Author's Note:

Got some good news - starting with this chapter, I'll be going back to doing weekly updates. Woo-hoo! Not sure if the holiday season put me back in a good mood again or what, but as I've done before, I'll be doing holiday-themed chapters all throughout December. Well, the first four weeks anyway. Hopefully next week, the new chapter will be published MUCH sooner...but as long as it's posted before midnight, it's all good. Anyway, enjoy!

Episode 402: Batman

During the holiday season, those living at the Smash Mansion and nearby had their own holiday traditions. For Mario and his neighbors, it was decorating his house. For the idol singers, it was singing Christmas carols. For Pyra and Mythra, it was baking gingerbread cookies...

...and the biting off the heads of the gingerbread in front of Pit. Sometimes Pit was rather sensitive when it came to gingerbread man lives. "Gingerbread Lives Matter" was typically Pit's personal mantra this time of year.

There was a holiday tradition that united everyone, and that tradition was none other than Secret Santa. Mansion residents, tower denizens, and neighbors alike congregated in the meeting room along with the Crash clan, Rayman and his friends, Dr. Wily, and E. Gadd ready to draw names. And the Secret Santa was only for the aforementioned individuals...and not anybody else.

"Made it just in time for Secret Santa!" Big the Cat happily announced as he showed up at the meeting room, while everyone else was filing in. He announced this to Polar Bear, who was looking at the purple cat perfectly befuddled.

"Sorry boss, but you're not part of the name exchange," Polar Bear broke the news to Big, who apparently didn't get the memo as he was left scratching his head. Something didn't quite register with him.

"They're part of the name exchange." Big singled out E. Gadd and Cortex, as he pointed at the two geniuses; the latter was speaking with Wily on friendly terms, and it was truly a sight to behold.

"Those two are family...you're not." Polar Bear patted Big encouragingly on his shoulder, before walking away and returning to his seat. Big remained standing where he was with a thousand-mile stare.

"But I am family...I'm in a family with Cloud." Big was unmovable, blocking off much of the meeting room entrance as his large frame made it nearly impossible for anyone to enter. Some folks, like Cloud, had to squeeze past Big.

"Better scram or the buddy cops will write you up for 'loitering,'" Cloud warned Big as he maneuvered past the cat, who was upset that Cloud barely acknowledged him. That left Big even more upset than before.

"Ah, there you are Big!" someone called out to Big, as the Blue Lions' Ingrid appeared and grabbed Big by the hand. "You're always running off, aren't you?" Big was in no mood to respond, his thousand-mile stare forever intact as Ingrid had to drag him out of the meeting room.

Ingrid: No, we're not doing Secret Santa at Omnis Adest - there are just too many of us! I mean, we could buy a Christmas gift for someone in secret if we wanted to, but that might cause more problems than anything. The worst case scenario is things would devolve into a fight... *gasps, then covers her mouth before looking over her shoulder at Barry*
Barry: *standing in the background waving to Ingrid* Hi Ingrid! I already fined you once for stepping on my foot, so don't look at me begging for another one!
Ingrid: *turns back around* Phew...it was just Barry. That could've gone much differently had it been you-know-who. And two guys go by that name...

"Even though you weren't part of Secret Santa last year, I kinda wanted to get you this," Knuckles said to Cloud, who took his seat next to the echidna. Knuckles pulled out a Christmas present, handing it to Cloud.

"A present for me, huh..." Cloud said with the least amount of enthusiasm ever eschewed by a human receiving a Christmas present. The swordsman unwrapped his gift, which was revealed to be... "...a curling iron. How thoughtful of you, Knuckles."

"Appreciate it! I originally bought that for Jigglypuff but I forgot that she doesn't have any hair, so yeah, that's all yours." As Knuckles smiled to himself, undoubtedly proud of his kind gesture, Isabelle approached him.

"Knuckles, have you seen your faithful leader anywhere?" Isabelle asked the echidna, whose mind was drawing a blank as he struggled to think of anyone who met the criteria. "Let me say that in layman's terms...have you seen Waluigi?"

"How much does he pay you to call him as such? And no I haven't seen him. He probably got himself stuck in the bathroom!" Without Waluigi, the de facto man of the tower, the Secret Santa name exchange could not begin. Full participation from everyone was required.

Master Hand: Don't ask me why the Assist Tower wants to do the name exchange with us. The neighbors, I include them since most of them are former members. I keep telling Crazy Hand to do his own thing, but he chooses not to! He loves mooching off of us.

"Master Hand...I am here," someone with a deep voice announced to the giant hand, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. The chatter in the meeting room stopped instantly, as everyone murmured among themselves who it was that was speaking.

"Somebody got laryngitis?" questioned Fox, before cautiously getting up from his seat as he planned on moving somewhere else. "Whoever it is, state who you are so I won't be infected..."

"Sit back down," Krystal quietly commanded Fox, as Fox quickly sat back in his seat next to his wife. Even after Krystal's command, Fox remained on edge as he caught Paula coughing into her sleeve.

"Got my eye on you, Paula," Fox pointed at the southern belle, as Krystal frowned and smacked her husband on the back of his head. That got Fox to man up.

"Ahem..." the man with the deep voice spoke yet again, clearing his throat to draw all eyes on him. Everyone turned to the meeting room entrance, and they couldn't believe their eyes...for standing before them was the legendary Batman.

Except that Batman, for whatever reason, was on the lankier side with no muscle definition to speak of. It was hard for Batman to look menacing with those cigarette arms and twig legs. At least he got the cape flowing...albeit with the help of a fan being blown by Lakitu.

"Waluigi? Is that you?" Kiria asked Batman, stifling her laughter as she and everybody else easily saw through Batman's disguise. Not a very good look for the masked caper.

"I am not Waluigi...I am Batman," proclaimed Batman, who was just Waluigi dressed up as the famous superhero. In case it wasn't obvious already. Many folks had to suppress their laughter, including Mario.

"Don't have-a to do that man disservice like that," Mario said to Waluigi with a giggle, as Waluigi was undeterred by the quiet laughs and giggles made at his expense. None of it bothered Waluigi any.

"Worst Batman impersonator I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty of them," remarked Rayman, as Waluigi marched to the table while staying in character. The laughs and giggles increased in volume as Waluigi took his seat.

"Thank you for the laughs," Master Hand thanked Waluigi, having done a bit of laughing himself; he even teleported away from the meeting room just to let it all out. "Now, are we ready to exchange names?"

"We won't exchange names until Batman says so..." stated Waluigi, trying to take charge of the Secret Santa festivities. The Batman suit gave Waluigi a heavy amount of confidence he never knew he had.

"I'm more powerful than you are, deal with it." After putting Waluigi in his place, Master Hand instructed Isabelle to go around the table and have everyone select a name from a brown bag.

Midna: Ever since he got laughed at by Dimentio that one time, Waluigi has been looking to prove him wrong. He's been doing all sorts of things - working out, working on his people skills, even trimming his mustache - but none of that has gotten him any merit. Let alone respect. So what was his next phase, you ask? Dressing up as Batman. If Link falls in line and becomes Joker again, I quit.

Shadow: Waluigi's response to Dimentio not thinking much of him is impersonating Batman. Perfectly explains why no sane person looks up to him. Plastic Man would've been way more fitting.

"Hold up!" Sonic spoke up after drawing a name, as Lavenza had whispered something into his ear. "What about Layton and Luke?" Layton and Luke were still in town and were still considered "family" by Master Hand.

"Please don't scare me like that..." Master Hand said to Sonic, letting out a deep breath as he feared doing the drawing of names over again. "...Layton and Luke appear to be leaving town during the holidays, so they will both receive complimentary gifts."

"Do I get a complimentary gift?" Wendy Koopa asked Master Hand, trying to allure the giant hand as she smiled and batted her eyes in his direction. "For being so cute?"

"If Koopas are cute, then obese people should be considered fit." Master Hand was forced to retract his words real quick, as he saw Bowser glaring at him while pounding his fist in the palm of his hand. "I-Isabelle, are you almost done with the names?"

"Almost done!" chirped Isabelle, as Wolf had his hand deep in the brown bag reaching for a name. Sure was taking his sweet time. "There is only one name left in the bag, Wolf!"

"Was doing that for suspense, my bad," Wolf apologized as he drew a name out of the bag; the mercenary discreetly peeked at his name and later frowned as Isabelle returned to Master Hand, Link, and Zelda.

"Bag's empty, so let's see who we got," said Link, as he and Zelda were just as anxious to see who their person was as the others were. "Three, two, one..." At the sound of "one", everyone unraveled their small slips of paper to see whose name they drew. Some were elated, others were disappointed.

"HOW DO I KEEP GETTING R.O.B.?!" Wolf angrily shouted at the top of his lungs, before slamming his head down on the table. Imagine buying a robot such as R.O.B. a Christmas gift.

"Marvelous, I got Tifa! Cloud's lady friend," remarked E. Gadd, a little too happy about the name he pulled - so happy that it was off-putting to Tifa herself.

"I'll help you find a gift for her if you need any assistance," Wily said to E. Gadd as he put his hand on the inventor's back. Tifa was left cringing in disgust.

"Get a room, you two..." Tifa muttered to E. Gadd and Wily, unnerved by the brotherly lovefest between E. Gadd and Wily. Safe to say that those two mended their broken bond during the Smash Life hiatus, after the success of that rescue mission.

"Who did you get?" Meta Knight curiously asked Waluigi, who unraveled his slip of paper in Batman fashion. Waluigi squinted his eyes as he made out the name, his stoic face unmoving.

"I have selected...the Penguin," replied Waluigi, and no, he wasn't referring to the bespectacled villain who was a member of Batman's rogue gallery - he was talking about King Dedede, staring him down like he was his mortal enemy.

"Bayonetta, eh? Should be like buying a gift for I-No," remarked King Dedede after seeing the name he had drawn - only to later slam his fist on the table. "No! Why is she still in love with me?"

"I ask that question every time she visits," replied an eavesdropping Samus, as Master Hand hovered over to Mario the most serious he's ever been.

"Can you see me in my room, when you get the chance?" Master Hand asked Mario, who was leery of what the giant hand wanted to discuss.

Now that Thanksgiving had come and gone, LeVar, Brad, and the rest of the documentary crew had the opportunity to find out what the mansion residents and tower denizens alike had been up to during the hiatus. However, there was no overlooking a certain detective duo hailing from across the pond.

Layton and Luke were still in Seattle, and for some reason, a few members of the documentary crew wanted to check out the detective duo's apartment digs. So they paid Layton and Luke a visit, desiring to see the professor and apprentice in their humble abode.

