Author's Note:
Yeah...maybe I've gotten overzealous with this whole "seven consecutive chapters" thing. I've published a new chapter every other day! Perhaps I returned too soon. From this point onward, I'll just publish a new chapter whenever it's ready out of the oven.
This chapter has much to do with Pikmin 4, which as you already know was released a few months ago. Truth be told, I have never played a Pikmin game before, save for a demo or two. Why did I mention this fact? Who knows. Anyway, enjoy.
Episode 396: Expedition
Mario loved going on adventures. Whether it was going to a faraway kingdom, or simply going to the grocery store, the plumber loved any experience that was full of excitement. Granted, a grocery store trip might not sound exciting, but it was to an everyman guy like Mario.
Due to his duties as a father, Mario's appetite for adventuring was dying to be quenched. With his daughter starting kindergarten, and an infant less than a year old to take care of, Mario clearly had his hands full. But that didn't mean that he couldn't prepare himself for his next adventure whenever it came.
One thing that Mario did to prepare was work out, and he was working out right now in his living room. The plumber was on his treadmill getting his cardio in, sweat all over his body as he took occasional sips of his Gatorade.
"For the life of me, I don't understand why you're sweating so much," Spyro said to Mario, as he and Hunter were watching the plumber work out - and had yet to understand why they were doing so.. "You got the treadmill of the lowest speed!"
"Speed-a is subjective, my friend," responded Mario as he grabbed a white towel off the hood of the treadmill and wiped his face with it. "Just ask Sonic."
"Hey Mario, you should moonwalk on the treadmill," suggested Hunter, who couldn't help but snicker a little bit as he envisioned the image playing out in his mind.
"Been there, done that - it ain't worth a sprained-a ankle. Trust-a me." Soon Peach came over to Mario, handing her husband a small bottle of Gatorade. "Thanks, Peach."
"You're welcome," smiled Peach, only to hear someone screaming loudly in pain from the patio. It was of much concern to Peach. "Oh dear, is that Bowser?"
"No, Peach, don't open the door!" It was too late, as Peach went to the back screendoor and opened it, seeing Bowser lying on the patio writhing in pain. Or so it seemed. Poochy was next to Bowser, licking his face.
"Scram you stupid dog, you're gonna ruin the..." Bowser said to Poochy as he pushed the dog away, only to look up and see Peach from the screendoor. "...Peach, it's horrible! I've sprained my ankle..."
"Oh, you poor thing..." said Peach, sympathizing with Bowser as she came over to the Koopa King and helped him up. The princess escorted Bowser inside her house, as Mario was greatly beside himself.
"You actually believe him?" Mario shook his head at Peach, who escorted Bowser into the living room and sat him down on the couch. Bowser relaxed as he rested his leg on the couch, getting too comfy.
"Walking at that speed and you're THAT sweaty?" Bowser called out Mario, as he watched the plumber walking on the treadmill while getting under his skin. "You need to step up your game, Mario."
Bowser: Ever felt like faking an ailment or injury, just so everyone can spoil you and treat you like a king? Today just so happens to be one of those days. As I've learned from experience, Peach is an easy person to exploit! Now if only Mario could get with the program, too.
"Mama Mia, it seems that I can't hear you," Mario responded with a frown, as he placed some headphones over his ears and played some music. With Mario tuning him out, Bowser turned his focus to Peach who was in the kitchen.
"Peach, I need some lunch," Bowser made his request known to the princess, snapping his fingers in the air as if Peach was now his personal maid. "Make it snappy."
"I'll get you the leftover chicken in the fridge," Peach said to Bowser as she opened the fridge, taking out a container of fried chicken. Mario looked distraught as Peach placed the chicken in the microwave.
"What?! You said that I could have-a that chicken!" Mario frowned at Peach, salty that his lunch was given to his arch-nemesis. The plumber turned his ire to the arch-nemesis in question, Bowser. "Bowser...why I oughta..."
"I thought that you couldn't hear so," Bowser said to Mario, as he further got under the plumber's skin. Just when Mario was about to leap from the treadmill to attack Bowser, the doorbell rang.
"I'll deal with you later..." Stopping the treadmill and hopping right off, Mario pointed at Bowser as he walked to the front door and opened it. Standing at the doorstep was one of Mario's neighbors, Olimar.
"Ahoy, Mario!" greeted Olimar, waving to Mario with a cheerful grin. The astronaut was extraordinarily happy to see Mario's face again. "Long time no talk."
"I literally talked to you last-a week," Mario said to Olimar, who didn't seem to remember the occasion as his mind was quickly drawing a blank. "Outside on the porch."
"Huh, I don't recall...maybe I was sleepwalking in my underwear at the time. I hate it when that happens. Anyway, how would you like to go on an adventure?"
"A-An adventure?" Mario blinked twice, and although it didn't show, Mario was about to burst with sheer excitement. He had been waiting for someone to say the word "adventure" for an awfully long time.
"That's right, Mario, I've got an offer you might find hard to refuse! Well, you have no choice in the matter anyway, but...how would you like to join me on a fantastic space expedition? You and I, exploring the cosmos together!"
"Of course, I'll join!" Mario's eyes were full of intrigue, as the idea of exploring space sounded like an incredible adventure to him. "But why did you say I have-a no choice in the matter?"
"Link and Zelda put me up to this. They both said that E. Gadd needed parts for his machine or whatever, and they figured that you would want to come along."
Zelda: The space expedition will serve a two-fold purpose. To get the parts necessary for the machine, and to also...well, I won't say what the other purpose is. Don't want to say too much. But you'll see.
"They know me too well," Mario sighed happily, pleased to know that Link and Zelda signed him up for Olimar's space adventure. He was sure to give them a big thank you note once he returned from his mission in outer space.
"I've upgraded the Hocotate ship to accommodate as many passengers as possible," Olimar explained to Mario, as his explanation captured the attention of Bowser who was still feigning his injury. "It's roomier on the inside than before. "Even added a flatscreen TV and a hot tub, as perks."
"What do we have here?" sneered Bowser, who was eating the fried chicken that was originally meant for Mario. He was getting crumbs all over the couch. "Mario, thinking of leaving your precious wife and family behind for a space joyride?"
"I went back-a in time and Peach didn't care," replied Mario, though Bowser took that as a sign that Peach wasn't that much of a caring wife. "So this space-a trip will hardly be a cinch."
"You sound jealous there, Bowser," Olimar accused the Koopa King, causing Bowser's eyes to dart left and right. "Like you can't live with Mario having all the fun and glory..." Something Olimar said struck a chord in Bowser, who quickly stood up as he finished the rest of his chicken.
"Uh, I just realized, my ankle doesn't hurt anymore." Bowser placed the container that the chicken was in inside the kitchen, proving that his "injury" was fake as he walked around without any trouble. "Sign me up! Think you're gonna need a sturdier spaceship."
"Can I come too?" Spyro asked Olimar, who exchanged looks with Mario as he wondered how many people were allowed to join in on the space mission. "You can leave Hunter behind."
"Yeah, what he said, you can leave Hunter..." said Hunter as he was about to agree with Spyro, only to later frown at the smirking purple dragon. "...hey!"
Junpei's baseball team, the Omnis Adesti Fideles, had a new mission - to guard and protect the eight individuals on the list. Those eight individuals, if you might recall, were Chrom, Daisy, Kirby, Sora, Rosalina, King Dedede, Joker, and Corrin. Funky Kong and Owain were performing their new duties, as they kept Daisy and Rosalina company, respectively.
"You drop those flower pots, and I will kill you..." Daisy threatened Funky Kong, who was walking over to Daisy's flower bed slowly while carrying a bunch of flower pots. Funky lost his step, dropping the flower pots as they all broke.
"Uh oh..." panicked Funky Kong as he looked at his mess, before smiling nervously as he looked up at a furious Daisy. "...uh, can I get a rain check for my unplanned death?"
"I'll give you a rain check, alright...for your funeral!" Daisy took out her frying pan, and Funky Kong screamed as Daisy chased him around outside. Crash and Coco, who were both visiting the mansion, watched Daisy chase Funky around.
"That's one more person added to Daisy's hit list," remarked Coco, as she was in the front yard inspecting and studying some flowers. Not that far off from Crash and Coco was Rosalina, who was being followed around by Owain.
"Owain, why are you following me?" Rosalina asked the myrmidon, unable to go for a simple outside stroll without Owain literally breathing down her neck.
"Because I'm HIM!" proclaimed Owain, who went about boasting the mantle that was bestowed upon him two episodes ago. "I am the dominant force that shines light through the darkness!"
