Author's Note:
At long last, we finally have a major release in the month of May...Pac Man Museum+! Okay, well, it's not a major MAJOR release, but I'm just excited to write a chapter around a new video game release. In a funny way, Pac-Man Museum+ brings back memories of one of the first games I ever had on the Game Boy Advance - Pac-Man Collection. Sadly, I lost the cartridge many years ago, but at least I have Pac-Man 99 to hold me over. A game from the Pac-Collection (which is also featured in Museum+) will have a central focus in this chapter - and this game was a personal favorite of mine, growing up. But enough going down memory lane. It's guest review time:
"Well, that left Banjo and Kazooie as the only DLC that hasn't invited their friends. We need that Banjo-only chapter, man."
Oh wow...I never realized that until now. A Banjo-only chapter is more needed than ever now. Another guest review:
"We've been seeing fewer appearances from Kamui. Why we don't see Kana talking with her aunt more often? And Silas has been absent too. What's up with that?"
Kana will be interacting with Kamui a bit in this chapter. And as for Silas, I'll bring him back too. Got nothing to explain for his absence. One last anonymous review:
"Have you seen it? SCOTT THE WOZ IS BACK! And he's talking about Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Speaking of it, do you think we can have some Kremlings from Barrel Blast show up? I don't know, man, it might sound cool."
I can't have King K. Rool be the only Kremling to appear in this story. I might bring the Barrel Blast Kremlings into the fray. Last is David:
"Has Polterpup been seen or mentioned lately? Do Terry and Blue Mary have a on and off relationship? Where is King Boo as of late? (Call me slow for asking). So a cook off between Palutena, Mythra, and Raine Sage won't happen? (Since TIME TO GO gets pissed regarding Tales characters). Shouldn't Pauline let go of her grudge with the Kongs and their friends already? (That could be bad press for her and her city). And finally, what are your thoughts on Sasha Banks and Naomi's indefinite suspension after the walked out from WWE?"
No, but he'll be in the next chapter. Terry and Blue Mary do have an on-and-off relationship. King Boo is chilling at some haunted mansion somewhere. A cook-off with those three has a slim chance of happening. Pauline should let go of her grudge with the Kongs...when, though, I'm unsure of. And I'd say that the indefinite suspension could be a big blow to both Sasha Banks and Naomi. Wasn't surprised by Sasha, given that this isn't the first time she pulled this kind of stunt, and as for Naomi, she was probably showing solidarity as a friend. Would hate to see either lady released by WWE, but if that were to happen, then hopefully Sasha still has the Mandalorian producers on line one...
Episode 336: Arcade
It was no secret that Mario was the most recognizable video game character ever. Aside from a wide collection of games, the famous plumber had toys, clothes, and plenty of merchandise with his face on it. He even had a film too, which came out in the 90s, and another one to be released next year starring Chris Pratt. Who is so cool, according to Shigeru Miyamoto himself.
While Mario was the top dawg when it came to video games, he wasn't exactly the first video game icon. That honor would go to Pac-Man, who has quite of a legacy himself. He had plenty of games to his name - the original Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Pac-Land, and yes, even the infamous Pac-Man game on the Atari 2600. At least copies of those games didn't end up being buried at a landfill in New Mexico.
Pac-Man had been working on a special project in his basement for a few weeks, and now that he was finished he was ready to show it to the whole world. Due to them being Pac-Man's neighbors, Mario and a handful of others were the first to see what Pac-Man had been working hard on.
"Watch your step, everyone!" Pac-Man said to his neighbors, who were all blindfolded as Pac-Man led them down the stairs to his basement. One bad slip and it could get real ugly.
"Mama mia!" shrieked Luigi as his foot slipped on one of the steps, causing him to fall and tumble down the stairs. Everyone came tumbling down as well, with Pac-Man moving out of harm's way as his neighbors ended up at the base of the steps.
"Curse you, Luigi!" Berkut frowned at the green plumber, as he was seriously injured; granted his ankle was now sore but to him, that was like the equivalent of an ACL tear.
"A good thing that I had Peach in the back of the line," remarked Pac-Man, as a pregnant Peach slowly made her way down the steps. She was using the handrail to make her descent safely.
"Did I make it?" Peach asked after she stepped down from the last step, as she was about to take her blindfold off. "Can I take this blindfold off?"
"No!" Pac-Man quickly ran over to Peach, stopping her from lifting up her blindfold in the nick of time. The eater of ghosts let out a sigh of relief as he backed away from the princess. "Is everyone here?"
"I think so," replied Fox, trying to get a sense of his surroundings as he was walking around touching stuff. He came across Olimar and grabbed the astronaut's helmet, before hugging it tightly.
"Ah, yes, I sure could use one of these..." said Olimar as Fox held his head close to his chest; after doing a brief headcount, Pac-Man saw that it was time.
"Alright folks, this is it!" exclaimed Pac-Man as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation, expecting to knock everyone's socks off. "On the count of three, I want you all to take..."
"Forget the countdown, let's get this over with," demanded Marth, choosing to be a party pooper as he was anxious to get back home. Pac-Man sighed at Marth as his joy slightly dwindled.
"...fine, you can all take off your blindfolds now." So Marth and the other neighbors took off their blindfolds to see what Pac-Man had done with his basement - and needless to say, they were quite impressed.
Pac-Man's basement was now a full-blown arcade, with many Pac-Man arcade machines lined up. The walls had a Pac-Man maze design to them, and there were a few neon ghost decals as well.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Pac-Man arcade!" exclaimed Pac-Man as he held his arms out wide, proud of his hard work. The neighbors looked around and marveled at every sight, with some left in awe.
Pac-Man: Building that arcade room was no easy task; securing the arcade machines was obviously the hard part, but getting everything up and running was even harder! Would say that it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get everything done, but my body can't produce any of those substances. *pauses* Maybe Sonic was right, I should go see a doctor...
"Dang it! I wanted-a to do something like this years go," stated Mario, who wanted to build his very own arcade in his bunker. Peach had talked him out of it multiple times. "I'ma sue-a you for idea infringement, Pac-Man!"
"Must say, Pac-Man, you have a very good taste in arcade games!" Roy said to the eater of ghosts, only to see one arcade game that was familiar to him as he pointed at it. "Pac-Mania? Isn't that from the mansion's arcade?"
"Absolutely not!" Pac-Man nervously asked Roy as he suspiciously held his hands behind his back. Sure wasn't helping himself with his poor body language. "What could possibly make you think that?"
"Hey, I recognize that game!" exclaimed Pac-Man's, Pac-Man Jr, as he came around the corner and saw the Pac-Mania arcade machine. "That one came straight of the mansion. I hold the high score."
"Yes, that's nice son, awesome story. Go run along now!" Pac-Man gently whisked Pac-Man Jr. away, before pushing him up the basement stairs. "Um, any other concerns you guys have?"
"Yo, Fox, I made it," Falco announced to his best friend, as Pac-Man's face sank; Krystal rolled her eyes as Falco came down the stairs and saw the arcade. "Ay, Pac-Man! Like what you've done to his place!"
"Go away! Shoo!" Pac-Man confronted Falco as he aggressively grabbed the avian pilot and rushed him up the stairs. "Only neighbors are allowed!"
"But I'm Fox's best friend, I have special privileges! I'm also the best Pac-Man player around!" But Pac-Man didn't care, as he showed Falco out the door and slammed the door shut.
"Poor me...I'm too small to reach the buttons," said Olimar, hopping up to reach a button on an arcade machine as Pac-Man came down the steps. Midway through, Pac-Man would encounter Mario.
"Leaving so soon?" Pac-Man asked Mario, as he wanted the plumber to stick around a bit longer. He knew how much Mario adored arcade games. "You haven't lived yet until you played Pac-Attack!"
"I'll be back," Mario assured Pac-Man as he headed up the stairs, leaving the basement; taking Mario's word for it, Pac-Man smiled as he went back down to the arcade.
Denzel was brought to the mansion in the last episode, and Master Hand authorized he stayed with Cloud - the man who had raised Denzel in the past. Although he had no say in the final decision, Cloud had no choice but to take Denzel back under his watch. He was reluctant to do it because of a few factors, but he was happy to be reunited with Denzel after such a long time.
Cloud and Denzel had done many activities together over the week, and now the two were at the mansion's lake fishing with Red the Pokemon Trainer. Cloud never would've imagined that he would go out fishing, but he had done crazier things in the past.
"Am I doing this right?" Denzel asked Cloud, as he was holding an Old Rod; Cloud on the other hand was wielding Good Rod. Guess what kind of fishing rod Red was using.