"This is where Luke and I go to make coffee," Layton said to the cameraman as he took him to a corner of the kitchen, feeling obligated to do a tour of his apartment. Luke so far was just a background character.

"Ooh, show them how close the toilet is to the kitchen!" Luke suggested to Layton, sounding like he wanted to take over the reins from his superior. "Show them the Christmas wreath!" Layton wouldn't concede to Luke so easily.

"Patience, my dear Luke. Moving right along..." At the corner of the kitchen, Layton opened the cupboard and pulled out a "World's Best Dad" mug. "This is a mug that my daughter Katrielle gave me before her departure. Best not to let Bowser see this."

"But Layton, doesn't Bowser already have a 'World's Best Dad' mug?" Some climbing noises were heard from outside, and neither Layton nor Luke was able to hear them.

"Last I heard, he broke it. Mario alleged that Bowser has a strange history of..." Suddenly the climbing noises got louder and louder, and it was hard for Layton and Luke to ignore. Curious, Layton went to the nearby window and opened it, looking down.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Luke joined Layton at the door, looking down and seeing the street down below. Then the apprentice looked to his left...and gasped when he saw a Pikachu wearing a detective hat, climbing the drain pipe along the apartment building.

"Starting to...lose...my grip!" the Pikachu panicked as he was slipping down, amazing Layton and Luke with his grasp of the human language. But this was no time to be amazed; that Pikachu had to be saved from falling to his doom.

"I got you!" exclaimed Layton as he extended his long arm, grabbing the Pikachu and bringing him in through the window. The Pikachu landed on the floor, clutching his detective hat as he hyperventilated in fear.

"Thank you, good sir, you're a lifesaver..." After standing upright and putting his detective hat back on, the Pikachu looked at his hero and did a double take. "...hold the phone! You're Professor Layton!"

"And you must be Detective Pikachu," Layton smiled in response as he tipped his hat to the tiny mouse Pokemon. "Lovely how we have crossed paths yet again."

"Yeah, Detective Pikachu!" exclaimed Luke, as he recalled his adventures with Detective Pikachu in episode 177. "You're the Pokemon who kept calling me a munchkin."

"It...it was a joke!" Detective Pikachu stated in a lame attempt to absolve himself of any blame. "You weren't meant to take it seriously." There was a knock at the door.

"Wonder who that could be," said Layton as he went to the front door and answered it - being greeted by the buddy cops Toon Link and Young Link. Both men were wearing Santa hats and eating Christmas cookies.

"Good afternoon, Professor Layton," Young Link greeted the detective, trying to look professional as he wiped away the crumbs from his face. "You and Luke available? Your presence is required."

"Whose presence is required?" Detective Pikachu perked up, as the buddy cops gasped after hearing the tiny mouse Pokemon speak. Toon Link even fainted. "Me and my big mouth..."

Waluigi was dressed up as Batman today, rocking the same costume that Crazy Hand had pranked him with back in 175. The day was still young, and yet Waluigi's Batman impersonation had predictably worn out its welcome - at least at the Assist Tower.

"For the last time, I am NOT going to be Batgirl," Barbara said to Waluigi, as she was in her room playing her guitar. Every time Waluigi tried to entice her, Barbara would play her guitar even louder.

"But your name is Barbara! And you're literally a bat!" stated Waluigi, his voice drowned out by the loud chords of Barbara's guitar. Groaning, Waluigi left Barbara's room and soon walked into Guile.

"Good afternoon, Batman...I mean, Waluigi," Guile greeted the lanky man, appearing nervous as he felt the most agitated he had ever been. Despite his stoic face remaining the same. "You're not...affiliated with the police any, are you?"

"Can't be any more wrong. Deep inside, the police fear me." Waluigi delivered his response while staying in character, adding a little gruff to his voice, as a convinced Guile nodded his head.

"Then in that case, can you scare the police off for me?" Guile thought over the offer he presented to Waluigi and later changed course, as he weighed the moral pros and cons. "Forget about it...we never had this conversation."

"Justice never sleeps." Waluigi looked off to the side as he delivered this classic Batman line, as Guile conspicuously retreated. Seconds later, Waluigi felt a great disturbance in the force. "Why isn't my cape flowing?"

"On it!" exclaimed Lakitu as he immediately showed up at the scene, blowing his fan on Waluigi and making the lanky man's cape flow in the gust of air. Now, Waluiig was truly feeling it.

Guile: I assume that my master plan worked to perfection. Thanks to my Peacemaker getup, I was able to go undetected until Slippy Toad blew my cover. Where did I get that costume from, you ask? I got it from that dreaded Halloween store. Easily the most un-American shop in the city, hands down.

"You are an embarrassment..." Shadow muttered to Waluigi as he passed by the lanky man; he was later stopped when Waluigi jumped in front of him, looking all menacing.

"See me outside," Waluigi said to Shadow, as whatever he wanted to share with the black hedgehog was so important that it couldn't be shared inside the confines of the tower.

"What, you want to put me out of my misery? Wish somebody else would do it, but I'll oblige just this once." With very little optimism for what Waluigi wanted to discuss, Shadow went on his way.

"I didn't tell you to stop..." Waluigi said to Lakitu, his back turned to the Koopa as he sensed his cape no longer flowing. Lakitu sheepishly turned the fan back on, as he got Waluigi's cape flowing again. "...ah, that's much better."

Master Hand had something important he wanted to share with Mario, having told the plumber to see him in his room. Before he could speak with Master Hand, though, Mario was first chatting with Luigi in the mansion's foyer.

"Daisy believes-a that I'm developing Parkinson's," Luigi shared with Mario as he held a bunch of avocados in his hand, obtaining the fruit from Pyra. "I don't think it's true, but I'm gonna eat-a these avocadoes anyway."

"And what good would-a that do?" Mario asked his twin brother, assuming that Luigi was about to start stress-eating. He had seen Luigi go down that route during Daisy's first pregnancy.

"Avocadoes are good-a for the brain. That's where Parkinson's starts, right? The brain is..." Out of nowhere, Luigi stopped speaking as he dropped his avocadoes to the floor. The next thing that happened, his arms started flailing.

"Mama Mia!" Mario jumpedp back, as Luigi flailed his arms like there was no tomorrow. Yosuke walked in on what was going on and was taken aback by Luigi's behavior.

"Woah...that's freaky," the young man remarked, before doing what he thought was the right thing to do...to take out his phone and record Luigi's episode. Pouncing on the opportunity while it presented itself.

"Luigi, are you alright? Can you hear-a me?" The lack of response from Luigi indicated that he couldn't hear Mario, let alone anything else.

"Green...thunder..." uttered Luigi, and after a few seconds passed Luigi stopped flailing his arms as he went back to normal. Coming to his senses, Luigi was left scratching his head. "...ha, my head-a feels funny."

"Dang it, why did you stop?!" Yosuke snapped at Luigi, revealing himself to the Mario Bros; having been caught red-handed, Yosuke ended his video and ran off while putting his phone back in his pocket.

"You were acting funny earlier," Mario informed Luigi, who picked up his avocadoes off the floor. Still planned on eating them. "You were flailing your arms-a about, and you couldn't hear me!"

"My arms were flailing?" Luigi would drop his avocadoes to the floor a second time, as he put his hands on his head in shock. "Daisy was right, I really do have Parkinson's! Not me!"

Daisy: Nope, that incident with the turkey wasn't a one-time-only event - it's been going on throughout the week. Each moment it happens it becomes more concerning. Tried getting Luigi to go to the doctor's office, but he sadly won't listen. And I expected the kids to be weirded out by their behavior, but they...don't seem to mind. Charles even smiles and claps when Luigi does the arm thing! Hate to say it, but our baby boy might grow up to become a sociopath.

Luigi was so shocked and afraid, that he was about to run back home and affirm to Daisy her growing suspicions. But upon opening the front door about to run out, he ran into a certain mercenary.

"Get out of my face, you scum," the mercenary - the cyborg ninja known to many as Raiden - said to Luigi as he expressed his great contempt for the green plumber right off the bat.

"Who are you calling scum?" an offended Luigi questioned Raiden, letting him know who he was dealing with. He despised anyone discrediting his great name. "I'm-a Luigi!"

"Exactly. Which is why I'm asking you kindly to..." Raiden would look past Luigi and loosened up a bit, as he saw Mario standing in the foyer. Even gave him a two-finger salute. "...we meet again."

"Welcome back-a to the city," Mario said to Raiden, who brushed past Luigi and entered the foyer to shake Mario's hand. Luigi looked on, incredibly salty that his brother was on friendly terms with Raiden.

"Much thanks for welcoming me. You seem to be great at this whole hospitality thing." Unable to stomach the conversation any longer, a bitter Luigi left the mansion for good as he returned home.

"Ah, you know, I used-a to be the main-a man of this place. Then Cloud took-a my job, and then Link. And Link sucks-a at his job...ah, just kidding!"

Raiden: Taking that "indefinite" sabbatical away from the manor has been one of the greatest life decisions I have ever made. You have no idea what it's like living at the manor, coexisting with a wannabe rapper dog, a princess who'll eat just anything in sight, and a demigod who will scream at you if you look at him the wrong way. Big Daddy is one of the most tolerable out of the bunch, which is not saying much, and I do owe him a playdate...but he'll have to do it on my terms.

"Who gave you the right to besmirch the man of the..." Master Hand angrily questioned as he magically appeared in the foyer, hearing Link slander all the way from his bedroom. The moment he saw Raiden, Master Hand cooled off.

"Master Hand! Merry Christmas; it is an honor," Raiden said to the giant hand, showing him reverence as he kneeled before him. This was likely Raiden's first time interacting with Master Hand, at least since Smash Life first started.

"Oh my! Haven't gotten treatment like this in a while. Would you like to have a quick chat with yours truly?" A quick chat with Raiden? Didn't Master Hand have another conversation - one with a certain plumber?

"Erm, Master Hand, what about our..." Mario was about to inform Master Hand, only for Raiden to stand up and brush him to the side. Raiden didn't mean that personally in the slightest.

"That is why I wanted to stop by. I wanted to speak with you." Raiden had his fingers crossed that Master Hand was nowhere near as eccentric as Polygon Man, and he just might get his wish.

"Then follow me, friend! I'll make you feel at home!" So Master Hand led Raiden to his room, as a despondent Mario looked on feeling beside himself.

"But you wanted to speak-a with me so!" Mario said to Master Hand, who stopped momentarily and turned around. Master Hand saw the grief that Mario was eschewing and wondered why the plumber was taking things so personally.

"You'll have to get to the back of the line; our guest of honor takes higher priority. Come along now, Raiden..." Master Hand pressed on forward, taking Raiden with him as Mario fell to his knees in shambles.