"And because of that, you feel the need to stalk me? Not exactly what I'd call 'Him' behavior." Trying to shake off Owain, Rosalina took a seat at the picnic table up ahead...and Owain sat right next to her.
"As Him, it's my duty to keep everyone I love protected. Anything less is beneath my standards." The more Owain rambled on, the more uncomfortable Rosalina became.
Lucina: Owain won't stop telling everyone that he's "Him", and that has made him even more insufferable. Pit's trying-to-be-cool schtick was a bad influence, and yet no one believed me when I warned them.
Donkey Kong: Owain is Him now, eh? Never too late to be his complementary piece. In fact, I can see a whole lot of similarities between Owain and Him! Him dresses like a depraved metrosexual, and Owain is...uh, what was I talking about again? *scratches his head*
"Oh no, she got me!" howled Funky Kong, as Daisy caught up to him and brought him to the ground. Daisy was on top of Funky, hitting him with her frying pa as Samus walked by. "Samus, save me!"
"Nope," Samus quickly responded as she walked past, not even giving Funky Kong any eye contact. The bounty hunter kept on walking when she saw Mario and Olimar exit Mario's house.
"Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!" Mario shouted at the top of his lungs, garnering everyone's attention as Daisy ceased her beating of Funky Kong. "Olimar and I are going on a space-a adventure, and we need-a volunteers."
"Welp, time for me to head back inside." Samus made a U-turn as she retreated back to the mansion, only for Mario to run up in front of her and stop her.
"Are you not interested, Samus? Don't you want to go back-a into outer space and explore new frontiers?"
"Can't say that I do." Samus tried to make a move past Mario, who stunted the bounty hunter's progress once again. Samus sighed in defeat.
"Come-a on! You love going on space-a missions. This one won't-a be any different!" When he saw that Mario wasn't convincing enough, Olimar ran up to the plumber to work his magic on Samus.
"Do it for me, Samus...you owe me one," Olimar encouraged the bounty hunter, looking at her with convincing eyes that were still very much closed. Once she took the hint, Samus made up her mind.
"Fine, I'll go...lemme go get my Power Suit." Samus would head back inside the mansion, as Olimar's trick worked like a charm. "I'll also see if Pikachu is interested in going."
"What does Samus owe..." Mario was about to ask, only to be silenced when Olimar placed his finger on the plumber's lips.
"Innocent minds aren't meant to know," replied Olimar, leading Mario's mind to wonder what Olimar and Samus had cooked behind the scenes. Taking his finger away from Mario's mouth, Olimar approached Rosalina.
"I know what you're about to ask - 'Rosalina, can you come with us on our space mission?'" Owain said to Olimar, sounding like a clairvoyant as he boldly stood up from the picnic table. "To which I say, she is allowed to go as long as I come with her!"
"Well..." Olimar considered Owain's offer as he looked at Rosalina, who was shaking her head no to dissuade the astronaut. "...sure, you can come." Owain smiled as he pumped his fist, while Rosalina facepalmed.
"Sounds like you guys could use a mission control," Coco approached Olimar alongside Crash, who was down with the idea as he nodded his head. "Crash and I can...well, it'll mostly just be me."
"That would be nice. Just keep your brother away from the controls...if you can." Olimar saw Crash breathe on his helmet, creating a fog that he used to make a smiley face. "Why did he have to do that?"
It has been a while since King Dedede was in love. If you might recall, the fat penguin (somehow) had a fling with Captain Syrup, which was implied to have lasted for about two years. That item came to an end when Syrup kicked King Dedede's butt at a Christmas raffle in 2021, and King Dedede had been out of the dating pool since.
But now, word on the street was that Dedede was back in love. In other words, he secured himself a secret lover. Rumors spread around the mansion, and soon the rumors reached the ears of an ever-curious Sonic as he entered the gaming room to ask a few questions.
"Hey, Pichu, you ever hear anything about a lady King Dedede has the hots for?" Sonic asked the tiny mouse Pokemon, who blinked his eyes and tilted his head as he didn't seem to understand the question.
"Pichu?" Pichu asked Sonic, his confusion painfully aware; Sonic sighed, realizing he might need to be more direct. Evidently, Pichu was a little green when it came to understanding romance.
"Okay, let me put it this way: is King Dedede seeing anyone? You know, romantically?"
"Pichu?" Pichu pointed at King Dedede, who was in the gaming room getting a foot rub free as charged from his Waddle Dees. Dedede was enjoying it too, chilling on the couch with his arms folded behind his back.
"Yeah, him! You know who his secret girlfriend is?" Sadly for Sonic, Pichu did not as the tiny mouse Pokemon shrugged. Forced to get his answers from the horse's mouth, Sonic sped over to where King Dedede was.
"Watch the toes - you break one of 'em, and I'm feeding you to the wolves!" King Dedede threatened his Waddle Dees, as Sonic was standing next to the fat penguin. "Actual wolves this time, I promise."
"Dedede! Buddy! Got a quick question for ya," Sonic tapped King Dedede on the shoulder, and the fat penguin turned with a flourish. Albeit slightly annoyed.
"What's it now, blue boy? Can't you say that I'm busy?" King Dedede looked at Sonic quizzically, and Sonic had a sly grin on his face.
"I've been hearing some rumors." Sonic leaned in conspiratorially, making King Dedede all the more wary. "Rumors about your...love life." Just like that, Dedede's eyes widened.
"Wh-what?! Nonsense! There ain't nothin' to them rumors!" King Dedede blushed a shade of pink that clashed horribly with his royal blue outfit, as his face was red all over. "Haven't dipped my toes in the dating pool since Captain Syrup and I broke up."
"Hey, hey, no need to get defensive! I'm just curious, you know?" Sonic held up his hands in mock surrender, as King Dedede began to cool down. "And for the record, you never had a chance with Syrup anyway."
"I did have a chance...I was simply too good for Syrup, that's all. Or maybe she wasn't good enough for me." King Dedede huffed, crossing his stubby arms as Sonic still had that smile on his face. "Ain't got time for that mushy stuff now. I'm too busy getting pampered by my Waddle Dees; they really fill the void that no girlfriend can."
"Just remember, Dedede, I'm always on to ya. Can't hide your secrets from me!" Sonic winked and patted King Dedede on the back, before leaving the fat penguin alone. As he left, Sonic caught a hint of King Dedede looking nervous, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh man, if Sonic finds out, it's gonna be the death of..." King Dedede stopped speaking, as he heard a phone ringing. To Sonic's surprise, Dedede had a phone on him as the fat penguin whipped the device out.
"Since when did King Dedede have a phone? And why does it look so...old? And cheap?" Sonic remained where he was, as King Dedede was fumbling around with his phone before answering the call.
"Uh, hey...yeah, it's me. How ya doin', lady?" King Dedede was smiling nervously as he looked over to see if Sonic was looking at him. When his eyes met Dedede's, Sonic looked away and walked off.
"So he does have a secret girlfriend..." Sonic felt awfully validated, and he was determined to find out the identity of King Dedede's secret lover soon.
Takeoff for the space mission was almost underway, as Olimar's ship was ready for launch. Mario, Olimar, and a motley crew of Samus, Pikachu, Rosalina, Luma, and Owain were gathered on a makeshift launchpad, getting ready for their cosmic adventure.
"Samus mentioned that you were going into outer space," Mega Man said to Olimar, having come outside to see if Olimar and company had already taken off. "Got room for one more?"
"Of course! We could use a real combat expert on our crew," replied Olimar as he welcomed Mega Man on board, while Samus gave Olimar a side-eye while wearing her Power Suit. "Uh, no offense, Samus."
"None taken..." Samus muttered under her breath, with Pikachu perched on her shoulder. Pikachu was bound to make Samus' space experience somewhat bearable.
Mega Man: Master Hand won't stop giving me crap for how the new furniture was placed in the living room, although that was mostly King K. Rool's doing. So I'm just gonna lay low by going into outer space. Master Hand will never find me there. *smiles half-confidently*
"Nice! You all going on a space trip?" Captain Falcon asked Olimar and company as he showed up smiling, fresh from filling the tank in his Blue Falcon. "Sign me up!"
"No! Only one of us is allowed to be Rosalina's guardian angel!" Owain confronted Captain Falcon as he had his sword out, with a hunch for what Falcon planned to do. Those on the launchpad marveled at how oddly overprotective Owain was.
"I don't need anyone's protection," stated Rosalina, but that didn't stop Owain from staring down Captain Falcon - despite the fact that he and Falcon were both on the same page in the grand scheme of things.
