Author's Note:
Today is the sixth-year anniversary of the Nintendo Switch's release! Hard to believe that the console is six years old. And this story is only a year and a few months older! Yet I'm still trucking on somehow. I'll never stop answering guest reviews at this rate, so let's hop right on in:
"I don't know who suggested it, but I remembered someone saying that Ninjara should save Pac-Man from the knitting club. Are you going with that idea?"
I'm open to using that idea. Makes a ton of sense, considering Ninjara and Pac-Man's standing with their respective clubs. Next is Cloudenstein:
"...That was meant to be Aerith, right?"
In chapter 374? Yeah, I switched out Aerith with Zelda in chapter 374. I assume that's what you're asking about. A JRPG enjoyer has something they want to tell me:
"So, Tales of Symphonia is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its JP release on August 29. A perfect time for that eventual Symphonia chapter, don't you think?"
Since I (sadly) couldn't do one in February because I had the flu, the Tales of Symphonia chapter will be saved for August. Guy w the Jokes has another joke:
"Did you know that laziness is like the number 8? Because once it lies down, it becomes infinite. Get it? Dang, Sazh must've liked my joke."
Very well done. Very clever. Now let's see what David has for me:
"Is the Symphonia chapter still happening or been cancelled? Has Morgana ever turned into his bus form or tried a sports car form? (The sports car was an original concept idea during Persona 5's development). Does anyone in the Smash Mansion besides Pit acknowledge the Tribal Chief? Will Chun-Li and Ken sound differently since Street Fighter 6 replaced or fired their VAs? Will original Tawna Bandicoot ever meet her alternate counterpart? (Maybe have Ami, Liz, Isabella, and Megumi Bandicoot show up too). And finally, do you think the idea of a Triple Threat Match between Roman, Sami, and Cody would be a good or bad idea? (Since the brand split is said to happen after WrestleMania)."
The Symphonia chapter will be in August, as stated above. Morgana has turned into his bus form maybe once. No one other than Pit acknowledges the Tribal Chief. Chun-li and Ken will remain the same. The OG Tawna will meet her alternate counterpart one day. And I would be open to a Triple Threat match with those three men...long as it isn't at Wrestlemania. Now for Some Smash News to conclude this author's note:
"Big news from competitive Smash! So, it's found out that Steve had a move on the game that made him go out of multihits so easily. This makes people mad and they are actually starting to ban Steve from some tournaments. What do you think of the proposed Steve ban?
Funny you should mention that. UltRank recently released their official tier list for Ultimate, and they have Steve as the number one fighter, just above Pyra/Mythra and Joker. I can see why people would want him banned, especially if he has that particular move. Moving on:
"Also, Steve have now joined the ranks of characters that are so good they need to be banned to keep the game alive, joining Brawl Meta Knight and Sm4sh Bayonetta. Is there any chance for a chapter including MK, Bayo, and Steve? I don't know, it sounds interesting."
That would be quite the motley trio - and quite a mesh of personalities as well. It does sound interesting on paper.
Episode 376: TurfWar
"Wake up, Magolor! I said wake up! It's morning time, and you aren't sleeping in!"
Having enjoyed a good night's sleep, Magolor was suddenly woken from his slumber after hearing a loud, booming voice. The alien woke up in his current surroundings, a jail cell that was at the buddy cops' so-called police station. Lifting the blanket off of his body, Magolor saw that he had some company.
Positioned behind the prison bars was Master Hand, along with one of the newer residents at Omnis Adest - Temenos Mistral. Temenos was no one to fear since he was just a sharp-minded cleric, but Master Hand had Magolor visibly shaking.
"Good morning, Magolor!" Temenos greeted the alien, only to be aggressively backhanded by Master Hand. So hard, that he might've gotten whiplash. "Ow, not the neck! Could've injured my spinal cord..."
"You should know better than to act friendly with the enemy!" Master Hand scolded Temenos, before floating as close to Magolor as he possibly could and saying to him, "Good morning, Magolor."
"Please don't hurt me, I have a family!" Magolor pleaded to Master Hand with begging hands, as he had tears running down his face. "Granted I don't know if they exist, but spare me!"
"Must we do this every morning?" Master Hand watched as Magolor fell down on the floor, fearing what Master Hand might do to him. As Master Hand indicated, Magolor's behavior was a daily occurrence.
Isabelle: Master Hand has kept Magolor in the jail cell since last Friday. Not to torture him or anything - he just wanted to have one of Dimentio's lackeys as a prisoner. He considers it to be a good flex. I thought that he'd use Magolor for ransom.
"If it makes you feel any better, we brought you some breakfast," Temenos said to Magolor, who stopped crying as he looked up and saw Temenos take out a banana. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"Eat the banana," commanded Master Hand, as Temenos handed Magolor the banana through the prison bars. Magolor unpeeled the banana, but he wasn't going to devour the fruit just yet.
"You guys mind turning around?" Magolor asked Master Hand and Temenos, not fully comfortable with eating his "breakfast" while being watched. "I prefer to eat this banana in private."
"I SAID EAT THE BANANA!" So Magolor ate the banana whole, stuffing the entire thing down his mouth and chewing. Magolor made a big swallow, nearly choking himself as he rubbed his stomach.
"Now that you've had your breakfast, we can start the interrogation," stated Temenos, as he was going to interrogate Magolor harder than he had ever interrogated anyone before. "I will get answers today."
"Isabelle claims that you have been very terse with Temenos," Master Hand said to Magolor; he made use of Temenos in getting any possible answers out of Magolor, but no juicy info was shared. "I won't leave until we get the answers that we want..."
"Let's start from the top..." Temenos had his first question ready to go, and he hoped for his sake - and Magolor's sake as well - that Magolor would comply without much trouble. "...why did you come to the mansion, Magolor?"
"Because Dimentio told me to," replied Magolor, giving Temenos the kind of answer that he wanted to hear. But it was such a simple answer; Temenos and Master Hand wanted more.
"But why did Dimentio tell you to come to the mansion? What was your end goal?" Temenos wanted to go light on Magolor, but Magolor was hardly giving him a choice.
"To do bad stuff. Nuff said." Magolor was making Temenos lose his patience, and that was exactly what Magolor wanted to see. Temenos was about to be thrown off his game, and so Master Hand decided to intervene.
"Let me have this," Master Hand offered to Temenos, who moved to the side as he allowed the giant hand to take charge of the interrogation. Magolor gulped nervously, as he rightfully should.
"No, wait, it's all coming back to me! I remembered specifically what Dimentio wanted me to do!" Magolor knew that Master Hand was about to mess him up, so he looked to get out of dodge in any way possible.
"Shut up, Magolor! We'll be taking...a different approach." Master Hand imposed his will over Magolor, his giant shadow looming over the alien and making him want to wet his pants. "What is Dimentio's end goal?"
"He's never shared it with me, to be honest." Believing that Magolor was lying under his teeth, Master Hand seethed angrily to guilt trip the alien into giving a more legitimate answer.
"Know what, we're not gonna waste our morning with you..." Master Hand floated away from Magolor's jail cell, before turning to Temenos. "...I suggest that you return to your crew, and enjoy your breakfast."
"Already had breakfast, but I can return home if you want me to," Temenos shrugged his shoulders, before taking his book with him as he walked out of the police station. "Although I could go for a second serving of pancakes!"
"That's the spirit!" Master Hand watched as Temenos left the police station, before returning his attention to Magolor and sending fear down the alien's spine. "
"We will get answers out of you, Magolor...mark my words."
"Meep..." Magolor uttered nervously before Master Hand vanished from the police station. Magolor felt as if his life was no longer in grave danger now that Master Hand was gone...for now.
Temenos: Magolor is such a hard person to get answers from. I had better success with a toddler just learning how to speak! That must confirm it then, Magolor is secretly a toddler - a highly intelligent one at that. With a side of indecisiveness.
"Nothing like a morning chili dog to put you in the right mood for breakfast!" exclaimed Sonic as he walked down the hallway, about to ruin his breakfast by eating a chili dog. Magolor caught a glimpse of Sonic passing by the police station and had the craziest idea...
"WAAAAAAAAH!" Magolor started fake crying, as his crocodile dears were able to accrue Sonic's attention. Sonic, who was about to devour his chili dog whole, heard Magolor crying and entered the police station.
"Hey man, you good?" Clearly, Magolor was not good, as he had his face buried in his hands while he cried his eyes out. So far, Magolor's crocodile tears were working to perfection.
"Of course, I'm not good! I don't wanna be in this stupid jail cell anymore. WAAAAAAAAH!" Magolor fake cried even harder to shed a few tears, and he even sniffled a bit to sell his faux sadness.
"Aw, come on, being stuck in jail isn't too bad!" Sonic walked over to Magolor, looking to have a heart-to-heart with the alien. "I was in jail myself. Twice!"
"Y-You were in jail before?" Magolor looked up at Sonic as he wiped away the tears from his eyes - or at least the tears that he was able to shed during his moment of fake crying.
"Yup - Korean jail and American jail! Guess you could say that I had the best of both worlds." Sonic's experience in jail had captured Magolor's full attention.
"Korean jail? As in like, North Korean jail? How did you escape?" That was the number one question that Magolor had on his mind, certain that Sonic's escape story was a story of legends.
"I didn't really escape - I was just teleported back home. Doesn't sound that cool, I know, but at least I can say that I made it out alive!"
"Good for you, man! Wish that I could make it out of this jail cell alive..." Magolor sighed depressingly as he looked down at the floor while holding unto the prison bars with his hands. Sonic had sympathy for Magolor, placing his hand on the alien.
"Quit exaggerating! This place is nothing compared to North Korean jails. Jails in that country are straight-up concentration camps!" Sounds terribly on-brand for a country such as North Korea.
"But I bet you got fed well there. My stomach feels empty since I hardly get any food." Magolor would be proven right when he heard his stomach growling, and Sonic heard the growling stomach loud and clear.
"Why not take my chili dog, then?" Sonic offered his chili dog to Magolor, who snatched the frankfurter out of the blue hedgehog's hand before turning around and eating it. "I was gonna tell you to save it for your lunch!"
"Sorry, I was just that hungry. The banana I had earlier wasn't that filling." With such a delicious chili dog as the one he ate, surely Magolor's stomach was satisfied. Unless it craved more.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I better go now - breakfast is waiting for me!" Sonic was about to leave for the dining room, but Magolor didn't want the blue hedgehog to leave him just yet.
"Please don't leave me, I beg of you!" Magolor implored Sonic, who was one foot out of the police station when he heard Magolor's plea. Sonic reluctantly returned to his spot. "Just stay with me a bit longer."
"But Pyra's French toast, though..." Sonic saw the desperation in Magolor's eyes and had no other choice, as he grabbed a chair and took a seat next to Magolor's jail cell. "...eh, it'll be waiting for me."
Mario was going to be playing an outdoor activity with Luigi and his neighbors, and he wanted some tips so he could know how to come out on top. Against his better judgment, the plumber went to Omnis Adest to speak with the resident weapons guru, Sheldon.
