every time!" the Boo cackled, holding a video camera, as Neku and Beat were greeted by the ghost's presence again. "Beat! Just the guy I needed to see! How would you like to record me scaring the pants off of Luigi again?"
"I don't know if I can..." replied Beat, before smiling as he turned his head towards Neku. Did he really need a word of approval from his friend?
"Eh, go ahead, I'll just wait for you to return," shrugged Neku, with Beat pumping his fist as he followed after King Boo.
If Master Hand were to hide a destructive device, like the machine Sonic was working on, where would he hide it? After thoughtful consideration, Sonic assumed that the machine would be in the attic. The hedgehog was in the attic right now, searching with Crash and Dark Samus.
"It's gotta be around here somewhere..." Sonic searched for the machine, moving around boxes and other crud. His search would come to an end, when he removed a box and saw a metallic contraption. "Aha, found it! Balthier better say his prayers!"
It nearly took him forever, but Pac-Man finally found the one thing to keep the Koopalings in check...a Poke Ball. Pac-Man spent much of his time in the Pokemon sanctuary, looking for one Poke Ball. But a very specific one.
"This oughta keep those Koopalings contained!" remarked Pac-Man, walking through the hallway while tossing the Poke Ball, before encountering Balthier, Haru, and Yusuke. "Ah, we meet again..." Pac-Man said to Balthier.
"Pac-Man, the eater of ghosts, how do you do!" Balthier smiled, always charming whenever he saw an old face. "Say, what Pokemon is in that Poke Ball? The M on the ball has me very intrigued!"
"It's just an Ultra Beast...named Blacephalon." Pac-Man said it so casually, like Blacephalon was just a regular Pokemon incapable of, let's say, NEARLY DESTROYING MARIO'S HOUSE. "It can create fireworks!"
"Ooh, fireworks! Fireworks would be swell for the Christmas concert." And that got Balthier thinking... "Why don't you let us borrow that Poke Ball?" Pac-Man was against giving the Poke Ball away, for understandable reasons.
"Are you crazy?! You really wanna set off fireworks indoors?! Outdoors is crazy enough as it is! I thought the purpose of the concert was to entertain people, not kill them for showing up!"
"Oh Pac-Man..." someone called out, as Pac-Man looked behind and saw his wife, Mrs. Pac-Man, smiling and waving to him at the end of the hallway. "You coming to the ball with me, sweetheart?"
"You know what, go knock yourself out - I got a wife to please!" Pac-Man nonchalantly tossed the Poke Ball to Balthier, before running down the hallway. "I'm coming, sweetie, just hang tight!"
Pac-Man: Pfft, forget the Koopalings, and forget the other kids at the party, I don't need to monitor them. They can monitor themselves. *puts hands on hips, and smiles* I'm so screwed...
Since he did not have a date for the Christmas Ball, which was only a few minutes from starting, Wolf conducted his matchmaking services in the darkened matchmaking room. His client today was Wario, still undecided on what he was gonna do for the ball.
"My heart says Lady Palutena, but my mind and souls screams for Mona," Wario said to Wolf, who had his hands pressed together as he thought up of a valid solution for Wario's troubles. "I can't choose which one should be my date!"
"A goddess who refuses any romantic relations with a human, or a girl probably still in high school..." said Wolf, with his eyes closed. The mercenary would open his eyes up, needing to ask Wario a quick question. "...is Mona still in high school?"
"I think she already graduated - she's starting a fashion career or something. At least that's what Dr. Crygor told me. So Mona having a crush on me doesn't look that bad now, when looking at the context..."
"Uh huh...I think Mona should be your date for the ball. You obviously have more chemistry with her than you do with Lady Palutena. Even before Pit exposed you, Palutena was mostly oblivious to your...romantic advances."
"True dat, but how can I go back to Mona, after I lost her trust? She practically thinks I'm still in love with Lady Palutena! For all I know, she must've moved on with another man, someone more qualified than me..."
Suddenly a loud shriek was heard, alarming Wario and Wolf. Sounded like it came from down the hallway. Wario was quick to recognize whose voice it was.
"That must be Mona!" the fatso worried, as he ran out of the room. He looked down the hallway...and there he saw Mona, scared for her life as one of Cortex's minions, N. Gin, stroked her hand.
"What a pretty lady you are...your hands are so soft, I could kiss them all day!" N. Gin said to the creeped out Mona, who was feeling helpless. "I could also kiss your face, if you let me..."
"Um, no thanks, my face is pretty sterile..." Mona smiled nervously, as Wario started to tighten his fists. He had already seen enough. "You're contaminating me enough as it is..."
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WOMAN, YOU FREAK!" Wario shouted at N. Gin, who looked up and saw the fatso running towards him, screaming. Wario shoulder bumped N. Gin, sending him flying unto the floor. "Mona, are you okay, did that guy hurt you?"
"Wario, you saved me!" smiled Mona, as she knelt down and gave Wario a hug. The fatso smiled, blushing as he saw Wolf looking at him, smiling and giving him a thumbs up of approval. "Thank you so much - that cyborg man was really creeping me out!"
"Don't mention it! Also, that cyborg never paid me back my money, so he got what was coming for him. So, uh, about that whole, crush thing...I'm so sorry you had to hear that. If you must know, Lady Palutena and I...moved on."
Wario held back from Mona, slightly worried about what the girl would say in response - and Mona would give a knowing smile, as she stood back up.
"Okay then, I forgive you, if it's really true," the girl replied, as Wario pumped his fist. Wario and Mona appeared to be back on the menu. "Do you wanna go to the ball with me? I've been looking for a date..."
"You're looking at your date right now!" Wario presented himself to Mona, holding his arms out wide. Mona giggled to herself, greatly pleasing Wario. "The ball should be a minute or two away from starting - let's go!"
"Exactly how it should've been..." remarked Wolf, his arms folded as he watched Wario and Mona walk down the hallway. The mercenary was about to head back inside the matchmaking room, until someone tapped him with a cane. It was Cranky Kong. "What do you want, old man..." Wolf said to the elderly Kong.
"I believe I saw Pauline somewhere hanging around..." replied Cranky Kong, and it didn't take Wolf that long to know what Cranky wanted.
Touma: The Christmas Ball has officially begun! Still a lot of people inside the ballroom, but it's still filling up as I speak. Ridley and I did such a great job, sending the single folks away - we really make a great team!
With the Christmas Ball having started, Touma and Ridley were still in charge of "guarding" the ballroom, allowing only those with a date inside. One couple showed up to the ballroom, in Rayman and Barbara (not the bat, mind you), and it had Touma smiling.
