Author's Note:

This chapter is primarily focused on Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, which can only mean one thing - all your Three Houses faves are back! Everyone is here, as the iconic saying goes. With Sonic Origins and Capcom Fighting Collection also being released, they'll be a couple of other guest characters in this chapter as well. A pretty big affair I'll say, as you might tell by this chapter's length. Guest reviews:

"Do you think Falco is acting like someone who associated with PETA judging by the way they act? And by associated with PETA I meant Falco acting like PETA by his method of promoting vegan in a extreme way."

I don't think so - as mentioned in this story, Falco's just misguided. He'll be coming back to earth eventually. Moving on:

"Was Pit forced to make his own curry for dinner since Joker hasn't returned yet for dinner?"

Ha! You bet. One last thing:

"If Falco were to tell Captain Falcon the false negative health effect from eating meat as an attempt to force veganism on him, would he Falcon Punched Falco for his extreme method way of promoting veganism and insulting him for giving the falcon bird a bad name especially the Peregrine Falcon? If Captain Falcon were to dish out punishment for Falco for spreading fake news and rumors about fake negative health effect from eating meat, force Falco to eat his favorite food that is meat, eggs or milk especially fried chicken from Chick-Fil-A?"

Um, perhaps. A Falcon Punch might knock some sense into Falco. A JPRG enjoyer with exciting news:

"Well, looks like the Switch is getting the Crisis Core remake (or as I would say, Reunion) this winter. Any plans on it?"

Nothing as of yet, but a Crisis Core chapter will be done this winter. On to The Reader:

"TBH, I think some fathers are missing in this Father's Day chapter. Where's Eliwood? Where's Flint? I've been craving for some Flint and Lucas moments in your fanfic, but there's still none."

Eliwood, unfortunately, missed the cut; and I had forgotten about Flint. Lucas could definitely use some moments with his dad. Moving on:

"Also, I don't see any UNIST characters. Well, I hope you can have them appear soon, since September 20 is their 10th anniversary. Just wanna remind you that."

Oh, snap! Under Night In-Birth is ten years old? Never knew. UNIST will indeed appear soon. David with questions:

"Since Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII is getting a remaster for Switch will we see Genesis show up and will he have his appearance from said game or give him his appearance from Dirge of Cerberus's secret ending? Do Pit, Crash, or Sonic drink that G-Fuel Energy drink? (Since there's a Peach Rings and Wumpa Fruit flavor drink). Has Aerith worn the red dress she had in the FFVII Remake? A scene of Corrin playing Knights of the Old Republic 2? And finally, what are your thoughts on Doom Eternal finally getting a physical release on Switch via Limited Run Games? And what do you think will happen to WWE now that Stephanie has taken over for her father after recent events?"

If Genesis shows up, he might have his Crisis Core appearance. Crash and Sonic drink G-Fuel, but not Pit. Aerith hasn't worn that red dress...yet. Don't know if I would do that scene with Corrin. Thought that Doom Eternal already had a physical release. Huh. And WWE...will continue to operate as normal with Stephanie McMahon at the helm. I see no big changes happening. Finally, a review from chapter 78 written by Blucy:

"I do have a suggestion though: could you make Ness appear more? Whenever i see him, he's more of a side-character that doesn't do much. I'm not sure if he makes alot more appearances in the many chapters I still have to read, but could you make a chapter just for Ness? It's okay if you don't want to do it, you get alot of suggestions."

Ness does get treated like a side character, and so does Lucas. Obviously, that is subject to change. And seeing as how very little they've been featured, I'll have to make a couple of amends...


Episode 340: Mercenary

It might not be as much of a surprise, but Sonic has never had a job before. And in the hedgehog's brutally honest opinion, he didn't even need one! He believed that living in the mansion under Master Hand's care meant that he was "financially stable", whatever that was supposed to mean. As long as he had an allowance, he was good.

But to everyone's shock, Sonic was searching for a job as he was spending hours in the computer room on job application sites. Many folks accredited Lavenza for getting Sonic serious about getting a job. Residents who spent time in the computer room commended Sonic for taking action, and the blue hedgehog had no idea as to why.

Nonetheless, Sonic was back in the computer room today as he was looking at job listings with Lavenza right behind him. Aside from Lavenza, the blue hedgehog also had Crash and Aku around as moral support.

"Cool! A remote web developer job," exclaimed Sonic when he clicked on a job listing, glossing through the qualifications and requirements and all that jazz. "And you even learn on the job, too! Now that's what's up."

"Woah!" shouted Crash as he pointed at a very minor detail that Sonic overlooked. Sonic looked at where Crash was pointing and squinted his eyes, only to frown seconds later.

"Aw, what? Five years of web developing experience?! How is this an entry-level job?" Sonic was so incensed, that he felt like grabbing the keyboard and chucking it unto the floor.

"It also says that the applicant must have a high school degree or GED," stated Aku as he looked for any other details that Sonic might've missed, as Sonic became even angrier. "Looks like we're out of luck..."

"Hey guys, have-a you seen Cloud anywhere?" Mario asked Sonic and company as he entered the computer room, hoping that Cloud wasn't hiding from him. Mario figured that it would be only a matter of time if that were the case.

"Can't you see that we're busy, Mario?" Sonic asked the plumber, as the mere presence of Mario was enough to make Sonic reach a boiling point. That's how angry he was. "We gotta find Earnest a new job!"

Sonic: Thanks to the destruction at the pool, Earnest got in trouble and was fired from his lifeguard job. Now he's back to being unemployed, and with very little money to pay for his car payments! Or his groceries! Or even his Netflix subscription, which I totally didn't get for him just so he could watch that show with the lawyer from New Mexico. That show nearly changed my life; I know it'll do the same for Earnest. The point of the matter is, is that it's all Kazuya's fault for putting Earnest on thin ice.

Kazuya: It's all Sonic's fault that I wasn't able to rid myself of Heihachi once and for all. I was this close, this close to sealing the deal, but that dumb hedgehog had to interfere! But no matter...he'll get what's coming to him.

"Earnest was fired from his old job," Lavenza informed Mario, as Mario resumed the job search hoping that the next job he found didn't require any prior years of experience. "Sonic has been devoted to finding him a..."

"A proofreading job! This one is remote," said Sonic as he clicked on the job, at first looking excited only for his face to sour as he read the qualifications. "'Must be proficient in Spanish'?! Earnest doesn't know any Spanish!"

"There's always time to teach him," suggested Aku, as Sonic took out a chili dog and chucked it at the floating mask. It was a wasted dog, but Sonic believed that it was worth it.

"Mario?" Zelda called out the plumber's name from the hallway; the princess showed up at the computer room doorway a few seconds later and found Mario. "Master Hand wants to see you."

"Tell him I'm-a not interested," replied Mario, choosing to stay behind and not bother wasting his time with Master Hand. "I have no interest-a in giving him his colonoscopy!"

"There is no colonoscopy...Wii Fit Trainer got that taken care of, somehow. The house leaders have arrived." And just like that, Mario was suddenly interested.

"In that-a case, I'll be there soon!" Mario ran out of the computer room quicker than the Flash, as Zelda saw the plumber speed down the hallway. So much for following after Zelda.

"Did she just say, 'house leaders?'" Sonic asked Crash and Aku, as he knew of the trio that Zelda was referring to. The blue hedgehog had some bad memories play out in his head. "If that chick pulls that stunt on me again..."

"Oh, one more thing before I go," said Zelda as she went over to speak with Sonic; she had a special announcement for him as well. "Dr. Eggman is apparently on his way."

"He is? Wonder if he wants to show off his massive weight loss. Probably only lost six pounds.." Sonic was at first joking around as he was all smiles, but then the smiling went away as he asked Zelda, "You were joking about Eggman, right?"


Ever since he was released from jail in episode 270, Eggman has been on mostly good terms with the mansion. In fact, the mad scientist has even been invited back to the mansion (or invited himself) a few times since. And with every visit, he was showing off a new suit, as part of his newfound "Dr. Drip" persona.

With it now being summer, Eggman had a flashy collection of summer suits that he wished to showcase to Master Hand. So he was traveling to the mansion on his Egg Mobile, hoping to arrive in style. The mad scientist wanted his arrival to be "properly documented", so members of the documentary crew caught up to Eggman during the ride to his destination.

"Why did we have to come along, doc?" Cubot asked Eggman, who along with Orbot was riding in the Egg Mobile with Eggman. The robot duo was forced to be a part of the trip. "I'm gonna miss the pony princess marathon on TV!"

"Because Metal Sonic doesn't know when to keep his hands to himself," replied Eggman, who originally wanted Metal Sonic to be his plus-one. Would've saved him quite a headache. "Doesn't know anything other than plotting to kill Sonic!"

"To be fair, you were the one who programmed him to kill Sonic," Orbot pointed out, as Eggman angrily smacked the robot on the back of his head. Cubot saw how much pain Orbot was in and oddly felt jealous.

"Do me, do me next, Eggman!" Cubot pleaded to the mad scientist, positioning himself in front of Eggman as he pointed at the back of his head. "Smack me as hard as you can!"

"Move it Cubot, you're in my way!" growled Eggman as he shoved the robot to the side, as he saw the mansion in full view. "Smash Mansion, here we come!"

A few moments later, the Egg Mobile arrived on the mansion grounds, as Eggman parked his egg-shaped vehicle in the front yard. Eggman desired to make a grand entrance but to his surprise, he saw a bunch of familiar faces outside.

"Hm?" the mad scientist perked up as he, Cubot, and Orbot saw a bunch of young men and women wearing black-and-gold uniforms, with some mixing up with the mansion residents. Eggman and his robot lackeys were unsettled by the scene.

"Serve's up!" shouted a blue-haired fellow who threw a baseball to Lucas; that fellow was Caspar, a member of the Blue Lions. Lucas, holding a baseball bat, struck the baseball with all his might.

"I do believe that the correct terminology is 'batter up,'" said Caspar's friend Linhardt, overhearing Caspar as he was sleeping on a tree. The baseball struck the tree near Linhardt, who screamed as he was spooked and fell down.

"Ha! That's what you get for being a smart-aleck," Caspar pointed and laughed at Linhardt, who was wincing in pain as he struggled to get up. "And for being such a sleepyhead!"

"Who on earth are these people?" pondered Eggman, staring in bewilderment as he saw Lysithea of the Golden Deer pass by with a magic book in hand. Eggman then saw Luigi speaking with the Blue Lions' Mercedes, and knew that the green plumber was the right person to ask questions.

"You have such a wonderful pet," Mercedes said to Luigi, who had introduced the commoner to Elfilin. Luigi had brought Elfilin along for a little show-and-tell. "What is his species?"

"He's a..." Luigi was about to say, before shuffling through the notecards in his hand as he picked out the one that caught his eye. "...he's a flying squirrel!"

"But you told the pink-haired girl that I was..." Elfilin said to Luigi, who quickly shushed the...erm, flying squirrel as he put his hand over his mouth. Or at least where his mouth would be.

"Wow, I have never seen a green flying squirrel before!" gleamed Mercedes, as Eggman eavesdropped on the conversation refusing to believe that Mercedes could be so gullible. "Or is it turquoise? Can't seem to tell."

Luigi: Daisy and I haven't decided-a on what species Elfilin is, so we use-a these notecards to help break-a the ice whenever anyone asks. *holds up notecards* Most days, Elfilin is a honey glider; other days-a he's a chinchilla. One time griffin got thrown-a into the mix. I blame-a Yuffie for that one.

"Luigi, what is the meaning of this?" asked Eggman as he hopped down from his Egg Mobile, picking the right time to speak with Luigi. "Is the mansion overrun by medieval freaks?"

"Medieval freaks? No!" replied Luigi as he chuckled at Eggman; the only "medieval freak" that he could think of was Lorenz. "These folks you see before-a you are on a field trip. Isn't that right, Mercedes?"

"Dimitri described it as such," replied Mercedes, gently petting Elfilin the flying squirrel on his head as she smiled. "We needed Master Hand's approval first." It was until Master Hand was mentioned that Eggman remembered what he came here for.

