Author's Note:
Been a good while since I last did a Link Patrol Unit chapter, hasn't it? Due to writer's block (the lack of big-name Switch releases this month certainly hasn't helped), I had no choice but to do one. Oh, and I also got reviews to answer as well, so let's hop right in:
"Here are the follow-up questions about Sonic's group's jail sentence: How long was their prison sentence since you doubt it lasted that long? Do they have to go to court? If they had to go to court, does anyone associated with Sonic's group like Knuckles, Eggman and Shadow had to testify against them in court for Amy's action since they got a subpoena? If so, what's their reaction to the subpoena to force them to testify against Sonic's group? Finally, what was Sonic's group's reaction to be in jail? Example, Amy trying to destroy the prison bar with her hammer. Sonic and Falcon were in jail before and be like "Join the club". Did Eggman break them out of prison with assistant from Shadow and Knuckles? If so, explain how, in full."
Woah nelly, that's a lot of follow-up questions! I wouldn't say they had to go to court, given how short their prison sentence was. But I can picture Amy throwing multiple angry fits while in jail, and destroying prison bars as you have said. As for who broke them out...we can say that it was Shadow, with a little help of Chaos Control. Another guest review:
"Heya, it's me, the pillory guy. So recently, I saw Tony's review that he wanted for Mario to get back to his senses. And I think I know how. Peach is still pregnant, no? I want to see Mario to take his job as a father seriously. Maybe have him realized how stupid he had been for these past few months. And then he said stuff like, "How can I be a good-a father for Jennifer and the newborn-a baby if I keep doing-a these stupid stuff?" Then he comes to his senses and promised to be a better guy. But, one advice. I don't want Master Hand to be the one that brought him to his senses. Maybe have Peach bethe one instead."
Hello, pillory guy! Mario will come to his senses soon, with Peach or someone else kickstarting his character development. A few other characters will be due for character development as well, won't say who though. Questions from David:
"Have the other Dragon Quest characters like Jessica Albert from VIII shown up yet? (Maybe have her and Eight get a date scene). Will an Overwatch 2 chapter still happen? (Since the game is now in Beta). Has Ryo from Shenmue shown up yet asking the Mansion residents asking about sailors? Has Viridi made peace with Dva yet? (Call me slow for asking). Do you think New Japan Pro Wrestling made a mistake signing a collab deal with AEW? (Considering the botches and the roster jobbing to former WWE talent). Who do you think Roman Reigns should lose the titles to? And finally, what are your thoughts on the 3DS games skyrocketing in prices lately? (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D is going up to $200 dollars now)."
Nope. Really want an Overwatch 2 chapter to happen, so yes. Ryo hasn't appeared yet. Viridi still has yet to make peace with D. Va. I don't think NJPW will have too much regret over the collab deal...depending on how much control they have over the event. Unironically, I want to see Reigns lose his titles to even Cody Rhodes or Austin Theory. (Or maybe have Cody win the titles, and Theory cash in his MITB briefcase on him and win for maximum heat. Hehe.) And the skyrocketing prices of the 3DS games are shocking since I imagined that the 3DS was old news now. (Snake Eater 3D is selling for how much?!) Last is An NFL fan, inquiring about the recent NFL Draft:
"So...the NFL Draft just concluded. What's your opinion on the Draft? I think this Draft is very defense-heavy, and I understand, because most of the teams already got their QBs, and adding another QB won't be a smart move for most of them."
Pretty solid draft overall. Not many blue-chip prospects compared to last year, but a good class nonetheless. The Jets and Ravens were the big winners; Ravens aren't too surprising, since drafting has always been their strongest suit, but the Jets somehow nabbed THREE top ten-caliber players in the first round. As a Bills fan, I'd be scared of what they're building up in New York...or New Jersey if we're being technical.
Episode 333: SpyMission
Toon Link: In the criminal justice system, offenses outside of Smash battles are considered especially heinous. In Seattle, at the Smash Mansion, the dedicated police officers who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the LPU, the Link Patrol Unit. These are their stories.
Young Link: DUN DUUUUN!
Little Mac had to spend an entire week in the hospital with an injured leg after being attacked by Mario at the sportsplex. Mario had orchestrated the attack when he learned about Corrin participating in the three-point contest and wanted to take out one of the competitors. Unfortunately for Little Mac, he had to be the guy that Mario took out.
Because he was in too much pain to speak, Little Mac was unable to tell anyone at the time that Mario was the one who attacked him. For that reason, Isabelle was left with finding the culprit with the evidence she had - Justine's nightstick. The warden twins declared their "inmate", Sonic, to be the guilty man, therefore landing the blue hedgehog in big trouble.
While Sonic winded up being punished by Master Hand, the truth eventually came to light as Mario was revealed as the true culprit. Whether or not Mario was punished for his actions, nobody knew. But regardless, Little Mac remained at the hospital with his leg injury, while his boxing trainer kept him company.
"Mr. Doc Louis, sir, you were supposed to leave six days ago," a nurse spoke with Doc Louis in Little Mac's room, who was sitting next to Little Mac. Doc Louis had remained at the hospital since Saturday.
"I'm never leaving Little Mac out of my sight!" said Doc Louis as he placed his hand on Little Mac. Little Mac wanted to tell Doc Louis to stop touching him, but he couldn't muster the strength to do it.
"Little Mac will be just fine. Now if you don't leave in the next hour or two, then I'll be forced to call security."
"Go ahead, call 'em! And if you have to get the police...just let them know that I'll happily pay any fine."
"I give up..." Seeing that she was unable to remove Doc Louis from the premises, the nurse exited the room, only to poke her head through the doorway seconds later. "...oh, by the way, Little Mac, you have visitors."
"Long as it's not the Yiga clansmen, bring them on in," requested Little Mac, as the nurse brought in the visitors...the buddy cops, Toon Link and Young Link. "Know what, I'd rather take the clansmen..."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Nancy Kerrigan," Toon Link greeted Little Mac while holding a bunch of flowers, as Little Mac groaned at the moniker. "We have brought you some flowers."
"Mr. Ned Kerrigan," Young Link corrected Toon Link, trying to be all technical with his partner-in-crime. He was more prone to technicality than Toon Link was. "Little Mac is a dude."
"I dunno, Mr. Ned Kerrigan doesn't sound as tight." The buddy cops went to the side of Little Mac's hospital bed, as Toon Link handed Little Mac the flowers. "Here are your flowers, Mac."
"Green...my favorite color," remarked Little Mac as he accepted the flowers, mustering the only positive feedback that he could produce. "These are very thoughtful, thank you. A lot better than what Mario gave me..."
Peach: Took him a while, but Mario finally apologized to Little Mac for injuring him last week. He only did it because he felt bad...about losing that three-point contest. Or more specifically, sitting behind Corrin on the leaderboards. Never mind the fact that he was at the very bottom.
Little Mac: Mario apologized to me for hurting my knee, and he even came through with an apology gift...and guess what it was? A box of expired Valentine's Day chocolate! Had to hide it from Doc Louis so that he wouldn't have a heart attack.
"Hey, what's this?" inquired Toon Link as he saw something poking out from underneath Little Mac's bed. The item in question was the box of Valentine's Day chocolate that Little Mac hid. "Well, one's man's trash...
"I wouldn't advise opening it," Little Mac tried to warn Toon Link, who took off the top lid anyway and saw all the expired chocolate candy inside. Doc Louis saw the candy and gasped in horror.
"Excuse me, Mac, I need a moment..." Doc Louis said to Little Mac, needing to take a moment to compose himself as he hurried out of the room. Soon the hospital phone rang, and Young Link promptly picked it up.
"Hello, UW Medical Center, Hutch...I mean, Toon Link speaking," Young Link spoke into the phone, having to speak in a professional tone. No problem for him, since being a buddy cop made him act professional (or so he believed).