"Really digging that bowtie, Ridley!" Rayman smiled as he pointed at the dragon, before looking at Touma with a straight face. "Don't get it twisted - we are NOT a couple. Capiche?"
"I'll make sure to let my buddy Jakob know," joked Touma, with Rayman grunting as he and Barbara entered the ballroom. Palutena would show up next, and she came by herself. "Couldn't find a date, Lady Palutena?"
"Oh I find one - I'm just waiting for him," replied Palutena; her date had to be someone immortal, like her. "Just talked to him on the phone; he told me to wait outside where the ball is till he shows up."
"Lady Palutena?" someone called out to the goddess, who turned around and saw Wario. It surprised Palutena, seeing the fatso with Mona. "I just wanted to take this opportunity, to formally apologize to you for making you feel angry."
"Making me feel angry about what?" Palutena hardly ever had any memories of being angry - the only moments she could recall was when someone referred to her as "ma'am". Made her feel old.
"About having a crush on you, even though you said that mortals can't be with immortals and all that crap. I was so distracted by your beauty that I could not think or rationalize logically, and in turn I hurt you. But, I've worked things out with Mona here, and I hate to leave you with a date for the..."
"Lady Palutena, I'm here...sorry for the long wait. My dumb car's been giving me lots of trouble lately."
Wario's jaw fell to the floor, when he saw a sharply-dressed man with glasses walk to Palutena with flowers in his hands. It was Agent G, the zombie-killing agent.
"Bought you some flowers, thought you might like them..." Agent G handed the flowers to Palutena, who giddily accepted them and smelt them. "Wanna get this party started?"
"Well it started a minute ago, but sure!" replied Palutena, as she and Agent G entered the ballroom. The goddess of light looked back at Wario, who was still shook. "I totally accept your apology, Wario - have fun with Mona!"
"Aw, funny how everything worked out in the end!" grinned Mona, once Palutena and Agent G were inside the ballroom. Wario suddenly fainted to the floor, concerning Mona. "...Wario?"
It was hopping inside the ballroom, with everyone having a good time and the Black Knight playing an electric piano, to set the mood. The knight was on a stage with Ribbon Girl, dressed up as Miss Claus.
"Is it really a good idea to sing with all this commotion going on?" Ribbon Girl asked Fox and Falco. Not everyone was cutting a rug on the dance floor - some folks were chilling out on the sidelines, chatting.
"It's not that much chit chat going on, it's pretty minimal," replied Fox, before taking out a recording device of sorts. "Besides, we have sync sound, so we'll only hear your voice! Lakitu will be the one recording you, while you sing your heart out."
"Just give me the signal, and I'll starting filming!" Lakitu called out, seated on a cloud while wielding his trusty camera.
Spring Man: Oh yeah, Ribbon Girl's first music video, it's gonna be awesome! While everyone else is dancing, I'll be as close to the stage as possible, so I'll see Ribbon Girl kill it with the music video. I might even make a cameo or two in the video, if Lakitu lets me.
"That's good and all, but what if we have a distraction?" inquired Ribbon Girl, bothering Fox and Falco with her questions. She had quite a valid question though, for suddenly...
"AH, BLOODY NORA!" Bayonetta, who was dancing with her date Luka Redgrave, shouted as she grabbed her back in pain. Luka looked on, concerned, as the ball was put on pause. "Not again!"
"What does she mean, 'not again'?" Luka furrowed her brow, as Robin came to the rescue. He escorted the ailing Bayonetta away from the dance floor, as Luka demanded an answer.
"She was clearly talking about someone else, who broke their back," Robin responded quickly, as Luka followed him to the corner of the ballroom. With the situation being dealt with, the ball resumed, picking up from where it left off.
"I thought you said the ball didn't have a romantic feel to it, Bowser..." Lara said to the koopa king, looking around and scanning the ballroom. So many folks having a good time with their significant others. "...have you forgotten that talk we had?"
"What, Master Hand never said the date had to be romantic!" replied Bowser, seeing Yuri and Dillon together in the ballroom. Not much chemistry between those two. "Look at them, they're not a couple!"
"With you, it's hard to tell...but I'll take your word for it. I suppose..."
The Christmas Ball would suddenly get an infusion of charm, when sky pirate Balthier burst inside the ballroom, with Haru and Yusuke at his side. He did not have a date for the event, but that didn't stop him from getting past Touma and Ridley. The absolute madman he was.
"Yoo hoo, funny man!" Balthier called out to Falco, walking down the ballroom past the dancing folk to the avian pilot. Falco looked up, surprised to see Balthier. "How do you do?"
"Ay, Balthier, what up dude?" greeted Falco, as he gave the sky pirate some dap. Fox would give Balthier some dap afterwards, he couldn't leave him hanging. "Still think I'm the funny man, huh?"
"Really impressed me with that stand-up schtick at the wedding reception! How would you like to be the funny man again, for the Christmas concert? You'll be our opening act of the night!"
"Wow Falco, I didn't know how were a comedian," said Katt as she approached the avian pilot, having eavesdropped on the conversation. Falco chuckled with confidence, and a cocky smile.
"Oh yes, Falco knows how to keep a crowd on their feet! He'll have the audience at the concert rolling on the floor in no time. So Falco, how about it?"
"Sure, I'll give it a go," shrugged Falco, leaving Balthier pleased with his answer. "Gotta come up with some good material, but it'll only be Christmas jokes so it won't take that long. What else is going to be going on in this concert?"
"According to my two accomplices, there will be Christmas play, and a musical act...by Maya Fey." Maya Fey, singing in front of a crowd? That made Fox and Falco very wary. "Hmm, you think she's not up for the task? Would you rather someone else sing?"
"Did someone say something about...singing?" a certain swordsman inquired, as Balthier turned and saw Roy. The redhead brought his date, Lilina, along with him. "I could sing if you want me to!"
"What are you getting at, Roy?" asked a nervous Lilina, fearing for what was coming next. Her fears were realized, when Roy sported a grin on his face.
"You know what I'm talking about...STRAIGHT FIYAH REUNION, BABY!" Roy shouted at the top of his lungs, as Fox and Falco facepalmed. All the former members of Straight Fiyah overheard Roy, and sighed. Lucina heard Roy, and shook her head. Even the Black Knight, who wanted nothing to do with Straight Fiyah, felt pretty bummed out.
"A Christmas concert would be swell for a boy band reunion, I'll say!" assumed Balthier, as Fox and Falco desired to know whose Balthier's crack dealer was. "Thing is, neither one of you can sing, or harmonize well."
