Author's Note:
The Final Fantasy VII is finally out today, and so I had to make a chapter with Final Fantasy VII characters. The characters you see in this chapter are the ones that appear in the remake, so sadly characters like Vincent Valentine and Cid didn't make the cut. Such a shame...guest reviews:
"Will Agria from Tales of Xillia be part of the group of people with dead moms for the Mother's Day chapter? (Look up her tragic backstory) Will Princess Elise from Sonic 2006 have her character redeemed if she shows up? Will Young Link and Toon Link ever be competent cops? Will Flayn be able to see Sothis? (the Fire Emblem Wiki says Sothis is her grandmother and Flayn is Saint Cethleaan) And finally, do you plan to do a Trails of Cold Steel IV chapter when the PS4 version comes out in Fall 2020 or when the Switch port comes out in 2021?"
Perhaps. Maybe. Nope. Probably. I might do a Trails of Cold Steel IV chapter this fall; don't think I could wait until next year. Next is Derick Lindsey:
"...will [Waluigi] be in prison for the next few chapters or will he get out by next week?"
I planned on doing a scene involving Waluigi in this chapter, but I couldn't squeeze it in. So he'll be in Cornerian prison for another week. Last but not least, is bruh:
"can we have a Ganon/Rosa chapter?"
Ooooh...I haven't touched upon the Ganondorf-Rosalina pairing in a while, have I? I should get back to doing that soon...
Episode 225: Seven
Last week, Fox and Krystal finally got married, in front of a record crowd (or at least it was a record crowd, by Cornerian records). The wedding, which took place on Corneria, saw Fox and Krystal romantically intertwined, and Krystal finally gained a surname as a result of her marrying Fox. Which Falco considered an accomplishment, at least for Krystal.
Fox and Krystal's wedding also came with some surprises, as Cloud's lady friend from another universe Aerith was invited to the wedding. Seemed like she was at every wedding the mansion held, ever since "Smash Life" first started. Not only did Aerith help Krystal get fully ready for their wedding - as well as finding the wedding rings - but she also got Master Hand to come around with Anna. Which took A LOT in Master Hand.
Arguably the person that was most excited about Aerith was Cloud, who was even more elated upon learning that Aerith would be staying at the mansion for a week. Aerith made a deal where she would stick around at the mansion, and help Master Hand redesign the mansion...but only if Master Hand agreed to let Anna attend Fox and Krystal's wedding. Which, again, took a lot in him to do.
"So I was thinking about redesigning the hallways first, make things more lively," Master Hand discussed with Aerith, as he and the flower girl headed down the hall. "What color do you think we should paint the walls?"
"I'd go with a dark crimson red, if I were you," suggested Aerith, who was pretty much making suggestions on the fly and saying yes to any question that Master Hand asked her. "Or a navy blue. Can't go wrong with either color!"
Aerith: Truthfully, I'm not really much of a design artist...I just pretended to be one, as an excuse to force Master Hand to let Anna stay in Corneria for the wedding. Also wanted to spend some time with Cloud, and the others. *smiles*
Joker: Anna is still safe and sound in the buddy cops' closet...I-I mean jail cell. Master Hand doesn't know that Anna is hiding in his mansion...yet, but I figure he will. He already picked up on her scent, so it's only a matter of time...
"Do you think we should remove some of the paintings from the walls?" Master hand asked Aerith, who was taking a gander at all the paintings hanging up at every corner of the hallway. "Do they make the hallways look more cluttered?"
"I wouldn't say they make the hallways 'cluttered'..." Aerith offered her two cents - her first time not answering yes to one of Master Hand's incessant questions. "...but you could space them out just a little."
Master Hand and Aerith soon reached the gardens, and once Aerith stepped outside, she happily inhaled and exhaled. Being in the gardens put the flower girl in a happy state of mind.
"I simply cannot thank you enough for lending me your bits and pieces of your expertise, Aerith," Master Hand said to the flower girl, as he floated over to her. "I tried to get Isabelle to help me redesign the mansion, but she just won't listen!"
"You're always making her busy, Master Hand," replied Aerith, as she picked up one of the flowers and smelt it. "It's no wonder that she turned you down." The flower girl looked over, and saw Cloud, chilling with Viridi and Olimar.
"Hey Aerith," greeted Cloud as he ran over to the flower girl, before pulling her away and quietly asking her the following: "How's the 'redesigning' coming along?"
"He still thinks that I'm some kind of world-class design expert." Aerith found herself smiling, as she looked back at Master Hand. "I never found out how easy it was to use the infatuation Master Hand has for me against him, to my advantage."
"Yeah Master Hand seems to love you a lot...perhaps far more than he loved Layton and Luke. Anyways, I was wondering if you were busy later today."
"Nope, I'm pretty much free for the rest of the day. I'll be going back tomorrow, to my original universe...gotta go by what Dr. Wily says."
"That's great. Because there's something that I want to show my friends, and I want you to be a part of it. Since you surprised me last week at the wedding...I thought that I might return the favor, somehow."
"Look at that Cloud, trying to be the perfect boyfriend..." Olimar said to Viridi, smirking as he witnessed the exchange between Cloud and Aerith. "...what would some loner like him know about love?"
"That 'loner' still has a lot more personality than you could ever wish for," replied Viridi, as Olimar looked down at the ground and nodded his head. Even he had to admit that Viridi spoke the truth.
Olimar: Never realized how hard love was, until you actually get married. At first I thought that love was all about making your woman happy, and always being there and stuff. Nobody ever said that you had to have personality, like being funny or genuinely charming! I never learned stuff like that from my father...then again, that would explain my upbringing. Go ask my mom - it wasn't pretty.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff that I gotta take care of before then, so you'll just have to sit tight," Cloud said to Aerith, who was greatly intrigued by whatever Cloud had planned for her. "Think you can wait?"
"I'll be fine, no worries," Aerith responded with a warm smile; her smile was the only smile that Cloud didn't mind seeing. "And besides, I'll have Master Hand to keep me company until you're all ready to..."
"Ooooooh Aerith! We still have lots more to discuss!" Master Hand called out to the flower girl, wanting to get a move-on with the mansion "redesign" plans. "I've yet to go into detail about the mansion's balcony. Totally forgot we had one! HA!"
"Just let me know when you're ready to go..." Aerith would leave, but before she did, she gave Cloud a quick kiss on the cheek. Cloud was completely caught off-guard by this surprise kiss, standing there puzzled as Aerith left with Master Hand.
"What's the matter, Cloud - never been kissed before?" Olimar asked the swordsman, who was just standing there like a statue. Cloud had a dumb look on his face, the dumbest look he's ever had. "Cloud? Can you hear me?"
"I think he's stuck..." assumed Viridi, as she walked over to Cloud and kicked the swordsman in the shin. Cloud moved his leg back a bit, but that was about it. "Yeah, he's completely frozen...got your phone on you, Olimar?"
Shortly after Fox and Krystal got married, the newly-wedded couple was given the option of moving out of their respective residences - and the couple was more than quick to say yes. Obliging to the couple's demand without the slightest hint of hesitation, both Master hand and Crazy Hand recruited Mutoh and the Carpenters to build a new house outside, for Fox and Krystal.
"Keep on working, boys!" Mutoh shouted at the Carpenters, who were working away on the house without breaking a sweat. "Ain't no lunch breaks until the house is done, ya hear? No quit!"
"Should we even be working, boss?" asked Ichiro, dang well knowing that Mutoh would completely chew him out for speaking up. "During a pandemic and all? Is house building considered an essential business?"
"I'm gonna making whooping your behind an essential business if you don't shut up and keep working!" Now fearing for his life more than ever before, Ichiro kept his mouth shut and kept working away.
"Sup Mutoh, how's the house coming along?" Fox asked the Carpenter, as he and Mario came out from Mario's house after enjoying a fine conversation about husbandry and whatnot. "You guys almost done?"
"SABURO!" Upon hearing his name called by Mutoh, Saburo immediately stopped working, and ran up behind Fox and gagged him. The Carpenter wrapped his arm around Fox's head and blocked his sight, like he was putting him in a submission hold.
"Why is he choking out-a Fox like that?" Mario asked Mutoh, watching helplessly as Saburo slowly and carefully dragged Fox to the ground. "Is he trying to kill-a the man?! He just got-a married!"
"He's not trying to kill Fox - he's just preventing him from ruining the surprise. We want Fox to see the house when it's finished, not when it's still in progress!"
"I do not...agree with this...one bit..." uttered Fox, able to make out some words as Saburo held his face against the ground against his will. Saburo had no idea if what he was doing was the right way to do it, but Mutoh certainly wasn't stopping him...