"The Undercover Brella looks like a normal umbrella, but that's just to throw people off," Sheldon showed off an umbrella to Mario outside his townhouse, as Mario was already looking irritated with the horseshoe crab. "It's actually made for clandestine face-splatting! The canopy-launching mechanism has been removed to allow for rapid fire. It can even be fired while the protective canopy is open! Use the Ink Mine to mark your foes, then swim quickly and unleash a surprise attack! Come to the aid of cornered allies with the Splashdown special! Even spies have gotta go loud sometimes, right?"
"Sheldon...we're playing a simple paintball game," Mario explained to the horseshoe crab, as he held up a paint gun. Sheldon saw the weaponry in Mario's hands as he realized the error of his ways.
"Then may I interest you in a Heavy Splatling Remix?" Sheldon tossed the Undercover Brella to the side before taking out a Splatling, as Mario sighed deeply. "It handles just like the original Heavy Splatling, but with a brand new coat of paint and a fresh loadout to boot! Pinpoint enemy locations with the Point Sensor sub, then send them packing with a rapid-fire barrage! And then? Drop the Booyah Bomb special when it counts to support your team and set the rhythm of battle rocking in your favor! Sequence the staccato beat of your Splatling, the pulse of your sub, and the bass drop of your special to create a symphony of destruction!"
"I was wrong to ask-a you for advice..." Mario walked away from Sheldon as he made his way to Sheldon's townhouse, hoping that Cap'n Cuttlefish was inside. "...you just don't get it."
"If you don't like the Heavy Splating Remix, then I can give the Natilus 47!" Sheldon chased after Mario, wanting to prove his worth and usefulness to the plumber in any way possible. "It allows you to store up..."
Before Mario had a chance to reach the front door of the townhouse, a loud nearby explosion was heard. Both Mario and Sheldon saw the blast which was dangerously close, as a giant cloud of smoke appeared.
"Mama mia..." uttered Mario, as he and Sheldon walked out into the street to do a bit of investigating. Later they saw Rindo and Fret, members of the Wicked Twisters, running from the explosion as they ran down the street.
"Hurry up man, she might kill us!" Fret said to Rindo, running for his life just like how his friend was. The explosion had those boys scared out of their minds.
"What do you think I'm doing?" questioned Rindo, bothered by how Fret kept looking back at the smoke that was going up into the sky. "Also, stop looking back, it'll only slow us down!"
"Wonder what those boys-a did," remarked Mario, after Fret and Rindo ran past the plumber and down the street running as far as their legs could carry them. Soon maniacal laughing was heard, as a teenage girl emerged from the cloud of smoke.
"Tiny Tina is here to kick some boot-tay!" exclaimed the teenage girl, who was none other than Tiny Tina - the craziest member of the Vault Hunters. And there was little to no competition on that front.
"It's Tina!" panicked Sheldon, as he hid behind Mario once Tina started to draw near. "Save me..." Mario stood his ground, as Tina approached him and inspected him from head to toe.
"What up, Pringles Guy With a Hat?!" Tina greeted Mario as she held out her hand for some dap. When Mario left her hanging, Tina brushed her hand over her head. "Too slow, Jo-Mo! Zing!"
Mario: Tina really called-a me Pringles Guy With a Hat...don't know why, but that stung-a for some reason.
"Tina! Where'd you run off to, Tina?" a woman called out to Tina, who gasped out of fear as she jumped inside a nearby recycling bin and closed it. Fellow Vault Hunter Lilith was coming down the street, as she called for Tina's name.
"Is she gone?" Sheldon asked Mario as he peeked from behind Mario, only to shudder when he saw Lilith approaching. Sheldon quickly hid behind Mario's back as Lilith encountered Mario.
"Hey, have you seen Tina anywhere? She has a tendency for running off." Some movement was heard from inside the recycling bin, but fortunately for Tina's sake, Lilith hardly noticed.
"I believe-a she went that way," answered Mario as he pointed down the street; Lilith sighed as she walked down the street, continuing to shout Tina's name. Speaking of Tina, the teenager emerged from the recycling bin once the coast was clear.
"Tina lives..." Tina rejoiced quietly, before climbing out of the recycling bin and running off to cause some more mayhem. The residents of Omnis Adest better be on high alert.
"Okay, now she should be gone," said Sheldon as he was no longer hiding behind Mario, feeling secure now that Tina was gone for good. The horseshoe crab sighed in relief, while Mario was left curious.
"Was Tina specifically targeting Rindo and-a Fret?" Mario asked Sheldon, whose moment of relief was short-lived after being asked this hard-hitting question. Sheldon's smile of relief turned into one of fear. "Whys is that?"
"I think it's best if you saw rather than me explaining. Follow me." So Mario followed after Sheldon, as he looked back at where the explosion occurred and saw the smoke rise into the atmosphere.
Trouble was brewing at Omnis Adest, as Wicked Twisters member Sho Minamimoto was embroiled in a fight with Vault Hunter Mordecai near the community pool. Sho had Mordecai in a headlock, while several onlookers were watching. Among the onlookers was the Wicked Twisters' Nagi.
"Let's see you try and get out of his equation, zetta yoctogram!" Sho smirked at Mordecai, keeping his headlock tight as he dragged the Vault Hunter to the pool. Mordecai tried to fight out of Sho's grasp, but it was no use.
"Help! I'm being attacked by a man who can't speak regular English!" Mordecai called out for help, wishing for one of the onlookers to get involved. Help was on the way, as Brick showed up, cheeseburger in hand, and saw his main man in trouble.
"Don't worry Mordo, I got you!" Brick assured Mordecai, before taking a bite of the cheeseburger and tossing it to the side. Brick then shouted loudly as he ran up to Sho and punched him in the face.
"You okay, Sho?" Nagi asked the Wicked Twister, who was on the ground holding his slightly bleeding nose. Brick and Mordecai would gang up on Sho, with Mordecai kicking Sho repeatedly and Brick punching with his fists.
"They're going at it again," Lucario said to Link, bringing the Hylian to the scene as Sho was getting beat up. Even with authority like Link around, Brick and Mordecai refused to let up.
"Every day there's something with them," groaned Link, who was forced to play peacemaker as he usually did he walked over to Brick and Mordecai. "You boys leave him alone!"
"Yeah, in a minute!" responded Brick, before delivering a vicious elbow drop to Sho that nearly crushed the man's neck. Mordecai held Sho up by his arms, as Brick repeatedly punched Sho in the face.
"This is one of my favorite parts," one of the onlookers, Lanz, said to Link, chuckling as Brick kept punching Sho. Forced to get his hands dirty, Link marched up to Brick with a frown on his face.
"I said leave him alone!" shouted Link as he put his hands on Brick; Brick stopped punching Sho...only to then punch Link in the face, as he sent the Hylian flying back.
"And I said in a minute!" retorted Brick before returning to Sho, only to appear disappointed when Mordecai laid the Wicked Twister on the ground. "Hold him back up, I wasn't done!"
"He's unconscious, he can't take any more of a beating," stated Morecai, as Sho was now out cold; blood was running out of Sho's nose, as Brick had beaten him pretty good.
"So what? At least now he's defenseless. Lemme give him one last elbow drop!" Brick was about to put himself in position for an elbow drop, as a slightly in pain Link slowly got up ready to intervene if necessary. But then...
"INCOMING!" shouted an onlooker, Raphael, as a rocket was fired in Brick and Mordecai's direction. Brick and Mordecai jumped out of harm's way as the rocket sailed past them, before flying up into the air and exploding.
"Dang it! I keep messing up the trajectory!" grunted Tina, popping up at the scene with her homemade missile launcher. The onlookers were aware of Tina's reputation, as they kept their distance from the maniac.
"Oh no, 'tis the girl with the penchant for explosives!" fretted Nagi, as Tina saw the otaku standing off to the distance and mean-mugged her.
Harvey; Tina is one of the most destructive persons in this community - if not the most destructive. Last week, she stole the lava lamp from my RV and turned it into a mini howitzer! And don't even get me started on what she did with Kicks' coat rack.
"Watcha lookin' at, you fool?!" Tina questioned Nagi, thinking that the otaku wanted to start something although Nagi wanted very little to do with her. "Thought I told ya'z and your little punk friends to get outta heeya!"
"We will do as you please..." responded Nagi as she walked over to the unconscious Sho, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him away. The Vault Hunters saw Nagi retreating with Sho as her waving the white flag.
"Another win for the good guys!" cheered Brick, as he exchanged a high-five with Tina. Mordecai held his hand up to Brick for a high-five, only for Brick to punch him in the face. "Uh, sorry, that was a force of habit..."
"There you are, Tina," Lilith said to Tina as she arrived at the scene, just when Nagi had made her retreat with the unconscious Sho. "I take it that you scared off the Wicked Twisters?"
"Sent 'em crying to their mommies!" Tina responded in a bragging manner, taking all the credit for making Nagi leave. Tina did some sort of happy dance, as the onlookers left the area.
"Good thing that no one almost died this time," remarked Penny, as she and everyone else dispersed; among those who stayed behind were Mario and Sheldon, who had witnessed most of what happened.
"So yeah, there you have it!" Sheldon said to Mario, who was starting to see that the Vault Hunters were a threat to Omnis Adest. "The Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters have been at each other's necks!"
"Just what this place needed..." remarked Mario, surprised that Master Hand gave a green light on the Vault Hunters in the first place. A lot of unfamiliarities considering that Master Hand was on vacation when the Vault Hunters first made their presence known.
"This is really nothing new," Lucario said to Mario as he and Link came over to speak with the plumber. Link was still in pain, holding the back of his neck. "They've been fighting ever since the middle of February."
"All the complaints I've got from Omnis Adest all have to do with those two groups," stated Link, cracking a few bones in his neck back in place. Wii Fit Trainer would be entrusted to crack the rest. "I can never get them to stop..."
"I know a guy who can get them-a to stop," said Mario as he pulled out his phone, knowing just the right person to call. "What if I call Reaper?"
"Why him, of all people?" inquired Lucario, as Reaper was not his first choice of a hired peacemaker. Reaper, given his nature, was the opposite of peace.
"'Cause you know, he's-a Reaper, and the Wicked Twisters are Reapers, so Reaper could..." Mario's logic failed to impress Link and Lucario, and even Sheldon himself was looking a little confused. "...add-a two plus two."
"Doubt that Reaper would want to deal with the Twisters," said Link, and there was plenty of evidence to support Link's doubts. "But if you think this is the best solution, Mario...then go for it."
"You have-a my word, Link." Mario would leave the premises, as he pulled up Reaper's name on his phone. "Hopefully he'll answer my call..."
Cloud and Aerith were an item; it was pretty much official ever since the couple returned to the mansion on Festivus. Aerith was the nice flower girl who was in love, and Cloud was the spiky-haired blonde swordsman who would eventually tie the knot with Aerith...
...if he chose to do it, that is. Cloud was outside in the front yard, contemplating the next step he should take in his relationship with Aerith. Time remained on his side, so he didn't have to rush things. Long as there was no dilly-dallying, Cloud had everything in the bag.