"Or can we?" Roy directed his attention to a certain young witch, in the back of the ballroom, with her date, her own assistant named Red. It was Ashley, who was likely brought to the ball by Red.
"Yes, what about her?" Balthier looked at Ashley, wondering what the big deal was with her. "What's so special about that girl that'll allow you and your band to sing decently? Is she a singing coach?"
"Not really - Ashley, she's more of a witch...but she does have some potion that'll allow us to sing. She has a potion for literally anything."
Ashley: I may have thrown away my potions, but I didn't throw away ALL of them. I still have a singing potion, which I left inside a bottle. Figured someone from Star Records might need it one day.
"Well what are we waiting for, let's see if Ashley has a potion for your boys!" said Balthier, as he and Roy went over to speak with Ashley. Lilina looked on, having doubts, as Fox looked up at Ribbon Girl.
"We might be gone, for the time being..." the pilot informed Ribbon Girl, who gave a knowing nod. "...just keep on singing, and Lakitu and the Black Knight will keep you afloat till we get back."
Pauline stood outside the ballroom, and the brunette still didn't have a date for the ball. She would ask Mario, but she didn't know about the plumber's current whereabouts, leaving her stumped.
"Not sure if you're aware of this or not, but I don't have a date yet, Miss Pauline..." Touma grinned at the brunette, bouncing his eyebrows up and down. He really was gonna ditch Eleonora for Pauline, just to get inside the ballroom.
"Thanks, but no thanks, I'd rather be seen with an older man," replied Pauline, as Touma held down his head. Ridley gave the redhead a comforting pat on the back.
"Looking for an older man, you say?" an elderly voice called out to Pauline, grabbing her attention. "Here's an old man, waiting for ya!" Pauline let out a sigh, as she looked at this old man in question.
"Oh, it's you...Cranky Kong," Pauline said with disgust when she saw the Kong - dressed up in flashy clothes. Wolf really hooked him up. "What makes you think I'll go to the ball with you?"
"We have so much to caught up on, Pauline! When was the last time we talked to one another? Must've been many years ago..." Not wanting to deal with Cranky Kong, Pauline turned around and walked away. "Hey girl, where do you think you're going?!"
"Looking for a date...someone who isn't YOU." As Cranky Kong chased after Pauline, who was increasing her walking speed, an elevator dinged on the floor, as the elevator door opened...revealing Sonic, Crash, and Dark Samus.
"Dang it, I said the first floor of the mansion, not the second!" frowned Sonic, who was holding his machine. He and his pals must've been waiting inside that elevator for a long time. "Stupid broken elevator!"
Arriving at the second floor was a blessing in disguise for Sonic and company, for their main target had just left the ballroom...Balthier, with Haru, Yusuke, Fox, Falco, Ashley, Roy, and the other members of Straight Fiyah - Marth, Ike, Robin, Corrin, Alm, and Berkut.
"Better be grateful I still have my singing potion with me," Ashley told Roy, regretting doing another potion-based favor for someone. "I was this close to throwing it away with all my other potions."
"Yes, and with that potion, Straight Fiyah will be able to actually sing, for the very first time!" declared Roy, annoying his bandmates with his infectious optimism.
Ike: When Roy broke up Straight Fiyah, he never promised that he would reform the band. Should've made that promise.
Robin: The concert can't possibly suck, can it?...Maya Fey is going to be one of the singing acts?! Yeah, this concert is gonna go down the gutter.
"Say, Roy, isn't that one of your former bandmates over there?" asked Balthier as he pointed at Crash. Sonic didn't like that Balthier was looking at him - it was blowing his cover.
"Sure is!" grinned Roy, as he ran over to speak with Crash. "Hey Crash, the boys and I are having a Straight Fiyah reunion, at the Christmas concert Joker's been planning. Balthier's gonna be the host. You interested?" Crash eagerly nodded, as Roy pumped his fist. "Excellent! We'll see you in the lecture hall. Ashley's got some singing potion that'll make us sing, so just show up and drink the potion, and you'll be set. See ya then!"
With the eight members of Straight Fiyah back together again, Roy headed back to Balthier and company, as he followed them to the lecture hall. Sonic looked at Balthier and Berkut, hoping to bring them to justice.
"Atta boy Crash, you're back in the band!" the hedgehog said to his friend, slapping him on the back. "You being in the concert will be an awesome opportunity for us to take care of Balthier. I'm trusting you with this machine." Sonic handed Crash the machine. "Use it to send Balthier and Berkut away at the most opportune moment, so we'll never see 'em again! Alm will never feel threatened again!"
Sonic probably shouldn't have said that out loud, for Waluigi was walking by with his Christmas list when he overheard the hedgehog. Hearing Sonic's plan made the lanky man twirl his mustache with suspicion.
"Time for Waluigi to shine..." said Waluigi, as he walked away from the premises.
Dark Pit, Flora, and Felicia ran away from the mansion, hiding at the Yiga Clan hideout till the coast was clear. (Dark Pit had to ask Champion Link for directions to the hideout.) Coincidentally, it was there that Dark Pit and company found Lana and Linkle, who were still trying to get away from Impa. The two Hylians were hanging out with Master Kohga.
"I feel blessed to be joined by so many nice people..." gleamed Master Kohga, speaking with Dark Pit and company in his room. The Sheikah sounded like he was reformed, a changed man. "...why has nobody ever visited my hideout more often?"
"Because you're a crazy man obsessed with bananas, just like your clansmen?" suggested Linkle, as Master Kohga looked up in a thoughtful manner. He would change his ways, but not at the price of giving up his bananas.
"I suppose you have a point...but let it be known, Linkle, bananas is what makes the world go around. It's like a secret currency - the more bananas you have, the greater you are!" With that rationale, the Kong family must be the most powerful beings in existence.
"You know, it's hard to take the Yiga Clan seriously if their leader acts like this..." Felicia whispered to Flora, unnerved by how affable Master Kohga was. She expected the Sheikah to be sociopathic, and intimidating. Just then, Dark Pit's cellphone rang, and the doppelganger answered it.
"Hey, what's good?" Dark Pit said into his phone, as Master Kohga put his conversation on hold. "Sup Cloud. Where's Pit? Beats me. Didn't answer his phone? Ah, figures...back to being the Joker, huh? Well, I'm in the Yiga Clan's hideout, right now...uh, yeah, I'll see what I can do. Yeah. Later."
