Author's Note:
Got a review this week that said nothing but "There is only Monika." I think I might've peaked, as a fanfiction writer. On to the reviews:
Will Pichu have more screen time in later chapters? Has 5-Volt shown up and scared any of the younger Smash Mansion residents? No offense to the Joker and Makoto paring, why not pair him with Ann or Futaba? Will Hades ever explain how he got his body back? And finally, the mysterious girl in the photo that Joker has, is that supposed to be Kasumi Yoshizawa from the upcoming Persona 5R?
Sure. Not yet. Based on what I've seen from "Persona 5: The Animation", I've always thought that Makoto was the perfect chick for Joker. There probably won't be any explanation. And I'll stay silent on who the mystery girl is. Good guess, though. Next is GreaterDoomerUKI:
"1) You know that move Crazy Hand used in his Boss Battle in Ultimate where it's a "Neck yourself" sign? Can he do it on one of the Characters that really deserve it?
2) I thought the Chaos emeralds could revive a dead person? Could you bring back someone one of the main characters loved but is dead anyways?"
1) I'll have to decide who that character will be.
2) Reviving a dead person, with the Chaos Emeralds...but only a recently deceased being. A few options at hand.
On to Sioresov:
"1. Are you thinking of Victor Reznov from COD WAW and BO Series, because he'll make a good security guard. (Trust me, this guy has been through ALOT. Just watch the history of Viktor Reznov in your spare time.)
2. So you answer guest reviews too? Cause I'm one.
3. Can glass joe and Mr. sandman be in the near future? (or 10 years later, idk, ur choice)"
1. No COD characters in this story.
2. Yes I do answer guest reviews...thanks for noticing.
3. If I have something planned for them, then yes.
Moving on, with questions from a later review:
1. Is The 'Villians' of Punch Out going to be in the next arc, or any arc whatsoever?
2. Are you, Yes, you, yourself Crashnite Von Guy the IX, be in any chapter, what so ever as a main character or cameo. I'm- I mean WE are dying to see you in this story.
3. What is your reaction of Minecraft's sudden resurgence in the gaming community after about 5 years of obsolescence.
1. Nope, can't say they will.
2. I don't do self-inserts, so no.
3. Minecraft was in obsolescence?
Derick Lindsey has a Persona-related question:
"...in Mini Mementos does Morgana become bipedal or does he still look like a regular cat?"
For the sake of convenience...yes, Morgana becomes bipedal. PinkRose4452 has more questions:
"1. Will Hop, Leon, the champion (How many Leon's do we have, there's alot) and Sonia make an appearance in the Sword/Shield chapter?
2. What are your thoughts on the Smash Bros 3.1.0 update?
3. Will Eliwood (Roy's father) and Flint (Lucas's father) appear in the Father's Day chapter?"
1. They will, along with any other characters revealed ahead of time.
2. Glad Ryu and Ken got buffed. Also, fighting against Pichu isn't as annoying this time around.
3. Shoot, if I knew that Father's Day was just around the corner, I would've done something Father's Day-related for this chapter...but it was too late.
Here is ExecutorTerizla:
"Hmmm...with so many residents, why not turn the mansion into a skyscraper just like in the Avengers, with the Avengers Mansion and Avengers Tower?"
I could do that...or split the mansion in two. The latter option is something I've been mulling over, for almost two years. The last review for today comes from El Pollo Campero, asking about E3:
"Bro, so what did you think of all the e3 presentations and the next DLC fighter?"
Nintendo killed it, as always. Square Enix had a really cool presentation. Ubisoft's presentation...wasn't really feeling it. Google's presentation was bad. Didn't check out Microsoft or Bethesda. But the new DLC fighters, Hero and Banjo-Kazooie? Very excited for them. Still holding out hope that Crash makes it into Smash.
Episode 182: Kawakami
Thanks to the mighty efforts of the Happy Home Designers, the mansion was fully refurnished and complete after the fire broke out two episodes ago. Lyle and his workers, Lottie and Digby, all worked their tails off to be in the good graces of Master Hand, who took back every bad thing he said about the trio. And now that the mansion was safe for living in again, all the mansion residents returned to their abode - including Tom Nook, who was finally reinstated.
Lyle, being the insurance guy that he was (despite his shadiness), covered almost everything in the mansion. The gaming room and living room got new furniture; the arcade room got some new arcade machines; the recording studio was redone; and the printing room got some new printers. The only printer that survived the fire - Zero's printer - was back where it belonged.
While the Happy Home Designers put on the finishing touches on the Assist Tower, Pit was playing a chess game with Tom Nook in the newly refurnished lounge, with Kirby and Incineroar spectating. Joker was sitting at a couch from a fair distance, noodling around on his cellphone.
"Your move, Tom Nook," Pit informed the tanoki, as he looked at the chessboard anticipating his turn. Tom Nook looked up at Pit, with an annoyed stare.
"It's been your move for the past five minutes..." the tanoki stated, while Kirby and Incineroar both wondered why they didn't have anything else better to do. "...I ain't got all day, you know."
"Shoot! Why did you tell me that earlier?" Finally realizing that it was his turn, Pit grabbed his queen piece and moved it to a white square...knocking Tom Nook's king piece down in the process. "Boom shaka laka! I win!"
"Not a legal move in the slightest..." However, that didn't stop Pit from celebrating, like he had just won a national chess tournament. The angel pumped his fists in the air, as Joker received a text notification from Isabelle.
"What does she want?" wondered Joker, not expecting Isabelle of all people to be contacting him. "'Meet me in Master Hand's room'." Joker read the text message that he had received. "Got a bad feeling about this..."
"Who can stop me? No one can stop me!" bragged Pit, flexing on Tom Nook and company over his "victory" as Joker retreated out of the lounge. Tom Nook refused to let Pit get away so easily.
"How about a rematch, Pit?" Tom Nook gathered all the chess pieces and put them back on the chessboard, as Pit stopped flexing on Tom Nook. "Winner take all!"
"Sure thing, let's do it!" Pit sat back down, bracing himself for another chess match. King K. Rool walked by the lounge when he peered inside, knowing what Pit and Tom Nook were up to.
"Oh yeah, this looks like it's gonna be fun..." the Kremling remarked, rubbing his hands together as he enter the lounge.
Joker went to Master Hand's room, and creaked the door open and peered inside. She saw Isabelle standing inside the room, happy as she knew how, and she also saw Master Hand hovering behind her.
"Well you showed up a lot sooner than I expected," Master Hand said to Joker, who entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Thought you would be locking lips with Makoto in the hallway or something!"
"I'm afraid Makoto still has her hands tied up with Shovel Knight," stated Joker - Shovel Knight's gotta do everything he could to serve his queen. "Who knows when she'll ever get any freedom from that guy."
"Just wait until Shovel Knight finds out Makoto's only a regular chick...he'll come to his senses soon. Anyway, I wanted to speak with you because Isabelle informed me that you have been feeling...distraught, recently."
"And at times a little tense," added Isabelle, as Joker found himself caught off-guard. How did Isabelle know what was going on with him, and why was Master Hand so intrigued?
"Distraught and tense?" questioned Joker, before looking down at his pocket - which had that mysterious picture he received in the previous episode. The young man looked back up a moment later. "I guess you can say that."
Joker: Seeing Goro again - a time-traveling, from-the-past Goro I might add - still has me shook, but that picture I found has been weighing on my mind for a while now. I would ask the others about it, but I think it's some kind of mystery I should solve on my own...
"Is Shovel Knight hanging out with Makoto triggering you?" asked Master Hand, to which Joker shook his head no; only time Joker cared was whenever Shovel Knight kissed Makoto's hand.
"I've managed to keep my emotions in check when it comes to such matters," stated Joker, although Master Hand refused to believe him. Isabelle, on the other hand, was slightly more understanding.