"Look at you, Cloud...always lost in thought," Roy said to the swordsman as he approached him from behind, interrupting his train of thought for a relatively brief moment. "Do you have anything better to do?"
"Anything's better than running from my mom like a coward," retorted Cloud, as he firmly put Roy in his place - and Roy knew it too as he bit his bottom lip.
"Well...I don't run from her anymore! I just...chose not to talk to her on most days. Her living at the tower makes it easier on me."
"Heard that your dad Eliwood recently joined Omnis Adest. You oughta go visit him." That news made Roy incredibly nervous, as a drop of sweat was running down his face.
"You're right...I should go visit him now!" So Roy ran off to go visit Eliwood at Omnis Adest, as he...went back inside his house. Thinking of Roy as a major coward, Cloud smirked as he went back to being lost in thought.
Roy: I love my dad. And I love my mom as well! Why don't I show motherly love towards my mom that often? It's because that it's like showing motherly love to a young hot woman. *pauses* Not that I think of Lyn as a young hot woman. *groans* Dang it, I called her by her first name!
"Hello, Cloud Strife," a certain detective greeted Cloud, who turned around and saw Layton walking up to the mansion as he tipped his hat. Cloud was surprised to see Layton, mainly because he came alone. A rare sight.
"Uh, hi professor," responded Cloud, not used to seeing Layton without his right-hand man. You already know who his right-hand man was. "Where's Luke?"
"At the apartment with a very nasty cold. He's capable enough of being alone by himself - he did help deliver a baby, after all!"
"Not sure what that experience has to do with anything, but okay...don't mean to be a bother, but when are you and Luke going back across the pond?"
"No, it's fine if you ask! We haven't decided when we'll return. The scene over in the United Kingdom isn't at tight as it once used to be."
"'Tight', eh? Now that's some kind of lingo that I've never heard from you." Cloud earned a quaint laugh out of Layton, as he moved out of the way to grant Layton easy access inside the mansion. "Nice talk, Layton."
"Wait, Cloud! Before I head in..." Layton ran up to Cloud as he dug his hand into his pocket, fumbling around for something. "...I must give you this."
"You must give me what?" Cloud didn't know what to expect from Layton...so when Layton pulled a ring out from his pocket, Cloud's nonexistent expectations were completely blown. "A wedding ring?"
"Keep it secret, keep it safe..." Channeling his inner J.R.R. Tolkien, Layton placed the ring in Cloud's hands, making sure that the transaction was done privately and securely.
"So you want me to propose to Aerith, or what? I don't think I'm ready for it." Cloud had plenty of work to do before he proposed to Aerith - provided that he wanted to take that big step.
"No pressure - you don't have to do it now if you want to. Just follow your heart." Just follow your heart...Cloud remembered the last instance he followed those words.
"Yeah, I followed my heart a few years ago and got myself in big trouble. Winded up in a psych ward, even. Not going down that path again."
"Then another word of advice. Do what's best for you...and your love." Now those were words that Cloud could easily abide by, as the swordsman looked down at the ground and took them to heart.
"Do what's best for you...I can roll with that." And so it was decided - Cloud was going to do what was best for him. And what was best for his forever flame.
"Hoping for great things in your future! Oh, and um, nice talk Cloud." Throwing Cloud's parting words right back at him, Layton tipped his hat to Cloud one last time before going up the porch steps and entering the mansion.
"Nice talk indeed..." Cloud had his hand balled up in a fist, and he opened it out wide to see the ring in the palm of his hand. A wedding ring was just one small piece of an incremental big step.
While a turf war was afoot involving the Wicked Twisters and the Vault Hunters, one person affiliated with the Wicked Twisters wanted nothing to do with the whole hoopla - Shoka Sakurane. The Reaper was keeping to herself at Cafe Leblanc while noodling around on her phone.
"I have a small soft spot for goth girls," King Dedede said to Shoka, as he came over to the Reaper's table to perhaps spark a small conversation. "So I was wondering if we could..."
"Sorry, but overweight birds with duck lips just aren't my type," responded Shoka, making King Dedede feel terribly self-conscious as he smacked his belly. "I'm also out of your league - and age range."
"All I wanted was to be your friend! But go ahead, be that way..." King Dedede stormed off in a bitter mood, taking his fat belly with him as he left Shoka alone. Shortly after Dedede left, Shoka took out her phone and got to texting...
Shoka: Hey, how's it going down there?
Rindo: Not so good. Sho just got beat up badly.
Shoka: Beat up? By who?
Rindo: The big guy with the chin and the funny-looking dude with the goggles.
Shoka: And you stood around and let it happen?
Rindo: No, Fret and I were running from Tina. Nagi saw it happen.
"Hello, I would like to submit my application to join the Wicked Twisters," Pit said to Shoka, who stopped texting momentarily and forced herself to give Pit a piece of his mind. In Pit's hands was a homemade application.
"We're not accepting new members at this time," Shoka stated kindly to Pit in an inadvertent business-like manner, but that didn't stop Pit from giving her his application. Shoka took the application, skimming it from top to bottom.
"Most of the stuff I made up on the fly." Pit had to make up stuff for his full name, birth date, and even his education history. And it was glaringly obvious to Shoka how fake the information was as she skimmed through it.
Pit: Joining the Wicked Twisters on Dark Pit's behalf. I know that Shoka wouldn't let Dark Pit in their social club because he's too edgy for them. *pauses* Are the Wicked Twisters really a social club?
Dark Pit: Couldn't really care less about the Wicked Twisters; they can let Pit join them and take a giant blow to their reputation in return.
"So your last name is Snugglepuss, you were born on September 31st, 1898, and you earned a Ph.D. from Chase University," Shoka summed up the important "details" from Pit's application, before handing the application back to Pit. "I find all of that hard to believe."
"Meh...it was worth a shot," Pit said in defeat as he crumbled up his application and shot it into the trash can...only to miss the trash can by a few inches. Pit returned to his post behind the counter, as Shoka got back to texting:
Shoka: Well, you can't run from the Vault Hunters forever. You gotta fight back.
Rindo: That's what we're trying to do. Just give us some time.
Shoka: How is Sho doing BTW?
Rindo: He just woke up after getting knocked out. Almost sucker-punched Fret.
"Care for a cup of coffee, my lady?" a certain general support robot approached Shoka, coming over to her table holding two cups of coffee. That robot was Claptrap, a known associate of the Vault Hunters.
"Your imaginary beau isn't at this table, but good luck with finding her," Shoka responded to Claptrap, who placed a cup of coffee in front of the Reaper. Shoka looked at her coffee, annoyed.
Claptrap: Shoka is an absolute cutie. She's nothing like the ladies at the Borderlands. The ladies over there will blast you to bits if you look at them the wrong way - or even the right way! Shoka seems nice and submissive, which is just how I like her. Minus the submissive part.
"Coffee's for you, good-lookin'," said Claptrap, as he was trying to be all cordial with Shoka. Shoka delivered a glare that sent Claptrap rolling away from the table. Appreciating the free cup of coffee, Shoka took a small sip from it as she resumed her text conversation with Shoka:
Shoka: Do you guys need me over there, or what?
Rindo: I think so, we could really use your help.
Shoka: Alright then. I'll head on over.
Rindo: Cool. Thanks.
Shoka: Thanks for cutting my time short at the cafe.
Rindo: No problem. We're doing you a favor.
"Back to the apartments I go..." sighed Shoka, as she took a big sip of her coffee before placing her cup back on the table. The Reaper put her phone in her pocket as she got up and left the cafe.
"Wait, my love! Wait for me!" Claptrap called out to Shoka as he followed the Reaper out of the cafe. Shoka's coffee was left unattended, and it caused Pit to gasp in horror.
"Oh snap, she forgot to finish her coffee!" exclaimed Pit as he jumped over the counter and ran over to the table where Shoka was sitting at, grabbing Shoka's cup of coffee. "I must give it to her."
"That won't be necessary," Joker warned Pit, but that didn't stop Pit from leaving the cafe altogether to return Shoka her coffee. "Why must he be like this...?"
With no one to keep him company, due to the buddy cops being on mansion patrol duty, Sonic offered to spend some time with Magolor while the alien was in his jail cell. Doing so might be against the rules, considering that Magolor was the enemy, but Sonic wanted to make Magolor happy.
"Rarely see Toon Link and Young Link asleep during the night," Magolor said to Sonic, as he had successfully kept the blue hedgehog past breakfast time. "They think that crime is afoot, even at four in the morning."
"So that's why I see them with bags under their eyes every morning!" exclaimed Sonic, unable to recall the last morning when Toon Link and Young Link were both fully rested. "They take the 'crime never sleeps' part of their job too seriously."
"I'll say. Yet they have the audacity to tell me not to disturb them at nighttime! I can't help the fact that I snore!"
"One thing about those buddy cops is, they'll take everything personally. They'll even take it personally if you were born on February 29th!"
"At least they believe in equal opportunity." Magolor got a small laugh out of Sonic, and the alien would laugh along with the blue hedgehog. "You know, Sonic, you aren't so bad after all."
"Eh, I do my best. You probably wouldn't have liked me a year ago." Try more than a year ago - Sonic was usually at his worst back then, as his peers viewed him as a nuisance.
"Good afternoon, Sonic," Layton greeted the blue hedgehog as he poked his head through the doorway, before fully stepping inside the police station. "I was told by Tails that you were at the police station."
"Hope you didn't assume that I got arrested," Sonic said to Layton, who had a wry smile as his eyes darted around. Layton might have entertained the thought for a brief moment or two.
"I don't know; those buddy cops will find any way to arrest you." Layton joined Sonic at the jail cell, as he saw Magolor through the prison bars. "May I ask who this fellow is?"
"Oh, you've never met him before? That's Magolor, Kirby's former best friend. Magolor, this is Professor Layton, one of my good friends."
"Howdy," Magolor greeted Layton, who tipped his hat to the alien; Magolor soon leaned in close to Sonic, whispering in his ear, "Man, he's skinny - his arms look like cigarettes."
"Not calling me skinny, are you?" Layton asked Magolor in a teasing manner, as he made the alien tense up and appear afraid. "You must be quite the jerk."
"To be fair, he is a bad guy," Sonic explained to Layton, about to tell the detective one of the reasons why Magolor was being held as a prisoner. "He works for Dimentio."
"Dimentio? Now that is one character that I've been dying to meet." Layton knelt down as he got a closer look at Magolor, seeing some slight similarities between him and Kirby. "You chose to engage with the enemy, Sonic?"
"He had no one to talk to, so I gave him company. You always talk about doing the right thing..." Recalling what he said to Sonic in the previous episode, Layton smiled as he lowered his hat.
"I did say that, didn't I..." Layton would later shift gears, focusing all his attention on Magolor as he desired to know a bit about the alien. "...well then, Magolor, tell me - why do you work for Dimentio?"
"Again with the questions?!" groaned Magolor as he threw his arms up in defeat, having grown tired of the constant interrogating. But only this time, it wasn't Temenos taking charge.