"Leaving so soon, Dark Pit?" Master Kohga asked the doppelganger, not wanting to see him go. "I was just starting to know you! I was THIS close to making you the leader of my archer brigade!"
"I'm not leaving your hideout...but one of your men will." This confused Master Kohga, as he cocked his head to the side. "Mind if we...borrow a Yiga footsoldier?"
Previously stressed out by how crazy it was inside the mansion, Roger found himself at peace, as he was all smiles. He was playing cards at a table, with Dribble, Spitz, Solaire, Dingodile, and Pinstripe.
"For real, do you really have to wear that sun emblem over your chest plate?" Roger asked Solaire, who let out a hearty laugh. Laughing was Solaire's best attribute.
"Yes I do, I love the sun that much," replied Solaire, as he drew a card from the deck. "I get looks at my sun emblem all the time!" The trumpet solo sounded once again, much to the chagrin of everyone in the room.
"Not that stupid trumpet again..." growled Dribble, banging his fist on the table. The bulldog was gonna go crazy if he heard that trumpet one more time.
Dribble: We all know Solaire worships the sun...but is there anyone who worships the MOON?
Spitz: I think Skull Kid worships the moon, from what I've gathered...I'd love to see him and Solaire in a fight to determine which planet is superior!
Dribble: Hold on, the sun and the moon are planets?
Spitz: *facepalms*
Solaire and company would continue their card game, until Cloud entered the room trying to make as little noise as possible.
"Excuse me you guys, don't mean to interrupt your game," the swordsman said to to the men, making his way over to Dingodile. "It's me again, Cloud Strife...mind doing me a solid?"
"What kind of solid, mate?" asked Dingodile, as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Link and King K. Rool were hanging out in the gaming room, with the two drinking some rum...but there was no rum, so they were just drinking fruit punch instead. The two were also having great conversations with one another, talking about nightlife and such. And they did this, while staying in character.
"Oh Joker, I got your favorite sandwich!" CJ called out to Link, standing at the doorway to the gaming room holding a cheesesteak. But not any regular cheesesteak - a Pikachu Cheesesteak, which captured Link's attention.
"Stay here, Jack Sparrow, I'll be back..." Link said to King K. Rool, as he got up and went towards CJ. As the Hylian left, Coco was sitting on a couch, taking out a flash drive out of her laptop and giving it...to Team Rocket.
"This footage has all the security footage in the mansion, and then some," the bandicoot explained, giving the flash drive to Meowth. "It's a very valuable piece of portable hardware - guard it with your life!"
"Will do!" Meowth saluted Coco, as he, Jessie, and James went away. After Team Rocket left, Coco sighed as she resumed what she was doing on her laptop.
"This is what I get for agreeing to have X upload security footage on my laptop, for 'safekeeping' purposes...I've done so many favors already, it's sickening."
It was now time for the Christmas concert to finally begin, as everything was ready to go. Balthier was the host, Falco was the stand-up comedian, the Champions were gonna act out a Christmas skit of sorts, and Straight Fiyah would end it off with a performance. Joker and the Phantom Thieves felt proud of the work they had done, as they stood at the side of the lecture hall (sans Ryuji, the lights operator).
With the lecture hall having reached full capacity while Haru and Yusuke were with Balthier, the door to the hall closed, as the lights dimmed. And then suddenly, a flurry of fireworks on the stage, red and green colors, that caught the audience by surprise. Once the fireworks show ended, standing on the stage was Blacephalon, who bowed for the audience as everyone stood up and applauded.
Joker: How did I get so many people to show up for the concert, in such little time? Easy - word of mouth. I asked Wario what was the best way to lure people a concert, and he told me about one alien I should contact...
Orbulon: There I was, minding my own business while flying in my spaceship and ordering fast food...when some creep named Joker sent me a text. Thought it was the super villain, had me scared for a second. He asked me of all people to spread the word about his concert, and so I did just that...sending a mass text to every denizen in the state of Washington! Who knew reading through a phone book would be so easy?
"Bravo, bravo, what an excellent display!" applauded Orbulon, seated at the front row, having recorded the fireworks on his cellphone. The alien sat back down and pulled out his cellphone, sharing his video online "The entire world deserves to see such spectacularity! If that's even a word...I'll let social media decide that one."
Blacephalon continued bowing, until Balthier walked onstage sending the fireworks Pokemon back inside its Poke Ball. The audience sat back down in their seats, once Balthier was standing center stage.
"Good evening everyone, and welcome to this year's Christmas concert!" Balthier kicked things off, as the audience applauded once more. "I am your dashing host, Balthier, and let me tell you, you're all in for quite a treat!"
Backstage, Fox and Falco were with the four Champions, Phoenix, Maya, Straight Fiyah (all sharply dressed), Adeleine, and Ashley. While Roy went over what songs he and his band will sing, Falco asked Fox to give him another pep talk.
"Didn't the pep talk at Berkut's wedding not do anything?" Fox asked Falco; it was a pep talk so great, Fox didn't want to recite it all over again.
"It did, but that was for a wedding...this is a Christmas concert," replied Falco, as Fox looked away in disbelief. What material could Fox come up with this time, to motivate his friend?
"Well, think about it this way..." Fox grabbed Falco's shoulders, looking at the avian pilot in the eye proudly. "...when you're out there onstage, remember that you're doing it not for me, not for any of us here, and not for the audience."
"Is this the part where I ask whom am I doing it for?" Fox slapped Falco on the face, likely for ruining the moment. "Ow! Could've given me a warning!"
"You'll be doing it for the kids who celebrate Christmas! Especially those who are poor - those who don't have gifts under their Christmas trees, and those who don't have a tree at all! Now, look deep inside of yourself and say..."
"I GOT THIS!" shouted Falco, screaming loudly and proudly. "SLAP ME BRO!" Fox slapped Falco five times, each slap meant to instill Falco with confidence.
"Without further ado, everyone give a warm welcome for the funny man...Falco Lombardi!" said Balthier, as the audience applauded. Falco gave Fox a thumbs up, as he ran unto the stage. Fox smiled as he turned around...and saw everyone giving him judging looks.
"It's...it's for the culture," was all Fox could say, with everyone judging them. Appearing from the back was Sora, who was dressed up as Santa. "Sora, why are you dressed up?" Fox asked the Keyblade wielder.
"Didn't you hear? Joker asked me to be the narrator for the Christmas play," explained Sora, showing off his costume for Fox to see. In Sora's hands was a bottled drink, one he rested on a small table - next to Ashley's potion. Both bottles were very similar. "Knitted this costume all by myself!"