"You were never like-a this when you built my house," Mario said to Mutoh, while Saburo was busy wrangling with Fox and keeping the pilot moderately contained. "I would always-a check in when you were working, and you-a never bat a single eye!"
"That was because I let you," replied Mutoh, before letting out a hearty laugh. "Besides, your house kinda stinks anyways. Yours and everyone else's."
"How can-a you say that?!" Mario was very much offended; he never felt this type of way about his household until now.
"Hold up, let me clear things up...what i meant to say was, your house and the other's houses are gonna stink compared to Fox's. Fox's house is gonna be a new kind of house, all futuristic and stuff. The house of the future!"
Mutoh: Fox obviously comes from a planet where technology is all high-advanced and junk, so it's only fitting that he gets a house that is kinda like a house he would live in Corneria. Once us Carpenters are done building the house which is Phase 1 - some trio called the Happy Home Designers will come in and add all the funky technology stuff! That's Phase 2.
Ichiro: Will these Happy Home Designers be allowed to work on the house, though? Are they even considered an essential business?
Mutoh: THAT'S IT, YOUR BUTT IS MINE! *chases after Ichiro*
Ichiro: *screams and runs away*
A black government vehicle suddenly rolled up into the mansion's driveway, grabbing the attention of those everyone outside. Saburo stopped holding Fox to the ground, staring at the black vehicle as he allowed Fox to pull his face off of the ground.
"Woah, who is that?" wondered Fox, looking at the black vehicle as he pulled himself up on his feet. Two men wearing suits got out of the car; one had red hair, and the other was bald and wore sunglasses. Mario quickly identified who these two men were.
"It's Reno and-a Rude..." the plumber said, watching as the two men in suits closed their car doors. "...but why are they here?"
"They're both working for the government, aren't they?" asked Mutoh, wondering what kind of business Reno and Rude had at the mansion. "Whatever they're here for, I hope they take Ichiro away!"
"Why do I always have to be the one singled out...?" wondered Ichiro, heaving a heavy sigh as Reno and Rude made their way over to Mario. Evidently it was Mario that they wanted to speak with the most.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mario," Rude was the first to greet the plumber, as he and Reno stood before Mario while looking professional. Well, at least Rude did...Reno looked like he wanted to fall asleep. "We're Reno and Rude - Turks from the Shinra Electric Power Company."
"I thought you boys-a worked for the federal government," said Mario, remembering when Reno and Rude helped pay the mansion's bill back in episode 5. Reno even confirmed back then that he and Rude worked for the feds.
"That was only for a brief period of time..." clarified Reno, as he adjusted the sunglasses on his head. "...back when Shinra ceased operations, for the time being. But we're backed to being Turks now..."
"...which means that we can go back to completing missions for our boss, Tseng," affirmed Rude, before digging into his suit and pulling out a slip of paper. "Speaking of which, we have a mission to fulfill, here in Seattle."
"What kind-a of mission are we talking about here?" asked Mario, as Rude glanced at the slip of paper - which had a bunch of instructions in it, regarding the mission. Had to make sure he got all the right details, before explaining.
"We've been informed that there's someone in this area, building a time machine. We don't know how effective the time machine is, or how powerful it can be, but we were told to do a little investigating. You know anything about a time machine, Mario?"
"Now that I think-a about it..." Just when Mario was about to give his answer, Fox came up from behind the plumber and covered his mouth, preventing him from saying a single word. Reno and Rude looked confused, as Fox restricted Mario.
"We know nothing about this time machine that you speak of," Fox said to Reno and Rude, with Mario angrily making muffled sounds as he tried to break free from Fox's grasp. "No time machine around here, boys!"
"Weird, because we've been told that there's some old scientist guy building one," stated Reno, who hoped that Tseng gave him and Rude the right location. "You sure there isn't some old scientist at the mansion? Or even the tower?"
"Well there's Dr. Wily, he lives at the tower. But he's a very staunch critic of time travel, so I don't think he has the time machine that you're looking for."
"What about Professor Elvin Gadd? We've been told that he lives somewhere in the area. Should we go speak with him?" Fox increasingly grew nervous, after Reno mentioned E. Gadd's name.
"I wouldn't encourage asking him, because, uh...he's out jogging!" Reno and Rude both furrowed their brows, before looking at one another. "Just saw him jog by a couple of minutes ago. Knowing him, he might keep on running and never come back!"
"He's not jogging; he's out-a doing some scientific recon work," explained Mario, after he was able to pry Fox's hands away from his mouth. Fox's eyes bulged out after Mario had made his explanation. "Or so I've-a heard, from Princess Peach."
"Very well then...we'll just have to go some investigative work around the mansion," said Rude, as he and Reno went towards the mansion. Fox would let go of Mario, as Reno and Rude walked away. "The residents might know about E. Gadd's whereabouts."
"Aw man, we're so done for..." fretted Fox, watching as Reno and Rude stepped unto the mansion porch and spoke with Copper and Booker. "...Mario, why did you have to tell them about E. Gadd?"
"They ARE Turks, Fox...had to tell-a them the truth," replied Mario, as Reno and Rude were let inside the mansion by Copper and Booker. "What I wanna know is, why were you trying to prevent-a me from speaking?"
"Alright, so just hear me out..." The way Fox was looking, it looked like he knew about the biggest secret known to mankind. "...those Turks, Reno and Rude? They're up to no good."
"You say that about girl-a scouts that try to sell-a cookies at grocery stores. I trust-a those girls with my life. Why should I believe-a you?"
"It's no wonder you nearly go broke...anyways, I think I got a hunch for why those Turks are so interested in E. Gadd's time machine. I'm afraid it's got something to do with Cloud."
"That would explain-a why they're here...but I don't think I follow. Why the interest in a time-a machine, would they be more-a interested in some, I don't know...some giant bio-weapon?"
"So I don't have ALL the details, but Cloud has got some big plans for later today...he plans on using E. Gadd's time machine, to bring a friend of his from the past."
"Who exactly is-a this friend?" Mario's eyes suddenly grew wide, when he had a sudden idea of who this friend of Cloud's might be. "You're not...you're not talking about Zack Fair, are you?"
"Heard Zack Fair mentioned in a phone call I was eavesdropping on. Cloud was speaking with E. Gadd...and I might've heard him mention a few other names during the call. "Jessie...Biggs...Wedge..."
"Those three are friends that Cloud had lost-a in a Shinra explosion..." Recognizing who the three folks mentioned were, Mario grabbed Fox's shoulders and shook the pilot silly. "Fox, do you have any idea what this means?!"
"Hey boss, can we please get a lunch break now?" a whiny Ichiro pleaded to Mutoh, as he heard his stomach grumbling. No breaks until the house was a hundred percent finished. "It'll be inhumane if we keep working like this..."
"Quit acting like you never worked a day in your life! Stop complaining!" Mutoh snapped on Ichiro, who held his head down meekly as he kept on sawing away. "Sorry about that, Mario and Fox...resume your conversation."
"You know what this-a means, Fox?" Mario asked Fox, shaking the pilot silly once more just for additional effect. "Cloud must be trying to bring-a his friends back!"
"Why the heck would Cloud bring back his dead friends for?" asked Fox, before remembering the time machine that E. Gadd was working on. "Is the dude that stuck in the past?"
"Could-a be...or, with Aerith around, he plans to show-a her the kind of friends he had back then! Since Aerith only knows Sora, and whoever's in-a Radiant Garden."
"You know, Mario...you might be on to something. But we can't let Reno or Rude get anywhere near that time machine. Who knows what they plan to do."
"Yeah, they both work-a for Shinra...and Shirna can't be trusted. We need some-a one to prevent those Turks from learning about-a the time machine...but who?"
Master Hand: Not gonna lie, I was legitimately scared when that black vehicle pulled up...thought it was the federal government, wanting to come after my hard-earned money and my collection of Fully Clothed Women magazines. (Shout out to Dr. Wright, for getting me hooked.) But it turns out it was just Reno and Rude - Isabelle just informed me that those two were doing some kind of investigation. As much as I would love to show of my magazine collection to Reno and Rude, I'll just leave them alone, and not interrupt them...
Reno and Rude went about around the mansion, asking the residents if they knew anything about a time machine. With there being a lot of residents, obviously, the Turks hoped to find an answer sooner rather than later.
"I don't really know much about this time machine you speak of," Little Mac said to Reno and Rude, as he was eating a banana in the kitchen. Gotta keep those protein levels up, to maintain strong muscles. "But I know that time travel is dangerous...or so I've been told."