At long last, Link had a cellphone. Years of Zelda and Cloud convincing the Hylian to get one finally paid off. Link liked his phone so much, that he stopped by Marth's house to sell Marth on the idea of buying a cellphone for Christmas. And it was a very, very hard sell.

"Check this out! You can surf the Web while on your phone," Link said to Marth, demonstrating as he opened up an Internet app on his phone and Googled something. Needless to say, Marth was hardly impressed.

"What's the point when I can do that on my laptop?" asked Marth, bringing Link's attention to his laptop sitting in the living room. It was a miracle that the laptop remained in tip-top shape.

"But that's not all! You can also check the weather, play games, and go on social media." Link showed off all the other apps on his phone, and it still wasn't enough to win over Marth.

"Again, what is the point when I already have a laptop? I can do all those things you listed and then some! Give me a break..." Marth made up his mind as he folded his arms, and looked the other way.

"It's called a convenience...something a backward guy like you wouldn't know." Link's demonstration would be interrupted, as the Hylian received a call from Waluigi. Link answered the call. "Yes, Waluigi?"

"Not Batman...it's me, Batman," Waluigi responded over the phone in his gravely Batman voice, causing Link to groan. "...do you still have that Joker costume from Halloween?"

"Yes I do, and I only wear it for special occasions." Link had worn his Joker costume for Halloween this year, no matter how much Midna talked him out of it.

"Well, today will be one of those special occasions. I'll keep you on standby; I will let you know when you will be of use to me."

"Sure fine, whatever...but just so you know, I might be busy today. So don't act so surprised if I can't come through."

"I understand. Hope to see you soon," Waluigi spoke into his phone, standing outside the mansion with Shadow; the lanky man ended the call and put his phone away, before turning to Shadow.

"Even in private you still insist on staying in character," Shadow facepalmed at Waluigi, only to be later handed a black tuxedo that came in his size. "I am not wearing that."

"But you must! I am asking you to be the Alfred Pennyworth to my Batman." Waluigi inched closer to Shadow, who was not game with Waluigi's request as he backed away.

"You're not asking, so why should I...get away from me!" Eventually, Shadow was chased by Waluigi, and soon enough Waluigi tackled Shadow to the ground. Shadow screamed for help as Waluigi tried to force the tuxedo on him.

"You will be my Alfred Pennyworth, and you will like it!" Walugii maintained a firm grip, as no resistance from Shadow was enough to stop Waluigi's advances. Robin and Lucina walked by carrying some firewood, before stopping and watching the scuffle unfold.

"Aw, would you look at that," Lucina said to Robin as she pointed at Waluigi and Shadow, amused by how the two assist characters were wrangling with each other over a tuxedo. "Those two always look so wholesome playing together."

"Got to say that Shadow must like it at this point," quipped Robin, with a smile on his face...then suddenly, the mage shuddered, almost as if he felt a chill going down his spine.

"Robin?" Lucina was momentarily afraid, as Robin shuddered for a few more seconds before stopping. Robin felt a funny sensation going down his neck, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"...well, that was weird. My spine is tingling." A tingling spine...that was a health issue that simply could not be overlooked. "Think I should go see the doctor?"

"Long as it's not Dr. Mario." Lucina headed on to the mansion, as Robin followed after her still rubbing his neck. "He told me that I had herpes..."

Lucina: Had a nasty breakout one year - had a few pimples near my mouth, right here. *points beneath her mouth* Still don't know where it came from. I asked Peach for acne cream, but Mario intercepted me, put on his doctor's lab coat, and diagnosed me with herpes. When I asked how that was possible, he said, "The number doesn't lie". Clearly his so-called doctorate was a lie.

"There, now you look good as new," Waluigi said to Shadow, who was now wearing the black tuxedo; Shadow stood up and dusted himself off, and also felt disgusted inside.

"You mean I look ridiculous," said Shadow as he tried to rip off the tuxedo, but to no avail. It was almost like the suit was glued to his body. "Why...won't you...come off?!"

"It will never come off while the Batman is in town. Now, to the Batmobile!" Waluigi took off towards the mansion's driveway, only to stop and turn around and see that Shadow hadn't moved a single inch.

"I'm not going to some stupid Batmobile." Shadow defiantly folded his arms, leading Waluigi to return to the black hedgehog and grab his hand. "Let...go!"

Waluigi wouldn't let go, as he brought Shadow with him (against his will) to the mansion's driveway. There in the mansion's driveway was the Batmobile, looking like the real deal, as well as Jacky Bryant.

"Why are you standing so close to my Batmobile?" Waluigi asked Jacky, thinking that the race car driver planned on carjacking his sweet ride. That didn't seem to be the case, for Jacky looked bothered more than anything.

"I'll do you one better..." replied Jacky, before taking a deep breath and belting at the top of his lungs as he asked the following: "WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO TO MY BELOVED CAR?!"

"This is my car - get your own, you bub." Waluigi took out a pair of car keys, triggering Jacky as he used the car keys to unlock his Batmoible. Waluigi then opened the door to the Batmobile and went inside to pull out a few Batman-themed gadgets.

"A Batman boomerang, really?" Shadow questioned Waluigi, who stuffed a few Batman boomerangs into his Batman belt holster. Waluigi was loading up, all in the name of delivering justice.

"I choose this life. I know what I'm doing." All done, Waluigi closed the car door and locked the Batmobile. Jacky remained beside himself. "Now let's go stop some criminals."

"What criminals?" Shadow would be left without an answer, as Waluigi darted off and ran to the mansion without saying a word. "This Batman farce is getting out of hand..."

"Nice tux, Shadow!" complimented Sonic as he and Crash exited the mansion, heading in Shadow's direction. Embarrassed, Shadow ran past Sonic and into the mansion. "About time that guy decided to look decent for once."

"Sonic, Crash, look what Waluigi did to my car!" Jacky said to the two friends as he pointed at his car...erm, the Batmobile. Sonic and Crash liked what they saw, with the latter even nodding.

"Well, your car sure needed an upgrade." Sonic hopped inside his blue Corvette with Crash, while Jacky was even more distraught than before. "You got the bail money, Crash?"

"Woah!" replied Crash as he pulled out a bag full of cash, which looked smaller than Sonic intended. That's when Sonic reached inside Crash's pockets and pulled out some big dollar bills, as Crash's eyes darted around.

"Ha! Nice try, buster." After putting the dollar bills inside the bag, Sonic turned on the ignition to his Corvette and rolled out of the driveway. Jacky, meanwhile, was left in shambles.

However, nobody was more in shambles than Mario, who was promised a private conversation with Master Hand. Plans changed, however, when Raiden stopped by for a visit. Mario took a peek inside Master Hand's room and saw Master Hand and Isabelle in conversation with Raiden.

"She didn't tell me much, honestly," Raiden spoke with Master Hand, discussing his chance encounter with Anna when the merchant was accidentally sent back in time. "Just told me about some coalition trying to take over the world."

"Oddly enough, I never told Anna a thing about Dimentio or his coalition!" stated Master Hand as Mario sneaked inside the room, opening the door ever so slightly without making the slightest noise. "The residents might have told her in passing when visiting her shop."

"Did she try to upsell you?" Isabelle asked Raiden out of curiosity, knowing that Anna never passed up the chance to entice any passerby with her goods.

"No, but she did remember my face. I remember her giving me a snow globe of New York back then, as a memento...Big Daddy might've broken it by now."

"Mario, I feel a sneeze coming on..." Cappy whispered to Mario, who was tiptoeing closer to Master Hand and company. Mario looked up at Cappy with a frown and shushed him.

"Stop-a playing man, you don't have a nose," Mario whispered back, trying to get as close to Master Hand as possible without blowing his cover. But said cover might be blown if Cappy had anything to do with it.

"It's hard for me to hold it in ah...ah...ACHOO!" Cappy's sneeze was so big, that it caused him to fly right off Mario's head. Mario fell to the floor due to the violent nature of Cappy's sneeze, as all eyes were now on him.

"Hi, Mario!" Isabelle greeted Mario, whose cover was now officially blown thanks to Cappy. Master Hand was less happy about seeing Mario than Isabelle was.

"Couldn't even wait until we were finished, could you?" Master Hand growled at Mario, having to suppress his anger because of Raiden. Didn't want the special guest to see his ugly side.

"I can-a explain!" said Mario, ready to plead his case as he hopped back on his feet, making the most of his time in Master Hand's room. "I just wanted to stop-a by and, uh...offer a suggestion."

"I have a suggestion of my own. Go away!" Master Hand came off as a little too angry there, and he hoped that Raiden hadn't made any observation.

"No, wait, hear-a me out! Raiden has been gone-a for so long, on his little...vacation, and he's probably feeling lonely. Isn't that right-a Raiden?"

"Never said that I was lonely," replied Raiden, who at this point wouldn't return to the manor even if Polygon Man gave him a million bucks. Maybe if a few select individuals got the boot, Raiden might reconsider.

"Raiden could use some companionship after his time-a spent in solitude. And what-a better way to do that than..." Mario smiled and clicked his fingers at Master Hand, who gasped after he got the hint.

"...the ninja pals, of course!" exclaimed Master Hand, fully understanding what Mario was getting at as he later turned to Isabelle. "Isabelle, call Link and ask him if Zelda is available."

"Can't you just ask Zelda yourself?" Isabelle asked Master Hand, who blankly stared at the Shih Tzu until she sighed in defeat. "You make things so difficult sometimes, Master Hand..."

"Pardon my ignorance, but who are these...ninja pals?" Raiden came over to ask Mario in private, as Isabelle took out her phone while exhibiting the least effort she had ever shown.

"Just a necessary distraction," Mario replied with a grin, as Isabelle scrolled down her call log searching for Link's number. Which she apparently forgot to save to her phone.

Zelda caught wind of Link at Marth's house, so the princess stopped by to see how Link was coming along with his cell phone pitch to Marth. So far for Link, it was like trying to pull an elephant out of quicksand.

"If I wanted to use a calculator, I could just buy one," Marth told Link, who had shown off the calculator app on his phone. Zelda was standing to the side with Caeda, looking on amused.

"Then why haven't you bought a calculator yet?" asked Link, as he got Marth to look guilty; Marth looked around his living room, as Caeda silently egged her husband on to say something.

"Because I am still a firm believer in paper, pen, and pencil. The human brain can solve every math problem that a computer cannot." Hearing that response made Link want to faceplant onto the floor.

"He really called a calculator a computer..." facepalmed Caeda, ashamed of how plain ignorant her husband was; understanding Caeda's pain, Zelda put a comforting hand on the princess's back.

"If it makes you feel better, Link was once like Marth," Zelda said encouragingly to Caeda, with Link tossing his hat on the floor as his sales pitch to Marth was falling flat. "It takes time."