Sora: As you can see, this Santa Claus getup is entirely in black. Would've made it red, but this was how I looked back in Christmas Town, where I met Santa Claus for the first time. I know Cloud wouldn't believe that story for a second.
"Like the play even needed a narrator to begin with..." scoffed Revali, resting coolly against a wall. "...Joker really is quite the ambitious one."
Link remained on the third floor looking for CJ, who had a Pikachu Cheesesteak in his possession. The Hylian refused to leave the premises until he found CJ or the sandwich, either or.
While scoping the hallway, Link was delighted when he saw a Pikachu Cheesesteak, lying on the floor. Smiling, Link tiptoed to the cheesesteak...only for it to mysteriously move away from him, on its own. It was like magic.
"Why you little..." growled Link, as he chased after the cheesesteak. He wasn't going to stop until he had that sandwich in his hands.
Touma and Ridley remained outside the ballroom, with Touma still waiting on Eleonora, and Ridley eating from a plate of chili dogs Sonic had given him. Simon and Richter stood outside the ballroom, with the former wanting to destroy Bowser.
"What's that you got there, Simon?" Richter asked the vampire hunter, who held up a quilt - but it wasn't just any ordinary quilt.
"A quilt of Link and Zelda - one that I found lying outside the mansion one day," replied Simon; it was the very quilt Link had the Knitting Club make, in episode 144. "We'll use it to entrap Bowser!"
"And after you do that, where will we go from there?" Simon was stumped, having yet to think that far ahead.
"Don't know as of yet, but I'll think of something soon. Right now, we must find a way inside that ballroom, past those two..."
Falco was killing it onstage, telling the audience jokes that had everyone laughing. He was really in the zone.
"Boy I tell ya, that jolly ol' fellow Santa Claus is a mess!" Falco spoke into the microphone, as the audience was all smiles. "Doing nothing but eating cookies and drinking eggnog...he got so carried away, he literally had to be carried away!" This joke earned a collective laughter from the audience, meaning Falco was on a roll.
"He is SO much better than Sazh was," Serah Farron said to her sister, Lightning, as the two sisters were seated front row, next to Orbulon.
"That's not a very high bar to clear, Serah," stated Lightning, as Falco was busy eating up the audience's response. "I could be funnier than Lightning, if I tried."
Fox and Balthier were watching Falco tell jokes from backstage, while Phoenix and the others were chilling out. Phoenix's assistant, Maya, was ready to go after Falco was done. Having rehearsed a few Christmas songs, while wearing a dress Adeleine knitted for her, Maya was ready to shine.
"Do you really wanna drink that potion?" Adeleine asked Maya, who was holding the bottle of potion in her hand. "You did say that you were a great singer!"
"I just wanted to see how potent it is," replied Maya, unfastening the top as she took a sip of the potion. She wiped her mouth, placing the potion back on the table. "Why do I feel so lightheaded..."
"Give me some five, my dudes!" gleamed Falco, exchanging high fives with Fox and Balthier as he returned backstage. Balthier patted Falco on the back, as he returned to the stage. Falco went furhter backstage...and saw Maya lying on the floor, unconscious. "Woah, what happened?"
"Maya sipped some of Ashley's potion, and she knocked herself out..." stated Phoenix, as he looked up at Ashley. "...I don't think your potion is effective, Ashley."
"No, this was supposed to be our chance to redeem ourselves!" cried Roy, as he fell down to his knees. "Why did this happen, why?!"
Joker: Everything is going well, just as I expected. What could possibly go wrong now?
"For the next part of our concert, your ears will be blessed by one of the most graceful voices you'll ever hear," Balthier said to the audience, as Fox quickly ran onstage. "A voice belonging to a woman who...huh?"
Fox whispered something into Balthier's ear, as Bathier furrowed his brow. The Phantom Thieves looked on, as Fox returned to backstage.
"Scratch that...we'll be having a play instead," announced Balthier, as a curious Joker walked away, needing to know what was going on. "A Christmas play of spectacle, and wonder!"
Joker went backstage, and saw Phoenix fanning a still unconscious Maya. Sora and the Champions left backstage, so they could do the play.
"Okay, why is Maya sleeping and not doing her singing?" questioned Joker, as Balthier returned backstage to check upon Maya. He was just as frustrated as Joker was.
"Maya had sipped Ashley's potion and went full Sleeping Beauty on us," replied Ike, as Ashley felt no shame. She has seen one too many mishaps with her potions. "So we're kinda screwed at the moment..."
"Hmm..." Balthier looked at the two bottles on the small table, and picked both of them up. He saw that one bottle had a label...and the other did not. "Aha, I see what happened! Maya had taken a sip of this drink, which is NOT Ashley's potion."
"What makes you think that?" asked Roy, as Balthier showed the redhead the label on the bottle. It had "Everclear" on it. "Dang it, Sora got the Everclear mixed up with Ashley's potion! No wonder Maya got knocked out! Everclear's a super strong drink! Sora must've gotten it from Cilan..."
"I would assume Sora didn't know what Everclear is, hence why he asked for one from Cilan in the first place. We should throw this bottle away, before Sora ends up being unconscious too!"
Link kept on chasing the fleeing Pikachu Cheesesteak, as the chase took the Hylian to the first floor. Link arrived at the foyer, where the cheesesteak came to a stop.
"Haha, got you right where I want you..." grinned Link, rubbing his hands together as he approached the entirely contaminated cheesesteak on the floor. The Hylian stopped, however, when he felt someone's presence
"What a lovely sword..." said Dingodile, playing around with a sword...the Master Sword. He appeared in the foyer with Link's blade, as Link growled at the mutant. "...is this your sword, mate?"
"GIVE IT BACK, YOU BUM!" shouted Link, breaking character as he lunged towards Dingodile - who threw the Master Sword over Link's head. The sword landed in the hands of a Yiga soldier, standing on the opposite side of Dingodile.
"Come and get me if you can!" the footsoldier taunted Link, who turned around and ran towards him. The footsoldier tossed the sword back to Dingodile, and the two would toss the sword around, making Link run back and forth.
"I said, give me back my sword!" At this point, Link didn't care about staying in character - he just wanted his Master Sword back.
"If you want it so bad, then why don't you catch me outside?" said the Yiga footsoldier, who had the Master Sword last. He vanished away via smoke bomb, as Dingodile left the premises.
"Catch you outside I shall..." Forgetting the cheesesteak on the floor, Link ran outside, exiting through the front door...
