Author's Note:
As I've said two chapters ago, I couldn't make any guarantees about posting this chapter on Valentine's Day...sadly. I could've, but a stupid cold held me back. Consider this a late Valentine's Day chapter. Now for guest reviews:
"Has Mr. Resetti ever or will break the fourth wall? Will Mr. X from Resident Evil 2 show up and cause havoc? Is Snow from Final Fantasy XIII gonna get into fights with Little Mac, Lucario, or Incineroar when he shows up? Is Ike using his Jason Adkins or Greg Chun voice? And finally, will the Fate characters show up when Fate/Extella Link comes out on March 12?"
Not yet. Perhaps. Possibly. Ike is using his Greg Chun voice. And I don't really know about those Fates characters. Another anonymous review:
"Have Mighty and Ray appeared yet?"
Did I say that I would have those two appear in the story? Maybe I did. They're still on the table. Up next is El Pollo Campero:
"Do Pit, Megaman, and Simon ever remember Captain N happened?"
Perhaps not, but having those three watch an episode of Captain N might refresh their memory. Walter Hitchcock has a question for me:
"Can you please put Dante (from Devil May Cry) in?"
Dante already appeared, in chapter 91; he's due to appear again soon, so stay tuned! Next is MasterHandsKinky:
"Why didnt we get to see the scene of Master Hand spanking a naked Tom Nook?"
That scene was meant to be played in your imagination. That's all I can say. Derick Lindsey's got a question about Timmy and Tommy:
"Are Timmy and Tommy Tom Nook's nephews because I could have sworn I read somewhere that Tom Nook just adopted them since they were orphans and in return they work for him as his employees?"
They...could be. I'll just have to consult the Animal Crossing canon, to see for myself. PinkKittyRose is last, with several questions and suggestions:
"1. I am just curious, but are u still trying to fix Chapter 57 or is the chapter lost for good, like a lost episode?
2. Is Tifa going to be Cloud's date for the Valentine's Day party, or will we find out?
3. Master Hand leaves Crazy Hand in charge of the mansion for the day while he goes out and does things, and Crazy Hand goes... well... crazy, and does crazy things, like having some residents switching bodies, some of the guys dressed up like girls (*coughs* like Cloud *coughs*), letting the pokemon out of the sanctuary, letting all the items used in smash battles out in the wild, having people's stuff disappear, making people go insane, and doing some other crazy things, which everything turns into chaos, and it's up to Mario, Isabelle and Mewtwo to save the day and get everything back to normal before Master Hand comes back.
4. How about having Tom Nook working with the Seattle Stalker (since he got banned) to get revenge on Master Hand, and at the same time prove that Tom Nook can be evil, like how Master Hand makes him out to be."
1. I'm still trying to fix chapter 57...just haven't had enough time to fix it, sadly.
2. I won't spoil anything, you'll find out.
3. I might do this after the current arc is over with.
4. I would be slightly okay with this...
Episode 165: Shadowy
Love was in the air, for it was that time of the year again - Valentine's Day, a day where couples everywhere shared and celebrated their love. It was a day where you reminded your significant other how much you love them, how much you care for them, and all that jazz.
Like he had done two years ago, Master Hand hosted a Valentine's Day party at the mansion, inviting the residents from both the mansion and the tower. As a requirement to get inside, one must have their valentine with them - and said valentine had to be a living person. Sorry, Doc Louis and the Black Knight.
With many folks scrambling to find a valentine for the party, one person that wasn't in much of a rush was Cloud. The swordsman would've attended the party with Aerith, but now that the flower girl was back in her home universe Cloud had nobody to go to the party with. Cloud knew that attendance would be strongly enforced by Master Hand, so he couldn't afford to waste any time.
"Come on Tifa, pick up the phone..." said Cloud, walking around in the foyer while on the phone. The dial tone repeated over and over again in the swordsman's ear, until finally, a response.
"Hello? Cloud?" a voice emitted from the phone, that voice obviously belonging to Tifa. A friend of Cloud's that always came through for the swordsman. "Hey! How have you been? What's going on?"
"Nothing much, just hanging in there. Made it near the end of the another week without having to lose my sanity, so that's always good."
"That's good to hear! So, what's up? Got something you need to tell me? Or you just wanted to chat?"
"Master Hand's hosting a Valentine's Day party today, and I need a valentine. Since Aerith's back in her home universe, I kinda need you to tag along and be my 'valentine'...if you're willing enough, that is."
"Oh yeah, I'd love to go to the party with you, Cloud!...But the thing is, I'm a little busy at the moment. Barret's been having some, erm, car trouble lately, and I'm out here trying to..."
"STUPID ENGINE, WHY WON'T YOU TURN ON?!" Barret's voice could be heard loudly in the background, followed by some profanity from the burly man. "Getting real sick and tired of this now..."
"...as you might assume, Barret's patience is at an all-time low. So I have no choice but to help him with his little situation, since he can't be trusted to fix it himself...but I'll show up at the party, whenever I'm available."
"Okay, don't rush and take your time," replied Cloud, hoping that Barret wouldn't hold up Tifa forever. No matter how agitated he was. "I'll be waiting for ya. Talk to you later."
"See ya later, Cloud!" With the conversation over, Cloud ended the call and placed his cellphone back in his pocket. The Valentine's Day party would start a few hours from now, so Tifa had to show up real quick.
Cloud: Come to think of it, I probably should've told Tifa when the party would start...nah. If I did, she would tell Barret, and he would get even angrier and rush things just to please Tifa, and ruin his ride in the process. I'll just have to play the waiting game, for as long as I possibly can.
Cloud would walk back to his room, hoping to hear back from Tifa later. But the swordsman wouldn't get far when he ran into Bowser - dressed exactly how he was in Super Mario Odyssey, when he was about to marry Peach. Had on his white hat and tuxedo, and was looking pretty fly.
"I see you're back to your old tricks, Bowser..." Cloud said to the koopa king, checking out his threads. He has never really known Bowser to have such a high sense of fashion. "...trying to impress the ladies?"
"Ahem...that's A Pimp Named Bowser to you," replied Bowser, or as he could prefer to be called, A Pimp Named Bowser. "And why would I try to impress ladies, when I have a lady with me already?"
"Oh really? She must be either invisible or imaginary, since I don't see her. What a way to waste that attire you got on." Bowser growled at Cloud, getting tired of the swordsman's mouth.
"For your information Cloud, I do have a lady...she's just shy. Futaba, come on out!" Futaba would appear from behind A Pimp Named Bowser, looking nervous. She saw Cloud, wondering if the swordsman thought less of her.
"I-It's not what you think, Cloud..." Futaba said to the swordsman, who had his signature stone-faced expression on his face. The lack of expression from Cloud made Futaba less nervous, in a way.
"Yeah, Futaba was going to ask her Shadow Thief friends to be her valentine for the party, but Joker, Ryuji, and Yusuke all turned her down! That's when I came in, to save the day, and make her my valentine!"
"You couldn't let her find anyone else? I'm sure she had someone else in mind." A Pimp Named Bowser found that laughable, as he scoffed at Cloud's remark. The koopa king would take Futaba's hand, as he led her away from Cloud.
"Come, Futaba, let's get away from this feeble peasant!" As A Pimp Named Bowser led Futaba down the hallway, Futaba turned her head around at Cloud.
