Author's Note:
Starting off the new year the same way I did it back in 2018 - with a two-parter! Bear in mind that this chapter took me four-ish days to write since I didn't do any writing on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. I abstain from writing on holidays, although Halloween and Valentine's Day are the lone exceptions depending on what day they fall on. But yes, I never write on the holidays, or my birthday for that matter. The more you know. Since it's been two weeks since I last answered any reviews, I suspect this author's note to be pretty lengthy:
"Listen, I know why you didn't put the stuff from Crisis Core here. But would you ever include Cissnei? Maybe have her join the other Turks?"
Cissnei is the only Turk who hasn't appeared in this story yet. Since she was strictly a Crisis Core character, it'll be hard to fit her into Smash Life. Another anonymous review:
"So you have the time to fix chapter 359, but you still haven't finished chapter 363, or even fix chapter 57? You do you."
What can I say, I'm a very busy guy. I would love it if someone took the reins for one week, and wrote a new chapter of this story while I fix chapter 57. But that's just a pipe dream. Another anonymous review:
"In case you haven't done so already, can you add in characters from NiGHTS?"
Of course! I'm no stranger to including Sega characters, so I would love to bring Nights into the fold. One last anonymous review:
"Why KD of all people?"
Good question! After the first Thanksgiving episode, bringing Kevin Durant (a la Wayne) back for the holiday chapters became somewhat of a running gag. The fact that Durant is the last remaining prominent NBA player who has played for the Seattle Supersonics adds to the running joke. (No disrespect to Boston Celtics legend Jeff Green.) Speaking of jokes, we got a Christmas joke from none other than Guy w the Jokes:
"If buying Christmas presents is called Christmas shopping, what do you call cutting a Christmas tree? A Christmas chopping! Ho-ho-ho!"
Nicely done! I see what you did there with the wordplay. Next is An NFL fan:
"Poor Douglas. He's been hurt enough. On an unrelated note, I hope you're back soon, Cooper Kupp. One of the best wide receivers I've ever seen. That Super Bowl hangover is hittin' the Rams hard, huh?"
Worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history. Guess that's what happens when you trade away draft picks. Can you believe that the Rams wanted to trade two first-rounders in 2023 AND 2024 for Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers?! Madness. Maybe this season will teach the Rams not to mortgage their future like the hometown Lakers. Last is David.
"Are Cloud and Aerith gonna have their wedding chapter soon? Is Corrin paired with anyone? (Maybe have him hook up with Scarlet since the Revelation route screwed her over badly. Or make her a mansion resident since she deserves happiness). Will the Symphonia chapter still happen? Any nods or references to the Sonic Prime show? And finally, what did you like or dislike about 2022 in terms of games and wrestling?"
I won't say anything about a wedding with Cloud and Aerith. Corrin is married to Felicia. The Tales of Symphonia chapter is still on the table. I'll include a few Sonic Prim references after I get around to watching the show. And what I liked/disliked in 2022 in terms of games and wrestling? I'd need a separate author's note for that one. Here is David's second wave of questions:
"Will certain Mansion residents mention their New Year's resolutions for the next chapter. Will Scarlet be paired with someone else or at least feel welcome at the mansion? (Botch on my previous review regarding Corrin already being a couple with Felicia). Will Pit's idiocy finally be gone this next chapter? Has Viridi had a girl's night out with Phosphora or any other guests like Dva and Tracer? And finally, what do you hope to see at the 2023 Royal Rumble?"
No. Scarlet won't be paired up with anyone, but if/when she visits the mansion she'll feel welcome regardless. Pit's idiocy will be gone soon. Viridi hasn't had a girl's night out yet. And I hope to see Vince McMahon be a surprise entrant in this year's Royal Rumble and tear both of his quads...I kid, I kid! In all seriousness, I hope for Cody Rhodes to return at the Rumble, and win the whole shebang. Or at least make it to the final two. I can't for the life of me think of anyone more deserving to win the Rumble than Cody; my man went from everyone's favorite midcarder to the main attraction. Adrenaline, in my soul...
Episode 367: MovingIn Part 1
Professor E. Gadd had a special Christmas in 2022 - he got to be a part of the annual Secret Santa festivities, enjoyed a wonderful white elephant gift exchange, and was part of last week's Festivus meal. Even better, he got the best Christmas gift he could ask for - his good friend Cloud being welcomed back to the Smash Mansion, as Cloud and Aerith returned home.
Little did anyone know that E. Gadd had something to do with the group of misfits that kept watch over Cloud and Aerith in Arcadia Bay. While Master Hand pretty much wanted to leave Cloud for dead, Zelda tasked E. Gadd with finding a group of folks to keep Cloud out of danger. As well as advance any romantic developments between Cloud and Aerith. Said developments led to a big fat kiss in front of the dinner crowd, which was a Festivus miracle waiting to happen.
Following the start of the new year, and the allure of Christmas finally eroding away following the last of the holiday advertisements, E. Gadd finally got down to taking down his Christmas decorations. The only reason why he waited so long was that he had so many decorations. Supposedly, Luigi was "too busy" to help E. Gadd with taking down the decorations, so E. Gadd had to rely on Luigi's brother Mario instead. Rayman, Globox, and Barbara also pitched in.
"Christmas tree's too heavy for ya?" Rayman asked Mario, who was trying to hold it all in together as he dragged E. Gadd's Christmas tree out through the front door. Mario was treating the Christmas tree like it was his own.
"It's just...it's too early to do this," replied Mario, ultimately giving up as he placed the Christmas tree on the ground. Taking down the other decorations was fine, but the Christmas tree remained a huge dealbreaker for Mario.
"No worries - Globox can handle this!" assured Globox as he picked up the Christmas tree and hoisted it over his shoulder. The amphibian didn't get that far, as the tree fell to the ground and broke into multiple pieces.
"Good gravy!" exclaimed E. Gadd, as an apologetic Globox was scrambling to collect all the broken Christmas tree pieces. "I didn't suspect my tree to be that fragile. No wonder it came at a cheap price!"
"Be still, my aching heart..." said Mario, holding his hand over his chest as he got down on one knee. You could say that he had a hand over his chest because he was paying his respects to the Christmas tree.
"Psst, Mario...it's time," Cappy whispered to Mario, who was no longer beside himself as he stood back up. Mario did a total 180 in terms of demeanor, realizing that he had somewhere to be.
"I gotta go, professor, gotta do some...stuff-a at the mansion," Mario told E. Gadd, feeling bad that he was leaving the inventor so soon. At least E. Gadd still had Rayman, Globox, and Barbara with him...Globox notwithstanding.
"Okay then, please do come back!" E. Gadd waved to Mario, with no qualms about the plumber leaving him while providing a vague reason for his early exit. "And if you see Lavenza, ask her about her gift!"
Luigi: E. Gadd bought-a Lavenza her Secret Santa gift, remarkably without asking anyone-a for much help, and the gift was...a Jojo Siwa doll. *crinkles his nose* A Jojo Siwa doll. He probably googled "Christmas gifts for seven-year-old girls" and was hooked-a on the first item he saw. Lavenza might not even be seven years-a old.
As Mario hastily exited through the front door, he would pass by Cloud after nearly running into him. After Mario briefly apologized to Cloud for the near run-in, Cloud entered the mansion while holding a gift.
"Merry belated Christmas, Professor E. Gadd," Cloud greeted the inventor as he handed him the gift. At first sight, E. Gadd was a fan of his gift as he was smiling from ear to ear. "Thanks for everything."
"Aw, how nice of you, Cloud!" E. Gadd thanked the swordsman as he accepted his belated Christmas gift, shaking it gently to get a good feel of what was possibly inside. "Aerith must've contributed to this gift as well."
"Not really, it was all me. Meant to give it to you on the day of Christmas." But for E. Gadd, it was better late than never as he quickly unwrapped his gift. What was inside was a teddy bear.
"A teddy bear, for me!" E. Gadd held the teddy bear like it was a newborn child, before holding the stuffed animal close to his chest. He saw the teddy bear as a sign of his growing friendship with Cloud.