...and appearing outside, standing at the front yard of the mansion. He looked around for the Yiga footsoldier, who was nowhere in sight.
"What is an obsolete mule like yourself doing outside for?" a voice asked Link, coming from the top of the mansion. Link looked up and saw Pit, Kirby, Vanguard 1...and a bunch of Rabbids. All armed with water balloons.
"Who are you calling obsolete mule, you freak?" Link fired back, reverting to his Joker character. What an encounter this was. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"You can call me Woken Pit, a confident of the Great War! I have met George Washington, bested the likes of Napoleon, and have remained associated with the Seven Deities! What puny achievements do you have that can compare to my WONDERFUL resume?"
"I create chaos for a living, that's all you need to know...at least my accomplishments are legit, unlike yours. I'm like a dog chasing cars - wouldn't know what to do if I caught one! You, you're just a cat, endlessly trying to catch a string from a ball of yarn. Now if you excuse me, I have a masked man to dispose..."
"Oh really? If you wish to DELETE your enemies, then why don't you focus on DELETING that snowman first?"
"Wha..." Link turned around, and saw a snowman. A regular snowman, just sitting there...and popping out of that snowman was Cloud, who pelted Link with a flurry of snowballs. Link could've ran away, but he was turned to the side, to block himself from the snowballs...
...and he was laughing! The Hylian was laughing to himself, as his Joker facade was gone away for good.
Cloud: Being inside that snowman was stupid in context, but I had to snap Link out of his Joker phase somehow, so it was worth it. Was it worth missing the ball? Eh, in a way, yes. Aerith's gonna be pretty mad at me, though...
"Alright, alright, stop it, stop it!" giggled Link, as Zelda, CJ, Dingodile, and the Yiga footsoldier exited the mansion, standing on the porch. Cloud stopped with the snowball onslaught, as he came over to Link.
"Great to have you back, man," the swordsman said to Link, as he shook the Hylian's hand. Cloud wasn't into that dap stuff. "Kinda worried you'd be gone forever!"
"Chill out Cloud, you know it was just a thing I like to do. I couldn't resist but to..." Someone tapped Link on the shoulder, and the Hylian turned around and saw CJ, with the Pikachu Cheesesteak from earlier.
"I believe this is yours, friend," said CJ, as Link accepted the cheesesteak and took a bite out of it. Didn't matter to him how contaminated the sandwich was.
"Oh Dark Pit, I'm back!" announced a certain succubus, as Lilith showed up at the mansion with gift bags in her hands. No wonder it took her so long to get here. "Got you some gifts!" Lilith looked around, confused. "Where is my Dark Pit?"
"The obsolete mule has been spotted!" Pit pointed at Lilith, who looked up and saw the angel. "DELETE her!" The Rabbids, unleashing their battle cry, hurled their water balloons at Lilith, as Link and company got out of the way.
"Ugh, I just show up to deliver my boyfriend some gifts, and this is what I get?! Screw you losers!" An angered Lilith dropped her gift bags unto the ground, as she ran away sobbing. With Lilith gone, Dingodile peered inside the gift bags, and pulled out an item.
"Anyone want this?" the mutant asked, holding up a personal tattoo kit. A very interesting Christmas gift...
With the Christmas play over with, met with a modest amount of applause, Sora and the Champions returned backstage, where the members of Straight Fiyah took sips of Ashley's potion.
"Has the potion issue been resolved yet?" Daruk asked the members of Straight Fiyah, after Corrin took the last sip of the potion.
"Yes it has! Turns out Maya had drunk from the wrong bottle..." replied Roy, as he looked at the suspect, Sora. The Keyblade wielder gave an innocent smile. "Now we need Crash to show up, before we go onstage."
"You mean this Crash?" said Sonic, popping up backstage with Crash; the bandicoot was sharply dressed, just like his bandmates. And he was also carrying the machine. "Sorry we took so long - had to get my man Crash prepared."
"No, you're fine, you're just in time. We're about to perform now!" Balthier went backstage, giving Roy and company the OK hand signal. "That's our cue - let's kick it, you guys!"
"Remember what I told you to do..." Sonic told Crash, who sipped some of Ashley's potion. "...make me proud!" Crash followed after Roy and the swordsmen, as he joined them onstage - carrying the machine with him.
Revali: The furball in the tuxedo has a very suspicious device...I should say something about that, shouldn't I?
When Straight Fiyah walked out onstage, with their microphones, they were suddenly greeted by a cheering audience. Balthier seriously must've hyped them up. Standing in front of a huge crowd, Roy took a deep breath, as the music started to play. And when Roy sang into that microphone
...the voice that came out of Roy's mouth was, in a word, unbelievable. It was a voice that would belong to a famous singer, but it came out of Roy's vocal chords. When it was Marth's turn to sing, it was the same thing. And when all the members of Straight Fiyah harmonized together...it was like they had rehearsed for months. They were like professional singers, on that stage.
"Well guys, looks like it's a wrap..." a smiling Joker told his friends, as the audience cheered on for Straight Fiyah.
The Christmas Ball was still going on, and everyone was having a great time. Ribbon Girl was still singing the Christmas song she was supposed to sing, and would keep singing it until her vocal chords gave up. Lakitu was still filming Ribbon Girl.
"Nice moves you had on the dance floor...Ganondork," Gil giggled at the demon lord, who was speaking with Rosalina. The demon lord gave Gil an evil glare. "...I was kidding, I was only kidding! Spare me!"
"Please don't start that crap up again..." warned Ganondorf, before looking towards the ballroom door. Chrom finally showed up to the ball, with his date, Raven. Raven had brought Morgan and Marc along - good thing Robin wasn't around. "About time Chrom made it...ask him about his grandkids."
"I'll give it a shot." So Gil approached Chrom, who told Raven to take the twins elsewhere as he went his own way...shaver in hand. "Hey Chrom, I've been meaning to ask you, about your grandkids..."
"Not now Gil, I've got business to take care of..." Chrom furrowed his brow as he walked towards Rex, who was speaking with Luigi and Daisy. The prince turned on his shaver, readying himself.
"Chrom it's a serious question...I know you might be too reluctant to answer it, but it deserves to be asked!" Chrom refused to listen anymore, once he was standing close to Rex. He tapped the swordsman, grabbing his attention.
"Ch-Chrom?!" said a startled Rex, as Chrom stared the swordsman down. "What do you even want with me?!"
"This is for humiliating me...now, prepare to get a taste of how I felt!" Chrom yelled at the top of his lungs, bringing his arm up in the air, shaver in hand...