"I'm no expert, but you're doing great so far," replied Cloud, telling Denzel the kind of stuff that he wanted to hear - or perhaps Cloud was being that genuine.
"The key is patience," Red offered these words of advice to Denzel, biding his time while he waited for a catch. The longer Cloud waited, the more interested in fishing he became.
Red the Pokemon Trainer: Denzel is a kid, and a rookie, so I gotta start him off small with an Old Rod. He's gotta learn the hard way. And no, I'm not like one of those "those young whippersnappers gotta have it hard like me when I was their age!" old farts. I just don't want Denzel outdoing me. Too much pride on the line.
"To be honest, this is my first time going out fishing," Cloud confessed to Denzel; fishing was an activity most dads did with their sons, so Cloud assumed that what he was doing came with the territory.
"Only because you always turned down my invitation," Red said to Cloud with an angry scowl, unable to put stuff in the past. "Got any idea how much that bothers me deep down inside every time you say no?"
"If you let that kind of stuff bother you, then you should get a life." Cloud completely owned Red, who meekly lowered his head and kept on fishing. It was quiet at the lakeside for a moment, until Mario came running over to Cloud.
"Cloud, Pac-Man built an arcade-a in his basement," Mario informed the swordsman, not sure if he should be keeping Pac-Man's arcade a secret but had no choice but to spill the beans anyway. "Wanna come and check-a it out, you and Denzel?"
"I think we're fine with the arcade in the mansion," replied Denzel, who got excited when he felt a nibble. Refusing to let Denzel speak for Cloud, Mario looked towards Cloud out of slight desperation.
"Yeah, what Denzel said - but tell Pac-Man that I said he did a good job," Cloud said to Mario, as he saw Denzel trying to reel in his catch. For the very first time today, Cloud was invested in fishing - and it was all Denzel's doing.
"Oh, Mario! Wanna be my Player Two?" Peach called out to her husband, as she was standing just outside Pac-Man's home. Mario looked toward Peach with a glimmer of sadness in his eye.
"I wanted to be Player One..." the plumber moaned in sadness as he returned to Pac-Man's home, while Denzel was still reeling in his catch. Denzel was turning on the reel like crazy.
"Yes! I finally caught one!" the boy cheered as he reeled in his catch...and it was a Milotic, the tender Pokemon. Cloud was impressed with Denzel, raising his eyebrows, while a salty Red threw his Super Rod unto the ground in an angry fit.
It had been a week since Kana's cat Sparkles was laid to rest, and Kana was in much happier spirits. Now that Kana was smiling again, Sans could finally do the one thing he wanted to do ever since Sparkles died...crack a bunch of cat puns. He was waiting for this very moment - better late than never.
"i'm feeling very paw-sitive, today is almost purr-fect," Sans cracked these cat puns at Cafe Leblanc as the baristas groaned collectively at the skeleton as they have done many times before. "come on, i was just kitten around. don't be a bunch of sourpusses."
"Been waiting to crack those puns, haven't you?" Viridi asked Sans, as a small head poked inside the cafe. Kirby caught a glimpse of this head, as he also recognized a red beret.
"you have no idea - it's like a huge wave of relief after letting a big one rip." Sans did tell Cuphead that he could poop, despite being a skeleton, so who's to say that he couldn't fart as well?
"I can relate," said Pit, who got all excited when a guest entered the cafe wearing a red beret. The guest was carrying a paintbrush, meaning that she was a painter - and one that Kirby knew as a close friend.
"Adeleine! Welcome back!" exclaimed Kirby, who was the only person in the cafe more excited than Pit. At least he had a valid reason for being excited.
"Hi Kirby, hi Pit, hi Viridi, hi Joker!" Adeleine greeted the baristas - except for Incineroar, who felt left out as he lowered his head in sadness. "Missed me?"
"You could say that - after all, you are a favorite customer of...ours," replied Joker, only to trail off when Pit reached over the counter once Adeleine drew near. Pit knocked over a few bowls of curry in the process.
"Hey, I was eating that!" Lucario frowned at Pit, only for his eyes to go wide when he felt a warm yet painful sensation on his lap. The aura Pokemon looked down and saw that PIt had wasted the curry on his lap, as he was left in agonizing pain.
"So why are you absent all this time, Adeleine? Huh, huh?" Pit eagerly asked the artist, acting like an excited puppy who was happy to see his owner return after a long day at work. "Does it have anything to do with Kirby?"
"Not in particular," replied Adeleine, causing Pit to gasp as the angel had to be pulled back by Joker and Viridi. Incineroar was still too sad to get involved. "The whole time I was away, I was building my art portfolio."
"Did you also use that time away to realize how much you are in love with Kirby?" Pit pulled away from Joker and Viridi, just so he could ask Adeleine that question. Having enough of the shenanigans, Kirby sucked up Pit.
"It's great that you have been very busy honing your craft," Viridi smiled at Adeleine, as Pit was trying to fight his way out of Kirby's mouth. But Kirby wouldn't let up. "Hope we get to see your artwork someday!"
"Thanks! Maybe next week, I can show you what I've been working on." Once Adeleine said this, Pit found his way out of Kirby's mouth and reached over the counter to Adeleine a second time. This time, he knocked over a cup of coffee...and it landed on Lucario's lap.
"Does one of your artwork depict you and Kirby kissing?" Pit asked Adeleine out of morbid curiosity, as he was slowly making Adeleine uncomfortable. Though not as uncomfortable as Lucario, who ran out of the cafe screaming in pain.
"...can I get a cup of coffee to go, please?" Adeleine asked Joker, wanting to get as far away from Pit as possible. Pit was growing more insane by the minute.
"Of course, let me fix you a cup," replied Joker as he went to the nearest coffee machine. Adeleine kept a close eye on Pit, who was smiling creepily at her with his elbows on the counter.
"Elbows off the counter..." Viridi scolded Pit as she took the angel's elbows off the counter; even then, Pit was still staring at Adeleine with his smile intact.
Joker: Coffee to-go was an idea that I borrowed from Brewster. Sometimes you don't feel like sitting down at the counter drinking coffee - or maybe you just want to enjoy your drink in peace. Sans and Pit were the two main culprits for putting this idea into effect.
Adeleine didn't have to wait that long, as the coffee maker brewed the coffee in less than a minute. Joker placed a lid over the cup and fastened it tightly.
"Alright Adeleine, here's your cup of..." Joker said to Adeleine as he grabbed the cup of coffee...only to be interrupted when Pit snatched it away. "...be careful Pit, it's hot!"
"Here's your cup of coffee!" Pit said to Adeleine as he placed the cup on the counter in an almost aggressive manner. Adeleine looked hesitant at first, before eventually easing up.
"...thanks, Pit," the artist awkwardly responded, taking out a pair of mitts so that she could hold her hot coffee without much trouble. "We'll hang out after your shift is over, okay Kirby?"
"Sure thing, Adeleine," replied Kirby, knowing that he and Adeleine wouldn't get any downtime until it was time for dinner. With her mitts on, Adeleine grabbed her cup of coffee and left the cafe, as Kirby frowned at Pit and said, "Nice going, Pit..."
"You're welcome, buddy!" Pit grinned at Kirby as he gave the pink puffball a thumbs up, believing that he was doing a solid for his main man.
Pit: A new year's resolution I had made this year was to be the best man for Kirby when - not if - he marries Adeleine. Unless he wants his best friend to be a serial liar, then Kirby had better hold his end of the bargain.
"For the last time, stop calling this number!" Andrew Oikonny barked into the phone, speaking with a spam caller as he entered the cafe. "I am not interested in your 'extensive' car warranties. Besides, I pilot a superior vehicle - the Arwing!"
"Get spam callers too?" Joker asked Andrew, who grumpily ended the call as he put his cellphone away. Andrew approached the counter and saw something that was missing.
"Okay, you blokes, which one of you wasted my coffee?" Andrew asked the baristas as he took out his Blaster, pointing it at Joker and company. "I want names, or I'm shooting..."
Getting a much-needed reprieve from Pit, Adeleine was forced to enjoy her coffee just down the hallway from where Cafe Leblanc was. Coming down the hallway was Dark Pit, who was busy sweeping the floors.
"Would it kill them to actually make any of their shots into the trash can?" frowned Dark Pit, as he was sweeping up multiple balled-up pieces of paper. Seems like a handful of residents were doing their best Kobe Bryant impersonation.
"Dark Pit? Are you cleaning up the trash?" Adeleine asked the doppelganger when he drew near, spooking him in the process. Adeleine rarely ever saw Dark Pit doing his groundskeeping duties.
"No, I was just...picking up paper for my paper-mache craft." Dark Pit tried to hide his evidence, holding his broom and dustpan behind his back. "Since you are an artist, I'm sure that you'll appreciate the final product."