"And who was the wise guy that told you this?" Reno asked Little Mac, getting up close with the boxer as he rested his elbow on the kitchen counter and stared menacingly at Little Mac.
"Uh...just Dr. Wily. He really hates time travel - him and E. Gadd get into petty arguments over that kind of stuff.
"About E. Gadd...where can we find him?" Rude asked Little Mac, hoping that E. Gadd had the time machine. As a matter of fact, he did. "We just need to know his current location."
"We've been told that he does a lot of 'scientific recon' around the area," added Reno, attempting to jog Little Mac's mind as much as he could. "You wouldn't happen to know about this, do you?"
"Nope, I know nothing about it," replied Little Mac, much to the chagrin of Reno and Rude as they grunted in response. "But wherever E. Gadd is, I sure hope he's practicing some good social distancing..."
"Man, you're no help at all...but thanks anyways, I guess." Reno and Rude walked away from Little Mac, looking to continue their investigation elsewhere. As the Turks left the kitchen, they soon ran into Sonic.
"Woah! Reno and Rude?" Sonic asked the Turks, excited to see them in person. Reno smirked, really appreciating the recognition, but Rude on the other hand couldn't care any less. "You guys are really cool! I'm Sonic..."
"Yeah, yeah, we already know who you are, we're not idiots," Reno said to Sonic, who was doing his best to contain his excitement. "We'd love to chit-chat, honestly, but we're a little busy here."
"Oh cool, are you guys doing an investigation? That's gotta be the only reason why you're here. I can be your third wheel, if you want me to!"
"Thanks, but no thanks..." responded Rude, doing his best to answer Sonic without outright upsetting the hedgehog. "...we're just looking for E. Gadd, and some kind of time machine. Know anything about a time machine?"
"You bet I do! If I remember correctly, E. Gadd invented a time machine and brought Professor Layton's daughter, Katrielle, from the future by accident. I should know, I saw Katrielle in person...don't tell Amy this, but Katrielle's kinda cute."
"We promise not to tell. Thank you for your cooperation, Sonic - now we know that the time machine belongs to E. Gadd. But before we leave...do you know where E. Gadd goes off to, during his recon work?"
"Recon work? You honestly believe that E. Gadd actually goes outside? Have you SEEN what E. Gadd looks like?!" Sonic found himself laughing, as he slapped his knee. He looked up at Rude, who had a stoic look on his face, and it made him laugh even harder.
"Guess we'll just have to find our answer somewhere else..." said Reno, as he and Rude left the premises. Sonic was still laughing his butt off, before his laughter died down as he wiped away a tear from his eye.
Cloud: E. Gadd said that he's busy at the moment, so he's gonna bring the time machine to the tower whenever he's done. Gotta make sure that nothing happens to the machine along the way. Until then, I'll be taking some lessons...dance lessons, rather. I'd love to explain, but...I'll just shut up for now, and let your imagination fly.
The very moment that Sonic ceased laughing, the hedgehog heard his phone ring. Seeing that it was a call from Mario, Sonic quickly answered.
"Sup Mario, how's it going?" Sonic asked the plumber, speaking into the phone as he walked inside the kitchen. "You wanna play me in another game of Monopoly? I'd hate to school ya and make you broke again..."
"No, Sonic, this has very little to do with any board-a game," replied Mario, sounding like he was very serious. Which meant that Sonic himself had to take the phone call seriously. "Have you seen-a Reno and Rude, the two Turks?"
"Funny you should say that, I just met them a moment ago! Those are some pretty cool dudes - Reno's the kind of guy I'd want to party with." So much for taking things seriously...
"Well I'm afraid that Reno and Rude might-a be up to trouble. They came to me, asking about some time-a machine. We can't afford-a to let them know about it."
"Oh man...it would be very problematic if they knew..." Sonic nervously chuckled, overridden with guilt as he had recently spilled the beans to Reno and Rude.
"Reno and Rude both-a work for Shinra, and Shinra might want the time-a machine destroyed, for whatever reason. So you can't let those-a Turks know about it!"
"When you say I can't let them know...what exactly are they NOT allowed to know?" Sonic was now biting his fingernails, finding himself in some real hot water.
"Don't let them know about who invented-a the time machine, where the time-a machine may be, and that the time machine actually exists." Sonic had already spilled the beans on two out of three of those provisions. "Can I trust-a you to keep the Turks from not knowing?"
"That sounds like a pretty loaded question there, Mario...hehe." Sonic was now feeling all sorts of bad, the worst he's ever felt in a long while. "Almost like you don't actually trust me at all..."
"I've called Itsuki, Donkey Kong, and even Samus...all of them-a objected to keeping Reno and Rude in check. So you're our last-a hope, Sonic..."
"Way to put pressure on me, dude...but if you're really that desperate, then I'll do it. I'll do my best to distract Reno and Rude from the truth."
"Much appreciated, Sonic! Knew I could count-a on you. Don't let-a me down!" Mario hang up, and Sonic, relieved that the phone call was now over, placed his phone back in his imaginary pocket...although he was still overcome with guilt.
"Well Sonic, you dun goofed up...now's the time to right your wrongs..."
Cloud had brought Joker and Kasumi to a large room, which was the training room. This room went through a lot of phases...first it was the paddling room, then it was the wrestling room, then it was the dancing room...and now, it was the training room, where people (namely Smash fighters) could train and stuff. For today, this training room would temporarily undergo one of its past phases...
"Is this some kind of joke?" Joker asked Cloud, nearly left at a loss for words. "You want us to teach YOU how to dance?!"
"Not teach me how to dance...just need to find my rhythm again," replied Cloud, implying that he has danced before. And he has, at the Honey Bee Inn. "Let's just say that this will be a refresher for me."
"I never would've imagined that you were a dancer, Cloud," Kasumi said to the swordsman, as she placed the music player in her hands on the floor. She was learning so much about Cloud, each and every day.
"Just to be clear, I'm not a dancer...it was just a one-time only shindig. A one-trick pony moment for me. Today, I'm going to relive it."
"I thought you said that Cloud was the chillest person in this mansion..." Kasumi whispered to Joker, while Cloud was stretching out his arms and legs, ready to do some dancing. "...this dancing thing will be so unlike him."
"Cloud knows how to have fun, when the opportunity calls for it," Joker whispered back, interested in knowing that kind of dance moves Cloud wanted to bust out on the dance floor. "He's just too afraid to admit it..."
"Ready when you guys are," Cloud said to Joker and Kasumi; although the swordsman wasn't wearing proper dancing attire, the same could also be said for Joker and Kasumi. So it was all good. "Let's mosey, shall we?"
"Very well then...let's begin." Joker walked over to the music player and pressed the play button, as "Reach Out to the Truth" began playing. "So Cloud, where do you want to start first?"
Pit, Kirby, and Incineroar were chilling in the dining room eating ice cream bars, when they suddenly heard someone knock on the backdoor. Pit suddenly grew cautious, looking at the door with fear in his eyes.
"Guys, I think those girl scouts from the store are back again..." the angel said to Kirby and Incineroar, shivering slightly in fear. Who knew that a bunch of innocent girl scouts afflicted Pit so much? "...they're back with those cookies! How many times do I have to tell them that I'm broke?"
"Do what I do and reprimand them for not social distancing, that'll teach 'em," suggested Kirby, as Pit nervously went to the backdoor. Nervously turning away his head with his eyes closed, the angel slowly put his hand on the doorknob, before gently opening the backdoor.
Instead of the girl scouts, the folks standing around were Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace, along with a brown-haired girl and a certain red canine. Pit opened his eyes and saw Tifa and company, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, it's just you guys..." a relieved Pit said to Tifa and company, as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead. "For a moment there I thought you were those annoying girl scouts..."
"We ain't no girl scouts, who do you think we are?!" Barret angrily questioned Pit, busting his way inside the mansion as he grabbed Pit by the collar and held the angel up in the air. "Do we look like the kind of people that nag others for their money?"
"Relax, Barret - you don't have to be so angry," Tifa said to the man, as she and the others made their way inside the mansion. She saw Kirby and Incineriar sitting around, and gave them a wave. "Hi boys!"
"Howdy," Kirby greeted Tifa, as Barret placed Pit back on the floor and closed the backdoor. Pit saw the brown-haired girl that was in the group, and saw how close she was to Barret.
"Who's that girl?" the angel wondered, as he pointed at the little girl like she was some kind of special attraction. "She's not a covert girl scout, is she?"
"No, that's my daughter, Marlene!" replied Barret, astonished that Pit never knew that he had a daughter. That astonishment soon vanished away, considering it was Pit he was dealing with here. "She's the light of my life!"
