Author's Note:

This is one of the more "experimental" chapters I've done...as roughly eighty percent of it was done with AI! What I did was, I typed in a prompt for a scene idea, and I let ChatGPT work its magic. Obviously, I had to add a few talking head segments and cut some stuff out, but much of what you're about to read was powered by AI. Does this mean I'm selling out? You decide. After that two-part whopper, I wanted to lessen the workload. Not that many reviews to answer, much to my surprise...

"Well, we got the matchup for the NBA finals. Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat. No Lakers-Celtics this year, Adam Silver must be very mad. Any chance for more basketball crossover after this two-parter?"

An NBA Finals with no LeBron OR Steph? Time to make an NBA Finals reference in the next chapter. Next is Cloudenstein:

"Using time travel to explain those hooded figures' appearances in 2019...Smart. Still didn't explain that phone call Rufus had with Cloud in 2020, tho."

Oh, snap! I did mention a while back that I would address that phone call. Rufus will be appearing often in the chapters coming up, so I'll have time to address it then. You also mentioned in a second review about Eggman finding Sage; that will happen eventually. A JRPG enjoyer has a question about Tears of the Kingdom:

"After seeing some TOTK scenes, I got a question. What's your opinion on the way TOTK kinda messed with the Zelda timeline? I can not share my own opinion, because I don't know where they're going with this."

As someone who hasn't played Tears of the Kingdom...yet (give me some time, dang it!), I'm not informed enough to answer this question. Should I look up the spoilers online? No, I shouldn't...didn't do that for Breath of the Wild. David has questions - here's the first batch:

"Is Viridi gonna go full Punisher on the Organization for abducting Pit? Will past characters show up to assist in the next chapter? Are Dribble and Spitz working at Crazy Taxi? If any Majora's Mask characters show up, can Young Link help Lulu finally get closure? (Many fans were not happy how her story arc ended). Has E-123 Omega shown up in any chapters? And finally, what did you like or dislike about Night of Champions? (Bianca Belair's title reign is over, The Bloodline is falling apart, and many are saying Lesnar buried Cody again)."

Only if she sees them. If you consider alternate Tawna Bandicoot a past character, then yes. Dribble and Spitz are working at Crazy Taxi (or are they?). Young Link can help Lulu get closure if she ever shows up. Omega E-123 hasn't appeared yet. And I liked everything about Night of Champions (even including that squash match of Rhea Ripley vs Natalya). WWE has been on a tear this year with their PLEs. Here comes the second batch:

"Is Pit gonna don the 3 Sacred Treasures next time there's an invasion? Should Viridi get firearms training from the Resident Evil crew? Has Purah from Breath of the Wild shown up yet? Does Toon Link keep in touch with the other Wind Waker characters once in a while? How often do the Yiga Clan steal from Kong's Banana Hoard? And finally, do you think Solo Sikoa will turn on The Bloodline soon? (Many are sick and tired of Roman Reigns being a lazy champion for 1000 days. Worse than Lesnar. Also Sikoa used to talk more back in NXT)."

Three Sacred Treasures would be a nice surprise. Viridi should NEVER get firearms training from anyone. Purah appeared in the "Hyrule" chapter(s). Toon Link does keep in touch with the other Wind Waker characters, albeit off-screen. The Yiga Clan steals from the Kong's Banana Hoard at least once per day. And I can see Solo turning on the Bloodline, and become established as his own man. He could even follow in his dad's footsteps, and adopt a dancing gimmick...I kid, I kid. Last is The Reader:

"Late news, but I just found out that Konami is making a remake of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater. Viridi can finally fulfill her promise for Pit..."

The promise Viridi made in episode 21...I haven't forgotten!


Episode 390: All-StarStudded

Two weeks have passed since Dimentio coordinated an attack on Omins Adest, with the Broodals spearheading the Heartless army. Dimentio hoped that the Heartless and Nobodies would've brought the community to ruins, but the tenants fought back much to his chagrin. There were a few exceptions though (looking at you, Harvey).

But that wasn't to say that two weeks ago was an utter failure for Dimentio. The jester had a few dubs under his belt - for instance, Master Xehanort and five of his Organization XIII goons got away with wrecking the mansion's teleportation device and E. Gadd's time machine, respectively. Zant and Astor likely could've gotten away with wrecking Dr. Wily's universal transport machine, but Champion Link stopped them in the nick of time.

Speaking of Master Xehanort, the leader of Organization XIII returned to Seattle after six long years along with a certain evil jackal that used to work for Dr. Eggman...Infinite. If you might recall, Infinite was one of the key forces behind Mario and Peach's wedding day disaster. And now, he was working alongside Dimentio in his evil plot against the mansion.

Infinite made his re-introduction at Overwatch's watchpoint, where he led the Overwatch operatives astray with the illusionary clones that he created. Now he was back in Seattle, wanting to make his grand return to the mansion. Only this time, however, he'll be on Dimentio's side rather than Eggman's.

"Messing with those Overwatch peons was a nice little treat," Infinite discussed with Dimentio and Rufus, as the three villains were having a small private chat somewhere in the city. "But I want more...I want the Smash Mansion!"

"Glad you mentioned that - because we want you to pay the mansion folks a visit," Rufus offered this bit of good news to Infinite, who was more than delighted as he let out an evil cackle.

"All the more play-things to have at my disposal..." Infinite cackled underneath his mask, as he looked forward to scoping out some potential prey.

"Now if you excuse me, I must check on Gnasty Gnorc," said Dimentio, as he had only a few tasks to take care of on the side. "I've entrusted him with taming the Paradox Pokemon that he helped capture."

"Wouldn't surprise me if a Roaring Moon ate him," Rufus jokingly remarked, as Dimentio laughed knowing how that would be the case. Dimentio teleported away, as Rufus and Infinite were left alone.

"We'll meet up again once my work is done," Infinite said to Rufus, as he also made his exit by fading away. If only Rufus could leave like that.

Rufus: According to Dimentio, his revenge tour against the mansion has technically started. He planted the seeds some time ago, and now it's just a matter of waiting for these seeds to bud and blossom. When he first mentioned the world tour, I was thinking that he was going to strike all the major cities around the world. Since that's what a revenge tour sounds like to me, personally.

Rufus wouldn't be alone for long, as a certain goddess of calamity crept up to the Shinra VP with a smile. Pandora snuck up on Rufus, standing behind him with her chin close to his shoulder.

"Hi, Rufus!" greeted Pandora as she spooked Rufus in the process, causing him to scream and turn around in fright. Pandora smiled at Rufus as she wiggled her fingers at the VP.

"Please don't scare me like that, you gave me a heart attack..." Rufus pleaded to Pandora as he clutched his chest, taking a moment to catch his breath. "...what is it that you want, Pandora?"

"Well, that came off as rude. Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me something to do." Pandora put her hands together and stretched out her arms behind her back, as she waited for Rufus to give her a task.

"Want something to do, eh?" Forced to satisfy Pandora's demands, Rufus tapped his chin in thought as he soon thought of the perfect mission to give Pandora. "Do you know if Giovanni is in town?"

"He certainly wasn't at the hideout. I bet he's at his Team Rocket headquarters selling Pokemon over on the black market!"

"I want you to see if he's in town or not. If he is, I need you to keep a close eye on him...he's been rubbing me the wrong way the past few weeks."

"Maybe you should try asking him to rub you the right way." Pandora's humorous suggestion failed to delight Rufus, who simply responded with a blank stare. "Just kidding!"


Pit was kidnapped by Giovanni and Sho Minazuki, as he was planned to be used by Rufus as ransom. But fortunately for the angel, he was later rescued by an unlikely ally in an alternate universe Tawna Bandicoot. Tawna, who was able to track down Rufus by following the Turks, kicked the villains' butts and saved Pit from their clutches. She even treated Pit to some lunch afterward for all his troubles.

Once he got back to the mansion safe and sound, Pit told the others how Tawna saved his butt. Word about Tawna's heroic deed soon reached Link and Zelda's ears, and the Hylian couple was interested in meeting with Tawna to see what she knew about Dimentio's coalition. The meeting took place in Master Hand's room.

"So there I was, hanging off of the building with just one hand," Tawna said to Master Hand, Link, and Zelda, alluring them with her story-telling skills as she had the three hanging on to every word that came out of her mouth. "I was literally hanging between life and death."

"Oh my, how frightening!" marveled Master Hand, who would've peed his pants if he found himself in a similar situation. A good thing he didn't wear pants. "But what does this story have to do with Dimentio?"

"Oh, right, Dimentio! That one's on me." Tawna laughed off her mistake, going back to square one as she was about to tell Master Hand and the Hylians a more appropriate story. "Wait, so who is this Dimentio again?"

"The evil jester clown," Link reminded Tawna, hoping that the bandicoot knew who Dimentio was, but the confused look on Tawna's face was suggesting anything but. "You've never seen him before?"

"I've seen Rufus, the Turks, and Giovanni. Does that count?" Obviously not, as Tawna was proving to be no help at all. Master Hand and company thought for sure that Tawna would've given them a breakthrough.

"That Pit, he must've misled us..." Master Hand quietly spoke with Link and Zelda, as he previously had high hopes for Tawna. Isabelle entered Master Hand's room, stopping by to deliver an important message.

"Master Hand! The guys and gals from the All-Star Manor have arrived in Seattle," Isabelle informed the giant hand - sounds like the mansion was in for a major visit from some former enemies.