"Hi, this is Justine calling from the Smash Mansion," responded Justine, as one-half of the warden twins was on the other line. "I take it that you and Toon Link made it to the hospital?"
"Just got here a few minutes ago." Young Link heard Doc Louis screaming in despair from the hallway, and did his best to tune out the boxing trainer. "You had some flowers that you wanted to give Little Mac, too?"
"No, we were just wondering when you and Toon Link would be back," replied Justine, as she stood in the foyer speaking on the mansion's house phone. With her in the foyer was her twin sister, Caroline...and Sonic, who was dressed up as a butler as he cleaned the foyer.
"Missed a spot," Caroline said to Sonic as she pointed at a seemingly spotless corner in the foyer. A completely jaded Sonic sprayed cleaning material into the corner and cleaned it with a cloth rag.
"There. Happy now?" Sonic asked Caroline, who then pointed at another corner in the foyer. Sonic sighed as he cleaned out the corner in question, as Lakitu approached the blue hedgehog while licking an ice cream cone.
"True story, I saw Wario pee there once," Lakitu said to Sonic as he pointed at the corner in the foyer Sonic was cleaning. "I can show you the video footage if you want." Sonic looked up at the frowned at the Koopa after finishing his task.
"Lakitu, why didn't you deduce that Mario was the one who injured Little Mac when he was in the locker room?"
"I dunno, I just didn't want to assume things. But I guess that you played a role in the attack nonetheless, right?"
"Shut up and go away..." Shut up and go away Lakitu did, as he continued licking his ice cream and walked away. Caroline tapped Sonic on his shoulder, slightly angering the blue hedgehog. "...let me guess, another corner?"
"No, I just wanted you to get me an ice cream cone," replied Caroline, causing Sonic to groan and put the cleaning materials away as he grabbed a broom and swept the floor. "Preferably after you're done sweeping the floor."
Sonic: It's messed up how I'm doing the maid's chores as punishment while Mario got away scot-free with what he did. Even after Mario got exposed and admitted guilt, I'm still stuck doing the same old crap! Mario must have it real easy ever since he moved out; maybe I should move out and get a house for myself. Tails and Knuckles, they can join too I guess.
Zelda: Mario was revealed to have injured Little Mac, but Sonic was believed to be his assailant. (Only because Mario wasn't deemed "competent" enough to injure Little Mac by himself.) While Sonic has been serving the obligations of his punishment, Mario only got a slap on the wrist by Master Hand. A literal one, at that.
Link: Little Mac could've pressed charges against Mario, but for whatever reason, he strangely chose not to. I personally believe that he's allergic to free money.
"Thank you for doing our usual chores for us, Sonic!" Felicia thanked the blue hedgehog, as she and Flora walked by while wearing non-maid attire. The two maids were wearing their picnic clothes.
"Yes, I feel so alive," smiled Flora, appreciating the fact that she was able to take a break from her usual maid duties. "We hope that you allow yourself to get in trouble more often."
"And I hope that Dark Pit starts seeing better women," retorted Sonic, as Caroline grabbed her nightstick and smacked the blue hedgehog in the leg. "Ow!"
"Who said that you could give Flora backtalk, inmate?" Caroline scolded Sonic, who immediately went back to sweeping the floor to avoid another smack. "That's right, you better get back to work!"
"How soon can you come back home?" Justine asked Young Link, still on the phone with the buddy cop as she kept a close eye on Sonic. "We have a 'master plans for our inmate...and you and Toon Link are a part of it."
"We'd be honored to put your master plan into action," Young Link spoke into the phone, as Doc Louis returned to the hospital room very much beside himself. "We love inmates as much as you do."
"But only on a much different wavelength," Toon Link spoke into the phone, as the Hylian was standing next to Young Link listening in closely. "We actually treat our inmates with care."
"A horrible way to treat them, but to each their own..." responded Justine; Young Link was about to respond, but not before he saw Doc Louis towering over him and Toon Link with his angry mug of his.
"You boys speaking with Caroline and Justine?" asked Doc Louis, who perked up when he heard Young Link mention inmates. Young Link nodded his head, leading Doc Louis to snatch the phone away without even asking. "Hey! It's Doc Louis. Care to do a brother a favor?"
"We would...if we knew where our brother was." For those of you who don't know, Caroline and Justine had an older brother in Theodore - and who knew where on earth he was at.
"I want you girls to get back at Mario. For injuring Little Mac AND for giving him expired chocolate!" Doc Louis couldn't care less what kind of seasonal chocolate it was - the fact that it was past its expiration date was the biggest crime to him.
"No problem, we'll have our inmate do the dirty work for us." Having given his mission out, Doc Louis walked away from the buddy cops allowing them to carry on with the phone call. "Toon Link, Young Link, you still there?"
"Yes, we are - so tell us about this master plan of yours," spoke Toon Link, as the buddy cops were interested in what ways the warden twins would torture Sonic. Perhaps they would desecrate Sonic's shoes, while Sonic was tied down.
"We won't give you all the details, but we need you to stop by the store and pick up some essentials. Specifically some shrimp cakes and three-queso dip."
"Those really aren't essentials, though," stated Young Link, as Justine let out an exasperated sigh. "Where are the fruits and vegetables? Or are we switching up Sonic's diet permanently?"
"I personally wouldn't be opposed to replacing fruits and veggies with shrimp cakes and three-queso dip," said Toon Link, and Young Link sided with the Hylian as he nodded his head in agreement. "I'd eat that stuff every day if that was my only way to live."
"I wasn't done yet!" shouted Justine, as the buddy cops quickly reverted their attention to the task at hand. "There are more items that I want you to get. Such as..."
Elsewhere at the UW Medical Center, Tails was in the hallway speaking with Crunch. Tails was showing Crunch something on his phone, and Crunch was looking at it with intrigue as he nodded his head in thought.
"So what do you think?" asked Tails, showing Crunch the picture on his phone for a few more seconds before putting his phone away. "Been keeping eye on that for a while."
"I'd say go for it," Crunch said to Tails, as the lights in the hallway suddenly went off. Many a shriek was heard, as Crunch got angry real quick. "Crash, what did I tell you about turning off the lights, man?"
"I am so sorry about that, ma'am!" Aku was heard apologizing to a nurse, as the lights came back on moments later. All was well on the fourth floor again. "Please don't slap me, I can easily give one a splinter..."
Crunch: Crash, Aku, and I wanted to pay LIttle Mac a visit at the hospital, only because it was the right thing to do. It's also a great excuse to get out of the house. Where's Coco? Let's just say that she's got her hands tied up with something else. *pauses* Not that she doesn't care about Little Mac or anything. She did get him a get well soon card, which Crash picked out for her. *sighs* It was a sympathy card...
"But yeah, here's my card so you can get what you need," Crunch said to Tails as he offered the yellow fox his debit card. "The PIN number is..."
"I know what it is - 4175," replied Tails as he accepted the debit card from Crunch, while the buddy cops were creeping around the corner and coming down the hallway. "Not my first rodeo using your card."
"Haha, yeah you're right! Can't thank you enough for finding me that Secret Santa gift that Young Link. Man is he such a hard person to shop for..."
"Look who's talking," said Young Link, making his presence known as Crunch turned around and shrieked when he saw the buddy cops standing behind him. Every time they scared someone, the buddy cops were instantly filled with pride.
"Oh! Toon Link and Young Link! You...you didn't hear Tails mention my PIN number, did you?" If the buddy cops ever got their hands on Crunch's debit card, Crunch's bank account would be nothing but zeroes.
"Didn't hear a single word," replied Toon Link, while he discreetly wrote Crunch's PIN number on his wrist with an ink pen his hands behind his back. "So, what were you boys discussing?"
