Author's Note:
This chapter has characters from two new games recently released on the Switch - Bravely Default II, and Ghosts N Goblins: Resurrection. Sadly, I missed my opportunity to get the latter game for free...disappointment is nigh. But no time for pity parties. Let's answer some reviews:
"Now that Link proposed to Zelda, where will the wedding be? Is the Persona 5 Strikers, Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection, and Bravely Default 2 chapter gonna be one big chapter? (All 3 games come out the same week). Will we see an interaction between regular and alternate Tawna for the Crash Bandicoot 4 chapter? And finally, what did you like about the Nintendo Direct?"
Shooting for an autumn wedding for Link and Zelda. This chapter will feature just Bravely Default and Ghosts N Goblins, no Persona. No interaction between regular and alternate Tawna, I'm afraid. And I liked the reveals for Mario Golf and Splatoon 3. Oh, and Skyward Sword - that's one of my favorite Zelda games. Another guest review:
"How about the others going out for a trip leaving Bowser Jr, The Koopalings, The Buddy Cops, The inklings, Ness, Lucas, Caroline, and Justine at the mansion with Pyra and Mythra in charge of babysitting them! I'd like to see the contrast between the two."
Oh no...oh no...that would be hectic. Yet at the same time, it would give more "screen time" to Pyra and Mythra. Something that I oddly feel obligated to do now, after the recent Smash trailer. Up next is Cloudenstein:
"You know, Joker and his friends should do something with Cloud, since from what I see, he's going FULL Maruki here."
Interesting thought; Cloud really is looking like Takuko Maruki 2.0 so far. Joker and friends might intervene with Cloud's plan soon, so stay tuned. Last for today is...a suggestion (yes, that's the reviewer's name):
"I don't know if Durandal will see this, but I have an idea of how Kana would work. So, there'll only be female Kana, since I don't know how to name the other Kana, but don't worry. If Corrin had Kana, then Kamui will have Sophie, from Silas! How about it?"
Hmm...I like the way you think! Maybe Kana will finally be coming to Smash Life soon.
Episode 271: Adoption
As Pyra and Mythra learned last week, they were both the new fighters in Smash. Neither Blade didn't expect to hear the news from Master Hand, but they were still pretty happy about being added. While the residents were happy for the two ladies, their friend wasn't...
...and no, it wasn't Nia, the sassy girl with cat ears. It was actually Rex, who wanted to be in Smash but never got the chance. The swordsman was passed over for many people - Banjo, Terry, Byleth, Min Min, and even Steve. When Steve, a block craftsman dude, made it into Smash, Rex got real upset in a hurry.
While Rex remained salty as ever, Pyra and Mythra were receiving congratulations from the others. This was commonplace everywhere they went - the kitchen, the dining room, the gaming room, and heck, even the bathroom! If someone was brave enough to follow them there.
"Look alive...all the adulation's not gonna stop," Mythra warned Pyra as the two Blades entered the gaming room, expected to be bombarded with endless words of congratulations. Almost a second later, Doc Louis saw Pyra and Mythra as he smiled.
"Congratulations for being the new fighters!" the boxing trainer said to Pyra and Mythra, before reaching out for a hug. "Come and give me some love, you two!" Doc Louis hugged Pyra and Mythra, who were both feeling very uncomfortable.
"You literally did this last week, Doc Louis..." Pyra said to the boxing trainer, who was squeezing her real tight. Doc Louis would soon end the hug, before looking around for his protege.
"Little Mac? Little Mac! Where are you, my guy?" Little Mac showed up, almost instantly - only just to get Doc Louis to shut up. "There you are! Why don't you say something nice to our newest fighters?"
"I already said something nice to Pyra and Mythra," stated Little Mac, only for Doc Louis to smack him silly. Even at his age, Doc Louis still hit hard. "I mean, best of luck in Smash, you two!"
"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Doc Louis let out a hearty laugh, before eating out a chocolate bar and biting it. Almost eat the entire thing in just one bite. "You know, this reminds me of the time you joined Smash, Little Mac...still brings a tear to my eye."
"No need to feel all sentimental, Doc Louis..." Little Mac watched as Doc Louis shed a tear, as Pyra and Mythra cautiously walked away. The Blades would run into another resident, this one being Simon.
"Have no fear, I've already given you my word of congratulations," the vampire hunter assured Pyra and Mythra, who both let out sighs of relief. "I just wanted to commend you both for covering up more."
"Thanks; Master Hand made us do it," stated Pyra; she and Mythra were asked by Master Hand to cover up their skin, to make themselves look "family-friendly". As a result, the Blades had to wear leggings around the mansion, which Simon didn't mind.
"As I suspected. I know you two have been bothered to death, so...I'll leave you alone." And with that, Simon walked away, as his respect for Master Hand grew a bit more.
Simon: The amount of skin that Pyra and Mythra were showing often disturbed me, so I must thank Master Hand for asking those two to cover themselves up. Now they won't walk around looking like hookers. Yet Master Hand has done nothing about Pyra and Mythra's seemingly unnatural breast sizes...getting some very mixed signals from him.
Pyra and Mythra headed over to a couch, which was occupied by Nia and her Blade, Dromarch. Nia was busy looking at her nails, while Dromarch was just...chilling. Just taking it easy.
"The professors never got this much congratulations when they joined Smash," remarked Mythra, as she and Pyra took a seat on the couch across from Nia and Dromarch. "Wonder why we're getting all the attention..."
"I might have the answer...try looking down," Nia suggested in response, and Pyra and Mythra didn't even have to look down - they simply knew the answer from the get-go. "Notice how most of the sycophants are men."
"I have seen some women congratulate Pyra and Mythra, my lady," Dromarch said to Nia, doing his best not to damage the Gormotti's narrative. "Granted, it was maybe about five or six."
"My point still stands, though. Admit it, Pyra and Mythra - you're just getting all these heaps of praise because of how attractive you are." And perhaps because of how endowed they were, too.
"Now you're standing to sound like Rex - a little jealous," Pyra said to Nia with a smile, as Nia folded her arms and looked the other way with a frown.
"Nia! At last, I've finally found you!" exclaimed Master Hand as he appeared in the gaming room...albeit a little far away from his designated target. The giant hand floated towards Nia, who was ready to make her leave.
"It was nice chatting with you ladies." Sensing Master Hand's presence behind her, Nia got up off the couch and walked away, with Dromarch following her. Master Hand would catch up to Nia, appearing in front of the Gormotti.
"Ha! Thought you could get away, could you?" Master Hand shouted at Nia, who jumped back as she let out a slight scream. "Anyways, I'm sure that you're aware of those cats I've been babysitting in my room."
"You're telling me this why, exactly? It's because I'm a girl with cat ears, isn't it?" Not like there was anyone else that Master Hand could turn to.
"Yes, of course! Way to use your brain. So Cloud, Zelda, and Isabelle say that I can keep the cats, so I was wondering if maybe..."
"Do you want me to keep them for you, Master Hand?" Nia already had a cat in Dromarch, who was like a butler to her; she didn't need anymore. "I'm not some crazy cat lady, so I am not..."
"Can you just let me finish, woman?! I need you to take the five cats and find a forever home for them. Give it someone who'll take them in, and love them like an only child."
"Why not do it yourself? You seem to care about those cats a lot." Knowing Master Hand, he'd much rather make someone else do his dirty work.
"Last time I tried to give some pets away, I gave an old lady a heart attack...and a stroke. It was on that day that I truly realized how intimidating I was."
"Must've happened a long time ago...but sure, I'll find those cats a home. What's the worse that could happen?"
"Knew you would come around! Don't worry about the cat food and all that jazz, that's up for the adoptee to handle themselves. Just remember, you're doing a good deed!"
With Master Hand having given his task, he vanished away, as Nia let out a sigh seconds later. Pyra and Mythra would walk over to Nia, having eavesdropped on much of the conversation.
"So I hear that you'll be giving those cats away," Pyra said to Nia, who was looking down at the floor as she nodded her head. "We'll come along if you want us to!" And just like that, Nia instantly perked up.
"We could use any excuse to get out of the mansion," added Mythra, who just wanted to get away from all the constant praise. It was starting to get under her skin. "This is the perfect one for us!"
"Looks like you won't be alone," Dromarch said to Nia, seeing that the Gormotti was now happy about the task that was handed to her. "Granted, I wouldn't leave you, but..."
"Thanks, ladies, I sure do appreciate it," Nia thanked Pyra and Mythra, glad that she wouldn't have to find a home for the five cats alone. Well, aside from Dromarch, that is.
Link did it...he finally proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Princess Zelda. It was a special moment - so special, that Mario was breaking down in tears when making the big announcement. Since the proposal, Mario repeatedly told Link and Zelda how much he loved them, which greatly irked the Hylians.
Link and Zelda had plans to get married before the end of the year, so they hit the ground running with planning out their wedding. Cloud would help his friend Link out in planning the wedding...but he was preoccupied at the moment. He was on a quest to resurrect Aerith from the dead, and he received some confidence and support from Master Hand regarding his ongoing quest. Shout-out to Sonic, for spilling the beans to Master Hand.
Sonic: I felt bad about snitching on Cloud, so I asked if I could be a part of his project...and he obliged! Told me that I couldn't tell the others about the project, though. But he never said I could tell anyone outside of the mansion... *smiles deviously* ...I could tell Amy about it. But then I'd have to monitor her social media activity, and that would make me feel more like her dad than her boyfriend.
Cloud: I don't have a one-track mind, don't you - I'm finding a few ways to contribute to Link's wedding planning. Only in small doses. With Sonic and the others now a part of things, I won't have to do all the work regarding the ongoing project. E. Gadd has told me to lay off a little...better start heeding his advice now.
Cloud brought those familiar with the Aerith Revival Project - Sonic, Tails, Fox, Falco, and Corrin - down to the Pokemon sanctuary, so he could show them the kind of stuff he was working on. And also show them some folks that were helping him with the project. One of them being Kamek.