"Why are you slacking off on your job, Dark Pit?" Mr. Game and Watch asked the doppelganger as he came down the hallway, just to take a peek at Dark PIt's progress so far. "Quit goofing off, will ya!'
"Yes, Mr. Game and Watch...I mean sir!" Dark Pit quickly saluted Mr. Game and Watch, smiling as the 2-D carried on with his business. It amused Adeleine seeing Dark Pit being so intimidated by Mr. Game and Watch.
"Can't wait to see your creation," Adeleine giggled at Dark Pit in a teasing manner, and Dark Pit was forced to come clean as he resumed sweeping the floor. As he continued sweeping, Dark Pit couldn't help but notice that Adeleine was drinking coffee.
"You should definitely drink that at the cafe," Dark Pit recommended to Adeleine, who fortunately for him was almost done with her coffee. "It's hard to clean up wasted coffee, trust me."
"I could have, but I just wanted to get away...from Pit." All of a sudden, Dark Pit found Adeleine's decision to enjoy her coffee outside the cafe to be all the more understandable. "He still thinks that I should be Kirby's wife."
"Stuck in la la land, huh? Guess some things will never change..." Dark Pit shook his head as he kept on sweeping, only to remember something that he promised to Adeleine back in episode 286. "Wait, Adeleine, before I go..."
"Yes?" Adeleine looked up at Dark Pit, finishing her cup of coffee as she placed the empty cup on the floor. Dark Pit had better pick that cup up or face the consequences.
"If you ever need a guy to watch your back...I'm your guy." Dark Pit pounded his chest, as he gave Adeleine an earnest smile. Adeleine had never seen Dark Pit smile so genuinely before, so she knew that he was being legit.
"Thank you, Dark Pit!" Having Adeleine's word, Dark Pit confidently walked down the hallway, as he carried on with his sweeping duties. Unfortunately for him, however, Mr. Game and Watch came back down the hallway when he saw an object on the floor.
"You missed this cup!" Mr. Game and Watch barked at Dark Pit as he held up Adeleine's now empty cup. Dark Pit groaned at the 2-D man, rolling his eyes.
Mewtwo: Terry came through and bought more glue for the mansion. That means that the arts and crafts activities are saved...but I still don't care, though.
As Mewtwo said, the arts and crafts fun was back on at the mansion. It was usually done by the kids in the living room, but occasionally an adult will hop in every and now then. (Waluigi being a usual suspect.) Now that she was in happier spirits, Kana could decorate in peace.
"Look what I made!" Kana said to her aunt, Kamui, who was passing through the living room. Kana was showing Kamui her creation, and it was just a bunch of glitter and stickers put together on a colored sheet of paper.
"That looks lovely," Kamui smiled at Kana, having no choice but to consider her niece's artwork to be a masterpiece. Kana could literally draw a straight line, and as her aunt, Kamui had no choice but to call it high art.
"Let me show you what else I've been working on." Kana grabbed Kamui's hand, leading her aunt over to the table where the arts and crafts were done. Link and Zelda both entered the living room, only to see how things were coming along.
"Terry had used that glue to make a fake bowling trophy," Zelda explained to Link, relaying to him the info she had gained from speaking with Mewtwo. "Made it just to impress his friends."
"And they all thought that it was legit? Shameful..." remarked Link as he shook his head, while he and Zelda surveyed the arts and crafts scene. There was a man sitting at that table who looked terribly out of place. "...Guile?"
"Not now, I'm busy," Guile said to Link, sitting at the table as he was putting together an American flag with the art materials provided. Link and Zelda came over to analyze the major's work.
"Why are you using glue for the white stripes?" Zelda questioned Guile, finding the major's methods redundant considering that he was literally working on a white sheet of paper. "Terry just bought some..."
"Terry wasted the glue for his selfish glory...I'm wasting glue for the glory of America!" Guile did a fist pump all while still keeping his serious visage, before resuming his work. Link and Zelda both exchanged looks with one another.
"Any reason why you're doing this?" Link asked Guile, who stared at the Hylian as if he was born yesterday. A slightly offended Guile rose up from his chair, staring deeply into Link's soul.
"Have you forgotten what time it is, maggot?" Guile placed his hands on Link's shoulders, and Link looked around uncomfortably as Guile had a vice grip on his shoulders. "It's Memorial Day weekend!"
"I mean, technically, Memorial Day falls on a..." Zelda said to Guile, only to shut up real quick when Guile gave her the cold stare he gave Link. "...carry on."
"As a retired major, it pains me to know that the mansion and the tower don't celebrate Memorial Day correctly. Absolutely sickens me to the core."
"But we do celebrate it the right way," stated Link, who was forced to think of a few examples to help with his argument. "We have a cookout, and um...we have a cookout!"
"Exactly my point. We only have a cookout on Memorial Day, and that's it. Do the others even know how to celebrate Memorial Day properly?" Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask...
Wario: Memorial Day is good for only one thing - pigging out. Any holiday where eating food isn't heavily encouraged is a fake holiday. Valentine's Day has always been and will be a sham. *pauses* Mona notwithstanding.
Junpei: As a guy who has lived most of his life in Japan, I always didn't vibe with celebrating Memorial Day. That could be said for almost everyone else, right?
Alph: Is it bad that I can't tell the difference between Memorial Day and the 4th of July? They're both American holidays, they're both patriotic, and they both involve grilling out and all that jazz. But what's the difference?
Pit: Memorial Day - it's not a good holiday, it's not a bad holiday. It's...THE holiday! *pauses* I should slap myself for that one.
"You know, we can always teach them," Zelda suggested to Guile, who thought otherwise as he frowned and looked away. That sounded like simply too much work for Guile to handle.
"I am not interested in teaching non-patriotic lost causes," replied Guile as he finally took his hands off of Link, bringing much relief to the Hylian. "But what I can do, is let off some steam."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Link asked Guile, who pointed in the Hylian's face and somehow left the Hylian in pain in the process. "Ow, my nose!"
"Veterans Memorial Cemetary. We must go over there and pay our respects to the fallen soldiers." Apparently, Guile knew the address of this cemetery - 11111 Aurora Avenue.
"We? So you want us in on this, too?" Zelda asked Guile, as Link was left holding his nose in pain. Link even felt a slither of blood trickling down his gloves.
"If it means that you can celebrate Memorial Day the way it should, then so be it. As lead authorities of the mansion, you can set a good example for everyone to follow."
"Look, Aunt Kamui, I made a star!" Kana said to Kamui as she showed the princess a star that she cut out from green colored paper. Guile was sadly not a fan of the star, as he shook his head at Kana.
"That star is supposed to be white, for Memorial Day...we are so lost as a country." Guile could only facepalm at Kana's ignorance, as Zelda looked amused at how Guile was acting. Link was in too much pain to react.
Pac-Man's arcade was a hit among the neighbors, meaning that it was an early success. Wishing to capitalize on that success, Pac-Man invited the non-neighbors to his house so that they could enjoy the arcade themselves. You know that Falco absolutely had to be there.
"Move it, out of the way, coming through!" shouted Falco as he came running down the stairs to the arcade, knocking several folks down in the process. One of those folks was Sonic.
"Watch it, man, I'm walking here!" Sonic frowned at Falco as he landed at the base of the stairs, while Lavenza helped him up to his feet. But Falco didn't care, as he immediately hopped on one of the Pac-Man arcade games and started playing.
Falco: All my life I have waited and longed for an arcade full of nothing but Pac-Man games. Granted I never knew that such an arcade existed until today, but the wait that led up to its grand opening was worth it.
"Pac-Mania! I know this one," remarked Nia as she and Dromarch drew near towards the Pac-Mania arcade game, as Pac-Man looked on feeling impressed. "Looks like it came straight out of the mansion."
"...which it totally didn't!" stated a nervously smiling Pac-Man, as he rested his hand on the Pac-Mania arcade machine. The eater of ghosts became panicky when he saw the Arcade Bunny enter the arcade.
"Pardon me everyone, but have any of you seen a..." the Arcade Bunny was about to address those in the arcade, only to be shown up the stairs by Pac-Man. "...I wasn't done yet!"
"My wife made some awesome carrot cake, you should give it a try!" As they watched Pac-Man hurriedly escort the Arcade Bunny out of the arcade, Nia and Dromarch couldn't help but sense the eater of ghosts' guilt.
"Check and see if your high score is intact," Dromarch recommended to Nia, who did as she was told as she pressed start on the Pac-Mania arcade game. Meanwhile, Mario and Peach were playing Ms. Pac-Man - with Mario as Player Two.
