Author's Note:

Splatoon 3 is here, after a few months of hype and plenty of Anarchy Rainbow. There's a Splatoon-related poll on my profile page (which is related to this chapter, I might add), so remember to vote for that after you're done reading. Only one vote per person. Only two reviews this time around, this one from A JRPG enjoyer:

"You know, about that Astral Chain redux chapter, you once said that you wanted to have an appearance by the Astral Chain cast in the Trails from Zero chapter. Trails from Zero is coming on September 27. That's the perfect spot for the Astral Chain chapter. But on another hand, you'll be caught up with Life Is Strange, too. The game will also be released on September 27."

Astral Chain, Trails from Zero, AND Life is Strange? Won't be the first time I covered three or more games in one chapter. No task is ever too big for me, apparently. The other review is from David:

"Is there gonna be a Weirdmageddon themed chapter as the grand finale for the fic in the near future? Will Conker have some scenes with Diddy Kong and Banjo? Have Roxas and Namine had any appearances yet? (Call me slow for asking). A small scene of Pit celebrating the 20th anniversary of Triple H's 'Reign of Terror'? And finally, what did you like and dislike from WWE's Clash at The Castle event?"

The grand finale might be something similar to Weirdmaggedon. Conker will have scenes with those two. Roxas has appeared, but Namine hasn't. No celebration for the Reign of Terror's 20th anniversary. And what did I like about Clash at the Castle? Gunther vs Sheamus. A very hard-hitting affair. Not much that I disliked about the pay-per-view...I mean, premium live event.

Episode 351: Splatfest

Splatfest is a pretty common special event that takes place in Inkopolis. It was an event in which Inklings and Octolings alike choose two teams, and fight each other to the death to see which team comes out on top victorious.

...okay, well, they don't necessarily fight to the death; it's hard to do that whenever paint is involved. But a Splatfest is just another excuse for the civilians of Inkopolis to have epic turf wars for team supremacy. This kind of event was initially held by the Squid Sisters, and then Off the Hook took over the hosting duties a few years later.

This time around, the Splatfest had a group of new hosts to lead the event - the hottest band on the block, Deep Cut. Consisting of Octoling Shiver, Inkling Fyre, and manta ray Big Man, this dynamic trio hosted the Anarchy Splatcast, Splatsville's resident news show. Deep Cut was set to host a Splatfest today...and the male and female Inklings were invited.

"Can you take us to Splatsville, pretty please?" the female Inkling begged Proto Man, as she and her male counterpart had the robot cornered in the living room. Proto Man was nagged for almost an hour.

"You can't make me," replied Proto Man, stuck in the corner of the living room as he had absolutely nowhere to go. The Inklings blocked off all his escape routes. "Why can't you ask my friends instead?"

"We did ask them, and they all declined," replied the male Inkling, as he was slowly putting the pressure on Proto Man. "So you're our last hope." Proto Man had ought to do what was asked of him.

"Look, I don't care for this Splatfest, or whatever. What's so special about it anyway?" Rather than educating Proto Man, the female Inkling backed away from the robot as she grabbed the TV remote.

"Why don't we show you?" the female Inkling asked Proto Man, turning the TV on and looking for a specific channel. The channel that the female Inkling found had the show Anarchy Splatcast, and on the screen were Deep Cut - Shiver, Frye, and Big Man.

"Listen up! It's going down..." said Shiver, who was sitting next to Frye while Big Man was positioned behind a television screen. "...repping the Splatlands, we are DEEP CUT!"

"Anarchy Splatcast! We're live!" announced Frye, expressing her excitement as she raised her fists in the air. Proto Man stared at the program in confusion.

Proto Man: Are you serious? A Splatoon channel? Since when did we ever have a channel for Splatoon?! How do we have so many of these random channels? This is just like that time Falco told me about that black and white period piece old lady boring movie channel. Actual channel name, by the way. Though it's nothing compared to that "scary" movie channel Yukiko showed me a few weeks ago.

"Ay! Ay!" exclaimed Big Man - much like how Crash can only say "Woah!", Big Man can only say "Ay!". But at least Shiver and Frye could understand the manta ray - otherwise, it would make for bad (or amusing) television.

"Uh? What's got your fins aflapping?" Shiver asked Big Man, who had just announced some breaking news. The Inklings, who were unable to understand Big Man, were huddled close to the television while Proto Man remained confused.

"Yes, yes, YES! A new Splatfest!" cheered Fyre, as details about today's Splatfest appeared on Big Man's television screen. "And with three teams! Party time!" Three teams in a Splatfest only meant more fun...chaos.

"Wait until you hear what the theme is," said Shiver, with three teams appearing on the screen. One team had a symbol of a brain; another team had a symbol of an eye with mascara; the third was a symbol of muscle flexing. "Which one is the best? Beauty, brains, brawn!"

"Beauty, obviously," answered the male Inkling, as his female counterpart gave him a weird look. The male Inkling backpedaled real quick as he took a few steps back.

"YES! We'll finally know which one is the all-time winner!" exclaimed Fyre, already eager and excited to see how the Splatfest will go down.

"If you ask me, beauty wins out every time," stated Shiver, as if she was speaking facts; the male Inkling silently agreed with Shiver as he nodded his head when the female Inkling wasn't looking. "You look good, you play good."

"I'ma stop you right there," Fyre said to Shiver like she was ready to deliver an epic counterargument that would leave her co-host in shambles. "If that's all you got, consider me Team Brains! The brain gives you the intelligence to succeed at just about anything!"

"Ay!" exclaimed Big Man, expressing his allegiance to Team Brawn - while also saying a few colorful words that had Shiver and Frye gasp in shock.

"Woah, cool it Big Man!" Shiver said to the manta ray, breaking the fourth wall as she pointed at the audience. Is breaking the fourth wall a thing in a breaking news broadcast? "Little kids might be watching."

"Ay...Ay! Ay!" After making his on-air apology, Big Man presented his case for why he was rocking with Team Brawn, and his explanation had Frye hooked.

"Big Man...that is the most compelling argument I've heard," said Frye, showing the viewing audience how much of a turncoat she was. Way to be fickle, Frye - you should know better. "I'm sold!"

"Whatever - no point in having brawn if you don't have beauty," chuckled Shiver, sticking with Team Beauty all the way. No argument from her co-hosts was gonna make her flip-flop like a pancake. "You'd probably be even worse off if you had brawn and no brain!"

"Ooh, you have a point there," Frye said to Shiver - was she about to switch sides again? "I'm back to Team Brains! I've got all the smarts!" Frye was really setting a bad example for the viewers back home.

"Ay!" exclaimed Big Man, letting Shiver and Frye know that Team Brawn was going to take the crown at Splatfest. He was sure that it will be a decisive victory.

"And that's it for now," said Shiver, ready to bring the breaking news segment to an end before things got heated on the set. "Make sure to get your votes in!"

"You do NOT wanna miss this!" added Frye, as the Inklings were both excited; they wouldn't want to miss this Splatfest for the world.

"From Splatsville, that's a wrap." Shiver stood up, along with Frye, as the three co-hosts were about to sign off. Once Deep Cut struck their poses and said "catch ya later!" in unison, the breaking news segment finally concluded, with the female Inkling turning off the TV.

"So, Proto Man? You gonna take us to Splatsville or what?" the female Inkling asked the robot, hoping that seeing Deep Cut changed his mind. Proto Man saw the Inklings both smiling at him, as he let out an exasperated sigh.

Master Hand and company had a mostly swell visit to the All-Star Manor, as neither Polygon Man nor the manor residents gave them any problems. Well, except for one person...Kratos. Kratos, as his past appearances have proven, had a huge hankering for beating up people - and even killing them! Mario was with Link in his backyard, discussing with the Hylian how fortunate he was to make it past Kratos alive.

"Kratos nearly sliced-a my arm off," Mario said to Link, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a nasty scar on his right arm. The plumber was fortunate that the wound wasn't deeper. "As you can see, the cut-a is nearly fully healed."

"Heh, that's nothing compared to what he did to me," said Link, lifting up his tunic to reveal a giant gash in his midsection. The sight of the wound was enough to make Mario gasp. "It's better if you don't ask how I survived..."

"Mario, Link! Some good news!" the female Inkling shouted to the duo, as she and the male Inkling ran over. Link hastily pulled his tunic down. "Proto Man is gonna take us to Spatsville for the Splatfest!"

"You mean Inkopolis." Link was under the impression that the Splatfest was going to take place in Inkopolis, the usual site for such events. The Hylian feared that he was possibly misinformed.

"Uh, sure, but the Splatfest will happen in Splatsville for the most part. Deep Cut is gonna be hosting, and there will be three teams! It's gonna be fun."

"Will-a Judd be attending the Splatfest?" Mario asked the Inklings, as he had a major bone to pick with the cat. The plumber was still salty about losing that rap battle with Pearl in episode 83, although most of the salt has eroded away over time.

Mario: Judd robbed-a me of a decisive victory in that rap-a battle. Disqualifying me for simply dropping the mic? Since when-a was dropping the mic ever against rap-a battling rules?! You know what I should-a do? I gonna tweet-a my displeasure about Judd.
Cloud: *approaches Mario from behind*
Mario: You heard-a me right! I'm gonna jump-a on social media and I'm gonna tweet about Judd until-a my fingers bleed! Heck, I might even send-a him an Instagram, or a Vine!
Cloud: "Send him an Instagram?" You're gonna send Judd an entire social media app? Are you telling me that you don't know how to work social media, Mario?
Mario: I only use-a Facebook...and that's about as far as I'm-a willing to go.

"It's getting close to evening, might-a as well go now," stated Mario, checking the time and seeing that evening time was only a few hours away. "Shall we let-a the others know?"

"Yeah," replied Link as he left Mario's backyard...before retracting his steps and furrowing his brow as he looked at Mario. "I thought that only Zelda was going with us...?"

"Ugh...come back." So Link returned to Mario, and on his way back he saw two heads poking out from Mario's tree. Said heads retracted after being seen.

The Splatfest wasn't the only big event taking place today, for there was a football game about to kick off tonight. The new football season was set to be underway, with the defending Los Angeles Rams hosting the Buffalo Bills in Tinseltown. Master Hand, the massive Seattle Seahawks fan that he was, wanted nothing more than to see the Bills embarrassing the Rams on national television.

Since he had his own digs now, Conker wanted to throw a tailgate party at his house for the game. It was an idea recommended by Sonic, as a way for the squirrel to make himself more open to the mansion residents and tower denizens (among others). Sonic would help out for Conker in a huge way, as he was at the grocery store stocking up for the party.

"Hmm...barbecue, or salt and vinegar," said Sonic as he stood at a shopping cart, left with a tough decision to make between two flavors of potato chips. "Barbecue, or salt and vinegar. Barbecue, or salt and vinegar. Barbecue, or..."

"Why not sea salt and vinegar?" Lavenza asked Sonic, holding up a bag of sea salt and vinegar chips; Sonic made up his mind as he tossed the bag of regular salt and vinegar chips back on the shelf like it was hot trash.

"Lavenza, you are a genius! Don't know what I would've done without you." Sonic took the bag of sea salt and vinegar chips from Lavenza and threw it into the shopping cart. "Guess we can roll with the barbecue chips too."

