Author's Note:

Skyward Sword, one of my favorite Zelda games, is getting an HD remaster on the Switch! Sadly, I couldn't think of a Skyward Sword-based storyline, but I made sure to give the game's villain, Ghirahim, some love in this chapter -a chapter that I'm sure you all will enjoy. Moving on to the guest reviews:

"Well, the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be held without spectators. What would this mean for your Olympics chapter?"

It probably won't mean much, Master Hand would still take everyone to Tokyo for the Olympics anyway despite what the International Olympic Committee thinks. One more anonymous review:

"It's almost here. The Smash killer. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is apparently coming to Switch this Fall. Any plans for a Nick Life fanfiction, or if not, any suggestions for someone that wanted to make said fanfic?"

I love Nickelodeon...but no, I won't be doing a Nick Life fanfic anytime soon. But I would love to see someone take a crack at it, though. My only suggestion would be to make the setting a neighborhood; I think that would vibe well with the characters. Next is David:

"Will we see the other Tekken cast and the DLC ones from Tekken 7 show up? (Noctis from Final Fantasy XV and Geese from Fatal Fury are the mentioned DLC ones). Will Krystal make amends with Viridi after the lice incident? Will you do something Tales related when Tales of Arise comes out in September? (Probably not since that reviewer TIME TO GO will show up and criticize it). A Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne redux chapter? And finally, do you hope that the final Smash character will be revealed in a Nintendo Direct or at the Tokyo Game Show?"

Yep. Krystal will make amends, but not in this chapter. I will have something planned for Tales of Arise. Might do a SMT Nocturne redux chapter. I can't see Nintendo revealing the final Smash character at TGS, so the Nintendo Direct might be the best choice. Still got a sneaky feeling that the final character is Crash.

Episode 291: Coquet

Lloyd was on a high so far this year. The reason for his high was the success he and Pit had from his delivery service, which had raised $10,000. That ten grand was originally meant for Cloud's Aerith Revival Project, but Lloyd and Pit got their money back...as they rightfully should've.

One might think that Lloyd and Pit agreed to share the money equally. However, Pit was kind enough to let Lloyd have a big share since the delivery service was his idea. With all the money on his hands, Lloyd planned to do a lot of stuff - with building a sauna being at the top of his list.

But even with the recent success, Lloyd couldn't lose sight of many things. Whether it was his friendships or even his hotspur (if he had any), the swordsman could not forget the aspects that helped him grow into the man he had become. Or rather, the man he thinks he had become. Perhaps he needed someone to give him a brief reminder.

"Punch! Punch those leopards! Yeah!" exclaimed Lloyd as he was in the computer room, playing a game called "First Person Puncher". The objective of the game was super self-explanatory. As Lloyd kept on playing the game, Cranky Kong entered the computer room.

"How do you do, fellow kids?" Cranky Kong, unleashing his inner child, asked Coco, Futaba, and Fuuka who were huddled around a computer together. The three ladies stopped what they were doing and looked at Cranky with weird looks.

"Uh...what?" asked Coco, as she understandably looked confused; thinking that the blonde bandicoot wasn't that hip, Cranky Kong shook his head.

"Oh, I see how it is...when the author does a reference, everyone loves it! But when I try to do the same thing, I just get weird looks! I see through your double standards."

"Riiiiight...whatever you say, Cranky," responded Futaba, as she and the other girls went back to what they were doing. Cranky Kong shook his head once more, as he made his way over to Lloyd.

Donkey Kong: Invited my grandpa Cranky over to the mansion...and yes, he's still rambling on about some so-called "author". He said he wouldn't stop until he broke the fourth wall down, and put an end to the author's misery. It really sucks to see most grandpas act like crazy loons, and my gramps unfortunately had to be one of them.

"Mr. Lloyd Irving!" Cranky greeted Lloyd, placing his hand on the swordsman's shoulder. Lloyd paused his game as he turned around and looked at Cranky. "Top of the afternoon to ya."

"It's actually 12:15 right now, but uh, top of the afternoon to you!" responded Lloyd, being very technical with Cranky Kong. Not that Cranky minded. "What's new with you?"

"Nothing much - just wanted to see what was happening in the computer room. And since you're here..." Cranky Kong dug into his imaginary pocket and pulled out some sort of invite. "...I saw this lying on the floor. A friend of yours is having an engagement party next month. Yuri Lowell!"

"Wait, wait. Yuri is engaged?" Lloyd snatched the invite away from Cranky, looking at it with much disbelief. "But he's like the poor man's version of me. Not to mention that his name, when translated from Japanese..."

"I don't want to pressure you, but you are a man now...in a way. It's time for you to start meeting girls. I would like to see strong-willed gentlemen you settled before I ascend to heaven and leave with the angels."

"And with your wife, Wrinkly Kong!" Lloyd made his response with much excitement, expecting Cranky Kong to be just as excited. But Cranky, for some reason, just wasn't feeling it.

"No, she is not there." Cranky Kong was looking to the side - almost as if he was seeing a ghost of his late wife. "I challenge you to find a girl to bring to Yuri's engagement. Show him up!"

"Heh! No problem. I'm great at delivering food, playing video games, and having a suave haircut." Feeling confident in himself, Lloyd leaned back in his chair. "I could totally get a date this weekend. Totally. Piece of cake."

"You're dead!" announced the game voice from "First Person Puncher", as a game over screen appeared on Lloyd's monitor. Lloyd stared at the screen, practically mortified.

"...I'm dead." Lloyd suddenly lost all the confidence that he had, as Cranky Kong smirked and left the computer room.

Cranky Kong: No, Yuri Lowell isn't having an engagement party. Nor is he even engaged. I made it all up, just to see if Lloyd has forgotten about that "special someone" while he was out there delivering food. We will see if he passes the test.

Hunter's counseling session last week was a learning moment for Tom Nook, and Mario as well. Tom Nook learned that Hunter wanted to be liked, and Mario learned that Hunter was severely depressed and homicidal. Fortunately, Tom Nook cleared things up for Mario before he could call the authorities.

But the counseling session begged to question - what did Hunter's desire to be liked have to do with his beef with the RWBY gang? Was the cheetah afraid that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang didn't like him for whatever reason? Mario was committed to finding out the truth, and so were Peach and Spyro. As well as a third individual, who we'll leave anonymous for now.

"Made you all some-a sandwiches," Mario said to Peach, Spyro, and Hunter, as he placed the sandwiches on the dining room table. "Help-a yourselves!"

"Pastrami and black forest ham, my favorite!" Spyro licked his chops, before grabbing one of the sandwiches and swallowing it in just one gulp. Yes, the purple dragon still had time to chew. "Why do I taste dijon mustard...?"

"Thought-a that the sandwiches could use a little...twang." Disgusted with the dijon mustard, Spyro looked ready to puke on the floor. "You puke-a on my floor, you're a dead-a man..."

"I think you meant to say dead dragon," Hunter corrected Mario, smirking at the plumber as he clicked his fingers. "Just doing you a huge solid."

"It's very assuring to know that you aren't a homicidal maniac," Peach said to Hunter, who reflected on the forms he filled out as he chuckled sheepishly. "But that being said...are you depressed?"

"Haven't found a good reason to feel that way." Hunter relaxed in his chair and folded his arms behind his head, as the doorbell soon rang. "It's all thanks to you guys for keeping me in line."

"I'll get-a the door," said Mario as he answered the front door. Standing on the doorstep was Impa, who was likely trying to get away from Steve. "Ah, Impa! Welcome back!"

"Good afternoon, Mario," Impa greeted the plumber as she entered the house. "Is Hunter around here?" Upon hearing his name, Hunter quickly ducked underneath the dining room table.

"He's totally not hiding under this table," Spyro outed his friend to Impa, who slowly walked over to the dining room table. Impa looked underneath and saw Hunter hiding with his hands over his head.

"Come on out, Hunter...I promise you I won't bite." Reluctantly trusting Impa, Hunter slowly poked his head out from underneath the table, looking timid. "There is something that I have to tell you..."

"This is gonna be good..." Spyro said to Sparx with a smirk, as Hunter crawled from underneath the table and stood up. Hunter was now face-to-face with Impa, whom he detested in the past.

"Wh-What do you have to say to me?" Hunter asked Impa, before turning away as he closed his eyes and flinched. The cheetah slowly opened up one eye, taking a peek at Impa.

"Oh, nothing much really. Other than the fact that...I like you." Impa, liking Hunter? Hunter looked at the Sheikah all surprised, as Spyro was trying to hold it all in.

"You...like me?" Hunter's surprise would increase tenfold when Impa hugged the cheetah. It wasn't a forced hug or anything - it oddly felt genuine.

Impa: It was brought to my attention that Hunter apparently has an issue with wanting to be liked. Don't know in Hylia's name where this want came from, but if he wants to be on friendly terms with those girls...then one of his former "enemies" will have to play nice with him.

"You look so ridiculous just standing there like that," Spyro laughed at Hunter, who was feeling awkward inside as Impa had her arms wrapped around him. "What are you waiting for, hug her back!" Thinking that it would make the uncomfortable feeling go away, Hunter did as he was told and hugged Impa back.

"How sweet..." cooed Mario, as he couldn't help but smile at the wholesomeness that was playing out in front of him. Impa frowned at the plumber, mouthing a threat to him.

Because he was feeling in a "charitable" mood, Master Hand took it upon himself to set up a gift shop in the living room. The people in Seattle were welcomed to the gift shop, and the residents as well (provided they had money to spend). A child was walking through the makeshift gift shop, flipping a coin and licking a lollipop and minding his own business, until...