"Oh my, it looks like I have won!" said a surprised Peach, who saw that she had prevailed over Mario; Mario felt no shame in losing to his wife, as he took his loss in a heavy stride. "Guess that women are just at good at arcade games as men."
"You know, Princess Peach, anytime someone calls attention to the breaking of gender roles, it ultimately undermines the concept of gender equality by implying that this is an exception and not the status quo," Knuckles said to Peach, as he was making a profound statement...
...a statement so profound, that everyone in the arcade stopped what they were doing just so they could look at Knuckles. Knuckles saw the crowd staring at him, as looks of bewilderment, amazement, surprise, and other emotions were at every corner.
"Bruh..." remarked Falco, who had paused his game just so he could stare at Knuckles and soak the moment in. The growing silence was making Knuckles feel a little awkward.
"Am I not allowed to be a feminist anymore? Bunch of posers..." grumbled Knuckles as he walked away from Mario and Peach; activity in the arcade picked up right where it left off.
"I'm gonna go see if Cloud and Denzel are-a interested in coming," Mario said to Peach, desperately wanting Cloud to play an arcade game with Denzel. Just so he could take notes on Cloud. "You can play without-a me."
"I could play with Knuckles - let him test his theory," Peach replied smirking, as she turned around at Knuckles and winked at the red echidna teasingly. Knuckles saw Peach winking at him, and walked away mumbling under his breath.
Red was irate upon seeing Denzel reel in the Milotic, under the guise that the boy had made a lucky catch. Refusing to let Denzel have the biggest catch of the day, Red remained at the lake so he could reel in a big Pokemon himself. He had his fingers crossed for a Gyarados.
"Really, another garbage Wishiwashi?" grumbled Red as he reeled in the small fry Pokemon, before tossing it into a growing pile of Wishiwashi. "Just as worthless as that bicycle Mario gave me..."
"Worthless as what-a now?" Mario asked Red as he drew near, causing Red to shriek and focus all his attention on the plumber. Mario had Red sweating nervously.
"Uh, I wasn't saying anything! Loved that bike! Loved it so much that I gave it to some dumb kid so that she could, uh...love it even more than I did!"
"Likely story..." Mario didn't come to the lake for Red, for there was a certain swordsman that he was looking for. "...where did Cloud run-a off to?"
"He and Denzel just got done fishing a few minutes ago; I saw them going to the driveway, to see Link and Zelda off." So Mario ran to the mansion's driveway, where he saw Cloud speaking with Link and Zelda who were both sitting in Link's truck.
"Didn't know you were that much of a patriot, Link," Cloud said to the Hylian, who was waiting for Guile to arrive. Guile was holding Link and Zelda up - probably going around telling the male residents to be family men.
"We're only doing this to make Guile shut up," stated Link, who didn't have to wait much longer as he and Zelda saw Guile coming out of the backdoor. "About flipping time..."
"My apologies, I had to grab a few essentials," Guile said to Link and Zelda as he reached the truck, carrying a box of American flags. "We are going to spread the American spirit."
"Be the kind of example that you want others to see..." Cloud said to Guile, who dug the swordsman's way of thinking as he handed him an American flag. "...didn't need one, but thanks."
"I understand - it would be hard for a terrorist like you to feel any sense of patriotism." Guile patted the left shoulder of Cloud, who looked bemused, only to later turn his attention to Mario.
"No thanks, I already have a flag-a in my living room," Mario said to Guile, who went ahead and gave the plumber an American flag anyway. Guile was a man who wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Give it to your newborn; it'll instill good American values in him at an early age." In him? How did Guile know the baby's gender? Was he a clairvoyant?!
Guile: When I was born, the first thing that my father gave to me was an American flag. The flag has become a part of my identity as a Major in the Air Force - it's almost a part of my DNA. Whenever I see anyone disrespecting or even destroying our American flag, it is like witnessing the murder of a child that I never knew how much I loved.
"After we go to the cemetery, I want to stop by the homeless shelter," Guile said to Link and Zelda as he hopped inside Link's truck, sitting in the passenger seat as he brought his box inside. "There, we can honor the homeless veterans."
"I mean we'd love to, but I don't think that I have enough...gas," replied Link, only to see Guile stick his hand out with a $20 bill. Guile wouldn't let the raising gas prices deter Link from being patriotic. "So much for using that excuse."
"No one should ever make an excuse for honoring America." Guile held out his hand until Link accepted the $20, and Link eventually came around. "This is the greatest country in the world, and anyone who doesn't want to acknowledge the men and women who..."
"Every country in the world is great, let's leave it at that," stated Zelda, shutting down Guile and also triggering the major in the process. "Step on it, Link."
"Got it," said Link, sticking his key into the ignition and turning his truck on. The Hylian put his vehicle in reverse as he backed out of the driveway, before heading down the road while Mario and Cloud looked on.
"Heard from-a Red that you and Denzel had a blast fishing," Mario said to Cloud, who didn't appreciate how buddy-buddy the plumber was acting. Especially when Mario was nudging him at his side. "But you know what's..."
"Denzel wants to go to the library," Cloud said to Mario, preventing the plumber from making any crazy offers to him. "Said he wants to check out their book collection." A part of Mario believed that Cloud was lying.
"So he's really into books, eh? Good-a to know..." Thinking that Cloud was lying to his face, Mario furrowed his brow at the swordsman as he backed away. "...if you're looking for a third-a banana, just hit me up."
"Mario, watch out where you're..." Cloud was about to warn Mario, but it was too late as Mario had bumped into Palutena by accident. A shame too, as Palutena was carrying two trash bags that Mario caused to rip open after he made Palutena drop them.
"Mama mia..." fretted Mario as the contents of the trash bags spilled unto the ground, and boy did it smell. Palutena glared at Mario, seething quietly as she let Mario feel the heat.
"For the record, our garbage disposal was backed up," Palutena informed Mario - no wonder so much of the bags' contents was grotesque-looking food. Palutena must've been working hard in the kitchen...wink, wink. "Hope you enjoy cleaning up this mess."
"I know someone who would-a love it even more..." Mario turned his head around at Cloud...only to see that Cloud had already gone back inside. That made Mario turn back around nervously at Palutena, who had her arms folded.
"Yeah, your imaginary friend won't bail you out this time. Now go grab two trash bags, while I look for the shovel." So Mario ran inside the mansion, while Palutena headed off to the garden shed.
Meanwhile, back at Pac-Man's arcade, Falco was playing one of the arcade games - Pac-Attack, a personal favorite of Pac-Man's. Falco was absolutely dominating the game, and such dominance deserved a reward.
"Keep it up, Falco! Also, here's another slice of carrot cake," Pac-Man said to the avian pilot, offering him a slice of Ms. Pac-Man's carrot cake. Since he let the Arcade Bunny have a nibble, Pac-Man decided to let the others enjoy his cake...erm, his wife's cake.
"Put it in my mouth," Falco said to Pac-Man, his eyes glued to the arcade screen as Pac-Man stuffed a slice of carrot cake in the avian pilot's mouth. Falco kept trucking on, as those around him chanted his name.
"Can you believe that guy tripped me up on the stairs?" Sonic asked Lavenza, as he watched Falco dominate at Pac-Attack from the distance. "The dude could've killed me!"
"I see that you're a big fan of hyperbole," responded Lavenza, noticing that Sonic was cracking his knuckles and became wary about what the blue hedgehog was about to pull. "You don't intend on beating him up, do you?"
"Thanks for reading my mind..." Wishing to give Falco a piece of his mind, Sonic marched over to Falco while a reluctant Lavenza looked on. Sonic tapped Falco on the shoulder, but Falco wouldn't budge.
"Not now Fox, I'm busy," said Falco as he was in the zone, refusing to let anyone or anything make him lose his focus. Sonic tapped on Falco's shoulder a second time, and he still couldn't get the avian pilot to pause his game.
"When you knock people over, you have to say you're sorry. Do you not know anything about respect?" Judging by the lack of response by Falco, maybe he didn't know what respect was.
"Yeah, yeah, go tell that life lesson to a grown kid on the street. Leave me be." The more Falco ignored Sonic, the more incensed Sonic grew. But Sonic knew just the thing to make Falco stop, as he took out a token and inserted it into the coin slot.
"BOOM! I got next." Suddenly a collective gasp was heard in the arcade, as everyone looked at Sonic. Sonic was smiling confidently with his arms folded, as Falco finally paused his game and stared at the blue hedgehog.
"You got next?" Falco snorted at Sonic, unable to take him seriously. He wanted Fox to laugh along with him, but Fox was too busy with Krystal. "What is this, amateur hour?"