"Eight hundred...eight hundred and fifty...nine hundred," counted Wario as he strolled through the aisle counting his money. He came across Sonic and saw how full the shopping cart was, almost to the point of overflowing. "...are you paying for all this crap?"

"Kinda tight with money right now; I was hoping that you'd pay for it." Sonic watched as Wario inspected the food in the shopping cart, the blue hedgehog fearing that the fatso would say no.

"Add some tortilla chips and nacho choose to your inventory, and you got a deal!" Wario stuffed the money back in his pocket as he walked away, with Sonic and Lavenza exchanging looks of surprise with one another.

"Oh, wow! Thanks, Wario, I didn't think that you would..." Sonic would soon stop speaking, as Wario came back down the aisle with his own shopping cart...which was even fuller than Sonic's! Wario saw Sonic and Lavenza gawking at him.

"For the record, this isn't for my own party...that squirrel needs all the grub he can get!" Wario carried on with his business, pushing his shopping cart down the aisle. The thought of Wario being generous for once almost made Lavenza want to faint.

Wario: Had another doctor's appointment - my stupid doctor told me that I had to keep on laying off junk food, because of my "health". So I'm gonna spend big bucks and buy as much junk food as possible for Conker's party so that everyone will be eating it in excess and be as unhealthy as me! We'll all be in it together, haha!

Elsewhere at the grocery store, Pac-Man was helping Orson with his grocery shopping for the party. Since Orson seldom held any parties with food, due to him being a ghost, he had no clue what to shop for. And that's where Pac-Man came in.

"No, Orson, we can't have that at Conker's party," Pac-Man said gently to his ghost friend, grabbing the box of sushi from him and placing it back where it originally was. "What do you think this is, a Chinese New Year celebration?"

"I dunno, is it?" asked Orson, as Pac-Man almost wanted to take pity on the ghost. Emphasis on almost. "I'm sorry, I'm not up to date with current events..."

"Chinese New Year already happened bro," Falco said to Orson, standing nearby while eating from a box of sushi in plain sight. The avian pilot quickly hid the box like that would change a thing. "You tell anyone about this, and you're both dead meat..."

"Falco Lombardi! I cannot believe you," Fox said to the avian pilot, approaching his best friend like how a disappointed parent would approach their child. Falco got scared real quick, concealing the sushi behind his back. "How are you gonna eat sushi and not include me in it?"

"You never asked. Glad you came, because I saved some of the best pieces." Falco revealed the box of sushi to Fox, as he and his friend ate from the box together. Pac-Man shook his friend, wondering how the pilots haven't been reprimanded yet.

"The grocery workers must be slacking off today," the eater of ghosts assumed as he turned to Orson. "Amirite, Orson?" To Pac-Man's shock, Orson was nowhere to be found, as the ghost seemingly vanished. "O-Orson? Where did you go?"

As Pac-Man ran off to go find Orson, Layton and Luke entered the grocery store to see how Sonic was coming along with his shopping. When they entered the store, the first thing they saw was Crash beating up store mannequins decked in Seahawks gear.

"Leave them alone, Crash, they're only on display to look fresh!" Crunch said to the younger bandicoot, as he and a few store employees were trying to pry Crash off of one of the mannequins. Coco stood by and watched, before turning her head and seeing Layton and Luke.

"Crash has an unresolved fear of store mannequins," Coco informed Layton and Luke, who watched as Crash tore off the head of a mannequin with just his bare teeth. "It's usually why I'm stuck shopping for his clothes."

"Not the footballs!" Crunch couldn't stop Crash from grabbing a football off the display, and throwing it like he was Peyton Manning. A few shoppers shrieked as the ball flew across the air, only to land in the hands of Sonic.

"Nice spiral, Crash!" Sonic said to the bandicoot, fortunate that he caught the pigskin in the nick of time. The football hitting him square in the face could've potentially broken his nose.

"Don't give him any props, you'll only enable him!" Crunch shouted at Sonic, only to be trampled by Crash as the bandicoot ran over to Sonic and pry the football out of the hedgehog's hands. "See what I mean?"

"Crash, let go! You already had your time!" Sonic was wrangling with Crash over the football, and soon Crash had repossession of the pigskin. Crash then did his best Barry Sanders impersonation, knocking down random shoppers as he ran through the store.

"Hopefully he'll find the goal line soon," Layton said to Luke, as the two detectives maneuvered past the mess Crash had made en route to Sonic and Lavenza. "How's the shopping coming along, you two?"

"We're almost done!" replied Sonic, taking out his shopping list and showing it to Layton and Luke. Only a few items had yet to be scratched off. "Wario even agreed to pay for our groceries."

"Awfully nice of him to do that," Luke said with a very knowing smile...and speaking of Wario, the fatso came into view with so much stuff in his shopping cart that it might topple over. "You're paying for all that stuff, Wario?"

"Only because I have to..." a defeated Wario replied solemnly, taking out a fifty-dollar bill and kissing it like it was a dear child of his. "...gonna miss my sweet dineros." As Wario kissed the fifty-dollar bill, shoppers walked by giving him a judging leer.

"Clearly he has a lot of work to do," Layton whispered to Luke, as Wario was now cradling the fifty-dollar bill close to his face. Wario sure could use a whole bunch of meaningful relationships.

Against his best wishes, Proto Man took the Inklings - as well as Mario, Link, and Zelda - to Splatsville for the Splatfest. The traveling group was greeted with the sound of traditional Japanese, Brazilian, and even Indian music. But Mario and Link weren't the only guests that Proto Man had to bring along, for there was one resident who was looking forward to making a return trip to Inkopolis.

"LET'S GO DEEP CUT!" shouted Pit, standing in the center of Splatsville with the others; the angel only knew about Deep Cut for like a minute, and he was already a stan for the idol group. "Squid Sisters who?! Off the Hook who?!"

"He already embarrassed us in record fashion," Zelda said to Mario, as she looked around and saw Inklings and Octolings alike walking through Spaltsville. A few jellyfish showed up here and there. "Should we give him a sticker?"

"Do I really have to be his chaperone?" asked another person who Proto Man had to bring along...Joker. The young man had left Kirby and Viridi in charge of running Cafe Leblanc in his absence.

"You know that Pit rarely behaves-a in public," Mario reminded Joker, who saw Pit poking a jellyfish in his head without his consent. Joker saw what Mario meant as he sighed. "Pit wanted to go back to Inkopolis, and so I had to grant-a his wish. Even if said-a wish might not be granted."

"Guys, this guy's head is like it's made out of gelatin!" Pit said to Mario and company as he continued poking away at the jellyfish. "I won't stop poking until he electrocutes me."

"So what's the over/under on Pit getting us all in trouble?" Proto Man asked the group, as the jellyfish walked away; Pit followed after the creature as he kept poking away. "I'll give him a solid ten minutes...at best."

Pit: Mario was undeservedly robbed in his rap battle against Pearl. It's obvious that Judd is racist towards Italian people, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. Mario is probably here to do some important stuff, so should I ever run into Off the Hook, I'll challenge Pearl to a rap battle and fight for Mario's honor!

"Look, it's them!" shouted the female Inkling as she pointed at Deep Cut performing on a high stage. Shiver, Frye, and Big Man were singing and dancing, as a crowd of Inklings and Octolings were crowded below.

"Woah nelly, look at the size of that forehead!" exclaimed Cappy when he first saw Frye, taking note of how huge the Inkling's forehead was. "She should invest in wearing a hat to cover up that giant chrome dome of hers."

"Don't be rude..." Link scolded Cappy, not thinking that Frye's forehead was that ginormous. Or maybe perhaps his eyes were deceiving him. "...make sure you keep Cappy in check, Mario."

"Actually, I agree with Cappy," Mario sided with his talking hat companion, as Link gave the plumber a double take. "She oughta wear a crown-a as Pearl does. Speaking of Pearl, where's-a Judd?"

"We can worry about Judd later," replied Zelda as she grabbed Mario by the arm and dragged him away. Link followed after Zelda, leaving the others behind. "The rest of you enjoy the Splatfest without us."

"Whoever said that I was gonna be enjoying anything?" Joker asked Zelda, as the Inklings ran off to join their fellow squid friends and the Octolings at the Deep Cut concert. "Hey, wait up!"

"What is it?" Link asked Joker as he, Zelda, and Mario were forced to come to a stop. Joker caught up with the three, not with some grievances but rather wishing to ask for clarity.

"Just tell me why you're here. Obviously, none of you are that interested in the Splatfest...so what's up?" Joker was already slacking off on his job - who knows where Pit even was at the moment.

"We're on our way to Inkopolis to consult the Great Zapfish," Zelda explained the mission to Joker, expecting to take a ride to the city in question in one of Splatsville's trains. "We need its electricity to power up a machine at the All-Star Manor."

"Said machine could bring back Raiden from the Twilight Realm," added Link, sounding a bit optimistic - that's when Joker recalled Raiden chasing Zant into the Twilight Realm in episode 191. "We might need him in the future."

"Raiden? I remember when he crashed my friends' party," recalled Joker, digging into his pocket and pulling out the picture Raiden had given him back in episode 181. "He gave me this picture..."

"Now isn't the time to dwell-a on the past!" Mario said to Joker, recognizing the picture as he slapped the object out of Joker's hand. "Our job is to find the Great-a Zapfish; yours is to babysit Pit. Capiche?"

"Was hoping that I'd be over babysitting him at this point..." Joker picked up the image off the ground, stuffing it back in his pocket saving it for another time. "...thanks for nothing, Mario."

"It's the thought-a that counts. Enjoy the Splatfest!" Having spoken with Joker, Mario and the Hylians continued their trek, en route to finding a nearby train station. Joker shook his head and sighed.

"Hard to enjoy any Splatfest if Pit is on his..." That's when Joker finally realized that Pit was nowhere to be found, as he looked left and right for the angel. "...alright Pit, where did you run off to?"

"DEEP CUT IS CUTTING IN REAL DEEP!" Pit was heard shouting from afar, as Joker ran to the Deep Cut concert realizing his worst dreams. His dreams were sadly realized, as he saw Pit on the stage crashing the concert.

"Oh no..." uttered Joker when he saw Pit dancing with Shiver, Frye, and Big Man, doing some questionable moves that had the Inklings and Octolings laughing. The second-hand embarrassment was nigh.

"Wait a minute, you're not one of us!" Shiver said to Pit as she stopped dancing, sensing that the angel wasn't her kind. The music died down a bit, as all focus was on Pit...for better and for worse.

"We've never seen anyone of your kind before," Frye said to Pit, withholding the urge to pluck the feathers off the angel's wings. Heck, she even wanted to pluck off the wings altogether! "What's your name, and what kind of species are you?"

"The name's Pit, but you can also call me Pit!" replied Pit as he cut a rug on the stage, bringing further second-hand embarrassment to Joker with his introduction and dance moves. "I also go by Pit for short. I'm an angel!"

"Keep it up Pit, you're killing it, man!" the male Inkling shouted at the angel, and it was hard to tell if the youngster was being sincere or not. But Pit was killing it regardless, in his own mind at least.

"He hopped up on the stage a couple of seconds ago," Proto Man explained to Joker, as he was among the crowd of Inklings and Octolings. The robot was also stuck chaperoning - chaperoning the Inkling duo. "Still has eight minutes left until he gets us all screwed."