Link: Marth was such a hard sell, for he had an answer for everything I showed him. Showed him the calendar app - "I already have a calendar in the kitchen." Showed him the Gmail app - "I still trust the postal service, I don't need to get a Gmail." Showed him the Amazon app - "I prefer to do my shopping in person". He is like those old folks who think phones are good for only calling people. And he would barely even do that much!

"You, my friend, are a lost cause," Link said to Marth as he picked his hat up off the floor, just when he received a call. A moment of relief was to be had when Waluigi's name wasn't on the caller ID. "Yes, Isabelle?" Link asked after answering the call.

"Hey Link, is Zelda around?" Isabelle asked over the phone, as Link looked over to confirm that Zelda was indeed around. "We have a very special mission for the ninja pals."

"A mission for the ninja pals? What's up?" The moment Link mentioned the term "ninja pals", Zelda perked up as she went over to Link to listen closely to the phone call.

"You see, Raiden is back in town, and Mario thinks he could use some bonding time. He believes the ninja pals could do just that."

"I'll go and round up the gang," Zelda spoke into Link's phone after snatching the device out of her husband's hand, before handing it back. Zelda then looked at Link with an apologetic smile.

"Sounds good! Raiden might be very volatile, so everyone should be on their best behavior. We don't want to tick him off."

"So I'm guessing Goemon won't be a part of this whole charade," Link said to Zelda, who frowned at the Hylian for even mentioning that ninja's name. "It was a joke, it was a joke..."

The buddy cops brought Layton and Luke to the mansion, and Layton and Luke happened to have some company with them in Detective Pikachu. Detective Pikachu played a vital role in finding Layton after the detective had disappeared, and now he and Layton were working together side-by-side. What they were working on exactly, though, Toon Link and Young Link hadn't filled them on yet.

"We can't take our next course of action until Master Hand says so," explained Young Link as he and his troupe maneuvered through the mansion, waiting for something exciting to happen. "Until then, we'll keep ensuring the great halls of this mansion are crime-free."

"Psst, is this place as crime-ridden as those elves make it out to be?" Detective Pikachu whispered into Layton's ear, as he was perched atop the detective's shoulder.

"Not quite - they love blowing things out of proportion," replied Layton, as the buddy cops came to a stop near the vending machine room. Exiting the vending machine room was Cloud, who was on the phone.

"Rufus is close to being discharged, barring a setback?" Cloud spoke into the phone, only to later notice Toon Link and Young Link standing by with Layton and Luke behind them. "Sorry, I'll have to call you back."

"Better be a call about a dog being discharged from the pet hospital," Young Link said to Cloud, who ended his call, before looking at Toon Link and asking, "Do they even have pet hospitals?"

"I hear they have a hospital just for plants," replied Toon Link, as Young Link was now convinced...and then a split second later, the buddy cops pointed their bows and arrows at Cloud. "State your business!"

"Alright, I'll fess up," Cloud said to the buddy cops, ready to admit his "crime" so he could be done with it. "I was speaking with one of the Turks, Tseng."

Cloud: That was Tseng calling me on Rufus's phone. His boss is still in the hospital and has been since August when that incident happened. According to the doctors, Rufus will make a smooth road to recovery but much of his memory will be gone. Probably just the way that Giovanni intended...

"The Turks? As in like, a turkey?" Detective Pikachu asked Cloud, who remembered the talking mouse Pokemon from three and a half years ago. "Thanksgiving was last week, man!"

"Ah, I see the talking Pikachu is back in town," remarked Cloud, whose reunion with Detective Pikachu was short-lived as he walked away. "Now is my time to leave..." The swordsman took off down the hallway, much to the buddy cops' chagrin.

"Hey you, get back here! I wasn't done talking to ya!" Talking like a typical New Yorker, Detective Pikachu shook his fist at the retreating Cloud. He would give Cloud a Thundershock, but he didn't have enough in him to do it.

"We'll let him off easy...for now," said Toon Link as he and Young Link lowered their weapons, looking to interrogate Cloud soon. Then suddenly, he and the others heard someone getting beat up behind them.

"Your days of crime are coming to an end, Penguin!" Waluigi said to King Dedede as he punched the fat penguin while Shadow looked on. King Dedede was lying on the floor, and he was...taking it like a man?

"Go on, punch harder..." a solemn King Dedede encouraged Waluigi, as Toon Link and the others came over to get a closer look. "...this is what I get for falling in love with I-No!"

"He still refuses to acknowledge his love for a street chick," Young Link said to Young Link as he shook his head, taking sympathy for King Dedede. The buddy cops then looked at Shadow, wondering why he was standing around doing nothing.

"It was either Dedede or some random Cacturne from the sanctuary," Shadow explained to the buddy cops, as Junpei came down the hallway looking through a Christmas catalog.

"Why are there so many Bluey toys..." Junpei wondered out loud, before looking up and gasping when he saw what Waluigi was doing to King Dedede. "...King Dedede!" The baseball coach dropped his catalog and came to King Dedede's aid, having to restrain Waluigi.

"No, let me handle this scum! I'm Batman!" Waluigi shouted at Junpei as he struggled to break free. The lanky man was doing his Batman costume a huge disservice, letting Junpei manhandle him like that.

"I can't let you lay a finger on him. Marth made it my priority to keep King Dedede safe!" In all fairness, Junpei was slacking off on his job, but it was better late than never.

"Stop enabling that crook. Let me do my job!" Waluigi was helpless, as Junpei tried to drag him away from King Dedede. Riku happened to walk into the scene, a glass of egg nog in hand, and was understandably befuddled.

"Put me out of my misery, I beg of you..." King Dedede said to Waluigi as he remained on the floor, waiting for Waluigi to finish the job. Riku then saw Junpei holding back Waluigi, left with more questions than answers.

"Bowser is up to no good at Omnis Adest and needs to be stopped!" Riki shouted; everything in the hallway came to a screeching halt as all eyes were on him.

"Bowser being Bowser? That sounds like a job for...Batman!" said Waluigi as he finally broke from Junpei's clutches, before darting off down the hallway in typical Batman fashion. "Alfred, to the Batmobile!"

"My name is not Alfred!" shouted Shadow, forced to keep on playing Waluigi's minder as he followed after the lanky man. At least he looked good in that tuxedo, no matter how much the compliments from the others irked him.

Riku: When I first saw that costume I knew that Waluigi was going to be annoying today. So I thought, why not let Omnis Adest be subjected to Waluigi's torment? Sucks for them, but oh well. Not my problem.

"Since when did anyone call him Alfred?" Detective Pikachu asked Layton and Luke concerning Shadow, as Junpei and Riku heard him speak. Junpei gasped and pointed at Detective Pikachu, while Riku simply widened his eyes.

"Must be something they put in this egg nog..." remarked Riku, looking at his egg nog as he walked away. Despite his suspicions, Riku scarfed the egg nog down in one gulp anyway.

Riku didn't know it, but Bowser was in fact at Omnis Adest being up to no good. The Koopa King had some business to handle, and it primarily involved two students - a girl and her younger brother - from the Blueberry Academy. But first, he had to find those students.

"Who dares touch my shoulder?!" questioned Scorpion, walking down the street only to feel somebody touch his shoulder. When he turned around he saw Ryu behind him looking cordial...or trying to look cordial.

"Scorpion, my friend!" Ryu greeted Scorpion in a surprisingly friendly tone, making the fighter cringe; Scorpion hated being anyone's friend. "Want to join me at the main plaza for some Christmas karaoke? I hear you're quite the karaoke singer!"

"Far from it. Lies are being spread, I suspect." Scorpion turned towards a possible culprit in Johnny Cage, whom he saw across the street chatting it up with Sonya Blade.

"I'll believe it to be a lie unless you can prove me wrong. Show me that you're more than just a bloodthirsty fighter!"

"Hands down, this is the strangest challenge I've ever received...and from you, of all people. But I never say no to a challenge."

Ryu: I am above-average when it comes to karaoke...Scorpion, on the other hand, is not. The goal is to dominate Scorpion at karaoke, get on his friendly side, and then drop the bomb on him. Asking him about my snub on Thanksgiving at his friendliest will help soften the blow.

"See you at the plaza," Ryu said to Scorpion, as he turned and walked away looking to settle the score at karaoke. Shaking his head at Ryu, Scorpion turned around...and came face-to-face with Bowser.

"Carmine and Kieran, have you seen them?" Bowser asked Scorpion, asking the fighter as if he was a people person. Scorpion didn't know everyone at Omnis Adest, nor did he care to.

"What's a Carmine and Kieran? Should they be destroyed?" inquired Scoprion as he got into a fighting stance. Looking to his left, Bowser gleamed when he saw Carmine checking out a large Christmas tree on display.

"There we go!" Bowser ran across the street to greet Carmine, but he was later beaten to the punch by Pit who swooped down from above with some coffee.

"One dark chocolate holiday blend for Carmine!" announced Pit as he handed a cup of coffee to Carmine, who accepted her beverage. Pit then held out his hand, expecting some payment. "That'll be five bucks."

"Bump that!" Bowser kicked Pit out of the way, causing him to crash into the Christmas tree. The Koopa King then looked at Carmine, smiling. "Hello, Carmine, big fan of yours..."

"Don't try and flatter me," Carmine threatened Bowser as she casually took a sip from her coffee. Bowser was taken aback by Carmine, before shrugging it off as he shook his head.

"Just keeping it real. Say, where is your brother?" As Bowser pretended to search for Kieran, Pit got out of the Christmas tree understandably ticked.

"Excuse me, sir, I was doing business with..." Pit said to Bowser, who stiff-armed the angel and caused him to crash into the tree yet again. Pit could never win with Bowser.

"He's probably off skipping stones across the lake," replied Carmine as she took another sip of her coffee, acting nonchalant about Kieran's whereabouts. "Haven't bothered to hunt him down."

"I know something that's way more fun than skipping stupid stones. Come with me, my sweet child..." Wrapping his arm around Carmine, Bowser led the Pokemon trainer away as he smiled deviously. Carmine didn't seem to care where Bowser was taking her.

"No...she hasn't paid for her drink yet!" Pit yelled at Bowser as he emerged from the Christmas tree, only to get stuck. "Help, HELP!" Scorpion saw Pit calling out for help, as he looked at his spear.

"...it's not worth it," Scorpion deduced as he resumed heading down the sidewalk, leaving Pit to find his own way out of his plight. Pit was sure to be a huge Christmas ornament if he didn't get out of that tree anytime soon.

Joker: Pit has a habit of delivering customers their beverage, and forgetting to ask them to pay for their order. It's why he's considered the "favorite" among our patrons. I thought that was just a narrative parroted by Sonic to boost Pit's self-confidence.

