Author's Note:
Inching closer to the big one hundred...got some reviews to answer:
"Will you include the characters from Final Fantasy IX? Will the other Crash Bandicoot villains like Tiny the Tiger show up? Are the Persona 5 characters going to appear? Are Gaius and The Chimerad from Tales of Xillia going to butt heads with the Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy crew if they appear? Is Master Hand gonna try and take Noctis's car when he shows up? And finally, how soon will the Vocaloids appear?"
Perhaps. Other Crash villains will appear. The Persona 5 crew will appear very soon. Perhaps. Probably. And the Vocaloids...ah, I completely forgot about them. Gotta figure out how to utilize them. Here is Derick Lindsey:
"...when is Falcon expected to return and will he and Nowi ever get back together?"
Won't provide any spoilers about Captain Falcon, or Nowi. And here we have Smashfan76:
1. Could we see characters from Undertale or Bendy and the ink machine appear in the series?
2. Could we see Spyro and Cynder meet with Crash and Coco?
3. Could we see more of the paper universe?
1. No characters from either game will appear.
2. I'll meditate upon this. Loved Spryo growing up as a kid, as much as I loved Crash. Good times...
3. More Paper Mario characters will debut, when I have the chance to showcase them.
Episode 94: Telepath
Mario, who spent last week looking for the whereabouts of Lucas, Raiden, and/or any Team Flare members along with Sonic, Pit, Kirby, Cloud, Sora, Fox, and Falco, where unable to find any of the aforementioned individuals, despite searching high and low throughout Seattle, and the rest of King county. As stated earlier in the previous episode, Master Hand would punish Mario and company if their mission was unsuccessful, and because of their lack of success, some punishments were bound to be handed out.
Pit? Lost his cellphone privileges. Kirby? Barred from the kitchen. Fox and Falco? Had to give up money from Star Records to pay for Master Hand's practically unused Lamborghini. Sora? Wasn't allowed inside the gaming room. And Cloud? Was forced to willingly give ten residents a hug. Didn't sound that hard, and wasn't even an actual punishment, but this was Cloud we're talking about...
Perhaps the only person who had it easy was Mario, who didn't receive that much of a punishment because he was a man living on his own, which meant he was free from Master Hand's punishing fetish. Only thing he got was a flick to the side of his head from Master Hand. Mario, who promised Master Hand he would search for Lucas another day, was now getting ready for breakfast, enjoying another fine Seattle morning.
"This woman is always-a misplacing my tooth-a brush..." sighed Mario, finding his toothbrush far away from the sink in the master bathroom. The plumber was standing in front of a mirror, looking for any other items Peach might've misplaced. Thankfully his toothbrush was the only item moved. "Maybe I should-a start labeling things, so Peach will think-a twice about touching them." After Mario placed the toothbrush in the cupboard where it belonged, the plumber got out his shaver, and some shaving cream. There was a lone hair on Mario's face, and it greatly unnerved the plumber seeing a facial hair that wasn't a part of his mustache. Mario was about to apply the shaving cream to his face (can't possibly use up one can just for one measly hair), when all of a sudden...
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!" some barking sounds were heard, making Mario jump and drop his shaver and shaving cream. The shaving cream landed on the floor, whereas the shaver landed in the sink, nearly going down the drain before Mario grabbed it in the nick of time. Mario would look down, and saw none other than Polterpup, wagging his tail, with a ball covered in saliva resting on the bathroom rug. "WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"Play-a time will have to wait-a until it's afternoon, Polterpup," Mario said to his pet dog, kneeling down and petting him. "Gotta eat some-a breakfast first, can't start a day with-a out some breakfast in-a my stomach! Wonder what Peach is-a cooking this morning..."
Peach: With Lara as our guest, I wanted to give her and Mario a full English breakfast - fried eggs, sausage, pudding, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, and toast! Been trying to diversify Mario's food tastes, since pancakes and waffles are typical breakfasts for him. I do believe he's playing safe and avoiding as much dairy products as possible, he might be lactose intolerant...I would test it out for myself, but I wouldn't want to put Mario through any stomach trouble. I already learned my lesson from that one time we had hot wings for dinner; funny how Mario can use fire, but his stomach can't handle...fire.
After shaving off the one facial hair that was apparently bothering him so, Mario put on his housecoat and headed downstairs to the kitchen. There he would find Peach, doing her thing and cooking to her heart's desire, and Lara, glancing at some pictures hanging on the refrigerator. One particular picture interested the tomb raider enough to take it off the fridge, and inspect it very closely.
"Good-a morning, ladies!" Mario would greet Peach and Lana, who both returned the greeting. "Is that the smell-a of sausage infiltrating my nostrils? Ooh, I can tell-a this breakfast is going to be-a well!"
"Mario...is this your arch-enemy, Bowser?" Lara asked the plumber, showing him the picture in her hand - it was a wedding photo, of Mario and Bowser standing side-by-side, with their arms wrapped around one another. The photo was a year old, hailing from Luigi and Daisy's wedding...and seeing two famous video game rivals standing next to each other in friendly solidarity was very questioning for Mario.
"...it...it was at-a Luigi's wedding, I had no other choice-a but to snap a picture with Bowser. King Dedede, the photographer, put-a me up to it." King Dedede, as a wedding photographer? Now Lara was even more bewildered.
"Mario and Bowser are actually quite friendly when they're not rivaling against one another and fighting for my affection," Peach said to Lara, who was certain Bowser harbored a crush on her judging by the many times the Koopa King kidnapped her. Made some sense in retrospect. "Mario might refuse to acknowledge it, but Bowser certainly doesn't."
"Bowser only acts-a friendly just to get on-a my good side," clarified Mario, as he went to go fix himself a cup of coffee. "We lived in the Smash-a Mansion together for a very long-a time, so he had no other choice-a but to try and act all-a nice and such. Same-a goes for the other villains."
"Obviously Bowser can't be evil all the time, he has to balance it out every now and then," said Lara, hanging the wedding photo back on the fridge. The tomb raider never really had a villain she would constantly go up against; most of the bad guys she faced only hanged around for a short period of time. "I'm sure the other mansion residents are there to keep him in check."
"Well some-a do a better job than-a others, I will admit..." Mario had this to say as he went to the living room, cup of coffee in hand, to look out through one of the windows at the Smash Mansion...which had fire coming out from one of the dining room windows. "Mama mia, the mansion's-a on fire!"
"The Smash Mansion is on fire?!" fretted Peach, who immediately stopped cooking as she and Lara joined Mario at the window, seeing the smoke come out from the mansion and rise up to the sky. "Don't tell me Team Flare is involved..."
Team Flare wasn't involved in the fire - Lysandre, nor any Team Grunts, were found within the mansion's vicinity. The fire was taking place in the dining room, where all the mansion residents were trapped. Only ones absent were Master Hand and Jakob, as the doors were locked shut and there was nowhere to go.
"Oh no, another fire in the dining room, how could this be?!" panicked Bowser, as the fire, which was coming out from a trash can, was growing bigger and bigger. If episode 6 was any indication, then it was clear who started the fire...
Bowser: Yeah, I'm totally starting another fire drill in the dining room, just like last time! Gotta run another fire drill, especially for those who weren't around for the first one, like the idol singers, the bandicoots, and a slew of others. Told Master Hand about the rousing success of the first fire drill, and asked him if I should do another drill, and he gave me the thumbs up of approval! Jakob was somewhat cynical about the idea, but Master Hand said yes so that's what matters. They tell kids smoking hurts lives...but today, it will be the complete opposite!
The fire drill, much like the previous one, was very, very hectic, what with people running about, not knowing what to do or how to solve the situation at hand. Even worse was that the dining room was now more concentrated, which meant more chaos was afoot.