"Master Hand, of course! I must see if he's home." Eggman whistled into his fingers, as he garnered Cubot and Orbot's attention. "Cubot and Orbot, fetch me my wardrobe!"

"You got it, Dr. Eggman!" Orbot saluted the mad scientist, as he and Cubot rummaged through the Egg Mobile for Eggman's finest suits. Eggman was smiling as he rubbed his hands with anticipation.

"Master Hand is kinda busy right-a now..." Luigi tried to warn Eggman, but Eggman couldn't care less - the mad scientist was poised to knock Master Hand's socks off with his so-called "drip".

Meanwhile, on the mansion porch, Ferdinand was having a small tea party with Marianne. The nobleman did such tea parties with Bernadetta to make her open up more, and he hoped to work the same magic with Marianne one way or another.

"Your tea is getting cold," Ferdinand informed Marianne, who spent most of her time at the tea party looking down at the table. The lack of engagement rubbed Ferdinand the wrong way. "Something on your mind?"

"Not in particular..." replied Marianne, only to look up when she saw Eggman approaching near with Cubot and Orbot. "...I believe we have some company."

"Ah, visitors!" Ferdinand turned around and saw Eggman step unto the porch, and the nobleman stood up as he desired to make a good first impression. "Hello. I am Ferdinand von Aegir, legitimate son of the..."

"Yeah, yeah, say that to somebody who cares," Eggman said to Ferdinand, effectively shutting down the nobleman. Ferdinand frowned and sat back in his seat, as Eggman turned his attention to Marianne. "Is Master Hand home?"

"He is indeed home," Marianne meekly replied, as Eggman opened the front door and went inside. Due to his massive frame, the mad scientist had some trouble as he was stuck in the doorway.

"A little help here would be appreciated!" Eggman called out to Cubot and Orbot, who dropped Eggman's suits as they tried to push Eggman through...but to no avail.

Eggman: *taps fingers together, looking embarrassed* ...I have my own reasons for not using the front door - aside from following obvious villain protocol.


Within the Blue Lions, there were three friends who always stuck together - Ingrid, the kind noblewoman; Sylvain, the ladies' man; and Felix, the astute swordsman. Whenever Ingrid was with her close friends, she was always on double duty - having to keep Felix's sharp tongue in check, and keeping Sylvain from flirting.

"Out of all the stars in the universe, you definitely shine the brightest," Sylvain flirted with Shantae near Master Hand's room, shooting his shot with the half-genie. Ingrid and Felix were no doubt feeling second-hand embarrassment.

"Aw, how sweet!" Shantae smiled as she giggled, her overall happy candor making Sylvain feel like a million bucks. "But if you must know, I already have a boyfriend."

"Is that so?" Soon Shantae's "boyfriend" in question appeared, as Akihiko was walking down the hallway noodling on his phone. Akihiko looked up and panicked when he saw Shantae staring at him lovingly.

"No, no, no, no, no..." the young man said as he turned around before running away, with Shantae chasing after him hot on his heels. "...NOT AGAIN!"

"News flash, Sylvain - not every chick on this planet wants to fall in love with you," Ingrid informed the nobleman, who was mildly disappointed after seeing that Shantae had the hots for another man. "Other handsome men exist."

"Did you just say that I was handsome, Ingrid?" Sylvain asked Ingrid, who chose not to say as she pursed her lips and looked away, blushing slightly. "Thank you very much!"

"Get your hands away from me, I'm fine..." Eggman barked at Orbot and Cubot, who had successfully pushed the mad scientist through the front door. A piece of the front door was on Eggman. Better call Mr. Game and Watch...

"Look how fat he is..." Felix whispered to Sylvain and Ingrid, as Eggman approached the three friends. Appearing dignified and gentlemanly, Eggman cleared his throat as he stood up straight.

"Greetings, kind friends! Hope you are all doing well this Friday afternoon. May I inquire if Master Hand is home?" The way that Eggman was speaking made him sound awfully insincere to the three friends.

"You seriously need to lose some of that weight." Felix could not believe that a human could let themselves be so obese. "Also, Master Hand is kind of busy at the moment."

"I don't care, I must speak with him!" Eggman pushed Felix to the side, as he ran to Master Hand's door and was knocking on it repeatedly. "Let me in, Master Hand! I know you can hear me!"

"Are those his...suits?" Ingrid asked Orbot and Cubot, whom she saw holding Eggman's sparkly suits. The sparkliness was almost blinding. "Someone sure is full of themselves..."


Mario was inside Master Hand's room, where he was in the presence of the three house leaders - Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. As well as their respective second-in-commands Hubert, Dedue, and Hilda. Also present were Link, Zelda, Isabelle, Toadsworth, and of course, the professors - Byleth and Beleth.

"So you three are all royalty, is that correct?" Toadsworth asked the house leaders, as he was taking a gander at the three. The elderly Toad delighted himself in being in royal company.

"Only except for him," Hilda smirked as she pointed teasingly at Claude, who could only muster a smile. Way to promote your house leader, Hilda. "He's just a lousy nobleman!"

"Sure know a thing or two about embarrassing me, Hilda," remarked Claude, as Hilda smiled while holding her hands behind her back. Hilda was happy to know that Claude took her comments lightly.

Bowser: Hilda acts and speaks like a stereotypical lazy valley girl, yet Claude named her to be his right-hand lady. Says a whole lot about how the Golden Deer operates!

"Someone should go answer the door," suggested Dimitri, as he heard constant knocking at Master Hand's door - along with the sound of Eggman shouting. "Dedue, will you do the honors?"

"As you wish, Your Highness," replied Dedue as he proceeded to the front door...only to be stopped when Master Hand held out his hand. "Master Hand..."

"Nope, let them be," Master Hand said to Dedue, gently nudging the commoner back to his original position next to Dimitri. "Whoever it is isn't worth an iota of our time."

"Spoke too soon," Beleth said to Master Hand, the door opening seconds after the knocking had stopped. Ingrid had poked her head inside the room, looking around at everyone.

"Don't mean to be a bother, but some very fat man is trying to force his way in," informed Ingrid, only to be kicked out of the way by Eggman. Having delivered the big boot to Ingrid, Eggman entered the room with Orbot and Cubot.

"I cannot believe you, Master Hand!" Eggman scolded the giant hand, disgusted by the company that was gathered around. His attention was primarily focused on the house leaders, and their second-in-commands. "You would rather entertain those posers than me?!"

"Lady Edelgard is NOT a poser!" Hubert hissed at Eggman, willing to fight tooth and nail for upholding Edelgard's honor. Nobody else took simping more seriously than him. "Take back what you said, or else I will..."

"At ease, Hubert," Edelgard said to her right-hand man, who was glaring at Eggman wanting to throw hands. If only Hubert could actually throw hands. "I can assure you that this...monster, isn't worth any of our time."

"Who are you calling a monster?!" an understandably offended Eggman questioned Edelgard, as Orbot and Cubot were laughing behind his back. "Link, Zelda, I demand that you punish this woman at once!"

"No offense, you kinda look the part," admitted Link, who was unable to imagine how Eggman would look like if he ever slimmed down. "Also, you came at the wrong time..."

"Who cares? I could care less about your precious meeting. My summer wardrobe is more important!" Right on cue, Orbot and Cubot presented Eggman's finest suits to Master Hand and company, who couldn't care less.

"It was never that important, to begin with," stated Master Hand, his remark greatly devastating Eggman; Eggman's mouth went agape, as his jaw fell down to the floor.

"But what about that suit I wore for New Year's Eve? You said that it was the best suit you had seen all year!"

"I only said that just so you would leave me alone. And yet here you are, back again to annoy me..."

"Master Hand, I think we should kindly tell our guest to leave," Link suggested to the giant hand, as Eggman's face grew red with steam erupting from his ears. Cubot and Orbot looked at each other nervously after seeing how angry Eggman was.

"Much agreed - Eggman's wardrobe is a moot point," added Byleth, as her words were adding plenty of fuel to the fire. "Totally irrelevant."

"Can't imagine anyone that would be interested in seeing his 'threads,'" said Beleth, making Eggman about to explode like a volcano. A very angry volcano.

"You know what? Screw you all! Let's go, Orbot and Cubot..." said Eggman as he stormed out of the room, with his robot lackeys following after them with Eggman's suits. Orbot and Cubot could sense Eggman chewing them out later.

"Anyone up-a for a tea party?" Mario asked the house leaders, finding it cliche to make such an offer to the trio. "It would bring us together...and Cloud."

"Should we tell him?" Zelda whispered to Link, who kept his lips pursed as Mario awaited a response from either one of Edelgard, Dimitri, or Claude.


No matter how many times he asked Earnest, Guile was unable to pry the Ford truck from the former homeless veteran. Even worse, he went to the car dealership that Earnest bought the truck from, only to find out that there wasn't another Ford truck in stock. (At least the one he wanted.) So the major continued to lament, sharing his grief with mansion residents and tower denizens alike.

"That truck literally had my name on it," Guile said to the Squid Sisters, Marie and Callie, who were sitting at a picnic outside trying to ignore the major. "Earnest refused to surrender it."

"Bullying an honest man over a dumb truck is very much unlike you," Marie said to Guile, not appreciating how close Guile was standing behind her. Too much macho for her liking.

"Just buy another truck, that's what any sensible person would do," suggested Callie, but Guile simply couldn't bring himself to do that; for him, that Ford F-150 truck was love at first sight.

Guile: Who knows what Earnest is doing with that truck...for all we know, he could be driving on mountain hill trails and being within nature. That could've been me, dang it!

"Is that the Smash Mansion?" someone asked Guile and the Squid Sisters, who looked over and saw a young man with purple hair standing by. In his hand was a sword.

"You have come to the right place," replied Guile, able to tell that the young man meant business. The determined look in his eye said so. "Mind if I ask what your name is?"

"I'm Shez - I'm a mercenary from Leicester. I've been told that Byleth and Beleth both live at the Smash Mansion." Shez gripped his sword as he said this, giving Guile a brief moment of pause.

"Yes, they've been here for quite a bit..." stated Callie, her and Marie keeping an open mind while Guile was growing suspicious about Shez by the second. "...you know them personally?"

"It's a little complicated...rather not get into the fine details." Now that he was at the mansion, Shez pressed forward towards the establishment with his sword in tow. "Thanks for the tip."

"No problem," responded Guile, while keeping a close eye on Shez; there was something about the mercenary that he just couldn't shake off...


Last Friday, Pit was overwhelmed when Yu invited Noel Vermillion and her friends (and acquaintances) to Cafe Leblanc, while he handled all the cafe duties. Today was more of the same, with Pit being the only working barista and a wealth of guests to attend to. Ken had invited a bunch - E. Honda, Balrog, Chun-li, Blanka, Zangief, Dhalsim, and Vega.

"More coffee, please!" Balrog called out to Pit, who was working effortlessly to serve the patrons sitting at the counter. "Don't keep me waiting like last time!'

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Pit said to Balrog as he fixed some coffee for Sans, before fixing another cup and handing it to Balrog. Made sure not to spill any on the way to his table.

"Hmph..." Balrog snatched the coffee out of Pit's hand, and after he had taken a sip, the boxer spat the contents in Pit's face. "...I wanted a decaf! Now you got me mad!"

"Oh no...here we go," moaned Chun-li, hands on her forehead as Balrog kicked his table down and started throwing punches in the air. "Did you guys really have to invite him?" Chun-li asked Ryu, whom she was sitting next with.

"Did my best to dissuade Ken, but nothing worked..." replied Ryu, as Balrog took sight of Doc Louis and threw punches at him. At least Doc Louis made for an excellent punching bag.

"Can you guys do something?" Pit asked Joker and company, who were standing behind the counter - the only catch was, none of them was doing any work.

"No can do - we're off duty," Joker replied with a smirk, with Pit watching helplessly as Balrog was punching away at Doc Louis. Doc Louis had his back turned to Balrog, who was punching to no end.

"Did you hire a back therapist, Mac?" Doc Louis asked Little Mac, as Balrog's punches had very little effect on him. "'Cause this back massage is the BOMB!"

