Author's Note:

Two remakes of two games from my favorite Pokemon generation were released - Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl! As you can imagine, I had some fun writing this chapter. And since it is Pokemon's 25th anniversary, several Pokemon characters will be making their debuts along with some of the Sinnoh cast. Lots of Pokemon goodness. Oh, and reviews:

"I do have an idea that could tie in to Sonic's odd choice of desision and behavior all the way back at Episode 15. At some point in time, a foreign entity attemped to latch on to Sonic and take over for eventual universal omnicide. That entity being yet another version of .EXE, but what he finds instead is...well, how would one deal with being stuck in the subconsious of this particular Sonic? After that whole kerfuffle nearly over 5 years ago, .EXE's personality ended up changing drastically, now taking on the name of Evol and being as much of a troll as his namesake(like an actual devil on one's sholder, who instead decides to go along for the ride.)(how he picked that name as it turns out, Sonic is a closet tokusatsu fan in regards of the Big Three[Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai] and other official productions). He still attempts to take over the body by kicking out Sonic's own soul, but said attempts eventually mellow out to not even trying to even having intellectual and philisophical discussions on a range of topics between themselves out of boredom. Other secrets that Sonic managed to keep well hidden include(because in Evol's words: "Who would expect the fool to hide secrets that can catch even kings off guard?"): modifying the contract made between himself and Amy(due to contradictions and fine print noted by Evol) to make the relationship platonic and overwriting the clause preventing about any type of interaction with anyone else(Evol still teases Sonic about the implications to this day), finding another copy of Doki Doki Literature Club and converting the Monika in that copy into a makeshift therapist to help figure out the jumbled mess that is figuring out his past and his lineage(after managing to forget his entire early life up until meeting Eggman), and even forming an online friend group(they did meet physically up until two years ago), consisting of other game characters not in Smash and even those not part of the same medium of fiction(like anime), managing to set up connections to places like Fuyuki City, Mitakihara, Chaldea(and the Throne of Heroes...SOMEHOW), A.D. 2199(?) "somewhere in the realm of Azure", 22nd Century "How does he even make contact in the first place!?", Gamindustri, Mabase, and Tokyo-3 to "name a few on how many places they could find"; leaving one more connection router(during the Tokyo Olympics trip) right at the edge between Japan and Gensokyo. Though one thing about secrets, is that they have ways of eventually being revealed."

Ummmmm...sure. Another anonymous review:

"Candice nuts fit in yo mouth?! Lmao."

Yeah, I don't know why I posted that review on here. One last anonymous review:

"Hey-o. It's me, the Durarara guy. I was just skimming around the story and rereading some random chapter, and then I found this gold mine. Seeing Joker and Makoto conversing through an online messenger? Now that's the kind of Durarara-like stuff I want! You need to use that messenger more! I guess it would be nice!"

I won't lie, that online messenger thing was a unique moment for this story. I should use it more often.

"...who do you think is a better rapper, Lil Knux or OG Loc? Because I think Knuckles could actually beat Loc in that rap battle."

As a guy who has never heard OG Loc rap before, since I never played a single GTA game...Lil Knux would obliterate OG Loc in a rap battle. Ending off with some questions from David:

"Will Sora, Kairi, and Riku return to their KH3 looks for the Christmas chapter? (Sorry to ask). Is Pit gonna pull a Roman Reigns and Spear or Superman Punch Ryuji every time AEW is mentioned? Are you gonna do standalone or redux chapters for December? (Since all the good Switch games are already out by then). Has Mewtwo interacted with the other Event Pokemon besides Mew? And finally, do you think that Ash and Dawn refusing to evolve Pikachu and Piplup in the show put its evolutions on the endangered species list? (Look at Kantonian Raichu's Ultra Moon Pokédex info)."

Nope. For the absurdity of it, he'll do that just once. Undecided on that one. No, he hasn't. And I wouldn't be surprised if Ash was singlehandedly endangering Raichus everywhere. But what can I say, the man loves his Pikachu...and who doesn't love Pikachu?


Episode 309: Summit

By all intents, Pokemon are some of the most unique creatures. They come in all different shapes and sizes and vary from species to species. Whether it's a giant fish, a cat with psychic powers, a chameleon with a secret agent aesthetic, or even a straight-up trash bag - Pokemon were varied in many ways.

Of course, Pokemon wouldn't be great without the Pokemon trainers that raised these pocket monsters to be strong and mighty. Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and league champions train their Pokemon to be the best they can be, so they themselves could be the best.

Many famous Pokemon trainers have visited the Smash Mansion over the years - one even lived at the mansion for five years, in Cilan. There was a highly expected amount of Pokemon trainers to be over the mansion today, and Pokemon professors were coming to the mansion as well. But what was the special occasion?

"I see all eight Pokemon professors, front and center," Toon Link said to Young Link, as the two buddy cops were looking at several Pokemon professors from the rooftop of the mansion. The professors were hanging out around at the front, chatting among themselves. "Alright, I'll throw a professor's name out there, and you describe them."

"In two words or less?" Young Link asked Toon Link, wanting to keep his critique of each professor short and to the point. "Bring it on, Starsky!"

"Alright, let's start with the OG - Professor Oak!"

"Eh...too old.

"Professor Elm."

"Too nerdy."

"Professor Birch."

"Too fat."

"Professor Rowan."

"Too old."

"Professor Juniper."

"Too feminine."

"Professor Sycamore."

"Too sexy."

"Professor Kukui."

"Too tanned."

"Professor Sonia."

"Too..." Young Link suddenly stopped speaking, as he gave Sonia all of his attention. "...she's looking like quite the snack today!"

"Look at all those Pokemon professors, Tails!" Sonic said to the yellow fox, as the best friends were also on the rooftop. "Wonder what new Pokemon we'll be seeing today."

"Whoever said anything about new Pokemon?" Tails asked Sonic, who was met with sudden disappointment. Sonic almost felt like he was betrayed mercilessly. "Did Isabelle not tell you the news?"

"So no new Pokemon? Guess we have to wait another year, huh?" Feeling defeated, Sonic tossed his binoculars away as he returned to the inside of the mansion. "I was so looking forward to this November..."

"It's not all that bad, Sonic!" Tails followed after Sonic, thinking of something to cheer up his best friend. "You could show some of the professors your Shaymin!"

Isabelle: The mansion is holding a Pokemon Summit in the lecture hall today. Professor Rowan is one of the guest speakers. *pauses* Or maybe he's the main guest speaker. I dunno, Master Hand was super flimsy with the program he had printed out.

Speaking among the other professors was Rowan, Sinnoh's renowned professor who specialized in Pokemon evolution. He was having a discussion with Sonia, regarding regional forms.

"So how can a Corsola only evolve in Galar?" Rowan asked Sonia, as he found himself fascinated by the Galarian Cursola and its ghost typing. "Does it require an evolution stone to evolve?"

"I don't know, it just...dies, I guess," Sonia replied with a shrug, as her answer understandably alarmed the typically stoic Rowan. "Uh, what I meant to say was, it loses its soul!"

"Loses its own soul in order to evolve..." Rowan's concern was now replaced by fascination, as the professor rubbed his chin and marveled. "...at what level does this Galarian Corsola lose its soul?"

"SONIA!" Luigi called out to the young woman, as he and Mario ran over to greet him. Sonia was greeted by the two familiar faces, smiling as she wondered what they had to say. "Uh, we just wanted to say hi,"

"Well, hello to you both!" Sonia happily greeted the Mario Bros, as she leaned in close to Mario and playfully flicked the plumber's nose. "Had a feeling that I would see you around."

"Totally uncalled-a for..." an offended Mario frowned at Sonia as he held his nose as if Sonia had inflicted great pain upon it. "You're not gonna send-a me to some alternate Pokemon universe again, are-a you?"

"No, of course not! Maybe another time." The thought of there being "another time" gave Mario some mad anxiety. "Say, you guys have never met Professor Rowan before, have you?"

"Mario and Luigi...what a pleasure to see you," Rowan greeted Mario and Luigi as he shook hands with both plumbers. Being the serious man that he was, Rowan had a fitting firm handshake. "I am Professor Rowan, of Sinnoh."

"Yes, you must be the guest-a speaker at the Pokemon Summit," Mario said to Rowan, hoping that he got the information right. Otherwise, he would risk looking like a giant fool. "Barry told-a me stories about how..."

"Don't think we didn't see you disrespect the great Mario like that, Sonia!" a certain Pokemon trainer accused Sonia, as Barry came marching over to the young woman. With him was Dawn; for whatever reason, both Barry and Dawn were wearing lab coats.

"Come on, Barry, I was just having fun!" Sonia pleaded her innocence to Barry, who ignored the young woman as he grabbed Mario and pulled him close to his chest. Barry wrapped his arms around Mario's head, embracing him.

"No one lays a finger on Mario under my watch!" Barry pointed at Sonia, as Mario was feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. "You just got yourself a fine!"

"I see that you and Barry are already well-acquainted," Rowan said to Mario, who had a blank look on his face as Barry caressed his head.

"It's okay Mario, Sonia won't hurt you anymore as long as you're with me..." As the caressing continued, Mario turned his head towards Luigi, who was trying to stifle his laughter.

"You're embarrassing yourself more than you're embarrassing Mario..." Dawn quietly to Barry, who did not care in the slightest - for Mario found himself in his loving arms. Against his own will.

"If you must ask, Barry and Dawn traveled along with me to serve as my lab assistants," Rowan explained to the Mario Bros, the tone of his voice suggesting that he had to be convinced. "Barry begged me nonstop."

Dawn: Barry would wait outside Professor Rowan's lab day in and day out, refusing to leave until we were named lab assistants. It was kinda pathetic; Barry at one point entertained the thought of going on a hunger strike! He almost ended up malnourished, until Rowan gave in.

Rowan: *shakes his head while facepalming* What on earth am I going to do with that boy...

"Okay, that's-a enough..." Mario frowned at Barry, ending the uncomfortable hug as he pushed the Pokemon trainer away from him. "..let's-a get away from this weirdo, Luigi."

"Wait, Mario, hold it!" Barry called out to the plumber, who along with Luigi retreated to the mansion. "How much should I fine Sonia for potentially breaking your nose!


Having escaped from Barry, Mario and Luigi arrived at the foyer of the mansion, where they saw Professor Kukui speaking with Steve. Steve, who finally moved on from Impa, had asked Kukui for fashion advice - and he couldn't have consulted a better person.

"I truly dig your shirtless sense of fashion, professor," Steve said to Kukui, trying his hardest not to admire (and be jealous of) Kukui's six-pack. "Gives you a different vibe from other Pokemon professors."

"And I dig, uh...your digging skills!" Kukui returned the favor, unable to think of a positive remark for Steve's keen fashion sense. Quite a shame, considering how classy Steve was. "Keep up the good work, my man!"

"Hi, Professor Kukui!" Luigi greeted the Alolan professor, who smiled with glee when he saw the Mario Bros at the front door. Professor Kukui had known Mario and Luigi for five years; his bond with the plumbers has never weakened.

"Mario and Luigi! Now, this is the kind of company that I wanted to see." As Kukui got himself reacclimated with the Mario Bros, Steve looked on feeling hurt.

"Am I a joke to you?" the craftsman asked Kukui; one should never break the spirit of a classy individual. "Was my company not good enough for you?"

"Well, it was, for the time being. But you're old news now." Feeling even more hurt than before, Steve left the foyer as he walked backward. Even in sadness, Steve knew how to leave in style.

"So, Professor Kukui, what's-a new with you?" Mario asked the professor as he and Luigi approached Kukui - who then grabbed the Mario Bros and pulled them to the side.