Zelda had turned into Sheik, as the ninja pals were asked to take Raiden out on a little fun excursion. Sheik had already rounded up Kat and Ana at the tower, and now she was waiting for Yuffie to be available.

"That should do it!" exclaimed Yuffie, as she and Daisy were done decorating the Christmas tree in Luigi's living room. "You think we might've overdone it with the ornaments?"

"I don't think so," replied Daisy as she climbed down a ladder - only to later eat her words when the tree fell to the floor with a loud thud. "Okay, maybe you have a point there..."

"You ladies okay?" asked Luigi as he ran inside the living room, seeing the fallen Christmas tree and all the ornaments that were now lying on the floor. "I am not cleaning up-a that mess."

"Well, you didn't want to help with the decorating, so...your loss." Daisy grabbed a broom and tossed it to Luigi, who grumbled to himself as he started sweeping the floor. "You're free to go, Yuffie."

"Thanks!" Yuffie thanked Daisy, before joining Sheik at the front door; on the floor near Sheik was a large brown sack fitting for Santa Claus. "Are we gonna deliver gifts today?"

"In the spirit of Christmas, of course," replied Sheik as she grabbed the sack and hoisted it over her shoulder without breaking a sweat. "It will be our own special way of giving back."

"Ninja pals, spreading Christmas joy! I love the sound of that!" Yuffie was eager to get started, as she and Sheik exited through the front door.

"Master Kohga gave me the hookup, so I hope these gifts weren't stolen..." As Sheik left, closing the door behind her, Luigi swept the living room floor still grumbling like a miser.

"Aw, don't be such a miser!" Daisy smiled at Luigi, who frowned as he turned his back to his wife and kept sweeping. Then out of nowhere, Luigi dropped the broom as his arms started flailing. "Not again..."

"Green thunder...strikes with lightning..." uttered Luigi, whose arms flailed for only a few moments. Once the flailing was over, Luigi returned to his senses as he sat on the floor.

"That's it, I'm calling the doctor's office." Daisy helped Luigi to his feet and sat the green plumber on his couch, getting him nice and comfy. "You take it easy, I'll finish sweeping the floor."

"Can you call-a Dr. Mario?" Luigi's request would go unacknowledged by Daisy, who picked up the broom as she picked up where Luigi left off. "I'm telling you, it wasn't acne - it was herpes!"

Wario coaxed Master Hand and Anna into inviting his WarioWare Inc. employees to Omnis Adest, telling them that they could build a machine to counter Dimentio. Just in case Wario would be accused of not holding up his word, Dr. Crygor and his co-employees were working outside putting together a machine. And what about Wario himself?

"I love unpaid labor," Mallow happily remarked, feeding Wario grapes while offering some margarita on the side. Wario was sitting on a beach chair, living like a king.

"Amen, Mallow - that's the spirit!" Wario commended the Nimbus, while his WarioWare employees carried on with the assembly of the machine. 5-Volt was doing her part by connecting the wires.

"Wonder what this does," wondered 5-Volt as she connected two wires, causing a disco ball to appear out of the machine as lights were flashing. Disco music began playing, as Wario was incensed.

"JIMMY!" Wario growled at Jimmy T, who was dancing to his heart's content the moment the music began playing. Jimmy T. stopped dancing when he caught sight of Wario.

"Uh, I added that by accident," Jimmy T. nervously explained himself, as 5-Volt disconnected the wires putting an end to the disco party. Dribble and Spitz, who had the machine connected to their taxi to provide some extra juice, saw their car engine die out.

"Stupid Jimmy T! Your disco ball nearly made our engine kaput!" Spitz angrily shook his fist at the dancer, as Nitrous Oxide descended from up above to spy on the WarioWare employees' work. "You will pay for what you have done!"

"Get ready for one heck of a knuckle sandwich!" Dribble followed up on Spitz, only to look to his left and see Oxide hovering in his spaceship. "Uh, Spitz...that alien is back."

"Again with the alien!" grunted Spitz as he pulled on his fur, annoyed by how paranoid his fellow cab driver was. Dribble wouldn't shut up about the alien sighting since Thanksgiving.

"He's still here! Look, look!" Dribble tried to get Spitz to look as he pointed at Oxide, but nothing he could was enough to convince his friend. "You have to believe me, you have to!"

"I am not here, I am just a figment of your imagination!" Oxide called out to Dribble, playing mind games with the cab driver, only to notice the Batmoible pull up to the WarioWare employees' townhouse. "Uh oh...I've got company."

Oxide: Aha! Just as I figured. Those nimrods are putting something together to stop us! But based on who the workers are, the final product can't be that grand. I'll just spectate and watch them fail. *sighs happily* I enjoy watching failure from the earthly scum.

"An alien in a spaceship is spying on us, I'm telling you!" Dribble convinced Spitz, as Oxide flew from the premises to avoid being seen. "Please look just this once, I'm begging you!"

"Okay, fine, I'll do it..." said Spitz as he looked at where Oxide was, before smiling as he nodded his head in a convinced manner. "Oh yeah, that is one mighty fine spaceship!"

"See! Told you that there was..." Dribble stopped speaking, as he looked and saw that the spaceship was now gone. Dribble's jaw dropped to the ground, as Waluigi and Shadow got out of the Batmobile.

"Follow me," Waluigi said to Shadow, leading the black hedgehog to where the WarioWare employees worked. Wario, who sipped the rest of the margarita in his glass, saw the sharply-dressed Shadow and had to do a spit take.

"Mallow, refill!" Wario called out to the Nimbus, who ran over to give the fatso a refill. Wario drank his refill...and did another spit take. "Okay, got it out of my system now."

"But that was the last of the margarita..." stated Mallow, as Wario hopped out of his beach chair; the fatso kept a close eye on his underlings as he was en route to Waluigi.

"Quit slacking off, Penny!" Wario ordered Penny Crygor, who was simply wiping the sweat from her forehead. Wario soon reached Waluigi and shook the lanky man's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Batman. To whom do I give this occasion?"

"I have a major crime to solve," replied Waluigi, getting down to business as his Batman impersonation amused the WarioWare employees. "I am looking for one Koopa King...King Bowser."

"Bowser, eh?" Wario briefly looked around the premises, looking to his left and right as if he knew some insider information. "Can't tell you where he is, but I did see him pass by."

"That is all I needed to know." Waluigi heard some snickering, and Wario heard it too as he frowned at the snickering employees. Orbulon, 9-Volt, and 18-Volt all stopped laughing and got back to work.

"Heard it from me first." Wario gave a thumbs up to Waluigi, who left with Shadow to embark upon his search for Bowser. With Waluigi gone, Wario rubbed his hands together as he ran to the Batmobile. "Come to Papa..."

Sonic and Crash had acquired a bag and planned on using this bag to pay a bail bondsman. The two friends were at Conker's house, hoping to meet this bail bondsman soon.

"Falco went out to pick up the bondsman," Sonic explained to Jakob, sitting on the porch with Crash while Jakob preferred to stand. Way to stand out among the crowd, Jakob.

"Shouldn't the bail bondsman have his own business?" asked Jakob, and the silence from Sonic perturbed the butler greatly. "I've already asked enough questions...I'm heading back inside." Jakob went back inside the house, choosing to let Sonic and Crash wait forever.

Jakob: Orson got arrested on Thanksgiving for theft, with the police accusing him of stealing that truck. I can't say with certainty how innocent Orson is, but I can tell you one thing...Guile looked awfully suspicious gifting him that vehicle because it was his "birthday". Since when did ghosts start celebrating birthdays? Anyway, Sonic took it upon himself to get Orson to trial and have him prove his innocence. Would be Orson's attorney, but I'm not really an attorney. Unless it's for the royal twins. *smirks*

Sonic and Crash's long wait would pay off, as Falco arrived at the house in his Arwing. Falco parked his Arwing in the driveway, opening the hatch as a gunslinger got out.

"Gotta say, this is the strangest carriage I've ever been on," the gunslinger said to Falco, feeling almost sick from the ride. It was John Marston, the wandering cowboy who was back in Seattle.

"Not a carriage," Falco said to Marston, before looking at Sonic and Crash as he gave them a two-finger salute. "He's all yours." His mission now fulfilled, Falco closed the hatch as he flew his Arwing back home.

"John Marston!" Sonic called out to the gunslinger, who stroked his beard as he joined the blue hedgehog and Crash on the porch. "So glad you could make it."

"Fancy seeing you again, hedgehog," Marston said to Sonic, recalling meeting the blue hedgehog at E. Gadd's lab. However, he never met Crash, who was up on the gunslinger sniffing his pants. "This your friend?"

"Yeah, that's Crash - he's quite the lovable guy." Sonic watched as Crash sniffed Marston all over, and when he was done, Crash gave Sonic a thumbs up before returning to his post. "Seems like you passed the vibe check!"

"'Vibe check'?" Marston showed how unfamiliar he was with modern-day lingo, as he crinkled his nose. "This is the strangest Wild West I've ever been in...so, hedgehog, what's the catch?"

"I'm so happy you asked! See, I got an acquaintance, and he's in a pickle - he got arrested, and now he needs his bail posted. And that's where you come in!"

"What service would I be towards your friend? You don't think that I'm a...bail bondsman, do you? I'm a bounty hunter!"

"I mean, bounty hunter, bail bondsman...they go hand-in-hand, right?" The lack of a response from Marston suggested otherwise. "How about we discuss this over lunch? I'll treat ya!"

"I do like the sound of that - I am pretty famished. Talking bird riding the flying carriage was no gentleman..."

After rounding up Greninja and Asuka, Sheik and the other ninja pals met with Raiden at Master Hand's room. Mario was there, eagerly waiting for the ninja pals to depart with Raiden so that he and Master Hand could be alone.

"Raiden, as of today, you are now officially an honorary ninja!" Kat said to the mercenary, standing atop Ana as she knighted Raiden with a ninja sword. Raiden's ninja sword, to be exact. Raiden didn't know whether to be humbled or not.

"Um, thanks," responded Raiden, before being handed back his ninja sword; someone was heard knocking on Master Hand's door and yelling. "I believe we have some company."

"Let me in! LET ME IN!" Goemon was heard yelling from outside Master Hand's room, unleashing his inner Eric Andre. The ninja pals did their best not to pay him any mind.

"I'm sure it's nothing important," stated Asuka, before donning a Santa hat as she passed a Santa hat around to the other ninja pals. "So are you ready to spread some holiday cheer, Raiden?!"

"I suppose," replied Raiden, who was later handed a Santa hat by Greninja. The mercenary looked at his hat while evaluating his choices. "Do I have to wear this thing?"