"I see...then it must be Professor Layton injuring his leg!" Joker furrowed his brow, at Master Hand's random assumption. "You saw how badly injured Layton was, having broken his leg and all, and you were all like..."
"To tell you the truth, I had no idea Layton was injured until someone told me." That left Master Hand even more stumped - the giant hand strongly desired to know what Joker kept having his mind on, no matter what.
"So Layton's injury isn't bothering you? Or the fire? Or Fox's newfound potbelly?" Joker would shake his head to every question Master Hand asked him, although the Fox bit made the young man smirk a little. "Then what's bothering you, man?!"
"Master Hand, forcing the answer out of Joker isn't our best intention..." Isabelle kindly said to the giant hand, who lowered his tempers as he cooled his jets. "I think we should just move forward with...you-know-what."
"Right you are, Isabelle..." Agreeing with the shih tzu, Master Hand floated over to his closet, turning around to ensure that Joker had his full attention.
"You-know-what?" Joker raised an eyebrow, thinking curiously - and that was what Master Hand wanted. "What is this all about?"
"We may not know what's going on with you, Joker, but to keep your mind straight...we 'hired' someone to keep you focused, and not so much in your own world. It's a familiar face you might know well."
"A familiar face? Whoever it is, it better be Sojiro, from the coffee shop I worked at. Otherwise, I'm just not...interested?"
Joker found himself bewildered and at a loss for words, when Master Hand opened his closet door to reveal a woman, dressed up as a French maid. The woman stepped out of the closet, greeting Joker with a welcoming smile.
"Nice to see you again, Master..." the maid greeted a perplexed Joker, giving him the traditional French maid greeting and whatnot. Joker's brain cells couldn't process what was going on.
"Joker, I'm sure you remember your homeroom teacher, Miss Sadayo Kawakami," Master Hand said to the young man, who now felt like beating the snot out of the giant hand. "I asked her politely if she could come to the mansion to lighten you up, and what do you know, she happily obliged!"
"I'm going to fill your weary heart full of lovely energy! Meow!" The French maid, Miss Kawakami, made a heart symbol with her hands and directed it towards Joker, who backed away a few feet.
"N-Nice to meow-t you..." Joker said to Kawakami; although he had already met the woman before, he couldn't think straight during this moment.
Master Hand: It's the summer, which meant that Miss Kawakami was ripe for the picking! And yes, I know that the summer breaks in Japan only last for a month or so; I'm gonna let Miss Kawakami enjoy her "summer vacation" while Heihachi fills in for her as a substitute teacher. In the end, everyone wins.
"Miss Kawakami here will accompany you and try and keep your head up," explained Master Hand, as Kawakami walked over to Joker with her smile still intact. Joker felt hesitant inside, as Kawakami stood next to him and grabbed his arm.
"And this will only be for today, right?" inquired Joker, hoping that Master Hand would answer yes. That wouldn't appear to be the case, as Master Hand let out a laugh that sounded both jolly and sociopathic at the same time.
"Are you kidding? Man, you're one funny dude...no, Miss Kawakami will be staying with you until further notice. Until I let her return back to Tokyo, she'll be staying over until I say so. Understood?"
"We're going to have lots of fun together, Master!" Kawakami excitedly said to Joker, who felt the sweat running down his face like a waterfall. Joker better not let any of his friends see him around with Kawakami - especially Makoto - so they wouldn't get any bad ideas.
Fortunately for Joker, none of his Phantom Thief buddies would be the first residents to know about Kawakami. Those first residents would actually be Flora and Felicia, who were spying through the open creak in Master Hand's door. Both maids had pretty mixed feelings on Kawakami.
"I had no idea Master Hand hired a third maid for this mansion," whispered Felicia, unaware that Kawakami would only stay for a temporary period. "Still, I can't wait to get to know her! She'll be a welcome addition!"
"I don't know about that..." said Flora, having some suspicions about Kawakami. "...what if Master Hand wants to replace one of us with her? She might be a better maid than we take for granted!"
"Look at you, always looking on the negative side..." Felicia would nudge her twin sister, turning Flora's frown upside down. "...just give the new maid a chance, and let things play out!"
"Okay then, I'll try...but don't act surprised if this mansion still has two maids at the end of the day. If you know what I mean..."
Mario gifting the laptop that was intended for Coco to Marth was both a good thing, and a bad thing. On the plus side, Marth was becoming more immersed with technology, much to Caeda's great delight. On the downside, however, Marth still needed some training in using his laptop. Coco already threw in the towel in the last episode, and now it was Peach's turn to be annoyed by the hero-king.
"It hasn't even been a month yet, and my laptop already has viruses!" Marth complained to Peach, sitting with the princess in her living room. Mario would look one, anticipating the moment that Peach would lose it. "What gives?"
"Have you been falling for any scams?" Peach asked Marth, who took this moment to think about the sites he's been to. "Internet scams are the easiest way to get viruses on your device."
"I can't recall the last time I fell for a scam. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough. But I did click on this advertisement, that said you could earn $527 working from home...looked legit to me."
"Silly Marth, that right there was an Internet scam! What person in this world earns that much money working from home?"
"I thought all the Microsoft guys and Silicon Valley millionaires rake in money doing that kind of stuff." Appalled by Marth's ignorance, Peach shook her head.
Peach: It's nice that Marth is becoming more adverse to technology now, after all those times Caeda complained about her husband using the oven to make microwave popcorn and a whole lot of other things. But I feel like there should be some baby steps with Marth. Starting him off with a laptop just isn't the right way to go, I think. It won't be long before Marth can't ever use his laptop again, with all the silly mistakes he's been making.
Caeda: Marth hasn't been getting much sleep in, ever since he got his laptop. Nowadays, he stays up at night watching cat videos. Sooner or later, he'll start watching kiddie videos that he's too grown for, and if he ever finds that song... *shudders*
"Mario, how do I eliminate these viruses from my laptop?" Marth asked the plumber, knowing that Mario could solve any problem no matter what. "Should I take my laptop to a hospital, or..."
"No you bum, it doesn't work-a that way!" frowned Mario; someone oughta teach Marth some computer etiquette, he really needed it. "You'll need an anti-virus software, to take-a care of any potential threats to your laptop."
"Huh, why haven't I thought of that...let me see if there's any good anti-virus software online." As Marth opened up his Internet and browsed for some software, with Peach assisting him, Mario went to the laundry room.
There, at this laundry room, Mario grabbed a laundry basket full of clothes and pulled the clothes out from it. At the bottom of the laundry basket was a laptop - Bentley's laptop, which Mario wanted to give to Coco.
"You still have that thing?" Cappy asked Mario, as his eyes peered down at the laptop Mario picked up. "I haven't seen it in days!"
"I had to hide-a it from Guile, until he left-a this house," explained Mario, before inspecting the laptop to ensure that it was still clean. "I'm gonna give this-a laptop to Coco, and she'll like it!"
"I don't think it'll work that way. I mean, do you remember the last time Coco turned that thing down? Nearly broke Aku in half!"
"Obviously Coco can't live-a without a laptop forever, so I don't know-a what the big deal is. There's gotta be a way she'll accept-a this laptop!"
"What if...we deceive Coco? We can paint the laptop with Coco's favorite shade of pink, and make it seem like it was her old laptop! She'll never see it through!"
"Cappy, you-a are a genius! What would I do-a without you...quick, let's-a go see if the Inklings are busy." Mario held the laptop close to his chest, as he left the laundry room.
Professor Layton, who had broken his leg during the fire, was discharged out of the hospital today. With Tom Nook paying all of the detective's bills, Layton was set to return to the mansion, in what would be a wholesome homecoming of sorts.
Responsible for taking Layton back to the mansion from the hospital was Sonic, who initially despised the task because of his views on Layton. Thanks to some convincing, Sonic drove to the hospital anyways, driving in his blue corvette with Tails and Luke as his passengers, and picked up Layton. Sonic returned to the mansion a while later, as he was now pulling up into the driveway.
