Author's Note:

Ahoy mateys! If you have the time, I would like for you all to fill out this little survey, right here: forms. gle/pbisCJUNJqCP8aMy5. (Just put all that together and viola, you got the link.) The survey is nothing major, really - it just pertains to this story, that's all. The survey is anonymous, so the only thing I'll get to see is your responses. Be as honest and open as possible; your feedback will be much appreciated. On to the guest reviews:

Will the students from Fire Emblem Three Houses show up later on? Can you add a scene of Flayn fighting with Morgana over fish? Is Dante a couple with Lady? (Yes thats her name) a scene of Pascal from Tales of Graces F trying to steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard? (Bananas are her favorite food) has Futaba grown out of being a shut-in? And finally, what are your thoughts on the Sword Art Online games and Grandia games being digital only?

The students will show up later on, along with the teachers and house leaders. I can do that scene. Dante isn't in a couple with Lady. Pascal trying to steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard would be funny. Futaba has grown out of being a shut-in. And I'm a bit neutral about the SAO and Grandia games being digital only. Derick Lindsey has a question about Fox and Falco:

"So Fox and Krystal are set to head out to Sauria after this right since this arc is now finished?"

Fox and Krystal will indeed head out to Sauria. When they'll head out, you'll find out soon. PinkRose4452 has some more suggestions for me:

"1. Can Yu's uncle and cousin, Dojima and Nanako, make an appearance?
2. Can Makoto and Caeda interact with eachother, since they share the same voice actor?

3. Since Copper and Brooker are security guards, does that mean that they are also residents as well?
4. Is there anyway that someone, maybe Sonic or Pit, can make the Hoes Mad reference to the Dragon Quest Heroes?
5. Master Hand decides to take all the residents from the mansion and tower to the water park to have fun for the day, in which chaos occurs."

1. Shoot, I forgot about Yu's uncle and cousin...sure, they can make an appearance.
2. Makoto and Caeda interacting with each other would be lovely.
3. Copper and Booker are mansion residents; they occupy the same room that Layton and Luke stayed in.
4. Hehehehe...hoes mad. I could have someone other than Sonic or Pit make that reference.
5. That sounds like a fun idea for a chapter.

The last review for today comes from GreaterDoomerUKI:

"When is Galeem appearing?"

Uh...uh...uh...I don't know.


Episode 192: Veronica

At long last, the mansion's feud with the All-Star Manor came to a close. In the previous episode, the manor had their butts kicked at the treaty signing - which turned out to be a trap set up by Zant. And ever since Polygon Man and others had their butts handed to them, the manor never bothered the mansion again.

With the feud finally over, a sense of normalcy found its way back to the mansion, as the mansion residents - as well as the tower residents - felt comfortable to do things without anyone from the manor getting in the way. Joker, for instance, had just started college; the young man was enrolled at the University of Washington, doing schoolwork.

Would the coursework make Joker a very busy man? That much was a given, especially for any college student. But as always, Joker was ready for any challenge.

Joker: My friends and I started college the other day - we've already registered for online courses, at the University of Washington. Master Hand, who wasn't that fond of letting us live on campus, was kind enough to pay for all our tuition with whatever funds he had saved up. Makoto is pursuing a law degree, Yusuke is obviously pursuing a degree in fine arts, and me, well...right now, my major is general studies. I'm taking a bunch of prerequisite classes right now, but beyond those courses...oof.

Joker was doing his college work in the comfort of the computer room, doing some homework for his MAT 111 class with Morgana sleeping away on the computer desk. Thanks to a computerized test he had taken, MAT 111 was Joker's first college math course, and the young man wouldn't have it any other way.

But, as Joker continued to work and solve a bunch of math equations, he would receive a surprise attack...

"NERF-A HIM DOWN, YOU GUYS!" shouted Mario as he, Fox, Falco, Peach, Sheik, Diddy Kong, and Bayonetta ran inside the computer room armed with Nerf guns. The seven fired Nerf bullets at Joker, catching him completely off-guard.

"Gah!" yelled Joker, using his notebook to shield himself from Mario and company's open fire. The Nerf barrage would continue until Mario and company completely ran out of bullets.

"Congratulations, Joker!" Mario congratulated a very puzzled Joker, walking up to the young man and shaking his head with a proud smile on his face. "You are truly one-a of the best!"

"I don't understand, what's going on?" asked Joker, as he adjusted the glasses on his face. Thank goodness his spectacles weren't damaged during the Nerf barrage. "Why were you all shooting Nerf bullets at me?"

"It was just our own little way of congratulating you," replied Bayonetta, leaving Joker even more confused than ever. "For winning this year's EVO 2019 championship!"

"EVO 2019..." Joker took the time to recall what EVO 2019 was, before coming to a sudden realization. "...oh, that gaming tournament! Yeah, I remember."

"We had planned on congratulating you weeks ago, but we were quite busy," stated Peach, blaming the manor for getting in the way of things. "So how do you feel?"

"I feel good, I guess...honestly forgot that EVO 2019 even happened. Most of it feels like a blur to me, now that I mention it."

"At least you didn't stall during the tournament...unlike some people we know," remarked Fox, before taking a quick look at Bayonetta. Bayonetta would return the favor, with a chilling glare.

"Someone must really want Krystal to be standing alone at the altar..." said Bayonetta, in a very threatening tone, as she took out her guns. Not wanting to meet his end at the hands of Bayonetta, Fox nervously gulped and looked away.

"We were thinking about-a throwing a party for you in the bunker, to celebrate-a your finest achievement," Mario said to Joker, as he wrapped his arm around the young man. "Me, you, the other EVO champs, and any friend-a you wish to invite. What do you say?"

"That would be nice," replied Joker, willing to attend the party provided that his friends were also permitted to join. "Though I would have to finish all of my homework in time for the party."

"Look at this guy, doing homework on a Friday..." Diddy shook his head in disdain at Joker. "...he thinks he's so perfect already!"

"Can't let his head get too big," teased Sheik, as Joker quietly resumed his homework despite Mario still having his arm wrapped around him.

"Just let us know-a when you're all finished-a with your homework," Mario said to Joker, taking his arm off of the young man. "We'll start-a the party when you're all ready to go."

"Okay then, I'll let you know," assured Joker, as Mario and company walked out of the computer room. That's when a random thought suddenly spurred in Joker's mind. "Wait, Mario, hold on!"

"Yes, Joker, what is it?" Mario asked as he stopped and turned around; everyone else did the same. "You decided to hold-a off on your homework?"

"No, it still needs to be done...although it's due on Sunday, at midnight." Doing homework two days before the deadline - early bird always gets the worm. "I was thinking that maybe you guys could do me a favor."

"We'd be more-a than happy to, Mr. EVO 2019 champion." Mario and company were sure to flatter Joker as much as they could throughout the day. "So what's-a up?"

"So you know that Shovel Knight is still infatuated with Makoto. Still thinks she's a legitimate queen. Ryuji and I have been doing our best convince Shovel Knight otherwise, but he won't listen..."

"Shovel Knight is still acting stubborn, I see..." said Peach; she herself tried to convince Shovel Knight, but nothing would get through him. "...I imagined that his little phase would've ended, by now."

"I'm afraid not, he's still delusioned as ever. Which is why I need someone to pry him away from Makoto, since I know she's tired by Shovel Knight's shenanigans."

"Well Joker, you can leave it to us!" Fox confidently assured the young man, pointing his thumb at himself. Suddenly the pilot's watch beeped, alerting him. "Oops, never mind, Falco and I got a meeting."

"A meeting about what?" Falco raised an eyebrow at Fox, who grabbed the avian pilot's hand and rushed out of the computer room. "Is it about those Chipotle tacos I had ordered? For the last time, I'm sorry!"

Falco: Fox wanted me to run by the store and buy him some Gatorade with his debit card, since he was too busy cuddling with Krystal. I got the Gatorade, alright...and then I stopped by Chipotle and used Fox's card to splurge on some tacos. I mean, what else does Fox want me to do with his card, not spend senselessly on it for my own pleasure?! Shame on him for putting too much trust in me.

"...we'll take care of Shovel Knight, Joker," Sheik said to the young man, as she volunteered herself. "Diddy, Bayonetta and I will handle him."

"And Peach and-a I will handle the party preparations," added Mario, before giving Joker an encouraging smile. "Better not work-a too hard, EVO 2019 champ!"

"I'm sure I won't," responded Joker, wondering how many times people would refer to him as EVO 2019 champ. As of right now, the over/under was fifteen.

"Good! Keep up the good work!" Mario and the others left the computer room for good, as Joker gave them all a thumbs up.

"Looking forward to the party?" Morgana asked Joker, shortly after Mario and company had left. Joker kept his lips pursed, as he expertly solved an algebraic equation.

"As long as Shovel Knight isn't around with Makoto at the party, most definitely," replied Joker, confident that the trio of Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta could put Shovel Knight in his place.


Link was extremely confident of what he had done in the previous episode, using the hookshot he had acquired from Bowser to take down Zant from the sky. On paper it was a pretty neat move, but for Link, it was the equivalent of Nick Fury taking out Thanos just by himself. Because of what he had done, Link was feeling very big-headed, much to the chagrin of others like Cloud.

"You should've seen it for yourself, Cloud, it was EPIC!" Link said to his best friend, as the two swordsmen were walking down the hallway. "Zant was just flying through the air, screaming his head off, and then I came in and used my hookshot to..."

"...forcibly bring him down to the ground," Cloud would finish for Link, knowing that Link really didn't do anything special. "Mario told me all the details."

"But did he tell you how awesome I looked when I took out Zant? I was arguably the MVP of that day. Everyone would've been screwed if it weren't for me."

"Debatable...so, are you gonna return that hookshot to Bowser or not?" Cloud knew that Link couldn't keep that hookshot forever.

"Not yet, but I'll give it back to him soon. Just gonna spend the rest of the day relishing in my awesomeness..."

Link and Cloud would walk past Master Hand's room, which the Luminary had approached. The Luminary was informed by Isabelle that a friend of his had joined the mansion as a resident, and the swordsman wondered who it could be as he placed his hand on the doorknob.

