Author's Note:
So ends the Seattle Stalker arc...but before we get to that, some guest reviews:
"Is Cloud gonna get a new roommate like Hope and Vanille or does he have one already? Is Leon from Resident Evil gonna have his Matt Mercer voice or his voice from the RE2 remake? Will Snake and Simon mention the game DreamMix TV World Fighters? (Despite it being a Japan only game) will the Torna flesh eater blades show up? And finally, what are your thoughts on Reggie retiring from Nintendo after 15 years?"
Cloud already has a roommate, a la Link (and Champion Link). Leon will have his Matt Mercer voice. Snake and Simon might drop a DreamMix mention. Don't know about them. And I'll speak about Reggie in the next review response...with the review from PinkKittyRose:
"1. What are your thoughts about Reggie retiring as the president of NoA? Also, what was your reaction to the news, were you sad, surprised, shocked at the news? Are you going to miss him?
2. What are your thoughts of Doug Bowser becoming the new president of NoA? Also, do you think that he would help in NoA's future like the way Reggie did? Do you think the NoA is in good hands when Reggie leaves?"
1. I was shocked at the news, didn't expect Reggie to leave his post so soon. He had a great run, he really did. I will most definitely miss him - wishing him all the best in retirement. His body will always be ready...
2. Doug's last name already belongs to a famous Nintendo villain, so the meme potential is pretty strong. He will be a huge plus for NoA.
Next is Derick Lindsey, asking about Morgana:
"...by the way was it ever established here if Morgana is in his feral form or his anthro form here)?"
I never specified that, did I? Morgana is in his feral form. Though he might've been in anthro form in chapter 95. Could've been an oversight. On to Curious George:
"I've always wondered this but always forget to ask it, why is this story set in Seattle? My guess is you live in Seattle."
Nope, I live in South Carolina. I set the story in Seattle, since Nintendo of America is in Seattle. Another anonymous review I must respond to:
"You should make a chapter where a fire burns down the mansion and multiple characters get injured and Master Hand has to rebuild the mansion.
Sounds dark and tragic, but I like dark and tragic things so I'll give your idea a try. Last up is GreaterDoomerUKI:
"1) So the Seattle stalker is truly a Starfox or Kid Icuras villain. Eh, never played their games so I'll put the Villans as meh.
2) Was everyone sucked in the black hole sent to universe like subspace or the dark world."
1) Fair game; to be honest, I've never played Star Fox or Kid Icarus games either. Though I did try out that Star Fox Zero demo...
2) You'll see where everyone ended up in the opening scene of this chapter.
Episode 167: BlackHole Part 2
Mario laid face-first in the ground, in a material that was easily foreign to the plumber. For a moment, it seemed like Mario was unconscious, knocked out cold - one moment, he and the others got sucked up inside a black hole, and the next...well, no one knew what the end result was.
As the humid air started to permeate around him, Mario continued to lay in the ground, not moving a single inch. It seemed like nothing would bring back the plumber's senses, nothing at all...but Cappy, Mario's trusty hat, was determined to wake up his owner.
"Mario? Mario! Wake up!" Cappy said to the plumber, who was not moving, seemingly lifeless. "You have to wake up!" No matter how much Cappy begged him, Mario would not wake up, not even moving a single centimeter. Almost like Mario was officially down for the count. So Cappy did what he had to do...
...he lifted up Mario's face, and slapped the plumber silly - it was the hardest Cappy had ever slapped. His slap did the trick, as Mario awoke in an instant second and sprung up to his feet.
"Princess-a Peach, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-a to throw the baby in the oven!" Mario blurted out, having his hands shaped as guns with his index fingers out and his thumbs up in the air. The plumber would cool his jets, when he saw familiar faces around him other than Cappy...Falco, Joker, Morgana, Ryuji, Shadow, Impa, Layton, and Captain Falcon.
"You okay there, Mario?" Captain Falcon asked the plumber, who slowly lowered his hands in a very sheepish manner. "Looked like you were taking a long nap there! Who do you think you are, Sleeping Beauty?"
"I wasn't knocked-a out, was I? Last thing I remember, that dumb machine-a opened up a black hole, and sucked everyone-a inside. At least I think that's-a what happened, considering you guys-a are here...but really, was I knocked-a out?"
"We got here just fine - you immediately went to sleep upon arrival," stated Impa, who had her arms folded. "Likely from tiredness and a lack of sleep. Told you good and well not to stay up all night watching television..."
"Not-a my fault - I had missed a funny commercial, and I was up-a all night in the hopes of seeing it again. So don't blame-a me, blame the television-a channel! They're the true-a idiots!"
"So...does anyone have any clue where the heck we are?" asked Ryuji, who was getting the heebie jeebies; he looked around, analyzing his surroundings, and saw nothing but fire and darkness everywhere. Felt like he and the others were stuck in Hell.
"Hmm, if I had to guess..." Layton furrowed his brow, as he stroked his chin in thought. "...this place might be the Underworld. The fire, the grim atmosphere, the demonic structures...literally screams Underworld to me."
Layton: Am I a hundred percent positive that we're stuck in the Underworld. Not entirely - I just remember watching that Hercules movie. Very education film, if you look past the jokes and one-liners...and Danny DeVito.
"WE'RE ALL STUCK IN THE UNDERWORLD?!" panicked Ryuji, as he was pulling on his blonde hair with his hands. "D-Does that mean...does that mean the machine with the black hole KILLED US?!"
"Snap out of it, Ryuji!" frowned Morgana, as he scratched Ryuji's face with the swipe of his claw. Ryuji yelped in pain and turned away, to massage his face. "I'm pretty sure we just got transported here, from the black hole."
"I didn't know that cat could talk," Captain Falcon, who was standing next to Joker, whispered to the young man. "How long have you been keeping this secret?"
"Usually he only talks to me and my friends," replied Joker, not even bothering to answer Captain Falcon's question. "But now, I don't think he has a choice..."
"Even though we're stuck in the Underworld and all, I'm sure there's a way to get outta here," remarked Falco, who wanted out of the Underworld pronto. The avian pilot had things to do. "But where do we even go to?"
"We might as well be stuck here forever..." brooded Shadow, always looking on the negative side of things. Suddenly, the hedgehog looked out far ahead, and saw a castle in the distance. "Is that a castle over there?"
"Why yes, yes, that is a castle!" replied Cappy, as everyone looked at the castle Shadow was pointing at. It was big, and very frightening - looked like a place a demon could call home. "Someone there might show us a way out of the Underworld."
"That's good and all, but who exactly is gonna take us there?" questioned Falco, hoping there was a tour guide around to show everyone the way. With the group at a standstill, Impa looked at Mario, flashing a rare smile.
"I'm sure Mario could show us the way," the Sheikah said, as Mario looked at Impa like she was out of her mind. At first, the plumber felt reluctant, but a second later all that doubt went away. His friends needed someone to lead them out of the Underworld...and that someone, was him.
"Right you are, Impa, right-a you are!" smiled Mario, with Cappy rejoining Mario's head as Mario started walking. "Everyone follow me, and we'll be at the castle in-a no time! No deaths-a guaranteed!"
Everyone started following after Mario, save for Shadow who stayed behind. The hedgehog pulled out that letter he received from the Seattle Stalker in the mail today, reading it one more time...only to realize that it wasn't there!
"Hey Shadow, you coming or what?" Captain Falcon called out to the hedgehog, looking behind him and seeing Shadow all alone. Shadow quickly placed the letter back in his imaginary pocket.
"Coming!" responded Shadow, as he ran quickly after the others. Where could that letter be - did Shadow leave it behind?
Fox: Krystal is still out there somewhere, with the others...just don't know where that black hole took them. Maybe to outer space, maybe to the shadow realm...or maybe into Kirby's stomach, which is a black hole in itself. I won't stop until I get back Krystal...and Falco...even if it means reactivating that stupid machine again. *holds up machine* Stupid button won't even work...
Pit returned from Travis' camper, having played against the otaku in a few video games. As always, Travis came out of top - in every game played against Travis, Pit would usually have the lead, and then do something stupid and give Travis the chance to pull out a victory. A repeated formula that worked greatly in Travis' favor.
When Pit returned to the mansion, he saw Fox outside in the front yard, with Spyro and Hunter. Spyro was breathing fire on the machine, which was placed on the ground, while Hunter was calling someone on Fox's cellphone.