"Relax, buddy!" Captain Falcon smiled at Owain as he put his hands in front of him, wanting no bad blood whatsoever. "I just wanted to go into space. You wanna protect Rosa so bad, go ahead!"
"If you want in, then hop on the launchpad," Coco said to Captain Falcon, running mission control as she had her laptop and other gizmos out. Captain Falcon hopped on the launchpad as he was told, and Owain kept a close eye on the racer as he rejoined the others.
"That should be everyone," confirmed Olimar as he looked around at the eclectic bunch, making sure that everyone was properly equipped. "This is quite the crew we've assembled, isn't it?"
"It's a good-a mix," replied Mario, only to look over and see a certain astronaut show up while bringing a small briefcase. "Wait, Olimar, is that...?"
"Hey, Olimar! Sorry that I was late," greeted the astronaut who just showed up, Louie, nearly out of breath as he ran from Omnis Adest to the front yard of the mansion. "Had to back up my essentials."
"Louie, you're not part of the crew," Olimar broke the bad news, who would've been met with disappointment if he wasn't so totally convinced that he was coming along. "Who even told you about our space mission?"
"Nobody did. I had a hunch, you know?" After a shrug of his shoulders, Louie opened his briefcase to show what "essentials" he brought. "Got plenty of snacks for everyone."
"That's a bottle of toothpaste," Mega Man pointed out, as Louie was holding up a tube of toothpaste. The extreme whitening kind.
"Exactly...it's a snack. You can't eat it anyway 'cause you're a robot." Louie placed the toothpaste back in the briefcase and then took out an extra space suit, showing it off. "Here's my stealth camo - made extra sure it was spaceworthy."
"I'm not sure that'll be necessary, but...just get on the launchpad," Olimar said to Louie, who joined the others on the launchpad much to everyone's chagrin.
"Everybody ready?" Coco asked those on the launchpad, with Mario responding with a thumbs up. "Alright then, the rocket is ready for takeoff!"
"Woah!" exclaimed Crash, giving everyone a salute. His own special method of saying good luck. Just then, Link and Zelda both came outside to see everybody off.
"Know you aren't going to space without letting us bid farewell," Zelda said to Mario, as she and Link desired to see Mario before he went into space. That let Mario know how much the Hylians cared.
"Safe travels - don't do anything crazy," Link said to Mario, confident that the plumber would conduct himself in an orderly manner. However, the same probably couldn't be said for one member of the crew.
"You have my word, Link," Owain said to the Hylian, believing that Link and Zelda were speaking to him. "For I am HIM!" Link and Zelda exchanged looks with one another, while the others either groaned or rolled their eyes.
"...let's board the ship, everybody," said Olimar as he led everyone inside his spaceship, before closing the hatch once everyone (including a cameraman, wearing a space helmet) was accounted for. The spaceship engines roared, as takeoff was about to commence.
"Three...two...one...blast off!" Coco performed the countdown, and after one the spaceship flew up off the ground and into the atmosphere. Link and Zelda both waved to the ship, and Crash would do the same.
"Yup...that should keep him away for a while," Link said quietly to Zelda, before turning his head to the princess. "...shall we get down to searching?"
"Let's get to it," replied Zelda, as she and Link went over to Mario's house. Coco saw Link and Zelda standing at the front door, curious as to what business the Hylians had to handle.
Link: Don't know why, but a weird voice in the back of my mind told me to look for something important at Mario's home. Sounded almost like a whisper. It wasn't Midna...I know it wasn't Midna. But whatever makes that voice go away for good...
In an effort to improve his self-worth, Pit aimed to be the best barista at Cafe Leblanc. He hoped that with an improved performance, he could show Joker how valuable he was to the cafe as a whole. How was the angel doing? Let's see...
"One caffè macchiato with vanilla creamer, on the house!" exclaimed Pit as he placed a cup of coffee on the counter, readily made for Kyo Kusanagi to drink. Valuing his health (considering the person who brewed his coffee), Kyo nervously took his coffee and sipped.
"I don't believe it..." said Kyo, eyes slightly widening as he put his cup down. Pit was anxiously awaiting to hear Kyo's critique. "...this is the best coffee you've ever made!"
"Yeah buddy, I'm on a roll!" Pit was celebrating, doing a few finger guns as he shot a few imaginary bullets. Kyo continued to drink his coffee, as a marveling Joker was staring in amazement in Pit.
"Pit, are you sick?" Joker asked the angel; a secondary question the young man had in mind was asking if the Pit he was speaking to was an imposter. "You've never made good coffee this consistently."
"Why do you ask that? You think that because I'm competent at my job for once there's something wrong with me?" The word choice that Pit used made the baristas and patrons alike gasp.
"Pit has never used the word 'competent' correctly!" marveled Kirby, while Pit looked around at the shocked faces wondering what the big deal was. "He must definitely be under the weather."
Joker: Pit has been doing a whole lot better on the job ever since he and Sonic started hanging out more often. Who would've ever guessed that Sonic was the secret weapon to Pit's increased job performance? I should force Pit to go with Sonic on a bro trip - that would really do wonders for him. And for us.
"Aw snap! I have to deliver Captain Falcon his coffee," said Pit as he checked his phone, seeing a text notification from Falcon. But before the coffee could be delivered, Pit had to brew it first.
"Better not mess anything up, hot shot," Viridi said to Pit, finding it reassuring that her boyfriend was doing well as a barista for once. Pit got down to business as he approached the espresso machine, with a kind of confidence he never had.
"I'm more than a hot shot - I'm on FIRE!" Pit placed the coffee grounds into the portafilter and tried to tamp them vigorously...only for the grounds to fly everywhere. The counter and the baristas' faces were coated in a fine layer of coffee dust.
"You're definitely on fire, alright," Dante quipped with an amused glance, suppressing his laughter as Pit looked around in bewilderment. Joker facepalmed out of embarrassment.
"That was a test run," stated Pit, wiping coffee from his face before taking a second crack at the espresso machine. He tried to tamp the grounds more gently this time, but he ended up pushing them too hard as the portafilter slipped from his hands and crashed onto the floor with a loud clang. The cafe fell silent in an instant.
"You're supposed to tamp, not Hulk-smash," Joker reminded Pit, whose face turned beet red while under the fear that the momentum he once had was running out. "You're not Bruce Banner."
"Right, right. Got a little carried away there with my confidence." Pit scratched his head sheepishly, as Incineroar grabbed a mop to clean up the mess.
"How about you just froth the milk, while I handle the coffee grounds. And please measure it correctly. We don't want a frothy milk explosion like last time."
"So it's gonna be like that, huh?" frowned a salty Yoshi, as the perplexed baristas saw the green dinosaur hop off of his stool and storm out of the cafe. "Spontaneous fun is so hard to ask for these days..."
"Guess the days of Yoshi sitting at the counter every day to close are over now," remarked Viridi, as Incineroar grabbed a cloth to clean off the countertop with. "I was wrong to tell him that milk incident..."
Cloud was at Omnis Adest, going for a quick stroll around the community. He saw many sights during his trek and heard many sounds as well..including the sound of someone screaming.
"Why do I hear screaming?" Cloud wondered out loud, thinking that a woman was screaming based on the voice pitch alone. Soon he saw Zeke coming down, screaming his head off with Pandoria following after him. "Oh, it's just Zeke. No wonder."
"Spiky hair...I mean, Cloud Strife!" shrieked Zeke, who was so scared that he almost forgot Cloud's name. Zeke ran up to Cloud, nearly out of breath and taking a breather as he rested his hands on Cloud's chest.
"What's gotten into you?" Not appreciating how touchy Zeke was, Cloud grabbed the crown prince's hands and gently took them away from his torso.
"A floating jackal appeared in the sky and made Zeke wet his pants," Pandoria explained to Cloud, seconds after she had reached Zeke. The description made Cloud furrow his brow.
"Silly Pandoria! The great Zeke von Genbu doesn't wet his pants," proclaimed Zeke, denying that he would stoop so low as to wet his undergarments. "And before you can fact-check me, it was a light trickle...a light trickle."
"I don't care, show me where this jackal is," demanded Cloud, and so Zeke and Pandoria led the swordsman down the road to an open field. For the most part, nothing looked out of the ordinary.
"Huh, he was just here a minute ago," said Pandoria, scoping out the area for the floating jackal with her hand over her eyes. Then suddenly, a loud scream.
"He must be over there!" shouted Zeke as he pointed in the far distance, as he and the others ran in the direction he pointed. Soon the group arrived at a playground, where Lucina's friends Brady and Yarne were holding each other shivering in fear...as Infinite was hovering above above.