"Answer the question and I'll give ya another chili dog!" Sonic enticed Magolor as he pulled out a chili dog, holding it in front of Magolor. Magolor was hooked in an instant, as he chose to oblige.
"Okay then, I'll tell you what you want to hear," Magolor was ready to begin his tell-all, as Soinc and Layton were all ears. Magolor better not hold back. "The reason why I'm working for Dimentio is..."
"Yes? What is it?" asked Layton, as Magolor suddenly stopped speaking; Magolor was seemingly having a brain fart, losing his train of thought somehow.
"Huh, I can't seem to think of an actual reason." Magolor scratched his head, and Layton looked disappointed while Sonic faceplanted unto the ground.
"Let's take a different approach. What do you hope to gain from working for Dimentio?" Now that question had Magolor's brain juices flowing, as the gears were turning in Magolor's head. "Money? Fame? Respect?"
"Dimentio did promise me that he'd give me everything I want if I his plan turns out to be a success. So I guess that's my motivation."
"And how do you know that he was lying through his teeth?" Anyone who knew Dimentio well knew that he was a conniving creature, and that was one aspect that Magolor had yet to consider.
"Are you saying that he might be using me?" Magolor would hate nothing more than to be some villain's pawn - a lackey cast away only when the opportunity was nigh.
"Could be. Perhaps. I bet you never really questioned his motives. But let me ask this third question - what is your current goal?"
"My current goal? It's to destroy the mansion from the inside." Magolor gasped and covered his mouth, believing that he did himself in. But to his surprise, Sonic and Layton gave little to no reaction.
"You? Destroying the mansion?" Sonic snorted at Magolor, as he laughed in the alien's face. A stern look from Layton made Sonic temper his laughing fit.
Tails: I haven't seen Sonic since this morning - he must still be with Magolor. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me if Magolor tricked Sonic and got him to switch places with him inside the jail cell. I'm too lazy at the moment to go see for myself.
"What good would destroying the mansion be?" Layton asked Magolor, challenging the alien to think long and hard for a moment. "Dimentio would only have Master Hand to antagonize against if everyone else was dead!"
"Pit, Palutena, and Viridi wouldn't die," stated Sonic, pointing out the fact that as angels and goddesses, the trio of Pit, Palutena, and Viridi would survive any fatal blast. "Dark Pit...he's debatable."
"Thanks for the info, Sonic. But really, what would be the end goal of a destroyed mansion?" The end goal of such a task was never considered by Magolor, and it had him deep in thought.
"Now that you mention it..." replied Magolor as he looked down at the floor, before looking up at Layton after he was done mulling. "...do you mind releasing me from this prison cell?"
"I don't think we're allowed to do that," replied Sonic, not wishing to get on Master Hand's bad side. Magolor being spotted running amok on the security cameras would make many heads roll.
"Do what would be the right thing - that's what I'd do," Layton recommended Sonic, giving the hedgehog the choice of keeping Magolor imprisoned or letting him free. But it was a hard choice to make.
"Would letting Magolor go would be the right thing to do?" Sonic needed to ask Layton for a second opinion, for he did not wish to make a move that would potentially land him in deep trouble. "Dude literally works for Dimentio!"
"But he's clearly questioning his allegiance to him. That has to mean something." Layton got more out of Magolor than Master Hand and Temenos could - and that alone was remarkable.
"Can you let me out of this cell, just this once?" Magolor pleaded to Sonic, looking for any sort of freedom that was available. "I've been in here all week..." Sonic thought over the choice that he would make, before letting out a sigh.
"...fine, we'll let you out," Sonic said to Magolor, dreading what punishment he would receive if he were to get caught, as Magolor gave a cheer. "Layton, do you have a key or something?"
"I do have this," replied Layton as he took out a hairpin, which had one end extended. "It has gotten me out of many prickly situations." The professor inserted the hairpin into the prison door keyhole, and he used it to unlock the door.
"At last, I'm free!" rejoiced Magolor as Layton pulled the prison door open, allowing Magolor to walk out. "Thank you so much!" Magolor first gave a hug to Layton, and then he gave one to Sonic.
"Let's keep it down, will ya?" Sonic said to Magolor as he pushed the alien away, not wanting anyone to see Magolor outside his jail cell. It was bad enough that the door to the police station was left open.
"I'd like my chili dog, thank you very much." Remembering what he promised, Sonic took out his chili dog and handed it over to Magolor. Magolor turned around and ate his chili dog in private, as Sonic quickly closed the door shut.
"So Magolor, now that you're free..." Layton said to the alien, who had scarfed down his chili dog and proceeded to wipe his mouth. "...what is it that you want to do? Still want to blow this place up?"
"Actually..." replied Magolor as he turned around to face Layton, as he had only one objective in mind. "...I'd like to speak with an old friend."
Link chose to stay behind and defuse the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters' blood feud as much as possible, while Mario went back home to see if he could bring Reaper to Seattle. Mario stood outside his house, as he was giving Reaper a call.
"Hi, you have reached Reaper," Reaper's voice was heard from Mario's phone, as the "totally done with life" attitude was nigh apparent in the mercenary's deep voice. "If this is Sombra, don't even bother. If this is Mario, please leave me alone. Please. That is all. Good riddance."
"At the tone, please record your message; when you are finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options," said the automated voice from the phone, as Mario let out a defeated sigh and hung up the phone. Mario had called Reaper multiple times, and Reaper had yet to answer.
"This is so unlike-a Reaper - he would never do me like-a this," remarked Mario as he put his phone in his pocket. Obviously, Mario didn't know what Reaper was like, and you'd think that he'd get the clue by this point.
"Told you that he wouldn't return your calls," Cappy said to Mario, as a certain mercenary emerged from the shadows and appeared behind Mario. Mario heard some deep breathing, as he turned around and looked up to see Reaper.
"Boo," Reaper greeted Mario, causing the plumber to scream out of fright. Reaper chuckled as he literally scared Mario out of his pants, leaving him in his mushroom-patterned underwear.
"Mama mia! You got-a me in my underwear," Mario said to Reaper, while his hat and clothes were lying on the ground next to his feet. A whistle was directed at Mario, and it came...from Arthur.
"Looking good in thy new undies, Sir Mario!" Arthur gave his props to the plumber as he walked around the corner of the mansion. The knight didn't see where he was going, and as he walked into a recycling bin his armor completely fell off. Now he was the one in his undies.
"What is up with that underwear?" Reaper questioned Arthur, taking note of ARthur's underwear pattern which featured a woman's face. Arthur sheepishly covered himself as he grabbed his armor and retreated inside the mansion.
Arthur: Why yes, I do wear underwear with Princess Prin-Prin's face imprinted on it. It's a sign of true love.
"Anyway, Mario, what is it?" Reaper asked the plumber, who hurriedly put his clothes back on before he got any more wolf whistles. "You've interrupted my lunch with a non-Talon confidant."
"I have a bit-a of an emergency," replied Mario as he placed his hat back on his head, while Reaper let out an audible groan. "Or rather we have an emergency." The word "emergency" always got a groan out of Reaper each time he visited the Mario household.
"Another stupid so-called emergency...if it has anything to do with your child biting her tongue, I don't care. That's your child, not mine."
"Well, that's the preschool-a teacher's job problem to worry about today. I called-a you here because the Wicked Twisters are..."
"...the Wicked Twisters? You mean those nerds from Japan that forced me to reveal my identity?" Reaper's true identity was Gabriel Reyes, in case you may have forgotten.
"C'mon, it wasn't that bad! Only a handful of people were-a in the ballroom." Regardless, a handful of people was too many in Reaper's book as Reaper grumpily folded his arms.
"Doesn't make me feel any better...and I want nothing to do with those nerds. They can all go fall in some bottomless pit, for all I care."
"But they're caught in a turf-a war with another group, the Vault Hunters! You remember them?" Although it was a faint memory, Reaper did remember the Vault Hunters from the holiday festivities of 2020.
"The group with the crazy chick with the explosives? And the guy who likes punching people for no reason?" Reaper was right on the money, as Mario nodded his head. "Can I be on their side?"
"Absolutely not! You're gonna bring-a the fighting to an end, so peace-a can be restored to Omnis Adest." But Reaper wasn't down to restoring peace and order, as he laughed in response. "What's so funny?"
"You must not know me that well, do you, Mario? I'm the opposite of peace; I bring destruction everywhere I go. Sometimes that includes the bathroom whenever I have Mexican takeout.
"Then in that case, do you know anyone-a who can stop the fighting?" Mario was seemingly asking the wrong person for suggestions, but Reaper surprisingly came through after a brief moment of thought.
"There is one guy...he's the man I'm having lunch with. He can get the job done." At this point, Mario would take anyone, for he did not know how long the conflict between the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters would rage on.
"Just tell him to bring-a his keester over here, STAT. Soon-a as possible." So Reaper made his departure, as he sunk into the shadows to meet up with his non-Talon confidant. And who could that possibly be?
MC Ballyhoo was in high spirits in recent weeks - not only did he get out of Subspace and was reunited with Big Top, but he also got to stay at Omnis Adest. The emcee was enjoying his time at Omnis Adest so far, as he was playing tennis at a tennis court with Hop.
"MC Ballyhoo shoots...MC Ballyhoo scores!" exclaimed Ballyhoo as he served the ball to Hop, who was late in catching up to the ball. Hop could only watch as the ball bounced past him, out of the reach of his racket.
"...and we're back a deuce," stated Hop, as his tennis duel with Ballyhoo was growing long - longer than usual. His knees couldn't take it anymore. "One of us has to lose already so I can get back home to Lee."
"I'm afraid that loser's gonna be you, buddy boy! Heads up!" Quickly grabbing the tennis ball, Ballyhoo did another serve as he sent the tennis ball whizzing past Hop's ear. "Advantage, Ballyhoo!"
"Hey, I wasn't even ready yet! Illegal serve!" Hop was becoming frustrated, as Ballyhoo was celebrating as he moved his fists around in a circular motion. Talk about premature.
"You snooze, you lose!" Ballyhoo looked to defeat Hop at tennis once and for all, as he went to go retrieve the tennis ball. But to his surprise, the tennis ball was nowhere to be found. "Tennis ball? Where'd you go?"
"Looking for this?" a certain pilot asked Ballyhoo, who looked to his left and saw Fox standing along with Falco. In the palm of Fox's hand was the tennis ball.
"Ack! It's you two!" Ballyhoo panicked upon seeing Fox and Falco, as he hid behind the tennis net for safety. Obviously not a good hiding spot, for Ballyhoo could still be seen clear as day.
"That's cute, he thinks that we're the bad guys," Falco said to Fox with a snort, as the pilots were amused by how Ballyhoo was acting. Hop went over to the pilots to ask them for something.
"Can we have the ball back?" Hop asked Fox, who handed the tennis ball back to the Pokemon trainer. Hop returned to his side of the court, wanting to resume the match. "Ready when you are, Ballyhoo!"
"I think you'll have to play tennis with somebody else, Hop," Fox said to the Pokemon trainer as he and Falco went over to Ballyhoo, who was shaking with fear as the pilots drew near. "We wanted to speak with Ballyhoo for a hot minute."