"I've blown fire on this thing for like five minutes...nothing's happening," Spyro said to Fox, after he spat fire all over the machine. "Don't know why fire would even work, but then again, it was your idea..."
"No, it was your idea," corrected Fox, who touched the machine with his finger and pulled his hand back when the heat was too much to bear. "I just approved it, without even thinking. You sure love to breathe fire on just about anything, don't ya..."
"Hello, 9-1-1, the name's Hunter, and my friends were all kidnapped by a dude named Guy Swanson," Hunter spoke into the phone, as Fox facepalmed at the cheetah's goofiness. "...yes, I already called the police, they all laughed at me."
"Gimme back my phone!" Fox snatched his phone away from Hunter, keeping it away from the cheetah. "So sorry about that ma'am, had my phone stolen...sorry you had to hear that...Okay, goodbye."
"Come on man, I was one call away from saving Mario and the others!" Hunter frowned at Fox, who quickly ended the phone call. "They could be in some deep, serious trouble!"
"You say that like anyone would ever take a man named Guy Swanson seriously," stated Spyro, wishing for this whole Guy Swanson shenanigans to end. "A guy who - as I've said many times before - has never existed. And if you bring up Impa one more time..."
"Sup guys, what's going on?" Pit asked, as he approached Spyro, and the others, having eavesdropped a little on their conversation.
"Mario and several others got sucked up inside some black hole...thanks to this machine," explained Fox, as he picked up the machine and showed it to Pit. "Saw the machine summon a black hole earlier today, didn't think much about it...until now."
"You said that's only because the black hole took your girlfriend," stated Spyro, as Fox shot a glare at the purple dragon. "I was just...telling it how it is..."
"I think that's the same machine Sonic was working on last December. I've never seen so dedicated with finishing anything. Other than a chili dog, that is."
"Yeah, but here's the kicker - the Seattle Stalker was sending Sonic machine parts this whole time. Saw the parts in the mail. And I might have a hunch for who the Stalker could possibly be..."
Fox turned the machine to the side, revealing to Pit the text written on the machine:
To: codename 'edgyboy'
From: General of the Underworld Army
(this machine is a product produced and refurnished the Venomian Empire)
"Someone from the Venomian Empire must've built the machine parts, and sent them to the mansion," explained Fox, as Pit found himself stroking his chin at the mere mention of the Underworld Army. "Venom is known for building devious technology. As for who the Stalker might be..."
"Wait a sec, it was sent from the general of the Underworld Army!" concluded Pit, after being in thought for a considerable amount of time. "Which must mean...Mario and the others got sucked into the Underworld!"
Pit: Are mortals allowed to enter the Underworld? I wouldn't know, never seen one before down there. But I have seen a walking eggplant, so there's that.
"Hmm, all things considered...you might very well be on to something, Pit," remarked Fox, shocked and baffled that Pit came to a valid, intelligent conclusion. "But, who's the real Seattle Stalker - the general of the Underworld Army, or the guy who made the machine?"
"Guys, it's pretty clear as day that Guy Swanson created the machine parts by himself," stated Hunter, as Fox and company looked at the cheetah like he was smoking that good stuff. "He's just putting all the blame on two other culprits."
"...come to think of it, there was that letter Dark Pit showed me earlier today," said Pit, completely ignoring Hunter and his foolishness altogether. "He was addressed as 'edgy boy' - the code name on the machine. The writer of the poem said that he had an accomplice, and that he kept in contact with his 'friends' by accident."
"Those friends possibly being Sonic and Shadow..." assumed Fox, trying to piece all the puzzle pieces together. "...everything is starting to come full circle. The Stalker was supposed to send machine parts to Dark Pit, but got him mixed up with Shadow...after getting Shadow mixed up with Sonic!"
"By the sound of it, the Seattle Stalker sounds like a pretty incompetent dude," remarked Spyro, who couldn't for the life of him understand how one could get Sonic, Shadow, AND Dark Pit all mixed up. "Maybe his accomplice was the one pulling the strings."
"Could be - and since the accomplice is a female, it would have to be that general of the Underworld Army. Mainly since I can't think of a single woman from Venom. So, what should we do?"
"You guys go tell Master Hand about the Seattle Stalker and the machine, and everything else," Spyro said to Fox and Pit. "Hunter and I are gonna see if Dr. Wily can get the machine working again. Tell Master Hand everything he needs to know!"
"Sounds like a plan!" So Fox and Pit, and Spyro and Hunter went their separate ways, determined to rescue Mario and company from the Underworld. And as Pit headed to the mansion with Fox, he found a letter lying on the ground, and picked it up...
Inside the mansion, at the fitness center, Frank West was recuperating after being struck in the neck by a tranquilizer dart. The journalist was laying in a flat bed, with Link, Cloud, Marth, Dark Pit, and Pikachu around to keep him company. Leia was tending to Frank's needs.
"How long do I have to end up like this?" Frank asked Leia, with his entire body feeling completely numb. The poor guy couldn't move a single muscle. "I gotta catch at least one more news scoop before my time in Seattle ends!"
"You'll be up and running again before the end of the day," assured Leia, although her answer didn't give Frank that much confidence. "Just gotta take some more medicine, and you'll be good to go!"
"Okay, but can you please give me medicine that actually tastes good? Last thing I'd want is a bad aftertaste, especially given how my mouth feels..."
Frank: If medicine is supposed to be good for you, then why did God have to make it taste so awful?
"The more medicine you take, the better your mouth will feel," said Leia, with Frank unable to agree with that logic. The journalist grumbled, as he hopelessly looked up at the ceiling. "It'll be over sooner than you know it!"
"Define sooner..." grumbled Frank, as Leia left the patient room to fetch some medicine for Frank. After Leia had left, Cloud glanced at Dark Pit, seeing the doppelganger holding a slip of paper in his hand.
"Hey Dark Pit, you never showed us that paper in your hand," Cloud told the doppelganger, who looked at the letter he had in his possession. "Do you mind showing us what it is?"
"Uh, no, I was gonna ask you guys about it before Frank got struck," replied Dark Pit, as he unraveled his letter and showed it to Cloud and company:
Greetings, my friend!
Or, as my associate calls you...edgy boy.
Really hate writing that...
I don't believe we've ever met before,
But I've met your other friends, in the past.
Just by mere accident. My apologies.
I wanted to let you know that we'll be meeting each other soon...
...me and the girl that I've been working in cooperation with, in secret.
She's a girl that has known you for quite a long time.
This whole thing...it was her idea, mostly.
And she let me take all the credit...sadly.
Sorry for not contacting you earlier.
I am looking forward to our meeting!
Best regards,
The Seattle Stalker
"Hold up, the Seattle Stalker thinks that you're edgy?" Link asked Dark Pit, this was apparently his first takeaway from reading the letter. "You sure this letter wasn't meant for Cloud?'
"Link..." Cloud frowned at his best friend, putting fear in the Hylian's eyes. Link giggled innocently, not wanting to get on Cloud's bad side.
Link: Yup...I think Cloud is a definitive edgy boy. Poor guy can't even take a joke to save his life. I'd hate to see him in full center at a roast session.
"Reading this letter, I can assume that the Seattle Stalker must've gotten Dark Pit mixed up...with Shadow and Sonic," inferred Marth, wondeirng how such a mix-up was even possible. "Dark Pit, you were the Stalker's true target this whole time!"
"I guess I must really be that popular," shrugged Dark Pit, who still had a pretty uneasy feeling. "Though I have no clue what the Stalker even wants with me...or who his 'associate' even is."
"Dang nab it...now I can't even remember the Seattle Stalker's name," frowned Frank, as he buried his face in his hands. "It was in my head a while ago, then that stupid dart got me and know I can't remember anything. Must be the work of magic!"
"Wait...what if the Stalker's accomplice was someone from the Underworld?" assumed Link, making sense of the situation. "Someone from down there might be out trying to get to Dark Pit."
"Only two I can think of is Medusa and Pandora," said Dark Pit, before making a disgusted scowl with his face. "Pit thinks Pandora has a crush on me, and wants to make me her girlfriend..."
"Didn't you say that Pandora created you, with a mirror?" asked Cloud, finding the prospect of Pandora being in love with Dark Pit to be very...unpleasing. "It would have to be Medusa. But then again, Medusa is far from being a girl..."