"Hello!" Master Hand magically appeared in front of the child, causing him to scream and nearly drop his lollipop. "Please, don't let my totally awesome presence frighten you. Don't you want to use that nickel to get a nugget from old Goldie?" Master Hand reached over a sheet and pulled it off, revealing Goldie - a Gold Mario statue with a pretty jacked-up face.

"Uh..." the child responded nervously; knowing Master Hand, that poor child would probably be met with some dire consequences if he answered no.

"Watch this!" Master Hand pulled out a nickel and inserted it into Goldie. Goldie's arm moved up as he raised his hand, before moving his arm down. Both of his eyes fell out while grease and smoke came out and he started to scream. Scared for his life, the child ran away crying.

"Okay, seriously, Master Hand, you have to throw that thing out," Tifa said to the giant hand, who looked at the fighter feeling offended and somewhat defensive as well. "Its face reminds everybody of the inevitability of death."

"What?! Sure, he's a little rusty around the edges, but old Goldie is a classic show-stopper, like me. Huh?" Master Hand's finger gets too close to Goldie, who catches the finger with his mouth. Goldie held onto the finger, as Master Hand was flailing it around. "Aaaah! Kill it! KILL IT!"

Elsewhere at the gift shop, Lloyd was hanging up a shirt when he saw a young woman around his age checking out a snowglobe. The swordsman was ready to make his move.

"Aha! A woman!" exclaimed Lloyd before diving into the middle of a shirt rack. "Alright, Lloyd. You can do this. Just use your mouth to say words that make romance happen." Very slowly, Lloyd arose out of the shirt rack, and said to the woman, "Your face is good. Hi, I'm Lloyd!"

"Aaaah!" the young woman screamed, dropping her snowglobe as she ran out of the gift shop. She punched a man and knocked things over in the process, as Lloyd slowly descended back in the shirt rack, disappointed.

"Lloyd?" Pit called out to his former business partner, as he pulled the shirts back to reveal Lloyd. Joker had given Pit the freedom to go to the gift shop - provided that he worked the evening shift."What was that all about?"

"I-I think I was flirting, but I'm not sure." Lloyd was acting pretty unsure about himself; he couldn't find the girl of his dreams if he was lacking in confidence.

"Did someone say, flirting?!" inquired Wolf, as the mercenary and resident matchmaker quickly came over to Pit and Lloyd with a diabolical smile.

"Well, I kinda promised Cranky Kong I'd get a date this weekend, but I've never really been on a date before." Lloyd grabbed an out-of-order sign off of a nearby vending machine, holding it tight as he sighed. "You belong on me, out-of-order sign."

"Yes, my plans to match-make this summer have been answered!" Wolf was rubbing his hands together in a diabolical manner, as Wario and Tifa came over after eavesdropping a bit.

"Lloyd a little advice - you need to get rich," Wario advised the swordsman, believing that he should restart his food delivery service and keep it ongoing until he raked in millions. "Or lie about being rich. Outside of that, I don't like your chances."

"Don't listen to Wario," Tifa encouraged Lloyd, struggling to think of a single person on earth that would willingly follow Wario's advice. Waluigi might be one. "You're a sweet guy with a positive outlook on life and a great attitude!"

"Would you date him?" Wario challenged Tifa, who backed away as she nervously looked around. Wario was grinning as he had Tifa stumped.

"Oh! Would you...heh...look at that." Tifa grabbed a magazine and held it over her face, before quietly walking away.

Tifa: Don't get me wrong, Lloyd is great and all, but would I date him? Only if he was my last resort. And by last resort, I mean if he was the last man on earth. Is that a bit too harsh to say?

Wolf: Heh heh! Lloyd is the perfect guy for my matchmaking prowess. Sure he might've gotten a lot of goodwill by delivering food around town, but he's still very easy to dupe. That guy still sleeps at night occasionally with his overhead light on, which shows you the kind of client I'll be working with.

"Lloyd, you helped others so much, it's time we help you," Pit said to the swordsman, as he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We're gonna get you that date."

"We're taking you where romance lives and fashion styles die," Wolf said to Lloyd, knowing just to the right place to go to. "To the mall!" The mercenary and Pit led Lloyd out of the gift shop as Master Hand was looking at Goldie, who was slightly damaged.

Cloud was recently named Link's best man, and so far it was smooth sailing for the swordsman. He had to do many tasks, such as planning out the bachelor party and finding some groomsmen for the wedding. Nothing too stressful.

"Time is running out for finding an officiant," Cloud discussed with Link, as the two friends were heading to the foyer. Link nervously gulped. "Sure you don't want Ganondorf to officiate your wedding?"

"Yeah, and maybe Sephiroth should officiate your wedding..." Link fired back, having grown tired of the whole "Ganondorf as the officiant" nonsense. The Hylian wouldn't even trust Ganondorf to give him CPR and save his life.

"You still need an officiant, though. Do you even have anyone in mind? Mario? Pac-Man? Chrom? I don't think you would want Chrom."

"Just so his cellphone could go off during the ceremony again? I'd much rather have that happen to Luigi."

"So I guess you want Luigi as your officiant." The idea wasn't enticing to Link, as the Hylian shook his head. "Okay, suit yourself..."

Cloud: Being Link's best man isn't that bad. It's kinda easy. Rex did most of the work, so I don't have that much to do. The most important thing that I have to do is keep Link emotionally stable until his wedding day...

Link and Cloud reached the foyer, where they ran into Ken Amada. Ken looked as if he wanted to speak with Link and Cloud, as he quickly hustled over to the two swordsmen.

"Hey Link and Cloud, are you busy?" Ken asked the two swordsmen, hoping they could take some time out of their busy day for whatever. "Promise I won't take too much of your time."

"Sorry, Ken, maybe another time," replied Link, as he and Cloud exited the mansion through the front door. "Luigi as an officiant, the audacity..." After Link and Cloud left, Ken looked down at the floor and sighed.

"Why do you look so troubled, boy?" a voice called out to Ken, who looked around the foyer full of fear. Ken felt someone creep upon him, and he turned around and saw Ghirahim.

"Oh! Ghirahim! You nearly gave me a heart attack," Ken said to the demon lord as he clutched his chest. Ghirahim, in true Ghirahim fashion, licked his lips.

"You haven't answered my question. Why do you look so troubled?" Ghirahim leaned in close to Ken - a little too close for the young man's comfort.

"I was wondering if Link and Cloud could lend me a hand with Sora...I think Sora wants to ask Kairi out, but he keeps missing his opportunity. So..."

"Ah, yes, Sora and Kairi...now that's a couple I'd like to see!" The thought of Sora and Kairi being together had Ghirahim smiling profusely. "What I would do to bring it to existence..."

"Great, so that means you'll help me, right?" A couple of seconds were all Ghirahim needed to consider his response. "I have no one else."

"No one else, hmm?" Ghirahim turned and walked away from Ken, as he did some brainstorming in his mind. "We'll have to see about that..."

Wolf took Pit and Lloyd to the mall on his Arwing, and it was the same mall that Mario took the RWBY gang to. Whereas Ruby and friends were at the mall to "treat themselves", Pit and Wolf were at the mall to help Lloyd flirt. Master Hand and Captain Falcon also came along, with the latter holding Goldie.

"We're gonna find a replacement for old Goldie," Master Hand said to Wolf and company as he and Captain Falcon walked away with Goldie. "Please don't do anything stupid while we're away."

"Alright, Lloyd, are you ready to explode the charm bomb on these poor, unsuspecting ladies?" Pit asked the swordsman as he scanned the mall for any attractive woman he could find. Lloyd didn't look ready, for he was sweating.

"Uh, but what if I embarrass myself again?" asked Lloyd, who was ready to back out. A lot more women at the mall than he originally anticipated. "What if I make a fool out of myself?"

"Eh. You can't be any worse at looking foolish than Pit," replied Wolf; the early episodes of Smash Life with Pit and Viridi were sound evidence.

"Yeah!" cheered Pit as he pumped his fist, before frowning as he looked at Wolf all offended. "Wait, what?!"

"Get ready, Lloyd." Wolf took out his whistle, one that he was dying to use one day, and blew into it. "And, flirt!"

Pit and Wolf both hide behind a tree in the mall, leaving Lloyd out in the open. Lloyd became nervous as a young woman headed his way.

"Eye contact!" Wolf whispered to Lloyd as he pointed at the woman's eyes. Lloyd walked up to the woman, trying not to come off as weird.

"Hey there! I'm not scared of your eyes at all!" Lloyd said to the woman assuring her that she had nothing to fear. "I'm gonna look at them!" The swordsman used his fingers to open his eyes wider, as the woman screamed and ran away.

"We're off to a great start," Pit quietly whispered to Wolf, who was disgruntled by Lloyd's first flirting attempt as he smacked his forehead.

Pit and Wolf moved to a different spot in the mall, once again hiding behind a tree. Lloyd was out in the open, expecting a woman to come his way.

"Conversation!" Wolf whispered to Lloyd, who saw a woman heading his way. The woman was busy eating some ham on a stick when Lloyd approached her.

"Huh. You know, I've actually been in a pig's body," Lloyd told the woman, who was giving the swordsman a judgemental look. "Did you know pigs have a hard time walking backward?" The woman was creeped out by Lloyd as she slowly backed away, while Lloyd was laughing his butt off. "Not you, though! Not that I'm calling you a pig. Where are you going?"

Pit and Wolf moved to another spot in the mall, and yes, before you ask, they were hiding behind a tree. This time, however, Wolf was wearing a pair of sunglasses, and so was Pit...only because he asked for one.