"Y-You do?" Ballyhoo stammered as he looked up at Fox and Falco. He was certain that the pilots wanted to mug him for that stunt he pulled on Little Mac in episode 12, but the certainty Ballyhoo had was now gone for good.
Cranky Kong: Fox and Falco wanted to speak with MC Ballyhoo weeks ago, but they were unable to do so. Those eight strangers were in town last Friday, and some weird hoopla that I was a part of happened the Friday prior. What did those events have to do with Fox and Falco speaking with Ballyhoo? I don't know. How did I know that Fox and Falco desired to speak with Ballyhoo? I don't know that either. Am I becoming Dr. Toadley 2.0? The author better not let that happen to me. Do I even know Dr. Toadley personally to be familiar with his speech patterns?
"What is it that you wanted to speak with me about?" Ballyhoo asked Fox and Falco, no longer hiding in fear as he stood up. Hop held his hand over his eyes, looking out into the distance for a new tennis opponent.
"Star Records...does that ring a bell?" Falco asked Ballyhoo, who instantly at that moment recalled the record label that he wanted to start up many years ago. "We kinda need your help."
Elsewhere at Omnis Adest, tensions were still brewing between the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters. Much of the fighting between the two groups had spilled out into the streets, as Link sent out some reinforcements to calm both sides down.
"You are gonna love the Bloblobber Deco!" Sheldon said to Nagi, as he supplied the otaku and the other Wicked Twisters with ink-based weaponry to counter the Vault Hunters. "The Bloblobber Deco is a custom version of the original with a cool new sticker slapped on for good measure! Paired with the Sprinkler sub, you've got a Slosher that can cover an astounding amount of turf! But that's not all! Add the Suction-Bomb Launcher into the mix and you've got an arsenal for unleashing unprecedented waves of ink! If you enjoy floating your team to victory while soaking foes in floods of fluid, this just might be the set for you!"
"Could've done without the explanation, but thanks anyway," Sho said to Sheldon, his Splattershot locked and loaded as he pulled on the trigger. "Now let's teach those least common denominators a lesson in respect!"
"Yeah!" Rindo, Fret, and Nagi all shouted in unison, as they held their weapons up high. Sheldon looked away out of nervousness, with heavy second thoughts as well.
Sheldon: I didn't want to give the Wicked Twisters any weaponry, but I did so in the hopes that they could settle the score with the Vault Hunters. By that, I mean fighting with them until everyone stops and realizes the error of their ways. Someone might do it.
"Now where are those Vault Hunters?" wondered Fret as the Wicked Twisters roamed through the street, on the lookout while Sheldon precariously looked on.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
"Suprise, suckas!" shouted Tina as she emerged from behind some hedges, wielding a gun while riding atop a Mabostiff. But it wasn't just an ordinary Mabostiff, mind you.
"Hey, give me back my Pokemon!" an angry Arven shouted from afar as he ran over to Tina, only to be stopped in his tracks when a missile was launched at him. Arven jumped out of harm's way as Lilith soon emerged from the hedges.
"Stay out of this if you value your life," Lilith said to Arven, as she was simply looking out for the Pokemon trainer. Arven showed Lilith how much he valued life as he ran from the premises.
"Tina! Lilith! Your zetta weapons won't scare us," Sho said to the female Vault Hunters, as he and the other Wicked Twisters flaunted their weapons. "'Cause we have evened the score!"
"Aw, that's so adorable..." Lilith smiled in faux approval, before turning to Tina ready to give her a cue. "...Tina, go ahead and blast 'em to bits."
"Aye-aye, captain!" Tina saluted Lilith, as she was about to fire a rocket at the Wicked Twisters. But before Tina could pull the trigger, Rindo fired a giant blob of paint in her face.
"Nice shot, Rindude!" Fret gave his props to Rindo, as he exchanged a high-five with his best friend. Little did Rindo know that he made Tina angry - and Tina was the last person that you'd want to tick off.
"You just made the biggest mistake of your life!" Tina growled at Rindo, as she held her rocket launcher up in the air and repeatedly pulled the trigger. The Wicked Twisters ran for cover as Tina was firing rockets in all sorts of directions.
"Tina, chill out!" shouted Lilith as she tackled Tina to the ground, hoping to end the rocket rampage. But Tina was still pulling on the trigger.
"None of you posers are invited to my big fat awesome wedding! Or my mother-humping TEA PARTY!"
Near where Tina and Lilith were was Zelda, who came to Omnis Adest looking for Link. Omnis Adest was Zelda's go-to place whenever Link wasn't present at the mansion.
"Picked the wrong day to not be at home, Link," Zelda muttered under her breath, only to see a rocket coming towards her. The princess screamed and ducked, as the rocket flew past by.
"Nice dodge!" someone called out to Zelda, who spotted Dark Pit hiding behind a postal service mailbox. Dark Pit watched as a rocket flew past him, grateful that the mailbox wasn't struck.
"Dark Pit? Why are you hiding? And where are these rockets...coming from?" As Zelda was speaking, another rocket was fired in her direction and the princess had to dodge that one.
"I'm one of the reinforcements sent to end the turf war going on." Suddenly a rocket struck the mailbox, and it made Dark Pit jump in fear. "As you can see, I'm not doing that great of a job."
"When have you ever done that great of a job..." Zelda came off as a little too honest there, and the princess knew it too as she gasped with heavy regret. "...oh goodness, I'm sorry. I should have never said that."
"They're coming this way!" shouted Fret, as he and Rindo ran to the mailbox that Dark Pit was originally hiding behind. Rindo and Fret were firing paint, as Brick and Mordecai drew near.
"Ha! Your stupid paint can't hurt us," boasted Mordecai, who wiped the paint off his goggles. Might be covered head to toe in paint, but he didn't care. "Isn't that right, Brick?
"Help me Mordo, I got paint in my eye!" Brick shouted in pain, rubbing his hand over his eyes; Rindo and Fret both chuckled at Brick during his predicament.
"They're fighting with each other," Dark Pit explained to Zelda as he pointed at the feuding parties. Zelda facepalmed, having known for a fact that the Vault Hunters would stir up trouble sooner or later.
Master Hand: Why were the Vault Hunters added to Omnis Adest, despite their destructive tendencies? Anna convinced me that they helped an empowered black woman try and put an end to white supremacy. How can I not give the Vault Hunters residency after that? Claptrap, I have no reasoning for him.
"Stop rubbing it in your eye, you're gonna make it worse!" Mordecai instructed Brick, as he got the man's hand away from his face. Brick blinked his left eye for a bit, as he felt it going back to normal.
"Maybe it wasn't paint - I was just overreacting," smirked Brick, his left eye now fully open, as Mordecai smacked his forehead. For a moment, Mordecai was legitimately worried...worried that Brick made him look like a fool.
"You nannies done yet?" Rindo asked Brick and Mordecai as he held his weapon close to his head, ready for round two of nonstop paint. "Got plenty of more paint where that came from."
"We gotta think of a strategy," Mordecai discussed with Brick in private, while Rindo and Fret did their best to eavesdrop as much as possible. "So how about instead of punching people, you go for the knee."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You lost me at 'instead of punching,'" responded Brick, who would never forfeit his tried and true method of punching people. He'd punch anyone with his fists, from newborn babies to elderly folks at the retirement home.
"Let's shoot at them while they're still talking," Rindo suggested to Fret, as he and his friend held up their guns. However, they were forced to lower their guards when Zelda stood in front of them.
"Pull that trigger, and you'll be very sorry..." Zelda dared Rindo and Fret, and the latter tested the princess as he held his gun back up. Rindo, looking out for Fret, put his hand over Fret's gun to prevent the inevitable.
"Yeah, pull the trigger and you'll be sorry," said a voice behind Rindo and Fret, who turned around and saw Shoka. Shoka walked up to Rindo and Fret and was now standing between the two. "Hold your fire, boys."
"I ain't holding my fire for anything," Fret smirked in defiance, as he was fifty-fifty on pulling the trigger and getting paint all over Zelda and her dress. He'd do it just for the laughs.
"Sup babe! Knew you couldn't run from me forever!" Claptrap called out to Shoka, who groaned and rolled her eyes as Claptrap caught up to her. Accompanying Claptrap was Pit, who had something for Shoka.
"You left your coffee," Pit said to Shoka as he gave Shoka her cup of coffee, which now had a top on it. Shoka reluctantly accepted her coffee while she kept her lips pursed.
"Ew, gross! Not this thing!" Rindo grimaced when he and Fret saw Claptrap, as the two friends jumped back from the robot. Pit, thinking that Rindo and Fret were talking about him, was frowning.
"Hey, I washed with actual soap yesterday!" Pit shouted at Rindo and Fret, who were doing their best to keep their distance from Claptrap. Shoka was doing the same, no matter how much Claptrap was crushing on her.
"It's okay to not punch people, mix it up every now and then," Mordecai told Brick, who let out a slight whimper as he nodded his head. Done with their private convo, Mordecai and Brick looked past Zelda...and saw Claptrap with the Wicked Twisters.
"Claptrap?! You siding with those punks?" Brick questioned the robot, as his eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Always knew that he was a turncoat," scowled Mordecai, who was far less surprised than Brick was. "That's why I never trusted him!"
"No, no, it's not what you think!" Claptrap did his best to clear up the air, as Tina and Lilith arrived at the scene. Tina was no longer riding on Arven's Mabosstiff, Things were heating up.
"Look, you guys! Claptrap betrayed us!" Brick said to Tina and Lilith as he pointed accusingly at Claptrap, who didn't know what to do or what to say. He was currently prime enemy number one.
"I never liked you anyway, Claptrap, but I hate you even more now!" Tina shouted at the robot, as she felt the hatred flowing through her veins. As Tina hissed at Claptrap, a Splat Bomb landed at the Vault Hunters' feet.
"What a cute little bomb..." smiled Brick as he saw the Splat Bomb on the ground...which exploded a split second later. Colored paint was splattered all over the Vault Hunters. "...crap, I think I got paint in my eyes this time!"
"Sine, cosine, tangent!" Sho cheered from afar, as he and Nagi were hiding behind a tree celebrating their sneak attack. "Nice throw, Nagi."
"Over there, at the tree!" Lilith said to her fellow Vault Hunters as she pointed at Sho and Nagi's hiding spot. "After them!" The Vault Hunters ran over to the tree, as Rindo and Fret ran after them.
"This isn't over, not by a long shot!" Rindo shouted at the Vault Hunters, as the ongoing turf war was reignited. Shoka remained where she was as she sighed.
"Okay, this has to stop," said Zelda, who held her arm over his eyes to keep the paint from getting in her eyes. When the princess lowered her arm, she was surprised to see Shoka still there.
"Sorry that you had to see all that," Shoka apologized to Zelda with a wry smile, knowing that her Wicked Twister friends would be punished when the fighting finally ceased.
"I take it that you chose to stay out of this whole conflict." If her keeping away at Cafe Leblanc was any indication, Shoka had made the right choice.