When the Luminary opened the door to Master Hand's room, he saw Master Hand speaking with Isabelle...and a blonde girl, who looked like a mage. In fact, she WAS a mage - and the Luminary was quick to recognize who it was.

"V-Veronica?" the Luminary uttered the name of the mage, as he closed the bedroom door. "Is that you, Veronica?" The conversation between Master Hand and company came to a halt, as everyone turned their attention to the Luminary.

"Luminary!" the mage, Veronica, happily squealed as she ran over to the Luminary. "Long time, no see!"

"Likewise, Veronica, likewise..." The Luminary would soon be surprised, when Veronica grabbed the swordsman and pulled him down so his face met hers. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Hmm, it seems like you look the same since I last saw you..." Veronica was inspecting the Luminary's head, like she was his doctor or something. "...and you still have on those same threads. Do you believe in a thing called variety?"

"Yes I do believe in variety - I have other clothes in my closet. Some of which belong to me, and others I had received from others...as a gift."

Luminary: Don't know who it was, but apparently someone gave me a clown suit. And it had the words "BAN ME" on the back. I feel like someone's trying to send me a message...

Red the Pokemon Trainer: Somebody gave the Luminary a clown suit with a "BAN ME" sign on the back?! Dang, I wonder who it could be... *whistles innocently as he walks away with his hands behind his back*

"Darn it, Luminary, you ruined our surprise..." Master Hand frowned at the swordsman, as Veronica finally let go of the Luminary's face. "...Isabelle and I wanted to surprise you by revealing Veronica, from behind a curtain."

"Only you wanted to do that, Master Hand," stated Isabelle, only to be bonked on the head by Master Hand's index finger.

"Well maybe if you weren't busy running our mouth with me, maybe you would've had your little 'surprise'," Veronica said to Master Hand, with her hands on her hips. "Wouldn't you?"

"Oh my, she's even more mouthy than I thought..." remarked Master Hand, not recalling the last time a new resident gave him that much attitude. "...I actually kind of dig it!"

"She can also be very confrontational, as well," the Luminary smiled sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head. "Just a little warning..."

"Who are you calling confrontational?!" Veronica scolded the Luminary, showing off her argumentative side already. Master Hand was starting to like the mage more!

"Veronica is everything you were supposed to be, and then some," Master hand spoke quietly with Isabelle, while the Luminary found himself arguing with Veronica. "You should aspire to be more like her."

"But I thought you wanted me to be your personal packmule, and not some snarky assistant who gives you back-talk," said Isabelle, as Master Hand reconsidered what he had just said.

"You know what...I like you just the way you are. Never change the person that you are, Isabelle - never sell yourself out for anyone else!"

"Hey, Luminary, you in there?" asked Eight, as he banged his fist on Master Hand's door. The arguing between the Luminary and Veronica came to an end, once the Luminary heard his name called. "You still wanna play table tennis, or not?"

"Table...tennis?" Veronica inquired curiously, as she cocked her head to the side. The Luminary had a lot of things to teach the mage. "The heck is that?"

"How about I show you?" the Luminary responded, as he opened the bedroom door and led Veronica out of Master Hand's room. He saw Eight standing in the hallway, along with fellow heroes Erdrick and Solo.

"Is she your nanny?" Eight asked the Luminary about Veronica; technically, Veronica was the Keeper of the Luminary. Either way, both the mage and the Luminary both felt offended by Eight's question.

"...let's not talk about it," replied the Luminary, as he led his friends and Veronica to the table tennis room.


Fox gathered everyone affiliated with Star Records in the Star Records room, for what was supposed to be an important meeting. The pilot was at the front of the room, pacing back and forth as he pinched the crown of his nose.

"What do you think this meeting is all about?" Falco whispered Itsuki, who didn't even know that there was a meeting today. It was probably the most impromptu meeting Star Records has ever had.

"Twenty bucks it has something to do with the wedding," Itsuki whispered back, wondering when Fox's pacing would come to an end.

Itsuki: Fox and Krystal have been doing great so far in their wedding planning. The guest list has been finalized, the wedding party has been finalized, Lakitu was hired as the wedding photographer, and engagement photos have already been taken! According to Fox, next on the to-do list is finding an officiant. Fingers crossed that it won't be me...

Chrom: You said that Fox and Krystal are looking for an officiant? *chuckles* Good thing I know a lot of candidates worthier than I.

Fox finally stopped pacing back and forth, as he turned to face everyone. From Tsubasa, to Ribbon Girl, to even Doc Louis who was happily eating a chocolate bar, everyone was in attendance...

"...hold up, where's Knuckles?" asked Fox, seeing that the echidna was nowhere to be found. There was a empty chair in the Star Records room that Knuckles was supposed to be sitting in.

"Sonic said that Knuckles apparently got arrested yesterday," replied Little Mac - this was certainly news to Fox. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah, well, it better be nothing...anyways, I want to thank you all for coming out here, to this meeting. Now I know what most of you are thinking right now..."

"Does this meeting have anything to do with your wedding?" asked Rise, as she raised her hand. Fox gritted his teeth angrily, looking away for a brief moment.

"Why you gotta assume things? No, this meeting has nothing - I repeat, NOTHING - to do with the wedding. I can promise you that."

"Is this a meeting about the financial status of Star Records?" asked Yashiro, before gasping in fright when a frightening scenario came to his mind. "Are we operating in the red?!"

"No we're not - thankfully, Star Records is still in good financial standing. Even with Master Hand taking all our money. The point of this meeting is to..."

"Are we gonna have an open discussion about which chocolate is the best?" Doc Louis blurted out for no reason as he stood up, garnering questionable stares from everyone. Doc Louis calmed himself down, solemnly sitting back down in his seat. "Why doesn't anybody wanna have the kind of meetings I want..."

"Don't worry Doc Louis, you'll have your meeting about chocolate one day...maybe in a million years or so." Fox said the latter part of his sentence muttering under his breath, before letting out a slight cough.

"We're still waiting, Fox," said Falco, as the avian pilot was growing nigh impatient. Seemed very much on par for him. "What is this dumb meeting about?"

"This meeting is all about...uh, about materialism! Like, you know...material objects, like gold...and silver...and designer clothes. And new smartphones and iPads and all sorts of..."

"Just get straight to the point already - does this meeting have anything to do with your wedding?" asked Kiria; Fox gave a pained facial expression, having been outed by one of the idol singers.

"Yep, you got me...this is a meeting about my wedding." Just like that, everyone's feelings about the meeting were suddenly confirmed. Except for Doc Louis. "But not the kind of meeting you'd expect."

"What do you mean by that? You were going on a needless spiel about materialism, and all that crap."

"You see, I've really underestimated Krystal. That vixen wants a whole bunch of stuff at our wedding! Don't even get me started on the wedding gifts."

"I mean, that's pretty understandable Fox," said Falco, as he perfectly understood Fox's concerns. Always looking out for his best friend's back. "It's pretty natural for women to crave for a lot of material stuff."

"And what'ts that supposed to mean?" questioned Eleonora, folding her arms as all the ladies in the Star Records room looked at Falco.

"I'm just saying that women love to go all out, when it comes to certain things. As a guy who has shopped with Katt Monroe on numerous occasions, I should know..."

Krystal: Fox was talking this and that about having a quartet singing at our wedding, and holding our wedding at the grandest venue possible...but when I suggest to him about having bridal flowers on the aisle as decor, suddenly he throws a fit. It can be really hard to gauge Fox, especially when you tell him the things that you want...

"This is no laughing matter everyone, I don't want Krystal to spend our wedding budget senselessly," Fox addressed the crowd, expecting full support from his Star Records buddies. "Gotta keep things even keeled."

"I think you're worrying too much," remarked Ashley, able to see the worry and despair that Fox was trying to hide behind his visage.

"You're wrong, I never worry when it comes to Krystal!" Fox was sure acting pretty defensive - and a tad delusional. "Guys, what should I do? Ribbon Girl?"

"You literally had a panic attack many months ago over some fight you had with Krystal," Tsubasa told Fox, downplaying the pilot's remarks about him not worrying about anything Krystal-related.

"I wasn't talking to you..." Fox said sternly to Tsubasa, before reverting his attention back to Ribbon Girl. "Ribbon Girl, tell me, what should I do?"

"Well I can tell you one thing - you're starting to lose your edge," answered Ribbon Girl, as Fox slowly started to cool down a bit. "The Fox McCloud I know would never worry over his fiancee being 'materialistic'."

"Okay, maybe materialistic was the wrong word choice...I meant to say boujee. Krystal is being very boujee. But not in the urban sense."

"Still the same thing as materialistic...I think you just need to sit down, and take a chill pill."

"If you want to, Fox, I could help you regain your edge," Little Mac offered to the pilot, standing up and walking over to Fox. "Some sparring lessons might keep your mind off of things."

"Yeah that's good and all, but will it keep Krystal's mind off of thinking about spending on our wedding budget?"

"We won't know until we try..." Little Mac did his best to entice Fox, smiling at the pilot enough to make him come around.

"You know what, I guess I'll give it a shot. It's just sparring lessons - what can possibly go wrong?"

"Aw yeah, that's the attitude! That's the Fox we know and love! Since those Martial Artists just came in today, we can work with them in the boxing room."

"Martial...Artists? They're professional, right?" Not entirely sure how to answer, Little Mac bit his lip slowly, before nodding his head at Fox.


Ike was hanging out in the foyer, chilling like a villain. Not only that, but Ike also was waiting - waiting for someone to ring the doorbell, and answer the door, and greet the swordsman with open arms. Ike glanced at the clock in the foyer, exuding the kind of patience that Falco should show more often.

"He better not keep me waiting the whole day long," remarked Ike, as he looked away from the clock after checking it for the nth time. Just then, the doorbell rang; Ike stood up from the couch he was sitting on as he clapped his hands excitedly. "That's gotta be him!"