"Pathetic humans. Bow down before the might of Infinite!" Infinite bellowed to Brady and Yarne down below, pleased with how much the two friends feared him. It was hard to tell which one of the two was most scared of Infinite.
"Yarne, if we're to die in this very moment, just know this..." Brady said to the Taguel, invoking the trope of sharing his deepest, darkest secret with someone during his last potential moment alive. "...I have always liked Severa!"
"Seriously? I was going to confess my love to her!" responded Yarne, now with a sudden suspicion that Brady might ruin his plans for today - if both men survive.
Severa: Brady and Yarne both like me? That's nice, I suppose. A shame that they'd want to waste their time and effort to impress me. But that's men for ya.
"Leave them alone," Cloud commanded Infinite, as he grabbed the jackal's attention. Infinite turned his focus from Brady and Yarne to Cloud, Zeke, and Pandoria, who all stood their ground.
"You three dare to stumble upon my domain?" Infinite questioned Cloud and company, acting as if he was running the place while his eyes glowed with malevolence. "Let it be known, I don't take kindly to uninvited guests."
"This isn't your domain...this is their domain." Cloud gestured to Brady and Yarne, who Infinite saw were still shivering from head to toe.
"Right you are, Mr. Strife. But these fools, can they match my power? Witness the true extent of my strength!"
"He's gonna kill us!" Brady panicked as Infinite charged up a projectile in his hand, ready to fire it at Brady and Yarne. Rising up to the occasion, Cloud took out his Buster Sword and knocked the projectile away after Infinite had fired it.
"Way to steal my thunder!" Zeke shouted at Cloud, uber-confident that he could've done a much better job than Cloud did. Cloud brushed off Zeke's comment, as he eyed down his foe in Infinite.
"Is that all you've got? I'm only just getting started..." Infinite taunted, shifting into his second gear as he made multiple clones of himself to surround Cloud. Even in the face of many Infinites, Cloud was unmoved.
"Nice try. But this is child's play for me." Recognizing the real Infinite among the fakes, Cloud gathered his strength and unleashed his Limit Break as he lunged at the jackal. Infinite was caught off-guard as Cloud struck him, his illusionary constructs shattered one by one.
"Enough!" Infinite had enough of Cloud's Limit Break, as he fired a small blast of darkness at Cloud to send the swordsman jumping back. Covering his face, Infinite floated up in the air.
"What's the matter? Had enough?" Cloud gripped his Buster Sword, looking for round two with Infinite. But from the looks of it, Infinite wasn't up for another round...not yet, at least.
"If you want me...come and find me." On that note, Infinite vanished, daring Cloud to hunt him down. Cloud, who was up for the challenge, placed his Buster Sword behind his back.
"Keep your eyes peeled for Infinite, let me know if you see him," Cloud said to Zeke and Pandoria, before beginning his search for Infinite as he took off. After Cloud was gone, Zeke went over to Brady and Yarne and inspected the former's pants.
"Ah, you're a much better pants-wetter than I am..." Zeke gave his props to Brady, greatly embarrassing him as he made the priest blush profusely. "...not that there's anything wrong with that."
Fox was out and about in Omnis Adest, searching for his main man Falco. He hadn't seen Falco all day, and whenever he asked someone about the avian pilot's whereabouts, he never got a definitive answer.
"Show yourself, Falco!" Fox called out as he was standing alone at Omnis Adest, calling out to his best friend and hoping for a response of any kind. "Itsuki's gonna be on Microwave Idol Mamorin, and he just got off of the laughing gas from his dentist appointment. You're gonna miss it!"
Fox: Falco has been pretty much scared for his life ever since he spoke with Yukari. I've heard stories that Falco doesn't eat his breakfast or dinner in the dining room anymore; he eats in his room out of fear that Yukari might kill him. *pauses* Which I would honestly pay good money to see. I'd throw in a couple of bucks if Yukari cuts Falco's head off with a chainsaw.
"Hey, Fox! Got a quick one for ya!" exclaimed Sonic as he zoomed up to Fox, interrupting the pilot during his search.
"What's up, Sonic?" asked Fox as he raised an eyebrow, expecting to be asked what mustard works best on a chili dog. He was ready to suggest Dijon mustard, just in case the question was asked.
"You ever heard anything about King Dedede's love life? More specifically...his secret girlfriend?"
"Woah, woah, woah! Secret girlfriend? I don't believe you. No woman would ever sell her soul to be with that creep."
"True dat. But Dedede did land Captain Syrup...even if that 'relationship' was a sham."
"Dang right, it was a sham. Captain Syrup was using King Dedede, and Dedede was too stupid to realize it."
"That's right!" said a nearby King Dedede, who was speaking into his phone as he walked by. Sonic and Fox looked over at the fat penguin, who was all smiles. "I'm the best that royalty has to offer, babe."
"He has a phone now...?" Fox asked Sonic, who ruefully nodded his head as he had a myriad of questions himself about King Dedede's cellular device.
"I mean, he has to contact his secret lover somehow," replied Sonic, as Fox was looking at King Dedede's phone; like Sonic, Fox thought that the phone looked old and cheap.
"Okay, I'm starting to believe you. Let's go over and investigate." So Fox and Sonic went over to King Dedede, who was being chewed out by the woman that he was speaking with over the phone.
"Whaddaya mean, I can't call you babe?" King Dedede spoke into the phone, only to look up and see Fox and Sonic creeping closer to him. "That's how I address all my lady friends...wait a minute, gotta put you on hold."
"King Dedede, we meet again!" Sonic chirped, as King Dedede sheepishly placed his phone in his imaginary pocket and pretended to look innocent. "Got a minute?"
"Not now, I'm in the middle of a very important business call," replied King Dedede, thinking that Fox and Sonic were stupid enough to buy his excuse. Unfortunately for him, neither man was that stupid. "Uh, they gave me permission to put them on hold."
"We were just curious," said Fox, clearing his throat and maintaining a composed demeanor as he looked at King Dedede in an interrogative mood. "Any special penguin in your life?"
"What? No way! I'm not into penguins like that. Not my style. In fact, I'm seeing a human girl right now..." Suddenly the cat was out of the bag, with King Dedede gasping and covering his mouth.
"Guilty as charged," smirked Sonic, feeling even more validation as King Dedede was blushing madly. Fox chuckled as King Dedede's face was redder than a cherry.
"I-I didn't really mean that! I was just messin' with you guys. I don't have a girlfriend, I'm single as ever!"
"Hmm..." Sonic raised an eyebrow and looked at Fox, who was greatly amused as he fully believed what Sonic was saying earlier. "...King Dedede's pretty defensive, don't you think?"
"You know what they say, Sonic: the one who protests the loudest usually has the most to hide," replied Fox, as King Dedede was feeling the heat - and Dedede couldn't take it much longer.
"That's enough outta you two, I've got a hand pedicure to get to!" King Dedede yelled angrily at Fox and Sonic, before making his leave. Fox and Sonic exchanged knowing glances as Dedede hurriedly waddled away, clearly flustered by their questioning.
"Sonic, I think we've struck gold," Fox whispered with a chuckle, as King Dedede's secret girlfriend was confirmed. Sonic grinned, nodding in agreement as finding the identity of this secret girlfriend was his next goal.
"Hey, have you seen Infinite anywhere?" Cloud asked Fox and Sonic as he approached the duo, hoping that Sonic could tell him where to look. What with Sonic obviously having crossed paths with Infinite and all.
"Nope, but did you know that King Dedede has a new girlfriend?" Sonic asked Cloud, who groaned as he shook his head and left to resume his search. "He must not be ready to handle the news yet," Sonic later assumed.
After what felt like a pretty short ride, the spaceship finally reached a planet and landed on solid ground. Mario, Olimar, and everyone else unboarded the ship, arriving at a grassy planet rife with vegetation.
"Mamma mia! Where-a are we?" pondered Mario, scratching his head and surveying the unfamiliar landscape. Olimar, ever the seasoned space explorer, examined a nearby plant as he took out his Pikmin Pad.
"According to my Pikmin Pad, this is Giya, a colonized planet," explained Olimar, before doing a deep inhale and exhale as he soaked in the oxygen. "Man, it feels good to be in space again..."
"He does realize that he still has his helmet on, right?" Owain asked Mega Man, wearing a helmet because of obvious reasons. He didn't like it one bit.
Owain: It's not fair - Mario, Rosalina, and Captain Falcon don't wear helmets, but I have to! A huge indicator that they're not human...all the more reason for me to expose them as monsters and vanquish them! *pauses* Except Rosalina, of course.
