Author's Note:
This chapter could've been about Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp...sadly, the Advance Wars game has been pushed back to Spring 2022. But fortunately, not all hope is lost, for another Switch game has been released his week...Danganronpa! I'll be honest with you, I don't know much about Danganronpa even after all the digging I've done on the series. In fact, I didn't even understand how the game worked until Friday afternoon! Nevertheless, I pushed through and got this chapter done anyway since I know most of you would like to see Danganronpa in this story. Consider yourselves welcome. Um...guest reviews:
"Also, wasn't this Thanksgivings Parade featured the return of the Sonic float since the last time from 2013? At least this time it didn't snag on a lamp post, pop, and injure someone. Almost feels like an omen whenever that happened."
Yes, it was! Saw his float, and Pikachu and Eevee's float. Don't think I saw Mario's, though. Another anonymous review:
"Are you making a Chinese New Year chapter? If so, how will everyone celebrate Chinese New Year? Like a Chinese New Year feast, red envelope with money, have Master Hand mandate the dress code to force everyone to wear anything red, go on a Chinese New Year trip to Chinese cities such as Hong Kong, etc?"
Wasn't planning on making one, but I would give it a chance. Then again, Pokemon Legends: Arceus comes out around that time so I don't know. Moving on:
"For next Thanksgiving chapter, will you keep the usual parts of the thanksgiving formula such as food fights?"
I could do a Black Friday chapter instead...I've hinted at it in the past. Or I could just change up the formula and deliver something fresh. That would be the best option. One last anonymous review:
"Great news! 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is coming to the Switch on April 12, 2022! It's a really good game with a great story, and it's published by Atlus! Do you think we can have a chapter for it?"
Really good game? Great story? Published by Atlus? Sure, I would give it a go. Unless I have something else planned by then. On to The Reader
"Addendum: I also find it weird that you teased Iris' appearance on Thanksgiving last week, but you didn't follow through on doing it this week. What's the reason?"
Nothing sadly came to fruition, given the short timeframe for writing the last chapter. But Iris will be back, mark my words...ending it off with some questions from David:
"Is Mario planning something good for the Wayfinder Trio? (Don't want a Terranort incident like in Birth by Sleep). Also, how will the 3 react to Sora, Riku, and Kairi being de-aged? Will you do a Spider-Man: No Way Home chapter? Is Ryuji gonna end up dressing like Sting or imitate Bryan Danielson to mock Pit? And finally, what are your thoughts on Metroid Dread and Resident Evil:Village being nominated for Game of The Year at this year's Game Awards?"
You'll see. I think the three will be amused. No Spider-Man chapter, I'm afraid. Ryuji might do both. And I can totally see Metroid Dread being nominated for Game of the Year. Can't say that I see the appeal behind Resident Evil: Village, considering the hyperfocus on the tall vampire lady that got everyone hot and bothered...
Episode 311: Whodunnit
With it being the first week of December, and with the holidays in full swing, it was about that time for one of the mansion's most hallowed Christmas traditions - the Secret Santa gift exchange! Alright, so it wasn't that much of a hallowed tradition, but it apparently meant a lot to Master Hand.
The residents all knew the drill - they were to meet with Master Hand and Isabelle at the meeting room, where they could pick out a name from a bag of names. Of course, the residents weren't the only ones participating - the tower denizens and the neighbors were allowed to participate as well. As well as Rayman, Globox, and Barbara.
"Hard to believe that this is your first time doing Secret Santa," Krystal said to Anna, who was granted permission by Master Hand to partake in the festivities. It was the merchant's first time being a part of the gift exchange.
"Master Hand claimed that I was rich enough to buy everyone a gift since I'm a 'capitalist,'" Anna explained to Krystal, who responded to Master Hand's logic with a small laugh. "Therefore I didn't 'need' to participate."
"No fair, I'm rich too and I have to buy crap for someone else every Christmas!" Wario complained to Anna, preferring to spend his money shopping only for himself, and himself only. Sometimes he may throw Waluigi a bone.
"All that money and you don't even have the decency to buy yourself any deodorant..." As Wario sniffed his armpits, Mario sat at his seat tapping his finger on the table when he saw three individuals enter the meeting room...Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, the Wayfinder trio.
"So many people in this one room..." marveled Terra, who had heard the commotion in the meeting room from many yards away. Mario ecstatically got up from his seat as he ran over to greet the Wayfinder trio.
"You guys-a made it back!" the plumber gleamed, happy to see the Wayfinder trio back in town. Mario must've made a really good impression on them. "So how was your trip around-a the globe?"
"Traveling around the earth on our Keyblade gliders was kinda cool," replied Ventus, as he had seen and heard plenty of sights and sounds during his travel. "Earth...still feels weird saying that out loud."
"Ven got lost somewhere in Egypt," Aqua said to Mario, as she and Terra shared a laugh together. An embarrassed Ventus frowned at his friends, directing most of his anger towards Aqua.
"I didn't get lost, I just...got myself stuck in the sphinx's nose." Now Mario was laughing at Ventus, and it only made Ventus even angrier. "Stop it, Mario, the same thing would happen to you too!"
"I see why you haven't been named-a Keyblade Master yet," quipped Mario, as Ventus let out a defeated sigh and lowered his head. He might never live his humiliating moment down.
Impa: We had hoped to find occupants for the new house by Thanksgiving...however, the Carpenters had only started building the house by that time once we found the money to pay them. (Much thanks to Kazuya Mishima.) Our deadline will have to be extended to the end of the year. Fortunately, Mario has found a few individuals who might be interested in moving in.
Mario: I've been courting the Wayfinder trio since-a Thanksgiving - those three are always-a up and about, so they'll obviously need a place-a to settle down. I mean sure, I could let them return-a to their precious "Land of Departure", whatever that is, but then they'll go back exploring and being rest-a less again. They've already seen enough-a of the world...or worlds, rather, as it is.
"Welcome back, friends!" Master Hand greeted the Wayfinder trio as he floated over to the Keyblade wielders and Mario. "I'm sorry that you can't be part of the gift exchange; your names aren't in the bag."
"No, it's fine - we just wanted to what all the hubbub was about," responded Aqua, as more and more folks were filing into the meeting room.
"Also, we already have the best gift we could ask for," stated Terra as he held up a Wayfinder - a lucky charm in the form of a star. It was meant to bid good luck to travelers...although Master Hand wasn't exactly a fan.
"The best gift you ever got is some fake lucky charm?" Master Hand asked Terra, as he had plenty of negative stuff to say only to hold his tongue. "Eh, all the more power to you guys, I guess."
"Master Hand, I think everyone's here," Isabelle informed the giant hand, seeing that the meeting room was now at full capacity. It was time for everyone to pick a name."
"I'll pick on you three later," Master Hand said to the Wayfinder trio, before reassuming his original position at the front of the meeting room. "Let the picking of names commence!"
So Isabelle passed the bag of names around, as everyone picked a name and passed the bag to the person sitting next to them. So far, everything was going without a hitch, which Master Hand liked.
"Whoops! I accidentally ripped my slip of paper in half," said Falco, who somehow tore his small slip of paper in half. Fox was amazed at how his friend was even capable of pulling off the feat. "Can I go again?"
"No do-overs, Mr. Lombardi," replied Master Hand, hoping that Falco wouldn't lose the two ripped-up pieces. "The same goes for everyone else. That goes for you as well, Globox."
"Globox understands," complied Globox, before taking a tiny peek at his slip of paper when Master Hand and everyone else wasn't looking. The amphibian quietly let out a disappointed groan.
"This has better be worthwhile," said Impa, partaking in Secret Santa for the first time at the mansion, as she selected a name from the bag. For the RWBY gang, it was their second go-around.
"Has everyone picked a name?" asked Isabelle, as she was the last person in the meeting room to pick a name. Not a single voice of objection was heard. "Alright then, let's see who we got!"
Almost all at once, everyone unraveled their slip of paper to see whose name they drew. As expected, some folks were elated, others were negative, and some were just straight-up neutral. Either one of the three.
"I got the Doomslayer?" questioned Isabelle, as the Doom Slayer looked up at the Shih Tzu after his name was called. "Huh, what a coincidence..."
"Sweet, I got Daisy!" cheered Ryuji, knowing right from the jump what he would get for the princess. "I should buy her some cool AEW merch. That oughta make her a fan."
"Please don't..." pleaded Daisy, as any sort of wrestling merch would be a waste of money for Ryuji - and would also make for some decent fireplace material for Daisy. Impa, meanwhile, saw what name she drew.
"Thank Hylia it's not Steve," the Sheikah sighed in much relief when she saw that she drew Terry's name. "This one I can probably manage."
"Who did I get, who did I get..." wondered Falco as he placed the ripped-up pieces of paper together, revealing the name. It was a name that only had three letters in it. "Yeah buddy, I got Roy's mom! Lyn!"