"Straight out of a shop at Arcadia Bay. Sombra let me take one last trip to Arcadia Bay before I gave her back the translocator, and I used that trip to buy that for you."
"Such a cute little teddy bear! I shall treat it like it's my only child." E. Gadd was acting very lovey-dovey with his gift, and it had Cloud and the others slightly judging him.
"Who knew having Cortex as a housemate would make him so depressed?" Barbara spoke quietly with Rayman and Globox, as E. Gadd was twirling his beloved teddy bear around. That teddy bear might be E. Gadd's favorite thing in the whole world right now.
"Oh, before you go, have you seen Master Hand lately?" Cloud asked E. Gadd, who stopped playing with his teddy bear; Cloud had been ghosted by Master Hand repeatedly ever since he rejoined the mansion.
"Can't say that I have, but I did hear that he's overseeing some new apartments," replied E. Gadd, going off on the few lunch conversations he had with Luigi over the week. "Bunch of folks is moving into them at the start of the new year."
"Yeah, I did hear something about that. I should go speak with Link and see what's up." Nothing like a brief investigation to see what kind of stuff Master Hand had up his sleeve.
"My word, you are an absolute waste of muscles!" Cortex was heard shouting at someone from upstairs - and he definitely wasn't shouting at Uka. "So strong and burly, yet scared of a little mouse..."
"You got company?" Cloud asked E. Gadd, making the inventor slightly nervously as he was twiddling with his fingers. The answer would have to wait till later. "Know what, you can answer that later..."
Dimentio made a surprise appearance during Festivus, showing up in the dining room during the Airing of Grievances. After Master Hand (conveniently) went to his room following the reinstatement of Cloud Strife, Dimentio showed up and bestowed everyone with a Christmas gift - a laptop that he had Boo steal from the mansion once. On that laptop was old footage of previous Smash Life episodes, which Dimentio claimed he didn't need anymore.
One week following his appearance, Dimentio was back at the mansion grounds to see how things were shaking up in the early days of 2023. When the jester made his arrival on the mansion grounds, he saw one thing that was missing - the hotels that the guests in town were staying in were no more.
"The hotels are no longer there," observed Dimentio, as part of the mansion grounds made its return to its plain state. Plenty of open space. "Truly a sign that the holidays are over!"
"Woof, woof!" barked Polterpup, as he and Poochy ran up to Dimentio; both dogs were barking excitedly. After admiring the dogs, Dimentio looked up and saw that Mario's car wasn't in the driveway...and neither was Luigi's in its driveway.
"The Mario Bros are out and about? Splendid!" No sign of Mario or Luigi meant that Dimentio could conduct his business without much trouble. If the wives of the Mario Bros weren't home either, then that was even better news. Same with Spyro, Hunter, and Yuffie.
But when Dimentio went to the mansion, things became even more peculiar. Jacky Bryant's car, which Dimentio was used to seeing in the mansion's driveway, was noticeably absent. Sonic's blue corvette was missing as well. Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer was not present, and neither was any spacecraft belonging to either Star Fox or Star Wolf.
"Did everyone go on vacation? Why does this place feel so...empty?" wondered Dimentio, looking for answers as he went to the mansion's porch. Copper and Booker, the two dogs who guarded the front door, were not there - and that only further piqued Dimentio's curiosity.
"Jigglypuff Jigglypuff!" chirped Jigglypuff as she exited the mansion, leaving the front door open in the process. The balloon Pokemon barely even noticed Dimentio as she went down the porch steps.
"Hmm...perhaps I should take a look inside." Dimentio casually entered the mansion, finding the ease of accessing it frankly remarkable. Jigglypuff had reached the base of the porch steps when she turned around.
"Jigglypuff?" Jigglypuff looked back at the front door, realizing that she had left it open. The balloon Pokemon went back up the steps, closed the door, and went back down - still unaware of Dimentio's presence.
Much to Dimentio's surprise, the inside of the mansion felt as empty as it did on the outside. He had yet to encounter anyone in the hallways! It was a far cry from episode 364, where he was used to seeing someone at almost every corner.
"This place is quiet...a little too quiet," remarked Dimentio, as the lack of activity in the mansion was starting to unsettle him. Finally, the jester had some company when he came across Wario eating a sandwich.
"This salty Herba Mystica is the bomb!" gleamed Wario as he ate the sandwich while standing with the sandwich's creator...Arven. Arven? Shouldn't he be back in Paldea with his Naranja Academy classmates?
"I'm glad you're liking it!" smiled a confident Arven as he had his arms folded. Either he returned to the mansion to show off his new sandwiches, or Wario badgered him to come back to satisfy his greed.
"So you said that this kind of Herba Mystica is good for hunting Shiny Pokemon. Will it make my teeth shiny?" Wario smiled for Arven, showing off his pearly whites which weren't so pearly due to the food particles in them.
"Uh, if you brush your teeth more often, then sure!" Arven gave Wario a half-confident thumbs up, his smile fading away as a foul aroma from Wario's mouth reached his nostrils. "Also use some mouthwash while you're at it..."
Wario: Me, using mouthwash? Ha! Anything that has to do with washing, I shun it entirely. Shampoo, bath towels, washing machines, I don't deal with that kind of stuff. Nothing that important should require that much work! I can't even remember the last time that I showered.
"Gonna put some dijon mustard on this bad boy!" exclaimed Wario as he walked away to retrieve a bottle of mustard for his sandwich. Dimentio was slightly fortunate that Wario didn't head in his direction.
"Dijon mustard isn't the best condiment for...Herba Mystica," Arven tried to call out to Wario, but it was too late as Wario was further down the hallway. Arven sighed, as Dimentio did a brief analysis of Wario.
"I wonder what the extents and limitations of Wario's hunger are..." mused Dimentio, as Arven turned around and gasped when he saw Dimentio. Now was a good time for Dimentio to vanish away if he chose to.
"It's you!" Arven ran up to Dimentio, perhaps the only known person in the universe hyped to see the jester in the flesh. "Dimentio! We never got a chance to finish that conversation we had."
"No, we did not, and part of the reason was that I was busy. And you interrupted me. But, pray tell...shouldn't you be back home?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right...but for what it's worth, the Vigoroth are helping with moving in my stuff." Sounds like Arven was moving into a new dorm room at the Academy; that was the vibe Dimentio got.
"Ooh, moving on up in the world, are you? Like a business manager being promoted to CEO! Must be beyond stoked about your new dorm room."
"Wouldn't say it's much of a dorm room but...I think your phone's ringing." Arven heard a ringtone, and that's when Dimentio whipped out his phone. Dimentio turned away from Arven to conduct his phone call in privacy.
"Yes, Magolor, how may I help you?" Dimentio spoke into the phone while looking back at Arven, who was patiently waiting on him. He floated away a bit from Arven, keeping himself out of the Pokemon trainer's sight. "How is the snooping around coming along?"
"Hey, Dimentio...remember those peeps you saw during the holidays?" Magolor asked the jester, with a pronounced nervous quiver in his voice. "I think that only a few of them actually left..."
"What do you mean, only a few? The hotels were destroyed, were they not?" Being that he hadn't been to the mansion at all during the month of December, Magolor couldn't cosign off of that.
"I...I guess, but there are just so many people here. Heck, I even saw Cynthia of the Sinnoh region going into a mall! A mall! She was shopping, for crying out loud! At a mall!"
"Relax, you act like that's illegal..." said a second voice on the other line, Gnasty Gnorc, while Dimentio was left to ponder over the new info he just learned. "...I know that it's illegal, at least from where I'm from."
"Cynthia of the Sinnoh region? How peculiar..." remarked Dimentio as he stroked his chin in thought, unsure of what to make of this new development. "...here's what you should do. Have our 'newcomers' do some recon work."
"The new guys doing recon work? Easy peasy!" Magolor spoke into a phone, as he and Gnasty Gnorc were gathered in a dark alley. The documentary crew sure had a nose for finding out where Dimentio's allies were.