"This guy probably doesn't need much of an introduction..." Cloud said to Sonic and company as he stood next to Kamek, whom the swordsman invited to the mansion today. "...all of you should know who he is."
"Yeah, we know him - Bowser's favorite flunkey," answered Fox, as Kamek silently disagreed with the pilot. Thought that being a so-called flunkey was beneath a magician of his stature. "Is he part of your little project?"
"Yes, he is - he's got some magic that can revive dead people. Kamek's the one who revived Fawful and Cackletta." Cackletta's name brought back some vivid memories to Sonic.
"So that's how Cackletta was alive and kicking!" the blue hedgehog remarked, as he recalled Cackletta's actions during the road trip in episode 238. "Wonder if Kamek was responsible for those make-believe tourist attractions."
"Those weren't make-believe tourist attractions, Sonic, they were very much real," Tails said to the hedgehog, who still refused to believe the yellow fox. "Has my tourist guide not taught you anything?"
"C'mon Tails, use your head! 'The Great Yarnball'? 'Upside-Down Town'? Those attractions made me feel like we were living inside some kind of hallucination! Kamek must've definitely pulled it off."
"Can we please get back on topic?" asked an annoyed Cloud, as Sonic quickly shut his trap. Sonic was bound to argue with Tails later. "So as I've said, Kamek has the ability to revive dead people. E. Gadd recommended him for a reason."
"Have you ever found anyone on your own merit?" Falco questioned Cloud, doing his best not to start any unnecessary flames. "Way to think for yourself."
"I can kick you out of this group if you want me to..." Falco would take Cloud's threat to heart, as he remained quiet. "...I asked Kamek to stop by today, so he can show you boys what kind of magic he can whip up."
"This is the magic that'll be required for Dr. Eggman's machine," Kamek explained to Sonic and company as he took out his trusty wand, waving it around to generate some magic. "Let me show you what it can do..."
After generating enough magic, Kamek used his wand to cast a spell that sent the magic...well, somewhere. Cloud and the others waited around, expecting something to happen, but were left with goose eggs.
"So...did it work?" Corrin asked Kamek, after several seconds of completely awkward silence. Kamek apparently seemed satisfied as he put his wand away.
"We will find out, in due time. Best case scenario, I brought back someone from the dead, worst case scenario...we get zombies."
"Zombies?!" Corrin got all excited when Kamek mentioned zombies, as he was on high alert. "How is that a worst-case scenario? Fending off hordes of zombies would look great for our reputations!"
"Corrin, fighting zombies isn't our MO," Cloud stated to the prince, who was now fantasying about fighting zombies in the mansion's backyard. "We're just reviving a person. Fully alive, not undead."
"I would have revived a certain dead person in particular, but I had nobody in mind," Kamek confessed to Sonic and company, believing that he should've thought one step ahead. "Would've asked you boys for suggestions, but Lord knows who you would've come up with..."
Corrin: Been waiting for over a year to have another zombie invasion. The last one was pretty nice, but Mario and Luigi had to cut it short with their bland karaoke performance. There won't be any karaoke this time around, hopefully, which means that a potential zombie invasion could last the entire night! As it rightfully should!
When discussing the plans for their wedding, Link and Zelda were both targeting the wedding date to be around late summer and early fall. That would give the Hylians around seven to eight months to plan stuff out. While Zelda was off doing her part, Link was doing his - with someone to assist him whenever Cloud wasn't available.
"Hey, Link - I had a word with Haru in the gardens just now," Rex said to Link, whom he found standing around in the foyer. Link was looking at a wedding checklist in his hand. "She agreed to be the wedding florist!"
"As I figured," replied Link, as he scratched off an item from his checklist. Finding a florist was an easy task - a few great choices to pick from. "Now what about the photographer?"
"Funny you should mention that...Lakitu approached me about the job. He said he's game." Yet another easy hiring for Link, as he scratched off another item from his checklist.
"Superb! You have been a great assistant so far, Rex. Now, all that's left to do today is find a band..." As Link was about to ponder, he heard a sexy saxophone solo from nearby. Only one person could pull off a sax solo with such style.
"Is that who I think it is?" As Rex suspected, the sax solo came from Iori Yagami, who entered the foyer playing his saxophone. Iori would stop playing when he saw that he had an audience.
"Ah, I see that you've become enamored with my lovely sax solo," the saxophone player said to Link and Rex, seeing how impressed they were. "Sorry, but I'm not taking requests - not at least for the time being."
"Don't worry, Iori, we're not King Dedede..." Link assured the saxophone player. "...not like we're gonna put our lips on that sax of yours. Unlike him, we both have class."
"Imagine being a king, and not having class...hmph. What are the odds." Iori continued playing his saxophone, as Rex scratched his chin in thought.
"Iori, you performed with a band at Fox and Krystal's wedding," the swordsman said to the saxophone player. "Why not do it again, for Link and Zelda's wedding?" Iori stopped playing, as he thought over the offer proposed to him.
"That would be an interesting proposition. But if I perform with a band, I will be very nitpicky. Don't want buffoons like Pit to drag the band down."
"You can feel free to perform solo if you choose to," Link said to Iori, knowing that the saxophone player would do well with others or by himself. "But if you want a band...we can find you some bandmates."
"Go on..." Iori had a big smile on his face, as he found Link's offer highly intriguing. Link nervously gulped, worried that he might've backed himself into a corner with no way out.
"Obviously, we wouldn't hand-pick someone like Pit...but it'll be somebody who's pretty competent in music. You'll have the final say in the matter, but..."
"Final say in the matter, hm? That's all I need to know..." Iori was still smiling big, as he walked away with his saxophone. "...I'll give you until the end of the day. Make me impressed!" Iori played another sax solo, this one jazzier than the previous one.
"Um, why is Iori the one giving out orders?" Rex asked Link, believing that finding bandmates should be Iori's priority. "Shouldn't it be the other way around? This is your wedding, Link!"
"Right you are, Rex," replied Link, now having some regrets over the offer he presented to Iori. "This is just for me and Iori to reach some kind of common understanding. I promise you we'll find the right people..."
Lloyd was now ready to begin his food delivery service, as he had enough food in stock to get started. The routes that Toad would be riding around town were picked out. Not only that, but a few orders were already made after Pit did his best to spread the word around town.
"This is a billboard that I put up downtown," Pit said to Lloyd as he showed the swordsman an image of the billboard on his phone. The words "Lloyd's Food Delivery Service" were on the billboard, along with a picture of Lloyd smiling with a thumbs up and a phone number at the bottom.
"That's awesome!" exclaimed Lloyd, appreciative of Pit for getting word about the delivery service out and about. Talk about being a bro. "Is that your phone number at the bottom?"
"Well, it would've been...but I can't make or receive calls, since my phone bill's unpaid. So I went with Peppy's phone number!"
Peppy: Been receiving a lot of weird calls lately...all of them being food-related. Every so often, somebody would call me to make a purchase, to order some food, and I would follow along just to be nice. There was this one man who made a call one day, and he said that he needed some broccoli to make his bowels "hum" properly. Very descriptive. Imagine saying that to another human being.
"Peppy actually kept up with whoever was calling him," Pit continued as he handed Lloyd a list of customers, with their address and contact info listed. "Wrote down everything we need on this list."
"He definitely came through for us, that's for sure!" remarked Lloyd, as he and Pit waited around in the driveway for Toad to show up. They wouldn't have to wait that long, as Toad appeared with Kirby and Incineroar behind him.
"Alright boys, I think we're ready to roll!" Toad said to Pit and Lloyd, ready to get Lloyd's delivery service on the road. No pun intended. Gotta have a great first day, no matter what. "We should have all the food we need in the delivery truck."
"Is there any room for us in there, Pit?" Kirby asked the angel as he pointed at the delivery truck. The pink puffball wanted to see how Pit would handle delivering food to strangers. "Incineroar and I can come along for the support."
"Sorry you two, but there won't be enough room," Pit said to Kirby and Incineroar in a despondent tone; riding with his pals would've made Pit's experience a little better. "Unless you ate all the food in the truck! Which I wouldn't advise doing."
"About to take off, guys?" Riku asked Toad and company, as he and Kairi showed up at the driveway. The Keyblade wielder appeared to be very skeptical. "Good luck out there!"
"Much appreciated, Riku! We'll do our best. Come on in, boys!" Toad went to the delivery truck as he hopped inside, with Pit and Lloyd entering the delivery truck as well.
"We're gonna make a difference, just you wait and see!" Lloyd vowed to everyone standing around outside as he pointed at them, before rolling up his window. Toad backed the delivery truck out of the driveway.
"How long do you think Lloyd's delivery service is gonna last?" Kairi asked Riku, watching as the delivery truck took off down the road.
"If we're being very generous...I'm gonna say five days," replied Riku as he folded his arms, being as skeptical as possible. Kairi, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. "Can't see it even lasting an entire week."
Riku: Lloyd thinks that he's gonna make a difference? *snorts* The only difference I can see him making is being a local clown, compared to just being the mansion's clown. Always thought that Lloyd was a dork when I first met him, and that belief still holds to this day.
Kirby: Got some faith in Pit getting Lloyd started on the right track. He appears to have learned a lot since we sold those Pikachu Cheesesteaks three years ago. I guess working under Cortex and Brio lit a fire under Pit's butt. True story: I've seen Pit light an actual fire under his butt, and I spent five minutes trying to put the fire out. That, children, is why you should never use multiple boxes of matches without adult supervision...
Meanwhile, at the Mario household, Mario was in his backyard with Luigi remodeling his patio. Getting as much done as possible before it started raining. The Mario Bros would be interrupted when Peony showed up...crying.
"Why are-a you crying so much?" Mario asked Peony, who hanged his head low as tears ran down his face. "Is it about-a Peonia?"
"Yes, it's about my sweet Nia..." replied Peony as he wiped away the tears from his face with his arm. "My precious little Nia...ran away!"