"I didn't hire anyone," replied Little Mac, too nervous to let his boxing trainer know that Balrog was attacking him. But from the way things were going, it was barely even an attack at all...

Viridi: Pit complained last week when he had to run the cafe by himself and be our maidservant at the same time. So starting this week, we're going back behind the counter - but instead of doing our jobs, we'll be standing around looking pretty.

Yu: I originally had planned on bringing more of Noel's pals to the cafe, but the folks who turned down the invite did so because of their concerns with Ragna and Jin being together in the same room. Let alone the same city! Fortunately, no one had died at the end of the day, which was all that I could ask for. That said...Ragna and Jin almost killed each other in our backyard...almost. Ike nearly had to sacrifice his life just to get the two to stop fighting.

"Slow down, you're going to choke yourself!" Ignatz pleaded to fellow Golden Deer member Raphael, who was slurping down an entire bowl of curry. Ignatz and Raphael were both sitting at the counter, with Raphael predictably doing most of the eating.

"Choke on curry? Ha, impossible!" exclaimed Raphael after he had slurped down his bowl of curry, only to burp loudly seconds later. The man didn't even say "excuse me", showing how much of a filthy commoner he was.

"That angel boy is going to be stressed out soon," Dhalsim said to Vega, watching as Pit trudged back to behind the counter looking nearly exhausted. Could things get any worse for Pit?

Quite frankly it would, as four more guests entered Cafe Leblanc. These four hailed from Garreg Mach Monastery (albeit living underneath the building) and were known as the Ashen Wolves - Balthus, Hapi, Constance, and their faithful leader, Yuri.

"Coffee sure smells good!" exclaimed Balthus, inhaling and exhaling happily as the aroma from the coffee machine reached his nostrils. Pit looked happy to see the Ashen Wolves again, yet bummed that he had to serve them.

"Let's hope that it actually tastes good..." said Hapi, as she and her comrades went to the counter and took their seats. Ignatz and Raphael were both pretty delighted to see the Ashen Wolves.

"You guys made it! Incredible!" Ignatz said to the Ashen Wolves, who were back at the mansion for the first time since episode 217's Valentine's Day party. "Claude claimed that you would've stayed behind."

"Preposterous of him to think that we would let you all have fun without us," smirked Yuri, coming off as charming as he brushed his hand through his purple hair. The commoner then saw the baristas standing around.

"Hey, I remember you guys," said Pit as he pointed at the Ashen Wolves, recognizing their faces from around two years ago. "You guys are the Ashy Wolves!"

"Ashen Wolves...Ashen Wolves," Constance corrected Pit, not surprised in the slightest that the angel screwed up their house name. She was expecting it from a mile away. "Get it right."

"Welcome to Cafe Leblanc," Joker greeted the Ashen Wolves, seeing the four as some great company - and also deep pockets. "This is my own little nook of the mansion. Do any of you care for some coffee? Or perhaps a bowl of curry?"

"I'll gladly have some curry," replied Yuri, who was famished on his way to the mansion. At least it didn't diminish his bravado. "Just don't make it too spicy."

"Alright, Pit, fix our friend here a bowl." Joker looked toward Pit to get a bowl of curry prepared for Yuri, and that's when Hapi grew concerned as Pit grabbed his ingredients.

"Is he the only working barista?" Hapi concerningly asked Joker and the other baristas, as she pointed at Pit who was grabbing a weird assortment of ingredients from the shelves. Beets, cinnamon, chocolate chips...items you would never find in any sort of curry.

"...for better and for worse," Viridi replied with a forced smile, choosing not to inform Hapi of how things came to be. Slowly losing her appetite, Hapi rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched Pit do his thing.

Hapi: Pit really worried me at that party, the way he was wearing the punch bowl on his head like it was some kind of helmet. Somehow he was able to drink the entire bowl. And now he works as a barista at a cafe? *sighs*
Pikachu: *runs over to Hapi* Pika pika!

Hapi: I guess some things will never change...

"Oh no...we're all out of garlic!" alerted Pit as he checked every single cabinet for the ingredient in question. At least he was using an actual curry ingredient. "Joker, what are we gonna do?! We're done for!"

"Enough with the overactions, Pit, I've got it all under control," assured Joker, taking off his cafe apron as he stepped from behind the counter. "Make sure that Pit doesn't burn anything while I'm away, you guys."

"Do we have a fire extinguisher around?" Kirby asked Viridi as Joker left the cafe, while Pit went ahead and started making the curry. The curry powder that he was using looked awfully suspect...

"We're all out of curry powder too, but I've been using the coffee mix as a substitute," Pit informed Yuri, who suddenly regretted that he ever asked for a bowl of curry. "It's been very hit-or-miss; only the Duck Hunt Dog doesn't mind."


Master Hand was all alone in his room, enjoying some private time to himself after Mario and the others had a brief reunion with the three house leaders. With the peace that he had, the giant hand could finally tinker with the cradle balance ball set that he had ordered online.

"I will never understand how this is so popular in business offices," remarked Master Hand, who was allured by how the balls bounced back and forth. "It must be a serious power move to have this on a desk."

"Master Hand, we have another visitor!" Isabelle called out to Master Hand as she knocked on the bedroom door, but Master Hand was too entranced by the steel balls to respond. "Master Hand, you in there?"

"I dunno, go ask somebody." Refusing to deal with any of Master Hand's shenanigans, Isabelle went ahead and opened the door. "Woman, I will..."

"So you must be Master Hand," said the person that was accompanying Isabelle - the mercenary known as Shez. Master Hand calmed down in a hurry. "I can see why that call you that."

"Who is this?" Master Hand asked Isabelle as he pointed at Shez, who entered the giant hand's room as he made his presence known. "Did one of the three houses leave a student behind?"

"That's Shez, he's a mercenary from a village in Leicester," Isabelle explained to Master Hand, before walking closer to the giant hand and looking back at Shez as she whispered, "He also wants to kill someone..."

"Who, me?!" Master Hand went through another mood change, as he became very afraid of Shez. For him, it was like Sho Minazuki all over again. "Why did you bring this killer to me, Isabelle?"

"I don't want to kill you, Master Hand, take it easy!" Shez assured with a smile, hoping that his mercenary job didn't scare Master Hand too much. "My only targets are Byleth and Beleth."

"Phew, what a relief..." That relief was short-lived, however, once Master Hand heard who Shez had his eyes set on. "...who is it that you want to kill?"

"The Ashen Demons - Byleth and Beleth. They killed my companions in battle a few years ago, and I have come to your mansion with revenge on my mind."

"Hate to say this but Byleth and Beleth...are dead. Killed 'em both." Master Hand knew that wouldn't fly with Shez, so he had to come up with something else. "What I meant to say was, the professors are away."

"But I saw the folks from the Garreg Mach Monastery outside. Surely that would mean..."

"...doesn't mean a thing. The professors are not home. Get that through your thick head."

"Whatever. I know you're lying, Master Hand...the Ashen Demons are around here somewhere!"

"Fine then. Go ahead. Search all you want. Just know that in the end, you'll be left with nothing."

"We'll see about that..." Shez backed out of Master Hand's room, choosing to go about his mission by himself. Since Master Hand wouldn't help him, Shez figured that no one else in the mansion would.

"Wow Master Hand, you sure told him!" remarked Isabelle, thoroughly impressed with how Master Hand handled Shez. However, the Shih Tzu couldn't let Shez roam free with little to no supervision. "Should I monitor him?"

"Don't bother wasting your time with Shez," replied Master Hand, feeling no dire need to tell Byleth and Beleth to be on the lookout. "He's already wasting his own time as it is. 'Ashen Demons'...bah!"


As he said in the previous episode, Kazuya planned on making Sonic pay for stopping him from drowning Heihachi. The businessman was standing alone in the hallway calling someone, as the Blue Lions' Ashe walked by.

"I need you to come over here and kill Sonic the Hedgehog," Kazuya spoke into the phone, as Ashe paused and turned around at Kazuya furrowing his brow. "I don't care how, just get your butt here and do it!"

"Kill Sonic the Hedgehog, what...?" Ashe muttered under his breath, wondering what Kazuya's big deal was. When Kazuya saw Ashe looking at him, Ashe calmly walked away.

"Why yes, I also want you to kill my father after you are done with Sonic. Much appreciated for asking." Avoiding further suspicion, Kazuya walked down the hallway as he carried on with his phone call. Ashe cautiously walked away, having some doubts about Kazuya.

"That was kinda weird." Ashe kept on walking until he passed by the computer room, and heard Sonic's voice. The commoner took a peek inside and saw Crash, still at the computer with Crash, Aku, and Lavenza.

"They offer lawn mowing jobs online?" a very baffled Sonic questioned, staring at the monitor in pure disbelief. "Is it that so hard to just ask an average joe on your block to mow your lawn?"

"The hourly rate looks awfully decent, though," stated Lavenza, whose attention was drawn to the $25 per hour rate. Lysithea, the Golden Deer's resident prodigy, was sitting in the back of the computer room reading a book when she looked up and saw Sonic.

"How are you able to find a job using that device?" Lysithea asked Sonic, strongly allured by the wonders of modern technology as she came over to speak with the blue hedgehog. "You must be well advanced!"

"It's much harder than it looks," replied Aku, as Sonic clicked on the lawn mowing job and opened up the job application. "But a young child such as you wouldn't understand."

"I'm sorry, did you just call me a 'young child?'" Lysithea grew incensed with Aku, as Sonic and Crash were quietly trying to silence Aku from digging himself a big hole.

"Yes, I have called you, the youngest member of your house, a young child. Sue me." Poor Aku, he had no idea who he was getting under the skin of.

"Hit 'em with your best shot..." Sonic whispered to Lysithea, as he offered the commoner a chili dog; Lysithea chucked the chili dog at Aku, who didn't seem like he was in much pain.

"Ha, didn't even hurt." Aku would soon have to eat his own words, as a piece of wood fell down from his face. "Ow..."

"Sonic, do you have a minute?" Ashe asked the blue hedgehog, choosing the right to enter the computer room and deliver the bad news. "I think that someone's out to kill you..."

"Lemme guess, it's Metal Sonic," groaned Sonic, who up to his point didn't care about Eggman's presence at the mansion nearly as much until now. "I was hoping that Eggman would've kept his tryhard butt at home."

"It's not Metal Sonic...whoever that is. Heard some scary-looking man in a suit speaking with someone; he apparently wants you dead."

"Scary-looking man in a suit?" questioned Lavenza, knowing the man who fit the criteria perfectly as she began fearing for Sonic's well-being. "You must mean Kazuya Mishima!"

"Sure you aren't making this up?" Lysithea asked Ashe, unable to tell how genuine and serious the commoner was being. "You sure love to tell tall tales."

"I'm dead serious; I was there when the conversation happened," stressed Ashe, but Lysithea couldn't for the life of her tell if Ashe was speaking the truth. And Sonic himself was in the same boat.

"Heh, I'll believe it when I see it," smirked Sonic, showing no worries as he went back to the lawn mowing job application. "Kazuya can't be that ticked that I wouldn't let him kill his dad!"

Sonic: The lawn mowing job looks kinda promising, although it asked for three years of "prior lawn mowing experience". Granted it didn't ask for a high school diploma or college degree, but still. Whatever happened to learning while on the job?! Might not be too late to have Earnest mow his own lawn, he can build up experience that way.


Perhaps Annette's favorite memory at the mansion was cooking with Cilan. The Blue Lions member enjoyed making chili with Cilan, even if the connoisseur was mostly preoccupied with his cheesecake. Three times Cilan make a cheesecake, and every time it ended up in someone's belly. Or bellies.

So when Annette strolled to the kitchen, humming a happy tune, she expected to receive another wonderful cooking lesson from Cilan. However, she was only setting herself up for eventual disappointment.

"Going to make a yum for my tum, with Cilan at my side!" Annette sang as she soon arrived at the kitchen, her happiness fading away when she only saw Pyra and Mythra preparing lunch. "Where's Cilan?"

"Cilan?" Pyra said to Annette, as she and Mythra saw the noblewoman standing at the kitchen entrance looking confused. "He went back home last year to Striaton City." Annette was left in shambles upon hearing this news.