"However, I will say this - you better not let the fresh meat do all the work for you," Dimentio gave this warning to Magolor and Gnasty, as the former let out a nervous gulp. So much for Magolor getting left off the hook.
"We will give our fair share," Gnasty assured Dimentio, fully committed to giving his all while Magolor on the other hand wasn't as committed. "And if we were to somehow fail this mission...what will happen to us?"
"Hm...let's just say that only the new guys will be left off the hook. You and Magolor may not be as fortunate. But I'll hold my piece for now, so that the grim details won't be hanging over your heads."
"Promise we'll do our best, Dimentio!" guaranteed Magolor, knowing what was at stake here; if the alien were to goof up today, he'd be kicked out of Dimentio's league of villains for good.
"What he just said - good luck on your end," Gnasty said to Dimentio before Magolor ended the phone call and put the phone away. Magolor and Gnasty soon turned their attention to two individuals who were conveniently standing in the darkness of the alley, their identities hidden.
"Alright boys, today's your big day!" Magolor said to the two individuals, who were both men in case Magolor somehow didn't make it obvious already. "It is time for you to prove your worth."
"Think you're up to the task?" Gnasty asked the two gentlemen, as one of them let out an evil snicker. He was definitely a bad dude, alright.
"More than up for it...recon work is our expertise!" the man who was cackling responded, proving that he was the right man for the job. The chances of failure seemed nil to Maglor and Gnasty Gnorc.
Magolor: Oh yeah, the plan is airtight. We're gonna crush it with the recon work, especially with our new buddies from the... *gasps* ...wait, I don't think I'm supposed to mention where they're from! Why are you interviewing me, you're gonna make me spill the beans! Great, now because I've said that you're gonna press me until I do a slip of tongue! Leave me alone, dang it! *runs away*
Gnasty: *walks into frame* That Magolor...he's one camera-shy fella, isn't he?
Cloud was about to return to the mansion to speak with Link, but he had to make a quick pit stop at the gas station. His motorcycle was running low on gas, so he had to refill the tank at his earliest convenience.
"Might as well ask for a receipt," said Cloud after he was done pumping the gas, as he walked to the convenience store. On his way there, the store door was opened by Sojourn.
"Let me hold the door for you," Sojourn offered to Cloud, only to do a double-take after recognizing the swordsman's face. "Wait a minute..." Sojourn closed the door in an instant, inadvertently slamming it on a man's face.
"I take it that you know me from somewhere?" Cloud asked his question rhetorically, as Sojourn got a good look at him. Almost like Sojourn just remembered what she had to do last week or something.
"We never had the chance to chat. I'm Sojourn, from Overwatch." Sojourn extended her hand to Cloud, and Cloud, being the gentleman that he was, shook Sojourn's hand.
"Nice to meet you, Sojourn. You must be one of the newer members." Cloud showed Sojourn that he had a lot to learn, as Sojourn chuckled at the swordsman's ignorance and shook her head.
"Well, the last time I checked, anyone who's been around with Overwatch since the days of Jack Morrison and Gabriel Reyes isn't exactly a new guy."
"Gabriel Reyes? As in like, Reaper? He was in Overwatch?" Cloud's ignorance of Overwatch's history was a bit illuminating to Sojourn, and it would probably be in his best interest to just shut up.
"He was...until some stuff went down. It's a long story." Sojourn saved herself from telling this long story as she walked down the pavement away from Cloud. "Nice chat - come visit us at the watchpoint when you have the chance."
"Not interested. I'm not that big on long-distance travel." Soon Sojourn came to a stop, as she felt the pressing need to inform Cloud of something that he was out of the loop on.
"The watchpoint along the Washington coast, I mean. We had one built while Master Hand put you on timeout in Oregon." Digging into her pocket, Sojourn pulled out a card and handed it to Cloud. "Here's our address."
"Thanks, I might swing by there real soon." A half-promising Cloud stuffed the card deep in his pocket, in a place where he would forget about it eventually. "After I speak with Master Hand...or rather when he speaks with me."
"He's still giving you the cold shoulder? So much for him growing up..." The fact that a powerful entity like Master Hand even needed to grow up was both baffling and disappointing to Sojourn.
"Yeah, I feel ya. Anyway, it was nice speaking with you." Cloud and Sojourn would both go their separate ways, with Sojourn leaving the convenience store and Cloud heading inside.
Cloud didn't expect anything out of the ordinary went he went inside the convenience store, save for a crackhead that was out and about in the afternoon - much earlier than their usual time. However, Cloud was not expecting to see a trio of three detectives-for-hire that he hadn't seen in over five years...Team Chaotix. Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee.
"Hamburger on a stick? Hamburger on a stick?!" Vector shouted angrily as he shoved hamburger meat on a stick in Espio and Charmy's faces. "What's next, doughnut burgers?"
"Those actually exist, for better and for worse," replied Espio, as Vector stared at the chameleon in awe with his mouth agape. "Heart attack fans surely approve of such an atrocity."
"Hear that they sell those donut burgers at baseball stadiums," stated Charmy, unwittingly making Vector super determined to punish baseball stadium food vendors for their crimes against humanity. "Guess what else they sell - baseball-long chili dogs with nacho cheese!"
"Sonic would love that..." responded Vector, as Espio and Charmy were both inclined to agree...only for Vector to get unnecessarily angry again. "...if he wanted to gamble with his life! No way would I ever..."
"Sir, are you paying for that hamburger on a stick or not?" the store worker asked Vector, the bored tone in his voice indicating either how done he was with Vector's shenanigans or how done he was with life in general.
"Keep the change..." Vector dug into his imaginary pocket and whipped out a five-dollar bill, slamming it on the counter. The store worker took the five-dollar bill, as Vector grumpily ate the hamburger on a stick in one gulp. Stick included.
"Team Chaotix! Long time, no see," Cloud greeted Vector and company, picking the right time to speak with the three detectives. Upon seeing Cloud, Vector choked on his hamburger on a stick, as Espio applied the Heimlich maneuver.
"Why...must you...do this?" Espio asked Vector, speaking every time he applied pressure to Vector's stomach until the meat (and stick) was fired out of Vector's mouth. The meat almost struck Cloud in the face.
Espio: As a ninja, I have to be first aid certified. Because you never know when you have to save someone's life in secrecy. Which, for us ninjas, doesn't happen a lot. Begs the question of why we need certification in the first place. It's...it's an unspoken requirement if that makes sense.
"Hiya Cloud!" Charmy greeted Cloud, knowing that it has been a long while since he last saw the swordsman. His last encounter was all the way back in 2017 when Master Hand had that big Christams concert.
"Good gravy, Cloud! You look..." Vector said to Cloud, who was slowly bracing himself for what Vector had to say whether good or bad. "...you look the same as before! How is that even possible?!"
"Were you expecting a big change?" Espio asked Vector, failing to understand why his crocodile partner-in-crime seemed so upset. "People like Cloud don't change that often."
"You're right - Cloud is one of those complacent dorks that do nothing to improve themselves. He's a bum! But not just any bum. A handsome bum!"
"I have a girlfriend," Cloud announced to Team Chaotix, shocking all three members; Vector gasped, Charmy held his hands over his mouth, and Espio simply widened his eyes. "Not bad for a 'handsome bum', don't you think?"
"Not bad, not bad!" Vector went from shocked to happy for Cloud, as he applauded the swordsman. "Gotta be the luckiest man in the world hooking up with Tifa Lockhart."
"Aerith, you mean," Cloud corrected Vector, making the crocodile feel like a buffoon. An honest mistake by Vector, who thought that his gaffe was something bigger...and worse.
"Meant to say that name, it was a slip of tongue. But hey, since you're here, Cloud...mind helping us move into our new apartment?" Based on how the conversation was going, Cloud would be a huge jerk to tell Team Chaotix no.
"I would love to, but I have to speak with Link first." That got a snicker out of Team Chaotix, as Cloud looked at the three detectives with his brow furrowed. "That's so funny because...?"