"That girl is your daughter?" Pit looked at Marlene, then at Barret, and then back at Marlene. "Man, natural selection really must've screwed up here..."
"She was adopted by Barret..." Tifa had to whisper to Pit, who gave a knowing nod. Kirby was aware that Marlene was adopted, and even Incineroar was too, but somehow Pit was not.
Pit: How is it even possible for a guy with anger management issues like Barret to have legal authority to adopt a kid? Really sets a bad example, especially when you consider that Barret himself isn't even married. Even as an adoptive father, Barret is inherently making other single black dads look bad. He's feeding into the stereotype. And the fact that he adopted a white girl? He's a stereotype AND an Uncle Tom sellout, all in one!
"I don't think you know what natural selection actually means," the red canine said to Pit, as he walked around the angel. Like he was scoping him out. "Bet you aren't as smart as you look..."
"Thanks, I get that a lot," grinned Pit, as if the red canine was complimenting him. Compliments don't happen for the angel that often. "...a lot of people say that I'm a genius, but I don't know if they're being sarcastic or not. I hope they were being sarcastic..."
"Red XIII, can you lay off of Pit?" Tifa said to the red canine, who was now sniffing all over Pit. All the constant sniffing made Pit giggle, as he backed away. "He's nothing worth scoping out for..."
"I suppose you're right...he has a very unpleasant smell to him," said Red XIII as he pulled away from Pit, grimacing as his nostrils were filled with a rather unpleasant smell. "When was the last time you washed, boy?"
"Why are you asking me this for?" questioned Pit, sounding very offended and hurt in his response. "You're not my mom...but if you really wanna know, I haven't washed since last week. Been using some Cornerian bath soap I got from Corneria. So far, I don't know if it's working..."
"We really need to go, right now..." Barret whispered to Tifa, watching as Pit was doing a self-sniff test by sniffing both of his armpits. "...we need to stop giving this fool Pit any of our time."
"Of course we're going, Barret...obviously we didn't come to the mansion to see Pit," replied Tifa, as Pit headed over to Kirby and held his armpits close to the pink puffball. Good thing that Kirby lacked a nose. "You know exactly who we came here for..."
Link and Champion Link were walking through the mansion, passing by the training room. The two Hylians soon came to a stop, when they heard music blaring from inside the room. Champion Link was quick to recognize what it was.
"Let me guess...Last Surprise?" Champion Link guessed as he looked at Link, who was looking at his fellow Hylian like a proud papa.
"Look at you, recognizing great music..." smiled Link, who felt like giving Champion Link applause if he wasn't the only person around doing it. "...that Kass guy you spoke of really put you on the right track."
"I mean, how can I not know that song. It's been anywhere, can't seem to avoid it." Champion Link walked to the training room door, and knocked on it. "Hey, you guys cutting a rug in there?"
"Go away Champion Link, I'm busy..." shouted Cloud, from inside the training room. Champion Link had a stunned look on his face as he looked at Link, who was just as stunned if not more.
"No way...was that Cloud, is he in there?" Link asked Champion Link, having to make sure that he and his Hylian buddy were hearing things right. "There's no way..."
"Maybe he came here to do some training, but someone came to do some dance practice and Cloud allowed it. But we won't know for sure, unless we see for ourselves..."
So Champion Link opened the door, as he and Link cautiously entered the training room. To their great surprise, the Hylians saw Cloud, dancing with Joker and Kasumi while "Last Surprise" blared from the music player.
"Thought I told you to go away," Cloud said to Champion Link, who along with Link had his mouth agape as the two Hylians were watching Cloud dance. Cloud was busting out all sorts of moves, moving his body to the beat, and he had the same stoic facial expression throughout.
"This cannot be real, the world must truly be ending..." remarked Link, having a hard time taking in what he was seeing from his best friend Cloud. "...doomsday must be fast approaching!"
Cloud: Felt like busting out a few dance moves I learned from the HoneyBee Inn. If the Aerith from this universe loved those dance moves, then I'm definitely sure that the Aerith from the other universe will like them as well. Can't really let anyone else see me dance, though - they might pick on me forever.
"My goodness Cloud, you're an even better dance than I expected!" Kasumi said to the swordsman, with her and Joker dancing gracefully together. Cloud was really getting into it, with his hands on his knees and everything. Even busted out a few cartwheels.
"Yeah, whatever, just don't tell anyone else about this," advised Cloud, as he was now doing some kind of variant of the stanky leg. The swordsman was unsure where these moves came from, but as he said in his talking head segment, he learned those moves from the HoneyBee Inn. "Bad enough that the Links have to be here..."
"Why do I hear 'Last Surprise'?" wondered Bayonetta, walking by as she took a peek inside the training room...and saw Cloud gyrating his hips. Only slightly, though. But the fact that Cloud gyrated his hips in the first place made Bayonetta smile, and Cloud quickly noticed.
"Link shut the door now..." Cloud worriedly commanded the Hylian, who was too shook to move a single inch. "...I said shut the door NOW!"
"Never knew how much I wanted to see this until now..." Bayonetta kept smiling as she stepped inside the training room, giving Cloud her full attention. "...using some of my dance moves, Cloud? I'm impressed."
"Hurry Link, shut that door before anyone else walks by and sees this! Champion Link? Ugh, this sucks so much..."
Aerith was giving Master Hand some "redesigning" tips on improving the mansion, and the flower girl was wrapping things up with the giant hand. Master Hand had learned a lot from Aerith, even though Aerith was giving out empty suggestions on the fly.
"So, in order for the redesign of the mansion to be perfect..." Master Hand said to Aerith in the lounge, about to review the things that he and Aerith discussed. "...I should paint the walls blue, make the interior of the elevators more fancy, and add a chandelier to each bedroom. Anything else?"
"Don't forget about the personal fridges in each bedroom!" Aerith reminded Master Hand, as she pointed her finger at the giant hand. The residents would be sure to thank Aerith for that one, if Master Hand went through with the idea.
"Ah, of course, how could I forget! Thank you for your lovely suggestions, Aerith. I'll run them by Mr. Game and Watch, once I steal...erm, borrow, enough money from Star Records. And Wario. And maybe also Heihachi. But thanks for your time!"
"No problem, glad I could help!" Aerith had a warm smile on her face as she left the lounge, and once she was standing in the hallway, she shook her head. "Wow, he's still taking money from Fox and Falco...that Master Hand never learns."
"AERITH? IS THAT REALLY YOU?!" a voice called out to the flower girl, grabbing her attention. Thinking that it was Doc Louis, Aerith turned around and instead saw Barret, along with Marlene, Tifa, and Red XIII. "You're back, and alive!"
"No, Barret, it's not what you..." Aerith had time to explain, as Barret excitedly ran up to the flower girl and picked her up, embracing her in a hug. "...oh dear."
"Oh Aerith, you had no idea how much we missed you!" Barret was all smiles, as Tifa and company nonchalantly came over. "You been dead for so long, I literally forgot what your voice sounded like..."
"Uh, Barret, don't mean to burst your bubble, but...that's the Aertih from the alternate universe," Tifa informed Barret, who furrowed his brow as he looked at Aerith. Aerith gently smiled, as Barret placed her back on the floor.
"Aw man...why didn't y'all give me a heads up before I hugged this woman? Got me out here looking like a fool..."
"Well at least nobody else was around to see you," Aertih said to Barret, before seeing Tifa and the others gathered around. "Nice seeing you guys!"
"An Aerith, from an alternate universe?" questioned Red XIII, as he raised an eyebrow; he heard stories about Aerith, but refused to believe them. "Think I've finally heard it all now..."
"C'mon, Red, I've told you about this Aerith for the longest now," Tifa said to the canine, before directing her attention to Aerith. "So, you're back at the mansion again, huh?"
"Yes, but only for a week," replied Aerith, while Barret was looking into the distance feeling foolish about himself. "I manipulated Master Hand into allowing me to stay here, at the mansion."
"Look at you, messing with Master Hand...never knew you had that much pull. So since you're back at the mansion, I bet you got to spend some time with Cloud."
"Yes I have - feels great to see him again. Cloud told me that he has a surprise planned for me, later today...wonder what it is."
"Funny you should mention that...Cloud told us that he has a surprise for us as well! That's why we came to the mansion, to pay him a visit."
"Who knows, this surprise of Cloud's might be for all of us," assumed Red XIII, who was keeping his expectations low. "But Cloud is a very unpredictable fellow...hard to gauge what he has planned."
"Where the heck is Cloud anyway?" asked Barret, joining the conversation after he had gotten over how foolish he was. "He's not out on the hammock outside, is he?"