"I was telling Crunch about..." Tails was about to spill the beans, only for Crunch to smile rather suspiciously as he placed his hand over Tails' mouth. Tails muffled a few words, before giving up.
"We were just talking about how well the Mariners were playing," stated Crunch, as Tails was trying to pry the bandicoot's meaty hand away from his mouth. "Can you boys say playoffs?!"
"We would if we have on-record confirmation that pigs can fly," replied Toon Link, as Tails now resorted to biting Crunch's hand. That had very little effect. "We'll wait until at least late September."
"Those Mariners will make the postseason...that playoff drought's gotta end one day!" Crunch kept a firm grip on Tails' mouth, as he allowed the buddy cops to continue down the hallway. Once the buddy cops were out of sight, Crunch took his hand away.
"Hey, what the heck was that all about?!" Tails frowned at Crunch, as Crash and Aku were both coming down; Crunch was very mindful of the two. "I was gonna tell them about..."
"Well, Crunch, I'm afraid we have to leave on early notice," Aku said to the bandicoot, who muffled Tails again by putting the yellow fox in a chokehold. "Crash gave us the boot by bothering the lights."
"Should've been a better chaperone, then," responded Crunch, as Crash and Aku were looking inquisitively at the bandicoot for what he was doing to poor Tails. Realizing that he was applying a bit too much pressure, Crunch released his hold on Tails.
"Guess I'll be seeing you later..." Tails said to Crunch with a frown, leaving the premises as he wiped his mouth with his arm. Seeing Tails speaking with Crunch had Aku intrigued.
"He'll be seeing you later for what?" Aku asked Crunch; since he knew that he couldn't keep a secret from Aku, Crunch had no choice but to tell him the truth.
"Promise you boys won't tell anyone?" Crunch asked Crash and Aku, as Aku nodded his head...while Crash shook his head no. Crunch looked around for a brief moment, before whispering something to Crash and Aku.
"Oh ho ho! You don't say?" Aku was now all smiles, and Crash as well, as the floating mask loved every bit of what Crunch had told him. "Tell me, Crunch, do we get front-row seats?
"If you two don't act creepy, then maybe I'll let you see for yourselves. This is gonna be in public, so you're gonna have to be on your best behavior..."
Sonic was in the living room finishing up his maid duties, as he was forced to clean out the living room couch. The blue hedgehog was picking stuff out of the couch with the couch pillows removed, while Link and Zelda looked on.
"We want every inch of the couch spotless," Link said to Sonic, who sardonically muttered the Hylian's words under his breath. "That means every coin, pencil, and old piece of gum should be gone. As well as any of Wario's gift cards."
"Really could use a vacuum right now," grumbled Sonic, who had a vacuum confiscated by the warden twins just so his job would be harder. The blue hedgehog picked out a large piece of gum, which was covered in hair, and tossed it unto the floor.
"There you are!" Morton squealed when he saw the piece of gum lying on the floor, ran over to it, and picked it up. "I missed you so much..." The Koopaling kissed the gum and tossed it into his mouth, chewing away.
"Why am I not surprised..." said a highly disgusted Zelda, watching as Morton happily left the premises. Sonic found another object from the couch, and it was a gift card.
"Oh cool! It's a $20 gift card to Veggie Grill," Sonic marveled at the card, as he was about to put it away in his imaginary pocket...only for Wario to come in and snatch the card away.
"That's mine, thank you very much!" Wario said to Sonic, who was looking at the fatso amusingly - and so were Link and Zelda, which had Wario weary. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"You eat at the Veggie Grill?" Link asked Wario with a smirk on his face, and Wario had no idea what the Hylian was getting at. "That's like one of the healthiest restaurants in town."
"Yes, I eat at the Veggie Grill...but not by choice!" Fearing that his reputation was being compromised, Wario held his gift card close to his chest as he scurried out of the living room.
Wario: When I had my doctor's appointment, the doc gave me that gift card to Veggie Grill. Recommended that I should be eating "healthier". In other terms, he's pressuring me to do things that go against my own well-being. Remind me to find a new doctor in the coming weeks.
"We have returned, Link and Zelda," Caroline informed the Hylian couple, as she and Justine entered the living room. "We'll take it from here."
"Make sure you keep him in check," Zelda instructed the warden twins, as she left the living room along with Link. Sonic was nearly done with his task, as he found yet another gift card.
"A Nike gift card?" Sonic observed the card, before looking around as he was about to stuff this card in his imaginary pocket. "I'll be taking this..."
"No, you won't," said Justine, taking the gift card away from Sonic and confiscating it. Sonic looked on feeling salty as Justine tossed the Nike gift card out of the window.
"C'mon, Justine! I was gonna use that card to buy some new kicks." Sonic saw Caroline and Justine standing closer together than usual, and was worried about what was happening next. "Why are you standing so close like that?"
"Tell us, Sonic - have you ever seen our true form, Lavenza?" Caroline asked the blue hedgehog, who tried to recall a time when he saw Lavenza around the mansion. Those moments were far and few in-between.
"Uh, where you there when Mario announced that Link finally proposed to Zelda? Might've seen her in the back standing with Mario."
"You mean you saw us standing in the back," corrected Justine, making Sonic confused as the blue hedgehog furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Justine could only sigh at Sonic's ignorance. "Guess we'll have to show you..."
Caroline and Justine would fuse together to become one, becoming a young girl with platinum hair and gold eyes - just like Elizabeth and Margaret. Sonic couldn't believe his eyes.
"Hello, I am Lavenza," Lavenza introduced herself to Sonic with a curtsy, as she grabbed up her dress with both of her hands. Sonic was still amazed as he rubbed his eyes. "Lovely seeing you again."
"You sisters sure are a weird bunch," remarked Sonic, now wondering what would happen if Elizabeth and Margaret were to fuse together. "So I guess this means I will no longer be your inmate, right?"
"That is correct." Lavenza's confirmation was all that Sonic wanted to hear, as Sonic smiled and jumped for joy. "However, that isn't to say that I'm through with you yet."
"For real? What else is there left for me to do?" Sonic would do anything to keep Lavenza off his tail for good, even if it was something like giving Dr. Eggman a two-hour foot rub.
"You do have a bone to pick with Mario, don't you?" Lavenza reminded Sonic of Mario's vicious attack on Little Mac, and that's when Sonic saw the way things were heading...
The buddy cops went by the grocery store to pick up a couple of "essentials" for Caroline and Justine, who were now fused together to become their true form, Lavenza. They had brought a grocery list with them, which included stuff like guava fruit, large pretzel sticks, and...Dr. Pepper chicken tacos?
"We would like to know where you keep your Dr. Pepper chicken tacos," Toon Link asked a grocery clerk, while his partner-in-crime was somewhere else doing who-knows-what. "Couldn't find any at the Mexican section."
"You mean the ethnic food aisle?" the grocery clerk asked Toon Link, who stood by what he said as he refused to be corrected. Especially by a lousy blue-collar worker wearing glasses. "May I see the recipe for this particular kind of taco?"
"You guys don't sell Dr. Pepper chicken tacos?" Toon Link had sympathy for the grocery clerk, shaking his head at him as he walked away. "This store is clearly behind the times...what a pity."
Grocery Clerk: In my life, I have never heard of anything called a "Dr. Pepper chicken taco". Sounds like something my twelve-year-old and his 7th-grade friends would come up with. But I do know one thing, those Hylian boys are a nuisance every time they come to this store. Except for when they reprimand shoppers who misuse our handicap carts. Lazy bums can't be bothered to walk around a store like a normal person...
Leaving the store clerk alone, Toon Link went to go look for Young Link, whom he saw at a food stand. The man running the food stand was offering free bacon samples.
"I would like another sample, please," Toon Link made his request known to the food stand worker, who reluctantly handed the Hylian a bacon sample. Young Link stared at the bacon with heavy disdain, before tossing it into the trash. "Another, please."