Ike gleefully headed over to the front door, and opened it and saw someone standing on a porch. It was a mage, like Veronica, except this one was a guy. And taller. And had black hair and primarily wore all black. In fact, this mage was actually a wind sage - one that Ike was really good friends with.

"Soren! My main man!" Ike greeted Soren the wind sage as he pulled him inside the mansion. The swordsman held out his hand for some dap, and after he was left hanging he pulled Soren closer to him and embraced him in a bro hug.

"Someone is very touchy today," remarked Soren, before Ike ended the bro hug. Ike then closed the front door, feeling ecstatic to see his buddy again.

"How have you been, Soren? You weren't flirting with my little sister, were you?" Soren could only respond by rolling his eyes. "Look, I know she's cute and all, but I just can't let my best friend steal her heart, you know."

"I wouldn't want to steal it anyways..." Feeling offended, Ike gasped at Soren out of shock - before dispelling his surprise as he smiled and slapped Soren on the back.

"Ha ha, you know I was just messing with you!" Ike slapped Soren on the back so hard, that he caused the wind sage to wince in slight pain.

Ike: I never really told this to anyone, but I've been feeling a bit bored at the mansion. Doing the same things over and over again, while fun, can wear off of you over time. So to combat the issue, I've decided to invite one of my friends over - that one friend being Soren. That way, I could spend less time exploring what to do around the mansion, and more time exploring...myself. Sorry if that last part sounded cheesy...

"Hey Ike, who's that friend of yours?" Pit asked Ike as he, Kirby, and Incineroar walked by. Incineroar was holding a Frisbee in his hand; must be heading outside to play Frisbee with his pals.

"Pit, Kirby, you remember Soren right?" Ike asked the angel and puffball, as he pointed at Soren. "He's my best friend, in the whole wide world!"

"Oh yeah, I remember him! I legit thought that he was a girl, like that Navarre dude. At least Soren wasn't as hostile when I mistook him for being female."

"Soren here really knows how to take it. Him being mistaken for a girl is something we've chatted about, over the past few months or so."

"Ike and I literally haven't spoken to one another ever since Jakob's trial," Soren stated to Pit and company, leading Ike to laugh hysterically and put his hand on Soren's back.

"Oh man, this guy Soren is TOO funny!" Ike was laughing so hard, that tears were starting to run down his cheek. Come on Ike, it wasn't that hilarious. "C'mon Soren, tell us another joke!"

"You are one crazy man..." This caused Ike to laugh harder, rendering the swordsman to the point where he could fall unto the floor laughing uncontrollably.

"Did you HEAR this guy's joke?!" Ike asked Pit and company, wiping away a tear from his eye. Soren looked quite bothered. "He could easily give Lucina, Falco, or even Sazh Katzroy a run for their money."

"He might be even better than Lucina and Sazh combined," remarked Kirby, cringing at the thought of Lucina and Sazh doing stand-up comedy.

"You bet! Dude easily has the potential to be great. Never sleep on greatness!"

"Yeah, yeah...are we doing anything important, Ike?" asked Soren, annoyed by Ike constantly hyping him up."

"Duh! Why else do you think I invited you over to the mansion for? To stare at the walls?"

"It was nice seeing you again, Soren!" Pit waved to Soren, as he and his friends walked down the hallway. Shouldn't they be heading outside? Unless they wanted to play in the mansion's gardens.

"So Ike, what's first on the agenda for today?" Soren cautiously asked the swordsman - cautiously because of Ike's candor so far after seeing his best friend again.

"I was thinking about showing you around the mansion," replied Ike, wrapping his arm around Soren. Soren wasn't liking where this was heading. "What do you say, buddy-ol-pal?"

"It seems that I don't have a choice...wherever you go, I have no choice but to follow."

So Ike and Soren walked away, with Ike taking Soren to places the wind sage had never seen under the mansion roof. The trio of Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta arrived in the foyer just as Ike and Soren were leaving.

"Isn't that guy one of the jurors at Jakob's trial?" Diddy quietly asked Sheik and Bayonetta, as he pointed at Soren. "Soren is his name, right?"

"Yeah, that's him," replied Sheik, as she counted the many needles in her hands. The ninja was going all out in regards to reasoning with Shovel Knight - and it was much deserved. "Surprised to see him back..."

"Him and Ike must be having an afternoon 'boys night out' kind of thing," assumed Bayonetta, who was armed with her guns - Love is Blue, and Scarborough Fair. "We'll just let them have their little fun..."


Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta exited the mansion and were about to head next door to the tower, when three residents standing near the road caught their attention. Those three residents were Sonic, Tails, and Crash, who were all holding picket signs like they were at a protest.

"What on earth is going on over there..." wondered Sheik, as she led her group to the side of the road Sonic and company were at. She looked at the sign that Crash was holding, which read "FREE KNUCKLES".

"Free my homie, free my man Knuckles!" Sonic shouted to nobody in particular, since nobody was really outside. Tails, who just stood there with his picket sign, saw Sheik and company standing by.

"Hopefully you can tell my by energy, or the lack thereof, how much I care," Tails said to Sheik and company, looking bored as heck while Sonic and Crash were giving it their all raising their picket signs.

"What happened, did Knuckles really get arrested?" asked Bayonetta, who had heard murmurings about Knuckles being arrested by the police. "Heard he got in trouble with the law."

"Knuckles did get in trouble - got arrested for stealing ice cream from a grocery store." Ice cream? Of all the things one could steal from a grocery store...and Knuckles wanted to steal ice cream?! Talk about not having standards.

Sonic: Had Knuckles done something truly malicious, like homicide or sexual assault, I could see him getting arrested and doing time in jail. But stealing, from a grocery store?! The dude just wanted himself some ice cream, but probably couldn't afford it! If anything, the store owner deserved to be arrested for having outrageous prices.
Tails: Three dollars and forty eight cents for Ben and Jerry's ice cream doesn't sound that "outrageous" to me...

"Justice for Knuckles the Echidna!" shouted Sonic, as he proudly shook his fist and held it up high. The hedgehog hoped that his protest could reel in the citizens of Seattle, and rally around his cause.

"...anything else Knuckles did to get arrested?" inquired Sheik, while Sonic continued to hold his fist in the air. Crash would do the same, although the bandicoot was sure why he was doing it in the first place.

"He also resisted arrest, tried to flee from the police," stated Tails; running from the police was always no bueno. Unless you were Sonic or Captain Falcon. "Thankfully he avoided getting tasered."

"That's good, I guess." Sheik walked away from Tails, as Diddy and Bayonetta followed after the ninja. "Hopefully Knuckles learns his lesson..and Sonic as well."

"Got my fingers crossed for the latter, rather than the former." Having some small sympathy for Tails, Sheik and company returned to their task at hand - dealing with Shovel Knight - as they headed over to the tower.


For the sake of convenience, Sheik and company had to take care of Shovel Knight in time for Joker's party, to guarantee that the knight wouldn't be seen with Joker's girlfriend Makoto. Speaking of Joker's party, Mario and Peach were busy setting things up down in the bunker, with their friendly neighbors Luigi, Daisy, and Yuffie putting some work in as well.

"You should invite Marth and Caeda over to the party," Yuffie suggested to Mario, blowing into one of the balloons. With her mouth. "They would love being at a party like this."

"Sorry Yuffie, but this-a party has a very...VIP feel to it," stated Mario, as he was shuffling through a box of masks. Masks that would be worn at the party - very fitting for Joker. "Only EVO champs-a are invited! And any friend Joker wishes-a to invite."

"I thought Marth had won an EVO tournament over in Japan," said Daisy, setting up some balloons; it should be noted that Daisy was looking...a little fat and plump. But nothing drastic.

"...we don't speak-a of such tournaments." As Mario placed the box of masks back down on the floor, his twin brother Luigi came over to speak with him.

"Is it just-a me, or does Daisy look fat?" Luigi whispered to Mario, as he pointed at Daisy. Mario looked at Daisy for a couple of seconds, checking out her frame.

"You're her husband, you should-a be asking yourself that question..." Mario whispered back, before walking away. Luigi appeared concerned, as he bit his knuckle and looked at Daisy.

"Aw phooey - Mario, did you pick up that cake?" Peach asked her husband, seeing that something was amiss from the table in the center of the bunker.

"Mama mia, I forgot-a about the cake!" exclaimed Mario, putting his hands on the side of his head. "Some-a one call Master Hand, and see if he could-a ask somebody to pick up the cake-a for us."

"Someone mentioned cake?" Yuffie perked up, looking around as her desire to be at the party increased.


Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta waited outside the tower, standing near the front door. Sheik had already knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but nobody had yet to answer.

"Sure hope everyone isn't dead inside that tower..." mumbled Bayonetta, wondering what the big hold-up was. "...what on earth is taking them so long?!" Soon enough someone finally opened the front door - and it was a blonde woman.

"I'm terribly sorry for the long wait," the young woman apologized kindly to Sheik and company, holding her hands behind her back. "Everyone at the tower is busy today, it seems like."

"Oh snap! I didn't know there was a new assist trophy living here," remarked Diddy, his first time seeing the kind blonde woman at the tower. "Are you new?"

"Yes I am new...but I'm not one of the assist folk. I'm just a mage who's in charge of most of the tower functions. You can call me Serena."

Serena: Master Hand didn't want to leave me behind while Veronica watched over the Luminary at the mansion, so he brought me to the tower so I could watch over...pretty much everyone. I was supposedly fit for the role because I was the "older sibling". If only Master Hand knew the truth...

"Uh huh...and what exactly are your tower functions?" asked Diddy, desiring to know what a mage like Serena did around the tower.

"Oh, a whole lot of things..." Serena replied with a smile, holding her index finger underneath her chin. "...maid work, kitchen duty, hallway patrol, and being Crazy Hand's assistant. I'm essentially a jack-of-all-trades."

"Crazy Hand's assistant...I feel pretty bad for you already," Sheik said to Serena, fearing that Crazy Hand could render Serena into being Isabelle 2.0. "Anyways, do you know if Shovel Knight's around?"

"Yes, he's here - he's up in his room, building a shrine for his 'queen'." Sheik and company couldn't possibly intervene any sooner. "He's very busy at the moment..."