"No, he's somewhere in the mansion, keeping himself busy," replied Aerith, with a warm smile. "I expect him to show up real soon..."
Cloud felt embarrassed after he finished dancing - not because of the sick dance moves he busted out on the dance floor, but because Bayonetta was watching him dance like there was no tomorrow. And all that dancing Cloud did made him tired and sweaty.
So Cloud took it upon himself to relax in a spa bath at the beauty salon, not only easing his cares away but also to forget about Bayonetta. The swordsman expected to have a bath all for himself, but unfortunately the swordsman wouldn't have his way...
"You guys do know there's other spa baths here, right?" asked Cloud, as he was looking at the men that were in the spa bath with him...Ryu, Richter, Doc Louis, and King K. Rool.
"To be fair, I asked dibs for this spa bath first," stated Ryu, just chilling in the bath shirtless and all. Acted like the spa bath was his. "These three other men tried to beat me to the punch!"
"I asked for permission to use this spa bath since yesterday!" yelled Doc Louis, who was eating a chocolate bar even while he was bathing. "So if anything, I deserve to have more priority than Ryu!"
"Can we just stop complaining?" Richter politely asked Doc Louis and Ryu, trying to be the voice of reason. "It is what it is. I didn't know anyone else claimed this spa...but I'm not here to complain."
"Oh yeah, I'm really feeling it now..." said King K. Rool as he happily inhaled...before exhaling as bubbles were released from the bathwater. The other men cringed. "...I'm so sorry about that, boys."
"That's it, I'm outta here..." said a very disgusted Cloud, as he climbed out of the spa bath. Everyone save for K. Rool followed suit, and K. Rool took delight in knowing that he now had a spa bath all for himself...
King K. Rool: Today has been a rather unprecedented day at the mansion. Never has there ever been more than four men inside the beauty salon at the same time - we're breaking records!
Cloud: Guess I'll just have to settle for a shower, then...I'll definitely be done by the time E. Gadd brings that time machine over. Barring anything else getting in the way.
Sonic was tasked by Mario with stopping Reno and Rude from learning anything about E. Gadd's time machine, but the hedgehog was too reluctant to do anything. After all, he had already spilled the beans to Reno and Rude, and now the Turks were dead-set on finding out exactly where E. Gadd was. Nobody knew what the Turks wanted to do with the time machine, but surely Shinra had to be involved in the matter.
"Face it, Sonic, you screwed everything up..." Sonic said to himself as he walked through the hallway, looking down at the floor. He expected Mario to put him on blast soon, for what he had done. "...why stop Reno and Rude, you told them everything!"
Sonic looked up, and came to a stop when he saw Reno and Rude inside the buddy cops' room...erm, police station. Ducking behind a vase, Sonic watched as Reno and Rude were having a discussion with someone inside the buddy cops' jail cell.
"Is that Anna?" the hedgehog wondered, seeing Anna in the jail cell speaking with Reno and Rude. "Did the buddy cops arrest her or something?"
"So you have seen Professor E. Gadd out and about around town, yes?" Rude asked Anna, who had an amused look on her face.
"I usually see him hanging around, at the food market," replied Anna, only telling Reno and Rude what they wanted to hear. "He doesn't buy food or anything - he just goes there to conduct his studies."
"That must be where E. Gadd does his scientific recon work," Reno said to Rude, who nodded his head, before turning his attention back to Anna. "You think that E. Gadd might be at the food market, right now?"
"Considering that the food market is closed down temporarily, I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen E. Gadd venture off into places that he shouldn't."
"Then it's settled - we're off to the food market!" All the Turks had to do now was find E. Gadd, and get to that time machine. "Gotta practice some social distancing out there, Rude...if ya know what I mean."
"We've built up enough herd immunity, we'll be fine..." responded Rude, as he and Reno left the police station. "...thank you for your time, Anna."
"Don't let Master Hand know that I'm here!" Anna called out to the Turks, as they made their exit. A moment after Reno and Rude left, and the coast was clear, Sonic ran inside the police station to speak with Anna.
"Hey Anna, it's me, Sonic," Sonic said to the merchant, acting like she never met him before in her life. "You may not know this, but those guys, Reno and Rude...they can't be trusted!"
"Aw, but they look like good guys...and they look so professional, too! Especially the bald guy...but I don't know about his partner-in-crime, though. Kinda looks like a woman going through a terrible midlife crisis..."
"Now that you mention it, he kinda does, hehe...but that's besides the point now. Those guys are after E. Gadd, and Mario thinks that they want to destroy a time machine that E. Gadd's been working on!"
"Oh dear, that is troublesome...but I've already sent them on their way. Sadly, there's nothing that I can do. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Smiling, Anna dug into her pocket, and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Isn't that one of the buddy cops' walkie-talkies?"
"It's a spare walkie-talkie...I pretty much use it to contact the buddy cops, whenever I need 'em. Let's see if they'll respond..."
Elsewhere in the mansion, the buddy cops Toon Link and Young Link were writing up a ticket for Geno. Geno felt like he didn't deserve a ticket, but he accepted it anyways if it meant saving him from trouble.
"Five minutes, I was only outside for five minutes!" Geno pleaded his case to Toon Link, who was writing the star's ticket. "Not like I was breaking any rules."
"You being outside could've very well spread the virus to others!" frowned Toon Link, as he finished writing up the ticket and handed it to Geno. "Murderous sociopaths like you need to stay inside."
"Whatever, wasn't like I saw anyone outside anyways...I just needed some fresh air. I'll be on my way then..." As Geno took his ticket and left, Young Link heard some noise coming from his walkie-talkie. The Hylian grabbed his walkie-talkie right away.
"Hello, Hutch speaking," Young Link spoke into the walkie-talkie, with Toon Link providing an attentive ear. "Is this Anna I am speaking with?"
Fox was chilling back at Mario's house, hanging out in the living room. The pilot was looking out through one of the windows, checking out the progress that the Carpenters were doing to his house.
"Oh yeah, baby, it's all coming together..." grinned Fox, who was liking what he was seeing. Suddenly one of the Carpenters, Ichiro, showed up in front of the window and scaring the daylights out of Fox as the pilot screamed and jumped back.
"What's the matter with you?" Weiss asked Fox, as she and Yang walked inside the living room and saw Fox lying on the floor. Fox recollected himself, as he picked himself up off the floor.
"Some Carpenter dude showed up at the window, scared the crap out of me," explained Fox, as he took the time to catch his breath. "Didn't see it coming!"
Mutoh: When I say that Fox can't see his new house...I really mean that he can't see his new house, no matter what! Got a feeling that fox is gonna test me, so my men will take turns working on the house and preventing Fox from seeing our progress. We're gonna have to keep it up, until Fox learns when to hold his horses!
Ichiro: Hey boss, while we're splitting our duties and stuff...do you think you can give us a lunch break?
Mutoh: What kind of moronic question is that?! I'm not giving you a lunch break, do you see me eating?! Don't think I'm gonna give you boys a privilege that I can't enjoy myself!
Ichiro: But boss, I'm so hungry...I don't think I can make it...
"You let some fat guy with a mustache scare you like that?" Yang snorted at Fox, as she sat on a couch in the living room and grabbed the TV remote. "And I thought that you were braver than that...some pilot you're supposed to be."
"Well how would you like it if some dude randomly popped up out of nowhere?" questioned Fox, and Yang would ignore Fox as she turned the television. The doorbell rang, followed by some knocking on the front door.
"Bruh, Fox, you in there?" Falco called out to his best friend from outside, quickly garnering Fox's attention. "It's me, Falco!"
"I'm coming!" Fox ran to the front door and opened it...and instead of seeing Falco on the doorstep, he saw Saburo, with Falco right behind. "Dude, what the heck?! Why you gotta be like this?"
"Boss said you're not allowed to come out, and see your house," Saburo explained to Fox, standing unshaken on the doorstep with his arms folded. "You have no choice but to stay in."
"This is insane, how am I supposed to go back to the mansion now? How am I gonna see my wife Krystal?" Fox looked for a way around Saburo, but to no avail. "Dude, Falco, get rid of this guy!"
"No can do, fam - I can't pick him up, he's too fat!" replied Falco, acting as if there were no other way to get rid of Saburo. He could knock the Carpenter out with a hit from his Blaster, but that would make too much sense for the avian pilot. "He literally cannot move!"
"Don't try and get too cute, Mr. McCloud..." Saburo warned the pilot, as Falco tried to lift him off his feet. "...betcha there's another Carpenter waiting for you, at the screen door." Fox turned around and saw that Saburo was right, as Ichiro was hanging out at the screen door outside.