"I can't keep giving up samples if you're just gonna throw 'em all away..." the food stand worker said to Young Link, who held his hand out as he was wanting more. Toon Link ran over to Young Link to see what the big deal was.
"Hutch, why are you acting like this?" Toon Link scolded Young Link, who was glaring down at the food stand worker refusing to break away. "We're supposed to be shopping for essentials!"
"I was just making sure that nobody eats this crap," replied Young Link, who wouldn't leave the food stand worker alone until all the bacon samples were in the trash can. "Saving the world one wasted slice of bacon at a time."
"Vegan slices of bacon," the food stand worker corrected Young Link, before looking towards Toon Link with an earnest smile as he said, "It's one hundred percent meatless." Once he heard that, Toon Link gasped as he was on Young Link's side completely.
"Meatless bacon is a crime against humanity!" boomed Toon Link, who held his hand out as he wanted a bacon sample for himself. "Gimmie one."
"Here you go," said the food stand worker as he placed a bacon sample in the palm of Toon Link's hand. "Whatever you do, please don't toss it in the...trash." Too late, as Toon Link defiantly tossed the bacon into the trash can.
"Gonna do the other shoppers a huge favor..." said Toon Link, as he savagely grabbed the plate of bacon samples and dumped the bacon into the trash. The food store worker was devastated beyond words, holding his hands over his mouth.
"Watcha throwing away in the trash?" Banjo asked the buddy cops as he came over with a shopping bag full of goodies, while Kazooie was peeking out from Banjo's backpack. "Is that bacon?"
"Meatless 'vegan' bacon - the kind of bacon that doesn't deserve to exist," replied Toon Link, as Banjo grabbed the trash can and took a look inside...before dumping the contents into his mouth. The buddy cops looked on with disgust.
"Keep up the good work, brother!" Banjo said to the food stand worker, who was smiling with pride as Banjo placed the trash can back on the floor. Banjo walked away, as the buddy cops were now the ones who were devastated.
Banjo: Banjo has officially lost his bear privileges, no question about it. Not only that, but he let America down as well. The founding fathers would all be so very disappointed.
Food Stand Worker: No one has ever eaten any of my meatless bacon samples...this is the happiest day of my life!
Kazooie: Did Toon Link say that the bacon was "vegan"? Something about that just doesn't compute. Must be alien food...which now I think about it says a lot about Banjo.
The buddy cops found one or two more essentials and were now ready to check out. But when they went to one of the shopping lanes, they saw a familiar face from earlier already in line.
"You can just put the items in the picnic basket," Tails spoke to the grocery store cashier, who was putting things like bread, tuna, and cucumbers into the picnic basket that was near the bagging area. The buddy cops kept a close eye on Tails.
"Who are you going on a picnic with?" the cashier asked Tails after she had scanned the last item - a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Why on earth would Tails buy a sparkling grape juice, of all things?
"Just a good friend of mine - we've been tight for a pretty long time," replied Tails, who inserted Crunch's debit card into the card machine once the prompt called for it. "She has no idea what she's in for."
"She?!" Toon Link furrowed his brow, having no idea that he and Young Link were holding up the line. As a result, numerous disgruntled shoppers were behind the buddy cops shouting at them both.
"We've got places to be at, you dumb kids!" one angry shopper shouted at the buddy cops, as she shook her fist at the Hylian duo. Tails had already grabbed his picnic basket of food, receipt in hand.
"There are other shopping lanes, you know..." Toon Link clapped back at the woman...never mind the fact that there was apparently only one lane available. The grocery store workers must've called out sick.
"Toon Link and Young Link! Funny seeing you here," Tails said to the buddy cops, before taking a quick gander at the items that they were holding. "Why are you carrying so many bottles of Dr. Pepper?"
"It's for our Dr. Pepper chicken tacos," replied Young Link, as Tails gave the Hylian an inquisitive stare; it wasn't the strangest thing Tails had ever heard. "Apparently, this store doesn't have any, so we have to make our own."
"Well, uh...all the more power to you! I'll catch you guys later." So Tails exited the grocery store, and the buddy cops refused to let him get away as he trailed closely behind the yellow fox.
"Ahem..." the cashier called out to the buddy cops, right before they could leave the grocery store. Saved them from shoplifting. "...aren't you boys gonna pay for your stuff?"
"Alright, Hutch, you know what to do...bust out the rupees," Toon Link commanded Young Link, who took out his wallet...which only had two rupees inside. "We'll convince her that those rupees are worth a hundred dollars apiece."
Tails had a ride to the hospital and grocery store in Fox, who was chilling in the parking lot next to his parked Arwing. Fox was watching highlights of last week's three-point contest on his phone and was even showing said highlights to a few passersby.
"I'm sorry you have to see this," Fox apologized to two men, who were watching "highlights" of Mario bricking every single shot in the three-point contest. "Usually, he's better than that...but not by that much."
"That shooting form though..." one of the two men cringed when he saw how Mario shot the ball, almost feeling sick to his stomach. "...my 85-year-old grandma could shoot better than him."
"C'mon, man, don't do your grandma like that...she would easily smoke Mario, hands down." Soon Fox saw Tails approaching him, holding a water bottle he got from a vending machine near the grocery store.
"Hey, Fox, I'm ready to head back home," Tails informed the pilot, who paused his video and put his phone away as the two men dispersed. "Got all that I need for the picnic."
"Cool, just hop right on in and we'll take off." So Fox opened the hatch of his Arwing, allowing Tails to get in first before entering the Arwing himself. By the time the buddy cops entered the parking lot, Fox's Arwing took off.
"Darn it! We were too late," grumbled Toon Link, as he watched the Arwing flying through the Seattle sky heading back to the mansion. "Stupid cashier lady holding us up."
The buddy cops didn't have to fret any longer, for they saw Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer descending to the parking lot. Captain Falcon opened the hatch of his vehicle, giving the buddy cops a wave.
"Haha, got here just on time!" exclaimed Captain Falcon, as the buddy cops hurriedly got inside the Falcon Flyer, bustling to get inside. "Woah, one at a time! Why are you in such a rush?"
"Step on it, Falcon," Toon Link demanded the racer, anxious to get back home before Tails could throw him and Young Link off his scent. "Hurry, hurry!"
"Okay, but are you gonna buckle your seatbelts in?" Captain Falcon would feel very uncomfortable piloting his Falcon Flyer if his passengers weren't safe. "Granted we won't get tickets since we'll be in the air, but..."
"He said to step on it, you Dora the Explorer wannabe!" Young Link barked at Captain Falcon, who did as he was told as he closed the hatch and took off.
After Sonic finished his maidservant duties, it was time for Lavenza to put phase one of her "master plan" into motion. What was involved with phase one, you ask? Mario.
Mario was understandably upset after underwhelming in the three-point contest, convinced that his shot had failed him. So the plumber took to the driveway of his own home, practicing shooting the basketball into a hoop. So far, he was killing it.
"Mama mia! My shot-a is coming back," rejoiced Mario after he drilled in another shot into the net. Peach and Spyro came outside to check out Mario's shooting progress.
"You're using a height-adjustable net," Spyro said to Mario, who was shooting the ball into a basketball net that was like five feet or so. "Nothing to really brag about."
"Any net is the same-a to me. Stop hating on greatness, Spyro." Mario made a shot from beyond the driveway and got the ball through the hoop, as Peach smiled and clapped. "See? Princess-a Peach is doing it right!"
"I'd like the basketball net-a today bro, thank you very much," Luigi said to Mario, waiting around patiently outside as Mario kept on making shot after shot. Luigi's pleas went on unanswered.