"Hello, Frank, you here?" a voice called out, as a certain connoisseur came in; it was Cilan, who was eager to see Frank. "Mr. Frank West, hello! I've been told that you got hurt in the mansion."
"Hey Cilan...I see you're your usual happy self again," greeted Frank, slowly turning his head to face Cilan. "Yep, I've been hit...I was about to reveal to those fellas over there who the Seattle Stalker was, and then I got tranquilized! And now, I got memory loss."
"Funny, same thing happened to me too - I was about to tell a few of my acquaintances about the trial, and then some tranquilizer dart hit me. I forgot some details regarding the trial, but it's slowly coming back to me..."
"Cilan, you know this guy?" Marth asked the connoisseur about Frank, who slowly turned his head back so he could look up at the ceiling. "Also, weren't you supposed to be interrogated by Layton and Impa at Mario's home?"
"Frank and I met at the courthouse, when he was covering the trial. Met after the trial was over with. As for the interrogation, Shadow stopped by Mario's place and everyone ignored me, so I sneaked my way out of the house so I could cook some dinner."
"I don't blame you for doing that in the slightest," grinned Link, grateful that he didn't have to put up with Palutena's awful cooking. "So, since you and Frank both got tranquilized, does ANYONE know who the Seattle Stalker is?"
"I was thinking about the Stalker last night...and I think it's finally coming back to me." Just what Link and company need to hear, as everyone was anticipating Cilan's response. "The Seattle Stalker, if my memory serves me correct, was..."
"Aha, I see it! Saw it coming from a mile away...you're going down, you monster!"
Cilan was interrupted, as Shulk was heard shouting out nonsense from the fitness center. What followed afterwards was the sound of Shulk running, followed by a very loud thud that could've came from the hallway.
"What was that all about..." wondered Cilan, desiring to know what Shulk could've possibly gotten himself into. "Frank, we'll be right back!" Cilan and the others left the room, just when Leia came back with some medicine.
"Guys, where are you going?" Leia asked Cilan and company, who did not respond as they made their exit. Leia shrugged it off as she approached Frank, who turned and looked at Leia with reluctant eyes.
Cilan and company left the fitness center and arrived in the hallway, where they saw Shulk on top of a purple creature, holding their hands behind their back. The creature struggled to resist Shulk's hold, as Rex and Mythra were looking on.
"Need any assistance, Shulk?" Mythra asked the Homs - what a silly question to ask, considering the stranglehold Shulk had on the purple creature's hands.
"No thanks Mythra, I got the culprit right where I want him!" replied Shulk, holding the purple creature down to the floor. That purple creature had a name, and its name was the Eggplant Wizard...a vital member of the Underworld Army.
Shulk: Saw it with my Vision, the tranquilizer dart...I was in the fitness center, walking and minding my own business, when I saw something coming towards my way with the corner of my eye. Using my vision, I saw the dart, dodged it in time, and deflected it unto the floor with my Monado blade. Then I looked towards the door, and I saw that one-eyed wizard guy, strangely holding a tranquilizer gun...evidently I had to deal with him. He didn't get that far.
"Let...go of me!" the Eggplant Wizard commanded of Shulk, with the tranquilizer gun Shulk spoke of a few feet away. Rex walked over to the gun, and picked it up.
"How weird for a wizard to be walking around with a gun like this," the swordsman remarked, as he inspected the gun - before spotting something written on the gun's nozzle that made him furrow his brow. "'Product of the Venomian Army'?"
"No! Pay no attention to that, it's false, senseless advertising. I don't know why that's on there!" The Eggplant Wizard suddenly yelped in pain, as Shulk tightened his grip on the wizard's wrists.
"Who are you working for?" Shulk asked the Eggplant Wizard, who refused to spill any information. "I know you're working for someone! How else would a guy like you get that gun?"
"I got it from a friend, on the street! The Overworld people are nice, I tell you what. Nicest folk around." Shulk refused to believe that, as he tightened his grip on the Eggplant Wizard.
"Do I really have to force some answers out of ya?" Shulk looked behind him, and saw Cilan and company standing around. Pikachu was there, and knew what to expect when Shulk looked at him. "Pikachu, can you come over for a sec?"
"Pika pika!" replied Pikachu, as he ran over to Shulk. Shulk took out some string out of his pocket and tied up the Eggplant Wizard's hands with it, before getting off of the Eggplant Wizard and putting Pikachu on top of him.
"What are you doing...what is that thing on my back?!" the Eggplant Wizard panicked, feeling Pikachu crawling all over him. Made him feel very anxious. "Get if off!"
"Oh, I'll take it off...when you tell us what we need to know," replied Shulk, as the Eggplant Wizard gritted his teeth in frustration. "Who are you working for?"
"You nosy brat...why do you wanna now so badly? Got a book you're trying to write? Or you just love sticking your nose up people's business?"
"Pikachu...use Thunderbolt." Heeding Shulk's command, Pikachu unleashed his signature move on the Eggplant Wizard, unleashing his electricity upon the walking vegetable. The Eggplant Wizard screamed in pain, as he banged his fists on the floor.
"Okay, okay, I admit, I admit it! I'm working for the Seattle Stalker! He's the one who gave me the tranquilizer dart, to protect his identity!"
"That's good...but what is the Seattle Stalker's name? Can you tell us who it is?"
"Do I really have to tell you?" Pikachu electrocuted the Eggplant Wizard once more, making him scream in pain. "HIS NAME...HIS NAME IS ANDROSS!"
"Andross?" reacted Dark Pit, as he cringed just a little. "He was the one who's been trying to target me this whole time?!"
"Andross was the one who built the machine parts and everything...he sent them to the mansion, hoping that the right person would put the machine together...but he didn't realize that the wrong person was receiving the machine parts until now."
"I think we've heard enough information from you," Shulk said to the Eggplant Wizard, before looking back at Cilan and company. "We should totally tell Master Hand about this guy."
"As a juror for Andross' court trial, I shall do the honors!" announced Cilan, as he walked away, beaming with pride with a little pep in his step. "Ah, I finally remembered who the Seattle Stalker was...knew it would come back to me."
Inside Master Hand's room, Fox and Pit were already telling Master Hand about the machine, and how it sucked Mario and company inside a black hole. After hearing the story, Master Hand had some questions to ask.
"You say your girlfriend taken away by the black hole, yet you didn't do anything to save her?" Master Hand questioned Fox, asking the pilot and Pit about the victims sucked in by the black hole. "What a horrible boyfriend you are!"
"I was holding unto Krystal's hand for dear life...but it wasn't enough, the winds were too strong," replied Fox, who didn't appreciate being called a horrible boyfriend. Especially after all the drama he recently endured. "She slipped out of my hand, just like that."
"Likely story, Mr. McCloud...also, how did Sonic get sucked in the black hole? Could he have outran out or something? Guess he's really not the fastest thing alive, it was all a myth!"
"Sadly the black hole got him too - he was the fastest he has ever ran, and he still got sucked in. That black hole didn't pull any punches!"
"Master Hand, if you mind, I want you to read this..." Pit approached the giant hand, pulling out a letter - the very letter he spotted outside, on the ground. "It's a letter from someone I think you know..."
"Open up the letter, let me see...the Seattle Stalker? Well, I don't know him personally, but I know his moniker, so that makes up for it, I guess. What did he say?"
Squinting his nonexistent eyes, Master Hand took a very close look at the letter presented to him...
Hello friend!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
But I somehow got you mixed up with someone else.
First I sent notes and machine parts to a guy that looks like you,
And then I realized my mistake and sent notes to a guy who is...you.
But no worries, your lookalike friend already took care of the first part.
The second part will commence, once our intended target turns the machine on.
Who is our target, you ask? We'll just call him...edgy boy.
Or at least that's what my accomplice calls him anyways.
We'll explain everything later, perhaps.
But for now, sorry for the big inconvenience.
Goodbye!
"I don't understand...how is it even possible to get Sonic and Shadow mixed up?" wondered Master Hand, feeling a sudden need to laugh at the Seattle Stalker - or actually, Andross' - stupidity. "THEY'RE BOTH DIFFERENT COLORS!"
"I mean it did happen before - so it might as well happen again," shrugged Pit, as Fox took the letter from the angel and read it for himself. "I've personally made the same mistake a hundred times before."