"Amateur hour would best describe that fake dominance you're putting on." Sonic was throwing trash talk at Falco, as the crowd reacted. Falco had to shut Sonic up real quick, and he knew just how.
"Oh really? Check this out..." Falco unpaused the game and kept playing until he reached a new score - 800,000 points. Wowza. "...bam! 800,00 points! Try and sleep on that."
"That's awesome, Falco," Fox called out to his best friend as he was sitting on a bench with Krystal. Krystal, who was holding her son Marcus, slapped her husband silly. "Sorry babe, what were you saying again?"
Krystal: That's right, I am keeping Fox far away from Falco. Given how big Falco's head has gotten, I figure that it will be for the best.
"FFK," Falco uttered the initials of the name that he was inputting into the high score list, as his name was at the very top. "Fox, Falco, Krystal! Haha."
"Not gonna lie, those are some great initials he chose," Fox said to Krystal, who thought otherwise as she facepalmed and shook her head sighing. "Now why do you have to be such a hater, Krystal?"
"Go ahead and top that, Sonic," Falco laid out the challenge to the blue hedgehog, confident that Sonic would come up short. But little did he know that coming up short was hardly in Sonic's DNA.
"Pfft, 800,000 points is nothing," snorted Sonic, diminishing Falco's accomplishment as he stepped up to the arcade machine. "Let me show ya how a real professional does it!"
Until Kirby was done working at the cafe (however long that would be), Adeleine went to the living room where the arts and crafts were held. Keeping her company was Dark Pit, who was being on the lookout for a certain angel.
"Ta-da! Look what I made!" Adeleine said to Dark Pit as he presented to him her masterpiece - a bunch of flowers, made together by macaroni pieces glued onto colored paper. Dark Pit had a very dismal opinion of Adeleine's craft.
"Art really must be losing its edge these days..." the doppelganger responded, as Adeleine moved on to making another piece of art. Dark Pit heard Pit's voice drawing near, and he quickly got on guard.
"Yes, Joker, I got it - the creamer is not in a bag!" Pit spoke into his phone as he entered the living room, on his way to the pantry. The angel stopped and gasped when he saw Dark Pit with Adeleine.
"Not another move," Dark Pit commanded Pit, who dropped his phone to the floor out of shock and pointed at Dark Pit. "What's the matter with you?"
"No way...you're pursuing a secret fling with Adeleine?!" To say that Dark Pit was insulted by Pit's accusation would be putting it lightly. Adeleine, on the other hand, was puzzled.
"Ew, gross! Uh, no offense to you, Adeleine, but...she's not even in my league, Pit."
"And neither is Flora and yet you follow her around for some weird reason. You must like being out of your element."
Going from insulted to angry in a snap, Dark Pit confronted Pit and was staring deep into the angel's soul. Pit was backing down, smiling nervously as he maneuvered away from Dark Pit.
"I better go get that creamer..." Pit said to Dark Pit, who kept his angry stare fixated on the angel; Pit would make a run for it, as Dark Pit allowed him to live to see another day.
"You know, maybe you being my bodyguard isn't such a good idea," Adeleine said to Dark Pit, who slowly began to soften although his disdain for Pit remained intact. "People might get the wrong idea."
"Yeah, only dumb people like Pit," replied Dark Pit, hoping that Pit wouldn't spread any false rumors at Cafe Leblanc. "He better not make that mistake again."
Sadly for Sonic, he was unable to beat Falco's high score, delivering an underwhelming performance of epic proportions. The blue hedgehog sat alone on a bench in the arcade, with Lavenza there to comfort him.
"How did you end the game with only zero points?" Lavenza asked Sonic; finishing a Pac-Man game with zero points sounded impossible, but Sonic somehow made it a reality. "How is that even possible?"
"It was the first time I ever played that particular Pac-Man game," replied Sonic, who was subject to finger-pointing and name-calling and all that good stuff. Or bad stuff. "Give me a break."
"Really made yourself look bad out there." As Lavenza continued to comfort Sonic, Sonic watched as Pac-Man was giving an entire carrot cake to Falco. That carrot cake could've been his...
"Here ya go, Falco - a whole carrot cake, for the champ!" exclaimed Pac-Man as he handed Falco the cake, while those standing around cheered and applauded. Falco rubbed his hands together as Pac-Man placed the cake in front of him.
"Of course, I can't enjoy this cake without my main man," stated Falco, and that was Fox's cue to join Falco. But as Fox got up, he was quickly brought back down to his seat by Krystal.
"Sit back down...you'll have some of the cake later," Krystal said to Fox, who grumpily folded his arms as Falco had no choice but to eat the cake without his best friend at his side.
Ms. Pac-Man: Oh darn...my carrot cake has gone missing! I asked Pac-Man about it, and he insists that it magically disappeared. Normally I would've entertained his silly thoughts, but I was too upset at the moment. Baking another carrot cake might make me feel better!
Arcade Bunny: *smiling as he rubs his stomach* Mhmm, mhmm, mhmm! That carrot cake really hit the spot. Just don't know how Ms. Pac-Man does it! I should totally come over to Pac-Man's house for dinner from now on - anything to keep away from Chef Kawasaki.
"Wasn't he amazing?" asked Wendy Koopa as she approached Sonic, who didn't want to hear any positive talk about Falco's performance. "I can't believe we were so enthralled by a video game. We must be so easily amazed."
"You know, Sonic, people respect you when they're good at something," Lavenza said to the blue hedgehog, trying to give him a small pep talk. "You can get the respect you deserve by being good at that Pac-Man game."
"Earn respect by being good at eating ghosts, eh?" Sonic asked Lavenza, whose pep talk seemingly worked as Sonic's spirits were slowly lifted. Sonic stood up from the bench, facing the Pac-Attack arcade game with renewed confidence.
"As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect!" So Sonic went back to the Pac-Attack arcade game and stuck another token into the coin slot. The blue hedgehog planned on redeeming himself - no matter how many times he failed.
For those of you who have never played it before, Pac-Attack was a falling tile game, much like Tetris and Dr. Mario. Basically, all you had to do was clear out blocks and ghosts without stacking them at the top of the playfield. For folks like Falco, it was a doozy...but for others such as Sonic, not so much.
"Slowly and steady..." said Sonic, lowering the blocks down the screen only to create massive a pileup. Wasn't even able to land the Pac-Man yet. Sonic was left disappointed, as he banged his fists.
"Try again - but this time, use your brain," Lavenza said to Sonic, who took another crack at Pac-Attack. This time, Sonic was using his brain, placing the blocks and ghosts carefully as opposed to dropping them down all willy-nilly. And it was working!
"Almost there..." Sonic was about to drop the Pac-Man, and once the Pac-Man landed it started eating all the blue ghosts. A step in the right direction for Sonic, who celebrated by cheering and pumping his fist.
"Good job! Now do it a second time." So Sonic kept on playing, and he was more meticulous at the game than before. His impressive play caught the attention of a sharply-dressed man with silver hair.
"Well, not bad, not bad," the man said to Sonic, as he was impressed by how well the blue hedgehog was playing. "I see that you've got some skill."
"Some? What do you mean some?" Sonic paused his game as he looked at the man, not even bothering to take the time to admire how sharp he looked. "Who are you to talk to me like that?"
"Lee Chaolan's the name - Pac-Man invited me to see his arcade." Lee went over to Pac-Attack, smiling as he admired the game. "Ah, Pac-Attack...truly a favorite of mine. Why don't I show you how it's done?"
Cloud and Denzel were in the library, as Cloud was showing Denzel around. Little did the two know that Mario was secretly spying on them, being as discreet as possible. Mario was sitting at a table, holding a book over his face.
"Why does this library have a vending machine?" Denzel asked Cloud as he came across a vending machine, one that carried energy drinks. "Don't we already have a room for that kind of stuff?"
"Master Hand basically designed this placed after a college library," replied Cloud, as Mario was peeking from behind the book that he was holding. "His trip to the University of Washington was a mistake in retrospect..."
"Pardon me," Gil said to Cloud and Denzel, who both stepped out of the way as Gil took out a card and flashed it in front of Denzel. "Librarian privileges, Denzel...it's pretty neat."
"If you say so," responded Denzel, as Gil stuck the card in where the money would usually go before taking it right out. When Cloud looked around the library, Mario quickly hid his eyes behind his book.
"Didn't know you were a Hunger Games fan, Mario," Cloud said to the plumber, as he quickly recognized where Mario was sitting at. Those white gloves of Mario's were the dead giveaway.
"Hunger Games?" Mario furrowed his brow as he lowered the book from his face before glancing at the book cover in confusion. "This book-a is clearly called Catching Fire."