"Yes, it's a requirement," stated Sheik as she went over and placed the Santa hat atop Raiden's head. "Now you look perky." Raiden, who cared a lot about his image, strongly begged to differ.

"At least those manor scum won't see me doing this..." Raiden adjusted his Santa hat, as Sheik grabbed the sack full of Christmas presents and hoisted it over her shoulder.

"We should have the sack emptied by the end of the day...give or take," Sheik said to Master Hand, leading the ninja pals out of Master Hand's room while kicking someone out of her way. "Move it, Goemon..." Raiden was the last to leave, and Mario couldn't be anymore happier.

"Guess it's just you and me now," Mario said to Master Hand, putting his hands together as he was anxious to have that private conversation. "So what is it that you wanted to..."

"ISABELLE" Master Hand called out to the Shih Tzu, who showed up at Master Hand's room in almost an instant. Mario faceplanted onto the floor. "Do you have our camera? I'd like to take footage of Raiden in his...unnatural habitat."

"Got a camera on my phone," replied Isabelle as she checked to see if the camera lens on her phone was clear. "When will we get started?"

Bowser and Carmine found Kieran at Omnis Adest, fishing at a small pond for some fish. With the two siblings in tow, Bowser could finally carry out his big plans for them.

"Say, Nemona, did you guys ever play a baseball game yet?" Arven asked the Pokemon trainer, brushing his Mabostiff's fur while inquiring about the Omnis Adesti Fideles baseball team.

"Nope, but Junpei claimed that the other teams were too scared to play us," replied Nemona, who took Junpei's word as gospel while most of her teammates were highly skeptical. "So I guess that means we're undefeated!"

Cortex: Does Arven and his friends know that Sada and Turo are robots? *tenses nervously* We haven't found the courage to tell them yet. But for what it's worth, those professors are still out of commission. My biggest fear is that Uka will have them reprogrammed, and replace me with them! He'll replace the ugly with the attractive and...wait, did I just call myself "ugly"?
Komodo Joe: *walking by, muttering* ...three cheers for self-awareness.

"You see something, boy?" Arven asked Mabostiff, who got up on his hind legs as he growled at something - or someone - close by. Arven and Nemona looked over and saw that Mabostiff was growling at Bowser.

"Can we get this over with already?" Carmine asked Bowser, as she and Kieran stood with Bowser - not that far off from Nemona and Arven. "Promised Kieran that we would decorate that Christmas tree together."

"This is more important than decorating some Christmas tree," claimed Bowser, as the cynical Carmine rolled her eyes. "Your careers as Pokemon trainers depend on it!"

"Messing with the Blueberry Academy students, Bowser?" Arven asked the Koopa King, as he had to hold back his Mabostiff who was still growling. "What's the catch?"

"I must see how smart these siblings are," Bowser said to Nemona and Arven as he took large white cards from his imaginary pocket. Nemona and Arven immediately knew where things were headed.

"I assume that you're gonna quiz the siblings," Nemona said to Bowser, who was shuffling up the cards while ensuring Carmine and Kierian weren't trying to peek. "What if they don't pass the test?"

"Then they're both stupid and deserve to be booted from the academy. Let's begin!" Bowser approached Carmine and Kieran, as he was more focused on the former sibling. Fearing Bowser, Kieran hid behind his big sister.

"You're scaring Kiki," Carmine said to Bowser as Kieran was holding on tightly to her. Bowser didn't like how cowardly Kieran was. "Might want to change that ugly mug of yours."

"This is no time to criticize my already handsome looks. Now let's get started!" Bowser showed Carmine the first card, expecting the Pokemon trainer to provide the correct answer. "Who's that Pokemon?"

"Pfft, easy. That's a Wooper - the Johtoian kind. It's native in our region." Indeed it was a Johtoian Wooper, as Carmine started on the right foot.

"So your home has the regular Wooper while Paldea doesn't? That's messed up." Tossing the card to the side, Bowser showed Carmine a second card depicting a dragon-type Pokemon. "Guess that Pokemon!"

"That would be...an Altaria." Carmine was two-for-two so far, and Bowser was thoroughly impressed. "But the thing is, I have never seen one in person."

"How can you not..." Saving his breath - and saving himself from blowing up with rage - Bowser turned to Kieran hoping for him to redeem his older sister. "...Kieran, you have seen Altaria with your own eyes, yes?"

"If they lived in Kitakami, I would've," Kieran replied, as Bowser was now staring at the siblings with his left eye twitching. Bowser almost felt like punching something - and that's what he ended up doing.

"Is it so hard for these dumb Pokemon to migrate?! GRAAAAH!" Bowser threw a wicked punch at a mailbox and sent it flying. "There I go again, punching random mailboxes..."

"Guilty as charged..." someone speaking in a deep voice said to Bowser, who raised an eyebrow as he turned around. Standing before Bowser was Waluigi, in all his Batman glory. Oh, and Shadow was there, too.

"Oh no, it's the Batman!" Bowser pretended to be afraid, by waving his hands and pulling on his hair in distress and so on and so forth. "Whatever shall I do?!"

"Yes, that's right...fear me." Waluigi felt invigorated by Bowser's "fear", making the lanky man all the more confident to defeat Bowser once and for all. He hoped that his Batman impersonation left a lasting impression on the Pokemon trainers.

"This is so sad..." Arven commented on Waluigi portraying Batman, as an equally disappointed Nemona was left shaking her head. "...he really has to stoop this low to get our respect."

"Better stay away from him, Kiki," Carmine said to her little brother, safeguarding Kieran from Waluigi by wrapping her protective arms around him. "He has the look of a predator."

"You think you're so bad, 'Batman'?" Bowser asked Waluigi, triggering the lanky man greatly with his use of finger quotes. "C'mon, hit me with your best shot!" Bowser held his arms out wide, waiting for Waluigi to strike.

"Very well..." said Waluigi as he took out a bat boomerang, holding it up high. Bowser braced for impact as Waluigi threw the boomerang at his chest, and it...did nothing.

"That's it?" Bowser felt no pain at all, as the boomerang simply fell to the ground. Bowser didn't have high expectations, and yet he was left disappointed.

"That was just the appetizer," said Waluigi, who got into a stance as he looked to carry out his next move. "Now here comes the..." The lanky man made a running start toward Bowser, only to trip and fall on his cape.

"Somehow I knew that was coming," remarked Shadow, as Waluigi landed on the ground in embarrassing fashion. Bowser and the others laughed at Waluigi, who quickly recovered from his fall.

"I knew it! I knew you were a fraud!" Bowser laughed at Waluigi, wishing that he would watch the lanky man trip and fall over and over again. "I mean, I knew you were one already, but still."

"A fraud I am not!" shouted Waluigi, remaining committed to staying in character despite his humiliating incident. "I'll show you...I'll show all of you!"

"Think you showed us enough," giggled Nemona, as the laughs kept coming. Undeterred by the mockery, Waluigi turned to Shadow as he took his phone out.

"It's not too late to put an end to this sham," Shadow advised Waluigi, as he was dying to take off his tuxedo - which he honestly looked good in. Extra points if he he was carrying a gun.

"Time for Plan B..." Waluigi said with his phone out, as he pulled up the number of a very trusted individual. An individual that could make or break his Batman impersonation.

Mario and Link were in the gaming room, watching as Raiden and the ninja pals were spreading Christmas joy around the mansion. Raiden was asked to deliver a gift to Lucas, and the mercenary obliged.

"Sorry for kidnapping you a couple of years ago," Raiden apologized to Lucas, before handing the PSI whiz a Christmas gift. It was on the smaller side. "And Merry Christmas."

"Uh, Merry Christmas to you!" responded Lucas, as Link heard his phone ring; pulling out his phone, Link groaned when he saw Waluigi's name.

"Take the picture!" Master Hand ordered Isabelle, wanting the Shih Tzu to snap a photo of Raiden and Lucas together. Link momentarily left Mario to answer the call.

"Yes, what is it, I'm busy!" Link angrily whispered into the phone, before looking over his shoulder and watching Isabelle get Raiden and Lucas in place. "Can't you wait?"

"I cannot wait much longer...I need you, Joker," Waluigi said to Link over the phone, as Link felt like pulling out all the hairs on his head. "You complete me."

"First of all, that's Joker's line. And two...how are you even able to stay in character for so long?" Link imagined that a man of Waluigi's caliber would struggle to keep up with the act.

"Your presence is required at Omnis Adest. I'm counting on you. Batman, out." Waluigi ended the phone call, and Link was left in distress as he returned to Mario to deliver some news.

"Waluigi needs me at Omnis Adest," Link explained to Mario, as Isabelle snapped a photo of Raiden and Lucas - after Master Hand politely asked Raiden to look more enthusiastic no less. "I have to bust out my Joker getup..."

"Need a Harley Quinn?" Mario playfully asked Link, who gave the plumber an annoyed blank stare. Link was nearly done with life. "Ann might come-a through for you."

"Meh...it's not worth it. If Waluigi gets a black eye, you'll know what it was for." Link trudged out of the gaming room, hoping to do his favor for Waluigi and be done with it. Mario was left alone, waiting patiently for the ninja pals to be done so that Master Hand could be free.

"My spine is killing me!" Robin said to Mario as he came over to the plumber, massaging his back. The funny sensation he felt earlier came back. "Can I schedule an appointment with Dr. Mario?"

"Doctor's out-a until further notice," replied Mario, as Robin grimaced and walked away. Booking an appointment with Dr. Mario? Lucina wouldn't be too happy about that.

It took him a while, but Pit finally managed to pull himself out of the large Christmas tree on display at Omnis Adest. And he did it without any help from anyone, for what it was worth.

"Alright, Carmine, I'm here to accept my...payment," Pit said after emerging from the tree, only to realize Carmine was long gone. The angel went into panic mode in a hurry. "Oh man, Joker's gonna kill me if I don't..."

"Coming through!" Wario shouted from afar, as he drove down the road driving something that wasn't his Wario Bike. The fatso was riding in the Batmobile, and he pulled up to Pit to show off his new set of wheels.

"Woah! The Batmobile?! No way!" For Pit, it was his first time seeing the Batmobile in person, and he was trying not to geek out as he rubbed the car hood. "How much did you pay for it?"

"Oh, I got it for free. Huge bargain." Wario acted like the Batmobile was his, resting his elbow on the car door. Another item to add to his collection of items to flex with.

Jacky: Got off the phone with the police - told them about Waluigi stealing my car. They said that it's not their first rodeo dealing with a car thief from the Assist Tower. Huh, who knew that place had car thieves? Bet it was the Excitebike Racer who started the trend.