Pit: It's funny, really - I've been trying to act friendlier with Sonic by being cool, so whenever I see Sonic around, I'd be all like, "What's Gucci, fam?!" - mainly because I don't know the difference between the chocolate and the leather purses - and then Sonic would smile at me. Said that to Shadow one day...it was sunny outside, and there was a lot of shade, and i just didn't see Shadow clearly. Instead of the smile that Sonic would give me, Shadow just pitied me for the rest of his day.
Fox: Where did Pit find this letter? How come I never saw this until now?
"Master Hand, I've got the biggest news!" shouted Cilan, as he barged his way inside Master Hand's room. "I finally remembered who the Seattle Stalker was!"
"Oh, is this the part where you're about to say the guy's name, and some dart hits you in the neck and you fall unconscious, like last time?" asked Master Hand, expecting that tranquilizer dart to hit at any minute. If only he knew. "Go ahead, tell me who it is..."
"I'm positive you'll be surprised by who it is..." Cilan cleared his throat, ready to reveal the identity of the Seattle Stalker to Master Hand and others. "...the Seattle Stalker, was none other than...Andross!"
"YES, I KNEW IT!" cheered Fox, as he pumped his fist and grinned, before seeing Cilan and Pit giving him weird looks. The pilot regained his normal composure, acting like nothing ever happened.
"It was Andross this whole time...the name finally returned to my memory banks, after all this time. He was the one who got caught sending threatening messages to the mansion, to Dark Pit, his true target...it was all him."
"And it was thanks to this wizard guy that we knew what Andross was up to," stated Shulk, showing up at Master Hand's room with the tied up Eggplant Wizard; he had heard Cilan speaking from a couple of feet away. "This one-eyed freak gave away the Stalker's identity."
"Shulk what are you doing, I'm trying to look good in front of Master Hand...I gotta show off how great my memory really is."
"Remembering someone's name has nothing to do with having a great memory, Cilan." Shulk left Cilan to pout, as the Homs approached Master hand with the Eggplant Wizard in tow. "This is the guy who made Mario, Peach, and Cilan lose their memory, Master Hand."
"Ah, so it was you this whole time..." Master Hand looked at the Eggplant Wizard, making the walking vegetable squirm and shake in fright. Master Hand got real close to him - too close for comfort.
"Master Hand, if you mind, Pit and I are gonna have to go," Fox said to the giant hand, who was too busy looking at the Eggplant Wizard. "Gonna see if Spyro and Hunter got that machine working again."
"You boys are free to go...I just need some 'alone time' with this pipsqueak cyclops over here." Heeding Master Hand's instruction, Fox and Pit left the room, and Shulk and Cilan left as well. Cilan closed the door, leaving the poor Eggplant Wizard alone with Master Hand.
"Y-You're not gonna k-k-kill me, are you?" the Eggplant Wizard asked Master Hand, shivering in fear. He would shiver even more, when Master Hand pointed his index finger at his face.
"I will let you go free, but only if you do me one little thing...tell me EVERYTHING I need to know..."
Fox and Pit arrived at the Assist Tower, heading down to the basement. Since Spyro and Hunter likely asked Dr. Wily to fix the machine.
"I hear a lot of commotion from downstairs," remarked Pit, climbing down the stairs with Fox, as he heard multiple voices. "Maybe Spyro and Hunter came at a pretty bad time?"
"Why do I hear Timmy and Tommy's voice..." Fox furrowed his brow, able to discern the voices coming from the basement. "...I know Tom Nook got banned from the mansion, but I didn't know his...erm, nephews, got booted too. Guess that explains why I...haven't seen them..."
Fox and Pit showed up at the basement, where they saw Spyro, Hunter, Dr. Wily, and the Professor...and to their surprise, Tom Nook, Timmy, and Tommy. Fox and Pit were definitely shocked to see the latter three.
"Fox, Pit, welcome!" greeted the Professor, who had a backpack at his feet. Looked like the mole stopped by the tower for a visit. "You're just in time - Dr. Wily and I are about done with fixing this machine."
"Long time no see, fellas," Tom Nook greeted Fox and Pit, as Dr. Wily worked on the machine with the Professor on a desk. "Hopefully you didn't miss me as much."
"I thought you were banned from the mansion!" said Pit as he pointed at Tom Nook, leading the tanoki to chuckle. Tom Nook sipped from his mug, which read "Born in the USA"; he definitely burrowed that mug from Guile.
"The mansion, yes, and its premises too...however, Master Hand didn't say that I was banned from the tower, or its premises. His words, not mine. I've been hiding down here in the basement, for my own good, until my ban is over."
Tom Nook: Remember, dear children: context is always key. Context can save lives.
"Did Crazy Hand know you and your nephews were down in the basement?" asked Fox, not entirely sure if Timmy and Tommy were Tom Nook's nephews. To be fair, hardly anyone knew.
"Can't say he does - I sneaked inside the tower in the middle of the night," replied Tom Nook, before taking another sip from his mug. "Gray Fox let me in - told me that Crazy Hand hardly ever visits the basement. So I just...stayed down here."
"Gray Fox even promised to keep our presence a secret," added Timmy and Tommy, speaking in complete unison. Enough to make Fox and Pit feel intimidated.
"Really, the only interaction I ever have down here, aside from Timmy and Tommy, is with Dr. Wily whenever he shows up. And the Professor, whenever he stops by to pay a visit. The Professor said he's been doing some research around the city."
"The city isn't Dragon Shores, as Hunter told me it was, but it sure is ripe for studying!" exclaimed the Professor, as Spyro looked at Hunter and frowned. Hunter sure did a good job at misleading his friends.
"One more wire and...we're done!" announced Dr. Wily, having finished with the machine after working on the last wire. The robot inventor picked up the machine, checking to see if everything was put together. "Machine should be working again."
"Thanks Dr. Wily, we'll take it," thanked Fox, as Dr. Wily handed the machine to the pilot. "We'll just turn it on, at the right time. That black hole is truly something else, believe me..."
"We've added a little mechanic to the machine...if you press the button again, it will summon the black hole, and bring you back to town, safe and sound," the Professor informed Fox. "But I must ask...where does this black hole lead to?"
"Pit thinks it sends you to the Underworld, since the machine was sent from someone down there. Mario and a couple of others are stuck down there, so we're gonna have to rescue them."
"You need someone to tag along with you?" asked Tom Nook; a group of Fox, Pit, Spyro, and Hunter sounded capable, but more bodies might be required. "The Underworld sounds like a pretty dangerous place!"
"I think you should come along, Tom Nook," suggested Pit, as Tom Nook widened his eyes and shook his head no. "Think about it - you help us save Mario and friends, and then we'll let you take all the credit and tell Master Hand what you did, and BOOM! Back in the mansion! Master Hand really loves heroics."
"Highly doubt that would work - Master Hand won't let me back in until he finds a new Lamborghini. Also, what if he doesn't even believe me? He couldn't even believe that I baked that lasagna everyone loved, by myself."
"We can do our best to convince him," replied Fox, as Tom Nook mulled over his options. Rescuing Mario and friends - but especially Mario - would be a great way for the tanoki to earn Master Hand's trust.
"Alright...I'm in. But I'm not doing anything heavy, okay? I'm just coming along for the ride. A meager tanoki like me could easily get killed in the Underworld."
"Awesome! Now we need a few others to come along, in case we have to throw some hands in the Underworld. Who do we need, who do we need..."
Thanks to Leia's medicine, Frank West was feeling much better, as he was able to walk around freely and whatnot. The journalist left the fitness center, later joined by Link, Cloud, Marth, Dark Pit, and Cilan.
"Where have you boys been, you left me all alone with that dumb nurse and her horrible-tasting medicine!" Frank frowned at Cilan and company, still trying to get the taste of the medicine out of his mouth. "How can you let me suffer like that?"
"We found out who the identity of the Seattle Stalker was," replied Cloud - not the kind of response Frank was expecting, but it was still a response regardless.
"You found out who the Seattle Stalker was without even needing ME?! Boy, do I feel flattered! Shouldn't even have to come here in the first place! Waste of time!"
Frank: Why did I stop by in the first place? Because I wanted to ask the new homeowners in town about anything noteworthy that happened locally. Either that, or have them create a crazy news story, just to the Seattle Times can leave me the heck alone.
