Author's Note:

This chapter marks the beginning of a new story arc in Smash Life. This chapter is kinda more or less focused on planting the seeds for the next arc. Finding the time to write this chapter was hard to come by, since my family adopted a pet dog earlier this week, and training him has consumed most of my time. I was only able to write this chapter when the dog was sleeping, or taking a walk outside...but enough about my new pet dog. Let's get to the guest reviews:

"If other Tekken characters show up will Link or Young Link mistake Yoshimitsu for his ancestor with the same name from the Soul Calibur games? A scene of Mae, Caeda, and Makoto Niijima interacting with Rhea? (Cherami Leigh voices them) will a Trials of Mana or Square Enix themed chapter happen when the game comes out on April 24? Will we see Mythra again in later chapters? And finally, will Shulk have a change in attire when the Xenoblade Definitive Edition chapter happens?"

Knowing them, they probably would. I might do that scene. There will be a Trials of Mana chapter next week. Mythra may show up, in some of the later chapters. And Shulk's attire will pretty much remain the same. Next is Derick Lindsey:

"Poor Waluigi has to stay in prison for another week due to time constraints but other then King and Wario probably no one really misses him that much if at all right?"

Ain't that the truth. Also, Waluigi won't be in this chapter due to, you guessed it, time constraints. Last is pspires03, whose review I must answer here:

"could you have sonic get teleported into the film frozen 2 as punishment for telling Reno and rude about who was building the time machine. it'll show sonic how to care for someone I'll tell you that."

I couldn't do that in this chapter, but I may do it in the future, with him facing punishment for a different circumstance. Frozen 2 may not have been as good as the prequel, but I'd love to leave a character stuck inside a movie. Like I did with Corrin back in chapter 6. Been meaning to do that, for a while now.


Episode 226: Departure

It only took them a week, but Mutoh and the Carpenters (but mostly the Carpenters, since Mutoh scarcely did any kind of work) were finished with Fox and Krystal's...or at least the ifrst part of it. With the foundation established, the Happy Home Designers came in and built Phase Two of the house.

As Mutoh explained in the previous episode, the Happy Home Designers were responsible for making the house very futuristic - a kind of house that you would see on a stroll around Corneria. While Fox was forbidden by the Carpenters to see the progress on his house, the Happy Home designers were completely open to letting the pilot see how his house looked. Even took a few of Fox's suggestions, although some of them were so inane that Krystal had to shoot them down.

The Happy Home Designers - Lyle, Digby, and Lottie - were finished with the second phase of Fox and Krystal's house, and were now ready to show off their house to the recently married couple. Fox and Krystal stood outside the house, wearing blindfolds.

"House is now done. Took lots of work," stated Lyle, standing with Lottie and Digby in front of the new house. "Fox. Krystal. Are you two ready?"

"Yeah, whatever man, just tell us to take our blindfolds off..." replied Fox, who was starting to get more impatient than Falco. "...this blindfold is somehow cutting through my eyelids."

"Alright then. On the count of three..." Before Lyle cold even start the countdown, Lottie leaned in close to Lyle, whispering something into his ear. "...oh, no countdown. Very well then. Fox, Krystal...take off your blindfolds!"

So Fox and Krystal took off their blindfolds, at the same time, and they both marveled at their new house. It was futuristic, just as Fox had been told, and it made all the other houses look extraordinarily lame in comparison. Fox and Krystal couldn't be any more happier.

"I must say, you three did a bang-up job with this house," smiled Krystal, with her and Fox just dying to see how the house looked on the inside. "Hopefully you didn't kowtow to Fox and use ALL of his strange ideas..."

"C'mon babe, what's not to like about a hovering stove?" Fox asked Krystal, who rolled her eyes at the terribly stupid idea. "You can take it with you! Take it to your room, to the laundry area, to the bathroom...heck, you can even take it out of the house!"

"And it would pose as a fire hazard everywhere you go. Lyle, please tell me the house doesn't have a...hovering stove."

"No hovering stove. Stove is high-tech, but not hovering," responded Lyle, as Fox frowned and snapped his fingers in disgust. "All kitchen appliances are next-gen."

"How about we head inside, and see what we got?" said Fox, taking Krystal's hand as he and his wife walked to the front door of the house, with Digby handing Fox the house key. Even the key was all futuristic.

Falco: As expected, Fox moving out of the mansion means that I won't have a roommate for the time being. Master Hand told me that I won't have a roommate until June, when that ARMS fighter shows up. Which means...that I have the room all for myself! At long last, I'm living large!

Phosphora: Krystal's gone...the best and only roommate I ever had...is gone... *cries into her hands* ...how is it even possible for any living creature to be so lonely?
Shadow: *walks by, shaking his head* What a drama queen...


Fox and Krystal entered their house, with the Happy Home Designers following them inside, and the married couple found themselves amazed at how high-tech their house looked. Almost everything was white, from the furniture to the walls, with some items in black or gray to balance things out. Fox marveled, as he and Krystal walked through their living room.

"This looks so lovely..." said Krystal as she and Fox checked out everything in the living room, dining room, and kitchen. It wasn't until they reached the kitchen that they saw a certain avian pilot, giggling like a little kid as he opened and closed the screen doors with a remote...

"Hehe, this is wicked awesome..." giggled Falco, as he was repeatedly opening and closing the screen doors by pressing a red button on a small remote. He stopped and turned around, and saw Fox and Krystal glaring at him. "...oh, Fox and Falco! How's my favorite married couple doing?"

"How did you manage to get inside our house before we did?" Fox questioned Falco, frowning with his hands on his hips. "Kinda ruins the surprise for us, a bit."

"No joke, I sneaked outside to the back of this house, and I saw these screen doors, and I was like 'OPEN SESAME'! And then, boom...the screen doors opened up. Also found this remote on the kitchen counter."

"Screen doors, very high-tech," stated Lyle, trying to hide the pride he gained from perfecting Fox and Krystal's house. "Opens up on voice command."

"Check this out...screen doors, close." The screen doors, which were now open, closed at the command of Falco's voice. "Screen doors, open." The screen doors opened back up, as Falco smiled. "Screen doors, close." The screen doors then closed. "How cool is that?!"

"Let me give this a shot..." said Fox, with Falco moving out of the way as Fox flexed his fingers and stood in front of the screen doors. "...open sesame!" Despite Fox's loud command, the screen doors did not open, at all. "Hey, what gives?"

"Screen doors, already be calibrated to Falco's commands," assumed Lyle, as Falco now ruined what would've been an awesome moment for Fox. "Therefore screen doors now need new calibration."

"Nice going, Falco..." Fox gave Falco an angry look, and all Falco could do was shrug his shoulders in pure innocence. As Lyle went over to the screen doors, Mario showed up as he entered through the already-open front door.

"Whoops...forgot to test-a out that doorbell," frowned Mario, as he garnered the attention of Fox and company. The plumber took a look around the house, amazed by everything he saw.

"Yo, Mario! How you like the house?" Fox asked the plumber, who was greatly impressed as he nodded his head in approval. "Looks spiffy, doesn't it?'

"Sure-a does! I could definitely do my exercises here, from now-a on. Would save-a Peach from her constant complaining." As if Fox and Krystal would agree to that. "Anyway, you guys are aware about-a the meeting at the mansion, right?"

"Meeting at the mansion?" asked Lyle, sounding unprepared for something he had no idea was happening. "Why didn't anyone tell us?!"

"Easy now, Lyle...it's just for-a the mansion residents. And tower residents. And us-a neighbors. You Happy Home Designers are..."

"We're a part of the meeting too, aren't we? What shame. Such ignorance. When will we ever learn?"