"She ran away?!" And to think, that Peony was making some good progress rebuilding his father-daughter bond. And Peonia just took off. "To be fair, she did run away a lot back-a in Freezington."
"Your daughter would make-a for a great deadbeat mom," Luigi said to Peony as if his comment was supposed to make the explorer feel any better. "If deadbeat moms-a exist, that is..."
"She didn't just run away..." Peony continued, as he continued to sob a bit more. Had to let all of his feelings out. "She ran away...and made some new friends! Four new friends Nia made..."
"And that's some-a thing worth crying over?" Mario furrowed his brow at Peony; the plumber would never be as emotional as Peony if Jennifer made friends. "You must've prevented Peonia from-a ever having friends back home."
"Shut up, Mario!" Peony sounded really defensive there, as he wiped away more tears from his eyes. "I want you fellas to see the friends that Nia made. They're a pretty swell group, for sure."
So Peony led the Mario Bros to some forestation, which wasn't that far from Mario's home. Mario and Luigi peeked through the shrubbery and saw Peonia sitting around with four individuals - two dudes, and two ladies.
"Isn't this beautiful?" Peony asked the Mario Bros, smiling as he proudly shed a tear. Mario and Luigi took a few steps back, fearing that Peony was about to have another crying fit.
"Are you seriously about-a to cry again?" Luigi asked Peony, who manned up in a hurry. Peonia overheard Luigi's voice, as she turned around and saw Peony and the Mario Bros.
"Oh, hi dad!" the girl waved to Peony as she paused her conversation. Beforehand, Peonia would be triggered by Peony sneaking up on her. "Have you met my new friends?"
"I don't believe I have!" replied Peony as he and the Mario Bros stepped through the shrubbery, sitting around Peonia and her friends. "Why don't you tell me and the boys who's who?"
"Alright, let's see..." Peonia looked around, looking to see which person she should introduce first. "...so this is Seth, he's a seafarer. Seated next to him is the princess of Musa, Gloria. The guy with the book is Elvis, and that over there is Adelle. Think they all came from the same country."
"Foreigners...I should-a have known," Luigi muttered to Mario; the medieval attire of Peonia's new friends was the dead giveaway for the plumber. "These grounds are always-a attracting their kind..."
Red the Pokemon Trainer: Sometimes I'll never understand how the grounds of the mansion can attract all these magical people from faraway fantasy lands. The water quality around here still sucks, so...I'll just say there's something in the air.
"I'm not friends with these three or anything," Adelle, a mercenary, stated to Peony and the Mario Bros. "I just decided to come along with them."
"Frankly, I'm just happy to be alive," stated Seth, as he brushed his hand through his black hair. "Could've been left for dead on the shore..."
"Peonia...I can easily see how you made friends with all of these wonderful folks," Peony said to his daughter, unable to fully express how proud he was of her. "That's my girl!"
"Why bother sitting around-a here outside?" Mario said to Peonia and her friends, looking up at the sky and seeing the clouds getting dark. "It might start-a raining soon! I'll let you stay-a in my house."
"Should we trust him?" Gloria asked Peonia, not sure of what to make of Mario. Something about the plumber's short height frightened the princess. "He looks like a garden gnome with a mustache."
"Mario acts like a dork most of the time, but other than that he's very nice," replied Peonia, making Mario clutch his pearls. The audacity of Peonia to call the plumber a dork... "His wife is very pleasant as well."
"Some lady thought about marrying him?" questioned Elvis, as he did not think that much of Mario as husband material. Mario was left wondering why he was getting roasted all of a sudden.
"Better watch-a your mouth, sir..." Mario frowned at Elvis, willing to throw hands if the verbal barbs kept going. "...I've prepared some-a snacks already, so you guys are in-a luck."
Shovel Knight was waiting around in the lobby of the tower, as he was expecting a visitor. Waluigi happened to walk by when he saw Shovel Knight standing around the front door.
"Good day, old chap!" Shovel Knight greeted Waluigi, whom he saw carrying a few boxes of Valentine's Day candy. "I take it that those boxes of chocolates were for thy lover?"
"They would've been...if I had a lover, to begin with," replied Waluigi, before tossing the boxes of candy into the nearby trash can. Hopefully, those boxes were already empty. "I'm a changed man now - I don't need love to be the best man that I can be!"
"My goodness, Waluigi, hast thou gone mad?! That is very much unlike thee." Usually, Waluigi would be all about finding a girlfriend, but now it seemed like the lanky man had a new priority in mind.
"That's right! After that whole debacle with Ryo and King, I've decided not to chase after women. Not only does it hurt my reputation, but it hurts my pride."
"So does that mean thou wilt remain single forever?" Shovel Knight couldn't imagine Waluigi choosing to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.
"Not forever; I'll find the girl of my dreams soon. I'll just go a very different way about it. The Wah-Man is now a changed man!"
Shadow: So Waluigi finally realized that he doesn't have what it takes to find a woman...it's about time. The next logical step for him is to realize that his very existence is pointless and irrelevant.
The doorbell rang, leading Shovel Knight to believe that the visitor he was expecting had arrived. The knight in blue armor excitedly opened the door and saw a fellow knight standing on the doorstep, with a princess with blue hair standing next to him.
"Sir Arthur, at thy service!" the knight standing on the doorstep greeted Shovel Knight, eschewing knighthood and valiance. Waluigi was taking a close at the princess, scratching his chin in thought.
"Ah! Sir Arthur! I see that you have received my letter," gleamed Shovel Knight, as he let Arthur and his princess friend inside the tower. "May I inquire about the princess lady thou hast brought with you?"
"Why of course! This lovely maiden here is Princess Prin Prin, the love of my life! Thou mayest choose to call her Princess if thou wishes."
"Thank you for inviting us over to the tower, Shovel Knight," Princess thanked the knight, as Waluigi continued to look at the bluenette, still in thought.
"Hey buddy, that's a nice girlfriend you got there!" Waluigi said to Arthur, choosing the right moment to speak. Arthur looked at Waluigi, disturbed by the lanky man's visage. "You must really know how to..."
"EGAD! IT'S AN EVIL, HIDEOUS MONSTER!" shrieked Arthur, as he took out his trusty lance and hurled it at Waluigi. Waluigi screamed as he dodged the lance, doing some kind of weird Matrix move, only to hurt his back.
"Wah, my back!" Waluigi fell to the floor on his back, putting himself in even more pain. Arthur stood over Waluigi with a frown, hoping that he taught the lanky man a lesson.
"Er...do you know that man, Shovel Knight?" Princess asked the knight, watching as Waluigi was on the floor writhing in pain. Arthur was delighting himself in Waluigi's plight.
"That man is Waluigi; he typically runs things around the mansion," explained Shovel Knight, as Arthur was surprised to hear Shovel Knight address Waluigi as a man. "He is an alpha male."
"So this man...is a human?" an astonished Arthur asked Shovel Knight, left wondering how a human being could look so ugly. "Hm, that would explain why his body hasn't disintegrated."
"Why would I want to disintegrate for?" questioned Waluigi, as Arthur backed away from the lanky man. Waluigi rolled over on his side, wincing in pain. "Wah, now I've made the pain ten times worse!"
"You two must join me for a tea party with the Black Knight," Shovel Knight said to Arthur and Princess, who were both intrigued by the offer. "The Black Knight makes the best tea around!"
"Ooh! A tea party with a fellow knight, how wonderful!" gleamed Arthur, as he rubbed his hands together in excitement. Arthur and Princess followed Shovel Knight out of the foyer, leaving Waluigi alone on the floor.
"Guys, wait up for me!" Waluigi called out to Shovel Knight and company, finding the strength to sit up on the floor. "Great, now my lower back's en fuego..."
Every week since episode 267, Moira would stop by the mansion to help Cloud with the Aerith Revival Project. When the geneticist stopped by the mansion today, she didn't expect to see Sonic, Tails, Corrin, Fox, and Falco being a part of things. After a brief discussion with Cloud, Moira had to give Sonic and company a few tasks to prove their overall worth.
"Fetch me a glass of water," Moira commanded Sonic, as she oversaw Tails putting together a device in the Pokemon sanctuary. Sonic was extremely miffed by the task handed to him.
"But how does that contribute to the effort of reviving Aerith?" questioned Sonic; he felt that if Moira wanted some water so bad, she should get it herself.
"I said fetch me a glass of water...now." Moira gave Sonic an angry look that was threatening enough to make the hedgehog zip out of the sanctuary. Satisfied with her intimidation skill, Moira smiled.
"Hey, Moira, what do you want us to do?" Fox asked the geneticist, as he and Falco were standing around. Moira got a good look at the pilots, figuring out what they could be useful for.
"I need you gentlemen to make me some DNA samples," replied Moira, handing out several DNA sample kits to the pilots. "Acquire samples from as many subjects as you can."
"Easier said than done," remarked Falco, after he and Fox accepted the DNA sample kits from Moira. "But I gotta ask...what is this for?"
"It's...mostly for comparison purposes. And to prove your worth to me. Now, go on, move along now! Time waits for no one!"
Falco: All we gotta do is just go around, take a cotton swab, and stick it down people's mouths. Pretty simple, don't you think, Fox?
Fox: Not quite...I seriously think we should ask for people's consent before we stick the swabs into their...
Falco: *snorts* Ask people for consent? What, do you think we're crusing around for girls? Get out of your mind.
Fox: Okay then...don't come crying to me when you get a black eye.
"Alright, Moira, here's your stupid glass of water," Sonic said to the geneticist as he returned to the sanctuary with a glass of water. Moira was about to accept the glass of water, before seeing something amiss.
"Where is the ice?" the geneticist frowned, as she preferred her water to be a little cold. Sonic sighed, as he sped out of the sanctuary once more.
"All done!" announced Tails, as he was finished working on his new device. He showed it off to Moira, who was well pleased with the result.
"Nicely done, Mr. Prower. Kamek should be able to use that device to its potential." Hearing his name called, Kamek came over to Tails and Moira.