"Eh, you'll find out later. Don't wanna spoil the surprise. Let's get a move on!" So Team Chaotix ran to the store door, waiting on Cloud to follow their lead. But Cloud had some unfinished business first.
"Let me get my receipt, and I'll follow you guys out." So Cloud went to the counter, about to ask the done-with-life store worker for his receipt. "Just pumped some gas on pump nine, would like a receipt."
"I got you," the store worker replied as he printed up a receipt for Cloud, later handing it to the swordsman. Cloud glanced at the receipt momentarily before putting it in his pocket.
"What on earth are you up to, Link...?" Cloud muttered under his breath, as he followed Team Chaotix out of the convenience store. The swordsman was bound to find out really soon.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Dimentio was slightly perturbed by how deserted the mansion looked. With each passing second, the jester was slowly more convinced that a majority of the mansion had gone on vacation. Would be a great way to kick off the new year, although Dimenito digressed.
"How is the gaming room empty?" wondered Dimentio, having only seen one person in the gaming room - and that was Geo Stelar, sleeping away on a couch. "The gaming room is never empty!"
Pressed for answers, Dimentio floated over to Cafe Leblanc, which was livelier than the other spots he visited. When he took a peek inside the cafe, he noticed that the usual baristas - Joker, Pit, Viridi, Kirby, and Incineroar - weren't working behind the counter. Filling in for them was Sans.
"got this jewelry from a pawn shop, to ring in the new year," Sans said to Meta Knight, humoring the star warrior with some New Year's-themed puns. He was showing off a diamond ring, which the unbothered Meta Knight didn't care for.
"Haha, very funny," Meta Knight sardonically replied, as he tried to sip his curry through a straw. Anything to keep himself from removing his mask. "You are making me wish for Pit of all people to come back."
"did you hear that count dracula passed out on new year's eve? there was a count down. get it?" Sans hoped for that joke to get a good laugh out of Meta Knight but instead, Meta Knight let out an annoyed groan.
"I regret asking this, but what if Alucard were to pass out instead of Dracula? Would that still count as a count down, since he's half-vampire?"
"a half-count down, if you will. but it's crazy how 2022 just came and went in a blur. my resolution must've been too low."
"That's it, I'm done..." Reaching his breaking point with Sans, Meta Knight hopped down from the barstool he was sitting on and retreated to a different spot in the cafe. "...you can pour out the curry, I don't want it anymore."
Sans: whoever runs time square every new year's celebration has got to be a massive failure. every year they're dropping the ball. *chuckles*
"The cafe seems pretty lively," observed Dimentio, taking note of only a couple of folks that were present in Cafe Leblanc. It wasn't until he saw a member of the Golden Deer, however, that Dimentio started having questions again.
"Fill 'er up!" Raphael of the Golden Deer said to Sans, approaching the skeleton as he offered him an empty bowl. Saving himself some work, Sans poured Meta Knight's curry into Raphael's empty bowl.
"you don't care for eating after someone, do you?" Sans asked Raphael, who licked his lips at the sight of his full bowl of curry as he returned to his seat a happy camper. "i'll take that as a no."
"Inconceivable! How are those students not back at Fodlan?" wondered Dimentio, watching as Raphael took a seat next to his good buddy Ignatz. The jester ventured from the cafe, only to run into Arven.
"Ran to each other again! We're two for two," exclaimed Arven, as Dimentio had to make his getaway escape; a mansion resident could be creeping around the corner and catch Dimentio out in the open. "Can't vanish away from me this time."
"Oh, but I can! I must go, so we can't chat. Maybe later. Ciao!" Dimentio vanished away, leaving Arven in the dust yet again. Arven sighed, hunched over in defeat; at this point, the guy should just give up.
Mutoh and his Carpenters were all finished building the apartments, as it took them the entire month of December to get construction done. For Cloud, it was his first time visiting the apartments, as he pulled up to the complex on his motorcycle...while Team Chaotix trailed behind.
"So much for you guys leading the way," Cloud said to Team Chaotix, who just got out of an Uber. Forgetting that he had to pay, Vector pulled out a debit card and tossed it at the driver.
"Keep the card, I can just get myself another one," Vector said to the Uber driver, who simply shrugged his shoulders as he took Vector's card and drove off down the road. Vector should look into online banking real soon.
"Told you that we need our own mode of transportation," Espio said to Vector, while Cloud took sight of a sign that was at the apartment complex entrance. "We can't be passengers forever, you know."
"But it saves us money, and you know it!" As Vector pointed his finger in Espio's face, Cloud ventured over to the large sign and saw the title, which was appropriately in Latin.
"'Omnis Adest Apartments,'" Cloud uttered the name of the apartments - major kudos if you have any idea what "Omnis Adest" meant in English. It was a phrase that many of you may be familiar with...
"Any first impressions so far?" Charmy flew over to ask Cloud, who looked up at the apartments that were before him. On the side were a few townhouses.
"Apartments look nicer than any complex I've seen in town," replied Cloud, as each apartment was a luxury apartment; that meant it had all the perks, and then some. Whoever was living in them was living large.
"Uh oh, here comes a car!" Charmy and Cloud moved out of the way, as a vehicle pulled up to the double gates that were at the entrance. But it wasn't just any regular vehicle...it was an F-Zero racecar The Golden Fox, which was piloted by Dr. Stewart.
"Dr. Stewart?" Cloud recognized the doctor who got out of the racecar, Dr. Stewart, who walked up to a keypad that was near the double gates. Dr. Stewart stared intensely at the keypad, his mind drawing a blank.
"Dearest me, I forgot the code..." grimaced Dr. Stewart, insulted that his mind wasn't working properly as he took out his phone and made a call. His call was promptly answered. "...hello, I forgot what the code is for the gate."
"Code is one five one-a three," Mario reminded Dr. Stewart, as Cloud was able to make out the plumber's voice from the phone. Dr. Stewart happily punched in the code on the keypad, greatly pleased as a green light flashed. Along with a ding sound.
"That is all I needed to know. Thank you." Grateful yet deeply ashamed of himself, Dr. Stewart ended the call as he returned to the Golden Fox. But not before noticing Cloud and Charmy staring at him.
"Good afternoon, doc," Cloud greeted Dr. Stewart, who was mulling whether or not he should hand Cloud one of his business cards. "You're moving into the apartments today?"
"Absurd of you to even ask me that...I'll be moving into a new home in this new community. The apartments belong to dregs like those Team Chaotix simpletons over there."
"We've gone over this too many times, WE DON'T NEED A CAR!" Vector argued with Espio, smacking the back of his hand in the palm of his other hand to prove a point. "Or a vehicle!"
"Car and vehicle are the same things, genius," Espio informed Vector, who rested his car as he refused to give Espio a single inch. "Name one detective group that doesn't use a car. I'll wait."
"Uh...do Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson count as a group?" Vector pondered over this as he scratched his head while Espio facepalmed at him. "Or do I add in one more person to make it a group? Mary Shelley?"
Dr. Stewart: Some folks will be staying in apartments; others, such as yours truly, will be residing in a townhouse. Obviously, a man of my caliber has no business inside a smelly apartment. I have lived in an apartment before, and it was an awful, awful experience...the room service was sadly nonexistent.
"I rest my case..." stated Dr. Stewart, hearing enough of Vector and Espio's bickering as he hopped back inside the Golden Fox. With the double gates now opened, Dr. Stewart drove his vehicle through the entrance with ease.
"I'll input the code as many times to keep the gates open," said Charmy as he flew over to the keypad, anticipating the moment that the gates would begin to close. Depending on how things were going with Vector and Espio, Charmy may have to wait another hour or two.
"That doesn't sound necessary..." responded Cloud, who didn't feel like waiting around as he went through the double gates while they were still open. "...thanks for the 'escort.' I'm gonna look around for a bit."
"Sorry that our Uber driver was lagging behind!" Charmy's apology was hardly accepted by Cloud, who passed through the gates as he was firmly on the apartment grounds for the first time. "Vector, Espio, you coming?"