"I'll give you an hour max to figure it out...let's go, Denzel." Cloud led Denzel out of the library, not wanting Mario to be constantly keeping tabs on him. Mario slammed his book down to the table and got up, as he was on the move.
"Kazuya was right - Gatorade does taste wack if you hadn't worked up a sweat," remarked Gil as he was drinking from a bottle of Gatorade...which Mario knocked out of his hand when he ran past by. "Hey Mario, I was drinking that!"
Sonic and Lee were having a duel in Pac-Attack, to see which man was superior at the arcade game. So far, it appeared as if Sonic had the edge.
"C'mon, Lee!" grunted Lee, who made a fatal move that caused him to lose, which led to a "Game Over" screen. Humbly admitting defeat, Lee gave Sonic a conceding smile. "Well, I gotta hand it to you, Sonic. You play better than you look."
"Okay...?" replied Sonic as he eyed around, wondering if Lee was trying to make him feel some type of way. Lee handed Sonic a card - a Violet Systems business card, to be exact.
"Stop by my office in the Bahamas if you wanna hang. No charge!" As Lee walked away, he heard his phone ring as he promptly answered the call. "Yes, Lee Chaolan? No, Lars, you can't have any of my fancy suits!"
Lee Chaolan: Pac-Man should be grateful that I took the time out of my busy day to be among the first to check out his arcade. Of course, I never would've known if he didn't send me an invite! That said, if Kazuya pops up, then I won't be around much longer...
Kazuya: What's that? Lee Chaolan is over at Pac-Man's? Why are you telling me this like I'm supposed to care?
Pac-Man: Lee Chaolan is one of the two guys that I wanted to personally invite to see my arcade. The other guy should be here soon. He was kind enough to let me borrow his arcade game!
"What was that all about?" wondered Sonic as he glanced at the back of the Violet Systems business card, only to gasp when he saw the words, "Lee Chaolan thinks you're awesome" inscribed. "Cool, respect! Time for me to gain more!"
Link, Zelda, and Guile were at the Veterans Memorial Cemetary, paying their respects to the fallen men and women who served their country. The trio did this by placing an American flag at every grave; many graves already came with a flag, but Guile didn't mind.
"Guile? Is everything alright?" Link asked the Major, who had a tear running down his face as he stood in front of a grave. Anytime that Guile was tearing up, it was always a serious sign.
"Don't mind me, I was just being very sentimental," replied Guile, wiping away the tear to keep his serious visage intact. He hated that the Hylians saw him shedding a tear. "Link, I want you to kiss this tombstone."
"Kiss the tombstone? For what?" Link wouldn't care to commit such an act out in the public, especially when a few folks were visiting the cemetery.
"Just do it. Do it for me. Do it for America!" Guile triumphantly raised his fist up high, citing America as a means to make Link get over himself. But Link was very much reluctant.
"Do it now and be done with it," Zelda whispered to Link, nudging the Hylian forward; Link looked nervously at Zelda, before bravely marching forward towards the grave.
"Have at it, Link." Guile stepped out of the way, as Link faced the tombstone and knelt down. Taking a brief look around, Link slowly leaned in close to the tombstone. Just when his lips were about to make contact...
"Hey! What are you doing, kissing our grandma's grave?" a woman angrily shouted at Link, who stood up and saw a bunch of angry women standing around.
"Look ma'am, I was just paying my respects..." Link defended herself, as the woman and her sisters looked ready to lay the smackdown on the Hylian. "...Guile, save me!"
"Clark D. Smith...your sacrifice for this great country will never be forgotten," Guile said to a random tombstone, giving it an honorary salute. He was away from Link and was in no mood for saving the Hylian from a world of hurt.
"Get over here!" the woman shouted at Link, as the mob of angry sisters chased after Link. Zelda idly stood by, watching as her husband was being chased around the cemetery.
Mario was on the hunt for Cloud and Denzel, and would soon find the duo hanging out at Cafe Leblanc as he took a peek inside. It was there at the cafe that Pit was doing something that Dark Pit he wouldn't do...
"Dark Pit is cheating on Flora with Adeleine," Pit said to the baristas and patrons alike, although many of them rightfully assumed that the angel was making things up. "Saw it with my own two eyes."
"That's good Pit - now get back to work," Joker said to the angel, as he had no time for Pit's nonsense - part of him had wished that it took Pit forever to get that coffee creamer.
Sans: got no skin in the game, but imagine if dark pit was cheating on flora as a feline...that would make him a cheetah. *snickers*
"What do you think of this shocking development, Kirby?" Pit asked the pink puffball, curious as to how his best friend felt about Adeleine "mingling" with Dark Pit. Honestly, Kirby was feeling very neutral.
"I couldn't care less," replied Kirby, leading Pit to gasp and clutch his pearls - that wasn't the kind of answer that Pit wanted to hear. "If true, then that's Dark Pit's business, not mine.
"You couldn't care less about Dark Pit stealing your woman? Your future wife?!" None of Pit's words mattered that much to Kirby, who just kept on working while Pit remained shocked as ever.
"Leave it alone Pit - your stupid pipe dream is never becoming a reality," Cloud said to Pit, who looked despondent as he resumed working himself. Mario was taking a closer peek at Cloud and Denzel, as Joker spotted the plumber at the entrance.
"Oh, Mario!" Joker called out to the plumber, as he grabbed a bag of coffee mix and held it up for Mario to see. "Got that new coffee mix. Strawberry hazelnut, just like you requested."
"Ack!" Mario shrieked as he ran away from the cafe after being spotted; Cloud turned back and saw that Mario was already gone, before turning back around and shaking his head.
Sonic was playing Pac-Attack with some of the other folks in the arcade, and he was absolutely killing it. So much so, that he gained respect from anyone that he beat. Falco, who was away from the arcade for a brief period of time, returned and saw Sonic dominating at Pac-Attack.
"Oh, look, if it isn't Mr. Zero Points," smirked Falco, who still couldn't believe how any living being could be so spectacularly bad at a Pac-Man game. "Guess I'll have to beat you again."
"Well, why don't you come over here and try, then?" Sonic challenged Falco, ready enough to redeem himself from his earlier colossal failure. Falco was game, looking to embarrass Sonic a second time.
"You got yourself a rematch." And so it was on - Sonic the Hedgehog vs Falco Lombardi, part two. Which man would come out victorious?
The women laid a beatdown on poor Link, giving the Hylian a black eye as well as a few bruises. Link hoped that he wouldn't get beat up at the homeless shelter, which was the next destination that Guile desired to go to.
"We would like access into your homeless shelter please," Guile said to the person standing at the front door, who didn't know what to make of Link and Zelda. He was less judgemental of Guile.
"Only you, right?" the man asked, as he had his doubts about the Hylian couple accompanying Guile. That's when Guile leaned in close to the man, letting him know that he meant business.
"I am a Major in the Air Forces...just letting you know who you're dealing with." Guile's attempt to scare the man worked to perfection, as the man opened the door to the homeless shelter.
"W-Works for me! You and your friends come on inside!" So Guile and the Hylians entered the homeless shelter, with Guile nodding towards the man out of respect. Once Guile and company were inside, the man let out a sigh of relief.
Link: A veteran cemetery...that's the last place that anyone would expect to get beat up at. If I catch hands at this homeless shelter, then I just might quit for the rest of the day.
The homeless shelter was full of, well, homeless people, and there was plenty of them inside. Guile was particularly looking for a homeless veteran as he, Link, and Zelda had their eyes peeled.
"Chances are that a homeless veteran will be wearing an army jacket," Guile said to Link and Zelda, as the trio walked through the rows of beds littered about. Soon they came across two homeless men chatting with each other - and one of them was wearing a green army jacket!
"I'll take this place over living under the highway, any day of the week," the man wearing the army jacket said to his homeless compatriot, enjoying the warmth that the homeless shelter provided.
"Amen - you won't see me back there anytime soon!" the other homeless man replied with a chuckle, only to stifle his laugh when he saw Guile and company approaching him. "Uh, I gotta go fluff my pillow."
"Fluff your pillow? At this time of day?" The man wearing the army jacket watched as his friend retreated, as he started to feel lonely. The loneliness was short-lived, however, when Guile and company drew near.
"Good afternoon, good sir," Guile said to the man in the army jacket, giving him a salute. Link and Zelda just gave a friendly wave. "I see that you're wearing an army jacket. Have you served in the military?"
"Erm, yes...yes I have! Earnest is the name." Does that name ring a bell? Earnest stood upright, cracking a smile as he let Guile and company see how confident he was. "How are you?"
"We're fine, thank you for asking," replied Zelda, as Earnest took a gander at the princess. It wasn't until he got a good look at Link that Earnest was at edge.