Isabelle: Master Hand has called for a meeting with Polygon Man and the All-Star Manor, to discuss a plan for how we can work together to stop Dimentio. We could all just teleport to the manor, but the teleportation device's still down - Mega Man and his friends are working tirelessly to repair it. And come to think of it, it wouldn't work logistics-wise. Almost makes me wonder how we were able to get to Vancouver for Canaday Day so seamlessly.

"Must mean that Nathan Drake's in town," inferred Tawna as she flexed her fingers; she was looking forward to speaking with Nathan again after her previous encounter with the treasure hunter.

"Superb! Do you know what time they will get here?" Master Hand asked Isabelle, who checked the text notification on her phone. A text message was sent to her from Polygon Man, bizarrely enough.

"Polygon Man says they'll be here in less in no less than ten minutes," replied Isabelle, prompting Master Hand to move as he was needlessly cleaning up around his bedroom. "They're not going to see your room, Master Hand."

"That's what you think. Zelda, quickly, hide my handbag! Don't want Polygon Man getting the wrong ideas." Master Hand tidied up the bedsheets on his bed, while Zelda saw the handbag in question lying on the floor.

"I will never know why you even needed one," responded Zelda as she picked up the handbag and placed it in Master Hand's closet. Alarmed by Master Hand's behavior, Tawna looked toward Link, who shrugged.


Link: Cut Day was...surprisingly more successful than we imagined! We figured that it was because of Mario and Champion Link, but I guess Master Hand also deserves some credit. *snorts*
Zelda: Very funny, Link. But all jokes aside, we did trim a lot of fat. Many of the troublemakers and useless folks were gone. Jin and Ragna both left, and it took a little bit of convincing to finally get the Vault Hunters to move out. The same went for Harvey; we'll make sure to keep his "ninja sword" as a memento. Some folks, like Hop, proved their worth in the fight against the Heartless and were free to stay.
Link: And there were some folks who decided to leave on their own accord. Max and Chloe decided to move in with their parents...I mean, Max's parents. The Diaz brothers are looking for a new home to stay at in Seattle. And then there's Fox and Falco's buddy...

One individual that decided to leave Omnis Adest was MC Ballyhoo, who planned on leaving the community today. After that conversation he had with Dimentio two episodes ago, Ballyhoo wanted to do what was best for him and leave so that he wouldn't be in Dimentio's crosshairs. News about his departure was relayed to Fox and Falco, who wished to see Ballyhoo off.

"You can't leave us just yet," Fox stressed to Ballyoo; the pilot mentioned in a past talking head segment that he wanted Ballyhoo to stick around for just a bit longer.

"Yeah, who else will console Touma?" asked Falco, who had come from Touma's pity party which primarily took place at the idol singers' house. "The man is contemplating canceling his show."

"That is your priority, not mine," replied Ballyhoo as he was holding his briefcases in his hands, already raring to go and leave Omnis Adest. Preferably before Dimentio could make a surprise appearance. "Hopefully, Touma will follow my advice."

"I'll give you my credit card if you stay," Fox enticed Ballyhoo as he took out his wallet, taking out a credit card and handing it over to Ballyhoo. "It's actually my wife's credit card, but I can always get her another one."

"No thanks, Fox...I've made up my mind." Ballyhoo turned down the credit card, as Fox heaved a defeated sigh and placed the credit card back in his wallet. "You know how the old saying goes - if you love something, set it free!"

"That quote only works in movies..." grumbled Falco as he folded his arms; soon as Fox put his wallet back in his pocket, he heard his phone ring.

"Hello, Fox McCloud!" Fox promptly answered his phone, with a slight hope that the person calling him was Master Hand. If neither Fox nor Falco could force Ballyhoo to stay, then Master Hand perhaps could. (Fat chance.)

"Hi, Fox! You and Falco out-a and about?" Mario asked over the phone, as a small part of Fox wanted to answer no. "The All-Star peeps-a are on their way to the mansion."

"For real? This early?" Fox found that to be objectively bad news, for his and Falco's time with Ballyhoo would be tragically cut short. "We don't really have to be there, do we?"

"Of course, you have-a to be there! Just...just show up so that Master Hand won't freak-a out. Do it for me." Left with no other choice, Fox made a pained facial expression as he looked at Falco, who understood right away.

"Okay, we'll be there. Peace." Feeling defeated, Fox put his phone back in his pocket after his call with Mario ended. The pilot looked at Ballyhoo, too reluctant to bid the emcee farewell.

"Sorry to say, but I must bid you adieu," Ballyhoo said to Fox and Falco, knowing how hard it was even for himself to say goodbye. "I've imparted as much of my knowledge, and now you must put it into practice!"

"Wish that you could be there," Falco said to Ballyhoo, as he showed his appreciation to the emcee. Fox would follow suit, as Ballyhoo's hat companion Big Top was left out of the love.

"Really gonna miss you guys!" Big Top exclaimed to Fox and Falco, who were startled by the talking hat. Almost forgot that he was on Ballyhoo's head.

"Same here, Big Toops - looks like this is the end of an era," responded Fox, saying goodbye to Big Top after knowing the talking hat for over seven years. "Take good care of Ballyhoo for us."

"Believe me, I'll be the one taking good care of him," Ballyhoo clarified to Fox and Falco, as he shared a laugh with the pilots. Big Top joined in, for whatever reason. Meanwhile, watching from afar was Dimentio, who vanished away with a smile.


The welcoming committee for the All-Stars was out in full force, as the group of Mario, Cloud, and...well, just Mario and Cloud, was outside standing in the mansion's front yard. Mario kept his eyes peeled for a bus of some kind, while Cloud was noodling around on his phone.

"What kind of bus do you think-a the All-Stars are riding in?" Mario asked Cloud, who could care less while he was mindlessly surfing the Web and scrolling through countless news headlines. "Bet they're in a charter bus."

"Doesn't really matter," Cloud responded as he was keeping it real, growing bored already as he let out a yawn. The swordsman and Mario were later joined by Link and Zelda.

"Sorry we were late, we had to clean up Master Hand's room," Zelda apologized to Mario and Cloud, who could only imagine the trouble that Link and Zelda both had to endure. "Thought that it was a 'pigsty.'"

"Not like anyone's gonna see his room except for Polygon Man." Now that Link and Zelda were present, Cloud no longer felt the need to scroll on his phone as he put his device away. "He's just paranoid."

"Who are you calling paranoid?" questioned an insulted Master Hand, as he suddenly appeared outside and got all up in Cloud's grill. Cloud, slightly valuing his well-being, kept his distance.

"Just calling it how I see it. You can go back inside now." But Master Hand wasn't going back inside, as the giant hand remained in the front yard.

"Go back inside and miss out on greeting the All-Stars? As if..." Seconds later, a charter bus was pulling into the curb, as Master Hand and the others started to perk up. Well, save for Cloud, who had the same facial expression as before.

"It was a charter bus, I knew it!" shouted a vindicated Mario as he pumped his fist, while Link and Zelda gave him judging looks. Mario saw how the Hylian couple was looking at him, and tempered his emotions.

The door to the charter bus opened, and the bus rider was revealed to be PaRappa the Rapper's former driving instructor, Mooselini. The All-Stars, which included the likes of Nathan Drake, Kratos, Ratchet, and Sly Cooper all filed out of the bus.

"You told us that the whole manor was coming today," Link said to Master Hand, as he expected to see a bunch of non-All-Star folks exit the bus. Namely folks such as Nathan's wife, Elena Fisher, or PaRappa's friends.

"The lecture hall can't handle an overflow, right?" asked Master Hand, fearing that it might get too cramped in the lecture hall when the meeting took place. "Also, there wouldn't be enough room on that bus..."

Link: The audacity of Master Hand to even...we've had literal Christmas concerts, with the lecture hall packed to the gills. The meeting today won't even be a cinch.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" Mario greeted the All-Stars and friends, as he formally welcomed them to the Smash Mansion. The first person to approach Mario, for better and for worse, was Kratos.

"Good afternoon, Mario," Kratos cordially greeted the plumber, coming off as uncharacteristically friendly...only to lean in close to Mario and scream in his face, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"...some-a things never change." Mario wiped the saliva off of his face, as Kratos grunted and moved right along. Mario was later greeted by Nathan after wiping off all of Kratos's saliva.

"Hi, Mario - congratulations on being at the top of Kratos's hit list," Nathan congratulated Mario, who couldn't tell if Nathan was being serious or not. That's when Nathan pulled out a list. "Here ya go."

"What the..." Mario accepted the list from Nathan, and his eyes went big when he saw a certain name at the very top. "...Mama Mia! I really am at the top-a of the list! What's Jigglypuff's name doing underneath mine...?"

"After you, Kratos picked the rest of the names at random," explained Sly Cooper, as Mario skimmed through the list until he reached the bottom. According to the list, K.K. Slider was the person Kratos was least committed to killing.

"Forget Kratos's hit list, where's Polygon Man?" questioned Master Hand as he looked around for any sign of Polygon Man. He wouldn't have to wait any longer, for Polygon Man hovered over to him with a smile.

"Master Hand, how do you do!" Polygon Man greeted the giant hand, as it was shocking for Mario and company to see the manor's head honcho on friendly terms with Master Hand.

"Polygon Man! Put 'er in there!" Master Hand balled up his fist for a fist bump, and since Polygon Man didn't have any hands, he simply headbutted Master Hand's fist instead.

"Ow! My forehead!" Polygon Man winced in pain, only to later shake off the pain as he and Master Hand shared a laugh together. Mario, Link, Zelda, Cloud, and several of the All-Stars looked on in amazement.