"Really appreciated you coming along Tails," Sonic thanked the yellow fox, once he pulled his corvette up to the driveway and turned off the ignition. "Thought I was gonna lose my mind on the way back home, with those dorks in the back! Such a good friend!"
"I hardly opened my mouth the entire ride, but you're welcome anyways, Sonic," responded Tails, as he, Sonic, and Luke got out of the corvette. Luke would take out a wheelchair as he got out of the car, and wheeled it over to Layton.
"In ya go, Professor Layton!" the young apprentice said to the detective, opening up Layton's car door. Layton hobbled himself out of the corvette, and sat on the wheelchair and got himself comfy.
"Ah, each time I sit in this wheelchair...feels even more comfy than the previous time," Layton sighed in happiness, as Sonic was inclined to rolling his eyes. "I could sit in this thing for hours!"
"You only sat in that wheelchair two times today..." stated Sonic, as Tails gave his friend a stern look not wanting Sonic to downplay Layton's emotions. "What, am I not allowed to speak the truth?"
Layton: Those doctors and nurses were all miracle workers - they were able to repair my broken leg in less than two weeks! Thankfully I got my cast removed. But that doesn't mean I would be able to move around freely. I still have some tingling sensation in my leg, which would make it hard for me to walk upright. So until that chronic tingling sensation goes away for good, I'll have to be rolled around in a wheelchair. I could move around on my own, by myself, but that would give me too much power!
"Now how are we gonna get you up on the porch..." Tails said to Layton, wondering to himself as he tried to figure out how he could get Layton inside the mansion. "Oh, I know! We can just go inside through the backdoor."
"Through the backdoor? Come on, Tails..." Sonic shook his head at the yellow fox, before tsking away. "...don't you think Layton deserves a grand entrance? Going in through the backdoor sounds too sneaky, in my opinion."
"You should just fly Layton up to the porch," Luke suggested to Tails, who stroked his chin in thought. That seemed like a good idea on paper, but Tails was worried about the prospect of potentially dropping Layton.
"I think it's worth a shot...hold on tight, Professor Layton." Tails would grab the handlebars of the wheelchair, and try and lift himself off the ground with his propeller tail spinning in the air. The yellow fox only lifted Layton up by a meager two inches, before gently dropping him back down.
"Can't do it?" Layton asked Tails, who found himself huffing and puffing. Somehow, lifting that wheelchair nearly took the fight out of Tails!
"This wheelchair looks a lot heavier than it looks!" Done huffing and puffing, Tails went for another attempt at lifting up Layton's wheelchair, but failed once more. "I think we should go in through the backdoor."
"But what about Layton's grand entrance?" questioned Sonic, not wanting such an opportunity to be wasted. "Granted I might not care about Layton that much, but I'm sure someone would..."
"I highly doubt there's people lined up in the foyer waiting for Layton to come back, Sonic." Tails grabbed the handlebars of Layton's wheelchair, and pushed him away from the porch. "Let's go see if someone will let us inside through the backdoor."
"Highly doubt it..." mumbled Sonic, as he and Luke followed after Tails.
Learning that his former homeroom teacher, Miss Kawakami, would serve as his personal maid greatly bothered Joker. To keep his mind off of the fact, the young man went up to Star Records, so he could let his brain relax and take it easy. Fox, Falco, Itsuki, and Touma were there to keep Joker company.
"So Mamori apparently wants to have a 'healthy' episode of Microwave Idol Mamorin next week," Itsuki explained to Fox and company, while Joker eavesdropped from the wall he was leaning against. "Doesn't want neither of the Wii Fit Trainers..."
"Why, because their pale skin and anorexic bodies would make things ironic?" assumed Touma, as he popped out the collar on his jacket. "Viewers might think that the Wii Fit Trainers are sickly."
"It's not that, it's just that Mamori wants someone who is strong and lean, and has muscles." Hearing what Itsuki said, Touma smirked as he rolled down the jacket sleeve on his right arm. "She's obviously not talking about you, Touma."
"Meh, it was worth shot..." Touma felt sad and disappointed, as he rolled the jacket sleeve back down. Not like the redhead had much to flex anyways.
Touma: I've been doing my best to keep in shape and gain muscle, so I can look like a legit superhero on Force Five. I even forced my co-stars to keep up with the regimen, too! Told them that if they want to stay on the show, they need at least a six-pack and some toned thighs before the end of the month. For some reason, Tsubasa hasn't committed to any exercising at all. Maybe she's trying to send a message? Better not be anything stupid, like "I'm gonna quit this stupid freaking show!" or something like that.
"Strong and lean, and has muscles?" asked Fox, thinking of a perfect candidate. There were plenty of folks Fox knew that fitted the criteria. "Heihachi or Akuma would be fine choices."
"I don't think either one of those guys give a hoot about fitness, though," assumed Falco, before he looked over at Joker, who was still leaning against the wall. "Hey, Joker, who's your new girlfriend?"
"I have a new girlfriend...?" questioned Joker, breaking away from his trance as he looked up at Falco. The young man didn't recall being in any polygamous relationships. "Since when did I have a new girlfriend?"
"I dunno, you should try asking that chick standing right next to you. She can give you a clue or two."
"What chick standing right next to..." Joker would turn his head to the right, and was startled when he saw Kawakami, smiling at him. The young man jumped, and fell down to the floor out of fright.
"Sorry for scaring you like that, master!" Kawakami apologized to Joker, as Falco and company started laughing at Joker's expense. "Do you still need me to turn that frown of yours upside down?"
"No thank you, I can do that myself..." Joker helped himself off the floor and got back on his feet, feeling salty that he was being laughed at. "Must you incessantly follow me everywhere?"
"Of course, silly, I am your maid!" Kawakami gave Joker a playful smile as he pinched the young man's cheek. Joker could do nothing but take it like a man, while Falco and company laughed away.
"Joker, you haven't told us yet who that new girlfriend of yours is!" sneered Fox, taking heavy delight in the moment. It amused him, seeing a composed dude like Joker feel so embarrassed.
"Miss Kawakami is not my girlfriend..." affirmed Joker, trying his best not to let the humiliation get the better of him. "...she is my former homeroom teacher. She taught a Japanese language class."
"You mean you had a French maid for a high school teacher?" frowned a jealous Touma, wishing he had went to the same high school Joker did. "Man, those Japanese students have it so good! Those brats!"
"Touma, you were a Japanese student yourself," stated Itsuki, as Touma had a knowing look on his face. "Forgot that quickly, didn't ya?"
"I...I already knew that...what I meant to say was that Joker was one of those privileged high school students in Japan! Mus be great to be high class."
"You're high class, Joker?" Fox asked the young man, alarmed to hear such information. Even though it was not true.
"Joker isn't high class; he's just a former bad boy who got in trouble with the law," stated Kawakami, as a still embarrassed Joker turned away from the woman. "Got expelled from school once and was put on probation!"
"All because...I was falsely accused..." stated Joker, trying to make out his words through his now clenched teeth. He strongly wished that Kawakami hadn't brought up his past with Fox and the others around.
"Falsely accused of what, stealing some k-pop idol's identity?" joked Falco, before laughing away as he hanged his fists on the Star Records desk. Fox, Itsuki, and Touma also laughed, as Joker stormed out of the room.
"M-Master, where are you going?" Kawakami asked Joker, as she chased the young man out of the Star Records room. "Please, master, let me make you happy again! Just this once..."
Huddled outside the Star Records room spying on Kawakami once more were the maid twins, Flora and Felicia. The twins moved out of the way, out of sight, as they watched Kawakami chase Joker down the hallway and then down the stairs.