"Dang it, Charmy! I was this close to destroying Espio in our argument!" Vector shouted at the bee, as he and Espio ended their arguing (for now) and followed Charmy through the entrance. Charmy inputted the code to keep the gates open, just in case.
But that was a poor decision, as Magolor and Gnasty appeared out of some shrubbery they were hiding in. The two villains rushed through the gates, just before the gates started to close.
"Oh no, the gates!" Magolor panicked, as the gates took their sweet time closing. It truly made for a lot of suspense. "The new guys didn't make it through..."
"Might want to think again..." said a voice - the same cackling voice from earlier - coming from a dark corridor that appeared right behind Magolor and Gnasty. A dark corridor? That could only mean...
Cloud wouldn't be the only person that was looking around the apartments, as Snake's buddy Hal had done the same before Cloud arrived. Due to his poor stamina, Hal had to take a breather and sit on a bench to recharge his batteries. He had some company, though, in the Squid Sisters.
"I hear that Differin Adapalene is good for the skin," Hal discussed with Marie and Callie in the mansion's living room, holding a bottle of Differin Adapalene. The Squid Sisters scrutinized Hal's face, marveling at how clear it was.
"Yup! It sure is!" exclaimed Marie, as Fox and Falco meandered their way to the bench and saw the folks that were sitting on it. "Where did you find out?"
"From your sister Callie of course." Hal gave the wrong possible response that he could give, as he had the Squid Sisters frowning at him. "Not like I watch her videos or anything."
"Make it or break it time - no risk it, no biscuit," Fox called out to someone from afar, as Falco beckoned to this someone. Soon a certain young witch made her way to Hal and the Squid Sisters appearing done with life.
"A nerd like you probably went through my entire channel..." Callie frowned at Hal, who smiled sheepishly as he put the Differin Adapalene away. When Callie turned from Hal, she saw Ashley standing with her back towards her, dressed up as Yazawa Nico.
"This is going to be the end of me..." mumbled Ashley, commanding everyone's attention; the young witch reluctantly turned around and smiled forcibly as she acted all cutesy. "...Nico-Nico-Ni! I'll nico nii your heart! I'm Yazawa Nico-Nico, and I'll put a smile in your heart! Remember, I'm Nico-Ni, and I love-Nico you!"
"You getting all of this?" Falco asked Knuckles, who was hiding behind a townhouse recording Ashley on his cellphone. The Squid Sisters were looking perplexed, while Hal couldn't be any prouder of Ashley.
Fox: When thinking up a form of punishment for Ashley, the perfect one fell right into our laps when Knuckles showed us a video of Ashley cosplaying as Yazawa Nico of Love Live fame. Ashley is gonna spend every minute until midnight as Nico, and she's gonna do the whole "Nico-Nico" thing for whoever we assign her to. Less fun for her...more fun and laughs for us!
Knuckles: Oh yeah, all this footage is gonna go on the Web. We're gonna make so much mint from this expenditure.
Ashley: If it were physically possible, I would die from embarrassment. Suicide isn't an option; I'm not cowardly enough to consider it.
"Bravo, Ashley, Bravo!" Hal applauded the young witch as he stood up, lavishing all his praise upon the routine that Ashley was forced to do. "That was a great rendition. I give it five stars."
"You just replaced Knuckles at the very top of my hit list," Ashley responded to Hal, as Fox and Falco drew closer to Ashley once Hal was done clapping. Ashley turned to her Star Records bosses. "Hope you two are happy."
"We are most overjoyed," responded Fox, as the blushing face from Ashley made the young witch's special punishment all the more worth it. "Only got a whole bunch of other people to entertain..."
"If you're lucky, we'll skip over all the folks moving in," added Falco, making Ashely dread the horrendous thought of doing her routine for a whole bunch of people that she wanted nothing to do with. "If you're lucky."
With the help of Rayman and his friends, E. Gadd got all of his Christmas decorations removed. After their hard work was done, Rayman, Globox, and Barbara left E. Gadd's mansion, and they left E. Gadd lonely for the time being. That time being didn't last that long, as E. Gadd was visited by Sonic.
"Lavenza doesn't like the gift you got her," Sonic told the bad news to E. Gadd, as he handed the inventor the Jojo Siwa doll that Lavenza got as her Secret Santa gift. "So here ya go."
"Had a sneaky feeling that Lavenza isn't actually seven years old..." lamented E. Gadd as he was about to take the doll from Sonic - only to stop when he realized something. "...but wait! Is returning Christmas gifts allowed?"
"I mean, people return gifts at stores all the time...shop for Christmas much?" Based on the thought process that E. Gadd took in regard to purchasing Lavenza's gift, Sonic believed that the answer was a big fat no.
"Also, did Lavenza really not like her gift? I'd like to hear it from the horse's mouth." E. Gadd required as much confirmation as possible, before making the decision of asking Walmart for his measly ten dollars back.
"She doesn't like the Jojo Siwa doll, okay?! Just...just take it already." Sonic forced the Jojo Siwa doll onto E. Gadd, forcing it into the inventor's hands. But E. Gadd wasn't budging.
"Tiny Tiger, you are the WORST handyman ever!" Cortex was heard shouting angrily from afar, his loud voice bringing the tussling between Sonic and E. Gadd to an end. "So many times you dropped the bed on my foot..."
"Tiny Tiger?" Sonic furrowed his brow, recalling Tiny Tiger from a mansion visit that occurred a few years ago. Cortex soon showed up in the foyer with one of his minions, Tiny Tiger - and Tiny was looking apologetic.
"Tiny was scared of the black spider in the corner of the room," Tiny said to Cortex, who didn't want to hear it as he gave Tiny the hand. If anyone ever gave you the hand, you know that you messed up big time.
"It wasn't a black spider...it was a ball of black hair. Might've been my own hair. But that is beside the point! I'm never relying on you to move furniture ever again!"
"What's with all the racket?" a certain potoroo asked, as another one of Cortex's minions entered the foyer - Pinstripe Potoroo. As always, he was seen holding his famous Tommy gun.
"Nothing, Tiny was being an absolute buffoon as he always is." No amount of Tiny twiddling with his fingers was enough to remove himself from any blame.
E. Gadd: For the first three years, I've been very lonely at this mansion. Then Cortex moved in, slightly easing the empty void that was filling my life. And now, I have his minions! That said, the empty void is still there. I guess that Cortex and his underlings aren't that fulfilling.
Uka: *appearing from behind* I could have told you that...
"Sheesh, Cortex, your foot looks pretty bad!" Sonic said to the evil genius, whose foot was exposed and swollen; it was for that reason that Cortex had to limp his way to the foyer. "I can get you some ointment."
"No need, I'm sure it'll heal naturally," assured Cortex, as Pinstripe turned away and laughed at Cortex with his arm other his mouth. "I didn't ask for your snide laughing, Pinstripe..."
"Master Cortex, Master Cortex!" shouted Cortex's right-hand man, Dr. N. Gin, as the cyborg scrambled from the kitchen to alert his boss of some bad news. "The microwave in the kitchen just melted!"
"Microwave just melted? Ooh, if I find out that the Komodo Bros put aluminum foil in there..." Cortex was in an even angrier mood, as he followed N. Gin to the kitchen. "...that's how I lost the microwave I had since college!"
"For the record, I had nothing to do with it," Pinstripe pleaded his innocence to Cortex as he took out a comb from his pocket, using it to comb his slick hair. Any dude wielding a Tommy gun has got to have slick hair.
"Cortex's minions were asked to move into my mansion," E. Gadd explained to Sonic, as Cortex was heard chewing out the Komodo Bros from the kitchen seconds later. "Finally, I have a group that I can consider family!"
"You consider Cortex's minions your family?" Sonic snorted at E. Gadd, laughing at the professor as he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Boy you must be that desperate...so are you gonna take back the doll or what?"
Cloud took a brief look around the apartments, as he saw a lot of his contemporaries moving stuff in. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong were moving in furniture from a moving truck, while King Dedede was making his Waddle Dees do the same.