"BOOOO!" King Boo suddenly appeared in front of Luigi, scaring the pants off the plumber. Luigi screamed, flailing his arms as his hand struck Chrom, causing the shaver to leave the prince's hand, fly up in the air, and come crashing down...
...on Chrom's head. Chrom fell to the floor, covering his head, as everyone looked over and Ribbon Girl stopped singing. Luigi had fainted to the floor, as a panicky Raven gasped and came over to check on her Chrom, who was covering his head. Daisy, meanwhile, checked to see if Luigi was okay.
"Hey Beat, did you get that?" asked King Boo, as Beat appeared from behind one of the window curtains with a video camera. "How did I do?"
"Did great, man, this might be better than your last attempt!" exclaimed Beat, as he high fived King Boo. Hearing the commotion, Touma and Ridley barged inside the ballroom, with Touma gasping when he saw King Boo and Beat.
"Those without a date are not allowed!" the redhead pointed at Beat, as he ran towards him. Acting fast, Beat saw Yuri nearby, and snatched her Camera Obscura, and used it on Touma. The flash stopped Touma, as he screamed and fell to the floor.
"Nice camera," Beat complimented Yuri, handing her back the Camera Obscura.
Yuri: Is it too much to ask for my Camera Obscura to have security options?
With the ballroom door open, Simon and Richter entered the ballroom, seeing that the ball was on hold due to the chaos that transpired. Which meant that Simon now had the opportunity to end Bowser, once and for all.
"BEGONE, DEMON!" the vampire hunter shouted at Bowser, running to the koopa king screaming while carrying the quilt. Once he reached Bowser, Simon wrapped the koopa king with the quilt and kept on running...until he crashed through the ballroom window, taking Bowser with him.
"Simon!" shouted Richter, running to the now broken window. As if things weren't chaotic already. "You okay down there?"
"My knee, I injured my knee again! This is all your fault, Richter...should've stopped my fall!"
Straight Fiyah's performance was...well, straight fire, as Roy and his bandmates were singing their hearts out. The Phantom Thieves had this concert in the bag.
"Honestly I have no clue what those guys did, but it's clearly working," remarked Morgana, unaware of the potion Ashley had given Roy. "Those dudes are doing great...nothing can stop them!"
Unfortunately, Ryuji would be proven wrong, for the performance would be interrupted...when Waluigi came flying down from above the stage, landing an elbow drop on Crash...and breaking the machine in the process. There was a collective gasp from the audience, as Straight Fiyah stopped singing immediately.
"Ha ha, thought you could get away with killing Balthier and Berkut, did ya?" Waluigi taunted Crash, leading audience members to wonder why Crash would want to kill the concert host, Balthier. "Well you thought wrong, ha ha!"
"Futaba, tell Ryuji to close the curtains," Joker told Futaba, who pulled out her phone to text Ryuji. Joker walked away. "I'll be right back..."
Mario was so saddened about not having a date for the ball, that he threw in the towel and walked back home. Once he entered his house, Mario saw Impa in the living room, mindlessly watching television.
"What have you been doing while-a I was away?" Mario asked Impa, who didn't bother to look at the plumber.
"Waiting for Lana to return, pretty much," replied Impa, as she turned her head to face Mario. "Figured you'd be at the ball...funny seeing you here."
"I would-a be at the ball, if I had a date. Princess Peach chose-a Shovel Knight over me..." Mario took a seat on the couch, next to Impa. "...it's not easy being rejected by some-a one."
"Tell me about it, you could imagine how angry I felt when Lana and Linkle turned against me...I wonder what made them snap, in the first place."
"Impa, have you ever realized how much-a of a control freak you are?" Impa clearly never realized this, giving Mario a questionable look. "I mean, all you do is boss-a people around..."
"Well I can't help it...I just want things to be a certain way. That's my nature, it's how I do things."
"Oh, so that's why you wanted-a to do a better job at spreading Christmas-a joy for the Yiga Clan than I did." Impa's eyes widened when she heard this. "That's-a right, Lana told-a me."
"Told you what, exactly? Would you mind elaborating for me? What else has Lana told you? Has Linkle told you about me, too?"
"I think I understand why Lana and Linkle acted-a the way they did." Mario looked at Impa, with a comforting look. "You're just-a too uptight with everything. Even after Calamity Ganon was done-a with, you remained stuck-a in your old ways. You've never evolved, never changed-a yourself for the better. And in turn, it made-a you more conceited, wanting to be better than-a me...mainly because-a of the standard you set for your own-a self."
"Are you insisting that...I should loosen up?" Mario held out his hand to Impa, and smiled. "Is that what this is all about?"
"I've been wanting you to loosen-a up for quite-a some time...and I know just the thing. How would you like-a to be my date, for the ball?" Impa looked at Mario's hand, all weirdly, with hesitation in her eyes.
And then, she reached for the plumber's hand...and she grabbed it. Impa was smiling - surprise, surprise - as she stood up on her feet. Mario stood up afterwards.
"The evening's still young, I suppose we still have some time left," replied Impa, still smiling. Mario had never seen her smiling so much before.
"Then-a what are we waiting for?" asked Mario, as he and Impa headed out the door. Mario and Impa, walking together, hand in hand...nobody would ever guessed that would actually happen.
Joker: Thanks to Waluigi, our concert has been put on hold, at the moment...Phoenix managed to capture Waluigi, and wrap some rope around him so he wouldn't hurt Crash again. Our main focus right now is finding a replacement for Crash, so the concert can end on a high note.
"Just got a text from Fox - he said that he's looking for Crash's replacement," Falco notified the Straight Fiyah members backstage, with Fox gone. Meanwhile, Balthier and Berkut were having a word with Sonic and Crash, with Sonic holding his broken machine, and Crash nursing his shoulder.
"So, you wanted to kill the both of us, eh?" Balthier scolded Sonic and Crash, being confronted by the sky pirate for the first time. "Why is that so?"
"I just thought you were a very suspicious guy, from how you were acting," confessed Sonic, with some nervousness in his tone. "I also thought you were conspiring with Berkut, to assassinate Alm..."
"Me, conspiring with someone to kill another person? Sonic, my boy, are you out of your mind?!" Balthier laughed, as he wiped away a tear from his eye. "What good would that even do, for me?"
"Nothing, it's just that...I saw how you were acting with the others, and I thought it was a front for something evil, and stuff. I didn't think any of the things you have done were genuine, and I roped Crash here into sharing my ideology...I just wanted someone to share the same things I felt about you."