"You boys can keep a secret, can you?" Kukui whispered to the Mario Bros, who were both very trustworthy individuals as they nodded their heads. Kukui looked around for a brief moment, before whispering, "I think that I'm being followed..."

"Being followed-a by who?" Luigi asked Kukui - a bunch of rabid Alolan fangirls crazy for Kukui was the green plumber's first guess. "A street-a gang, or a bunch-a of posers?"

"...both, I'm afraid." That really got Mario and Luigi's imaginations going. A street gang full of posers, or some posers posing as a street gang? "I can trust you two to keep an eye over my shoulder, right?"

"We can, but I have-a some important obligations to fill so..." replied Mario, trailing off as he turned his head towards Luigi. Luigi knew what was expected from him, as he let out a sigh.

"Guess-a this will be a one-man task..." said Luigi, throwing his arms up in defeat. Sometimes he hated having to do things by himself.

"I might be able to assist-a Luigi later, depending on how busy I am. But for now, he'll be your lone-a bodyguard. For better and-a for worse."

Professor Kukui: No, I can assure you, the folks possibly following me around are not a threat. The worst thing that they're capable of doing is stealing a street sign. And then later peeing on said street sign. I just don't want them irritating my wife.


Blathers' museum was the new talk of the town, as folks from Seattle and in the King county went to go check out the new museum. Perhaps one of the biggest attractions of the museum (if not the biggest) was The Roost, which was downstairs in the museum basement. Fox and Falco stopped by The Roost to try out the coffee after Joker had talked up a storm about Brewster's brewing skills.

"You two should drink your coffee...before it gets cold," Brewster advised Fox and Falco after he had fixed coffee for the both of them. Fox and Falco thought long and hard about their decision, as they looked at one another.

"Nah, drinking it while it's hot is too mainstream," replied Fox as he gently pushed his cup of coffee away from him, much to Brewster's chagrin. "And also kinda dangerous."

"Yeah, you want us to damage our esophagus?" Falco questioned Brewster, who gave the avian pilot and Fox a stern look that had them drinking their coffee in a heartbeat. "Hm, delicious! Three cheers for esophagus cancer!"

"Great choice you have made..." Brewster said to the pilots as he took their cups away...only to stop when he heard some commotion from outside The Roost. Some stuff was going down in the basement. "I hear noises..."

Curious, Fox and Falco left from the counter and went into the basement to do some investigating. In the basement, they saw a bunch of street gang members gathered around, all dressed in black and white. A tanned woman with pink hair and yellow highlights was around.

"Team Skull! The boss is coming on in," the tanned woman announced to the street gang, as a guy wearing all black entered the basement. He was dripped out, with his gold chains and golden sunglasses.

"Yeah, Guzma, yo!" the Team Skull members cheered in unison for their boss, as Guzma marched forwards exuding swag with every step while the tanned woman followed him. Guzma even had one of the Team Skull members rap for him, as part of his swaggy entrance...

The wounded world is ready to crash
Time to clean the house and take out the trash!
Break it down
Stir it up
Tear it down
Mix it up
Solid steel
Break the seal
Do the deal
Make it real
Full power
Burn it up
Blue sky
Full cup
No one ever calls a life the team that knows what's up
Put your hands together let me hear you say
Uh! Wazzup!?

"Yeah!" the gang members cheered again for Guzma, raising their fists up high. Guzma was standing in front of his homies, who clearly adored him a lot.

"Heh, what it be like, ol' best of the worst?" Guzma greeted his Team Skull homies with a smile, feeling like he had reunited with an old friend of his. "Pumped up to see me again?"

"We're the worst type of blue!" a male Team Skull grunt replied - very fitting since he had blue hair.

"And we're the best type of mad!" added a female Team Skull member - she sure was mad crazy for Guzma.

"That's life!" remarked Guzma before turning to the tanned woman standing next to him, who happened to be his second-in-command. "Thanks for getting the band back together, Plumeria."

"You still owe me for the return expenses..." Plumeria replied in a very deadpan tone, letting Guzma know how serious she was. Guzma smiled sheepishly, hoping to return the favor one day.

"Not gonna lie, that guy was spitting some mad fire," Fox whispered to Falco about the Team Skull grunt who was dropping those bars for Guzma. "We should sign him to Star Records if we..."

"YOU GUYS ARE NOTHING BUT LOSERS AND HAVE NO SWAG!" Falco called out to Guzma and Team Skull, letting them know how he really felt about them. The avian pilot gave away his and Fox's cover, as Team Guzma turned their attention towards the pilots.

"Thought I told you numskulls good to block anyone from entering the basement!" Plumeria scolded the Team Skull grunts, as a select few lowered their heads in shame. Plumeria was about to reprimand Fox and Falco...until Guzma stepped forward.

"Stand aside, I got this..." Guzma said to Plumeria as he confronted Fox and Falco, getting a good look at the pilots. "...I know you bozos. You two are Fox and Falco, right?"

"Very interesting names to call us, but yeah, we're the real deal," confirmed Fox, as Guzma let out a smirk; it charmed Fox and Falco seeing folks outside of Seattle recognizing them. "You want an autograph?"

"Nah, not really in the business for that kind of stuff. But what I am in for is causing some ruckus..." Guzma cracked his knuckles as he smiled with glee...and with some bad intentions in mind.

"Go easy on them, Guzma," Plumeria advised the Team Skull leader, who frowned at his second-in-command and waved her off. Guzma was talking here; Plumeria had no right to butt in.

"How would you guys like to do me a big favor?" Guzma leaned in close to Fox and Falco, still smiling as he rubbed his hands together. "It's got something to do with an old pal of mine...Professor Kukui."

"...we're listening," replied Falco, as Professor Kukui's name instantly rang a bell to the pilots. Which was exactly what Guzma preferred.


Little did Team Skull know that they were the only villainous Pokemon team in town. Outside the mansion, peeking inside through the dining room windows were three individuals - two girls, and a guy - with distinctively colored hair.

"So many legendary Pokemon trainers in the same room..." one of the girls said with delight, peeking in while keeping her hidden among the shrubbery. "...such a treat!"

"All the more for Team Galactic's plan to succeed," said the guy as he slowly stood up, allowing a passerby to see his ridiculous blue haircut. "What a giant mistake Master Hand has made..."

"Mars, Jupiter, how is it coming along?" a man approached the three - a man with spiky blue hair, who looked like he was going through some mid-life crisis. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn - the three commanders of Team Galactic - gave the man their invited attention.

"There's a whole bunch of Elite Four members in the mansion's dining room, Cyrus," Jupiter informed the man, the boss of Team Galactic himself. "The Pokemon professors are present as well."

"Elite Four members and Pokemon professors? Interesting..." Cyrus appeared delighted by the news, although he was sadly too done with life to crack a smile. Must be a pain. "...that will only make our plan even better!"

Cyrus: There I was in the distortion world, wandering around in a world of my very own creation...when suddenly, a mysterious rift was opened within my vicinity. Out of my curiosity, I went through the rift...and ended up back in this world. It was March 12th when I returned to this universe, according to one stranger I spoke with.

Jupiter: Ever since Cyrus went into the distortion world, it just wasn't fun anymore. Team Galactic didn't have the same vibe without him. But now he's back, and he wants us to come with him! Yay for us!

Mars: Spent most of my time looking for Cyrus, and what do you know, he finally came back! Some months later, and the whole team's back together again! *groans* But I still have to put up with Jupiter, though...bleh.

Saturn: I was against rejoining Cyrus at first - his extremist ways just weren't for me. But when I met with Cyrus many months ago, he offered to show me a side of his plan that I was blissfully ignorant of. I'm willing to give him a chance...but just this one time.

Cyrus: In the distortion world, I've learned quite a lot - learned what it was like to be in a world without spirit. Mark my words, I'll be returning to the distortion world very soon. And I won't just extend the invite to my underlings...many other talented Pokemon trainers will follow my lead. The truth shall set them free...


As stated by Jupiter, Elite Four members and Pokemon professors alike were gathered in the dining room, enjoying a brunch prepared by Pyra and Mythra. Speaking of Pyra and Mythra, the two Blades were randomly chosen to replace Cilan by Master Hand, who believed that two hards worked better than one. Too bad that one Blade was a decent cook, while the other one...left a lot to be desired.

"Who on earth made these cinnamon rolls?" wondered Kalos' Elite Four water-type expert Siebold; being a famous chef, Siebold took food as seriously as Gordon Ramsay did. "They're stupendous..."

"Oh, you like them?" Mythra asked with a big smile on her face as she ran over to Siebold to hear the chef's critique. "I'll let you know, I made them myself..."

"You wouldn't let me finish. These cinnamon rolls are stupendous...stupendously horrible!" Siebold tossed his plate of cinnamon rolls to the floor with disgust, as Mythra was deeply beside herself. "Whoever made them must be a simpleton."

"Yeah, they really must be a simpleton..." It wasn't the first time that Mythra was called a simpleton, as the Blade walked away from Siebold feeling hurt. Pyra saw how upset her fellow Blade was, knowing how hard she worked in the kitchen.

Pyra: Mythra isn't that bad of a chef, she has a few positive traits! For one, she knows how to season. Knows how to use the right amount, unlike Pit. And two, um...well, that's about it.

"Caitlin? Hello?" Phoebe, a member of Hoenn's Elite Four, said to the blonde girl who was sitting next to her fast asleep. Caitlin, the psychic master of the Unova region, suddenly woke up after Phoebe tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh dear, has the brunch started already?" Caitlin asked as she looked around, seeing that the others were already enjoying the brunch. Then she looked down and was surprised to see a plate already prepared for her.

"The brunch's been started! C'mon, eat up!" So Caitlin grabbed her fork and started eating away, while Professor Juniper sat a few chairs away speaking with Galar's very own Leon...wait, Leon wasn't an Elite Four member!

"Galar doesn't have an Elite Four, so I brought a few friends of mine to represent," Leon explained to Professor Juniper while looking at his Galar friends - Nessa, Bea, Allister, and Raihan. Raihan was too busy taking selfies to enjoy the brunch.

"Smile for the camera, Bruno!" Raihan said to the fighting-type master, as the gym leader was taking a selfie with the Johto Elite Four. Bruno refused to budge, his serious facial disposition unmoving. "My guy, are you that hard of hearing?!"

"Raihan must be quite the attention hog!" Juniper giggled, as Raihan found himself bemused by Bruno's behavior. Soon a certain fatso crept his way over to Juniper, getting himself reacquainted with a lady friend of his.

"Professor Juniper..." Wario said to the Unovan professor, catching her attention and Leon's as well. He was trying to sound professional. "...to whom do I give this fine opportunity to, of speaking with yours truly?"

"Well, well, if it isn't the 'marine biologist'." Juniper turned her chair towards Wario, forcing herself to give the fatso a valuable iota of her time. "Got any more secrets about yourself that you wish to share?"

"I would like to share a new talent that I had learned. It all started when..." Wario wouldn't get to share anything, as Cortex appeared and grabbed the fatso by the ear.

"You, me, my room, now," Cortex said to Wario as he dragged the fatso away from Juniper and Leon. "Shake it and bake time. Droppin' it till it's hot."

"What are you even saying right now? Also, it's MY room, not yours! Don't you get it twisted!" Wario was dragged out of the dining room by Cortex, as Juniper and Leon looked on. Along with a few nosy rubbernecks.


Salty that no new Pokemon would be coming to the mansion, Sonic went outside to the backyard to run some laps with Crash. Basically smoking the poor bandicoot. Tails and Coco were present, noodling on their devices, as they heard a sound nearby.