"No need to fear guys, I can put this fire out myself!" Sora said heroically, getting his Keyblade ready as he faced the fire. "FREEZE!" The Keyblade wielder tried to fire some sort of ice spell at the fire, to freeze it, but little did he know that he was in a universe apart from his, which meant his magic would have no effect.
"Sora if we are to die here during this moment, allow me to be the first to say that you're an idiot," Cloud said to the Keyblade wielder, as he was trying to bring some sort of peace and reasoning to the dining room...but it was no use. Nobody would listen to Cloud anyways.
"Quick everyone, through the air vent!" Wario called out to everyone, as he tore off an air vent and tried to fit through the hole...only to get himself stuck because he was a fatty. "Crap, should have thought this plan out thoroughly..."
"My life and career cannot possibly end because of some fire!" exclaimed Yashiro, seeing his life flash before him as the fire grew bigger and hotter. "Take me with you!" the idol singer said to Wario, as he pushed him through the air duct...only to get Wario stuck for good. "Uh...does anyone have a plunger? Is there a plunger around here?"
"Keeping a plunger in the dining room is downright unsanitary," said Viridi, who was busy looking for Pit. "What we need is some water to douse the fire!" About time someone thought logically, rather than fearing for their life...
"Corrin and Kamui both wield the water element well, and so does Greninja - I think one of them should take care of the fire," said Ike, remaining cool and collected during the fire drill. Even though his hair was slightly on fire.
"Who needs water to vanquish the fire...when we can use the FORCE!" exclaimed Corrin, as he would use the "Force" on the fire; as you would expect, nothing happened as a result. But the fire did start firing some fire crackers at Corrin and several others; Bowser added fire crackers to the fire, for whatever reason. "Ack, the fire's shooting at us, we're definitely goners now!"
"This has officially gotten out of hand, let me know when this whole thing is over..." said Mewtwo, as he teleported away from the dining room. Shortly after teleporting, a cardboard box was moving across the dining room floor; inside this box was Snake, who forgot to put on his costume for the day. The former spy wouldn't get that far when someone lifted up the cardboard box...
...that someone being Kiria, who was now looking at Snake with loving eyes. Bringing a cardboard box to the dining room might not have been the best idea...
"If we are to die, right here and right now, let us die, together...in love," smiled Kiria, as she joined Snake on the floor, the cardboard box still in her hand. Snake instantly knew what Kiria was trying to do.
"No, Kiria, get away from me, I'm not in the mood..." Snake said to the idol singer, but it was too late...Kiria would place the cardboard box over her and Snake, and kissed Snake to her heart's content, as the fire drill persisted. Snake's muffled cries for help were not heard, as the chaos in the dining room was mounting.
"Maybe a laser from my ray gun can take out the fire!" said Cortex, as he fired a laser beam at the fire...only to make the fire even bigger. "...d'oh, had it on the wrong setting! Let me try again..."
"Hello, is everyone okay, where is there screaming?" Jakob's voice could be heard from behind the locked dining room doors, banging on the doors expecting a response of some sort. "Don't tell me Master Hand went through with the stupid fire drill..."
Suddenly, the fire from the trash can would slowly die down, as Master Hand slowly appeared in front of everyone, putting an end to the chaos. The giant hand was pointing at the dying fire, like he summoned it to die down, and once the fire was gone, Master Hand would address the crowd...
"Congratulations everyone, you all passed!" announced the giant hand, as everyone looked at one another in confusion. "What an excellent fire drill - it was awesome seeing you peons scream and cry and act like the whole world was ending. Gotta admit, it was kinda funny...but nonetheless, the second fire drill was a success! liked what I saw from the individuals who weren't present from the first one."
"What do you mean, 'second fire drill', you did something similar to this before?" asked Kohaku, as Kiria took off the cardboard box, finished with making out with Snake. The poor spy looked traumatized as heck.
Kohaku: The longer my brother and I live at this mansion, the more we feel that our safety is in peril...well, Hisui doesn't feel that way, but he's not self-aware like I am. Honestly surprised that he's still alive...
Touma: This second fire drill better be the last drill to take place at this mansion. I've seen things during the fire that I never thought I would see. Dark Pit was legitimately crying, and Wii Fit Trainer was eating up all the breakfast food "to keep herself alive". Pretty sure this is some crazy, wacko dream I'm in, and everyone's too afraid to pinch me.
"Yes, Kohaku dear, this was our second fire drill - Bowser had much to do with this one as he did with the first," answered Master Hand, as everyone glared at Bowser, who innocently had his arms folded. The only ones who weren't glaring were the Koopalings, who probably thought starting fires in dining rooms and concentrated places full of people was cool and acceptable.
"...on the plus side, nobody died like last time!" said Bowser, although it didn't diminish his thought process for doing another fire drill, despite the previous one being an incident the residents in the mansion at the time didn't want to acknowledge ever happened. "So just like Master Hand said, the fire drill was a success..."
"Nobody didn't die in the last fire drill, sure...but have you forgotten about Captain Falcon fainting after your drill was over?" asked Wii Fit Trainer, who tended to the racer after he fainted. "He could have died, for all we know!"
"But fortunately he didn't, and now he's living peacefully at the downtown jail, waiting for his sentence to end. I'd take Falcon's current situation over death, any day of the week! Amirite?"
"Everything is quiet in there now...why has all the screaming stopped, what is going on?" Jakob's voice was heard yet again; he really desired to know what was going on. The butler, still on thin ice with Master Hand and pretty much everyone else, wouldn't be granted any access.
"Go away Jakob, I'm handling things here - go and braid your hair or something!" Master Hand shouted at the butler; the sound of Jakob sighing and footsteps were heard seconds later. "Ooh, is that French toast waffles I spy on the table? Who do they belong to? Ah, no matter, I'm claiming them now! Someone get a fork so they can feed me!"
Once breakfast concluded - Wii Fit Trainer ate up most of the food after going stir-crazy, leading Cilan to cook breakfast all over again - Layton and Luke waited outside, expecting some visitors. These visitors were detectives, much like Layton and Luke, and were good friends with dudes like Sonic and Knuckles. Given these details, you should know the full identities of these visitors.
"Nearly lost my hat during the fire drill, don't think I would ever show my face in public again without it," smiled Layton, dusting off his signature hat. If you want to call it a signature hat, that is. "What about you, Luke, did you lose anything of some sort?"
"I lost one of my front teeth!" Luke opened his mouth to show Layton a gap in between his teeth. "Lucario knocked it out by accident, as he was looking for an escape. Tooth's in my pocket, safe and sound - gonna ask Leia if she can place it back in."
"Getting a checkup from Leia is better than having to pay for the dentist, as I would say..." Shut up Layton, you've never said that a single day in your life. That wasn't something you would randomly say in a conversation with someone. "Granted Leia can't do everything, but she's way more serviceable than anyone could ever imagine - a true asset to the mansion."
The visitors would soon arrive at the mansion, with B.D. Joe pulling up to the driveway in his taxi, with a green crocodile, a purple chameleon, and a honey bee as his passengers. B.D. Joe, who was now operating Captain Falcon's taxi service by himself, would give a quick wave to Layton and Luke, who waved back.
"Here's your tip B.D. Joe, thanks for the ride!" the crocodile, known as Vector, handed the taxi driver his tip. Vector's buddies, Espio and Charmy, would exit the taxi along with Vector. "I'll make sure to give you a Yelp review if I can!"
Vector: Our good friend Knuckles called us a couple of days ago, and told us about how the two famous detectives, Professor Herschel Layton and Luke Triton, were at the mansion investigating the hotel attack at Mario's wedding. Layton and Luke believe Team Flare was responsible for the attack, especially after reviewing some security footage from the hotel. We were at the wedding, and we saw the hotel attack go down, and since we're curious about the intent behind the attack, we agreed to help Layton and Luke search for Team Flare!