"I'm afraid that time is running out," replied Joker, whose phone was ringing; he couldn't hear his ringtone amid all the hoopla, as the music started to crank back up.

"We're having a Splatfest, what team are you repping?" Shiver asked Pit, willing to let a complete outsider participate in the Splatfest. "Team Beauty, Team Brain, or Team Brawn?"

"Ay! Ay!" Big Man said to Pit, goading the angel into joining Team Brawn; the manta ray believed that having Pit on his preferred team could change the tide.

"Be quiet, Big Man! Let Pit make his own decision," Frye said to the manta ray, as Pit paused his dancing and took the time to mull over his choice. It was an important decision to make.

"Hm, it's hard to choose," stated Pit, as he simply couldn't make up his mind after doing some minor process of elimination. "I mean, Team Beauty? Belle isn't all that, sorry Beast. Team Brain? That Brain guy from Arthur is such a smart aleck. And Team Brawn? Well, I do like Braun Strowman as a wrestler. Team Brawn, it is!"

"He used fictional characters to decide what team he'll join...?" Joker crinkled his nose - silly Joker, Braun Strowman isn't a fictional character! Then again, he is fictional in kayfabe...but that's a discussion for another day.

"Ay!" exclaimed Big Man, happy to see that Pit made a wise choice; with Pit rocking with Team Brawn, Inklings and Octolings alike may either choose Team Brawn or be forced to switch teams. Too bad that team-switching wasn't allowed in a Splatfest - take notes, Frye.

Octoling: I don't know, but something about that angel choosing Team Brawn doesn't sit well with me. Now I feel stupid for some reason.

"Great choice!" Shiver said to Pit, paying close attention to how the angel was dancing. Pit wasn't dancing particularly well, but he sure was moving. "I think it's about time we teach you the Splatland Shuffle."

"Aw yeah, doing the Splatland Shuffle with Deep Cut!" exclaimed Pit, eager to learn in the footsteps of Deep Cut. "I'm your guys' biggest number one fan!" Biggest number one fan? What a very redundant title to have.

"It's simple! Just kick your legs out like this," Frye would demonstrate for Pit, as she moved her feet and her hands to the beat. Pit followed after Frye's lead, trying his hardest to keep up. "See? You're getting the hang of it!"

"I'm feeling it now! It's like the Cupid Shuffle, but ten times better!" As Pit was vibing away, the Deep Cut crew vibed along with him. And the Inklings and Octolings alike were eating it up.

"Tell me when it's over," Joker said to Prot Man, unable to watch anymore as he shielded his eyes with his hand and looked away. The young man felt like spontaneously combusting in the middle of the crowd.

"Ay!" Big Man tried to alert Pit, who was so much into the Splatland Shuffle that he was a was feet away from falling off the stage. Pit was dancing closer and closer to the edge, and he simply couldn't be stopped.

"Pit, watch out!" Proto Man shouted at the angel, who couldn't hear the robot amidst the loud music. As soon as he was close to the edge of the stage, Pit suddenly slipped and fell.

"Woaaaaahhhh!" screamed Pit as he fell to his doom, or rather fell to the concrete. Several Inklings and Octolings moved out of the way, wincing as Pit crashed onto the ground with a loud thud.

"Is it over?" asked Joker as he lifted up his hand, once he heard the music coming to a halt. The young man saw Shiver and Frye looking down below, and knew what was up when he saw that Pit was no longer on stage. "Oh boy..."

Pit had a very nasty fall, and so he had to be rushed to the hospital right away. While the concert carried on in Pit's absence, Joker, Proto Man, and the two Inklings stopped by the hospital to check on Pit. Guess who Pit's nurses were? Judd and Lil Judd.

"You should be fur-tunate you only have minor injuries," Judd said to the angel, who was in a wheelchair with a small cast over his leg. Imagine having Judd as your nurse. "That fall was almost a cat-astrophe!"

"Never knew this place had a medical facility," the male Inkling whispered to his female counterpart, who nodded her head as Lil Judd applied ointment to a few bruises on Pit's left arm. Pit winced in pain as Lil Judd did his thing.

"Are you racist towards Italians?" Pit asked Judd out of morbid curiosity, checking to see if the cat harbored any kind of hatred towards anyone of Southern European descent. "'Cause I wanna know if...ow! Quit it with the cotton balls!"

Proto Man: Pit, you literally have wings...why didn't you just, I don't know, fly upwards before falling to the ground?
Pit: My reflexes weren't working at the moment, okay?! Or sometimes, my wings have a mind of their own.

"Surely Pit will have to stay in this hospital during the entire Splatfest," Joker said to Judd, refusing to be seen Pit in Splatsville ever again after that fall. That was enough embarrassment for him.

"He'll be discharged very shortly," Lil Judd answered for Judd - not the kind of response that Joker was hoping for. Unable to answer Joker's question, Judd gave Lil Judd an intimidating glare.

"Why can't you just..." Suddenly, Joker's phone was ringing a second time, and this time around Joker could hear. "...hold that thought." The young man exited the hospital room and took his phone out, and answered it. Makoto was calling. "Hello, Makoto. I'm..."

"Where are you?" Makoto asked Joker over the phone, sounding upset; any woman would feel that way if their man was nowhere to be found. "Kirby and Viridi said that you had to go chaperone. Did you go on a field trip?"

"No I didn't; I was dragged to a city called Splatsville. I'm stuck chaperoning Pit - it's going as well as you can imagine. Why are you laughing?" Joker heard Makoto giggling over the phone, wondering what was so funny.

"You gave Pit a 'part-time' schedule...and yet you're still acting as his parent?" To be referred to as Pit's "parent" cut in real deep into Joker - especially considering that it came out of his girlfriend's mouth.

"I'm afraid so - I can never win with that guy. Is there anything else you wanted to call me about?"

"There is one thing that I wanted to ask - have you seen Ness and Lucas anywhere?" If the PSI duo was nowhere to be found, then they must be on the search for a certain jester. "I haven't seen them since..."

"...since breakfast? I'm in the same boat as you." Joker saw Ness and Lucas sneak out of the dining room, and he never saw them again. "If for any reason they snuck out here to Splatsville, I'll let you know."

"Splatsville? Is that where you're at? I'm just gonna assume that it's some hub for the Inklings. Are they holding a Splatfest or something?"

"Yes they are - and there are three teams vying for the crown, apparently. Though I must say, I didn't know that you were aware of these Splatfests."

"Seen a few on the Splatoon channel...most of them are pretty fun." So Makoto knew about the Splatoon channel...what were the chances that she also knew about the black and white period piece old lady boring movie channel? Or even that "scary" movie channel.

"Splatoon channel? First time hearing about it. Well, I better go now - gotta see what Pit's up to. I'll try and keep and touch. Later."

Once Makoto said her goodbyes, Joker ended the call and put his phone away. Joker returned to Pit's hospital room and saw that Pit, as well as Proto Man and the Inklings, were no longer present. Only Judd and Lil Judd remained.

"Where did Pit run off to?" Joker asked Judd and Lil Judd, who were sleeping together on top of the hospital bed in the room. Lil Judd was on top of Judd, who woke up from his slumber as he sat up.

"He was already discharged from the hospital, meow" answered Judd, with Lil Judd sliding right off of the bigger cat. Lil Judd fell face-first onto the floor, as Judd pulled out some important documentation. "Can you give him his discharge papers? He forgot to pick them up."

Rather than obtaining Pit's discharge papers, Joker ran out of the room hoping that Pit didn't run into trouble. But when the young man arrived at the hospital lobby, he saw Pit, Proto Man, and the Inklings...with Off the Hook's Pearl and Marina. Pit was angrily confronting Pearl and Marina, who were wearing their MC Princess and DJ Hyperfresh attires, respectively.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about what you've done!" Pit pointed at Pearl, reminding the Inkling of the rap battle she had with Mario five years ago. While Mario was willing to put the rap battle behind him, Pit was still tilted.

"To be fair, only Judd declared that I was the victor," stated Pearl, confident in her own rapping abilities as she flexed the gold chains around her neck. "But even then, I still was the clear winner!"

"Can we not do this, we have a Splatfest to get to..." Marina said to Pit and Pearl, growing increasingly afraid that a few hands might be thrown. Pit turned his attention to the Octoling, analyzing her attire.

"You think that you're so cool, sagging your pants like that?" Pit asked Marina, ready to one-up the Octoling as he attempted to pull his own pants down. "Guess what, I can sag my pants too! I can be just as cool as you are!"

"Pit, are you wearing any underwear?" Proto Man asked the angel, who found some slight difficulty in pulling his pants down. The Inklings backed away from Pit for good measure.

"No underwear for me! All commando, all day!" Hearing this, the Inklings instinctively worked together and pulled Pit's pants up. Pit tried to fight with the Inklings over control of his pants, but it was no use.

"I'm not really sagging my pants, am I?" Marina quietly asked Pearl, who checked to see how low the Octoling's pants were. Pearl shook her head no and gave a thumbs up, as Marina sighed in relief.

"Tell you what, Pit," Pearl said to the angel as she folded her arms, with Pit listening up for whatever offer Pearl was about to give him. "...if you're that heated about that rap battle, why about you challenge me to one?"

"You're on!" Pit readily accepted the offer, as he and Pearl shook hands; the Inklings exchanged looks of worry with one another, while Joker facepalmed. Proto Man, on the other hand, had no reaction.

Proto Man: It's been past ten minutes, so Pit definitely reached the over. Thank goodness I'm not a betting man. But it doesn't matter that much anyway, since he's gonna embarrass himself in front of an entire city. Personally, I can't wait to see it.

"We'll have our rap battle during the Splatfest," Pearl told Pit the conditions of the rap battle, adding further insult to injury in the view of Joker. "Judd will decide who can spit the better game!"

"I'm a better game-spitter than you will ever be!" bragged Pit, showing Pearl what he was made up as he literally spat in the Inkling's face. Since Pit's saliva was ninety-nine percent water, it stung a bit for Pearl.

"AAAAAHHH, YOU GOT YOUR STUPID SPIT IN MY EYE!" Pearl was wailing in pain as she held her hand over her eye, certain that she was going blind. Marina held Pearl tight, keeping her friend from throwing hands.

"Let's just keep away from Pit," Marina said to Pearl as she led her friend away from Pit and the others. Pearl looked at Pit through her fingers, hissing angrily at the angel. Some hasty behavior that Marina wasn't used to seeing.

"You're dead meat, you hear me?! DEAD, MEAT!" Pearl followed Marina out of the hospital, hoping to absolutely obliterate Pit on the mic for the level of disrespect he showed her. Feeling comfortable enough, Joker approached Pit.

"I would ask how you get yourself in these kinds of situations, but I think the answer is clear as day," Joker said to Pit, not looking forward to the angel's rap battle with Pearl. He imagined it to be an awful trainwreck. "Also, spitting in her face? Really?"

"Thought that she was talking about literal spitting," admitted Pit, hating the fact that his disrespectful act did nothing but make Pearl incredibly incensed. Making your opponent super angry was the last thing anyone can do before a rap battle.

It was a good thing that Sans didn't travel with Mario and company to Splatsville, for he and Judd would be irritating Inklings and Octolings alike with their cat puns. The skeleton was at his usual hangout spot, Cafe Leblanc, which was run by Kirby, Viridi, and Incineroar.