"You hear that?" Coco asked Tails, as she and the yellow fox heard what sounded like a horn. Multiple horns. Sonic and Crash stopped racing each other, as they too heard the sound. "Sounds like a bunch of vuvuzelas..."

"Must be a soccer friendly taking place," assumed Sonic; vuvuzelas were commonly played instruments at many soccer games, especially in Europe. "Weird time of the year to be having one, though..."

"LET'S GO TEAM YELL! C'mon, you guys, show out and show your stuff!"

The vuvuzela sounds drew closer and closer, and soon a bunch of Team Yell grunts appeared in the backyard. They were led by Marnie - one of Hop's main rivals - and some guy standing next to her holding a guitar.

"City of Seattle, let me hear you scream and shout!" yelled the guy with the guitar, posing with his stringed instrument as he pointed upwards smiling. An awkward silence followed afterward, as not a single peep was made.

"Piers, there's barely anyone here..." one of the Team Yell grunts spoke up, as Sonic, Crash, Tails, and Coco were just awkwardly standing around.

"Shut up...I was just testin' the mood, that's all." Piers brushed back his hair, putting his guitar over his shoulder as he slouched over a bit. "...but at least we made it."

"Whaddaya know - Team Yell's back!" exclaimed Sonic, as he and his friends went over to greet Team Yell - or rather, Marnie. "Great to see ya again, Marnie."

"I only wish that the feeling was mutual..." muttered Marnie, who sounded like she came to Seattle against her will. Piers was dumbstruck, as he kept looking between Marnie and Sonic.

"Marnie? You know these blokes?" Piers asked the Pokemon trainer, as he was getting a good look at the rest of Sonic's friends. Marnie rolled her eyes.

"I did tell you that I visited the Smash Mansion before, did I not?" Marnie shook her head and sighed, wondering how Piers could've forgotten so easily. "This here is my brother, Piers. He's the one who put together Team Yell."

"So your brother organized the crappiest villainous Pokemon team in existence?" inquired Sonic, striking a nerve with a few Team Yell grunts who now wanted to throw hands with the blue hedgehog. "Not exactly an accomplishment I'd be proud of..."

"We're not a villainous team, we're a family!" a female Team Yell grunt angrily shook her fist at Sonic, trying to put the blue hedgehog in his place. "And we're also Marnie's biggest fans!"

"You made those dorks your biggest fans?" Sonic asked Marnie, out of pure ignorance, as Marnie frowned and rightfully smacked the hedgehog in the nose.

Piers: Leon invited a few of his friends to some Pokemon Summit at the Smash Mansion, and for some stupid reason, he forgot to invite me. So, in revenge, I'm gonna crash the Summit just to make Leon recognize the mistake he made. *dons guitar* The mansion's gonna be in for one heck of a show!

"Does your brother have back problems?" Tails asked Marnie, noticing how hunched over Piers was. Piers' posture was simply not befitting for a gym leader of his caliber, but he's retired so it's all good.

"No, he just refuses to try his hardest," replied Marnie, as she patted Piers on his hunched back; Piers turned towards Marnie with a glare. "Try a bit harder for my friends, okay bro?"

"Who knew that you were even able to make friends outside of Galar," Piers threw some shade at Marnie, who gave her brother a death glare that was nearly enough to make him wet his pants. "I mean, what awesome friends you have!"

"Piers is apparently dead-set on crashin' the Summit today," Marnie explained to Sonic and company, bringing the friends away from Piers so she could speak with them in private. "I don't wanna get in trouble with Master Hand, so..."

"We won't let him get away with it," Coco assured Marnie, her promise making the Pokemon trainer smile ever so slightly. "Besides if Team Yell's carrying his plan out...then what do you have to worry about?"

"Heh, you're right about Team Yell. They can barely even stop a Silicobra in its tracks." Marnie looked back and saw the Team Yell grunts cheering her name.

"Hey Marnie, you comin' or what?" Piers called out to his little sister, as the chants for Marnie's name got him all energized. "Can't crash the Summit without your help!"

"Give me a sec!" Marnie responded, before turning her attention back to Sonic and friends. "I'm really counting on you guys..." On that last remark, Marnie returned to Piers and Team Yell.

"I can't believe that girl has actual fans, to begin with," Sonic had this to say about Marnie shortly after she left, as Tails and Coco frowned at the hedgehog. "What, why do you two look so offended? You like moody goth girls, too?"


Fully satisfied after enjoying the brunch, Professor Kukui was hanging out in the living room with his wife, Professor Burnet. Nothing like spending some quality time with your wife after a delicious meal.

"I have to go to the bath-a room," Luigi informed Kukui, standing next to a couch that the professor and his wife were sitting on. Kukui would ignore Luigi's request, as Burnet started cuddling with him.

"That's nice, Luigi," smiled Kukui, as Burnet rested her chest against her man. Luigi groaned and looked away, pinching the crown of his nose. "You want a cookie for that or something?"

"No, I just want to use-a the bathroom! Is that so complex?" The more Luigi was ignored by Kukui, the more frustrated he grew. "I'm gonna wet-a my pants because of you!"

"Imagine that sweetie - a grown man like Luigi, wetting his pants!" Kukui smiled at Burnet, as Luigi resisted the urge to sucker punch the professor in his face. In front of his wife, no less. "The nerve of him."

"It's no wonder why we chose Mario for our experiment over him," responded Burnet, getting her head comfier on Kukui's body. With no other choice in mind, Luigi secretly turned around, his back turned towards the living room entrance, and unzipped his pants...

Luigi: Some-a noble sacrifices had to be made...so I peed-a in one of the living room flower pots. It's not like anyone-a would notice.

"Wassup, Professor Kukui!" Ryuji greeted the Alolan professor as he ran inside the living room, taking a seat next to Kukui. "Huge fan of yours..."

"Mr. Sakamoto! Didn't know you were such a big fan of mine," smiled Kukui, as Burnet looked impressed - soon, Banjo and Corrin entered the living room.

"Are those two your other huge fans?" Burnet asked Kukui as she pointed at Banjo and Corrin; she assumed that it was Kukui's six-pack that easily reeled in the male residents.

"My friends and I just wanted to ask you a quick question," Ryuji said to Kukui, acting super cordial as he wrapped his arm around the professor. "Are you by any chance a fan of pro wrestling?

"I do like luchador wrestling if that answers your question," answered Kukui, who happened to be a wrestler himself; the Masked Royal was his ring name.

"Great! Because there's a great wrestling promotion out there that you might enjoy. It has all the luchador wrestlers you could ever dream of..." Ryuji looked up at the heavens, stretching his hand out, as Kukui was looking up with him.

"Ryuji, where did you leave my..." said Mitsuru as she entered the living room...only to frown when she saw Ryuji with Kukui. Banjo and Corrin's presence told the young woman all that she needed to know.

"Mitsuru! It's not what you think..." Ryuji's short plea of innocence didn't work, as Mitsuru marched over to Ryuji and grabbed the delinquent by the ear.

"Leave him alone, Ryuji..." Mitsuru would drag Ryuji out of the living room, as Banjo and Corrin were left with no choice but to follow after their leader.

"Give AEW a chance, Professor Kukui! Check your local listings! CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS!" Ryuji was now out of sight, out of mind, as Kukui was looking on with a puzzled stare.


Once outside of the living room, Mitsuru ran into Mario in the foyer. Mario was looking prim and proper, with his hands behind his back.

"You boys go run along now," Mitsuru said to Ryuji, Banjo, and Corrin, releasing his hold on Ryuji as she allowed the delinquent and his lackeys to leave. "Don't let me see you bother Professor Kukui again!"

"Got a once-in-a-lifetime offer for you," Mario said to Mitsuru, expecting the young woman to give the offer some thought. "How would-a you and your Shadow Operative friends like to live-a together in a house?"

"What is it supposed to be, some kind of frat house? Was this Junpei's stupid idea?" Mitsuru wouldn't mind living with someone else, but Junpei...that was a hard pass for her.

"There's a new house-a that's gonna be built close to the mansion. You could-a be Rayman's neighbor!" The thought of being neighbors with Rayman sounded alluring to Mitsuru, but it wasn't enough.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Also, I can't find myself in a situation where two of my friends are playing house." Mitsuru walked away, declining Mario's offer, as Cappy appeared off of Mario's head.

"Would getting Minato and Yukari to elope change Mitsuru's mind?" the talking hat asked Mario; if Chrom and Raven were to elope just fine...


Because they weren't invited to the brunch in the dining room (due to being underqualified), Dawn and Barry were had to stay at Krystal's place for the time being. Barry was trusted by Rowan to be on his best behavior...

"You cry one more time, and I'm gonna fine you!" Barry shouted at Marcus as he pointed in the infant's face, causing him to cry. "That's it, mister! You got what you asked for!"

"Why on earth would you fine a baby?" Dawn questioned Barry, who was looking for a piece of paper to write Marcus' fine on - that is until he considered Dawn's point.

"You're right, Dawn...babies are easy to fine, relatively speaking, but it's not like they can pay up. I should fine Krystal, who knows how much Star Records money she has!"

"Is that supposed to be a challenge?" Krystal asked Barry, standing behind the Pokemon trainer looking stern with her arms folded. Barry was suddenly afraid, as he started to tense up.

"N-No, not at all! Your Star Records money is safe with me!" Barry backed away from Krystal with his hands up, only to back up into a television set in the living room and nearly topple it over. "Stupid TV! I'll have to fine you!"

Before Barry could access the fine, Master Hand magically appeared in the living room. Barry was frightened yet again, as he quickly hid behind Dawn.

"M-Master Hand, please spare me!" Barry pleaded to the giant hand, believing that he showed up just to punish him. "I had no original intentions of fining Fox and Krystal's TV..."

"Fining inanimate objects...you're such a nerd, Barry," Master Hand insulted the Pokemon trainer, before floating his way over to Krystal. "Don't mind if I ask, Krystal, but...is Anna home?"

Master Hand: Twintelle made a fantastic point at the tea party. If I wish to become a changed individual, I would have to make amends with some of my most despised enemies. I've already made peace with Tom Nook, so how bad could it be with Anna?

"Someone called my name?" asked Anna, as she came down the stairs holding a few boxes. The merchant squealed when she saw Master Hand. "Ooh! Is that my favorite five-fingered companion?"

"Yes...it is I," Master Hand replied in a deadpan tone, as Anna excitedly ran to the living room while dropping the boxes onto the floor. "Please do not hug me, I am very sterile!"

"Whoever said I was gonna hug you? I just wanted a closer look." Anna took the time to inspect Master Hand, checking the front and the back. "Not looking too out of the ordinary!"

"How nice of you to play doctor for me...now why don't you have a seat?" Without asking any questions, Anna took a seat on a living room sofa anticipating what Master Hand would have to say.

"What do you wanna talk about? Came here to rant about how 'evil' capitalism is? Or did you finally find the courage to shut my shop down?"

"Neither one of those things. I just wanted to stop by and...have a nice little conversation with you." A small yet important step for Master Hand, as Anna was immediately hooked. And Krystal was hooked as well.

"This should be good," Krystal remarked with a smile as she put her hands on her hips. If only she had a bag of popcorn ready to go.


The brunch at the dining room was now over, and the groundskeepers Mr. Game and Watch and Dark Pit offered to help clean up the table. Meanwhile, Link and Cloud were chilling near the backdoor.

"Apparently, Luigi got a lot of vehicle insurance after that Carl guy crashed his car," stated Link; he and Cloud sure had a hard time explaining to Luigi after returning his Dodge Charger. "Could we use that money to pay the Carpenters?"