"Well who is it, who was the Seattle Stalker?" asked Frank as he put his hands on his hips, waiting for a response. "Better not be lying to me..."
"The Seattle Stalker...was Andross, from the planet of Venom!" Cilan proudly answered, as Frank looked at the connoisseur and gave a slight chuckle. Of course Cilan knew - he was at the trial!
"Oh, hey there Cilan...didn't really see ya there. Those pretty boys must've distracted me. Looking like they came straight out of an anime show or something."
"For the record, we're just gonna pretend Frank never said that," Cloud said to Link, Marth, and Dark Pit, who shared the swordsman's sentiments. Cloud found being called a "pretty boy" to be very off-putting.
"Cloud, Cloud, I need to speak to you Cloud!" Shulk called out, as he hurriedly ran down the hallway to greet Cloud. "Sorry if I'm holding you up. Are you busy?"
"Not in particular, I was just speaking with Mr. Frank West here." Shulk looked at Frank, who smiled and waved at the Homs. "He's a friend of Cilan's believe it or not. So what's up?"
"Fox needs someone to go with him to the Underworld, since Mario, Krystal, and several others are stuck down there. He called me and asked if I was interested, but I told him I got things to do with Fiora. Can you cover for me?"
"Actually...I think all of us can cover for you." Cilan looked at the dudes behind him, who were totally down with heading to the Underworld. "We'll go get our weapons and stuff - tell Fox we'll meet him shortly."
"Cool beans; I'll send him a text and let him know. Thanks so much, you guys!"
Mario guided his group to the castle in the Underworld, having braved through a bunch of monsters and baddies to get there. Everyone soon arrived at the castle, stopping at the very main entrance. At the entrance were three statues, of Twinbellows, Hedraw, and Pandora. Oh, and there was even a hot spring, too.
"Hey guys, hop on in, the water's nice!" Falco called out to Mario and company, relaxing in the hot spring. Didn't even bother taking his clothes off. "Very calm and relaxing, too!"
"Get outta there Falco, we got some-a friends to save," ordered Mario, as Falco did as he was told and left the hot spring. He rejoined the group, who were looking for a way inside the castle. "Anyone got-a any ideas?"
"Stand back, I got this..." Captain Falcon alerted the others as he approached one of the three doors at the entrance, cracking his knuckles. The racer mustered all the power inside of him... "Falcon...PUNCH!" ...and delivered a Falcon Punch to the door. The door would fall down after such a devastating punch, right?
Well...it didn't. It withstood the punch, making Captain Falcon very ticked. The door's endurance made the racer look real bad.
"Okay then...I'll just try Falcon Punching the other doors," grumbled Captain Falcon, as he walked over to the door on his left. Mario couldn't afford to wait on Captain Falcon, and actually knock a single door down.
"Anyone else got any ideas-a for getting inside?" Mario asked the others, who were left stumped. They really couldn't do anything - not like they could easily bring a door down with the strength of a battering ram. However, there was one person Mario could depend on...and that was Shadow.
"You think I should give it a shot?" Shadow asked Mario, who was looking at the hedgehog with almost pleading eyes. Sighing, Shadow dug into his imaginary pocket, and pulled out a Chaos Emerald as he walked towards the center door.
"Don't waste your time, Shadow, I got it all covered," Captain Falcon assured the hedgehog, walking by after his efforts to bring down the other door were futile. "Not like your silly Chaos Control is any more powerful than..."
"CHAOS...CONTROL!" Shadow unleashed Chaos Control on the door, emitting a power strong enough to break the door wide open. Captain Falcon was left shook.
"...my Falcon...Punch." Captain Falcon's mouth was left agape, as Mario and the others walked inside the castle through the now fully open doorway.
"Told you that stupid move was overrated..." Ryuji sneered at the still agape Captain Falcon, as Impa came over to Falcon and dragged the racer inside the castle.
Falco: I'm telling you man, this hot spring is the bomb! It's weird, because I had this nasty cut on my hand, before entering the hot spring...and after I got out, the cut went away! I'm gonna stay in this hot spring forever, or at least until I become healthy and immortal.
Cappy: Falco, where are you man?!
Falco: Uh...I was speaking with Katt, I'm comin'! *hops out of the hot spring*
Falco returned to the castle entrance...dumbfounded by the fact that Mario and others were outside the castle, rather than being in it. That was because they were dealing with a robot, and a big one at that. It was called the Underworld Guardian.
"That robot thing tried to attack us when we stepped foot inside the castle," Cappy explained to Falco, with the others on the offensive. Save for Layton, who was holding back. "So we gotta give it the business!"
"Or we can just head on inside the castle and ignore the robot," suggested Falco, who really wasn't in the mood for fighting. Being in that hot spring was his number one priority. "You people are so easily..."
Falco couldn't finish his sentence, for the Underworld Guardian fired a fireball at the avian pilot. Falco shrieked as he jumped out of the way. Nobody interrupted Falco and expected to get away with it.
"Okay mister, you asked for it!" frowned Falco, as he took out his Blaster and fired shots at the Underworld Guardian. None of his shots did anything. "Eh...dumb Blaster might not work in the Underworld."
"Why not use Cappy to capture this thing?" Impa suggested to Mario, knowing that Cappy could capture just about anything. Including a T-Rex, of all things.
"Good-a thinking!" replied Mario, as he took Cappy and tossed him at the Underworld Guardian's head...only for the Guardian to swat Cappy down to the ground. "...It was-a worth a shot."
"A very painful shot at that..." remarked Cappy, as he laid on the ground. Mario came over to pick up the talking hat. "I'm just a hat, how am I able to feel pain..."
Right after Mario placed Cappy on his head, the plumber soon was caught by surprise...when a spinning blue ball flew overheard, striking the Underworld Guardian and sending it down into a chasm. Everyone was surprised, as this spinning blue ball landed on the ground, revealing itself to be...
"Sonic!" Layton uttered the hedgehog's name, as Sonic wished his name was said by someone cooler. "You are most certainly a welcome surprise."
"Yes, a welcome surprise indeed..." remarked Joker, before noticing something in Sonic's hand. "...is that a chili dog you got there, Sonic?"
"You expected me to come to this place on an empty stomach?" frowned Sonic, before taking a bite out of his chili dog. "Like I'm ever gonna starve to death!"
Sonic: I literally carry an emergency chili dog around in my pocket, whenever my tummy's calling for food. Doesn't make my pocket any messy, since I don't really...have a pocket to begin with. I just...put the chili dog where my pocket would be, and...that's that!
"Sonic, how did you get here, were you inside that castle?" Impa asked the hedgehog, who just finished off his chili dog. Too bad Sonic didn't have another emergency chili dog in his pocket.
"Yeah, I was...though I wasn't in there the whole time," replied Sonic, as he licked the chili off his gloves. "I was outside the castle, minding my own business, when that robot thing caught me and threw me inside the castle. That's when I landed in a cage, with the others. You guys could've been next, if not for me!"
"That's good, but how did-a you escape?" asked Mario; seemed like Sonic was never captured at all, and was sprinting around the castle at free will. "Escaping from a cage must-a not have been easy."
"Some lady was guarding the cage, and I asked her if I could leave the cage to use the restroom. When in actuality, I needed some mustard for my chili dog. So I left the cage, looking for some condiments, and my search took me...here."
"So you basically deserted the others, for petty reasons..." said Shadow, as he shook his head in disappointment at Sonic. "...how very typical of you."
"But on another note, the Seattle Stalker is in the castle, keeping watch of the others." This surprised everyone, for two reasons - one, the Stalker was in the Underworld, and two, Sonic acknowledged the Stalker's existence after weeks of doubt. "I can show you guys who it is! Follow me, I know a shortcut!"
With Sonic leading Mario and company to the whereabouts of the Seattle Stalker - who was Andross - Fox, Pit, Spyro, and Hunter were outside with Cloud and company, ready to head down to the Underworld. Everyone was equipped and ready.
"Surprised you're coming to the Underworld with us, Frank," Cilan said to the journalist, who had a baseball bat with him. Albeit a bloodied one.
"The prosecutors said that Andross had an accomplice with him, so I just wanna see who this accomplice is," stated Frank, wielding his bat like a G. Usually Frank used that bat to beat up zombies.
"Using a bat, I see...as for myself, I'll let my Simisage do all the fighting for me. He's my go-to for situations like these."