"I really don't wanna repeat-a myself..." Heaving a sigh, Mario turned around and trudged out of the house. "...I'll see you guys-a at the mansion."

"Aight, see ya soon," Fox said to Mario, before looking down at Lyle and seeing how panicky the otter was. "He wasn't referring to you as well, Lyle..."


Everyone from the mansion and tower and the neighboring houses were gathered in the lecture hall, for the big meeting. It was known that Master Hand called for the meeting, but no other details were known besides that. There were a lot of ideas up in the air about what the purpose of the meeting was, but there was one consensus topic floating about.

"If this has anything to do with the virus, I'm leaving..." Diddy Kong said to the folks seated around him, who all shared his sentiments. To this day, the Virus-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named was still a forced part of daily mansion vernacular.

Isabelle: Try as hard as he might, Master Hand cannot for the life of him get the pandemic to stop living rent-free in his mind. He's been doing his best to play it cool, but then the XFL ceased their operations for the foreseeable future...and Master Hand hasn't handled it pretty well.

Master Hand: I see what's going on here...someone must've released the virus into the world to screw up the Seattle Dragons for eternity! Whoever was responsible hated the Dragons so much, they no longer wanted to see the team exist anymore! I don't know who the culprit is (could be Anna herself), but let it be known that they'll face my fury real soon! Mark my words!

Master Hand and Crazy Hand were both on the lecture hall stage, waiting until the lecture hall was packed. The residents of the mansion and tower had built up so much herd immunity, that no social distancing was required for anyone.

"Thank you all for attending today's meeting, everyone," Master Hand thanked the crowd, once every known person living on the mansion grounds was inside the lecture hall. "From the bottom of my heart..."

"Quit acting so disingenuous, Master Hand - we all know you forced us to attend this meeting," stated Hammer Bro, who knew that he was putting himself in harm's way just by speaking up against Master Hand. "Just get on with it!"

"Do I really have to kick people out of this room, for being impatient? Goodness, I can only imagine how you people deal with Christmas being eight months away...before I was so rudely interrupted, I'd like to thank you all for attending today's meeting."

"You already said that," Mr. Game and Watch pointed out, getting on Master Hand's nerves as the giant hand was heard fuming. Mr. Game and Watch was gonna get a knuckle sandwich, if he didn't shut his trap.

"So what if I said it already? I was just making sure that the people were listening properly. Now, before I get interrupted again..."

"Interrupted again from saying the same thing you said before?" asked Cuphead, as Master Hand was now on his last nerve, ready to burst at any minute. "Seriously man, we're never gonna get anywhere with this meeting if..."

"You know what, Cuphead? I'm getting real sick and tired of people like you. Losers like yourself just drive me mad! And you know what I'm gonna do? Huh, you know what I'm gonna do? I'M GONNA LEAVE THIS MANSION FOR GOOD!"

A collective gasp was heard in the lecture hall, followed by a rather long moment of silence. Master Hand, leaving the mansion for good? Was the giant hand playing around, or was he for real?

"Ahem...allow me to clear things up," Master Hand said as he broke the silence, once he was feeling calm and tranquil again. "What I meant to say was, I'll be leaving the mansion temporarily, and only for an extended period of time. That is the major topic of this meeting."

"You're leaving the mansion, what for?" inquired Yusuke, who was still stunned by the news even though Master hand's leave was temporary. "You're not letting the ongoing virus get to your head, are you?"

"No, absolutely not! I just need a break from the mansion. Gotta recharge my batteries, and come back to this place firing on all cylinders. Even powerful beings like myself need a break, amirite?"

"And I'll be JOINING Master Hand on his extended vacation, away from you tower scum!" stated Crazy Hand, only addressing the tower denizens in his remark. "Have fun without ME! Ha ha ha!"

"I'm not sure how I should feel about this," said Lucas, who was having some mixed feelings; any other day, the PSI whiz would be perfectly chill with Master Hand being gone forever. "Who will be charge while you're gone, Isabelle? She can't even rule over an ant farm, she's paranoid!"

"Like you're the one to talk..." retorted Isabelle...before looking at an ant farm that she was holding in her hands, looking scared. "Please don't die, please don't die, please don't die..."

Villager: Isabelle recently bought an ant farm kit, just so she could learn more about insects and stuff. One day, she ran out of gel, and she thought that solid dish detergent was a good substitute...take a guess what happened next.

"I can guarantee that Isabelle will not be in charge of the mansion, during my absence," stated Master Hand, as a few mansion residents let out sighs of relief. "While I am gone, I'll be having a committee organized, to pick out the new man of the mansion."

"Mama mia, I'm about-a to have an heir!" exclaimed an awfully giddy Mario, as he rubbed his hands together in excitement. "This is probably the closest-a I'll ever get to feeling like a prince!"

"You'd never be a prince anyways, with that goofy face of yours," said Shadow, mumbling under his breath. Mario, who took great offense to what Shadow said, was ready to fight the hedgehog only to be held back by Peach.

"Leave Shadow alone, Mario!" Master Hand scolded the plumber, who was staring down Shadow as Peach put him back down in his seat. "You're the former man of the mansion - you should be setting a good example for the candidates, while I'm gone."

"Who are these candidates, Master Hand?" asked Coco, as she looked around the lecture hall. The candidates could be anyone...Cloud, Donkey Kong, the Flying Man, or even Coco's own brother, Crash!

"I'm getting to it, girl! You people seem more impatient today than before...maybe you are the ones letting the virus get to your heads. I've handpicked eight men out of the mansion, whom I believe are talented enough and well-equipped to be leaders of men."

"Oh boy, I can't wait!" grinned Pit as he was bouncing up and down in his seat, like Master Hand would call upon his name. You had a better chance at winning a lottery ticket while being struck by lightning than Pit being picked as a candidate for anything.

"He's not gonna call on your name, don't get your hopes up..." Dark Pit said to Pit, who refused to let his positivity and optimism be crushed, reality be darned.

"I will say the names of these eight, one by one," Master Hand gave out the instructions, as everyone braced themselves for whoever these chosen candidates were. "After you hear your name, you walk up to the front, and join me and Crazy Hand onstage. Capiche?"

"What if we don't feel like moving, what would we do then?" asked Wario, who found walking from where he was to the stage arduous. Probably shouldn't have sat in the back row...he was just focused on leaving once the meeting concluded, pronto.

"Then there'd be no reason for me to call your name, since I DO NOT tolerate laziness. That is why I had to pick the eight candidates very carefully."

"I'm sure that it was a pretty hard process...at least for you, Master Hand," said Touma, who like the others was dying to know who the chosen eight were. "Hopefully it didn't feel like scrapping the bottom of the barrel!"

"Not at all. Now let's begin - when you hear your name, join me on this stage. Here we go...Cloud Strife, Link, Itsuki Aoi, Lucario, Meta Knight, Chrom, Minato Arisato...and Dr. Neo Cortex. You eight, please join me onstage."

Whispers a many were heard all throughout the lecture hall, as many were questioning why Cortex of all people was selected. There was no questioning the seven other choices, as the eight men joined Master Hand and Crazy Hand onstage.

"Look at these eight men, ladies and gents," Master Hand addressed the crowd, as the eight men stood before everyone. Their expressions differed, from Cortex looking stoked, to Cloud and Minato looking like they didn't give a crap. "One of these worthy candidates will be a man of the mansion soon."

"That's weird, I can only see seven worthy candidates," said Researcher Zelda, looking at the eight through her hands cupped as binoculars. Cortex knew that Researcher Zelda was throwing shade at him, and he felt it.