"Never thought I'd see the day that those two would be...friends," remarked Cloud, as Master Hand and Polygon Man spent the next moment or two doing some catching up. "Maybe Master Hand does have a genuine friend, after all."

"They both seem like they're cut from the same cloth, so I'm not surprised," said Zelda, who was happy to see Master Hand on good terms with Polygon Man after the grudge he held towards the dude.

"I'm getting tired of standing around outside," stated Polygon Man, who hadn't even been outside for less than a minute. And he wasn't even standing, for crying out loud! "Where are the smoking hot babes at?"

"Hold your horses, Polygon Man; we'll get to the smoking hot babes soon," replied Master Hand, having no idea what smoking hot babes Polygon Man was referring to. Unless he meant Bayonetta. "Mario, mind leading everyone inside?"

"Sure," replied Mario, him and the welcoming committee leading the way to the mansion porch. "One-a at a time, everyone - no crowd-a surge!" As Mario led everyone up the porch steps, Infinite was watching from above unseen...well, unseen to anyone but the documentary crew, at least.


So Mario and company led the manor residents inside the mansion, and it was awfully cramped in the foyer - with some folks feeling claustrophobic. It was up to Master Hand to disperse the crowd.

"Meeting won't start till later, so you all can unwind until then," Master Hand informed the manor residents, as a whole lot of them left the foyer and ventured out into the mansion. "Polygon Man, you're coming with me."

"Hope those smoking hot babes are in your room!" Polygon Man smiled with glee as he followed after Master Hand, his expectations heightening by the second. Once the large crowd was gone, the only All-Stars remaining were Kratos, Ratchet, and Clank.

"Look, Ratchet, it's Samus Aran," Clank said to the Lombax as he pointed at Samus, whom Ratchet saw walking down the hallway. Ratchet took a big interest in speaking with Samus.

"Let's go see what she's up to," responded Ratchet as he went down the hallway, hoping to catch Samus in time before she arrived at her destination. Whether Samus would speak to Ratchet or not obviously remained to be seen.

"The All-Stars are here! This is so amazing!" squealed Slippy as he and Dante came into the foyer, having passed by several manor residents. Kratos saw the frog geeking out and already wanted to kill him.

"You will meet your end soon, you totally worthelss toad!" Kratos vowed to Slippy, who actually was a frog; Slippy would correct Kratos if he wasn't in such a happy mood.

"Kratos wants me dead! I feel so honored..." Slippy was left in awe of Kratos, who began to wonder what on earth was wrong with the toad...erm, frog.

Slippy: Fox and Falco always talk about how I annoy them to death, yet they have never expressed their desire to kill me. But as for Kratos, he wants to kill me at his earliest convenience, and we have any history with each other.

"Hey buddy, lay off the guy, he's just excited," Dante said to Kratos, who recalled crossing paths with him back in episode 353. Kratos wanted Dante at the All-Star Manor, and to this day he was still committed to his goal.

"Dante, your time at this mansion will soon be over," Kratos declared to the vigilante, his voice resonating with unwavering determination. "Your residency here has gone on for far too long. If you turn us downyou will pay!"

"So, the God of War wants a piece of the action, huh?" Dante was taunting Kratos, smirking cockily while twirling his sword with effortless flair. "You're in for a rude awakening, Kratos. I've dealt with demons far worse than you."

"You think your demon-slaying skills make you invincible? I have faced gods, Titans, and countless horrors from the depths of the underworld. Your demons are no different."

"You're just a puppet of the gods, Kratos. Always have been, always will be." Dante's words stoked a fire within Kratos, who was seething as his unbridled fury was building up inside of him. Mario and the others had to intervene.

"Settle down, big guy!" Link said to Kratos as he, Mario, and Cloud had to step in between the demigod and Dante. "Today's not a good day for fighting."

"He's right, today's not a good day. But you know what? You should try chatting with Kazuya instead. He's the man you're really after."

"Do you insist that Kazuya Mishima is more worthy of joining the All-Star Manor than you are?" After a moment of careful thought and consideration, Dante slowly nodded his head. "Very well, I shall consult with him."

"Right on." So Dante was left alone, as Kratos walked away from the vigilante and set off to find Kazuya. Dante turned to Mario and company, and said, "Thank me later."

"Mario, I've found you!" shouted Ratchet's arch-nemesis, Doctor Nefarious, as he ran inside the foyer and grabbed Mario, shaking him silly. "I need your valued assistance in eating human food."

"Can you even eat human food?" Mario asked Nefarious, who had been asked the same question by his peers on many occasions. But Nefarious simply refused to go undeterred.

"We have no time to waste. To the kitchen!" Nefarious grabbed Mario by his hand and took the plumber to the kitchen against his will. Cloud and the others looked on as they expressed their sympathies toward Mario.

"Sucks to be him," remarked Cloud, before yawning and stretching out his arms as he was in a napping mood. "Let me know when the meeting starts."


Sir Dan Fortesque, the resident skeletal knight at the All-Star Manor, was one of the denizens chilling at Cafe Leblanc. He was sitting at the counter with fellow skeleton Sans...hoo boy.

"Got a major bone to pick with you, Sir Dan," Sans said to the knight, putting him on the spot; everyone that was close to Sans understandably dreaded what was about to transpire next.

"You have a bone to pick, with me?" questioned Sir Dan as he pointed at himself. He only interacted with Sans once at Thanksgiving last year; maybe he pied Sans in the face during the annual food fight, and Sans held a grudge ever since.

"heard from a good friend of mine that you attended a party and you went with your girl. i, on the other hand, had no body to go with. how do you think that made me feel?"

"Hahaha! That was a very bone-chilling pun." Sir Dan was happy with his pun, while the others felt the opposite as they let out groans. "Here's one for you: What do you call a skeleton who won't work? Lazybones!"

"Why, why is this happening?" pondered Robin, questioning life as he buried his face deep in his hands. Lucina, who was sitting with Robin at the counter, waited for the baristas to do something.

"Please Joker, stop this," the princess begged Joker, who had a vein pulsating in his forehead as he was too frustrated to even speak up. Joker had a finger up to his temple, trying not to think about Sans and Sir Dan's conversation.

"i guess we all have our lazy moments," said Sans, rubbing his hands together as he had another pun lined up for Sir Dan. "here's another one: what do you say to a skeleton who won't stop annoying you? 'get a funny bone!'"

"Why did the skeleton become a comedian?" Sir Dan asked Sans, who waited for the punchline for he was stumped. "Because he had a funny bone!" Sir Dan and Sans laughed together, as many cafe patrons were slowly losing brain cells.

"how does a skeleton call his friends? on the tele-bone!"

"what do you get when you cross a skeleton and a vampire? a bone-chilling drink of 'spook-ula'!"

"hahaha! That's fang-tastic, sir daniel! your puns are chilling to the bone."

"Alright you two, that's enough puns," Joker said to Sir Dan and Sans, finally putting his foot down much to the relief of everyone in the cafe. "No more skeleton-based puns."

"aw, don't be such a moody pumpkin...a grumpkin." Sans got Joker to glare at him, and Sans shrugged in innocence. "hey now, you never said that we could make any other kind of puns."

Sans: joker is the true definition of a grumpkin. never appreciates my jokes. he's the grumpiest pumpkin to have ever existed and with a skinny body to boot. if he actually worked out and bench pressed a couple of pounds, he'd be a 'jacked-o-lantern'. *giggles*

"My bad for not speaking up sooner," Joker apologized to Robin and Lucina, as Sir Dan moved away from the counter to keep himself from entertaining Sans with more puns. "Simply wasn't in the mood."

"One of your barista friends seems to be having a mood," notified Lucina, bringing to Joker's attention Pit. Pit was standing all alone, slightly brooding, as he had done ever since the events of the last episode.

"Let me handle this." So Joker went over to Pit, and when Pit saw Joker, the angel quickly perked up as if nothing was wrong. "Everything alright, Pit?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking," replied Pit as he got back to work, operating the coffee machine even though it was unplugged. Why it was unplugged in the first place, nobody knew. "Thinking about what happened two weeks ago."

"When you got kidnapped by Giovanni and his friends? Tawna Bandicoot told me the whole story at the cafe. She has yet to pay for her coffee..."

"Sometimes I wished that she hadn't rescued me in the first place." Pit's comment stunned Joker, and the eavesdropping baristas, and Pit had to clarify what he said. "What I meant to say was, I preferred someone like Mario or Cloud to rescue me instead."

"He sounds like a misogynist," an overhearing Robin whispered to Lucina, figuring that Pit's comment was something that a woman-hating incel would say.

"I've heard that the Organization XIII members can pick up other peoples' scent...so why didn't Mario track mine? He could've sensed that I was in trouble."

"One, identifying another person's scent is downright creepy," stated Joker, and he would say the same about any of the Organization members (although Xigbar and Demyx would likely get a pass). "And two, Mario and the others were busy, so they would've been in no position to save you from Giovanni."

"Maybe you're right...or maybe they don't value me as much as I thought they did." Pit looked not the side as he said this, thinking long and hard about his relations with Mario, Link, and Cloud just to name a few. Not knowing what else to say, Joker left Pit alone and returned to his post.


Ratchet and Clank caught up to Samus, as they saw the bounty hunter enter the workshop. The duo was waiting outside the workshop for Samus, and their wait ended as Samus walked out while holding an upgraded arm cannon.

