Author's Note:

It's Saturday. You know what that means...a new chapter of Smash Life! With some guest reviews to answer:

"Will a Shin Megami Tensei V chapter happen this spring? Have any of the Shin Megami Tensei creatures like Jack Frost shown up yet? Are the Azure Lane, Bowser's Fury, and Persona 5 Strikers chapters going to be one big chapter? (All 3 come out near the end of February.) Will Arthur and Maximo show up for the Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection chapter? And finally, how do you feel about Persona 5 Strikers lacking any DLC side-stories? (The game only has DLC soundtracks)."

We'll see. Not yet, but Jack Frost might make an appearance. I'll try and do a separate chapter for each game, if possible. Arthur and Maximo will show up. And the lack of DLC side-stories in Strikers is pretty disappointing. Especially if you just have DLC soundtracks. Not much playability you can get from that. One more anonymous review:

"I have a recommendation for some new characters. I don't mind if you don't include them but can you put in Caroline and Justine from persona 5? They can be rivals for the buddy cops!"

Caroline and Justine! I've been meaning to feature them in the story for some time now. I know I've been reluctant to add new residents unless they're in Ultimate in some capacity, but I might make an exception to Caroline and Justine. I'll think about it. Last up is Confused reader:

"I swear to God, I never found anything in Final Fantasy canon where Marlene appeared to be grow up. The closest I found, is that she did grow older in Advent Children...from 4 to 6. I have searched the web for anything, and not a single source saying that had Marlene grown to be a teenager or adult. Are you going out of canon?"

Was anticipating someone asking me this question. This is probably the second time I have gone out of canon in Smash Life - the first time was when I aged up Leaf. (No older version of Leaf exists in the Pokemon games, as far as I know.) Marlene remaining as a child irked me for some reason when I re-read chapter 225, so that's why I had her grow up. If there are any more of you that are just as confused, then please forgive me...I was just a bit bothered.

Episode 267: Fatherhood

It was hard to believe, but Marlene Wallace had spent her first full week at the mansion as a full-fledged resident. Marlene was no longer a little girl anymore, as she was now a full-grown woman.

But what caused Marlene to grow up so quickly, over a relatively short period of time? According to Barret, the aging process lasted for about eight months, and Marlene grew and grew. While the maturity was there, Barret was very much amazed by how his daughter physically turned out to be. And although he felt bittersweet, he couldn't have been prouder.

Dr. Wily: There must be something in the mansion grounds that has caused Marlene to grow as much as she did. Everyone has seen what happened to the Pokemon trainers, Red and Leaf...and the same phenomenon has occurred for Barret's daughter! It's a phenomenon that I have been investigating since this Monday.

Red the Pokemon Trainer: I became an adult, Leaf became an adult, Marlene became an adult after she visited the mansion last year...must be something in the water. Or maybe it's just magic. The water quality here sucks sometimes, so...I'm gonna say it's magic.

Barret: I have been keeping a close eye on my girl - gotta make sure that none of the men are creeping around her. But they would know better to mess with Marlene once they see me! Well, some of them will. Not all men can have common sense, I'm afraid.

Dr. Wily: If only there was a phenomenon at the mansion that kills any specific old person that steps foot on the mansion grounds. That way, I would never have to deal with that wretched Professor E. Gadd ever again! *laughs evilly*

Today, Barret decided to let loose with Marlene, and not insist on following around as he had done over the week. If any male resident called Marlene pretty or beautiful, Barret had no choice but to suck it up. The terrorist would be put to the test, as Ike was teaching Marlene how to play pool in the gaming room.

"It's kind of a shame that the greatest pool player of all time refuses to tutor you," Ike said to Marlene as he brought the young woman's attention to Soren, who was at the end of the pool table minding his own business. "He probably doesn't want to share any of his secrets."

"Only because I have no secrets to give," replied Soren with a scowl, as he folded his arms. Ike would look at Soren funny, before bursting into a laughing fit.

"Did I mention that he's also a comedian, too? The guy sure has a lot of talents under his sleeve. Now, Marlene, are you ready to learn how to play pool?"

"I was born ready!" replied Marlene as she confidently held her pool stick. An impressed Ike nodded his head, impressed by Marlene's bravado.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear! So, first things first, approach the pool table, like so..." Ike would approach the pool table, with Marlene imitating the swordsman very closely. "...and hold your pool stick, like this."

"Am I doing it right?" As she held the pool stick, Marlene made sure that her dominant hand and the index finger and thumb of her non-dominant hand were in the right position. Ike gave her a thumbs up. "I feel like a natural already!"

"Sounds like we're making good progress! Now to assume the proper stance, put your back foot behind your front foot, and turn your body slightly away from the table." Marlene would follow Ike's instruction, finding herself in the groove.

"I think it's all coming together..." Marlene had the stance down and the hand position down - all there was left to do was strike the ball. Just then, Barret walked inside the gaming room, and he shrieked at what he saw at the pool table.

"Ike! What are you doing to my daughter, man?!" the terrorist questioned the swordsman as he angrily marched over to him. Barret grabbed Ike by the collar with both hands, pinning the swordsman down on the pool table.

"I was just teaching your daughter how to play pool! Am I not allowed to do that anymore?" Soren found it amusing that his best friend was being man-handled by Barret; he'd laugh if he had the energy to do it.

"Look at what you're doing! You got Marlene sticking her butt in the air!" Marlene stood upright and looked around, confused by what her father was so outraged for. "What if some grown man walked by and slapped her butt?"

"I WAS SHOWING HER THE RIGHT STANCE! And it's not like anyone here would slap her butt, anyway. Isn't that right, Soren?" Soren shook his head no - though it was only to save his friend from trouble.

"Personally, I wouldn't mind doing it," confessed Yoshi, with everyone in the gaming room gasping collectively as Barret gave Yoshi a death glare. Barret angrily marched over to Yoshi, having the green dinosaur cower in fear.

Junpei: Yo, Barret has been super overprotective of his daughter. Whenever I pass by Marlene and give her a wink, her dad is always giving me that scary death look of his. From what I've heard, you can't even compliment Marlene for her good looks or anything! Does Barret not want his daughter to have self-confidence?!

"Sorry Marlene, but it looks like I'll have to teach you how to play pool another time," Ike said to the young woman, as Barret was laying a savage beatdown on poor Yoshi. "Preferably when your dad won't be around."

"That's fine with me," Marlene responded with a smile, before turning her attention to Soren. "Maybe Soren could be the one to teach me?" Soren, hearing his name called, looked to the side not wanting to be bothered.

"That poor woman, being so manipulated..." the wind sage said to himself, wondering how many other minds Ike had corrupted with his delusion.

Because the Super Bowl was next week, Master Hand asked the resident party planner Rosalina to start decorating the living room. With the matchup being the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, colors such as red, gold, and pewter littered the living room. And with the Buccaneers being pirate-themed, there were several pirate decorations as well.

"my brother papyrus wanted to see a pirate movie one night," Sans said to Rosalina, who was hanging up a flag with a skull and crossbones in the living room. "sadly, he couldn't get in because the movie was rated...argh."

"Didn't know they even had movie theaters in Snowdin," remarked Rosalina, as Sans had no way to talk his way out of the loophole he found himself in. "Also, shouldn't your brother be old enough to watch rated-R movies?"

"physically yes, but mentally and behaviorally...that's a different question." Sans looked to the other side of the living room, and saw Chiefs decorations hanging up. "those decorations are totally it, chief."

"Get out..." Seeing how Rosalina was growing tired of his puns, Sans scurried out of the living room. As Sans left, Samus showed up, speaking on the phone with someone other than the pizza delivery guy. Which was a rarity.

"Yeah, Sombra, you and Reaper can attend our Super Bowl party if you like," Samus spoke into the phone - should be no surprise that the bounty hunter had Sombra's contact information. "Feel free to bring any of your Talon pals, if you like. Except maybe Widowmaker."

"Ask her to bring some nachos!" Rosalina suggested to Samus, overhearing the bounty hunter's conversation. Samus rolled her eyes, as she had no choice but to heed Samus' request.

"Oh, and Rosalina apparently wants you to bring some nachos...yeah, loaded nachos, I guess...no, we don't need any guacamole. Some of us can't seem to handle it. Just bring the loaded nachos."

Villager: Whoever said that I couldn't handle guacamole? *looks down at completely bloated body* This is, uh...this is one of my many final forms. I'm Super Saiyan, sort of. The worst kind.

Samus left the living room, continuing her phone conversation with Sombra, as Cloud showed up to check out Rosalina's progress. The swordsman like what he saw, from the Super Bowl banner to the decorations.

"Outdid yourself yet again, Rosalina," Cloud said to the mother of Lumas, who had just finished hanging up the skull and crossbones flag. "The pirate decorations are really a nice touch."

"I thought that they would make the living room feel a little more...festive," replied Rosalina, as Cloud nodded his head in slight approval. Barret entered the living room, and the terrorist looked like he had broken a vase or something.

"What's the matter with you, Barret?" Cloud asked the terrorist, able to sense the fear on Barret's face. A huge part of being the man of the mansion was gauging the emotions of the residents.

"I, uh...I accidentally punched Yoshi's nose in," Barret said to Cloud, who was left wondering how Barret even pulled that off. "Got the poor guy looking like some kind of alien creature!"

"Why would you do that for? Not like Yoshi ever does anything to warrant being attacked." Out of all the residents, Cloud typically found Yoshi to be surprisingly the least troublesome.