Espio: Mario and his friends went looking for Team Flare, but they didn't find any sign of them...must've been sidetracked. So we're essentially picking up behind Mario and his crew, because they frankly didn't do that great of a job.
Charmy: Maybe Mario and friends failed because they weren't demonstrating unity, like the three of us do! They're not tight like we are, right guys? So how about it! *puts fist in center, expecting a fist bump from Vector and Espio, who both look at Charmy with questionable looks*
Espio: No way am I going to be a part of this sorority-like crap... *walks away*
Vector: Fist bump with your own self, kiddo... *walks away also*
"Appreciate it bro, I'll make sure to tell Captain Falcon about it if I can...once the guy gets released from jail," said B.D. Joe, giving Vector a thumbs up. "It ain't easy running a taxi service with the owner behind bars. But Falcon will greatly appreciate my efforts. Take care, y'all!"
And with that, B.D. Joe sped away from the mansion in his taxi, as Vector, Espio, and Charmy - Team Chaotix - headed over to Layton and Luke, the British detective duo waiting patiently for the three fellow detectives. What were the odds of Layton and Luke and Team Chaotix teaming up together and conducting an investigation? Possibly slim.
"Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee, at your service!" Vector would greet Layton and Luke, as he and his buddies shook hands with the two British detectives. A classic example of real recognizing real.
"Professor Herschel Layton and Luke Triton, nice to meet you," Layton would introduce himself and Luke to Team Chaotix, in perhaps the most boring way possible. Sonic would be absolutely disgusted. "Imagined you three would arrive in your own vehicle..."
"Eh, we would have taken a ride in Vector's motorcycle, but there's frankly not enough room for the three of us," explained Espio, with his arms folded, maintaining his cool and collected demeanor. "We like to handle our business on foot - we hardly use any form of transportation."
"So I see...guess then we'll have to rely on one of the mansion residents to serve as our chauffeur. I know Link won't take us in his truck, for he's still dealing with head injuries. And Jacky doesn't have enough room for his car...so our options are pretty much limited."
Vector would soon think otherwise, however, when he turned around and saw Wolf, walking the Duck Hunt Dog. The space mercenary was stopped at the moment, holding the leash as the Duck Hunt Dog was sniffing around, looking for a good spot to pee at. The mansion's mailbox looked like a perfect spot to the mutt.
"How about we ask that guy if we can use his Landmaster?" Vector asked the others, pointing his thumb at Wolf, before heading over to the mailbox to speak with Wolf. The mercenary certainly looked annoyed, having to walk the Duck Hunt Dog all day long. But he was even more annoyed when he saw Vector approach him, and for only one reason...
"You again...what do you want?" Wolf questioned Vector, with an angry scowl on his face. "Came here to mock my horror movie again?" Wolf still thought very highly of his horror movie, even though virtually everyone in the mansion shunned it. Despite the quality, or the lack thereof, Wolf considered the horror movie to be his finest work. "Go ahead, do your worst, I don't even care anymore! Mock me all you want! Stick and stones can break my bones, but words will NEVER hurt me!"
"No you got it all wrong, I'm not here to make fun of your movie! Everyone else did, so mocking it wouldn't even be funny anymore." Wolf didn't need to hear that. "My boys and I - as well as Layton and Luke - need a ride, and I was wondering if your Landmaster was available." Wolf found it weird that Vector was asking him for a ride - and that Team Chaotix and Professor Layton were actually teaming up for an investigation. But Wolf, in a rare act of kindness, would say "screw it" in his head and give Vector what he and the others wanted.
"Sure, I suppose I'll give you and the others a ride...once this stupid dog is finished peeing. Has his hind leg up for as long as I know what...like he drank from a lake or something. I'll get my Landmaster up and going once this stupid dog is done with his piss break."
Kirby was in the kitchen, looking for something...or rather, someone. The pink puffball's best friend Pit had hightailed out of the dining room the moment the fire broke out, before the doors were locked by Master Hand, and Kirby assumed his friend was hiding somewhere in the kitchen, stuffed in a cupboard. Kirby would hear some moving nearby, and he would head to the nearest cabinet and opened it...finding Pit.
"The fire's gone Pit, it's okay to exit the cabinet now," Kirby told his best friend, who refused to move a single inch. "The firefighters are gone too, and they took their red firetruck with them." Only after Kirby said this that Pit left the cabinet - he wasn't afraid of firefighters, was he? Not that often you would come across a person who was scared to death of lousy firefighters.
Kirby: Believe it or not, Pit has a phobia for firefighters, after watching some fire escape videos online. He firmly believes that the firefighters stage fires all over America - either going to random houses and starting a fire, or paying someone under the hood to start the fire themselves, so they could stop said fire and "show off to everyone" how heroic they are. Because of this, Pit thinks that firefighters are the ones who start wildfires, and that they meet every now and then to determine where to start wildfires. Madness, I tell you, madness...
"How long where the firefighters around, did they kidnap Viridi?" asked Pit, closing the cabinet door as he cautiously looked around. There could be a firefighter secretly hiding, ready to pounce on Pit at any minute.
"They were around for only less than an hour, Master Hand had to tell them off when a local news car arrived at the mansion," explained Kirby; Master Hand clearly didn't like being on the news, whether it was national or local. "Also, why on earth would they kidnap Viridi?"
"Duh, because they obviously hate nature...why else do you think they start wildfires? Their means of kidnapping Viridi would keep Viridi from stopping them. It's best to keep your enemies contained, than to have them disrupting your evil causes."
"Pit, can you hear me - I repeat, can you hear me?" Lucas' voice sounded, inside Pit's head. This voice was also heard by Kirby, who was ready to question Pit and his sanity when he heard Lucas. "Respond if you can, Pit!"
"Please don't tell me Lucas is around..." said Kirby, as he looked around in the kitchen. "If we did all that work looking for Pit, and he actually returned to the mansion without anyone knowing, then I'm going to be ticked off as heck..."
"Lucas is that you, how are you inside my head?" questioned Pit, who was starting to believe he was going fully insane. "Did you find a way inside my head, like that one episode from the Magic School Bus? You found a bus and shrunk it with your PSI powers, and used it to infiltrate my brain! Who's in the bus with you, huh?! Bet you got your girlfriend Kumatora in the backseat!"
"Kumatora is NOT my girlfriend, already had this discussion with you guys..." sighed Lucas, wanting to to get to the important stuff. "But let me cut to the chase - I can't tell you where I am, but I can tell you that I'm using my PSI Telepathy in order to reach you. Worked on my telepathy earlier, testing it out right now. But can you do me a little favor? What you must do is alert the others, tell them that Jakob cannot be trusted. I know he's already in hot water with Master Hand and the others, but I think I know the the entire gist of what Jakob is plotting...and it isn't good. So you gotta tell the others to keep watch on Jakob!"
"Many of us are keeping watch already, but I'll pass the word on if I can. I won't let you down, Lucas!" Au contraire; this was Pit carrying out Lucas' deed.
So Pit and Kirby (who heard the gist of Lucas' message to Pit) exited the kitchen, and the first person they saw was Lucina, leaned against a wall and reading the latest edition of Swordsman Weekly. A cover story about Final Fantasy's Orlandeau was inside.
"Lucina, I just received a telepathic message from Lucas...he told that Jakob cannot be trusted, and that we should stay weary of him!" Pit tried to alert the princess, who didn't seem to care. The Swordsman Weekly was greatly piquing her interest, as always.
"Yeah, I know, don't trust Jakob, got the memo from Father," Lucina said flatly, as she turned the page of her magazine. "Will only be a matter of time until Master Hand finally removes Jakob from the mansion. Have no clue why he insists on keeping him around any longer..."