"Samus Aran! Hey," Ratchet waved to the bounty hunter, who came to a stop and forced herself to give Ratchet and Clank an iota of her attention. "Do you remember us?"

"Why wouldn't I," Samus curtly responded as she walked away from Ratchet, cutting her conversation with the Lombax short. Ratchet hunched over in defeat.

"Look on the bright side...that conversation went longer than expected," Clank did his best to cheer up Ratchet, who frowned at his robot companion. Sonic came down the hallway, eating a chili dog when he came across Ratchet and Clank.

"Woah! Ratchet and Clank!" the blue hedgehog exclaimed, stuffing his chili dog in his imaginary pocket so that Ratchet wouldn't be too enticed. "Back for another visit, huh?"

"Yup, and this one's a doozy," replied Ratchet, stretching his arms to play off the fact that he failed to bond with Samus. "The whole manor's here!"

"Let me guess...it's about Dimetio, isn't it?" A nod from Ratchet's head was all that Sonic needed to know. "Trust me, that guy's a nut!"

"So we've heard. Well, good talk Sonic. Later!" Ratchet couldn't chat with Sonic for long, for he and Clank longed to get on Samus's good side. So Ratchet ran down the hallway, waving to Sonic, as Sonic took his chili dog back out seconds later.

Sonic: Don't get me wrong, I actually do share my chili dogs. It's just that I haven't shared any ever since that one incident with K.K. Slider. Gave him a single chili dog, and he ended up with diarrhea! Tails claimed that dogs can't eat hot dogs, but I think that was just an allergic reaction. The same probably goes for Lucario; the dude was choking up a storm!

Sonic pressed on, finishing the rest of his chili dog, when he was greeted by the sound of evil laughter. After looking left and right, Sonic looked up and saw Infinite hovering in the air above him.

"Sonic the Hedgehog...I've been longing to see you," Infinite said to the blue hedgehog, who turned his head as he looked for backup. Unfortunately for Sonic, he was the only man present.

"Infinite! I heard from Mario that you popped up at the watchpoint," Sonic said to the jackal as he turned back around to face his adversary, forced to go about dealing with Infinite alone. "Care to fill me in on what you're up to?"

"First off, let me say that I've been looking forward to this encounter. As for my plans, they go far beyond anything you can imagine. You see, I've joined forces with someone who shares my desire for chaos and control...Dimentio."

"So you are working with Dimentio. I never thought he'd team up with someone like you. He's a goofball, and you're all...dark and edgy."

"Dimentio and I share a vision of destroying this universe, and reshaping it into our liking. We aim to bend reality to our will, and our combined might will ensure that nothing stands in our way."

"Basically you just want to obliterate this universe, is what you're saying. And here I thought that Dimentio just wanted to destroy the mansion!"

"The universe will be destroyed...after Dimentio is done getting his revenge. But in the meantime, Sonic, do me a favor. Gather your friends. Rally your allies. It won't make a difference, but I'd love to see you try and stop us."

"I'm not doing you a single favor! How about you do me a favor, and get lost before I have to smack that dumb mask off your face?"

"Hmph...keep talking, Sonic. But be warned, we've only just begun. May 26th's event was merely a precursor. The stage is set, and the endgame begins."

"Go on ahead, I'm ready for anything that you throw...at us..." Sonic trailed off as he saw a familiar foe in Chaos marching towards him. Sonic delivered a spin dash to Chaos, who faded away in an instant. "Ha, a clone! Should've known."

"It appears that you are aware of my power. Frankly the same can't be said for the rest of your peers. I will delight myself in steering them astray."

"Not unless I have anything to do with it!" Sonic looked to land a spin dash on Infinite, who teleported away before Sonic ever had the chance. "And he's gone, just like that...must be learning a thing or two from ol' Dimentio."


Mario found himself in an unexpected situation. He was tasked with teaching Doctor Nefarious how to eat human food. Nefarious's previous attempts at eating human food have been documented, and each attempt didn't turn out as intended.

With a friendly smile, Mario began the lesson in the mansion's dining room, bringing out a plate of spaghetti - the Italian plumber's favorite dish. He gestured for Nefarious to observe as he twirled the pasta around his fork.

"Okay, Doc, you just gotta twirl-a the spaghetti around like this," Mario explained, his hands moving in a circular motion. "And then you bring it up to your mouth and slurp it in." Nefarious was observing Mario's demonstration with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

"Tiwrl the spaghetti? Why must eating spaghetti be so complex?" wondered Nefarious, as he tried to mimic Mario's actions. The robot attempted to twirl the spaghetti around his fork, but his mechanical hands struggled to maintain the delicate balance.

"Ack!" Mario ducked for cover as spaghetti flung around the dining room, creating a messy spectacle. Mario tried to suppress his laughter as he retrieved a napkin to clean up the mess. "Looks like we need a bit more practice."

"I don't care for spaghetti anymore. I'd rather have pizza instead." Nefarious folded his arms, and Mario, heeding Nefarious's request, would head inside the kitchen. Less than half a minute later, he came out with a microwaved slice of pizza.

"Here-a you go." Mario handed Nefarious the slice, instructing him on the proper technique. "You just gotta hold the pizza, take a bite, and chew it." Demonstrating the process, Mario held the slice and pretended to take a bite.

"I know how to eat a slice of pizza...this isn't my first rodeo." Nefarious snatched the slice of pizza out of Mario's hands and took a bite out of it. As he chewed, a series of comical expressions crossed his face. His eyes widened, and he frantically gestured toward his mouth.

"Mama Mia! You gotta chew, Doc! Like this!" Mario exaggeratedly moved his jaw up and down, demonstrating the chewing motion. But Nefarious was looking like he was in pain.

"Hot, hot, it's so hot!" Unable to endure the heat, Nefarious attempted to chew the pizza more vigorously, only to cause bits of it to fly out from his mouth. Mario burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement at the spectacle before him.

"You should see the look-a on your face!" Mario's laughter didn't amuse Nefarious in the slightest, as Nefarious had the nastiest-looking glare. Mario petered his laugh instantly. "Erm, shall we try nachos instead?"


Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sweet Tooth was sampling a new ice cream flavor perfected by the Ice Climbers. Sweet Tooth operated an ice cream truck in his spare time, and Popo, therefore, esteemed the clown to be an ice cream connoisseur - which was why he wanted his input.

"Put a lot of heart and soul into making that blueberry mint flavor," Popo said to Sweet Tooth, anxious to hear a good critique about one of his newest flavors. Sweet Tooth had only taken a few licks, which probably wasn't a good sign.

"Hope you didn't put in too much heart and soul," said Sweet Tooth, done licking his ice cream cone as he put it down on the counter. "Because that was the most mediocre ice cream I've ever tasted."

"Tried to warn you," Nana said to Popo, who was left in shambles as he fell to his knees. Doing Popo a slight favor, Sweet Tooth threw the ice cream cone in the trash, only to inflict Popo further.

Nana: Popo thinks of Swee Tooth as some sort of "ice cream savant", all because he has experience driving an ice cream truck. I would tell Popo that the truck is mainly used for vehicle demolition derbies, but...sometimes he can't handle the truth.

"All I can say is, there's nowhere to go but up," Sweet Tooth offered these motivating words to the Ice Climbers as he left the kitchen. Popo remained on the floor, as he was down but not yet out.

"Gonna impress Sweet Tooth with another ice cream flavor, aren't you?" Nana asked Popo, whose face was full of determination as he stood up on his feet. "Shouldn't have bothered asking..."


Upon hearing that the All-Stars were in town, Tawna remained at the mansion looking to chat with Nathan Drake. The blonde bandicoot crossed paths with the famous treasure hunter in the gaming room - and even challenged him to a game of pool!

"Not that bad for a bandicoot," Nathan grinned at Tawna, as he and Tawna were trading blows in an evenly-contested match. Nathan struck a cue ball with his pool stick, sending several balls rolling into a hole.

"For a man who's supposedly retired, you still got a lot of skill left in ya," Tawna gave her own props to Nathan, who waved off the bandicoot as he waited for Tawna to make her turn.

"Keep it down, you two, I'm trying to rest," Cloud said to Nathan and Tawna, laying on a nearby couch and trying to take a nap since the hammock that was outside was already taken. In close vicinity to Cloud were Jak and Daxter, and Jak was sitting in a chair lost in his thoughts.

"Dude, Jak! I've got the perfect idea to liven things up around here," Daxter exclaimed, hopping excitedly on Jak's shoulder. Jak, who had dozed off, went wide awake after Daxter spoke. "We need to challenge Cloud to a game of pickleball! You know, put his sword-swinging skills to the test on the court!"

"Pickleball? Really, Daxter?" a skeptical Jak asked his ottsel friend, not sure if Daxter was being serious or not. With Daxter, you could hardly tell. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course, it's a good idea! Think about it, Jak. We get to see Cloud outside of his doom-and-gloom routine. Plus, it'll be hilarious to watch him try to handle a paddle instead of his massive sword!"

"Alright, Daxter. If it'll make you happy, let's give it a shot. But remember, we're doing this for fun, not to embarrass Cloud."

"Eh, fine...have it your way." So Jak got up from the chair he was sitting in and went over to speak with Cloud. Cloud was lying on the couch when he saw Jak standing over him.

"Dude, Cloud!" Daxter called out to the swordsman, his voice full of playful mischief. Acted as if Cloud was far away from him. "We challenge you to a game of pickleball! Prepare yourself for the ultimate showdown on the court!"