"Save me..." the hermit girl mouth to Cloud, before A Pimp Named Bowser took a turn to the left. Cloud now had to things on his to-do list before the party began...save Futaba from A Pimp Named Bowser, and wait for Tifa.
Cranky Kong always had the hots for Pauline. Reminiscing the days when he could kidnap Pauline, and take her to the highest tower in the city King Kong style, Cranky has long desired to go on a date with Pauline, no matter how much Pauline resisted him.
Thanks to his grandsons Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, Cranky would successfully secure a date with the woman of his dreams, on Valentine's Day. What happened was, Donkey Kong reached out to Pauline, and enticed her with a blind date, setting her up with a mystery man. Pauline happily obliged to the date...unaware that the mystery man himself was Cranky Kong.
And now, Donkey Kong and Diddy were prepping up their old man for his date with Pauline. Cranky Kong was wearing the snazzy suit he wore in episode 157, after seeking romantic advice from Wolf, and he thought he was worth a million bucks.
Cranky Kong: What kind of drugs is that author even on? How is it that I had to wait over a hundred and sixty chapters to go on a date?! Diddy Kong went on a date, Mario went on a date, Cloud went on a date, Falco went on a date, and even Mr. "Didn't Get Married Until Master Hand Forced Me To Do It" himself, Chrom, went on a date before I did! If not for Diddy, I would've called institutional bias on the author's sorry behind!
"How's it coming along boys?" asked Wolf as he joined Donkey Kong and Diddy in the Kongs' room, seeing Cranky Kong get powdered up. Wolf felt like it was his responsibility to check in on Cranky, considering he gave the gorilla the green light in pursuing Pauline.
"Cranky Kong is looking fresh and clean!" replied Donkey Kong - just the thing Wolf needed to hear. "Once we're done powdering his face, he'll be all ready to go!"
"I really appreciate this suit you've given me, Wolf O'Donnell," Cranky Kong said to the mercenary, unaware that he was essentially stoking Wolf's ego. "Pauline might've hated it the first time around, but this time she'll be singing a much different tune!"
"You bet she will, mark my words!" guaranteed Wolf, as he made his way out of the room. "I must go now - gonna see if Impa will be my valentine for the party. Surprised she agreed the first time...I'll see you boys around."
"That Wolf...what a guy," Cranky Kong shook his head with a smile, amazed by how generous Wolf was towards him. Donkey Kong and Diddy looked at their grandpa, never seeing anyone put so much trust into Wolf. "Well boys, what are you waiting on? My face isn't going to powder itself!"
A moment later, Wolf arrived at Mario's house, knocking on the front door. Answering the door would be Impa - just the woman Wolf needed to speak with. Accompanying with were his buddies - Pigma, Leon, and Andrew.
"Oh, it's just you..." Impa said plainly, in a bored tone. Show a little emotion, Impa - it's your Valentine's date from two years ago! "What do you want?"
"I'm glad you asked, Impa...for you are the woman that I've got my eyes set upon," replied Wolf, in perhaps the most cheesy way possible. Cheesy enough to make Impa roll her eyes. "I was thinking...why don't you be my date for the..."
"Is it about that stupid Valentine's Day party?" Wolf nodded his head eagerly, as Impa sighed. "Stupid Master Hand planning stupid parties...yes, you can be my valentine, or whatever. Happy now?"
"Heck yeah! Thanks a bunch!" Wolf pumped his fist, nonchalantly following Impa inside Mario's home as he led his crew inside. "See guys, told you I would recapture Impa's heart!"
"To be fair, you didn't really 'recapture' her heart...she just willingly agreed because she had no other choice," stated Leon, leading Wolf to slap the chameleon. "Hey, watch it, I was only speaking the truth!"
"Yeah, your version of it..." Wolf looked ahead, and saw Mario and Peach in the living room, with Spyro and Hunter. The dragon and the cheetah were hanging out with their valentines for the party - Elora and Bianca, respectively.
"Um, Impa, I believe-a you forgot to close the door," Mario alerted the Sheikah, who turned around and groaned when she saw Wolf and company gathered together. Impa didn't have to worry about closing the front door; Andrew already took care of that.
"Wolf, who told you that you could just follow me inside Mario's house?" Impa scolded the mercenary, with her hands on her hips. "And why did you have to bring your cronies along with you?"
"C'mon Impa, I just wanted to spend some down time with ya!" replied Wolf, making Impa back away and cringe. Almost like Wolf was trying to make a move on the Sheikah. "Mario, Spyro, and Hunter are spending time with their valentines, so why not me?"
"I don't see Andrew, Leon, and Pigma with their valentines." The three Star Wolf members in question looked around, like they expected their valentines to magically appear next to them or something. Shame on Wolf, for not giving his friends valentines.
Pigma: Hold up, how were we supposed to know that attending that party was mandatory? And that we needed a valentine to get in? Why didn't Wolf find us all valentines?
Andrew: Because, and this came out of Wolf's very mouth, he are all "very undeserving". Though he was probably talking about you two...
Leon: Oh please Andrew, he's including you too. You got it worse than us, not that many attractive apes these days...have you SEEN Candy Kong? Man, she's hideous!
"Spyro, are those your friends from the mansion?" Elora asked the dragon, as she pointed at the Star Wolf members. Andrew, Leon, and Pigma were still expecting their valentines to appear, while Wolf facepalmed at all of them.
"Wouldn't say they're friends...they're more like people that I know," replied Spyro, who had a weird itch to flame Wolf and company's butts since they were villains. "Not quite friends, but not quite acquaintances either."
"Spyro you say that about almost everyone at the mansion!" Hunter told his friend, in an almost scolding tone. "Me, I'm actually friends with the Star Wolf crew! We even have our own secret dap!" Hunter folded his arms, smiling and exuding confidence.
"In that case, why don't you demonstrate for us, Hunter?" Bianca asked the cheetah, who unfolded his arms and dropped the smile. "Yeah, that's what I thought..."
"I don't think Impa attending the Valentine's Day party is such a good idea," Peach whispered to Mario as she looked at Impa, who was now in the kitchen chopping up some carrots. Likely preparing herself a salad. "'Cause you know, the Seattle Stalker..."
"Princess-a Peach, you worry too much," Mario whispered back, confused as to why Peach was feeling so concerned. "Impa is way more-a loose now - nothing about the Seattle Stalker could-a bother her now!"
"True, but from the looks of it, she's pretty adamant on finding out who the stalker is. Especially since we both lost our memory about what the stalker looks like. I was able to recount some details to Impa, but it wasn't enough."
"This party will allow Impa to take a little break-a before she gets-a back to work. Even then, I'm sure Professor Layton and-a Luke will carry the load for her. Not like they're solving any important-a crimes."
"Soooo what are we talking about?" asked Wolf, interjecting himself into the private conversation. He was rubbing his hands together in anticipation, wanting to discuss some very juicy details.
"Like I said-a Princess Peach, you worry too much...you've-a got nothing to worry about!"
Layton and Luke haven't really contributed much to the Seattle Stalker situation - they were all over the hotel explosion fiasco, and they played a role in stopping Giovanni's plot, but this time around, the British detectives were chilling out on the sidelines. Time for that to change.
"It was nice speaking with you, Miss Aran!" Cilan waved to the bounty hunter, as he left the workshop. The connoisseur strutted his stuff down the hallway, with a cheerful smile on his face.