"Confidence..." Wolf whispered to Lloyd as he pointed at his sunglasses. Lloyd nodded his head in response, as he approached a woman with a very emo haircut standing outside a Hot Topic store.

"So, you're probably a girl, right? Wrong?" Lloyd asked the woman, who ignored the swordsman as she quickly hurried inside the store. "No, I was right the first time. Wrong?" Wolf facepalmed and growled, feeling second-hand embarrassment from Lloyd's sad attempts at flirting.

Rather than dumping Goldie in the dumpster inside the mall, where the shoppers could see the statue's ugly mug, Master Hand decided to dump Goldie elsewhere outside the mall...where the store workers heading to their jobs could see the statue's ugly mug. He had Captain Falcon toss Goldie inside a dumpster.

"Tossing away garbage, in the garbage can," Captain Falcon sang a happy tune as he tossed Goldie inside a dumpster. Master Hand floated over to Goldie, looking at it sentimentally. "Master Hand?"

"Ah, don't look at me like that," Master Hand said to Goldie, thinking that the statue was staring deep into his soul with sadness and a heavy heart. "This is how it's gotta be."

"Ugh!" shrieked Captain Falcon as oil started leaking from Goldie's eye, in the form of a teardrop. The racer quickly closed the dumper, as some children were walking past laughing. "What in the..."

Master Hand and Captain Falcon followed the children, and they followed them into a pizzeria. The two looked on in fear as they were frightened by the stuff they saw inside - a cap-wearing beaver head mounted on a wall, some kid eating pizza while playing Street Fighter, and a machine with a sunglasses-wearing pizza dispensing tickets.

"What is this living nightmare?" questioned Master Hand, as he couldn't for the life of him see how so many children were having fun. Unless they were brainwashed into thinking they were having fun. "And why do kids love it so much?"

"Look at that!" Captain Falcon said to Master Hand as he pointed at a stage, which had animatronics on it. The animatronics? Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Very familiar animatronics, no?

"Who wants to bear down?!" Freddy asked the crowd of children, strumming a guitar as the children cheered in response. While Captain Falcon struggled to see the appeal behind the animatronics, Master Hand was somewhat intrigued.

Captain Falcon: Heard a lot of scary stories about those animatronics...and I even read some on the Internet, because I obviously didn't know any better. Remind me to go look for my nightlight, I might need it later tonight...

"Oh yeah, that's Freddy Fazbear," a man approached Master Hand and Captain Falcon, as he was proudly watching the animatronics doing their thing onstage. "He opens for his animatronic band."

"Ooh, ah! Ooh, ah ah!" exclaimed Freddy as he was dancing his heart out. Freddy dancing would be a scary sight for some, but the kids were eating it up.

"Freddy Fazbear! I love you, Freddy!" one kid showered his love on the animatronic bear, as he was able to contain his excitement.

"Now give me your mon-aaaaay!" Freddy took off his hat and held it around the children. The kids giddily put money into the cap, as Master Hand was liking what he was seeing.

"Take my money, take it all!" a young lady standing among the crowd of children begged to Freddy, as she gave the animatronic bear all the money that she had in her wallet. The love for Freddy Fazbear was palpable, and Master Hand wished to capitalize on it.

"Sir, I would like to buy that bear," Master Hand requested to the man, who laughed in response. The man, who owned the arcade, wouldn't give up Freddy or the other animatronics that easily.

"You're in over your head, my guy," the man responded, as he tweaked his earring. "Animatronics is a young man's game. You couldn't handle the hardcore life of a pizza-robot manager. Huh! Haha, flinched!"

"I think you would keep your hands off the bear," Captain Falcon suggested to Master Hand, not wanting any of the animatronics near the mansion. A kid vomiting was heard.

"Hey, you, barfin' in the ball pit!" The man hustled his way over to the ball pit, as Master Hand was left deep in thought. "Harry's on the case."

"I'm gonna get that bear..." vowed Master Hand, refusing to leave the arcade room until he had Freddy Fazbear in his possession. Captain Falcon moaned.

Pit, Lloyd, and Wolf were gathered outside of a video game store in the mall, and Lloyd wasn't feeling it. His three attempts at flirting were all utter failures, and the swordsman couldn't bear to keep on if he was going to fail another time.

"Don't worry, Lloyd, you'll find the right girl," Pit assured the swordsman as he pulled a capsule out of a toy capsule machine. The angel pulled a sticky hand toy out from his capsule. "You just need to stick with it!" Pit stuck the sticky hand toy on Lloyd, who sighed in despair.

"Could this day get any worse?" Lloyd wondered before he turned his head and saw the last person that he wanted to see...Yuri Lowell. "Oh no! Yuri!" With Yuri was Judith, one of his lady friends.

"Feel it, it's all muscle," Yuri said to Judith as he held up his arm, not even bothering to roll down his sleeves. Judith felt Yuri's arm and giggled, as Lloyd was left in shambles.

Yuri: Seattle is pretty decent, I'll say. I had told Judith about my trip to the city, and she thought that I was just making things up. Which was my cue to prove her wrong. *smiles*

"He can't see me like this! I gotta hide!" panicked Lloyd as he ran into the nearby video game store, before sitting down in front of some shelves of games. "This is it, Lloyd. A lifetime of loneliness. You're the only ones who could love me." Lloyd saw the games in front of him and pulled a few off the shelves. One game, in particular, caught his attention. "'Doki Doki Literature Club: Monika Only Edition. Virtually improve your dating skills. Nine out of ten basement dwellers recommend.' This is perfect!"

"Well, I guess you are better at games than at flirting," Wolf said to Lloyd after he and Pit entered the store and spotted Lloyd. It looked as if the mercenary's work was done...for the moment.

"Anything to get you out there, Lloyd," Pit said to the swordsman, as he took the video game out of his hands. The angel then walked up to the counter, where the store clerk waited.

"I'm not sure you want to buy that game, sir," the store clerk said to Pit after the angel showed him the copy of Doki Doki Literature Club. "This is the third time someone's brought it back, and there's a note on it that says 'destroy at all costs.'"

"So, hey there. What's your deal?" Lloyd asked a cutout of a woman, and soon enough the cutout fell over on the floor. Pit, Wolf, and the store clerk witnessed the exchange "Oh, she's dead!"

"We'll take our chances," Pit said to the store clerk, as Lloyd was in desperate need of some romantic help.

Popo had already informed Link about his ice cream business, but he never let the woman of the mansion, Zelda, know about his plans. The Ice Climber told the princess about his plans, and as expected, Zelda gave him a thumbs-up seal of approval. Well, she didn't actually give a thumbs up, but she still voiced her approval regardless.

"Dante's friend is bringing us the vehicle we'll deliver ice cream in," Popo explained to Zelda, as he was outside the mansion with his ice cream delivering crew. Dante was looking down the road, expecting Nico to show up at any minute.

"I'm amazed that Dante is even a part of your efforts," remarked Zelda, as she couldn't imagine the vigilante as an ice cream delivery man. A pizza delivery man, sure, but delivering ice cream wasn't exactly Dante's cup of tea.

"He's only on it just to spite Kazuya," Kazooie said to Zelda, and she was just as surprised as the princess was. Perhaps even more. "A pretty silly reason if you ask me."

"Once a hater, always a hater," smiled Banjo as he folded his arms, while Kazooie shook her head in disapproval. Soon a van came speeding down the road, as Dante got all excited.

"Here she comes - everyone, look alive!" Dante said to the others, as the van pulled up into the mansion's driveway and nearly crashed into the garage door. A spectacled woman opened the van door, and the first person she laid her eyes on was Dante.

"Hey, Dante!" the woman greeted the vigilante as she got out of the van, nearly falling on the pavement along the way. Sonic hid behind Crash to conceal his laughter, as the woman excitedly went over to Dante. "Nice seein' ya!"

"Nice seeing you too, Nico." Dante tried to play it cool, only for Nico to grab the vigilante's hand and shake it. "I can tell that you missed me a lot..."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that..." Realizing how overtly eager she was, Nico calmed down as she released Dante's hand. "...I brought the van over, just like you asked. And I also brought somethin' else along the way."

"Something else? Like what?" Dante kept his mind open, as Nico ran inside the van and came out with a cowboy hat. "Well, would you look at that? You remembered to bring my cowboy hat!"

"Cowboy hat? I know you're a vigilante and all, but..." Sonic said to Dante, who accepted the cowboy hat from Nico and placed it on his head. Then the unimaginable happened...

...Dante started busting out some fly dance moves, as he was unleashing his inner Michael Jackson. The vigilante was kicking, crotch-grabbing, circle sliding, the works. The others were amazed, as Nico had the biggest smile on her face.

"Who knew he had so much rhythm?" the female Inkling whispered to the male Inkling, as Dante was moonwalking all over the place. Dante was looking like a real natural.

Male Inkling: That man Dante was moonwalking on the grass...on the grass...MJ could never.

"HEEHEE!" Dante exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, as he did one last crotch grab before striking a final pose. Zelda was impressed by Dante, as she applauded the vigilante's dance performance.

"Great performance, Dante!" the princess told the vigilante, who took off his cowboy hat and gave it to Crash to hold onto. Crash placed the hat on his head, and tried to bust out dance moves of his own...but he felt no rhythm in his body.

"Much obliged, princess," Dante smiled at Zelda, as Crash attempted to moonwalk - only to get dirt in his shoes. "Heard that Cloud was a fine dancer himself; I oughta show him up, one of these days."

"Just so we have an understanding, Dante..." Nico approached the vigilante, as she had an all-important question to ask of him. "...I'll be driving this van around while y'all deliver ice cream, right?" Dante smiled nervously, as he did a nervous glance at Popo.