"Pickleball?" Cloud asked as he arched an eyebrow his expression a mix of surprise and bemusement. A game of pickleball was certainly not on his schedule for today. "That's unexpected. But I accept your challenge."

Diddy Kong: Pickleball is the newest sports craze that is lowkey sweeping the nation. It's like tennis, but with paddles. Pickleball has become so popular, that a game was aired on ESPN. The main channel! ESPN! Had it been aired in conjunction with a dog race or a hot dog-eating contest, we'd be having a much different conversation.

"Ooh, a game of pickleball?" asked an intrigued Aerith as she skipped her way over to Cloud, beyond ecstatic that her man was roped into doing an activity that was mostly against his will. "Sign me up, Cloud! I can be your doubles partner."

"A doubles match, me likey!" gleamed Daxter as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation; he originally settled for a one-on-one match, but a doubles match was just as satisfying.

"How would that be fair, Keira isn't here," stated Jak, preferring Keira to be his doubles partner as he was in no mood for hunting anyone down. Getting a mansion resident to play with him might be a hard ask.

"Who said anything about Keira? I'm your doubles partner! Me, ME!" Daxter ran up to Jak's face and pulled on his friend's collar, with a crazed look in his eyes.

"Wouldn't be fair, you're too short," Cloud said to Daxter as he threw some shade at the ottsel. An enranged Daxter ran down from Jak's neck wanting to throw hands with Cloud.

"Let me at him, let me at him!" But Jak wouldn't let Daxter at him, as he held the ottsel in place by standing on his tail. Daxter was struggling mightily to break free.

"So you're playing pickleball, eh?" Wario came over to speak with Cloud, looking as if he wanted to place a few bets that he could easily win. "Let me know when you're gonna play so I can see you lose."

"Your underwear is showing," Cloud informed Wario, who looked down and saw that his fly was down - all the way down. Wario sheepishly zipped up his pants and scurried away.


Ratchet and Clank were determined to bond with Samus and establish some kind of friendship with the bounty hunter. Given Samus's nature, friending her would be no easy task. But Ratchet and Clank were up for it.

"Hey there, Samus!" Ratchet greeted Samus, as he and Clank encountered the bounty hunter at the library. Samus looked up from her computer, her silence made it clear she was not entirely enthusiastic about the sudden intrusion. "We're huge fans of your work. Mind if we chat?"

"...can I help you?" asked Samus, thinking that Ratchet and Clank got the wrong person. Maybe they meant to speak with Dark Samus...but nope.

"We thought it would be great to get to know you better," replied Clank, believing that he and Ratchet had a lot of things in common with Samus. "We've faced some crazy adventures ourselves!"

"Yeah, we've fought giant robots, and space pirates, and even saved the galaxy a few times," added Ratchet as he rattled off all the accomplishments that he and Clank had under their belt. What was Samus's reaction?

"Impressive," Samus responded in a deadpan tone, before going back to whatever she was doing on the computer. Unfortunately for Samus, Ratchet and Clank weren't done with her just yet.

"So, what's your favorite weapon?" Ratchet leaned in close to Samus, waiting for the bounty hunter to provide a response. "We've got an arsenal that could rival a small army!"

"And have you ever used a Groovitron?" asked Clank, who did a little dance for Samus - only to stop for Samus wasn't paying him any attention. "It's a device that makes enemies dance! Quite the crowd-pleaser."

"I prefer to rely on my Power Beam and missile launcher," replied Samus, sounding unimpressed by the stuff that Ratchet and Clank said. She could honestly care less. "They get the job done efficiently."

"But dancing enemies are fun!" insisted Ratchet, as he was starting to see that Samus wasn't that much of a fun person.

"And it's scientifically proven to boost morale!" added Clank, who was starting to see the light just like how Ratchet was.

"I'll keep that in mind," Samus responded, still sounding deadpan as she carried on with her work. Trying to find common ground, Ratchet and Clank decided to showcase some of their gadgets as Ratchet took out the R.Y.N.O. (Rip Ya a New One) gun.

"Check this out, Samus!" Ratchet said to the bounty hunter, who looked mightily unimpressed as he saw Ratchet holding the R.Y.N.O. "The R.Y.N.O. is the ultimate weapon, capable of obliterating anything in its path."

"That's cute, but this can do that too and much more," said Samus as she pointed at the arm cannon that she had lying on the table near the keyboard. Ratchet looked disappointed, as Clank attempted to lighten the mood by engaging in small talk.

"So, Samus, have you ever tried hoverboots?" asked Clank, who was anxiously waiting for the robot and Lombox to finally leave her alone. "They're like roller skates but for flying!"

"I have a jetpack built into my suit. It serves a similar purpose." Following yet another deadpan response from Samus, both Ratchet and Clank exchanged glances as they realized their attempts to bond were falling flat.

"Maybe we should take the hint, Ratchet," Clank whispered to Ratchet, ultimately giving up as he walked away from Samus. "She seems more focused on her work than making friends."

"Yeah, you're right, Clank," Ratchet whispered back as he turned his back to Samus, before looking over his shoulder at the bounty hunter for a brief second. "Let's respect her space." Ratchet and Clank left the library, their mission unfulfilled.


Done with Dr. Nefarious, Mario was going around the mansion to see how the manor residents were handling themselves. He would encounter Big Daddy, who towered over him, as his heavy footsteps echoed through the hallways. Little Sister clung to his hand, her wide-eyed gaze fixated on Mario.

"Hello there, uh...Big Daddy and-a Little Sister," Mario greeted, his voice filled with a slight hint of apprehension. Feared that Big Daddy might crush his head with his drill hand. "Uh, do you need-a any plumbing assistance at the manor?"

"Mr. Bubbles..." the Little Sister said in a soft, almost angelic voice; she was urging Big Daddy to respond to Mario, and Big Daddy made a mechanical voice through his suit.

"Mr. Bubbles? Is that-a your name, Big Daddy? I reckon Little Sister has called-a you that before." Still no response from Big Daddy, so it was up to Little Sister to take charge.

"Pretty hat!" Little Sister exclaimed, her voice filled with innocent delight as she pointed at his signature red cap. Cappy poked his eyes out from Mario's hat, looking frightened.

"I don't like the way she's looking at me..." Cappy said to Mario, as Little Sister's smile was creeping him out more than her glowing eyes. Sensing the need for some lightheartedness, partly due to Big Daddy's lack of response, Mario decided to engage the Little Sister in a playful game.

"Hey, little friend, wanna play a game of hide-and-seek?" Mario suggested, crouching down to the Little Sister's height. Cappy thought that Mario was out of his mind. "I'll close-a my eyes and count to ten while you find the best-a hiding spot!"

"I'll go hide!" Little Sister exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she scampered away searching for the perfect hiding spot. Mario turned to the wall and covered his eyes as he began counting aloud.

As Mario reached the count of ten, he pretended to search around, feigning cluelessness. Eventually, he "discovered" the Little Sister hiding behind a large vase, her giggles giving away her hiding place.

"Aha! I've found you, little buddy!" Mario exclaimed, his laughter joining the Little Sister's infectious giggles. Big Daddy stood nearby, observing the interaction while Wolf joined him. "You're-a quite the clever hider!"

Wolf: Mario is playing hide-and-seek with that creepy Little Girl. He must want to die soon.

"Hey, Mr. Bubbles, how about-a you?" asked Mario as he turned to Big Daddy, a playful grin on his face. Wolf looked crazily at the plumber. "Wanna play a round of hide-and-seek too? You can-a be the best seeker ever!"

"I highly doubt that," insisted Wolf, as Big Daddy's response came in the form of a nod; Wolf was now looking crazily at Big Daddy, while he also valued Mario's livelihood.


Nana and Popo (but mostly Popo) were determined to impress Sweet Tooth with one of their new ice cream flavors. The Ice Climbers came across Sweet Tooth in the living room, as a monster truck show was on the television screen.

"We're back...and we got caramel chocolate fudge!" Popo announced to Sweet Tooth, as he and Nana presented their caramel chocolate fudge to the clown. Sweet Tooth's eyes narrowed as he observed the frozen treat offered by the Ice Climbers.

"Caramel chocolate fudge ice cream, huh?" asked Sweet Tooth, leaning in closer with his voice a low growl. "You think that's gonna tempt me, little climbers?" His voice carried a hint of amusement, tinged with a dark edge.

"It has sprinkles," Nana enticed Sweet Tooth, bringing his attention to the sprinkles that were littered at the top. With a sharp flick of his finger, Sweet Tooth gestured for the Ice Climbers to step back, not even acknowledging their offering.

"I'm not in the mood for your childish desserts. I've got a different kind of hunger, a craving that your ice cream could never satisfy."

"Well, at least we tried..." Popo sighed with sadness, lowing his head as he and Nana walked away. Sweet Tooth's fiery eyes fixed upon the duo, relishing in Popo's disappointed expression.

"So I guess we're throwing in the towel," Nana assumed after the Ice Climbers exited the living room, only for Popo to look up with newfound determination. "Oh, come on..."

"We must get it right. Sweet Tooth has to love at least one of our new ice cream flavors! We'll give him one more chance...one more chance will do it."


As stated a few times before, Kazuya Mishima had a sneaker collection. Paula and Poo asked Kazuya about his shoe collection, and Kazuya showed off one of his sneakers to the two friends in the arcade room.

"This is one of my new pairs, so treat it nicely," Kazuya said to Paula and Poo, as he handed a pair of red sneakers to the friends. Paula held one sneaker, while poo held the other.