"Yoshi said that he would want to slap my daughter on her butt! You know I couldn't stand for that, Cloud."

"I know you wouldn't. But don't resort to violence next time, alright? I would hate to..." Cloud would soon be interrupted when he saw Mario enter the living room with Peony.

"Really, Rosalina? Pirate decorations?" Mario frowned at the mother of Lumas, as he appeared very agitated. "You stole-a my Super Bowl party decoration ideas, didn't you? Admit it!"

"I literally thought about adding the pirate decorations on Sunday," replied Rosalina, as Mario angrily pointed at the mother of Lumas; Mario desperately wanted to say something in retort, but couldn't do it as he held his hand down. "Guess you could say that I'm a forward thinker..."

Master Hand: I for one am glad that the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers didn't make it to the Super Bowl. Otherwise, our party decorations would've consisted of nothing but tables and different kinds of cheese! Only football fans would understand.

"I reckon that we haven't formally met yet," Peony said to Barret as he approached the terrorist, coming off as very friendly. Barret sized up Peony, certain that he could trust the guy. "Nice to meet ya - I'm Peony!"

"Peony...that name sounds kinda familiar..." said Barret as he stroked his chin in thought, before remembering where he heard the name from. "...oh yeah, Peony! You must be the guy that white-haired girl told me to avoid."

"That would be my sweet daughter, Peonia! Boy, I tell ya, that girl is always hatin' on her old man. I just want her to appreciate me more!"

"Is that so? Guess that's why you wanted to speak with me, huh?" Peony couldn't deny it, as the explorer sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his head while looking to the side. "You know what, I can give you some pointers if you need any!"

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Barret nodded his head with a smile, and Peony smiled in response as he shook Barret's hand. Thank you very much, Mr. Wallace! You're just the man that I needed!"

"Haha, don't mention it! I bet all the other dads could use some of my advice. Mario, why don't you invite some of the other dads?"

"I would be down-a with that," agreed Mario, no longer salty with Rosalina; the plumber soon turned his attention to Cloud. "Cloud, you used to be a dad-a once, maybe you can be..."

"I'm not a parent anymore," Cloud immediately spoke, believing that he wasn't worthy enough to heed advice from Barret. Even though he raised Denzel in the past. "You can leave me out of it."

"Have-a it your way...deadbeat." Cloud would take Mario's comment in stride, as Mario turned his attention to Peony and Barret. "Time to start-a assembling all the dads, then."

Thanks to the efforts of Sora and Kairi, Pit and Lloyd now had their food truck, which they could use for Lloyd's delivery service. Toad, who assisted Sora and Kairi in their search, was kind enough to decorate the food truck so that it would carry no significance to the food truck of old. And now there was one last hurdle left to cross...

...finding someone to drive the truck around Seattle. Sora was asked to drive the food truck in the last episode, but his lack of driving experience disqualified the Keyblade wielder. Nobody else was willing to volunteer, leaving Pit with no choice but to drive the food truck...himself.

"Hope you're ready for a superb driving test, Pit!" Toad said to the angel, who led him and Lloyd outside to the food truck parked in the driveway. "Are you still sure that Lady Palutena is okay with you driving?"

"Asked her right before she went to bed, and she said yes, so that's good enough for me!" replied Pit, as Toad was fumbling around for the car keys. Checked his pockets, although he didn't have any.

Pit: I have already learned my lesson from five years ago when I took a joyride in Jacky's car. Or maybe I haven't. Either way, I'm still gonna ace Toad's driving test! The streets of Seattle better watch out!

Palutena: Pit is always asking me important questions right when I'm about to go to sleep...always picking the worst time. That is so like him! Now, what was it that he was asking me about?

Toad: Contrary to what most of the others might think, I'm very excited to show Pit the ropes in driving! I told Master Hand that I would be teaching Pit how to drive, and he started crying for whatever reason. Then he went around telling everyone to remember me and had Isabelle write out my eulogy. Is he trying to send some kind of message?

After finding the car keys, Toad tossed them to Pit, who didn't know how to open the truck door. He looked on the car keys for the button to unlock the food truck but didn't know what button to press. So the angel punched a hole through the driver's window and unlocked the food truck manually.

"Looks like we're off to a rousing start..." remarked Toad, doing his best to remain optimistic as Pit opened all the passenger door and hopped inside the food truck. Pit was in the driver's seat, with Toad in the passenger seat and Lloyd chilling in the back.

"Pit, aren't you gonna put on your seatbelt?" Toad asked the angel as he put on his seatbelt. From the get-go, Toad would tell that Pit didn't value his overall safety that much.

"Aw man, does this mean we're actually going places?" frowned Pit, pouting as he had no choice but to put on his seatbelt. "Not like I'm gonna get a ticket for doing some driving test..."

"Sure is a whole lot of space back here," stated Lloyd as he saw how much open room was in the back of the food truck. "That has to be a safety hazard for me, isn't it?"

"I was gonna find you a safety seat to sit in, but I couldn't find one," replied Toad; Lloyd might as well sit on the food truck floor, and hope for the best. "Now, Pit, first things first - put the food truck in ignition!"

"Is that even physically possible?" inquired Pit, before looking down at the car keys in his hand. "Oh yeah, with the car keys!" So the angel stuck the car keys in the keyhole, easy as pie. "I turn it to the right, don't I?"

"You got it! You're on a roll!" Pit would turn the key to the right, as he turned the car on. Toad saw that he had nothing to fear. "I didn't even have to tell you to turn the food truck on! Awesome!"

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road!" So Pit stomped his foot on the gas pedal, only for the food truck to make a loud engine sound. Pit looked confused, as he stepped on the gas pedal multiple times. "Weird, this food truck isn't moving...must've been because of how dormant it was. Looks like this vehicle is officially dead!" Deciding that the driving test was a no-go, Pit unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to exit the food truck...while the food truck was still running.

"No, Pit, the truck is still working - it's still left in park!" Toad alerted the angel as he pointed at the stick shift. Pit, who was one foot out of the food truck, immediately closed his door and put his seatbelt back on. "You have to put it in drive."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" So Pit grabbed the stick shift and put the food truck in drive. Suddenly, the food truck started rolling down the driveway, at a pretty average speed. "Crap, this truck has a mind of its own!"

"Push the brake, push the brake!" Lloyd frantically screamed as Pit stepped on the brake pedal as if his life depended on it. He did it at the nick of time, as an unsuspecting car zoomed by...only a couple of feet away from the food truck.

"Alright Pit, just turn to the left, and drive smoothly..." Toad said to the angel, who drove out of the driveway and turned into the road...albeit erratically. Caused Lloyd to collide against the food truck. "...not so hard, not so hard!"

"I'm good, I'm good, just keep on rolling..." Lloyd said to Pit and Toad, letting them know that he was okay, as Pit drove down the road. It was bound to be a very long day for poor Toad.

Mario was going around the mansion, asking some dads that were present if they wanted to hear some fatherly wisdom from Barret. Two dads that Mario spoke with were Chrom and Terry, with the latter having an adopted son in Rock Howard.

"I must say that I'm slipping on my dad game as of late," admitted Chrom, showing some self-awareness as a parent. Always important for a dad to be self-aware of his shortcomings. "Haven't been able to make Lucina feel embarrassed!"

"That alone-a is a very concerning sign," stated Mario, who wanted nothing more than to embarrass Jennifer once she gets older. "Did you ever try using a few dad-a jokes on her?"

"Usually when I tell one to Lucina, she just rolls her eyes and walks away. I think my style of humor is outdated." To be fair, Chrom was seldom considered a funny dude, so the joke was on him.

"I think Lucina's too old for your jokes," Terry said to Chrom, who apparently never thought of it that way. "Why would you tell dad jokes to a full-grown adult who has kids?" Chrom looked up in realization, sensing that he had wasted Lucina's time all along.

"Don't sweat it, Chrom - Barret will get you back-a on your game," Mario assured the prince as he patted him on his back. Bowser, who was overhearing the conversation from afar, curiously walked over to Mario and company.

"What is this, are we forming some kind of dad coalition?" the Koopa King asked the dads, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I refuse to join unless you establish me as the leader."

"I was just-a asking Chrom and Terry if they wanted to hear-a some advice from Barret," Mario explained to Bowser, who was still certain that the dad coalition was still a thing. "No offense, Bowser, but you sure could-a use a whole lotta advice..."

"I mean, I am the best dad in existence already...but I can go for a refresher course. I'm down!" Given the kind of guy that Bowser was, Mario had to keep a close eye out on the Koopa King. "One question, though...where will we meet?"

"In-a the meeting room, I suppose. The location is mostly up-a for Barret to decide." Bowser sighed in relief, knowing that he wouldn't have to leave the mansion. Master Hand still wouldn't let him.

"Meeting room, it is! Smell ya later, boys!" Bowser smiled at Mario and company and clicked his fingers at them, as he walked away.

Bowser: Yes, I still have plans to kill Mario. Best to kill him at the mansion, rather than waiting until Master Hand ends your stupid ban so you can get the job done. Remember kids, keep your friends close, your enemies closer...and your soon-to-be-dead enemies the closest!

As Mario, Chrom, and Terry dispersed, Sonic crept his way to Zelda's room, looking around to ensure that nobody was looking. When the coast was clear, Sonic zipped inside Zelda's room, slamming the door shut.