"I'm sorry, what?!" exclaimed Lucario, as most of the folks in the meeting room were shocked to learn the truth. Master Hand, who knew the truth all along, was too busy laughing to himself.
"How come you never told us that the hot babe with the green ponytail was your mom, Roy?" Pigma asked the swordsman, who was too timid to answer as his face turned pale in an instant. Everyone was waiting anxiously for an answer.
"...I have to go use the bathroom!" Roy randomly shouted as he ran out of the meeting room to avoid further questioning. Blake watched as Roy ran away, before unraveling her slip of paper.
"I drew Hunter's name..." the Faunus grumbled after she banged her head against the table; Ruby patted Blake reassuringly on her back.
Master Hand: To be honest, I knew that Lyn was Roy's mom all along. It was one of the best-kept secrets around the mansion. Until now.
Ryuji: If Daisy doesn't want AEW merchandise, then else what would she want? AEW tickets? Does she not know how expensive those are?!
Isabelle: Doom Slayer isn't so bad - we're good friends know, so maybe I can return the favor after he gave that t-shirt. But what should I get him as a sign of our newfound friendship?
Weiss: What a coincidence, Blake drew Hunter's name. This means that our goal of getting even with Hunter is hitting the home stretch!
Blake: *sighs deeply* ...I hate my life.
Master Hand had some big plans today - and many of them involved his new "bestie", Anna. Okay, so Anna wasn't exactly Master Hand's bestie yet, but she and Master Hand were making some pretty big strides. It started with a casual conversation in Fox's living room and continued when Master Hand personally invited Anna to the Thanksgiving feast as a special guest.
Now, Master Hand wanted to take Anna on a stroll around town and get to know the merchant lady a little better. See things from her perspective, and even find a few things that he had in common with her. It would be a test to see if Master Hand was really changing for the better.
"Can I trust you to run my shop?" Anna asked Kasumi, who was standing behind the merchant's shop stand near the front of the mansion. "You don't have to worry about dressing up like me."
"I'll be just fine," a confident Kasumi assured Anna, as this wasn't her first rodeo running the shop in Anna's place; she had done it before, in episode 231. "No need to be your doppelganger."
"Kasumi is your doppelganger?" inquired Master Hand as he floated over to Anna, ready to get his trip around Seattle started. "Are you trying to be like me and have a twin, Anna?"
"You consider Crazy Hand to be your twin?" Kasumi asked Master Hand, as she couldn't for the life of her understand why anyone would want to be associated with that frantic psychopath. Master Hand might be crazy still, but Crazy Hand was on a whole other level.
"Erm...forget that I ever said anything." Putting the conversation behind him, Master Hand cleared his throat as he immediately got down to business. "Where do you want to go first, Anna?"
"We could go sightseeing downtown at the Westlake Center," suggested Anna; the park was always a great first destination for any city stroll. "I heard that they've already lit the Christmas tree."
"And the officials didn't even think about inviting me?!" Master Hand was offended at first, but then he restrained himself as he regained his cool. Had to be as cool as a cucumber, lest he embarrassed himself in public. "No matter. They can send me an invite for next year's event."
"Master Hand, Link and I are heading out," Zelda informed the giant hand, who saw the princess standing along with Link and Cloud. "We have a small meeting with Lottie, of the Happy Home Designers."
"It's about the new house," added Cloud, as Master Hand was interested in learning who Rayma and friends' new neighbors would be. "Mario apparently found some potential occupants."
Cloud: I know next to nothing about the Wayfinders trio, or whatever they like to call themselves. All I know from Sora's crazy stories is that they're three legendary Keyblade wielders who got screwed around by that bald old guy, Master Xehanort. And apparently, one of them happened to be possessed by Xehanort. Can't imagine having to share your body with that creep. Terra must've felt deeply violated.
"But wait, who will run the mansion if you're going with them?" Master Hand fretted to Cloud - but only because Cortex would be next in line to watch over the mansion. He and Mitsuru would take Link and Zelda's place in absence, essentially.
"Don't worry, Master Hand, I found a guy that will keep things in order until we get back," replied Link, who thought ahead of time as any great leader of men would do. "And no, it's not Mario...he'll be meeting with Lottie as well."
"Then who is it then? Luigi?" The thought of Luigi running the mansion in his absence worried Master Hand even more than Cortex! "Of all the days, why did you have to pick the one where I..."
"Oh, Master Hand!" Anna called out to the giant hand, whose necessary worry was reaching a boiling point. "We can't see the Christmas tree at Westlake Center if we're just standing around."
"Give me a moment, Anna..." Master Hand had one last thing to say to Link and company, before embarking on his stroll around town. "...if this guy or gal does a terrible job watching over the mansion, you three will be in big trouble."
"Why are you lumping me in this?" asked Cloud, as Anna's patience was beginning to wear thin. Time was ticking away. "I don't have any authority anymore."
"True, but you're like Link and Zelda's best friend so you'll be punished by association." Cloud wasn't a huge fan of those terms, but he had no choice but to abide by them. "Ready to go, Anna?"
"Been waiting for you to say that!" replied Anna, as she and Master Hand left the mansion premises. With Anna gone, Kasumi immediately got to running the merchant's shop as she waited for a customer to stop by.
"Please tell me you found the right person for the job..." Zelda pleaded to Link, fearing what kind of punishment would deliver; it would either be something diabolical, or something completely asinine. Like massaging any one of Master Hand's nonexistent body parts.
"Trust me, it's a guy that we already know," said Link, who meticulously took his time to find the right person to take his steed. "We'll be in good hands."
"Doesn't mean that he'll do a good job, but I have no choice but to trust you." Putting her trust in Link, Zelda would follow after Link and Cloud as they headed to wherever Mario and Lottie were. A decent chance that Impa was also at the location, along with Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.
Link: Got a lot of faith that the man I chose will handle things accordingly. He already owns a private estate all for himself; if he can manage that, then overseeing a mansion would be a walk in the park. *pauses* Maybe I have too much confidence...
Cloud: The other guys meant to fill in for Link have all gone out Christmas shopping, or planning on going out shopping. Link picked out his guy ahead of time, so hopefully, everything works out.
As Link and company left the premises, a strange black-and-white bear emerged from the bushes. Sticking out from the shrubbery were two human legs, complete with red shorts and some red sneakers. Hmm...
"Hehehe...the voices of authority have left the mansion!" the bear smiled deviously as he rubbed his hands together in a typical villain fashion. "My plan is starting to come together. Time for me to take..."
"Uh..." some moaning was heard from the shrubbery, causing the bear to frown and smack whoever made the moaning sound. The legs sticking out of the shrubbery shook for a second.
"Quiet, you! Now, where was I? Oh yeah!" The bear went back to rubbing his hands evilly, with a fittingly evil smile to go with his hand gestures. "Time for me to take their spot!"
Joker had a wonderful Thanksgiving, one without any sort of labor. Because of the holiday, the young man took off from working at Cafe Leblanc on both Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. Today, he would take the second consecutive Friday off from his barista duties, as he had some shopping obligations to fulfill.
"I'm going with Lucario and the Hearts siblings to do some Christmas shopping," Joker said to Pit and Kirby in the foyer, with Lucario, Hisui, and Kohaku standing with him. "Can I trust you guys to run the cafe while I'm gone?"
"You actually trust those two?" Lucario asked Joker, very skeptical of Pit and Kirby's capabilities at running Cafe Leblanc. He was only skeptical of Kirby due to mere association with you-know-who.
"Viridi will be working at the cafe as well...I have nothing to worry about." That didn't quell Lucario's concerns any, as the aura Pokemon saw Viridi potentially losing her marbles with Pit.
"It's bad enough that your cafe had to be renovated a second time," Hisui said to Joker, as he shared some of Lucario's doubts and concerns. "And you want to gun for a third time just by..."
"You know, I can always cancel this shopping trip...you two probably wouldn't mind my Secret Santa Warlock Punching the both of you." Just like that, Lucario and Hisui both zipped their lips. "Hmph. That's what I thought."
"Cafe Leblanc will be in good hands!" Pit saluted Joker, eager to work at the cafe without any of Joker's interference. He could finally perfect any curry he wanted without anyone telling him no - though Viridi might be the only exception.
"If there's an emergency, just give me a call. And it has to be a real emergency, not something stupid like getting your finger stuck in the coffee grinder."
"To be fair, that was a real emergency..." Pit got his finger jammed in the coffee grinder, Joker treated it like it was a normal occurrence. "...but yeah, I got you on speed dial just in case."
"Okay then. I'll see you guys later." So Joker and the others left the mansion, planning to shop until they dropped (or at least until they found what gifts they were looking for). Once Joker left the front door, it was fair game for Pit.
"Ready to suck on some roasted coffee beans?" the angel tried to entice Kirby, with a friendly smile and a swing of his arm. Needless to say, Kirby was not down for the cause.