"We'll give him twenty minutes, at the least." Sheik pushed Serena to the side, as she and the others entered the tower. "It's best if you keep out of our way."


Over at the beauty salon, the many ladies of the mansion were doing various things, whether it was brushing their hair or trimming their nails and the like. As the ladies continued their activities, Ike and Soren entered the beauty salon.

"Ike, what are you and your friend doing here?" Rosalina asked the swordsman, after the presence of Ike and Soren quickly caught her attention. The other ladies in the salon stopped what they were doing, and looked at Ike and Soren.

"Ladies, I want you to take a good look at Soren," Ike told the ladies, presenting Soren to them like he was some wild Sasquatch he caught in the wilderness. "Isn't he the coolest?"

"...you want us to give compliments to your friend?" Chie furrowed her brow, unsure of what to think or whether or not she should give an answer. "That sounds...very weird in practice."

"I don't feel like this is necessary, Ike..." Soren muttered to his friend; being looked at by so many women made the wind sage feel very uncomfortable.

"Shut up Soren, I'm just trying to boost your self-confidence!" Ike snapped on the wind sage, before realizing that the ladies were still looking. "Whoops, sorry about that ladies. Sorry about Soren, as well - he can be very self-deprecating."

"Ike, I feel like Soren isn't enjoying what you're doing to him," Coco said to the swordsman, taking a good look at Soren's face. "Can't you see that he's feeling bummed out?"

"That's nothing to worry about, Soren always looks like that. Besides, that face is just a cover for him being a comedian."

"I was never even a comedian to begin with," stated Soren, as Ike laughed hysterically at the wind sage and slapped him in the back. Once more, Soren winced in slight pain.

"See what I mean? He's trying to dispel any notions of his comedic genius, with that frowning face of his. Pretty smart, if you ask me."

"Were we supposed to laugh?" questioned Kamui, wondering what Ike was laughing hysterically at. Ike looked at Kamui before shaking his head, sympathetic that the princess couldn't understand Soren's comedy.

"It's kinda obvious to me that you ladies still have a long way to go before you can truly realize and comprehend Soren's comedic genius unfolding before you. Maybe another time, you'll see how funny Soren can be."

"Can we please go somewhere else?" Soren begged to Ike, feeling uncomfortable just standing in a salon full of women. "These women are staring at me too long..."

"I understand if you're feeling exhausted from the ladies checking you out. I feel the same way sometimes. Let's go hang out the gaming room, shall we?"

"Just promise you won't embarrass me as much there..." Ike and Soren both left the beauty salon, and the ladies returned to their activities shortly thereafter.


The four talking heroes - Luminary, Erdrick, Solo, and Eight - were up in the table tennis room, playing...well, table tennis. The Luminary was playing against Solo, and had just lost after narrowly missing the ball with his paddle.

"...and that's game!" exclaimed Solo, as he pumped his fist in celebration. The Luminary could only grunt in defeat, as Veronica retrieved the tennis ball and handed it back to the Luminary.

"You'll get him next time," Veronica encouraged the Luminary, giving the swordsman a great deal of confidence. The Luminary smiled in response, as he held the tennis ball in his hand.

"Promise I won't let you down," the Luminary said to Veronica, who smiled as she returned to her seat. Veronica was sat in a chair near Erdrick and Eight, who were playing table tennis themselves.

"Hey Luminary, you never really told us anything about the Veronica chick," Eight said to the swordsman, staying focused while playing table tennis against Erdrick. "You sure she isn't your nanny?"

"No, she's not my nanny...she's too young to be one anyways," replied the Luminary, who was ready to start a new game with Solo. "She's just my Keeper."

"So you admit it, she is your nanny!" exclaimed Erdrick, thinking that Keepers and nannies both fell in the same ballpark. "You can't try to hide it!"

"There's a big difference between a nanny and a keeper...a nanny is someone who cares for children. And I'm not a child. A Keeper is someone who, uh...protects me from danger."

"Sounds like a nanny to me," remarked Solo, as he served the tennis ball to the Luminary - who was too ticked off to send the ball back. "Luminary, why are you so mad for?"

"Because you guys aren't understanding...Veronica is not my nanny, nor is she my babysitter! She's like my guardian angel."

"I thought you can't physically see guardian angels," Eight said to Erdrick, who didn't really understand either as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Aw, are you feeling upset Luminary?" Veronica asked the swordsman, who was beginning to feel slightly embarrassed. "Are your friends making fun of you? You need to take some time by yourself, in the hallway?"

"That sounds like something a typical nanny would say..." Erdrick said to Eight, both heroes doing their best to stifle their laughter. The Luminary painfully looked on, unable to take it anymore.

"Forget you guys..." the swordsman mumbled as he angrily stormed out of the table tennis room. Veronica started to feel bad, blaming herself for upsetting the Luminary.

"Wait, Luminary, come back!" the mage shouted out to the swordsman, running out of the room. Erdrick and the others looked on with regret...


Luminary: You guys have no idea how tough I got it, these past few weeks. I've been dealing with so much crap, it's not even funny. People keep telling me how busted I am in Smash, and how my fighting style is "unfair". So many people want to ban me from Smash for good. Some even think I don't deserve to be in Smash, because I'm not "popular" enough. Like that should even be a criteria...and now, thanks to Veronica, my friends apparently think that I have a "nanny". How can you look like a little child, and be considered a nanny...?

The Luminary was sulking by himself in the middle of the hallway, resting his head against the wall. Veronica crept closer to the Luminary, a tad too hesitant to speak with the swordsman.

"Still upset, Luminary?" the mage asked, as she nervously twiddled with her fingers. "I probably should've kept my mouth shut..."

"Don't come any closer," the Luminary advised Veronica, turning his head to the right to face the mage. "Last thing I'd want is for someone else to assume that you're my nanny."

"Oh I'm sure your sword friends were just teasing you, that's all. You'll get over it soon." The Luminary refused to believe Veronica, pulling away from the wall and looking down at the floor.

"I've been going through a lot...first the accusations of me being broken, and then people clamoring for me to be banned from Smash, and now this. Could things possibly get any worse?"

"Not unless you turn that frown of yours upside down." Giving the Luminary words of confidence, Veronica struck a minor chord in the Luminary as she caused the swordsman to look at her once again.

"Eh, you're right - I just need to start thinking more positive. Just need to do something to keep my mind off of things..."

"Ah, Luminary, just the guy I wanted to see!" Master Hand greeted the swordsman, floating his way down the hallway. "Or should I say, Android 17?"

"Told you to stop calling me that, I'm not even a robot. I still don't even know what a robot is, or how it works."

"Alas, you're still an uncultured swine...gonna have to whip you up into shape. Anyways, I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure thing. This favor doesn't involve me humiliating myself, does it?"

"Nope, nothing of the sort. I just need you to pick up a cake, for a party held at Mario's place."

"I'm guessing I'm not even on the party's guest list..."

"Sadly you aren't...or, well, at least not yet. Maybe in a year or two, you'll be invited."

"Can I come along with the Luminary to pick up the cake?" Veronica asked Master Hand; wherever the Luminary went, Veronica had to be.

"Of course, my sweet Veronica! You and the Luminary will be replacing Kirby and Incineroar, in this cake-based objective."

"We're replacing Kirby and Incineroar?" questioned the Luminary, before making a realization he didn't wish to make. "Don't tell me Pit's coming along..."

"Pit is indeed coming along to pick up the cake. I had originally pined for Pit, Kirby, and Incineroar to pick up the cake, but Kirby made it known that he no longer wishes to be see around Pit in public."

"Understandable. So what was Incineroar's reason for not wanting to come?"

"It's way past his nap time, apparently. Cats are always known for having sporadic sleep schedules..."

"So Master Hand, where do you want us to pick up the cake from?" Veronica asked the giant hand; this was a question Master Hand was worried about being asked.

"Mario had ordered the cake from a place called...Anna's Emporium." Master Hand spoke in a low voice, like he was scared or something. "It's somewhere near the food market."

"Near the food market? I'll make sure to remember that," said the Luminary, making a mental note of the location of Anna's Emporium. "Why do you sound like that, Master Hand? Does the place give you bad memories?"

"It's not that, it's just that the person who runs the emporium...well, you'll see for yourself. Just go get that cake for Mario!"


Fox was at the boxing room, standing in the middle of the boxing ring. The pilot had on boxing gloves, and was wearing one of Little Mac's wrestling trunks. Which were a pretty loose fit.

"When you said 'sparring', I legit thought that we were doing sword fights or something," Fox said to Little Mac, who was standing outside the boxing ring. "Boy do I feel stupid..."

"You know I don't do sword fights," stated Little Mac, before lifting up his tank top to reveal several scratch marks. "This should be proof."

"Dang, so those aren't bear scratches? To think, this whole time, I thought you were hard..."

Entering the boxing room were two individuals, a man and a woman. They both looked pretty tough, like they were ready for a fight.

"Who are those guys?" Fox asked Little Mac, as he pointed at the man and woman. The duo appeared to be the quiet type.

"Those are those Martial Artists I told you about," replied Little Mac, as the two Martial Artists grabbed a box and opened it, pulling out some boxing mitts. "They're the new guys around here."

"Huh, don't know why I was expecting Jackie Chain and Jet Li..." Feeling let down, Fox watched as the Martial Artists entered the boxing ring with their boxing mitts. "They're not gonna beat me up, are they?"

"No, of course not! They're here to help you with your sparring lessons. All you have to do is punch into those boxing mitts."

"That's it? That's all I have to do? Easier said then done, I suppose."

So Fox got into a boxing stance, bouncing his feet across the boxing mat. He eyed down the boxing mitts the male Martial Artist was holding, and punched both of them with wicked precision.

"Alright, Little Mac, how did I do?" Fox asked the boxer, after delivering only two punches. Little Mac understandably looked disappointed. "Did I do great, or what?"

"You know, you could've thrown a few more punches..." replied Little Mac. So Fox immediately got back into the groove, and started to throw punches at the boxing mitts the female Martial Artist was holding.