"It still has that fresh-out-of-the-box smell!" marveled Paula, sniffing the insides of the sneaker and was greeted by a somewhat pleasant smell. Kazuya gave her a judging glance.

"I would look so fly wearing these," stated Poo as he was bending Kazuya's red sneaker...only to accidentally break it in the process. The PSI whiz looked scared for his life as Kazuya took the sneaker away from him.

"Had you done that to one of my old shoes, I would've killed you," Kazuya said to Poo, inspecting his shoe for damages as he bent it back to the best of his ability. Kratos stepped inside the arcade, grabbing Paula's attention.

"Um, Kazuya?" Paula alerted the businessman, who turned around and saw Kratos staring right at him. Now meaning business, Kazuya dropped his damaged shoe to the floor.

Kratos: I can't simply demand that Kazuya joins us at the manor, he would easily turn him down. So my plan is to antagonize him, beat him down senselessly, and when he's on his last breath, offer him the opportunity to join the manor and reside with the best of the best. Granted I don't view my peers as such, but anything to get Kazuya intrigued...

Heihachi: Dante just told me that Kratos is set on bringing Kazuya to the manor, dead or alive. Fingers crossed that it actually happens.

"Kazuya Mishima! Your sins and treachery have not gone unnoticed," Kratos declared to the businessman, who could tell that he was in for a fight. What better opponent for Kazuya to fight than Kratos? "Your trail of destruction ends here, for I vow to end your wretched existence!"

"You think you can challenge me, God of War?" said Kazuya, regarding Kratos with a cold, calculating gaze as he cracked both of his knuckles. "Go on, hit me with your best shot. I dare you."

"Poo, now's a good time to leave..." Paula stressed to her friend, who showed no signs of moving as he was transfixed by the fight that was about to spur. With a sudden burst of energy, Kratos charged forward, his Blades of Chaos swinging with relentless fury.

"You may be good, but I'm always one step ahead." Kazuya, well-versed in the martial arts of his Mishima fighting style, swiftly evaded Kratos' initial assault. Both combatants exchanged powerful blows, each refusing to yield an inch, as Paula had to drag Poo to keep him out of harm's way.

"C'mon Paula, I was so close to the action!" Poo complained to his southern belle friend, not caring that Kazuya almost punched him in the face trying to land a move on Kratos. Kratos unleashed his fury, as Kazuya tapped into his own devilish powers by retaliating with his devastating attacks.

"You think your devilish heritage grants you invincibility?" Kratos roared, his voice resonating with raw power while his wrath fueled his every strike. "I have faced gods and toppled empires! Your existence is but a mere blight that I shall erase."

"You may have slain gods, but you underestimate the power I possess," retorted Kauzya, undeterred by Kratos' threats as he met each blow with a carefully calculated counter. "Keep underestimating the true might of the Mishima bloodline!"

"Oh, Kratos..." a certain vigilante called out to Kratos, who was about to strike Kazuya with his blades when he saw Dante standing at the door. Dante was smirking as he pointed his thumb at someone in the hallway...Sephiroth.

"I have no interest in hearing your 'singing performance,'" Sephiroth said to Wendy, who was in a begging mood as she was down on her knees. Kazuya was looking at Kratos, wondering why the demigod ceased fighting.

"But you made a promise. A PROMISE!" Wendy cried, holding onto Sephiroth's legs as Sephiroth tried to walk away. Dante watched the interaction unfold before looking at Kratos and pointing at Sephiroth, mouthing to him, "He's the one that you want."

"Kazuya Mishima..." he said, waving the white flag as he lowered his blades. Kazuya was looking to land another punch. "...your actions have caused immense suffering, but perhaps there is a better path for both of us."

"So...you want to stop fighting?" Kazuya asked Kratos, who left the arcade without saying a single word. Kazuya was as befuddled as Paula and Poo were. "Very well then..."


Cloud was preparing for his highly anticipated pickleball match against Jak and Daxter, doing his own practice at the mansion's front yard with a net set up. He was doing his practice while wearing some athletic shorts he miraculously found in his closet. Link and Zelda ventured outside and watched Cloud's pickleball practice with amusement.

"Look at him, Zelda," Link said to his wife, chuckling as Cloud tightened his grip on the pickleball paddle and adjusted his gloves while checking his stance. "The mighty Cloud Strife is now strategizing for a game of pickleball."

"Who would have thought that our seasoned warrior would find himself in such a lighthearted sporting endeavor?" Zelda giggled, her eyes sparkling mischievously as Cloud overheard the Hylians' banter and shot them a bemused glance. "I wonder how he will adapt his combat skills to the pickleball court."

"Hey, you two - I may be a seasoned warrior, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a friendly game," stated Cloud, as Link and Zelda were left to wonder how Cloud of all people got roped into a pickleball game in the first place. "Just you wait -I'll show you my pickleball prowess."

"Well, Cloud, we'll just let you have it," Link said to the swordsman, whose questionable pickleball gear made the Hylian want to chuckle again. "But who knows, perhaps we should have a friendly match of our own someday."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll to the game later on for now. After all, there's a game to be played, and Jak won't know what hit him."

"Zelda, can you imagine the look on Jak's face when he realizes what he's up against?" Link nudged Zelda with a playful grin, while Cloud was practicing his shots but with no ball. What a rookie. "Cloud's got the heart of a 'seasoned warrior.'"

"May the best player win," responded Zelda, as she and Link tarried onto the backyard of the mansion. Cloud's pickleball practice carried on, as Pac-Man walked by and did a wolf whistle.

"Nice shorts, Cloud!" Pac-Man called out to the swordsman, whose icy cold glare sent the eater of ghosts straight running to his house. With Pac-Man gone, Cloud resumed practicing his swings.


As the Ice Climbers approached Sweet Tooth in the lounge with their mango smoothie ice cream, Popo's face filled with hopeful anticipation. Popo was easily the most energetic in the duo, as he wanted nothing more than for Sweet Tooth to like one of his new ice cream flavors.

"Please, Sweet Tooth, give our ice cream a try!" Popo exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement and also desperation. "We've put so much effort into making it the tastiest treat ever!"

"Yeah! It's a unique blend of flavors, just like us," Nana chimed in, reciting some lines that Popo fed her - heck, she was even reading from the script in her hand, which she threw away when Popo caught her. "We're sure you'll love it!"

"Do I really have to taste it?" Sweet Tooth asked the Ice Climbers, staring at the duo his gaze seemingly softened by their earnest plea. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued by their constant persistence, and sighed. "One lick can't possibly kill me..."

Sweet Tooth reached out with one gloved hand, gingerly taking the mango smoothie ice cream from Popo. The clown took a small bite of the ice cream, and the moment he tasted the frozen delight his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, well," Sweet Tooth murmured, a hint of admiration creeping into his voice. "This...isn't half bad." A rare genuine smile flickered across Sweet Tooth's face as he took another bite, savoring the flavors.

"He's eating it, he's actually eating it!" Popo said excitedly to Nana, beaming with delight as the Ice Climbers were encouraged by Sweet Tooth's unexpected response.

"I must admit, this ice cream has a certain charm," Sweet Tooth admitted, his voice betraying a rare moment of warmth. Popo was holding back a tear. "You've caught my attention, Climbers. Perhaps there's more to your frozen concoctions than I initially thought."

"We knew you'd like it!" Nana exclaimed, with Popo unable to contain his happiness as he and Nana exchanged excited glances. Sweet Tooth smirked, his demeanor shifting back to his twisted persona.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves..." Sweet Tooth's voice returned to its usual dark tone, as he made his stark warning to the Ice Climbers. "...but I suppose I can spare a few moments to enjoy your ice cream before I indulge in my own twisted pursuits."

Sweet Tooth: Meh, the ice cream isn't that great anyways. I'm only eating it just to appease those ice-climbing dorks. Now I'm stuck trying out the rest of their new stupid ice cream flavors. The strawberry peppermint they just threw on me gets two thumbs down.


Mario was playing a game of hide-and-seek with Big Daddy, otherwise known affectionately to Little Sister as Mr. Bubbles. For the most part, Big Daddy was doing the hiding, and Mario was the one who had to look for him. This time around, the roles were reversed.

"Here-a I am, on the move!" Mario announced as he looked around for a hiding spot, looking for a place where Big Daddy could never find him. "Bet you can't find me, Big-a Daddy!"

"It's against hide-and-seek rules to shout when you're the person who has to hide," Cappy informed Mario in a smart-alecky type of way, as Mario quickly shushed his hat companion. Mario saw a large cardboard box in the middle of the hallway and hid behind it.

Meanwhile, Big Daddy lumbered along, his heavy footsteps echoing through the halls. His helmeted head tilted slightly as if trying to detect any sound or movement. Mario crouched behind the large box, barely suppressing his giggles.

"He'll never find-a me here!" Mario whispered to Cappy as he controlled his giggling...but just as Mario was about to burst into laughter, a booming metallic voice reverberated through the halls, startling him.

"BOO!" shouted Little Sister, who was accompanying Big Daddy as she and her guardian scared the living daylights out of Mario. Mario was so scared that he fell backward unto the floor, before quickly recovering a second later.

"Mama Mia! You found-a me, Mr. Bubbles!" Mario hopped up to his feet, as Big Daddy stood before Mario, towering over him with an air of triumph. Little Sister clapped her hands excitedly, as Mario patted Big Daddy's metal leg. "Well done-a my big friend! You're-a quite the seeker, even in that massive suit."