"No wonder our bean supply has gotten low as of late..." mumbled Kirby as he walked away, causing Pit's smile to fade away in an instant. Kirby came to a stop when he heard someone coming from the living room. "...who goes there?"
"It's me...your good pal Magolor!" replied Magolor as he stepped out from the living room. The alien was looking confident than last week. "Pyra and Mythra were kind enough to let me in through the backdoor."
Kirby: I usually grow concerned when people enter through the backdoor - nothing good ever comes out of it, really. That says a really bad omen about Magolor...
"Sorry about how I was acting on Thanksgiving," apologized Magolor, who was losing his marbles over being on the List of Bowser. A list that hardly anyone cared about, with the exception of Corrin. "Don't know what got over me."
"If it makes you feel any better, Bowser only does this list for fun...or so I hope," Kirby said to Magolor as he patted the alien on his shoulder. Soon Pit excitedly came over. "Pit, you remember Magolor don't you?"
"Hey, Magolor! Wanna suck on some coffee beans together?" Pit asked the alien, who balked at the idea - as any person rightfully should. "They're roasted to perfection..."
"No thanks...any kind of bean makes me extremely gassy." Seconds later, a faint farting sound was heard - at least it wasn't silent but deadly. "Knew I shouldn't have eaten those jelly beans off the ground."
"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the Smash Mansion emergency broadcast system!"
This mysterious yet menacing voice was heard from afar, as Pit, Kirby, and Magolor looked around the foyer. It was clear that one of the mansion's many systems was suddenly being tampered with.
"The Smash Mansion emergency broadcast system?!" panicked Kirby, as he and the others feared that trouble was afoot. Lots and lots of trouble. "Master Hand hasn't used that thing in years!"
"I hear some loud static from the living room," said Pit, hearing some loud static sounds; must be the emergency broadcast system finding its way to the living room television. "Let's go check it out!"
Pit and company went to the living room, where Pyra and Mythra were already present. There was static on the screen, and the static soon faded away, revealing a black and white bear - the same one that was lingering around outside.
"I don't like where this is going..." fretted Pyra, as the bear was laughing manically to himself. Some tomfoolery was going on...and neither one of Master Hand, Link, or Zelda were around to put an end to it.
"Allow me to introduce myself...I am Monokuma, and I will be your temporary head of the mansion," the bear introduced himself, hoping that he was striking enough fear in many of the residents. "Since your precious Master Hand is away at the moment, I'll be taking his place!"
"For the time being, we'll be playing a little game," continued Monokuma, as the folks in the gaming room were watching the bear on the few televisions that were present. "One where I promise you all three things - thrills, chills, and kills!"
"Sonic, this bear dude is really starting to scare me," Tails said to Sonic, who was keeping his cool. Meanwhile, Knuckles, who oftentimes claimed to be "hard", was hugging Crash for comfort. With Crash hugging him back.
"You don't have to listen to him if you have to," encouraged Sonic, walking over to one of the windows in the gaming room. "Just do what I'm about to..." Sonic tried to open the window, but it wouldn't budge. "...hey, the window's stuck!"
"One thing I should mention...there is no ESCAPE!" The sound of multiple doors and windows closing simultaneously throughout the mansion was heard, creating even more anxiety for the residents. "But most of you can escape, but only on one condition..."
"And what condition is that?" questioned Donkey Kong, wanting to get this whole charade over with. Sensing that someone asked him that question, Monokuma was happy to keep on explaining.
"It's part of the game...and all of you are trapped! But the only way you can leave is if you kill another person and get away with it!"
"I'm fine with those terms," admitted Wolf, who didn't mind killing a resident or two. Preferably anyone that constantly got on his nerves, like Slippy.
"Your votes will determine the results. If you can figure out 'whodunnit', then only they will receive punishment. But, if you pick the wrong one...then I'll punish everyone besides the Blackened! And the one that deceived everyone else will graduate, and leave the mansion as they wish."
"Still fine with those terms, Wolf?" Rosalina asked the mercenary, whose opinion about Monokuma's twisted game did not change in the slightest. Wolf apparently had a license to kill.
"At least it will help thin the herd," replied Wolf with a casual shrug of his shoulders, as Rosalina facepalmed and shook her head. "Everyone that's not dead will be better off for it."
Wolf: King K. Rool sleeps in the room next to mine, and that dumb crocodile is always snoring loudly at night. This will be my one and only chance to take care of the problem for good! *smacks his fist into the palm of his hand*
"Remember, there is no escape; only those who 'graduate' will receive those privileges," explained Monokuma, hoping that everyone got the memo - because the bear sure did not feel like repeating himself. "Understood?"
"Can't we just kill you instead?" Iori asked Monokuma, who seemingly heard the saxophone player's question as he laughed in response. Monokuma wasn't the kind of bear that would go down easily.
"Kill me? KILL ME?! As if! Why don't you just focus on killing yourselves, then we can talk? Hop to it!" And with that, the broadcast transmission ended as the televisions returned to their regularly scheduled programming.
"Guess we have to abide by this bear's stupid rules..." huffed Ryu, as many of the other folks in the gaming room seemed rather uneasy. Wolf, on the other hand, was ready to have the time of his life.
"You blokes go sort this whole thing out," the mercenary said to his fellow residents, exiting the gaming room as he took out a list. Slippy's name was at the very top of said list. "I got some dead weight to take care of..."
Even though Monokuma issued out the whodunnit game, some residents refused to participate in the game for their own reasons. Take for instance Samus, who would much rather work in the workshop than attempt to kill another person.
"May I have permission for killing thou, good sir?" Arthur asked Bowser, as he had a javelin out ready to go. Samus walked past Arthur and Bowser, overhearing the former as she rolled her eyes.
"I don't think that's how this game works, buddy," replied Bowser, as Samus reached the workshop; Samus tried to open the workshop door, but there was one problem standing in her way. The door was locked!
"What the..." frowned Samus, twisting on the doorknob to pull the door open but to no avail. That prompted the bounty hunter to take out a key and try to open the door that way, but that didn't work either. "...don't tell me that stupid bear locked us from entering the workshop."
"Who are you calling stupid?" a certain bear asked Samus, who looked down and jumped back screaming when she saw Monokuma standing at her feet. Monokuma sure knew how to make an appearance. "Also, the workshop is one of the places that will be off-limits."
"Look, I just want to build some new stuff, okay? I could care less about killing someone...no matter how much they probably deserve it."
"Well, you'll just have to reserve your plans for later. I'll be taking that key off your hands." Monokuma leaped up and snatched the key away from Samus, before taking off down the hallway.
"Give that back!" Not in the mood for chasing after Monokuma, Samus stood around and watched as Monokuma scurried off with the key to the workshop.
"Happy killing!" Monokuma called out to Samus, keeping the key to himself until the whodunnit game was over. Samus sighed deeply as she walked away, looking for something to bid her time with until the game was over.
Meanwhile, away from all of Monokuma's shenanigans, the group of Mario, Link, Cloud, Zelda, Impa, and Lottie met with the Wayfinder trio in the living room of Mario's house. Mario saw the Wayfinder trio as possible tenants of the new house.
Negotiations haven't quite started as of yet; Terra, Ventus, and Aqua were mostly having friendly conversations with Mario and friends. They were talking about their backstory, how they know Sora, and the plights they had to go through because of Master Xehanort's scheming.
"Are you three all orphans?" Mario asked the Wayfinder trio, asking this question out of the blue, as Impa almost wanted to smack the plumber. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had no idea how to answer Mario's question.
"Although we may not look like it, we're actually fully grown adults," said Ventus, as he and his friends had good reasons for why they looked so young. Ventus was comatose, Aqua was stuck in the realm of darkness, and Terra let his body be hijacked by some crusty old man who wanted to be young again.
"I'm only asking because-a you mentioned your old master, Master Eraqus. Was like an adoptive-a father to you three?"
"Let me ask the questions..." Lottie said to Mario, brushing the plumber to the side as she took charge of asking the questions. Maybe things would go much smoother with Lottie leading the discussion. "What do you three look for in a new home?"
"A place where we can feel comfortable, and also have room to hone our skills," replied Terra, as Hunter loomed into the scene while holding a bag of popcorn. "Somewhere that is perfectly balanced."
"Perfectly balanced, huh? You would be a huge fan of Thanos," Hunter said to Terra, watching the conversation from the kitchen while eating from his bag of popcorn. A stern look from Terra was enough to send the cheetah hightailing away.
"Essentially, we'd want our home to be like our first home, the Land of Departure. It's the place where we trained under Master Eraqus and still train to this very day."
"Baked you all some Christmas cookies!" Peach said to the Wayfinder trio, as she and Spyro came with the living room with a tray of Christmas cookies. Peach took the tray off of Spyro's back and placed it on the table. "Help yourselves, and enjoy!"
"Thank you," Aqua thanked Peach as grabbed one of the cookies at the top of the pile and took a bite. Terra and Ventus would do the same. "Hm, not bad."