"When is Joker coming back?" Robin asked Kirby and Viridi as he sat at the counter, finishing what was left of his red curry. "He promised to show me a new curry flavor today."

"He'll be back from the Splatfest shortly," replied Kirby, appreciative that he and Viridi were given permission to state Joker's current whereabouts. Neither of them was that adept at making up stories on the fly.

"They let humans attend a Splatfest? Interesting..." Robin assumed that Joker needed some ink for an ink curry...and the mage unironically considered himself among the first to give it a try. No matter if it hurt him.

"How are you feeling today, Cloud?" Tifa asked the swordsman, sitting next to him at the counter as she drank her coffee. Cloud had his coffee in his hands, seemingly deep in thought.

"Somewhat relieved, I guess," answered Cloud, as he reflected upon the confession he made to All-Stars in the previous episode. Like Mario and Link, Cloud was left with a scar at the hands of Kratos. "Like I got a huge monkey off my back."

Tifa: Cloud told me, Aerith, and Barret about how his revival project was responsible for freeing Dimentio. He was initially scared that we might hate him forever, but in the end, we forgave him. We all make mistakes. Much better that he tells us his secrets now than keep them close to his chest and go completely AWOL at the end.

"I still find it weird that Master Hand hasn't punished me yet," Cloud continued, as he had waited ever since episode 327 for Master Hand to come down hard on him. Yet Master Hand had the swordsman on a long leash.

"Maybe he's waiting until stuff hits the fan?" assumed Tifa, unsure if Master Hand would even wait that long to bring the hammer down. Master Hand wasn't the one to wait around. "If you get on his good side now, perhaps he might forget about punishing you."

"Get on his good side? Like getting him a gift?" Cloud wasn't the best gift buyer in the universe, and buying a gift for Master Hand of all people sounded like a daunting task for the swordsman. "You think that would work?"

"Wouldn't hurt if you try." Tifa gave Cloud a shrug, and that was enough for the swordsman to make up his mind.

Arriving at Inkopolis by train, Mario, Link, and Zelda traversed through the city looking to find the Great Zapfish. Being that a lot of Inklings and Octolings were in Splatsville for the Splatfest, Inkopolis for the most part seemed barren.

"This would be a good time-a to rob a bank in broad-a daylight," remarked Mario, who would honestly rob a bank right now if it wasn't for his moral code. The plumber always abided by his moral code...most of the time. "Does Inkopolis even have-a one of those?"

"All I see are a bunch of shops at every corner," observed Link, as the trio came across a food truck; the operator of the food truck was a Japanese tiger prawn who wore glasses and a white baseball cap. And many, many shoes.

"Welcome to the Crust Bucket!" the tiger crab greeted Link and company as he tipped his hat to them. "I'm Crusty Sean. Looking for a bite to eat?"

"Is this like the Chum-a Bucket?" Mario asked Sean; understanding what the Chum Bucket was, Sean was laughing his tail off. At least the Crust Bucket offered actually appetizing food. "Do you offer Crust-a Burgers?"

"I got a Crusty Seanwich, if that's what you're asking." Sean offered Mario the Crusty Seanwich, which looked like a hot dog but with a piece of crab instead of a weiner. Judging by the look on his face, Mario was not a fan.

"None of us are hungry," Zelda kindly informed Sean, who placed the Crusty Seanwich away hoping to sell it to another potential tourist. "Can you tell us where we can find the Great Zapfish?"

"Of course! You can find it at the Inkopolis Tower. But the only problem is...it's no longer there!" Does that mean the Great Zapfish was possibly stolen? That simply wasn't ideal.

"You have got to be kidding me..." groaned Link as he rubbed his hand over his face, not wanting his trip to Inkopolis to be all for naught. "...please tell us that you're joking."

To show Link and company that he wasn't playing around, Sean exited his food truck and led the three to the Inkopolis Tower which was just down the street. The tiger crab pointed up at the tower.

"Usually, the Great Zapfish will circle around the tower and power all of Inkopolis," explained Sean, finding the Inkopolis Tower to be completely naked with the Great Zapfish missing. "But now that it's gone, the Inklings and Octolings have little to no power supply!"

"Any idea of what may have happened to it? Was it kidnapped?" Zelda asked Sean, who tapped his chin as he thought of a potential culprit. Only one person came to mind, and it was a former foe of the Inklings.

"Would say DJ Octavio, but he's been mostly tranquil for a couple of years." DJ Octavio did capture the Great Zapfish once before, and he was almost successful with his evil plan. "But other than him, I don't know who else would..."

Sean stopped speaking, as some yellow paint was fired at Mario, Link, and Zelda's feet. The three saw the yellow paint on the concrete, and they looked around wondering where the paint came from.

"Uh oh, it looks like we got some company!" alerted Cappy, who saw an Inkling standing on the roof of a small building. But this was no ordinary Inkling, though - this one wore a black Hero Suit, meaning that she was a part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.

"I recognize that Inkling..." said Sean, as the yellow Inkling leaped down from the small building and made her landing in front of Sean and the others. "...New Squidbeak Splatoon's own Agent 3!"

"Not just Agent 3...the new Agent 3!" said a certain elderly Inkling, who came into view walking on his cane. He wore a red shirt and denim shorts, implying that he was retired. He was another face that Sean recognized.

"Cap'n Cuttlefish!" Sean saluted the elderly Inkling, showing him his respect. "Happy to see that you're enjoying retirement." Cuttlefish approached Sean, appreciating the kind gesture as he patted the tiger crab on his head.

"Happy to be seen!" After speaking with Sean, Cuttlefish approached Mario, Link, and Zelda, humbled to be standing in the presence of the three. "Ah, you must be Mario, Link, and Princess Zelda! My granddaughters have told me stories about you."

"Your granddaughters?" Mario asked Cuttlefish, and soon he discovered the resemblance. All he literally had to do was look at Cuttlefish's eyes. "Oh! You must be the Squid-a Sisters' grandpa."

"Affirmative! I am beyond pleased to make your acquaintance, Mario. I can also see that you have met my newest recruit, Agent 3. She'll be followin' in my footsteps."

"Darn it, Gramps, you said that I would follow in your footsteps!" said a certain Inkling, as Mario and company were surprised to see Callie. The Squid Sisters - Marie and Callie - came from the direction that Cuttlefish came from.

"After you let yourself fall prey to the Octavian Army? Fat chance," snorted Marie, with Callie wanting to retaliate; with Cuttlefish and the others present, Callie had no choice but to remain civil.

"Marie? Callie? I imagined that you would be at the Splatfest," said Link, who saw the Squid Sisters leave for Splatsville that morning in their own personal bus. Where they kept this bus and who the driver was shall remain a mystery.

"We were at the Splatfest, but then our gramps gave us a call," stated Callie, lamenting the fact that she and Marie were missing out on all the Splatfest fun. Perhaps she should've left the call go unanswered. "Because in his own words..."

"...the disappearance of the Great Zapfish is nothin' to be trifled with," Cuttlefish would finish for Callie, who rolled her eyes as she and Marie desired to return to the ongoing Splatfest. At least Deep Cut was holding it down.

"Whatever, the Great Zapfish can wait," stated Marie, downplaying the seriousness of the current situation; never before has Cuttlefish felt so ashamed with his girls. "Agent 3 can handle it."

"New Agent 3," Cuttlefish affirmed for Marie, wagging his cane in his granddaughter's face; Marie gently pushed the cane away from her. "Since it appears that you two won't cooperate, I will find Agent 3 another accomplice."

"Like-a who?" inquired Mario, and that's when Cuttlefish approached the plumber ready to bestow upon him a special honor. Mario knew where things were going, chuckling as he held his hands in front of him. "Oh no, you don't want me."

"But I do want you. You are a very heroic man, after all. Agent 3 might even learn from you!" That was enough to entice Mario, but only a little. The plumber wouldn't mind having an apprentice.

"If Mario isn't game...I can take his place!" Link offered to Cuttlefish, who took a gander at the Hylian as he looked at him from head to toe. Cuttlefish did this multiple times.

"No thanks - you don't look the part." Cuttlefish turned away from Link, who looked disappointed as his face immediately sank. Zelda stifled her laughter.

"Mario should team up with Agent 3 in style, don't you think, Gramps?" Marie asked Cuttlefish, smiling as she and Marie got all touchy-feely with Mario. Mario saw the Squid Sisters smiling, growing wary.

"That is your call; you can dress him as you please," replied Cuttlefish, as Marie and Callie leaned in close to Mario smiling even harder. Mario had no idea what he was in for. "Just make sure Mario has the top weaponry available!"

Marie: For Inklings and Octolings alike, it's imperative that you splat away in style. Inking stuff while not decked out in the freshest clothes is like a federal crime around these parts.
Callie: That's why we'll be dressing up Mario, so that way he can look the part and look good while doing it. It'll be enjoyable for us, but for Mario... *giggle* ...probably not so much.

The Bills-Rams game was about to kick off, as the tailgate party at Conker's house was set to begin. Layton and Luke arrived at the house, where Sonic, Fox, and several residents from the mansion and tower were getting things nice and tidy in the living room.

"Layton and Luke! Just in time," Sonic said to the detective duo, holding a football as he threw the pigskin at Layton. Layton nearly flinched as he caught the football inches away from his face. "Game's about to start!"

"That's fine and dandy, but we just came for the party," stated Layton, thoroughly impressed by the party spread; pizza rolls, chicken wings, and pork sliders were among some of the food on display.

"Where's Conker?" asked Luke after seeing that the squirrel in question was nowhere in sight. No alcoholic beverages were present, so that was a plus.

"He's in the bathroom handling his business," replied Fox, who along with Falco was eating much of the sriracha party dip. Those two pilots just couldn't wait. "I'd leave him alone if I were you."

"Why do you say that, Fox?" Layton asked the pilot, who stopped rummaging through the tortilla chips as his eyes darted left and right. Quite the suspicious response from Fox. "Shall we investigate, Luke?"

"Sure thing, professor," replied Luke as he and Layton went to the bathroom and pressed their ears against the door. Inside the bathroom was Conker, who sounded as if he was throwing up.

"Conker, are you alright?" Layton knocked on the door, as the vomiting sounds came to a stop. Almost as if Layton magically cured Conker. But after a few seconds passed, the vomiting continued.

"Here's the key." Luke handed Layton a key, which was in fact a small screwdriver. Layton inserted the screwdriver into the doorknob, and before Layton could work his magic, the bathroom door was opened by Conker.

"Howdy, fellas!" Conker greeted Layton and Luke with a wave, wiping any noticeable evidence off his mouth with his sleeve. Layton quickly handed the screwdriver back to Luke, as he appeared all friendly.

"Hello, Conker - Luke and I heard you vomiting in there," Layton said to the squirrel, who ran to the toilet and flushed it. Once the "evidence" was gone, Conker returned to the bathroom door.

"Sorry you had to hear that...had a very upset stomach. But I feel much better now!" Conker hummed a happy tune as he exited the bathroom, while Layton and Luke looked at one another with concern.

"How would you rate the party spread, Conker?" Wario asked the squirrel, who entered the room to check out how his party was organized. The fatso grabbed a box of pizza off the table and opened it. "Bought this pizza so that you all can be fat like me!"