"I'm gonna have to explain stuff, am I?" Popo asked with a heavy sigh, also wondering how Nico would make it back home with her van now in the ice cream gang's possession.

Lloyd was reinvigorated, as he now had a copy of Doki Doki Literature Club to help him with his flirting ability. The swordsman was back at the mansion, inside the computer room, where he loaded the game disco into a computer. It was now or never for him.

"Year 2000 Electronics," Lloyd read the logo on the monitor, as the game was botting up. Yet the publisher of Doki Doki Literature Club was Team Salvato...something must be up. "Man, I can't wait for the year 3000! Wonder if that Andre guy will still be alive by then."

The monitor showed the main menu for Doki Doki Literature Club: Monika Only Edition; the options were "Start," "Quit," and "spontaneous combustion". Lloyd had to make a wise choice...he better not select "spontaneous combustion" by any means.

"Ehh, start!" said Lloyd as he clicked started, before the game's introduction text appeared on the screen. "'When the cherry petals of magic romance academy are in bloom... anything can happen.' That is so true."

The game screen changed to one with a classroom background and some stats on the left. A girl wearing a school uniform appeared...and yup, it was Monika. Who else?

"Oh, hi there! My name is Monika," Monika introduced herself to Lloyd, coming off as sweet and friendly. Poor Lloyd had no idea what he was in for. "I'm a schoolgirl in charge of a literature club. Will you help me carry my books?" Three options appeared on the screen - "Yes of course!", "I am impatient! Date me now!" and "Hey look a squid!".

"I'm really feeling number two," replied Lloyd as he clicked on "I am impatient! Date me now!". Can't fault the man for doing what was on his mind. The game played a buzzer sound and the option turned red. "Ah! I messed up."

"That's okay. Try again!" Monika flashed a smile, as Lloyd clicked the first option. The game awarded Lloyd 100 "Love Points" as coins fall in front of the screen.

Lloyd: Yep, I'm learning! And games are making it fun.

"What would you like to talk about?" asked Monika, as the three options offered were "Your interests," "Samurais" and "Squids."

"I'd rather just click your face," replied Lloyd as he moved the cursor over on Monika's face and started clicking away. Seemingly able to feel the clicks, Monika was laughing.

"Haha. You are so funny." Lloyd was able to make Monika laugh - talk about good progress.

"Man, this game is amazing! I don't know why anyone abandoned it."

"And I'm sure you'll never abandon me, new boyfriend." Already, it has begun...

"Boyfriend? Oh my, Monika. It's almost like you're actually alive."

"Yup! Almost." Monika was laughing, as Lloyd was laughing along with her. Zero passed by Lloyd and saw the game he was playing, as he was now questioning the swordsman's standards.

"Oh, man. You have such a nice laugh." As Lloyd and Monika laughed together, Zero took a peek at Lloyd's computer...and saw that it wasn't plugged in! Someone must've unplugged it by accident.

"What the..." frowned Zero, wondering how Lloyd was able to play Doki Doki Literature Club despite the computer being unplugged. There was some freaky stuff doing on...

Negotiations with Fox, Falco, and Gex were still ongoing, but they were still going strong. Both sides had yet to reach a consensus. Fox and Falco invited Gex over to the mansion and met with the lizard at Cafe Leblanc.

"I was thinking that maybe I could be in Ribbon Girl's music video," Gex discussed with Fox and Falco, as he fancied himself having a guest appearance. "Just appear for a few seconds, and then POOF! I'm gone..."

"Those few seconds would make you a viral sensation," said Fox as Joker, forced to work the cafe with Pit asking to be off, also forced himself to withstand the pilots' sycophancy. "But why Ribbon Girl's music video?"

"I feel like she's the only female talent that gets me. Those idol singers don't know true talent when they see it!" Gex took a sip from his curry, and was delighted by the taste! "Hm! Simply delicious! It's got me feeling like Elaine at Jerry Seinfeld's house."

"That doesn't even make any sense..." Joker muttered under his breath as he shook his head. Gex was one person that Joker wouldn't take any positive feedback from.

Kiria: Think I had a very solid run with Star Records. Lots of ups, lots of downs. Had fun days, and some bad days. No, you don't have to ask me about why I'm entertaining the thought of leaving - the answer should be obvious.

"Your face doesn't make any sense," Falco fired back at Joker as he overheard the young man, while Ken and Ghirahim entered the cafe. "Don't give me that look, you know that was an awesome comeback..."

"Guys, don't look now...the pervy demon lord is here," Fox alerted those in the cafe, as he saw Ghirahim with the corner of his eye. Ghirahim walked up to Fox, unnerving the pilot as he licked his lips. "Dude, what is your problem?!"

"My apologies - I was merely testing you," Ghirahim smiled as he backed away from Fox - just to make the pilot shut up. "Tell me, are any of you aware that Sora likes Kairi?"

"What is this, some kind of gossip corner?" questioned Falco, as he did not expect Ghrahim to be into gossiping. "And before you say anything...yes, we are all aware. We're not blind."

"Excellent! Because I have a friend here that wants to bring Sora and Kairi together." Ghirahim brought everyone's attention to Ken, who was standing meekly in the middle of the cafe.

"I've seen Sora try to ask Kairi out, and he never really gets the chance to," explained Ken, reflecting on Sora's recent romantic shortcomings. "It's about time that he gets his first date."

"sora does have a way with hearts," commented Sans as he took a sip from his cup of coffee. "he has the key to unlock kairi's heart if you know what I'm..."

"We know what you're saying, Sans," Joker told the skeleton, before turning his attention back to Ken. "Alright, Ken, how do you plan about making Sora and Kairi's date happen?"

"We should at least give Sora the chance to ask Kairi out," replied Ken...and quite frankly, the young man didn't know how to carry that out. "Thing is, I don't have any bright ideas..."

"Then you came to the right guy," a confident Gex said to Ken as he stood on top of his barstool chair. "I've asked out plenty of hot babes before. Under my lead, we'll figure something out for this Sora kid."

"Personally, I wouldn't trust you," Joker offered his opinion, before seeing that Ghirahim found himself intrigued by Gex. "Ghirahim...?"

"The lizard does look like he knows his way with women," said Ghirahim as he stroked his chin, as Joker threw his arms up in defeat. "We'll follow his lead, and see how it goes..."

"If you need us, we got you covered," Fox vowed to Gex, speaking on behalf of himself and Falco. The sycophancy was getting too much for Joker to handle.

Master Hand promised himself that he wouldn't leave the arcade empty-handed...but sadly, he did leave the arcade empty-handed. Being empty-handed after he had his eyes on something was an extreme rarity for the giant hand. He was so devastated, that he went to the gift shop just to mope to Samus.

"You don't understand, Samus!" Master Hand cried to the bounty hunter, who wanted nothing to do with the giant hand's pity party. "Freddy Fazbear sings, and he dances. He's the perfect money-taking attraction. But that man won't sell it to me!"

"This is literally too dumb for me to care about," replied Samus, as Master Hand moaned in sadness. Pit and Wolf approached Master Hand and Samus, as they were looking for a certain single bachelor.

"Hey, have you two seen Lloyd?" Wolf asked Master Hand and Samus, as he still had some unfinished business with Lloyd. "We're supposed to help him with match-making today."

"Yeah! I have my motivational sweater and everything!" added Pit as he held up a sweater that read, "U can do it, Lloyd". The second L in Lloyd's name was somehow misplaced. "I messed up on the L part."

"I barely saw him; he ran up the stairs like he was the Flash," replied Samus, as Pit and Wolf looked at each other. Soon Zero entered the gift shop.

"You two are looking for Lloyd?" the robot asked Pit and Wolf, as the latter nodded his head. "I happen to know where he is...brace yourselves."

Sora might've failed in the past to ask Kairi out on a date, but today was the day he was going to redeem himself. The Keyblade wielder went to the mansion gardens to pick out a flower that Kairi would like. A flower would make the occasion of asking his friend out a bit more special.

"I'll go with...this one!" exclaimed Sora as he picked out a pink flower. A perfect choice, considering that pink was Kairi's favorite color.

"And I will go with this one," said Steve as he picked out a white flower. "A flower that is as radiant as my love, Impa."

"You still think that Impa likes you?" Sora chuckled at Steve, as Olimar came over to water some flowers. "You must be out of your mind!"

"Steve and I have had the same conversation about Impa for months now," Olimar explained to Sora, as his conversations dated as far back to episode 262. "He's perpetually stuck in la-la land.

"Impa will be mine, mark my words," Steve vowed to Sora and Olimar as he left the gardens, returning to the mansion interior. Sora groaned, hoping that Steve would come to his senses soon.

"He's gonna be so devastated when he finds out the truth..." the Keyblade wielder remarked, as he could only imagine the heartbreak that Steve would endure.

Zero guided Pit and Wolf to the computer room, where they saw Lloyd getting his flirt on with Monika. The swordsman was having a good time, as Zero and the others observed.

"So that's basically my entire life story," Lloyd said to Monika with a laugh, perhaps telling the virtual schoolgirl some details that he probably should've kept to himself. "Now you tell me a thing about you!"

"Every time you compliment me I get another sparkle in my eyes!" Monika told Lloyd, as her eyes were sparkling. Her eyes never sparkled in the original Doki Doki Literature Club...

"Uh, you're pretty! And attractive! And so agreeable!" Every compliment that Lloyd handed to Monika caused a lot of sparkling in Monika's eyes.

"Um, Lloyd?" Pit called out to the swordsman, who looked over and saw the angel with Zero and Wolf. Monika appeared annoyed that Pit was taking Lloyd's attention away from her.