"But Lucina, you don't understand - Jakob has something big planned, and it could really affect everyone! This is huge news!" This was huge news...but it was stuff Lucina had heard from Chrom time and time again. Jakob isn't what he seems, can't be trusted, possibly up to no good, yadda yadda yadda...so to Lucina, it was a bit of old news that Pit was retelling to her for reasons unknown.
"Look, Pit, I get it, I really do - but you don't have to remind me. Father has a habit of doing that already. Acting like I have short-term memory loss, like I have Alzheimer's at a young age...the things Father does. Now if you excuse me, I have a magazine to read..."
And with that, Lucina would leave the premises, Swordsman Weekly in hand, as Pit nervously bit his fingernails. As expected, the angel was failing his duty so far.
Mewtwo had accomplished a lot of things while the fire drill was taking place at the mansion. Skipped some rocks along a pond. Trying out a cheeseburger he found lying on the sidewalk somewhere. Took a bunch of selfies with diehard Pokemon fans. And a plethora of other stuff. The psychic Pokemon would return to the mansion when he felt like the time was right, and was in a conversation with Cloud, in the printing room.
"Saw perhaps the ugliest human being in existence while I was strolling through the city," Mewtwo said to Cloud, who was printing some papers for Zelda. "Had piercings on his chin, nose, ears, forehead, tongue...wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he had piercings on his extremities. His purple hair didn't do any favors."
"A guy with purple hair and piercings all over his face...yikes, that would be quite a sight to behold," remarked Cloud, trying to get the image of such an individual out of his head. "Can't think of a guy that would do more of a disservice to himself...like Lloyd." Speaking of whom, Lloyd would enter the printing room, with a smile on his face. Expecting the swordsman to said something intelligent, right?
"Guys, you won't believe the fascinating discovery I made - llamas and camels aren't the same species!" announced Lloyd, making it seem like he found the cure for cancer after years of research, as Cloud and Mewtwo exchanged looks with one another. "Who would have ever guessed that?! Man, and I thought the dolphin being the smartest marine animal was the most astonishing discovery I made..."
Samus: Ever since getting knocked out by Falco a couple of weeks ago, Lloyd has underwent a bit of a...personality crisis. One day, Lloyd is smart and intelligent, and sounds like an actual scholar, but on other days, he speaks and acts like his typical dumb self. On most days, he alternates between both mentalities. Like he has multiple personality disorder, but somehow skipped the abuse part.
"Well they are in the same animal family, called the camelidae," stated Cloud, recollecting what biological facts he knew. "They're also called camelids, and they all share the same qualities..."
"Ooh, camelids, what kind of animals are those?" asked an eager Lloyd, as Cloud felt a sudden indignation to punch the swordsman in the face. He was tightening his fist, doing his best to resist the urge. "Are they camels that look like llamas, or llamas that look like camels? Or is it both?"
"Lloyd you idiotic buffoon, a camelid is a member of the camelidae, and they can be llamas, camels, and alpacas," explained Mewtwo, also feeling a sudden urge to punch Lloyd in the face. And fire a Shadow Ball at him as well. "Must I explain to you what an alpaca is?"
"You don't need to explain anything to me, Mewtwo...because you're not even qualified, you're a freaking Pokemon for crying out loud! What would you know about real animals? You're not even a real animal yourself, you're just some emo cat guy who was created to duplicate a being way more perfect than you'll ever be!"
Mewtwo was ready to tango with Lloyd (in this case, tango means "fight", because you'd be hard-pressed to see Mewtwo dancing at all), but before the psychic Pokemon could land a finger on the swordsman, just when Cloud was ready to hold him back, Lloyd would fall to the floor, clutching his head in agonizing pain as he screamed. Cloud and Mewtwo would be concerned, but this was customary for them to see this, as Lloyd's pain would go away, and the swordsman would slowly rise up, back to his feet, before saying the following...
"You are right Mewtwo, camelids are members of the camelidae animal family, and I do know what an alpaca is." Just like that, Lloyd went from being your typical dumb swordsman to the scholar persona he gained after Bowser pranked him back in episode 72. "An alpaca, in appearance, resembles a small llama, and are mostly found in South America."
"Lloyd can you hear me, can you hear me Lloyd?" said Lucas, now speaking to Lloyd with his PSI telepathy. His voice could be heard by Cloud and Mewtwo, but not by Lloyd, who was still rambling about alpacas.
"Two breeds of alpacas exist - the Suri alpaca, and the Huacaya alpaca. The latter breed resides in the Andes, in the Altiplano plateau at up to 4,000 m above sea level. The Huacaya alpacas have a round and bulky physical appearance..."
"Are you even listening to me Lloyd, why on earth are you talking about alpacas? Are you being a smart aleck again? This isn't a good sign...oh, what am I saying, you being smart is supposed to be a positive thing! But you're running your mouth incessantly and ignoring my pleas...knew I should have contacted Kamui instead. I'll try her instead. Goodbye Lloyd, if you're even listening to me!"
"...and that, Mewtwo and Cloud Strife, is why the Huacaya alpacas are superior to the Suri alpacas...at least in my opinion. Any questions?" Cloud and Mewtwo did have questions...but the questions they had in mind had little to do with Lloyd's unnecessary lecture on alpacas. Rather, their questions had to do with a more important thing at hand...
"Was that...was that Lucas' voice we just heard?" asked Cloud, once Lucas' voice went away. The PSI whiz had enough of Lloyd - didn't matter if the swordsman was an intelligent genius, or a profound idiot.
"Sure didn't hear Lucas' voice...unless my ears were clogged. Sinus infections, allergies, and the cold are some of the main causes of clogged ears." Thanks for the info, Lloyd... "Fortunately for me, I don't have any of those. Now if you excuse me, I must teach the Koopalings about the entire history of the Korean War!" Lloyd would leave the premises, leaving Cloud and Mewtwo to wonder about the conditions and whereabouts of their fellow resident Lucas.
Zelda: Link has been really feeling down in the dumps for weeks on end...his nagging head injuries have done nothing but seep the enthusiasm out of his body, to the point where he even admitted he doesn't feel like living anymore. I've removed Midna from interacting with Link completely, since she'll do nothing but nag Link to death and make his headaches even worse, and considered having some "special entertainment" come to keep Link's poor spirits up. Haven't told Link who this "special entertainment" is, so I won't tell you, or anyone else...I just know that Link will have a smile on his face, at the end of the day.
Zelda was making another visit to Link, who was in his bed with his eyes closed. He would have to keep his eyes open, however, for his "special entertainment" was about to arrive soon. Zelda had just informed the Hylian, who was now feeling very skeptical.
"Let me tell you that your 'special entertainers' are very nice people, and that they'll do little harm to you as they entertain you and keep your spirits high," Zelda informed Link, as the skepticism was building up inside of him. Screw a little harm - the hero of Hyrule wanted zero harm. "I mean, what's the worse that could happen?"
"Oh, I don't know, a lot of things - they could have a magic trick, and set me on fire and let me burn alive," said Link, as the possibilities and scenarios were running through his head. "Or they could have a balancing act, and one of the performers lands on top of me and breaks my leg. Or the entertainers could be comedians who tell funny jokes and somehow..."
"My goodness Link, you've become such a Debbie Downer...I'm sure it's because of the injuries you've sustained. But don't worry, the 'special entertainers' will make your pain and aching go away!" A knock was at Link's door. "Ooh, that must be them at the door. Come on in!"
Link tried to remain optimistic as the "special entertainers" entered his room...but there was no point for him to remain optimistic, as Fox and Falco entered his room, with Falco carrying a boombox. Were the Star Fox pilots seriously the best entertainers Zelda could find? She could have done so much better. So much for that smile Zelda guaranteed in her talking head interview.