"Wanna hop in?" Wario offered to Pit as he pressed a button on the dashboard, opening a car door on the passenger side. The fatso was familiar with all of the car's perks - and it only took him less than an hour or so.

"You bet!" exclaimed Pit as he hopped inside the Batmobile, buckling in his seatbelt so that he could be safe. Taking a page out of Dora the Explorer. "Whatever gets me to Carmine the fastest..."

Joker was growing restless from Pit having yet to return to Cafe Leblanc, as per usual whenever Pit went off to deliver coffee. The young man attempted calling Pit's phone, yet it went straight to voicemail every time.

"He hasn't answered a single call yet," Joker discussed with his fellow baristas, connecting his phone to his phone charger after his last attempt at calling Pit proved futile. "I'm getting concerned."

"maybe some holiday puns can cheer you up," Sans offered to Joker, wanting to turn the young man's frown upside down - something he has yet to do. "better hold on for deer life..."

"No one likes your stupid puns, Sans - deal with it," Viridi said to the skeleton, expressing an opinion that would garner plenty of applause in the cafe. It was an opinion that virtually everyone agreed with.

"do you like my puns, vault boy?" Sans asked the mascot of Vault-Tec, who mulled his answer for a moment before giving a smile and a thumbs up. "aha, I do have a fan! a round of santa-plause, for the real one in the room."

"Vault Boy's a natural-born company shill - he'll say yes to just about anything," Cloud said to Sans, sitting at the counter with skeleton while eating his curry. He would be interrupted from eating his curry, however, when the buddy cops stormed inside the cafe.

"Mr. Strife!" boomed Toon Link as he and Young Link confronted Cloud, who was seconds away from eating another spoonful of curry. "Don't think we haven't forgotten our conversation from earlier."

"Glad you reminded me because I completely forgot. Was there something that you wanted to arrest me for? Something stupid."

"You were on the phone, speaking with the Turks," Young Link explained to Cloud, who showed how much he cared about his interrogation as he resumed eating his curry. "Unless you were speaking with some Turkish guy named Tseng, you're in big trouble, mister!"

"That's because he was speaking with some Turkish guy named Tseng," Joker stated to the buddy cops, making them both astonished as they looked at the young man. "I should know, I talked to him before. Swell fellow."

"Are you for real?" Toon Link asked Joker, who nodded his head - apparently, that nod was enough for the buddy cops to be convinced. "Guess that makes sense...sorry for bothering you, Cloud."

"Don't let this happen again," Cloud warned the buddy cops, who left the cafe with their tails behind their legs. Cloud then looked at Joker, showing the young man appreciated. "Thanks for the assist."

"Just looking out for you," responded Joker, only to perk up when he heard a text notification sound from his phone. Joker checked his phone and furrowed his brow as he read a text message from Pit. "What is Pit doing in a Batmobile...?"

Layton and Luke were asked by the buddy cops to wait outside Cafe Leblanc. Part of the reason why was because of Detective Pikachu, and the fact that Detective Pikachu had, well, quite the mouth.

"The idiot factory called - they want their finest product back!" Detective Pikachu called out to Morton Koopa, who was innocently passing by. Taking Detective Pikachu's words to heart, Morton ran off a sobbing mess.

Morton: Got no clue why being called an idiot got to me. Maybe it has to do with all those times I got called ugly. Is being an idiot and being ugly the same thing?

"Now that wasn't very nice," Layton scolded Detective Pikachu, as he almost felt like going up to Morton and apologizing for Detective Pikachu's rude remark. "Ever think before you speak?"

"I do sometimes...but not all of the time," said Detective Pikachu, as he and the detectives were rejoined by the buddy cops who both felt empty-handed.

"Cloud is an innocent man," Toon Link shared the news, as his opportunity of arresting Cloud and putting him behind bars was now diminished. "Turns out he was speaking to a Turkish man that he and Joker are chill with."

"Find that hard to believe," remarked Luke, as Detective Pikachu looked down the hallway and saw ninja pals coming down with Master Hand, Mario, and Isabelle behind them. The ninja pals ran into Morton.

"Why the long face, Morton?" Ana asked the Koopaling, seeing him sobbing and wiping away his tears. "This will cheer up you!" Ana handed Morton a gift, making him happy again.

"HE DIDN'T DESERVE IT!" shouted Detective Pikachu, before covering his mouth as he brought unwanted attention upon himself. A habit that he has been doing all day long.

"Well...I'll be," said Master Hand as he floated over to Layton and company, easily allured by Detective Pikachu as his fascination was piqued. "Professor Layton! Is that a talking Pikachu?"

"He prefers to go by Detective Pikachu," Layton affirmed to Master Hand, whom Detective Pikachu was slightly intimidated by. To think that he was acting so mighty and macho beforehand.

"Greetings, Detective Pikachu! Been meaning to speak with you, professor...mind coming with me to my room?" Master Hand wanted to speak with Layton and Luke before he spoke with Mario? Something was up.

"Gladly." So Layton and Luke both left with Master Hand, as the buddy cops came along. How did Mario react to this development?

"This picture looks good to you?" Isabelle asked Mario as she showed him a picture of Raiden and Steve. Isabelle asked Raiden to hold up two fingers behind Steve's head, but Raiden refused.

"He looks so out-a of place next to Steve," giggled Mario, only to look up and be exasperated when he saw Master Hand going down the hallway without him. "Master Hand, where-a are you...Mama Mia."

"Looks like you're stuck with us!" Yuffie said to Mario as she wrapped her arm around the plumber, who was left in shambles yet again. "Aw, cheer up, will ya? We're not that bad!"

"He'll get over it eventually," assured Sheik as she went to the nearby elevator, and pressed a button to open it. Standing inside the elevator was Goemon, who was abundantly happy to see Sheik.

"Sure could use a hand delivering those gifts," Goemon said to Sheik, who felt a vein pulsating in her forehead; Sheik wanted to kick Goemon out of the way, but she restrained herself as much as she could.

"Move it or lose it, shrimp..." Move it Goemon did, as the ninja scurried out of the elevator to avoid further harm. Sheik looked at the ninja pals and beckoned to them. "...time to move out."

"Best not to take it personally," Raiden offered these words to Mario, passing by the distraught plumber as he put his hand on his shoulder. The mercenary looked up, as Sheik gave him some hand signals. "Yes, I'll carry Mario if necessary."

Sonic and Crash had a plentiful discussion with John Marston at Dingo's Diner, which was enjoyed over lunch. Marston's first time experiencing quality Australian cuisine. A stuffed Sonic would exit the diner with Marston, hoping that he and the gunslinger both came to an understanding.

"Ribeye steak sure hit the spot!" gleamed Sonic as he patted his stomach, with Crash exiting the diner with a takeout plate and a fountain drink. No surprise that the bandicoot loved the food the most.

"Ain't got the slightest clue what a vegemite roast pork is, but that was a mighty fine dish," remarked Marston, using a toothpick to pick out all the food bits in his teeth. Said toothpick remained in his mouth because that was a cowboy thing to do.

"How did you pay for that meal, Crash? Ah, forget about it. So!" Sonic rubbed his hands together as he approached Marston, about to ask him the million-dollar question. "You gonna come through for Orson, or what?"

"For the last time, hedgehog, I'm a bounty hunter. And no offense, but I could care less about this Orson fella and whatever he's going through."

"Woah?" Crash asked in a saddened tone, as he and Sonic were both left devastated. Marston didn't come through for them, as they had hoped.

"Really, I was just using you boys to get a free lunch. Got what I came for. Perhaps we could do this again." Marston turned and walked down the sidewalk, waving to Sonic and Crash with his back turned. "May the skies be ever in your favor, fellas."

"I can't believe that guy..." Sonic shook his head as he watched Marston leave, the gunslinger returning to his wandering cowboy ways. "...welp, time to find an actual bail bondsman."

"Happy now, Kiki?" Carmine asked Kieran as the two siblings exited Dingo's Diner, having dined in. Kieran had a big smile on his face. "Better than eating that fish you got out of the lake, I'll say."

"I'm so glad that I listened to you," replied Kieran, who was more than a happy customer as his smile could not be easily shaken off. "Best fish I've ever had!"

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger: Dingodile felt threatened by the Blancho's Sushi place that opened up recently, so he went ahead and added more fish items to the menu. Which I find odd since we operate a diner offering Australian cuisine and Blancho's Sushi is...a sushi place. This is nothing new, Dingo gets in his feelings when a new food joint in Seattle becomes all the rage.

Soon the Batmobile pulled up to Dingo's Diner, its tires screeching loudly. Wario rolled down the window grinning from ear to ear.

"Check out my new ride, losers!" Wario said to Sonic and company, proudly patting the Batmobile, as Pit got out of the Batmobile and ran up to Carmine.

"Carmine! You never got to pay me," Pit said to the Pokemon trainer, coming off as a needy and desperate oaf as he held his hands out like a beggar. "Please pay up, my boss will kill me..."

"Nah, I don't think I will," replied Carmine, as Pit fell to his knees and banged his fists on the concrete. "Ha, just kidding." Carmine then took out some money, as Pit hopped back up on his feet.

"SCORE!" Pit snatched the money out of Carmine's hands and counted it up, while Sonic and Crash took a gander at the Batmobile.

"Nice of Waluigi to lend you his ride," Sonic said to Wario, who loved the Batmobile so much that he was kissing it. Somebody was in love. "Is he...is he still masquerading as Batman?"

"Said that he was looking for Bowser, wah-ha-ha!" replied Wario...and then something spurred in Sonic's mind, that left the blue hedgehog in thought. "That'll keep him from asking for his Batmobile back..."

"What's the exchange rate for Kitakami currency?" Pit asked Carmine and Kieran, only for Sonic to grab him by the shoulders and pull him aside. "Sonic, what gives, I'm doing business here!"

"Wanna help bring a masked caper down to size?" Sonic asked Pit, whose eyes widened as he gave a knowing look. Sonic and Pit both left, with Crash trailing closely behind.

"That should be enough to cover him," said Carmine; suddenly, the Pokemon trainer gasped, as she saw blue-and-red lights flashing up ahead. "Let's go, Kieran..."

"Wah, where are you going, you should be admiring my new set of wheels!" Wario frowned at Carmine, who took Kieran by the hand as she ran away. Wario would later discover why the siblings left in the first place, as a horde of police cars pulled up.

"Step out of the vehicle!" a police officer shouted at Wario as he stepped out of his police cruiser, shouting into a megaphone. "I repeat, step out of the vehicle!"

Earlier, Ryu had challenged Scorpion to some Christmas karaoke, looking to get on the fighter's good side. Much to his surprise, Scorpion came through as he showed up at the main plaza where the karaoke would take place. A decent crowd had already shown up.