Luigi: The basketball net was one-a of the birthday gifts that I bought for Charles. I let Mario borrow it so that he could gain-a confidence in his shot again, and now he won't give it back! How else-a am I supposed to get my John Stockton on, while schooling Charles?...St-Stop laughing at me! Daisy gave-a the same reaction...
"Good afternoon, Mario," Lavenza greeted the plumber from behind, spooking him and causing him to shriek. Mario flung the basketball up in the air, as it miraculously went through the hoop.
"Eh, not the best shot I've ever seen," Spyro offered his two cents, as he went back inside the house. Still a hater of greatness. "I've seen better..."
"Aren't you a sight-a for sore eyes," Mario said to Lavenza, hand over his chest catching his breath after Lavenza scared him to the bone. "What's the occasion?"
"Interested in a...pool party?" Lavenza proposed, smiling enough to entice Mario - and Mario was hooked as he raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "All that shooting must make you tired."
"A pool-a party? If it's at the mansion, I'm down." You'd think that Mario would be punished instead, after what he did last week. Unless Lavenza had other intentions...
Captain Falcon brought the buddy cops back to the mansion, and once the hatch opened the buddy cops quickly got out. To their delight, they saw Fox's Arwing, with Fox and Tails both getting out.
"Good, we made it just in time," stated Toon Link, as he saw Fox helping Tails bring the picnic basket inside the mansion through the backdoor. "He can run, but he can't hide!"
"What? Who are you even talking about?" Captain Falcon questioned Toon Link, who along with Young Link ran to the backdoor hoping to sneak their way inside the dining room. "Also, you forgot about your stinking groceries!"
"I take it that the Links obtained those groceries you speak of?" Lavenza asked Captain Falcon, as she was standing creepily next to the Falcon Flyer. Captain Falcon was spooked upon seeing Lavenza, shrieking as he fell backward out of the Flyer. "Mind if I bring them inside?"
"Go ahead; I'll just stay down here." So Lavenza whistled into her fingers, and upon command, Sonic sped to the Falcon Flyer. Lavenza pointed inside the Falcon Flyer, where Sonic saw all the groceries.
"Seriously, Lavenza?" said Sonic as he took a look inside the grocery bags, feeling skeptical about what he was seeing. "Shrimp cakes? Tuna fish? Some...some lobster thing? You honestly think that I'm gonna eat this junk?"
"You won't be the only one eating this 'junk,'" smiled Lavenza, as Sonic slowly turned towards the young girl giving her a very disheartened stare. "I can assist you in bringing in the groceries...but only for a fee."
"A fee?" Sonic felt nervous about what Lavenza was implying, as he nervously eyed around. "What kind of fee are we talking about here?"
Yesterday was Cinco De Mayo, and the only mansion that celebrated the holiday was Meta Knight. Meta Knight was surprised that Master Hand hadn't forced everyone to celebrate Cinco de Mayo yet, but for now, the Star Warrior was happy to have the day of remembrance all to himself. He had made plenty of food for the holiday and was sharing them with his fellow residents.
"Made these tacos all by myself," Meta Knight said to the baristas at Cafe Leblanc, sharing his tacos with the workers and patrons alike. "Might have enough left over to do Taco Tuesday."
"Nuh uh, LeBron James owns Taco Tuesday now," Pit informed Meta Knight, aware of that one time LeBron tried to trademark Taco Tuesday...and failed in doing so. "Nobody can have their way with him!"
"Except for one country," stated Joker, as Pit looked at the young man and gasped in fear. "That country being..." PIt quickly covered Joker's mouth with both of his hands, before shushing him.
"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Pit cautiously looked around the cafe, as if some spy was out to kill him and his friends, before slapping Joker silly. "You of all people should know better..."
Joker: I don't know what I did back there that was so wrong. What's so wrong with mentioning the...
Pit: *jumps Joker from behind, bringing him down to the floor with his mouth muffled* Please forgive me, Joker...I'm just looking out for you!
"what's a taco's favorite genre? wrap music," quipped Sans, feeling the urge to crack a needless taco pun as those near him groaned. "every time I eat a taco, i fall apart."
"You have lost your privileges," Meta Knight said to Sans as he took the taco out of the skeleton's hands. As Meta Knight put the taco away, Sonic passed by the cafe and took a peek inside.
"Yo, Meta Knight, got any more of those tacos?" Sonic asked the Star Warrior as he walked inside the cafe, while Sans looked depressingly into his now empty right hand. "I'll take as many as you got!"
"Why do you need so many tacos?" Meta Knight curiously asked Sonic; the reluctant look on Sonic's face only made Meta Knight more hesitant.
Tails was working hard in the kitchen with Fox, making some picnic food with the groceries he bought. Regular sandwiches, sub sandwiches, and...well, let's just say that Tails and Fox were making a bunch of sandwiches. Meanwhile, the buddy cops were peeking in through the doorway.
"So tell me, how did this picnic come about?" Fox asked Tails, striking a conversation with the yellow fox as the buddy cops were now all ears. Toon Link had his ink pen and notepad ready to go.
"We've been talking about it for months now," replied Tails, as he perfected a ham sandwich and placed it inside his picnic basket on the kitchen counter. "Thought that now was a perfect time."
"He's definitely going on a date," Toon Link quietly inferred, seeing that the manner in which Tails was speaking and the words that he was using were way too much of a coincidence. "Any idea who it might be, Hutch?"
"Cream the Rabbit, it has to be," whispered Young Link, aware of how tight Tails and Cream were. Those two going on a date made the most sense to him. "Tails is the only person that would take the chance with that crybaby."
Young Link: Used to think that Lucas was the softest thing, but that was before I met Cream the Rabbit at Sonic's sweet sixteen birthday party. We're talking about a girl who cried her eyes out when Ike gave me a noogie and then spent a whole twelve minutes going on some anti-violence spiel. Over a noogie. Ike gave her one to show her it wasn't that bad, but things only went south from there...
Ike: Cream the Rabbit? That name brings back bad memories. That kid almost got me banned from Sonic's 16th birthday party because I was being a "meanie" and a "menace to society" or whatever. It's obvious that she's the only child. My little sister never acted that way, she always took my noogies like a man...I-I mean, woman! Yeah...
"Also, I got this," Tails said to Fox as he took out his phone and showed whatever he revealed to Crunch earlier to Fox. Fox's eyes went wide, as the buddy cops tried to see for themselves. "It was on clearance!"
"Gotta say, Tails, you sure know how to pick out a good gift!" smiled Fox, voicing his approval as Tails put his phone away. The buddy cops' window of opportunity, which was already slim, was no more. "Need helping wrapping it?"
"Yeah, just need to find the right box to put it in. Nothing too big." As Tails and Fox continued making sandwiches, the buddy cops couldn't help but feel even more suspicious.
"What kind of gift do you think he got for Cream?" Young Link whispered to Toon Link, terribly convinced that Tails' date was Cream. If it was anyone else, the Hylian would probably be disappointed.
"Well, it's Cream, so it can't be anything too fancy," Toon Link, whispered back, as Dunban went to the kitchen only to see the buddy cops in his way. "Fox was just being too nice, that's all."
"Some of us have actually important things to do with your time," Dunban said to the buddy cops with his hands on his hips, waiting for them to vamoose. "Obviously, I can't speak for two Hylians that I know..."
"Throwing shade at Link and Champion Link...shameful," Toon Link shook his head at Dunban, writing up a ticket and handing it to the Homs. "We'll let those two know about your malicious slander."
"Go right on ahead - won't bother me in the slightest." Dunban accepted his ticket, as the buddy cops walked away. Once Toon Link and Young Link were gone, Dunban crumpled up his ticket and tossed it away.
Ever since Asuka's friends came to town, Terry was entertaining the idea of bringing his own friends (and his son) to Seattle for a little bit of catching up. But he couldn't do that without making a few phone calls, which he was doing right now.