"Oh hey, guys! Come in! This game is amazing. I'm making eye contact, going on dates, and I haven't seen any natural sunlight for an hour!"

"Lloyd, maybe it's time to apply these skills with real girls!" As Pit tried to convince Lloyd, Wolf kicked away one of the soda cans on the floor. At least Lloyd remembered to keep himself hydrated, even if he wasn't drinking water. But it was the effort that counts!

"But I'm about to meet her parents! Her dad is an octopus-man. Or so she has claimed." Knowing how much Lloyd needed it, Zero opened up the blinds - which Lloyd had closed, for whatever reason - as he let in some sunlight. Lloyd hissed as he hid underneath the desk.

"We're going back to the mall, man," Wolf said to Lloyd, as he pulled the swordsman from underneath the desk. "You need to unplug!"

"I'll see you later, Monika," Lloyd vowed to the schoolgirl as Wolf pulled the swordsman out of the computer room. "I'll be back, I promise!"

"Lloyd, you don't have to wish it goodbye," Pit said to the swordsman with a giggle, and as he and Zero both left the computer room. "It's just a game. It's not like it's going anywhere!"

"Yes, it is not like I'm going anywhere..." replied Monika with a devious smile, and seconds later...the computer suddenly shut off!

Cranky Kong: So, how is it coming along? Is Lloyd still on the search to find that "special someone"?...Ah, good to hear! Here is hoping that he keeps up the good work. In the meantime... *pulls out a diary* ...I will be reading his diary. He better have written some embarrassing info. Wish that I could be reading the author's diary instead...he doesn't have one? How would you know?

Popo and Dante met with Nico in the living room, where they had to tell Nico the truth about who was driving the van. They knew the craftswoman wouldn't handle it, but she had to hear it anyway.

"Wait...so I'm NOT driving the van?" Nico asked Popo and Dante, making sure that she was hearing things correctly. Begrudgingly, Popo nodded his head.

"It's nothing personal," replied Dante, as Nico was looking a little down. It ate up Dante inside seeing Nico upset. "It's just that we want someone...someone responsible behind the wheel."

"No, it's fine, I understand..." Nico looked down at the floor for a few more seconds, before her face brightened as she looked up at Dante and smiled. "...but tell you what, how about I find y'all a gal to drive my van?"

"It doesn't have to be a girl specifically," stated Popo; Nico could ask Toad to drive her van, but Toad was probably tired from driving his food truck around. "Besides, the ladies around here wouldn't be down with driving a van."

"I know one lady who wouldn't mind..." said Dante, as he gave a knowing smile to Popo. Once Popo caught on, the Ice Climber started to panic.

"Oh no...oh no oh no oh no..." Popo instantly knew what lady Dante was referring to...and he already envisioned what her response would be.

Pit and Wolf were back at the mall with Lloyd, so that Lloyd could apply what he learned from playing Doki Doki Literature Club to the real world. Zero was also tagging along, just to see if Doki Doki Literature Club had affected Lloyd's behavior any.

"Dang! Where all dem sweet honeys at?" questioned Pit as he looked around the mall, while Wolf and Zero gave the angel concerned looks. "I'll check the ladies' restroom."

"I would highly advise you not to do that," Zero said to Pit, but it was too late - Pit barged inside the women's restroom as if he expected the women inside to readily accept him. It wasn't his first time doing this, mind you.

"It's love time, girls! Get out there! No time to wash your hands!" At the sight of Pit, many women inside the restroom screamed as they ran out. Which was the most reasonable thing to do when a male was inside the women's restroom. "It's time to date! Date! Date!"

"And...here comes security," muttered Wolf, as he saw a bunch of mall security cops rush to the women's restroom. The mercenary leaned in close to Lloyd and said to the swordsman, "Zero and I will deal with this. Stay here and practice on some real girls."

"Uh, yes sir!" responded Lloyd, as Wolf and Zero went over to handle the security. Lloyd hid behind a potted plant and looked for girls, as he planned out his course of action. "These girls have so many dimensions! And no explanation menus!" Lloyd walked away while holding onto the potted plant, before bumping into a blonde lady.

"Ah! My purse!" the blonde lady squealed after Lloyd accidentally knocked her purse to the ground. What action would Lloyd perform in this perilous situation?

"Oh no! Undo! Undo!" Lloyd tried to "undo" making the lady using his fingers to hit the alt and backspace keys. Except that those keys were only imaginary.

"You can't undo who you are..." the blonde lady said darkly to Lloyd, making the swordsman deeply regretting his clumsy mistake. Spooked out of his mind, Lloyd ran away and leaned against a glass screen in front of several televisions.

"Oh, man! This is the worst! I wish I was back home with..." Suddenly, one of the televisions behind the glass screen turned on..and guess who was on the screen?

"Hi, Lloyd!" Monika greeted the swordsman, acting all lovey-dovey towards him. Lloyd turned around and saw Monika on the television, as his fears quickly vanished away.

"Monika! Oh man, I'm so relieved to see you! Although, sorta confused." You'd that that at this point, Lloyd would be regretting some things.

"Oh, Lloyd...I'm not an ordinary game. I am... special." Another television screen turned on, showing some programming dudes gathered around a computer. "The programmers tried to delete me. So I had to delete them." The screen showed the programming dudes all being electrocuted.

"Wha-what did you do to them?" If it wasn't obvious, the programming dudes were all shocked...to death!

"That's not important. What's important is that you won't have to talk to real girls ever again. You and me can be together. Forever!"

"Wow, that's awesome! Sort of a red flag, but mostly awesome! So, what do you want to do now?"

"Anything you want, Lloyd." Monika was giving Lloyd the invitation to do whatever he wanted; if he was a wise man, he'd turn down Monika in a hurry.

Before he could ask Kairi out, Sora first had to consult Riku for moral support. He would find the silverette in the arcade room, and he showed him the pink flower he picked out from the mansion gardens.

"You think that Kairi would like this flower?" Sora asked Riku, as he was having some last-minute second doubts. Riku didn't care about the flower in the slightest, but he had to make his best friend happy.

"I mean, she would have to be an idiot not to," shrugged Riku, only for his face to sour real quick when he saw Ghirahim and Ken enter the arcade room...along with Gex. "Oh boy...not him."

"Greetings, Sora...what a lovely flower you got there," Ghirahim greeted the Keyblade wielder as he felt the sudden urge to lick his lips - which he in fact did. Sora and Riku were both creeped out. "Mind if I ask who it's for?"

"It's for Kairi," replied Sora as he held the pink flower close to his chest as if Ghirahim was about to take it away from him. "I'm finally gonna ask her out on a date later today."

"My oh my, asking a girl out on a date!" exclaimed Gex as he rubbed his hands in excitement; Riku rolled his eyes at the lizard. "Bet you feel like a million bucks, kid."

Riku: Had an encounter with that Gex creep a few weeks ago. He wouldn't stop talking about how he broke the sound barrier in "record-breaking fashion", which I'm sure is nearly impossible without dying. He is nothing more than an obnoxious fraud.

"Since we know how much you want to ask Kairi out, we want to make the occasion a bit more special," Ken said to Sora as he gave the Keyblade wielder his full assurance. Sora was willing to trust Ken, but the jury was out on Ghirahim and Gex.

"I'll still be able to give Kairi my flower, right?" asked Sora, only for Ghirahim to take the pink flower away from the Keyblade wielder. "I take it that's a no...?"

"You'll give her the flower, but only in due time," replied Ghirahim as he held the pink flower behind his back. "If you wish to ask Kairi out, we must first ensure that you're fully prepared..."

Because he was not wise, Lloyd took up Monika's offer to be with Monika forever. Just Monika. And because he was not wise, Lloyd also decided to ride on a kid's train at the kids' section of the mall. So much for growing up.

"Choo choo!" shouted Lloyd as he was riding on the train, and Monika was riding on a train too - on the kid train's screen. Suddenly the screen cut off, much to Lloyd's surprise and dismay.

"Please insert fifty cents to continue," the train voice said, as the light above the coin slot was flashing. Lloyd dug through his pockets, and both of his pockets were empty.

"Aw, man..." frowned Lloyd, as a girl with blonde hair came over to the swordsman. The girl appeared to recognize Lloyd, as she was very happy to see him.

"Hello, Lloyd," the girl greeted the swordsman, grabbing his attention. "Do you...do you remember who I am?"

"Of course I remember who you are, Colette.." Upon seeing Colette's name, Lloyd gasped and widened his eyes as he did a double-take at the girl. The girl, Colette, smiled. "...C-Colette? Is it really you?!"

"Who else would it be?" Colette was expecting a hug from Lloyd, and the blonde immediately got one as Lloyd leaped from the toy train and hugged his childhood friend.

"Man, I haven't seen you since that Valentine's Day party a few years back! It's so great to see you again. Funny seeing you in town!"

"Yes, it has been a while, I'll say...but if you must ask, Yuri invited me to come with him." Colette tagged along with Yuri and Judith? Lloyd had to break from his hug with Colette and look at his friend all crazy.

"Yuri Lowell? You went to Seattle with him?" Lloyd couldn't stay mad with Colette forever, as he went back to hugging his friend. "Ah, I don't care, I'm just happy that we get to see each other again!"

Yuri: Colette wasn't originally in my traveling plans, but some elderly gorilla convinced me to bring her along. I don't know how this gorilla even knew where I lived; he claimed that some "author" told him. He sounded senile.

"So what have you been up to lately?" Colette asked Lloyd, who ended the hug as he had just the right material to share.

"Pit and I started a food delivery service around town," Lloyd proudly replied, as Colette looked very impressed. Lloyd was now full of pride as he had the biggest smirk on his face. "Raised a lot of moolah, and even earned a little respect from the others."