"...so why are we doing this again?" Felicia asked her twin sister, once Joker and Kawakami were gone. "We should be sweeping the floors right now!"
"I know, but I think that new maid is secretly up to no good," replied Felicia, who just had to be paranoid and suspicious about almost every little thing. "Like, why is she following Joker around?"
"Perhaps she's Joker's personal maid. You do know that a personal maid is, right?" Flora knew what a personal maid was, but she still had her suspicions.
"Yes I know what a personal maid is...but how come Joker of all people gets the right to have one? I understand that he's suave and all, but..."
"You know how Makoto now has Shovel Knight, serving her every whim and constantly following her around? The new maid could be fulfilling that same role, for Joker. That way, Joker and Makoto can feel equal, as sweet little lovebirds!"
"What are you girls even talking about?" asked a certain Hylian that approached Flora and Felicia, eating from a bag of potato chips he got from the vending room. It was the hero of legend himself, Link.
"We were just discussing that new maid at the mansion, the one named Kawakami," explained Felicia, while Link got potato chip crumbs all over the floor. Felicia was sure to clean up after the Hylian's mess.
"Yeah, what's up with that? Why is it that the new maid only has to serve Joker, of all people? Do you girls realize how long I've wanted my own personal maid? How does Joker have more priority over me?!"
Link: For years, I've asked Master Hand to give me my own personal maid, and that stupid hand never grants my wish. Sometimes, I would ask Zelda if she wants to be my maid, and she claimed that it would be out of "poor taste". But what's so wrong with having your girlfriend as your personal maid? It's all about establishing who the most dominant person in a relationship is.
Zelda: *sighs* Link can be so backwards when it comes to his personal wants and needs - both culturally and morally. Starting to think that whole "hero of Hyrule" moniker has gotten to his head.
"If you ask me, we should conspire against the new maid, and kick her out of the mansion," suggested Link; Flora was slightly open to the idea, while Felicia was standing on the fence.
"Outside of annoying Joker, I don't think she's doing anything wrong," said Felicia, offering her two cents; Link assumed that the maid was being too nice. "Joker might get used to her, eventually."
"And what if he doesn't? What if he loses it, and throws the maid off the roof? We should nip things in the bud now, before things start going haywire."
"This might not mean much, but...I'm fine with the plan," said Flora, assuming that Link wouldn't take her seriously. But Link gave her a thumbs up regardless.
"Well if you're on board, then your twin sister's on board as well." Link wanted to argue against Link's rationale, but she knew the odds were against her. "Alrighty then, let's hop to it!"
Feeling gyped after Pit "won" his chess match against him, Tom Nook would challenge the angel to another chess match. The tanoki vowed to himself that would take Pit to the cleaners, and kick his butt so bad that he would never play chess again.
The chess rematch, however, was going the opposite way of what Tom Nook had intended. Instead of the beatdown Tom Nook craved, the tanoki instead found himself in a tightly competitive chess match. Neither competitor was losing steam, as they were accruing a large number of spectators other than Kirby and Incineroar.
"What is all this commotion coming from the lounge..." wondered Meta Knight, as he entered the lounge...he was in for quite a surprise, as he saw the likes of Rex, Pyra, Minato, King K. Rool, Kumatora, Hisui, Kohaku, and several others sitting or standing around Pit and Tom Nook.
"Calling it right now...Tom Nook's got this one in the bag," Yoshi whispered to Kumatora, confident in Tom Nook's chances of winning, as Meta Knight joined the crowd and started spectating.
"You already said that about Pit," stated Kumatora, while Meta Knight looked towards the chessboard. Only four chess pieces remained - Tom Nook's king and pawn, and Pit's king and queen.
"No I did that..." Suddenly Yoshi made a swift move with his queen piece, shifting the momentum of the chess match. "Calling it right now, Pit's got this one in the bag!" Yoshi whispered to Kumatora, now confident in Pit's chances of winning.
"Why are you such a bandwagoner..." sighed Kumatora, facepalming as Meta Knight moved his king piece away from Pit's queen.
"How is the chess match going, how long has it been going on?" Meta Knight asked the crowd of residents, hoping someone would answer his question.
"Eh, most of us have already lost track of time," replied Hisui, as Pit moved his queen piece towards Tom Nook's king. "I'm honestly feeling bored of how epic this chess match is...if that makes sense."
"Maybe you're feeling bored because the crowd isn't into it," King K. Rool said to Hisui, before shouting out the following: "PIT WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, PUT THAT EVIL RACCOON OUT OF HIS MISERY!"
"Some of us are trying to focus here..." Tom Nook frowned, maintaining his concentration and focus. He couldn't afford to take a loss by any means.
Pyra: Losing to Pit at anything is deemed a kiss of death, here at the mansion. Tom Nook's reputation is very much in danger.
Tom Nook: I know what I'm up against - losing to Pit would be a bad look for me. I would be the butt of jokes for months, even Timmy and Tommy would mock me and make fun of me! I can't let Pit have the upper hand...
Pit, thinking critically (as if that ever happens), moved his queen towards the end of the chessboard. But Tom Nook, thinking one step ahead, moved his king out of the way to lower any chances of a checkmates.
"Ooh..." the crowed uttered in unison, greatly intrigued by the move Tom Nook had done. This made Pit somewhat envious, as the angel moved his queen towards Meta Knight's king and put him in check. No reaction.
"Aw c'mon, you guys know that was an awesome move!" frowned Pit; he was most especially angry at Kirby and Incineroar, wanting the pink puffball and the heel Pokemon to applaud him. But they didn't react at all.
"Two can play at that game, Pit..." Tom Nook said to the angel, as he expertly moved his king away from Pit's queen. That move elicited a reaction from the crowd, as everyone was cheering on for Tom Nook.
"What is wrong with these losers..." questioned King K. Rool, still certain and confident that Pit would pull off a victory. "C'mon Pit, I believe in you! Show that Tom Nook what you're made of!"
Sonic and company were outside the mansion, trying to get in through the backdoor. Thing is, the backdoor was locked, and no matter how many times Sonic knocked on the backdoor, nobody would answer.
"There's gotta be at least someone in the dining room..." frowned Sonic, as he folded his arms. All the waiting outside was making the hedgehog impatient. "...let's see if we can get inside through the basement."
"But then we would have to deal with the Rabbids," stated Tails, like Sonic would be scared of some frantic rabbit creatures. "They would be especially annoying if we don't find the light switch!"
"Quit being such a worrywart, what other choice do we have? If it makes you feel any better, I can just use the flashlight on my phone! No worries!"
So the group went to the door that led to the basement, with Luke pushing Layton on his wheelchair. Sonic would open the basement door, and everyone stepped on inside. Moments after Sonic closed the basement door, the backdoor was opened, by Dunban.
"Was there anyone knocking on the door?" the Homs questioned as he looked around, before furrowing his brow when he got no response. "Those bratty teenage pranksters are at it again..." Dunban closed the door a moment later.
Sonic and company were now inside the basement, entering through the basement door outside. Thankfully there were no stairs. Sonic had turned on the flashlight on his cellphone, and would play around with said flashlight, shining the light in Tails and Luke's face.
"See, Tails, told ya there's nothing to worry about!" exclaimed Sonic, as he shone his flashlight around the basement. "Look, not a single Rabbid to be found! Maybe they bailed after the mansion caught on fire."
"But where's Professor Layton?" questioned Luke, looking around for the British detective. "I remember taking him in into the basement! He couldn't have..."
"Oh, I'm sure Layton found a way to maneuver around on his wheelchair, without any help. He's probably just dying to see the others!"
"Actually Sonic, I'm all the way over here..." stated Layton, as Sonic shone his flashlight at the direction Layton's voice came from. To Sonic and comapny's surprise, they saw the Rabbids, banding together, hoisting Layton in his wheelchair over their shoulders.