"We pretty much took over the reins," added Mythra, as she came over to the clearly devastated Annette with a plate of ribs. "This might cheer you up!"

"Well, that just ruined my day...oh well," said Annette as she retreated from the kitchen and went to the dining room. She left Mythra highly self-conscious, with the Blade staring at her ribs in distress.

"Thought for sure that these ribs looked tasty...knew I shouldn't trust the opinion of some lousy evil scientist."


Only one person was man enough to eat Mythra's ribs, and that person was Dr. Eggman, who was eating away in the dining room with Orbot and Cubot at his side. Eggman looked dismayed, staring into the abyss as he ate the ribs one by one.

"Depressed eating is strongly discouraged," Orbot advised Eggman, acting as if he was the mad scientist's personal health guru. "And look at those ribs - they're greatly overcooked!"

"I wouldn't mind having overcooked ribs," smiled Cubot, who was salty that Eggman had yet to share any of his ribs with him. Cubot partly blamed himself for not having an operable mouth.

"I am in the understanding that you don't care as much for those ribs," the Black Eagles' Petra said to Eggman, as she was having some lunch - namely Pyra's chicken pastrami. Annette sat next to Petra, trying to keep her spirits up. "May I take some off your hands?"

"Go ahead, you can have the whole plate..." Eggman replied with a mutter, as he handed Petra his entire plate of ribs. Petra sampled one of the ribs, only to make a funny face after taking a bite.

"...on second thought, I'll give these to someone who is most deserving." Petra got up as she grabbed the plate of ribs, before hurriedly running towards the backdoor. "Watch my food while I'm gone, Annette."

"You got it!" exclaimed Annette as Petra left the dining room, when no one was looking, Annette grabbed Petra's fork, and took a small bite of the pastrami as she smiled with delight.

Cubot: That girl with the colored hair sure talked funny. She must be a dum-dum! *snickers*
Orbot: As if you have any room to talk...

After Petra left the dining room, Eggman and company would be met by Shez. Shez was on the hunt for the professors, but couldn't find them anywhere. Perhaps he needed a tip to show him in the right direction.

"Man, that is one hideous-looking man..." Shez muttered under his breath when he first laid his eyes on Eggman, before clearing his throat and saying to the mad scientist, "...hey, I'm Shez. Have you seen Byleth and Beleth anywhere?"

"Why do you care?" asked Eggman, too depressed to look Shez in the eye. He would show Shez his summer suits, but he knew that the mercenary, being a visitor, could care less.

"I dunno - not like I have a reservation to kill those two or anything." Just like that, Eggman went from dismayed to full of delight in a hurry, as the mad scientist raised his eyebrows.

"You wish to kill the professors, hmm?" Now Eggman was giving Shez his full attention, holding his hands together as he had an evil smirk. "What for?"

"Long story short...they're called the Ashen Demons. They both killed me, and my companions too. But I was saved from death, and now I'm here to exact my revenge."

"But why? Why not just enjoy your second chance at life?" Cubot asked Shez, as Eggman bonked the robot lackey on his head. Knowing Cubot, he probably enjoyed it.

"It's been recently brought to my attention that the Ashen Demons stay at this mansion. I won't stop until I find them...and kill them both!"

"Well, Shez, I bid you the best of luck in your search," said Eggman as he slowly rose up from the table, his evil smirk was still intact. What was he plotting? "Would tell you where those professors are but like you, I too am a lowly visitor."

"But we already saw them..." Orbot was about to say, only for Eggman to muffle the robot lackey's mouth. Orbot angrily made muffled sounds, trying to eke out a word or two.

"In that case, I will carry on with my search," said Shez as he backed away from Eggman, whose small talk gave the mercenary a bit of a confidence boost. "It was nice speaking with you, sir."

"Please, call me Dr. Eggman. And now I bid you adieu. Ta-ta!" On that note, Eggman exited the dining room through the kitchen, and Shez left as well.

"No way, he actually ate all those ribs!" Mythra inferred with excitement as she went inside the dining room, only to see Petra's pastrami being the only dish on the table. "Where is his plate?"

"That dog was really enjoying those ribs," Petra said to Annette as she returned to the dining room - holding an empty plate in her hands. Mythra glared at Petra, her bottom lip trembling. "Mythra, it is not what you are thinking!"


Near the kitchen was the pantry, where Joker was looking for curry powder. The young man searched high and low for the item in question, having found multiple bags of different flavors.

"No more coffee-flavored curry ever again," remarked Joker as he was about to exit the pantry...only to spot a certain noblewoman hiding under one of the pantry shelves. It was the Black Eagles' own Bernadetta. "How long have you been hiding there, Bern?"

"...I'm just keeping myself warm!" Bernadetta nervously replied, even though the thermostat in the pantry was below sixty degrees. "I'll be leaving soon!"

"Joker! You have to see what Falco's doing," Makoto called out to her boyfriend, as she caught up to Joker at the pantry. "He's in the beauty salon, getting a tattoo!"

"Falco's getting a tattoo?" Joker asked out of disbelief; doing a tattoo on feathered skin must be pretty hard. "If it's for the reason that I think it is..."


Falco was indeed getting a tattoo in the beauty salon, courtesy of three tattoo artists featured in episode 145 - Morrigan, Lilith, and Felicia. The avian pilot had an appointment and apparently, he wanted it done on mansion grounds.

"You know what they say...no pain, no gain," Falco said to those watching, his face squinching in pain as Lilith was applying a neck tattoo to the avian pilot. Morrigan and Felicia were there to console Falco by holding his hands.

"I get embracing a new lifestyle and all, but this is too much on the nose!" remarked Male Wii Fit Trainer, one of the folks who were watching Falco get his neck tattoo. Among the group were two commoners in Dorothea and Leonie of the Black Eagles and Golden Deer, respectively.

"Any reason why you're getting a tattoo on your neck?" Dorothea asked Falco, never even realizing that the avian pilot had much of a neck until now. "Looks more painful there than anywhere else."

"NO PAIN, NO GAIN!" Falco shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to dispel any concern that he was in agony. Or that he was likely making the greatest mistake of his life. Morrigan and Felicia held him even tighter.

"His neck had better been cotton swabbed before you started the process," Morrigan said to Lilith, who looked around suspiciously after realizing that she had forgotten a very important step.

Felicia: The original plan was for the tattoo to be on Falco's arm. The arm is usually the most popular and practical spot. But Falco wanted the tat on his neck so that "everyone could see". But hey, that's all him. His body, his choice...

Zelda: I promised Toadsworth that Link and I would get a hold of Falco with his new vegan life. *pauses, then looks nervous* It's taken us some time getting around to.

"I've finally drawn blood!" cheered Lilith, sounding like an excited girl at the candy store when she saw a tiny drop of blood trickling out of Falco. "About time."

"...can you please hurry this up?" Falco pleaded to Lilith, as the succubus's creepy manner was unnerving him. "Don't think that I can hold still much longer."

"You're doing great so far, Mr. Lombardi!" Felicia said to Falco, impressed with the avian pilot's resolve up until the past few seconds or so. Makoto returned to the beauty salon, having brought Joker with her.

"See? Told you that I wasn't joking," Makoto said to Joker as she pointed at Falco getting his neck tattoo. An ugly vegan neck tattoo. For Joker, it was grotesque to look at.

"You missed the best part," Leonie said to Joker, as Lilith was putting on the finishing touches - wishing to draw more blood from Falco. "He was screaming as if he was giving birth!"

"There, all done!" announced Lilith, taking her pen away from Falco's neck as Falco let out a huge sigh of relief. Morrigan and Felicia let go of Falco, who calmly sat up on the bed that he was resting on.

"Give it a few minutes for the paint to try," Felicia said to Falco, who already felt like rubbing his neck right now since it was in mild pain. "We almost got sued the last time a customer did that..."

"I heard somebody was getting a tattoo, what did I miss?" inquired Fox, entering the beauty salon phone in hand as he arrived at the scene. There he saw Falco and the avian pilot's new neck tattoo. "Falco?!"

"You're just in time," Falco greeted Fox, hopping off his bed and walking over to his friend to show off the tattoo that he apparently wanted. "Check it out! Neck tattoo! Pretty cool, huh?"

"It's literally just a giant green leaf on your neck," observed Samus, easily not a fan of the tattoo; then again, she really wasn't a fan of many things. "Do you even have any regret doing this?"

"Had Lilith misspelled something, then I would've. But that's why I didn't want her writing words or anything like that - she might be illiterate."

"Illiterate?!" Lilith growled at Falco, looking to put a diabolical curse on the avian pilot. Morrigan and Felicia both had to intervene so that Lilith wouldn't be laying out any curses on anyone.

"Falco, this is insane," Fox said to his avian pilot, who saw his best friend as being a big hater. Falco was expecting Fox to give him props. "A regular tattoo would've been fine, but a neck tattoo is stupid!"

"Any tattoo, let alone a vegan one, is stupid," Dorothea offered her two suits, as Falco couldn't believe all the haters that he was in the midst of. A lot of people were drinking that haterade.

"Think about what your girlfriend would think," Joker said to Falco, who saw the young man as trying to guilt trip. Falco wouldn't fall so easily for Joker's putative attempt.

"She would like my tattoo if that's what you're getting at," said a confident Falco, retreating from all the haters as he strutted his stuff towards the beauty salon exit. The avian pilot had no idea how many facepalms and side-eyes he was gonna get today...and for a foreseeable future.

"If Falco gets any worse than this, then I have no other choice but to kill him..." vowed Ashley; those near the young witch gave her looks of concern, prompting her to change her tune. "...kill him with forced kindness, of course."

"He forgot to pay for his procedure," Morrigan said to Lilith and Felicia, before darting to the beauty salon exit hoping to catch Falco in time. The succubus found Falco just outside the beauty salon, where he was showing off his tattoo...to Link and Zelda.

"You like?" Falco asked Link and Zelda as he pointed at his neck tattoo, expecting to be showered with words of praise. Even expected the Hylian couple to be jealous that they didn't have a neck tattoo themselves.

"It looks...good on you, Falco," Zelda mustered a response, as Link looked at the princess as if she was crazy. Falco immediately took Zelda's words as gospel.

"Ha! Knew you would like it, princess. I feel like even more of a changed man!" Falco went down the hallway, feeling like the happiest man on earth as he gave a big cheer.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy," Link said to Falco, as he leaned in close to Zelda and whispered with a frown, "We can't just sit around and let him get away with this..."

"I know, I know..." Zelda nodded in agreement, reluctance in her voice as she saw Falco showing his neck tattoo to an uninterested Mewtwo. Morrigan was about to chase after Falco...until someone stopped her.

"Pardon me," Fox said to Morrigan as he stepped out of the beauty salon with a pressing question to ask. "Do you guys specialize in laser tattoo removals?"


With an exquisite tea party to be taking place later, Anna was going through a hallway closet looking for some tea party essentials. The merchant was tossing all kinds of stuff out of the closet, as Shez approached her.

"Any chance that you have seen the Ashen Demons around?" Shez asked Anna, who couldn't be bothered enough to make herself open for conversation. "Byleth and Beleth?"

"If I knew where they were, I would tell you," replied Anna, not even looking at Shez as she focused on the task at hand. Shez hoped that Anna would lead him in the right direction, but he thought wrong.

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked you...forget that I was ever here." Forced to carry on with his search, Shez left the premises as Anna saw the mercenary walking away.

"Like I would disclose their location that easily..." Smirking to herself, Anna resumed her task as she pulled more items out of the closet. "...ah! There's my blanket!"


Taking a break from the Cafe Leblanc fare, E. Honda wandered out of the cafe and through the mansion, taking a look around the establishment. The sumo wrestler ran into Guile at the lounge, where he did some catching up with the major...while also being on the receiving end of Guile's carping.

"He stole the truck right from my teeth," Guile said to E. Honda, still bitter that the Ford truck wasn't his. Who knows when he would let it go. "It was the model that I wanted."

"You let a formerly homeless man take your truck?" E. Honda laughed at Guile, who wasn't laughing in the slightest as his visage was unmoved. E. Honda kept laughing as he wrapped his arm around Guile. "Must've been obsessed with being the best American possible!"