"Now now, there's no need to throw someone under the bus already...I know he may not look like much, but Minato isn't as bad as he really looks."

"Thanks for sticking up for me, Master Hand..." mumbled Minato, knowing that he wasn't the one being slanted against. The young man looked at Cortex just like the other men onstage, wondering how Cortex even got picked.

"But hold on folks, we're not done yet! Since we'll be having a man of the mansion, I thought about having...wait for it...a woman of the mansion! That sounds very exciting, doesn't it?"

"It's great for fulfilling the status quo of political correctness, I tell you what..." replied Snake, being one of the few residents skeptical about Master Hand's idea. Perhaps he was a covert misogynist.

"Shut up Snake, this is the wrong city to be spewing your conservative rhetoric. Now I have only selected four female candidates for the duty, but these are the best four that I could find out of the bunch."

"Quick question: if I become man of the mansion, will Raven subsequently become woman of the mansion?" asked Chrom, raising his finger so he could be noticed. "Because we're, you know, married..."

"Nepotism at the mansion is not allowed. Now ladies, when you hear your name, come up on stage. Let's see...Princess Zelda, Samus Aran, Mitsuru Kirijo, and Lucina, come on up!"

"He would pick me, wouldn't he...?" Samus sighed deeply, as she got up from her seat and followed the other ladies unto the stage. Chrom saw his daughter Lucina sharing the stage with him, and saw something off.

"Wait, Master Hand, how come Lucina was chosen and not Raven?" the prince asked the giant hand, wanting some much-needed clarification. "Would it be considered nepotism if both Lucina and I were to..."

"I SAID NO NEPOTISM AT THE MANSION IS ALLOWED!" boomed Master Hand, as Chrom quickly kept his mouth shut for good. "Don't make me say it again now. So to wrap things up, these twelve men and women will be the most important men and women here, while I'm away. The search committee will do their part, to pick out the right candidates."

"And the search committee will consist of Isabelle...and myself," explained Tom Nook, standing up and grabbing everyone's attention as he made his announcement. "Guess you can say that I'll be the 'interim' ruler of the mansion for the time being..."

"We're about to have a money-grubbing tanoki as our temporary 'boss'..." Red the Pokemon Trainer whispered to Leaf, acting like Tom Nook was some evil capitalist on the same level as Anna. "...can't see anything wrong with that!"

Cloud: I was chosen by Master Hand...not a surprise, for me. I must have so many "desirable" traits that Master Hand thought of me as the right man for the job. Or one of the right men. Sometimes I wish I didn't have a lot of positives about me, if it meant keeping Master Hand away from me.

Meta Knight: How on earth was I chosen? I barely do anything to stand out, let alone suggest that I could be a leader of men. Could be my quiet nature that made me an alluring choice to Master Hand. But I will say this...always beware the nice ones.

Samus: *face buried in her hands, slowly looks up at the camera* Do you ever wish sometimes that you never existed at all?

Link: Promised myself that I would be more heroic, and being the man of the mansion would be a great step in the right direction for me. Gonna take a lot of commitment, but commitment is always required when being a hero. Commitment and sacrifice, that's the key to success!

Cortex: Don't know why I'm getting so much unnecessary hate already. I haven't even done anything wrong! But you know what? I see this as an underdog story, like Rocky - he was doubted at first, but he fought his way to the top and won and got his girl in the end!...Okay, so he might've lost to Apollo Creed, but he still got his girl regardless!

Mitsuru: There's only four of us ladies vying for the woman of the mansion job, so the competition is pretty stiff. I expect nothing but friendly competition between us four, for the coming weeks. Wish I could say the same for the men.

Lucario: I find it interesting that Master Hand would select a Pokemon to be a potential second-in-command. I'm the only non-human out of the eight...though there might be two of us. I refuse to believe that Dr. Cortex is an actual human.

Itsuki: Apparently I've done such a great job being a head of Star Records that Master Hand extended this huge opportunity to me. I know that he's well aware of my work, given how much money he steals from our company.

Zelda: Got my eyes set on becoming woman of the mansion, no matter what. Link being the man of the mansion would be the icing on the cake. (Please don't screw things up, Link...)

Minato: What would be my first action, as man of the mansion? Uh...I haven't really gotten that far yet. Right now, I'm just trying to win a competition that I didn't even know I would be participating in. If you even want to call it a competition. Might as well give it my all, if it means making Master Hand content...

Chrom: Lucina was chosen as a candidate, but Raven wasn't...I'm still stuck on this matter. I honestly believe that Raven would've been a much better pick than Lucina - not because she's my wife or anything, it's because, she's...she's more beautiful than Lucina. *pauses* Should I even be saying that? I'm such a fool...

Lucina: Is Father still going on about Master Hand picking me over Mother?...He is? Oh dear...


Minutes after the meeting was adjourned, Master hand and Crazy Hand were about to leave Seattle. Their assistants - Isabelle and Serena, respectively - were outside to see the two giant hands off.

"Will the Assist Tower need a man or woman to oversee things, like at the mansion?" Serena asked Crazy Hand, thinking that the tower should do an initiative similar to the mansion. "We could use one, or two."

"If you want those things SO badly, I'll let YOU handle it yourself," replied Crazy Hand as he pointed at Serena, putting a lot of trust in the sage. "You'll be a ONE-woman search committee!"

"Very well then, I'll look for the best candidates during your...vacation." Serena directed her attention towards Master Hand. "Hope Crazy Hand doesn't drive you...well, crazy."

"I'll keep him in check," assured Master Hand, as Serena smiled in response. If there was one individual that could keep Crazy Hand contained, it was Master Hand - and Master Hand only. "Isabelle, can I speak with you in private?"

"Uh, sure Master Hand," replied Isabelle, as she followed Master Hand to the side of the mansion. "What is it that you want to speak about?"

"Not sure if you or anyone else notice...but there's a bad stench permeating around the mansion. Not like a terribly foul stench, per se, but a stench that reeks...of evil and malice."

"You're not talking about Wario's speedo, are you? I told you I threw that out already...unless Wario saw it inside the trash bin outside!"

"This has nothing to do with Wario's speedo! And now you've given me a horrible mental image, thanks a lot Isabelle...this stench, I believe, comes from someone in the mansion. Just can't put my finger on it!"

"Do you want me and Tom Nook to investigate while you are away with Crazy Hand? I'll make sure the stench is gone when you come back, whenever that is."

"That would be absolutely lovely...don't know why, but I can still smell that stench, even when I'm away from the mansion! It smells like...capitalism."

"I take it you were talking about me?" asked Tom Nook, showing up outside with Isabelle and Master Hand while drinking from a cup of coffee. "For the last time, capitalism is NOT my middle name...quit reading those mean comments about me online."

"Tom Nook and I will get rid of that stench for you," Isabelle assured Master Hand, giving the giant hand enough confidence that she and Tom Nook could get easily the job done.

"Superb! I'm really counting on you two," Master Hand said to Isabelle and Tom Nook - the latter looking confused - as he gave the duo his vote of confidence. "I may still detect the stench, from where I'm from, but if it's gone then I'll know that..."

"Let's get a MOVE on already, Master Hand!" Crazy Hand called out to Master Hand, wanting to start his vacation at once. "Those hot BABES in Shibuya are calling OUT to us, man!"

"Hot babes...in Shibuya?" Tom Nook furrowed his brow, as he and Isabelle looked up inquisitively at an innocently whistling Master Hand. "What kind of vacation are you fellas going on?"

"The kind of vacations that lame-o's like you could only hope for," replied Master Hand as he floated away to avoid further questioning. "See you on the flippity flip! Goodbye now - don't mess up my room while I'm gone!"