"Yippee yippee yoo to the yippee yippee yay, what's good my...my neighbor Link?" Fox asked the now aggravated Link, almost prepared to address Link with a certain racial slur. Would have been bad, but would be even worse if Doc Louis was around. "Zelda has informed us that you were down in the dumps, but Falco and I are here to ensure that you're up in the...in the...help me out, Falco..."
"Up in the utopia, yeah!" Falco would finish for Fox, uttering this very cringeworthy phrase that made Link question his life and reason of existence. "I got the jams, and Fox has the cool stuff, add that all up and what do you get?"
"Fun, I suppose..." Link responded flatly, shooting a quick glare at Zelda, who smiled back. She was doing what she thought was best for her boyfriend.
"Yeah, that's it, the answer is fun! See, Link, you're learning so much, in so little time! But everyone knows learning doesn't count as fun. But singing, dancing, and maybe even pelvic thrusting most certainly does! Get ready to have the best day of your life, Linkster!"
"This was the best I could find...if Fox and Falco irritate you to no end, just let me know!" Zelda smiled at a still glaring Link, as she exited the room. Like Link could notify the princess, while he was in bed...also, the Star Fox pilots were irritating him, seconds after they entered his room.
"Alright now, let's get this party started!" exclaimed Fox, as Falco pressed the play button on the boombox, and "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature started playing. And that's when the torture started for Link...
Fox was literally b-boying all over Link's room, nearly knocking stuff down as he was tearing up the floor...literally. The floor was hardwood, by the way. When you're tearing up hardwood floor, you know you're doing something wrong...but Fox frankly didn't know at all. The pilot was also singing and dancing at the same time, impressively, as he was singing into a microphone.
"You down with O.P.P.?" Fox asked Link, who was supposed to respond with an empathetic "Yeah you know me!". Instead, the Hylian had an angry scowl on his face, not feeling the excitement at all. "YOU DOWN WITH O.P.P.?!" Fox repeated yet again, and again he received no response from Link. "Alright, Link, digging the enthusiasm, ten out of ten! Where's my backup dancer? I need my backup dancer!"
Fox's backup dancer would soon arrive, when Coco entered Link's room carrying Crash. The blonde bandicoot would drop her brother on the floor, Crash plopping to the floor like he was dead, before getting up quickly and posing, exclaiming "Ta-da!" Link truly wished he had a gun right now, and for the wrong reasons...
"Crash, stop posing and dance with me, Link's excitement levels depend on it!" Fox scolded the bandicoot, who would be doing his own style of dance. This dance wasn't in rhythm with the song, but it was a dance nonetheless. Coco, laptop in hand, looked at the downtrodden Link, who was surely done with life.
Coco: Was informed about this "special entertainment" from Zelda. It's kinda like a kid's birthday party, and you go, and there's really nothing for you to do there. But the kid's having a really good time... *sighs* ...Link isn't going to have a really good time.
"What on earth did I do to deserve this punishment?" Link asked Coco, who sat in the chair Zelda was sitting at, and pulled out her laptop. She smiled as she typed away, likely writing up a secret report for the U.S. government or something.
"Just do what I would do and fake your excitement," suggested Coco, as Fox and Crash were now b-boying together. "Chances are, if you smile profusely and keep that smile intact, Fox and Falco will leave you alone!" Didn't sound like a great plan to Link, but whatever worked best for him...
After feeding the Duck Hunt Dog, and giving him a bath, and assisting him with his online dating profile (don't ask), it was time for Wolf to prepare his Landmaster. Layton, Luke, and Team Chaotix were waiting patiently, while Wolf was doing his thing. Meanwhile, in the same vicinity, Mario was playing catch with Poochy.
"So because of Jakob, everyone thought I was a gremlin, because of my appearance and short stature!" Luke spoke with Charmy, the young detective and the bumblebee able to relate and converse with one another because of obvious reasons such as age. "Jakob would later apologize to everyone in the meeting room, but it didn't make up for the harm he brought upon everyone that day."
"Oh man, it must be terrible spending your entire day being called a gremlin, that's like being bullied at school!" remarked Charmy; thankfully there wasn't that much bullying taking place at the mansion, unless certain cases were swept under the rug when the documentary crew wasn't taping. "What other rumors were spread by Jakob that day?"
"Let's see...Layton was a virgin, Fox was a bastard child, Akira was a long-lost relative of Bruce Lee, Pit couldn't count to two...actually, I think that wasn't a rumor, that could very well be proven true. But all the other tales we heard were definitely rumors."
"Man, Jakob sure sounds like a class-A jerk, especially after hearing a story like that!" Thankfully Master Hand and a handful of others are starting to see that, seeing Jakob's true colors. "Does Jakob get along with anyone?"
"Corrin and Kamui, but only because he served under them while they were at Nohr. So he has a bit of history with them, a connection that he doesn't have with anyone else in the mansion. He's very loyal to the twins, however...in a strange way."
Mario would throw the ball over Poochy's head, and Poochy, being the great pet dog that he was, ran to chase the ball...which inadvertently flew inside Wolf's Landmaster, while Wolf was on the outside checking out his beloved space vehicle. Poochy would run inside the Landmaster to retrieve the ball, and Mario was determined to get the ball AND Poochy before Wolf took off.
"Get back-a here Poochy!" Mario called out to his pet dog as he ran inside the Landmaster, with not a single person noticing. Shortly after Mario entered the Landmaster, looking for his pet...
"The Landmaster is all ready to go boys!" Wolf called out to Layton and company, as he hopped inside his vehicle and turned it on. "Let's get this show on the road!" So Layton, Luke, Vector, Espio, Charmy...and a random cameraman...would enter the Landmaster, and with everyone on board and ready to go, Wolf would take off...
...uunbeknownst to him, Mario and Poochy were castaways, in his beloved vehicle.
"Suzie, where are you?" Tails called out to his pet Alolan Vulpix, as he flew through the hallways with his...well, Tails. "Please tell me you didn't run away..." Tails hadn't seen his pet Pokemon all day long; Suzie was the first thing the yellow fox would see in the morning, so when he didn't see Suzie, he was all sorts of concerned.
Despite his concern, Tails refused to throw in the towel. He would keep searching for Suzie, arriving at the foyer and seeing Alm and Celica, seated on the windowsill having a moment together. As stated before, those two were practically inseparable.
"Alm, Celica, have you two seen Suzie anywhere, I haven't seen her all day," Tails would ask the Valentian couple, interrupting their cuddling and any other romantic stuff they were doing. "Even worse, I didn't see her in my room when I woke up this morning, she might've ran away..."
"I believe I saw Suzie earlier today, but in the hands of someone, can't remember who this person was..." said Alm, as he thought about who this person was...when Sonic would arrive at the scene, and guess who he had in his arms? Suzie.
"Sup Tails, how's it going my man?" Sonic asked a now scolding Tails, as he brushed Suzie's puffy blue fur with a brush. "Just doing you a HUGE solid, if you don't mind - Suzie could really use some grooming!"
Sonic: Did everything I could in my power to win over Tails this week...bought him tickets to the movie theater downtown, and he rejected them. Gave him a lollipop I found underneath the living room sofa, and he rejected it. Offered to set up a lovely picnic with Cream in the nicest park in the city, with some musical accompaniment to make their picnic even better, and he...well, you get the picture. *yawns* So, in order to really win over Tails, I've decided to get up early in the morning, sneak inside Tails' room, snatch Suzie, and take care of her all day long, leaving Tails with no choice but to rekindle our friendship. As famous dork wonder Timmy Turner would say, what could possibly go wrong?!
"Sonic, why do you have Suzie, who gave you permission to groom her?" Tails scolded the hedgehog, as he continued to brush Suzie like nothing was wrong. Really, there wasn't anything wrong taking place, but don't tell that to Tails.