"Nobody wants to be fat like you," Coco said to Wario, aware of the fatso's ulterior motive; she could tell based on how greasy the pizza looked. "You're not a role model."

Wario: Coco's right; I am no role model. I'm just a guy who's doing his best to shave off his bad habits. Being a role model is super hard - you have to keep up with a good reputation, and it also doesn't pay very well either.

"Let me hold it - I gotta smell it for myself!" Conker said to Wario, who handed the pizza to the squirrel. Then suddenly... "Whoops!" ...Conker dropped the box of pizza, as Crash saved it from falling to the floor.

"Nice save!" Aku commended Crash, who did a formal bow as he placed the pizza back with the party spread. As Tails came over, Conker looked at his hands, which were shaking.

"Why are your hands shaking?" Tails asked Conker, whose hands were shaking like crazy; Conker had no answer, as he wondered what was causing the shaking to happen.

"Conker has Parkinson's disease!" gasped Yoshi, shouting the first thing that came to mind when he saw Conker's shaky hands. Something about that response didn't still well with the dinosaur. "But wait, he isn't over sixty years old..."

"True dat - squirrels can't live longer than ten years," Banjo stated matter-of-factly, feeling like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison combined when he recited that factoid. "Read that in a science book once."

"Since when did you learn how to read?" Kazooie asked Banjo, who looked at his redbird friend all offended. Conker still had no answer for why his hands were shaking, as he took a seat on the couch in the living room.

"I just need to take it easy..." the squirrel said as he took a seat, grabbed the TV remote, and turned on the volume. The game was about to begin, as the players came out unto the field. "...let the game take my mind off of things."

"Got a bad feeling about Conker..." Lavenza whispered to Sonic, who was equally worried about how Conker was acting. Layton and Luke were worried, too - first the vomiting, and now shaky hands?

The first order of business for decking Mario out in style was finding him a new hat. They took the plumber to a headgear shop on Inkopolis Plaza called Cooler Heads, which was run by a sea anemone named Annie. Cappy was given the honor of picking out a hat for Mario.

"Take your time..." Annie said to Cappy, fidgeting a little as she watched the talking hat look through an entire selection of caps. In Annie's hair was her clownfish companion, Moe.

"Mario I don't you don't hear this often...but you sir, are a LOSER!" Moe called out the plumber, screaming so loud that someone might hear him from outside the shop. "The exact opposite of fresh!"

"Ooh! This would look great on you, Mario," said Cappy, who picked out a samurai helmet from the stand. Link and Zelda stood around with the Squid Sisters, Cuttlefish, and Agent 3, doing their best not to laugh as Cappy placed the samurai helmet on Mario's head.

"Is this some-a kind of joke?" Mario asked the Squid Sisters; Cappy wasn't done yet, as he went to go look for a pair of glasses for Mario to wear. "What do I get-a out of 'looking fresh'?"

"Style points, think of the style points," replied Marie, as Cappy found a pair of sunglasses that came with a durag and a baseball cap. Weighing his options, Cappy looked between the samurai helmet, and the durag and cap combo.

"Eh, we can do without the helmet," Cappy made up his mind as he slapped the samurai helmet off and placed the durag, cap, and sunglasses on Mario. Mario was looking hip.

"Lookin' mighty fly, Mario!" Cuttlefish gave his props to the plumber, showing how hip he was - a true case of real recognizing real. Meanwhile, the Squid Sisters both cringed. "You know, I can almost feel a rap comin' on..."

"NO!" Marie and Callie both yelled in unison, instinctively covering their hands over Cuttlefish's mouth. Obviously, they didn't want their grandpa to drop some old man bars that might put the young folks to shame.

The Splatfest carried on in Splatsville, as Deep Cut was joined onstage by Off the Hook's Pearl and Marina. Pearl performed a rap solo for the crowd, while Marina exhibited her expert DJ skills on the turntables.

"Remember everyone, don't forget to vote for the Splatfest!" Shiver reminded the crowd, dancing her cares away on the stage as she wielded her blue fan. "Voting can be done at the voting booth. May the best team win!"

"Ay!" shouted Big Man, the biggest hype man on the stage - no pun intended - as he was making a rallying cry for Team Brawn. He wanted to beat the two other teams into the dust.

"Silly Big Man, no one is allowed to vote more than once!" stated Frye; Big Man was seriously looking for a landslide victory, at whatever cost. "The choice that you make, you have to stick with it!"

"Time to do my due diligence..." said Proto Man, making his vote count as he voted for one of the three teams at the voting booth. It was an easy choice for him to make. "...that should keep the Inklings off my back for a while."

Proto Man: Voted for Team Brains, and for good reason. Dr. Light would have my head for sure had I voted for anyone else.

"We also have an important announcement," Shiver said to the crowd, announcing an event that would take place later in the Splatfest. "That angel from earlier, Pit? He'll be challenging Off the Hook's Pearl to a rap battle."

"Pit versus Pearl in a rap battle?!" exclaimed Frye, blissfully unaware of how one-sided the verbal affair might be. Whereas Mario was the Inkopolis folk hero, Pit on the other hand might end up as Splatsville's biggest clown. "Oh boy, I can't wait!"

"It won't be pretty, I can tell you that," Pearl addressed the crowd, confident enough to guarantee her victory; given her opponent, who could blame her? "Angel boy will regret the moment he crossed paths with me!"

"Hopefully, everybody involved will keep it classy..." said Marina, expecting both rap battle participants to be respectful towards each other. The Octoling was not in the mood for breaking up any potential fights.

Pit was preparing for his rap battle by writing down his rhymes in a shop store, called Crush Station. Keeping him company was Joker, as well as the shop owner - a large coconut crab by the name of Mr. Coco.

"I know you're gonna do well out there," Mr. Coco gave Pit a pep talk, massaging the angel's shoulders with his meaty crab arms. Larry the Lobster might have some competition. "You're gonna CRUSH IT!"

"Hey, Joker, what word rhymes with orange?" Pit asked the young man, who was noodling on his phone ignoring Pit to the best of his ability. Pit's question was enough to make Joker facepalm. "What about silver?"

"...crush it," Mr. Coco whispered this softly into Pit's ear; it didn't answer Pit's question, but his words of encouragement did help him come up with a new bar.

Rocking his durag, baseball cap, and glasses, the next item on Mario's list was to find some clothes to wear. The Squid Sisters took the plumber to the clothing store called Jelly Fresh, which was run by a jellyfish named Jelonzo.

"Why the varsity jacket?" Mario asked Cappy, who picked out a red varsity jacket for the plumber. It was your standard letterman jacket wear, complete with three Zekko logos on the torso. "I'm not some-a high school jock."

"True, but...just, just put it on!" demanded Cappy as he threw the varsity jacket in Mario's face. Left with no other choice, Mario put on the varsity jacket as he heard the others snickering behind him.

"About to go out to football practice, Mario?" Callie asked in a taunting manner, stifling her laughter just like everyone else. Link couldn't take it anymore, retreating to the restroom to laugh in peace.

"Wait a minute, this isn't a restroom!" shouted Link, who ran into a room and saw something that his eyes weren't meant to see. The Hylian was heard screaming as a jellyfish casually exited the room.

Thanks to some assistance from Tifa, Cloud secured a nifty gift to give to Master Hand. While Cloud stood in the hallway holding the gift, Tifa peeked inside Master Hand's room to see if the giant hand was present. And there Master Hand was, speaking with Isabelle in front of his seldom-used television.

"What do you mean, this is the only Thursday night game on broadcast television?" Master Hand asked Isabelle, watching as the Rams were losing to the Bills. Wanted the game to be out of reach by the end of the first quarter.

"The rest of the Thursday games will be on Prime Video this season," replied Isabelle, who by the sound of her voice wasn't a fan of the decision - for reasons that she didn't feel like explaining. "It was mainly Amazon's doing."

"Prime Video? Do we even have that? Can't be a worse TV station than the black-and-white movie channel, or that so-called scary movie channel..."

"Good to know that him being 'all-knowing' was a big fat lie," muttered Tifa as she pulled away from the bedroom door, looking back at Cloud who was showing second doubt. "Ready, Cloud?"

"I...I can't do this," admitted Cloud, disappointing Tifa with how willing he was to turn back. He simply didn't have the courage. "I can't just give it to him."

"Is it because the gift came from the storage room? Or you can't give it to Master Hand personally? Wanna lure him out of his room?"

"That would be somewhat ideal." Cloud needed a person worthy of pulling off a perfect distraction, and that's when he and Tifa saw Luigi walk by holding a $50 Amazon gift card.

"Prime-a Video, you're all mine!" exclaimed Luigi as he held the gift card that he asked Terry for. The green plumber came to a halt when he saw Cloud and Tifa looking at him. "You don't want my gift-a card...do you?"

More and more votes were coming in for the Splatfest, as the Inklings and Octolings had to vote between three teams - Team Beauty, Team Brain, and Team Brawn. Big Man brought a TV onto the stage to reveal the live results so far.

"Uh oh, it seems that Team Beauty and Team Brains are neck and neck!" Shiver announced after the results were revealed; so far, Team Beauty was in the lead, though it was close. "Team Brawn can't seem to keep up."

"Ay..." Big Man moaned in sadness, displeased that Pit's endorsement didn't give his preferred team a huge boost. Team Beauty and Team Brain fans were absolutely eating right now.

"It's still anyone's game, so vote, vote, VOTE!" squealed Frye, wanting max participation from everyone in Splatsville - including guests such as Proto Man and Joker. Especially Proto Man.

"Go Team Brains!" shouted Proto Man, pulling for Team Brains as he exchanged high fives with a few Octolings also repping Team Brains. "Why do I even care so much?! Why am I shouting?!"

Female Inkling: Whaddaya know? Proto Man is getting really into the Splatfest. Not so long ago he wasn't a fan. But look at him now!
Male Inkling: We knew that he would come around eventually. *smiles*

"Also, don't forget - we have a rap battle later, between Pit and Pearl," announced Shiver; knowing who her opponent was, Pearl felt no need to rehearse any of her bars. "You don't want to miss it!"

Mario had one last thing to do before getting his weapon, and that was to find a new pair of shoes at the Shella Fresh shop. The shop owner was Bisk, and he assisted Cappy in finding the right pair of shoes for Mario.

"Yellow sandals? Don't mind if I do!" exclaimed Cappy, grabbing some yellow sandals off the shelf; said sandals also came with some gray socks. Mario, who wasn't the biggest sandals fan, had a damper look on his face.

"Is there any way that you can change out his overalls?" Marie asked Bisk, figuring that blue overalls wouldn't look too fashionable with a durag, varsity jacket, and sandals. She had already asked Jelonzo the same question.

"No can do - he's gotta rock the wear," replied Bisk, as Mario looked dreadful while Cappy placed the gray socks and sandals on his feet. Zelda glanced at Link and saw that her man had a mortified thousand-yard stare going on.

"What's the matter with you?" Zelda asked Link, who appeared so distraught that he might not even have it in him to answer Zelda's question. But Link nonetheless mustered the courage to turn his head towards his wife.

"Did you know that jellyfish can reproduce asexually?" Link asked Zelda, before turning his head back and returning to this thousand-yard stare. Taking sympathy for her husband, Zelda comfortingly patted Link.

Not everyone at Conker's house was interested in watching the Bills-Rams game. Aside from freeloaders like Layton and Luke, who came just for the food, Jakob had no interest in either the food or the football game. He made it known to everyone, too, once he returned home from his evening trek.