"I chose to do the same," Claptrap said to Zelda as he raised his hand; winning over Shoka was Claptrap's other main reason for staying out of the turf war. "The Vault Hunters wouldn't want my help anyway."
"Same here, nobody wanted me on their side," said Pit, wanting to be a part of things as he entered himself into the conversation. Everyone was left staring at Pit, Dark Pit included. "I'll just get back to my job..."
"Why don't you two come with me," Zelda offered to Shoka and Claptrap, as Pit flew up into the sky and back to the mansion now that Shoka's coffee was safely delivered. "You can tell me how everything started."
Magolor had done it - he was freed from his jail cell after he convinced Sonic and Layton to set him free. The alien had Sonic and Layton wrapped around his finger and was going to keep the duo under his spell until he completed his mission. That mission? To destroy the mansion from the inside out. However, the mission was no longer Magolor's focus.
"Who's a good boy? You're a good boy!" exclaimed Magolor as he was playing with Boney in the middle of the hallway, rubbing the dog's stomach. Kumatora was holding onto Boney's leash while she, Sonic, and Layton were looking on.
"I thought that Magolor was supposed to be in 'jail,'" Kumatora said to Sonic and Layton; she was planning on taking Boney out for a walk until Magolor saw the dog and got distracted.
"...he's on parole," answered Sonic, with Magolor giggling as Boney licked his face. Magolor had to push Boney away, as Kumatora pulled on Boney's leash.
"Well, if it's cool with Master Hand, then it's cool with me. Let's go, Boney." Taking hold of the leash, Kumatora walked Boney down the hallway, as Sonic instantly became nervous.
"This isn't a good idea, we got to head back," Sonic stressed to Layton and Magolor, fearing that Master Hand might appear at any given minute. Master Hand might've sensed Magolor leaving his cell.
"But Cafe Leblanc is within walking distance," stated Layton, as Cafe Leblanc was but a couple of feet away. The cafe was the one place that Magolor wanted to go to. "No point in turning back now."
"Hey, that's what I said when we...ah, forget it." Sonic would save his breath, as he focused on getting Magolor to the cafe to speak with an old friend - whose identity should be obvious.
"Hide me..." Magolor whispered to Layton as he hid behind the detective, shuffling to the cafe. Sonic and Layton both entered the cafe, playing it cool as they tried to keep Magolor hidden from the patrons.
"Man, Magolor is such a pipsqueak," Ken Masters discussed with Zangief at a table, as the two Street Fighter veterans were having a chat over some curry. "Who even knows what Dimentio sees in him!"
"I eat pipsqueaks like Magolor for breakfast!" claimed Zangief, demonstrating as he chomped down hard with his teeth. Magolor was intimidated by Zangief's chomping ability, flinching.
"If you ask me, Magolor's probably being used by Dimentio," an eavesdropping Robin said to Ken and Zangief, bringing up an interesting thought that Magolor had entertained earlier. "A miracle that he has lasted this long."
"This is an A-B conversation...so go C yourself out!" Ken said to Robin, not appreciating the mage butting into his and Zangief's conversation. Robin calmly returned to his seat to avoid getting his butt kicked.
"You sounded like a high schooler," Chun-li said to Ken, as she was seated at the table quietly eating her curry. Ken looked sheepish as he flashed a grin.
"Professor Layton!" Joker called out to the detective, who was standing in the center of the cafe as no one had noticed Magolor yet. "Got one glass of cappuccio on the house."
"I'm not here for any coffee," responded Layton as he and Sonic walked up to the counter, only to notice that one of the baristas was absent. "Especially if it was fixed by your part-time barista."
"Who, Pit? He left to give someone their coffee. He should be back by now unless he got lost somehow. Wouldn't be the first instance...or the last."
Joker: Pit is like an extreme part-timer - the times that he does work, he's barely even here! I would cut my losses and fire Pit for his constant absences, but his girlfriend would kill me. Maybe I can fire both Pit and Viridi...but then Kirby and Incineroar would be my remaining baristas, and Pit wouldn't be happy about that. But who cares what Pit thinks?
"Then what are you here for?" Kirby asked Layton, wondering why neither Sonic nor Layton had yet to take a seat at the counter. To the baristas' surprise, Sonic and Layton moved behind the counter - which was not allowed by non-employees - while keeping Magolor concealed.
"We're glad that you asked..." replied Layton, before stepping away to reveal Magolor to Joker and company. Viridi gasped, for he knew that Magolor being out of his jail cell was no bueno.
"Before you call anyone, he's on parole," Sonic informed the baristas as he held out his hands, preventing them from speaking up. The baristas all didn't believe Sonic but they chose to play along...except Viridi.
"Why not let the buddy cops handle his parole?" questioned Viridi, the kind of person that would tattle tell the moment he saw Master Hand, Link, or Zelda. "They must really respect you, Professor Layton."
"Let's just say that the buddy cops are extremely busy," said Layton, as his excuse successfully won over the baristas. Viridi however, was remaining doubtful. "So we're handling things."
"Luke is out sick, so I'm filling in for him," stated Sonic, removing any and all doubt about why he was taking Magolor out on "parole". His alibi was more believable now than in the past.
"There is someone here that Magolor wants to speak with..." Layton drew his eyes to that someone, and that someone just so happened to be a pink puffball. "...and I think I know who it is."
"It can't be me, is it?" inquired Kirby, and would you know it, Magolor would shuffle his way over to the pink puffball. The baristas gave Kirby and Magolor some room.
"Don't know how to say this, but...hi," Magolor awkwardly greeted Kirby, as he felt several nervous bones in his body. Magolor was sweating even, and it wasn't because of the AC.
"I'll serve you in a moment," Joker said to Vault Boy, who walked up to the counter with an empty coffee cup. Vault Boy smiled and gave a thumbs-up, returning to his seat. Joker wanted to see Kirby and Magolor chat with each other, without any interruption.
"What is it that you want?" Kirby asked Magolor, who leaned in close to the pink puffball...and wrapped hands around him for a hug. Kirby was taken aback by this public display of friendship, as Magolor's hug raised a few eyebrows.
"Joker, I'm back!" announced Pit as he returned to the cafe, running behind the counter. "I almost got sucked in by a plane and I..." Pit came to a stop, as he witnessed Magolor hugging Kirby.
"Any reason why you're hugging me?" Kirby asked Magolor as he eyed around the cafe, with Magolor ending the hug seconds later. "Not that I wanted to be touched or anything..."
"Actions speak louder than words, as they always say," replied Magolor, as Pit had his phone out ready to call someone. Joker beckoned the angel to put his phone away.
"I'm confused, were you happy to see me? Or are you just sorry? Which one is it?"
"A bit of both. Sorry if what did in the past made you think differently about me."
"Wow! That sounded...very candid. Did you have an epiphany in that jail cell, Magolor?"
"I may have had something to do with it - Sonic, too," Layton explained to Kirby, as he accredited Sonic for hanging out with Magolor and making him a happy camper again.
"Totally missed breakfast, but it's all good," responded Sonic, only for an idea to enter his head as his eyes went wide. The blue hedgehog whispered something into Layton's ear.
"If this is how you chose to spend your parole, then I'd say that it was well spent," Kirby said to Magolor, appreciating the hug that he received from the alien. Felt awfully genuine. "So no more working for Dimentio?"
"Um, about that..." Magolor nervously replied as he pulled on his collar, debating whether or not he should leave Dimentio's coalition. The decision was weighing hard on his mind.
"Pardon us, but we have one last place to stop before Magolor's parole ends," Layton said to the baristas after Sonic was done whispering stuff into his ear. "But thank you all for your time and consideration."
"You're welcome," replied Joker, as he allowed Sonic and Layton to leave from behind the counter. That was Vault Boy's cue to return to the counter with his empty cup. "Give me a sec, Vault Boy..."
"See you later," Kirby said to Magolor, as he hoped to visit Magolor at his jail cell one day. He had never done it before since his friendship with Magolor was strained, but now that strain was diminished.
Mario may not have secured Reaper, but he secure a person that was having lunch with Reaper. Which was the next big thing. Mario waited outside at the picnic table for the arrival of Reaper's new friend, as Cloud came over to chat.
"You seem awfully patient," Cloud said to Mario, who was looking straight forward with a smile as he swung his legs underneath the picnic table. Mario turned his head to Cloud in an almost uncanny manner.
"Reaper is gonna bring-a the man who will make-a the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters stop fighting each other," Mario happily explained to Cloud, before turning his head back around as he continued to stare out into space.
"Do you realize how bad of an idea that sounds?" Evidently, Mario didn't as he kept on swinging his legs while awaiting the arrival of Reaper and his friend. "We are so screwed..."
"Everything will work-a out well in the end, I'm sure of it." As Cloud continued to doubt Mario, Reaper emerged from the shadows behind the swordsman.
"Boo," Reaper greeted the swordsman, hoping to spook him...but instead Cloud just stared at the mercenary with a stone-faced look. "You are no fun, Cloud."
"You'd think he change-a his ways after his vacation in Arcadia Bay," remarked Mario, who was greatly concerned for Cloud after Aerith was unable to turn the swordsman into a fun guy. "So where's your friend?"
"He's probably somewhere hiding. He doesn't appreciate your kind...our kind, I mean. You'll see what I mean eventually. Ramattra, come on out!"
A large Omnic wielding a staff emerged as he showed up at the picnic table where Mario was sitting at. The Omnic looked evil and menacing - a total 180 of fellow Omnic Zenyatta.
"Mario, I'd like for you to meet Ramattra," Reaper introduced the plumber to the Omnic, who wasn't in the mood for shaking any hands. Ramattra was looking down at Mario with heavy contempt.
"Hello, Mario - I despise you greatly," Ramattra said to Mario, already off the bat letting Mario know how he really felt about him. Mario didn't see that coming. "Absolutely despise how short you are."
"Uh...appreciate you too, man!" responded Mario, not liking how much Ramattra was intimidating him. He feared that Ramattra could crush his skull with just the grip of his hand.
"He also hates all of humanity," added Reaper, expressing a part of Ramattra that he found to be highly relatable. Ramattra looked around outside, seething when he saw Ness playing with Paula and Poo.
"Humans and their silly games...it all makes me sick." Just seeing Ness tossing a football around with Poo while Paula looked on made Ramattra sick to his stomach. The Omnic almost wanted to puke.
"How did you become friends with him?" Cloud asked Reaper, under the guise that Reaper got a pass for being only partially human. Or maybe perhaps he wasn't even human at all.
"We're not friends," clarified Reaper...although he would be friends with Ramattra due to the fact that he hated other humans. Reaper tended to hate certain humans from time to time.
Reaper: Talon asked that one of us courted Ramattra, and see if he was any interested in joining our group. Sadly, I was the one who got the job. Never again am I losing to Sombra in rock-paper-scissors. Only because I won't be playing that stupid game with her anymore.
"Ramattra? Ramattra? May I have-a your attention?" Mario asked the Omnic, as he got him to look away from Ness and his friends. "How good-a are you at breaking up disputes?"