"Yeah, whatever," replied Samus, as she went back to working on her machine. She would continue to work when Layton and Luke entered the workshop. "What do you guys want?" Samus asked the detective duo.
"Have you been Cilan anywhere?" Layton asked Samus, and judging by Samus' candor the detective knew not to hold the bounty hunter up. "Luke and I just wanted to ask him some general questions."
"You mean the guy who asked me to be his valentine for that stupid party? Yeah, he just went down the hallway a few moments ago. You should be able to catch up with him before he returns to the kitchen."
"Thanks for the info, Samus!" Layton and Luke would head out of the workshop, as Samus resumed working on her machine while mumbling to herself. Perhaps something about being constantly bothered.
Samus: In a perfect world, I'd attend that party with Anthony Higgs as my valentine...not that we're boyfriend-girlfriend or anything, just mutual friends. But that stupid Cilan just had to ask me out for the party, because his lady friend Iris too busy training dragons and stuff. I can guarantee you that if Cilan even thinks about going over the friend limit, his grave is gonna end up outside in front of the mansion.
Layton and Luke went to the foyer, hoping to find Cilan, but the connoisseur was nowhere to be found. They were just about to head to the kitchen, when Luke looked through a window and saw a certain green-haired man.
"Professor Layton, I've spotted Cilan!" Luke alerted the detective, as Layton joined him at the window. "There he is, speaking with that stranger!" The stranger was seen making a choking gesture in front of Cilan.
"He must be trying to hurt Cilan, let's go!" exclaimed Layton, under the assumption that the stranger was up to no good. He and Luke ran outside to confront the stranger...only to be left confused when the stranger and Cilan were shaking hands with one another.
"It's so nice getting to speak with you again, Frank!" Cilan happily said to the stranger, who was wearing a jacket, blue jeans, and a torn up shirt. It took Cilan a while to notice Layton and Luke, both of whom were shook. "Oh, Layton and Luke! Say hello to Frank West!"
"Howdy," the stranger whom Layton accused of wanting to hurt Cilan waved to Layton and Luke, showing affability. He didn't look that harmless, save for his shirt. "Cilan told me a lot about you two."
"Oh he has, has he?" responded Layton, as he looked at Cilan with a very curious look. "What has he told you about? Nothing incriminating, I hope!"
"No, no, not in the slightest! Just told me about how you guys were great detectives, and always staying at the top of the game. Cilan would never say a bad thing about anyone, not even me!"
"Believe me Frank, I couldn't even say a single bad thing about a fly!" grinned Cilan, as he and Frank started laughing. "Yeah, Frank and I met a few weeks ago, and we've been good friends ever since!"
"Well, this is the most unlikeliest of friendships...but all the power to you, Cilan," Luke said to the connoisseur, as he and Layton walked away. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. West!"
"Likewise, kid - hope to speak with you and your dad again!" responded Frank, unaware that Luke was only an apprentice to Layton. Once they were away from Cilan and Frank, Layton and Luke gathered near a tree.
"I got some doubts about that Frank West..." Layton whispered to Luke as he looked back at Frank, who was having a lovely conversation with Cilan. "I remember hearing about him before; he's known for being a zombie killer. So what he's doing in Seattle?"
"There could have been a zombie breakout in the county that we didn't know about," assumed Luke; Layton found that to be implausible, since a zombie breakout would most definitely be all over the local news. Let alone national news.
"Or, Frank could've been a juror along with Cilan on the Seattle Stalker case. We should ask Frank about that, whenever he's available."
Cilan: Aha, I remember an important detail from the court trial...the prosecutors used empanadas to reenact the Seattle Stalker's attacks! Yes, I remember it clearly! *sighs deeply* But other than that, everything else is still very fuzzy...
Looking for a valentine for the party, Cortex was in the tower waiting for his crush, Tiki. He planned on asking Tiki out, and expected the manakete to say yes. He would have to hypnotize her if necessary. Uka was there, just to rain on Cortex's parade.
"I'm pretty sure Tiki wants to attend the party with a real man," Uka said to Cortex, who was checking himself out in front of a mirror in the lobby. "Why would Tiki want to go out with some garden gnome like you?"
"Last time I checked, garden gnomes are lousy, pathetic, and have no friends!" retorted Cortex, likely throwing shade at another evil genius fro a popular TV show. "Me, I'm the opposite of that!"
"Alright then, tell me how many friends you have. And you can't count Wario, since you two aren't even on the same page yet. Oh, and you can't count me as a friend, so don't even bother!"
"Wario and I are best friends...we're just trying to find out our chemistry, that's all. That's why we're always arguing." Soon Wario barged inside the tower, angry and ticked as he approached Cortex.
"Dr. Cortex you bozo, what did I tell you about leaving your underwear on the floor?" the fatso confronted the evil genius, getting all up in his grill. "I could've slipped and fell, and injured my ankle!"
"Boo hoo hoo...if you cared so much, then maybe you should've picked my underwear up! I'm a hundred percent positive it was still clean. Also, who cares about your stupid ankle? Certainly not me!"
"I care about my stupid ankle - had I got hurt, I would've had Mona push me around the ballroom in a wheelchair! We should be walking together, hand in hand!"
"You want to walk hand-in-hand with a girl who's probably still a teenager?" Wario gritted his teeth, ready to throw a punch at Cortex...only to pull back when he saw Tiki come down the stairs.
"Dr. Cortex, did you want to speak with me?" Tiki asked the evil genius, as Wario backed away from Cortex and gave him some room. "What is it that you want?"
"It's about that Valentine's Day party...I was wondering if you wanted to be my valentine. Because you know, I have no one, and you have no one...so then I thought..."
"I'd love to be your date for the party!" gleamed Tiki, before smirking with a very curious smile as she leaned in close to Cortex. "Provided you aren't filling in for someone, like last time..."
"Oh no no, not at all! Not in the slightest! It was more of Uka's doing, he was the one who led me astray." Uka, immediately knowing what Cortex was talking about, shot a quick glare at the evil genius. "I can assure you it won't ever happen again!"
Up in the tower, Knuckles and Shadow were hanging out in their room. The former was waiting on Rouge to stop by; the latter was still at odds about who the Seattle Stalker was. Knuckles was writing down some rap lyrics when he heard someone knock on the door.
"That must be her!" the echidna exclaimed, tossing his paper unto the floor like it was trash as he ran to the door. He opened it, and as he expected, he saw Rouge. The bat was holding some Valentine's Day chocolate in her hands.
"Happy Valentine's Day, lover boy..." Rouge greeted Knuckles, as she gave him the box of chocolate. Knuckles giddily accepted the chocolate, as Rouge looked past Knuckles and spotted Shadow, sitting on his bed, and waved to him. "...hi Shadow."
"Hi...Rouge," replied Shadow, who found it somewhat surprising that Rouge was friendly with him, espeically after that episode 104 fiasco. Then again, maybe Shadow wasn't used to friendliness...
Shadow: Is Rouge really the Seattle Stalker, or an accomplice? I don't know. Not that I would want to come to such rash assumptions, but sending weird notes and letters isn't completely out of Rouge's territory...not to mention that machine Sonic showed me some time ago, Rouge looks like someone that could've worked on that thing. Again, I don't really know...
"Thanks for the chocolate babe!" thanked Knuckles, as he placed his box of chocolate in his imaginary pocket. "So, you wanna head to the mansion? Wanna do some chit-chat there?"