"You know that my wife-a is a princess, right?" Mario asked Terra, talking to the Keyblade Master as if he was born literally thirteen minutes ago. "Do you have any ambitions to steal-a her heart?"
"Terra is a Phantom Thief now?" Spyro asked Mario, wondering what the plumber was getting at. Imagine being both a Keyblade Master AND a Phantom Thief - Terra would essentially have the best of both worlds.
"Quiet, Spyro! This is a serious question. Terra stealing the hearts-a of princesses led him down a dark path, so Peach's presence might be bad-a for him."
"And what does that have to do with the house we would be moving into?" Terra questioned Mairo as he angrily stood up from the couch. Terra had no restrain in regards to beating Mario up with his Keyblade, and Mario knew it too as he shivered in fear.
"Leave him alone, Terra," Aqua said to her fellow Keyblade Master as he gently sat him back down; Terra still had his eyes locked on Mario. "It's very clear that Mario is a very foolish man."
"Yes, Aqua has a point," stated Mario, and once Aqua's words were registered in his mind, Mario grew angry in a snap. "Hey, take-a that back!"
Link: Telling Mario their backstories was perhaps the worst move those three could've done. Now Mario thinks of Terra as a reluctant gold-digging womanizer.
"I thought that Lottie was asking the questions?" Impa furrowed her brow at Mario, who shut his mouth up for good in an instant. With Mario silencing himself (for the time being), Lottie could happily resume the discussion.
"Let's talk about neighbors," Lottie said to the Wayfinder trio, believing that the three Keyblade wielders would get along with Rayman and friends just fine. "Who or what do you look for in a neighbor?"
"Preferably someone who isn't so keen on darkness," Aqua responded with an earnest smile - can't imagine Ganondorf or Gerudo Ganon getting along with Aqua or her friends quite well.
Several minutes have passed, and not a single person has committed murder yet in the mansion. Could be because of the fact that a majority of residents were too reluctant to kill, save maybe for a few. However, that would change.
"MAN DOWN! I repeat, we have a man down!" alerted Junpei, as he was standing at the side of a downed resident. Lying on the hallway floor face-first was Enderman, who was barely moving a muscle.
"Where is he?" Wii Fit Trainer called out, as she came running down the hallway with Altaïr. She and Altaïr reached Enderman, as they checked his vitals and pulse and all that important jazz.
"Could it be? Do we have our first murder?!" Monokuma was heard bellowing, his voice ripe with pure excitement. The bear has been waiting for this moment. "At last, we finally have a..."
"Just checked his pulse, it's still beating," reported Altaïr, who had to double-check mainly because Enderman absolutely had no neck. "He's still alive."
"He's still alive?! Darn it...I mean, in that case, our class trial will go underway in a couple of minutes. Everyone is to meet me in the courtroom. Be there...or be squared!"
"I'll take him to the fitness center so Leia can inspect him," Wii Fit said to Altaïr as she lifted up Enderman, carrying the black creature in her arms. "You go direct everyone else to the courtroom."
"Will do," Altaïr nodded his head, as he and Wii Fit both went their separate ways. But then, a few seconds later, Altaïr returned to Wii Fit. "Wait, Wii Fit, before you go..."
There were four residents who weren't part of the whodunnit game - Joker, Lucario, and the Heart siblings, Hisui and Kohaku. They were too being doing some Christmas shopping, particularly for their Secret Santa. Although Joker did pick out a few Christmas gifts for his Phantom Thief friends.
"This bottle of beard balm will do," said Joker as he was in the products section, grabbing a bottle of beard balm from the shelf. "Ganondorf's beard could use some work."
"Is that really such a good Christmas gift?" Hisui questioned Joker, making the young man think for a second. He didn't believe that Joker was putting enough thought into his selection. "Shouldn't a perfect gift be one you can never run out of?"
"Fine then...i'll just buy Ganondorf a beard brush if you want to be so picky." So Joker put the beard balm back on the shelf, and after he did he heard his cellphone ring. "That must be Pit."
"Lemme guess, Pit can't run the cafe? What a surprise..." A vindicated Hisui watched as Joker walked to the end of the aisle, pulling out his phone and answering the call. Soon Kohaku joined his brother, bringing a shopping cart over.
"Look at all the stuff I got, Hisui!" Kohaku said to her older brother, who saw a shopping cart full to the brim with beauty products. Hairbrushes, makeup kits, and the like were all of the stuff that Kohaku got.
"Woah! Someone's been doing plenty of Christmas shopping while I was gone." In a way, Hisui was almost impressed by his sister. "So you're gonna get all that stuff for the ladies?"
"Whoever said I was getting this stuff for anyone else? This is all for me." This Hisui found extremely hard to believe, as his mouth went completely agape.
Kohaku: I know that this is the time of Christmas, but I was kinda in the mood for treating myself. This will be my last Christmas in Seattle, as a mansion resident - might as well go out in style.
"What? Some evil bear has taken over the mansion in Master hand's absence?" Joker was heard speaking on the phone, as he came over to Hisui and Kohaku. "That would happen, wouldn't it..."
"I didn't know that Banjo was evil," Hisui whispered to Kohaku, as Joker walked away momentarily so he could hear the person over the phone better. "Unless he must be super cranky today."
"Maybe it's because it's winter; bears usually go into hibernation by now," Kohaku whispered back - shame on Banjo for not following the rules of nature. "The cold must be getting to Banjo."
"Okay, we'll head back once we're done with our shopping. Okay, bye." Joker returned to the Heart siblings, as he ended the call and put his phone away. "That was Pit...apparently the mansion is being held 'hostage.'"
The residents converged in the mansion's courtroom, a room that was rarely - if ever - used ever since Jakbo's trial in episode 96. It was meant to be the site of the first-ever class trial, which was headed by Monokuma.
"Order in the court, I say! Order in the court!" commanded Monokuma, sitting at the judge's bench as he smacked his gavel on the wooden block in front of him. Eventually, the commotion in the courtroom died down. "It is now time for the class trial, where we will be..."
"Excuse me, Mr. Monokuma sir?" said Pit as he raised his hand; Monokuma groaned, forcing himself to have the courage to answer Pit's question. "Will this be like the game Among Us?"
"Amoonguss? Isn't that a Pokemon?" Monokuma looked around the courtroom for someone to give him an answer, but no one said a single word. "Hmph, maybe I was wrong. Anyway, this is the class trial where we'll discuss the blackened. A.k.a., our culprit."
"So how does this whole class trial work?" Palutena asked Monokouma, wanting a very brief rundown of the rules for the class trial. "We just go around the courtroom, casting our vote on whoever killed...erm, knocked out Enderman?"
"You present your evidence first! Obviously, none of you have any evidence since the first murder happened so abruptly, but just use your intuition and critical thinking skills for now. On your mark, get so...GO!"
"Aight, I'll go first," volunteered Falco, as he knew just the man or woman who brought Enderman down to his feet. "It was R.O.B., one hundred percent. Saw him murk Enderman in broad daylight."
"BUT IT WASN'T ME...I WASN'T EVEN THERE," R.O.B. pleaded its ignorance, but it was too late. The damage was already done, as a collective gasp was heard around the courtroom.
Falco: Been waiting for this moment my entire life. Finally, I have the chance to accuse others of crap they never have done and get away without any sort of punishment. It's the perfect dream scenario for any person!
"Wow R.O.B., you sure were quick to deflect there," Tifa said to the robot, who was feeling the pressure as everyone had their eyes on the robot. "Sure you aren't guilty?"
"R.O.B. isn't guilty, and I can say it for a fact," stated Ray, R.O.B.'s best friend, as he stood up for his robot pal. Someone had to do it. "R.O.B., Chibi-Robo, and I were testing out Aigis' new drink when Enderman's murder was reported."
"It is a drink made purely out of the oil from oil spills," said Aigis as she held up a water bottle filled to the top with black oil. "Also has added preservatives so that non-humans can also enjoy."
"No thanks, I think we're good..." Captain Falcon said to Aigis, who quietly put the bottle of oil away...but not before taking a very small sip. Those who were sitting close to Aigis gave the robot judging looks.
"Anyone else wants to make a baseless accusation?" Monokuma asked the residents, as Falco was mean mugging at Ray for foiling his plan. "Or does anyone have a credible idea of who the guilty party is?"
"I think I know a guy who might be responsible...HIM!" shouted Bowser, as he pointed at the only person in the courtroom who was not a resident...Magolor. Magolor was shivering in fear, being put on the spot.
"W-Why do you think it would be me?" Magolor asked Bowser, who was fully certain that the alien was up to no good. "I wouldn't even hurt a fly!"
"Come on, it's so obvious. It's clear to anyone that you only came to the mansion to cause as much mayhem as possible! Why else did you freak out when I put your name on some list?"
"Ah, yes, accuse our guest why don't you..." Sonic said sardonically to Bowser, sarcastically encouraging the Koopa King to keep piling it on Magolor. "...you just wanted to pick on the little guy!"