"Only if Luigi would allow it," replied Cloud, as someone was heard knocking on the backdoor. Neither Link nor Cloud answered. "But he might be too angry about what happened to..."

"Um, hello? Someone's knocking!" Mr. Game and Watch called out to Link and Cloud, bringing their attention to the knocking on the backdoor. Link opened the backdoor, and he saw...no one. Except for a Pokemon.

"Why is there a Purugly in our backyard?" wondered Link, as Purugly was staring at the Hylian with a mean look in her eyes. "Probably escaped from the sanctuary, somehow."

"Now, Purugly, attack!" a female voice commanded the tiger cat Pokemon, who leaped at Link and snagged his head. Purugly started scratching Link's head, causing the Hylian to scream like a girl and stumble around a bit.

"Stop it, this girly screaming is hurting my pride!" As Link struggled to fend off Purugly, Saturn and Mars entered through the backdoor, with the latter holding a Poke Ball.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked Saturn and Mars, as Saturn took his Poke Ball and sent out his Toxicroak. Toxicroak looked at Cloud, and then at the groundskeepers.

"H-Here, have some muffins!" Mr. Game and Watch said to Toxicroak as he offered the toxic mouth Pokemon a plate of muffins, as a peace offering. "Spare us, we beg of you!"

"Just keep working, Dark Pit, and all the chaos will go away..." Dark Pit told himself, cleaning the dining room with his rag at a much faster pace. Jupiter soon entered the dining room with her Skuntank and liked what she saw.

"Skuntank, use Smokescreen!" order the Team Galactic commander, as Skuntank emitted some black smoke into the dining room. The residents were left coughing until the smoke started to clear up.

"What's with all the smoke?" wondered Pyra, as she and Mythra entered the dining room by the time the smoke cleared. The Team Galactic commanders were gone, and so were their Pokemon.

"Haha, my plan worked! Yeah!" cheered Dark Pit, as Link rubbed his face and felt multiple scratch marks. Cloud was helped up to his feet by Pyra, Mythra, and Mr. Game and Watch as he held his head.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" Pyra asked the swordsman, who was nursing the part of his head that Toxicroak chopped him at. "What happened?"

"Some no-good Pokemon trainers with no taste in fashion barged in here and caused a mess," Mr. Game and Watch explained to Pyra and Mythra, fortunate that he was relatively unharmed. "Don't even get me started on their hairstyles."

"A bunch of troublemakers with Pokemon and no fashion sense..." Mythra summarized what Mr. Game and Watch said, as she rubbed her chin."...they must be a step-up from those Team Yell dorks."

"At least they looked like a threat," Link said about the Team Galactic commanders, as the Blades looked over at the Hylian and started giggling. "What's so funny? Is it how my face looks?"

"Take a look for yourself..." Cloud said to Link as he took out his phone, opened the camera app, and handed his device to Link. Link not only saw his scratched-up face...but also his hair entirely jacked up. And he screamed. Like a girl.


Like the bandicoots, Cortex had to move out of the mansion before the end of the year. But the evil genius wouldn't go down without a fight. The mad genius was going to fight tooth and nail to remain a mansion resident, and he wouldn't do it alone. He couldn't rely on Uka as a worthy companion, so he had to look elsewhere for help.

"I wouldn't mind this meeting if there was food," Wario admitted to Berkut and Aerith, who were in Cortex's room sitting on Cortex's bed with the fatso. Berkut and Aerith, as you may know, were former roommates of Cortex.

"I kept gardening on purpose so that this meeting wouldn't happen," explained Aerith, who was nagged nonstop by Cortex to see him at his room. "But sadly, I fulfilled my daily quota ahead of time. I'm so sorry..."

Uka: Cortex is foolish - foolish enough to think that the mansion would miss him when he's gone. If Cortex left the mansion forever tomorrow morning, no one would bat a single eye. It would just mean one less plague disrupting the mansion's vibe.

"Hello, former roommates...and current roommate!" Cortex greeted Aerith, Berkut, and Wario as he stepped inside his room. "Do you have any idea why I gathered you all here?"

"To waste our precious time?" guessed Berkut, as Cortex angrily took out a bottle of spray and sprayed some water in Berkut's eyes. Berkut screamed in pain and discomfort.

"You're lucky my ray gun's low on ammo...could've been a lot worse! Anyway, I gathered you three here to discuss my residency plans."

"Need some helping moving out of the mansion?" Wario asked Cortex, chuckling to himself as Cortex leaving would be a dream come true for him. "Well, don't mind if I do..." Cortex would spray water in Wario's eyes, causing Wario to scream.

"As you already know, I am in mad love with Tiki. I have no intentions of leaving this mansion until Tiki and I are officially an item. So..."

"...so you're intent on staying at the mansion until you die?" asked Berkut, putting himself at risk of getting water in his eyes again. "I don't think Master Hand would let you do that."

"Right. He wouldn't let me do that. That is why I'll need you guys to help me arrange a marriage with Tiki! However long it'll take me...I mean, us."

"Why should we help, we all hate you!" stated Wario, and Berkut confirmed as such by nodding his head. Cortex was beside himself, his bottom lip trembling.

"...Aerith, do you hate me?" the evil genius asked the flower girl; if Aerith of all people hated him, Cortex wouldn't know what to do with himself.

"Hate might be too strong of a word," Aerith answered with an honest smile, as Cortex simply sprayed water on the flower girl's arm. He couldn't risk spraying her in the eyes - not with Cloud around, especially.


Team Yell came to the mansion to crash the Pokemon Summit...but the only problem was, the Summit hadn't even started yet! So Team Yell followed Piers and Marnie around the mansion to pass the time, as their leader ran into several residents along the way.

"Seriously, bro, you have to watch AEW," Ryuji encouraged Piers, with Banjo and Corrin behind him; he wouldn't give up until he found one person who would be interested in watching his favorite wrestling promotion. "It's real pro wrestling, with real pro wrestlers!"

"Bet they wrestle for a hot dog and a handshake, huh?" asked Piers, and Ryuji didn't know how to respond. He looked back at Banjo and Corrin, and neither of them could bail out the delinquent. "Have these wrestlers already paid their dues?"

"...some of them might have. But AEW does have a few of the 'sports entertainment' guys. If you're into that sports entertainment stuff."

"Ha, I was just pullin' your tail. I might give it a chance, see how I like it." And just like that, Ryuji earned himself a potential fan. Now he was ready to work some magic on Marnie...

"What?! No way! The Pokemon Summit's been canceled?" Coco said to Tails, as she and the yellow fox were a short distance down the hallway from Team Yell. Piers, Marnie, and the rest of Team Yell glanced over at the two friends.

"Uh, yeah, that's what I heard," Tails replied as he eyed around nervously. He wasn't looking so confident speaking. "What a shame, am I right?"

"The Summit is canceled?" frowned Piers as he, Marnie, and Team Yell marched over to Coco and Tails to get some answers. "Say it ain't so!"

"Apparently, it's true," stated Coco, as Team Yell hoped that the Summit was canceled because their presence was felt at the mansion. It would make them feel so much better. "Right, Tails?"

"Where did you hear this info from?" Piers was looking down at Tails, who was shuddering in fear at the sight of the Galarian rockstar. "Spit it out!"

"I heard it from...from no one!" Tails cracked under the pressure and gave his cover away, as Coco smacked her forehead. "I made it all up!"

Tails: As it turns out, I'm not such a good liar.

"So the Summit is still on, then," smiled Piers, happy to know that plans remained on the table. "Knew you rascals couldn't fool me..." The rockstar led Team Yell away from Coco and Tails, while Marnie stayed behind.

"Still got some time left..." Marnie said to Tails and Coco, before following after Piers and Team Yell before they could call her name. Soon Sonic and Crash emerged, meeting with Tails and Coco.

"We really have to step up our game," discussed Sonic - he and his friends couldn't throw in the white flag just yet.


Fox and Falco brought Team Skull with them to the mansion, and they traveled on foot as opposed to flying. It took them a long time, though - the reason being was that they had gone to the museum on foot. Although that wasn't the only reason, necessarily.

"We could've been here much sooner if your lackeys weren't into destroying city property," Falco said to Guzma and Plumeria, who were both watching as their Team Skull grunts were going ham on Olimar's mailbox.

"This is a way for our boys and girls to expel their energy," explained Plumeria, who saw nothing wrong with how the grunts were behaving. Even the grunts' Pokemon were joining in on the fun!

"Go, Houndour! Burn that mailbox to a crisp!" a Team Skull grunt commanded, as her Houndour used his fire breath on Olimar's mailbox. Hopefully, for Olimar, the mailman hadn't stopped by yet.

"What are you miscreants doing to my mailbox?!" Olimar shouted at the Team Skull grunts as he stepped out of his front door; Olimar would soon be intimidated by a few of the grunts, who chased the astronaut inside his own house with their Pokemon.

"Get a load of that dork!" Guzma called out as he pointed at Link's mailman, who had arrived at the mansion. The Team Skull grunts ran over to the poor mailman and beat him up.

"Not my gift card, Cloud gave me that!" the mailman wailed, as one of the grunts took his gift card; other grunts fought him over it. "Haven't figured out how to use it yet..."

"You go and keep the Team Skull crew in check," Fox said to Falco, before hustling over to his home. "Gonna see how my wife and kid are doing."


Fox entered his house, and he couldn't believe what he saw...Master Hand, hanging out in his in giving room. But not just Master Hand - Fox also saw the giant hand having a very friendly conversation with Anna. The pilot never would've imagined that the instance would ever happen.

"The more that I think about it, capitalism isn't all too bad," Master Hand discussed with Anna, as Fox stood at his front door struck with awe. "Everyone's gotta get the bag somehow, amirite?"

"He's doing it...he's actually doing it," remarked Fox, as Krystal joined the pilot at the front door seeing how shocked and ecstatic her husband was. "He's really doing it!"

"So this was your idea..." Krystal said to Fox, who was feeling like the proudest man on earth right now. He never felt so proud of Master Hand before.

"Actually, it was Twintelle's, but Falco and I encouraged Master Hand." Fox suddenly heard a scream outside, as he turned around and saw a few Team Skull grunts dragging Olimar out of his house. "Uh, gotta go, babe!"

"See you soon." So Fox left his home, as Krystal closed the front door and went back to spectating Master Hand's rather cordial conversation.

Male Team Yell Grunt: Haha, I took that little shrimp's wallet! *holds up Olimar's wallet* What did you get?
Female Team Yell Grunt: Just some doll that belonged to the shrimp's daughter. *holds up doll* The tears she shed made it totally worth it.


Team Galactic had infiltrated the mansion, and Link and Cloud wasted no time to try and stop the villainous team in their tracks. The two friends and Zelda went to the computer room, where they had Samus access the mansion's security cameras.

"Let's see what this camera will show us," said Samus as she pulled up one of the security cameras on the monitor. It showed Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter convening in some private room, with their Pokemon.

"There they are, that's them," stated Cloud as he pointed at the monitor, easily recognizing the Team Galactic commanders by their unique hairstyles. "Got in through the backdoor."

"What room even is that?" Zelda furrowed her brow, as Snake sneaked his way inside the computer room unseen by Zelda and company. "This mansion has way too many rooms for its own good."

"Ain't that the truth..." muttered Samus, before she heard someone sitting in a chair at the back of the computer room. Everyone turned around and saw Snake, who took out his codec before being spotted.