"Always knew you missed living over there..." Rouge grinned in response, as she and Knuckles left the room. They left Shadow all alone, with the hedgehog stroking his chin and wondering about Rouge being the Seattle Stalker.
"Don't know why, but the writing seems to be on the wall..." Shadow said to himself, before hopping off of his bed. His mind was now made up - or was it? "...I should probably ask someone about it."
Sonic was in the living room, hanging out with his girlfriend Amy before the party began. With the hedgehog couple were Futaba and Bowser...A Pimp Named Bowser, as the koopa king preferred to be called.
"So you see, Sonic and Amy, it is this instinctive and burning desire to procreate between man and woman that not only keeps the human race going, but also fuels many important industries, mainly in the entertainment business," A Pimp Named Bowser explained to the hedgehogs, laying down some knowledge on them. Who knew the koopa king was so knowledgeable about that subject matter? "It's how the cookie crumbles."
"What do you think of the phrase 'bros before hoes'?" asked Sonic, asking a very educational and thought-provoking question. Amy facepalmed, while Futaba sighed and wished she was somewhere else.
"'Bros before hoes'? Is that like some kind of new menu item at Denny's or something? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about..."
"You know, bros before hoes, like when you put your male friends over your girlfriend! Especially when that girlfriend is a, disloyal, skanky, no good piece of..." Sonic would stop his sentence, when he saw Amy staring at him with arms folded. "Amy, you know I wasn't talking about you!"
"I don't think bros before hoes is a sentiment that A Pimp Named Bowser can cosign with. But don't get me wrong, A Pimp Named Bowser would put a lot of things over hoes! Money over hoes? Always! A brand new car over hoes? Definitely! A grilled cheese sandwich, dipped in barbecue sauce? Guaranteed! But bros before hoes? No way! A Pimp Named Bowser doesn't do crap for bros! Same goes for homies, peeps, dudes, fellas, comrades, and whatever the heck men are calling each other these days."
"Sonic, I need to speak with you, it's important," Shadow told the blue blur as he ran inside the living room, making Sonic groan. "Yes, it's about the Seattle Stalker. I won't be long - just a theory I came up with."
"He's still going on about that Seattle Stalker creep?" Amy asked Sonic, who felt like vanishing away. Any more talk about the Seattle Stalker and Sonic just might explode into a gazillion pieces.
"I'm telling you Amy, it never ends..." replied Sonic, feeling nervous about what zany theory Shadow had for him. Time to go full yes-man.
"Hold on, I smell an intervention!" A Pimp Named Bowser stated, as he stood up from the couch he was sitting on. "Shadow, this theory...what is it about? Is it about a woman? Someone caught your eye?"
"Why yes in fact, it is about a woman..." replied Shadow, knowing that everyone would be unprepared for what he would say next. "...I think Rouge is the Seattle Stalker." Sonic found that theory so laughable, that he burst out laughing and fell unto the floor.
Sonic: Rouge, the Seattle Stalker? *laughs* Next thing you know, Shadow will tell us that Jimi Hendrix was the guy who shot John F. Kennedy! Everyone knows that the Seattle Stalker doesn't exist, it's just a myth! An urban legend!
"Ah, I see what's going on...you, Shadow, are suffering from bad girl dependency syndrome," A Pimp Named Bowser diagnosed the hedgehog, while Sonic continued to roll on the floor laughing his butt off.
"That makes no sense, I've lost affection for Rouge over a year ago," stated Shadow, who believed that A Pimp Named Bowser assumed the hedgehog to still have some feelings for Rouge. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Shadow, bad girl dependency syndrome is no laughing matter! Addiction to bad girls can mess up with your friends, your health, and even your money! Thankfully, I can be the one to save you from going down that path."
"I don't need to go down that path, I just need to find out with my theory is correct. Last thing I'd want is to look like a complete idiot in the end."
"We will get there, in due time. But first, you must over come the disease that rests inside of you. Come, Shadow, Futaba and I will show you the way." A Pimp Named Bowser led Shadow out of the living room, against his will, as Futaba tagged along.
"Why am I even doing this..." wondered Futaba, following after Shadow and A Pimp Named Bowser. Soon after the hermit girl left, Cloud poked his head from the side of the couch, looking to rescue Futaba from A Pimp Named Bowser's clutches.
Of course, those who already had a Valentine were welcome to attend the party...but what if you were single, and nobody to attend the party with? Thankfully, Pac-Man came up with an alternative - a Singles Party, where single folk could hang out together and perhaps find love. The party would take place in Mario's bunker, with Mario and Pac-Man preparing things.
"Master Hand prohibited anyone who wasn't 'in love' from being at the mansion, so that's why we're holding the party down here," Pac-Man explained to Mario, as he was hanging up balloons. "Thanks for letting me use this spot, Mario."
"No problem, it was the least-a I could do," replied Mario, who was putting food on the table. Didn't know how much food was necessary, since party attendance might be pretty low. "Shame you won't-a be hosting the party."
"Yeah, especially since my wife's coming over. Said that you were planning on making her, Caeda, and Olimar's wife mansion residents. Is that true?" Mario now wondered if he should spill the beans to Pac-Man. Should he?
"Yes it's a hundred percent true, I even heard Mario talk about it with Master Hand!" Cappy blurted out, as Mario looked up at the talking hat with a frown. So much for not spilling the beans.
"Oh really? That is pretty neat! Of course my wife's gonna have to bring the rest of the kids along, don't know how that's gonna work out...but my own wife is gonna be living with me! Nice! Wonder if we'll get our own home!"
"Let's not get ahead-a of ourselves..." Mario said to Pac-Man as he was about to head upstairs to get something...only to be stopped in his tracks by Marie and Callie, the Squid Sisters. Both looked like they were ready to party.
"Hi Mario...is this where the Singles Party is at?" Marie asked the plumber, who wondered how the Squid Sisters even knew about the party to begin with. Word about the party hardly broke out around the mansion premises.
Marie: Princess Peach told us about the Singles Party after Mario mentioned the party to her, so Callie and I thought...why not go and mingle with the men there?
Callie: There has to be at least ONE man who's our type... *smiles*
Impa: Why didn't Mario tell me about the Singles Party sooner...that way I could do some more work about the Seattle Stalker, while making it seem like I'm "partying". But now, that Wolf's got me all tied up...
"The Singles Party is indeed-a here, and you ladies are welcome-a to...stay," replied Mario, only for Marie and Callie to walk past the plumber. For they had their eyes on a certain yellow man...Pac-Man.
"You're looking pretty available, Pac-Man..." Callie smiled at the eater of ghosts, as she and Marie walked over to Pac-Man and grabbed his arms; Callie holding the left arm and Marie holding the right. Pac-Man looked at the two, wondering what was going on.
"Ladies chill out, I'm a married man!" stated Pac-Man, but that wouldn't make the Squid Sisters go away as they escorted Pac-Man to the farthest corner of the bunker, away from Mario.
"Nonsense...now, why don't you tell us about your Power Pellets? Or about those four stinking ghosts? You're close friends with them, aren't you? You have to be!"
"Mario, what are you doing man, stop standing there and stop these two!" Pac-Man turned his head around and spoke to Mario, who did nothing as the Squid Sisters took Pac-Man away.