"It's not a competition..." The more serious Guile looked, the more it made E. Honda inclined to laugh it up. "...never was. Every breathing American should aspire to be the best American that they can be."

"Lighten up, it was just a joke!" E. Honda smacked Guile on his back, and Guile did very little to react. "But with how you operate, I shouldn't be too surprised."

E. Honda: Us Street Fighter folk have never seen Guile smile. Ever. Not a single time! He's always frowning. When his daughter Amy was born, I bet Guile didn't even smile once - he probably just saluted the kid after she came out of her mother's womb!

Elsewhere in the lounge, Kazuya was speaking with the Golden Deer's snobby nobleman, Lorenz. Kazuya had some reservations about Ashe, believing that the commoner was going to snitch on him after eavesdropping on his phone call, and wanted to take him out of the equation.

"He goes by the name of Ashe Ubert," Lorenz informed Kazuya, who was dialing a number on his phone as he had to make another important call. "A studious little bookworm, he is."

"Only needed the first name, but thanks," responded Kazuya, and after he dialed the number, the businessman turned away from Lorenz as he held the phone up to his ear. "Hello? Yes, it's me again..."

"What were you two discussing just now?" Ryo Sakazaki asked as he approached Lorenz, sensing that Kazuya was up to no good. He knew from first-hand experience when Kazuya was plotting something evil.

"I will have you know that it is not my intention to indulge myself with nosy people. Please leave that man be; it's obvious that he's attending to a rather private matter."

"...wait, you actually know this Ashe individual?" a surprised Kazuya spoke into the phone, as Ryo was cautiously looking on while eavesdropping. "That is perfect. I was right in picking you for the job."

"Shoo now! The matter that the man is discussing is of no concern to you." Lorenz gently pushed Ryo away, as Ryo was trying to get closer to Kazuya. "Out of the lounge you go!"

"Now you look here, kid..." Ryo snapped at Lorenz, who had successfully pushed the fighter out of the lounge. Lorenz smirked, and Ryo frowned as Kazuya was finishing his call.

"I know you're still on your way, so take your time," Kazuya said to the person on the phone, as he caught Ryo glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "Alright then. Goodbye."


The job application for the lawn mowing job was no slouch for Sonic to fill out, as the job didn't require a resume or even a diploma. Just lawn mowing experience, which Sonic believed could be faked. The other requirement was that the applicant needed their own lawn mower, and Sonic knew who to ask.

"No, Sonic, I can't let you give our lawn mower to Earnest," Mr. Game and Watch spoke with the blue hedgehog and his pals outside the garden shed, as he had just finished mowing the lawn. "He'll just have to buy his own."

"But he spent all his money on that truck," stated Sonic, and that made Mr. Game and Watch question a lot of things. Like, how did Earnest buy groceries while being broke? How could he afford gas, with the high gas prices?

"I'm sorry, but that's a personal problem. You can't hold me liable for any stupid life decisions some man no longer living on the streets is making."

"Gave me no other choice...now, Crash! The puppy eyes look!" So Crash walked up to Mr. Game and Watch and was looking at the 2-D man with a completely innocent look. "Feeling it now, Mr. GW?"

"I feel nothing." Mr. Game and Watch was unaffected, and so Crash had to up the ante as he inched closer to the 2-D man. "Get away from me, Crash! People might be looking!"

"I don't think it's working, Sonic," Lavenza said to the blue hedgehog, as Crash chased Mr. Game and Watch until the 2-D man ultimately surrendered to his guilt trip. "Mr. Game and Watch doesn't have eyes."

"But..." Sonic was about to say, only to notice that the garden shed was now left unattended. The blue hedgehog smirked as he slowly opened the shed door. "...well, you can't say that the puppy-eyes look was totally ineffective."

"But I know one thing that is - stealing property." Lavenza would put Sonic in his place, as Sonic snapped his fingers in disgust and closed the shed door.

"Never have I seen anyone so frightened by a pair of innocent eyes," remarked Aku, witnessing Crash chasing Mr. Game and Watch up a tree. Crash stood at the base of the tree with his puppy-eyes look, waiting for Mr. Game and Watch to come down.

Dark Pit: *sitting in a treehouse at the window, looking at Mr. Game and Watch through a pair of binoculars* Oh, don't mind me, I'm just enjoying the charade. *eats from a bag of popcorn* As long as Crash keeps Mr. GW up in that tree, I won't have to lift a finger for the rest of the day!

"Wow, the poor guy must be worried sick!" Caspar was heard speaking...speaking loudly, in fact, as Sonic and company looked over and saw Caspar speaking with Linhardt, Mercedes, and Lysithea. Well, mainly Mercedes and Lysithea, since Linhardt was sleeping away on a hammock.

"He genuinely thinks that Sonic is going to die," said Lysithea, with Linhardt's loud snoring nearly ruining her train of thought. "Wonder what made him so paranoid."

"Could've been a ghost," inferred Mercedes as Lysithea, who herself was afraid of ghosts, found herself to be paranoid. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lysithea!"

"Th-There's not a ghost around us, is there?" If a Gengar were to appear from the shadows, Lysithea just might lose it.

"I can see a ghost..." uttered Linhardt, with his eyes closed, as Lysithea shrieked and cowered in fear with her hands over her head. "...but I can only see it in my dreams."

"Sleep talking, really Linhardt?" Caspar shook his head at his best friend, and Linhardt could only respond by smiling as he slept away.


Sonic wasn't the only individual who had to worry about potentially being killed, for Byleth and Beleth were both in danger of being assassinated by Shez. Shez was now in the gaming room, under the guise that the professors were nearby.

Also in the gaming room was Falco, who was showing off his new tattoo to the residents. Some didn't care, while others flat-out ignored the avian pilot completely. Morrigan was keeping a close eye on Falco, waiting for the right opportunity to pounce.

"Admit it, you love this tattoo a lot," Falco said to Meta Knight, knowing that the Star Warrior was beaming with joy behind his mask. Why Meta Knight would beam with joy over another person's tattoo, nobody knows.

"Had it been anywhere else on your body, then I wouldn't mind," replied Meta Knight as he walked away, choosing to keep his true feelings close to his chest. "But I digress."

"Real talk though, you would look amazing if you had a tattoo." Falco followed after Meta Knight, and Morrigan knew that she couldn't let the avian pilot get away from her. So the succubus made her move...

...only to bump into Shez, who was making a move himself. Both individuals fell down to the floor, with Morrigan particularly angry.

"Do you know how rude it is to bump into a lady?" Morrigan frowned at Shez, who pulled himself up to his feet as he dusted himself off. "The nerve..."

"Sorry, ma'am - I was in a bit of a rush, kind of," Shez apologized to Morrigan, looking apologetic as he helped the succubus up off the floor. Morrigan stared at Shez, smiling with intrigue in her eye.

"Say, you look pretty handsome...traveled here from a faraway land, I assume?" Morrigan was now acting seductive with Shez, who was flustered as he backed up into a wall.

"...guess you could say that. I'm just looking to kill two of this mansion's inhabitants, that's all." That made Morrigan even more intrigued, as the succubus excitedly clapped her hands together.

"How swell! How would you like to have an accomplice?" On the surface, Morrigan didn't seem trustworthy; her seductive nature was super off-putting. But for a guy like Shez, he could really use an ally.

"I prefer to go about this matter alone but...you look like you can come in handy. Welcome aboard!" With Morrigan at his side, Shez saw the professors' demise arriving sooner than later.


The three house leaders and their second-in-commands were invited to a tea party on the Assist Tower balcony, which Anna organized. Mario, Toadsworth, and the professors were also invited as honored guests.

"More tea for you, Lady Edelgard," Hubert said to the Black Eagles leader as he poured her another cup of tea. The nobleman was putting on an absolute masterclass in simping.

"If you wish for a refill, Your Highness, don't hesitate to ask," Dedue said to Dimitri, dutifully standing behind the leader of the Blue Lions. He was anxiously waiting to hear his name called.

"Really could go for a nap right about now..." Hilda yawned, sitting next to Claude as she stretched out her arms. Claude won't be getting another refill anytime soon.

"Any of you three interested in attending our Canada Day celebration next week?" Anna asked the three house leaders, returning to the balcony while holding a plate of scones. "It's going to be held in Vancouver, Canada!"

"It might be too cold for our tastes," replied Dimitri, who had heard stories from an unnamed resident about how cold Canada was. Said stories were initially hard to be taken seriously since they came from a certain frog.

Dimitri: Feels good to be back at the mansion, and seeing old faces - along with a few new ones. On the other hand, however, we have put ourselves at risk of being forcibly invited to this year's holiday festivities. And now with this Canada Day fastly approaching...

"I have heard that you and Princess Peach are closely knit," Edelgard said to Toadsworth, who was helping himself to some scones after Anna placed the plate on the table near him.

"You could say that again - I raised Princess Peach myself!" exclaimed Toadsworth, markedly proud of the very fact, as Hubert secretly gave the elderly Toad a judging glance. "She'd be a goner if it wasn't for me."

"I see that you have two empty chairs next to you," Claude said to Mario, as he noticed two unoccupied chairs next to the plumber. "Invited a few guests?"

"You betcha!" replied Mario, hoping that the two guests he invited would make it to the tea party before the festivities were over. "I just hope-a that they can make it in time."

"Hey Mario, sorry I was late...had to take Denzel to the doctor's office. And a whole bunch of other places after his appointment."

Mario was now overjoyed, as he looked back and saw Cloud now on the balcony with Denzel. When Cloud saw Mario patting his hand on one of the empty chairs, that's when he knew that he should've skipped out while he could.

Cloud: Mario this week has been more annoying than weeks past, so Denzel and I went around town for a little window shopping. Denzel didn't mind either way. I only agreed to attend the tea party so that Mario wouldn't stop spamming me with needless text messages.

"Hi, Denzel - say hello to Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude!" Anna said to the boy; Mario didn't appreciate Anna for stealing some of Cloud's thunder.

"Nice to meet you," Denzel said those four words to Dimitri and Claude individually, as he shook both of their hands. Poor Dedue and Hilda were left out. When Denzel moved on to Edeglard, Hubert intervened.

"He is likely Cloud's son...I don't trust him," Hubert whispered to Edelgard, doing little to hide the suspicions that he held towards Cloud. Where these suspicions came from, no one knew, not even Edelgard.

"But he's just a child..." responded Edelgard, choosing to ignore Hubert as she went ahead and shook Denzel's hand. Edelgard was impressed. "...oh my goodness! What a firm handshake you have."

"You taught-a him how to do that handshake, didn't you?" Mario asked Cloud, who ignored the question as he and Denzel took their seats. Mario hoped that his second child would be great at giving handshakes one day.

"So Denzel, how did your doctor's appointment go?" Toadsworth asked the boy, who didn't know what to say as he looked towards Cloud for helpful cues.

"Uh, it went well, I guess," replied Denzel, as he was trying to make sense of the signals that Cloud was giving him. "My heart's doing good...and I have no cavities either. No eye problems, either."

"Well, that is good to hear." Toadsworth nonchalantly accepted Denzel's diagnosis, patting the boy on his back while Cloud facepalmed in disappointment.

"Somebody help me please, I have fallen and I'm hurt!" a voice called out from inside the tower, catching the attention of everyone at the tea party. "Only a professor can save me! Or two..."

"How oddly specific..." Beleth furrowed his brow, wondering why the person in need had criteria for who their lifesaver (or lifesavers) should be. "...should we go investigate?" Beleth asked Byleth, who was equally hesitant to leave the table.

"If it means putting an end to their cries for help, then so be it," replied Byleth, as she and Beleth got up from the table to see what was going on. "We will be back, everyone."

"Better hurry - we might steal-a your portion while you're gone!" Mario warned the professors, who both ran inside the tower. With the professors gone, Mario reached over the table to their plates...only for Anna to smack his hand away.

"That's no way for a dad to conduct himself, is it?" Anna asked Mario with a smirk, wagging her finger at the plumber. Mario gently rubbed his hand, while Hilda laughed at him.