"Hey Link, are you heading out somewhere?" a female voice called out to Link, who was making poses with his Master Sword. Link stopped and turned around, spotting Leaf. "Got something I want to give to you."
"I'm not heading out just yet, but you can give me your little gift," replied Link, always in the giving...erm, receiving mood. Link believed that was expected of him, what with being the hero of Hyrule.
"Wouldn't say it's a gift but...it's the thought that counts." Leaf pulled out an item from behind her back...Link's fishing rod, which was fixed. Link's eyes widened at the sight of his repaired fishing rod.
"Oh wow...thank you very much, Leaf." Link accepted his repaired fishing rod from Leaf, holding the rod in his hands and smiling at it. "And here I thought my fishing rod would be broken forever!"
"Good luck catching that Dragonair!" Leaf winked at Link, who was taken back by Leaf's statement, as the Pokemon trainer returned to the mansion.
Leaf: I know that Link's gonna catch that Dragonair soon. He just has to be patient, that's all.
"Thanks again for coming, really appreciate it," Fox thanked Cloud, who was wielding his Buster Sword and wondering why the group hasn't left yet. "Spyro and Sparx, I don't mind, but if I had to be stuck in the Underworld with Pit and Hunter..."
"Eh, don't mention it, we're just doing you a favor," replied Cloud, starting to feel bored as time passed by. "Are we waiting on someone?"
"Sorry I'm late, boys...had to get the Professor a glass of water. Fixing a glass without getting caught was pretty hard..."
Tom Nook walked over to the group from the tower, and everyone not named Fox, Pit, Spyro, and Hunter was shocked to see the tanoki again. Tom Nook fastened his tie, as he joined the men.
"Tom Nook?" Dark Pit uttered the tanoki's name, like he was seeing a ghost. "Weren't you...banned from the mansion, by Master Hand?"
"Banned from the mansion, yes...but Master Hand never said I was banned from the tower," replied Tom Nook, revealing to Dark Pit and company a loophole he found around Master Hand's words. "So that's were I stayed, until my time was up. Stayed in the basement, just to be safe."
"We saw Tom Nook with Timmy and Tommy at the tower, and Tom agreed to go with us to the Underworld," Fox explained to Cloud. "Gonna let him take all the credit, so he can tell MH about his 'heroic deed' and end his ban."
"Sounds like a pretty good plan," remarked Cloud, as he nodded his head. "Considering Tom got banned just because some stranger wrecked Master Hand's Lamborghini. Pretty stupid ban, if you ask me..."
"Is everyone ready to head down to the Underworld?" Pit asked the others, holding the machine. Everyone nodded their heads. "Okay, let's do this!"
Pit placed the machine on the ground and pressed the red button, summoning the black hole. Around that time, a Hocotate spaceship landed near Marth's home, as Hocotate Freight member Charlie exited the spaceship. He saw Pit and company get sucked inside the black hole, and saw the black hole disappear afterwards...poor Charlie was never so shocked and dumbfounded in his entire life.
"And they said that black holes were only in outer space..." the astronaut remarked, ready to faint at any moment.
Back in the Underworld, Sonic was leading Mario and company through the castle, taking them through a "shortcut" he found while looking for mustard. To the others, it didn't feel like a shortcut...
"How much longer, this shortcut's been taking hours..." moaned Ryuji, who was tired of walking. His legs were ready to give up at any minute.
"What do you expect, you bum, we're in a castle!" retorted Sonic, disgusted by how tired and out-of-shape Ryuji was. Made speedsters like him sick to the core. "What you thought this was, a small house?"
"Hold on, is that a light at the end of the hallway?" asked Morgana, perched atop Joker's shoulder as he saw a light down yonder. "Is the Seattle Stalker over there?""
"I mean, why else would there be a conspicuous light for? C'mon guys, pick up the pace - do you wanna see the Seattle Stalker or not?"
So Mario and company picked up the pace, as they followed after Sonic and ran down the hallway. At the very end of the hallway, they walked through the light, entering therein...
...and ended up in a large room, one fitting for a villain. As everyone except for Sonic looked around, Mario looked up...and saw a cage, full of people, just as Sonic earlier described. Said cage was hanging from a chain.
"Mario!" Peach called out to her husband, grabbing the attention of everyone in Mario's crew. "I'm so glad you're safe and sound! Yet you look so tiny, from up here..."
"Look everyone, it's the guy who deserted us!" Ann, also in the cage, pointed at Sonic. Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, Tails, Krystal, Luke, Lana, and Linkle were the others trapped inside the cage. "Knew you didn't have to use the restroom!"
"But I did bring the others with me, so we can bust you guys out," Sonic defended himself, checking his other imaginary pocket for an emergency chili dog. "So at least I was good for something!"
"There'll be no one busting anyone out of anything...as long as I'M around!"
A pedestal in the center of the room descended, revealing someone on top. It was a monkey of some sort, wearing a dark robe and holding a staff in his hand. Falco was quick to recognize who this primate was.
"I know that guy...that's Andross!" the avian pilot shouted, as the monkey on the pedestal, Andross, laughed at the mention of his own name.
"Ah, I see you've brought me some more guests...strongly appreciated, Sonic!" Andross said to the hedgehog, before letting out another laugh. Just because he felt like it. Evil villains loved evil laughs.
"Purely unintentional!" stated Sonic, as Falco took out his Blaster. Falco went through war with Andross many times before in the past, and he would go through war with him again.
"And you've brought Shadow the Hedgehog with you...pleased to meet you, Shadow. Sorry for sending you those letters and notes - I got you mixed up with the wrong person."
"So you were the one, this whole time!" Shadow pointed at Andross, who flashed an evil, devious smile. "You were the Seattle Stalker!"
"Yes, you got me, it was me all along...I've been doing some spying, while I was on earth, until I got caught. Stupid police...but the whole spying thing wasn't my idea. It was the idea of someone else's. My accomplice - the mastermind behind it all!"
All of a sudden, a cage was dropped from below and landed on top of Mario and company, trapping them inside. Mario grabbed the cage bars - like that would solve anything - as a girly laugh was heard.
"What's this I hear, some more guests in the Underworld? Please tell me Dark Pit is one of them..."
Appearing from the shadows of the room was a blue-haired goddess, approaching Mario and company with a hand on her hip. She looked sassy and fierce - and very pretty, on top of that.
"That's the woman who trapped me in the cage with the others," Sonic explained to Mario and company, pointing at the goddess. "What was your name again?" Sonic asked the goddess.
"Ugh, not again...for the last time, my name, is Pandora," the goddess said her name, speaking as if she had to repeat it a thousand times. It was Amazon Pandora, if we were being technical. "I'm Pandora. Have you got it memorized now?"
"Pandora?" uttered Layton, obviously meeting Pandora for the first time. It was a first meeting for the rest of Mario's crew. "Were you working Andross, during this whole Seattle Stalker thing?"
"Yup! It was me - this whole scheme was my idea! I proposed it to Andross, and he was nice enough to carry it out for me! What would I do without him..."
"Woman practically came to me while I was chatting with Hades," added Andross; everyone found that Hades bit to be very amusing, and Andross could tell. "Hades and I, we have...a bit of a friendship going on...it's a long story."
"Enough chit chat from you, Andross...let me do all the talking," Pandora said to the monkey, before walking over to Mario. The goddess smiled, as she placed her hands on her cheeks. "So, tell me...where's Dark Pit?"
Dark Pit: For Pit and I, this isn't our first rodeo in the Underworld together. Pit has grown a lot since our last escapade...from a stupid boy, to a slightly stupid boy. (Might be exaggerating.) Not expecting Pit to change too much this time around, but if he sticks out of my business, we'll get along just fine...
With Sonic having taken out the Underworld Guardian, Fox and his men were able to access the castle without any hassle. However, they did have to deal with a few baddies, since they didn't use Sonic's special shortcut.
"Simisage, use Solar Beam!" commanded Cilan, as his Simisage unleashed Solar Beam on a few Underworld monsters. Spyro flew overheard, dousing fire and taking out monsters left and right.
"I feel...so out of place..." said Tom Nook, shuddering in fear as he saw Link, Cloud, and Marth beating up monsters with their swords. Fox was firing with his Blaster when he saw Tom Nook, looking afraid.