"Professor Layton!" squealed Luke, afraid of Layton's well-being. The detective really ran into the wrong crowd.
"It seems that these Rabbids are infatuated with my wheelchair...guess there's nothing in this world that can't trigger these creatures' curiosities."
Samus: Thought for sure those Rabbids would be gone for good, after the fire happened...but nope, they came running right back to the mansion once those Happy Home dorks were done refurnishing the mansion. Gives me all the more reason to never go down to that basement ever again.
"Don't worry Layton, I got you!" Sonic assured the detective, before speeding away as he ran up the basement stairs. Tails and Luke watched as Sonic darted out of the basement, slamming the door behind him.
"Sonic you're not leaving us down here with the Rabbids, are you?" Tails called out to his best friend, although deep down he knew that Sonic wouldn't hear him. "Sonic? SONIC!"
Out of the basement, Sonic would take a couple of steps away from the basement before stopping so he could take a breather. The hedgehog would catch his breath, holding unto the adjacent wall.
"Phew...that was a close one," remarked Sonic, as he was finished taking his breather. The hedgehog dusted his hands off, and walked down the hallway. "Good thing I got away from that pathological bore Layton! Those Rabbids are the real MVPs!"
Despite feeling regret over ditching Tails and leaving him behind in the basement, Sonic would stroll down the hallway. During his trek, he would pass by Master Hand's room, where he heard the giant hand speaking on the phone with someone.
"Yosuke, my man, for the last time...the twelve available spots are NOT for you and your friends!" Master Hand boomed, literally yelling into the phone, as Sonic took a peek inside. "They're for people much more worthy than you are."
"But Master Hand, my friends and I are worthy!" whined Yosuke, whose voice could be heard on speakerphone. "We're best friends with Yu! We even killed those Heartless, that one time! Is that not enough for you?"
"You mean those Heartless that you killed without ME?!" growled Kanji, who was also heard over the speakerphone. A loud slap was heard, followed by the sound of Yosuke moaning in pain. "Way to leave me out on the fun!"
"Chill out Kanji, Master Hand just never sent you an invite, okay?! But, all will be forgiven when Master Hand comes around and invites all of us to join..."
"ENOUGH!" boomed Master Hand, easily annoyed by Yosuke's desperate attempts to become a mansion resident. "As I've said before, the twelve available spots have already been decided upon. They will be filled up next week...not by you and your stinking friends, but by others. Do you understand?"
"I completely understand...but, if it appeases you, you could let my friends and I live underneath the mansion! You see, there's this place we hanged out at last week, with the Phantom Thieves, and..."
"Living under the mansion? That's gotta be THE dumbest thing you've said during this entire phone call! And for that reason, I'm gonna cut you off right now. Good riddance, man!"
"No wait, Master Hand, hear me out!" Too late - Master Hand turned off the speakerphone, and pressed the button on the phone to end the call. Yosuke will just have to convince Master Hand another day.
Master Hand: I know this sentiment has been shared before, but this mansion has gotten too big...at least in terms of people. I should add a new floor or two to the mansion, to accommodate for everyone. Or I could split the mansion into two...and then I would two mansions! That would be a pretty hefty workload on the Carpenters, though - then again, building a second mansion would make them feel miserable! Two for the price of one!
"Hey, uh, Master Hand, I brought Layton back from the hospital," Sonic informed the giant hand, as he stepped inside his room. "The doctor wants Layton in a wheelchair, until the tingling in his leg goes away."
"Excellent! Thanks for bringing Layton back for me," Master Hand thanked Sonic, as he put his phone away. "So, where is Professor Layton? I wanna make sure that you're telling the truth!"
"You wanna see Layton?" Sonic got nervous; if he told Master Hand that he left Layton in the basement, he was a dead man. "I'm afraid you can't see him because, uh...he's taking a nap."
"Who cares, just wheel him on in and show him to me. And try not to wake him up, will ya? I want to be the one doing the honors..."
"One Professor Layton, coming right up!" Sonic gave Master Hand an assuring point of his finger, as he walked out of the room with a confident smile. After closing the door, Sonic sped to the basement, so he could fetch Layton.
Only problem was, the door to the basement was locked! No matter how hard or how many times Sonic pulled and twisted on the doorknob, nothing worked. It was safe to say that Sonic was in deep trouble.
"Tails, Luke, can you guys hear me?" Sonic shouted through the door, as he was banging on the door nonstop. "It's me, Sonic! Can one of you guys open up, please? I'm begging of you!"
Mario sat patiently outside the Inklings' room, twiddling with his fingers. The plumber was sitting on the floor, with Cappy there to keep him company.
"How do you think Coco will react when she sees the laptop?" Cappy asked Mario, who was too busy looking at the floor to have a conversation. "Will she be all like 'OMG no way, you guys are the best!' Or will she be like, 'YES, SLAY IT MARIO!'"
"Cappy, for the sake of your-a self and many others, don't ever say those-a things out loud again," Mario advised the talking hat, like he was a coach giving peop talk to one of his players. "It's-a embarrassing."
"But do you think Coco will have either one of those reactions, though?" Mario would simply ignore Cappy, as he went back to twiddling with his fingers. All the twiddling would stop, when the Inklings came out of their room. Both were covered in pink ink.
"All done!" announced the female Inkling, as she revealed to Mario Bentley's laptop, now covered in pink ink. Mario was very much delighted, as he stood up and clapped his hands excitedly.
"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" Mario thanked the Inklings as he took the laptop from the female Inkling, before kissing both Inklings. The plumber was really feeling it.
"Don't mention it..." the male Inkling responded, before Mario ran down the hallway with Cappy following after him. "...do you honestly believe Coco will fall for it?" the male Inkling whispered to his female counterpart.
"I mean, if she's real nice about it, she'll pretend to not see it through," shrugged the female Inkling, before she and the male Inkling returned to their room.
Coco: I've managed to live my life without my trusty laptop. Since the fire, I've been using this tablet more often. *holds up a pink tablet to the camera* Yes, it's pink. As ironic as it might sound, this tablet was a gift I got from Marth of all people during the Secret Santa exchange we had at Christmas last year...at least he knew what my favorite color was!
No matter where Joker went, Kawakami was always there to try and cheer the young man up. It had gotten to the point where Joker had to avoid his friends, so they wouldn't see Kawakami acting so weird around him. Joker thought he finally found solace for the first time today, when he went to the arcade room; Kawakami was nowhere to be found.
"Looks like I'm finally in the clear," remarked Joker, sitting coolly on a barstool chair. He saw his best friend Ryuji enter the arcade room - just the kind of company Joker wanted to be around with today.
"Yo, Joker, been lookin' all over for ya!" Ryuji called out to the young man, as he walked over to him. The delinquent would take a seat in the barstool chair next to Joker, all smiles. "Trying to hide from me or something?"
"No, just been feeling pretty annoyed today." Ryuji's grin would fade away, as the delinquent wanted to know what bothered Joker so much.
"For real? Annoyed by what, Shovel Knight perving over Makoto? Ah, get over it, I'm sure it's just a phase! Shovel Knight will find a new 'queen' soon, and then the only person violating Makoto's personal space will be you!"
"From the looks of it, I don't think that it's a..." Joker suddenly stopped, when he saw someone enter the arcade room with the corner of his eye. It was Kawakami. "...oh no, not her..."
"Not who?" Confused, Ryuji looked over at the arcade room entrance, and saw whom Joker was worried about. "Aw snap, is that a new maid?! For real?!"
Acting fast, Joker hopped off of his barstool chair, and ducked behind a nearby table. Ryuji watched as Joker made his getaway move, surprised by how fast and stealthy his best friend moved.
"C'mon dude, don't leave me all alone with Miss Kawakami!" Ryuji said to Joker. Moments later, he saw Kawakami walking towards him; Ryuji gulped nervously.