"You...you must be the older brother to that pointy-eared boy!" Earnest was pointing at Link, his arm trembling mightily as Link was taken back by the homeless man's accusation. "Look just like him..."
"At ease, at ease..." Guile said to Earnest as he calmed the homeless man down, gently guiding him away from a bewildered Link. "...how about we discuss your background? We'll have a nice chit-chat over there."
"Yes, that would be lovely..." So Earnest walked with Guile to a far corner of the homeless shelter as Zelda looked at Link all amused. Link gave a shrug in response, as he and Zelda followed after Guile and Earnest.
"So tell me, Earnest...what branch of the army did you serve in? How did you end up homeless?" Guile knew that Earnest would have a lot to say, as he was willing to listen to the homeless veteran all day long.
"Used to work in the ordnance - retired in my early forties. This here army jacket is one of the only two jackets that I own. As for how I ended up homeless..."
"Something wrong?" Guile saw that Earnest had stopped speaking, for Earnest was spooked by Link. Zelda, on the other hand, wasn't as scary. "Ignore my friends...keep going."
"Okay, um...when I retired, I was broke when I came back to the States. Had no money, no insurance, nothing! And my lady found another man while I was overseas, left me heartbroken...it was rough."
"Well, maybe this small gift of ours can cheer you up. Guile beckoned to Link and Zelda, who came forth to Earnest as Link held the box of small American flags. Link took one out and handed it to Earnest.
"Thank you for your service, Earnest," Link said to the homeless veteran, who was iffy about accepting the flag. Would be a much different story if Zelda was holding it instead.
"Y-You're not gonna accuse me of killing a famous boxer, are you?" Earnest asked Link as a precaution, as Link eyed around the homeless shelter. Link's lack of response told Earnest all he needed to know, as he accepted the flag. "In that case, thank you, good sir!"
"Feel a lot better now, Guile?" Zelda asked the Major, as she placed a hand on his back. Given that Guile never smiled, it was hard to gauge his happiness.
"I feel awfully accomplished," replied Guile, who could go back home a happy man. A happy family man. "But my work is not yet done."
"What more do you have to do? Anywhere else you want to go?" A third destination for today meant another place for Link to potentially get beat up. It was a miracle the homeless folk hadn't messed with the Hylian.
"That otter you were doing business with during the holidays, what was her name? I feel like Earnest here deserves more than just a flag..."
Sonic was prevailing over Falco so far in his Pac-Attack duel, as he was much far ahead than his avian competitor. Even Falco had to acknowledge how good at the game Sonic had gotten.
"Alright, I'll admit, you're pretty good," the avian pilot said to Sonic, who was in the groove as his score was growing exponentially. All of those who were spectating were quick to notice.
"Woah, Sonic, you're really good!" Tails said to his best friend, amazed by how well Sonic was doing. Tails' words of encouragement were always a huge motivator for Sonic. "You're close to beating the high score!"
"Really?" asked Sonic, as he saw what his current score was - to his amazement, his score was 950,000. 1,275,640 was the highest score.
"Wait, who holds the high score?" Lee asked Pac-Man, standing next to the eater of ghosts with his dapper sense of style.
"Some dude who goes by the initials 'RUN,'" Pac-Man responded with a smile, choosing to keep the record holder's identity a secret.
"Thanks, now I can follow along and feel invested. Go for it, Sonic!" Go for it Sonic did, as he kept on playing until he got the newest high score.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Sonic, after seeing that his current score was 1,279,000. Falco, choosing to acknowledge Sonic's greatness, gave Sonic a high-five as everyone cheered for Sonic.
"So you've broken the world record, have you?"
The euphoria in the arcade came to a stop, as there was a man who had just arrived at the arcade staring down at Sonic. The man wore a yellow jumpsuit, sunglasses, and a helmet. And he was ticked.
"Yeah, who's asking?" asked Sonic, whose attention was soon drawn to the man in the jumpsuit. This man was unfamiliar to a majority of people in the arcade, except for a certain swordsman who first saw this man at Pac-Man's brunch in episode 278.
"It's Runner!" exclaimed Lloyd Irving as he pointed at the man in the jumpsuit, having no clue as to why he was so excited. "The man with no real name!"
"Runner is my real name, Lloyd..." Runner informed Lloyd, as he was still staring down at Sonic. Almost like he had a beef to settle with the blue hedgehog.
"Runner? As in like, the initials RUN?" Sonic asked Runner, who smiled as he nodded his head. Runner was apparently the (former) record holder. "You're not mad at me for breaking your world record, are you?"
"It's no big deal - not like it's the universe record or anything important," Runner said in a bragging manner, only to later take back words upon seeing that no one was impressed. "That was hyperbole, but my point stands."
Pac-Man: The Pac-Attack game was originally at Runner's home, in his man cave. Asked him - kindly, mind you - if I could have the game for my arcade. Nearly cost me a fortune! Why that man wanted 500 grand in exchange for a measly arcade game, I will never understand.
"Now who holds that world record again? Oh yeah, me!" Runner continued, almost as if he expected everyone to admire his greatness and kiss his feet. But nobody did such a thing, much to his dismay.
"Hey, Guy-With-No-Real-Name!" Sonic shouted at Runner, who was immensely triggered by the moniker that was given to him. "Look, we're gonna settle this right now. Us versus you in a head-to-head match."
"Fine. One game for the world record. Winner gets all the respect. Let's play!"
Mario had followed Cloud and Denzel everywhere - followed them at the library, followed them to Cafe Leblanc, and now the plumber found the duo at the mansion's arcade room. There, Cloud was having a word with the Arcade Bunny while Denzel was playing an arcade game by himself.
"It's so weird...like the machine grew legs and left in the middle of the night!" the Arcade Bunny discussed with Cloud concerning the missing Pac-Mania arcade game. "Asked Pac-Man about it, but he had no clue."
"No way you can be that gullible," responded Cloud, as the swordsman was being spied upon by Mario, who was hiding behind an arcade machine. "Did you try asking him again?"
"I did, but then I was distracted by his carrot cake...his wife's carrot cake. Ms. Pac-Man sure knows how to cook!" The Arcade Bunny, thinking of the cake, smiled as he rubbed his stomach.
"I'm sure she does..." Cloud stopped speaking for a brief moment, using his sixth sense to detect someone spying on him. "...come on out, Mario, I know you're there."
"Who is this 'Mario' you speak of?" Mario asked in a funny voice, as Cloud looked towards the direction that Mario's voice came from. Yosuke approached the arcade machine Mario was hiding behind, frowning.
"Move it or lose it pal!" the young man frowned at Mario, kicking the plumber out of his way. Mario would soon find himself standing in front of Cloud, with nowhere else to run.
"Had a feeling you were on our scent..." Cloud said to the nervously smiling Mario, hoping that the plumber knew how much in the wrong he was. "...a very persistent one, aren't you?"
"Cloud, I got my name on the high score list!" Denzel exclaimed to Cloud; his excitement would be tempered, as he saw Cloud dealing with Mario.
"You know, a good dad would play that game-a with his adopted son," Mario said to Cloud, in an ill-advised attempt to guilt trip the swordsman. But Cloud wouldn't fall for it that easily.
"And an even better dad would leave other dads alone, and spend time with their family," Cloud clapped back at Mario, who was put in his place as he had no retort to even the odds. "How are Peach and Jennifer doing?"
Peach: Mario hasn't made it back yet; I hope that Cloud isn't giving him the cold shoulder. That only makes Mario even more emboldened to reel Cloud over to his side.
Spyro: While Mario and Peach are having fun at Pac-Man's arcade, we're stuck babysitting Jennifer. Could've brought the kid with us, but Mario argued that she wasn't "old enough" for arcades.
Hunter: Not old enough? That's a lame excuse if I ever heard one. But you know what's more pressing than watching over Jennifer? Figuring out why Cloud chose to start a family with Tifa out of wedlock.
Spyro: *sighs* You're never gonna let that go, are ya?
"I just wanted to learn-a from you...by seeing you in action," admitted Mario, sounding apologetic in his tone. Cloud tried to see it from Mario's perspective, although it was hard for him.
"Is that why you wanted me to be at Pac-Man's new arcade?" asked Cloud, in disbelief of how desperate Mario had become. "How about we make a deal..."
"What kind of deal?" Mario perked up, as Cloud knelt down a bit so that he could speak to Mario man-to-man. "You coming or what?"
"Next week, Barret and I will show you how a real father acts. And we're doing this on my time. And maybe Barret's time, I guess. Got it?"
"I can work-a with those terms. You got yourself a deal." Mario was destined to be a great dad with Barret and, surprisingly, Cloud, showing him the ways. "You still coming to the arcade?"