"Whaddaya know! It's a bunch of Pikmin," alerted Captain Falcon, taking sight of red, blue, and yellow Pikmin inspecting a large Game Boy Advance SP on the ground. The Pikmin all looked up, realizing they had visitors.
"Here they come..." muttered Samus, tensing up as the Pikmin came over to greet the visitors from earth. They were all around the space crew's feet.
"Aha, stop-a that, that tickles!" giggled Mario, who felt several Pikmin on his leg. The ticklish plumber held up his leg, being mindful not to step on any of the Pikmin.
"How did I know that there would be Pikmin?" questioned Olimar, who saw something flashing on his Pikmin Pad. The astronaut checked the notification, and his eyes went huge. "Other travelers are on this planet! And they're headed this way!"
"Tell me which direction they're coming from!" said Mega Man as he had his Mega Buster ready, in the event these travelers had to be taken care of.
"I don't think these other travelers are much of a threat," Captain Falcon said to Mega Man, lowering the robot's Mega Buster...only to look afraid as he heard rustling in the nearby grass.
"Must be coming from there." Mega Man pointed his Mega Buster at the rustling grass, not firing until he saw what he was dealing with. After a few seconds, the rustling stopped...
...and emerging from the grass was a space dog, one that was yellow in color. The space dog wagged its tail excitedly at Mario and company, happy to see some strangers.
"Oh, it's just a space dog," confirmed Mega Man as he lowered his Mega Buster, not finding the canine to be a threat at all. "False alarm."
"False alarm?! It's abundantly clear that his dog is using its cute charm to lure us and kill us all!" shouted Owain as he took out his sword, confronting the space dog who happily barked at his aggressor. "Silly dog! Your words of torment won't harm me!"
"He is so embarrassing..." sighed Samus, as Owain waited for the excitable space dog to make its first move. Then suddenly, more rustling from the grass as two astronauts emerged, both of the same stature as Olimr and Louie.
"Look, Shepherd! Oatchi found someone!" exclaimed one of the astronauts, who was on the more pudgy side, as he pointed at Mario and company.
"Told you that he would, Collin," responded the other astronaut, a dark-skinned female with blonde hair, as she patted the space dog. "Good job, Oatchi."
"Erma Shepherd? Collin?" Olimar uttered the names of the two astronauts, recognizing their faces. "From the Rescue Corps?" The mentioned astronauts both looked at Olimar, their faces brightening up.
"Captain Olimar! Funny seeing you here." Shepherd was happy to see Olimar, but she didn't have that same energy for Louie when she turned to him. "And Louie..."
"Group hug!" exclaimed Louie as he held out his arms, only to be left hanging; the astronaut dropped his arms, reveling in his shame and embarrassment.
"Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Mario?" asked Collin having to do a double-take when he saw the famous plumber. Owain looked on waiting for Collin to recognize him.
"The one-a and only," Mario confirmed with a smile as he tipped his hat; Owain meanwhile was beside himself as he looked away in defeat.
"So, what brings you all the way to Giya?" Shepherd asked Olimar; looking at the crew Olimar assembled made her curious about the space mission involved.
"Was about to ask you the same question," replied Olimar, as Oatchi ran over to Olimar and gave him a good lick. Loads of saliva on Olimar's helmet. "Back on another rescue mission?"
"Not this time - we've been assigned to do a little recon work by Hocotate. We just got through rescuing Yonny, though."
"Rescuing a member of the Rescue Corps...how ironic. Say, how about we take a stroll through Giya together? You and Collin do recon work - I find parts for a new machine."
"Sounds fine by me. And for the record, your friends can't ride on Oatchi. He acts a little crazy around strangers."
"I can tell..." remarked Mega Man, who was now being licked repeatedly by Oatchi despite turning down the space dog's advances. Gonna be a whole lot of that going on on Giya.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, Link and Zelda were inside Mario's house looking for a certain item. They were let inside the house by Peach, who couldn't help but bother the Hylian couple during their search.
"May I interest you both with a snack?" Peach asked Link and Zelda, who were doing most of their searching in the living room. Mainly searching in spots where Mario would hide something in secret. In Peach's hands were bags full of graham crackers.
"I wouldn't mind having a..." Link spoke up, only to quiet down when Zelda shushed him. Link lowered his head in sadness as he looked underneath the cushions of the living room couch.
Peach: I admire how Zelda often bosses Link around. I try to do the same to Mario, but usually it just doesn't have the same effect. Mario must be twice the man that Link is - and that only makes me love him even more!
"Remember what we came here to do," Zelda said to Link, reminding her husband of their current task. Moving on from the couch, Link glanced at the wall, spotting a spare red cap of Mario's hanging on a hook.
"How do I look, Zelda?" asked Link as he grabbed the red cap and playfully put it on his head, sporting a grin. At first, Zelda tried to remain serious, but she stifled a laugh with her hand over her mouth.
"Like you're ready for an adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom," replied Zelda, quickly wiping the smile off her face as she ventured to the nursery room. "Now, let's see what else we can...find?"
Zelda peeked inside the nursery room, discovering a baby crib, a portrait of Princess Peach framed on the wall...and Hunter playing with a baby mobile. Link joined Zelda at the doorway, and caught Hunter in the act.
"Baby stuff can be so addicting," remarked Hunter, smacking the items on the baby mobile as if they were balls of yarn hanging from the ceiling. "Took me a while to beat my addiction to baby food."
"Hunter?" Zelda uttered the name of the cheetah, who saw the princess and Link standing in the doorway with bewildered expressions. Hunter immediately froze.
"Oh, Link! Zelda! I was just...uh, admiring Lou's belongings," Hunter smiled sheepishly, hiding the baby mobile behind his back just in case Peach happened to walk in. The cheetah cleared his throat, trying to look innocent.
"Admiring, huh?" said Link as he saw Lou napping peacefully in his baby crib, sucking on his thumb. Something that Hunter took advantage of.
"Yeah, I got a little carried away. I was never here..." Hunter attached the baby mobile to the crib, before walking past Link and Zelda and out of the nursery...only to run into Peach.
"What were you doing in the nursery just now?" Peach asked Hunter, hoping that the cheetah wasn't doing unspeakable things to her son. Hunter appeared timid as was hyperventilating in fear.
"I WAS NEVER HERE!" Hunter bellowed at the top of his lungs, before darting past Peach and up the stairs. Befuddled, Peach glanced at Link and Zelda who didn't have an answer themselves.
Olimar and his space crew were banded together with three members of the Rescue Corps - Shepherd, Collin, and Oatchi. They were traversing through Giya, seeing Pikmin everywhere they went. There was even a flock of Pikmin trailing behind them!
"Who are you texting?" Rosalina asked Captain Falcon, who was spotted texting someone on his cellphone. "Didn't know this planet had phone service."
"Me neither! Learn something new every day," responded Captain Falcon after he sent his text, as Samus groaned in response to the racer. During the trek, Mario's stomach rumbled.
"You know what would really hit-a the spot right now?" asked Mario, who had forgotten to do something very important this morning during breakfast. "A nice cup of coffee."
"What a coincidence, because I'm gonna..." started Captain Falcon, only to keep his mouth shut when Mario and everyone else were staring at him. "...uh, I wasn't saying anything."
"Yes, you were. Out with it!" commanded Shepherd as she came to a stop, refusing to take another step until Captain Falcon finished his piece. Collin looked up, as he saw a twinkle in the sky.
"Incoming!" alerted Collin as he pointed at the sky, before running for cover. A distant flutter of wings caught everyone's attention, and upon further inspection...that flutter of wings was actually Pit.
"Captain Falcon! I got your coffee!" Pit called out to the racer, before crashlanding as he landed face-first on the ground. Even after crashing, the coffee was still safe as Pit held the arm with the coffee in hand up.
"Thanks, Pit!" Captain Falcon thanked the angel as he took the coffee and took a sip; Pit could be heard mumbling "You're welcome" in his muffled voice.
Owain: Pit's an angel, so I'll give him a pass. Still won't stop me from proving my worth and eradicating him, even if he's no longer "Him".
"Olimar, who is this?" Shepherd asked the astronaut, as Oatchi came over to the downed Pit and sniffed him from head to toe.
"That's Pit - he works at a cafe called Cafe Leblanc," answered Olimar, as Shepherd found that information very hard to believe. Mega Man helped Pit up to his feet, cleaning off his face and toga.
"Mario! You never told me that you were going into outer space," Pit said to the plumber, feeling some type of way about not being invited. Samus would've obviously had a say in that.