"Drop any of the furniture on the ground, and your butt is mine!" King Dedede shouted at the Waddle Dees, arms folded as his lackeys were doing the work for him. Would anyone ever expect a king to do any menial work?
"You really love running a tight ship, King Dedede," Cloud said to the fat penguin as he came near, distracting one of the Waddle Dees. The distracted Waddle Dee dropped a pillow on the pavement, and the other Waddle Dees halted as King Dedede gasped in disappointment.
"THAT'S IT, MISTER, HAND ME YOUR BUTT!" King Dedede leaped at the Waddle Dee who dropped the pillow, wrangling with him while the other Waddle Dees resumed their work. "Give me your buttocks!"
"It was just a pillow...chill out." Taking initiative, Cloud picked up the pillow and carried it into the apartment. The swordsman placed the pillow in the living room with some of the other furniture, before making his exit.
As Cloud walked past King Dedede and the Waddle Dees, he came across a group of students, and their teacher - Class VII, of the Thors Military Academy. The old Class VII, that is. Juna Crawford, Kurt Vander, Altina Orion, Musse Egret, and Ash Carbide were all in Cloud's midst.
"Alright students, we made it back!" Rean said to his students as he arrived at the apartment, while Cloud recalled his previous encounter with the instructor. "Now was that walk so hard?"
"Maybe if we had our running shoes, it wouldn't have been," replied Kurt, whose feet were terribly cramped after all the brief trek that Class VII took. All the other students shared Juna's sentiments, which Rean undervalued.
"Rean Schwarzer...we meet yet again," Cloud said to the instructor of Class VII, who along with his five students took notice of the swordsman. "Back on another 'field trip?'"
"Good afternoon, Cloud! Yes, we are...we are indeed on another field trip." There was a lot of hesitancy in Rean's voice, which made the students make some amused faces. Cloud wasn't so easily fooled, but he was willing to play along.
"Then I guess all this furniture being moved into this apartment isn't yours, then." Cloud watched as a Waddle Dee brought out a lamp from the moving truck. The Waddle Dee almost dropped the lamp, making Juna flinch.
"Watch it, that lamp cost me a fortune!" Juna pointed angrily at the Waddle Dee, only to pipe down when Rean gave her a stern look. But it didn't matter anyway, as it only made Cloud even more convinced.
"It's not a field trip; it's more of a staycation," Rean elaborated to Cloud, while Juna kept a very close eye on the Waddle Dee that was handling her apparently expensive lamp. "If you know what I mean."
"A staycation at a place that's not your home is pretty unheard of," responded Cloud, digging Rean into an even deeper hole; the Class VII students were interested in seeing how their instructor would respond.
"Oh, but it makes sense because this place is..." Rean suddenly stopped speaking, as he couldn't risk digging himself into a hole that he virtually had no chance of digging out of. "...it was nice seeing you, Cloud. Let's go students."
"But what about the public bath?" Altina asked Rean, standing along with Juna while Rean led the rest of his students into the apartment. Altina and Juna looked at each other, deciding to venture into this public bath themselves.
Rosalina: At this apartment complex, there is a public bath for the patrons to access. *pauses* It's mainly for women. The men would have their own public space, but based on what Master Hand had seen from his own men...and from what I've seen... *shudders* ...it wouldn't surprise me if most of the mansion men didn't know what hygiene was. Or if they had even heard of that word before.
"We can just go ahead; they'll be done moving in the stuff by the time we get back," Juna convinced Altina, who nodded her head as she and Juna ran off to the public bath. Cloud watched as the two Class VII students retreated, processing all this new information.
"And here I thought that public baths were just a thing they only did in Japan," remarked Cloud, leaving the Class VII apartment building as he continued his walk around the apartments. With the hopes of encountering Link soon.
Elsewhere at the apartment site, Heihachi Mishima and his son Kazuya were moving in three friends into their apartment - Roxas, Axel, and Xion. Whose bright idea was it to have Heihachi and Kazuya work together?
"What a showoff..." Heihachi muttered at Kazuya, who was carrying a few bed frames with ease; that devil gene must be working wonders. "...also, the master bedroom is still bland."
"Because it hasn't been finished yet," stated Kazuya as he dropped the bed frames at the door, before dusting his hands off. "Also, this apartment has no master bedroom."
"Then how else can you explain why one room is larger than the other? No way was it an oversight by the Carpenters!" Not liking how Heihachi was talking to him, Kazuya got up in his old man's grill to set him straight.
"I never said that it was an oversight. I was just telling you facts." An intense staredown between the elder Mishima and younger Mishima brewed, as Roxas and friends were safely standing off the side as mere spectators.
"Anyone brought the popcorn?" Axel asked Roxas and Xion, anticipating the fireworks that were about to set off between Heihachi and Kazuya. "This could get really good!"
"Or really ugly," countered Roxas, knowing without a doubt that the staredown would eventually lead to a fight to the death between the Mishimas. "Why did these two have to be our move-in guys..."
The sea salt ice cream trio weren't the only ones spectating the Mishima staredown, for Magolor and Gnasty were watching from afar. Well, they were watching the staredown partly, but much of their focus was on Roxas and his friends.
"No one ever told me that Ventus had a twin!" commented Magolor, making the easy mistake of assuming that Ventus and Roxas were related by blood. Ventus and Roxas were related, but only in a different way.
"That is not his twin, you nincompoop..." someone said to Magolor, as a tall figure stood next to the alien with their arms held behind their back. "...he just bears a strong connection to Sora. Their hearts are connected."
"Guess that makes sense." Magolor looked up at the tall figure next to him, and it was a man who was wearing a cloak...the infamous black cloak that Organization XIII wore. It was an Organization XIII member - and there was another one standing on the opposite side of him!
"It requires a lot of explaining, but all of that can be done at a later time. For now, we best get a head start on our recon work! Shall we?"
Turning back to Cloud, the swordsman kept looking around the apartments when he came across a familiar face in Pit. Pit, for whatever reason, was turned to the wall of an apartment building with his hands covering his eyes, while he was doing a countdown. Albeit struggling mightily.
"Uh, two-and-a-half...one hundred and fifty-nine...the square root of pi," Pit did his best to count, as his mind was drawing a blank several times. Cloud was amused by the angel's measly attempt, as Bayonetta joined him.
"Pit is playing a game of hide-and-seek with his friends," Bayonetta explained to Cloud, as Pit struggled to think of what number came after the obviously nonexistent square root of pi. "Since he couldn't be trusted to move in stuff..."
"Can't imagine why anyone would rely on him," responded Cloud, thinking that Pit volunteered himself only to be later told the bad news. "How long has he been counting down?"
"This is presumably his seventh attempt. He's given the others plenty of time!" Bayonetta saw one of the folks who were playing hide-and-seek, as she noticed Coco hiding in a trash can. The blonde ponytail hanging from underneath the lid was unmistakable.
Coco: The best part about Pit doing the countdown is that his counting skills are almost as bad as his reading skills once were. If not worse. Meaning that we'll have an hour at the minimum to find the perfect hiding spot. The game might even last until midnight, depending on how well Pit's brain is functioning.
"Hm, I don't know whether to help him out or watch for my own entertainment," Cloud said to Bayonetta, as Pit was shouting out all sorts of random numbers. It was a surprise that he hadn't shouted out infinity yet
"Let's just enjoy it while it lasts," advised Bayonetta, as Pit finally counted up to ten - using the right numbers, mind you - after restarting the count.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Pit bellowed after counting up to ten as Crash, who was looking for a hiding spot, quickly ran off after Pit turned around. The first person that Pit ran into after uncovering his eyes was Cloud.
"Who died and made you the one doing the searching?" Cloud asked Pit, left with more questions - as well a few mild concerns. "Guess everyone will be hiding until move-in day is done."
"Cloud, did you not hear me shouting? You're supposed to be hiding from me! I mean, I'd love it if you made it easier for me since I'm admittedly not the best at searching for people..."
"News flash, Pit - I'm not playing hide-and-seek. I wanted to speak with Link about something." Cloud killed whatever enthusiasm Pit had, as Pit let out a saddened moan.