"May I see?" the Magikoopa asked Tails, as he took a gander at the newly-crafted device. Tails was about to hand his device over to Kamek...only to be interrupted by a huge rumble that shook the mansion.
"Woah, what was that?!" Tails wondered, the yellow fox having nearly lost his balance. Good thing he hadn't dropped his device to the floor.
"I fear that was a result of the spell I had cast earlier..." Kamek gulped nervously, as he looked down at his wand. "I fear that the undead might've risen somewhere..."
Nia, Pyra, Mythra, and Dromarch were going around town, looking for someone who wanted to adopt the five cats. Dromarch was carrying the five cats on his back, as he felt his back constantly scratched upon.
"Good evening! How are you?" Nia greeted a homeless man that she and the others saw on the street. The homeless man sat on the sidewalk, eating a slice of pizza that someone had likely given to him. "Would you like a cat?"
"A cat, huh?" the homeless man spoke, as he saw the five cats perched atop Dromarch's back. Didn't seem that interested. "No thanks, I'm good. I'm actually allergic to cats."
"Aw. We are very sorry to hear...that," responded Pyra, only to trail off when she saw a small little kitten peeking its head from underneath the homeless man's right pant leg. "Is that...a kitten?"
"A kitten? Where is it?" The homeless man quickly spotted the kitty, before pushing it back inside his pants. A very interesting place for the kitten to live in. "You must be seeing things."
"That was a kitten! You're lying!" Mythra pointed accusingly at the homeless man, wanting him to fess up. "You're not allergic to cats at all!"
"To tell you the truth, I'm allergic to cats...but kittens, that's a different story. I'm not allergic to those." Mythra and company failed to pick up on the homeless man's logic, or the lack thereof.
"But aren't kittens supposed to be baby cats? I mean, if we're being technical here..."
"I'ma be real technical with all your behinds if you don't leave me alone..." The homeless man angrily stood up and confronted Mythra and company, ready to throw some hands. But Dromarch wouldn't let any violence happen under his watch.
"Stop it - violence is not the answer," the tiger sternly said to the homeless man, who jumped away from Dromarch out of fright.
"Ack! That white tiger can talk! He must be a demon!" Scared for his life, the homeless man ran away, curiously carrying his pet kitten in his hands.
"Nice going, Dromarch...you keep scaring away potential adopters," Nia frowned at the tiger with her hands on her hips. "Can't you just let us ladies do all the talking?"
"My apologies, my lady, I was just easily provoked. It's not that easy to push my buttons..."
Peonia and her new friends - Seth, Gloria, Elvis, and Adelle - were all inside Mario's home, with Mario giving them the freedom to continue hanging out. Peach greatly welcomed the company of Peonia's new friends, and so did a certain purple dragon.
"Oh yeah, that's the spot, right there..." smiled Spyro, as he was laying on top of Gloria's lap. Gloria was sitting on a living room sofa, stroking her hand behind Spyro's horns.
"You have a very lovely pet dragon," the princess said to Mario as she continued to massage Spyro. Mario made a very amused face.
"He's more of a friend-a than a dragon, but to each-a their own," responded Mario as he sat in the living room, watching television. Hunter stood at the far distance, looking at Spyro and Gloria with jealousy written on his face.
Hunter: How is it that Spyro gets a free massage, and I don't? Is it because Gloria is already familiar with dragons? There must not be any cheetahs from wherever the heck she's from. I'm calling institutional bias!
"This book...it's practically ripe with knowledge!" remarked Elvis, who was in the living room reading a book. It was a copy of the Hyrulian tome that Impa instructed Mario to read. "Nothing in this book seems frightening, or out of the ordinary."
"Wait until he gets to the part about the Oocoo..." Mario quietly snickered to Seth, who was seated on the couch next to the plumber. Seth didn't respond, as he was just staring at the television screen.
"I see that seafaring is more advanced in your region," the sailor remarked, his eyes fixated on the show that Mario was watching. Basically a bunch of dudes traveling on a motorized boat, trying to catch a shark. "Could go for some fish right now..."
"Did someone say fish?" Peach perked up, as she was in the kitchen not knowing what to cook. Until now. "I could cook some fish for dinner! Should have enough for everyone in this household."
"Heh, me and my big mouth," Seth smiled, crediting himself for doing Peach a huge solid with her dinner plans. That smile went away real quick, after seeing stuff go down on the television screen. "Why are those sailors trying to capture that shark? Are they insane?"
"Yes, but that's what makes-a this show exciting," replied Mario, who was unalarmed by the shark attack playing out on the screen. Seth found the plumber's lack of concern very concerning. "Their insanity and stupidity are what drives-a television ratings."
"Uh oh, I think we got ourselves a visitor!" announced Peony, as he heard someone knock on the back screen door. The explorer went to the screen door and saw Cloud standing by, as he opened the door. "Come on in, Cloud!"
"Hey, please don't touch me," Cloud greeted Peony as he entered Mario's house, closing the screen door behind him. Peony, ignoring Cloud's demand, went ahead and hugged the swordsman. "Who am I kidding, you never listen..."
"Aw yeah, group hug!" cheered Hunter as he ran to Cloud to join the hug...only for Cloud to push the cheetah away. Sent Hunter down to the floor.
"Welcome, Cloud!" Peach called out to the swordsman, who was finally free from Peony's hug. "Came here for some dinner? I'm cooking some fish!"
"I might stick around, who knows," replied Cloud, knowing that Peach was delighted by his response. "I just wanted to stop by and speak with Mario."
"Over here, Cloud!" shouted Mario, as Cloud came over to the living room. Cloud stopped in place when he saw all of Peonia's new friends.
"Nice spiky hair," Adelle said to Cloud in a half-joking tone, as she was chilling near the fireplace. Cloud had endured many remarks about his hair throughout the years, so Adelle's comments barely fazed him.
"Mario, who are all these people?" Cloud asked the plumber as he looked around the living room. Peony, smiling proudly, approached Cloud as he wrapped his arm around the swordsman.
"These four guests are friends that Nia made - Seth, Gloria, Elvis, and Adelle!" Peony happily introduced Peonia's new friends to Cloud, as he couldn't help but shed a few tears. Cloud noticed right away. "My precious Nia, making friends..."
"So are you saying that Peonia never really had friends before? I could see why." Peony looked offended, as Cloud went over to Mario and sat next to the plumber on his couch.
"Glad that you could-a stop by, Cloud," Mario said to the swordsman, always feeling honored when Cloud wanted to speak with him. "How's it going?"
"Just wanted to ask you a question. Is It immoral to bring someone back from the dead?" That question sounded pretty loaded to Mario, who didn't know the best way to answer.
"Well, depending on-a the circumstance..." Mario eyed around the living room, piecing together in his mind the right words to say. "...why are-a you asking me this question?"
"Let's just say that I want to revive someone. Someone like, I don't know...Aerith Gainsborough." Now Cloud really had the attention of Mario and everyone else in the Mario household.
"You want to revive-a Aerith? Wasn't she killed-a like a long time ago? Why do you want to bring-a her back now?"
"Yeah, and wouldn't reviving her be extremely pointless?" questioned Hunter, as Cloud desired to know where the cheetah was coming from. "She's already living at the mansion, man!"
"That's an Aerith from an alternate universe, Hunter..." Spyro stated to the cheetah, who mentally kicked himself for forgetting this important fact. "...the Aerith in this universe is dead, and Cloud wants her alive again."
"Right. But I've been having a few second doubts about it over the week," stated Cloud, who had been weighing things in his mind since last Friday. "Master Hand learned of my plans from Sonic, and he claimed that reviving people might be 'immoral.'"
"Like Master Hand's the one to talk," said Peach, who never really saw Master Hand as the bastion of moral guidance. "He's done plenty of immoral stuff in the past. Many of which were even done off-camera!"
"Yes, you'd be surprised-a at what Master Hand does-a behind the scenes," Mario said to Cloud, and he would know; he was a former man of the mansion himself, having worked with Master Hand in the past. "You shouldn't let him bog you down."
"I guess you're right..." agreed Cloud, as he was slowly starting to come around. "...do you think resurrecting Aerith is a good idea, though?"
"Question: did you harbor any romantic feelings towards Aerith?" Seth curiously asked Cloud, wanting to interject himself in the conversation. He wanted to help Cloud the best way that he could.
"I might've had a thing for Aerith. We were pretty close together. Why do you ask that?"
"Love can make you do crazy things," Gloria said to Cloud with a smile, as she was now stroking Spyro's back. "I'd say that reviving your love is pretty high up there on the list."
"If you really wanna revive Aerith that bad, then that's your choice," Cappy encouraged Cloud, doing his best to erase whatever doubts the swordsman had. "Just follow your heart, man!"
"Funny...those were the same words that Link said to me," remarked Cloud, feeling a brief moment of deja vu. "Albeit in an unrelated conversation."
"Do any of the folks in the mansion know about your willingness to revive Aerith?" Peony asked Cloud, who let out a sigh - that sigh told Peony and the others all that they needed to know.
"I had planned on keeping it a secret, but I let a few find out. Sonic and Fox, to name a few. Now they agreed to help me with my little project."
"I can always chip-a in if you want me to," Mario smiled at Cloud, nudging the swordsman in his side. Mario would always support Cloud, no matter what. "Just don't keep any secrets from-a me."
Mario: Oh, believe-a me, I keep secrets all-a the time. Peach may not know this, but I secretly sold-a the stand mixer that she loved so much! The dumb thing made-a so much noise, I couldn't hear my own-a self think. I've blamed Spyro for setting the mixer ablaze-a and destroying it, and I've been-a living peacefully ever since.
Spyro: So weird...every time I enter the kitchen, Peach gives me this mean-looking side-eye. On most days, she even yells at me to leave the kitchen! What did I ever do to her?
"Fine, I'll come to you if I ever need anything," Cloud said to Mario, not certain that the plumber would be of much help. But he was open to any assistance.