"Don't mind me, just about to call an old friend," Snake said to Samus and company, as he placed the codec inside his ear. "Hello, Hal?" The former spy slinked to the furthermost corner of the computer room, trying to remove any suspicion about him.

"Okaaaayyy..." said Link, as he and the others returned to the security footage playing out on the monitor. "...so who are we sending in to stop these guys?"


Leon wasn't the only person at the mansion that was champion material - the champ of Galar invited former Pokemon champions to the mansion. Sadly, they all arrived after the brunch was over, but they were happy to be here.

The former champs - Blue, Steven Stone, Cynthia, Alder, and Diantha - met with Leon at Cafe Leblanc, enjoying each other's company while being served some curry. Lance, who was also a former champion himself, was also invited.

"Dang it! Why did I have to age down along with you guys?" Blue frowned at Red the Pokemon and Leaf, seated at a table with the fellow Kanto trainers. "Now I have to be on the same level as you!"

"Did you want to remain an adult, just so you could brag about being 'older' than us?" asked Leaf, and that appeared to be the truth as Blue looked down at the floor and scratched the back of his neck. "You have some serious issues..."

"Your coffee is exquisite, Joker!" Steven commended the young man, as he thoroughly enjoyed his cup of cappuccino. He could really go for another one. "Tell us your secret."

"A wise man never shares his secrets," responded Joker, prompting Pit to approach Steven as he was about to open his mouth. Only for Joker to take out his knife, holding it to Pit's neck. "Don't you even think about it, Pit..."

"I was just gonna ask Steven if he wanted a refill!" stated Pit, although Joker could tell that the angel was lying through his teeth. His body language said so. "You wouldn't hurt sweet little me, would you?"

"Yeah, Joker...would you?" Viridi asked the young man, giving him a threatening look. Joker looked at Pit - who was going for the usually effective puppy eyes look - and sighed.

"You're lucky you have a crazy girlfriend..." Joker muttered to Pit, putting his knife away as he resumed his barista duties. Steven finished the rest of his cappuccino, wishing he could know Joker's secret one day.

Leon: Iris was the only former champ that couldn't make it - she declined to make the trip, for whatever reason. When I asked her why she couldn't come, she claimed that she would "make it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even New Year's Eve". What does she mean by that?

But before Joker could resume his duties, he heard his phone ring. The young man took out his phone and saw Cloud calling him; clearly, it was something important.

"Hey Joker, I was wondering if you could do us a solid," Cloud said to the young man after the call was answered; Joker was game for pretty much anything Cloud threw on him. "We got a few intruders..."

"That Carl guy broke out of jail and showed up with some friends?" assumed Joker - imagine Carl Johnson pulling up to the mansion with his old street gang, the Grove Street Families.

"No, just a bunch of weirdos with Pokemon and weird-colored hair. They also wear uniforms with some G insignia on their chest."

"They own Pokemon, have weird-colored hair, and wear uniforms with a capital G on them..." That description rang a bell to Cynthia, who had looked up from the curry that she was eating. "...I'll be on the lookout."

"Thanks. We'll keep in touch. Let us know if you see them." Cloud ended the call, and Joker put his phone away. Cynthia looked concerned, now aware that her old enemies were back together again.

"Excuse me, but was your friend talking about Team Galactic just now?" Cynthia asked Joker, wishing that there was some way for her to stop Team Galactic from doing Team Galactic things.

"I believe he was," replied Joker, able to recognize the amount of worry that Cynthia was wearing on her face. "You must know them well."

"I've had a few run-ins with them. I thought that Team Galactic would be history after Cyrus went into the distortion world, but he must've found a way out. But how...?"


Cortex went to the Assist Tower, with the intention of proposing to Tiki and asking the Manakete to marry her. Helping the evil genius against their will were Wario, Aerith, Berkut, who had to accompany Cortex.

"Much thanks for letting me borrow your wedding ring," Cortex thanked Berkut, as he held the paladin's wedding ring in his hand. Berkut kept a close eye on Cortex, refusing to let the evil genius out of his sight.

"I brought some flowers, just in case," Aerith said to Cortex while holding a few flowers; she picked out some flowers that she imagined Tiki would like. Mostly red and pink flowers.

"Good thinking, Aerith! Now, remember, if Tiki wants to marry me somewhere like in mid-2022, then that's okay. It'll just buy me more time at the mansion, which is a win-win for me!"

"...and a lose-lose for everyone else," grumbled Wario, as Cortex approached the front door and rang the doorbell. Shadow opened the door and saw Cortex and the wedding ring he was holding.

"You have got to be joking..." the black hedgehog frowned, as he could tell that the wedding ring totally didn't belong to Cortex. The ring only made it more clear to Shadow how desperate Cortex was.

"Greetings, Mr. Hedgehog!" Cortex greeted Shadow, wielding his bottle of spray just in case Shadow turned him away. Messing with Shadow was a death wish just waiting to happen. "Is my future wife home?"

"Imaginary women don't live at this tower, you idiot." Shadow saw that Cortex wasn't moving a single inch, and it made him sigh. "Come on in...I'll go see if Tiki's home."

"Superb!" gleamed Cortex, as he and the others entered the tower; Wario, the last person to enter, forgot to close the front door. Or maybe he was just too lazy to even do it.

"Close the door much?" Saki Amamiya frowned at Wario as he walked to the front door...but before he could close it, he was suddenly greeted by Cyrus standing at the doorstep.

"I am Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic," Cyrus introduced himself to Saki, with his ace Pokemon Weavile standing next to him. "I demand that you let me inside your tower at once."

Cyrus: While outside, I overheard some spiky-haired boy with his friends talking about some device. One that can grant anyone access to any universe or dimension. That device could be my way back into the distortion world...and I wouldn't need a legendary Pokemon to assist me.

"Yikes, man, why do you look so rough?" Saki asked Cyrus, taking note of the leader's perpetual frown. The half-Ruffian held out his arms for a hug. "Do you need a hug?"

"My Weavile will give you hugs aplenty if you don't let me in..." threatened Cyrus, as Saki looked down at Weavile and saw the sharp claw Pokemon sharpening his claws. Saki gulped nervously.

"Uh...right this way, good sir!" Saki stepped out of the way, letting Cyrus and his Weavile enter the tower. Saki stood away in fear, wondering if he was doing the right thing.


In anticipation of the Pokemon Summit - one that he wasn't even invited to attend - Sans had been preparing some Pokemon-related puns. The skeleton went to the cafe to share his puns, much to the chagrin of the former champions.

"do you bayleef in love?" Sans asked Diantha, who frowned at the skeleton's question before turning her head away. "fine, I won't raichu a love song."

"Good, save yourself some time and energy..." responded Diantha, before sipping from a cup of tea that Viridi had prepared for her. Seeing that Diantha wasn't a fan of his puns, Sans turned his attention to Alder.

"kakuna ratatta...it means no worries," the skeleton told Alder this pun; after understanding it, Alder started laughing away. "see? my puns really aren't that farfetch'd."

"Kakuna Rattata, that's absolutely genius!" laughed Alder, tears running down his face as he happily nudged Lance in his side. Lance struggled to understand what was so funny.

"what can i say, i love making puns that make others shuckle." This was the pun that brought Alder over the edge, as the former champion laughed harder while banging his fist on the counter.

Fortunately, Sans' constant barrage of puns would finally come to an end when three individuals arrived at the cafe...Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. Toxicroak, Purugly, and Skuntank accompanied their respective trainers.

"Team Galactic!" shouted Cynthia as she quickly stood up from her seat; she could tell that Team Galactic was looking for a fight, and then some.

"i sense bad guys," said Sans after seeing Team Galactic, taking out some handcuffs and placing them on the counter. "gonna leave these out, just in case."

"Funny, we got back together again...and we run into you," Saturn sneered at Cynthia, happy to see an old adversary of his. "What a coincidence."

"Are those lovebirds Dawn and Barry around here?" asked Mars as she looked around the cafe for Dawn and Barry. She sure loved to tease those two trainers.

"Nope, but Viridi and I, we're the far more superior couple!" shouted Pit, bringing Team Galactic's attention to himself, as Viridi facepalmed.

"Check it out...they have an Incineroar," Jupiter whispered to Saturn and Mars, who both saw Incineroar standing behind the counter staring them down. "He sure looks weak wearing that apron."

"You better get out of our cafe, or Incineroar here is gonna mess you up!" Pit walked over to Incineroar, smacking the heel Pokemon on his chest. Team Galactic didn't seem intimidated in the slightest.

"Stay out of this, Pit...Team Galactic's my problem," Cynthia said to the angel, glaring at Team Galactic as she took out a Poke Ball. Her Garchomp was most definitely inside that Poke Ball.

"Can we not have a Pokemon battle?" Joker asked Cynthia and Team Galactic, sensing how slowly the tension was building up in his cafe. "I just had this cafe remodeled weeks ago."

"Hold that thought, Cynthia..." Leon said to the woman as he held his hand out, right before Cynthia could send out her Garchomp. "...you shouldn't battle Team Galactic."

"Yes, he's right. Thank you." Joker had some amount of respect for Leon, for being the voice of reason. "Think about the person who runs this place."

"Instead...why not leave it up to your friends?" As Cynthia looked at those seated at the counter, she saw Steven, Alder, and Diantha - all holding their Poke Balls in their hands. "They got this covered."

"We can take it from here, Cynthia," assured Diantha, standing up confidently, as Joker gave up and began pulling on his hair in frustration. "Go, Gardevoir!" Diantha sent out her Gardevoir, before making sure she had her Gardevoirite with her.

"Metagross, come on out!" shouted Steven, as he sent out his Metagross. Like Diantha, Steven also possessed a Mega Stone - a Metagrossite.

"Time for you to do your thing, Volcarona!" shouted Alder, as he sent out his Volcarona. Volcarona had no Mega Evolution, but he was still pretty strong.

"Been looking forward to a fight like this..." snarled Saturn, as his Toxicroak was ready for battle. So were Mars' Purugly, and Jupiter's Skuntank.

"We don't even have enough room in this cafe for a standard Pokemon battle..." groaned Joker, with his elbows resting on the counter while his face was buried in his hands. "Why do I even...?"


Sora was hanging out with Wily down in the tower basement, where Wily was working on his universe transport machine. With Thanksgiving coming up, Sora wanted to invite three of his friends for the festivities.

"Do you think you can bring Ventus, Terra, and Aqua to this universe?" Sora asked Wily, as he wanted nothing more than for the Wayfinder trio to meet Cloud and the others. Wily took the time to mull over Sora's request.

"Isn't one of them stuck in your universe's version of Hell?" Wily asked Sora; he had no desire of traveling to the Realm of Darkness, who knows what dangers would wait for him there.

"You mean Aqua? Yeah, she used to be stuck there - she was evil when I first saw her. But then I beat the crap out of her, and she became good again!"

"You had to beat the crap out of Aqua in order to..." Wily immediately stopped speaking, as he resumed working on his device. "...you know what, I'm not even going to ask what happened to your other friends."

Sora: Ventus is in good hands; he's up and awake after he was comatose for ten years. Can you imagine sleeping for that long? Terra's fine, too, he finally got his heart freed from Master Xehanort.

Dr. Wily: I wasn't wrong when I claimed that Terra took up two vessels of Organization XIII, was I? Please tell me I wasn't, I don't want my research to go invalidated...

"Lovely machine you got there," a voice said to Wily, who along with Sora turned around and saw Cyrus standing by with his arms behind his back. Who knows how long the leader was standing there.

"I know who you are!" Wily pointed at Cyrus, as he was able to recognize the leader's facial expression from anywhere. "You're Cyrus, of Team Galactic! What do you want with my device?"