"Sorry Sonic, for calling it as I see it. Stopping by for the Thanksgiving feast is one thing, but coming back the next week is quite the coincidence!"
"How is that even a..." Coco started, only to be silenced when Monokuma smacked his gavel to bring order back to the courtroom. Monokuma had heard enough from the residents.
"I can see that this is going nowhere," said the bear, left with no other choice but to take matters into his own hands. "We'll just settle this with a vote. Everyone cast your votes!"
Monokuma got down from the bench and passed some slips of paper around to the residents. Also gave them a writing utensil, since it'd be hard to cast a vote without one.
"Popular vote will decide who the blackened might be," explained Monokuma, as he returned to the bench after handing out the last slip of paper. "If the answer you arrived at is correct, only the one that disturbed your peace will be punished. The rest may be left alone. However, if you choose poorly...then the one who got away with the murder will survive, and the rest of you will receive your punishment!"
"What kind of punishment are we talking about here?" Master Mummy asked Monokuma, as the residents were casting their votes. Monokuma rubbed his chin, taking into account how many residents were present.
"Execution was the original plan, but since executing so many of you requires too much work...I'll give you something else instead." Several sighs of relief were heard around the courtroom. "Has everyone cast their vote?"
"I believe so," replied Researcher Zelda, as Sonic ran around the courtroom to grab everyone's vote and drop them at the judge's bench. Monokuma tallied up all the votes, making sure he got every single one.
"Let's see what we got here..." Monokuma ran through the votes with almost fast precision, putting the votes into different piles. After he was done, he grabbed the pile that had the most votes in it. "And the person you have accused of being the Blackened is...Magolor!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bowser pointed and laughed at Magolor, who was seemingly falsely accused of 'murdering' Enderman. "In your face, you scrub!"
"No, it can't be me!" Magolor pleaded his innocence, fearing what Monokuma would do to him. "I don't even know Enderman, all he did was scare me at the dinner last week! Wouldn't stop leaning into my personal space..."
"Everyone hold that thought...I miscounted," announced Monokuma, as Magolor was relieved. Bowser stomped his foot in anger as Monokuma hurriedly recounted the votes. "The person you have accused of being the Blackened, due to popular vote...is Altaïr!"
"Yes, it was I," Altaïr turned himself in, as a few of the residents gasped and looked at the assassin in shock. "I was the one who murdered Enderman. Or at least attempted to do so."
"Turning yourself in, I see...in that case, I have no choice but to execute you! The rest of you are dismissed - this game shall not end until there's one person left remaining."
"Well, I hate to say this but...Magolor is NOT guilty," announced Monokuma, as Magolor was relieved; Bowser stomped his foot in anger. "Which means that everyone except for the culprit will be punished!"
"You think we're just gonna keep on playing your stupid game?" asked Mega Man, as many of the other residents shared the robot's sentiments.
"The next person to commit the murder wins ten million dollars..." Monokuma's offer worked, as many residents ran out of the courtroom. Mega Man was one of those who remained, as he sighed.
"Cash rules everything around here, apparently..." Left with no other choice, Mega Man and the remaining residents left the courtroom to continue the game. Altaïr was left with Monokuma, as he awaited his punishment.
"Since there's so many of you, I'll just kill all of you at once," Monokuma said to Altaïr, fancying himself with a mass murder of epic proportions. "I'll have you locked in the basement until the game ends."
Altaïr: That bear may not know it yet, but he brought upon his own demise. We'll see how long his whole charade will last.
Master Hand and Anna were at Westlake Center, checking out the Christmas tree that was lit. The tree was obviously nothing compared to the one that was in Times Square, but it was still a pleasant sight to look at.
"You know, I've always wanted to steal this tree," Master Hand admitted to Anna, as he observed a young couple flocking around the tree. "Sadly, the residents were too cowardly to do it for me."
"If you wanted it so bad, then why didn't you just steal it yourself?" asked Anna; she could've helped Master Hand steal the Christmas tree, but only for a relatively small fee. Emphasis on "relatively".
"Because it would be too much work - better to have someone else get their hands dirty. That's why I ask my residents to run most of my errands."
"Aw, sounds like you're just scared of getting in trouble!" Anna gave Master Hand a playful smile, and Master Hand was silent. Almost as if Anna got him good.
"Me, scared of being in trouble?" Master Hand finally ended his silence as he laughed in response to Anna's accusation. "I'm the creator of the Smash universe, what do I have to be afraid of?"
"You were scared of me for the longest time." Once again, Master Hand was rendered silent as Anna got him a second time. Anna was really good at mashing Master Hand's buttons.
"...I will admit, you got me there." Master Hand giving Anna some props...pigs must be flying somewhere in the sky. "But you know what? Fear is perfectly natural. And so is overcoming your fear."
Snake was snooping around the mansion, keeping his eyes peeled. No, he wasn't looking for a resident to potentially murder...he was looking for his journal, which Mario had been displaced from the computer room. Snake searched high and low for his journal, but couldn't find it anywhere.
"I'm telling you, Hal, it's like the journal just grew legs and ran away!" Snake spoke into the codec, as he checked inside of the bathrooms. The Luminary crept around the corner, keeping a close eye on Snake. "I know how improbable that is, don't lecture me..."
"He seems very preoccupied with that missing journal," Snake quietly whispered to himself, as he followed behind Snake and inched closer to him. The mage got too close to the former spy, bumping into him by accident.
"What the..." Snake frowned when he saw the Luminary creeping upon him, and got upset in a hurry. "...sorry Hal, but I gotta go; I think the Luminary here is on to us."
"No, Snake, it's not what you think!" the Luminary said to the former spy, who ended his call and put his codec away. The Luminary was about to get it now. "I was just...trying to murder you."
"Murder me? When you don't even have a sword?" At the moment, the Luminary was empty-handed with not a single blade in his hand. "Watcha gonna do, cast some evil spell on me?"
"Nonsense! I just...wanted to strangle you with my bare hands. There are ten million dollars at stake..." The Luminary would never kill someone else for the sake of money, so Snake found it hard to believe the mage.
"How about I strangle you instead?" Snake turned the Luminary around and wrapped his arms around the mage's neck before hoisting him up in the air. The former spy applied pressure on the Luminary's neck, and the Luminary struggled to break free.
"Help...someone help!" the Luminary cried out for help, which seemed like a lost cause given the current situation. However, the Flying Man showed up as if his name was called upon.
"Have no fear, Luminary, for I am your courage!" the mythical beast bellowed, as he flew down the hallway to the Luminary and Snake. The Flying Man knocked Snake down to the floor, before wrangling with him.
"Stop it, your hands are too close to my buttocks!" Snake shouted at the Flying Man, who was trying to keep the former spy pinned to the floor. Fiora happened to come around the corner when she saw the Luminary gasping for air.
"Luminary! Are you okay?" the Homs called out to the mage, as she ran over to see if he was okay. The Luminary, who was down on one knee, nodded his head while letting out a few coughs.
"I'm fine...Snake's grip was a little too tight," replied the Luminary, as Fiora helped him up to his feet. The Luminary and Fiora watched the Flying Man wrangling with Snake, showing no signs of letting up.
"Hey you, feathered guy! The one serenading the guy in the spy suit!" boomed Monokuma, his voice booming throughout the mansion, as the Flying Man ceased his tussle on Snake. "You just prevented a potential murder!"
"I was serenading you...?" a confused Flying Man asked Snake, who aggressively pushed the mythical beast off of him before standing up.
Fiora: We could've had plenty more murders by now, but the Flying Man has a very strong tendency to save others. At this point, with the "game" going on, I don't know if that's a good thing...or a bad thing.
"Do you lousy punks not want anyone to leave the mansion?" asked Monokuma, heavily disappointed with the residents' efforts so far; he had a better experience messing around with a bunch of high school students at an academy in Japan. "I mean, how can you expect to..."
"Oh snap, I found a dead body!" Junpei shouted from down the hallway, as Monokuma got all giddy and excited again. Only a senseless murder could put that bear in a happy mood. "Yoshi is donezo!"
"Someone killed that green dinosaur? Hoo boy! Residents, you have about fifteen minutes to find any evidence regarding Yoshi's murder. Come back to the courtroom once time's up!"
"Flying Man, away!" exclaimed the Flying Man as he heroically dashed away, vowing to find the culprit responsible for killing Yoshi (who may still be alive). Snake was glaring at the Luminary.
"I'll deal with you later..." the former spy vowed to the Luminary, before taking his leave. The Luminary looked uneasy for a second.
"What's the matter with him?" Fiora asked the Luminary, who wished that he had an adequate amount of time to explain. The explaining would have to wait till later...some evidence had to be found.
Mario and company were done speaking with the Wayfinder trio, and so they brought the three Keyblade wielders outside to Rayman's home. There, they got them acclimated with Rayman, Barbara, and Globox.