"Sonic, are you in there?" Tails asked the hedgehog as he flew over to Zelda's bedroom door, before banging his fist on the door. "I saw you going down the hallway, you weren't that sneaky..."

"Dang it, Tails! Thought I told you not to follow me here!" Sonic shouted at the yellow fox, as he was heard rummaging through Zelda's room for something. All those sounds Sonic was making had Tails wary. "Hate it when you can't follow basic directions..."

"Sonic, just open up already!" Tails would soon get his wish, as Sonic finally opened the bedroom door. In Sonic's hands was Ori - the same creature that Link gifted to Zelda in episode 197. "Is that Ori?"

"Ori? Or did you mean to say, Shaymin's new best buddy?" Sonic had a slick smile on his face when he said this, as Tails looked skeptical. "Since Mr. Fluffles had to leave so soon, Shaymin will have Ori as her new friend!"

"Does Ori have a final say in this? Does Shaymin even have a final say in this? You can't just force a friendship to work, it doesn't work that way!"

"Stop trying to speak for Ori! Don't you know that it's rude to speak for creatures that can't even talk?" Sonic could only shake his head in dismay at Tails.

"How is that even considered..." Tails would stop talking, as Sonic took Ori with him and sped down the hallway. "...hey, Sonic, wait up for me!"

While Corrin was a Patriots fan to the core, the prince now had a second favorite team, in the Buccaneers. This was mostly attributed to Corrin's favorite player, Tom Brady, playing for the team. So when Brady became a Buccaneer, Corrin figured that he had to build a shrine dedicated to him.

"A shrine truly worthy for a pirate captain..." remarked Corrin as he was putting on the finishing touches to his shrine - which came with a pirate ship, several treasure chests, and some pirate swords. Kamui sat on her bed, watching Corrin do his thing.

"Did you draw that mustache on him?" Kamui asked Corrin, as he saw a picture of Tom Brady sitting at the top of the shrine...with a black mustache, drawn in black marker. It was a pretty fancy mustache at that.

"Everyone knows that a great pirate captain needs a fitting pirate mustache. Of course, I could've given a Brady a beard - since he never had one - but he doesn't really strike me as a beard person."

"Help, help, I'm being attacked by the Zombie!" Falco shouted from the hallway, as Corrin instantly stopped decorating his shrine when he heard Falco's desperate cry for help. "He's gonna eat my brains out!"

"I'm coming to save you, Mr. Lombardi!" Completely forgetting his Brady shrine, Corrin grabbed his sword and ran out of his room to save Falco.

"Corrin, I don't think that Falco's really in...oh dear," Kamui said to her twin brother, only to let out a sigh after Corrin had already left. Seconds later, Fox poked his head inside the room, looking around before he spotted Kamui.

"You mind if Falco and I crash this place?" the pilot asked Kamui, who assumed that Fox and Falco organized some kind of set-up to expel Corrin. "We promise not to make much noise."

"Um, sure, go ahead." So Fox turned around, beckoning to Falco, as the avian pilot quickly came over carrying two baseball bats. Kamui looked on curiously as Fox and Falco entered her room.

"Told you that this stupid shrine was real," Falco said to Fox as he and Fox were looking at the Brady shrine, with Fox shaking his head in disbelief. "Tom Brady is practically Corrin's boo thang!"

"I thought his boo thang was the Patriots coach, Bill Belichick," stated Fox; if you might recall, Corrin only adored Belichick just because of how much he resembled Emperor Palpatine. "He sure knows how to spread the love around."

"So you ready to tear this stupid shrine to bits?" Falco handed Fox a baseball bat, as Fox looked down at said baseball bat with destruction in his eyes. "I'll let you take the first crack at it."

"My pleasure..." Fox looked at the picture of Brady, sitting atop the shrine, and with one swing of his bat he brought the picture down to the floor. Fox then smashed the picture frame with his bat, as Falco went to work on the shrine.

"Screw you, Brady, nobody likes you! And nobody likes the Buccaneers, either!" the avian pilot shouted, showing little to no mercy; Kamui, watching Fox and Falco wreck her brother's shrine from her bed, simply shrugged her shoulders as she resumed reading her book.

Falco: Naturally, as a Falcons fan, I was kinda salty when their rival team, the Buccaneers, advanced to the Super Bowl. So me ruining the crap out of Corrin's shrine will be a way for me to let off some steam before the big game. Maybe if I do a good enough job, I could get Corrin to stop bandwagoning crappy and overrated teams! Just a thought.

Fox: I like the New York Jets...No, stop it, don't laugh at me! Anyway, I like the Jets, and by default, I dislike Tom Brady. So whenever I see Brady making it to the Super Bowl again, on a different team, I get all heated for no reason. What better way to channel my anger, than by destroying a shrine dedicated to Tom Brady? Can't believe Corrin is that obsessed with another man...

With Ike no longer teaching her how to play pool, Marlene was lingering around in the mansion with nothing to do...until she wandered into the mansion gardens. For folks like Alph, Viridi, and Haru, the gardens were like their natural habitat. And Aerith, being a flower girl, loved nothing more than being in the gardens, smelling the different flowers and stuff.

"These flowers have been in full bloom for six days now," Alph said to Aerith as he handed the flower girl some pink flowers. Aerith smelt the flowers, being allured by their soothing scent. "Took 'em forever to grow..."

"Better late than never, as I would always say," smiled Aerith, before handing the pink flowers back to Alph. Aerith turned her head and saw Marlene standing around, admiring how pretty the gardens looked. "Oh, Marlene!"

"All of this looks so pretty..." remarked Marlene, as Aerith and Alph went over to the young woman. Aerith could tell that Marlene was at a loss for words. "...I've never seen a garden this magnificent before!"

"Keeping up with the gardens' aesthetic is no easy task," stated Alph, happy to let others know how hard gardening was. Even though they seldom asked. "That's why I always have my Pikmin to keep everything in tip-top shape..."

"Ahem..." a certain goddess of nature spoke up, as Alph looked over and saw Viridi and Haru planting some flowers together. Viridi glared down Alph, wanting the astronaut to put some respect on her name.

"...oh yeah, those two ladies help out too, I guess. But all they ever do is look pretty, and take up space." Viridi was taken back by Alph's comment, as she gasped and clutched her pearls.

"All we ever do is look pretty?!" Viridi clenched her fists as she angrily marched over to Alph. Haru, who was angry but not to the extent that Viridi was, followed Viridi's lead. "Wanna say that again?!"

"Why should I? Do you need a hearing aid or something?" Alph asked that question as genuinely as possible, not meaning to offend anyone. Just assumed that Viridi couldn't legitimately hear him. However, the astronaut only made Viridi even more offended.

"Why you little..." Viridi became so incensed with Alph, that she grabbed the astronaut by his neck and sent him down to the ground, choking him. Haru and Aerith did their best to pry Viridi off of Alph, while a shocked Marlene looked on.

"Stop it, Viridi - violence is never the answer!" Haru said to the goddess of nature, finding herself out of her element. Breaking up fights was never Haru's thing, and the same could be said for Aerith.

"What is this?" inquired Sephiroth as he stepped foot in the gardens, before seeing Viridi strangling Alph on the ground. Something about Viridi strangling Alph made the one-winged angel smirk evilly. "Now this is what I wanted to see..."

"Why do I hear screaming?" wondered Link as he too stepped foot in the gardens, seeing the scene unfolding in the gardens. Considering who was doing the strangling, Link hardly found himself surprised.

"This mansion sure could use some more violence and discord," Sephiroth said to Link, who slowly backed away from the one-winged angel out of caution. Soon Aerith and Haru managed to pull Viridi off of Alph, as Sephiroth left the gardens.

Sephiroth: Pains me to say this, but this mansion does not have nearly enough strife within it. Thankfully certain folks like Viridi seem to have the right intentions. *smirks*

"Alph, are you okay?" Link asked the astronaut as he came over to check on him. The Hylian helped Alph up to his feet, as Alph was clutching his neck and slightly gasping for air.

"If you guys need me...I'll be in...my room," replied Alph, walking away on his own accord and returning to the mansion interior. Link turned his attention to Viridi, who was cooling off.

"Now Viridi, that was really uncalled for," Aerith scolded the goddess of nature, as she reached her out her. Sensing Aerith's hand, Viridi slapped it away. "Looks like someone's in a bitter mood."

"Haru...you can finish planting those flowers for me," Viridi said to the young woman, as she walked away. "Just let me know when you're done." Viridi went back inside the mansion, leaving everyone worried about how ticked off she was.

"Wow, I have never seen Viridi that angry before," remarked Marlene, implying that she has already seen her fair share of Viridi being mad. "Does she have anger management issues?"

"We prefer not to talk about it..." replied Haru as she looked down at the floor; safe to say that she's been on the receiving end of Viridi's angry fits herself.

"Viridi might no longer despise humans, but she might despise non-humans still..." remarked Link as he folded his arms, before a wave of terrorizing realization washed over the Hylian. "Wait a minute, I'm technically non-human...Viridi might despise ME! Crap..."

"I think you should speak with Viridi," Aerith suggested to Marlene, who gave some consideration to the thought. "You might be able to soothe her."

"Do you really think so?" Marlene asked Aerith, who nodded her head with an assuring smile. Seconds later, Marlene made up her mind. "Alright...I might give it a shot."