"Man, I'll never understand-a how anyone could find that yellow walking sphere attractive," Mario said to himself, as he turned around, about to head up the stairs. The plumber would be stopped in place once more, this time by a woman with white hair. She was dressed like she came from the late 1700s.
"Hello there, mustached man, have you seen my husband Richter around?" the woman asked Mario, very formal and polite in her tone. "Annette Renard's the name - I'm been brought to this city by a giant hand. Which is quite strange, admittedly..."
"Richter should be some-a where in the large-a mansion nearby. You can't possibly miss it." Mario had a glut feeling Master Hand would bring Richter's wife to town, just for the party.
"Oh, thank you very much! I haven't seen my husband in over half a year...I sure do hope he's doing alright..."
Wanting to help cure Shadow of his bad girl dependency syndrome, A Pimp Named Bowser took Shadow to the fitness center of all places and find a remedy to the hedgehog's problem. Futaba was forced to come along for the ride.
"Did you know that at least seventy-five percent of bad girls suffer from some kind of hearing loss?" A Pimp Named Bowser asked Shadow about this scientific fact, in the middle of the fitness center. "This alarming statistic means that more likely than not talking is not the most effective way to communicate! That's when you have to hit a bad girl."
"I don't want to hit Rouge, I just wanna know if she's the Seattle Stalker," stated Shadow, as Cloud poked his head through the doorway to the fitness center looking around for Futaba.
"No Shadow, it's easy - you just tell her what to do, and if she says no, you hit her! It's that simple!" Bowser would say something like that, wouldn't he?
"But I couldn't hit Rouge! Why, I wouldn't hit any woman! Not Blaze, not Amy, not Cream, and definitely not Maria Robotnik! Granted I might violent and a little impulsive, but it's just not how I am."
"Has not hitting a bad girl not been working? I mean, scientifically speaking, has not hitting a bad girl achieved the desired results?" At this point, Shadow had just about enough of A Pimp Named Bowser's strange philosophies.
"Look, man, I don't care about science, or bad girls, or whatever the crap you're talking about. I just want to know one thing...is Rouge the Seattle Stalker. That's it. Nothing more, and nothing else. If you keep assuming that I might like Rouge, then I'm gonna go Chaos Control on your sorry..."
"Shadow...calm down. Take a deep breath. It's okay, some people have phobias...some dudes can't cross bridges, and you can't deal with all the bad girls in your life. But, we can beat this..."
A Pimp Named Bowser reached behind his back, and pulled out Futaba in front of him. Futaba looked scared, as she was looking at Shadow; Cloud was formulating a plan to rescue Futaba in his head.
"Cloud why are you spying on Bowser?" Geno approached the swordsman and asked; that's A Pimp Named Bowser to you, Geno. "You secretly jealous of his attire? Not gonna lie, it's pretty nice..."
"Shut up and go away, you'll blow my cover," replied Cloud, motioning Geno to go away. Which the Star Warrior eventually did.
Geno: Know any female stars out there that someone like me could go out with? Not a huge fan of inter-species relationships, sorry.
"Shadow the Hedgehog, this is Futaba Sakura, my date for the Valentine's Day party," A Pimp Named Bowser introduced the hedgehog to Futaba, like he didn't know who the hermit girl was before. "She's gonna teach you how do deal with Rouge, and effectively put her in her place."
"Seems very pointless and a waste of my time..." murmured Shadow, expressing a sentiment that Futaba would easily agree with.
"Futaba here will be playing the role of Rouge. Now, approach Futaba, grab her arm firmly, and tell her to leave with ya!" So Shadow, wanting this to be over with as quickly as possible.
"Rouge, get your behind..." started Shadow, as he firmly grabbed Futaba's arm, making Futaba all nervous inside. A Pimp Named Bowser facepalmed at Shadow's approach, a zero out of ten in his eyes.
"Stop it, Shadow, just stop it!" the koopa king ordered, interrupting Shadow. "You're doing it totally wrong! Say skank instead." Shadow stopped, and looked at A Pimp Named Bowser with a questionable stare.
"Do I have to call her a skank, really?" Doing that would make Shadow very uncomfortable, and it would easily make Futaba feel uncomfortable too. Cloud couldn't intervene any sooner.
"Yes Shadow, you have to call her a skank. Trust me on this one, I've done the research. Now try again!" So Shadow sighed, as he firmly grabbed Futaba's arm once more and looked her in the eye.
"Skank, get your behind..."
"Use bum...it's way more effective..."
"SKANK, GET YOUR BUM IN THE CAR!"
"I really don't like being called that..." stated Futaba, blushing as she was twiddling with her fingers. Took her long enough to speak up.
"Bowser...I mean, A Pimp Named Bowser, I don't think Rouge would ever say that," stated Shadow, proving that this experiment was an utter waste. And A Pimp Named Bowser was inclined to agree.
"Aye, it's now tragically obvious that reasoning with a bad girl is not gonna work," said A Pimp Named Bowser, being oblivious to what Futaba had said. "You're gonna have to hit her."
"Made it clear that I would never hit a woman. It's just not in my blood, okay? Even evil, misunderstood guys like myself have limits, you know."
"Shadow, you're gonna have to get past this. By no means will I let this situation overwhelm you to no end! That's why Futaba's here to help!"
"It's okay, Shadow, there's no reason for you to lose breath over this..." Futaba kindly said to the hedgehog, understanding his pain.
"See what I mean? She just gave you permission!" Disgusted with how A Pimp Named Bowser was treating Futaba, it was time for Cloud to finally jump in.
"Let go of Futaba, Bowser!" the swordsman charged at A Pimp Named Bowser, jumped on top of the koopa king and putting him in a chokehold. A Pimp Named Bowser tried to shake off Cloud, but to no avail. "Run, Futaba!"
"Okay!" nodded Futaba, as she ran out of the fitness center. In the process, she accidentally slapped Shadow in the face, as she flung out her left arm at the hedgehog before taking off.
"Dang Shadow, Futaba had no problem hitting you!" A Pimp Named Bowser taunted the hedgehog, with Cloud still putting him in a chokehold. The male and female Wii Fit Trainers both had to come over and restrain Cloud. "You're definitely allowed by law to hit her now, it's self-defense!"
A Pimp Named Bowser: *rubbing his neck* My goodness...either that slap Futaba delivered to Shadow was purely unintentional...or she was in deceptively rare form. *grins* The true essence of a bad girl.
Link and Zelda were in the foyer, hanging out until it was time for the party to begin. They were both sitting together in a long chair, with Zelda looking up and smiling at Link.
"Still not upset about not catching that Dragonair, are you?" the princess asked her boyfriend, who gave Zelda an annoyed side eye. Link didn't look like he wanted to have a conversation right now.
"No, I got over it...in like, six days," replied Link - took him a lot shorter than expected. "I'm just angry that my fishing rod is nowhere to be found...thought I left it here in the foyer, but someone stole it."
"Why would anyone steal your fishing rod? Champion Link did say that you broke it, so maybe someone's fixing it for you. You should be more appreciative, Link!"
Just then, Futaba showed up around the corner, running for her life. Curious, Link quickly got up and approached Futaba, immediately stopping her in her tracks.
"Woah, slow down!" The Hylian said to Futaba, allowing her to take a breather. "You could kill someone. What's the matter?" Futaba would look up at Link, before burying her face in his chest, sobbing a little.