"Depends on what it is," replied Ramattra, who looked to put his energy-based staff to good use. "A dispute between Omnics is a walk in the park, but a dispute between humans and Omnics..."
"We're talking humans versus humans. You up-a for the task?" Mario had his fingers crossed that Reaper would answer yes, for he was his only hope in restoring peace and order to Onnis Adest.
"I believe that I am capable. This can be my opportune moment to show humans how worthless they are." And what better way to do it, than to settle a beef between a street gang from Shibuya and a bunch of trigger-happy treasure hunters?
"Again, we are so screwed..." Cloud repeated the same words he said before, as he walked away only for something to slip out of his pocket. Reaper saw the object and picked it up.
"You dropped this," Reaper informed Cloud, only to take a gander at the object and saw that it was the wedding ring that Layton gave to Cloud. Cloud turned and saw what Reaper was doing, and got all possessive.
"I'd like it back, thanks." Cloud held his hand out to Reaper, wanting his ring back, but Reaper was unable to look away from the ring that he was holding between his index finger and thumb.
"Getting married soon, Cloud?" Reaper was enraging Cloud when he insinuated marriage, as Cloud frowned and snatched the ring out of Reaper's hand. Reaper laughed, as he had Cloud incensed.
"Humans don't deserve marriage or matrimony," stated Ramattra, throwing in his two cents as Cloud placed the wedding back in his pocket. "They only deserve despair."
"Then you and Sephiroth should go hang out together," Cloud recommended to Ramattra, as he hurried back to the mansion to avoid further questioning. The swordsman didn't even bid farewell, which made him suspicious in Reaper's eyes.
"That Princess Zelda really was onto something..." Reaper quietly remarked as he recalled a certain trip down in Oregon...only to hear someone sobbing. Reaper looked at Mario and saw the plumber shedding tears. "...Mario, why are you crying?"
"It's like seeing one-a of your kids grow up..." Mario replied mid-sobbing, as he wiped away the tears from his eyes with his sleeves. Reaper thought of Mario as a weirdo, although he had thought that enough times already.
"Save your tears for later," Ramattra said to Mario, cracking his knuckles as he looked to settle the conflict between the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters. "Show me where this conflict is taking place."
Zelda was speaking with Shoka and Claptrap at the Omnis Adest entrance gate, desiring to learn when the turf war between the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters started. Shoka told Zelda everything she needed to hear, carrying much of the conversation.
"So yeah, it pretty much started a few weeks ago," Shoka said to Zelda, as she sensed Claptrap sticking out his hand toward her. Shoka instinctively slapped the robot's hand away. "When both groups first set foot here."
"Surely Link must know about this," said Zelda, hoping that her husband hadn't kept her out of the loop. But if Link speaking with Lucario was any indication, the Hylian knew all along.
"I'm sure he knows; he just never thought about telling you." Shoka felt a metallic hand feeling on her lower leg, as he looked down and saw Claptrap getting too close for comfort.
"There was a bug on your leg," Claptrap said to Shoka in an apologetic manner, as he took his hand away. Shoka frowned intensely at Claptrap, despising the robot's very existence.
Link: All of my reinforcements suck. Dark Pit has been doing nothing but hide. The Inklings deemed themselves as nonessential after seeing the Wicked Twisters fight back with their ink weaponry. And so many rockets have been fired, that Guile had his PTSD triggered. Guile was the leader of the reinforcements, dang it!
"Ooh, I have an idea!" exclaimed Claptrap, finally injecting himself into the conversation as he had an idea that Zelda and Shoka would love. "What if we have this gate blown up?"
"And what good would that do?" questioned Shoka, who preferred that Claptrap's idea was a little less destructive. But given where Claptrap came from, destruction was typically on the robot's mind.
"That way, we can blame it on one of the groups! Then one of them will get in big trouble, and they'll be kicked out of this community as punishment!"
"Yeah right; the Wicked Twisters are here to stay." While Shoka wasn't so fond of the idea, Zelda was taking it into heavy consideration as she had a smirk on her face. "Princess Zelda..."
"Know what, this can be our best bet in getting the Vault Hunters removed," replied Zelda, who deemed the Vault Hunters to be a danger to the Omnis Adest residents. She was against adding them in the first place. "Mr. Game and Watch did say that the gate is easily replaceable."
"Fine then, long as my friends don't take the fall," Shoka shrugged, as she allowed Zelda and Claptrap to carry out the plan and leave her out of it.
Fox and Falco were having plentiful discussions with MC Ballyhoo, as their negotiations with the emcee took place at his home. The topic at hand concerned Star Records, and the long-term potential of the record label.
"So basically, Star Records is in dire straits," Fox recapped the situation to Ballyhoo, sharing with the emcee news that he couldn't share with anyone affiliated with Star Records outside of Itsuki and Ayaha. "Our company is in the red."
"It's mainly Ashley's fault," added Falco, putting all the blame squarely on Ashley's shoulders as Fox looked at his main man in disbelief. "Keeping her under contract is giving us bad mojo."
"Must you always blame Ashley for all our problems?" Whenever anything went down at Star Records, Falco always made sure that Ashley was the prime suspect no matter what.
"Yes, yes I do." Falco would forever die on his hill, and Fox would ignore the avian pilot as he got back on track with the conversation.
"Wowza! Ashley the witch is under contract?" asked Ballyhoo, learning for the first time that Ashley was a Star Records talent. "Never knew that she was a talented singer!"
"For clarification, she's a non-singing talent," corrected Fox; he'd only sign Ashley to a singing contract if she were to drink a potion that would make her sing. Or if he wanted to make her life miserable. "She's a co-host of a web show called Microwave Idol Mamorin."
"The two other co-hosts have to carry the show 'cause Ashley's..." Falco was about to say, only to stop speaking when Fox gave him a look. "...I'll stop with the necessary shade."
"Unnecessary shade, you mean. But yeah, Star Records is in the red, and we were wondering if you could help us get it back in the green."
"Of all the people you could've come to, and you asked me," remarked Ballyhoo, humbled that Fox and Falco asked him to get Star Records out of their financial rut. "But why me?"
"In all fairness, this is YOUR company. Falco and I...we were just stewards of it." Hearing that Star Records was his company made Ballyhoo feel happy inside - like a part of his legacy had lived on while he was in Subspace.
"Good golly, you're gonna make me cry!" Ballyhoo felt a tear welling up in his eye, but he sucked it back in as he appeared enthusiastic. "Very well then boys - I can show ya what I can do!"
"Cool beans! We'll try and stay out of your way if we have to. But if you ever need anything, you got us." Fox pounded his chest with his fist, giving Ballyhoo his full assurance.
"And Itsuki," added Falco, making sure that the other member of the Star Records figurehead wasn't left out of the equation. "You can trust everyone except for Ashley."
Fox: Wouldn't mind ceding control of Star Records to MC Ballyhoo. I'd like to think that Ballyhoo learned a valuable lesson after he returned from Subspace. *pauses* What even was that lesson?
Before Magolor could be brought back to his jail cell, he had to make one final stop with Sonic and Layton. That place? Master Hand's room, which Magolor dreaded visiting from the jump.
"Tell them that I want my sub with all the works," Master Hand said to Isabelle, who was on the phone in Master Hand's room while Sonic and Layton were peeking in through the doorway. "Including the bacon."
"But the bacon is an extra charge," stated Isabelle, as Master Hand held up his hand ready to backhand Isabelle into the next dimension. Isabelle shuddered as she held her phone closer to her ear. "Yes, I'll have one Italian sub, with all the works, including the bacon...yes I'll take the five-dollar charge."
"Five-dollar charge for bacon?!" Sonic furrowed his brow, as Isabelle nervously took out her debit card while she remained fearful of Master Hand. "I'm never going to that sub shop again."
"They also charge you a dollar for dijon mustard," said Layton, recounting his last sub shop visit, as Sonic looked at the detective in disbelief. A dollar for just some mustard?!
"No wonder they kept that mustard off the shelves! Those dirty crooks." Sonic would later turn his attention to Magolor, who had his back turned to the blue hedgehog and Layton. "You good, Magolor?"
"I can't do it..." Magolor said to Sonic and Layton, expressing some last-minute second doubts as he shook his head while looking down at the floor. "...I just can't bring myself to do it."
"Only because you haven't done it yet," Layton encouraged Magolor as he walked over to the alien and knelt down, placing a reassuring hand on his back. Magolor looked up at Layton. "Won't know what you're capable of if you don't try."
"Okay then...I'll give it my best shot." Putting on his game face, Magolor braced himself with confidence as he went to Master Hand's bedroom door. Layton knocked on the door multiple times.
"Hello, Master Hand! One of your favorite former residents is here," Layton called out to Master Hand, before looking at Sonic and Magolor and giving them both a wink. Layton was well aware of his reputation.
Layton: I already know that I am one of Master Hand's supposed favorites. How do I know? I'm one of the only few individuals to have ever received a gift from Master Hand on Valentine's Day. Very amusing, given the timing.
"Cilan? Is that you? Come on in!" shouted Master Hand, somehow mistaking Layton's voice for Cilan's; regardless, Layton entered the room along with Sonic and Magolor.
"No, not Cilan...it is I, Professor Layton," corrected Layton, as Master Hand's excitement remained at a high. Master Hand was always happy to see Layton or Luke (but mainly Layton) in his presence.
"Professor Layton! It's so good to see you and Sonic getting along." Master Hand could tell that someone was hiding behind Layton, as the small figure was easy to make out. "Is that Luke hiding behind you?"
"Not quite...show yourself, Magolor." So Magolor came from behind Layton and revealed himself to Master Hand, who gasped at the mere sight of the alien.
"Order has been placed!" Isabelle informed Master Hand after she was done with the phone call, as she put her device and debit card away. And just like Master Hand, she gasped upon seeing Magolor.
"Before anyone says anything, the buddy cops placed Magolor on parole," explained Sonic, as he did his best to temper the mood in the bedroom. But his best efforts weren't enough.
"But I never authorized it," stated Master Hand, who was sure to punish Toon Link and Young Link for letting a prisoner out without his permission. "How dare those buddy cops defy me!"
"Anything you'd like to say, Magolor?" Layton asked the alien, giving him the floor to get anything off his chest to Master Hand. Bravely approaching Master Hand, Magolor cleared his throat as he had something he wanted to say...
"I think..." Magolor hesitated for a moment, as he turned his head away, before putting his big boy pants on and getting things off his chest. "...I think that I'm over Dimentio."
"You what?" Master Hand was astonished by Magolor's confession, and so were Sonic and Layton who didn't expect Magolor to be that honest.
"My, erm...parole with Sonic and Professor Layton, made me realize something. I didn't feel appreciated enough. And Sonic...he made me feel appreciated."
"Good job, Sonic," Layton smiled at the blue hedgehog, nudging him in his back for a job well done. Had to be extra careful with those spikes, though.
"Is this true, Sonic?" Master Hand asked the blue hedgehog, and he didn't even wait around for an answer because he was so focused on Magolor. "Do you really that way, Magolor?"