"Take care now!" Isabelle waved to Master Hand, along with Tom Nook, until Master Hand was out of their sight. Seconds after Master Hand left with Crazy Hand, Isabelle smiled and leaned in close to Tom Nook, whispering the following: "Wanna see that secret stash of golden food?"

"The one that Master Hand hides underneath his bed?" asked Tom Nook, as Isabelle nodded her head with a gleeful smile. "Color me intrigued..."


The only person that didn't attend the meeting in the lecture hall was Anna, whom Master Hand still held ill will towards. Anna was in the buddy cops' jail cell, filing her nails, when the buddy cops returned to their office.

"Another day, another crime taken care off," Toon Link said to Young Link, celebrating with a high five. Anna looked on with an amused face. "Hopefully we taught that Ganondorf to stop fiddling around with Rosalina."

"And to think, that he had the gall to say that him and Rosalina were 'getting down'..." snorted Young Link, as Toon Link shared the Hylian's laughter. "...since when were demon lords capable of love?"

"Demise never showed any affection towards anyone, what makes Ganondorf think that he could be a consummate boyfriend? He's ugly as heck!"

"Yoo ho...over here, boys," Anna called out to the buddy cops, waving her hand to grab their attention. "Mind if you let a certain merchant out of her jail cell?"

"We would love to, but that would be a huge risk," replied Toon Link, not wanting to put Anna's livelihood in complete danger. "Even with Master Hand away, he could sense you walking around the mansion, from far away."

"He's right - Master Hand knows exactly when you pick your nose, where you did, and how you did it even if he was in Vancouver," added Young Link, speaking as if he knew perfectly from experience. "He knows EVERYTHING."

"Yeah, that's good and all, but I'm honestly sick and tired of being cooped up in this jail cell forever," said Anna as she outstretched her arms and yawned. "Just let me stroll around the mansion for a bit."

"Sadly that's a risk we're not willing to take," said Toon Link, standing his ground as Cloud walked by the police station and took a peek inside. "Even with Master Hand not at the mansion."

"Good afternoon, boys," Cloud greeted the buddy cops as he entered their police station. Both the buddy cops frowned, for they wished to be referred to as men, and not boys. Fat chance. "Hey Anna, how's it going?"

"Oh, you know, the usual...being stuck in here," replied Anna as she let out a sigh, and looked down at the floor. "Got my own special quarantine going on..."

"Well how about I end it for you?" Filled with hope, Anna's eyes widened as she looked up at Cloud with a joyous face. "Toon Link, Young Link, I command you both to release Anna from her prison."

"But we can't, she's supposed to stay here for her own safety!" stated Toon Link, as he and Young Link quickly stood in front of the jail cell. "What if Master Hand had to return to the mansion, because he left his sunglasses or something, and he saw Anna meandering about?"

"Besides, you have no jurisdiction to tell us to release Anna," added Young Link, with his and Toon Link's arms out at their sides. Like that would stop Cloud. "You're not the boss around here!"

"While that may be true, I am one of the vying candidates for man of the mansion," stated Cloud, and that was something the buddy cops couldn't argue against. "Which means I have some pull around the mansion."

"And that means your word...is bond?" asked Toon Link, before gulping nervously; Cloud was about to use some authority that he never had before.

"Exactly. So do as I say, and release Anna from her jail cell. Trust me, it'll make you feel better in the end."

"This smells like a trap - he's just trying to get us into trouble," Young Link whispered to Toon Link, while Cloud folded his arms and waited for the buddy cops' action.

"My thoughts exactly," Toon Link whispered back, as he kept a very close eye on Cloud. "But we have no one else to listen to, with Master Hand gone...I guess we have no other choice."

So Toon Link took out a gold key, and stuck it into the lock that was chained up to the jail cell's bars. Anna looked on with a big smile on her face, as Toon Link unlocked the chain with the key.

"Congratulations, Anna...you're now a free woman," Toon Link said to the merchant, who was completely all smiles as Toon Link opened the jail cell door. Embracing her newfound freedom, Anna stepped out of her jail cell, acting like a baby learning to walk for the first time.

"I'm free...I'm actually free!" exclaimed Anna, before she ran up to Cloud and gave the swordsman a big hug. "Oh, thank you Cloud, thank you so much!"

"Uh, don't mention it..." responded Cloud as he eyed around the police station, glad that Aerith wasn't here to see this. Then again, if Aerith was here, she wouldn't mind Anna hugging Cloud.

Anna: Feels awesome to finally be out of that dumb jail cell! Now I can explore the mansion, all for myself! I was only allowed to be in the computer room, by Master Hand, but now I can see what else this mansion has to offer! And there's no Master Hand to stop me! Look out, Smash Mansion...here comes Anna! *rubs hands together excitedly* Oh my, where do I even start first?

"Ah, I see you've beaten me to the punch..." a voice called out to Cloud, who looked out and saw Link standing in the hallway with a smirk. "I was gonna use my new authoritative powers to ask the buddy cops to release Anna myself."

"Early bird gets the worm, I suppose," replied Cloud, before looking down and seeing Anna still hugging him. Not wanting Link to get the wrong idea, Cloud kindly pushed Anna away from him. "It's...it's not what you think."

"It's fine, Cloud, you don't have to hide how smooth you are around other women. Very nice of you to be humble about it, though - we could use some of that."

"Forget you guys...I'm gonna have the time of my LIFE!" Anna said to Cloud and company as she ran out of the police station; the merchant was heard cheering and hollering down the hallway.

"She's gonna hate everything about the mansion so much..." Link said to Cloud, fearing that being stuck in the jail cell might've given Anna too much positive optimism. Kasumi would have to set things straight for the merchant, unless Kasumi herself was still allured by the mansion.

"Starsky, do you see what's going on here?" Young Link asked Toon Link as he grabbed the Hylian's shoulders, starting to sound very panicked. "With Master Hand gone, the eight men he chose will do nothing but flex their authority on us!"

"Aw crud, you're right..." fretted Toon Link, finding himself and Young Link stuck in a rock and a hard place. "...sooner or later we'll have to heed commands Cortex of all people! Can you imagine bowing down to him?!"

"Heck, I can't even believe that his minions still obey his every command...they must be secretly depressed." Just then, a wicked yet effective idea was spurred inside Young Link's mind. "What if we do something that destroys Cortex's candidacy?"

"Us screwing over Cortex sounds like police corruption...but it's just the kind of police corruption that I like! We'll leave that one on the table, for now."

"Gotta do everything we can to strip Cortex of his power. 'Cause him as the man of the mansion is a nightmare that I don't wanna live in!"

"Agreed. I'd rather be stuck in a haunted mansion with giant man-eating spiders, than having Cortex as the second-in-command to Master Hand."

"You dream about being stuck in a haunted mansion with giant man-eating spiders too? Man, that's my favorite nightmare - it's in my top three. Gotta say, those giant spiders are pros when it comes to anal probing."

"What are you two rambling on about?" Cloud asked the buddy cops; he heard the phrase "anal probing" mentioned by Young Link, and decided against questioning anything the buddy cops said.

"Oh, nothing, just personal business," replied Toon Link, as Cloud walked out of the police station. "Hutch, put Cortex's mugshot on our board..."


Dr. Wily: First things first, I want to personally thank Sephiroth...for not wanting to kill me last week. Dying at the hands of Sephiroth is one thing, but dying while still having unfinished business with E. Gadd is an entirely different beast. But aside from E. Gadd, I have some good news to announce, and it has something to do with Ruby and her friends...thanks to my extensive work (and some technology I borrowed from the mansion's Power Spot), I calculated the right coordinates to bring Ruby and company back to their universe! However, it's bad news for the four girls, since they'll have to say their goodbyes. I'll give them as much time as they need to.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were indeed heading back home, and they had to let Mario and Peach know. Thing was, Ruby was afraid to deliver the news, while the other three girls were nowhere near as hesitant.