Pit was out on the road, in the streets of Seattle, doing his driving test, and so far things were going good...well, until Pit got pulled over. It seemed inevitable.

"Remember, Pit, never go over the speed limit," Toad advised the angel as a police officer walked to the food truck. Pit rolled down his window, as he saw the police officer staring at him.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be driving out here, young man?" the police officer asked Pit, who responded by flashing an innocent smile. "How old are you?"

"I forget sometimes," confessed Pit, making the police officer sigh and shake his head. Pit was definitely gonna get it now. "But if you must know, officer, this is only my second time driving. I'm doing a driving test!"

"Doing a driving test in a food truck...interesting. I take it that the little fella sitting in the passenger seat is your driving instructor?" The police officer pointed at Toad, who was keeping to himself to stay out of trouble.

"Toad? Yeah, he's the best driving instructor around! Although it's a pretty low bar." Nodding his head, the police officer took out a notepad and a pen. He wrote up a ticket and gave the ticket...to Toad.

"Hey, why am I the one getting the ticket?" questioned Toad, after he had received the ticket. Toad was a relatively safe driver, so getting a ticket was a first for him. "I'm not the one driving!"

"I'm just holding you responsible for this kid driving," replied the police officer before directing his attention back to Pit, wanting to give the angel a message. "You stay safe out here, aight? Better not see your face again."

"I'll do my best to stay out of trouble, sir!" Pit saluted the police officer, vowing not to break any traffic laws. Taking Pit's words to heart, the police officer nodded his head.

"You keep on doing you, officer!" Lloyd called out to the police officer, who looked inside the truck and saw Lloyd sitting inside on the floor. The officer would write up another ticket for Toad just for Lloyd not having a car seat, but he didn't feel like it.

"Uh huh...you three just stay safe," the police officer said to Pit and company, before returning to his police car. The police officer turned on his car and drove away, heading down the road.

"So this means I can't go over sixty again, can I?" Pit asked Toad as he turned the food truck back on; Toad would shake his head no. "But what if I end up in a high-speed car chase? I'll need my training!"

"Let's just hope we don't ever get to that..." replied Pit, as Pit drove the food truck down the road. Getting involved in a car chase was easily a contender for the worst-case scenario.

Mario gathered up as many dads as he could, and brought them to the meeting room where Barret and Peony were already present. The dads that Mario cordially invited? Luigi, Bowser, Chrom, Robin, Pac-Man, Olimar, Ken Masters, Guile, Terry...and Joker. Obviously, one of them didn't belong.

"Now is this a manly bunch or what?!" gleamed Barret, proudly impressed by the men that Mario had assembled. Who knew that there were so many fantastic dads around? "Gotta say, I'm kinda impressed!"

"I feel blessed to be sitting in the company of great family men," remarked Guile as he looked around the meeting room before his eyes fell upon Joker. "And you as well, Joker."

"Why was I invited?" asked Joker, as he felt like the odd man out. A college student like him had no business being around Guile and company. "I'm not even a dad..."

"That's not what your home-a room teacher from Japan said," retorted Mario, making Joker fully regret that maid encounter with Miss Kawakami. Ryuji was mostly to blame for putting him in that spot.

Joker: Why do I have the sneaky feeling that Miss Kawakami is going to be at this...dad convention thing? If she shows up wearing a maid outfit, then I'm out.

Bowser: Two years ago, down in Mini Mementos, Joker claimed that he was a dad. Today, he claimed that he wasn't a dad. Ladies and gentlemen...the duality of man.

"Because I'm a dad just like the rest of y'all, I wanted to impart some fatherly wisdom," Barret said to the dads, ready to get things started. "So where should I start first? Give me something!"

"Your daughter, Marlene - how did you raise her so well?" Bowser asked Barret as he raised his hand; Barret chuckled, as he could talk about Marlene all day long if he wanted to. "When she visited the mansion as a little girl...she was so wise beyond her years!"

"Glad you asked, King Bowser! I always tried to raise my sweet Marlene with respect. You respect your kids, and they'll respect you in return." Bowser nodded his head in thought, finding Barret's word to be quite useful. "Show them a little care, too. That's my number one trick!"

"Show them respect, and care..." Peony said quietly to himself as he held his finger underneath his chin. "...I should show some more respect towards Nia." Peony would have his train of thought suddenly interrupted when there was a knock at the meeting room door.

"I'll get the door," volunteered Pac-Man as he got up from his seat and opened the door, only to be greeted by a certain evil genius. "Dr. Cortex?!"

"Why did you sound so disgusted when you said my name?" Cortex questioned Pac-Man, who chuckled nervously as he backed away. "Anyway, I was told that there was a dad meeting, and I wish to be a part of..."

"Sorry, Dr. Cortex, but you weren't-a invited," Mario said to the evil genius; little did Mario know that Cortex was no stranger to forcibly inviting himself to certain get-togethers.

"Yeah buddy, you're not even a dad!" Peony said to Cortex, before letting out a hearty laugh. "So how about you go back to bein' constantly harrassed by that floatin' mask of yours, and leave us real dads to it!"

"Not a dad, you say?" Cortex scoffed at Peony, prepared to put the explorer in his place. "I'll have you know, that I am the father of Crash, Coco, and Crunch Bandicoot! I made those bandicoots myself!"

"What do you mean, you 'made' those bandicoots yourself?" Ken asked Cortex, confused by the verbiage that was used. "Did you give birth to all three of them?!"

"No, you stupid idiot! Dr. Brio and I made them with our technology. Though I was only responsible for making Crunch." That only made the group of dads even more confused.

"Does that imply you and Brio were parents?" Robin asked Cortex, who grew furious as he angrily stomped his foot. "Did you and Brio have an ugly divorce in the past? That would explain a lot!"

"Grraah! Screw you guys, I'm outta here..." Cortex waved off Robin and company as he left the meeting room. No point in participating if the men were gonna pester him with questions.

"Hold up...Nina Cortex, she's-a Cortex's daughter, right?" Luigi asked the other dads, moments after Cortex had departed. "Or is she his-a niece? I honestly don't know which-a one she is!"

"That's a question for you to answer another day," Barret said to Luigi, wanting to get back on schedule after Cortex's brief interruption. "Now, why don't I tell y'all the story of how I taught Marlene to run a bar when she was only four?"

Corrin searched high and low for Falco, hoping to rescue the avian pilot from Zombie...but he couldn't find him anywhere. While he found Zombie in the cafe, messing around with a coffee maker, Falco was nowhere in sight. Assuming that Falco got away from Zombie, Corrin returned to his room...

...only to find Fox, Falco, and now Ridley desecrating his Tom Brady shrine. Corrin could only gasp and watch in horror, as his precious football shrine was being torn apart.

Falco: Oh yeah, turns out that Ridley is a fan of the Buccaneers! Could be because of the team's whole pirate theme.

"NOOOOOOOO NOT MY PRECIOUS SHRINE!" Corrin shrieked as he watched the damage being dealt, before looking at Kamui and seeing his twin sister reading a book and paying no mind. "Kamui, how could you let this miscreant destroy my shrine?!"

"Oh my, how could this be happening?" said Kamui, feigning her concern over the football shrine, before going back to reading her book. Never before has Corrin been so disgusted with Kamui.

"This one is for the last twenty years..." said Fox as he was holding the picture of Tom Brady in one hand and holding his lighter in the other. "...screw you, Brady, and everything and everyone that you love!"

"No!" shouted Corrin as he swatted the lighter out of Fox's hand and snatched away the picture of Brady. The prince was cradling the picture. "I won't let you harm Brady, in any way, shape, or form!"

"Bruh, it's literally just a picture," Falco said to Corrin, who was holding the picture close to his chest. Kamui held her book over her face, feeling embarrassed. "Not like we're actually hurting the man."

"Perhaps not, but this picture of Brady is the crown jewel of my shrine. I won't let any of you destroy it!" Corrin pointed vehemently at Fox, Falco, and Ridley, and all three of them wanted to laugh so much.

"Okay, Corrin, chill out - Tom Brady isn't all that," Fox said to the prince, who was now seriously doubting Fox's football intelligence. "Dude's pretty overrated in my eyes. Both in football skill, and looks! He's not even in the top tier of handsome quarterbacks, let alone handsome football players."

"How could you say such blasphemy? Brady is single-handedly one of the best-looking athletes of our generation. Also has the physique of a Greek god!"

"Would you marry Tom Brady, then?" Falco asked Corrin; Corrin found himself offended by the question, especially since he had a love interest in Felicia.

"Well...no, but Brady has a beautiful Brazilian model for a wife, so that has to mean something!" Corrin was getting super-defensive of his favorite quarterback, which Fox and Falco found amusing.

"She wouldn't have married him in the first place if he never had a Super Bowl ring..." snorted Fox as he, Falco, and Ridley were snickering together. Corrin tightened his fists, his wrath starting to boil over.

"That is IT!" Corrin stomped his foot on the floor, as Fox and company ceased their laughing in a hurry. "I won't stand for this slander anymore. I shall inform Master Hand that you ruined my football shrine and that you disgraced the name of the greatest quarterback of all time!"

"Telling on someone over a stupid football shrine is pretty childish behavior," remarked Falco, as Corrin huffed and immediately stormed out of the room. "You have a very magnificent brother, Kamui," Falco said to the princess, who sighed.

"Don't mention it..." responded Kamui, as she resumed reading her book. The poor princess might be beside herself come Super Bowl Sunday.