"Hey, since we're reviving Aerith and all..." Hunter spoke up, as a curious thought had entered his mind. "...should we let the Aerith at the mansion know what's up?" At that moment, Cloud had fear in his eyes.
"...this is why I wanted to keep things a secret, for now." Cloud saw Hunter heading towards the screen door, thinking that the cheetah was about to leave. "Hunter, you better not spill any beans to Aerith."
"The Aerith currently at the mansion, or the Aerith that's going to be revived soon?" Hunter's question earned him a stern look from Cloud. "I'm genuinely confused right now..."
Link and Rex were looking for residents willing to join Iori's band and had taken their search to the tower. There, they spoke with Barbara the Bat, who happened to be a very talented guitarist.
"I will be paid for performing at your wedding, right?" Barbara asked Link, as she strummed a few chords on her guitar in her room. Rex looked curiously at Link, who appeared to be very nervous.
"Yes, you will be paid...with my respect," replied Link, and as expected, Barbara was not amused by the response. Had a big frown on her face. "And some of Zelda's respect, too."
"You know what, since you look pretty desperate...I'll join the band." Link let out a huge sigh of relief, grateful that Barbara would come through.
"That's all we needed to know. Thanks!" Rex said to Barbara, letting the bat continue her guitar playing as he and Link exited Barbara's room.
"So now we have Barbara on the guitar, King K. Rool's got the trumpet part, and Pac-Man will be doing the drums," Link said to Rex in the hallway, looking at a list of recruited band members. "Now we need a trombone player..."
"Ah, my back feels AMAZING!" exclaimed Waluigi, as Link and Rex turned around and saw the lanky man heading towards their way. Waluigi, whose back was healed thanks to Leia, spotted the swordsmen ahead of him. "Link! Rex! Just the fellas I wanted to see."
"Oh boy..." said Rex, as Waluigi ran up to the swordsman and Link from behind and wrapped his arms around them both. "...what do you want, Waluigi?"
Rex: Apparently, Waluigi likes to think of me as a "brother from another mother". He thinks that because I never had a chance of being in Smash, I have become relatable to him. He's been lowkey trying to be my best friend for two years now, I'm afraid.
"Glad you asked, fellow unloved child," replied Waluigi, leading Rex to cringe; Waluigi always had a new pet name every time he saw Rex. "How would you and Link like to join a tea party?"
"You were invited to a tea party?" Link asked Waluigi, looking at the lanky man in disbelief. "Did no one else want to come?"
"I'm planning on inviting myself, you see. Shovel Knight is attending a tea party hosted by the Black Knight, with Sir Arthur and his love Princess Prin Prin!"
"Of course a woman had to be involved..." facepalmed Rex, having a sneaky suspicion that Waluigi might have an ulterior motive.
"I can't stand to attend this party alone, which is why I need you, best pals, to be my...my plus-two."
"And you think that the two of us attending the party with you will make a difference," Link said to Waluigi, not fully understanding the lanky man's plan.
"It'll have a lasting effect on Arthur and Princess! Arthur will look at me and be amazed, and be like, 'Mama mia! This Waluigi guy has some great friends. Seems like an alright guy!'"
"...don't think that a royal knight ever would exclaim 'mama mia', but yeah, Rex and I will attend." Link and Rex would only attend the tea party for as long as their patience with Waluigi would allow it.
"Excellent! You two don't have to dress up or anything - just need to make me look impressionable. To the balcony, away!"
So Waluigi led Link and Rex to the balcony, which was conveniently just a few feet away from where the trio was standing. On the balcony, Shovel Knight, Arthur, and Princess were enjoying their tea party, with the Black Knight pouring up some tea.
"More tea for you, Sir Arthur!" the Black Knight said; he felt honored to be in the presence of another knight, especially one such as Arthur.
"Much obliged, old chum!" Arthur thanked the Black Knight, as he took a sip from his cup of tea. "Black Knight, thou makest some of the finest tea around!"
"Howdy partners, got some room for us?" Waluigi asked Shovel Knight and company as he, Link, and Rex took a seat at the table. Link and Rex both cringed at the greeting Waluigi used.
"Ah, Waluigi, so glad that thou could join us!" gleamed Shovel Knight, as Arthur made a quick double-take at Link and Rex.
"The monster-looking human has friends?!" the knight exclaimed, almost at a loss for words, before Princess smacked him on his head.
"Be nice to him..." the bluenette whispered to her lover. Arthur grumbled quietly to himself as kept a very close eye on Waluigi.
Princess: Waluigi seems like a very nice man. From my first impression, I could tell that he's a sweet and charming man. *pauses* That said, I don't believe that he's exactly boyfriend material. His face is admittedly pretty distracting to look at.
"Mind telling us who your friends are...human man who doesn't strongly resemble a monster?" Arthur asked Waluigi, finding it a struggle to be nice towards the lanky man. There were so many mean things that he wanted to get off his chest.
"Why, of course!" replied Waluigi as he clapped his hands together, ready to make some introductions. "The guy wearing the tunic is Link; you might know him as the hero of Hyrule. And this here is Rex - he's a lovable loser, like me!"
"Only of a much different variety," clarified Rex, refusing to belong in the same category as Waluigi. Arthur looked at Link and Rex, not believing that either one of them deserved Waluigi's friendship.
"You're friends with a hero of legend?" Arthur asked Waluigi, finding it hard to be impressed by the lanky man. "He must've befriended you by accident."
"Arthur!" Princess scolded her lover as she smacked him on his head a second time. Arthur grumbled at Princess, as Shovel Knight just laughed.
"Hope you gentlemen enjoy your tea," the Black Knight said to Waluigi, Link, and Rex, as he poured cups of tea for the three. Waluigi saw Arthur rubbing the back of his head with a frown, as he sensed some tension between Arthur and Princess.
"Princess, you shouldn't have hit on Arthur like that," the lanky man said to the bluenette, causing Arthur to perk up. "It's not right to be so physical with your boyfriend!"
"You think I was a little out of line?" Princess asked Waluigi, who nodded his head; Princess began to show remorse, as she held the hand that she smacked Arthur with. "I'm sorry, Arthur...I should've known better."
"And Arthur, you shouldn't be so angry with Princess." Waluigi turned his attention to Arthur, who was surprised by the lanky man lecturing him. "Anger is no way to solve your problems!"
"Do you insist that I should be...less angry?" asked Arthur, as both Link and Rex were stunned by what they were seeing. Waluigi was out here dropping knowledge. Well...simple knowledge, but knowledge nonetheless.
"If I had a girlfriend, and she hit me on the back of my head, I'd tell her calmly to stop. What good is grumbling gonna do?"
"I suppose that you have a point..." Arthur slowly turned his head to look at Princess, who smiled at him. And Arthur smiled in return. "...slow to speak, and so to be angry. That's what I should do."
"Wow, Waluigi, that was...pretty smooth!" Link said to the lanky man, as Rex smiled and nodded in agreement. "Where did that come from?"
"Lovable losers have lots of experience," replied Waluigi in an almost bragging manner, as he leaned back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head. "Franky, I have lots of experience when it comes to falling - or rather, failing - in love." Waluigi leaned so far back in his chair, that he fell backward.
"Oh no! Waluigi! Art thou okay?!" fretted Shovel Knight, after Waluigi fell onto the balcony floor and likely reinjuring his back. As Shovel Knight and the others tended to Waluigi, Terry poked his head outside.
"Just heard a nasty fall, did I hear someone put a medieval spin on my catchphrase?" the fighter asked, as Waluigi moaned in pain. Shovel Knight, Link, and Rex tended to Waluigi, while everyone else looked on.
"Yup...this would happen to me," remarked Waluigi, as he felt pain in his back yet again. Vintage Waluigi moment.
Pit and Lloyd were almost done delivering food around Seattle, finishing their rounds before they could call it a day. The duo made their last delivery selling some yogurt to a woman.
"May we interest you with some free soy milk?" Pit asked the woman standing at the doorway, holding up a carton of soy milk. It was a small attempt at an upsell - but a free one at that.
"No thank you; nobody in this household enjoys soy milk," the woman kindly replied, greatly appreciating Pit's very kind gesture. "They only prefer to drink regular milk instead."
"Don't be fooled - soy milk is better than regular milk! Because it...um..." Pit didn't know what to say next to help his argument. "...Lloyd, help me out here, what is soy milk good for?"
"It's good for managing prostate cancer!" Lloyd informed the woman, who made a funny face; apparently, Lloyd wasn't much help either.
"Well, I'm a woman, so...the soy milk might not be for me," the woman responded, as Pit and Lloyd were desperately trying to give away the soy milk. It was the last item in their supply. "Also, my husband had cancer, but it wasn't in his prostate."
"You should give him the soy milk anyway, as a precaution. In case his cancer goes down to his prostate. Also, what if one of your kids gets prostate cancer?"
"I highly doubt that would happen since they're both girls..." The woman saw the desperation in Pit and Lloyd's eyes, and ultimately conceded. "...since you boys are so nice, I'll take the soy milk off your hands."
"YES!" cheered Pit, before handing the carton of soy milk to the woman. Pit and Lloyd could officially declare today a success. "Just drink that soy milk, and you'll never have to worry about your prostate again!"
"I'll just...tell that to my husband. You boys take care!" And with that, the woman closed her door, as Pit and Lloyd exchanged a high five.
Peppy: That list I made, with the information of all those people I called - it's gone missing! I suspect that Slippy stole the list, for his own nefarious reasons. Either that, or he just ate the list. Which isn't out of the ordinary for him. I've witnessed Slippy try to eat a printer whole. Almost choked himself to death!
Slippy: Trying to eat the printer that one time was an ill-fated mistake. I just wanted to know what the ink cartridges inside tasted like, but getting the printer open sounded like too much work.
"So, counting up our money, we have raised...a thousand bucks!" announced Lloyd, counting up the money as he and Pit headed back to the food truck. "That should account for this week."
"Awesome! What a great start," said Pit, as he saw the thousand dollars raised as a step in the right direction for Lloyd's delivery service. "Cloud will most definitely be happy about our efforts!"