"That's right, I was on fire at the bowling alley!" Terry spoke on the phone, standing outside the gaming room with his legs crossed and hand against the wall. "I simply couldn't miss."
"Who are you speaking to, Terry?" Falco asked the fighter as he exited the gaming room, unable to recall the last time he saw Terry on the phone. Sometimes, he forgot that Terry even owned a phone at all!
"Why no, I'm not bragging about my bowling success just to reel you to the mansion! Why do you ask?" Terry felt Falco tap on his shoulder, as he looked up at the avian pilot.
"Psst...tell your friend about how I was shooting lights out at the basketball gym." Falco would see his request go ignored, as Terry walked away and carried on with his phone call. "Fine, guess I'll go around telling everyone again..."
Terry: Everything is coming along smoothly! Almost everyone I've called is down for a friendly reunion. Only a few more folks left to contact! Now if Mai will agree to wear flattering clothing, we'll have the whole gang...and that's a big, gigantic if.
"Bring up that whole fishing incident, why don't you..." Terry spoke into the phone as he came down the hallway, only to stop in his tracks when he saw Sonic standing by. "...hold that thought, Kyo."
"Can't believe I'm asking this, but..." sighed Sonic, as Terry wondered what it was that was making it so difficult for Sonic to ask. "...do you mind checking and see if the pool water is safe?"
Once he got his gift wrapped up, Tails was ready to embark upon his picnic. He went outside carrying his gift, while Fox accompanied him with the picnic basket in hand.
"Picnic's gonna be at Olympic Sculpture Park," Tails informed Fox, as the buddy cops poked their heads out from the shrubbery that they were hiding behind. "I picked the spot."
"Olympic Sculpture Park...that's the place where Luigi and Daisy got married!" Toon Link whispered to Young Link, as the buddy cops were putting all the puzzle pieces together. "It makes too much sense now."
"Yeah, Tails can't hide anything from us now," Young Link whispered back, as Tails and Fox went inside Fox's Arwing. Once the Arwing took off, that was the buddy cops' cue to move.
"So Lavenza's gonna be around full-time, huh?" said Captain Falcon, having heard the news from Yu; the racer was cleaning off his Falcon Flyer as the buddy cops moved out of the shrubbery. "Wonder if she's an orphan. Nah sure could use an adopted sibling one day!"
"Captain Falcon, we need you to fly us to Olympic Sculpture Park," Toon Link said to the racer, who wasn't hearing the Hylian as he kept on cleaning his beloved Falcon Flyer. "Hello? Earth to Falcon!"
"Gotta see if Nowi will be fine with it first. But I know she'll marry me regardless, so..." Captain Falcon suddenly felt a painful tingling sensation in his leg, as Toon Link poked him with his Master Sword.
"It's about time I got your attention..." Toon Link would put his Master Sword away, while Captain Falcon was hopping on one leg his holding his shin in pain. "...now will you please fly us to Olympic Sculpture Park, Captain Falcon?"
"I dunno, I'm kinda running low on gas." But Captain Falcon would have to change his mind in a hurry when Young Link slowly took out his own Master Sword. "On second thought...lemme get the engine revved up!"
Peach was in the third trimester of her second pregnancy and as such, she was dealing with a lot of symptoms - one of them being increased hair growth on her arms and legs. Being a princess, Peach obviously couldn't stand for having hairy limbs.
"Mario, where did you leave the shaver?" asked Peach as she came to the living room looking for her husband, only to see him nowhere in sight. "Mario?"
"He left this note here before you left," Hunter said to Peach, grabbing a note that was left on the kitchen table and handing it to Peach. Peach recognized Mario's handwriting right away.
"'At a mansion pool party organized by Lavenza - see you in a few,'" Peach read the note out loud, before handing it back to Hunter as she furrowed her brow. "Oh, that Lavenza - she forgot to invite me!"
Mario honestly had no idea where he was going, and for good reason - his eyes were covered by Lavenza, who was directing the plumber to a location. Eventually, Lavenza arrived at the location as she brought Mario to a stop.
"Alright Mario, you can open your eyes now!" exclaimed Lavenza, taking her hands away from Mario's face; Mario opened his eyes and saw that he was at the mansion's pool, which had several decorations.
"These-a decorations are very colorful," observed Mario, seeing the balloon arches and the inflatable palm trees...and a terrified Sonic in the middle of the pool lying on a pool float. "Sonic! Didn't see you there."
"Save me..." begged Sonic, who was looking up at the sky with his eyes wide with fear. His heart must be beating like crazy. And how that pool float didn't pop yet was a miracle.
"Welcome to the party, cool cat!" K.K. Slider called out to Mario, providing the party tunes as he was situated behind a large turntable set. "We've been waiting for ya."
"I helped prepare the food," Meta Knight said to Mario, standing behind a table that was littered with tacos, shrimp cakes, and other food items. "Hope you like Dr. Pepper chicken tacos."
Sonic: Why do we even have a pool? It's not like all of us can swim! Does Master Hand not watch our Smash battles in Delfino Square?
"Why don't you have a seat next to Sonic?" Lavenza offered to Mario, bringing the plumber's attention to the pool float that was adjacent to Sonic. It was fittingly a red color.
"Of course!" replied Mario as he happily took off his overalls - conveniently revealing his swim trunks underneath and hopped on the pool float. The plumber closed his eyes and sighed, as he eased his cares away.
"Any one of you care for a taco?" Meta Knight asked Mario and Sonic as he held up a taco, with Mario too relaxed and Sonic too full of fear to respond. "Please take one, I can't eat all this grub by myself..."
Captain Falcon flew the buddy cops to Olympic Sculpture Park, which was the site of Tails' picnic. With his supposed date. Toon Link and Young Link were hiding behind a tree spying on Tails, with Captain Falcon accompanying them.
"Never seen you boys so engrossed with someone's romantic life like this," Captain Falcon said to the buddy cops, who saw Tails sitting on a picnic blanket waiting for someone to arrive.
"Shh! You have to be quiet," Toon Link shushed Captain Falcon, not wanting the racer to break his and Young Link's cover. "We can't afford to bring any attention to ourselves..."
"Okay, you boys are taking this way too far," Fox said to the buddy cops as he approached them holding a Philly cheesesteak. "Spying on people while they're away from the mansion, really?"
"We have a spy in our midst! Get him!" shouted Young Link, as the buddy cops ambushed Fox and brought him down to the ground. In the process, Fox dropped his Philly cheesesteak.
"Hands off my sandwich, Falcon!" Fox shouted at Captain Falcon, who ignored the pilot's command as he grabbed the cheesesteak and returned to his post. "You owe me five bucks, man!"
Captain Falcon: A great boyfriend always gives his girlfriend free food, even if they never ask for it. Which is why I'm gonna give Nowi this Philly cheesesteak! If she asks why someone already took a bite out of it, I'll just tell her that I taste-tested the cheesesteak as a precaution. Because that's what great boyfriends do.
"Hey, I see that Tails has some company!" Captain Falcon quietly called out to the buddy cops, who left Fox alone as they ran back to the tree. Hiding behind the tree, they saw Tails joined by a chick with blonde hair.
"Cream the Rabbit sure looks different from when we last saw her," observed Young Link, astonished by Cream's new hairdo as Fox joined the buddy cops and Captain Falcon at the tree. "And almost...familiar."
"You dolt, that's not Cream...that's Coco!" stated Fox, and he was right; Coco had joined Tails' picnic, bringing her laptop with her as she sat down.
"So glad that you could make it," Tails smiled at Coco, who smiled in return as she opened up her laptop and turned it on. The buddy cops didn't know what to think anymore.
"I'm just happy that Crunch was able to give me a ride," responded Coco, before turning her head back and looking around out of fear. "He's not watching me, is he?"