"To think that I was gonna make my first big catch of the day...you almost killed my momentum, Cloud. Oh, well!" Pit perked back up as he ran off, hoping to find the others before time ran out. If there was even a timer, to begin with.
"Told them that hiding in the pool is off-limits...they just won't listen," muttered Link as he walked along the sidewalk, coming across his best friend Cloud. Rather convenient timing for Cloud. "Oh, hey Cloud!"
"Just the man I wanted to see." Cloud walked over to Link, who had his ears heightened for anything that Cloud wished to discuss. "I heard that Master Hand's built these apartments while Aerith and I were gone."
"The Carpenters built the apartments, technically - Master Hand's oversaw the whole project. Would let you in on the purpose of it, but..." Link trailed off, and he had Cloud at the edge of his seat.
"But what?" Cloud leaned in close to Link, waiting for the Hylian to hurry up and finish what he was saying. "Is this your dumb way of coaxing me into joining you for lunch?"
"How did you..." Link was about to snap after Cloud figured out his plan, but he kept in his emotions as he threw his arms up in defeat. "...yes, I want you to join me for lunch. Maybe then you can finish telling me your tales in Arcadia Bay."
"After you give me the lowdown on these new apartments we'll see." So Cloud followed after Link, greatly anticipating what exciting details Link was willing to share. Bayonetta looked on smirking.
"Great to see them back together," commented Bayonetta, as the union of Link and Cloud had brought a sense of normalcy back to the mansion following Cloud's return.
Dimentio remained at the mansion, checking several spots for any signs of activity. The lack of engagement under the mansion roof was getting to him. So when he stopped by the laundry room, he was relieved to see Cap'n Cuttlefish and Ammo Knights shop owner Sheldon.
"Suppose that I'm face-to-face with Dimentio, mono e mono," Cuttlefish discussed with Sheldon, giving the horseshoe crab a scenario that could possibly happen in the near future. "What should I do?"
"Scare him away with one of these - the Hero Blaster Replica!" exclaimed Sheldon as he whipped out the Blaster in question, with Cuttlefish fearing what was coming next. "It's a specially designed blaster with the same stats as the standard Blaster. This weapon came about after I made a breakthrough in my research and managed to create the ultimate weapon! Sadly, it never made it to mass production because the guys at the factory couldn't wrap their heads around my advanced schematics..."
"Scratch that, I don't need a weapon..." Now annoyed, Cuttlefish gently lowered the Hero Blaster Replica with his hand, as Sheldon put the Blaster back in his imaginary pocket. "...I'll just scare Dimentio off with my moxie alone."
Cuttlefish: Sheldon was the most disliked person at the dinner table during Festivus. Every time someone asked him about his life, or what his day job was, he would start runnin' his mouth about his precious weapons! I'm tellin' you, that boy needs a girlfriend. He and Hal could use a girlfriend to fill whatever empty void is existin' in their lives.
"Why isn't that old coot back in Inkpolis?" pondered Dimentio as he floated away from the laundry room, before feeling the urge to giggle a bit. "But I will say, he's insane for thinking that he could beat the likes of..."
"Third time's the charm!" exclaimed Arven, who encountered Dimentio for the third time today; the Pokemon trainer was thrilled, while Dimentio was the opposite of it. "Can't escape this time, Dimentio."
"You do realize I can teleport freely, right?" Arven seemed to understand this, but he was undeterred as he pulled out his trusty Poke Ball. "Please put that away - I have no time for a Pokemon battle that I would most certainly win."
"I'm not challenging you to a battle - I'm going make you stay. Let's go, Mabosstiff!" Arven sent out his Mabosstiff, as his loyal canine companion was staring down at Dimentio.
"Ooh, a dog Pokemon, I'm so afraid..." Dimentio pretended to be scared, and Arven apparently perceived the jester's faux fear as genuine. "...what is he going to do? Intimidate me?"
"That's exactly what he's doing. Keep intimidating him, Mabosstiff!" Contrary to what Arven believed, Mabosstiff's Intimidate ability had zero effect on Dimentio for very obvious reasons.
"I'd love to hurt your dog, but today isn't one of those days. Now go be like a good little schoolboy, and take your mutt and scram!"
"Arven? Arven!" Nemona called out to her fellow academy classmate, and that was Dimentio's cue to vanish out of sight. Arven gritted his teeth as Nemona caught up to him. Apparently, she wasn't that the Naranja Academy either.
"Darn it, Nemona! You didn't give me a chance to speak with Dimentio," Arven scolded Nemona, fearing that his third encounter with Dimentio was perhaps his last for the day. Nemona responded to Arven's anger by cocking her head to the side in perplexity.
"Uh...sure. Anywho, Penny's with X and Samus, and she says that she wants a snack from the vending machine. Like, I dunno, a bag of chips or something."
"Well you're up and about...why can't you do it? Did she not ask you to find her a snack?" Arven would happily prepare a sandwich for Penny if he wasn't so incensed at the moment.
"She did, but I wanted to ask you to do it. No biggie!" Nemona walked past Arven, leaving the Pokemon trainer even more ticked as she ran off to handle her own business.
"They act like I have a bunch of coins on me...let's move, Mabosstiff." So Arven and his Mabosstiff headed to the vending machine room, and after Arven was gone from the premises, Dimentio reappeared.
"X and Samus together must mean they're looking through that laptop I returned," surmised Dimentio, curious as to when X and Samus began glossing through the laptop's content. "Rest assured they won't find anything new on the hard drive. Hee hee!"
Ashley finally came clean in the last episode, confessing to Fox and Falco that she was the one who spilled the beans about Cloud and Aerith's first kiss. Thanks to the confession, Doc Louis was no longer in the doghouse and Ashley was the one in deep trouble. But much like how they humiliated Doc Louis as punishment, Fox and Falco planned to do the same with Ashley.
"This is so cool, we got our very own house!" Barry exclaimed to Dawn, as the two Pokemon trainers from Sinnoh were going to share a townhouse together. Much to Dawn's slight chagrin.
"We're gonna have to establish so many house rules..." commented Dawn, standing outside the townhouse she would be staying in while Jacky Bryant and Akira Yuki moved in some stuff. Jakob would pass by Dawn and Barry as he walked along the sidewalk.
"Wouldn't hurt too much if I ask to be relocated here," said Jakob, mulling over his current living plans. The butler ran into Ashley, who had her back turned before spinning around after detecting Jakob's presence.
"Nico-Nico-Ni! I'll nico nii your heart!" Ashley performed as she did the Nico routine - except this one was longer than the schtick she did for Hal and the Squid Sisters. Everyone outside was looking at her.
"Jakob is legit smiling!" exclaimed Barry, as a slight smile was forming on Jakob's face. Truly a miracle, as Jakob rarely smiled if ever. "Somebody get the camera! Where's my Rotom Phone?!"
Jakob: Not many things amuse me these days - most of everything that I see is either bland or absolute filth. But Ashley, acting cute...that really did put a smile on my face, amazingly enough. Now I worry that my overall satisfaction with Ashley's display will have killed her self-esteem.
"I wasn't smiling, my mouth muscles were acting weird," stated Jakob, playing off his smile after Ashley was done doing her routine. But it didn't matter, for his smile was now on record.
"None of you saw a thing," Ashley said to everyone nearby, willing to cast a nasty spell on anyone who dared to speak of her Nico impersonation. Having done her piece, the young witch walked away as Fox and Falco waited for her.
"You did great," Falco commended Ashley, who walked past the pilots acting very much like a grumpy bear. Fox and Falco were snickering afterward. "She is so gonna hate us later..."
Anyone who was moving into an apartment or townhouse today had to check in at the reception desk first and get their key. Mario and Isabelle were running the reception desk at the apartment office building, filling in only for the day.
"Man, that was some good eats!" gleamed Raphael, rubbing his stomach as he and Ignatz showed up at the front desk. That curry filled him up quickly - even if it was made by Sans. "One key, please."