"That's good! Why do you think that Cloud would care about how our delivery service went?" Pit realized that he might've said too much, as he was too nervous to say another word.
"Hey, you two, look over there!" Toad opened the delivery truck door and called out to Pit and Lloyd, lowkey saving Pit. Toad brought Pit and Lloyd's attention to Nia and the girls (and Dromarch), who were speaking with a man next door.
"Would you like a cat?" Pyra asked the man, bringing his attention to the five cats sitting atop Dromarch. "You can pick one that is your favorite color!"
"No thanks, I'm more of a dog person," replied the man, much to the dismay of Pyra and company. "Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna chow down on my broccoli, so my bowels can hum once again!"
"He really just said that out loud..." Mythra remarked in pure bewilderment after the man had closed his door. "...it's a good thing that no one was around to hear that."
"Pyra! Mythra! Nia! Dromarch!" Pit called out to the ladies (and tiger), as he waved to them. Pit was one of the last residents that the ladies (and Dromarch) wanted to see outside of the mansion.
"What is it that you want, Pit?" Nia asked the angel with her hands on her hips. "Can't you see that see trying to give away these cats?"
"Ooh! I want a cat! Always wanted a pet cat? Why don't you give one of those cats to me?" Owning one of the five cats was a dream for Pit.
"Master Hand wants the cats out of the mansion...giving one of them to you would defeat his purpose." Pit moaned in sadness, his dreams of being a pet cat owner dashed.
"We already sold all the food for today," Toad said to Pit and Lloyd, open for killing a little bit of time before returning to the mansion. "Why don't we give away those five cats to some folks around the city?"
"Nah, that would be mixed messaging, from a business standpoint," replied Lloyd, speaking as if he had plenty of business acumen under his belt. "Also, everyone would be expecting us to give out cats like hotcakes! We're not a traveling animal shelter."
"What is he even blabbering about?" Nia whispered to Pyra and Mythra, believing that Lloyd was trying to make himself sound intelligent.
"Leave him alone, my lady, he's just trying his best," Dromarch advised Nia, who rolled her eyes in response. "To be fair, he does have a fair point..."
Suddenly, some very loud moaning was heard, and it was pretty close by. Nia and company remained vigilant, whereas Pit and Lloyd were both scared out of their minds.
"Uh, would you look at the time, it's getting late!" exclaimed the frightened Pit, as he and Lloyd quickly ran inside the food truck. "See you girls later!" Pit made his parting remark as he closed the truck door before Toad took off down the road.
"That boy didn't even acknowledge my presence..." frowned Dromarch, feeling ignored - the price of being the only male within a group of ladies. Wanting to know where the loud moaning was coming from, the ladies went down the street and to the neighborhood exit.
"I see a bunch of people walking by," observed Pyra as she looked out and saw a bunch of people walking past the neighborhood exit. All of them were making the same moaning sound. "Are those...undead people?"
"You mean zombies?" asked Mythra, as she recalled the last instance of a zombie situation in Seattle. "No...it can't be."
"I reckon that we follow them, see where they're headed," suggested Nia, not fully convinced that the people walking were undead. "If they're heading to the mansion, then we have a problem on our hands..."
The mansion always offered great views from its roof. It was a perfect destination for sight-seeing, but seemingly only the residents get to partake in it. Now and then, a regular Seattle denizen would get to sight-see from the roof, and one lucky man had the opportunity that evening.
"Thanks for letting me take pictures up here," a photographer thanked Zelda, as he stood on the roof with the princess and Mega Man. He had taken multiple pictures with his trusty digital camera. "The pics should be enough for my photo collage."
"Glad that I could extend this opportunity to you," responded Zelda, as she adjusted the ring on her finger. The photographer took sight of the ring, smiling.
"I see that you must be engaged...you must be getting married soon. Need a photographer at your wedding? 'Cause I can be your guy..."
"No thank you, my husband has already found one." The photographer looked distraught, as Lakitu floated up to the roof on his cloud. "Ah, there he is."
"Spent the last half hour or so making this photo catalog," Lakitu said to Zelda, holding a few pictures of Link and Zelda that he found. The photographer was glaring down Lakitu, jealousy building inside of him. "I can put it in the image gallery of the wedding website if you like."
"A wedding website? Oh, no, we don't need one. Hopefully, that website wasn't Master Hand's idea..."
Photographer: I got passed up for a wedding photography job...over some dumb turtle wearing glasses?! That's just messed up. Maybe the next time some royal princess with magical powers and whatnot gets married, I'll be the photographer for her wedding. *sighs* I'm just setting myself up for failure.
"Uh, Princess Zelda...you might wanna see this," Mega Man alerted the princess, looking out through his telescope and seeing a large crowd of people headed towards the mansion.
"Let me see," Zelda said to Mega Man, who handed his telescope over to the princess. Telescope in hand, Zelda looked into it, gasping at what she was seeing. "Are those...zombies?"
"I'm afraid so...they definitely look the part." Looks like Kamek's spell had worked - for better or for worse. "They're somehow even uglier than the last ones we had, though."
"What do you mean, 'the last ones you had?'" the photographer looked at Mega Man out of concern; the poor guy must be new to Seattle. Bless his heart.
"Where's Cloud, he needs to know this..." said Zelda, dropping Mega Man's telescope as she went back inside the mansion. In a curious state of mind, the photographer picked up the telescope and looked through it...before spotting a familiar face among the zombie crowd.
"...GRANDMA?!" the photographer exclaimed, as both Mega Man and Lakitu felt like laughing for some reason.
Dinner was served at the Mario household, as all of its occupants were eating fish that Peach had fried. Everyone was enjoying the meal - Mario, Peach, Spyro, Hunter, Peony, Peonia, Peonia's friends, and even Cloud, who agreed to stay around for dinner.
"This fish is very delectable, Princess Peach," Cloud said to the princess, who was filled with joy. "You did a good job." Cloud rarely gave positive remarks to others, so his comments made Peach feel very special.
"Much agreed - it's cooked to perfection," remarked Seth, after taking a bite from his fish. "Better fish than what I used to have while on the seas..."
"Eh, I prefer my fish a little toasted," said Spyro, before blowing his fire breath on the fish on his plate...and causing a small fire on the table in the process. "Whoops..."
"Mama mia!" panicked Mario, as he hopped out of his chair and took out his FLUDD. The plumber doused water on the fire, putting it out, as Spyro was caught in the watery blast.
"Much appreciated, Mario..." grumbled Spyro, who was now soaking wet. Gloria, who was sitting next to Spyro, was a little wet herself.
"Oh, dear...my hair's all wet," the princess griped, touching her hair and seeing how wet it was. The doorbell rang, as a potential dinner guest was likely standing at the doorstep.
"Guess somebody heard that we were having fish," assumed Cloud, as he got up from his seat to answer the door. The swordsman opened the front door and saw Zelda standing by.
"Ah, so this is where you've been," Zelda said to Cloud, as the smell of fried fish reached her nostrils. Peach had plenty of fried fish for Zelda - talk about being prepared. "I should have known."
"You always seem to know where to find me. So, something happened?" One good look at Zelda's face and Cloud could tell that trouble was afoot.
"A bunch of zombies just appeared out from nowhere." As soon as the zombies were mentioned, Mario looked over in sudden fear. "I already informed Master Hand before heading over here."
Master Hand: Why? Why? Why are we having zombies in the city again? This must be the work of Zarok... *gasps* ...he must've had backup zombies in the outskirts of Seattle! Those zombies must not have woken up until now. Who knew that the undead could be late bloomers? Either way, Zarok is going to receive a disparaging letter in the mail soon.
"Why did it have-a to be zombies?" fretted Mario, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head. "If I have to team-a up with Luigi again and sing karaoke to make-a the zombies go away..."
"There won't be any karaoke of the sort, Mario," Cloud assured the plumber, doing what was best not only for Mario but for everyone else. Nobody wanted to suffer from the Mario Bros' singing again. "We'll just have the Luminary and his friends take on the zombies."
"Is that such a good idea?" Zelda asked Cloud, worried that the Dragon Quest heroes would be outnumbered. "You think they can handle them all?"
"I believe so. The Heroes have magic, the zombies have...bad breath, I guess. It should be a walk in the park for them."
Fox and Falco went around the mansion, collecting DNA samples for Moira, and were trying to finish up their task before dinner was ready. Fox was in the hallway with Altaïr, rubbing a cotton swab on the cheeks inside the assassin's mouth.
"...and we're done!" announced Fox, as he took the cotton swab out of Altaïr's mouth. The procedure was less painless than Altaïr expected. "Thanks a lot for cooperating, Altaïr."
"Glad that I could be a help to your cause," replied Altaïr, as Fox stuck the cotton swab inside a small test tube with some liquid. "You're much better than your friend over there..."
"TAKE THE SWAB, LET IT GO IN YOUR MOUTH!" Falco barked orders at Crash, as he held the bandicoot in a headlock. The avian pilot was holding a cotton swab over Crash, trying to get Crash's mouth open, while Aku looked on helplessly.
"Why can't Crash just put the cotton swab in his mouth himself?" Aku asked Falco, as Crash was about to pass out from Falco's chokehold. The bandicoot's face was turning pale.
"Because Crash is a brain-dead idiot, I don't trust him. Now accept the swab, Crash!" Falco now had Crash pinned down to the floor, with his hand on the bandicoot's neck.
"Never knew that your friend was so grabby," Altaïr said to Fox, who was feeling embarrassed by how Falco was manhandling Crash. "But I must ask - how is the saliva in my mouth supposed to tell you about my DNA?"
"The cotton swab gathers the human cells in your mouth, not your saliva," Fox explained to Altaïr, who was only left in even more confusion. "Trust the science, bro."
"'Trust the science?' The science behind the cotton swabs seems faulty, but I'll do as you say..." Altaïr darted down the hallway, as Fox wished that he gave a better response.