"It was for the best," replied Mario, who was looking out not only for Samus but for everybody else. Pit inched closer to Mario, smiling from ear to ear.
"I am a part-time worker, so...do you mind if I come along?" Pit leaned in close to Mario, who was mulling his options as he looked at Samus and the others...but mainly Samus.
"We have enough-a crew members..." Once Pit leaned in even closer, Mario had no choice but to appease the angel. "...welcome aboard, Pit."
"WAHOO!" Pit did a leap for joy, as Samus reacted by tightening her fist with rage. Mario saw how angry Samus was, fearing for his life.
"Aren't you the captain, Olimar?" Shepherd questioned the astronaut, as Pit showed his appreciation towards Mario by hugging the plumber. "You should be having the final say!"
"Mario is a co-captain," explained Olimar, and he was unconfident in his response as he looked down at the ground. "Let's...let's keep pressing on."
Link and Zelda's search at Mario's house took them upstairs, as the Hylian couple was about to embark upon the master bedroom. Zelda pushed the door open ever so gently, and they entered the room, eyes darting around. They saw Mario's overalls hanging on a hook, his spare white gloves resting on a nightstand, and a cheetah tail sticking out from underneath the bed.
"I'm just a figment of your imagination...ooooo," Hunter said to Link and Zelda from under the bed after detecting their presence, sounding like a ghost. Link and Zelda would ignore the cheetah as they got down to searching.
"Let's see what else he's got hiding in here," said Zelda as she opened a drawer, seeing nothing but Mario's undies inside. Link joined Zelda at the dresser, discovering mushrooms and fire flowers as the Hylians sifted through the furniture.
"Got you two a bottle of water," Peach offered to Link and Zelda as she stood at the doorway, a water bottle in each of her hands. "You both look thirsty."
"I am pretty thirsty," remarked Link, who could go for a drink, but a stern look from Zelda kept the Hylian in place. Link grunted as he and Zelda went through the dresser together.
"Make sure not to go through the right side of the dresser. That's my side." Peach was precariously looking on, as Link and Zelda were rummaging through Mario's stuff. So far, nothing out of the ordinary has been discovered.
"Dresser seems safe, for the most part," deduced Link, as Poochy entered the master bedroom creeping past Peach. Poochy saw Hunter's tail sticking from under the bed and gave it a good bite.
"YEEEOOOUCH!" Hunter yelped in pain as he sprung up, causing the bed to turn over on its side. The cheetah hopped around the room, holding his tail in pain.
"Huh, I can't recall Poochy ever biting anyone," remarked Peach, as Link and Zelda were drawn to a mysterious gold bubble mailer that was lying on the floor in the very center where the bed was at. "I learn something new about Poochy every day!"
"This must be what we're looking for..." said Link as he went over to the gold bubble mailer and picked it up, rubbing his fingers to determine what was inside. He and Zelda found their jackpot.
Taking a break from Cloud, Infinite appeared in the front yard of the mansion. There he saw Coco was running mission control pretty much by herself, as Crash was too brainless to be given any responsibility. The only thing that Crash could offer to Coco was moral support, which he wasn't doing so well at...
"No, Crash, the laptop is off-limits!" Coco scolded her brother, wrangling with Crash over the laptop as Infinite hovered above the bandicoots. "I can't track the progress of the space crew without it!"
"A space crew?" Infinite quietly inquired, as he eavesdropped on their conversation. Ultimately, Coco prevailed over Crash as she snatched her laptop away.
"Thank you very much..." Back in possession of her laptop, Coco opened up the window that she was previously using. "Now I can get back to..." When Coco pulled up the window, all she saw was a black screen. "...huh, the camera must not be working."
"What a pity..." Infinite was keeping close watch of the bandicoots, and soon it hit Coco as she put her hands on her head and panicked.
"Oh no, I never gave them a camera! Or a tracker! Or a communication device! Now I'll never know what planet Mario and them are on..."
Coco: This whole time, I was speaking into my headset with nobody on the other line. This whole time, I thought that Olimar was too stupid to turn his device on, or even speak to me. But it turns out, I'm the stupid me... *slaps herself* ...no, Coco! Get yourself together!
"Mario is on a faraway planet?" questioned Infinite, deciding to shift his focus from Cloud to Mario. "Maybe I can track his scent." The jackal vanished, as he had some new prey to toy with.
"Thought for sure that I gave them all the equipment," said Coco, genuinely believing that her mindlessness would tarnish the mission. Cloud showed up at the front yard, having just missed Infinite.
"Hey, you guys haven't seen Infinite today, have you?" Cloud asked the bandicoots, after being unable to find Infinite anywhere at Omnis Adest.
"Aw man, I didn't even give them any space underwear!" Coco held up a pack of space undies, ignoring Cloud, as Crash was ignoring Cloud as well. "These are really handy."
"Woah?" Crash asked Coco as he pointed at the space underwear; Cloud accepted his losses and walked away from the bandicoots.
"No, Crash, you can't eat them. Already tried it myself...in the name of science, I must add."
The trek on Giya continued, and Shepherd and Collie were doing fine recon work on the planet. As for Olimar and the gang, they had yet to complete their mission, until...
"Well, well! What do we have-a here?" Mario asked with a smile as the group entered an open area - one that was rife with scrap parts. Just what Olimar wanted.
"Eureka!" exclaimed Olimar as he collected the scrap parts, handing the ones that he couldn't carry to Rosalina and Captain Falcon. "Knew that this throwaway mission would have meaning."
"Yup! E. Gadd is gonna make a killing with-a these..." Mario suddenly stopped speaking, furrowing his brow after taking into account what Olimar said. "Whaddaya mean-a by 'throwaway mission'?"
"Pathetic creatures..." uttered a chilling voice, as a certain jackal emerged from the shadows. Revealing himself as none other than Infinite. "...this is my domain now."
"It's him...no wait, I'm Him!" Owain said after seeing Infinite, his sword at the ready as he stepped in front of Rosalina. "I will protect you, Rosalina!"
"I don't need it," responded Rosalina, more than capable of handling herself. A woman like her hailing from the galaxy could never be intimidated by Infinite.
"C-Captain Olimar, wh-who is that?" Collin asked the astronaut, understandably shivering in fear as he hid behind Shepherd. Infinite's eyes gleamed as he took a gander at the Rescue Corps, further sending chills down Collin's spine.
"Since you do not know who I am, allow me to introduce myself," Infinite said to Shepherd and Collin, as Oatchi was barking at the jackal with the hairs on its back raised. "I am Infinite, and I have the power to reshape reality itself."
"Reshape reality? That's a pretty big claim," commented Shepherd, unfazed compared to Collin, as Mega Man and Pit both turned to face the astronaut with their weapons out.
"Don't test him..." Pit whispered this warning to Shepherd, as his arrow was pointed at Infinite. Infinite chuckled, his laughter filling the air.
"Oh, you'll see soon enough," Infinite said to Shepherd, about to prove to her just how powerful he was. "Witness my power!" With a flick of his wrist, Infinite summoned infinity cubes, which he planned to attack everyone with.
"Run for cover!" Samus shouted at the Rescue Corps, who did as they were told as Shepherd, Collin, and Oatchi ran to safety. Samus fired several charged shots at the cubes, as Pikachu leaped down from the bounty hunter's shoulder to carry out his own offensive.
"Pika...CHUUUUUUUU!" shouted Pikachu, unleashing a wicked Thunderbolt on the infinity cubes while Mega Man fired with his Mega Buster and Captain Falcon did his Falcon Punch...ing. No matter what, more and more infinity cubes appeared.
"There's too many of them," fretted Rosalina, who had Luma fire star bits at the cubes to keep them at bay. Not even Mario's FLUDD or Pit's arrows were able to get the job done.
"Begone with you, evil cubes!" shouted Owain, slicing cubes left and right with his sword - and feeling like the man while doing so. The only folks on the battlefield not fighting back were Olimar and Louie.
"We should run for cover, just as the Rescue Corps...did," Olimar said to Louie, before trailing off when he saw his fellow employee take out his briefcase. "...seriously, Louie? At a time like this?!"
"Got something in here that can change the tide," said Louie as he went through his briefcase belongings before taking out his "snack" - his toothpaste. "Whoops! I forgot to eat this."
"You can't eat toothpaste, the poison control center says so." Defying the poison control center, Louie was unscrewing the top of his toothpaste. "And why eat toothpaste when we're in the middle of..."