"If anyone ever needs me, I'll be in my room," Jakob said to those in the living room as he retreated to his bedroom. "Please don't bother..." the butler muttered under his breath as he entered his room and slammed the door shut.

"Surprised to see you at this party," Tails said to the bounty hunter, who was helping herself to some nacho chips before Fox and Falco devoured them all. "Wanted to watch the superior L.A. football team in action?"

"You should be extremely fortunate that I respect you, Tails," replied Samus, sparring Tails' life as she took a seat on the couch. Sat next to Fox, who was smiling as he eyed the bounty hunter intently.

"He was speaking facts, though," stated Fox, as Samus slowly began to seethe while a vein was bulging in her forehead. "The Rams are the better..." The pilot stopped speaking, as Samus grabbed his neck in a threatening manner.

"Throw shade at the Chargers again, and it'll be your last time breathing..." Samus would gesture to Pikachu, whom she brought to the party. Pikachu mean mugged Fox, letting him know what was up.

"Pika pika..." Pikachu threatened Fox, charging up electricity in his cheeks, as Samus released her hold of Fox's neck. Fox was put in his place as he returned to watching the game.

Fox: I shouldn't be trash-talking anyone, my team is the New York Jets...Yeah, go ahead, keep laughing! Your mockery will only make me stronger!

"At least your team has a shot at making the playoffs this season," Falco said to Samus, reaching his hand out to grab a few pizza rolls. Conker would grab some pizza rolls himself...if it wasn't for the fact that he was sweating up a storm.

"Want me to check the thermostat?" Sonic asked Conker, who saw how parched the squirrel was; Conker sweated so much that had to wipe the moisture away with a handkerchief. "You don't look so hot!"

"I am hot," stated Conker, causing more general concern as his body was shaking a little. The shakiness was no longer just in his hands. "I'd honestly kill for a glass of water."

"You haven't had any of the party food," Layton said to Conker, noting the squirrel's lack of appetite as Sonic sped into the kitchen to fix a glass of water. "Should I call 9-1-1?"

"Call 9-1-1 for what? Because I'm not that hungry? Don't be ridiculous..." Conker fanned himself with his hand, as Sonic returned to the living room with a tall glass of water.

"You won't be hungry anymore once Pac-Man brings the rest of the party food," said Sonic, as Conker took the glass of water from the blue hedgehog and drank it whole. "Where is he anyway...?"

"That must be him," inferred Wario as he heard the doorbell ring; when the fatso opened the front door, he saw a different yellow-skinned being. And not the one he wanted to see. "Darn you, Dr. Cortex!"

"Hope I'm not too late," Cortex said to Wario, with Uka accompanying him; the evil genius looked past Wario, and spotted the Crash clan as he gave them a wicked glare. "Those lousy bandicoots forgot to invite ME to the party!"

"Dr. Cortex? But where's Pac-Man?" wondered Sonic, leaving Cortex disgusted that the fanfare for him was low. But what was the evil genius honestly expecting? "He must be stuck with Orson at the grocery store..."

Pac-Man was indeed stuck at the grocery store - partly because Orson had gone missing! The eater of ghosts searched relentlessly for Orson, slowly becoming convinced that the ghost was lost forever. That was until the store clerk showed him the way.

"Your friend was in the back this whole time," the store clerk said to Pac-Man, guiding the eater of ghosts through the backroom of the grocery store. The two found Orson near a cart of food, bothering a store employee.

"Those noodles were meant to go on the shelves today," the store employee explained to Orson, who was holding a tall stack of microwave ramen noodles. Keeping the stack of noodles balanced was no easy task. "They just came in, just so you know..."

"Orson!" Pac-Man squealed as he ran to the ghost, before skidding to a halt so that he wouldn't knock the noodles down. No mess in the backroom was ever worth cleaning up. "You're not...buying those noodles, are you? We're going to a tailgate party, man!"

"A college football tailgate party, right?" asked Orson, who wanted to prove himself but yet looked like a big fool. "Do college students not eat microwave ramen noodles?" Pac-Man saw that Orson had a lot to learn, as he looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"Tell ya what - how about you put those noodles away?" So Orson handed the noodles to the store employee, who made sure not to drop any of the noodles to the floor. A lot of pressure. "Just follow my lead!"

Now that he was decked out in the freshest attire (all thanks to Cappy), Mario could finally pick out his weapon. Helping him make the right choice was Sheldon, who welcomed the plumber into his weapons shop Ammo Knights.

"How about-a this one?" Mario asked Sheldon as he was checking out the available Splattershots. The plumber picked up the one that caught his attention the most, as Sheldon was eager to explain.

"Ah, yes, The Forge Splattershot Pro!" exclaimed Sheldon, prepared to tell Mario everything he knew about the weaponry in particular. He was built for moments like these. "It's a custom Splattershot Pro weapon set put together by the gear brand Forge! The main weapon functions identically to the Splattershot Pro, but you can keep opponents at arm's length with Suction Bombs! And the Bubble Blower special is the perfect complement to the main weapon's long range! It's not the easiest set to use, but if you master it, you'll be unstoppable!"

"Not the easiest to use? Never mind." Mario placed the Splattershot back on the shelf, as his eyes soon drifted to one of the Blasters. "What about-a this?"

"The Kensa Rapid Blaster is a limited-edition blaster created in collaboration with Toni Kensa! Send out a Torpedo sub to get your enemies looking, then send them packing with a bursting blaster shot! Opponents closing in? Flip the script on them by popping your Baller special, and watch them turn and run! This is just the set for the disciplined Inkling or Octling who doesn't like others invading their personal bubble!"

"Not-a for me..." Mario moved on from the Blasters and went to the section of the store that sold umbrellas. "...umbrellas? Inklings use-a these as weapons?"

"May I recommend to you the Tenta Sorella Brella set? It's similar to the Tenta Brella set, but it has a modified design and a different sub and special. With the Splash Wall, you can double down on the defensive nature of the brella! And with your defenses in place, you can use the Curling-Bomb Launcher to shift to offense! Whether you're focused on attacking or defending, this setup should suit your..."

"Hurry on with it, give him a weapon already!" Cuttlefish yelled at Sheldon, who stopped explaining stuff as he picked out a weapon that best fitted Mario. "Why is that boy such a chatterbox..."

"Here you go, Mario - the Hero Dualie Replicas!" Sheldon handed Mario a pair of Dualies, who wielded the guns in both of his hands feeling like Tracer of Overwatch fame. "They have the exact same properties as the Splat Dualies, but they've received a cosmetic refresh! I'd been carrying out extensive tests and had finally created a weapon with stats worthy of..."

"ENOUGH WITH THE TALKIN'!" Fed up with Sheldon running his mouth, Cuttlefish took his cane and threw it at the horseshoe crab's head, knocking him out. Zelda and the Squid Sisters gasped as Sheldon fell to the floor, while Cuttlefish realized his mistake. "I've, erm, been wantin' to do that for a long time..."

Master Hand and Isabelle momentarily had to leave the mansion, for they had to answer a distress call from Daisy. Daisy called Isabelle and told the Shih Tzu that "something was going down" at her home, which prompted an investigation.

"The Seahawks currently have 100-1 odds to win the Super Bowl," Isabelle explained to Master Hand en route to Luigi's home, looking at the betting odds on her phone. Master Hand requested it. "Wouldn't place a bet if I were you..."

"Go big or go home, that's what I always say," responded Master Hand, as he and Isabelle soon arrived at Luigi's home. Neither of them knew what to expect, as Isabelle rang the doorbell and Yuffie answered.

"Made it just in time..." Yuffie said to Master Hand and Isabelle, before looking back as her face was full of worry. What on earth could possibly have the ninja girl so worried? "...be warned, I did my best to stop it."

Yuffie welcomed the visitors inside the house, and in the living room was Luigi...who was beating up Daisy! Or so it appeared on the surface; Daisy was lying on the floor, while Luigi threw soft punches at her.

"Help, HELP!" Daisy cried out for help, playing along as she winced in faux pain every time Luigi lightly pounded her with his fists.

"Aw yeah, beating up my wife!" exclaimed Luigi, pounding away at Daisy until his arms were sore. His arms were getting sore already.

"Luigi how could you?!" scolded Isabelle, genuinely believing that Luigi was inflicting pain upon his wife. To her, Luigi's baby punches looked like wicked blows from Mike Tyson. "Master Hand..."

"I see nothing wrong with what Luigi is trying to accomplish," stated Master Hand, causing Isabelle to gasp - whether or not Master Hand had the same sentiments as Isabelle, he was still paying a blind eye.

"Really, Master Hand? Luigi is literally beating up Princess Daisy!" When his baby punches garnered zero reaction Master Hand, Luigi resorted to biting...erm, nibbling Daisy's arm. Daisy felt ticklish, as she suppressed her laugh.

"He's reminding Daisy of who the dominant person is in their relationship." With Master Hand still not taking action, Luigi resorted to plan B as he gave a nod to Daisy.

"I'm done for..." said Daisy, unable to take further abuse as she "fainted" to the floor. Not a single mark on the princess, and yet Isabelle was sure that Luigi rendered Daisy unconscious.

"This calls-a for a celebration!" exclaimed Luigi as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a Ziploc bag with a strange substance in it. The substance was actually Caprese salad...but to Master Hand, it was something else.

"Alright, Luigi, think about what you're doing..." Master Hand warned the green plumber as he put his hand out, wanting to prevent Luigi from making a potentially huge mistake. "...put that weed away!"

Toad: So many folks think that my Caprese salad looks like marijuana. Personally, I blame this mushroom hat on my head. *tries to take his mushroom hat off, but struggles mightily before stopping* Well, you know what they say...practice makes perfect!

"You cannot be serious..." Yuffie said to Master Hand, who was hyperventilating as Luigi was seconds away from "smoking" the salad leaves. "...you find smoking weed worse than domestic violence?"

"Isabelle, quick, confiscate those drugs!" Master Hand commanded the Shih Tzu, who did no such thing - for she saw clearly that it was only salad leaves in the Ziploc bag. "Hurry, woman!"

"Hmm, wonder what the latest odds-a are looking like on FanDuel," said Luigi, taking out his phone and opening the FanDuel app - and that's when Master Hand was completely over the edge. "Ooh! Bills are looking spicy this-a year."

"THAT'S IT! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, LUIGI!" Master Hand angrily hovered over to Luigi, who dropped his phone and bag of salad as Master Hand had him trembling from head to toe.

"Took him long enough," Daisy said quietly as she sat up, watching as Master Hand chased Luigi around his house. Luigi was screaming his head off as Master Hand repeatedly flicked his fingers at him, with Luigi yelping in pain.

"Master Hand, we were literally talking about the Seahawks odds moments ago!" shouted Isabelle, calling out the giant hand for his hypocrisy. But Master Hand wasn't listening, as making Luigi suffer was the only thing on his mind.

Mario and Agent 3 were ready to take on anyone in their path, especially with the former wearing the most fly clothes and wielding the best weaponry around. Mario didn't think much of his new attire, and the way Marie and Callie were taking pictures of him on their phones didn't make him feel any better.