Tails had caught up to Sonic, as found the hedgehog in his room with Shaymin and Ori. Sonic had the two sitting on the floor, wanting them to interact with one another.

"C'mon, you two, make some magic happen already!" said the ever-impatient Sonic, as he nudged Shaymin a bit closer to Ori. The awkward silence was deafening, as Sonic was pulling on his ears.

"Sonic, you can't just force those two to be friends," Tails said to the hedgehog, who was growing tired of the yellow fox's comments. If Tails wasn't Sonic's buddy, he would be slapped right about now. "Everything has to happen naturally."

"That's why I have these two in our room, so things can happen naturally." Sonic had his hands on his hips as he looked at Shaymin and Ori, shaking his head at the both of them. "Shaymin, do you discriminate against creatures like Ori or something?"

"No, I just don't think that the two of us ever clicked," replied Shaymin, not sure if the lack of interaction between her and Ori was to blame. "Got nothing against Ori, though. He's still pretty cool."

"Of course you two never clicked - you don't even know Ori's right gender! It's pretty obvious that Ori's a girl." Tails facepalmed, disgruntled by Sonic's desperation to have Ori be Shaymin's best friend. "You should start learning more about Ori, Shaymin."

"Ori, where are you?" Zelda called out for her pet, as a panicked Sonic grabbed Ori and tossed him underneath his blanket. Soon Zelda reached Sonic's room, with Link, and looked inside.

"What's good with you, Princess Z?" Sonic greeted Zelda with his hands behind his back, smiling as innocently as possible. Link furrowed his brow, able to tell that Sonic was up to no good.

"Ori has gone missing. Haven't seen him anywhere in my room. Have you and Tails seen Ori anywhere?" Tails knew that Sonic refused to speak, so he would have to do most of the talking.

"If you really wanna know, princess..." the yellow fox spoke up, only for Sonic to rush over to him and cover his mouth shut. Tails was making muffled sounds, as he tried to fight Sonic off.

"Neither one of us has seen your Ori anywhere," Sonic informed Zelda, and Link knew that the hedgehog was lying. Sonic's body language was pretty apparent to him. "I got a feeling he'll show up eventually."

"I know where Ori is, he's somewhere in this..." Shaymin spoke up, only for Sonic to rush over to the gratitude Pokemon and cover her mouth, while still holding unto Tails. Sonic had dragged Tails on his way over to Shaymin.

"Somewhere in this mansion, yes. No need to state the obvious, Shaymin!" Link continued to furrow his brow at Sonic before he saw something move underneath the blanket on Sonic's bed.

"What is that moving on your bed?" the Hylian inquired as he pointed at the moving blanket. Letting go off Tails and Shaymin, Sonic leaped on top of the blanket, making sure that Ori was safe underneath.

"Nothing, there's nothing underneath." Sonic held up his blanket to Link and Zelda, while he kept Ori hidden behind his back. Kept the creature safe and sound, away from his spikes. "False alarm!"

"Well, that was weird," remarked Zelda, while Link remained skeptical towards Sonic. Sensing that Ori wasn't around, Zelda decided to leave. "If any of you see Ori anywhere, don't hesitate to let me know."

"You got it!" Sonic gave a thumbs up to Zelda, who left the room; Link would stare down Sonic, before following after Zelda. Once the Hylian couple was gone, Sonic sighed in relief as he unhid Ori.

Link: That Sonic can't hide from me...he might've had Zelda fooled, but his tricks won't work on me. It's pretty clear as day that Sonic is secretly hiding Ori, for some strange reason, so I'll just wait for the opportunity to pounce.

"Man, Princess Zelda is such a terrible pet owner," remarked Sonic, leading Tails and Shaymin to wonder why the hedgehog thought that. "How can she not know the right gender of her own pet?"

"Ori is a male..." replied Tails, as Sonic waved off the yellow fox. Nothing that anyone said could make Sonic think otherwise.

Things were going well so far in the meeting room, as Barret was giving out fatherly wisdom to the other dads...and Joker. Joker asked Mario repeatedly for permission to leave, but the plumber turned him down every time.

"No matter what, you always gotta spend time with your kid," explained Barret, as the other dads were taking Barret's words to heart. Peony, especially. "Take them with you, wherever you go! Take some time out of your day to grow a special bond."

"Question: what if your kid doesn't want to spend time with you?" Peony asked Barret, as he had trouble bringing Peonia with him on his Adven-Tours. "Say that you wanna explore a cave together, but your daughter doesn't oblige."

"You should never force your children to do things they don't wanna do. Sometimes it's better to go along with whatever they like. Just go with the flow!"

"Go with the flow, huh?" Peony took Barret's advice into heavy consideration as he nodded his head in thought. "I should really look into doing that more often, with my Nia. I'll have to listen to her more!"

"That's the spirit! Also, it's important to be a good role model for your children. Set a good example that you want them to follow!"

"Yeah, doing stuff like raiding kingdoms and kidnapping princesses!" exclaimed Bowser as he triumphantly clenched his fist, as all the other dads (and Joker) gave the Koopa King dubious looks. "Is that not considered setting a good example?"

"You want your children to kidnap-a their significant other?" Luigi asked Bowser, shuddering at the thought of Bowser Jr. and the male Koopalings being glorified skirt chasers. "I mean if you want to visit-a them in jail..."

"At least they'll be more interested in finding love than your dumb kids will ever be..." Taking great offense to Bowser's remark, Luigi angrily stood up from his chair as tempers were slightly flaring in the meeting room.

"Okay, y'all let's simmer down!" Barret did his best to soothe Luigi and Bowser, with Luigi giving Bowser the "I'm watching you..." hand gesture as he slowly sat back down. "Let's just move on to a different subject..."

Viridi was still heated after Alph's comments earlier, and the goddess of nature remained in her room, sitting on her bed. She was shuffling some stuff around in her room, to keep her mind off of things.

"Are you sure that I should still speak with her?" Marlene whispered to Aerith as the two were standing outside Viridi's room, watching Viridi. Marlene, who was confident at first, was slowly having some second doubts.

"You can be the one to turn her frown upside down," Aerith assured Marlene as she put her hand on the young woman's shoulder, giving her her full confidence. Marlene nodded her head with a smile.

"If you really think that, then I'll go ahead and do it." So Marlene walked inside Viridi's room, standing in the doorway. "Hi, Viridi...it's me, Marlene."

"Hello there," replied Viridi as she was dusting off her dresser. Marlene could tell by the tone of her voice that Viridi was still fairly ticked off. "Don't sit on the bed...I'm still sprucing it up."

"I can tell that you're still in a very sour mood. Did Alph's comments earlier upset you that much?" Viridi feared that question would be asked, as she sighed.

"You honestly have no idea what it's like working with that peon..." Viridi walked away from her dresser, as she dropped her duster on the floor. "...he makes gardening so infuriating sometimes."

"He seemed pretty pleasant to me. I guess he's nicer with certain people." That was something Viridi found hard to believe, as she snorted in response.

"Not all the time...Alph always just bugs me. I'm impressed that Haru withstood him for so long without punching him in the face."

"I used to run the bar when Dad was away...had to put up with customers that I couldn't stand. But you know what I did to withstand them? I took time to get to know them better."

"And how did you do that?" Viridi should really be asking why Barret thought it was even a good idea to let a young girl four years of age run a bar. That was the most pressing question at the moment.

"I just...show them some kindness. And that way, I get kindness in return! You know how to be kind, do you?" Judging by the way that Viridi was nervously smiling, scratching the back of her head...the answer was no.

"Eh...kindness isn't really one of my strong suits. Perhaps you can show me the way..."

Pit's driving test was going smoothly...if it took place in an alternate universe, that is. But since it didn't, the driving test was going pretty terribly. And Toad, being in the passenger seat, had never been so afraid for his life while on the road.

"Dang it, Pit, you ran another red light!" Toad frowned at the angel, frantically screaming out of his mind. But Pit didn't care in the slightest. "You're gonna get me another ticket!"

"But I went the speed limit that time, that means I'll be spared, right?" asked Pit, as Toad buried his face in his tiny hands and contemplated his life choices. He was starting to see why Master Hand was planning for his funeral and stuff.

Master Hand: Let me be the first to say that I really am going to miss Toad. The little guy came through for us, whenever when needed transportation, or when we needed a place to stay after those manor dorks burned the mansion. Wished that he chose a different way to go out though, rather than dying in a car crash during a driving test because Pit can't drive. But if that was his choice, then I'll have no choice but to respect it.

Pit drove into the downtown area of Seattle, as Toad's fears were slowly raising. As he drove through downtown, Pit saw two cars parked on the sidewalk with an ample amount of space between them.

"Look at that, Toad!" shouted Pit as he pointed at the space between the two cars. "Now would be a good time to practice some parallel parking."

"No, Pit, we're gonna save that one for last!" stated Toad, but Pit went ahead and tried to parallel park along the sidewalk. Did it when there were no cars were passing by. Pit managed to park the food truck between the parked cars, but he hit them by accident while getting his wheels straight.

"Someone should really turn their horn off," said Lloyd, as the horn of one of the parked cars was sounding off. The owner of the car, a middle-aged man, rushed to his vehicle and turned the horn off for good.

"Hey kid, what's your problem?" the man interrogated Pit, who nervously rolled down his window. Pit was gonna get it now. "Do you know how to drive?"