"Don't forget to bring us some grub, sis!" Crunch called out to Coco, as he was sitting on a park bench with Crash while Aku hovered over him. Coco faced her laptop as she let out a groan.
"We're totally not spying on you!" Aku shouted for no good reason, leading Crunch to facepalm at the floating mask as Coco groaned once more. "Um...oops."
"I see that your family is not above embarrassing you in public," Tails said to Coco, sticking his hand inside the picnic basket and taking out two sandwiches. "Care for a sandwich? It's tuna salad."
"Yeah, I'll take one," replied Coco, as she accepted the tuna salad sandwich from Tails and took a bite. Tails would take a bite of his sandwich as well. "So are you gonna help me fix my laptop or what?"
"This is why he wanted to go on a picnic?" questioned Fox, his left eye twitching as he felt that his precious time was wasted. "Just to fix a stupid laptop?"
"Tails dumped Cream the Rabbit for Coco?!" asked an astonished Toon Link, hands over his face as he took the time to process this revelation. "I mean, I'd dump that softie too, but..."
"Slow your roll kid, nothing's been confirmed...yet," Captain Falcon said to Toon Link, only to trail off when he saw Tails take out his gift. Here came the moment of truth.
"I got you this," Tails said to Coco as he handed her the gift, placing it near the laptop. Coco looked at it for a moment, before looking up at Tails. "Just the thought that counts."
"Unbelievable...he got her a wedding ring," a dismayed Young Link shook his head while Fox, who knew what the gift was, giggled at the Hylian. Coco would unwrap her gift, and saw what was inside.
"No way - it's a new calculator!" the blonde bandicoot exclaimed as she took a TI-84 calculator out of the box. "Always needed one. Thanks, Tails!"
"Don't thank me, thank Aku; he told me that you wanted a calculator to replace your old one. I just found the right model that best suited you."
"Well, you definitely know your way with calculators...so are you gonna help me fix my laptop, or what?" Coco placed her new calculator back in the gift box, as she and Tails got to work on fixing her laptop.
"Maybe this is just a friendly little picnic," inferred Captain Falcon as he shrugged his shoulders, seeing no romantic vibes between Tails and Coco. Toon Link and Young Link, on the other hand, thought otherwise.
"Hey guys, why are we hiding behind a tree for?" Banjo asked the buddy cops and company as he came over while eating some bacon. "Spying on someone? Always wanted to be part of a spy mission."
"Is that...the meatless vegan bacon from the grocery store?" Toon Link asked Banjo, visibly shaking in fear as he pointed at the bacon slices that Banjo was holding. His arm was trembling.
"Sure is! Asked the guy at the stand for more bacon, and he gave me the whole batch! For free!" Banjo scarfed down a handful of the meatless bacon, as the others cringed with disgust.
"Didn't know they sold fake food at the grocery store," remarked Fox, finding it impossible to believe that anyone could enjoy meatless bacon so much.
Master Hand: I don't think that's real bacon - it must be a different kind of meat that's classified as bacon only to make it look presentable. Either way, Banjo won't be allowed back inside until he eats all that bacon. Don't want him attempting to poison the others with that filth.
Lavenza left the pool premises momentarily, and would later come back to see how things were coming along with Mario and Sonic. Mario was enjoying the pool party so far, while Sonic's aquaphobia was reaching a boiling point.
"Nice-a weather we're having," Mario said to Sonic, trying to strike a conversation with the fear-ridden with his arms folded behind his back. The plumber was looking up at the sky, as his eyelids slowly drifted asleep.
"I think there is one important matter you should discuss with Sonic," Lavenza said to Mario, who was still relaxing on his pool float. "I'll let you figure it out." Lavenza walked away, and Mario's eyes sprung wide open as he figured it out instantly.
"You're not...mad with me about-a the whole Little Mac incident, are you?" Mario nervously asked Sonic as he turned his head towards the blue hedgehog. Sonic was suddenly reminded of the incident, his fear vanished away.
"I'm mad that you didn't fess up till the last minute," Sonic frowned in response as he looked at Mario, letting him know how ticked off he was. And Mario knew how Sonic felt, too. "While I was still doing stupid maid stuff..."
"At least Flora and-a Felicia got a vacation...?" Mario was unable to turn Sonic's frown upside down, as Sonic turned to the other side of the pool float. Mario didn't know what to say next...except one thing. "Never should've hurt-a Little Mac..."
"Pardon?" Sonic turned back around at Mario, sensing that the plumber was about to come clean. To him, specifically. "Could you repeat that?"
"It was my jealously that propelled-a me to take out Little Mac. So I could have-a one measly victory over Corrin in something basketball-related But in the end, it wasn't worth it..."
Corrin: Amazing how my basketball skill is enough to raise so much animosity within a short Italian man like Mario. Probably for the best that I don't play in an Italian basketball league - I'd be the most hated man in the country.
"You're still salty about Corrin?" Sonic asked Mario as he sat up - still a mystery as to how that pool float had yet to pop from Sonic's spiky back. "Dude, that game on the cruise ship was like, six years ago!"
"Six years ago? Time-a sure flies," said Mario, fearing that time was moving way too fast for his liking. Could be a sign of him growing old. "But I never should-a have put you in that position. I'm sorry."
"Nah, I blame the warden twins." Since the warden twins were no more, Sonic no longer had anyone around to blame. "But I will blame you for not fessing up until later."
"You think everyone would want to see me dressed up as a maid-a doing maid duties?" Mario and Sonic would share a laugh together, as Lavenza watched closely from the pool gate.
"Now that I think about it, probably not." Enjoying the talk he had, Sonic held out his hand to Mario, offering him a handshake. "Friends?"
"Friends!" Mario shook hands with Sonic, as he and the blue hedgehog were back on the same page. K.K. Slider enjoyed the handshake so much, that he turned up the party tunes.
"These tacos are getting cold..." said Meta Knight, valuing the tacos much more than he did with the lobster cakes and three-queso dip. Lavenza returned to the pool party, smiling as she took out a needle and neared the pool...
"MAMA MIA!" Mario shrieked as Lavenza popped his pool float with the needle, making the plumber fall into the water. Imagine the reaction Sonic would give if that was him.
"That was for Doc Louis; he's not a huge fan of expired chocolate," Lavenza informed Mario, putting her needle away as she left the poolside. Mario was left slashing on the water surface, as Sonic tried not to laugh.
Back to Tails and Coco's picnic, where Tails was helping Coco with fixing her laptop. Putting his smarts to good use, Tails managed to get the laptop up and working again, without hardly breaking a sweat.
"Should be good as new!" exclaimed Tails as he presented the newly-prepared laptop to Coco, smiling after all the hard work he had done. "See if everything is working up to speed."
"Seems that the RAM is running smoothly again," observed Coco, checking the system components of her laptop for all the fixes that Tails had done. "And the processing speed is back to normal! Yup, looks like we're back in business."
"Awesome!" Tails gave Coco a thumbs up, and Coco smiled in return as she opened up her Internet browser. "Glad I got it working again."
"Really appreciate your help, Tails." As Coco tapped away on her laptop, the buddy cops watched from behind the tree with Captain Falcon, Fox, and Banjo - who was still eating his meatless bacon.
"Hm, not enough romantic action between the two," Toon Link observed Tails and Coco's behavior, left greatly unimpressed with what he saw from the two. "Perhaps they're saving that fluff for another time."
"How about you give those two a rest," Fox suggested to Toon Link, as Banjo stood up, meatless bacon in hand, and walked over to where Tails and Coco sat. Worry immediately grew among Fox and the others.
"Um, Banjo..." Captain Falcon said to the bear, who was now standing over Tails and Coco; Tails felt a giant shadow coming over him, as he looked up and saw Banjo standing by.
"Hi, Banjo - you're kinda interrupting our picnic," Tails said to the bear, who had meatless bacon bits all over his mouth. That food stand worker from the grocery store must be beaming with pride right now.