But then, the pilot felt something pop in his right arm, after hurling the third punch. Fox yelped in pain as he collapsed to the boxing mat, holding his right arm.

"Fox, are you okay?" Little Mac asked the pilot, who was being tended to by the Martial Artists. Fox fortunately found enough strength to sit up on the mat, while still holding and caressing his arm.

"Yeah I think I'm fine..." replied Fox, as he slowly got up on one knee. "...I think I might have a case of the yips."

"That's not...that's not exactly how yips work." As a professional boxer, Little Mac should know.

"But I literally felt something pop in my right arm, near my elbow. Clearly that has to mean something."

"That could just mean that you're not as in-shape as you think you are."

"Not as in-shape? I'm probably one of the most fit dudes in the mansion! You can't say that I'm not..."

"When was the last time you actually worked out?" Little Mac's question immediately gave Fox some pause, as the pilot kept his mouth shut.

"...alright, so maybe I haven't ran on a treadmill in a good while. This whole wedding planning is throwing me slightly off-schedule."

"There's more to working out than just running on a treadmill, you know..."

Fox: That stupid Captain Falcon...he told Falco and I that just running on a treadmill was a full workout! Knew better than to ask him for advice. Probably doesn't want to give away his secrets on getting muscles like him. It's just a ploy to keep him from being jealous.

"Yeah, well, either way I still think I have the yips," stated Fox, as the Martial Artists helped him up to his feet. "Who knows if our sparring lesson will continue."

"Fox, you don't have the yips - that's for athletes only," Little Mac told the pilot. "You're not really that much of an athlete, to be honest."

"But I can run pretty fast, which means that I could qualify for being an athlete in a sense. Right?"

"Tell you what - if you keep on sparring, then maybe your 'yips' will go away. And then maybe, just maybe, you'll rediscover your edge. How about it?"

"Right arm still feels kinda sore...but I think I can manage through the pain. No pain, no gain!"


Ever since the Luminary and Veronica left, there was one unoccupied tennis table in the tennis table room. That table would later be occupied by Ike and Soren, after Ike begged Soren to play with him. Erdrick and Solo were playing table tennis with each other right now, while Eight just sat back and watched.

"Hey Soren, did I ever tell you about this woman I have very romantic feelings for?" Ike asked the wind sage, who was surprisingly handling himself well in his table tennis match against Ike. Ike was surprised himself!

"Is it that Mia girl, from the Greil Mercenaries?" inquired Soren, as he served the ball back to Ike. Remember when Ike used to have Puppet Mia around?

"Nah, I've completely gotten over her a long time ago. There's this other chick that I've been meaning to start a relationship with, Elincia."

"I thought you two were just friends." Soren recalled seeing Ike hang out a lot with Elinicia in the past, although nothing romantic came out of their bond.

"We were, but I was a bit too hesitant to take that next step. You know? Which is why I decided to realize the error of my ways, and make Elincia my girlfriend!"

"Better hope that Elincia didn't marry Geoffrey..." The name Geoffrey caused Ike to cringe, as the swordsman served the tennis ball past Soren and won the game.

"Yuck, why would Elincia want to marry that loser for? Geoffrey isn't really boyfriend material. Nothing special about him."

"While that may be true, he and Elincia are childhood friends. Not to mention he's also pretty protective of Elincia."

"Are you implying that Geoffrey would want to marry Elincia, because she's his childhood friend? That's like wanting to marry a close sibling."

"Not exactly the same thing...but nonetheless, Geoffrey has shown to be protective of Elincia. Which could go against you, in your favor."

Ike and Soren would start another game of table tennis, as Eight looked on. The hero had heard most of Ike and Soren's conversation, and the part of the convo about Geoffrey had struck a chord within Eight.

"Guys, I think we should go apologize to the Luminary," Eight said to Erdrick and Solo, right after Solo bested Erdrick in the table tennis game.

"For making fun of him earlier?" asked Erdrick, as Solo picked up the tennis ball and placed it on the tennis table. "I do feel a little bad about it..."

"Me too - I don't think that Veronica is a nanny, or babysitter or anything like that. Maybe she's just a girl destined to protect the Luminary. Like how that Geoffrey guy protects that Elincia chick Ike's friend spoke of."

"What if Veronica isn't a girl, but is just a woman who looks younger than she's supposed to?" theorized Solo - little did he know how right he was.

"That sounds plausible. We should ask the Luminary about that - after we apologize to him first."


Twenty minutes were already up, which meant that it was time for Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta to deal with Shovel Knight. The trio took an elevator to the fourth floor, where Shovel Knight's room was, with Serena following after them.

"I don't think that now would be a good time to bother Shovel Knight!" Serena called out to Sheik and company, doing her best to keep up with the trio. "He could still be very busy!"

"Yeah, busy wasting his time..." murmured Sheik, before she and the others nearly ran into the Black Knight. The Black Knight had his back turned to everyone, simply minding his own business.

"Someone goes there?" the knight inquired as he slowly turned around and saw Sheik and company. "Ah, hello friends! Care to join me for a tea party?"

"No, we're just here to speak with Shovel Knight," replied Bayonetta; the Black Knight was the right person to speak to, since he was Shovel Knight's roommate. "Mind taking us to him?"

"Unfortunately I cannot...the man literally kicked me out of his room, so he could work on his dumb 'shrine' in peace. As a result, I've been left with nothing to do but patrol the hallway until Shovel Knight lets me back in."

"Um, I don't mean to be a bother, but patrolling the hallway is my job," stated Serena, smiling and holding up her finger so the Black Knight could recognize her.

"Excuse me from doing all the boring crap for you, new girl..."

Black Knight: Serena is essentially Crazy Hand's personal assistant and packmule, so it'll be interesting to see how much crap she can endure before she starts losing it. Hopefully she's not TOO complacent. Apparently she's a "jack-of-all-trades"...unless she usurps Chef Kawasaki as the tower chef, I refuse to believe in this jack-of-all-trades drivel.

"You should just break down your bedroom door and storm right in, Black Knight," Diddy suggested to the knight; the spidermonkey couldn't see the Black Knight being kicked out of his own room all willy nilly.

"I could, but sadly I left my sword in the room - and the door's locked," said the Black Knight, as Diddy faceplanted to the floor. How will Sheik and company possibly find entry inside the room?

"Is it too much to call upon Madame Butterfly?" Sheik asked Bayonetta, who cracked a wicked smile. If anyone told Bayonetta to use Madama Butterfly, the Umbra Witch would happily oblige in a heartbeat.

"Nothing is ever too much for Madame Butterfly, sweetheart..." replied Bayonetta, brushing past Sheik and the others as she marched down the hallway.


Meanwhile, at the computer room, Joker had just finished his math homework. The young man had solved the last math equation, and was turning his homework in online. And with only two days to spare!

"Did you check over all your answers?" Morgana asked Joker, resting peacefully on the computer desk. That cat literally did nothing but watch Joker do his homework...how boring.

"I didn't need to - wasn't like I was taking a test," Joker replied rather confidentially, after he submitted his homework. The young man then took out his phone, ready to text his friends and invite them to his party. "I should tell Mario I'm finished."

"Wonder how the others are handling things with Shovel Knight. You think they have him all straightened out now?"


Sheik and company were about ready to straighten out Shovel Knight, as they were ready to storm inside the knight's room. Using the fist of Madame Butterfly, Bayonetta sent a wicked punch through the bedroom door, leaving behind a gaping hole in the wall. Someone was gonna have to patch it up later.

But through that gaping hole, Bayonetta and the others saw Shovel Knight, working tirelessly on his shrine. The shrine, which was dedicated to Makoto, had a portrai of Makoto in the far center of the room, surrounded by candles. Shovel Knight was posting many pictures of Makoto not only on the wall but all over the room, much to the Black Knight's chagrin.

"Queen Makoto will be delighted when she sees the work I've put into this shrine..." remarked Shovel Knight, happily humming as he was about to tape a picture of Makoto on his dresser...before looking over and seeing Sheik and company, standing in the hole Madame Butterfly left behind.

"Alright, Shovel Knight, the gig is up!" Sheik shouted at the knight, pointing at him. Shovel Knight shrieked, as he dropped his materials to the floor. "Stop what you're doing right now!"

"How can I? How else will I make it known to Makoto how much I value her as a queen?"

"Face the facts already, man," Diddy said to Shovel Knight, seeing how hard-headed the knight was. "She. Is. Not. Your. QUEEN!"

"Blasphemy!" Taking what Diddy said as an insult of the highest degree, Shovel Knight pulled out a picture from underneath the Black Knight's mattress, and showed it to the others. "What, then, is the meaning of THIS?!"

"Hey, how long have you held that picture underneath my mattress?!" the Black Knight snapped; he was sure to inspect his mattress later, to be on the safe side.

"That is none of thy concern." The Shovel Knight handed the picture of Makoto to Sheik, so the others could see. It was a picture of Makoto, wearing a crown. "Hopefully that picture serves as more than enough evidence of why Makoto is an actual queen."

"Shovel Knight...this picture of Makoto was taken at the New Year's Eve party," stated Sheik, seeing party decorations in the background. The "2019" balloons near the party hats was the real kicker.

"Ah, I see that the picture I gave thou wasn't convincing enough...but no matter, there's more where that came from!"


Pit traveled with the Luminary and Veronica to the food market, to pick up the cake for Joker's celebratory party down Mario's bunker. The angel was leading the way, no doubt making nobody proud but himself.

"Numbuh 11, Numbuh 69, pick up the pace!" Pit shouted to the Luminary and Veronoica, respectively; the two were only standing about four feet away from Pit. "We'll never reach the food market with your slow selves!"

"Why not just call us Number 11 and Number 69?" Veronica asked the Luminary, wondering what the significance of the numbers were.

"Could be a reference from a television show or something," shrugged the Luminary, seeing the food market in clear sight.

"Oh, okay...wait, what the heck is a television?"

Pit: Numbuh 11 and Numuh 69 were codenames I had planned to give out to Kirby and Incineroar, respectively. For the Luminary, Numbuh 11 fits perfectly for him. As for Veronica's codename, Numbuh 69...as long as she doesn't ask too many questions about her codename, we're good.