"Somehow I feel like a fashion-a designer's stupid vanity project," remarked Mario, as the only thing that made him feel good were the Hero Dualie Replicas in his hands. "Also, don't we have a Great-a Zapfish to find?"

"Hold on, just a few more pics," Marie said to Mario, her and Callie smiling as they snapped a few more photos. Once they were done, the Squid Sisters put their phones away. "Alright, we should be good...for now."

"Said you were looking for the Great Zapfish?" a voice called out to Mario and company, who looked over and saw a sea urchin sitting on the ground near the Inkopolis Tower. "I can tell you where it went." It was Spyke, a guy who once ran an illegal business in the city.

Spyke: Haven't spoken with Knuckles ever since that party. He said that he would keep in touch with me again once he makes it big as Lil Knux. Still waiting for that phone call. That's why you should never be a groupie.

"Do you know where the Great Zapfish is?" Zelda asked Spyke as she approached the sea urchin; Link would speak with Spyke himself, but he was still trying to shake off whatever he saw at that Jelly Fresh shop.

"Not exactly, but I can tell you who took him," replied Spyke, who was too tired of sitting on his butt as he stood up. Perhaps for the very first time today. "And it wasn't some octopus. It was a weird jester guy..."

"Dimentio!" gasped Mario, who was now on high alert - Dimentio got to the Great Zapfish before Mario and friends had the chance! "Where did-a he go?"

"Think I saw him go that way." Spyke pointed in the direction he believed Dimentio went, which was just beyond Inkopolis. "He should be somewhere on the outskirts of the city."

"You and Agent 3 must go at once," Cuttlefish stressed to Mario, knowing that the Great Zapfish had to be turned to Inkopolis real soon. "We'll stay behind, while Marie and Callie run mission control. Call on them if you need anything."

"At this rate, we'll never get to enjoy the Splatfest..." moaned Callie, who didn't really care that much for Dimentio before but now despised the evil jester with a bitter passion. Marie had the same sentiments as her cousin.

It was time for the rap battle, which was to take place on the Splatfest stage. The two combatants, Pit and Pearl, were center stage along with Splatsville's most trusted judge, Judd.

"Who's ready for an epic rap battle?" Shiver asked the crowd of Inklings and Octolings, who responded with shouts and cheers and the like. Joker and Proto Man were at the front of the crowd, left with no choice but to root for Pit.

"Let me know when he loses," Joker said to Proto Man, inserting AirPods into his ears and playing some acid jazz music. Based on what he heard at the Crush Station, Joker figured that Pit didn't stand a chance.

"Introducing our first competitor...Pit!" announced Frye, as Pit gestured to the crowd; he got a decent response in return. "Now give it up for Pit's opponent, one half of Off the Hook...Pearl!" Pearl waved to the crowd, garnering a much bigger reaction than the one Pit got.

"Ay!" exclaimed Big Man, who desired to be the hypeman for Pit; Team Brawn bros gotta stick together. But the manta ray had to remain partisan, no bias allowed whatsoever.

"Let's remember to keep it clean, you two," Shiver said to Pit and Pearl, who were eyeing each other down while wearing gold chains around their necks. Pit obtained his gold chains by begging someone for them. "Marina will be providing the tunes. Ready, Marina?"

"Ready!" replied Marina, manning the turntables as she got some music playing. Inklings and Octolings alike were bobbing their heads to the groove.

"Pearl, you'll go first. Show us what you got!" So Pearl took her mic as she faced Pit, ready to spit some bars.

Alright, you got probably your bars from a computer
While doing that, you were also looking at Hooter's
Because you're too scared to face anyone else in real life
But at least we all know that you'll never ever find a wife
You know, you don't start rapping against me
If you don't, just wait and see
You'll be made an example of the power of my rhyme
You won't even be able to come back another time
Now, Ima go easy now, Pit, you look pathetic
And we all know that your little angel wings are synthetic,
So go home now, before I go all out,
And you lose badly and start to pout

"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!" the crowd reacted, as Pearl drew the first blood; the Inkling had the upper hand so far.

"Pearl starting off strong!" exclaimed Frye, as all the attention was now focused on Pit. "But can Pit match her energy?" Stepping up to the plate, Pit took a deep breath as it was his turn to spit.

I'm pathetic? Look who's talking
You act wangsta all the time, especially when you're walking
You female, get back in the kitchen,
Unless you want a serious butt-kicking
Your forehead's so big it can't be concealed by a headwrap
So don't even give me any of this rhyming crap
You see, my bars are like Gettysburg
I'm going to address them
Your bars are like the Jews, I'm Hitler
So I'm gonna oppress them
Stick to paint battles, you're like a poor man's Dr. Seuss
Better back down, or I'm gonna cook...your...goose!

"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!" the crowd reacted, as Pit evened the score; Proto Man tapped Joker repeatedly on his shoulder to get his attention.

Pit: I was having ghostwriter's block, so I had to call my main man Kirby for inspiration. *pauses* Or rather, I called Shulk so that I could speak with Kirby and ask him for inspiration.

Kirby: *sighs* What would Pit do without me...

"Pit apparently brought misogyny and Hitler into the rap battle...interesting play," said Shiver, surprised that Judd didn't disqualify Pit. A simple mic drop might do the trick. "But how will Pearl retaliate?" Pearl flexed her fingers, ready to clap back.

I'm sorry, all that you said nothing,
Now step back or you'll lose something
I'm the kinda G the little homies wanna be like,
If you can't understand, get off the mic
Not done yet
Let me finish this set
Off whooping your rhymes
Coming back for the second time
You better watch out where you're walking,
And where you're talking,
Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk
See, you can't handle this rap
So let me draw you a map
To take your sorry self back home
How'd it feel to get owned

"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!" the crowd reacted, as Pearl was once again back on top. The Inkling was sure that she had the rap battle won.

"It's been going back and forth!" said Frye, who was about to lose her marbles from how crazy the verbal sparring was turning out. "How will Pit respond?" Pit readied his mic, with even more fire to spit.

Pearl, this crap you spit ain't even relevant,
It seems to me you like saying random stuff for the heck of it,
Or so you can hear yourself,
Because nobody else is listening to this,
Random spilling of cranium, check
Yourself before you break your neck
Cause these bars aren't gonna earn you respect,
So finality is what I'm gonna expect,
Cause you had an idea, you missed it,
Thinking about you had that,
One chance, one second, one glow,
But I guess now we'll never know,
How many boys you'd get,
How much neglect
To any form of rhyming, flow, or the get,
A thing of great tries in one just set
Like I can, I go ham, I go all out
All you can do is sit in the corner and pout about
Everything you could've had,
Had you tried,
But nope, you can only sit there all day and cry

"OOOOOOOOHHHHH!" the crowd reacted once more, as Pit stunted on Pearl with his own version of the Splatland Shuffle. Pearl gritted her teeth, angered by how much positive reception Pit got.

"Things are getting intense!" said Shiver, implying that the rap battle was bound to get physical. That got Marina fretting like crazy. "Plenty of bad blood brewing between our competitors."

"This doesn't make sense!" growled Pearl, unnerved by the thought of losing to an outsider Pit. Her reputation was on the line. "How are you and Mario so good at rapping?"

"If you must know, I was Mario's ghostwriter!" Pit bragged, folding his arms as several select Inklings in the crowd gasped. Pearl was so incensed at this point that she threw her mic unto the stage in anger.

"Meow? Was that a mic drop?" questioned Judd, instantly perking up the moment Pearl threw her mic unto the stage. Pearl looked on in fear as Judd was about to render his decision.

"What's this? We have a winner?!" said Frye, as Judd took out two colored flags - pink for Pearl, and green for Pit. Judd moved the flags about, keeping the crowd on their toes, before holding out one flag to the side...and it was the green flag.

"Pearl dropped her mic, which means that she's disqualified," stated Judd; that meant Pit was the decisive winner, which left Pearl in shambles. "Which means that your winner is...Pit!"

"Pit is your winner of the Splatfest rap battle!" announced Shiver, as the crowd reacted by cheering Pit's name. The male and female Inklings were cheering also, amazed that Pit pulled out a victory.

"Mario...this is for you!" Pit spoke into the mic, dedicating his rap battle win to the famous Nintendo plumber. Mario may no longer have to send Judd an Instagram or a Vine.

"But I didn't even..." Pearl started, about to argue with Judd before catching her breath. The Inkling stormed to the back of the stage to sulk, as Marina left the turntables and followed after her.

"Is it over?" Joker asked Proto Man after the robot finally got the young man's attention. Joker looked up on the stage and saw Pit celebrating with Deep Cut and the crowd. "Pit somehow won?"

"By disqualification," replied Proto Man, which to Joker sounded reasonable for Pit; he knew that Pit couldn't win outright. "But a win is a win..."

Joker: So a simple mic drop is a rule break in rap battling...huh, didn't know that rap battles even had any rules. But wait, shouldn't Pit be disqualified for writing out his verses? And asking for help? Shouldn't that also be against the rules?

Why don't we check on Mario and Agent 3, how were things coming along with them? The duo was in beyond the confines of Inkopolis, on the search for the Great Zapfish.

"How do I reach-a mission control?" Mario asked Agent 3, as he and the Inkling were hiding behind a large donation box. Agent 3 shrugged. "Not much-a for conversation, are you?" Mario heard his phone ring, and he answered.

"Mario! It's me, Callie," Callie spoke with Mario over the phone, as Mario looked at his phone all crazy. "What's the status of your mission?"

"Mama mia! I have mission-a control on my phone?" Mario glossed through his phone for a Splatoon mission control app of some kind but saw that only his phone app was open.

"No, you doofus...I just called your phone. This is how Marie and I can properly do 'mission control', since Agent 3 apparently forgot her codec. But anyway, did you find Dimentio or the Great Zapfish anywhere?"

"Not yet, but we're still looking. The Great Zapfish will-a be back in the right hands soon." Before Mario could share another word, he and Agent 3 heard an evil laugh nearby.

"And so we arrive like a sudden wind storm at a kindergarten picnic! Looking for a Great Zapfish, are you?"

Mario and Agent 3 both donned their weapons, stepping from behind the large donation bin. Dimentio and Giovanni appeared with the Great Zapfish, both coming off as tranquil.

"Hands up where we can-a see them!" Mario shouted at Dimentio and Giovanni as he had his Dualies pointed at the two evildoers. Dimentio and Giovanni were both laughing, much to Mario's confusion. "Why...why are you laughing?"

"Because you look ridiculous!" snickered Giovanni, amused by Mario's durag, varsity jacket, and sandals with socks combination. It was the tackiest attire his eyes had ever laid on.

"For a man with such a high reputation, you clearly have no fashion sense!" added Dimentio, as Mario lowered his head...only to raise it back up as he refused to let Dimentio have the last laugh.

"Eat-a paint, punks!" shouted Mario, firing away with his Dualies as he got paint on Dimentio and Giovanni. Agent 3 followed suit as she fired her Splattershot. In the end, Dimentio and Giovanni...were left unaffected.

"Much obliged for turning us into pieces of art," Giovanni sardonically said to Mario, wiping most of the paint off of his face. Dimentio on the other hand was rocking the paint. "Now would you be a dear, and return the Great Zapfish to Inkopolis for us?"

"We have most of the electricity we need from it," stated Dimentio, as the Great Zapfish casually flew over to Mario and Agent 3. "So we have no reason to fight. Go run along now!"