"Good afternoon!" Kawakami greeted Ryuji, who recalled seeing Kawakami before in a maid outfit. From the balcony. "Have you seen Master anywhere? With the black hair, and eyeglasses?"
"Are you, um, that Becky chick?" Ryuji asked Kawakami, trying his best to change the conversation. "From that Housekeeping Services Victoria place?"
"Yes I am, thank you for noticing! But have you seen Master anywhere? His name is Joker. You have seen someone named Joker around, haven't you?"
"Uh, yeah...I see him around. If I ever see him, I will let you know right away. You can count on me!"
"Thank you very much! Hopefully Master didn't get too far away...I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled!"
So Kawakami turned around and walked away, as Ryuji let out a sigh of relief. Joker would poke out his head from the table, seeing that the coast was clear.
"Thanks for saving my butt, Ryuji," the young man thanked his best friend, sitting back on his barstool chair once Kawakami was out of the arcade room.
Spying on Kawakami, after the maid left the arcade room, was Link. The Hylian was hiding behind a large vase in the hallway, with his hookshot ready to go. He had to get Kawakami out of the mansion, and fast.
"You're all mine now, you filthy maid..." Link grinned in a sinister manner, as he eyed down his prey. Kawakami was completely ripe for the taking.
"I can't believe that Master Hand forced me to do this..." grumbled Kawakami in a normal voice, in her natural tone. Hearing that gave Link some pause.
Link: The maid was forced to do what? Follow Joker around and stalk him to no end? Nah, that can't be it. Maybe she was complaining about her outfit - it doesn't seem that modest to me, in my opinion. Either way, that maid's still gotta go.
"What are you to this time, Link?" a certain swordsman asked, as Link turned around. Cloud came over to the Hylian. "That desperate to use your hookshot?"
"Whaddaya mean, 'what are you up to this time'?" frowned Link, making sure that his cover wasn't blown. Kawakami might hear him. "Almost like you're insinuating that I'm always getting myself in trouble."
"Which typically happens ninety percent of the time, I'm afraid...but seriously, what are you up to? That's a pretty nifty hiding spot you're in."
"See that maid down the hallway?" Cloud looked down the hallway, and took sight of Kawakami. "She's the new maid at the mansion. I'm gonna get rid of her, so Felicia and Flora won't have to worry about any competition!"
"And I take it that only Flora is worried about the new maid?" After mulling over what to say, Link eventually nodded his head. "If Flora's so worked up over this new maid, she should be with you right now to take her down."
"Flora is doing some maid duties with Felicia. But once she's done with that, she'll come by, and we'll work together to dispose of the new maid. And Felicia too, if she's willing enough."
"Sure..." Seeing how committed Link was to the task at hand, Cloud walked away, knowing that he couldn't possibly reason with his best friend. "...I'll leave you alone and let you have your fun, Link."
"You know, you can fill in for Flora until she comes!" Link called out to Cloud, who waved off the Hylian's suggestion. Link frowned, as he looked back at the other end of the hallway. "Hopefully that maid didn't hear that..."
The chess match between Pit and Tom Nook was getting more and more intense, and it was literally anyone's game. More residents - both from the mansion and tower - filled up the lounge to witness the historic chess match, as Tom Nook now evened up the odds. Like Pit, the tanoki had both a king and a queen.
"I got a bold prediction..." Yoshi said to Ghirahim, who was now all ears. "...whoever puts their opponent in a checkmate will win the match!" Ghirahim frowned, feeling bad for even listening to Yoshi.
"That's even even a bold prediction...that's how you win the game!" the demon lord stated, as Tom Nook moved his queen piece closer to Pit's king. "Do you even know what a bold prediction is?"
"Alright then, I got another one...whoever loses their queen first will have a higher chance of losing." Rolling his eyes, Ghirahim walked away from Yoshi, refusing to listen to the dinosaur blabber anymore.
"Feeling the pressure yet, Tom Nook?" Pit smiled at the tanoki, doing his best to intimidate him. But Tom Nook wouldn't fall for it, for he was too determined.
"Pressure means nothing to me," Tom Nook replied confidently, planning out his next move. "It's still your turn by the way, Pit."
"Pit, Pit, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!" K. Rool cheered on for Pit, clapping along to his chant. The Kremling's constant cheering for Pit was getting on everyone's nerves. "Tear up that Tom Nook to shreds!"
"Since when did you start hating on Tom Nook?" Coco asked K. Rool, while her brother Crash was too busy sniffing the new couches in the lounge to care about the ongoing chess match.
"Master Hand and Tom Nook are on good terms, sadly - so there's gotta be at least ONE person in this mansion who thinks that Tom Nook is an evil, twisted psycho. And since nobody wanted to step up to the plate..."
King K. Rool: The Master Hand of old is dead and gone. The Master Hand I used to know was merciless, and lacked empathy. Nowadays that giant hand is laughing it up with Tom Nook. How did he go from exposing that raccoon for the monster that he is, to being his best friend? That shows you how conniving Tom Nook truly is - seamlessly bringing Master Hand over to the good side! When one heartless monster falls to the wayside, another one has to take his place...
"Master Hand and Tom Nook are on good terms?" questioned Diddy, not having learned this information before. "I thought Master Hand was only acting nice!"
"I mean, Master Hand did bring Tom Nook back to the mansion, that's worth something," replied Samus, who was in disbelief of how close the chess match was. Considering whom Tom Nook was going up against. "Pretty easy to win Master Hand over, when you say the right things..."
"Like what, saying that his new Lamborghini is the best car in existence?" asked Aku, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Do you think Master Hand won't bully me ever again if I said that?"
"Don't even bother wasting your time..." Hearing this, Aku lowered his head in sadness, as Coco patted the floating mask on the back of his...head.
"Oh, Coco, I got some-a thing for ya!" Mario's voiced called out to the banidocoot, from outside the lounge. Coco sighed, leaving the lounge with Aku following after her. Crash, seeing his sister leave, stopped sniffing the couches and left.
The Crash clan met with Mario in the hallway, with Mario holding something behind his back. Mario was grinning, as Coco was feeling wary.
"Alright Mario, what is it?" Coco asked the plumber, looking pretty stern with her arms folded. Not even Mario's grinning was enough to win over the bandicoot.
"Look what I got..." replied Mario, as he pulled out Bentley's laptop - now colored in hot pink - from behind his back. "It's your old-a laptop! Looking good as new!" Needless to say, Coco wasn't impressed.
"Hmm, it looks too big to be Coco's laptop," observed Aku, as he was getting a closer look at the laptop. Mario would swat the floating mask away.
"No one asked-a you...so Coco, do you want-a your old laptop back? Just say the word, and I'll-a hand it over! Why, I should just-a give it to you now!"
"Mario, that's NOT my laptop. I know my laptop way better than anyone. I know my laptop whenever I see it."
"Your laptop comes-a with stickers, right?" Mario pointed at a flower stick on the laptop - one that he plastered on himself. "Look, it's the same-a flower sticker as before! Do you see?"
"The placement of the sticker is way off - it's supposed to be five centimeters away from the center. Like how it is on my old laptop." Mario grunted, disliking how technical Coco was being.
"Well, um, the sticker must've moved-a to the left because, uh, because-a of erosion! Your laptop might-a be getting old."
"That's not really how erosion works, Mario..." Mario was grasping at the straws, not sure of how else he could convince Coco. "Show me what my lock screen looks like, and then I'll be sold."
"You got it!" So Mario opened up the laptop, and turned it on. A moment later, a green computer screen appeared on the monitor, filling up with endless upon endless lines of code.
"Coco's laptop never started up like that," stated Aku - at this point, Mario had to give in and take the L. But the plumber was apparently still determined.
"You silly billy, it's because-a it's just starting up after the fire went-a down. Gonna take some-a time for the laptop to reboot everything."