"I'm happy to hear that, Lloyd! Maybe we can meet later, and you can tell me more about this business of yours."

"Yeah, I'd love to! We can do it at the pizzeria in this mall. I should show you some time.

"I'm free around eight."

"Boom! Done."

"Great. I'll see you then." Collette handed Lloyd a few coins, then waved to the swordsman as she walked away. Always an awesome feeling to reconnect with old friends.

"Such a nice friend..." After he was done waving back to Colette, Lloyd returned to the kid's train. "Well, back to riding this tiny train for children."

Lloyd wouldn't have any time to insert the coins into the coin slot, as Pit tackled the swordsman to the floor. Pit was on top of Lloyd, playfully hitting him as Wolf and Zero came over.

"Lloyd!" Pit cheered the swordsman's name, as he continued to punch Lloyd's back. "We saw the whole thing, Lloyd. That was amazing! You talked to a real girl, and you got a date!"

"Well, to be fair, it was my childhood friend, Colette," said Lloyd, as Pit got off of the swordsman and continued to celebrate. "But this still counts as a win."

Wolf: I'll be honest with you, I wasn't expecting Lloyd to pull a girlfriend. I only wanted to mess with him, just for the fun of it. But doggone it, that bloke scored a date with a friend from his childhood! If only I had childhood friends to go on a date with...provided that I even had friends back then.

"You were in the zone, you made eye contact - it was like you'd done this a million times before," Wolf said to Lloyd, as the mercenary now had no choice but to support the swordsman in his romantic exploits. "Don't you see? That game really worked!"

"You don't need it anymore; you can toss it out!" said Zero, as he wanted Doki Doki Literature Club: Monika Only Edition to be expelled from the mansion forever. But Lloyd didn't seem too keen on doing it.

"Toss it? But, I like Monika," said Lloyd, as he still had a soft spot in his heart for a virtual schoolgirl. That was a mistake that no man should do. "She's good to me. She's predictable.

"Lloyd, can a computer game go to Yuri's engagement party with you?" Wolf asked Lloyd, as he got the swordsman to think for a moment or two. Lloyd looked down at the floor, knowing what must be done.

Steve planned on confessing his love to Impa, prepping himself by practicing in front of a bathroom mirror. Also ate a few breath mints, just in case. All done preparing, the craftsman went to the shrine, where he learned from Ruby that Impa was at Mario's house. So Steve happily went to Mario's house, with Impa heavily on his mind.

"Impa will most certainly appreciate this flower," remarked Steve after he rang the doorbell, while he admired the white flower in his hand. The front door was soon opened by Mario. "Hello, Mario; I am here to see Impa."

"Do...do you really want-a to?" Mario nervously asked Steve, thinking that the craftsman stopped by at the wrong time. Steve maneuvered his way past Mario, who tried to stop the craftsman in his tracks.

"Yes. My love for Impa has now surpassed insurmountable bounds. It would break my heart dearly if Impa were to..."

Steve came to a stop in the living room, when he was devastated by the scene he saw before him...Impa, sitting on the living room couch, and sitting very close to Hunter, who was too uncomfortable to say a word. Sitting on the couch across from Impa and Hunter was Spyro, who was amused by his best friend's behavior.

"You just have to see it, don't ya Steve?" Spyro asked the craftsman, as he giggled slightly; Steve stared at Impa with heavy heartbreak, as he dropped his white flower on the living room floor.

"What are you doing with that cheetah?" Steve questioned Impa, as he was on the verge of damaging his classy persona and breaking down in tears. "Do you wish to be with him instead?"

"Yes, because I happen to like Hunter..." replied Impa, and upon hearing that response, Steve backed out of Mario's house feeling more devastated than ever before. "...I like him as a friend."

"No, Steve, come-a back, I can explain!" Mario called out to Steve, as he ran out of the house and chased after the craftsman. Impa had inadvertently broken Steve's heart - and the Sheikah considered it a personal victory.

"Looks like you finally got Steve off your case," Spyro said to Impa, as he noticed how relieved the Sheikah looked. "Congratulations."

Lloyd was back at the computer room, as he booted up Doki Doki Literature Club. The swordsman had to cut ties with Monika; it was the only way.

"Hey, Monika?" Lloyd greeted the schoolgirl after Doki Doki Literature Club was done booting up. Lloyd was nervously twiddling with his fingers. "We, uh...we gotta talk."

"Of course. I am programmed to find everything you say interesting," smiled Monika as she held her hands behind her back, anxiously awaiting her boyfriend's response.

"Well, have you ever had to choose between two things you like, but you don't know which one is right for you? I mean, I'm just thinking long-term...maybe I should be someone a little less 'beep boop.' Heh, you know?"

"I don't think you know what you're saying, Lloyd. No one loves you more than me. The girls out there will just make fun of you!"

"You...you really think so?" Lloyd was very hesitant about believing Monika, as Monika got angry and upset with the swordsman.

"I know so! Besides, we had a deal. You bought my game, you held my books, you're my boyfriend. Now sit down in that chair!"

"I don't think I like the way you're acting..." Lloyd was becoming very afraid of Monika, as he backed away from the computer.

"I WON'T LET ANOTHER GIRL TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME, LLOYD!" Monika was letting her rage out, as she was banging on the computer screen. Not very typical behavior from Monika. "YOU HEAR ME?!

"Monika, calm down!"

"YOU'RE MINE, LLOYD!"

"Well, uh, uh...pause!" Lloyd pressed a random key on the keyboard, and just like magic, the game paused. Along with Monika's rage fit. "Woah, that got intense. I'm sorry, Monika. Maybe having a cursed digital girlfriend wasn't a good idea. I'm taking you back to the video game store after my date with Colette."

Lloyd removed the game disc from the computer, as some electricity moved from the disc tray to Monika on the screen. The swordsman then turned the computer off and put the disc in his pocket, before leaving the computer room. The computer screen flashed, as slightly distorted images of Monika appeared.

Master Hand was going to get that animatronic of Freddy Fazbear, one way or another. And since Captain Falcon refused to help, Master Hand asked Snake to help out since he was scared of the animatronics. The former spy was game.

"Hello, old friends," Snake said after he opened up a briefcase with a bunch of stuff inside, including some gloves that he put on. Master Hand was looking over the former spy's shoulder. "I've gotta be careful this time. No more Colombian nights."

"I must say, Master Hand, this is strange even for you," Bayonetta said to the giant hand as she entered the room, just as Snake closed his briefcase. "Do you need to talk?"

"Nothing you can say will change my mind, Bayonetta," replied Master Hand, his mind already made up. It was Freddy Fazbear or bust. "Sometimes, you have to steal an animatronic bear, to stay in this crazy game called life."

"Or...you could just not care." Apparently, Master Hand did care, and so did Snake as he unlocked his bedroom window.

"It's about the principle," Snake said to Bayonetta, firmly on Master Hand's side as he opened the window. "No one tells Master Hands he's out of the game. No one tells Solid Snake that he's...whoa!" Snake suddenly fell out of the window, as he crashed to the ground.

"Aw, did you hurt your back, darling?" Bayonetta looked out the window and down at Snake, happy that the former spy got what was coming for him. "I'll get your orthopedic back pillow."

"...thank you," Snake thanked Bayonetta, as his back was in a world of pain. But for Master Hand's cause, it was worth it.

Popo needed someone to drive Nico's van around, and Nico herself was out of the running due to her reckless driving. When Nico suggested that the driver should be a girl, Dante had one female in mind...and he tasked Sonic and the male Inkling with recruiting her.

"Open up already!" shouted Sonic, banging his fist on someone's bedroom door while the male Inkling stood around. "We don't have all day, you know."

"Go away, leave me alone!" the person behind the door shouted back, and it sounded like Nana. Was Dante seriously considering Nana to drive the van?

"Why can't you just let us inside? It's not like we're gonna hurt you." Seeing how persistent Sonic was, Nana sighed as she had no choice but to come clean.

"I can't let you boys come in because...because I have the flu." The sound of Nana sneezing was heard, as Sonic and the male Inkling exchanged looks. "Don't want you boys to get sick."

Sonic: Um, explain to me how Nana was even able to sneeze? She doesn't even have a nose!

"How's it coming along?" Dante asked Sonic and the male Inkling, as he came down the hallway with Mega Man. Dante asked Mega Man to take Nico back home via the teleportation device.

"She won't let us inside," the male Inkling explained to Dante as he pointed his thumb at Nana's bedroom door. "Said she had some 'flu.'"

"The flu, huh? I'll have to see about that..." So Dante walked up to Nana's bedroom door and knocked on it with authority. "Nana, it's me, Dante. How bad is your flu?"

"Uh, it's pretty bad," replied Nana, as she was now being put on the spot. "I got a bunch of symptoms, like, uh...high fever, chills, headache, and dry cough." Judging by Nana's delivery, it sounded as if she was reading her symptoms off of WebMD!

"Oh, is that so?" Dante snarled as he backed away before nodding his head towards Mega Man. "Mega Man, how about you Charge Shot this door down?"

"Already got in trouble for this one time..." grumbled Mega Man, as he fired up a Charge Shot. The robot sent the Charge Shot at Nana's bedroom door, sending the door off its hinges as Nana was revealed in her room...and looking perfectly fine.

"Oh, dear!" panicked Nana, quickly closely her laptop and looking innocent as Mega Man and company entered her room. "Hi, boys, what brings you all here?"

"So much for having the flu," Sonic said to Nana as he stood at the foot of the Ice Climber's bed. "Now, time for you to answer our million-dollar question..."