"Lay the beat, DJ!" Ryu said to the DJ, K.K. Slider, who was playing a Christams tune. Ryu and Scorpion stared each other down in the middle of the plaza. "Hand me the mic!"

"Just in time - Ryu and Scorpion are gonna do some karaoke," Johnny said to the arriving Sonya Blade, as K.K. Slider tossed Ryu and Scorpion a mic. Ryu caught his mic with precision; Scorpion on the other hand dropped his.

"...I'll be in the public bathroom if anybody needs me," responded Sonya as she hurried off, running as far as her legs could carry her as the crowd got hyped for karaoke.

"DJ, play 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'!" Ryu commanded K.K. Slider, who played the perfect tune for Ryu. However, Ryu was not a fan. "I said, play 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'!"

"This is 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'...the DMX cover," K.K. Slider affirmed to Ryu, who was even more upset as he threw his microphone onto the ground. Judd might consider that against karaoke rules. "Is there a problem?"

"This is not the track I wanted! 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' is supposed to have a slower tempo; this version is too 'hip-hoppy' for my liking."

"Sounded like a boomer just now..." muttered one of the spectators, Sazh Katzroy, as he and the others vibed to the music. And Ryu did not like that.

The karaoke session was cut short, as a gunshot suddenly sounded. The crowd gasped, and the music stopped, as everyone wondered where the gunshot came from. Seconds later, evil cackling.

"Why so serious?" a certain Hylian asked, as Link emerged at the main plaza dressed from head to toe as the Joker. Those who never saw Link's Joker getup marveled, as Link behaved in typical Joker fashion.

Link: No, that wasn't a gun - I just played a gunshot sound off of YouTube. Did it once to prank the neighbors at night...never again.

Midna: What? Link seriously dressed up as the Joker? And he only did it to... *sighs, then facepalms* ...first, Zelda's spreading "Christmas joy" as Sheik, and now this. What am I gonna do with those two...

"Not now, Link! We're in the middle of..." Ryu frowned at Link, who confronted the fighter and placed his index finger on his lips. Ryu could only keep silent and let Link do all the talking.

"I could care less about your needless fun," said Link as he took his finger away from Ryu, before addressing the crowd. "Do not be alarmed, for I have come not to spread chaos."

"He's making me wet my pants..." a frightened Big the Cat said to Rock Howard, who looked down and saw that Big wasn't wearing any clothes. Rock backed off from Big for good measure.

"Rather, I have come looking for a man. A man who completes me, who keeps me going...a man that needs no introduction. Where is Batman?"

"Over here, Joker..." answered a certain lanky man speaking in a deep voice, as everyone turned and saw Waluigi, looking all mighty - or at least trying to. As always, Shadow was there.

"I knew that I would find you..." Link walked closer to Waluigi, who started walking towards Link like Jotaro Kujo confronting Dio. "...no matter what you do, or where you go, you'll always keep running into me!"

"You got another thing coming to you, Joker..." Waluigi's Batman portrayal fell flat with the folks of Omnis Adest as several folks were stifling their laughter. Link being the Joker, on the other hand, was far more well-received.

"Be warned, for you have nothing to threaten me with! But I won't kill you...you're simply too much fun. I'll just send a message..."

"Hold it!" Sonic shouted; he, Pit, and Crash interrupted the standoff as the three showed up at the main plaza stepping in between Link and Waluigi. "We got a message of our own to deliver."

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE INTERRUPTING!" growled Ryu, as he wanted to angrily throw his microphone onto the ground a second time. Scorpion was still there, so that was a plus...right?

"What kind of 'message' do you cretins possibly have to deliver?" inquired Link, as Sonic and company turned to Waluigi - the only person the message was meant for.

"Waluigi, this whole Batman thing...is it worth it?" Pit asked Waluigi, trying to be a strong motivator - something that the lot outside was not used to. "Is anyone taking you seriously?"

"Everyone takes the Batman seriously..." replied Waluigi, who heard a few giggles from the crowd; Waluigi turned to the crowd and saw some folks suppressing their laughter.

"Forget pretending to be a superhero! If you really want people to respect you, just be yourself. Don't be somebody else!"

"Wah, but nobody likes it when I try to be myself..." Already the mask was fading, as the Waluigi of old was coming back out of its shell. "...it's no use."

"Then do a little self-improvement," Sonic said to Waluigi, who bit his lip as he looked reluctant to take the blue hedgehog's advice. "Maybe you haven't put in enough work - or the right kind of work!"

"Well, I probably have done it wrong...rubbed people off the wrong way." The conversation was soon cut short, as Wario ran into the main plaza chased by two police officers. An officer tackled Wario to the ground.

"Wah, I didn't steal the car, I just took it out on the joyride!" Wario shouted at the police officer on top of him, who pulled out a pair of handcuffs to arrest Wario. Had to find the right size for Wario's meaty wrists.

"You fit the description provided by the caller, so that's on you," the police officer said to Wario, as his partner focused on keeping Wario pinned to the ground. "You are under arrest for..."

"NO! It's not him you want..." Waluigi said to the police officers, approaching them as he took off his Batman mask and appeared solemn. "...it's me."

"Let's see...ugly, has a weird mustache..." the second police officer said as he made out Waluigi's physical appearance, recalling the description provided when the authorities were called. "...did the caller also mention skininess?"

"You know what? I think he did," replied the first police officer as he got off of Wario before he and his partner confronted Waluigi. "You're coming with us, sir," the officer said to Waluigi, who humbly accepted his arrest as he held his arms out.

"Waluigi? You're taking the fall for me?" an astonished Wario asked the lanky man, who was handcuffed by the police. It wasn't that often you saw a man in a Batman suit get arrested.

"I'm not taking the fall for anyone," replied Waluigi, taking accountability for his actions as Batman would do (if Batman was ever in a situation like this). "I did this to myself...so I have to pay the price."

"Don't worry, you're still coming with us," the second police officer said to Wario as he put the fatso in handcuffs, much to his great chagrin. "Carjacking and resisting arrest is no joke."

"Right this way, you freaks..." the first police officer said to Wario and Waluigi, escorting the duo away from the premises. Waluigi looked back at the crowd, as he had one last thing to say.

"I'll be a better man...just you wait and see," Waluigi vowed to everyone before the police officers pushed him forward. Some folks, like Sonic and Pit, took Waluigi's words to heart...many others had their doubts.

"Finally, I can take this off," rejoiced Shadow as he tore off his tuxedo and tossed it away before walking off. A great tuxedo, now ruined, and Shadow looked awesome in it, too.

"We will never speak of this again..." Link said to Shadow, as he and the black hedgehog left the main plaza together. The Hylian rubbed the facepaint off his face, before unbuttoning his shirt.

"Well that didn't end in the way we intended..." Sonic remarked to Pit and Crash. "...but at least Waluigi learned a big lesson. I think." Sonic had high hopes that Waluigi would indeed return a better man - one who deserved his respect.

"So are we still doing karaoke, or..." Scorpion asked Ryu, who was too bothered by the constant interruptions to care about karaoke anymore. "...I'll, erm, I'll just go then." Scorpion handed his mic to Ryu, who got down on one knee feeling defeated.

Thanks to Raiden, the ninja pals completed their assignment and delivered all the Christmas presents in the brown sack. Honestly, they didn't care what was in those presents - just as long as they were delivered.

"And that's a wrap," announced Sheik, as she and the ninja pals convened with Raiden, Mario, and Isabelle in the foyer. Mario was itching to leave. "Did you have fun, Raiden?"

"It was alright," Raiden gave his honest thoughts on delivering gifts, appearing neutral in both his facial expression and body language. A little neutrality was good enough in the ninja pals' eyes.

"I think he loved it!" exclaimed Yuffie, as Mario backed away from the ninja pals before making a mad dash to Master Hand's room. Isabelle, who was going through the footage on her phone, saw Mario leave.

"Mario?" Isabelle called out to the plumber, as she went in the direction that Mario ran off to. She saw Mario reach Master Hand's room, and by the time Mario arrived at his destination Master Hand's door opened.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you!" Layton said to Master Hand, waving to the giant hand as he and Luke exited the room. The detective came across Mario, caught by surprise. "Mario! You weren't...standing here the whole time, were you?"

"I assume you lads had an interesting convo with-a Master Hand," Mario said to Layton and Luke, who both appeared a little nervous; Luke was even fidgeting slightly. "What was-a the topic at hand?"

"Oh yes, it was, um..." Layton was hiding something, evidenced by awkwardly pulling on his collar and not looking Mario in the eye. "...it was confidential."

"Is it something that I reserve-a the right to now?" Mario was left with pressing questions, as Layton and Luke tried to back away from the plumber. "Why are you backing away?"

"It's getting late, can't be out after curfew," replied Luke, and once he and Layton got further away from Mario the detectives bolted to the foyer. "See you around!"

"Curfew? At this time-a of day?" Mario stood there dumbfounded, as Master Hand's door was opened. Detective Pikachu exited the room. "Oh, hey Detective Pikachu."

"About time somebody got my name right..." responded Detective Pikachu, who ran down to the foyer trying not to lose his breath. "...Layton, Luke, wait up for me!"

Detective Pikachu: Sooner or later, people will know the name Detective Pikachu. Just gotta get the regular Pikachu out of the picture. Yeah, that's what I'll do...I'll eliminate him! One Hyper Beam, and he'll be history.

"Master Hand, open-a up!" Mario shouted to the giant hand as he banged his fist on the bedroom door, being met with no response. Isabelle later joined Mario, who sighed in defeat as he sat against the door.

"For what it's worth, even I don't know what Master Hand wants to discuss with you," Isabelle said to Mario (as if that was meant to cheer him up) as Raiden came down the hallway. "I'd say just be patient."

"Easy for you to say." Mario looked up and saw Raiden, whose standing over Mario made the plumber feel small. By no means did Mario like it.

"Was wondering where you went," Raiden said to Mario, looking over his shoulder a second later as if he heard one of the ninja pals call out to him. "Sorry if I took too much of Master Hand's time."

"It's all good." Choosing not to beat himself up, Mario got back on his feet. "Will we see you again?" Mario asked Raiden, whose name was shouted from afar.

"Hey Raiden, there's one gift left!" Asuka called out to the mercenary, having double-checked the brown sack while Raiden was gone. "As our honorary ninja, we'll let you do the honors!"

"The ninja pals might keep me busy, so we'll see," replied Raiden, who returned to the foyer to placate the ninja pals' desires. "I find them more tolerable than the mansion scum already..."

"Hopefully I'm not in the dog-a house with Master Hand," Mario said to Isabelle, seeing that his conversation with Master Hand would likely have to wait another day. (Or week.) "Whatever I did-a couldn't possibly be that bad..."