Pit and company arrived at the food market, looking for Anna's Emporium. They walked through the food market looking around, before Pit came to an abrupt stop.

"There she is...that's Anna," the angel told the Luminary and Veronica, sounding afraid as he pointed at a red-haired girl sitting by herself at a tent. It was Anna, the famous merchant. "She runs that emporium over there."

"So she's the one who has the cake Mario had ordered," the Luminary assumed, as Pit took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. "Um, Pit, what's the matter? Why are you acting so scared for?"

"I'm not taking any chances..." Pit frantically pushed the buttons on his phone, before holding his phone close to his ear while looking afraid. "...hello?"

"Hello Pit, is that you?" Master Hand spoke from the phone, with Pit keeping a close eye at Anna. "Something the matter? Don't tell me you got lost?"

"No, Master Hand, I'm here at the food market...we're near Anna's Emporium." Suddenly Master Hand gasped, afraid, while the Luminary and Veronica were wondering what was going on. "We're about to pick up Mario's cake."

"Alright, Pit, remember what I told you - stay vigilant." Master Hand sounded as scared as Pit was, which the Luminary and Veronica found quite strange. "Just keep your cool, and everything will..."

"Crap she's looking at me right now!" Pit stepped away out of panic, as he saw Anna looking at him. Anna looked at Pit with her trademark look - a sly smile with her index finger resting on her face.

"She's looking at you? What is she doing?! Tell me, tell me everything!"

"She's just staring at me...menacingly! And she's doing that index finger on her face thing..."

"That's her way of intimidating you...I think you all are gonna need to hold hands on this one. No man can do it alone!"

"Pit, why are you acting so afraid for?" the Luminary asked the angel, who quickly grabbed the swordsman and Veronica and pushed them forward.

"No...you guys go pick up the cake! Just...just do it." Left with no other choice, the Luminary and Veronica went over to Anna's Emporium.

"This Anna girl honestly can't be that bad," Veronica said to the Luminary, before they approached Anna's tent. Anna looked delighted to see some customers.

"Welcome to my shop!" the perky merchant greeted the Luminary and Veronica, as Pit cautiously looked on. "You both look like you're in a spending mood."

"Actually, we came here to pick up a cake," the Luminary stated, before turning around at Pit; the angel gave a thumbs up. "We're just picking one up for our good friend, Mario."

"You mean the famous plumber guy?" Anna looked even more delighted, smiling as she clapped her hands together. "Oh yeah, he placed in an order for a strawberry cake a few days ago. Should be ready now!"

"Why couldn't Mario just go to an actual bakery for a cake?" Veronica whispered to the Luminary, unaware of how lousy of a decision-maker Mario occasionally was, as Anna went to the back of her tent.

"He was probably too cheap," presumed the Luminary, as Anna came out from the back of her tent. She was holding a large box that had the strawberry cake in it.

"Here you go, one strawberry cake!" Anna handed the cake to the Luminary, making sure that the swordsman got a good grip on it. "Sure you don't wanna buy anything? All my prices are marked down..."

"No thanks, we're good," replied Veronica, as Anna's smile softened a little bit. "We have to get this cake to a party ASAP." And just like that, Anna perked up.

"Ooh, did you say a party? I have enough goodies in my tent to spruce this party up a bit. I'll be right back!"

So Anna ran back inside her tent, as the Luminary and Veronica quickly returned to Pit. Best to leave right away, before Anna started tagging along and Pit gets all intimidated for no reason.

"You both are very brave, courageous souls," Pit had this to say to the Luminary and Veronica, feeling slightly envious of the two. "I have no clue how you were able to put up with that chick."

"I mean, she's like any other merchant I deal with from my homeland," stated the Luminary, looking back to see if Anna was coming. "Just that she was too happy."

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get back home and get this cake to Mario..." Pit led the Luminary and Veronica away from the food market, feeling relieved. Shortly after Pit and company had left, Anna had just exited from her tent carrying a large box, and saw Pit and the others leaving.

"Hey guys, wait for me!" the merchant called out, as she ran after Pit and company. That large box she was holding was dragging her down.


In a perfect sense, the food market would've been a great place for Sonic, Tails, and Crash to make their protest known - their protest designed to release Knuckles out of jail for shoplifting. But apparently, the three friends remained at the mansion near the side of the road, raising their picket signs.

"Justice for Knuckles the Echidna! Free the man!" shouted Sonic, as he and Crash bravely raised her picket signs. Tails, on the other hand, just stood there.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to do our 'protest' in a more concentrated area, Sonic?" Tails asked the hedgehog; Seattle's downtown would be an excellent spot.

"No Tails, that would be too easy. When you're protesting, you gotta do it in locations like these and reel people in, to see how much they care about your cause."

"I dunno, that sounds very counter-intuitive on paper..."

Sonic: *snorts* Tails is out here claiming that $3.48 for Ben and Jerry's ice cream is a "reasonable" price for ice cream...dude is easily the most high-class person I know. I should ask the Ice Climbers what they think, see if that have more common sense than Tails does.

Ryuji went outside to the front yard of the mansion, to soak in some sunlight and get some fresh air. The delinquent saw Sonic and company hanging out near the side of the road, with their picket signs, and came over to see what was up.

"Sup guys, what's with the picket signs?" Ryuji asked Sonic and company, who stopped their protest as they turned their attention to the delinquent.

"We're demanding justice for Knuckles," explained Sonic, as he showed off his picket sign to Ryuji. It had Knuckles' head on it, with the words "Free Knuckles" underneath in red text. "After he was wrongfully arrested for shoplifting from a grocery store."

"And resisting arrest," added Tails, knowing full and well that Ryuji wouldn't even bother listening to him.

"Yeah, I heard about Knuckles being arrested! Really hate to hear that. Do you know what he was trying to shoplift?"

"Some Ben and Jerry's ice cream that was worth $3.48," replied Sonic; Ryuji acted like it was the most outrageous thing he had ever heard.

"For real?! Knuckles got in trouble for stealing ice cream? Pfft, that's nothing. And that ice cream was $3.48? Man, ice cream shouldn't be that expensive! Knuckles didn't deserve what he got!"

"That's what I'm saying!" Unable to take it anymore, Tails looked away and facepalmed. "We gotta do something to get Knuckles out of jail."

"Well you guys should consider yourselves welcome...because I happen to know a person that can get Knuckles out of his pickle."

"You do?!" asked Sonic, as he was getting super excited.

"...you do?" asked Tails, who felt like walking away and giving up in life.

"That's right!" grinned Ryuji, as he pulled out his phone. He showed to Sonic and company a profile pic of a silver-haired woman.

"Who's that woman?" inquired Sonic, as Crash was lowkey checking the silver-haired woman out. "She looks very professional."

"That's Makoto's older sister, Sae. She works as a prosecutor in Tokyo. We can call her and see if she could convince the police department here in Seattle to release Knuckles for good."

"Whatever happened to learning the errors of your actions?" asked Tails - literally the only person who believed that Knuckles deserved to be behind bars. "Also, what if Sae turns us down?"

"Quit being such a party pooper, Tails," Sonic scolded his best friend, wagging his finger at him. "Don't you want to see your best friend Knuckles a free man?"

"I do, but only after he learns his lesson. That sounds pretty fair, right?" Sonic, Crash, and Ryuji didn't seem to agree, as they looked at Tails like he was crazy.

"...lemme see if Nae will respond," Ryuji said to Sonic and company, as he dialed Nae's phone number.


Fox was still sparring with the Martial Artists in the boxing room, with Little Mac and now Doc Louis looking on from ringside. Fox was punching away at the boxing mitts the Martial Artists were holding, punching with all his might.

"Here comes the final blow..." said Fox, before delivering a wicked right hook into one of the boxing mitts. It was strong enough to send the boxing mitt flying out of the male Martial Artist's left hand.

"Woo hoo, that's what I'm talkin' about!" cheered Doc Louis, as Fox stood in the middle of the boxing ring with his hands held up high. Feeling like Apollo Creed.

"Aw yeah, I did it! I freaking did it! I'm so awesome! I finally got my edge back!"

"Great effort, Fox," Little Mac applauded the pilot, nodding his head. "You never backed down."

"Like I would back down from anything...all that sparring I did definitely cured my yips."

"You never even had the yips to begin with, but sure let's roll with it..."

Fox: My sparring went so well, I literally forgot what I was so worried about in the first place. Couldn't have been anything Krystal-related, was it?

"You know, I should off my sparring moves to Krystal," said Fox, as he threw a few punches in the air. "Gotta let her know that I still got it!"

"I don't think that would be necessary," stated Little Mac, as Fox rolled out of the boxing ring. "This whole sparring thing was meant to be therapeutic."

"For my case of the yips, perhaps. Why shouldn't I show my sparring skills to Krystal? She would be easily impressed."

"I bet you all my chocolate that you could blow Krystal away," Doc Louis grinned at Fox, before taking a bite out of his chocolate bar.

"Please don't encourage him..." Little Mac said to Doc Louis as he looked up at the boxing trainer, before looking back at Fox...who had just left the room.


Final preparations were now being made for Joker's party. Already at the Mario household, Joker was instructed to hang out in Mario and Peach's master bedroom, while Mario and the others were still tidying things up down in the bunker. Only thing missing was the cake.

"Hi there, Daisy..." Luigi nervously approached his wife, who was adjusting multiple trays of appetizers on a table.

"Hey sweetie," Daisy would greet her husband, once she was finished with her task. "What's up?"

"You're not...gonna eat that much-a cake in the near future, are you?" Daisy looked offended, almost out of disbelief.

"Why are you so concerned for?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just...just-a wondering."

"Wondering about what?"

"About, um...because you know...cake has, uh, a lot of sugar and..."

"It's not like I'm gonna get diabetes from eating just one slice of cake."

"I know, but since-a you're putting on a lot of weight recently..."

"You're not insisting that I'm fat, are you?" Daisy felt hurt; Luigi had to backpedal quickly.