"Seriously, what's up with you guys, what's your problem?!" Fox snapped on Saburo, pulling on the hairs on his head. Or whatever hairs he could grab. "I get the point of quarantine and all, but this is too much!"
"Imagine getting this upset by some lousy carpenters," Yang smirked at Weiss, amused by how hysterical Fox was. At this point, Fox should just escape through the chimney; he can't possibly find a Carpenter waiting for him there.
E. Gadd was walking outside, walking past Mario's house while holding a pecuiliar briefcase. He saw Falco standing at Mario's front door, struggling to pick up Saburo.
"Falco! Excuse me? Falco Lombardi!" E. Gadd called out to the avian pilot, who released his grip on Saburo and saw the professor standing by. "Sorry if I'm interrupting you. Do you know if Cloud is at the mansion?"
"Of course he's at the mansion, ya old coot," replied Falco, as he slowly moved his hands up to Saburo's neck. "Guy's not interesting enough to go out in town, even without all this quarantine stuff."
"I see...well, let Cloud know that I'm at the tower, booting up the time machine. Tell him to give me a couple of minutes to get everything booted up."
"Alright, I'll let him now soon." So E. Gadd went to the tower, as Falco now resorted to strangling Saburo. Needless to say, his efforts were futile.
Soon E. Gadd reached the tower, and knocked on the front door. Lakitu opened the door, with Knuckles standing by.
"Good afternoon, boys, I need to use the basement of the tower," E. Gadd said to Lakitu and Knuckles, before showing them the briefcase in his hands. "Gotta boot up my time machine, so I can bring back some of Cloud's friends from the past!"
"You keep your time machine in that thing?" asked Knuckles as he pointed at the briefcase. E. Gadd rubbed the briefcase, like it was some kind of magic lamp.
"Pretty much - that way, I can bring the time machine with me wherever I go, and work on it. Don't ask me how I fit all of it in here..."
E. Gadd: With my genius intellect, I managed to compress my time machine, and insert it in my briefcase so I can bring it with me on the go. Kinda like a Gogurt (took me a while to realize that it was actually yogurt). Sadly there aren't that many places open around town for me to work on my time machine, away from home...can't take my chances at the grocery stores, with those crazies up and about.
"You're free to come on in, E. Gadd!" Lakitu said to the professor, as he let him inside the tower. Before closing the front door, Lakitu hovered over to Knuckles on his cloud and whispered to the echidna: "What if Dr. Wily finds out?"
"Eh, screw that guy, it's not like he needs to know anyway," Knuckles whispered back, with Lakitu keeping his lips pursed as he closed the front door.
Aerith was now with Tifa and company, and she was with the four in the gaming room. There they saw Joker and Ryuji, and the latter was enamored by Red XIII.
"Wow, a talking lion, how cool is this?!" gleamed Ryuji, as he was petting Red XIII. Red XIII didn't appreciate being petted, but he would allow it for now.
"Just to be clear, I am NOT a lion..." clarified Red XIII, having been used to people mistaking him for being a lion. "...frankly, I don't even know what I am. Some say I'm a canine, others say I'm a cat..."
"Doesn't matter either way, you're still the coolest animal I've ever seen! Really wish I could keep you as a pet!"
"That would not be ideal...my goodness, I can only imagine what the cute animals have to endure. The objectively cute ones, that is..."
Red XIII: Strange, isn't it? Most people I came across are usually amazed, when they learn that I can speak. But I've been about almost everywhere in this mansion, and not one person is amazed! This mansion must be used to so much weirdness, a walking sofa with the ability to speak would barely be anything out of the ordinary here.
"Soooo have you seen Cloud around today?" Tifa asked Joker, just dying to see Cloud. "He wanted us to be here today, and we haven't seen him yet..."
"I was hanging out earlier with Cloud, actually," replied Joker, before leaning in close to Tifa and whispering the following: "He wanted to 'relearn' some dance moves."
"Relearn what dance moves?" Tifa looked confused at first, but found herself smiling when she knew that Joker meant. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"HoneyBee Inn...perhaps that might ring a bell." Tifa was now smiling even harder, as Joker gave Tifa a wink and walked away. "C'mon, Ryuji, let's go."
"Aw, but I'm not done petting this awesome beast!" whined Ryuji, who now wanted to be with Red XIII forever. Something that Red XIII would easily object to. "You have to feel his fur, it's so soft and delicate and..."
"Ryuji, let's go. NOW." Groaning, Ryuji got up and followed after Joker, and Red XIII sighed in relief after the delinquent left. Soon the buddy cops entered the gaming room, passing by Tifa and company.
"You boys still doing your buddy cop thing?" Tifa asked the buddy cops, who ran inside the gaming room just to grab their box of doughnuts. Can't solve crime while on an empty stomach. "About to arrest someone today?"
"We've been informed about two Turks at the mansion," replied Toon Link; from the get-go, Tifa, Barret, and Red XIII, knew who these Turks were. "Two troublemakers, up to no good."
"We're gonna send 'em back to Turkey, where they belong!" added Young Link, giving a high five to Toon Link as he and Toon Link left the gaming room.
"See, I told y'all those Turks were here!" Barret said to Tifa and Red XIII, now feeling some kind of validation. "Y'all saw that black vehicle, right? Why else did we have to get inside through the backdoor?"
"Why didn't you do anything to stop them?" Marlene asked Barret, leaving her father stumped. For someone so bent out of shape over the Turks, Barret sure didn't take initiative to deal with them.
"Uh...it was Pit's fault. Boy made me mad, really took my mind off of things. But enough about him. How about we teach those Turks a lesson!"
Before Reno and Rude could set out for the food market, they first had to get confirmation from a few other residents. While Anna had the Turks on the right track, it wouldn't hurt to ask a few others.
"Judging from my past visits at the food market, E. Gadd is quite the constant visitor," Zelda said to Reno and Rude, in the middle of the hallway. "Wouldn't be surprise if he's already there, with there being no people."
"Good, that's what we needed to hear!" grinned Reno, feeling like he was one step closer to completing the mission. "Much obliged, princess." The Turks went away, heading down to the foyer which wasn't that far.
"So I guess we're off to the food market," remarked Rude, as he checked his watch. "We should have more than enough time to..."
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" a voice shouted, stopping the Turks in their tracks before the could reach the foyer. The buddy cops soon jumped into sight, with their arrows pointed at Reno and Rude. "We finally found you!"
"Well isn't this cute, Rude?" Reno asked his partner-in-crime, amused by the buddy cops. Seeing the buddy cops' serious depositions almost made the Turk want to laugh his butt off. "These wannabe police cops want to take us to the slammer!"
"Who are you calling wannabe, you Turk?" Toon Link snapped on Reno, who frowned as he took a step back. "Bet you're not even a real Turk! Say five words in Turkish, right now."
"Look, kid, we're not one of the Turkish people...we're just special agents," Rude pleaded his case to Toon Link, not even bothering to hold up his hands. It wasn't even worth it. "We just came here to..."
"Do a Turkish dance, right now!" commanded Young Link, ready to fire unless either one of the Turks did some dancing. "Do we have to sing Moskau, to get you punks to move?!"
"Moskau is a German song, Hutch," Toon Link had to correct his fellow buddy cop, as Young Link looked at Toon Link in utter disbelief.
"Are you sure about that? Because those lyrics sound awfully Turkish to me. Granted, I don't know much about the Turkish language..."
"I mean, at first, I thought the whole song was written entirely in Sanskrit. So I can't blame you for not knowing." With the buddy cops distracted, Reno and Rude sneaked away unseen...
...only to run into someone else. Aerith Gainsborough, standing in the middle of the foyer. Reno and Rude were looking at the flower as if they were seeing a ghost.
"A-Aerith? Is that you?" Reno stuttered, walking close to Aerith to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "Y-You're alive?"
"Er...yes, I'm alive," confirmed Aerith, smiling while at the same time stifling her laughter. Reno couldn't believe what he was seeing, and neither could Rude.
"Wow, I can't believe you're alive again! Don't know how, or way...but man! Rude, are you seeing this?"
"Is that really Aerith? Or is it just some imposter?" asked Rude, having every right to feel cynical. He was giving Aerith a side-eye.
"Rude, you gotta stop being such a cynic." Reno would take Aerith's hand, delighted that he could physically touch the flower girl. "Let's go, Aerith - let's ditch this dumb mansion! You'll love it at Shinra."
"No...I want to stay here," stated Aerith, standing her ground; Reno looked at the flower girl like she was crazy, before breaking into a laughing fit.