"Shouldn't my laptop already be rebooted before handing it back to me?" questioned Coco, more able to see through Mario's deceit.
"She has a great point, you know..." Cappy looked down at Mario and said to him, before Mario quietly shushed the talking hat.
Guile: I've seen a lot of things on that laptop...some good, some bad, and some not meant for human eyes. On the other hand, seeing all that limitless code gave me a headache...
"This has-a to be a second reboot, the laptop is not at a hundred-a percent just yet," assumed Mario, who was now all out of excuses. All of the cards in his deck were already used up.
"So what's the point of giving it back, if it's not at a hundred percent?" questioned Coco, turning up the heat on Mario's hot seat. "I really believe you stole someone's laptop, and painted it to make it seem like it's mine."
"Me? Stealing some-a one else's laptop? Why I would-a never! I just...borrowed-a this laptop from someone. No harm done."
"Oh really? Then tell me who you 'borrowed' this laptop from. I'd like to hear it!" Mario was hard-pressed to come up with an answer, but Cappy would save the day.
"We found the laptop lying on the driveway, near a getaway van!" the talking hat blurted out; having been outed by Cappy, Mario facepalmed.
"So you guys stole the laptop...ah, now it makes sense." Coco was about to return to the lounge, with Crash and Aku following after her, before the blonde bandicoot stopped and turned around at Mario. "Wait, Cappy, did you say something about a getaway van?"
"Well, at least I thought it looked like a getaway van. Had the aesthetic and all, but.."
"Mario, what if the laptop in your hand belongs to the manor?" Mario looked down at the laptop, and after seeing all the code fill up the computer screen, it started to make sense to the plumber.
"You might-a be right, Coco..." replied Mario, as he nodded his head in agreement. "...I think we should let-a Master Hand see this."
Link was still on the hunt for Kawakami, and he was still a lone wolf. Flora and Felicia still had other maid duties to fulfill, meaning that Link had to remain flying solo. He approached a room on the first floor, with the door open - he could hear Kawakami's voice down the hall.
"I don't know, I just...don't feel like doing this anymore," Kawakami was heard from inside the room, as Link drew near. The Hylian peeked inside the room, and saw Kawakami speaking with Zelda and Researcher Zelda.
"Then go and tell Master Hand you want to head back home," Researcher Zelda suggested to Kawakami, with Link eavesdropping as he had his hookshot ready. "It's that simple!"
"I wish it was that simple...but stupid Master Hand refuses to let me go back to Japan until I 'make Joker happy again'. Said he'll keep me around for as long as necessary..."
"There's gotta be a reason why Master Hand trusts you to do it more than anyone else, right?" Link was starting to give some pause on his motives, as Kawakami let out a sigh.
"Believe it or not, I used to be his homeroom teacher...had him in my class, during his year-long prohibition. It was my job to 'rehabilitate' him, after the whole assault charge conundrum."
"Makes me wonder how Master Hand knew about that beforehand..." wondered Zelda, acting like Master Hand wasn't the all-knowing one that he claimed himself to be. Link was slowly starting to pull his hookshot away.
"I'm sure his assistant did a background check on me or something...either way, I just feel like heading back home. Already promised myself I wouldn't do this whole maid thing again."
"If you did head back, you know Master Hand would feel pretty upset if you 'failed' your job and didn't make Joker happy again. But you honestly wouldn't mind that, would you?"
"From what I've gained from teaching Joker in class...as well as from my own maid expenditures with him..." Kawakami formed a smile on her face, and Link took heavy notice of it. "...I think he'll be just fine!"
Having heard enough, Link turned away from the doorway and laid against the wall. He had it all wrong - he thought that Kawakami was going to cause tension, being the new maid, but she was only around for a different reason. Time for Flora and Felicia to be in the know...
"We're all done with our duties for the day," Flora informed Link, as she and Felicia approached the Hylian. Link would grab the maids' hands, taking them away.
"Wh-where are we going?!" questioned Felicia, as she and Flora found themselves running down the hallway. Most running they've probably ever done.
"Quick change of plans - we're gonna need Joker," replied Link, making sure he still had his hookshot in his hand. "I'll explain everything later!"
Link: I was wrong this whole time - no, Flora and Felicia were wrong this whole time! The new maid isn't trying to compete with the maid twins, or start some drama - she was just brought over to the mansion to uplift Joker's spirits. She's only temporary! But I still want my own personal maid, though - Zelda still might not come around, but Researcher Zelda, though...
Sonic was still outside the basement door, feeling bad about himself. Not only was Tails stuck inside the basement, but Layton, the man he got from the hospital, was also stuck inside the basement along with Luke. Even worse, there were Rabbids down there.
"I'm so screwed, I'm so screwed, I'm so screwed..." Sonic repeated over and over again, before knocking on the basement door for the nth time. "Tails! Layton! Luke! Can you guys hear me? Come on!"
"Hey Sonic, have-a you seen Master Hand anywhere?" Mario asked the hedgehog, showing up along with the Crash clan. "Didn't see him in-a his room."
"No I haven't seen him...but if you do see him, tell him not to stop by the basement." Mario exchanged weird looks with the Crash clan, unsure of why Sonic was acting so nervous for. "Heard some bad stuff going on down there!"
"Really, because it sounds pretty quiet down in the basement," stated Coco; first she was stumping Mario, now she was doing the same to Sonic. Is there anyone safe from the blonde bandicoot?!
"Why are we talking about the basement for?" inquired Master Hand, magically appearing in the premises. Sonic gulped nervously. "Oh, hi Sonic! So, where is Professor Layton?"
"Layton's, uh...he's still taking his nap, in the basement!" Sonic quickly replied, leaving Mario and company interested in how big of a hole Sonic could possibly dig himself into.
"Why would he be napping in the basement for? Usually one would take a nap in their own room!"
"True dat, but Layton preferred the basement because the darkness helps him sleep better! Ya know what I mean?"
"Also, aren't there Rabbids down in the basement? Those Rabbids can wake up Layton and irritate him, whenever they feel like it!"
"But the Rabbids will refrain from doing that, because, um..." With no other option left, Sonic soon fell on his needs, clasping his hands together in a pleading manner. "...please forgive me, Master Hand, I left Professor Layton behind in the basement! It's all my fault! I'm sorry, man!"
"Sonic, what are you crying about? You're not asking Master Hand for forgiveness, are you?"
Sonic stopped his pleading, standing up as he saw three individuals - Tails, Luke, and Professor Layton - showing up in the hallway. Sonic smiled, running up to Tails and hugging him.
"Man, am I glad to see you guys!" Sonic said to Tails and company, once he stopped hugging. Sonic, happy to see Layton and Luke again? That was a first. "Thought you'd be goners in the basement!"
"Relax Sonic, it's not like those Rabbids were gonna eat us alive," said Tails, pushing Sonic away from him so he could have some breathing room.
"But I gotta ask...how the heck did you dudes make it out? I've been banging on the basement door nonstop, but nobody answered!"
"That's because we left the basement through the way we came in - through the door outside," stated Luke, as Sonic slapped himself on the forehead for being such a silly goose. "You know that door to the basement over there is locked from the inside."
"Partly because of privacy reasons," Master Hand randomly stated, trying his best not to bring any unwanted attention to himself. "Whatever the heck that is, hehe..."
"After we left, we walked down the street to Dunkin' Donuts, and ate some doughnuts!" added Tails, unintentionally making Sonic jealous. "The Rabbids joined us."
"You guys seriously ate doughnuts, and you invited the Rabbids over me? Boy do I feel left out..."
Sonic: So, Tails wants to eat doughnuts without letting me know? Hmph. In that case, I won't tell him the gazillion times I ordered takeout from Panda Express! Hid all the receipts under his mattress.
Tails: Believe it or not, the Rabbids got their doughnuts for free. You can guess how that came to be...