"It's not so much-a that you're fat, you just look...bigger than usual."

"Did I miss-a anything?" Mario asked Luigi and Daisy, showing up with a bag of popcorn. The plumber was liking where the tense conversation was going.

"It's none of your concern..." Daisy said to Mario, as she walked away. As Luigi looked upset, the doorbell rang.

"Ooh, that must-a be the cake!" Mario gleamed, dropping his bag of popcorn on the floor as he ran upstairs. Yuffie came over to clean up Mario's mess.

Daisy: Rotom was the first to start asking me if I've been putting on any weight. Thought that Rotom was the only one...and now Luigi is on the bandwagon, too! And they say that men rarely pay attention to women's bodies...


When Mario showed up at the front door, which was opened by Hunter, he did not see Pit, Veronica, and the Luminary standing by with the cake. Rather, the plumber saw Ike and Soren, standing on his doorstep.

"Sup fellas!" Ike greeted Mario and Hunter, and also Spyro who was standing by. "My friend Soren and I just wanted to stop by."

"Soren, from Jakob's trial?" asked Mario, taking the time to recognize Soren's face. "Yeah, I remember him!"

"Any reason why your friend looks like that?" Spyro asked Ike, inspecting the cold visage on Soren's face.

"He's just tired - tired from wooing all the ladies at the mansion," replied Ike, as he rubbed Soren's shoulder. "Pretty exhausting, I'll say."

"I thought my face was just a 'cover' for my 'comedic genius'..." said Soren, wishing he could turn back.

"Uh, yeah that too. Did you know that Soren is secretly a comedian? C'mon Soren, tell Mario one of your famous jokes!"

"I'm almost done with life right now..." At that instant, Ike laughed at Soren, along with Mario and Hunter. The only person that was giving pause was Spyro.

"HE SAID THAT HE WAS DONE WITH LIFE!" wheezed Hunter, as he fell to the floor laughing. Spyro remained tight-lipped.

"Could someone please explain the joke?" asked Spyro, while everyone except for him and Soren was laughing away. "Was there even a joke to begin with...?"


Tails remained at the side of the road, watching Ike, Mario, and Hunter laugh at Mario's front door. The yellow fox wanted to know what they were laughing at, yet at the same time wished to reserve his judgement.

"Feel like I'm surrounded by idiots," mumbled Tails, as he looked back at Sonic, Crash, and Ryuji. Sonic and Crash were gathered around Ryuji, who was trying to call Sae but was only met with multiple failed attempts.

"Why won't she answer my dang calls?!" frowned Ryuji, angry enough to throw his phone on the ground. "Urgh! I know she's not doing this on purpose!"

"Why don't you FaceTime her?" Sonic suggested to Ryuji, who stroked his chin in thought. "Works all the time with Amy - I call her and she doesn't return my returns, so what do I do? BOOM, FaceTime! Leave her with no choice but to respond."

"Yeah, that's a good idea! Sae would have no choice but to answer then."

So Ryuji called Sae once more, but this time using the FaceTime application. After the phone rang for a few seconds, Sae finally answered the call. The silver-haired sister of Makoto showed up on Ryuji's screen, looking annoyed.

"Oh dear..." groaned Sae when she saw Ryuji in full view. "Of all the people that could be calling me..."

"Sup Sae!" Ryuji greeted the prosecutor, with him, Sonic, and Crash in the frame. Tails did his best to keep away.

"Were you the one that's been trying to call me, Ryuji?"

"Yep, that was me! Sure know how to leave a man hanging!"

"Sorry, I was just very busy as of late...I have to get back to work soon, so..."

"No wait, don't hang up just yet! We need you to do us a huge favor."

"What kind of favor?" Worried, Sae watched as Ryuji handed the phone to Sonic.

"Hey, Makoto's sister, I'm Sonic - Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic introduced himself to Sae, pointing his thumb at his chest.

"Makoto was right...there are talking animals at the mansion..." grumbled Sae, wondering what Sonic could possibly want to say to her.

"I'm not sure if you know about this, but my good friend Knuckles apparently got arrested yesterday. For stealing ice cream from a grocery store."

"And for resisting arrest," added Tails, although he was too far away for Sae to hear him.

"Since you're a prosecutor and all, I was thinking that maybe you could convince the police officers or someone to release Knuckles from jail."

"Uh huh...and where is the jail that your friend is imprisoned at?" asked Sae, not even trying to sound remotely interested.

"Here in Seattle, forgot which one though. But you'll do enough to warrant his release, right?"

"And I should do it because Knuckles is your friend, and nothing else?"

"That's right! No way I'm just gonna sit around and let a friend of mine sit behind bars."

"Okay then, Sonic the Hedgehog, ask yourself this...would you have the same passion and energy for breaking someone convinced of theft out of jail, if that someone WASN'T your friend?"

Sae's question immediately gave Sonic some pause, as the hedgehog appeared silent. Silence would remain outside, with Sonic unsure of how to answer Sae's question, only for said silence to be broken by a certain angel.

"Hurry you guys, she's gaining on us!" Pit, now holding the cake for the party, shouted to the Luminary and Veronica who were walking at a fast but steady pace. Pit was strangely running for his life, as he ran to Mario's house...


...and ran through the front door, the angel knocking Mario, Hunter, Ike, and Soren down to the floor as he ended up in the living room. Despite the tumble, the cake was still in one peace, as the box encasing it landed safely on the floor.

"Hey, is that the cake for the party?" inquired Spyro, who had moved out of harm's way when Pit ran inside the house. The dragon inspected the box that had the cake, only for Mario to swipe it up quickly.

"Only those-a invited to the party are allowed-a to see the cake," Mario said to Spyro, standing back up on his feet. "Unless you're a friend-a of Joker's, or a former EVO champion..."

"Daisy isn't a friend of Joker, and you never said that she was ever EVO champ...and yet you still invited her to the party." Mario felt the pressure on his shoulders, as he bit his bottom lip.

"...she's an Echo of Peach, who won-a EVO before, so that's-a why she got an invite. Mere association."

Luigi: *glances at the guest list for Joker's party* ...how come Daisy's name-a is on the list but not mine?

"Mario, did you get the cake?" the Luminary asked the plumber, as he and Veronica entered the house. Ike and Soren both moved out of their way. "It's the one you ordered, right?"

"It's definitely the strawberry cake I asked-a for," replied Mario, who was looking inside the box right now and examining his strawberry cake. "That Anna sure-a knows how to bake a good cake!"

"Someone called my name?" asked a certain merchant, as Anna poked her head through Mario's doorway. Anna had caught up with Pit and the others, as Pit saw the merchant and screamed out of fear.

"It's her, it's that evil capitalist!" Pit pointed at Anna, before hiding behind Mario's sofa for safety. Anna just looked amused, as she stepped inside Mario's house holding her large box.

"I've been told that there was a party," Anna said to Mario, who was done inspecting the strawberry cake. "Mind if I spruce it up with some decorations?"

"We were just about to start-a the party, so...eh, why not," replied Mario, with a shrug. Anna already baked a cake for Mario; making Joker's party even more lively would be a cherry on top.

"You're letting that capitalist girl inside your bunker?" Pit whispered to Mario, who ignored the angel as he led Anna down to his bunker. "For shame, Mario..."


"...well, Sonic, are you gonna answer her question or not?" Tails asked Sonic, who was very quiet after hearing Sae's question. Sae had yet to hang up the call, as she was interested in hearing Sonic's response.

"Uh, I really haven't had the time to think about it," replied Sonic, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"It's literally been over a minute now," stated Ryuji, as he glanced at his watch. "Almost two minutes!"

"Answer my question, Sonic - would you want to demand for the release of someone that wasn't your friend out of jail?" Sae repeated her question to the hedgehog, but in a more simplified way.

"No, because uh, I don't personally know them well..." replied Sonic, unsure of where his sentence was going. "...and that's why...why I should...or we should, rather..."

"Just spit it out already, Sonic," Tails stressed to his best friend, who couldn't bear to hold it in anymore.

"...fine, I admit it. No, I wouldn't want to demand someone that wasn't my friend to be out of jail."

"Exactly," smiled Sae, as she nodded her head, glad that she could get through to Sonic.

"I was just looking out for my friend, that's all. No biggie. Don't want Knuckles to face any trouble."

"Since you finally came around, can we please recycle these picket signs?" Tails asked Sonic, desiring to head back inside.

"Eh, I guess..." So Sonic, Tails, and Crash gathered their picket signs, and walked away from the side of the road so they could throw the signs away.

"And that takes care of that," remarked Sae, needing to return to her work right away. "Now if you excuse me, Ryuji, I have some work to finish up on..."

"Oh snap, I got a text from Joker!" exclaimed Ryuji, receiving a text notification on his phone. The delinquent checked out the text, to see what Joker had to say:

Hey Ryuji. The party down at Mario's bunker is about to start soon. Make sure the others are aware. And check to see if Sheik and the others managed to pry Shovel Knight away from Makoto. Don't want Shovel Knight at the party...

"It was nice speaking with you, Ryuji," Sae said to the delinquent, who wasn't responding as he was looking at the Assist Tower. "Ryuji?"

"Don't end the call just yet, Sae..." Ryuji told the prosecutor, as he ran towards the tower.


Ryuji entered the tower, and saw Fox showing off his sparring moves to Krystal in the lobby area. Thinking he was the top prized fighter in the whole world.

"You shoulda seen me out there, I was on FIRE!" Fox said to Krystal, who was standing against the wall smirking with her arms folded. "En fuego!"

"I bet you were," remarked Krystal, while Fox continue to throw punches left and right.

Krystal: Fox seems to have cooled off ever since I suggested to him that we decorate the wedding aisle with bridal flowers. Still going through with my idea, regardless of what Fox says. *smiles*

"Hey guys, where is Shovel Knight's room?" Ryuji asked Fox and Krystal, as the former stopped his sparring.

"He's on the fourth floor," replied Krystal, as Ryuji ran to the nearest elevator and immediately pressed the up button.