The professors were racing down the hallway, trying to reach whoever had fallen to the floor before time ran out. Or something along the lines of that. However, when they arrived at the scene...

"Is this some kind of joke?" frowned Beleth, when he and Byleth saw Cubot lying on the floor acting like a drama queen. Cubot was shouting in faux pain, sounding like a woman.

"My heroes!" the robot exclaimed when he saw the professors, keeping up with the theatrics by flailing his arms about. The professors could tell that this was a set-up - especially when they felt a giant shadow cast over them.

"You feel that?" Byleth asked Beleth, only for a giant sack to fall down on the professors. That giant sack was held by Hammer Bro, who scooped up the professors and tied the sack with a piece of rope.

"Got 'em!" cheered Hammer Bro, as the professors were heard shouting and kicking from inside the giant sack. Cubot got up off the floor as he went over to Hammer Bro.

"Appreciate the patronage, good sir!" Cubot offered his hanks to Hammer Bro, who handed the robot the giant sack. "Here's a little compensation for ya." Cubot gave a handful of nuts to Hammer Bro as a small token of his gratitude.

"Seriously? A bunch of nuts?" Hammer Bro frowned at the bolts Cubot placed in his hand, seeing them as worthless. "What am I gonna do with these?"

"In the robot community, those nuts are worth north of 200 US dollars. But it can also be a snack! Depends on which robot you ask."


Felicia: We're waiting on Morrigan to get a hold of Falco, so until then we'll be hanging out at the cafe where Ryu and Ken's friends are. Pit is working at this cafe so hopefully, Lilith will keep her hands to herself... *looks at Lilith, who is seemingly staring into space*
Lilith: *snaps out of her trance, looks around* ...huh? Were you saying something, Felicia? Are we on camera yet?
Felicia: *groans*

Pit's biggest test came when Felicia and Lilith came to Cafe Leblanc, for he feared that the latter woman would flirt with him as she had done with Dark Pit a few years back. But the angel had nothing to worry about, for Lilith was at the counter showcasing a talent aside from tattoo art - applying makeup. Which, in an essence, wasn't really a talent but...you know.

"Be gentle around the bottom eye," Yuri said to Lilith, who was applying eyeliner to the Ashen Wolves' leader. Yuri's allies looked on, amused. "The eyelashes are highly sensitive."

"Need me to hold your hand?" Balthus asked Yuri, observing how much the commoner was sitting still while staring into the distance. "You look awfully tense!"

"This is the correct manner to display when your face is getting touched up. Quite frankly, a rough man like you could never understand."

"Why do you need eyeliner for, Yuri?" Pit curiously asked the commoner, as he was fixing a bowl of curry for Blanka. No coffee powder for this bowl. "Are you going through a phase, like Riku?"

"Who said that I was going through a phase?" Riku angrily questioned, as Sora and Kairi sat next to the silverette giggling. Riku definitely went through a phase if his time spent in the darkness was anything to be believed.

"Yuri likes to look pretty," Constance said to Pit, as Lilith kept on applying the eyeliner to Yuri. "Sometimes it makes it hard for anyone to take him seriously."

"They just can't handle how attractive I am..." said a haughty Yuri, who thought of himself as the prettiest male in all of Fodlan - if not in the entire world. Although one man in the cafe believed that he had a stake in that claim.

"Hmph, can't be any more attractive than me!" said an eavesdropping Vega, whose handsomeness complimented his narcissistic nature almost perfectly. Soon Orbot entered the cafe, coming over to speak with Vega. "Yes?"

"Hello, Mr. Vega - you work as an assassin, is that right?" Orbot whispered to Vega, having been informed that the Spanish assassin was at Cafe Leblanc. "Interested in making a killing today?"

"Better not be another Mario impersonator..." Vega grabbed his white mask and placed it over his face - couldn't assassinate anyone without it. "...so who am I killing?"

"I will tell you in due time. But first, I think that you deserve to be a bit acclimated with your...accomplice. Follow me." So Vega followed Orbot out of the cafe, just when Fox came inside.

"Just the ladies I wanted to see," gleamed Fox when he saw Felicia and Lilith sitting at the counter, as he urgently had to speak with them. "Do you guys specialize in laser tattoo removal? Morrigan kinda danced around the question."

"We would, but..." replied Felica before hesitating for a moment, knowing that Fox wouldn't appreciate the answer one bit. "...we don't have that kind of technology yet."

"We did, but then Felicia broke the machine by accident," Lilith spilled the beans, as Felicia desperately tried to shush the succubus. With Lilith momentarily distracted, the eyeliner brush scrapped the bottom of Yuri's left eye.

"Gaaah!" Yuri yelped in pain, holding his eye as he fell down to the floor down on one knee. Lilith looked surprised, as Pit went to go look for the cafe's first-aid kit.

"It's in the cabinet under the sink," Joker said to Pit, who looked inside the cabinet in question as he pulled out an item from underneath. "That's just a box of bandages, Pit...you know why we have those."

"Guess that means Falco is struck with that tattoo..." sighed Fox, folding his arms, as Yuri overreacted to his "injury" by falling over on his side while still holding his eye. "...well, thanks for absolutely nothing, ladies."


Carrying the giant sack with the professors inside was hard for Cubot, but the robot lackey was able to manage as he carried the sack to the ballroom. Once he arrived, Cubot untied the sack and poured the professors out onto the floor as he sighed in relief.

"Dr. Eggman!" Byleth uttered the name of the mad scientist, who was standing before the professors. Eggman looked proud, as he did a slow clap. "Why are you clapping...?"

"Byleth, Beleth, I would like to formally congratulate you..." Eggman said to the professors, who both looked understandably confused as Cubot helped them up to their feet. "...for joining the dark side!"

"The dark side?" Beleth furrowed his brow, looking past Eggman and seeing that the other side of the ballroom wasn't lit. "Is that why the other side of the ballroom is dark?"

"...that is mostly unintentional." Eggman looked back at the darkened part of the ballroom, before returning his attention to the professors. "But the main thing is, you two are villains. Villains!"

"This is certainly news to us," remarked Byleth, who likened herself as more of a good guy than an evil mastermind. "Where did you hear this from?"

"Won't say who told me, but I have been told that you two are called 'Ashen Demons'." The moniker brought back some memories to the professors, who knew how they ended up being called as such.

"Knew that our violent past would catch up to us somehow..." Beleth whispered to Byleth, who looked like she was on edge as the two professors returned their attention to Eggman. "...what else did this person say?"

"Not much - just said that they wanted to kill you." This brought much worry to the professors, who feared that their livelihood was in grave danger. "Which is why I'm here to save your butts!"

"Me too!" exclaimed Cubot as he raised his fists, wanting to be part of the saving the professor-saving business too. He was only along for the ride.

"Link forgot to pay the light bill...what a surprise," remarked Champion Link as he wandered into the ballroom, seeing the darkened side. The Hylian then saw the professors with Eggman, exchanging looks between them and the mad scientist.

"Champion Link, get out!" Beleth shouted at the Hylian as he pushed him away. Champion Link was pushed towards the wall, crashing his head against it as he fell to the floor unconscious. Beleth was shocked, as Byleth gasped.

"See? You're slowly getting the hang of it," Eggman gave props to Beleth, who was looking down at his hands with regret. "Now just stick with me, and you won't be dying anytime soon!"


At long last, Shez finally knew where the professors were. The mercenary and Morrigan spoke with Donkey Kong, who was happy enough to provide the professors' whereabouts.

"They're at a tea party," Donkey Kong said to Shez and Morrigan, as Dante came down the hallway and saw a familiar face in Morrigan. "That's pretty much all I can tell you."

"A tea party? How typical," said Shez, as Dante hid inside a nearby closet so that Morrigan wouldn't spot him. "We'll be on our way then."

"Thank you for the tip!" Morrigan thanked Donkey Kong, as she and Shez turned around and went down the hallway. Once the coast was clear, Dante exited the closet and went over to Donkey Kong.

"Psst, was that Morrigan's new boyfriend just now?" Dante whispered to Donkey Kong, who smiled amusingly; the vampire hunter was awfully curious.

Dante: Before I hooked back up with Trish, Morrigan was a chick that was on my radar. Shows you how limited my options were. Glad that she's off the market - crazy Scottish demon chicks aren't particularly my cup of tea.

Shez and Morrigan wouldn't get that far, as they came to a stop after being greeted by the sound of maniacal laughter. Vega leaped down from the ceiling, facing Shez and Morrigan while striking a pose.

"Arriba!" the Spanish assassin exclaimed - given how flamboyant he was, you know that he had to go all out for making his grand appearance.

"Stand your ground," said Shez, unsheathing his swords as he saw Vega as a potential threat. Morrigan, on the other hand, thought otherwise.

"Had a feeling I'd run into you eventually..." Morrigan smiled at Vega, who lowered his guard as he removed his white mask. Shez lowered his guard as well, seeing the familiarity between Morrigan and Vega.

"Morrigan Aensland...what a lovely sight!" Vega greeted the succubus, who giggled giddily after being acknowledged. Shez was clearly out of the loop.

"You guys know each other?" Shez asked Morrigan and Vega, only for Vega to run up to Shez and hold his claw close to the mercenary's neck. Shez held his head back.

"So you must be Shez, the mercenary that robot told me about..." Vega walked around Shez in a circle, keeping his claw close to the mercenary exuding flair with every step. "...and you wish to kill two 'Ashen Demons'?"

"...that is the goal." Shez was unnerved by Vega, who eventually came to a stop as he looked Shez in the eye. Vega cracked a smirk, taking a liking to Shez.

"Seeing that you have won Aensland's favor, you seem to be on the right track. Mind if I join you on your escapade?"

"Been a long time since I've had multiple companions. You're free to join." Accepting Shez's offer, Vega took his claw away from Shez's neck as he backed off.

"Lead the way, Shez! Wherever you go, Miss Aensland and I will dutifully follow. Those Ashen Demons will be HISTORY!"


Undeterred from his previous attempt with Shantae, Sylvain lingered in the foyer flirting with every woman that passed by. Flirting so much, that Ingrid and Felix both deserted him. He was flirting right now with Tifa.

"When I saw you, I just had to come over and say hello because finding you here...feels like fate," Sylvain said to Tifa, who was desperately trying to get away from the nobleman. "Maybe we could go get some tea. Get to know each other better?"

"I think you must've mistaken me for someone else - someone who cares," responded Tifa, before hurrying out of the foyer for her own good. Sylvain watched as Tifa left, sighing in defeat.

"Girls usually fall for that speech...probably messed up somewhere." Sylvain could only wallow in the misery of defeat, as Junpei came over and placed his hand on the nobleman's shoulder.

"Trust me bro - you'll get the next one!" Junpei assured Sylvain, as the doorbell rang; Slippy Toad would answer the door, seeing an old Western cowboy standing on the porch.

"Howdy, Mr. Toad..." the cowboy tipped his hat to Slippy, who held his hands over his face with excitement as he tried not to freak out. "...guess who's back in the saddle again."

"Woah!" exclaimed Junpei, as he and Sylvain saw the cowboy standing on the porch. The two would join Slippy at the door, as Slippy couldn't contain his excitement any longer.

"OMG! It's Jesse McCree!" exclaimed Slippy, so pumped that he could literally jump for joy. Since he was a frog, it was more than possible. "He's back!"

"Jesse McCree is no more, my frog friend," the cowboy said, leading Slippy to believe that the real McCree was killed and the cowboy standing on the porch took his spot. "I go by Cole Cassidy now."

"Ha! Good one, McCree," Junpei smiled as he held his hand up towards Cassidy for a high five, only to be left hanging. A very awkward feeling. "It's okay, I washed my hands a minute ago..."

"Mind letting me in?" asked Cassidy, as Slippy and company granted the cowboy access inside the foyer. Leonie passed through the foyer, only to stop when she saw Cassidy.

"Oh no...not him," the commoner frowned when she saw Cassidy, as she had a forgettable memory with the cowboy during Boxing Day a few years back.

"Nice to see you again sir...I mean ma'am!" That slip-up from Cassidy reminded Leonie of why her memory was so forgettable in the first place.