"I wouldn't know, I don't have a driver's license yet," replied Pit, as Toad turned his head the other way hoping to avoid some blame. "Or a beginner's permit, for that matter! I'm in the middle of a driving test."

"Where is your driving instructor? Is that him right there?" The man pointed at Toad, who was still looking away as he was feeling the heat.

"Dear me, I have fallen into an abyss..." replied Toad as he unbuckled his seatbelt, and slumped underneath his car seat. The man rolled his eyes at Toad's theatrics.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call the cops on you," the man said to Pit as he took out his cellphone, already dialing the number. How would Pit get himself out of this predicament?

"This one police officer said he didn't want to see my face again - so I don't think you should call the cops," was Pit's reply, as Toad was heard whimpering underneath his car seat. Toad would much rather do time in jail than die at the hands of Pit.

"That's it, I'm calling the cops..." His mind made up, the man took a step away from the car as he dialed 9-1-1. "Hello? Yes, I got some kid and his weird mushroom friend here, they banged their food truck into my car..."

"We should leave the truck while we still can," suggested Lloyd, with Toad fearing that deserting the food truck might result in even more trouble. "Get out of dodge, and make the man look silly, all at the same time!"

"Wouldn't that be deemed resisting arrest?" wondered Toad, poking his head from underneath his car seat, as he saw Pit unbuckling his seat belt. "Pit, what are you doing? Stay in the car!"

"I can't let you and Lloyd go down with me, Toad," said Pit as he went to the back of the food truck, opening its backdoor. "Let's hurry before the guy gets off the phone!"

"Time to make our move!" exclaimed Lloyd, as he and Pit exited the food truck through the backdoor. Lloyd would return to the food truck, wondering why Toad hadn't moved a single inch. "Toad, you coming or what?"

"This is really bad, Lloyd, really bad..." replied Toad as he crawled out from under his car seat, shivering in fear. "...I'd hate to wind up in more trouble."

"Trust me, we'll come back to the food truck soon." Trusting in Lloyd, Toad followed the swordsman out of the food truck, before Pit closed the backdoor.

"Follow me, boys!" said Pit, as he led Toad and Lloyd away from the food truck. Poor Toad was frightened as ever.

All done with desecrating Corrin's shrine, Fox walked through the mansion when he passed by the meeting room, hearing a bunch of commotion inside. The pilot entered the room and saw Barret sharing his fatherly wisdom with his fellow dads.

"When it comes down to it, you gotta teach your kids right from wrong," said Barret, as Fox remained in the meeting room doorway giving Barret a very attentive ear. "Tell them what they can and can not do! Be their moral guidance!"

"What if your sense of morality is subjective?" Robin asked as he raised his hand; Bowser found himself in agreement with Robin, nodding his head as he pointed at the mage. "What if something that is considered 'bad' by one father may be deemed 'good' by another?"

"Yeah, like kidnapping princesses for instance!" Bowser gave an example, as both Mario and Luigi facepalmed. Bowser had repeatedly brought up kidnapping princesses during the dad seminar - could be his own way of coping. "I personally don't think such an act is that wrong."

"You're still crushing on Princess Peach, despite her being married," Olimar said to Bowser, who was nervously twiddling with his fingers as his eyes darted around the meeting room. "You have some serious problems, bud."

"Well, uh, that has little to do with kidnapping princesses! I'm just looking out for my boys. And Wendy, too. I'd love nothing more than for my baby girl to kidnap the prince of her dreams!"

"Pardon me, but...can a soon-to-be dad hop in on this here?" asked Fox, as he was vibing with the how the meeting was going so far. Sans Bowser, of course. "I could use some pointers."

"Of course, McCloud, you're welcome to join! Take a seat!" Barret said to the pilot, beckoning to him; Fox closed the meeting room door as he took a seat next to Mario. "Yup, I remember when I first became a dad, after I took Marlene in..."

"That must've been pretty huge for you, adopting a daughter that belonged to your best friend. How did you and Marlene click?"

"I just loved Marlene for who she was! Appreciated all the good things that made her special over time. You gotta love your kid for what they are now."

"Love your child for what they are now..." Peony said to himself, still taking Barret's advice to heart. He was really thinking about his relationship with Peonia. "...haven't done enough of that with Nia."

"After your kid is born and all, you gotta spend some time with them. Learn their cues, talk to them, and then later you'll know what your kid is all about!"

"Wouldn't it be weird to talk to a baby, though?" asked Fox, fairly certain that he was overthinking Barret's advice. "I can't do baby speak. Can't just say words like 'goo goo gaa gaa' all day long!"

"I always talk-a to Deanna normally, as if she was another adult-a in my house," said Luigi, as he made Fox slowly change his tune. "Not only helps her develop-a her language, but also reinforce-a our relationship."

"That's the way to do it, Luigi!" Barret commended the plumber, making Luigi feel all proud of himself inside. "Talk to your kid all the time. And set the example for them, too!"

"Set a good example? For a baby?" Fox asked out of pure disbelief, as he was underestimating his future child's capabilities. "My kid will be too young to remember anything! Won't even know their name until they're like, two or three!"

"Two or three?!" snorted Terry, as Joker let out a slight chuckle. It was pretty obvious that Fox had a lot to learn about baby development.

"Chances are, there will be some things that your kid will pick up on. Say, for instance, your kid saw you burning down a foster home. They might burn down a hospital when they get older, 'cause they're mimicking your behavior!"

"Mimicking my behavior, eh?" Fox thought to himself, as he mulling over a certain act that he and Falco had done earlier in the day. "So if I destroyed someone's football shrine, and my kid saw it...they would wanna do the same thing?"

"They most certainly would! I'd advise acting civil when your kid isn't around, so that way you won't be acting a fool in the company of your child."

"I see...I see." Fox was thinking about the football shrine that he and Falco desecrated earlier, and was showing some regret over it. "Gotta act like a model citizen, pretty much. Easier said than done."

Falco: Do I have any regret over ruining Corrin's football shrine? *laughs* As if! It was worth it, seeing Corrin run away in tears. Hopefully, with the damage we dealt, Corrin will stop liking the Buccaneers and support another team. Or, he can stick with the Patriots. Good luck with that, though.

"And if you ever need any help...just give any of the other dads a shout!" Barret suggested to Fox, who looked around at all the fathers in his presence. "All of them got the experience to give you a hand."

"Okay then, I'll make sure to ask Joker for help whenever I need it," Fox quipped when he looked at Joker; Joker sighed and facepalmed, as Fox and the other men were laughing.

"Mario, can you please let me leave already?" Joker asked the plumber as he ran his fingers through his hair. The young man could be doing stuff with Makoto right about now. "For the last time, I am NOT a dad!"

"Don't make me call-a Miss Kawakami!" Mario threatened Joker as he took out his cellphone. Joker looked at Mario, seeing that the plumber wasn't playing around.

"Why do you even have her number in the first place?" Mario knew that he had some explaining to do, as he sheepishly slid his phone back in his pocket.

"You never know if we need-a to fact check you. Or if B.D. Joe needs some 'maid service'. Poor guy can be so lonely some-a times..."

Master Hand spent most of his day planning out Toad's funeral, for he knew that Toad wouldn't make it back home safe and sound. The giant hand, who had just ordered a hearse over the phone, floated to his room and saw a certain prince standing by.

"Greetings, Corrin - you seem pretty upset," Master Hand greeted the prince, who held out the picture of Tom Brady to him. "Is that...a picture of Tom Brady? Please don't tell me you sleep with that at night..."

"This picture of Brady was the shining jewel of my wonderful shrine, which was dedicated to Brady," explained Corrin; Master Hand found the shrine to be more off-putting than Corrin sleeping with the picture. "Fox, Falco, and Ridley...they destroyed my shrine!"

"Awwww...you poor thing. If only I, or anyone else for that matter, actually cared." Master Hand tried to hover past Corrin, who refused to move.

"Master Hand, I must implore you to do something! That shrine was the embodiment of my new Buccaneers fandom, and I'd hate to go through the trouble of assembling a new shrine."

"Great, you like the Buccaneers now?" This was news to Master Hand, who was now trying his hardest to care. "You're just following Brady wherever he goes, aren't you?"

"I still like the Patriots, but the Buccaneers are my second favorite team now. All because of Emperor Palpatine! He sent Brady down to Tampa Bay to start a new evil empire, in central Florida. He'll send Brady to Cincinnati next...if their team has a quarterback opening available, perhaps."

"Silly Corrin - Brady going to the Buccaneers was purely his choice. And the Patriots head coach is not Palpatine. We've been over this..."

Corrin: With Brady's longevity, he could potentially play for all thirty-two NFL teams by the end of his career. This means that Emperor Palpatine would have thirty-two evil empires across America, to claim as his own! His plan is all coming together.

"Look, Corrin, if you care so much, then take this issue up to Cloud," Master Hand said to the prince, letting the man of the mansion handle Corrin's problem. "He'll teach Fox and Falco a lesson, or something."

"Right you are. And you know what that lesson is, Master Hand?" Corrin asked the giant hand, who let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Never disgrace the greatest of all time!"

"Get out of my sight..." So Corrin scurried away from Master Hand's room, hoping that Cloud would eventually hear him out.

Pit, Lloyd, and Toad were lingering around in Seattle's downtown area, waiting it out to avoid the police. In the meantime, they got some lunch from a restaurant called Petro Bistro.