"It's all Bowser's doing..." the hermit girl replied; that's A Pimp Named Bowser to you, Futaba. Don't forget it. "...he wanted me to be his date for the Valentine's Day party! He was taking me everywhere and..."
"What's so wrong with that, the man was probably that desperate for a valentine. Sure you might be a little too young for his tastes, but he's done much, much worse..."
"You don't understand...Bowser was walking around as a pimp, and it was making me feel uncomfortable, standing next to him..." That was the second time Futaba said A Pimp Named Bowser's name wrong. She should know better. "...I was too afraid to stand up for myself."
"Link, what are you doing with Futaba?" a voice asked, as Link quickly turned around and saw Joker. The young man was standing with Makoto, with Morgana resting on his right shoulder.
"Nothing, I was doing nothing," replied Link, as he gently pushed Futaba away from him. "I would never do anything to cheat on Zelda, when she's around."
"Does that mean you cheat on Zelda when she's not around?" questioned Makoto, putting Link in his place. The Hylian nervously grinned, with Zelda amused by how Link would answer the question. Link wouldn't get the chance, however, when the doorbell sounded.
"Ooh, that must be him!" gleamed Kamui, as she quickly came over from the living room to the front door. She opened the door, and saw a familiar face she knew from the kingdom of Nohr.
"Good afternoon, princess..." said this familiar face, who donned an eyepatch. It was Niles, an outlaw who was pretty close with the Nohr royal family. "...long time, no see. Mind if I come in?"
Kamui: Would've went with Jakob as my date for the party, but everyone knows he's not allowed back at the mansion ever again. So, I decided to go with my second option, Niles. Hopefully Corrin wouldn't mind having him around.
"You're more than welcome to come inside!" replied Kamui, before looking to her right and seeing a woman standing next to Niles. And no, it was Tifa. "Did you bring a guest along with you, Niles?"
"No he did not, I got here a few seconds he did," responded the woman, Chun-li - Ryu's love interest and date for the party. "He practically stalked me to the mansion...that creep."
"I did not stalk you, I was just going to ask you for directions..." That excuse would work, if Niles never came to the mansion at all. "Kamui, can you please let me inside? This woman might drive me crazy..."
"What are you waiting on, come on in!" replied Kamui, as she let Niles inside the mansion. Chun-li would enter the mansion next, closing the door behind her and walking away to go look for Ryu. Didn't have time to chit-chat with the others.
"Hi Princess Zelda!" Niles waved at the princess, who smiled faintly as she waved back, before looking at Link. "Hey there Link..." the outlaw said to the hero of Hyrule, who looked at Niles with disgust.
"Keep your hands off my woman, you bub," Link threatened Niles, who smirked as he backed away from the Hylian. Giving Link a false sense of victory.
"C'mon Kamui, show me where the party is...and show me where Corrin is, too. Got a lot of stories to tell that boy..." So Kamui would lead Niles away from the foyer, with Niles looking creepily at Makoto before leaving the premises.
"I gotta wonder what Kamui even sees in that guy..." Morgana whispered to Joker, who assumed that Niles was the last person Kamui wanted to attend the party with.
Like any great boyfriend on Valentine's Day, Pit desired to make his girlfriend, Viridi, the happiest girl alive by giving her a gift. But the angel didn't just want to give the goddess of nature a gift...no, he wanted to give her many gifts. Luckily, he knew just the place to find some.
"Well, that's enough training for one day," remarked Red the Pokemon Trainer, after he was done training with Charizard in the Pokemon sanctuary. "Good work, Charizard!" Charizard roared, as the lizard Pokemon was sent back inside his Poke Ball by Red.
Then, just when Red was about to leave the sanctuary, he saw Pit, Kirby, and Ryu show up - with the trio holding seven grass-type starter Pokemon in their possession. Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Trecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, and Rowlet - they had all seven of them, like they were about to kidnap them.
"Woah woah woah, what the heck are you guys doing?!" frowned Red, as he confronted Pit and company. Whenever it came to Pokemon, Red always took matters seriously, regardless of the severity.
"Just for the record, this was not my idea," stated Kirby, thinking that his statement would deflect any blame for following up Pit's shenanigans. Worth a shot.
"I promised Viridi I would get her seven special gifts for Valentine's Day, and...this was the best I could think of," replied Pit, acting like there was nothing wrong with taking Pokemon out of the sanctuary all willy nilly. "Gotta make that girl happy!"
"I'm going on Incineroar's place, since Pit believed that his presence would've scared the grass-type starters away," added Ryu, like that was even worth mentioning. "I like to consider myself the more scary one, but to each their own..."
Ryu: I admire the love Pit has for Viridi - always going leaps and bounds to leave her satisfied. It almost makes me jealous. I would outline my relationship to Chun-li similarly, but a man like myself never takes cues from a youngster.
"You can't take Pokemon out of the sanctuary, it's against the rules," Red told Pit, knowing the odds were against him since Pit was never the one to fully comprehend rules, or how they worked.
"But Tails takes out the Alolan Vulpix, whenever he feels like it," stated Pit, forgetting that said Vulpix was named Suzy. "Not to mention that Lopunny is allowed to leave the sanctuary whenever she feels like it, just to hang out with Lucario."
"That's totally different...you're going to gift Viridi Pokemon that should stay in the sanctuary, where they belong. And before you give me the Shaymin argument..."
"Ryu, are you still around?" Isabelle's voice was heard, as the shih tzu showed up in the sanctuary. "There you are! I wanted to let you know that I spoke with Chun-li earlier, and that she wants to speak with you."
"CHUN-LI?!" screamed Ryu, as he dropped the Pokemon in his possession - Turtwig, Rowlet, and Chikorita - onto the floor. The fighter soon caught himself, as he sported a more serious deposition. "I mean...tell me where Chun-li is."
Having put A Pimp Named Bowser in his place, Cloud was resting in the fitness center, sitting in a chair so he could recuperate. The swordsman had a few bruises and marks all over his body, but he wasn't sweating much. A Pimp Named Bowser hardly put up much of a fight.
"So basically, Bowser was bossing Futaba around, making her do things and whatnot," Cloud explained the whole story to Wii Fit Trainer - not even he called A Pimp Named Bowser by his full name. "Futaba told me to save her from Bowser...and so I did it."
"While what you did was admirable, it was also reckless," stated Wii Fit Trainer, although Cloud strongly begged to differ. "Bowser could've really messed you up. Better be glad you only came away with minor bruises!"
"Eh, I'll be fine - at least I put Bowser in his place." Seeing how Cloud was content with what he did, Wii Fit would leave the swordsman alone, as she walked away and let him be. Cloud wouldn't be by himself for long, for Isabelle would enter the fitness center...joined by a close friend of Cloud's.
"From what I've gathered, Cloud got into a big fight with Bowser, and is resting here," Isabelle told this friend of Cloud's, as Cloud momentarily looked up...and immediately saw Tifa. "There he is, sitting by himself!"
"Can't believe she actually made it..." muttered Cloud, as Tifa came over to speak with the swordsman. "...hey Tifa. About time you showed up. How was Barret?"
"He got...aggravating over time, but he became a lot nicer once his truck was fixed," smiled Tifa, holding her hands behind her back. "He was even kind enough to drive me to the mansion, just to see how smooth his ride was."
"WHADDAYA MEAN YOU DON'T WANNA BE MY valentine, GET BACK HERE WOMAN!" Barret could be heard yelling from the hallway, likely chasing down a female resident. This was accompanied by some girly screaming.