"I just want to use it to access the distortion world, that's all." Weavile emerged from behind Cyrus, as he was looking to get his hands dirty if necessary. "Unless you can operate your device for me."

"Wait, so you don't want to destroy my universal transport machine?" Wily let out a big sigh of relief, as he clutched his chest. "Oh, thank goodness...I haven't even gotten this bad boy officially patented yet!"

"So what will it be, doctor? Will you allow me to use your machine to access the distortion world? Or will you do it for me?" Cyrus remained where he was, staring into Wily's soul, as Weavile had his claws out. Wily didn't know what to do.

"Stand back, Dr. Wily - I'll handle the Weavile!" Sora said to the robot inventor as he jumped in front of Wily and donned his Keyblade. "You can count on me!"

"Weavile...Fake Out," commanded Cyrus, as Weavile ran up to Sora and clapped his hands together. Sora flinched as a large shockwave of air sent the Keyblade wielder flying into the wall.

"My Keyblade!" Sora dropped his Keyblade in the process, and Cyrus picked it up off the floor as he analyzed the blade. "Give it back!"

"I'll give it back, alright...but only if Dr. Wily lets me carry out my plans." Cyrus pointed the Keyblade at Wily, making the robot inventor shudder in fear. "The choice is his..."


Piers had grown tired of wandering aimlessly around the mansion, so he made a pit stop at the lounge to practice his guitar-playing skills. The rockstar was playing on the couch, with Marnie and Team Yell hanging out in the lounge with him.

"You rock, Piers!" cheered a Team Yell grunt, perhaps the biggest suck-up in the entire Galar region. "Best guitar player around!"

"Nobody's better than you, man!" cheered another Team Yell grunt, finding himself in the groove as he was playing an imaginary guitar. "Woooooo!"

"Piers could literally pick his nose, and you guys would think it's the greatest thing ever..." Marnie frowned at Team Yell, before looking out of the lounge and seeing Sonic and Crash in the hallway. The latter was holding a banner with Marnie on it.

"Should we rip this in two?" Sonic mouthed to Marnie as he pointed at the banner that Crash was holding; Marnie gave a thumbs up. Crash very slowly ripped the banner, and though the sound was faint, it was a horrible noise to the ears of one Team Yell grunt.

"Huh?" the grunt said as he looked up, gasping when he saw Crash tearing the banner of Marnie. "Piers, that bandicoot is ripping that banner in half!"

"He's doing what now?!" yelled Piers as he caught Crash in the act. The rockstar tossed his guitar onto the floor, as he and all the Team Yell grunts turned their attention to Crash. "Get him!"

"Woah!" screamed Crash, and Sonic ran out of harm's way as his friend got ambushed by Piers and Team Yell. Nothing worse than getting beat up by a bunch of punk kids and their emo rockstar leader. Fortunately for Crash, the beatdown only lasted a few seconds.

"Serves him right..." Leaving behind a bruised and battered Crash left to rot on the floor, Piers returned to the lounge with Team Yell, holding the damaged banner in his hand. Then he saw something amiss... "...huh? My guitar! It's gone!"

"How could this have happened?" Marnie wondered with faux concern, as Piers searched high and low for his guitar. Checked under the couch, and behind the curtains, but his instrument was nowhere to be found.

Tails: While Crash allowed himself to get beat up by Team Yell...Sonic stole this! *holds up Piers' guitar* Piers might go insane without his guitar, so we'll hold on to this for as long as we have to.
Crash: *takes guitar away from Tails, strums a chord
Tails: Stop that, Crash, you might blow our cover... *takes guitar away from Crash*

"This sucks! I can't even have a Pokemon battle without my guitar!" panicked Piers; Tails was right on the money about the rockstar going insane. "How can I go about the rest of my day like this?"

"Sucks even more that you need your guitar to function like a normal human being," commented Marnie, as Piers got angry with his sister and pointed his finger in her face.

"You stood around and let my guitar get stolen, didn't you? Good-for-nothing little sister..."


Master Hand was having a wonderful conversation with Anna, and it was going much better than he originally intended. This wasn't to say that his beef with Anna was now in the past...but it was a step in the right direction.

"Tell me, Anna, am I crazy?" Master Hand asked the merchant, wanting to know her honest thoughts and opinions. He didn't want Anna to sugarcoat a thing. "Am I a crazy loon, like Crazy Hand?"

"I mean, you do invite people to the mansion against their will," stated Dawn, as she had some rather unfond memories of Mr. Big Chest acting a fool back in episode 268. "That alone makes you crazy."

Professor Rowan: Yes, I am aware that the brunch is already over with. I haven't invited Dawn and Barry over to the mansion yet, since I need a few more moments of sanity. Dawn will just have to suffer more for the time being.

"My question was for Anna, not you..." Master Hand said to Dawn, putting the Pokemon trainer in her place, before reverting his attention back to Anna. "...be honest, Anna. Am I crazy?"

"Well, you did almost have a crying fit when you agreed to let me attend Fox and Krystal's wedding," replied Anna, reflecting upon the multiple interactions that she had with Master Hand. "And you treated me like a terrorist a few times whenever I stopped by the mansion. So yeah...I think you're insane."

"Guilty as charged..." smirked Krystal, as Master Hand was left with no choice but to accept how crazy he was. He would accept it...for now.

"You know what, Anna? This universe doesn't need two Crazy Hands. One is enough, trust me. What this universe need is some normality!"

"I can help you be normal..." smiled Anna, and Master Hand was reluctant to trust the merchant - fully, at least. He was partially on the edge.

"Okay now, Anna, you're moving a little too fast...just because we had one friendly convo doesn't give you the right to take initiative! Why don't we take things one step at a time?"

"That would be the right way to do it," remarked Dawn, before she heard a notification sound. It was from her PokeNav...must be a call from Rowan.


Since he couldn't entice Mitsuru, Mario went to go bother Chie and Yukiko - the two ladies who made up the Investigation Crew. The plumber followed after Chie and Yukiko, enticing them about the new house being built.

"Just you and-a your friends, all living under the same-a roof," Mario proposed to Chie and Yukiko, who tried picking up the pace to escape from the plumber. "What do you say?"

"Someone's been watching too much Terrace House lately..." Yukiko whispered to Chie, as Mario tried to lean in close to eavesdrop on what the woman was whispering about.

"Peach must've put him on," responded Chie, only to come to a stop when she took a peek inside the computer room. Link, Cloud, and Zelda were all gathered around a computer screen with Samus. "What's going on in there?"

Chie went inside the computer room, and Yukiko and Mario followed after her. On Samus' monitor was security footage of Cafe Leblanc, which was damaged. The counter was broken, chairs were lying on the floor, and a few fires were present. Red and Blue stayed behind as their Pokemon put the fire out.

"Some Pokemon battle went down at the cafe?" Yukiko asked Link and company, as she and Chie gathered around; with how many people were present, Mario was doomed by his short height.

"Missed all the action," replied Cloud, who had witnessed one of the more frantic Pokemon battles in recent memory. "Those champions put on a fight." Soon Joker showed up, peeking his head inside the room.

"Hey, Cloud?" the young man called out to the swordsman, garnering his attention. "We got the bad guys...Team Galactic, as they're called."

Cloud joined Joker outside the computer room, and he was impressed by what he saw...Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter, all handcuffed. Cynthia and Leon stood by; Incineroar was holding the fainted Pokemon of Team Galactic in his arms.

"Nabbed Team Galactic for ya!" Leon smiled at Cloud as he gave him a thumbs-up while holding Saturn's hands so he wouldn't escape. "You're welcome."

Sans: gotta love those handcuffs. you never know when they come in handy. *giggles*

"I take it that you were the first to encounter Team Galactic?" Cynthia asked Cloud as Link, not wanting to go ignored, wanted to be acknowledged as well. "Hope they didn't cause too much trouble for you."

"One of their Pokemon almost chopped my head in half," stated Cloud, as he felt a small bruise at the top of his head. "But other than that, I'm fine."

"Look at what their Purugly did to their hair!" Link said to Cynthia as he approached the former champion and took off his hat, revealing his jacked-up hair. Cynthia was giggling, and so were Zelda, Yukiko, and Chie. "Stop it, it's not funny..."

"Alright, Team Galactic, we'll set you free...but only on one condition," Cynthia said to the Team Galactic commanders, as she had one question on her mind. "Where is your leader, Cyrus?"

"We won't tell you," Saturn replied with a scowl, not giving Cyrus' current whereabouts that easily. "But if you must know, Cyrus is trying to open up a portal to the distortion world. And soon, you'll be joining him!"

"He's probably bothering Dr. Wily about his universal transport machine," said Link, turning to Mario as Saturn was sneakily reaching around his pocket with his hands. "Wanna go stop him, Mario?"

"I'm-a busy," replied Mario, as he showed no signs of taking action. Quite rare for the plumber. "Why not get Snake instead?" Link looked at the back of the computer room and saw Snake, who was writing down on some journal before looking up when his name was called.

"Why do you want me for?" complained Snake, as Link was staring at the former spy. Link intensified his stare, and it worked as Snake gave in with a sigh. "Fine, I'll go stop Mr. Bad Guy from using Wily's stupid thingamajig..."

"Way to take initiative, Snake!" Link commended the former spy, who grumbled to himself as he left the computer room. Link patted Snake on the back as he made his exit. "Now, all there's left to do is..."

"Hey, what's that?" questioned Leon, who saw Saturn sneakily take out three revives and toss it to the fainted Pokemon. In a matter of seconds, Skuntank, Toxicroak, and Purugly were full of energy again, as Saturn gave a nod to Jupiter.

"Skuntank, Smokescreen!" commanded Jupiter, as Skuntank released a thick cloud of black smoke that filled up the hallway as well as the computer room. Everyone was left coughing until the smoke cleared - which took a while.

"Crap, they got away!" exclaimed Joker, seeing that the Team Galactic commanders and their Pokemon had escaped. The handcuffs were gone, and a confused Incineroar was sitting on the floor holding his head.

"Those handcuffs must suck if they got out of them that easily," said Cloud, as Mario coughed a few times to get some excess smoke out. Then the plumber saw where Snake was seated and saw his journal left unattended.

"Wonder what Snake was-a writing about," said Mario as he went over the journal and picked it up, holding it as he flipped over a page ."'Notes from Otacon'...hm."


The Pokemon Summit was about to begin soon, and some of the Pokemon guys and gals were chilling in the gaming room. Let's go see what kind of stuff they were up to...

"Wanna be an honorary member of the ninja pals?" Asuka asked Koga of the Johto Elite Four, as she and Greninja had him cornered. Koga mulled over the offer before disappearing smoke bomb, as Asuka and Greninja lowered their heads in sadness.

"Another double bogey!" exclaimed Kahili, as the flying-type trainer of Alola's Elite Four scored at the golf simulator. "I should do the next hole blindfolded."

"Would you look at that...a royal flush," smiled Grimsley, the Unovan Elite Four gambler, as he won a poker match against Johto Elite Four's Will. Will was gobsmacked, his jaw agape.

"But how?! I predicted a win!" the stage magician said with his hands on his head, as Grimsley snickered and collected all the poker chips. Clearly, Will's psychic foresight had failed him.

"Do you think of yourself as the best trainer in all of Sinnoh?" the Flying Man asked Flint, who was a part of Sinnoh's Elite Four; for Flint, the answer was super obvious.

"Yeah, I think so," the fire-type master replied, as the Flying Man nodded his head. Flint's confidence was nigh impressive to the beast.