"This is supposed to be Middle Eastern food, right?" asked Pit, he and the boys walking down the sidewalk while eating some chicken wraps. Which had a Middle Eastern flair to them. "I feel oddly ironic eating this stuff, then."

"Why do you say that?" asked Toad before he Pit, and Lloyd came to a stop when they saw the food truck in the distance. "Oh no...that's not good."

To Toad and company's dismay, the food truck was about to be towed by a tow truck. A lone police officer was around, and it was the same one that pulled Pit over for speeding.

"First the kid goes over the speed limit, then he bangs up someone's car," the police officer said to the tow truck driver, who could only shake his head in response as he sipped from his water bottle. "Then he leaves the food truck like this! Kid's gonna be a real menace."

"I'd feel bad for anyone that's in the car with him," remarked the tow truck driver, as Toad found himself fretting - no way he could go in and get the food truck back, not with the police officer present.

"Guys, what are we gonna do?" Toad quietly discussed with Pit and Lloyd, sensing that all hope was lost. "That officer sees us, and we're all done for!"

"He won't arrest you, Toad - your hands are too tiny for the handcuffs!" joked Pit as he poked fun at Toad, who did not need humor during this time. But fortunately for Toad and Pit, Lloyd was coming up with a surefire plan in his head.

"Toad...lemme see your phone," Lloyd said to the mushroom cap-wearing fellow, who warily handed the swordsman his cellphone after unlocking it. Lloyd went through Toad's list of contacts, before finding the man he wanted to call. Lloyd dialed the number, and seconds later...

"Hello, Toad! Did you finally get those churros for me?" asked the man on the phone, Cortex, who had a fascination with churros. "Better bring 'em to papa!"

"Hey doc, this is Lloyd Irving speaking," Lloyd said into the phone, as he heard Cortex groan. So much for those churros. "I need you to do me and my friends here a huge favor."

"I don't know, Lloyd, I can't trust you. The last time I did a favor for you, I ended up in the doghouse with Master Hand! Literally!" In a doghouse, with Master Hand? How was that even possible?! "Most surreal punishment I've ever faced..."

"...yeah, anyway, what I need for you to do is very, very simple. Whenever someone asks you a question, just answer yes. No matter what it is."

"This sounds very fishy..." Cortex sounded very skeptical, and for pretty understandable reasons since he was dealing with Lloyd. "...but if you leave me alone after this, I'll have no choice but to oblige."

"Cool. I'll put you on hold, for now." So Lloyd put Cortex on hold, before turning his attention to Pit and Toad. "You guys hide somewhere, while I take care of this situation."

Putting their full trust in Lloyd, Pit and Toad hid behind a nearby mailbox, as Lloyd approached the police officer. The tow truck driver was about to enter his vehicle, ready to tow the food truck away.

"What seems to be the problem here, officer?" Lloyd asked the police officer, acting cordial with his hands behind his back. The officer turned around and spotted Lloyd, recognizing his face.

"Hold on for a minute," the police officer said to the tow truck driver, who stopped his truck. The officer then approached Lloyd. "Aren't you the fella that was sitting in this food truck here?"

"Uh, yes, that would be me. I was in that food truck. Did something happen?" The police officer gave Lloyd a funny look, furrowing his brow.

"So you weren't inside that truck when that brown-haired kid hit two cars trying to parallel park? You have seen that kid, haven't you?"

"Nope, not really - not ever since you pulled him over on the road." The police officer was all confused, as Lloyd had him scratching his head. "But I might know who hit those cars. You know a guy named Dr. Cortex?"

"Dr. Cortex...yeah, I've dealt with him a few times before." Sounds like Cortex has quite the criminal record around Seattle. "Mostly petty offenses."

"Well, what if I told you, that Cortex hijacked that food truck my friend was driving, kicked us out of said food truck, and went on a joyride before driving into those two cars?"

"How do you know this? Did you see Dr. Cortex in the act of doing this?" The police officer found Lloyd's story too hard to believe.

"Why yes, officer - I literally chased after the food truck. Cortex had already crashed into those cars by the time I caught up to him."

"But the man that called the police department claimed that it was the brown-haired kid who hit his car. Claimed that the kid sneaked away from the scene during the call. Are you telling me that he was lying?"

"What if I told you...that the man who called you was actually Cortex, trying to pose as a witness and get my friend in trouble? I somehow managed to reach him on my phone; you can ask him a few questions if you want."

"Alright then...take your phone out, and let's ask Dr. Cortex if he was responsible." So Lloyd took out Toad's cellphone, as he took Cortex off hold.

"Can you hear me now, doc?" Lloyd asked Cortex as he put the phone on speakerphone. "Somebody here wants to speak with you."

"Is it Toad? Did he finally find me those churros I wanted?" inquired Cortex, before the police officer snatched the phone out of Lloyd's hand.

"Dr. Cortex, this is Officer Johnson, speaking here," the police officer said into the phone as Lloyd turned around at Pit and Toad, giving them a thumbs up and a smile. "Did you hijack someone's food truck, and crash it into two cars in the downtown area?"

"Yes!" Cortex answered yes, doing his favor for Lloyd, before Officer Johnson's question permeated in his head. "No, wait, what I meant to say was...d'oh!"

"That's all I needed to know...I'll be coming for ya, Dr. Cortex, so be prepared." Officer Johnson heard a loud gulp from Cortex, before ending the phone call. "Thank you for the tip, young man."

"You're welcome, officer!" responded Lloyd, as Toad now felt relieved. The threat of going to jail no longer loomed over his head. "Knew I couldn't stand to let Cortex get away with what he did, so I had to do what was right."

Lloyd: Uka told me last week to have Cortex as a fall guy, for getting out of trouble. Really glad that Cortex came through for us. *winks at camera*

Sans: cortex went from a man of the mansion candidate to the mansion's designated fall guy...oh how the mighty have fallen.

"Play it cool, play it cool..." Toad said to Pit as he and the angel appeared from behind the mailbox, before heading over to Officer Johnson. Officer Johnson noticed Pit and Toad quickly.

"Hey there, you two - your friend here saved you both from trouble," the police officer said to Pit and Toad, who pretended to act oblivious to Lloyd saving their butts. "You oughta thank him."

"Much appreciated, Lloyd!" Pit thanked the swordsman as he shook his head; Toad found the handshake to be quite awkward but kept his mouth shut about it.

"If you want, I can take you three back home in my police car." While Toad appreciated the gesture, there was one pressing question on his mind.

"But what about the food truck?" Toad asked Officer Johnson, who glanced at the food truck in question. The tow truck driver was still around, itching to tow the food truck away.

"It looks a little damaged...we're gonna take it to the car shop, and get it fixed up for ya. Shouldn't be too much trouble."

Barret was finishing up things in the meeting room, giving the dads some final advice. Fox, a father-to-be, was soaking in all the wisdom given by Barret, while Joker was forced to listen. He was forbidden from looking at his phone, by Mario.

"Here's one last word of advice - remember to discipline your children!" advised Barret, stressing this piece of advice as the most important one of all. "Never let them have their own way. Consequences have actions!"

"Sometimes I would let my son, Rock Howard, have his own way," confessed Terry, who considered himself a very easy-going father. Not too strict, but not too soft either. "Is that a bad thing to do?"

"In a way, it is - your son will always think of you as a pushover! Show him some discipline, but do it with fatherly love. And then your son will see how much you love him."

"Discipline him with love, alright! I might as well give it a try. Hopefully, Master Hand wouldn't mind bringing my son over."

"Is there anything else-a you'd like to share with us, Barret?" Mario asked the terrorist, who shook his head no but with a smile. Barret said all that he needed to say. "So I guess-a this meeting is over now."

"Yup! This meeting is now officially over." Barret looked around at the men assembled around him, with a proud smile on his face. "Thank you all, for giving me your time. Y'all are free to go now!"

"About time..." Joker sighed in relief as he left the meeting room, while the other men stayed around. Either to talk with Barret or talk among themselves. Bowser came up to Barret, twiddling his fingers.

"So no to kidnapping princesses?" Bowser asked Barret, who gave the Koopa King a stern look. Bowser sighed as he walked out of the meeting room. "My sons will have to learn the hard way, then..."

Bowser: I couldn't come anywhere close to killing Mario - too many witnesses around for my liking. But one day, if any of my sons fall in love with a princess, I can teach them how to kill. Just in case the princess of their dreams has a boyfriend that needs to be taken care of.

"I really enjoyed that talk, Barret," Fox said to the terrorist, feeling like he had learned a lot during his short time at the meeting. "You made me feel better equipped for being a father!"

"Then that means I did a great job," remarked Barret, hoping to see good things from Fox in the future once the pilot entered fatherhood. Barret turned his head and saw Mario and Peony approaching him.

"Mr. Wallace, those words of yours were the most inspiring words I've heard in a long time..." Peony said to the terrorist, his eyes getting teary; Mario backed away a few inches for good measure.

"You're seriously not gonna cry, are you?" Would you know it, Peony started crying on the spot, his face buried in his hands. The explorer then ran up to Barret, giving the terrorist a heartfelt hug. "Hey, hey, get off of me!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wallace, thank you! I promise you that I'll be a better father to my daughter Nia! Just you wait and see!"

"No need to cry...don't just say it, do it! Actions speak louder than words, man!" With some help from Mario, Barret broke free from Peony and ended the hug. "Just remember what I said!"