"Yo, Hunter, get Tom Nook and take him somewhere safe!" Fox called out, as Hunter - who wasn't doing anything - ran over to Tom Nook and picked him up.
"Don't worry Tom, you're safe with me!" Hunter assured the tanoki, who honestly wasn't feeling that safe. Considering he was with Hunter. "Let's head up those stairs!" Hunter ran up the stairs, and rested at the very top.
"Ah, yes, I feel much more comfortable from here," Tom Nook sighed in relief, looking down and seeing Pit, Dark Pit, and Frank fend off the monsters. "Thank you, Hunter, for saving me."
"Just doing my job!" Hanging out with Tom Nook at the top of the stairs, Hunter turned around...and saw an opening through a wall. Curious, Hunter looked through this opening...
...and saw Andross and Pandora down below, with the others.
"WHAT?! You were working on the machine this whole time?!" Pandora snapped, after Sonic had told her the story of how he was working on the machine.
"All the parts were addressed to me, and so I thought, 'why not put it together'?" replied Sonic, with a shrug. Pandora growled with frustration. "Felt like I was contributing something."
"Did Dark Pit even see the machine? It was supposed to be for him! Did you not see the label on the side? Andross built the machine specifically for Pit!"
"Pfft, I don't read labels! Heck, I don't even read labels on boxes! Whenever a package is delivered to the mansion, I just rip the box open and take whatever's inside! Finder's keepers!"
"No wonder I never saw my new art supplies..." remarked Yusuke, holding his head in sadness. Futaba patted the young artist on the back.
"Also, what do you even need Dark Pit for? Do you secretly have a crush on him? That would make things complicated, since he's already in love with Flora...but still, what's the point?"
"The point was to lure Dark Pit into the Underworld, and force him to be the lieutenant of the Underworld Army. We would've preferred if the machine sucked in a few of Dark Pit's friends, which we could've used for ransom...but it seems like that machine brought a lot more than we bargained for!"
"The machine was left in the wrong hands...and it was purely my fault," said Andross, taking blame for messing up Pandora's master plan. "But mark my words, Pandora - Dark Pit will be the lieutenant of your Underworld Army, and I will make it happen! Or my name isn't..."
"GUY SWANSON!"
Andross furrowed his brow in confusion, as he turned around and looked up and saw Hunter. That cheetah was about to get himself in some trouble. Tom Nook would join the cheetah, standing with on him the ledge.
"...Tom Nook?" Mario said the tanoki's name, surprised to see his face again. The plumber would've let Tom stay in his house, but he didn't have enough room for Tom and his...nephews?
"Wait, that's right, Guy Swanson doesn't exist...my bad," apologized Hunter, as everyone wondered how Hunter even ended up in the Underworld. "You're Andross, right? Fox told me that you were the Seattle Stalker."
"I am Andross...and I was also the Seattle Stalker," replied Andross, ready to kill Hunter at any minute now. "That was just an alias I had assumed."
"So if you're Andross...then who are you?" Hunter pointed at Pandora, taking note of how beautiful and pretty the goddess looked.
"I am a goddess that worked with Andross, Pandora," Pandora introduced herself, while flashing a smile. "The whole Seattle Stalker thing...it was mostly my idea. I've been trying to lure Dark Pit to the Underworld, so I could force him to lead my army!"
Link: Well that takes care of the monsters...so where did Hunter and Tom Nook run off to?...They went upstairs? Well, why don't we join them?
"Nah, Dark Pit should just stick to groundskeeping for now," Hunter offered his two cents, obviously sleeping on Dark Pit's talents. "So you guys are evil, right? Is that why you have my friends caged up?"
"...took you long enough to realize that, but yes, we are evil," replied Andross, who felt he was speaking with an eight-year old. From a mental standpoint. "And since they're your friends, you can join them!"
"But in which cage though - the one down there. or the one moving on its own? Preferably I'd rather be in the stationary one - I get queasy very easily."
"What moving cage..." Andross looked around for this particular cage...and to his surprise, he saw the cage encasing Peach and company moving. There was a fishing hook tied to the chain, and the fishing hook was provided by Link, who was essentially reeling the cage in.
"Oh snap! Link, when did you get here? Could've given me a warning!" Link was too busy to chat, putting all his focus in energy in reeling in the cage.
"You stop that this instant!" frowned Pandora as she fired a bomb at Link...only for the bomb to be deflected by Spyro, who flamed the bomb with his flame breath. The bomb crashed into the cage encasing Peach and company, making the cage explode.
"Everybody hold on!" shouted Tails, using his flying tails to good use as he grabbed hold of Peach's hand. Peach was holding on for dear life, as the others below her were holding on to each other.
"Why you little..." Angered, Pandora flew up to the air in front of Tails, stopping the yellow fox in his tracks. "...now be a good boy, and put your friends back where they belong. I don't want to make this ugly..."
Pandora wouldn't be flying much longer, when a bat was thrown at her head. The goddess was sent flying to the floor, crashing as she rubbed her head in pain. Pandora looked up to see who was responsible...and saw Frank West, standing on the ledge.
"Mr. Frank West, nice to meet ya!" the journalist said to Pandora, in an almost mocking tone. Cilan would join Frank on the ledge, bringing his Simisage with him.
"Simisage, use Solar Beam on that cage to free everyone trapped inside!" commanded Cilan, as Simisage unleashed a wicked solar beam on the cage below. The cage broke open, freeing Mario and his crew.
"Eureka, we're free!" cheered Falco, pumping his fists in the air as Tails landed Peach and company on the floor. His aching arms could finally rest easy.
"They must've brought some backup..." mumbled Andross, angered by the events that unfolded. Pandora was in too much pain from Frank's attack to do anything.
Then came the rest of brigade, as Fox, Pit, Dark Pit, Link, Cloud, and Marth appeared on the ledge. Fox looked down below, and saw Krystal with Peach.
"Krystal, up here!" Fox called out to the vixen, waving his hands to get her attention. "I came to save you!" Krystal smiled, as she waved back at Fox. She knew Fox only came just to rescue her...and do other things.
"Dark Pit...is that really you?" Pandora asked, as she saw the doppelganger in full sight. "I've been meaning to bring you here...would you be a dear, and..."
"If you really want me, then you're gonna have to make me come down there," stated Dark Pit, eschewing defiance as he folded his arms. No way would he oblige to the likes of Pandora.
"Fine then...have it your way." Pandora fired a heart-shaped energy beam at the ledge Dark Pit and company was standing on, bringing everyone down safely. Pandora then stood up on her feet, still holding her head, as she walked over to Dark Pit.
"What is it that you wanted from me? I saw that stupid letter that Andross sent to me...what was your end goal? Spit it out!"
"The plan...was to have you build that machine...and bring you...to the Underworld...so I could sucker you into being the lieutenant of my Underworld Army." Pandora was panting a little, while she dealt with the pain. "But stupid Andross was sending messages to the wrong people...and therefore ruined my plan."
"Heh...I wouldn't want to be leading your crappy army anyways." Pandora was offended by this, looking at Dark Pit with wide eyes. "Waste of an opportunity, if you ask me."
"Ooh...you take that back!" The angriest she had ever felt, Pandora balled her hand into a fist, as she hurled a left hook at Dark Pit...
...but as Pandora threw her punch, Dark Pit held up something that the goddess punched instead of the doppelganger's face. It was the machine, and Pandora had punched the button, turning the machine on.
"Is this the machine you wanted me to work on so badly?" Dark Pit asked Pandora, who backed away as the black hole was about to appear. "The one that you wanted to take me back to the Underworld? Is this it?"
"You rotten little..." frowned Pandora, as the black hole suddenly appeared, its violent winds strong enough to suck everyone in. Everyone.
With Marth gone, Caeda was enjoying some girl talk with Zelda, on the front porch of her new home. Good thing Marth never gave any thought about removing the porch.
Zelda: Caeda seems like a great lady to have girl talk with...she can be my go-to gal, since Aerith is back home. Used to have girl talk with Peach, but now she's all wishy-washy ever since she had a baby. It's weird.
"Marth and the boys never came back ever since they ran off with that strange man," Caeda said to Zelda, as they saw Pac-Man Jr. and Olimar's kids playing in the front yard of the mansion. Charlie and fellow Hococate Freight member Brittney delivered the children on their spaceship. "Hope they're safe."