"You're making it seem like I'm molesting your pet or something," replied Sonic, taking out some Pokemon food and feeding it to Suzie. "I thought in order to remind you about how great friends we were, I should groom and feed Suzie all day long, to make up for the things I've done in the past weeks!"
"But you never took care of Suzie like this to begin with, so why are you doing it now? I could feed and groom her myself - I'm not a rookie when it comes to being a pet owner."
"Yes, yes, both of those things are true - you're not a rookie, and I've never really taken care of Suzie until now. But the reason why I'm doing this is because we're bros, we're supposed to do things for each other that make us more appreciative about our friendship! Bros before hoes, man, bros before hoes!"
"That saying doesn't even apply here...you know what, give me back Suzie!" Tails flew over to Sonic, to retrieve his pet, but Sonic would stiff-arm the fox, pushing him away. Alm and Celica watched attentively, and so did Suzie, wishing Sonic and Tails would stop.
"Dude quit it out, I'm just doing you a favor, it's not like I'm killing your pet or anything!" Having just about enough of Tails, Sonic would aggressively shove the fox to the floor, as Alm and Celica watched in shock, their mouths slightly agape. "...you know what, you don't even deserve Suzie, if you're gonna keep on acting like a jerk. But go ahead, be my guest, be a jerk all you want! People keep saying that I'm a jerk, so how about you take a walk in my shoes, I don't care! Unless you ease up, you're never gonna get your Suzie back!"
After establishing this mandate, Sonic would walk away, with Suzie depressingly looking at her owner, Tails. Tails would glare at Sonic, mouthing "Then so be it...", as he got up off the floor and flew away, the gap between him and Sonic increasing. Celica was about to get up and speak with Tails, when suddenly...
"Celica can you hear me?" Lucas' voice was heard, from inside Celica's head, making the princess of Valentia stop in place. Alm looked on, wondering just what the heck was going on. "I'm using my PSI Telepathy to contact you, and I can't give away my current location...but I can give you some important information."
"Well as long as you're safe Lucas, then that's what matters the most," replied Celica, while Alm remained confused as ever. He could hear Lucas' voice; he just didn't know where this voice was coming from, or why Lucas was contacting his wife of all people. "So what is this information that you have to pass to me?"
"First things first, nobody else can know about this - we'll just keep it between you and me." Better cover your ears, Alm. "Let's just say that this information, it has much to do with Sonic...and also Tails." But not Knuckles? Very interesting...
Fox and Falco, Link's "special entertainment", kept on entertaining the Hylian, much to his very great chagrin. The pilots were entertaining Link with the one thing that left smiles on kids' faces...magic tricks! Falco was doing a magic trick with Crash, with Crash seated on a stool, and Falco, wearing a magician hat, holding a cape.
"In this next magic trick, I will make this bandicoot...DISAPPEAR!" exclaimed Falco, as Link (and Coco) looked on with unamused faces. The avian pilot would hold the cape in front of Crash, shaking it for effect, before bringing the cape away...revealing nothing but a stool! Top notch magic right there. "Just like that, I made the bandicoot disappear, and to places unknown!"
"Oh no, you made my brother disappear with your magic, man I've never felt so afraid about Crash's whereabouts in my entire life..." Coco flatly said, spotting Crash hiding in the closet, with his signature sneakers out in the open. "Give it up Falco, I saw Crash hide in the closet the moment you held up that cape..."
"Shut up Coco, you're ruining the trick for Link..." Like Link was supposed to care. "And now, I shall make a Koopaling appear, in this very stool..." Falco would hold the cape in front of the stool, again shaking it for effect, and once he lifted up the cape...Bowser Jr. was sitting on the stool! The door opened during the process of Falco doing his cape thing, so the trick was ruined from the get-go.
Coco: You know what Fox and Falco's "special entertainment" reminds me of? Those crappy reject acts you see on those talent shows on television. The people in those acts think they're worth a million dollars, and they go audition and appear on TV, with the extremely deluded mindset that they could actually go somewhere in life if they win the approval of millions of adoring people. Now Fox and Falco, they're famed space pilots, so the fame is already there...but as for the reality bit, it's still trying to get its way to them.
"Okay, I'm seriously bored now, either you actually entertain me, or I'm taking a nap," Link demanded from Fox and Falco, and the pilots were determined to raise up the ante, to turn Link's frown upside-down.
"You know what, if you can't appreciate magic tricks, then maybe you'll appreciate...something else," said Fox, as he went over to Link's dresser and grabbed the Hylian's Master Sword. Link and the others wearily looked on, as Falco got a sense of what Fox was ready to do. Crash was still hiding in the closet, his butt poked out in the air. Would be an unwelcome sight for anyone entering the room.
"Uh...Fox, what are you gonna do with that sword?" asked a concerned Bowser Jr, as Fox was mightily concentrating on the sword in his hand. He was looking at it intently, holding it up in the air, the pointy end pointed towards him.
"Scram kid, it's none of your business, what is about to happen is not meant for your innocent eyes!" Fox informed Bowser Jr, who did as he was told and scrammed out of Link's room. Fox returned his attention to the Master Sword, admiring its silver allure, before doing the unthinkable...
...the pilot opened his mouth, and would lodge the Master Sword down his throat, as Link and Coco, both disgusted, looked on. Falco was cheering on for his buddy, while Crash remained in the closet. But the madness wouldn't stop there...
Fox would do squats with the Master Sword in his throat, with his arms held out at his side, before finishing things off with a backflip. And yes, the sword was still in his throat, and somehow Fox was able to stick the landing without injuring himself. The stuff of legends...to say Link and Coco were disgusted for life would be an understatement after what they witnessed.
"I do believe I'm deserving of much applause," remarked Fox, taking the sword out from his mouth, before performing a bow. Link and Coco were unable to clap for Fox, for they were both too disgusted to do a thing.
All the while, Crash still remained in the closet...
Wolf would land his Landmaster at 1015 2nd Avenue - the location of the Federal Reserve Bank Building. According to Wolf's radar, there was a lot of suspicious Team Flare activity taking place at this abandoned building, and Layton, Luke, and Team Chaotix were determined to find out what was going on.
"Well boys, we've finally arrived...now it's time to get to business," said Layton, as he, Luke, Vector, Espio, and Charmy got out of the Landmaster. Wolf would also exit the Landmaster, holding two stowaways in his hands...Mario and Poochy. Mario was nervously looking at Wolf, while Poochy maintained the affable smile on his face that made him so adorable.
"Could've just asked me if you and your stupid dog wanted to tag along..." Wolf said to Mario, shaking his head in disapproval. "...but nope, you just had to sneak your way inside my Landmaster without permission, and have your dog pee all over my cupboard, and my collection of magazines with hot women! What do you have to say for yourself, mister?"
"What-a I have to say is...one of those-a women on those magazine covers could-a be your future wife!" replied Mario, hoping Wolf would buy this excuse. The mercenary didn't, as he threw Mario on the ground, and did the same for Poochy. Mario would lie face-first on the ground, face full of concrete, while Poochy got up like it was nothing. Dog was invincible.
Peach: Mario and Poochy have yet to return to the house...Mario must be walking Poochy around the block!...But Mario gets exhausted just walking more than ten meters with Poochy...ooh, Mario must be treating Poochy to some delectable chocolate treats at the ice cream place downtown!...But dogs can't eat chocolate, if I recall correctly...oh, I know, Mario must have enrolled Poochy in a pet show! I'll be expecting a blue prize ribbon to hang up on the chimney when those two return!
"Leave it alone Wolf, having Mario means that we have another person to sneak with us," Espio said to Wolf; sneaking was a specialty for Epsio, what with him being a ninja chameleon. "Only thing we have to worry about is Mario's stupid dog..."