"...I kinda told Barret about the party, by accident, and now he's hunting down women and asking them to be his valentine. You wouldn't mind Barret coming to the party, do you Cloud?"
"I mean, Pac-Man is organizing a party for single folk...Barret can always go there," replied Cloud, who honestly didn't want Barret anywhere near the Valentine's Day party. Wasn't in the mood for feeling embarrassed.
Master Hand: Mario, that bum...he told me about Caeda and her lady friends, and their plans to live with their husbands in the mansion, even though I shot down that offer a long time ago. Mario discussed the matters with me, and I did nothing but tune out every word he said. I know Caeda won't stop until the demands of her and her friends are met, so to appease everyone...
After taking Tifa to Cloud in the fitness center, Isabelle would stop by Master Hand's room, to have a word with the giant hand. When the shih tzu looked inside, through the creaked door, she saw Master Hand speaking with Mutoh, and the Carpenters.
"Sure Master Hand, we can build you those houses, right next to Mario and Luigi's!" exclaimed Mutoh, with isabelle furrowing her brow as she poked her nose through the doorway so she could listen closely. "You said you wanted four, right?"
"Precisely - would say five, but I want to cut down on the pricing and workload," replied Master Hand. "Two of the married couples will share the same house." That bit of information made Isabelle feel very suspicious.
"Alrighty then, four houses it is! My boys and I will start working once all this Valentine's Day fluff starts to die down. We'll be finished with the houses in a jiffy!"
Having said their goodbyes, Mutoh and the Carpenters would leave Master Hand's room, with Isabelle pulling away from the door so she wouldn't be noticed. Once the Carpenters were gone, Isabelle entered Master Hand's room.
"Master Hand, are you seriously building new houses near the mansion?" the shih tzu asked the giant hand, making him gasp in horror as he clutched his pearls. Despite having no torso.
"Ack! Isabelle, you were eavesdropping on our conversation this whole time?!" boomed Master Hand, horrifically disgusted with Isabelle. "Why, if you weren't such an awesome assistant, I'd kill you on the spot. But yes, I am building new houses...though I can't tell you who will be moving into them."
"Uh uh...well anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the Valentine's Day party will be starting soon. I just opened the door to the ballroom!"
"Excellent! I'll be there in a few, once I handle a few other business. Touma and Ridley, are they guarding the ballroom door with their lives?"
Touma and Ridley were guarding the door to the ballroom...well, not with their lives, but they were just doing their job.
"Ready to have the time of your life, my love?" Richter said to Annette as they walked through the hallway. having reconnected with his wife. Poor Simon, he might have to attend the other party.
"I've been waiting to spend time with you for so long..." replied Annette, as she and Richter entered the ballroom, with the entrance guarded by Touma and Ridley. The two had to only let in those who had a valentine with them, and even threesomes were allowed. Such as was the case of Rex, Pyra, and Mythra, who showed up.
"Technically we aren't a threesome, but I just can't let one of these ladies behind, if you know what I'm saying," Rex kindly said to Touma, being as frank as possible. "You can give us a pass, right?"
"A threesome is always a couple in my eyes...no matter how wrong it is," shrugged Touma, seeing nothing wrong with Rex's situation. "You and your lady friends are welcome to come on in!" So Rex and company entered the ballroom, with Ken later showing up with his wife, Marta.
"Just so we're clear, we are going to have a big birthday celebration for me, right?" Ken whispered to Touma, hoping that the redhead knew what today was. "After all, today IS my birthday..."
"You'll just have to speak with Master Hand about that. Come on in." Ken entered the ballroom with his wife, and a moment later, Rayman appeared, with Barbara holding his hand and smiling.
"Why did I even agree to come here..." mumbled Rayman, as Barbara walked the limbless hero inside the ballroom. Poor Globox has to attend the Singles Party.
Cranky Kong: No fair, I had my date with Pauline today, and the author hardly covered it at all! Why did he waste such a big opportunity?...Time constraints?! That dumb author couldn't feature my date because of TIME?! Time constraints, are you serious? That's almost like a politically correct way of saying the author forgot that my date ever happened! You mean to tell me that Shadow and that wannabe pimp Bowser both got more shine than I did, in this chapter? Pathetic!
"You know, Ridley, it kinda sucks that you don't have a date for the party," Touma said to the space pirate, who didn't seem to care either way. "I mean, I got Eleonora as a valentine, by constantly begging her, but you...you got no one!"
"Excuse me, Touma?" someone called out, as Touma looked over and saw Coco, standing with Crash and Aku. "Do you mind if Crash and I attend the party as a couple? Might be against the rules, but..."
"Probably not, but I know a way that you two can get in...Crash will go with Mamori, and you, Coco, will go with Ridley." Coco and Aku looked on with disgust, and Ridley would promptly do the same. Crash, having an open mind, was indifferent.
"Is that...such a good idea?" The thought of being seen dancing with Ridley made Coco uneasy - if only she saw how Ridley was cutting a rug back in episode 65. Literally a hundred episodes ago.
"Ridley is a great dancer, honestly. And Aku, you...you...you can just go to the Singles Party at Mario's place. You can find your true love there."
"Oh really? We'll just have to see about that..." responded Aku, as he floated away. Was he seriously going to attend the party? Might not have that much luck.
Much to Aku's surprise, the Singles Party had already started, and with Mario and Pac-Man having left the bunker for the mansion, Marie and Callie served as the party's emcees. Layton, Luke, Volnutt, Yuri, Miu, Gerudo Ganon, Asuka, Shovel Knight, Toon Link, Young Link, and Waluigi were some of the folks in attendance.
"Honestly I don't know why we attended this party, Luke - there's not that many ladies ripe for our taking," Layton said to his apprentice, as the two detectives stood around awkwardly. "Yuri and her friend are out of our age range, and the same can be said for Asuka."
"Not a very good selection, I'll say..." agreed Luke, who was too busy watching Marie and Callie flirt with Volnutt, near the far wall. Volnutt looked flustered, being in the Squid Sisters' presence.
"Luke, staring at me isn't gonna make me feel any better!" the robot called out to the staring detective, who looked away from Volnutt immediately. Didn't make the robot feel any less flustered.
"I still have some doubts about that Frank West man we met earlier..." said Layton, stroking his chin in thought. "...I found it quite interesting that he knows Cilan, and Cilan knows him. How did they meet?"
"Heh, I'm more intrigued by the choking gesture Mr. West gave to Cilan," stated Luke, finding said gesture to be the most noteworthy thing about Frank. "What if he really was a juror for the court trial, like you said?"
"I wanted to ask Frank that, but sadly he left once he and Cilan were done speaking. Seemed like he was in a bit of a hurry. We'll just have to wait for when Frank comes back...or, we could get Cilan to make him return. Either or."
The Valentine's Day party had begun minutes after the Singles Party did, and pretty much kicked off once Master Hand arrived at the ballroom. While the giant hand hung out with Crazy Hand at the front, analyzing the scene, Marth was chilling with his wife, Caeda.
"So, Marth...how do you feel about the two of us, living together in the mansion?" Caeda asked the hero-king, who smiled nervously as he pulled on his collar. Why was he acting so nervous?
"I don't really know...how Master Hand would feel about that," replied Marth, as Caeda's face quickly sank. Master Hand was the least of Caeda's worries. "He would have the final say."