"How do you like our Christmas decorations?" Rayman asked Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, as he showed off his outdoor Christmas decoration. Globox stood behind one of the reindeer decorations, giving it a good lick. "Globox, for the last time, those reindeer aren't edible."
"Too late," responded Globox, as he took a bite out of the reindeer decoration. Got a pretty good chunk of its head. Apparently, it was delectable to Globox.
"I must say, a headless reindeer decoration is quite unique," remarked Aqua, trying to shed some light on the situation, as Rayman frowned and pinched the crown of his nose. Rayman had paid good money for that reindeer.
"I hate to ask you this, but...have you guys ever met Santa Claus?" Link asked the Wayfinder trio, feeling ashamed to have even asked that question. "Because Sora claims every Christmas that he did."
"He's totally lying," replied Terra - perhaps a visit to Christmas Town would change his mind. "Everyone knows that Santa is fictional. But then again, Sora isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, so..."
"What does that say about me?" Ventus asked Terra, as he shared his heart with Sora's. Terra and Aqua both giggled at Ventus, and it didn't make Ventus feel any better. "What's so funny?"
Cloud: Terra, Aqua, and Ventus don't believe in Santa Claus. Good to know that there are some Keyblade wielders out there who have common sense.
As Ventus grew frustrated with his friends, Impa peered at Mario and saw the plumber glossing through Snake's journal. Mario wasn't even being discreet about it, either - just reading the journal in broad daylight.
"Some scoping you're doing of the new house owners," Impa said to Mario, calling out the plumber; Mario quickly put the journal away to avoid any further suspicion from Impa.
"...I got sidetracked," Mario gave out his excuse, as Impa gave the plumber a smirk. Such a weak excuse wouldn't work on him. "Won't-a let it happen again."
Once the residents collected whatever evidence they could find, they brought their evidence to the courtroom for the class trial. The purpose of the trial was to discuss whoever murdered Yoshi.
"Dang it, Yoshi was at the top of my list!" seethed Wolf, who was glossing through his list of names; Yoshi's name happened to be right under Slippy's. "Someone must've beat me to the punch."
"It is now time for the debate scrum!" announced Monokuma, bringing order into the courtroom as he smacked his gavel. "Here's how it will work - all of you will debate among yourselves, and present your evidence as you crack the case."
"I'll go first," volunteered Tsubasa, standing up as she presented some keys to Monokuma. "Found these car keys suspiciously lying around on the floor."
"A pair of car keys, very interesting...anyone else wants to share what they found?" The next person to present their evidence was Dark Pit, who found something that would break the class trial wide open.
"Found some garlic a couple of feet away from Yoshi," the doppelganger said as he presented some garlic; Wario was nervously biting his nails, as he was on the verge of being exposed.
"Yup, I think we all know who's responsible," stated Captain Falcon, as the answer was clear as day. No vote was necessary this time. "It was Wario!" Falcon pointed at Wario, who was looking around nervously.
"Oh, so I'm the only person around here associated with garlic?" Wario frowned as he pointed at himself, ashamed of the stigma that he brought upon himself. "The Duck Hunt Dog eats garlic too! Out of the dumpster, that is..."
"Do we have a unanimous vote for Wario?" Monokuma asked the residents, only to be met with silence - the residents' minds were all made up. "Sorry, Wario, but yooooouuuuu're out!"
"Waaaah, screw all of you guys!" Wario pointed around at the courtroom, noticing that a few of the residents were even smiling at his predicament. "Voting me out...I didn't even kill Yoshi, honest!"
"It's true - I know where Yoshi is hiding," Mewtwo spoke up, as Monokuma smacked his forehead. So much for a legitimate murder. "Won't say where..."
Yoshi: Yes, I am still alive - just hiding in this closet. Wario asked me to play dead for him so that he could get away with being the culprit and win the ten million dollars. I helped a greedy cheapskate secure the bag, and I feel really bad about it.
"It's too late! You're gonna be executed," Monokuma said to Wario, who was fearful that the bear would also steal all of his money. "Also, the ten million dollars don't exist. I made it all up."
"Dang nab it!" frowned Wario as he stomped his foot. You could say that Wario should've learned his lesson, but he was a lost cause. "Why am I so easily fooled by money?"
"The rest of you are free to go and continue the game. Hopefully, we'll have an actual murder soon..."
"I'm coming for ya, Slippy..." vowed Wolf as he and the others filed out of the courtroom. Monokuma hopped down from the judge's bench and made his way over to Wario.
"You will be joining Altaïr in the basement until execution is ready," the bear explained to Wario - at least Wario will have some company. "Enjoy your last few hours alive...you'll need it!"
With the mansion locked from the inside, no one had access inside the building. Meaning that guys like Knuckles couldn't retreat to the tower to escape from Monokuma's game. Spring Man, who crossed over to the mansion via the bridge, was pleasantly surprised to see the door to the mansion locked.
"Weird, Master Hand rarely locks this door," the ARMS fighter remarked, after a few unsuccessful attempts to open the door. Bomberman and Kapp'n came over to Spring Man, observing his current plight. "Bomberman, can you like, bomb this door down?"
"Master Hand made the doors to the mansion indestructible, or so I've been told," answered Bomberman; strange how the bedroom doors in the mansion don't have the same amount of care. "We can't knock 'em off their hinges."
"Shoot, I was gonna suggest using my head as a battering ram..." griped Kapp'n, as Bomberman and Spring Man both gave the turtle weird looks. "...I just wanna know what it feels like."
Monokuma brought Wario to the basement, as he tossed the fatso inside. Wario bounced down the basement stairs, landing on the floor as Monokuma closed the basement door and locked it shut.
"You can't keep me down here forever!" Wario shouted at Monokuma as he shook his fist, hoping that the bear heard him. "Keeping me down here with the Rabbids..."
"You're not the only one," a voice said to Wario, who looked over and saw Altaïr. Altair had some fire going on over at the door that led to the outside. "Glad to have some company."
"What are ya doing, starting up a fire to keep us warm?" Wario walked over to the fire, which Altaïr was building up with a few coals offered by the Rabbids. "I'll let you know, my body insulation is on point."
"It's not to keep us warm...it's to help us escape." Altaïrreceived a red gas can from a Rabbid, shaking it to see how much was inside. "Should have enough oil to make this work..."
Falco obviously couldn't see Fox, since he was trapped inside the mansion, but the least he could do was hit up his buddy via phone call. Fox was outside the mansion right now, speaking with Falco on the phone while holding Marcus.
"Falco, why do you wanna kill Lip so bad?" Fox spoke into the phone; Falco had yet to give Fox any context of what was going down in the mansion. "She's just an innocent fairy!"
"I know man, but I have to kill her if I want to keep on living!" replied Falco, leading Fox to believe that his friend was being super overdramatic. Something that his own wife made him out to be. "You don't understand..."
"I do understand - you're being irrational. I mean, what good would killing Lip do for you? Has she ever wronged you for anything?"
Fox was interrupted as a blast was heard from the mansion; the pilot turned away, shielding Marcus as debris was flown in his direction. When Fox turned back around, he saw the door to the basement blown up, with Altaïr and Wario emerging from the rubble.
"Ah, fresh air..." Altaïr happily inhaled and then exhaled, as his plan to bust him and Wario out was a success. "...I should stop staying indoors so much."
Altaïr: It's true that any door to the mansion cannot be destroyed...from the outside. From the inside, however, that is a different story...
"Nice one, you could've scarred Marcus for life there," Fox scolded Altaïr, checking to see if his son was okay. Checked his face for any possible debris.
"Would that really matter if he's blowing up flying ships in space?" Altaïr questioned Fox, who left the assassin alone as he realized that he made a great point. "Also, I'm sure that your son has seen worse. From Falco, that is..."
"Bruh, Fox? You still there, man?" Falco asked over the phone, as Fox was reminded of his phone call. Fox ended the phone call, as Altaïr was more important to him right now.
"Okay, Altaïr, is there something that I need to know?" Fox asked the assassin, who had all the answers the pilot needed. "Because Falco won't stop going on about killing Lip..."
"A bear by the name of Monokuma has taken the entire mansion hostage and forced us into a killing game. We have to kill each other, but the only way to escape is by essentially getting away with murder."
"Sheesh! That sounds super hardcore." Fox sounded a bit excited about Monokuma's killing game, though he probably shouldn't. "So you got away with killing somebody? Who was it?"
"I didn't kill anyone...but I did let myself get framed on purpose. I got Enderman to play dead and asked Wii Fit Trainer to have as many of the others as possible frame me as the one who killed Enderman. My plan worked out better than intended."
"Spoken like a true assassin...one step ahead of the game." With his high assassin skill, Altaïr easily could've turned the killing game into child's play.
"All part of the assassin creed...by the way, where is Master Hand?" Altaïr believed that Master Hand deserved to know about Monokuma's presence.