"Mario has tamed his pet dog very well I'm sure, I think that mutt will be the last of our worries," remarked Vector, flexing his fingers. "Now let's hurry this thing up, so my boys and I can return to our joint and I can check out that new k-pop video, the one from that cute girl group called...you know what, please disregard the last part."
Vector and company would approach the door of the Federal Reserve Bank Building, as just as they figured, the door was locked shut. So Vector, the lowkey k-pop fan, with his raw strength and power, punched the door down, allowing his crew to step inside.
Once inside, Vector and company looked around, before they heard a bunch of chatter coming from a nearby room. The sneaky fellows would stealthily approach this room, a large, spacious room, and saw multiple Team Flare members, joined together.
"This building must definitely be a hiding spot for Team Flare," inferred Layton, as there was someone speaking to the Team Flare members. Mario listened attentively, able to recognize this voice.
"That voice, I've-a heard it from some-a where..." the plumber furrowed his brow, as he kept his ears very much peeled and continued to listen. The word choice of the speaker was very different...and to some, oddly familiar.
"All the fink-rats at the mansion won't have a single ounce of readiness for the revenge that shall rain over them!" the speaker proclaimed; does the word choice and manner of speaking sound familiar, in any way? "Their lives will be nothing but a caricature of a cartoon drawn by a kid who is stupid! They shall all fall and perish, while we have the last laugh!"
"Yes, I know-a who that is..." said Mario, as Team Flare were cheering on. "That person speaking to Team-a Flare is Fawful!" Mario took a peek inside the room, and his suspicions were true - standing at the front of the room, on a structure where he could be seen by everyone, was Fawful, who was strangely alive, despite his demise at the end of Bowser's Inside Story. "I thought-a Fawful died, he practically exploded!"
"Died, exploded, which one was it?" Vector asked Mario, unable to tie the two verbs together. "Regardless of Fawful's fate, how the heck is he alive again? Never met the guy, don't know him that well, but I sense a lot of missing details..."
"WOOF WOOF!" barked Poochy, as he ran inside the room without warning, grabbing the attention of Fawful and the Team Flare grunts as several grunts were knocked down to the floor. Poochy was standing by himself, with his ever happy deposition, as Espio and Wolf facepalmed.
"Poochy, you bad dog, get back here!" Layton scolded the mutt as he entered the room to retrieve Poochy...only to receive the attention and ire of Fawful and the grunts. "Uh...just to be clear, this isn't my dog, I'm just...babysitting it...or him, yes, him..."
"Fink-rat detected, interrupting our important meeting!" frowned Fawful, as the Team Flare grunts donned their Poke Balls. "Put away your Poke Balls, don't waste your precious Pokemon on this fink-rat..."
"Then how about you let-a them waste their Pokemon on-a us instead?" said Mario, as he joined Layton, getting in a fighting stance. Luke, Wolf, and Team Chaotix were left with no choice but to join Mario, all because the plumber said "us".
"Mario of the Mushroom Kingdom?! I have great fury...and also great vengeance! It shall be the demise of you and your fink-rat friends, if you don't leave..."
"Imagined you'd-a be gone forever, after Luigi and-a I finished you off for-a good. So tell-a me...how did you come-a back to life?"
"That information is none of the concern of you! And since you refuse to leave us be...Team Flare, ATTACK!"
So it was on - Mario and his crew, versus a horde of Team Flare grunts. Let's just hope Layton and Luke didn't do ALL the fighting...
Pit: Very obvious that everyone doesn't seem to care if Jakob goes full bonkers and kills everyone...Kirby and I have been trying to warn the others about Jakob, as Lucas told me (and maybe Kirby) to do, but not a single person won't listen to us! Do they know something that we don't?!
Kirby: To be fair Pit, we've been telling everyone to be wary of Jakob...essentially we're telling everyone to do something that they're already doing.
Pit: Yeah, Kirby, but think about this - certain advertisements are constantly telling people to eat healthy, right? We know people are eating healthy to begin with, but they have to be reminded about their eating habits, so said habit are kept intact. Similar to what we've been trying to do today!
Kirby: That example you used doesn't even apply... *sighs* ...sometimes I loathe arguing with you, Pit.
Pit: I love arguing with you too, buddy ol' pal!
Kirby: *sighs again*
Pit and Kirby were in Bayonetta's room, informing the Umbra Witch about Jakob. Like the others, Bayonetta knew from the get-go Jakob couldn't be trusted, and felt rather bored from Pit and Kirby informing her.
"I'm sure Master Hand will take care of Jakob himself, you boys just need to stop panicking," Bayonetta said to Pit and Kirby, enjoying the room all to herself while Snake was absent. Possibly grossed out by Kiria kissing him during the fire drill. "I suggest you leave my room at once, or I'll have to use...some force."
"Like the 'Force' Corrin used to take out the fire earlier?" asked Pit, as he and Kirby snickered. Bayonetta didn't find Pit's joke to be that funny...
...and since the angel nor Kirby followed her demands, Bayonetta would send the two out of her room, using Madame Butterfly to send a fist hurling towards the two, sending them flying. Pit and Kirby would land on the floor, before getting up and dusting themselves off, cracking their bones back into place, etc. Just then, Akira walked by, sweating after a long, grueling workout.
"Yo, Akira, there's something important that we gotta tell you," Pit said to Akira, as the fighter walked by. "It's a matter of life or death, I tell you!"
"Let me guess, is it about how Jakob cannot be trusted?" asked Akira, walking by without even looking at Pit or Kirby. "'Cause Jacky told me the entire gist after you 'warned' him about Jakob. Tell me something I don't know, aight?"
Akira walked down the hallway, leaving Pit and Kirby to wonder if they failed their mission. Suddenly, Pit's phone rang; the angel glanced at the caller ID, and saw that it was Wolf.
"Hello Wolf?" Pit answered the call, only to be greeted by someone other than Wolf. "Oh, hey Layton! How's it going, what's with that ruckus in the background?...Ooh, Mario, Wolf, and Team Chaotix are fighting Team Flare grunts? And you need backup? Sure thing! Kirby and I will be there! So, where is this fight taking place?"
Yoshi always took great care of his Yoshi eggs - mainly because these eggs contained Baby Yoshis inside. Yoshi would lay these eggs at will, meaning that Yoshi was essentially a father...if the eggs were to hatch. But until the day the eggs did hatch, the green dinosaur would keep the eggs safe and comfy at the mansion's gardens, where he would find Alph tending to the flowers and plants...
...and Sonic, seated on the ground, grooming Suzie. Yoshi found it odd that Sonic was taking care of Tails' pet rather than his own, and also wondered if Shaymin was being neglected by Sonic.
"Sonic, why are you grooming Tails' pet, when you could be grooming Shaymin?" Yoshi asked after finally mustering up the courage to ask Sonic this very important question. "Shouldn't Tails be grooming Suzie herself?"
"Exactly the same questions I asked Yoshi..." said Olimar, as he was watering several flowers. Sonic could kill two birds with one stone, and take care of both Shaymin AND Suzie, but the hedgehog's focus today was entirely on Suzie.
Shaymin: No, I don't mind if Sonic would rather spend his day with Suzie than me...he's just, trying to spread the love around. But I'm not sure if I receive any love myself...Sonic has me in this cage most of the time, but I'm sure it's just for the best...or the worst...or it could be in-between...has Sonic ever cared to give me a collar, as a sign of pet ownership and care? Don't think a pet collar signifies care...
"Tails could be grooming Suzie, but he was being a colossal jerk to me earlier today, and he deserved to have Suzie confiscated from him," explained Sonic, as Yoshi gave Alph a weird look; Alph could only shrug in return. "Until Tails learns his lesson, he won't be anywhere near Suzie. Now if you excuse me, I have a call to answer..." Sonic's phone rang, and the hedgehog would exit the gardens, taking Suzie with him.