"A weird thing to call your date," said Banjo, calling it as he saw it due to the buddy cops' influence. Tails and Coco were both at unease. "And what date would be perfect without..."
"STOP RUINING THEIR MOMENT!" Crunch shouted from the park bench, rising up as he ran over to Banjo screaming. The bandicoot sent Banjo to the ground with a shoulder bump, showing the bear no mercy.
"Really, Crunch? You didn't have to butt in like that," Coco scolded her older brother; Crash, refusing to be left out of the fun, ran over to Banjo and performed a body slam on him, nearly crushing poor Kazooie.
"Sorry, that was my big brother instinct." As Crunch showed remorse for his actions, Banjo sat up on the ground as Crash rolled off of the bear's back. Kazooie must be so relieved.
"What was that all about? I was gonna offer them my meatless bacon," Banjo said to Crunch, who felt extremely offended - not only for himself but also on behalf of America. "It's one-hundred percent vegan!"
"Alright mister, I was gonna spare you a beatdown but you just pushed your luck!" Crunch angrily marched over to Banjo, rolling up his imaginary sleeve only to get himself in a fighting mood. "C'mon Crash, let's teach Banjo a lesson!"
"At least care for a sample first?" Banjo offered a slice of meatless bacon to Crash and Crunch, who were both eyeing down the bear. Banjo backed away before landing on his butt, as Kazooie crawled out of the bear's backpack and joined those who were sitting around the tree.
"Don't mind me, just getting a front-row seat," Kazooie said to the buddy cops and others, as Banjo got a sucker punch to the face courtesy of Crunch. Kazooie laughed at Banjo's expense.
"You boys lay off of Banjo, you'll get us in trouble..." a helpless Aku called out to Crash and Crunch from the bench, only to look over and see someone coming his way. "...oh no, here comes one of the park officials!"
"Meatless bacon, eh?" said Toon Link, picking up one of the bacon slices that Banjo had dropped to the ground. He and Coco looked at the bacon together. "Wanna give it a try, Coco?"
"No thanks, you can have it," replied Coco, as Tails looked at the meatless bacon and shrugged before eating it whole. The yellow fox chewed and chewed, as the buddy cops expected him to spit the bacon out at any second.
"You know, this bacon isn't half bad!" Tails had a smile on his face as he swallowed the bacon; Toon Link's mouth went agape, as Young Link faceplanted onto the ground. "The crispiness is really on point."
"Knew that you would like it!" Banjo grinned at Tails, as he was being pinned down by Crunch; the bear yelped in pain when Crash elbowed him in the face.
Young Link: I was scared that Coco would've loved that "bacon"; she's from Australia, and they eat just about anything over there. Thankfully, she has standards. But Tails? You, my friend, let the United States of America down. Congratulations. Hope you enjoy living in infamy forever.
Banjo: I hoped that Crash would've spared me since we were helping the Ice Climbers deliver ice cream. You know, friendly solidarity. But I guess that solidarity went out the window when Popo's delivery service ended. Or maybe Crash doesn't know what solidarity is.
Peach eventually found the shaver and was using it to shave the excess hair off her arms and legs. Once she was done, she came out of the bathroom, around the same time Mario came back home.
"So how was the pool party?" Peach asked Mario, who was in an angry mood over the stunt Lavenza pulled on him. Mario was soaking wet from head to toe, as he frowned away.
"I don't wanna talk about it..." replied Mario, squeezing the water out of his hat before marching to his room. Peach looked on, figuring that she hadn't missed out on much.
While the picnic was over, and everyone had left Olympic Sculpture Park, the buddy cops stayed behind to speak with the park officials. The park officials broke up the fight between Banjo and the bandicoots and were now forcing themselves to hear what the buddy cops had to say.
"If you ever see these two on these premises acting lovey-dovey with each other, let us know," Toon Link said to the park officials, showing them pictures of Tails and Coco. The park officials tried so hard to care.
"Sure kid, we'll keep in touch," one of the park officials responded before he and his men walked away. The official was muttering something under his breath, though it never reached the buddy cops' ears.
"Ganondorf and Rosalina aren't the only illegitimate odd couple to look out for," Young Link said to Toon Link, who placed the pictures of Tails and Coco back in his pocket. "Now we have two couples on our radar."
"Time to head back home!" Captain Falcon called out to the buddy cops, standing next to his Falcon Flyer that was powered up and ready for flight. "Got stuff to do with my babe, Nowi!"
"Actually...make that three couples." Young Link now deemed Captain Falcon and Nowi to be an illegitimate relationship? Must be for a particular reason.
After the brief pool party concluded, Sonic assumed that Lavenza would keep away from him. But as the blue hedgehog was chilling on his bed, he saw Lavenza standing at the doorway of his bedroom.
"Congratulations, Sonic, you have graduated," congratulated Lavenza, as Sonic looked around thinking that he was about to receive a graduation gift. "As of now, you are officially no longer an inmate."
Yu: Spoke with Lavenza earlier, and it looks like she'll be sticking around for good. No more Caroline and Justine. As for what this means for Sonic...I won't be commenting on that.
"Cool beans!" exclaimed Sonic as he hopped right off his bed and landed on his feet, sticking a perfect landing. "That means you'll leave me alone, right?"
"Not quite...we've only completed phase one," replied Lavenza, worrying Sonic about how many phases he would have to undergo. "Phase two, however, will see you become...a better man."
"A better man? If me being the bigger man at that pool party was a start..." Sonic suddenly stopped speaking, as he remembered the man who originally sent the warden twins on him. "...wait, does Yu know about this?"
"He doesn't have to know a thing. All you have to do is follow my lead, and I will be out of your hair!"
Meta Knight had a lot of food leftover from the pool party and didn't want it to go to waste. So he shared some of the grub in the front yard with Cloud and Tails, the latter of whom returned from his picnic. Tails ate plenty of picnic food but had room in his stomach for some tacos.
"These tacos aren't half bad," critiqued Cloud; if he was giving genuine feedback on any kind of food, then you know that it was good. "What kind are they?"
"Dr. Pepper chicken tacos," replied Meta Knight, as the fancy name only made Cloud more intrigued. Cloud, being intrigued? Quite a rarity. "Lavenza never gave me a recipe, so I had to 'freestyle', so to speak."
"Wished I had these tacos with me for the picnic," remarked Tails - and speaking of the picnic, Tails saw Coco running over to him. "Hey, Coco! Want a taco?"
"I don't have much time; Crash and Crunch are at the police station," replied Coco, who had snuck out of the police station while leaving her troublemaking brothers behind. "Wanted to say thank you again for fixing my laptop."
"It was the very least that I could..." Tails would be interrupted, as Coco kissed him on the cheek. "...do." Now Tails was smiling, his face blushing as Meta Knight and Cloud looked amused.
"Lemme know when you wanna hang out again!" Coco would make her leave, giving Tails a wave as she raced back to the police station. Tails was struck in a happy trance, before shaking his head to snap himself out of it.
"How totally unexpected," remarked Cloud, as Tails felt bashful about the swordsman and Meta Knight seeing Coco kiss him like that. "I think she likes you."
"To be fair, we have been secretly seeing each other..." Realizing what he said, Tails gasped and covered his mouth - but the damage was done. "...I mean, we've seen each other for different reasons!"
"Not buying that." Cloud grabbed another taco from Meta Knight, as Tails felt horrible about giving away his big secret. "Way to let the cat out of the bag."
Toon Link: So Tails and Coco may or may not be an item. There is a very, very small chance that we may have been overreacting. A long-time complaint about us, we've gotten used to it. But nonetheless, any odd couple we encounter deserves max scrutiny. And for that reason, and that reason alone...Hutch, theme music.
Young Link: *sings Law and Order theme song*