"Out frolicking through town with Anna. Got no clue as to when he'll make it back." With that in mind, Altaïr ran back to the basement to fetch the items he used to create the fire.
"You go warn our neighbors about Monokuma; I'll try and send a distress signal to Master Hand. Wario, I'll need you for building the fire."
"Don't get any crazy ideas..." Wario warily warned Altaïr, with his hands on his butt. The fatso knew exactly what Altaïr wanted from him.
Master Hand and Anna were still chilling at Westlake Center, as they were outside walking around the shopping mall. They were busy admiring the Christmas decorations set up.
"Look at that!" Anna pointed at some Salvation Army dude standing next to a red bucket, happily ringing his bell. The holiday season was the only time when the Salvation Army came out of hibernation. "You should donate, Master Hand."
"Nah, that man looks like a fraud," remarked Master Hand, unnerved by how much the Salvation Army man was smiling. "I don't really give back during the holidays anyway - I just keep the money all for myself!"
"I always donate to charities during Christmas. It just feels right, you know?" If a so-called capitalist like Anna gave back, then what was stopping Master Hand from doing the same. "Surprised that you don't do it."
"Well, the only reason I don't is..." Master Hand was struggling to come up with words, as Anna was smiling awaiting an answer. "...you have no clue what the charities do with the money. It could all go to waste! Like donating to..."
"Check that out!" a random shopper shouted as he pointed at the sky, at what appeared to be a giant cloud of smoke rising up into the clouds. The smoke captured the attention of the other shoppers, and it certainly caught Master Hand's as well.
"Hold on, that smoke is coming from the mansion...the mansion must be on fire!" fretted Master Hand, able to tell the location of the smoke. Master Hand saw the smoke as a warning message...just not in the way that Altaïr intended.
"I know you're aren't gonna disappear and leave little ol' me behind," Anna said to Master Hand, not in the mood for walking back home. Master Hand had to sacrifice his ability to teleport at free will for the greater good.
"Should be lucky I'm not charging you for this ride..." Master Hand held his hand out, and Anna happily hopped on as Master Hand floated away. Anna was getting a ride from Master Hand...for free!
Wolf was moving about around the mansion, looking for anyone, literally anyone, to kill. Slippy was still at the top of the list, but the mercenary was open to killing anyone else if he had to.
"With that security footage, we should find out where Monokuma is hiding," X said to Samus, as the robot and bounty hunter were inside the computer room. Wolf took a peek inside, spotting the two occupants.
"The sooner we find that bear, the sooner we can put an end to this stupid game," remarked Samus, while X was pulling up the security footage. Wolf smiled to himself as he entered the computer room. "Hope he didn't hear me..."
"He might not have heard you...but I did!" Wolf snarled at Samus and X, making his presence known to the duo. Neither Samus nor X looked intimidated. "Now, which one of you wants to die first?"
"You want to kill the both of us, really Wolf?" X asked the mercenary, who was thrown off by X's lack of fear. How could Wolf kill X if his prey was hardly feeling any sort of emotion?
"Well, one of us has to win this game. I'll be the winner...and the rest of you will be losers." Wolf's words had no effect on Samus and X, as the duo went back to what they were doing. Wolf grumbled in frustration.
Wolf: Must feel terrible to be the only person to take this game seriously. Perhaps no one else holds pointless grudges as I do.
"Here we go," said X, as he successfully pulled up some security footage of the mansion on the monitor. Multiple windows appeared on the screen. "Let's see where that bear is hiding..."
"PEEK-A-BOO!" shouted Monokuma, as a giant window with his face on it took up the entire screen. Samus and X were both frightened, with X nearly falling out of his seat.
"You let that scare you, but not the thought of dying?" Wolf questioned Samus and X, with the latter pulling himself up back to the chair. "You two got it completely backward!"
"Did you really think I'd let you try and end the game that easily?" a voice said to Samus and X, from behind Wolf; Wolf was startled to see Monokuma standing behind him, as the mercenary shrieked and jumped away.
"We've had it with your game, Monokuma," X said to the bear, who slowly stepped inside the computer room. "We're tired of it!"
"First, let me just say that I have no hiding spot. I'm essentially everywhere. And another thing - any attempt to end the game breaks the rules!"
"Didn't even know we had any rules," said Samus; the bounty hunter barely participated in the killing game, so she couldn't care less. "Lemme guess - you're gonna 'execute' us?"
"How did you know..." Monokuma had the biggest Cheshire Cat grin on his face, as he took out a knife. A blood-stained one, at that. Monokuma did quite some carnage in the past.
"Hope you like getting your hands dirty," Samus said to X, taking out her Plasma Gun; X got his Mega Buster ready to go, as he eyed down Monokuma.
Down the road, not that far from Rayman's house, was a gas station and a restaurant - two establishments in one building. An enigma of the truest since, if there weren't so many of those already. Mario and friends brought the Wayfinder trio down to this establishment for some lunch.
"Do you ever pump-a gas in your Keyblade gliders?" Mario asked Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, while happily munching on a cheeseburger. Said cheeseburger paled in comparison to whatever delicious cuisine the Wayfinder trio had while traveling around the globe.
"Stop speaking, Mario, you're embarrassing yourself..." Lottie advised the plumber, who shushed the otter; Mario did not want anyone interrupting him until his question was answered.
"We never have to use gas," answered Ventus, who was eating some french fries that he only purchased because they were cheap. Can never go wrong with ninety-nine-cent fries. "The worlds that we went to never had any!"
"Let's just say that only magic powers our rides," Aqua said to Mario, who got the answer that he wanted. Mario was enthralled, as he nodded his head.
"Believers of natural energy, huh...good-a on you three," the plumber commended the Wayfinder trio, as Fox ran inside the gas station...restaurant...thingamajig. "Ah, Fox! Right-a on time."
"Glad that you got my text message," Fox said to Mario, running over to where the plumber and others were seated. "Wanted to let you know about some bear taking over the mansion."
"Banjo finally discovered what hibernation is and went-a on a power trip?" Mario's assumption was soon dashed, as Fox showed him photos of Monokuma on his phone.
"This is the bear, Monokuma. Falco sent me these pictures a few minutes ago." The others gathered around behind Mario, so they could see the pictures of Monokuma for themselves.
"He kinda looks like a Heartless," commented Terra; the only thing that Monokuma was missing was a Heartless emblem on his chest. "What exactly is he?"
"Beats me; Falco himself doesn't know what he is either. The one thing I do know is, Monokuma wants everyone in the mansion killing each other."
"Interesting how he chooses to do this when Master Hand's away," remarked Zelda; Monokuma wouldn't dare to hold his game with Master Hand around. Master Hand would just flick the bear away like an annoying tick.
"He won't be too happy if no one puts an end to this," stated Terra as he took out his Keyblade, looking to lay the smackdown on Monokuma's behind. "My friends and I will set that bear straight."
"But what about-a the house?" Mario asked Terra, putting his hand on the Keyblade Master to prevent him from leaving his seat. "We haven't even started-a the negotiations!"
"Negotiations will have to wait for another time. Right now, I think we should prioritize keeping your friends safe..."
Altaïr and Wario were at the front of the mansion, with Altaïr fanning the flames. The assassin had used the flames to create smoke, and plenty of smoke was created thanks to Wario...and his waft.
"Oh my...that fart must've ripped a hole through my pants!" fretted Wario, checking his pants for any possible damage. He was assured to know that his pants were just fine. "Whoops, false alarm."
"I'm amazed that your pants were able to stay on..." said Altaïr, as the fire slowly died down - the only thing left to do was wait around and hope that Master Hand saw the message.
Wario: Don't you just hate it when people use your flatulence for their own purposes?
But thankfully, Master Hand did see the message as he returned to the mansion, bringing Anna along with him. The giant hand, relieved to see that the mansion was not in fact ablaze, hovered low to the ground so that Anna could hop off safely.
"Welcome back, Master Hand and Anna!" Kasumi said to the giant hand and merchant, still holding it down at Anna's shop. She had missed much of Monokuma's game - a blessing in disguise. "Back so soon."
"Did my eyes deceive me?" wondered Wario, rubbing his eyes and blinking twice to check if he was seeing properly. "You gave Anna a free ride to the mansion, Master Hand?"
"Yes, and you're not allowed to ride on me, ever," replied Master Hand, laying down the law to Wario, Altaïr, and even Kasumi. "Only Anna...and maybe a little kid, if they ask nicely."
"I see, so only Anna gets special privileges," observed Altaïr, grinding Master Hand's gears - the assassin was more convinced than ever that Master Hand was truly turning over a new leaf.
"I'll have you know..." started Master Hand, before being caught off-guard when three Keyblade gliders landed on the ground. The three pilots of these gliders? Terra, Ventus, and Aqua.
"Hello again, Master Hand," Terra greeted the giant hand, riding on his natural energy-powered Keyblade glider. At least according to Mario. "You heard about the psychotic bear taking over your mansion?"