"Dimentio never made me feel valued...I don't think any of the other guys did as well. But Sonic here...he missed out on breakfast just to spend time with me! Me! That made me feel special."
"Only did it just to be nice," Sonic muttered under his breath, but even he had to acknowledge that what he did was very considerate.
"For what it's worth, Dimentio never came by to break you out or anything," stated Isabelle, who figured that Dimentio or any of his goons would've freed Dimentio. The silence from them was deafening.
"All I ask is that you let me go, Master Hand, and let me go peacefully. So what will it be?" Magolor gave the option to Master Hand, wanting the giant hand to do whatever he felt was just.
"Well..." replied Master Hand as he mulled over his decision, while Magolor patiently waited. "...tell you what. How about I keep you locked in that cell for another week, and we'll see if Dimentio or his cronies will bother to see you?"
"Guess that'll work for me. I can go for another week if you want me to." So here came the big test - would Dimentio break Magolor out of his cell before the end of next week? Only time would tell.
"Good! Professor Layton, Sonic, take Magolor away. And tell those buddy cops not to grant prisoners parole without my permission!"
"On it!" exclaimed Sonic, as he and Layton led Magolor out of the bedroom. Magolor let out a sigh of relief as he left, grateful that he was given somewhat of a second chance.
"I'm surprised, Master Hand; I imagined that you would've said no outright," Isabelle said to Master Hand, as she saw some good in Magolor. She was a little optimistic about the alien.
"We'll see how genuine Magolor is come next week," replied Master Hand, only to feel a weird sensation run through his body when he detected trouble afoot. "I sense danger at Omnis Adest..."
He wasn't Reaper by any stretch of the imagination, but Ramattra had what it took to bring peace to Omnis Adest. Mario brought the Omnic to Omnis Adest hoping that he could get the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters to stop fighting each other.
"Humans are always constantly fighting with each other," Ramattra said to Mario as he stood with the plumber outside the gate, his disdain for humanity dripping with every word. "Perhaps I can show these feuding sides the error of their ways."
"That's the spirit," exclaimed Mario, as he walked up to the entrance gate. "Now let's get in-a here and..." Mario was pulling on the gate yet for some reason, it wouldn't open. "...what gives? It worked last-a time."
"Just blast this gate down, but DON'T do it until I'm out of the way! Understand?" Claptrap was heard speaking from behind the gate, as he was giving out instructions to someone. "If you shot the gate now, that could cause SERIOUS damage to me. So don't do that!"
"Who is that robot speaking to?" Ramattra asked Mario, who shrugged in response as he was just as curious as the Omnic was.
"I'm just standing here to show you the area you should shoot AFTER I move away, which I will, once I am totally convinced you understand the instructions I am relaying to you! Do you understand? I know it's kinda complicated, but just stick with me! When it's okay for you to shoot this gate with the cannon, I'll say something like, 'SHOOT THE GATE WITH THE CANNON, NOW!'"
"A Void Accelerator sounds better..." Ramattra was about to blast the gate down with his staff, but Mario made him hold his fire.
"...b-but that was just a test, alright? You didn't shoot the gate when I said that, which is good. 'SHOOT THE GATE WITH THE CANNON, NOW!' Also another test! You're doing me proud, man...actually, I'm getting bored. Just shoot the gate now for realsies."
"No, Ramattra, wait!" Mario shouted at the Omnic, who was about to shoot at the gate for realsies. Ramattra fired a blast of energy at the gate, breaking it down and revealing Claptrap...who was alone by himself.
"Hey, what gives?!" questioned Claptrap, fortunate that the blast didn't damage him or outright killed him. "I was practicing giving out orders, and you almost killed me."
"Giving out orders to who?" questioned Ramattra as he towered over Ramattra, sending fear down the robot's spine. A raucous crowd was heard nearby, capturing everyone's attention.
"Uh oh, that must be them!" Claptrap wheeled his way over to the crowd, as Mario and Ramattra followed him. Several Omnis Adest residents had gathered around, and Mario and company pushed through the crowd as they saw the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters in the center.
"This is the end of the line, factoring hectopascals!" Sho shouted at the Vault Hunters, pointing his thumb at himself. "This is OUR turf!"
"Nuh-uh, this is our turf 'cause we're family!" countered Brick, about to wrap his arm around Mordecai only for Mordecai to reject his advance. "Don't make us get all Vin Diesel on your behinds!"
"You've only known about Vin Diesel's existence for like a week," Lilith stated to Brick, as she was the calmest and most level-headed person involved in the turf war. Nagi was in the same boat.
"'Tis the wrong occasion for using movie references," remarked Nagi as she adjusted her glasses, while the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters continued their verbal spar. Ramattra watched the ongoing back-and-forth, and couldn't take it anymore.
"Bickering humans...it's no wonder humans can't get along arguing like this," the Omnic said as he summoned an energy orb, one that was full of power. Mario saw the orb from the corner of his eye, looking afraid.
"Be careful with-a that thing..." Mario advised Ramattra as if the Omnic had no clue what he was doing. Ramattra snorted in response as he placed the energy orb on the ground, in-between the Wicked Twisters and Vault Hunters.
"Just know that none of you are EVER invited to my tea party," Tina said to the Wicked Twisters, only to furrow her brow when she felt something engulf her. "What is that...?"
"We're caught in a vortex!" shouted Fret, as the crowd backed away from the vortex for good measure. Fret shot at the vortex with his Splatling, but it was absolutely no use as he only got paint on a few folks. "Somebody help!"
"Pitiful humans, look at them scream..." said Ramattra, thoroughly pleased with the result; his vortex had the feuding parties seemingly trapped, and it made the Omnis Adest residents go crazy.
"All I wanted-a was for the fighting to stop," stated Mario, as he looked around and saw the residents acting crazy because of the vortex Ramattra summoned. "But everything else-a is..."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS GATE?!" a very loud voice boomed dangerously close by, and it was obviously Master Hand from the sound of it. "That darn gate cost me a fortune!"
The vortex that Ramattra summoned had subsided, as Master Hand floated over to the scene. Master Hand was obviously not in a happy mood, based on what he saw.
"Alright, who did it?" Master Hand questioned those outside, ready to accuse the first person who dared to escape as guilty. "Who destroyed the gate?"
"It was them, Master Hand," answered a certain princess, as Zelda conveniently showed up right on time and pointed at the Vault Hunters. "They were the ones who did it."
"She's lying," stated Lilith, but that didn't stop Master Hand from confronting the Vault Hunters.
"I simply can't believe you," Master Hand shared his disappointment with the Vault Hunters, "You literally worked together to put an end to white supremacy. And then you do this? Destroying public property?"
"They did more harm than just the gate," said Zelda, as Master Hand took a look around and saw that some buildings had slight damage. Most of which was Tina's doing. "Does this mean you'll kick the Vault Hunters out of Omnis Adest?"
"What a silly question! No, I'm not kicking them out, this is their first warning. Vault Hunters, I command that you clean up this mess that you've made!"
"But they also contributed to it," Mordecai told Master Hand as he pointed at the Wicked Twisters, who were standing innocently off to the side. Master Hand growled intensely, and it made Mordecai sigh. "We'll get started soon..."
Zelda: Had to lie again...and to add insult to injury, the Vault Hunters are here to stay. For now.
"Better get started now - chop, chop!" shouted Master Hand, as the bitter Vault Hunters walked off to find some cleaning supplies. Master Hand was about to leave, only to be spot Ramattra. "Ooh, who's this, Mario?"
"An Onmic named-a Ramattra," Mario introduced Ramattra to Master Hand, who was prepared to make Ramattra an Omnis Adest resident. "He doesn't care-a for humans that much." In an instant, Master Hand's enthusiasm dwindled down to zero.
"Doesn't care for humans? Suppose that townhouse will go to someone else..." Master Hand floated away from Ramattra, as Claptrap wheeled his way over to the Wicked Twisters.
"Woo hoo, the turf war is now over!" cheered Claptrap as he wheeled around the Wicked Twisters in a circle, holding his hand up high. "High five party! High fives all around!"
"Get away from us," Rindo commanded Claptrap, who did as he was told as he left the Wicked Twisters alone. Shoka soon joined the Twisters, as Rindo's mood was lightened.
"That annoying robot had the blueprint for ending the war," Shoka explained to the Wicked Twisters, as she saw the expected shocked faces from her pals. "Having the gate destroyed was his idea."
"Then he's not as useless as he seems. Makes me sort of glad that he came when he did. Wonder what brought him back..."
Magolor had said his piece to Master Hand, and now Sonic and Layton had to bring the alien back to his jail cell at the police station. The buddy cops were at the police station, having noticed that Magolor was missing.
"Must have used an invisible cloak, like the one on Harry Potter," theorized Toon Link, as he and Young Link were coming up with theories for how Magolor escaped from his cell. "That inherently means he's a bad person if you catch my drift."
"Only by Twitter standards, perhaps," responded Young Link, as Sonic and Layton brought Magolor to the police station. Sonic gave a nod to Layton, as he decided to take charge.
"Looking for someone?" Sonic called out to the buddy cops, standing next to Magolor as he pointed at the alien. The buddy cops took sight of Magolor, as Toon Link opened the prison door.
"Get inside, worthless vermin!" Toon Link shouted at Magolor, as Young Link aggressively pushed the alien inside the jail cell. Toon Link closed the cell door before dusting off his hands.
"Thank you for catching the escapee," Young Link thanked Sonic, before handing the blue hedgehog a lollipop as a token of thanks. The lollipop wasn't blue, so Sonic didn't care for it that much.
"It was no problem," responded Sonic, watching as the buddy cops left the police station to resume their mansion patrol duty. Once the coast was clear, Sonic ran over to Magolor. "Free lollipop?"
"Of course!" Magolor replied quietly as he took the lollipop from Sonic. It was only his third freebie from Sonic for the day. "Thanks for hanging out with me today - I sure appreciated it."
"Hope to do it again, man. Take care." Sonic gave a wave to Magolor, as he joined Layton outside the police station. "So how was that for doing the right thing, professor?"
"I'd say you did well, Sonic," replied Layton as he and Sonic walked down the hallway together, with Layton keeping his hands in his pockets. "You did well..."
While the Wicked Twisters got off scot-free, the Vault Hunters were stuck cleaning up the mess they left behind. Xemnas watched the Vault Hunters clean from a distance, at a spot where he couldn't be seen.
"I love dangerous women," Sylvain flirted with Lilth as he was shooting his shot, showing how much of an open book he was. "I especially like a woman who can wield a gun and..."
"I can use my gun for deadly purposes if you want me to," Lilith threatened Sylvain, who chose to live another day as he ran off. Xemnas watched Sylvain run away, as Rufus Shinra later joined him.
"The final decision from Dimentio has been set in stone," Rufus explained to Xemnas, watching as Brick, Mordecai, and Tina were fighting over a broom to sweep a patio with. "Shall we give it another week?"
"Another week we shall give," replied Xemnas, summoning a dark corridor as he was about to make his leave. "Well see how our also-ran handles himself in adversity..."
Xemnas and his vocabulary words...what even was an also-ran?