"Why are you looking like that, Ruby?" Weiss asked Ruby, as the four girls were huddled together inside Mario's house. "Is Mario working out disturbing you?"

"She's probably too nervous to tell Mario the big news about us leaving," assumed Blake, watching and cringing at Mario working out in the living room. The squats that Mario was doing in his workout gear disturbed Blake greatly.

"C'mon Ruby, what do you even have to lose?" Yang asked her half-sister, giving her a playful nudged to her back. "Just tell Mario and Peach what they need to know, and be done with it!"

"How will Mario and Peach react to the news?" wondered Ruby, too caught up in wondering how Mario and Peach would react. Would they be happy and sad, or completely sad altogether? "I don't want to hurt their feelings..."

"Ruby, you're literally telling them that we're heading back home," Blake reminded Ruby, thinking that maybe she should deliver the news herself. "Not like you have to say very mean things about them."

"Why are you ladies all huddled up together?" asked Peach, approaching Ruby and the gang from behind in the kitchen. The four girls were startled, but Ruby was the most startled of all

"W-W-We were just having, uh...g-g-girl talk!" stuttered Ruby as she had a nervous smile on her face. Being the kind of person that she was, Peach failed to notice how suspicious Ruby's smile was.

"Well you can't have any girl talk and leave me out of the conversation." Peach would step closer to the four girls, as she made Ruby even more anxious. "So what are we talking about? Beauty? Fashion? Ooh, what about entertainment?"

"Ruby is too chicken to tell you and Mario that we're heading back home," answered Weiss, as Ruby gasped and quickly covered Weiss' mouth. But it was too late - the damage was already dealt.

"Oh, you're heading back to your own little universe? Is that going to happen today, or tomorrow, or even next week?" Ruby bit her bottom lip, as Peach was now left in a curious state of mind.

"Dr. Wily said that we're going back today, since he found the right coordinates on his device," explained Yang, as Ruby moved on from Weiss to Yang and covered her half-sister's mouth. Yang, very slowly, pulled Ruby's hands down from her face. "Said he had to 'borrow' some technology, to get the job done."

"You're going back today? Aw, now I wish I had known that earlier. Would've thrown you girls a big going-away party, at our home. Does Mario know yet?"

"No he hasn't..." replied Ruby, which led Peach to walk past Ruby and the gang en route to the still exercising Mario. Which caused Ruby to flip out. "...Peach what are you doing?!"

"Be quiet Ruby, let Peach do her thing..." Blake told the young woman, as Peach crept up behind Mario and tapped him on his shoulder. Mario noticed Peach behind him, as he continued to work out.

"Care to join-a me for some exercising, Princess Peach?" Mario asked his wife, while he was squatting away. Had a very interesting form. "After I'm done with-a these squats, we'll start with some-a lunges."

"Not sure if you heard...but Ruby and the girls are leaving today," Peach informed Mario, and Ruby's heart sank as Mario immediately grabbed the TV remote and paused his television.

"It's confirmed? They're really leaving today?" Mario didn't look as depressed as Ruby expected him to be; the plumber looked more shocked than anything.

"Mhmm - just spoke with them a few minutes ago. Dr. Wily is going to bring them back to their universe, whenever they're ready."

"Mama mia, I'm not even mentally prepared-a for this...Spyro, Hunter, come-a here! I have a big-a announcement to make...or rather, Ruby does."

"Please don't..." pleaded Ruby, as Spyro and Hunter came out of their rooms and into the living room, wondering what the big deal was all about.

"Whatever this big announcement is, it better be something worthwhile," said Spyro, not affording to have his time wasted. Mario saw Ruby standing in the kitchen, nervous to the bone, and figured that he would have to relay the news to Spyro and Hunter.

"This announcement, it's-a very depressing news, but...Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are all-a leaving this house." Mario expected Spyro and Hunter to react to the news, but it looked like the two friends were still processing things.

"Soooo when are you gonna deliver this very depressing news?" Hunter asked Mario, tapping his foot impatiently. Safe to say that the departure of Ruby and company didn't bother him as much.

Spyro: Had a feeling that those girls would be leaving soon - I mean, it's not like they'll be staying in town forever. Much like how Hunter and I won't be staying in town forever. All my friends back in Avalar and the Forgotten Realms miss me. As for the Dragon Realms...I don't really have that much friends there. Sucks being the only young dragon around, you know?

Hunter: FREE AT LAST! *cheers* I've been dying for those girls to be gone forever, and now my prayers have finally been answered. Now things will be back to normal, with just me and Spyro chilling with Mario and his family. So who's the person I have to thank for getting rid of those vile women?...Dr. Wily, you say? He's gonna get one heck of a hug, I tell you what.

"I just delivered-a the depressing news, you bozo!" responded Mario, ashamed that Hunter was taking the situation very lightly. "Ruby and the gang are-a leaving. Leaving this home, leaving this-a town, and leaving our universe."

"Are they leaving today?" asked Spyro, as the reality of the RWBY gang returning home sunk into Hunter and made the cheetah all sorts of happy.

"Indeed, they are leaving today. Before they depart, I think-a we should have a group-a picture together. Just for the memories, you know?"

"Can I take the picture, pretty please?" asked Hunter as he raised his hand, not wanting to be in a picture with Ruby and company. No matter how much Mario, Peach, or even Spyro forced him to be in it.

"After those horrible pictures you took-a at the wedding reception? Fat-a chance...Yuri will be snapping the photo instead." Yuri did have her Camera Obscura, so she was obviously the right choice.

"Those photos I took were awesome! What's not to love about Cilan getting pantsed, while cutting the wedding cake? Bunch of haters..."

"Can you girls come over here?" Peach called out to the RWBY gang, who all came over to the living room with Ruby the most reluctant. "Now I know you leaving us is a very impromptu event, but we'll make the most of your last time here, okay?"

"We'll definitely have a fun time," grinned Yang, as she wrapped her arm around Ruby's neck. "Isn't that right, Ruby?" Ruby was looking to the side, reluctant to provide an answer.

"Uh, sure, I guess..." shrugged Ruby, not fully ready yet to go back back home. What could possibly be holding her back?


A part of Sonic felt salty that Master Hand never named the hedgehog as one of the candidates as man of the mansion. But the more he thought about it, Sonic was nowhere near as qualified compared to the eight chosen men (save maybe for Cortex). Moreover, he wasn't necessarily old enough either. Could you imagine someone around Sonic's age, being the second most important individual in the mansion?

Rather than feeling salty, Sonic took the time to give his support to the eight men selected by Master Hand. He encountered one of the eight - Meta Knight - in the middle of the hallway.

"Just wanna say that you would make for a great man of the mansion," Sonic said to Meta Knight, who didn't want any of Sonic's praise or kind words. "This place could use a silent but deadly type like you! You definitely have my vote!"

"Don't mean to alarm you, Sonic, but you can't really vote for this type of thing," clarified Meta Knight, as Sonic snapped his fingers in disgust. "Only Tom Nook and Isabelle decides who gets the role."

"Welp, that's all I needed to know to know that this place isn't a democracy...it's a straight up dictatorship! Always has been, with Master Hand in charge!

Sonic: Got three words...we the people. Seems like I'm one of the only people in this country who lives by that phrase.