Mario's smile faded in an instant, as he looked down the hallway and saw Fawful down the hallway, laughing manically. Mario rubbed his eyes with his hands, and when he opened his eyes, Fawful was gone!

"Mr. Mario, everything alright?" Little Sister asked Mario, expressing some genuine concern for the plumber. Mario blinked twice as he dispelled any worries that Little Sister had.

"I'm fine - got something in-a my eye," replied Mario, before double-checking as he looked down the hallway to ensure that he wasn't seeing things. "Shall we play another round of hide-and-seek?"

"Yes, yes, yes! You go hide, while I find you." So Mario set off to go find a hiding spot, while Little Sister turned to the wall with her hands over her eyes as she counted to ten. As he kept Little Sister company, Big Daddy looked up...and saw Infinite.

"You didn't see anything," Infinite said to Big Daddy, hating the fact that his cover was blown as he teleported away. Big Daddy was left scratching his hand.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Little Sister was done counting, and she grabbed Big Daddy's hand as she looked to begin her search. "Let's go, Mr. Bubbles!" Looking up at where Dimentio once was, Big Daddy was led by the hand down the hallway.


Ratchet and Clank were at Cafe Leblanc, feeling salty that he couldn't bond with Samus. At the cafe also feeling salty were Fox and Falco, who couldn't get over the fact that MC Ballyhoo left Omnis Adest. Once Ballyhoo informed Master Hand, Link, and Zelda of his decision, his departure was made official.

"Hate to bother asking, but where were you guys on May 26th?" Pit asked Fox and Falco after he served the pilots their curry. Joker looked over at Pit as he furrowed his brow.

"At some homemade spa organized by Luigi," answered Fox, before eating a spoonful of his curry to see if the temperature was to his liking. "You honestly didn't miss much."

"Luigi does spa services now...good to know, good to know." With this information in mind, Pit nodded his head as he returned to his post...only to run back to Fox and Falco. "...speaking of Luigi, where was he on May 26th?"

"Pit!" Joker called out to the angel, who immediately got back to work as he left Fox and Falco alone. With Pit out of the picture, Ratchet brought his attention to Fox and Falco.

"So, Fox, Falco, you must know Samus pretty well," Ratchet said to the pilots, who both gave scared reactions as their eyes went wide. "Mind if we ask a few questions about her?"

"Sure, happy to help..." Fox replied nervously, leading Ratchet and Clank to wonder what had the pilot so nervous to the bone. "Samus isn't exactly on the market, per se..."

"Whoever said that I liked Samus? I just wanted to get to know her better, as a friend." Ratchet's explanation cleared things up for Fox and Falco, as both pilots let out sighs of relief.

Falco: Ratchet and Samus...now that is a cursed couple that should never happen. I feel bad for even thinking about it in the first place!

"Samus Aran, she's one tough cookie," Falco said to Ratchet, letting him know from first-hand experience how hard it was to vibe with Samus. "But she's also got a reputation for getting the job done."

"We both seem similar in so many ways," said Ratchet, able to list dozens of similarities between him and Samus in thirty seconds or less. "Do you think Samus would be interested in being our ally sometime?"

"Samus is a strong independent woman who don't need no man," stated Fox, who unlike most other men actually respected Samus' boundaries. "Tends to work alone. But she's definitely open to alliances when the situation calls for it."

"Just watch out for her no-nonsense approach," warned Falco, as that bit of advice was useful for any person that has ever planned on interacting with Samus. "She isn't one for idle chatter or small talk."

"Learned that the hard way..." Clank smiled sheepishly as he reflected upon the conversation that he had Ratchet had with Samus in the library. "...thank you for the heads up."

"I think you'll find some common ground with Samus," Fox said confidently, knowing that Ratchet and Clank had things in the bag. "Treat her with respect, and she'll treat you the same."


It was sunny outside, which meant it was the perfect condition for the pickleball match in the front yard. On one side was Cloud and Aerith, and on the other was Jak and Daxter. A small crowd was present, much to Cloud's delight; he didn't want too many people to see him potentially perform poorly.

"Place your bets, place your bets!" Wario said to the crowd, only to be met with disappointment when not a single person wanted to put their money where their mouth was. "I said, place your bets! Wanna make some easy money, dang it..."

"Like anyone's gonna want to make you richer," Sonic snorted at Wario, as he was one of those standing at the front of the crowd. Hovering up above was Infinite, who took a keen interest in seeing the pickleball match unfold.

"Cloud! Aerith! Ready to take on the greatest pickleball players in all the universe?" Daxter called out to the couple, as he was full of pent-up energy. Jak, on the other hand, was getting himself into a competitive groove.

"You're on!" replied Cloud, sounding more energetic than usual as he caught most of the crowd by surprise. Aerith was even giggling to herself. "This will be a battle that you won't forget."

"Both teams ready?" asked the pickleball referee, Toad, standing close to the net while wearing his referee shirt. With no response from either team, Toad took the silence as a yes. "Let's serve!"

The game began, as Cloud served the ball first. He sent the ball flying to Jak, who sent the ball flying over the net. It was a back-and-forth affair so far, but the lack of experience in pickleball, however, quickly became evident.

"Whoops!" exclaimed Jak, tripping onto the ground as his paddle slipped out of his hand right when he was about to hit the ball. The first score of the game was made, as Cloud and Aerith got a point.

"I haven't done anything, and yet we're winning!" squealed Aerith, who was mainly standing around looking pretty as she barely even moved a muscle. Daxter, reacting to Jak's gaffe, threw his paddle unto the floor.

"From the top," said Cloud after Toad handed him the ball; the swordsman's stoic expression remained unchanged as he served the ball, with him and Jak having yet another back-and-forth.

"Doubles match is looking more like a singles match," remarked Chrom taking note of how uninvolved Aerith and Daxter were. Daxter was at least trying his best, but Aerith remained in place as she smiled and waved to the crowd.

"Aerith, look out!" shouted Ken Masters, as Aerith looked forward and saw the ball flying in her direction. Coming to the rescue, Cloud struck the ball with his paddle to send it flying over to the other side.

"I got it, I got it, I got it!" shouted Daxter, leaping in the air to intercept the ball only to land on his backside with a comedic thud. The ball sailed over him, as Cloud and Aerith scored another point.

"They're on a roll!" remarked Alph, as the crowd couldn't help but chuckle at Daxter's misfortune. Cloud was on one, as he was putting his team on his back.

Then suddenly, Cloud saw someone standing afar off the crowd, cheering him on. It was a man he esteemed to be his best friend, a fellow comrade who selflessly fell in battle. It was...Zack Fair?

"You go, Cloud!" cheered Zack, bewildering Cloud with his presence. Nonetheless, Cloud remained focused as he served the ball to Jak.

"Gonna turn the tide with this one!" guaranteed Jak, launching himself into the air for a powerful overhead smash. However, his aim went awry as he hit the ball, and the ball sailed high into the sky, disappearing into the distance.

"Don't tell me that was the only ball," said Wario, as the pickleball game was momentarily put on hold. Seizing the opportunity, Cloud ran off the court.

"Cloud where are you going, game's not over yet!" Aerith called out to the swordsman, who ran towards Zack who was alone by herself. By the time he reached Zack, Zack faded out.

"It was a trick..." Cloud surmised with a frown, as he was played like a fiddle. And the person that played him from the start was hovering above, looking down at Cloud through his mask. Infinite.

"Knew I had a spare ball in my pocket! The game's back on!" shouted Toad, who kept a backup ball in his imaginary pocket. Forget about it until now. Cloud looked back at where the Zack Fair imposter once stood, before returning to the pickleball court.

"Make sure you give us a warning the next time you do that," Aerith advised Cloud, not appreciating how her man ran off - reminded her of how Cloud acted at Arcadia Bay. Cloud gripped his paddle, looking to resume the game.

"Wishing for this game to get competitive soon," remarked Sonic, before looking up in the sky and seeing Infinite observing the pickleball game. The blue hedgehog frowned mightily.

Master Hand: Been receiving complaints all day about a strange fellow floating in the air and spying on people. Must be Infinite...can already tell that guy's gonna be a problem going forward. If he spies on people while they're using the bathroom, he'll be habitually crossing the line.


A special, rare occasion was taking place at the mansion, as two Dantes were in the building - the original Dante, and the alternate universe Dante that stays at the manor. We'll address the alternate universe Dante as Alternate Dante, just to avoid confusion. But unfortunately for Alternate Dante, the mansion residents and tower denizens already had a name picked out for him...

"Dollar Store Dante! What's good with you?" Knuckles greeted the vigilante, who was busy playing a game of darts with Ike. The moniker that Fox came up with in episode 290 had caught on.

"Excuse me?" asked an angered Alternate Dante, putting his dart down as he confronted Knuckles. Knuckles had no idea the kind of trouble he was in for. "Better take that back, if you know what's good for you."

"To be honest, I prefer the moniker 'Diet Coke Dante,'" Diddy offered his two cents, as he and many others were joining in. Some folks were nodding their heads in agreement.

"No, that's a stupid name, and anyone who thinks otherwise is stupid. Almost as stupid as Dollar Store Dante. Put a little respect on my..."

"DIET COKE DANTE!" chanted Hammer Bro, starting a chant in the gaming room as others were joining in. "DIET COKE DANTE!" Alternate Dante was sick of it, as he waved off everyone.

"...screw you guys." Alternate Dante returned to his darts game, letting the crowd carry on with their chanting. Sephiroth looked on at Alternate Dante, understanding the vigilante's plight.