"Ryuji, what's going on?!" questioned Sae, the phone call still going on as the elevator door opened.


Arriving on the fourth floor, Ryuji ran down the hallway and reached Shovel Knight's room. He saw Shovel Knight, showing pictures of Makoto he had collected to Sheik, Diddy, Bayonetta, the Black Knight, and Serena...who was fast asleep. The other individuals looked bored.

"Here is a picture of my queen, Makoto, wearing jewelry," Shovel Knight showed off a picture of Makoto wearing a simple diamond ring to Sheik and company, as Ryuji stepped inside the bedroom. "Truly jewelry befitting for royalty!"

"Can't you like, punish this man with Madame Butterfly's fists?" Sheik asked Bayonetta, who let out a giant yawn.

"I would, but I'm too tired to do it," replied Bayonetta, as her eyes were almost drifting asleep. "It would also be a huge waste."

"How does Shovel Knight have so many pictures of Makoto..." wondered Diddy, as the Black Knight was suddenly heard snoring.

"My goodness, hast thou fallen asleep?" asked an angry Shovel Knight, the moment he heard the Black Knight snoring. "I'm merely showing thou proof of my queen's royalty...show some respect!"

"Yo, Shovel Knight!" Ryuji called out to the knight, his voice loud enough to wake up the Black Knight and Serena. "I need to have a little word with ya!"

"So glad thou could make it, Ryuji my boy! Ah, and it seems you've brought a cellular device; I could use it to show my queen's royalty on her 'social media', as they call it."

"I don't think so!" Ryuji made his way over to Shovel Knight, before showing him his phone screen. "Get a load of THIS!"

Shovel Knight looked at Ryuji's phone, and saw Sae in all her beauty. Sae, who regretted not ending the call sooner, looked at Shovel Knight curiously.

"Um, Ryuji, who is this armored knight?" Sae asked the delinquent, as Shovel Knight poked at Ryuji's phone screen with his finger.

"That creep is Shovel Knight - he's been perving all over Makoto for months now," explained Ryuji, as Sae's eyes went wide. "Shovel Knight, that is Makoto's older sister, Sae."

"The older sister of my queen?" marveled Shovel Knight, as Sae looked at the knight with a now disgusted look. "How swell!"

"So you're that lousy knight that's been following my sister around..." Sae said to Shovel Knight, who was quite charmed. "...Makoto's been telling me all sorts of stories about you."

"I take it that they were all great stories, no?" Don't set yourself up for disappointment like that, Shovel Knight.

"No, they're all the exact opposite! Makoto's been telling me things about you...how you follow her around, touching her without her consent, kissing her hand, constantly calling her queen...she's had enough of it!"

"Who art thou trying to kid, those are great things! Also, Makoto's never complained about my behavior."

"That's because she's been trying to keep her emotions in, and never told anyone about your mannerisms but me. She's sick and tired of it..."

"You don't know anything...Makoto must be bluffing, I'm sure. You can't possibly stop me!"

"Oh but I can...for you see, I just so happen to be a prosecutor."

Shovel Knight gulped out of fear, for he knew that being a prosecutor meant that you were part of the law. Messing with someone who was part of the law could always mean big trouble.

"And because I am a prosecutor, I could make your life a living nightmare," continued Sae, as Shovel Knight started to sweat through his armor. "That being said..."

"No, please, please don't lock me up behind bars!" pleaded Shovel Knight, as he fell to his knees with hands clasped together. "I will do anything! Anything!"

"Anything? In that case, you just have to make a promise...promise me you won't do any of things you did to Makoto before. The stalking, the touching, the kissing..."

"Yes, yes, I'll end it all at once! Starting today! No more!"

"You must also promise me to stop referring to my sister as your 'queen'. Makoto is NOT a queen. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, clear as day, yes! Makoto is not a queen!"

"Good. Now if you break your promise, some very bad things will come your way. Don't risk it..."

"I understand fully!" Shovel Knight lowered his head to the floor, on the verge of tears. "No more!"

"Thanks for everything, Sae," Ryuji thanked the prosecutor, as he turned his phone screen to face him. "You're the best!"

"Don't mention it..." responded Sae, before Ryuji nonchalantly kissed Sae through the phone before finally ending the phone call.

"Woah, is this some kind of shrine for Makoto?" Ryuji looked around at the shrine Shovel Knight had built. "Talk about obsessed."

"We should take down the shrine, now that Shovel Knight's infatuation is over with," stated Sheik, while Shovel Knight whimpered and lied in a fetal position.

"You can go on ahead - I'll take down the shrine myself," Serena said to Sheik, allowing the ninja and her pals to leave. Just in time for the party.


Because they weren't invited to Joker's celebratory party, the threesome of Anna, the Luminary, and Veronica hanged out outside, sitting at a picnic bench. Pit returned to the mansion, refusing to be anywhere near Anna.

"Ah, so there's my sign..." remarked Anna after she dug into her pocket, and pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper that read "BACK IN 5 MINUTES". ...forgot to put it on my tent. Oh well!"

"Hey!" Erdrick shouted out as he, Solo, and Eight exited the mansion and approached the picnic table the Luminary and others were sitting at. "How's it going, everyone?"

"Just hanging in there..." replied the Luminary, as Anna smiled and waved at the three heroes standing before her. "...came to pick on me some more, for having a nanny?"

"Actually, we came here to apologize." The Luminary looked fairly surprised. "We're sorry for teasing you about Veronica earlier. We just didn't know."

"We understand that Veronica's just there to protect you from stuff," added Eight, letting the Luminary know how frank he was. "Since she's a Keeper and all."

"Thank you guys, for finally understanding," the Luminary thanked his fellow heroes, with a smile. "I know that the Keeper title might sound confusing to some..."

"Veronica!" shouted Serena, as she ran from the tower to the picnic table to greet her sister. "Oh, Veronica! How's my twin sister doing?"

"I've been doing great," replied Veronica, embraced in a hug by Serena. Erdrick, Solo, and Eight all looked confused. "Had quite an eventful day."

Eight: I'm sorry, did that tall blonde woman call Veronica her twin sister?
Solo: So Veronica is a woman who looks like a child...it all makes sense now.

"I bet you had plenty of fun regardless," smiled Serena, before she looked at the Luminary. "You mind if I take Veronica with me to the tower?" Serena asked.

"Go ahead, be my guest," the Luminary replied, as the two sisters Serena and Veronica walked together to the tower. Erdrick, Solo, and Eight were still shook.

"I have so many questions right now..." remarked Erdrick; whatever questions the hero had, the Luminary would be happy to answer.

"Yo, Luminary!" shouted Master Hand, magically appearing near the picnic table. "How did getting the cake go? Tried asking Pit, but he was too busy hiding underneath Snake's cardboard box to answer."

"It went better than I anticipated," replied the Luminary, glad that he could get the job done. "Even got some party decorations from Anna over here?"

"Who?" Master Hand curiously looked to his left, and shrieked out of fright when he saw Anna waving at him. "AAAAAAAH IT'S THAT CAPITALIST FREAK!"

"Hi Master Hand!" Anna greeted the giant hand, who fainted as he fell to the ground, with the palm of his hand exposed and his fingers outstretched. "Master Hand, are you okay...?"

Master Hand: Why, why did the Luminary have to bring that capitalist fink rat Anna with him? I can't stand that girl!
Isabelle: Wow Master Hand, I never knew that you hated Anna that much.
Master Hand: Of course I hate Anna, you stupid dog! That evil girl is always trying to steal my money!
Isabelle: Um, doesn't she want you to SPEND your money?
Master Hand: Oh yeah, and she also wants me to spend my hard-earned money as well! We should throw her in jail, in the same cell as Knuckles.
Isabelle
: I think you're overreacting just a little, Master Hand...


Ike and Soren hanged out with Spyro, Hunter, and Luigi in Mario's living room, while the party took place down in the bunker. Soon enough, it was time for Soren to go, as the wind sage had some business to take care of back home.

"It was nice getting to hang out with you, my man," Ike said to Soren, giving the wind sage a bro hug. "Same thing next week, right?"

"Provided that I'm available next week, then yes," nodded Soren, standing on Mario's doorstep as he was ready to leave.

"Awesome! Maybe you could bring Elincia with you, and then it could be the three of us hanging out together!"

"I could convince Elincia to come with me to the mansion...unless she's off doing romantic things with Geoffrey."

"Ha ha, always knew you were a comedian!" Ike laughed at Soren, who was nearlyclose to actually smirking. "Well, see you next week."

"Yeah, see ya." And with that, Ike closed the door, looking forward to spend time with Soren another day.


The party down in Mario's bunker was a success, as everyone was having a fun time - from the past EVO champs, to Joker and his many friends...and Daisy. Luigi watched Daisy through the entrance of the bunker, to monitor how much Daisy was eating.

"I actually feel pretty refreshed, for once," Makoto said to Joker, as the two lovebirds were hanging out near a wall. "Shovel Knight hasn't bothered me all day!"

"I think I might know who was responsible for that..." remarked Joker, as he looked at Sheik, Diddy, and Bayonetta. Ryuji would suddenly obstruct Joker's view, appearing in front of the young man.

"Guys, you missed it, Shovel Knight got owned!" Ryuji said to Joker and Makoto, unable to contain his excitement. "You shoulda seen it for yourselves!"

"Whatever happened to Shovel Knight, I'm sure that he learned his lesson in full." Little did Joker know that Ryuji had more to do with turning Shovel Knight from his ways, rather than Sheik and company.

"You can bet your socks he did..." Ryuji looked over, and saw Falco drinking straight out of the punch. "Hey, that punch bowl is mine!"

"I feel like Shovel Knight won't be bothering me again for a while," Makoto said to Joker, watching as Ryuji angrily ran over to confront Falco.

"Could be forever," shrugged Joker, with a slight sly smirk on his face. Makoto would kiss Joker on the cheek, causing him to blush. Morgana saw the kiss go down from the bunker entrance, lying on the floor near Luigi.

"Mission complete..." the cat remarked, a hundred percent certain that Shovel Knight had finally been taken care of.

A long time coming.