"Mario, are you still there?" Callie asked the plumber over the phone, with the Great Zapfish now on Mario and Agent 3's side. "Did I hear him say that he got electricity from the Great Zapfish?"

"I'm afraid-a so..." Mario spoke into the phone, clenching his fist realizing that he was too late. Wanting to make Dimentio and Giovanni pay for what they've done, Agent 3 leaped on top of the large donation bin and jumped right off, hoping to land a sneak attack.

"Nuh-uh, I said no fighting!" Dimentio said to Agent 3, seeing the Inkling from a mile away as he snapped his fingers. An invisible box entrapped Agent 3, suspending her in the air.

"Evidently she didn't get the message," Giovanni said to Dimentio, as Agent 3 splatted away at the walls with her paint. It was no use; the walls of the invisible box were purely indestructible.

"You're next..." Dimentio floated closer to Mario, about to trap the plumber inside an invisible box as well. Mario held up his Dualies in self-defense. "...don't bother, we know now that your paint can't harm me!"

"PK THUNDER!"

Shouts of unison were heard close ball, as two streams of electricity were fired in Dimentio's direction. Giovanni moved out of harm's way, as the electricity struck Dimentio and zapped him.

"Egad!" shrieked Dimentio, as the invisible box that entrapped Agent 3 broke. Agent 3 landed on the ground, sticking a perfect landing as Dimentio was irate. "Who was responsible for that?"

"Guess who?" a voice shouted, as two friends who sneaked their way from the mansion arrived at the scene...Ness and Lucas. Accompanying them was Bass, their trusted robot chauffeur.

"Is it too late to kick somebody's butt?" asked Bass, arm cannon ready to go as he desired to fire away at either one of Dimentio or Giovanni. Or both. Sadly for him, Dimentio wouldn't let him have his moment.

"Two's company, but more than three is a crowd...ciao!" Dimentio said his farewell before vanishing away, bailing out before more reinforcements came. That left Giovanni all alone, as the crime lord thought about sending out his Persian.

"This isn't the last time you'll see us!" Giovanni vowed to Mario and company as he made a run for it, choosing to save his own side. Bass considered firing a Charge Shot at Giovanni but thought that it wasn't worth it.

"Thanks, boys, you came at the right-a time!" Mario said to Ness and Lucas, who both had to bite their bottom lips to prevent themselves from laughing at Mario's fit. "How did-a you know that I was in Inkopolis?"

"We might have followed you here," replied Lucas, with Ness hiding behind his friend's back so that Mario wouldn't see him smiling. That was the cue for Bass to spill the beans to Mario.

"These two miscreants were eavesdropping on you outside," Bass explained to Mario, lowering his arm cannon hoping to Charge Shot somebody before the end of the day. "Had to escort them to Splatsville and...stalk you."

Bass: Poor Proto Man - he had to attend that stupid Splatfest and be mobbed with the Inkling and Octolings. All while some stupid-looking manta ray dances on the stage. *pauses* Not like my situation was any better...

"We just wanted to help out as much as we possibly can," Lucas said to Mario, as he and Ness wished to atone for their past misdeeds. Mario showed his appreciation for Lucas, as he patted the PSI whiz on the head. Imagine patting a teenager's head.

"Mario, the Great Zapfish, is it safe?" Marie asked Mario over the phone, leaving Mario startled that the phone call was ongoing.

"Yeah, it's safe," replied Mario, snapping a picture of the Great Zapfish just for good measure. Inkopolis can finally rejoice.

A cameraman caught up with Giovanni, reaching the crime lord before he got too far away. Giovanni came to a stop and was taking a breather, as Dimentio magically appeared next to him.

"Hopefully...we have...enough...electricity," Giovanni said to Dimentio after detecting the jester's presence, falling down to one knee. Dimentio wished that he could summon a glass of water for Giovanni to drink.

"Remind me, what do we need that electricity for?" Dimentio asked Giovanni, happy that the Great Zapfish had plenty of electricity to provide. Granted, it had no say in the matter.

"To power on some machinery that my Team Rocket scientists have built. One of them is a device that can be used to access any alternate universe. And the other...is a time machine."

The tailgate party had yet to miss a beat at Conker's house, although Conker had yet to enjoy any of the party food. Layton and Luke, who were already stuffed, decided to take a look around the house while the others watched the game.

"His wine cellar looks noticeably empty..." observed Layton as he and Luke inspected Conker's wine cellar - not a single bottle of Jack Daniels in sight. Some frantic knocking was heard at the front door, and Jakob left his room to answer it.

"Everyone's too glued to the television, it seems," mumbled Jakob as he answered the door; the butler expected Pac-Man and Orson, but instead saw a certain robot inventor. "Dr. Wily?"

"Where's the time machine?" Wily asked Jakob as he barged inside the house, looking behind stuff and checking underneath couch cushions for the time machine in question. "Where is it?"

"Even if there was a time machine, it wouldn't be kept here at this party." But Wily remained undeterred, as he searched every nook and cranny of Conker's house for a time machine that did not exist.

"Jakob, you got a minute?" Layton asked the butler, who was about to reprimand Wily before Layton and Luke approached him. "Did Conker not have any beer in his wine cellar?"

"I might have removed it from the premises." Jakob showed guilt in his response, taking Conker's strange behavior tonight into account as his eyes darted left and right. The butler saw that his actions had unforeseen consequences.

"We made it!" announced Pac-Man, as he and Orson finally arrived at the party. He and the ghost entered the house, carrying bundles of party food. "Anyone still hungry?"

"Who here likes P.F. Chang Teriyaki sauce?" Orson asked the party crowd as he held up the bottle of teriyaki sauce in question. Conker was already a fan as he hopped off the couch and snatched the bottle from Orson. "Hey!"

"Come to papa..." Conker said to the bottle of teriyaki sauce, smiling at it intently as he returned to the living room. Finally, Conker was eating something, as he poured the sauce on a slice of pizza and took a bite.

"About time you ate something," Sonic said to Conker, feeling proud and relieved for the squirrel as he patted him on his back. Wario was proud too - but only in the hopes that Conker would end up fat like him.

"Luke, check the alcoholic content of that teriyaki sauce," commanded Layton, as Luke ran to the living room and inspected the sauce bottle. Layton returned his attention to Jakob, heaving a sigh. "Evidently, you have an uphill battle on your hands..."

Master Hand messed Luigi up real bad, harassing the green plumber to no end for threatening to smoke "weed" and placing a bet. But not for beating up Daisy, although Luigi was throwing very light punches. The giant hand returned to the mansion, as Isabelle accompanied him to his room.

"Watching the game might help you compress," Isabelle said to Master Hand as she led him inside his room, only to see a gift bag on Master Hand's bed. It was the first thing that Master Hand noticed.

"A gift, for me? Who's it from?" inquired Master Hand, as Isabelle grabbed the gift bag; before taking out the wrapping paper and all that jazz, Isabelle read the note attached to the gift bag.

"'To Master Hand, from Cloud. You're welcome.'" With Master Hand keeping an open mind, Isabelle threw out the wrapping paper and took out whatever was in the gift bag. "It's an old-fashioned alarm clock."

"A new alarm clock? How did Cloud know that I needed one?" Putting the alarm clock away, Isabelle checked to see if there was anything else in the gift bag and gasped when she pulled another object out.

"Look, Master Hand - a $50 Amazon gift card!" Isabelle showed the gift card to Master Hand, strongly wishing that she could keep it for herself. "That means you can watch Prime Video!"

"Eureka! Now I can watch those football games on Thursdays on that channel. Quickly, check the TNF schedule! When do the Seahawks play?"

Luigi: I may have surrendered my Amazon Gift-a Card to Cloud, but it's part of a nice-a little gesture for Master Hand so it's not that bad. I can always ask-a for another gift card...or I can just buy one-a myself. That might be the easier route.

Master Hand:...what's that? Prime Video is a streaming service? I've got enough streaming services as it is, why do I need another one?! Stupid entertainment industry...

Peeking inside Master Hand's room through the creaked bedroom door was Cloud, who witness Master Hand's reaction. The swordsman backed away after he saw enough, and turned to face Tifa.

"Mission success," confirmed Cloud, pleased to know that Master Hand gave the desired reaction. "That should keep me on his good side for a foreseeable future. Thanks, Tifa."

"No problem!" Tifa responded with a smile, patting Cloud on his arm before leaving. Cloud knew that he could count on Tifa to help him get the job done.

The Great Zapfish was back in one peace, returned to Inkopolis as it circled the Inkopolis Tower. Cuttlefish stood with the Squid Sisters, Agent 3, and Mario and his gang of visitors at the tower base.

"Pretty soon, the power supply in Inkopolis will be back at full capacity," said Marie, watching as the Great Zapfish was doing its thing. The Inkopolis Tower wasn't feeling so naked anymore.

"I wouldn't bother that Great Zapfish if I were you," Cuttlefish said to Mario and company, noticing how much the Great Zapfish was at peace. "It might take some time to recuperate after that whole kidnappin' fiasco."

"That stinks, because we came all the way to Inkopolis to borrow some of its electricity," stated Link, worried that the trip to Inkopolis might be for naught. "We got a huge favor to fulfill."

"How about this...I'll lend you several Zapfish, and you can generate electricity that way. You can take as much as you need!"

"Gramps, do you think we can get back the electricity that Dimentio stole?" Callie asked Cuttlefish; any amount of electricity stolen from the Great Zapfish, no matter how big or small, was always an issue for New Squidbeak Splatoon to handle.

"There is a way; I can have Agent 3 here track down Dimentio, and find out where that crooked jester is hidin'. But for now...I reckon that you and Marie have a Splatfest to return to!"

"We might have time to make it back for a surprise performance," replied Marie, checking the time on her phone. The Inkling looked up and saw Mario, who got rid of his humiliating attire...save for the durag.

"You know, I kinda dig-a this durag..." admitted Mario, fancying the black cloth on his head. The others looked amused as Mario had his durag adjusted.

With no time to waste, the Squid Sisters returned to the Splatfest, hoping to get a performance in before all the fun ended. Marie and Callie performed on stage with Deep Cut, while a certain plumber was partying it up with the Inklings and Octolings below.

"Mario, no offense, but that durag does not suit you at all," Joker said to the plumber, who was vibing to the music while wearing his durag. Mario wasn't even wearing his iconic hat, showing how dedicated he was.

"Mario, guess what...I beat Pearl in a rap battle!" Pit told Mario the good news, as he had won respect from the crowd for his rap battling performance. "Did it for you!"

"That's-a my boy!" exclaimed Mario as he exchanged a high five with Pit. The male and female Inklings saw Mario soaking in the Splatfest atmosphere, and were quite pleased.

"Another one bites the dust," the female Inkling smiled at her male counterpart, before bringing his attention to Proto Man. Proto Man was apparently attempting to do the Splatfest Shuffle and was failing miserably at it.

"Am I doing this right?" the robot asked the male and female Inklings, who both had to look away as they were laughing their butts off. "I never dance, cut me some slack!"

Proto Man: Tonight has been one of the liveliest nights in my life...the good mostly outweighs the bad. You can, uh, you can cut out that footage of me dancing. It's not that relevant.

Bass: *watches Proto Man dancing from afar, laughing away* ...I always knew that Proto Man had a secret side to him.