"Then why not Mario? I thought he was the man of the mansion. Everyone called him that, didn't they?"
"Yes, but that was in the past...now, there's no man of the mansion. We have nobody to object to Master Hand's rule."
"So you're just gonna sit here, and keep having this long-distance relationship? Whatever rocks your boat, I guess..."
Mario: Master Hand just informed-a me about his "secret plan"...but he won't let me share the details-a quite yet with Caeda and the others. So we'll just "continue" our discussions from-a last week, and make it seem-a like we're going somewhere. Fingers crossed-a Caeda doesn't kill me until the big reveal...
While the Valentine's Day party was already oodles of fun, it was incomplete...for A Pimp Named Bowser had yet to show up. But no need to fear, the koopa king showed up at the party anyways, despite not having a valentine. Shadow would follow A Pimp Named Bowser inside the ballroom.
"Those without a valentine are not allowed to attend this party!" Master Hand shouted at Shadow, who couldn't care less what Master Hand thought.
"Shut up!" Shadow fired back, as he looked around for Rouge. He would find the bat, far away, speaking with her boyfriend Knuckles.
"Remember to hit the girl..." A Pimp Named Bowser whispered to Shadow, hands on the hedgehog's shoulders as he looked at Rouge.
"Right..." Shadow would start walking towards Rouge, and he would have to make it past a sea of people to reach the bat. Not a problem.
A fair distance away from where Knuckles and Rouge were was Fox and Krystal, the two seemingly reconnecting for the first time since the cocktails party incident. They were having a normal, healthy conversation, and weren't making each other feel uncomfortable.
"Well, Fox, don't you have anything to tell me?" Krystal asked her man, as she smiled. Now was the time for Fox to do some apologizing.
"Oh yeah, about that letter, right?" questioned Fox, as Krystal nodded her head, wanting to know what Fox would say. "I wrote it mainly because I wanted to apologize for how I was acting, at the cocktail party. Acting inappropriate and such."
"Not that I would want to point fingers, but you did kinda start things...what had gotten into you back there?"
"Truth be told, I was thinking about getting married, and I kinda let it get to my head. I know you aren't ready for it yet, but..."
"I mean, us being married sounds a bit too impromptu, and you were acting a little over ambitious about it. Why not take it one day at a time?"
"I just wasn't being patient...I wanted to accelerate things, but I unintentionally made things worse. And you kinda returned the favor, just a little. Surely you'll forgive me for what I did, right?"
"If you really, truly mean that...then yes, I'll forgive you." Fox grinned, pumping his fist as Krystal smiled. Falco would soon come over to Fox, wrapping his arm around his best friend.
"See man, told ya you and Krystal were great together!" the avian pilot told Fox, interjecting himself into the convo when he shouldn't. That was a major theme for Falco, during the Fox/Krystal melodrama.
"ROUGE...I mean, SKANK, GET YOUR BUM IN THE CAR!"
The party atmosphere suddenly came to a sudden halt, with silence in the ballroom as everyone turned their attention to Shadow. The hedgehog had a firm grasp of Rouge's arm, and was looking at Rouge menacingly.
"Wow Shadow, I didn't know you owned a car!" Knuckles said to the hedgehog, who still had a pretty firm grasp on Rouge's arm. "Also, why did you randomly call my girlfriend a skank?"
"Yeah, Shadow, what has gotten into you?" questioned Rouge, who tried to resist Shadow but to no avail. Shadow's firm grasp was pretty strong.
"You heard me, skank!" Shadow shouted at Rouge, with Master Hand undecided on whether he should intervene or not. Shadow looked back at A Pimp Named Bowser, who seemingly gave the hedgehog a cue.
"Yo Shadow, I think you need to calm down bud," Fox advised the hedgehog, as he walked over to him. Shadow's arm was shaking, as he slowly lifted up his hand, and then two seconds later...SMACK!
"I KNOW YOU'RE THE SEATTLE STALKER ROUGE, DON'T EVEN HIDE IT!"
But, much to Shadow's chagrin, he didn't slap Rouge...instead, he slapped Fox, who got in the way of trying to stop Shadow. Fox shrieked, as he held his face in pain.
"Me, the Seattle Stalker?" scoffed Rouge, acting like it was some kind of hilarious joke. "I don't even know who this Seattle Stalker is! Can someone please explain?"
"Why you little..." growled Fox, as he impulsively threw a left hook at Shadow and sent him to the floor. The pilot would start hurling punches at the defenseless hedgehog, as Falco joined in for no reason.
"Seems like my business is done here..." remarked A Pimp Named Bowser, quickly running out of the ballroom to avoid suspicion while his pupil Shadow continued getting beat up by Fox and Falco. Yusuke and Ike had to step in, and restrain the two friends.
A Pimp Named Bowser: All I wanted to do was to help Shadow overcome Rouge, and his bad girl dependency syndrome! Don't even ask me about his "theory" of Rouge being the Seattle Stalker - thought it was stupid the whole, entire time.
Impa: Something tells me we should've presented our findings last week to Shadow...
A while after the party was over with, Shadow found himself in the fitness center, recuperating from his injuries. Fox, Krystal, Cloud, and Tifa stood at the entrance, looking at Shadow.
"For the record, I only fought Shadow just to protect Krystal," stated Fox, as Krystal smirked at her boyfriend. "Guess you can call it Ultra Instinct."
"Likely story, Fox, likely story..." said Tifa, before turning to Cloud who was cool and collected as always. "Should've saved Shadow from Bowser while you had a chance. Maybe then he wouldn't get beat up later!"
"Shadow didn't really looked like he really needed saving," stated Cloud, knowing that Shadow could save his own self. Futaba, on the other hand... "Besides, I didn't expect him to actually slap someone. He's not known for that kind of stuff."
"No Robin, you don't understand, I was literally pressured into convicting the Seattle Stalker!" Cilan could be heard from down the hallway, as Cloud saw the connoisseur and Robin walking back. The swordsman would chase after the two.
"Oh, so now the details about the court trial start coming back to you..." Robin fired back, in a suspicious tone, as Cloud followed him and Cilan to the foyer. "...and you say this after Rouge got accused for no reason?"
"It's not coincidence, mind you...my brain is finally starting to work with me, it seems! All the important details are coming back to me, one by one!" Robin and Cilan soon reached the foyer, with Cloud keeping a small distance from them.
"How convenient...next thing you know, you're gonna randomly say that the Seattle Stakler is in fact innocent. Aren't you?"
"Come to think of it...yes, I think the Seattle Stalker was innocent! He was innocent all along!" Robin looked at Cilan like he was a crackhead, shaking his head.
"You really are an insane man...now if you excuse, I have to look for a good hiding spot, since someone's bringing Morgan and Marc over. That Sumia...goodbye, weirdo."
And with that, Robin left the foyer, leaving Cilan all alone in the foyer to mope. Cloud would catch up to Tifa, wondering what was going on.
"What were Cilan and Robin talking about just now?" the brunette asked Cloud, who got a good whiff of the conversation at hand.
"Cilan remembered some important details about a court trial he attended," replied Cloud. "A trial for some person called the Seattle Stalker. Apparently Cilan believes that the guy was innocent..."
The Seattle Stalker being innocent was hard for anyone to believe, and evidently Cilan wasn't quite yet ready to be in the minority.