"Whatever, just leave me be..." Meta Knight said to Sonic as he walked away from the hedgehog, not wanting to be bothered. "...I have to find ways to make myself appealing to Tom Nook and Isabelle. If I can."

"If you ever need help with that, then just give me a holler!" Sonic called out to the retreating Meta Knight, who ignored the hedgehog and kept walking away. "Man, I can already tell that man is gonna need my help soon..."

Sonic turned around, and as he walked, he bumped into a silver-haired lad. Taking a second look, Sonic saw that this lad appeared to be someone from the kingdom of Nohr, judging by his attire.

"You're from a kingdom, aren't ya?" Sonic asked the silver-haired lad, taking a wild guess as he pointed his finger. "Nice to meet ya - I'm Sonic!"

"And I'm Silas, it's a pleasure," the silver-haired man introduced himself to Sonic, before looking around as if he was looking for somebody in particular. "Say, have you seen Corrin and Kamui anywhere? Although it's mainly Kamui that I'm looking for..."

"Have you tried checking their room? If they're not there, then they're probably chilling in the gaming room. C'mon, I'll show you where it is!"


In the gaming room, Anna was busy enjoying the splendors of not only being free, but being free to roam around the mansion without having to worry about Master Hand berating her just for existing. The merchant was seated behind a couch in the gaming room, looking over Proto Man's shoulder as the robot was reading a book.

"Is that...science fiction?" wondered Anna, making out all the fancy words and scientific jargon in the book that Proto Man was reading. Proto Man stopped reading, and looked at Zelda who was seated next to him on the couch.

"You sad something?" Proto Man asked the princes, who you might recall as one of the four candidates for the woman of the mansion title. Rather than do anything to stand out, Zelda opted to let the title come to her. Very practical approach.

"No, I didn't say anything," replied Zelda, who was looking at herself in her own personal mirror. Proto Man went back to reading his book, certain that he was just hearing things.

"Wow, this story is so fascinating..." remarked Anna, speaking loud enough to garner the attention of Proto Man. The robot saw the merchant behind him, and frowned at her through his face visor.

"Can you keep it down, I'm trying to read!" Proto Man scolded Anna, daring not to question why or how the merchant was in the mansion. The robot resumed reading his book, not letting anyone distract him.

"Wonder what happens on the next page..." Reaching over Proto Man, Anna flipped the page over in Proto Man's book, much to the chagrin of Proto Man.

"Rude..." Angered, Proto Man flipped back to the original page, and Anna would flip the page over. Proto Man flipped it back, and Anna flipped it back over, and this would repeat several times.

"You two please stop that..." Zelda frowned at Proto Man and Anna, as the sound of the constant page flipping bothered her. Lucario, entering the gaming room, saw what was going on between Proto Man and Anna.

"Is there a problem going on here?" the aura Pokemon approached Proto Man and Anna, looking stern with his arms folded. "Are you two fighting with each other?"

"This woman is bothering me, while I'm trying to read this book in peace," Proto Man explained to Lucario as he pointed at Anna. "She flipped the page over, when I wasn't done reading it!"

"Oh, is that so?" Lucario gave his full attention to Anna, who was smiling sweetly and innocently at the aura Pokemon. "And what makes you think you can be at this mansion, Anna? Think you can run around and do what you want, with Master Hand gone?"

"To be fair, I was here before Master Hand left," stated Anna, leaving Lucario stunned and alarmed. "Before Fox's wedding, in fact. I was hiding away with the buddy cops, until Cloud let me out. He suggested that I stay here, with my shop closed down."

"Shop closed down because of the virus? Very sorry to hear that..." Lucario thought to himself, wondering how he could help out Anna. "...how about this. Since Master Hand is gone, you can set up your shop at the front of the mansion. For anyone who needs food."

"That sounds like a splendid idea! But how am I going to reel in customers? The mansion doesn't seem like a popular place to go..."

"Pit and Kirby once sold sushi rolls at a food track in the front yard of the mansion two years ago...if you can your name out there, you can bring in some good business. I can help you in that regard."

Lucario: During the next couple of weeks with Master Hand gone, I feel like I should show everyone how authoritative I can be, while ruling with a firm fist. Kinda like how I ran the Pokemon army, a few years back. Not only that, but I should show some compassion on the side as well. It's about having a balance between authority and kindness...something that Master Hand is sadly incapable of doing.


It has been two weeks since Waluigi got arrested in Corneria, for interrupting Fox and Krystal's wedding and causing a scene. The lanky man was still stuck in Cornerian prison, and nobody wanted to pay the man's bail. Not even anyone from the tower.

"Now would be a good time to bust Waluigi out of jail, no?" Alucard asked Ghirahim, as the vampire and demon lord were hanging out in the tower's lounge. "Strange as it may seem, I miss Waluigi and his constant tomfoolery."

"No, that scoundrel had the gall to interrupt a wedding and make it all about himself," replied Ghirahim, as he licked his lips. He sure had a fascination with licking. "And he's very ugly, too! I'd say let him rot up in Corneria."

"Like you're the one to talk about being ugly..." As Ghirahim shot a glare at Alucard, Serena walked inside the lounge.

"Excuse me, you two, can you meet me out in the balcony?" Serena asked Ghirahim and Alucard, sounding like she was putting together a meeting. "Promise you it won't be long."

"We'll be there shortly," replied Ghirahim, as Serena smiled and left the lounge. Ghirahim stared down Alucard, as he walked away from Alucard. "I'll mess up your face later..."


Yuri was outside with her camera, ready to snap a picture of Mario and the gang with the RWBY gang. Mario, Peach, Spyro, and Poochy were outside standing in front of Mario's house, with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Peach was holding Jennifer. Only one person was missing in the frame, however.

"I think we're missing somebody," noticed Yuri, and it didn't take a genius to know who this missing person was. "Where is Hunter?"

"Wherever he is, he's far away from here!" shouted out a muffled voice, which came from a trash can. Mario walked over to the trash can and opened the lid, and pulled out Hunter from the trash can.

"Camera-shy, aren't-a ya?" Mario frowned at Hunter, as he dragged the cheetah across the ground. He felt that Hunter didn't deserve being carried.

"Yeah, I'm very camera-shy, I get butterflies in my stomach from being in front of the camera!" Mario would place Hunter on the ground, in the camera shot, right next to Spyro. "Gonna cough out some butterflies real soon!"

"Quit-a being such a drama queen..." Mario went back to his original position, as Hunter was looking nervous in front of the camera. Yuri was now ready to snap the picture, but had to make sure a few things were right first.

"Sparx, can you stop flying in front of Spyro's face?" Yuri asked the yellow dragonfly, who moved to the right side of Spyro. "Thanks. Hunter, how about moving over to the left?"

"Which left?" Hunter nervously asked, seeing that Ruby was standing to his immediate left. "My left, or your left?"

"Your left! If you want to get this photo shot already, then just do as I say..." Yuri was beginning to run out of patience.

"Okay then..." Hunter scooted over to his left, now without touching distance of Ruby. The cheetah had sweat running down his face.

"Everyone ready?" asked Yuri, with Mario giving the young woman a thumbs up. Ruby, with a big smile on her face, put her hand on Hunter's left shoulder, as Hunter's nervousness now peaked. "Alright! On the count of three, say cheese!"

"Please don't freak out..." Spyro said to Hunter through clenched teeth, trying to maintain his smile. More sweat was running down Hunter's face.

"On the count of three...one...two...three...say cheese!"

"CHEESE!" everyone shouted, smiling as Yuri took the photo. Only person that didn't shout "CHEESE!" was Hunter, who screamed as he ran away from the others like a madman.

"Well at least he decided to freak out after our picture was taken," Spyro said to Sparx, while Hunter was heading screaming his head off.