Leonie: Honestly it's really no big deal; I've been mistaken for a guy many times. McCree won't be the last. *pauses* He goes by "Cole Cassidy" now? What changed?

"Cole Cassidy! You finally made it," gleamed Kazuya, brushing past Leonie as he made his way over to Cassidy and shook the cowboy's hand. "Great to meet you in person."

"Likewise, Mr. Mishima" replied Cassidy, as Leonie was frowning at Kazuya after the way the businessman bumped his shoulder into her. "I feel honored that you were able to get in touch with me."

"Friend of mine told me that you were in the Pacific Northwest, so I had to make the call. Are you ready to complete your mission?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." So Cassidy followed after Kazuya, as Slippy looked on like a crazed fanboy. Since Cassidy was working with Heihachi, Junpei looked at the cowboy skeptically.

"Rude..." Leonie muttered under her breath watching as Kazuya walked away. Ashe, who watched the whole exchange from the top of the stairs, darted away.


Sonic was unable to acquire Mr. Game and Watch's lawn mower, so he looked online to see how much a lawn mower costs. But although the prices were modest, Sonic didn't feel like spending any money. Instead, he went with a "free" option - asking Tails to build a lawn mower from scratch.

"As a warning, I advise you NOT to turn this on indoors," Tails said to Sonic, who was watching the yellow fox's progress on the lawn mower in his room. Lavenza, Crash, and Aku were also watching. "It's a safety hazard."

"'It's a safety hazard,'" Sonic reiterated what Tails said in a mocking tone, poking fun at his best friend for being a stickler for safety. "Bet your girlfriend Coco told you to say that."

"G-Girlfriend?" Tails instantly stopped working on the lawn mower, blushing profusely and looking around while holding his wrench close to his chest. "What could possibly make you think that?"

"C'mon Tails, I'm not stupid! I saw how chummy you and Coco were when we went shopping for Earnest. You weren't even trying to hide it!"

"Sonic! You have to hurry," Ashe stressed to the blue hedgehog as he ran inside the room to give his warning. "Kazuya's assailant is coming to kill you!"

"Who is it then? Promise I'll try not to laugh." Sonic sat back on his back, waiting to hear the name of the person he was going to kill him.

"I know you'll probably think that I'm making this up, but the person who wants to kill you...is Cole Cassidy."

Sonic stared at Ashe, then at Tails, and then at Crash and Lavenza. Then he went back to staring at Ashe, before bursting into a laughing fit.

"Kazuya hired a dude named Cole Cassidy?!" wheezed Sonic, no longer able to take Ashe seriously for the rest of the day. "Did his first option turn him down?"

"To be fair, Cole Cassidy used to be...Woah!" Ashe was about to inform Sonic, only for a hand to grab him and pull him out of the room. The person that had grabbed Ashe was Kazuya, who stormed inside the room and saw Sonic.

"You!" Kazuya pointed at Sonic, forcibly grabbing the hedgehog and taking him out of the room. The businessman took Sonic to the hallway, where Cassidy was standing by.

"McCree?" Sonic said to Cassidy, as Kazuya dropped the hedgehog to the floor like he was hot garbage. "But where is this Cole Cassidy dude?"

"I am Cole Cassidy," stated Cassidy, holding his hand close to his holster as a random tumbleweed bounced down the hallway. "...hate to do this, Sonic, but it's nothing personal."

Isabelle: Master Hand said not to bother Shez, but that only makes me worried about the tea party. Who knows if Shez might... *sees the tumbleweed bouncing past her* ...where did that tumbleweed come from?

"This is so not cool..." said Sonic, slowly backing away from Cassidy as he began fearing for his life. Lavenza and the others stood at the doorway, choosing wisely not to step in.

"Cassidy, wait! Before you kill Sonic..." Kazuya said to the cowboy, as he grabbed Ashe by his collar and held the commoner up for Cassidy to see. "...I would recommend killing this young man first."

"What for? He looks like a good kid," stated Cassidy, seeing no fault in Ashe; Ashe was a good-mannered lad who could literally do no wrong.

"This 'good kid' spied on my phone calls. He could snitch on me! Therefore I want you to kill him before he lets the cat out of the bag."

"Not Ashe!" wailed Aku, as he triggered something in Cassidy's mind; Cassidy slowly took his hand from his holster, much to Kazuya's chagrin.

"That's Ashe?" Cassidy asked Kazuya as he pointed at Ashe, feeling like he was tricked. "Thought you were talking about Elizabeth Ashe, my old gang mate!"

"Whoever said anything about that? Now kill this young man, hurry!" But Cassidy chose not to, as he took his hand away from his holster entirely.

"Well...so much for that reunion." Cassidy lowered his head and solemnly tipped his hat, as Sonic debated whether or not he should make a run for it. Standing at a distance, having watched everything go down...was Bernadetta.

"...what is happening?" the noblewoman had to ask, feeling endangered just by standing too close to the scene. Ashe was the person who had drawn her in. "Ashe, are you okay?"

"Bernadetta! Run!" shouted Ashe, only for Kazuya to drop him to the floor and confront Bernadetta. Being the scaredy cat that she was, Bernadetta was greatly overwhelmed by Kazuya towering over her.

"In case you couldn't tell, we were in the middle of something..." Kazuya said to the easily frightened Bernadetta, rolling up his sleeves as he was looking to put Bernadetta in his place. Little did he know that the person being put in his place was him.

"Sorry Kazuya, gotta blast!" Sonic said to the businessman, delivering a wicked Spin Dash to him as he sped off. Kazuya fell down, as Cassidy helped him back up to his feet.

"You still want your father dead, right Kazuya?" Cassidy asked the businessman, realizing that chasing after Sonic would be pointless. Ashe and Bernadetta escaped while they still could. "I'll try and fulfill the deed..."


Even with the professors momentarily absent, the tea party on the tower balcony was going on strong. With two chairs available, two snooty noblemen were looking to join the fun.

"No tea party would be adequate without a stupendous party guest," Ferdinand said to those at the tea party, as he and Lorenz were presenting their best case for why they should join. "Fortunately you are looking at two of them!"

"The magnificence of a tea party can only be measured by the dignified class of everyone gathered around the table," added Lorenz, with Mario giving the nobleman a stink-eye. Mario had yet to see Lorenz in a positive light since episode 213.

"Sorry, Ferdinand and Lorenz, but you two weren't invited," Toadsworth apologized to the noblemen, as Mario let out a sigh of relief. "The professors will be back to take their seats at any minute."

"Then may we inquire about the professors' current whereabouts?" Ferdinand asked Toadsworth, who didn't know how to respond as he looked towards Cloud for an answer.

"Don't look at me - I'm not good at giving reliable answers, apparently," Cloud said to Toadsworth, choosing not to set himself up for failure. It was best for Ferdinand and Lorenz to find out themselves.

Suddenly, the sound of a laughing Spanish hyena was heard, as Vega leaped down from up above and crashed unto the table. The partygoers all got up as the table was smashed in half.

"Mama mia!" shrieked Mario as he tried to run inside the tower...only to back away when Morrigan appeared at the door, seductive as she knew how.

"Going somewhere, Mario?" Morrigan smirked at the plumber, who tried to make a run for it through the bridge...only to be stopped by Shez. Everyone on the balcony was cornered.

"This tea party...is over," announced Shez as he held up his sword before his eyes fell upon Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. Three individuals he had plenty of familiarity with. "Well, well..."

"Shez?" uttered Edelgard, acting as if she was seeing a ghost; Shez was a mercenary that the house leaders hadn't seen in a while.

"You guys know him?" Cloud asked the house leaders, wishing that he had his Buster Sword on him so he could even the score with Shez.

"We met him at the Barnabas Woods," answered Claude, as Shez analyzed the party scene wondering where his targets were. "On our way to the village."

"The Ashen Demons, where are they?" questioned Shez, hoping that he wasn't too late; he would hate to go on yet another endless search. "I was told that they were at this party..."

"Did I invite demons-a to this party?" Mario asked Anna, totally out of the loop as Anna shrugged in response. Shez sighed, for he was not in the mood for explaining stuff.

Seconds later, a very loud thud was heard and the tower shook everyone on the balcony nearly lost their footing. Tea cups and tea kettles alike were broken and everything.

"...what was that?" asked Vega, hopping off the table as everyone was on edge. Another loud thud was heard, rocking the tower a second time.


Once fully recovered from his eye "injury", Yuri resumed having his eyes done by Lilith Lilith was all done applying the eyeliner, as Yuri checked out the results in a mirror.

"Flawless...absolutely flawless," smiled Yuri, using a mirror that Viridi offered to him. The commoner returned the mirror after he was done. "Tell me, how much do I have to pay you?"

"1800...1900...2000 dollars," said Fox, counting up the Benjamins in his hands as he placed a fat stack of cash in Felicia's hand. "Now go use that money to buy you a new laser tattoo removal machine."

"For what it's worth, our last machine was worth way more than $2000," stated Lilith, as Fox fell out of his seat and faceplanted onto the floor. "But thanks for paying for your friend's tattoo!"

Falco: Gotta say, my neck tattoo is a hit! People walk away from me when they see that tattoo because they can't hide how jealous they are.

Mewtwo: Whenever I see Falco's tattoo, I feel like spontaneously combusting. Kicking an elderly person down a flight of stairs. Or even blowing up a candy store in front of a group of small children. That's how truly awful the tattoo really is.

Suddenly another loud thud from outside was heard, as the very foundation of the mansion was shook. The chatter in the cafe came to a brief halt.

"Hug me, Joker, I'm scared!" Pit said to the young man as he heaped into his arms. Joker stared at Pit, who sheepishly hopped out of Joker's arms.


Ryo couldn't rest knowing that Kazuya was planning an evil scheme, given that Kazuya was usually a threat when he had malicious intentions. After he was done strength training, Ryo spoke with Link and Zelda outside their room and told them every little detail.

"Weird that Kazuya wants Ashe of all people to die," said Link, hoping that Kazuya's killer got Ashe mixed up with someone else. Which was exactly what had happened earlier. "Wanna deal with him yourself, Ryo?"

"No thanks - I've dealt with him enough times as it is," replied Ryo, only to look down the hallway and see Balrog. The fighter held his finger underneath his chin, as he observed Balrog carrying a vending machine.

"All snacks for me!" bellowed Blanka, breaking the vending machine open with his fist before pouring the snacks into his mouth. Zelda saw Ryo looking intently at Balrog, and felt uneasy.

"We are not going with Balrog," the princess said to Ryo, whose mind was seemingly made up as he nodded his head in thought. "Unless we want Kazuya to end up in a body bag."

"Relax, Bern - the evil Japanese man is not going to hurt you anymore!" Dorothea consoled Bernadetta, as she led the fellow noblewoman to Link and Zelda. Bernadetta looked shook, shivering in fear.

"Evil Japanese man? You don't mean Kazuya Mishima, do you?" Evil Japanese man, scary-looking man in a suit...Kazuya sure had a lot of monikers.

"Bern saw him trying to make McCree...I mean, Cassidy, kill Sonic. Ashe was about to be killed first...until Cassidy mistook him for someone that he knew."

"Forgot that he now goes by Cassidy..." Link whispered to Zelda; Cassidy was bound to do a lot of explaining to a few uninformed residents.

"Cole Cassidy! So that's who Kazuya was on the phone with," said Ryo, who still had a few unanswered questions racing through his head. "But why does he want Sonic dead?"

Ryo's unanswered question would remain unanswered, as everyone was startled by yet another loud thud that shook the mansion. Scared for her life, Bernadetta hugged Dorothea real tight.

"I WANNA GO HOME!" Bernadetta wailed to Dorothea, who smiled as she patted her buddy on the head. Dorothea was typically Bernadetta's go-to gal whenever she was extremely afraid.

"What is that loud thud sound...?" inquired Link, wanting to go investigate; the Hylian wasn't alone, for he saw multiple residents racing out the front door.


Mr. Game and Watch was still up in the tree - hiding there for so long, that he dozed off and fell asleep! Eventually, the 2-D man woke up from his slumber, as a loud thud shook the ground and caused Mr. Game and Watch to fall.