"Man, that's rich! Never knew you were such a comedian. But seriously, Aerith, you should come with us - you would be a welcome addition, at Shinra."
"The woman says she wants to stay..." a voice called out to Reno, who pulled his hand away from Aerith. He and Rude looked over...and saw Barret, with Tifa and Red XIII behind him. All three were looking for a fight.
"...hi?" Reno waved to Barret and company, hoping that they wouldn't kick his and Rude's butts. But the butt-kicking was inevitable.
Link's trusty mailman was out delivering mail, and he made a delivery at the tower, leaving behind a package at the front door. Knuckles opened the front door, and saw the package lying on the doorstep.
"Yo, Lakitu, I think this is for you!" Knuckles called out to the koopa, as he picked up the package and inspected it. Lakitu happily came over and snatched the package away from Knuckles.
"Oh my, it must be the new digital camera I ordered!" Lakitu exclaimed with glee, as he tore off the packaging until he was holding a camera in his hands. The koopa kissed his new camera, like a newborn baby.
"Already, you're kissing that camera? You need some help, my man..."
Lakitu: You can never have too many cameras, on your hands. I have a camera for just about everything I do - one for recording, one for vlogging, and one for spying on the ladies - but it's always nice to have multiple cameras, in case one camera goes missing. Which happens to me a lot. Maybe I should just record and vlog from now on, since my third camera's always the one that goes missing...
Suddenly a black-and-white lightning thunderbolt from the sky struck the ground, as a man in black with long silver hair made his appearing. The Carpenters who were working on Fox's house stopped, and marveled at this man.
"Who is that guy?" Knuckles asked Lakitu, who squinted his eyes to make out the man in black.
"Oh it's just Sephiroth," stated Lakitu as he floated away...before going back to the front door to do a double-take. "SEPHIROTH?!"
"Why's he here? And why is he coming to the tower?!" Knuckles saw Sephiroth advancing towards the tower, with his blade, Masamune. "Close the front door!"
"On it!" So Lakitu closed the front door, as he and Knuckles made a run for it. "You make sure Sephiroth doesn't get inside. I'll give Crazy Hands a heads up!"
"Why do I have to be on the lookout?" Knuckles looked helpless, as he watched Lakitu head down the hallway. The echidna felt even more helpless, as Sephiroth cut down the door to the tower with his sword.
"Where is he?" Sephiroth asked Knuckles, who fell down on the floor and shivered at the sight of Sephiroth.
"C'mon man, we just got that door!" Knuckles backed away from Sephiroth, until he backed himself into a wall. Sephiroth would reach Knuckles, towering over him.
"I don't think you heard me the first time...where is he?" Sephiroth held out his Masmune, using his sword to intimidate Knuckles.
"I know who you're referring to, I think...but I won't let you get anywhere near him!" And Sephiroth wouldn't let Knuckles get anywhere near from him, as he put his stomped on the echidna's foot.
"Very well then...until you tell me where he is, I'll have to keep you hostage." Frightened by these terms, Knuckles nervously gulped, hoping for someone to save him soon and quick.
Back at the mansion, Tifa and company dealt with Reno and Rude, and tied up the two Turks with some rope. Reno and Rude sat on the floor, bound together by the rope, with the buddy cops looking on with Tifa and company.
"How do you like those apples, you fake Turkish dudes?" Toon Link taunted Reno and Rude, with the latter trying to fight out of the rope so he could throw some hands with the Hylian. "Bet you can't even count to ten, in Turkish!"
"What do we do with them now?" Marlene asked Barret, who was stroking his chin. Obviously Barret never got far in his plans to stop the Turks.
"They're federal agents, so you can't really arrest them..." replied Barret; he eventually shrugged his shoulders, unable to think of anything. "...eh, we'll just let Master Hand handle these two."
"You guys have no idea what you're doing..." Reno warned Barret and company, with a sly smile on his face. "...shoulda let us stop that time machine, while we still had the chance!"
"Time machine? What time machine?" questioned Tifa; Sonic had spilled the beans to Reno and Rude, and now Reno was about to spill the beans to Tifa and company.
"Oh, you haven't heard? We were told by Shinra, from a outside source, that some scientist has got some time machine, and he's using it to bring back some dead people from the past! Just to satisfy Cloud..."
"Although I wonder why you're here, Aerith," Rude said to the flower girl, still feeling cynical about her very presence. And existence. "You came from the past?"
"Nope - I actually came from an alternate universe," confirmed Aerith, with a smile on her face. Reno and Rude were both stunned. "But nice try, though."
Peeking inside the room was Sonic, who saw Reno and Rude all tied up. The hedgehog pulled away from the room, letting out a sigh of relief.
Sonic: Feel a lot better now, thanks to the buddy cops and everyone else involved...Mario should expect to hear a good report from me. If anything, Anna deserves my thanks. She's a real one.
"Won't have to worry about those two anymore..." remarked Sonic as he walked down the hall, before crossing paths with Cloud. "Sup Cloud - heard you were out there, dancing your heart out!"
"Dancing my heart out?" frowned Cloud as he stopped in place, looking at Sonic with a scowl. "Who told you that I was dancing?"
"Bayonetta did. She only told a select few, so I guess you could say I'm special." Cloud was now experiencing feelings he never felt before, as he looked down at the floor and shook his head. "Gotta see those dance moves for myself!"
"Link should've closed that door when he had the chance..." As Cloud was feeling humiliated, Sonic stopped when he got a text notification...from Knuckles.
"Oh wow, a text message from Knuckles! That doesn't happen that often." Sonic checked the text message, with his eyes going big. "Aw snap! Sephiroth's at the tower! Knuckles is in trouble!"
"Sephiroth?" Cloud looked up, suddenly in the mood for some fighting. "He would be here, wouldn't he?"
Down in the basement, E. Gadd was working tirelessly on his time machine, looking to bring back Cloud's friends from the past. As the professor was typing in coordinates, Midna was sneaking in on him.
"Now it's time to put in the names!" exclaimed E. Gadd, sounding a lot more gleeful than he should. Putting in names must be a very exciting thing for him. "Let's see, what were the names? Jessie Rasberry is one of them..."
"Is that your dumb time machine?" Midna asked E. Gadd, scaring the pants off of him. E. Gadd screamed and jumped, turning around and seeing Midna.
"Oh...hi there! Yes, this is my time machine...and it is not dumb." E. Gadd recomposed himself, as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm using this bad boy to bring back Cloud's friends from the past."
"Bringing back friends from the past, eh? What, is Cloud trying to impress Aerith or something? He would do anything for that woman..."
"Perhaps, that could be the case...but for what it's worth, he invited his friends over to the mansion. Namely Tifa and Barret."
"I really think you shouldn't go forth with this. Why bring up someone from Cloud's past? What even is the purpose?"
"To make a lasting impression on someone...?" E. Gadd did his best not answer, but Midna was not impressed.
"I'd say hold off on the time travel stuff - let Cloud live in the present. If he wants Aerith to know his past friends, then he can just tell her all about them. This isn't show-and-tell."
"You're right, Midna. I was only doing this, just to be nice to Cloud. I've been doing so many nice things for him...I should probably hold off, for now."
"Yeah, I'll say. Also, just to give you a heads up..." Midna leaned in close to E. Gadd, ready to give the professor some vital info. "...there's someone out there, trying to get ya."
"Is that so? Are they after me, and my time machine? I was worried this day would come..."
Sephiroth still had his foot on Knuckles, holding the echidna down. Lakitu, having informed Crazy Hand, returned to the lobby and saw Knuckles in the predicament that he was in, not wanting to be a part of it.
"Hey Knuckles just wanted to let you know that I told Crazy Hand about Sephiroth and he was too busy to care so that's all you need to know and bye!" Lakitu quickly said to Lakitu, before hightailing away on his cloud.
"You suck, Lakitu!" Knuckles called out to the koopa, before Sephiroth stamped his foot harder on Knuckles. The One Winged Angel now held his blade close to Knuckles, as the front door to the mansion opened.
"I am not going to ask you again," Sephiroth said to Knuckles, slowly running out of whatever patience he had remaining. "Where...is...he?"
"You're not talking about me, are you?" someone asked, as Cloud entered the tower, stepping inside the lobby. With Cloud was Sonic, and Knuckles was more than happy to see him.
"Sonic! About time you showed up!" exclaimed Knuckles, as he lifted up his head as much as he could. "I'm surprised you were able to read my text message...these stupid fingers of mine."
"What is it that you want, Sephiroth? You're here for a reason, obviously." Cloud had his Buster Sword ready to go, and he was looking for a fight.