"Professor Layton, how are you?" Master Hand asked the professor, as Luke pushed Layton to the forefront. "How's that leg feeling?"
"Feels tingly, but the doctors say I'll be fine," smiled Layton, as he patted his right leg. "I should be in this wheelchair until I the tingling sensation goes away."
"Good to see that your smile hasn't gone away," Aku said to Layton, who acknowledged the floating mask with the tip of his hat.
"Believe me, Aku, it'll take more than leg injury to get rid of this smile...say, Sonic, are you interested in some doughnuts?"
"You bet!" Sonic instantly perked up, as he followed after Layton and the gang. "Never thought I'd say this out loud, but you're the best, Professor Layton!"
"Heh, tell me something I don't know..." Sonic would walk away with Tails, Luke, and Layton, leaving Mario and the gang alone with Master Hand.
"Master Hand, we thought you might-a wanna see this," Mario presented Bentley's laptop to the giant hand, showing him all the code on the screen.
"You wanted to gift me a hot pink laptop? I mean, hot pink's not really my favorite color, but the device looks cool so I'll take it!"
"No, Master Hand - we think that this laptop might belong to the manor," Cappy perked up, changing Master Hand's tune in an instant. "We just wanted to know what you think we should do with it."
"I dunno, just...leave it out on the road or something. Some vultures might pick it up. And I don't mean the bird kind either..."
Joker sat by himself in the gaming room, sitting on a couch. The young man had his legs spread out on the couch, with Flora and Felicia dusting nearby. Or, at least, they were pretending to dust.
"Why am I doing this again?" asked Joker, as Link's head popped out from behind the couch. "If Kawakami sees me like this, then..."
"Just shut up and act natural," replied Link, before hiding back behind the couch. Joker would do as he was told, acting natural.
"Got a real bad feeling about this..." Said bad feeling would be turned up to eleven, when a certain maid walked inside the gaming room. It was Kawakami, much to Joker's chagrin.
"Master, is that you?" the Japanese woman asked, as she ran over to Joker. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling...pretty good, actually." Joker would sit up on the couch, cracking a smile. "Why in fact, I feel kind of...happy, now that you're here."
"You really feel that way, Master? You've been feeling anything but most of the day. What changed?"
"I guess...I really needed a companion, that's all. My friends are all busy, doing their thing, and my girlfriend's all tied up with Shovel Knight. You were the only companion I had today - and it took me until now to realize that." Did Joker's interaction with Ryuji earlier mean nothing to him?!
"Is that so? Does that mean you feel happy and content? Is nothing bothering you anymore?"
"Not as much as it used to. Thanks for, uh, being there for me...Becky." Joker calling her Becky really caught Kawakami off-guard.
"No problem, Master! Since you're so upbeat now, I won't bother you for the rest of the day. Later!" Kawakami turned around and walked away, about to leave the gaming room, until...
"Wait, Miss Kawakami, before go you...I must ask you something. You've seen Ryuji today, haven't you?"
At that moment, Kawakami stopped in place, as Flora and Felicia looked over. Link also looked over, poking out his head from behind the couch once more.
"I spoke with Sakamoto earlier today, while I was looking for you," responded Kawakami, speaking in her normal voice with her back still turned to Joker. "I'd say he's a really great companion. To you, that is."
"Okay, that's all I needed to know." On that note, Kawakami walked out of the gaming room, her task done. Joker soon let out a sigh of relief, as Link rubbed the young man's shoulders.
"You did it man!" the Hylian said to Joker, in an almost congratulatory tone. "Told you things would turn out right if we did it my way."
"Now my friends won't be wondering why some random lady dressed up as a maid is following me around...really appreciated it, Link. You too, Flora and Felicia."
Felicia: See, Felicia? That new maid wasn't trying to steal our jobs! You were just being paranoid!
Flora: Guess it's just a habit of mine, hehe...I should just focus on my own job more often.
Felicia: I've been telling you to do that since we first got here...
Kawakami: Good, now that I've "uplifted" Joker's spirits, maybe Master Hand will let me return to Tokyo. And that's a big "maybe". I really felt uncomfortable walking around the mansion with this getup on. A little concerned about how Heihachi is treating my class...he better not be challenging my students to random fights in the courtyard, or anything of that nature.
Joker: I may have gotten Kawakami off of me... *holds up mysterious picture* ...but finding out who this girl is is still my MO.
The stakes in Pit and Tom Nook's chess match were reaching all-time highs, as only Tom Nook's king and Pit's king and queen remained. The lounge was almost jam-packed, with many folks watching the match go down.
"I've been sitting here since the match began, and it feels like this stalemate has been going on forever..." remarked Kohaku, glancing at the clock on the wall to check the time.
"You uneducated fool, it's not a stalemate unless the person who has to move isn't in check but has no legal move," stated King K. Rool, who was more into the chess match than anyone else. "It ain't over until the fat lady sings!"
"A fat lady, where?" inquired Corrin, looking among the large crowd of residents for this nonexistent fat lady. "Describe her to me, at once!"
"Ready to throw in the towel, Tom Nook?" Pit taunted the tanoki, who refused to go down without a fight.
"I won't give in to the likes of you," Tom Nook responded, with an answer full of confidence. "I never back down!"
"Any last words, before I pummel you to the ground? Make your move, I dare ya!"
"I do have some last words...I can't make my move yet. It's still your turn, Pit!"
"Goof grief, way to keep someone engaged with the chess match...here comes the victory move!"
Picking up his queen, Pit moved his chess piece not to a white square, but a black one...and like he did before, the angel took out Tom Nook's king in the process. After the move was made, Pit raised his fists up high, as Tom Nook looked distraught.
"He did it, my boy did it!" cheered K. Rool, giving Pit a congratulatory hug and lifting him up in the air. "Way to go, Pit!"
"But that's not even a legal move..." said a still distraught Tom Nook, as the spectators were sharing the tanoki's pain. Many of them were salty right now.
"Really, this is how the chess match ends?" frowned Meta Knight, as many residents grumbled and left the lounge. "After all this time? Screw a do-over, I'm out!"
"Right with you!" exclaimed Yoshi, as more residents left the lounge. The only ones left in the lounge were Tom Nook, Pit, K. Rool, Kirby, and Incineroar. The latter two were feeling some type of way, having witnessed two very similar endings.
"We should've played pool instead," Kirby said to Incineroar, who nodded his head knowing that Kirby was too short for such an activity.
Outside the mansion, Kawakami was out in the front yard, speaking on her cellphone. From the looks of it, she was looking pretty angry.
"Yes, I'm stuck here at the Smash Mansion, and that stupid Master Hand won't let me leave," Kawakami spoke angrily into the phone, making her displeasure known to whoever the caller was. "I literally can't step two feet away from the mansion premises! How insane is that?! Totally going to sneak out soon..."
While Kawakami continued to complain, a van pulled up to the curb. It was Sly Cooper and the gang's getaway van.
"So they got the mansion back to normal again that fast, huh?" said Sly, poking out his head from the passenger window so he could get a good look of of the mansion. "Guess that means we're back to square one, boys."
"Hey Bentley, is that your laptop, on the side of the road?" asked Murray, drawing Sly's attention to Bentley's laptop, lying near the road. "But in a different color?"
"Yes it is, Bentley - someone colored it hot pink!" replied Bentley, both delighted and discouraged at the same time. "Hot pink's not even my favorite color! What madman did such a thing?"
"Doesn't matter, it's back in our hands now," replied Sly, stepping out of the getaway van to retrieve Bentley's laptop. Had to make sure nobody was looking, especially Kawakami. With Bentley's laptop in hand, Sly quickly returned to the van, closing the door before Murray stepped on the gas pedal and drove the van down the road.
Sly's comment about being "back to square one" insinuated that the manor would attempt destroying the mansion again. Only question was, when?