Ignoring Olimar, Louie squeezed some toothpaste out as he fired it out like a projectile - almost certainly by accident. Everyone stopped fighting and gasped, as the toothpaste was squirted in Infinite's face.
"Hmph. You think that'll stop me?" snorted Infinite, using his hand to wipe the toothpaste off his mask...only for the toothpaste to remain. "Why isn't this substance coming off?"
"He's distracted. We have an opening!" shouted Mega Man, as Infinite was finding it a struggle to get rid of the toothpaste. Pit, who was up in the air, decided to take his shot.
"Here goes nothing..." said Pit, steadying his focus as he fired an arrow straight at Infinite's chest. The arrow pierced Infinite, leaving him clutching his chest as the infinity cubes were shattered one by one.
"Haha! Bullseye!" cheered Shepherd, watching from a safe distance along with the Rescue Corps as Infinite was left in pain.
"Atta boy!" cheered Mario, as everyone down below Pit was cheering - even Samus. Made Pit feel good.
"No...this can't be happening!" Infinite writhed in pain, his confidence wavering as all the infinity cubes were gone. The jackal looked at his opposition and was absolutely seething. "This isn't over..."
Louie: My toothpaste was the catalyst needed to save the day. Best snack in the entire universe.
Not risking further injury, Infinite vanished from Giya to recuperate from his chest wound. Mario and the others celebrated, with Mega Man and Captain Falcon exchanging high-fives as the Rescue Corps rejoined the others.
"Great job, everyone!" Shepherd commended everyone as she, Collin, and Shepherd joined in on the celebration. "Your guys really held their own, Olimar."
"Take that, Giovanni!" exclaimed Pit, who was celebrating by himself as he felt a wave of worth washing over him. "I am worthy!"
"Uh...what does Giovanni have to do with anything?" Samus questioned Pit, as everyone ceased celebrating and stared perplexedly at the angel.
"I was just thinking out loud. I better get back to work! Later!" Having enjoyed his time spent in space, Pit flew out of the atmosphere as he flew back home.
"We oughta get going as well," Olimar said to his crew, "Hopefully this will be enough for E. Gadd to work with."
"A pleasure getting to see you, captain," Shepherd said to Olimar, as she and Collin shared a fist bump with the astronaut. Oatchi licked Olimar one last time, as his own way of saying goodbye.
Fox remained in Omnis Adest as he wandered through the community, still on the search for Falco. During his search, he came across the Wayfinder trio - Terra, Ventus, and Aqua - and the three were outside breaking down cardboard boxes to be recycled.
"From now on, no more online shopping," Aqua said to Terra and Ventus, who were doing most of the work while Aqua was looking on like a mom watching her children. "It's bad enough that the delivery man rings our doorbell early in the morning."
"Hey, not my fault that you aren't a morning person," responded Ventus, only to flinch when Aqua angrily grabbed a piece of cardboard and was about to throw it at her friend's head. Ventus looked afraid, as Aqua playfully smirked.
Terra: Ventus learning how online shopping works was been the worst that has happened to us ever since our stay. Thanks to him, we have a bunch of Roombas roaming around in the house that we can't let go to waste. Don't even get me started on that Alexa speaker - the biggest know-it-all on the planet, bar none. And we got like a dozen of those.
Ventus: This is the card I used to make all those purchases. *holds up a credit card, which has a conspicuous purple "W" on it* Can't tell you where I found it, but I've yet to run out of money so it's holding up pretty strong!
Wario: Just got a bill in the mail, and my credit score is in shambles. Wah!
"Have you three seen Falco anywhere?" Fox asked the Wayfinder trio, as Terra, Aqua, and Ventus all exchanged knowing looks. They were even smiling, which kind of told Fox all he needed to know.
"We're glad you asked," replied Terra, as he led Fox to the recycling bins on the side of the road. Terra moved one of the bins to the side...revealing Falco, who was sitting on the ground in a fetal position.
"I'm a good boy, I'm a good boy, I'm a good boy..." Falco constantly reassured himself, repeating the same words over and over again as he rocked back and forth. He would stop when he saw Fox and Terra peering down at him.
"Uh, Falco...what are you up to?" Fox asked with an eyebrow raised, as Falco jolted with his feathers fluffing out in surprise.
"Oh, hey, Fox. Just, uh, taking a break. From life. Yeah, that's it." Falco nodded his head to confirm the fact, but Fox was hardly convinced.
"Taking a break? From life?" Fox crossed his arms, an amused grin playing on his lips "Didn't know that you were a quitter. That's not the Falco that I know."
"I'm no quitter, I'm just, you know, just...hiding." Falco's eyes darted around, his beak twitching nervously as he was forced to come clean. "Yeah, hiding from...someone."
"Hiding from someone, huh? Do tell," implored Terra, taking a keen interest in Falco's plight as he leaned in close with a slight grin and a knowing glint in his eye.
"I can tell Fox, but I can't tell you," Falco said to Terra, his feathers ruffled as he tried to maintain his nonchalant demeanor. Terra's curiosity was piqued, and it was up to Fox to clue the Keyblade wielder in.
"I think he's hiding from Yukari," Fox leaned in close and whispered to Terra, who was left wondering what was so threatening about Yukari that Falco had to hide from her. "It's a long story."
"Okay, fine. I admit it. I'm hiding from Yukari." After overhearing Fox's whispering, Falco rose up to his feet. "Let's just say, I need some time to, you know, strategize."
"You need to strategize for Yukari?" Fox burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement as an equally amused Terra was left smiling. "Yukari, of all people?"
"Hey, you saw what she did to me on Bastille Day. Whacked me with a baseball bat! The woman turns into an angry grizzly bear whenever she sees me."
"Well, good luck with your 'strategizing,'" Terra said to Falco as he put his hand on the avian pilot's shoulder, fighting back the urge to chuckle. "Let us know if you need any pointers on how to beat Yukari's open-hand slap."
"Ha ha, very funny..." Falco rolled his eyes, not liking the fact that he was the butt of jokes. He much preferred to be on the other side of things. "...if you ever see Yukari around, tell her I'm on an interstellar mission or something."
"Heard that, you guys?" Terra asked Aqua and Ventus, with Falco disgruntled that Terra was bringing his two best friends into the situation. "Falco wants you to tell Yukari that he's on some interstellar mission. He's super scared of her."
"Will do," Ventus responded amusingly, as he gave Terra a salute; Falco was becoming angry as his face was turning red from rage.
"May the skies be ever in your favor, Falco," Aqua gave some advice to the avian pilot, who didn't want to hear anything as he grumpily folded his arms.
King Dedede had a secret lover, as the fat penguin inadvertently revealed that he had a human girlfriend. All that was left for Sonic to do was find out who this human girlfriend was, at whatever cost.
"That Sonic really needs to get off my case," King Dedede said to Ness and Lucas, chilling on a hammock outside the mansion while his Waddle Dees were pedicuring his hands. Ness and Lucas were eavesdropping as they were playing catch.
"Get off your case about what?" asked Ness, asking out of slight obligation as he tossed the football to Lucas. King Dedede gulped nervously, a drop of sweat running down his face.
"About why I'm so handsome! He can't help the fact that I have an attractive face. He's jealous of me, I bet."
"Like anyone would ever be jealous of you," snorted Lucas, as he tossed the football back to Ness. Ness almost one-handed the ball. "Also, you're the opposite of attractive."
"BLASHPHEMY! If I'm so unattractive, how did I land Captain Syrup?" Knowing how that item turned out, Ness and Lucas both looked dubiously at King Dedede. "Okay, not a good example, but hear me out..."
"Oh, Dedede! Guess who's back?" a certain hedgehog called out, as King Dedede let out a loud groan. Sonic sped over to the hammock, his sudden appearance of much chagrin to Dedede.
"Again with you?! Why can't you just leave me alone? Why do you always gotta bother me, man?"
"Because you got a juicy secret. Your secret lover! So who is it? Tell me!"
"Oh? Secret lover?" smiled Ness, as he and Lucas were both interested in knowing the woman who would eventually break up with King Dedede in the near future. "Spill the beans, Dedede!"
"Don't listen to him, he's speaking nonsense," King Dedede warned Ness, obviously flustered as precipitation was forming on his face. "He's a pot stirrer, I tell you what."
"Can't hide anything from the fastest thing alive," Sonic chuckled at King Dedede as he wagged his finger, putting even more pressure on the fat penguin. "But don't worry, your secret's safe with me!"
"And us," Lucas said to King Dedede, vowing not to tell anyone about Dedede's secret girlfriend. But there was nobody that King Dedede could trust, not even his own Waddle Dee servants.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sonic," insisted King Dedede as he scratched his head, looking both embarrassed and bewildered as he had nowhere to run. "I don't have any secret lover."