"Do you wanna drive the van around?" the male Inkling asked Nana, who wasn't that enticed by the offer. But only because the concept of just driving a van wasn't enticing enough to Nana. "Uh, the van we'll use to deliver ice cream in!" Now that's more like it.

"Anything that has to do with Popo delivering ice cream, I want no part of." Nana showed her defiance as she folded her arms. "You couldn't pay me any of Lloyd's money to do it."

"Speaking of Lloyd...he's been acting less annoying since his delivery service made him big bucks, hasn't he?" asked Sonic, as Nana softened up a bit; residents like Samus might be inclined to disagree with Sonic.

"Popo might change for the better if he has the same success," the male Inkling said to Nana, who unfolded her arms as she took Lloyd's success with his delivery service into account. "Isn't that what you would want?"

"I suppose you two have a point there," replied Nana; she had always been annoyed by Popo's antics, so she figured that a little success could humble Popo for good. "But honestly, why do you want ME to drive your van around?"

"I mean, that's what your brother would want," shrugged Dante, before looking up as he wondered what the nature of the relationship between Popo and Nana was. "Or is he your boyfriend? Husband? Cousin? Are you his side chick?"

"That's...a question for another day." And it was a question that will forever remain unanswered. "But, if you guys really want me to drive your van...then I'll at least consider it."

"Good enough for us!" Sonic gave Nana a thumbs up, as he and the boys left Nana's room. "We'll discuss later." Once Sonic and the others left the room, Nana let out a deep sigh,

Lloyd was ready for his date with Colette, as he was back at the mall that evening. Following the swordsman to the pizzeria were Pit, Wolf, and Zero.

"You can do this, Lloyd!" Pit encouraged the swordsman, as Wolf gave Lloyd some water. "Just remember what we taught you. How does she look?"

"Nice!" replied Lloyd; because Colette was a good friend of his, Lloyd couldn't bring himself to think of Colette as anything but nice.

"What are her stories?"

"Interesting!" Maybe they're all not interesting...but Lloyd was just being politically correct here.

"And who's going to pay for dinner?"

"LLOYD IS!" Would be a very bad gesture for Lloyd if he let Colette pay for the meal.

"Now, DATE!" Pit took out an air horn and blew into it, as Lloyd ran off yelling into the distance.

Pit: *shakes his head proudly* They grow up so fast.

Colette was already at the pizzeria, as she was waiting for Lloyd to show up. The couple she traveled to Seattle with, Yuri and Judith, were already inside.

"Itchy legs, itchy legs..." frowned Colette as she rubbed her leg with the other, before looking and seeing Lloyd heading her way. "...oh, hi Lloyd!"

"Colette! Are you ready for a..." Lloyd said before he looked at his right hand. "...date with..." And then he looked at his left hand "...me?"

"I totally am!" Thinking that Lloyd was being funny, Colette laughed. The date was off to a great start...even if Lloyd needed a little hand-holding.

Coincidentally, Master Hand and Snake were outside the pizzeria, and they were looking for a way to sneak inside. Snake knew what to do, as he took out a credit card and used it to open the pizzeria's backdoor. Inside, Snake saw pizzeria owner Harry push Freddy Fazbear on some wheels.

"Good show, man! Way to warm 'em up!" Harry said to Freddy after he took the animatronic bear to the back of the pizzeria. "I wish I was more like you." Harry kissed Freddy and walked away, as Master Hand and Snake had their eyes on the prize.

Kairi was busy enjoying dinner with the other mansion residents, enjoying herself and all that jazz, when Ghirahim told the red-haired girl to come outside. Curious, Kairi followed Ghirahim and Ken outside to the backyard, staying optimistic about what was in store for her.

"I've heard that you like surprises," Ghirahim said to Kairi, who was in the backyard looking around while Ken was beckoning to someone. "Is it true?"

"Depends, on a lot of things," smiled Kairi, as Fox and Falco conspicuously came over to Ken while Kairi was looking the other way. "I do love fun surprises."

"Is everything ready?" Ken whispered to Fox and Falco, as Fox turned around and saw someone in the distance. Fox gave that someone a thumbs up. "I take it that's a yes?"

"If any one of us gets seriously hurt, you're paying for our hospital bills," Fox whispered back at Ken, who frowned as the pilots ran back to their hiding spot. Ken better start asking Wario for some money.

"They're ready to go," Ken whispered to Ghirahim, dispirited by the fact that he was held liable for any injuries. What injuries would even occur?

"Very well then..." said Ghirahim, and after a few seconds, the demon lord held his hand up high and snapped his fingers. Kairi looked confused.

"Um, what was that all about?" the girl asked Ghirahim, her confusion amplified by the lack of response from the demon lord. "Was that supposed to..."

Suddenly, some fireworks were fired into the sky, catching the attention of Kairi and the others. Kairi couldn't help but marvel at the fireworks show, as a certain lizard wearing a tuxedo emerged.

"Kairi! Today's your lucky day...or night!" Gex pointed at Kairi, as he was speaking into a microphone. Which wasn't on, mind you. "Are you ready for the time of your life?"

"I guess so," replied Kairi, as Gex moved out of the way...and Sora came forward, standing in Gex's spot while holding a bouquet full of pink flowers. "Sora? Are those flowers for me?"

"They wouldn't have been for anyone else," smiled Sora as he walked towards Kairi, while the fireworks show played out behind him. Once he reached Kairi, Sora finally said the magic words: "You wanna go on a date with me?"

"Lot of overkill with the theatrics...but yes, I'll go on a date with you." Kairi accepted the bouquet from Sora, who gave his friend a big hug. Ghirahim, Ken, and Gex looked on feeling satisfied, as Fox and Falco emerged looking satisfied as well.

Ghirahim: Sora only had a measly flower for Kairi, so I had to get him a bouquet. Got one from the flower store. Feels great to know that I didn't even pay for it. *smiles evilly*

Falco: Gex said that for Sora's moment to feel special, there had to be fireworks. The Yiga Clan thankfully had enough leftover from their 4th of July celebration...and those were the legal ones!

Shadow: Crap, it's the middle of July, and I still hear fireworks in the backyard. Don't tell me that Guile was feeling "patriotic" again...

"If you need any assistance with finding a restaurant for your date, I'm your man," Ghirahim assured Sora and Kairi as he gave the lovebirds a smile that totally wasn't creepy in the slightest. Understandably, Sora and Kairi both looked doubtful.

"No thanks Ghirahim, I got it covered," Sora assured the demon lord, who looked away and huffed. Ghirahim had the most perfect French restaurant to recommend.

Inside the pizzeria, Lloyd and Colette were at a table. Yuri and Judith were seated a few tables away, as Lloyd was keeping a close eye on Yuri.

"Golly, I could go for some complimentary breadsticks right now," remarked Colette, causing Lloyd to break away from his fixated gaze on Yuri. Like how any great boyfriend would, Lloyd responded with a laugh.

"Ha, one time I was so hungry, I ate the decorational bamboo at a Chinese restaurant," replied Lloyd, before he sang, "Like a big old panda!" The swordsman earned himself a lot of looks from that one, even one from Yuri.

"You're just as hilarious as I remember." It was no surprise that the date was turning out well - Lloyd and Colette knew each other like the back of their hands.

"Yeah, well, you know, I just sorta say whatever pops into my, uh..." Lloyd stopped speaking when he looked at an arcade screen behind Colette and saw Monika glaring at him. Lloyd spat out his water and coughed since a spit take was too obligatory at the moment.

"Lloyd, are you okay?"

"No! I'm, uh, fine! Everything's fine."

"You sure? You're spitting an awful lot." Colette was concerned, as Monika kept glaring at Lloyd. An image of Colette appeared on the arcade screen, with a giant red X over Colette's face, as Lloyd got sweaty.

"Uh, can you sit tight? I have to go to the restroom for a long time. Not in a weird way." Lloyd ran off to Pit, Wolf, and Zero, who were all seated at a table in the pizzeria.

"Lloyd, what are you doing out there?" Wolf whispered to Lloyd, who was sweaty from head to toe. Wolf didn't expect Lloyd to get so nervous so soon.

"I've got a big problem, guys. I'm being stalked by Monika!"

"Lloyd, get a grip on yourself," Zero did his best to calm Lloyd down, as he grabbed the swordsman's shoulders. "Monika can't stalk you because she's..."

Zero would stop speaking, as he looked up at the giant screen up above and saw Monika peering down at him and the others. Monika looked super-threatening as if she was about to go on a killing spree.

"Oh, boy..." fretted Bowser, who was at the pizzeria along with Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings. Larry saw what was going on, getting some major deja vu.

Larry: Take it from someone who brought an arcade game to life...bringing dating sims to life does not end well.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure she's stuck on TV screens," Pit assured the others, and Monika would prove the angel wrong as she was seen traveling across multiple game screens. She reached the Street Fighter arcade game and caused the screen to shut off.

"Oh, man..." panicked Lloyd, as he ran back to Colette to save face as much as he possibly could. "...so hey, anyway, you uh, wanna move this date far away into the forest away from all electronics and people?"

"What? But the floor show's about to start," responded Colette, as she brought Lloyd's attention to the animatronics onstage. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy were all ready to perform, as they were playing their instruments.

"Who wants to hear from Foxy the...the fox?" Foxy asked the crowd before he and the other animatronics shut off. The lights centered on Bonnie, the animatronic that Monika now had possession of.

"Hello, friends; Foxy is dead," announced Monika as the lights went out, while Chica played his instrument quietly. "This next song goes out to my forever boyfriend, Lloyd?

"Lloyd, what's going on?" Colette asked her friend, wondering why Lloyd was getting a song dedicated to him. Or maybe she was salty that no animatronic wished to sing her a song.