"Just a random thought, but I shudder to think how Sonic would fare if he had children with Amy," remarked Yoshi, after Sonic had left; Sonic would ground his children for life if they said a song like "City Escape" wasn't that great. Sonic was that kind of person, after all.
"Aw what, an epic fight is taking place and you didn't invite me?" Sonic, on the phone, was heard from outside. "Stupid jerks...can I bring Suzie with me to the fight?...Yes, I'll ask for Tails' permission, he'll be perfectly fine with it!" Like Sonic would ever ask Tails for his consent. "Federal Reserve Bank Building? Yeah, I'll just Mapquest that...see ya later!" Sonic would speed away, and shortly after he departed...
"Yoshi, are you there man, can you hear me?" Lucas' voice sounded inside Yoshi's head, alarming the dinosaur and Alph. "It's me, Lucas - I'm using my PSI telepathy to reach you. May I have a quick word with you?"
Fox and Falco's "special entertainment" for Link would continue, as Fox was juggling several of Link's books. Fox was juggling four books at the moment, and Falco would toss another book, making his friend juggle five. Crash would pick up whatever books Fox dropped on the floor; Fox kept messing up, but that didn't stop him from doing his thing.
"Fox, can't you just juggle with something easier, like, I don't know...small balls?" asked Link, as Fox kept dropping the books during his juggling act. The books would land on his feet, breaking his cool.
"Balls are too mainstream as juggling items, sometimes you have to improvise with new stuff," explained Fox, as he turned around while juggling...and failed. "That's the problem with juggling nowadays, that's why juggling isn't that huge anymore...people don't know how to spice things up, to innovate their skills and enhance their talents. Same old, same old can only get you so far in life."
"Hold up Fox, I'm getting a call..." Falco alerted his friend, as his phone rang. He answered the call, and listened closely, nodding his head in-between pauses. Once the phone call ended, Falco would pass on the info. "It's Layton; he said there's a big throwdown at the Federal Reserve Bank Building, involving Team Flare. Might need some backup."
"Is Layton even participating at his throwdown?" asked Fox, as he stopped juggling. "Would love to see the man do some actual fighting. Him throwing a punch at someone would be hype!" Fox would turn his attention to Crash, who picked up the books and placed them back where they belonged. "Sorry Crash, but Falco and I got some business to attend to...you stay with Link and keep him entertained. We'll be back shortly."
Fox and Falco would depart from the room, as Crash turned to face Link, who was bummed out by everything that transpired today. But Crash, determined to turn Link's frown upside down, would do his patented Crash dance, complete with the signature pose at the end. And Link...was actually smirking, but only slightly, and for a reason other than Crash.
"Despite everything that I was unfortunately subjected to today, I have to admit...having company around was really great," remarked the smirking Link, making note of the lone positive he got out of today.
"At least you were able to bear through those shenanigans, and that's what matters the most," said Coco, as she patted Link on the leg, since there was nowhere else for her to pat. Crash, seeing Link smirking, instantly assumed that the goal for today - for Link to be happy and content, or as Falco said, to be "up in the utopia" - was fulfilled.
Crash: *does a victory dance for the camera*
Sonic, Pit, Kirby, Fox, and Falco would coincidentally arrive at the Federal Reserve Bank Building, but in different ways - Sonic, with his blazing speed; Pit and Kirby, with Pit's ability of flight; and Fox and Falco, with their Arwings, parked next to Wolf's Landmaster.
"Funny how the five of us arrived at the same time...pretty freaky," remarked Sonic, holding Suzie in his hands. And no, he did not ask Tails for permission, for Tails still had yet to learn his lesson.
"Any guess as to why Layton contacted us five and not nobody else, like we're an important bunch?" questioned Pit, slightly breaking the fourth wall with a rare sense of self-awareness.
"Layton called us for help because he adored us that much," was Fox's answer. "Or it could be that we're simply the coolest cats of the bunch. Either or. Now let's go kick some Team Flare butt!"
So Fox and company would enter the Federal Reserve Bank Building, passing through the entrance provided by Vector, and they would later see Mario, fending off several Team Flare grunts. The plumber would spot Fox and company, as he was weaving past the grunts' punches like a G.
"Ah, I see we have-a some backup!" remarked Mario, as a Team Flare grunt hurled a punch at him. The plumber would grab the grunt's arm, and toss him to his fellow grunts, sending them to the floor, before dusting his hands off. "A lot of Team-a Flare grunts in this abandoned-a building, they were a lot-a more than we could..."
Suddenly, Suzie sneezed, expulsing an icy air at the Team Flare grunts. This icy expulsion froze the defeated grunts, and it also alarmed Mario.
"...handle. Sonic, explain-a to me why you have Tails' pet-a Vulpix in your possession." Mario needed to know this before giving the five the 4-1-1.
"Asked Tails if I could bring Suzie along, and he obliged," answered Sonic, leaving Mario to be understandably skeptical about whether this was true or not. But there was fighting taking place in the main room, so the plumber had to accept the answer.
"Yeah, what-a ever you say...anyways, there's a bunch-a of Team Flare grunts in the room-a over there, and you boys-a look ready for some fighting. Team Chaotix, Wolf, Layton, and Luke are fending off the..."
"Professor Layton, actually fighting someone?!" Sonic couldn't help but laugh at the possibility of that. "Give me a break, Mario, everyone knows that man can't fight to save his life! Good joke..."
Sonic might think it was a good joke, but when Mario guided him and the others to the room...they saw Layton, in the middle of the scene, punching a Team Flare grunt square in the face and sending him to the floor, and standing alone, by himself, like a gangsta. Everyone in the room, from Mario to Team Chaotix, to Luke, to even Poochy, were left stunned, as Layton looked at their shocked faces and flashed a smile.
"When push comes to shove, you just have to fight back," Layton kept smiling, as Sonic, who thought Layton was the most boring man alive, fainted to the floor, with Mario grabbing Suzie before the hedgehog fell. Sonic would lie on the floor, just like all the unconscious Team Flare grunts.
"I take it...Team Flare was trying to blow up this building?" inferred Kirby, while Layton dusted himself off and fixed his collar, like he didn't just kicked the butts of several Team Flare grunts.
"Nope, they were just having some meeting, talking about revenge," explained Wolf. "Or at least that's what the speaker, Fawful, was saying." The mention of Fawful quickly grabbed the attention the five who just arrived at the building. "Yeah, somehow, someway, that twerp was alive, and he was the main speaker at the meeting said revenge would 'rain all over the mansion'...nonsensical crap like that. Little fella must've bailed during the fight!"
"The nonsensical shall be the very description of your lives once this revenge takes place!" exclaimed Fawful, who reappeared, on his flying platform. Mario and company all got on the offensive. "Your home that is called the Smash Mansion shall be no more, and you will..."
"Quick question...weren't you supposed to be dead or something?" asked Fox, raising his hand so he could be recognized, cutting Fawful off.
"Yes, the question you have asked me does reek of the truth...I was brought back by a man, but I shall not be involved in the revealing of who this man is! For now, I shall let you count the remaining days that you have, until demise comes your way! I shall leave now, on this note...I HAVE FURY!"
After exclaiming his catchphrase, Fawful would exit the building on his flying platform by crashing through a window, bumping his head as he made his not-so-grand exit. He'll work on that later.
"Well...at least we know that the person plotting this whole thing is a dude!" announced Pit, like anyone was supposed to care. That wasn't the most noteworthy subject about today.
The most noteworthy subject was the fact that Fawful was somehow back from the dead...Layton and Luke were bounding to do some more investigating. Team Chaotix might've serve them well this time around, but in order to find out more about Fawful's return...
...Layton and Luke might need some assistance from a couple of Phantom Thieves.