"They couldn't have gone too far," replied Zelda, grateful for the time she spent hanging out with Caeda. "I mean, where could they have possibly gone?"
Caeda wouldn't have to worry anymore, as a black hole appeared at the front yard, spitting out everyone that was in the Underworld Castle one-by-one. Jr. Pac-Man and Olimar's kids stopped playing, as they saw Marth and a handful of others drop out of the black hole a few meters away from them, before the black hole went away.
"Dad was right - weird stuff does happen around the mansion!" remarked Jr. Pac-Man, likely in the back of his mind thinking of how cool it was seeing a black hole in the sky dropping people out like a Twilight Portal.
"Where...are we?" wondered Pandora, as she and the others got up. The goddess wouldn't be standing for long, when Spyro rammed into her and sent her falling to the ground.
"Are we in Seattle?" observed Andross, only to be rammed by Spyro as well. The monkey fell on top of Pandora, as Fox grabbed Tom Nook and placed him on top of Andross before quickly running to the mansion.
"Ow! Watch it, you stupid ape! You nearly broke my leg!"
"Sorry Pandora, it wasn't my fault! It was that dragon!"
"YO, MASTER HAND, SOMEONE GOT YOU A NEW LAMBORGHINI!" Fox opened the front door and shouted as loud as he possibly could. Moments later, Master Hand appeared outside, bringing the still tied up Eggplant Wizard with him.
"Weird, I don't see a Lamborghini anywhere..." Master Hand looked around, before looking down...and seeing Tom Nook, atop Pandora and Andross. "...Tom Nook, what are you doing back here?"
"I did it, Master Hand...I stopped the Seattle Stalker, and his accomplice!" Tom Nook bragged to Master Hand, who refused to believe the tanoki. "Andross and Pandora! It was all me, and nothing but me! I did it myself!"
"Yeah right, I'm sure you had...someone...to help you." To his surprise, Master Hand saw nobody in sight, other than Tom Nook, Pandora, and Andross. That was because Pit and Hunter had taken everyone else behind the new houses and hid them there, before Master Hand showed up.
"Like I said, it was all my doing...needed nobody else but me. You don't have to worry about the Seattle Stalker anymore, Master Hand, because I already took care of it..."
"Can't move, knee's been blown out..." grumbled Andross, after his leg was hurt by Spyro. "...this stinks."
"I was responsible for taking out Andross' knee, just saying...you should know better than to doubt me, Master Hand."
"Okay...I don't know how you did it, but I see no one else involved so I guess I have no point but to believe you. As hard as it was for me to say that...you know what, just the police."
Andrew: Someone mentioned earlier today that my uncle, Andross, was up to no good. But when your uncle is doing bad things, sometimes you have to be a family shill. So I'm going against the majority, and say that...My uncle is getting arrested?!
Andrew hurriedly ran outside to the front yard, where he saw police cars and red and blue flashing lights. To his dismay, his saw his uncle Andross, being handcuffed by policemen while hobbling on one leg.
"Well Andross, I don't know how you got out of jail, but we're gonna take you to a high-level prison, just to be on the safe side," the policeman said to Andross, escorting him to the police car. "No more jailbreaks for you!"
"That's what you think, buddy..." murmured Andross, as he was put inside the police car. Andrew came running to his uncle, as Pandora and the Eggplant Wizard were put in a police car, while also handcuffed. Policemen arresting a vegetable, how about that...
"Have you got any idea what you're doing?" the goddess asked the police officers, in a very bad mood. "You're arresting a GODDESS! How can you possibly arrest someone like me?!"
"Save your crying for the judge..." the policeman replied, before slamming the car door. Pandora probably thought she was above the judicial system, too. As the policemen were about to leave, Mario and Peach watched from afar, joined by Sonic.
"It was very nice of your Shaymin to babysit Jennifer for us," Peach told Sonic; poor Shaymin had to stay behind and miss all the fun. "We could really use her as a babysitter!"
"Got no clue why you'd pick a pet over her owner, but okay," replied Sonic, before letting out a sigh. "Glad the whole Seattle Stalker thing's over with - wonder what happened to that machine."
"Fox did say that the Dr. Wily and-a the Professor worked on the machine," stated Mario, who was holding Jennifer in his arms. "Maybe Dark Pit was able to take-a the machine with him. Though I bet he destroyed-a it."
"The machine that summoned the black hole?" asked Dark Pit, as he joined Mario and the others. "Yeah, I gave it to Dr. Wily and the Professor - they said they'll destroy the machine, so it won't be used again. Good call, I'll say."
"Very good-a call indeed..." Suddenly someone tapped Mario on the shoulder; Mario turned around, and saw Impa, with Lana and Linkle.
"I know I said that we'd be leaving after we dealt with the Seattle Stalker..." started Impa, as Mario wondered what the Sheikah had to say. "...but, the three of us want to stay around till next week...just for good times' sake."
"That's fine-a by me!" Delighted by the response, Impa flashed a rare smile, as Mario smiled right back. Soon the police cars drove away, with Andrew chasing after the car which had his uncle in it. Andrew will get over it soon.
Joker walked through the hallway of the mansion, cool, calm, and collected, when he walked by Master Hand's room. The young man peered inside and saw Master Hand and Crazy Hand, speaking with Tom Nook. Fox, Pit, Spyro, and Hunter were also there.
"Tom Nook, I know we said that we wouldn't let you back at the mansion until I got a new Lamborghini," Master Hand told the tanoki. "However, you did bust Andross and Pandora...somehow, so that's worth something."
"What exactly is that worth?" asked Tom Nook, rubbing his hands in anticipation. Master Hand sighed - part of him wanted to believe that Tom Nook was fibbed about everything, which he kinda did.
"Do we REALLY have to let him back in?" Crazy Hand asked Master Hand, who shared the giant hand's disdain for Tom Nook. Great minds think alike.
"Apparently Tom Nook had photo evidence of himself besting Andross and Pandora...in the Underworld no less," replied Master Hand, as Fox and company were laughing quietly. Master Hand wanted to know why the four were around. "Sometimes you just gotta flex."
Fox: Pit and I snapped some photos in the Underworld, and photoshopped Tom Nook into a bunch of them. Surprised it worked on Master Hand - he typically sees through that kind of stuff.
Master Hand: If Tom Nook fought Andross and Pandora in the Underworld...then how in the world did he bring them both to the overworld?! Does Tom Nook have special powers? He's even scarier than I thought...
Pit: Told Kirby that the two of us would help Tom Nook get his ban removed...sucks that I couldn't do it with Kirby, but Fox was a pretty solid replacement.
"I'm waiting..." said Tom Nook, still rubbing his hands in anticipation. Master Hand sighed once more - time to get it over with.
"Tom Nook, you, Timmy, and Tommy are both welcome back in the mansion," announced Master Hand, in the most apathetic tone possible, as Crazy Hand snapped his fingers in disgust. Fox and company celebrated the occasion with the now elated Tom Nook, making Master Hand very skeptical.
"Looks like he's finally back," Joker cracked a smile, seeing how happy Tom Nook was as he cheesed it up with Fox and company. Joker continued walking down the hallway, arriving at the foyer.
To his left, he saw Cilan at the front door, speaking with Frank who was about to leave. To his right, he saw Fox, acting lovey dovey with Krystal while Falco looked on like a proud...friend. And ahead of Joker was Dark Pit, sweeping the floor.
"Just let Tom Nook take the credit, he said...he really needs it, he said..." grumbled Dark Pit as he swept the floor, likely talking about Pit. The doppelganger would stop, when Joker approached them. "What's up?"
"Must be happy about having Andross and Pandora off your back," Joker said to the Dark Pit, who knew how relieved the doppelganger was.
"Never knew why Pandora wanted me so much in the first place, but I can't fault her for trying. If there's one thing, she knew better to come after me than that loser Pit."
"Well, he can't be a loser all the time. He has his moments, I'm sure." Joker walked away, with Dark Pit scoffing as he continued his task.
"Bye Cilan, hope to talk to you soon!" Frank said his goodbyes to the connoisseur, as he closed the front door. The journalist walked down the porch - the very porch Shadow was sitting on, as he looked up at the sky. The hedgehog still couldn't believe he was thought of as edgy.
But, as he learned today, he was the wrong person all along...and he still couldn't believe that such a gaffe was made.