"Don't listen to those fools," Sephiroth gave these words of advice to Alternate Dante, wishing he could do him a solid and kill everyone that was chanting. "Let them delight in their childishness."

"Sephiroth, the one-winged angel...I insist that you turn your focus to me. I command you!"

A relentless Kratos stood before Sephiroth, his gaze piercing through Sephiroth's cold demeanor. A seething anger emanated from Kratos's very being, as everyone in the gaming room warily looked on.

"The world can no longer bear the weight of your malevolence," Kratos said to Sephiroth, the tension building in the air and enveloping the entire atmosphere of the gaming room. "I swear upon the ashes of my fallen family that I will be the instrument of your demise."

"You think you can challenge me, mortal?" snorted Sephiroth, charging up some dark energy in the palm of his hand. "You will only be consumed by the darkness that flows within me."

"He mentioned the darkness!" gasped Yoshi, as Sephiroth's remark reminded the green dinosaur of a certain villainous group. "Sephiroth is a secret agent of Organization XIII confirmed."

"Don't get him started," Riku warned Yoshi as he pointed at Sora, who was smiling as Sephiroth and Kratos were bound to clash. If it were Cloud instead of Sephiroth, Sora would be ten times more excited.

Riku: I personally can't imagine picking a fight with Kratos. But it sounds like a lost cause since Kratos is the kind of guy that will pick a guy with anyone. He'd pick a fight with an infant child if they look at him long enough.

"I am no mortal, I am a GOD!" bellowed Kratos as he lunged forward, unleashing his Blades of Chaos. Sephiroth deftly evaded Kratos' initial assault, his movements fluid and otherworldly.

"Missed me," Sephiroth taunted Kratos as he was standing behind the demigod, waiting for him to strike. Kratos struck at Sephiroth with one of his blades, only for Sephiroth to counter with his Masamune blade.

"You are nothing but a stain upon the world!" Kratos was mustering all the strength in his body as he tried to overpower Sephiroth, but it wasn't enough as he and Sephiroth broke away.

"Your rage blinds you, mortal." Sephiroth triggered Kratos yet again, as he remained composed amid the chaos. "You seek to vanquish me, yet you fail to comprehend the true depths of my power."

"Woah, woah, woah, what is happening in here?" boomed Master Hand as he appeared in the gaming room, bringing the battle between Kratos and Sephiroth to a halt. "Kratos, why are you fighting one of my men?"

"Sephiroth won't be one of your men much longer," guaranteed Kratos, leading Master Hand to assume that the demigod personally wanted to kill Sephiroth. "He'll be a part of the manor..."

"A part of what now?!" Polygon Man boomed, as he appeared in the gaming room next to Master Hand. That's when Kratos started backing down. "Kratos, you can't just force someone from the mansion to join us!"

"But we remain small in numbers. Do you not care about growing the manor?" Kratos was going to bring up Polygon Man's actions in episode 330, but that would only land him in even more trouble than what he was about to face.

"Yes, I do care...but not in this instance. Lay off of Sephiroth, will you?" Forced to heed Polygon Man's instruction, Kratos lowered his blades as he looked at Sephiroth, the man that he was asked to spare.

"We will come for you..." Kratos vowed to Sephiroth, before turning around and storming out of the gaming room. The demigod felt empty as he walked past Dante, who was standing near the entrance with his arms folded.

Dante: *smirks as he shakes his head* Just hate to see it.

"All of you, we will be having our meeting in the lecture hall," Master Hand addressed everyone in the gaming room, making sure to relay this message to everyone that was on the mansion grounds. "And before anyone asks, there will be no refreshments served. So DK, you can forget about the banana chips."


Rufus got a lot of things done during his time alone - got some lunch, went to an ATM machine, stole a lollipop from a kid, etc. The Shinra VP was walking through the streets with his stolen lollipop, as he was lowkey enjoying his solitude.

"Oh, Rufus!" squealed a certain goddess of calamity, frightening Rufus in the process; Rufus looked and saw Pandora sitting on a school marquee sign, smiling and waving to him.

"Almost made me drop my lollipop..." Rufus frowned at Pandora as he went over to the goddess, who found Rufus to be acting like a total drama queen. "..stealing it from that seven-year-old was worth it."

"Ha! Amateur move. Anyway, I went around the city, and I found no signs of Giovanni. Let me guess, you think that makes him look suspicious!"

"Not necessarily, but I can't help but wonder what he does when he's away from the coalition. There's something about him that I can't shake off..."

"Meeting near an elementary school, really?" asked a certain jackal, as Infinite joined Rufus and Pandora as he floated down to where they stood. Rufus looked over and saw how close he was to an elementary school entrance.

"Huh, how did I not notice that...well, Infinite, how was it? How was your visit to the mansion? Fooled anyone with your illusions?"

"Not as many as I wanted to. The visiting All-Stars made it rather difficult for me. I fear that the mansion and manor are now allies."

"Then that's two factions we would have to be preoccupied with..." Rufus looked over and saw a policeman standing at his car, gesturing to a loitering sign on the sidewalk. "...we're leaving this spot soon, sir," Rufus said to the policeman.


It was now time for the meeting, as everyone living on the mansion grounds gathered with the All-Stars in the lecture hall. Link, Zelda, Master Hand, and Polygon Man were both on stage and after a brief welcome, Master Hand quickly got down to business. He got everyone caught up to speed with Dimentio and his coalition, before getting to the heart of the matter.

"This is the part I stressed to Polygon Man the most before this meeting," Master Hand addressed the crowd, having spent most of his day getting Polygon Man caught up with stuff. "I've called this meeting to discuss a serious matter that affects both of us. Dimentio has a new partner-in-crime, named Infinite."

"Infinite? Who is this Infinite, and why should we be concerned about them?" inquired Min Min, as she and countless others were unfamiliar with Infinite.

"Infinite is one of Dr. Eggman's creations; he had a big hand in Eggman's revenge plot. Mario, Link, and Zelda saw him at the watchpoint; I reckon that he's Dimentio's second-in-command."

"So, this Infinite character poses a threat to all of us," assumed Sly Cooper, now conditioned to believe that anyone who was aligned with Dimentio and Zant was a threat to the manor. "What kind of powers does he have, and how do we stop him?"

"Glad you asked...Sonic! Mind filling everyone in?" Being put on the spot by Master Hand, Sonic sheepishly rose up from his seat and looked around the lecture hall only for his eyes to fall upon Shadow.

"Can't you get Shadow instead?" Sonic asked Master Hand, putting Shadow on the spot as Shadow shot a glare at the blue hedgehog. "Dr. Eggman created him, so he probably knows Infinite better than I do!"

"I hate you..." Shadow hissed at Sonic, mumbling under his breath as he walked unto the stage and faced the crowd. Clearing his throat a few times, Shadow was ready to begin. "...Infinite, he can manipulate reality and create illusions. Nothing special."

"Manipulating reality does make Infinite sound powerful," commented Leaf, although Shadow apparently begged to differ as he rolled his eyes at the Pokemon trainer.

"Did you say, 'create illusions'?" Cloud asked Shadow, who if he was in the mood would make a snide comment about Cloud's hearing. "So he can create copies of people that are like, reality projections."

"You're asking this because...?" inquired Shadow, as Cloud was about to say something that would make the entire lecture hall deliver a collective gasp.

"I dunno...not like I saw a virtual clone of Zack Fair or anything." Alright, so Cloud didn't make the lecture hall collectively gasp, but several gasps were made here and there.

"I've never seen Zack Fair in person before, what is he like?" Aerith whispered to the person sitting next to her, PaRappa, as she left the dog stunned.

PaRappa: Aerith doesn't even know who Zack Fair is?! I understand that she's from a different universe and all, learned that from Nathan, but something about that just feels wrong.

"Then that was the work of Infinite," stated Shadow, and Mario was lost in his thoughts as he reflected upon the Fawful clone he saw in the mansion. "He must have paid us a visit."

"This Infinite guy sounds unlike anything I've ever personally dealt with," remarked Nathan while Sonic, who had a conversation with Infinite earlier today, was tight-lipped on his encounter with the jackal.

"Which is why I wanted to have this meeting, to come up with a strategy," stated Master Hand, hoping that everyone had some good ideas in mind. "I fear that Dimentio will be even more dangerous with Infinite at his side."

"What about Raiden?" Polygon Man inquired, as Raiden's former roommate Cole McGrath made a scowl. "He could be our secret weapon!"

"I'm trying to work on bringing him back into the fold," Dr. Wily spoke up, choosing to keep his potential partnership with Professor E. Gadd a secret for now. "Though it's pretty tough..."

"If you ever need anything, I got you," Ratchet assured Wily as he wielded his giant wrench, looking forward to the day that Wily would call his name.

"So that everyone's aware, this meeting isn't just about Infinite," Zelda addressed the crowd, grateful that only a few folks were startled by the developments. A lot of heart and courage were eschewed. "We just have to work together, now that Dimentio's coalition is growing in numbers."

"Infinite's not the only new guy, mind you," added Link, causing plenty of chatter and murmuring in the lecture hall among the uninformed residents. "He is just one problem we got to deal with...albeit a major one."

"It is for that reason that we should be more aligned," stressed Master Hand, viewing the All-Stars and their friends as valued allies. "Work together more often. Put an end to this madness before things go out of hand. Our strength lies in unity!"

Strength lies in unity...that was the theme Master Hand was going with, as long as the mansion's alliance with the manor endured.