"Don't have any secret lover, huh? Did you think that you could keep our love affair a secret forever?"
Sonic, Ness, and Lucas's attention were brought to a woman, who showed up carrying a guitar. The woman was wearing all red, clad in provocative attire as she smirked at King Dedede.
"Erm, boys...I'd like you to meet I-No...my girlfriend," King Dedede introduced Sonic and company to the woman, finally forced to come clean. I-No smiled at the new faces that she was seeing.
"Sorry for not seeing your text till later; I've had my hands full," I-No apologized to King Dedede, as Sonic, Ness, and Lucas could not believe what they were seeing. Lucas even fainted.
Lucas: How in the world is King Dedede landing these kinds of women? I-No looks even more out of his league than Captain Syrup did! Does Dedede have a weird fetish for being played?
"Wait a sec..." uttered Sonic, his eyes widening as he looked from Dedede to I-No and back again while realization dawned on him. "You two are..."
"Look, Sonic...it's not what it looks like!" replied King Dedede, blushing even harder than he did the previous two instances. I-No laughed heartily, strumming a few chords on her guitar.
"Oh, but it is," confirmed I-No, as Ness felt as if he was living in a nightmare. A rather disturbing nightmare. "Our love is unconventional, but it's genuine."
"Wow, King Dedede, I gotta hand it to you, man. I never would've guessed!" Sonic burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement. And poor King Dedede was as embarrassed as ever.
"I-No, this is all your fault!" King Dedede called out his...girlfriend, his face buried in his hands as he tried to hide his embarrassment. "I didn't tell you to..."
"Aw, don't be such a grump," I-No said to King Dedede as she walked over to the fat penguin, giving him a peck on his cheek. "You shouldn't have sent me that text in the first place."
"Hey man, whatever makes you happy," Sonic said to King Dedede as he patted him on the back, while Ness looked disturbed - probably because of I-No's kissing Dedede.
Ness: *staring into the camera, blinking* ...I need eye bleach.
Olimar and company got what they came for, as they were now heading back to Earth. As Coco was worried that the space crew had died in space or something, Crash looked up in the sky and saw Olimar's ship in the sky.
"Woah!" Crash alerted Coco as he pointed at Olimar's ship, which was flying back to the mansion. Coco found much relief as the spaceship landed on the launchpad, smoke coming out as the hatch opened.
"We're back!" announced Olimar, the first to exit his ship...before being trampled by Mario and everybody else. The astronaut would lay on the launchpad, writhing in pain.
"We're-a back!" announced Mario, unknowingly stealing Olimar's thunder; Crash was applauding the space crew's return, while Coco was all smiles.
"Thank goodness you all came back safely!" exclaimed Coco as she ran up to Mario and hugged him. Realizing what she was doing, Coco gave Mario a funny look before backing away. "Don't know where that came from."
"Back so soon?" Link asked Mario and company as he, Zelda, and Master Hand showed up outside. Coco was hoping that Master Hand didn't catch her hugging Mario; the very image would give Master Hand some "ideas".
"We told Master Hand that you went into space," Zelda said to Mario, certain that the plumber had a fruitful adventure in the cosmos. "How did it go?"
"How did it go?" Mario asked with his signature enthusiasm, smiling as he was ready to recount his cosmic escapades. "Alrighty then, let-a tell ya!"
"Did you die?" Master Hand asked Mario as he floated in anticipation, prompting Link and Zelda to exchange concerned glances. What a strange question to ask right off the bat.
"No...I didn't die." Apparently, Master Hand was met with disappointment as he let out a depressed moan. "Anyway, we were in Olimar's trusty spaceship, the S.S. Dolphin. We blasted off into space, and Owain threw-a up in his space helmet. Thankfully, Olimar had a spare."
"What planet did you arrive at?" asked Zelda, before looking over and seeing that Owain was sick from the ride back home as he vomited on the ground.
"Landed on some-a planet called Giya - looked like it was right up Olimar's alley. There were even Pikmin living on it, for crying out loud! We met a few of Olimar's Hocotate Freight-a buddies; they're a part-a of a rescue team. The Rescue Corps!"
"Bet they had a nice little reunion," assumed Link, who was debating whether or not these Rescue Corp peeps would be fine additions to Omnis Adest."
"Eh, it didn't last-a that long, to be honest. But we did cross-a paths with Infinite. Don't know how he found-a us! We put up a good-a fight, but Pit delivered the final blow!"
"Everything up until the Pit part sounds believable," remarked Master Hand - imagine his reaction upon learning that Louie of all people was the one who gave Pit the opening. "You didn't leave the planet empty-handed, did you?"
"We did find some scrap-a parts." Mario gestured over to Olimar, who was now back on his feet as he did an inventory of the scrap parts he collected. "Professor E. Gadd is gonna need-a 'em for his machine."
"Wait, so you actually found..." Zelda started, before quickly changing her tune mid-sentence as she began smiling. "...I mean, that's great Mario! I'm sure you enjoyed your time on Giga."
"Told you that Mario had an appetite for space exploration," Link smirked at Zelda, playing along as she nudged the princess in her side. Mario had yet to suspect a thing.
"Giya, it's called Giya," Mario corrected Zelda, before letting out a yawn as he felt a big nap coming on. "Well, I'm pooped...I'm-a heading in."
"Go and rest up, Mario - we do have that calisthenics class you promised me!" Master Hand called out to Mario, who waved off the giant hand as he went to his house. With Mario out of the picture, Master Hand turned to the Hylians and asked, "Something you wanted to show me?"
"This..." replied Link as he took out the gold bubble mailer he and Zelda found in Mario's bedroom. Master Hand took a gander at the mailer, intrigued.
Believe it or not, King Dedede and I-No were an item, and it was hard for Ness and Lucas to process. I-No's time at the mansion was short-lived as she had a musical gig to get to, but before he could let I-No go King Dedede had something to tell her.
"We're having a Casino Night next week, organized by yours truly," King Dedede enticed I-No in the foyer; no doubt the fat penguin pulled a lot of strings behind the scenes to make the event happen. "Everyone would love to see their fearless leader there."
"Master Hand is gonna be there?" asked I-No, as King Dedede laughed while putting his hand on I-No's back. Min Min saw this image as she passed through the foyer, and looked disturbed as she hurried out.
"Little do they know, he's the Eva Peron to my Cesar Chavez."
"I don't think you can handle it.
"Oh, come on. Come on."
"I mean, Casino Night..."
"You know, it'd be fun. I can hear it in your voice. You need a break."
"I'll consider it. Bye, Dedede." With a week to make her decision, I-No left the mansion as she took her guitar with her.
King Dedede: I-No and I understand each other. She gets me. We're more than just friends. We're destined for each other - I can just feel it!
Shortly after I-No left, King Dedede's phone rang. Looking around conspicuously, Dedede took out his phone and answered the call.
"Hey, babe...it's me," King Dedede spoke into the phone, wanting to conduct his phone call in private as he ran out of the foyer. "...for the last time, you can't stop me from calling you that. It's obligatory."
Pit was in a good mood upon returning to Cafe Leblanc, for he got the better of Infinite on Giya. Sonic stopped by the cafe to see how Pit was doing, and Pit was hardly missing a beat behind the counter.
"Curry tastes pretty decent," Byleth commented on Pit's orange curry, able to eat the entire bowl. That has never happened to her. "A huge step up from your usual fare."
"Glad you liked it!" responded Pit, as Sonic went up to the counter and took a seat on an available barstool. "Hi, Sonic, what's up?"
"Got a task for ya, buddy boy," replied Sonic, as Pit was all ears highly interested in what Sonic had in store for him. "So get this...King Dedede has a new girlfriend. Her name's I-No."
"Oh snap! King Dedede got another girlfriend? Is she like blind or something?"
"Probably not, but they genuinely love each other apparently. And that got me thinking..."
"You want me to dress up like a cupid and fire arrows of love when they're together?"
"No...well, close enough. What you should do is, be King Dedede's wingman! Prove your worth to him, and he might return the favor."
"Dark Pit would never let me be his wingman, so I'm totally down for this! But I can still do the cupid thing, right?"
"...might wanna save that till later. Just go out there, and be the best wingman you can be!"
"Won't let you down!" Pit saluted Sonic, who smiled as he turned to Joker looking to make his order. Feeling in the groove, Pit went back to work.
Owning Infinite on Giya put Pit in the right direction - made him one step closer to proving Giovanni wrong.