Sonic took Silas to the gaming room, but couldn't find Corrin nor Kamui anywhere in sight. After searching the entire area, Sonic and Silas left the gaming room.

"Sorry man, but I couldn't find those twins anywhere," Sonic apologized to Silas, who was doing his best to keep his spirits up. "Guess you came at the wrong time."

"I really did...you wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through to get here," said Silas, not wanting to let his trip to the Smash Mansion be all for naught. "I'd hate to go back to Nohr empty-handed..."

"Hey Sonic, who's that?" a voice called out to the hedgehog, one that caused his Silas to brighten up. Silas turned around, and was ecstatic to see Kamui, standing with Corrin in the middle of the hallway.

"Kamui!" Silas excitedly ran up to the princess, taking both of her hands and looking into her eyes. "How nice it is to see you again." The cavalier then looked towards Corrin, who was idly standing by. "Same goes for you, Corrin."

"The feeling is mutual, Silas," responded Corrin, as Silas brought his attention back to Kamui. Much to Silas' dismay, Kamui didn't seem to recognize who the cavalier was, as evidenced by the furrowing of her brow.

"Do I...do I know you from somewhere?" Kamui asked Silas, who took a few steps back as he was left stunned. He felt like his heart was broken, shattered in two.

"How can you not know who I am, Kamui?" Silas asked the princess, taken back by the question that Kamui had asked him. "We were childhood friends! Me, you, and even Corrin!"

"Ouch, Corrin remembers who you are, but Kamui doesn't?" Sonic said to Silas, having some sympathy for the cavalier. "That's gotta suck, man..."

Sonic: My first impressions of Silas are this...he's basically a nicer version of Jakob. He knows the royal twins personally, but he's polite to everyone else, regardless of if your name is either Corrin or Kamui. Heck, the dude asked me what kind of shoes I wear! While on the other hand, Jakob wouldn't even ask me if I was feeling well after I coughed up some giant hairballs. Should I even be doing that? I'm not a pet!

"Corrin remembers me, but surely you must remember me as well," Silas said to Kamui, who couldn't quite put her finger on whether or not she knew the cavalier. "Have you forgotten about the times we spent together?"

"Nothing about you rings a bell, I'm afraid," replied Kamui, as Silas felt even more crushed. Felt like his soul was yanked out from his body. "You're from Nohr, yes?"

"Why yes, of course I'm from Nohr! That's where the three of us grew up. Then you and Corrin got separated...but us being separated shouldn't have prevented you from not remembering me."

"Sadly I don't have any strong memories of you, so that could explain why my memory is so fuzzy," said Kamui, as she and Corrin walked past the absolutely crushed Silas and Sonic. "But it's nice seeing you!"

"Hope to see you again, Silas!" Corrin said to the cavalier, as he and Kamui headed down the hallway. Silas, upset about Kamui, got down on one knee and sighed.

"Kamui doesn't seem to know who I am...how tragic," the cavalier lamented, looking down at the floor and shaking his head in dismay. "But Corrin does...how is that even possible?"

"No worries dude, you'll get her next time," Sonic assured Silas, as he patted the cavalier on his shoulder. Good thing Silas didn't scream from being touched. "Just come back another time!"

"Yes, that's what I'll do...I'll try again next time!" Showing more confidence, Silas proudly stood back up, smiling. "I won't be annoying about it; I'll be natural. If Kamui can't remember me the next time, then I'll just throw in the towel."

"I mean, if that's what you wanna do...then go ahead, knock yourself out. Go and do you!"


Serena gathered a few residents up in the tower balcony - namely Ghirahim, Alucard, Dr. Wright, Mr. Resetti, and Dr. Wily. Talk about a ragtag group.

"Let's get this meeting over with already - I gotta get those girls back home!" yelled Dr. Wily, referring to the RWBY gang, as he shook his fists wildly.

"At ease, Dr. Wily, this meeting is rather short!" Serena said to the evil genius, gently calming him down. "Now, as you know, the mansion will be picking a new man of the mansion, in the absence of Master Hand."

"Yeah, and we wouldn't have known about if we weren't forced to attend that stupid meeting," said Mr. Resetti, before taking a sip from his cup of coffee. "Like we care about what the mansion does!"

"I know you don't, but that meeting gave me an idea...what if we had a man of the tower? One key resident to look over all the others in the tower?"

"You honestly believe that any of these men are qualified?" Ghirahim snorted, as the other four men glared at the demon lord. "We'd be much better off having those dumb Pac-Man ghosts rule over us!"

"I'll have you know that I was a mayor once..." Dr. Wright sternly told Ghirahim, before the four Pac-Man ghosts came out into the balcony and roamed around. "...now look what you've done, you made the ghosts mad!"

"Back on track, let's get back on track please!" shouted Serena as she clapped her hands, getting the attention of the five men on the balcony. "I think we should have a man of the tower, which is why I'm handpicking you five to be candidates."

"How exactly is this going to work?" asked Alucard, as the Pac-Man ghosts calmly left the balcony. "How will you pick one of us to be 'the man'?"

"I won't be picking anyone...I'll leave the choice to those living in the tower. After some time, I'll run a vote, and whoever out of you five accrues the most votes will be the man of the tower. Fair deal?"

"Pretty fair deal, if I do say so myself...what do you boys think?" Alucard looked at the other four men, who were nodding in agreement.

Alucard: Ruled over a castle, all by myself. Ruling over this tower should be no problem, despite the idiots I have to put up with.

Dr. Wright: I see this whole "man of the tower" thing as some kind of selection - oddly coincidental, since this is an election year in America. My mayoral experience should be more than enough to help me win over everyone in the tower.

Ghirahim: Only five of us...and only one can "win". If you ask me, I got my money on the demon lord. *smirks*

Mr. Resetti: Do I get compensation, being the man of the tower? Serena sure made it sound like a pretty fancy title, like being the CEO of a major corporation or something! Granted, it's worth having to deal with Master Hand more, but the money will cover for everything! *pauses* Will the compensation be money?

Dr. Wily: I feel qualified enough to be man of the tower...I mean, if a worthless bum like Dr. Cortex can be a running candidate for man of the mansion, then I could be just as qualified by being even more of a worthless bum! Now, to see if Ruby and the girls are ready...


Relying on the nose of Poochy, the trio of Mario, Spyro, and Ruby was able to find Hunter, who was hiding in the garden shed. The cheetah was lying on the floor, in a fetal position.

"She touched me...I've been infected with her evilness..." said Hunter, feeling the presence of Mario and company in the garden shed. He was shivering from head to toe, as if he was trapped inside a freezer.

"Hunter, get over yourself, man," Spyro told the cheetah, who slowly looked up at the dragon and everyone else. "All Ruby did was touch your shoulder!"

"And she's gonna do the same to you, if you don't stop her...don't end up like me, man!"

"Thank goodness I don't have a shoulder..." As Hunter crawled out of his fetal position, sitting up against the garden shed wall, Mario and Ruby came over to the cheetah.

"Ruby here would like-a to speak with you," Mario said to Hunter, as Ruby knelt down at Ruby's side. Hunter held back as much as he possibly could. "Listen to what she has-a to say!"

"Sorry for spooking you out earlier," Ruby apologized to Hunter, keeping her hands to herself if it prevented Hunter from being scared. "Got a little too touchy..."

"Yeah, that's good, now go away..." Hunter pleaded to Ruby, looking to make sure that his fur was nowhere close to Ruby. "...can't you see that I'm afraid?"

"Spyro told me that you had a personal vendetta against me and my friends. Said that you wanted to kick us girls out of Mario's home. Is that true?"