Fox: "Trust the science" is the go-to response when someone asks you a scientific question that you don't know the answer to. It's an answer meant to get you out of a predicament, while at the same time making you look like you know what you're talking about. Dare I say it, "trust the science" just sounds more cult-like with each passing day...
"How is the DNA sampling coming along, Mr. McCloud?" Moira asked Fox, appearing behind the pilot as if she appeared out of thin air. Which she kinda did. Almost gave Fox a heart attack.
"I think we're almost done," replied Fox, pleasing Moira as he showed the geneticist how many DNA samples he got done. "Should be done before dinner."
"That is excellent." Moira looked over and saw Falco choking out Crash while trying to get the cotton swab in the bandicoot's mouth. "Mr. Lombardi sure could pick up the pace. Oh, by the way, have you seen Corrin?"
"Nope, haven't seen him since Kamek mentioned zombies." Hearing that made Moira furrow her brow. "You don't think that we have a zombie apocalypse on our hands, do you?"
"The rumble that shook the mansion earlier could've been a precursor...whatever magic spell Kamek cast had an unintended consequence."
"Well, Kamek did mention zombies as a worst-case scenario. And Corrin is really obsessed with zombies. To a fault."
"I feel as if Corrin is preparing himself for a possible zombie takeover. Just when I needed him, he starts beating to the sound of his own drum..."
The horde of zombies was rummaging on the streets, scaring away anyone who happened to be walking around. Hiding among the bushes spying on the zombies were Nia, Pyra, Mythra, and Dromarch.
"Oi, they're definitely zombies, alright..." confirmed Nia, seeing the zombies walking around aimlessly. Which was expected zombie behavior. "...Master Hand won't be a happy camper."
"At least he's not hosting a party," remarked Pyra, keeping her voice low so the zombies wouldn't hear. "He was very upset about the zombies 'canceling' that one he had, with the karaoke."
"Oh please, don't even remind me about the karaoke..." frowned Mythra, whose ears suffered from the Mario Bros' karaoke singing throughout the mansion hallways in episode 178. "...did anyone believe that Mario or Luigi were good singers?"
"Some of the ladies claimed that Luigi had a decent karaoke performance one time...their hearing must not have been the best at that time."
"My lady, the cats," Dromarch whispered to Nia, bringing her attention to the five cats that were still sitting atop his back. "We should do something with them, to deal with the undead."
"But they're just a bunch of..." started Nia, before pausing for a brief moment as she looked at the cats with some curiosity. "...you think that those cats could scare off the zombies?"
"I'd say it's a worthy attempt. We've brought them along so far...might as well make use of them now." So Nia, after much thought, took the five cats and put them on the ground.
"Um, Nia, what are you doing?" Mythra asked the Gormotti, once the five cats were on the ground. "You're not setting them free, are you?"
"I'm just experimenting with something," replied Nia, with Pyra and Mythra both looking on with very doubtful looks. "Now, cats, chase those zombies away!" Nia pointed at the zombies, and the cats...sat there and did nothing.
"Perhaps those cats just need a little motivation," suggested Dromarch, as Nia pinched the crown of her nose. One of the zombies suddenly noticed Nia and company, as it walked towards them. Other zombies followed suit.
"Oh no, here they come..." fretted Pyra, as the zombies drew closer. When one zombie got close, Nia picked up a cat out of instinct - and the catch scratched the zombie in its face, making it go away.
"Huh, that actually worked!" remarked Nia, watching as the zombie screamed in pain and walked away. "I think I know just the thing to repel those zombies. Pyra, Mythra, grab a cat!"
"Where are we driving the zombies away to?" asked Mythra, as she and Pyra each picked up two cats, holding them in their hands.
"To the mansion." Pyra and Mythra both gave Nia surprised looks when they heard this. "What, you'd rather let the police department handle them instead? They couldn't even stop a toddler with a gun!"
"A little harsh...but you have a fair point," responded Pyra, as the zombies were now banding together. They were ready to devour some brains. "So shall we get started, then?"
The zombies had gotten closer to the mansion, and were now on the mansion premises. Standing at the front of the mansion were the Luminary, Solo, Hero, Erdrick, and the remaining seven Dragon Quest heroes.
"You boys got this, right?" Cloud asked the heroes, as he and Zelda stood from the porch. The zombies reach the porch, and it was all over. "This should be a walk in the park for you."
"This isn't the first time the mansion had to deal with zombies," added Zelda, having full confidence in the Dragon Quest heroes. "If we stopped the zombies back then, we can stop them now."
"Why do I feel like the mansion has dealt with every problem imaginable?" the Luminary whispered to his fellow heroes, surprised that the mansion hadn't blown up yet at this point. "Master Hand must be a beacon for trouble. Or hatred."
"Or both," Eight whispered back, knowing from experience why a majority of people around the world might hate Master Hand's guts.
Eight: This isn't my first rodeo fighting against the undead - I've fought different kinds of undead monsters in the past. Don't think I've fought undead people, mainly of those who likely lived in this city. That's a new one for me.
Luminary: Yeah, at this point, I'm just half-expecting a volcano to magically appear behind the mansion, and explode. It just seems natural at this point.
"Alright, you guys, here they come!" shouted Erdrick, as the zombies got closer. The heroes went to work right away as they ran into the zombie crowd, slashing away left and right with their words.
"Over here, they're coming from the side!" yelled Solo, spotting a group of zombies coming close to one of the sides of the mansion. Solo led a few heroes over to the mansion's side, dealing with the zombies there.
"You think the heroes could use a bit more help?" Zelda asked Cloud, not wanting the Luminary and others to be outnumbered. "I don't want to use the Yiga Clan, like last time."
"Let's see if Waluigi can help us out..." replied Cloud, as he dug into his pocket for his cellphone. Cloud seldom asked Waluigi for help unless the situation had grown dire.
The tea party had ended...and it wasn't because of Waluigi. The lanky man felt fine after his fall, so no serious injury. Everyone who was at the tea party was inside the tower, as Arthur and Princess were about to head back home.
"Shovel Knight, Princess and I had a splendid time today!" Arthur spoke with the knight inside the foyer, as Link, Rex, and Waluigi were standing around. "May we have another tea party in the future."
"Agreed, I had an excellent time with thee!" exclaimed Shovel Knight, who was open to letting Arthur and Princess come back to the tower for a second visit. Arthur turned his attention to Waluigi.
"Sir Waluigi, thou hast surprised me. Despite looking uglier than an ogre's bosom, I see that thou hast a charming personality! And thy friends, art very swell!"
"Now, now, Arthur, don't insult Waluigi like that," Princess said to her man, but even she had to agree that Waluigi was ugly to an extent.
"It's all good, Prin Prin, I've heard worse," Waluigi said to the bluenette, able to shake off Arthur's comment about his looks. "My long-distance cousins have said meaner stuff about me!"
"You have cousins?" Link asked Waluigi, startled to have learned this information. He learned something new about Waluigi every day, almost.
Rex: Prin Prin? The princess's name is Prin Prin? Her parents must have hated her the very moment that she was born.
Waluigi heard his phone ringing, as he took out his device. He looked at the caller ID, giggling with delight when he saw Cloud's name.
"Hey Cloud..." Waluigi answered the phone in an almost creepy manner, with Link baffled that Cloud even gave Waluigi a call. "...what's shaking?...Zombies? Again? And they're heading towards the mansion?"
"Hast thou said...zombies?" Arthur asked Waluigi, as he was looking for a fight. Fighting against monsters such as the undead was the knight's specialty.
"They're not coming towards the tower, are they? Oh, that's good...do I have someone that can take them? Uh..." Waluigi felt someone tugging on his pants, as he looked down and saw Arthur.
"Let me handle the zombies - I'll put them out of their misery!" Arthur took out a lance, providing Waluigi enough confidence that he could get the job done.
"...yes, I do have someone in mind! He'll be out shortly. Stay safe out there!" And with that, Waluigi ended his phone call. Right before the lanky man could put his phone back, Arthur grabbed his hand and ran off.
"Hurry, Waluigi, we have no time to waste!" Arthur took Waluigi with him as he ran out of the tower. When monsters were afoot, Arthur was on his A-game.
The zombies were getting even closer to the mansion, almost reaching the porch steps. A few of them were even creeping around on the mansion's driveway, with Erdrick having to deal with them.
"Is Waluigi's 'help' supposed to be coming for what?" Zelda asked Cloud, feeling skeptical that Waluigi would come through. The princess's skepticism would soon vanish away real quick.
"ZOMBIES, PREPARE TO MEET THY END!" shouted a certain knight in shining armor, as Arthur and Waluigi arrived at the scene. Arthur tossed out lances at the zombies, defeating them one by one. The knight never seemed to run out of lances...how very convenient.
"How nice - even Waluigi is pitching in," observed Cloud, as he saw Waluigi whacking zombies left and right with his trusty tennis racket. Knocking zombies' heads off like it was nobody's business.
"Haha! Die, die at the hands of the Wah-Man!" Waluigi shouted at the zombies as he beheaded every one of them in sight. "Well, technically, you guys are already dead...but die anyways! Haha!"
"He looks like he's really into it," the Luminary said to Eight, thoroughly impressed by Waluigi's heroic efforts. With the assist from both Arthur and Waluigi, the Dragon Quest heroes were able to finish off the zombies before any damage could be done to the mansion.
"I believe that should be all of them," said Solo, as all the eleven heroes gathered up at the front of the mansion. Solo looked out, seeing something in the far distance. "You see something, Solo?"
"Great... more zombies are coming this way," groaned Solo, getting himself in a fighting stance...only to lower his guard when he took a second look. "Why does it look like those zombies are retreating?"
Indeed, it did look like the zombies were retreating...and it was because they were being chased towards the mansion by Nia, Pyra, and Mythra, each of them armed with a cat in their hands. Dromarch followed after them.
"Well, well...it seems like the mansion came prepared," Dromarch said to the three ladies, spotting the Dragon Quest heroes. "Leading the zombies here was an excellent idea, my lady."