"No time to explain! We gotta get out of here!" replied Lloyd as he grabbed Colette's hand, and ran to the door. Pit, Wolf, and Zero ran along with the two friends.

"The only way out, Lloyd, is in my arms!" shouted Monika, as her eyes turned red. Monika snapped her fingers, as she took possession of the other animatronics. "After them!"

"Why did this have to happen today?!" questioned Yuri, as he, the Koopalings, and everyone else in the pizzeria ran out for their own safety.

Master Hand and Snake were inside with Freddy Fazbear, as Snake was untying Freddy. Master Hand looked on.

"Out with the old, in with the new," remarked Master Hand after Snake was done untying Freddy. "I feel invincible!" Suddenly, Freddy turned on - thanks to Monika - and punched Snake in the face.

"What the...?" questioned Snake, only for Freddy to throw another punch at the former spy. Snake ducked in the nick of time.

"Who's ready to bear down?" Freddy challenged Snake, as he put up his dukes looking for a fight. Having no choice in the matter, Snake sighed as he held up his fists. Imagine fighting a bear animatronic.

"Master Hand, if I lose this fight...please don't tell the others."

Lloyd and company tried to escape from the pizzeria, but the door closed down before the group could escape. Lloyd, Colette, Pit, Zero, and Wolf were all trapped inside, as Monika drew closer to them.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd, but you can't run away from our relationship!" Monika said to the swordsman, as she took control of the skee-ball games and made them shoot out balls at everyone. Zero pulled down an arcade machine for cover.

"So, about all this, I may have purchased a dating simulator that obtained sentience and went crazy," Lloyd explained the situation to Colette, as the skee-balls pelted against the arcade machine.

"Oh, I am crazy...crazy for you, Lloyd," said Monika, as she shot lightning at the gang. Colette's hair caught on fair, and she started screaming as Lloyd panicked and patted the flame out.

"I'm so sorry, Colette! I'll fix this. It's me she wants. I'll distract her while you keep Pit, Wolf, and Zero safe! It's the only way!"

"Lloyd, I think we should be the ones keeping Colette safe..." Zero said to the swordsman, who ran off feeling all heroic. "...are you even listening, Lloyd?"

"The only WAY!" Lloyd ran towards the kitchen section of the pizzeria, still being attacked by the skee-ball machines. "Over here, Monika!"

"Stop!" Monika shouted at Lloyd, who used a serving plate to protect himself as he ran inside the kitchen. Monika used her lightning to open the door, as she was on the hunt for Lloyd.

"On three we split," Pit said to the others, thinking that Monika couldn't catch everyone if they were split up. Rare brilliant thinking from the angel. "One, two..." The angel's count would be interrupted when Foxy karate chopped the arcade machine in half, as everyone ran off.

Snake was holding his own against Freddy Fazbear, who punched the former spy out of the pizzeria door. Master Hand was spectating the fight and hoped that Snake would come on out top.

"Stay back, you monster!" Snake shouted at Freddy as he threw a punch at the animatronic bear. Freddy fired back with a punch of his own, sending Snake into a dumpster. As Freddy delivered the final punch, Snake ducked and Freddy's hand hits Old Goldie, who bites the animatronic bear's hand.

"Yes, yes, get 'em, Goldie, get 'em!" Master Hand cheered on for the gold statue that he disposed of, as Freddy tried to shake off Goldie but to no avail. Goldie was holding onto Freddy real tight.

Master Hand: On one hand, it's kind of funny to see Snake fighting an animatronic. But on the other hand, losing a fight to an animatronic? Now that's something you could never live down. I'd have to give Snake's Smash spot up to Freddy Fazbear, had he lost.

Back inside the pizzeria, Pit was screaming as he ran to the playground and up the slide. After a moment the angel came back down and took his shoes off before putting them in the shoe holder. Near the slide, Zero was keeping Colette safe from Foxy.

"I'm gonna eat your face like pizza!" Foxy vowed to Zero and Colette, before swiping away at the two. Zero and Colette ducked and ran away, as Foxy hit a win button on a ticket machine and got a lot of tickets. Foxy clapped, only for Wolf to knock him out with a chair.

"I've got you surrounded, Lloyd," Monika said to the swordsman as she had him cornered in the kitchen, while Wolf and the others were chased by Chica. "There's no way out!"

"Please, let my friends go, I'll do anything, I promise!" Lloyd begged Monika, as he did not wish for his friends to get hurt. Especially Colette, whom he had just reconnected with today.

"I seem to remember someone who promised to be my boyfriend. Think about it." Monika turned on a TV screen, revealing herself on it. Real girls are unpredictable. They judge you. Do you really think that Colette will take you back after this awful date? I can download your brain into the game, with me, and we'll be together, forever..." Monika pointed her finger from the possessed Bonnie at Lloyd, and it turned into an extending flash drive.

"Ah! Stay back!" Lloyd watched in horror as the flash drive extended towards him, as he slowly backed away.

"Come on, Lloyd. Don't make me delete you too." Left with no other choice, Lloyd dug into his pocket and pulled the disc for Doki Doki Literature Club: Monika Only Edition. "What do you say?"

"I say, game over!" Lloyd saw the oven next to him and opened the oven door. Monika knew what was happening next.

"No! Wait!" Monika shouted at Lloyd with pleading hands, but it wouldn't matter; Lloyd's mind was already made up.

Lloyd threw the disc in the oven, and the disc distorted and crinkled from the heat. Monika screamed and was erased from existence, as the face of the Bonnie animatronic she possessed melted. Then the Bonnie animatronic shut down, and the Foxy and Chica animatronics shut down as well.

Back outside the pizzeria, Freddy Fazbear also shut down as he fell to the ground. Master Hand picked up Goldie, believing that his gold statue saved the day.

"You did it, you old beautiful monster, you did it!" Master Hand commended Goldie as he hugged the statue with his...his fingers. Snake looked on, as he nursed whatever injuries he had. "How's about you and me hit the town? The two of us are going to Tokyo!"

"Tokyo?" Snake raised an eyebrow at Master Hand before a wave of worry washed over his face. "Wait, you don't mean..."

Mario tried to explain things to Steve and tell the craftsman that Impa wasn't starting a relationship with Hunter. She was just trying to help the cheetah feel a bit more appreciated. But nothing that Mario said was able to cheer up Steve, who was heartbroken beyond words. Steve felt so devastated that he was lying on the ground sideways outside the mansion.

"Wow Steve, I've never seen you so devastated before," King Dedede said to the craftsman as he came around the corner. You know Steve wasn't his usual self if he was lying down sideways. "What's got you so down, chum?"

"Impa, the love of my life, broke my heart..." replied Steve, with oodles of grief dripping in every word he spoke. King Dedede felt bad for Steve, as he gasped out of shock. "...she chose another man. Now I feel...nothing."

"Man, I'm very sorry to hear that. You know, I used to have a crush on Impa, too! Sadly, it was short-lived, but I can always rekindle the fire."

"Do you think you can get Impa to fall in love with me?" In all fairness, King Dedede did have some experience with try to spark some romance with Impa. Although Fox and Falco foolishly led him along the way.

"Sure buddy, anything for you!" King Dedede picked up Steve off the ground, before standing him away. "Impa will be all yours!"

King Dedede: I may have lost my ability to flirt with hot women (no thanks with Gex) but I still have all of the tools for romancing. I can pass on what I've learned to Steve, and make him a model boyfriend - just like me! Easy peasy.

Thanks to Monika, the pizzeria was pretty much wrecked, as tables, chairs, and arcade machines alike were broken. Lloyd and Colette were sitting upon the destruction, as there were a few small flames a couple of feet away.

"I'm sorry for all of this," Lloyd apologized to Colette with a sigh, deeply regretting that he potentially Colette's life in danger. "I honestly remember this place being a lot more fun a few years ago."

"Believe it or not but I've been on worse dates," confessed Colette, as Lloyd looked at his childhood friend in pure disbelief. Colette had an interest in dudes other than Lloyd? "Never date a mage."

"Yuck...why would I?" Lloyd sounded pretty disgusted, as Colette laughed and jokingly hit the swordsman. "Oh! Hey, you aren't maybe interested in going to Yuri's engagement party in a week? I promise there's like zero robot badgers."

"Silly Lloyd...Yuri and Judith aren't engaged! Today is the first time they've ever been on a date." That was certainly news to Lloyd, who felt like the energy he exerted today was a waste. But he got to reconnect with Colette, so it wasn't all that bad.

"Yuri isn't engaged, huh? Guess that means I still have some time left. So, is there any way that you can have an internet connection? A relationship with a girl that I can only see through my computer sounds perfect for me!"

"No, but I can visit you another time. Probably next week. I would love to see the mansion again!" As Lloyd and Colette conversed, Pit, Wolf, and Zero were watching from the ball pit.

"Spirit of love, we did it!" cheered Pit as he triumphantly raised his fists. The angel and the others didn't expect Cranky Kong to arise from the ball pit, the gorilla being just as happy as Pit was.

"Yes, I am so happy," said Cranky, as his presence startled Pit and company. He sure knew how to make an appearance, no matter how unwarranted it was.

"Have you been following us all day?" Wolf asked Cranky, as the thought of Cranky Kong following him around made him very uncomfortable.

"Lloyd's life is like an amusing soap opera." Cranky Kong cracked a smile, happy to know that his work was done.

Cranky Kong: Hee hee hee! My plan worked! Lloyd hooked back up with his good friend Colette, and now he can be financially successful AND in love. A perfect combo! That lousy author couldn't have written a better love story if he tried...