"Taking over my mansion?!" Master Hand was completely beside himself, as Monokuma had unknowingly signed a death wish. "Do tell..."
"Basically he forced us into some killing game, and locked all the doors and windows so we couldn't get out," Wario explained to Master Hand, making the giant hand even more furious. "He even tricked me into having to kill someone for money!"
"Locked all the doors and windows? Only I can do that!" Ready to show off his might, Master Hand faced the mansion and readied himself. "I'll show him..."
Inside the computer room, Monokuma managed to get the better of Samus and X; both the bounty hunter and robot were down for the count. Samus, lying on the floor, reached for her plasma gun only for Monokuma to kick it away.
"Nuh-uh uh!" Monokuma taunted Samus, wagging his finger at the bounty hunter while holding his knife. "You tried to break the rules, so you and your friend will have to die!"
"Can't believe I let myself get owned by some bear..." grumbled Samus, wondering where everything in her life went wrong for her. "...and I'm going to let him kill me, too."
"Couldn't be any worse than Banjo," X said to Banjo, getting some humor in before meeting his end at the hands of Monokuma. But there was hope for the robot and Samus just yet, as a loud sonic boom sound was heard.
"Hmm?" questioned Monokuma, wondering what just happened; it was like some powerful force hit the mansion. But what exactly did it do?
"Hey, you guys! We can open the windows now!" Slippy was heard cheering from the hallway, as Monokuma looked stunned. "That means the game is over!" Wolf, who was quietly sitting in the back of the computer room keeping to himself, instantly perked up.
"The game's...over?" the mercenary asked as he stood up, wishing that it wasn't so. "Wasted my chance..."
"What? Impossible!" seethed Monokuma as he looked into the hallway and saw a few residents opening and closing windows in the hallway. It was a moment reminiscent of man discovering fire for the first time. "But how?"
"If I had to guess...Master Hand must be back," hypothesized X, and that was the last thing that Monokuma wanted to hear. "Your time is running out!"
Roy: Believe it or not, I was hiding away in the bathroom after everyone learned that Lyn was my mom. Could've left soon, but the door was strangely locked. When I got out, I was greeted by Knuckles cheering because "the windows could finally be opened". What kind of bizarro world did I walk into...?
"No! It can't be!" wailed Monokuma, as he did not expect Master Hand to return so soon. During Monokuma's lament, Wolf ventured over to the computer that X was using as he saw a window on the screen.
"Haha, there he is!" the mercenary pointed at the screen, seeing security footage of Master Hand outside the mansion. Altaïr, Wario, and Anna were there, but not Terra, Ventus, and Aqua...
"This is impossible...I thought for sure that he'd be gone until the evening!" Monokuma backed away out of the computer room, before backing up into someone standing behind him. The bear slowly looked up...and saw Terra.
"You must be Monokuma," Terra said to the bear, with Aqua and Ventus standing at his side. Monokuma was sweating buckets, the most nervous he's felt the entire day. "Master Hand's got a bone to pick with you..."
Joker, Lucario, and the Hearts siblings returned from their shopping trip, bringing boatloads of shopping bags with them. Kohaku was carrying the most bags out of everyone.
"These beauty products are all for myself," stated Kohaku, as the four arrived at the side of the mansion as opposed to the front. While Hisui was left wondering how selfish his sister was, Joker saw some feet sticking from under some shrubbery.
"Uh..." some moaning was heard from the shrubbery, making Joker super curious. Joker walked over to the feet and grabbed them and dragged out a pair of legs. He couldn't believe who he just pulled out from the bushes.
"B.D. Joe?!" the young man shouted, instantly recognizing the taxi driver's face. Lucario came over to Joker, as he saw B.D. Joe unconscious.
"Someone must've knocked him out," inferred Lucario, as he sat B.D. Joe upright against the mansion wall with some assistance from Joker. "Let me handle this." The aura Pokemon gave B.D. Joe a good ol' Force Palm to the chest, waking up the taxi driver in a snap.
"Wha...?" was the first thing that B.D. Joe said upon waking, and soon he found himself looking up at Joker and Lucario. "Oh, hey fellas! Thought one of you was that bear who ambushed me on my way here."
"Is this bear's name Monokuma?" Joker asked B.D. Joe, who smiled and nodded as he pointed at the young man. "Care to explain?
"All I remember was, I was just about to head over to the mansion to fill in for Link while he was handling his business. Then that creepy bear crept up on me, and...that was that."
"We're sorry that you had to go through that," Lucario apologized to B.D. Joe, as Mario and company returned from the gas station/restaurant. Link ran over to see what was going on.
"B.D. Joe?" the Hylian called out the taxi driver's name, confused as to why he was outside rather than inside. "Aren't you supposed to be..."
"There you are!" Master Hand boomed when he saw Link, as he hastily floated over to the Hylian. "Some nerve you have, letting a murder-obsessed bear take your spot...and take over my mansion..."
"No, Master Hand, you got it all wrong!" B.D. Joe said to the giant hand, standing up for Link and saving the Hylian (and Cloud, just by association) from potential harm. "It was me who was supposed to watch over the mansion! Not that bear!"
"That bear knocked B.D. Joe out cold and took his spot," Joker explained to Master Hand, whose anger started to die down as the truth became clear. "B.D. Joe was left here in the bushes."
"Knocked a man out, stole his job, and engaged a group of people to kill each other? That alone is a fireable offense! Once I get my hands on that bear..."
Master Hand wouldn't have to wait terribly long, as Monokuma was flung out of a window. The bear lied on the ground, batter and bruised, as Terra, Ventus, and Aqua crawled out of the broken window with their Keyblades.
"Got an early start on him for you, Master Hand," Ventus informed the giant hand, who got a closer look at Monokuma. "He tried to run away, so we kinda made him pay for it..."
"This is the bear that beat you up?" Link asked B.D. Joe, as Monokuma was struggling to get up. Master Hand hovered over the bear, who slowly looked up at the giant hand.
"Fancy meeting you...eh?" Monokuma gingerly greeted Master Hand, who was not in a particularly happy mood. Nobody likes it when Master Hand isn't in a happy mood.
"Terra, Aqua, Ventus...I believe it is time for execution of this crook," Master Hand said to the Wayfinder trio - such a fitting way for Monokuma to go out. "Why don't you three get a few licks in, before I toss this cretin into the pits?"
"Say no more," replied Terra as he, Aqua, and Ventus ganged up on Momokuma. Master Hand moved away, giving the three Keyblade wielders ample room.
"Aw, c'mon, I was just having some fun and games!" Monokuma tried to plead his innocence, but it wouldn't work on the Wayfinder trio, Master Hand, or anyone else. "You like fun and games, don't you? Don't you...?"
Pit and his friends spent most of their day in Cafe Leblanc for the most part, not bothering to kill anyone as part of Monokuma's game. They didn't get many customers today because of the circumstances - Sans and Magolor were frankly their only customers - but at least nothing bad occurred while Joker was gone.
"Hey guys, I'm back," Joker said to the baristas, as he made his humble return to the cafe. Pit was happiest to see Joker, as he ran up to the young man and hugged him. "Seriously, Pit?"
"Sorry, don't know what got over me," apologized Pit as he realized his hold on Joker, before clearing his throat awkwardly. "I felt strangely obligated to give you that hug."
"missed a game during your shopping," Sans said to Joker; he wouldn't have much to share, since he spent his time in the cafe. Only came out for the class trials, just like the baristas. "you woulda made quite the killing."
"Yes, I was aware of the game, Pit told me already..." responded Joker, only for his attention to be brought to the fella sitting next to Sans, Magolor. "...Kirby, is that your friend, from the Thanksgiving dinner?"
"You mean Magolor?" asked Kirby, as Magolor looked up at Joker and waved at him. "Yeah, he's been hanging out with us at the cafe. Very swell company."
Kirby: Magolor almost went into a frenzy after Bowser accused him of murdering Enderman. It was already suspicious how he acted last week - I sure hope he doesn't have any skeletons in his closet. Can't have a friend of mine go back to the dark side.
"Well, I hoped you enjoyed yourself at Cafe Leblanc, Magolor," Joker smiled at the alien, as he went over to go put on his apron. Business at the cafe should be booming now that Monokuma was gone.
"Sure did, this cafe is pretty legit!" remarked Magolor, open to returning to Cafe Leblanc for some coffee and curry in a later mansion visit. "Uh, by the way...have you seen a journal anywhere?"
"A journal? What kind?" Joker was curious to know, as he assumed his position behind the cafe counter. "Does it belong to you? Hope you didn't lose it."
"Oh, nothing, it's nothing...forget that I ever said anything." Having ended the conversation, Magolor tried to drink his coffee, only to later realize that his hood was obstructing his mouth. Kirby kept a close eye on his alien friend, who accidentally spilled coffee on his hood.
Magolor might've escaped with being accused of being the Blackened, but as for escaping from Kirby's suspicions...that was a different story.