Flint: Well, what else was I supposed to say? "Durr hurr, I freaking suck as a Pokemon trainer, I'm the purest definition of trash there is!" What kind of person does he think that I am?!

"Attention all Elite Four members!" shouted Dawn as she stepped inside the gaming room, catching every Pokemon trainer's attention. "The Pokemon Summit will be starting at the lecture hall real soon! Head over there right now!"

"About time," said Raihan, putting his Rotom phone away as he and the other trainers filed out of the gaming room. "All this self-taking was getting exhausting!"


Captain Falcon was at the tower balcony with Tiki, his girlfriend Nowi, and two female Elite Four members that he had a dubious past with - Malva and Olivia. The racer asked Tiki to bring Malva and Olivia to the tower, so they could meet his girlfriend.

"So what do you think of Nowi, ladies?" Captain Falcon asked Malva and Olivia, anxious to know how they felt about his half-Manakete girlfriend. "She's a true dime in a dozen, isn't she?"

"She does look very happy to be with you," replied Olivia, observing how naturally happy Nowi was. But what did Malva think about Captain Falcon and Nowi being an item?

"Personally, I think she could've done a lot better," Malva offered her two cents, as Captain Falcon's feelings were immediately hurt. "What do you even see in this man?" Malva asked Nowi.

"All I see is a lovable, handsome hunk!" replied Nowi, making Captain Falcon feel better as she kissed the racer on his cheek. Falcon smiled, as Cortex and company watched from the interior with Shadow.

"I'm only keeping you inside because she's busy," Shadow explained to Cortex, who had his focus on Tiki; Cortex could barely even look away. "Wait until their conversation ends."

"Screw it, I can't wait much longer!" said Cortex, losing his minimal patience as he ran onto the balcony. "I have waited far too long..."

"Cortex, wait!" Aerith called out to the evil genius as she too ran unto the balcony; Wario and Berkut had no choice but to follow. Tiki was surprised to see Cortex, as well as the others.

"Oh, Dr. Cortex!" Tiki greeted the evil genius, as Malva and Olivia struggled to comprehend the Manakete and Cortex standing in each other's presence. And it wasn't just based on looks. "I was just having a word with our visitors."

"And I want to have a word with you...four words, rather," replied Cortex, as he got down on one knee. Captain Falcon knew exactly where things were headed, as Cortex took out Berkut's wedding ring. "Tiki, will you..."

"NOOOO!" Captain Falcon shouted out of peril, as he grabbed the wedding ring and tossed it off the balcony. Berkut was incensed. "I won't let you get married before me, Cortex!"

"Oh, thank goodness..." Malva let out a sigh of relief, as Berkut's face was turning red. As for Cortex, he was completely frozen in place.

"Not my wedding ring!" shouted Berkut as he ran out of the balcony to retrieve his jewelry. Wario chased after Berkut, offering to assist the paladin in his painstaking search.

Shadow: I didn't hold Cortex back because Tiki was chatting with someone. I only held him back to save him from imminent failure.

"I found you!" Barry shouted at Malva and Olivia, having crossed over to the balcony from the mansion bridge. He was pointing at the two ladies with authority. "Malva, Olivia, get to the lecture hall or you're both fined!"

"It was nice speaking with you again, captain," Olivia said to Captain Falcon, as she and Malva followed Barry to the mansion. Captain Falcon smiled, as he and Nowi went inside the tower. Cortex, Aerith, and Tiki were all alone on the balcony.

"I see that ring wasn't yours," Tiki said to Cortex, who was still frozen - frozen from pure humiliation and shame. "Even if it was, I probably wouldn't have accepted it anyway."

"You want some flowers instead?" Aerith asked Tiki as she offered the Manakete the flowers that she had picked out. "I thought it would've made the moment a bit more special."

"I can just get my own flowers. But thank you." Tiki went back inside the tower, with not a single wedding ring on her finger. So much for that.


It took him a while, but Wily made the necessary upgrades to his universe transport machine so that Cyrus could use it. All Wily had to do was key in the right coordinates.

"Can I have my Keyblade back, please?" Sora asked Cyrus, who still had the Keyblade in his possession. Sora held out his hand to Cyrus, expecting the leader to get the cue.

"Not until Dr. Wily opens up the portal," replied Cyrus, as Sora groaned; back in his universe, the Keyblade would've returned to him by now.

Sora: The magic from my Keyblade only seems to work in Smash battles. Outside of those battles..yeah. It's weird.

"Master Cyrus!" Saturn shouted the leader's name, as he came running down the basements stair to Cyrus. "The Pokemon Summit is about to begin in a couple of minutes. You wish to head over?"

"Yes," Cyrus simply replied, before turning his attention to Wily. Wily shuddered at the sight of Cyrus' dead-inside stare. "I expect to have the portal opened by the time I get back, doctor..."

"Now can I have my Keyblade back?" Sora asked Cyrus, who grunted as he returned the Keyblade back to its rightful owner. "Thank you..."

"Let's go." So Cyrus and Saturn left the basement, heading up the stairs, as Wily resumed his work. As they left, Saturn and Cyrus failed to notice a cardboard box in their midst, which was lifted up from underneath...


The lecture hall was filling up. The Elite Four members - Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Will, Koga, Karen, Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian, Shauntal, Marshal, Grimsley, Caitlin, Malva, Siebold, Wikstrom, Drasna, Halu, Olivia, Acerola, Kahili, and Molayne - taking their seats, as well as Red, Leaf, the Pokemon professors, former champions, and Leon's friends. Professor Rowan was standing onstage with Dawn and Barry, while a good friend of his was speaking with him.

"We might have to hold off the Summit, until further notice," Cynthia stressed to Rowan, who was having his tie adjusted by Barry and his vest tidied by Dawn. Gotta dress to impress. "Team Galactic is in town."

"Surely Master Hand and company will keep Team Galactic in check," Rowan said with confidence, showing little to no concern about Team Galactic. "I hear they have a track record of nipping problems in the bud."

"But Team Galactic is an entirely different beast. Have you forgotten how crazy their leader is? It's bad enough that the commanders are..."

"Have a seat, Cynthia - everything will be sorted out soon." Heaving a heavy sigh, Cynthia held her head low as she walked off the stage and to her seat.

"I have protected you long-a enough - can I go home-a now?" Luigi asked Kukui, as Cynthia took a seat next to the Alolan professor. Luigi was left ignored by Kukui once again, as he groaned loudly.

Rowan was now ready to go, as Dawn handed the professor a wireless microphone. After a brief soundcheck, Rowan was ready to speak.

"Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to this year's Pokemon Summit!" Rowan greeted the crowd, vaguely implying that more Pokemon Summits would happen in the near future. Would be quite a treat. "Happy to see everyone make it out here today."

"The trip better be worth it..." Lucian muttered under his breath, finishing the last page of his book as he put his novel away. Lucian must be a very hard person to impress.

"The point of this Summit is to discuss some research - research I've done about Pokemon from the Hisui region." Rowan took out a small remote and pressed a button, as a large project screen rolled down. Rowan then pressed another button, and an image of an unknown Pokemon appeared on the screen from a projector.

"What kind of Pokemon is that?" marveled Professor Elm, adjusting his glasses as he saw what appeared to be a Growlithe on his screen. Except that the Growlithe had a darker shade of fur and a mane that covered its eyes.

"That, Professor Elm, is the Hisuian Growlithe. It has a fire/rock dual typing. Based on the research that I've done, this Growlithe takes longer to bond with humans due to living away from them for so long."


Leon: Those Team Galactic goons are still on the loose, so I'm gonna guard the lecture hall to keep those crooks from getting in. I just might have my hands full...

Leon did have his hands full, as he was standing in front of the lecture hall entrance while trying to fend off another villainous team - Team Skull. Guzma was speaking with Leon, with Plumeria at his side and his Team Skull lackeys behind him.

"C'mon, Leon, you gotta let us in!" Guzma pleaded to the champion of Galar, who stood his ground unmoving with his arms folded. "We just wanna say what's up to our homie, Professor Kukui!"

"Guzma doesn't like it when his patience is tested," Plumeria warned Leon, suggesting that Leon should save himself some trouble and just let Team Skull in. But Leon wouldn't give an inch.

"Fox, Falco, why did you have to bring these guys?" Leon asked the pilots, whom he saw standing among the Team Skull grunts. Fox and Falco hoped that Leon wouldn't spot them.

"We just showed them where the mansion was," was all Fox could say, as he had nothing else to absolve him and Falco of any blame. "Don't hold us responsible for anything this street gang has done."

Fox: Team Skull's plan was to be at where the Summit was taking place before the Summit could even begin. But then they saw the new grill that Master Hand had bought in the backyard patio. It's gonna take Dark Pit forever to clean all that graffiti off.

"Who in their right mind would steal a guitar? MY guitar? Once I find the moron who took it, I'm gonna..."

Piers showed up at the scene, along with Marnie and Team Yell. Team Skull and Team Yell were sharing the same hallway together...imagine that.

"Piers? I don't remember inviting you!" Leon said to the rockstar, who grumbled in response. Instead of being angry, Leon instead was happy to see Piers. "Happy to have you and your sister here! And your sister's annoying fans!"

"Hey, who are you calling annoying?" an offended Team Yell grunt barked at Leon, wanting to throw hands with the champion. The grunt hand had to be held back by his brothers-in-arms until Piers held his hand up to end the scuffle.

"I got a bone to pick with you, Leon..." Piers said to the champion, walking over to him with his hunched back. Improve your posture, man! "...for not invitin' me to Seattle. Real low of you."

"I didn't think that you would be interested," confessed Leon, as Guzma suddenly had a bone to pick with Piersw as he glared at the rockstar. "Also, Team Yell was a huge deciding factor. No offense, you guys."

"Watch it, pal, this is my turf!" Guzma angrily confronted Piers, pointing his thumb at himself to let him know who was the boss around here. "You and your deadbeat punk dorksbetter scram, ya dig?"

"Listen here, freakshow...those 'punk dorks' happen to be my little sister's biggest fans. So why don't you take your fake gangster self, and your filthy street rats, and get lost?"

"Nobody talks about my homies like that! Take back what you just said, or I'm gonna have to smack ya real good!"

"Like, in the face? Heh, that's cute. I bet you're the bozo that stole my guitar. You look worthless enough to pull it off."

"You calling me worthless now?! Those are fighting words! How about we settle this with a Pokemon battle, and see who's really worthless?"

"Guys, let's not act so hasty..." Leon said to Guzma and Piers, but it was too late as Guzma took out a Poke Ball. Piers took out as well, as both men backed away from each other.

"Shoulda stayed back home while I had the chance..." Marnie mumbled to herself, as she and Plumeria were standing on the side with Fox and Falco.

"The more I think about it, I kinda feel the same way," Plumeria said to Marnie, slightly worried over the trouble that Guzma was bound to find himself in.

"Go for it, Golisopod!" shouted Guzma, as he sent out his Goliospod. Team Skull cheered behind Guzma, as they chanted their leader's name.

"Let's go, Obstagoon!" shouted Piers, as he sent out his Obstagoon. Team Yell rallied behind Piers, blowing into their vuvuzelas and waving their banners.

"Golisopod, use First Impression!" Golisopod would strike first, as he made a quick dash towards Obstagoon. Piers saw it coming from a mile away.

"Obstagoon, Obstruct!" Obstagoon crossed his arms in front of him, effectively blocking Golisopod's attack. "Now use Throat Chop!" Obstagoon then chopped Golispod in the throat, sending the hard scale Pokemon back.