"Perhaps a couple of zombies popped up here," assumed Nia; just a couple? The heroes would consider that an understatement. "Either way, these cats got the job done..."
"Stand back, gents...allow me to finish them off!" Arthur said to the Luminary and company, wanting to be the hero that saved the day. Nia and the others moved out of the way, as Arthur tossed lances at the zombies and defeated every last one of them.
"Aw yeah! Great stuff, Arthur!" commended Waluigi, after Arthur finished off the last zombie. Waluigi ran up to Arthur, holding out his hand for a high five, and Arthur gave him one...albeit out of confusion.
"That's all of them, right?" asked Cloud, as he and Zelda cautiously got off the porch. Had to look around the area, just to make sure. "That should be all of them...I hope."
Mario: The zombies have-a come and gone...and none of them came close-a to my house! That zombie repellent sure works-a wonders.
Peony: Zombie repellent? Why do you even need that in the first place?!
Spyro: Peony, if you lived around here long enough, you would know why that stuff is essential...
"You were the one who finished off the zombies, weren't you?" Zelda approached Arthur, who was looking as heroic as he possibly could. "We cannot thank you enough for saving the mansion from harm."
"All in a day's work, princess!" replied Arthur, particularly happy that he defeated monsters without having to save Princess. A change-up from what he considered the norm. "And better yet, not a single scratch on my..."
Arthur spoke too soon, as his armor fell completely off. The knight was unarmored, only seen wearing his boxers, as he felt slightly embarrassed.
"...armor," Arthur finished his sentence with a heavy sigh, as he walked away to go change himself. "It's a good thing that I brought a second suit of armor with me..."
"Nice boxers!" Nia called out to Arthur, who retreated to the back of the mansion, as Pyra and Mythra both giggled. Soon Rex exited the tower, as he saw his lady friends in the distance.
"Pyra! Mythra! Nia!" the swordsman shouted as he ran over to the three ladies...and Dromarch, who felt ignored yet again. "Hope you didn't run into any zombies." Dromarch cleared his threat, gaining Rex's attention. "Ha, you too, Dromarch..."
"We saw our fair share of zombies," responded Pyra, before holding up the cat in her hands. "But these felines scared them away for us." The cat started licking her face, making Pyra giggle.
"I wouldn't let him lick your face...who knows if he actually licked a zombie," Mythra advised Pyra, who was horror-stricken as she pulled the cat away.
"Rex! You wouldn't it! I took out some zombies!" Waluigi ran over to inform the swordsman, almost trampling over him in the process. "I did it! Me!"
"As I expected. Arthur really threw you into the fire." Rex was surprised that Waluigi hadn't been bitten by a zombie, and turned into one himself.
"He kinda did, but I made the most of my opportunity. I should be rewarded for my efforts, don't you think?"
"Rewarded, huh..." Rex thought to himself of a worthy reward for Waluigi, before the perfect one came to mind. "Why don't you meet with me and Link back at the mansion?"
So Waluigi met with Link and Rex in the foyer of the mansion, expecting to receive his reward. The lanky man was dying with anticipation, rubbing his hands.
"Well, Waluigi, the least that we can do is give you the trombone part in Iori's wedding band," Link said to the lanky man, who was more than happy with those terms. "Unless you want something else..."
"Playing the trombone? In a wedding band? With Iori?!" said Waluigi, who was very happy with the terms. Performing in a band was a dream of his. "I'd love to! It's gonna be at your wedding, right?"
"I mean...I don't know anyone else that's getting married." Link eyed around the foyer, wondering why Waluigi asked such an idiotic question. "We might need Iori's approval, though."
"Walked in at the right time..." said Iori, entering the foyer as he heard Link and Waluigi's conversation from the distance. "...I take it that Waluigi's going to be in the band?"
"He'll be playing the trombone," replied Rex, as Link handed Iori the list of band members. Iori looked at the names thoroughly. "But if you don't want him..."
"He can't be any worse than Pit, so I'll take him. The rest of the band looks nice. Gotta hand it to you, Link and Rex...you know how to pick out a band."
"Thank you, Iori, thank you!" Waluigi thanked the saxophone player, as he gave him a big, fat hug. "You always had a strong eye for talent."
"Don't make me change my mind..." Iori grumbled at Waluigi, who ended the hug in a hurry. Couldn't squander his opportunity that soon.
Iori: Waluigi might be a pathetic loser, but I can't knock on him for always trying to give his best. Others could learn from him if not for his poor track record. I expect Waluigi to be a decent trombone player, provided that he does well in rehearsal.
Link: Threw in an extra provision in Waluigi's deal - he's not allowed to ask me for advice about being an "alpha male". He breaks the rule, he's out of Iori's band. Let's see how long he'll last...
At the end of the day, Nia was unable to give the five cats away. But the felines did play a huge role in stopping the zombies. Nia, Pyra, Mythra, and Dromarch stopped by Master Hand's room to inform Master Hand about the cats' deeds.
"Had it not been for these cats, there would still have been zombies in Seattle," Nia explained to Master Hand and Isabelle, holding the five cats in her arms. "Feel like getting rid of them would be a huge mistake..."
"Isabelle, I want you to find five cat litters, at once," Master Hand instructed the Shih Tzu, who gave the giant hand a salute as left the room. "I'll go see if they have any cat food on sale. I can force the store clerk to mark the prices down if necessary..." Master Hand disappeared, looking to buy some cat food.
"You just want to keep the cats around, isn't it?" Mythra asked Nia, who responded with a cheeky smile. Nia couldn't deny the truth.
"I guess they just grown on me," assumed Nia, "Might need to disinfect them, though. They could be carrying that zombie stench."
Being that his spell sparked the zombie outbreak, Kamek had to take some accountability for today's events. And that's what the Magikoopa would do, in the Pokemon sanctuary.
"Sorry about that spell, Cloud," Kamek apologized to the swordsman; Sonic, Tails, Moira, Fox, and Falco were all standing by. "It was an honest mistake."
"Just don't let something like that happen again," advised Cloud, grateful that things had never gotten worse. "Hopefully, those zombies hadn't caused any damage around town."
"I feel that the zombies were only drawn towards the mansion, thanks to Kamek's spell," theorized Moira, "We should curtail the magic used in that spell so that nothing like this happens again."
"Which is why Moira asked me to invent this," Tails said to Kamek, handing him the device that he crafted earlier in the day. "This device will help you regulate how much magic you use, in resurrecting people and stuff."
"Wow, this sure could come in handy!" remarked Kamek, as he accepted the device from Tails. "Should be very useful in the near future."
"Sorry I was late, everyone," apologized Corrin as he showed up at the sanctuary, having been MIA for most of the day. "Did a zombie outbreak happen?"
"Dude...you literally missed it," Sonic said to the prince, who was visibly frustrated as he pulled on his hair. "Don't sweat it - the Luminary and his pals did the dirty work for ya!"
Corrin: Darn it! I was preparing myself for another potential zombie outbreak, studying tips on how to survive such zombie outbreaks in the library. I spent so much time preparing, that I missed an actual outbreak! What luck! Why did nobody tell me?
Kamui: I could've told Corrin about the zombie outbreak, but I chose not to. The last thing that I would want is a dead twin brother.
"Fox, Falco, the DNA samples?" Moira asked the pilots, who each readily took out a rack of small test tubes. There were probably around a hundred of those test tubes in stock.
"Not to brag, but I did a better job than Falco," stated Fox, as Falco looked rather suspicious. "Never had to resort to wrangling people's necks..."
"Excellent work, you two! I'll gladly take those off your hands." Moira accepted the rack of test tubes from the pilots, pleased at their efforts. "You two will be essential in the long run."
"What about me, will I be essential soon?" Sonic asked Moira, who just gave the blue hedgehog a side-eye. Sonic sighed. "Guess I'll stay as the errand boy..."
Cloud left the Pokemon sanctuary, ready to inform Master Hand about how the zombie outbreak started. The swordsman ran into Pit upon making his exit, and it was convenient timing, too - Pit had some good news to report.
"Lloyd and I raised a thousand dollars from delivering food today!" Pit announced to Cloud, who was pleasantly surprised by the number. "Off to a good start!"
"That's good to hear, keep up the good work," replied Cloud, patting Pit on his shoulder for a job well done before walking down the hallway. "Maybe I was right to trust those two..." the swordsman quietly said to himself.
Kirby: A thousand dollars, hm? Pit and Lloyd had met my expectations. Granted, I tried to keep my expectations at a moderate level, but I'm still impressed nonetheless! Never doubted those two for a second.
Riku: Pit and Lloyd both raised a thousand dollars? Those two? *shakes his head* Nah, I'm not buying that. Toad must've done all the work, and Pit and Lloyd only came along as the cheerleaders.
It was getting late, and Peonia's friends - Seth, Gloria, Elvis, and Adelle - had to return home. Mario, Peach, Peonia, and Spyro stood outside to see the four guests off.
"Thank you again for the fish dinner, Princess Peach," Seth thanked the princess, as his stomach was fully satisfied. "You are a pretty decent cook."
"Aw, don't flatter me like that..." smiled Peach, never having enough of any high remarks about her cooking ability. "...sure you don't want to stay the night?"
"Won't be enough room for us," replied Adelle; somewhere, Hunter was cheering over the prospect of not having more house guests. "We'll just stay at an inn for the night, and head back home in the morning."
"Sounds like a good-a plan," said Mario, appreciating the four travelers for going with a practical choice. The plumber did not want a crammed house, by any means. Even if it was just for one night.
"Really enjoyed spending time with you guys," Peonia said to her four new friends, and the feeling was strongly mutual. "Today was fun. Hope we get to meet each other soon."
"Likewise. Until we see each other again..." responded Seth, making his parting words as he, Gloria, Elvis, and Adelle departed. No zombies were afoot, so the four could head to the inn safely.
"Gloria gave such a fantastic back rub," remarked Spyro, after the four were gone. Whether Gloria was a better back massager than either Fox or Falco would remain a question for another day.