"What I am here for is none of your concern, Cloud," replied Sephiroth, who unlike Cloud wasn't in the mood for fighting. Kinda odd. "I suggest you stay out of my way, or I'll have no choice but to..."
"Ah, Sephiroth! Surprised to see you at the tower," a voice called out to the One Winged Angel, who turned around and saw Dr. Wily walking down the steps. "I would ask how you even got inside..."
"Don't come any closer, Dr. Wily - he'll kill you!" Sonic advised Dr. Wily, hearing the evil genius' voice. Why was Dr. Wily acting so friendly with Sephiroth - was it because he was a fellow villain?
"Nonsense, Sonic - the only person that Sephiroth would want to kill is Cloud." Dr. Wily sounded pretty sure, as he reached the end of the steps. "As far as I'm concerned..."
Sephiroth suddenly took his blade away from Knuckles, as he made a wicked slash. Before Cloud could jump in, he saw Dr. Wily, cowering on the floor.
"It was you who did it, wasn't it?" Sephiroth asked the cowering Dr. Wily, taking his foot off of Knuckles and now standing over Dr. Wily. Knuckles, looking around, got up and ran for his life.
"I was the one who did what?" questioned Dr. Wily, before Sephiroth grabbed the evil genius by the collar and held him up in the air. "Please put me down!"
"Don't play dumb with me, doctor...was it you who did it?" Sephiroth shook Dr. Wily shook, trying to get the truth out of him.
"Fine, it was me, I fess up! I was the one who sent those Turks to investigate E. Gadd, and that stupid time machine!"
"The Turks? As in, Reno and Rude?" questioned Cloud, as he lowered his guard, and that's when the swordsman remembered seeing the black government car, parked outside in the mansion driveway.
"I thought that by sending in those Turks, they could destroy that time machine, and discourage E. Gadd from pursuing time travel! When I overheard that Cloud wanted to bring back Zack Fair, I contacted Shinra, and told them about Cloud's plans! I thought that with the time machine destroyed, I would be rid of E. Gadd forever..."
"Enough..." said Sephiroth, as he dropped Dr. Wily unto the floor. Dr. Wily got on his knees, begging for mercy. "...I would make you suffer, for using Shinra to accomplish your selfish goals. But since I have company..."
"Like us, I'm assuming?" asked Cloud, as Sephiroth saw the swordsman and Sonic standing behind him. Sephiroth, lowering his sword, turned around and was about to walk out of the mansion.
"I'll deal with you another time..." the One Winged Angel said to Cloud as he passed him by, before exiting the tower for good. Confused, Cloud looked at Sonic, who shrugged his shoulders.
"Sephiroth almost ended me...I could've been done for..." said Dr. Wily, still on the floor shaken with fear. "...knew I should've called someone other than Shinra..."
With Sephiroth gone, Cloud went down to the basement of the tower, to see how E. Gadd was handling things with the time machine.
"Hey professor - good some good news for ya," Cloud said to E. Gadd, who strangely wasn't working away on his time machine. "Dr. Wily wanted your time machine destroyed, and sent some Turks to get the job done. But he was taken care of by Sephiroth, of all people."
"Splendid, absolutely splendid!" exclaimed E. Gadd, as he happily clapped his hands together. "Unfortunately, I had some bad news to deliver...I couldn't bring back any of your friends."
"Really? What happened? Was there a malfunction, or did you use the wrong input?"
"A little bit of both...I can assure you, that I did my absolute best."
Midna: Managed to convince E. Gadd not to make Cloud's pipe dreams come true...so I feel a bit accomplished today. Better hope that Cloud is a really good storyteller.
"As long as you did your best, I won't mind," replied Cloud, not feeling bothered by E. Gadd and his "shortcomings". "I should go see what's up with those Turks."
"Very well then; I'll be heading back to my mansion," said E. Gadd, as he took out his briefcase and opened it. Cloud looked puzzled.
"What's with the briefcase?" Cloud just watched, as E. Gadd took out a remote control, and pointed it at the time machine and caused it to shrink, before putting it inside his briefcase. "Okay, I've seen everything now..."
Cloud returned to the mansion, looking for any signs of Reno and Rude. Guess who the swordsman ran into, in the foyer.
"Cloud! We finally found you, man!" exclaimed Barret, right after Cloud stepped inside the mansion. Barret, Tifa, Marlene, Red XIII, and Aerith all met up with Cloud.
"Would you look at that, all of you are here," remarked Cloud - if only there was a bit more excitement in his voice. Would go a long way. "How convenient..."
"You weren't trying to avoid us all day, were you?" Tifa questioned Cloud, all up in the man's face with her hands on her hips.
"No way, I was busy. Just got back from the tower, had to handle some business there. Heard that Reno and Rude were..."
"Oh, Reno and Rude? Yeah, we already took care of them. Master Hand made those two go back where they came from."
"He did, did he? That black car wasn't there in the driveway, so I guess they're gone for good. Oh, that surprise I told you guys about..."
"...the one involving the time machine?" Cloud's eyes went wide, as he wondered how Tifa figured out. "Reno spilled the beans, so your surprise is kinda ruined. No hard feelings?"
"Had a feeling that would've happened...which is why I had a Plan B in mind. It's something that...Aerith would enjoy, more than the rest of you."
"Can we see this surprise now?" implored Aerith, not wanting to wait until later. She'd take any surprise from Cloud at the earliest convenience. "Pretty please?"
"Well, Aerith...you have my word. Alright then...let's mosey."
With the screen door to Mario's house momentarily unguarded, Falco and Krystal ran to the screen door. They looked around, before Krystal knocked on the screen door, which was later opened by Fox.
"Hurry, hurry!" Krystal whispered to Fox, who stepped outside and slammed the screen door shut. Falco and Krystal escorted Fox away, on the lookout for any Carpenter in sight.
"Have I ever told you how much of an awesome wife you are?" Fox whispered to Krystal, who smiled in response as she and Falco took Fox to the mansion.
At the mansion, in the gaming room, a large crowd was present as Cloud was on the stage...dancing. What was meant to be a surprise for Aerith and Cloud's other friends resulted in a heavy turnout from the residents. A fairly loud ovation was present.
"The rumors were true...Bayonetta was right," said Yoshi, watching Cloud dance onstage. Cloud felt slightly awkward, wishing he had a dancing partner like Joker to make the awkwardness go away.
"Woooo, Cloud!" Aerith cheered on for the swordsman, with Tifa and Marlene looking amused while Barret and Red XIII felt the need to facepalm at Cloud. "Keep it up, Cloud! Work it!"
Mr. Game and Watch: Aerith said "work it"...to Cloud...who was dancing onstage in front of a roaring crowd. I have nothing else to live for, my life is now complete.
Once Cloud's performance was over, Cloud spoke with Aerith outside the gaming room. The swordsman really broke a sweat out there.
"Didn't want all those people out there, seeing me," Cloud told Aerith, wishing that it was only his friends who got to see him dance. "Bayonetta must've invited all those people."
"She could've been responsible - I saw her smiling to herself," said Aerith, as Cloud now wanted to give Bayonetta a piece of his mind. "So, since you can dance and all...when are we going to have our little dance?"
"A dance? With me and you?" Cloud didn't expect that; Aerith's request came out of nowhere. "Is that what you really want?"
"It's just something I had in mind. I see the married couples dance, at their wedding parties...kind of got me thinking. We should get our own mosey on."
"Uh, let's not get too hasty now..." Aerith was simply moving too fast for Cloud, and Cloud couldn't keep up.
"Well, we'll have our dance together, when you feel like it...only when the right moment comes." Aerith would kiss Cloud on the check, catching the swordsman off-guard like she had done earlier, before heading down the hallway.
"Only when the right moment comes..." Cloud just stood there, as Krystal approached the swordsman from behind.
"You know, I was actually the one that invited Aerith to the wedding..." Krystal confessed to Cloud, who turned and looked at the vixen. "...asked Falco to add her to the guest list."
"So you were the one, huh? Guess I gotta thank you. It's always good, to have Aerith company. And now Aerith wants some kind of dance with me..."
"I must say, that's a good sign. Shows you how much she truly appreciates you."
"Yeah, definitely. But Aerith's gotta go back home tomorrow...my window of opportunity is kinda closed."
"There's always another time, you never know when Aerith might come back. I'll just tell you the same advice I gave Link...never keep a woman waiting."
"Never keep a woman waiting..." As Krystal walked away, Cloud tried to figure out why Krystal would pass that advice on to Link. "...wait, why the heck would Krystal give that advice to...oh."
New Unwritten Rule...never keep a woman waiting.