"I just wanted to kick you guys out of the house, before you did the same thing to me and Spyro. I was looking out for me and my best friend!"

"Except we never wanted to kick you out to begin with...so why were you acting like that for? It's not like we hated you or anything?"

"I kinda liked it when it was just me and Spyro, as the only 'special visitors' at Mario and Peach's place...I should apologize for how I was acting."

"Anything else?" Spyro asked Hunter, tapping his left foot as he looked at the cheetah. Hunter sighed, having more to get off his chest.

"And I wanna apologize for thinking that you girls were evil. And that Blake had an identity crisis. And that Weiss was a spoiled brat, and that Yang had breast implants..."

"What did you say about Yang?" frowned Ruby, before shaking her head as her initial anger vanished away. "I'm just gonna forget that I heard that..."

"To be fair, Hunter was like with this Impa, when she had to stay at Mario's house," Spyro explained to Ruby, remembering Hunter's beef with Impa and Lana like it was yesterday. "Impa had been there before Hunter and I showed up in town, mind you."

"So Hunter apparently has a history of doing this...this thing. Seems very childish, I'll give him that..."


With the help of Mario and Spyro, Hunter mustered enough courage to leave the garden shed, on his own two feet. The cheetah also mustered enough encourage to apologize to the rest of the RWBY gang, before they departed.

"You do not have breast implants," Hunter said to Yang, fingers crossed that the blonde wouldn't punch him to oblivion. But Yang took what Hunter said with stride, as she flashed a smile.

"Well, that's not the first time I heard that...won't be the last, either," remarked Yang, as Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "Consider yourself lucky..."

"Dr. Wily should have that device booted up by now," said Blake, standing outside with Mario, Peach, Spyro, Hunter, and the rest of the RWBY gang. "You think he might've forgot?"

"Hello, ladies! Ready when you are!" Dr. Wily called out to Ruby and company, standing at the tower entrance. "The transport device is all ready to go!"

"Looks like it's our time to go," stated Weiss, before looking at Mario and company with a warm smile. It was about that time. "Thank you for everything, Mario, Peach...and maybe you too, Spyro. And Hunter...eh."

"Till we see each other again..." Ruby said to Mario and company, waving to them as they waved back. "...goodbye, you all!" The RWBY gang made their way to the tower, ready to leave Seattle for good.

"You think that Waluigi will be bitter about Blake no longer being here?" Peach curiously asked the others, slightly aware of the somewhat romantic feelings Waluigi had for Blake. Mario waved at a slower pace, as he bit his lip.

Mario: Mama mia, I never realized until-a now...I feel dumb for not-a knowing...Waluigi is still stuck-a in prison, in Corneria! But, it's Waluigi. That could-a be why I forgot.


Itsuki was chilling out with Falco in Falco's room, figuring that the avian pilot could use some company with Fox chilling at his house. Falco might not have a roommate for the time being, but he was making the most of it.

"How's it feel, being one of the eight candidates?" Falco asked Itsuki, giving the young man a playful nudge. "Imagine being the head of Star Records, and the head of the Smash Mansion!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Falco - Master Hand will still be in charge around here," stated Itsuki, as Link took a curious peek inside Falco's room. "This man of the mansion duty is just a glorified second-in-command role."

"Hey boys, mind if I come in?" Link asked Falco and Itsuki, although he just waltzed his way inside the room without either man answering his question. "Just wanted to speak with Falco."

"Sure thing, man, what's up?" asked Falco, as he sat up on his bed interested in what Link had to say. "You're gonna concede your candidacy to me? Aw, thanks dude, you shouldn't have..."

"No...I'm not conceding my candidacy to anyone. Rather, I just wanted to make some...compensation, if you will. Falco, you don't have a roommate, right?"

"Yep, Master Hand said I'll be roommate-less until June, then that person from ARMS joins the mansion. Not sure if I can wait that long, but at least I'll have this room all for myself!"

"Well fear not, my friend, for I have found you a roommate to bid you some time until June. Falco Lombardi, I would like to introduce you to your new, temporary roommate...Anna!"

Falco was shocked upon learning that he was getting a roommate, and he was even more shocked when he heard that it was Anna. Anna walked inside the room, with her finger on her cheek as she looked at Falco.

"Hi there, bird boy!" the merchant greeted Falco, who was unsure of what to say or how to react. On one hand, he wanted the room all for himself. But on the other, he would have some company to keep him around...

"Anna is my roommate?" asked Falco, stroking his beak as he came to terms with his new roommate. "As long as Master Hand's fine with it, I'm down."

"Master Hand's not even here, he's at some faraway location. Has no idea that Anna's gonna be living in his mansion...for the short-term, that is."

"Ooh...you are one sneaky sly fox, Link. The mansion sure could use someone like you, as the man around here. Not that you have to be a sly fox, or anything..."

"Thanks for giving me this room to stay in, Link!" Anna thanked the Hylian, acting like the room was entirely hers and not shared with Falco. "Promise I'll be on my best behavior..."

"I'll hold you to your word," Link said to Anna, pointing at the merchant as he left the room. The Hylian bumped into someone as he made his exit, and guess who it was? Cloud Strife.

"Lemme guess, you made Anna a temporary resident at the mansion..." Cloud said to Link, and would you know it, he saw Anna inside Falco's room. "...now you beat me to the punch."

"Seems like we both have the same good intentions," remarked Link, before holding out his hand for a handshake. "Agree to not let this whole man of the mansion thing get between us?"

"Agreed..." And with that, Cloud shook hands with Link, before he and Link both went their separate ways. Being best friends must surely make those two swordsmen free from any sort of discord.


Tom Nook and Isabelle were in no room to evaluate the eight candidates, for they were in Master Hand's room eating golden food. The two were now gorging on golden steak that was hidden underneath Master Hand's bed.

"Why does Master Hand have all this expensive food hidden in his room?" wondered Tom Nook, taking a bite out of the golden steak. "Who cares...this stuff is absolutely delicious!" As Tom Nook continued to eat, the phone in Master Hand's room rang.

"I'll go answer that," said Isabelle, wiping away her mouth as she quickly grabbed the phone and answered it. "Hello, Smash Mansion, Isabelle speaking!"

"Hi, Isabelle, this is Master Hand," said the person on the phone, who was in fact Master Hand. "I'm calling from some schmuck's cellphone. Literally had to bribe him in order to use his phone...almost used his daughter for ransom!"

"Ah, even when you're far away, you're still the same old Master Hand...so what's up, how's your 'vacation' coming along?"

"Great, although I'd appreciate it you didn't use those quotation marks. I know you used them. Anyways, about that scent I told you about...I'm afraid it has gotten bigger."

"Oh dear, how big is it?" Isabelle had worry on her face, as Tom Nook came over to eavesdrop on the phone call.

"I can't put my finger on what exactly the scent is, or where it's coming from, but I feel as if it's covered about roughly fifty percent of the mansion."

"Do you want me and Tom Nook to do something about it? We're still evaluating the eight candidates as we speak...well, sort of."

"If you two have to multi-task, then you may. Just know that I want that scent gone by the time I get back!"

"Understood. We'll take care of it. Goodbye, Master Hand!" Isabelle would end the call, putting the phone back where it was.

"Is this an actual scent that reeks of evil, or is Master Hand just being delusional?" Tom Nook asked Isabelle after eavesdropping on much of the phone conversation, as Isabelle shrugged his shoulders. "If Master Hand wants that scent gone, then we'll have to do it for him..."

That scent could very well be coming from Anna...eradicating the scent could only mean kicking Anna out of the mansion, altogether.