"Denzel?" Cloud looked towards Denzel, letting the boy have the final say. Cloud was partially wishing that Denzel would answer no, but fate was only in Denzel's hands.
"After we play that ninja turtle game, we can check out the other arcade," replied Denzel, as Mario's dream of having Cloud and Denzel at Pac-Man's arcade was now finally a reality. "And you'll be Player Two, Cloud."
"Then so be it..." Cloud stood back up, as Denzel went to go see if the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle arcade game was available. "...word of the wise, Mario: sometimes you're better off letting your kid decide what they want."
"Even if your daughter wants-a to play pretend princess parties with you?" asked Mario, as Cloud lightly smirked; Mario could see a bunch of princess parties with Jennifer in his future.
Dark Pit was alone by himself him the hallway, digging through his fingernail as he stood near a bathroom. Flora came down the hallway, lowering her head when she saw Dark Pit.
"Why do you look so scared?" Dark Pit asked Flora, who froze in place as she mustered the courage to look Dark Pit in the eye. "Master Hand's back to badmouthing ya?"
"You're not...seeing other girls, are you?" Flora meekly asked Dark Pit, wanting to hear the answer from the horse's mouth. Dark Pit was offended at first but then figured out why Flora thought as such.
"You actually believe that I'm seeing Adeleine in secret?" The look-away from Flora suggested that the maid thought the rumor was legit. "If it makes you feel any better, Pit started that rumor."
"Oh, well in that case...sorry for bothering you, then." Flora bowed apologetically before Dark Pit, before continuing on her way. Dark Pit sighed after Flora had left, as Adeleine exited the bathroom.
"The paintbrush...is MINE!" Adeleine shouted at Jigglypuff, as she pulled her paintbrush out of the balloon Pokemon's grasp. Must've been one heck of a tug-of-war battle. "Go find your own paintbrush to paint the bathroom mirrors with."
"Jigglypuff Jigglypuff!" Jigglypuff frowned at Adeleine, blowing a raspberry at the artist before storming off. Adeleine saw Dark Pit standing by, appreciating him for staying at his post.
"Thanks for keeping anyone out of the bathroom, Dark Pit! Didn't want the others to see that. Thought that I would've needed some backup!"
Runner, who took pride in holding the world record at Pac-Attack, was playing against Sonic to reclaim and hold unto his glory. But unfortunately for him, he was no match for Sonic. You could say that he simply couldn't keep up.
"Dude, why are you crying?" Sonic asked Runner, who was crying his eyes out; the sting of defeat must be too hard for Runner to handle.
"Please, please just let me win..." Runner pleaded to Sonic, who didn't like how much of a drama queen the jumpsuit man was acting.
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Sonic wouldn't concede to anyone who was that desperate to win - so desperate that they would be such a crybaby.
"I've devoted my entire life to Pac-Attack. I played so much that my wife and kids left me!" Runner had struck a chord within the crowd, who were murmuring among themselves in sympathy.
"So you're asking me to throw the game?"
"Please, the world record is all I have."
"What do you think?" Sonic quietly spoke with Lavenza, who was standing at the blue hedgehog's side the entire time he was playing Pac-Attack. "Nobody's gonna respect me if I wuss out now."
"It's not wussing out, Sonic," Lavenza whispered back, while Runner cried even harder; the crowd was murmuring in sympathy even more. "It's called doing the right thing."
"Fine..." So Sonic took his hands away from the arcade machine and backed away, as his score was 1,250,000. Not a very bad showing from the blue blur. "...okay dude, I'll let you have it."
"Thank you so much..." Runner kept on playing, only to let out a diabolical laugh that had Sonic second doubting himself. "...thank you for being so dumb!"
"What?" Sonic couldn't believe that he allowed himself to be played - and by a man who allegedly had no real name, no less.
"I didn't devote my life to this cruddy game, it's just a hobby."
"But what about your wife? Or your children?"
"Never had a family. You can't tie Runner down - he just keeps on running!"
"You can't do that, that's cheating!"
"Universe rules, baby. There are no rules." The crowd booed Runner, who waved them off as he kept on playing. "Oh, boo yourselves!"
Pac-Man: Should've known that Runner was lying about having a wife and kids! If he did have a family, I would've known about it beforehand. *pauses* Why didn't I speak up sooner?
"Aww, this blows!" Sonic complained to Lavenza, as Runner was on a quest to break Sonic's score and reclaim his spot at the top of the throne. "We gotta do something before he beats my score."
"Say no more, Sonic..." said a certain avian pilot, as Sonic was suddenly approached by Falco. Falco wasn't alone, for he was joined by Fox. "...he said no rules, right?"
"Krystal finally took the leash off of me," Fox said to Sonic, feeling like a free man now that he was away from his wife. And Marcus. "How about we mess up Runner for ya, Sonic?"
"Go for it!" Sonic gave the green light to the pilots, who went over to Runner; Fox and Falco stood at either side of Runner, leaning in close to his ear.
"Mess up, c'mon, mess up!" Falco said to Runner, as he tried to throw the jumpsuit man off his game.
"You know you're no match for Sonic," Fox said to Runner, who could only laugh at the pilot. But why was he laughing?
" It doesn't matter," proclaimed Runner, as there was a new high score for Pac-Attack. Runner had prevailed. "I've already beaten Sonic's score and taken the title and I'm never coming back.
"Wait, the game's still going!" exclaimed Lee, as the Pac-Attack arcade game made a noise. The game was still going, which meant that there was an opportunity for Sonic to take back his title.
"No, it can't be!" Oh, but it was, as Sonic had a renewed sense of hope in him. This was Sonic's chance to turn back the tide, as he ran to Pac-Attack and picked up right where he left off.
"C'mon, c'mon!" said Sonic, as he was looking to beat Runner's score. Runner tried to pull Sonic away from the arcade machine, only to be apprehended by Fox and Falco.
"Back off!" Falco shouted at Runner, hitting the jumpsuit man in the shin; Fox went one step further, as he kicked Runner below the belt.
"Ow!" Runner yelped in pain, hands over his crotch as Sonic furiously kept on playing. Sonic kept on playing until he reached a new high score - 1,300,000.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Sonic as he held his hand towards Lavenza, mostly out of pure instinct...and Lavenza, surprisingly, gave Sonic a high five. Albeit an extremely light one. Meanwhile, Runner was left in shambles.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Runner yelled at the top of his lungs out of despair and defeat, before collapsing unto the floor. Pac-Man quietly tiptoed over to Runner, checking to see if the jumpsuit man was okay.
"It's okay everyone, he just fainted," Pac-Man assured the crowd, grabbing Runner by his feet and dragging him to a corner of the arcade. "I'll call a ride and have them pick Runner up." Once Pac-Man was out of the picture, the crowd began cheering for Sonic.
"Great job, you did it!" Lee said to Sonic, giving the blue hedgehog the recognition that he deserved. Another person who wished to give Sonic recognition was Falco, who was holding out his hand.
"Congratulations, Sonic," congratulated Falco, as Sonic shook the avian pilot's hand...only for Falco to bring Sonic closer to him. "But just so you know, I'm still the best Pac-Man player around here..."
"Know what...I can respect that," replied Sonic, causing Falco to smirk as the handshake came to an end. Once Falco left and the crowd dispersed, Sonic looked towards Lavenza, who responded with a smile.
"Probably won't be staying for long, so don't get your hopes up, Mario," Cloud said to the plumber, who led Cloud and Denzel to Pac-Man's arcade. Mario's dream was truly realized. "What game do you want to play first, Denzel?"
"We could play that one," replied Denzel as he pointed at the Pac-Mania arcade game, which was available for anyone to play. "Heh, looks like it was stolen from the mansion."
"I DIDN'T STEAL PAC-MANIA FROM THE MANSION!" Pac-Man yelled after overhearing Denzel, as he brought unnecessary attention to himself. Fearing that he might've inadvertently outed himself, Pac-Man hoisted Runner over his shoulders and left the arcade.
"Pac-Mania it is, then," said Cloud, as he and Denzel went to go play some Pac-Mania. That left Mario alone with Sonic, who was raring to play Pac-Attack one last time.
"Wanna play Pac-Attack?" Sonic offered to Mario, seeing the plumber as a worthy last opponent - a rival who wouldn't shed crocodile tears over a game.
"Long as I get-a to be Player One," replied Mario, who desired to be Player One before the end of the day. "You can respect that, can't you?"
"Yeah, sure! This is my last round, so I might not go easy on ya!" So Sonic and Mario approached the Pac-Attack arcade game, with Sonic inserting a token into the coin slot.
Sonic might've learned today what respect really was.