"Let me tell you this, Sonic..." Balthier knelt down, getting a better look at Sonic as he rested his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "...I am as authentic as authentic can possibly be. If you don't like how I conduct myself, then that's fine with me - just don't go about thinking it's all an act."
"You're right, I was...only being irrationally suspicious for no good reason. Don't know how it ever came to that...sorry for thinking you were secretly evil and everything. Friends?" Sonic held out his fist to Bathier, who smiled and bumped his fist with Sonic's.
"Friends indeed." Balthier stood back up, as he looked at Berkut. "Got something you want to say, Berkut?"
"Actually, I do...I have given up on wanting to assassinate Alm," confessed Berkut, alarming Sonic and Crash. "Over time, I realized how pointless it was, wanting to kill Alm and take over the throne of Valentia...I'm royalty enough already, being a paladin. Also, assassination plots are tedious. I'll leave Alm alone, for good."
"Would ya look at that, Crash - all that stuff we did was all for naught!" Sonic said to Crash, who responded with a grin. "Guess we don't need this machine after all!"
"Guys, I have an announcement!" announced Fox, returning backstage, as everyone from Joker to Adeleine looked at the pilot. "I have found someone to replace Crash. Everyone, give it up...for Chrom!"
Chrom would show up, revealing himself...and everyone was laughing at him. Why? Because most of Chrom's hair was shaven off, thanks to Luigi. The prince was feeling pretty bummed out.
"Very funny, you guys..." Chrom sighed, as Roy walked up to the prince. Surprisingly, he was the only one not laughing at Chrom.
"Welcome back to the band, Chrom!" Roy said to the prince - the former leader of Straight Fiyah - shaking his hand as he gave Chrom Ashley's potion, and a microphone. "Sip that potion, and you'll be singing like Michael Buble in an instant!"
"Oh, is that so?" Chrom took the potion from Roy, and drank whatever was left of it. "Hmm, I don't know why, but drinking that made me feel...good! Does it actually work?"
"Judging by the audience response, it has worked absolute wonders," replied Joker, wanting to resume the concert. "So how about we keep the concert rolling?"
In Master Hand's room, Team Rocket was playing security footage to Master Hand, on Isabelle's laptop - security footage of them taking Pikachu and Pichu to the attic, and commanding them to turn off the snow machine. The trio had Isabelle replay the footage multiple times to Master Hand, for effect.
"See that, Master Hand, it was thanks to US that the machine was turned off!" James said to the giant hand, who had no choice but to eat crow. "Therefore, it should have been Team Rocket Day, NOT Pikachu Day!"
"Well I'd be darned...you're actually right," admitted Master Hand, as Team Rocket was gleaming. "I just didn't think you fools were capable of doing anything...good. I never should have misjudged you."
Jessie: We did it, Master Hand gave us the recognition we deserved! We should celebrate!
Meowth: What better way to do that than start Team Rocket Day? If Pikachu gets his own day, we get our own day too!
James: Think of how much merchandise we could well with Team Rocket Day...it would easily put Pikachu Day to shame!
Isabelle would pause the security footage, when she received a text notification. The shih tzu, pulling out her cellphone, saw a text message from Joker.
"Uh oh, Master Hand...it looks like Joker's got you beat," said Isabelle, reading the message. Master Hand started to feel wary. "You should probably go to the lecture hall...though you might not like it."
Heeding Isabelle's reluctant advice, Master Hand went to the lecture hall, magically appearing...only to be greeted by the sound of the audience, cheering on for Straight Fiyah. Chrom - wearing a knit cap he wore before - was leading the group, singing majestically with a much different voice thanks to the potion. Compared to last year's audience, this audience was more lively and engaged.
"Huh...why...how?" wondered Master Hand, left speechless. He saw Joker and the Phantom Thieves, jamming out near the stage, and went over to speak with them. "Joker, how on earth did you..."
"Admit it, Master Hand, my concert - our concert - was better than yours," said Joker, as Master Hand grunted like he was in pain. The taste of defeat was a very foreign taste to him. "So, about my friends..."
"...ugh, fine, your stupid friends can live at the mansion." Joker's friends were elated, with all of them enthralled by the news. "You're still roommates with Piranha Plant, though."
Not wanting to mess with the machine anymore, Sonic would return it to the attic while the Christmas concert went on. When the hedgehog returned to the attic, he saw a note, lying on the floor, and picked it up and read it...
Hello once again, friend!
Sorry about the machine.
But no worries, it'll be fixed soon.
At a later time, that is.
We will meet, in the future...
...that I'm certain of.
Yours truly,
The Seattle Stalker
"What a flipping nerd," snorted Sonic, as he tossed the note on the floor and placed the machine back where it was, before leaving the attic. Shortly after Sonic had left, the note on the floor...
...vanished away, like sand in the wind.
With Chrom gone, King Boo gone, Beat gone, the Belmonts gone, Luigi back to normal, Bowser back inside the ballroom, and the ballroom window fixed by Mr. Game and Watch, the Christmas Ball resumed. There were new couples in the ballroom - Link and Zelda, Cloud and Aerith, Touma and Eleonora, and Pit and Viridi. (Yes, Pit was back to normal.) Dark Pit and Flora were also there, returning after Lilith was dealt with, and Felicia finally got to attend the ball with Corrin.
However, there was one couple that caught everyone's attention...and it wasn't even a couple to begin with.
"Hey princess, check out those two over there..." Shovel Knight said to Peach, who looked over and saw Mario and Impa, dancing together and holding hands. "...what has gotten into Impa?"
"Oh, Mario must be teaching her how to loosen up," answered Peach, with a smile, as she and Shovel Knight were dancing too. "Something Mario has always wanted her to do."
"Keep up the good-a work, Impa," Mario said to the Sheikah, like he was her dancing instructor. Impa was moving her feet...but instead of phoning it in, like she did in episode 133, she was moving with a little rhythm. "You're doing great!"
"Stop it Mario, you're acting like this is my first time dancing," smiled Impa, moving along with Mario. "Well, technically it is, but it's the fun that counts, I suppose."
Peach: *looking behind and seeing Mario and Impa dancing, before facing the camera* I had asked Shovel Knight days prior to be my date for the ball, for a reason...that reason taking place right behind me. Always knew Mario would be the one to loosen up Impa. Just took some patience, that's all. *smiles*
Cranky Kong: That stinking author somehow reached two million words...Two. Million. Words. Poor kid must think he's J.R.R. Tolkien. But no worries, he'll see the light and the error of his ways, one day. One day...welp, back to chasing after Pauline!