"Ouch!" Mr. Game and Watch winced in pain, getting a faceful of dirt as he spat the soil out of his mouth. "Really missed Dark Pit there, I could always trust him to break my fall."

The loud thud sounds grew louder and louder, as a giant robot was coming into full view. Those who were gathered outside saw the robot coming closer, including those who were up on the balcony.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Toadsworth, discerning how egg-shaped the giant robot was; the mustache on its face was also a dead giveaway.

"Should've known..." muttered Ganondorf, as everyone saw Eggman standing on top of the giant robot. Standing with Eggman were Orbot and Cubot...along with a duo of professors.

Eggman: The giant robot was lying dormant near the mansion for nearly five years. My plan was to use it as part of my "revenge tour". I am happy to know that after its period of stasis, the robot works good as new!

"Woah, check out the size of that thing!" exclaimed Raphael, only to squint his eyes when he made out the individuals atop the giant robot that looked like actual humans. "Byleth and Beleth...?"

"That's right - these two have joined the dark side!" proclaimed Eggman; predictably, the house leaders and their students all gasped in shock. "They're known as the Ashen Demons."

"The 'Ashy Demons?'" questioned Popo, as Nana glanced at the fellow Ice Climber and smacked the back of his head. Being called an Ashy Demon would certainly destroy anyone's credibility.

"Byleth and Beleth...are evil?" said an aghast Dimitri, reasonably shocked as Link and Zelda came outside to check out the commotion. "This can't be true..."

"Believe it or not, Ripley!" gleamed Eggman as he wrapped his arms around the professors, who felt uncomfortable by the mad scientist. "These two are now aligned with the good guys...metaphorically speaking, I might add."

"Dr. Eggman! I see that you've led my targets to me," Shez said to the mad scientist, as he was the person that Eggman desired to see the most.

"Exactly what you would've wanted! And I see that you have recruited Morrigan as an ally. I imagined that only Vega would have sufficed."

"You said that you were going to protect us..." Byleth said to Eggman - should've known that Shez was the one who wanted to kill her and Beleth.

"About that...I lied." Eggman took a remote out from his pocket, getting excited about pressing the big red button. "This is where the fun really begins!"

Eggman pressed the lone button on the remote, as two arms extended out from the giant robot's back. The two arms extended and grabbed Byleth and Beleth, with each hand holding a professor and holding them in the air.

"Alright Shez, go ahead and pick your poison!" Eggman said to the mercenary, bringing the professors closer to him. "I'd go with Beleth first if I were you - Byleth might give you a kiss!"

"Wouldn't count on it," Shez smirked as he unsheathed his swords, while Vega and Morrigan both got on the offensive. Byleth and Beleth tried to fight out of the hands that held them, but it was no use.

"Let's not get too rash..." Claude advised Shez and company, as he couldn't afford to let anyone die at the mansion today. Ingrid, seeing how intent Shez was - and how eager Eggman appeared - knew that she had to speak up.

"Dr. Eggman, wait!" Ingrid shouted, and Eggman was forced to give the noblewoman a piece of his mind as he groaned. "I know why you're doing this."

"Is the answer 'because Shez wishes to murder the Ashen Wolves'? If so, then you are correct. Where do I send the prize money?"

"I got a feeling that you're using Shez...you only want the professors dead simply because they trashed your stupid fashion line!"

"Hm?" Mario perked up at Ingrid, raising his eyebrows as Ingrid had Eggman nervous and sweating. Eggman's cover was about to be blown.

"Clearly you were bothered by the remarks they made earlier. And you knew that Shez wanted to kill the professors, so you wanted him to do the dirty work for you!"

"Really now?" said Vega, now under the impression that he was played like a fiddle. Eggman was tapping his fingers together nervously, not sure of how to dig himself out of the hole he found himself in.

"Having someone killed over negative comments sounds extreme, don't you think?" asked Eggman, as he felt his stomach tighten; he was losing his trust with Shez at a rapid pace.

"You don't think so, you went over your plan with us after you had lunch," Orbot said to Eggman, only to cover his mouth and gasp after inadvertently spilling the beans. "Oops...my bad."

"Trying to use me as a tool, huh..." Shez said to Eggman, his bloodlust having been diminished after taking in everything Ingrid had said.

Instead of killing the professors, Shez saved both of them as he sliced the extended arms of the giant robot. Byleth and Beleth were freed, as the hands released them.

"No, not the extending arms!" cried Eggman, as the severed arms fell to the ground with sparks flying out of them. "Those extensions cost me a fortune!"

"I think someone should teach you a lesson, Dr. Eggman," Shez said to the mad scientist, looking to cut his giant robot down to size. To his surprise, he would be joined by the professors. "Joining in?"

"We're all in the same boat, are we not?" Byleth smirked at Shez, who returned the favor as Eggman had to deal with three adept swordsmen. But wait, there's more...

"Hope you weren't going to start the fun without us," Claude said to Shez and the professors, with every student from the Garreg Mach Monastery outside with their weapons out. Except for Bernadetta, to no one's surprise.

"Any room for us four?" asked Hapi, as she and the rest of the Ashen Wolves appeared outside; With the Ashen Wolves joining the fight, Eggman was infinitely screwed.

"You're right on time," replied Caspar, as the Ashen Wolves took out their weapons and focused on the giant robot in their midst. "Time to show this fatty who he's messing with!"

"You guys handle Eggman...we'll be, uh, rooting for you from-a the sidelines," Mario said to the Fodlan folk, as he and the residents retreated indoors. Vega and Morrigan remained outside, looking to bring the pain to Eggman.

"Excuse us, Dr. Eggman," Orbot said to the mad scientist, excusing himself as he and Cubot climbed down the giant robot. Eggman's robot lackeys evidently didn't want any of the smoke.


Meanwhile, at Mario's home, Peach was humming happily as she watered the plants that were on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. She would be interrupted when she saw Mario coming in through the front door.

"Hi, Mario!" Peach greeted her husband, placing her water can on the kitchen counter as she had a million questions to ask. "How was the tea party?"

"Ended on short-a notice, but it was fine," replied Mario, only to be startled by a loud sound from outside. Eggman was definitely getting his butt kicked. "Also, Eggman's robot is being totaled by our guests-a from Fodlan."

"Serves him right," remarked Spyro, who was sleeping on the couch as the outside noises didn't bother him as much. "Calling me a pipsqueak dragon..."

Cappy: Shez wanted the professors dead, and the professor themselves were fearing for their lives. But it was thanks to Eggman that made them united! Who knew how much a common enemy can bring people together? We need them more often.


Safe from Kazuya and Cassidy, Sonic stopped by the kitchen to grab a chili dog. When he passed through the living room, he saw Bernadetta watching the action outside through a window.

"Never knew my classmates were so violent..." remarked Bernadetta, as Sonic joined the noblewoman at the window and saw Eggman's robot getting absolutely wrecked. Sonic was enjoying every second of it.

"Hey-o! This is what I like to see," smiled Sonic, appreciating the heck out of the students for taking the fight to Eggman. "You should be out there fighting with them, Bernadetta."

"No thanks...it's much safer inside." Knowing Bernadetta, she would probably faint upon seeing Eggman's robot in full view.

"We wholeheartedly agree," said Orbot, who along with Cubot was at the window watching the entire fight; they were happy to know that they saved themselves from being on the receiving end.


Cassidy missed his opportunity to kill Sonic, but he still had a chance to kill Heihachi. Kazuya was confident in Cassidy carrying out the deed as he passed through the lounge...only to stop and frown.

"What the..." the businessman said as he peeked inside the lounge...and saw Heihachi sitting on a couch, acting chummy with Cassidy. He couldn't believe it.

"Wasn't kidding when I said that Little Mac was horrible at Dallas," Cassidy said to Heihachi, sharing a laugh with the elderly fighter. Kazuya felt dismayed, as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Leave me alone, can't you see that I'm...angry?" Kazuya said as he turned around, only to be greeted by Balrog. Balrog looked ready to throw some hands.

"Need an attitude adjustment?" Balrog asked Kazuya, putting the businessman in a headlock as he dragged him away from the lounge. Kazuya tried hard to resist, but it was no use.

Ryo: C'mon, how could I not pass up the chance to have Kazuya get his butt handed to him? Of everyone here, he's the most deserving.


The fight between Eggman's robot and the students of the Garreg Mach Monastery was very noisy, which made Master Hand have to go outside and investigate. When the giant hand arrived, the fight was already over as the giant robot was defeated.

"It appears that you were too late, Master Hand," Dedue said to the giant hand, as Eggman's robot was now reduced to giant pieces of scrap and metal. Eggman was lying on the ground, writhing in pain.

"A giant robot, really Eggman?" Master Hand scolded the mad scientist, who was covered from head to toe with bruises. "Must I remind you of my mansion's flimsy insurance policy?"

"In all fairness, I wasn't targeting the mansion..." stated Eggman, as Shez walked over to him and grabbed the mad scientist by the head. Shez held Eggman up, looking at him in the eye.

"You are one despicable man, Eggman..." the mercenary said, before holding up his sword as he looked to bring the hurt to Eggman. Eggman, fearing for his life, looked away.

"No, Shez...spare him," a voice commanded Shez, who turned around and saw Byleth speaking to him. "It's not worth it." Shez wanted to defy Byleth, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Fine...you got off lucky this time." Shez dropped Eggman back to the ground, as Eggman was coughing and wheezing in pain. "But should we meet again, you won't be so fortunate..."

"Dr. Eggman! Are you okay?" Cubot called out to Eggman, as he and Orbot went outside to check on the man that they had abandoned. "Do I need to kiss your boo-boos?"

"Please don't...people are looking," replied Eggman, showing that he didn't need any help as he stood up on his two feet. Albeit struggling mightily, with his legs a little wobbly. "I'm just fine!"

"You don't look so fine to us," Balthus said to Eggman, who in a matter of seconds collapsed to the ground as he fainted. Orbot and Cubot were nearly crushed by the fall. "And he's down for the count!"

"He won't be getting up from that one," remarked Ignatz, as Orbot and Cubot rolled Eggman over on his back and checked his vitals. Eggman was out cold.

"Leave him be - I'll deal with him later," Master Hand said to Orbot and Cubot, ready to have a very long talk with Eggman. "Someone please explain to me what happened..."


Master Hand: *laughs* Eggman wanted the professors dead just because they dissed his suits?! Good gravy, that man is petty beyond words. But I could see why he wanted to kill them specifically - deep down he knows that he can never kill me.

Later that day, after the mess outside was cleaned up, Shez was ready to head back home. The mercenary met with the house leaders and their second-in-commands in the foyer, along with the professors. Master Hand and Anna oversaw the meeting.

"I must admit, you really held your own out there," Beleth said to Shez, with Master Hand making sure that Shez wouldn't kill Beleth in cold blood.

"And you didn't do so bad either...for an Ashen Demon," Shez returned the favor, showing no ill will towards the professors. Which was what Master Hand wanted to see.

"So I guess this means you won't be killing us today," Byleth said to Shez, who looked over and saw Master Hand staring at him. Shez had to choose his words wisely.

"Hey, if Eggman deserved to be spared, then so can you guys." Shez wasn't fully committed in his response, but he did what he had to do.

"Psst..." a voice whispered to Hilda, who saw Dante leaning in close to her as he pointed at Shez. "...that's not Morrigan's new boyfriend, is it?"

"No..." Hilda whispered back, barely having any clue as to who Morrigan was. Dante nodded his head as he left the foyer.

Dante: Yup...she's still on the market. At least I got Trish, though.

Once everyone said their goodbyes, Shez left the mansion, with the feeling that he had unfinished business. As much as the mercenary desired to kill Byleth and Beleth, he saw Master Hand as a thorn in his plans.

"I strongly advise you not to put that man on your guest list," Master Hand whispered to Anna, who was busy jotting something down on her notepad.

"Too late - I already did!" replied Anna, happily licking her pen as Master Hand groaned; the professors should expect to see a return visit from Shez in the near future.

But should Shez return, though, he'll have a giant hand to be on the lookout for...