"Oh yeah? Get a load of this! Goliposod - hit 'em with a Waterfall!" Golisopod charged towards Obstagoon, and that's when Piers thought ahead yet again.

"Obstagoon, Counter!" After Obstagoon got hit, the blocking Pokemon sent the Waterfall attack right back to Golisopod. The damage was so severe...

...that Golisopod apparently went back to his Poke Ball, thanks to his Emergency Exit ability. Many Team Yell grunts were laughing at Guzma, who wasn't that bothered at all.

"Don't mind Golisopod - he thought that you were weak, so he lost his interest in battling," Guzma said to Piers with a smirk, taking out another Poke Ball as Piers didn't buy the excuse. "Masquerian will just pick up right from where Golisopod left off!" Guzma sent out Masquerian, capturing Marnie and Team Yell's amazement.

"Masquerian, huh? Never saw one in person before," remarked Piers; if Bowser was around, he'd accuse the rockstar of being sheltered. "Looks pretty weak, so this should be a walk in the park..."


"...and this is the Basculegion, the big fish Pokemon," explained Rowan as an image of Basculegion was projected onto the screen. "It evolves from the Hisuian form of Basculin, and has a ghost-typing as well."

"How fascinating..." smiled Agatha, who was always enchanted by ghost-type Pokemon. One person in the lecture hall that wasn't impressed was Blue, who was bored out of his mind.

"This 'Summit' feels more like a lecture..." the Pokemon trainer quietly complained, yawning and stretching out his arms. "..sure could go for some excitement."

Blue got exactly what he wanted, as some black smoke crept in from backstage and filled up the lecture hall. The smoke lingered around for a while, and when the smoke cleared...guess who was on stage? Team Galactic - Cyrus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter, all with their Pokemon. Saturn had Rowan on his knees with his hands held behind his back, and Mars and Jupiter did the same with Dawn and Barry, respectively. Cyrus stood by himself, looking menacing arms behind his back.

"What's this? Team Galactic?!" questioned Lucian as he, Cynthia, and many others got out of their seats. Luigi was getting nervous, seeing how tense the atmosphere in the lecture hall was.

"That's right - the band's back together again!" cheered Mars, who couldn't be any happier that Team Galactic was back to its evil ways.

"I'm afraid that this Pokemon Summit will have to end on short notice," Cyrus addressed the crowd, his mere presence increasing Luigi's nervousness. "We're going on a trip to the distortion world, with Dr. Wily's machine...and all of you are coming with us. Isn't that right, Saturn?"

"Indeed, but first..." replied Saturn, before giving his Toxicroak a command that would take Mars and Jupiter by surprise. "...Toxicroak, take out the other Pokemon for me."

Doing as he was told, Toxicroak used a Poison Jab on the Weavile, Purugly, and Skuntak, taking all three Pokemon out. With Mars and Jupiter distracted, Saturn would let go of Rowan before taking out two handcuffs and using them on his fellow commanders. Toxicroak helped Saturn hold both Mars and Jupiter down. Cyrus was left stunned.

"What is this?" wondered a perplexed Rowan, standing up as Saturn got the cuffs on both Mars and Jupiter. Dawn and Barry were up as well, as their hands were free.

"You must not be aware, professor...I'm a changed man," Saturn informed Rowan, as he looked towards Cyrus with a giant smile on his face. "Always was since Team Galactic first disbanded."

"You were working a double agent this whole time?!" Cyrus seethed at Saturn, as a cardboard box crept up to the Team Galactic leader from behind. "Why you rotten little..."

"Nighty night, pal!" shouted Snake as he emerged from the box, grabbing Cyrus from behind and putting him in a chokehold. Saturn watched as Snake choked out Cyrus until the leader was rendered unconscious.

"Didn't need an assist, but some extra help will do." Saturn walked over to Cyrus and handcuffed the leader with a third handcuff that he had. "Should've known better than to trust me, Cyrus..."

"And we should've never trusted you!" Jupiter yelled at Saturn, as she and Mars were in a pickle due to being handcuffed. Their Pokemon had fainted thanks to Saturn's Toxicroak; Weavile was down for the count after just one Brick Break.

Saturn: I was holding back for most of the day. Held off hurting the mansion inhabitants, held off giving it my all against the champions, and held off giving Cyrus another chance. A lot of restraint.

Soon Piers and Guzma's Pokemon battle spilled out into the lecture hall, as Obstagoon was sent through the lecture hall door by Masquerian's Bug Buzz. Guzma and Piers spilled out into the hall along with Team Skull and Team Yell.

"And that should do it!" grinned Guzma, as Masquerian's move was super-effective against Obstagoon. Obstagoon had fainted as a result. "Who's worthless now, you lousy social reject?"

"Look who's talking," Piers fired back at Guzma, able to dish it as well as he could take it. "Who knows how many times you got rejected growing up."

"Oh no..." Kukui facepalmed when he saw Guzma; he thought that he would be safe from the Team Skull boss, but it turns out he was wrong. Luigi recognized Team Yell's presence and had a crazy idea...

"Hey, Team Yell...see those girls on the stage?" the plumber called out to the grunts, bringing their attention to Mars and Jupiter. "They both think-a that Marnie sucks!"

"Oh really?" a Team Yell grunt spoke up, as Mars and Jupiter were desperately shaking their heads. But the damage was done.

"What do they think about me?" Guzma asked Luigi, apparently curious to know what two Team Galactic members thought about him. Sometimes he was that self-conscious.

"They think you suck-a too," replied Luigi, as Guzma got angry...but if there was any group of ragtag youngsters angrier than Guzma, it was Team Skull.

"No one thinks that way about our boss!" shouted a Team Skull grunt, as Team Skull came marching down to the stage. "Let's get 'em!"

"For Marnie!" Team Yell cheered in unison, as they too came marching down. Mars and Jupiter looked afraid as they were now the bane of two villainous teams - all because of Luigi.

"Let's hurry off stage..." Saturn said to Professor Rowan and company, as he and Snake escorted them offstage before Team Skull and Team Yell could get their licks on Mars and Jupiter. And Cyrus, just by association.

"Should someone-a call the cops?" asked Luigi, as Team Skull and Team Yell were congregating on the stage. Seconds later, the plumber took out his phone. "Yeah, I'll just call-a the cops..."


While Cyrus was off at the lecture hall, Wily remained in the basement opening up a portal to the distortion world as Cyrus had asked. Or so he would've, had a certain plumber not called him after contacting the authorities.

"I don't have to open up the portal anymore?!" an overjoyed Wily asked Luigi over the phone after Luigi informed the robot inventor that Cyrus and Team Galactic were taken care of. "Thank goodness!"

"Hey, Wily, you're still gonna bring my friends over, are you?" asked Sora, who was waiting around in the basement just to ask Wily this question. Wily furrowed his brow at the Keyblade wielder.

"...next week." Satisfied with the answer, Sora went back upstairs, as Wily resumed his phone call with Luigi. "What were you saying just now, Luigi?"


Taking a break from his "recruiting" duties, Mario went back home to gloss through Snake's journal. No juicy info was to be found, but the plumber did find a few keywords repeated through the entries.

"'Most powerful in the galaxy'?" Mario uttered these words out loud while sitting on his sofa, as Master Hand appeared in his living room. "Master Hand might take offense-a to that one."

"You won't believe what happened today," Master Hand said to Mario, who for a brief moment believed that he summoned the giant hand by name. "I had a friendly conversation with Anna!"

Master Hand: Today marks the first time I spoke with Anna, and I didn't hate myself for it afterward. Just gotta keep it up, and maybe I'll feel better about Anna's existence.

"Okay...? And you want a cookie for that?" Mario eyed around the living room, wondering what the big deal was. Part of him thought that Master Hand was lying.

"Sharing some good news, that's all," replied Master Hand, as Mario was hesitant to believe a word that was being said. "Toodles!" The giant hand vanished away, as Mario was left speechless.

"That was strange...hm, I should go see how Luigi's coming along-a with Professor Kukui." Mario got up from his sofa, placing Snake's journal on the armrest. Poochy came over to the journal and licked the pages.


When Mario arrived outside, he was surprised to see a police car at the front of the mansion, with red and blue flashing lights. The plumber saw the policemen thrust Cyrus, Mars, and Jupiter into the vehicle, while Professor Rowan, Team Skull, Team Yell, and others looked on.

"That's what you get!" Barry shouted at the arrested Team Galactic members, as the police slammed the police car door shut. "You three are getting fined so hard, it won't be funny!"

"I'm sure the bail will cover for it, Barry," Cloud said to the Pokemon trainer, standing with Link and Snake as he watched the police car take off down the road. Team Skull and Team Yell both jeered and booed at the police car. "Good riddance..."

"Good riddance indeed," said Rowan, before turning his attention to the guy who helped save the day - Saturn. "You have my thanks, Saturn. I did hear some rumblings around Sinnoh about how you were reformed..."

"I only rejoined Cyrus in the intentions of putting him behind bars, where he belongs," stated Saturn, as he patted his trusty Toxicroak on his head. "That will keep him dispirited."

"Aha! I see what you did there. But now that Cyrus is taken care of, what will you do now?"

"Same thing I had done before - use Team Galactic to make the world a better place. Extremism is never the solution."

"Make the world a better place...good for you," grumbled Piers, who was still lamenting over his stolen guitar. Marnie made no effort to comfort her brother. "I'll never get my guitar back..."

"You mean this guitar?" a certain hedgehog asked, as Piers looked over and saw Sonic with his guitar. Sonic walked over to Piers and handed the guitar back to its owner. "Guess you could say my friends and I found it for you."

"I don't care, I'm just happy to have it back!" Piers would show the whole world how happy he was, as he strummed the biggest chord possible. "The show's back on the road!"

Sonic: I felt kinda bad about stealing Piers' guitar. Not because stealing it was wrong. Because it was hard to play. Piers' guitar SUCKS!

"Rowan, don't you have a conference to get back to?" Cynthia asked the professor, who was suddenly reminded of the Pokemon Summit. "I reckon you have a few more Hisuian forms to show us."

"Right you are, my dear Cynthia," replied Rowan, refusing to let his presentation go unfinished. "Can't keep my guests waiting!" Rowan and his fellow Sinnohians returned to the mansion, not wanting to keep the others waiting.

"We still have some time left to crash the Summit," Piers said to Team Skull, shortly after Professor Rowan and company had already left. "Make it or break it time!" Piers led Team Skull away, as Marnie stayed behind.

"How do you put up with that guy?" Guzma came over to ask Marnie, amazed at how much resolve the Pokemon trainer had despite hanging out with Piers for much of the day. "He's a real pain in the butt!"

"He tries his best...most of the time, that is," replied Marnie, taking note of Sonic and feeling obligated to say something nice to the hedgehog for his and his friends' efforts. "At least you and your pals tried your best, Sonic."

"I better get going now," Saturn said to Cloud and company, deciding to take his leave as his work was done. "The world can't get better by itself!"

"Good luck," Cloud said to Saturn, who nodded his head as he left the mansion premises. Mario joined Cloud and the others, as Cloud was shaking his head. "Still can't get over that haircut..."

"It reminds-a me of a Purugly, now that I see it," remarked Mario, as the two tips on Saturn's hair reminded him of Purugly's ears. "Not the look-a that I would go for, personally."

Guzma: I'ma be honest with ya, I didn't come here to greet Kukui. I had no plan in mind - no idea what to do after I reformed Team Skull. But if there's one thing learned, if I haven't learned it already, is that you gotta have a purpose! Even if you're down on your luck, or at the top of the world, you gotta keep on going. That Saturn dude's got a purpose...so what's stopping me from doing the same?