"You're with the Golden Deer, right?" Mario asked Raphael and Ignatz, already knowing the answer but asking anyway just to verify. "We already gave-a Claude the key. Isabelle will show-a you to your apartment."
"This is what we get because of your appetite..." Ignatz quietly frowned at Raphael, who shrugged innocently as Isabelle hopped down from her chair and got from behind the front desk.
"After me, gentlemen!" Isabelle said to Raphael and Ignatz, leading the two members of the Golden Deer to their destination. Isabelle led Raphael and Ignatz past Link and Cloud, who were both sitting at a table having lunch.
"I reckon that's the last of the Golden Deer," assumed Link, only to feel someone kicking at his leg. The Hylian and Cloud both looked under the table at Hunter, who was cowering on the floor with his hands over his head.
"For a man playing hide-and-seek, you must really love to give yourself away," Cloud said to Hunter, who picked the worst possible hiding spot. At least he got to eat foodstuffs off the floor, although they were hard to come by.
"So are you saying that I should-a hold my breath?" questioned Hunter; the cheetah wasn't as invincible as he thought he was, definitely not cut out to restrict his oxygen flow. "You want me to die, Cloud?"
"That's literally not what he meant," Spyro said to Hunter as he emerged from his hiding spot, the reception desk. The dragon had to ask Mario for permission to hide there.
"What do you know, Spyro, you can probably hold your breath for like a week and not risk your life! Dragons like you make me jealous..."
"Just pipe-a down a bit, will you?" Mario asked Spyro and Hunter, wanting the two friends to hide in peace. Spyro and Hunter obeyed Mario's request as he zipped his lips, as Link and Cloud were free to resume their conversation.
"Master Hand seems overly generous with these apartments," Cloud discussed with Link, offering his cynicism about the apartment project that Master Hand supposedly had his hands over. "Who exactly will be moving into them?"
"I have a full roster of folks moving in, but I can't say any names," replied Link, he and Zelda staying faithful to Master Hand's decree of keeping the names of those moving in a secret.
"Master Hand isn't around; you can at least tell me one name." Cloud did his best to entice Link, who was holding his tongue as he was showing the slightest hint of nervousness. "Not like he'll magically appear."
"Well, I can tell you one thing...this was the professors' idea. Byleth and Beleth." Link did garner a shocked reaction from Cloud, so at least he got some kind of response from the swordsman.
"It was their idea? I never would've guessed." Cloud was pleasantly surprised by the tidbit that Link gave him, but the swordsman was craving a bit more. "Could've been somebody else's idea."
"In fact, it was...but that's as much as I'm going to share with you. Until I'm done with my lunch." Link resumed eating his salad, as Cloud looked to press the Hylian for more answers.
"The Paldean Pokemon? They haven't been much trouble," Zelda spoke with a sharply-dressed man wearing glasses, as she and the man came over to the table where Link and Cloud sat it.
"With a Tinkaton in your sanctuary, I strongly beg to differ," the bespeckled man quipped, making Zelda laugh as he intended. Cloud good a good look at the man, as Zelda noticed Cloud after her laughter ceased.
"Oh, Cloud! This is Clavell, of the Naranja Academy. He's the director." Representing the Naranja Academy well, Clavell was wearing an orange blazer that best exemplified the academy's aura.
"We are well acquainted." Clavell shook Cloud's hand, and Cloud even stood up to make the handshake feel important. Also because he had manners.
"Nice meeting you, director," Cloud said to Clavell, and after the handshake was over a worrying thought entered Cloud's mind. "Don't tell me he's..."
"No, he's not moving in," Link assured Cloud; no way Clavell could oversee an entire academy from across the pond and beyond. "He wanted to stop by in town and see three of his students off."
"I granted the three students staying in town permission to stay in this community you call 'Omnis Adest,'" Clavell explained to Cloud, awfully delighted by how fancy the name of the community sounded. "Just wanted to see them off, that's all."
"Master Hand had to ask Clavell for permission first," Zelda provided a few more details; she was the one who had to pen the letter. "Clavell was leaning towards no at first, but then..."
"One of our instructors saw a jester meandering near the Great Crater of Paldea. When the jester that was described to us lined up with the one entailed in that letter...that's when I made my final decision."
"Dimentio's making the rounds, I see..." said Cloud, his mind drifting away from the topic at hand as he had to ask a pressing question. "...by the way, have any of you seen Master Hand?"
"Not ever since the move-in day started," replied Link; maybe somewhere Master Hand was off with Crazy Hand wasting their money with hookers and blow. "He's been MIA."
"He's been like that ever since you came back," Zelda informed Cloud, who was led to believe that Master Hand was still in a mood. Okay, so maybe hookers and blow weren't involved.
Zelda: Master Hand hasn't gotten over Cloud's return. I imagined that he wouldn't talk to just Cloud, but he has barely made interaction with anyone! Even Isabelle and Anna are getting the cold shoulder. Have no clue when Master Hand will stop acting like a petulant child, but when the time comes, it'll come. I'm just happy that Cloud and Aerith returned safe and sound, thanks to their "family".
"Heeeeere's Johnny!" announced a familiar green lizard, as Gex pulled up to Cloud and company while rolling his suitcase. As per usual, Gex was wearing his signature sunglasses. "Whaddaya know - the family's back together again. Partly."
"You let him move in?" a surprised Cloud asked Link and Zelda, who were both looking down at the floor as they had some second doubts. "Guess you won't be too far from me, Gex."
"A family that stays together, sticks together. New personal motto of mine. Also, the rest of the amigos aren't that far behind." Gex's word was bond, as Amy Rose showed up with her friends Big and Cream.
"Now Sonic will have no excuse to not hang out with me!" chirped Amy, already having fantasized about the high amount of quality she would have with Sonic now that she was closer to him. Big looked over and saw Cloud.
"Hi, Cloud!" Big waved to the swordsman...who returned the favor as he waved back in response. The resentment that Cloud once had for Big was eroded.
"Hi, Big," greeted Cloud, as Amy witnessed the interaction between Cloud and Big and was charmed by it. Only because she never imagined that it would ever take place. "Seriously, how many people are moving in?"
"A lot," replied Link, keeping his answer as vague as possible; Cloud knew that Link would remain vague with his responses, so he didn't bother with the Hylian anymore.
"Thanks for the informative answer, Link. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna find out where Maser Hand is." So Cloud got up from his chair and left, leaving his Caesar salad unattended. Clavell couldn't help but take a peek at the salad.
"Such a beautiful assembly of lettuce," Clavell marveled at Cloud's salad as he adjusted his glasses, wishing to give Cloud credit for fixing the salad. Lest someone else fixed it for him. "Almost reminds me of a Lilligant..."
Sonic arrived at the Omnis Adest apartments as a failed man, unable to give E. Gadd back the doll that Lavenza allegedly did not want. The blue hedgehog walked down the sidewalk, looking up at the townhouses on his left.
"Wonder which townhouse Amy's gonna be staying in," said Sonic, watching as a slew of Waddle Dees were moving in furniture into one townhouse. "I can totally see her coloring it in pink once she's..."
"Not another move, hedgehog!" a voice commanded Sonic, who was stopped in his tracks as a dark corridor appeared before him. Recognizing this dark corridor, Sonic was ready to make a run for it.
"Oh no, not these guys again!" Sonic turned around and was about to speed off, but then another dark corridor appeared behind him. An Organization XIII member exited from it, making Sonic back away.
"Seen us before, haven't you?" the anonymous Organization XIII member asked Sonic, who backed up into another Organization XIII member who just stepped out from the first dark corridor. The member that was behind Sonic held Sonic's hands behind his back.
"Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight..." Once the second Organization XIII member got close enough to Sonic, he took off his hood to reveal his identity. Sonic gasped in shock. "...hey, you're that Even guy from Radiant Garden!"
"Close but no cigar!" The Organization XIII member did look like Even, but the main difference was that his eyes were yellow like Master Xehanort's. "You can call me Vexen, of Organization XIII. The real Organization XIII."
Cue the dramatic music...