"C'mon, let's head-a back home..." Mario said to the sniffling Peony, who was wiping away his tears as Mario escorted him out of the meeting room. Barret and Fox were both looking on.

"...well that was weird," remarked Fox, taking the words right out of Barret's mouth. "Well, Barret, I have to leave, too...got an apology to give."

Cloud was alone in the bathroom, and the swordsman was speaking on the phone with Professor E. Gadd. Cloud still maintained a friendly bond with the professor, which some residents found fascinating.

"So you got all the materials I sent you?" Cloud spoke into the phone, as he was handling his business in private. "You did? Great. I can have Ryza return to the mansion and synthesize more materials if you ever need some more."

"Cloud, hurry up, I need to speak with you at once!" Corrin called out to the swordsman from outside, knocking on the bathroom door. The prince was impatiently waiting outside the bathroom.

"Sorry, professor, but I gotta go; Corrin won't leave me alone. Probably crying about another stupid Star Wars fan theory he found online or something." Cloud ended his phone call with E. Gadd, putting his phone away before opening the bathroom door. "What is it now, Corrin?"

"Fox, Falco, and Ridley ruined my shrine, which was dedicated to Tom Brady." Corrin showed the picture of Tom Brady to Cloud as if he expected the swordsman to care. "This is the last remnant of it."

"Is that what you wanted to speak with me about? Thought it was something actually important. What do you expect me to do?"

"Punish those miscreants, of course! I think you should forbid them from watching the Super Bowl. Or attending the Super Bowl party! Or forbid them from having a Super Bowl party of their own!"

"Ah, Corrin, there you are," Fox said to the prince as he came down the hallway. Corrin was staring at Fox with heavy scorn. "So, uh, about your shrine..."

"There he is, Cloud, there's one of the miscreants!" Corrin pointed at Fox, expecting Cloud to unload a heap of punishment upon the pilot. "Do it, Cloud, give Fox the harshest punishment you can dole out!"

"Can you just shut up for a minute, Corrin? I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for earlier." All the contempt that Corrin held for Fox vanished away, as the prince looked at the pilot.

"Do you really mean it?" Corrin looked ready to forgive and forget, as Fox looked very sincere. "You didn't mean to wreck my shrine?"

"Should've talked Falco out of it. While you having a shrine just for Tom Brady is...weird, Falco and I should've left it alone. So, no hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings whatsoever!" Corrin quickly forgave Fox, smiling as he looked down at his picture of Tom Brady. "I still have some time left to rebuild my shrine. Might need a new pirate ship, though."

Fox: Because I'm gonna be a dad soon, I feel like now is a good time to right some wrongs. Got some apologies to make. Especially to Mario. Bet he's still scarred for life after that whole prostate exam incident.

"Sorry for bothering you during your phone call, Cloud," Corrin apologized to the swordsman as he put his picture of Tom Brady away. "I know that you and E. Gadd were discussing a lot about your 'secret project'!"

"Shh..." Cloud quickly shushed Corrin, but it was too late as Fox was furrowing his brow at him in an inquisitive manner.

"What 'secret project'?" Fox asked Cloud, refusing to leave until the swordsman revealed a few tidbits of information. "What is this secret project's name?"

"Fine, if you're so curious, I'll just tell you. The name of the secret project is..." Fox leaned in close to Cloud, interested in knowing the name. "...is ARP. Those are the initials."

"That...doesn't really tell me anything. What is ARP even supposed to mean? You can't just leave me and Corrin hanging like this, Cloud!"

"Yo, Cloud, a police officer is at the front door!" Sonic alerted the swordsman, speeding his way down the hallway to Cloud. Cloud was alarmed. "Said he wanted to arrest Cortex for a carjacking crime he committed."

"Cortex got in trouble with the law again...some things never change," remarked Cloud, seemingly aware of Cortex's criminal history in Seattle. "I'll go speak with him, see what's up."

"Get back here Cloud, you never told us what those initials mean!" Fox shouted at the swordsman, who was walking down the hallway ignoring Fox. "Tell us more about your 'secret project'!"

"Secret project, you say?" asked Sonic as he came over to Fox and Corrin, rubbing his hands; the hedgehog was feeling increasingly suspicious about Cloud for a few weeks now. "What did he say about it?"

"He just told us some initials, ARP. Obviously, Cloud is hiding something from us. Corrin might know a thing or two, he heard Cloud on the phone with Professor E. Gadd."

"I heard a few names during the phone call, like Kamek and Ryza," explained Corrin, as the name "Ryza" rang a bell for Sonic. "A few other names I have heard, but couldn't make out..."

Fox wouldn't be the only person today to make an apology. As Alph sat in his room, fully recuperated from being choked out by Viridi, he was busy chatting with Olimar.

"According to Mario, Joker is apparently a dad," Olimar said to Alph, discussing the dad meeting with the young astronaut. "Asked Bowser about it, and he said that Joker's dad status might be 'up in the air.'"

"Would be funny if Joker was a dad, though," remarked Alph, as Viridi came to the astronaut's room. "What if he had an adopted kid we don't know about?"

"Hey Alph..." Viridi greeted the astronaut, whose eyes grew big after seeing the goddess of nature. Although his eyes were pretty big already.

"Oh no, you're gonna choke me out again, aren't you?" Alph instinctively held his neck with both hands, as a confused Olimar looked on.

"No, no...I came here to apologize to you, for what I did in the gardens. I should've known better to react that way..."

"Thank goodness..." Alph sighed in relief as he released his hold on his neck. "...yeah, I was out of line for what I said. Don't know what had gotten into me."

"Sometimes we just say the darndest things..." Viridi giggled, and Alph would giggle along with her. "...hey, do you wanna help me plant those daffodils tomorrow? I'll even let you show me your trading card collection after we're done?"

"Really? That card collection I would annoy you about?" A nod from Viridi made Alph more excited than an eager beaver. "Awesome! We can get started whenever you're ready."

"Sounds good. I can't wait!" Viridi would leave Alph's room, feeling pretty accomplished about herself as she had a big smile on her face. Waiting outside Alph's room was Marlene.

"See? Now was that so hard?" Marlene whispered to Viridi, knowing that the goddess of nature would get the job done. "Being kind isn't that hard, is it?"

"No...wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be," replied Viridi, happy that she settled her beef with Alph. Marlene conspicuously looked down the hallway and saw Aerith, who gave the young woman two thumbs up.

Aerith: Marlene is going to fit right in with the mansion...I can already tell.

Done speaking with Fox and Corrin, Sonic returned to his room as he still had plans to make Ori Shaymin's new best friend. But when the hedgehog returned...he noticed that the creature was nowhere to be seen!

"Ori? Ori! Where are you, Ori?" Sonic called out, searching every nook and cranny of his room for the creature. The hedgehog looked towards Tails, who was chilling on his bed with Shaymin. "Tails, Shaymin, where's Ori?"

"I don't know, ask Link," replied Tails, as he was scrolling through his tablet; seeing that his plan was now foiled, Sonic threw his arms up in defeat.

Link was down in the foyer with Cloud and Zelda, who were witnessing Cortex being arrested by Officer Johnson. The officer had brought Pit, Lloyd, and Toad safely back to the mansion.

"Thanks again for the ride, officer!" Pit thanked Officer Johnson as he headed down the hallway, with Officer Johnson waving to the angel. Pit should really be thanking Lloyd, for saving his and Toad's hide.

"We're just gonna take Dr. Cortex in, ask him a few questions," Officer Johnson said to Cloud and Zelda, as he held Cortex in handcuffs. "If he's lucky, he'll only get house arrest, and some community service hours."

"Would be bad news for Uka," joked Cloud, as Cortex being on house arrest wouldn't give Uka a break from the evil genius. "Take as long as you like."

"Lloyd Irving...I'll get you for this!" vowed Cortex, as Officer Johnson escorted the evil genius out of the mansion. Cortex was sure to make his revenge on Lloyd as sweet as possible.

Pit: Welp...I didn't pass my driving test. Toad was a lousy teacher sometimes, in all honesty. But you know what they say - if at first, you don't succeed, dust it off and try again! *pauses* What exactly am I dusting off, though?

Master Hand: Toad made it back home, safe and sound! Although it was the police officer who brought him back. Either way, he's still alive, and now I have to give that funeral home a very difficult call...

Lloyd: I feel pretty hurt...why did Master Hand go through all that trouble of planning a funeral for Toad, but not for me?

Toad: Eh, I'll just drive the food truck myself. Too much responsibility to leave it up to somebody else.

"I got a phone call to make," said Cloud as he left the foyer while taking his phone out, about to give E. Gadd another call. That left Link and Zelda alone...

"Hey Zelda, I got something...or someone I want to give to you," said Link, who was holding something...erm, someone behind his back. Any guess who it might be?

"Hmm?" Zelda perked up, only to gasp with joy seconds later when Link revealed Ori to her. "Link, you found Ori! Where was he?"

"Found him in Sonic and Tails' room. He was just chilling there." Link happily handed Ori over to Zelda, who cradled the white creature in her arms.

"Thank you, Link!" As a token of her thanks, Zelda kissed Link on the cheek, making the Hylian smile. "You're such a good boyfriend..."

"I know, I know...speaking of which, I wanted to..." Link wouldn't get to finish his sentence, as an overjoyed Zelda walked away with Ori. Couldn't blame the princess for being so happy after being reunited with her pet. "...and there goes my chance."

If at first, you don't succeed...