Author's Note:

Well now...

...it's been a minute, hasn't it? I've been away for, what, six months? That's the longest I've ever been away ever since I returned to writing fanfiction, back when I was still in high school. Time sure flies.

So I know I probably gave your hopes up, you were probably expecting something in February. Or March. Or April. Or even May. I promised myself that I would return to this story before my birthday...and today IS my birthday. How about that.

What have I been doing, other than writing this story? Well, I share with you one thing I've been doing...trying to publish a book! Haha! Well, I'm not in the publishing phase yet, but I've been working on a novel (or at least trying to). One book publisher did call me like a couple of weeks ago, so...maybe that's a sign?

But yeah, I'm back. For how long, I don't know. The desire to continue this story...I will say that it's higher than it was at the start of the year. But I do have six chapters on the docket, and I'm going to post five of 'em today. (The sixth one will have to be posted much later.) I couldn't leave this story dormant forever, so I had to return to keep any of you from thinking that I was dead or something. (If you ever thought that, then shame on you.) And no, I haven't read the reviews, or checked my inbox for private messages. Give me some time.

I might have to go back and change - or add- some things later...this is all I got. Will "Smash Life" truly end this year? Honestly, who knows. But I hope to put a bow on this story, and end it on my terms. And you can't do that without updating this story, so here I am. Hope you all like the next couple of chapters, and all that's left to say is...enjoy!

Episode 407: Election

It was another typical morning for Ganondorf, as the demon lord was sound asleep in his bed. The alarm clock on the nightstand sounded, and Ganondorf, who had hit the snooze button multiple times already, smashed his alarm clock with the smash of his fist as he finally woke up.

"Alright Ganon, another day, another random body pain," Ganondorf said to himself, feeling another ache in his body as he sat up on his bed. "Here we go." The demon lord put on his slippers, only to find that they were soaked in milk. "Ugh!"

Curoius as to how this dubious fate fell upon himself, Ganondorf looked on his nightstand and saw a note. Taking the note, Ganondorf read it.

Dear Ganondorf, I need something to carry milk in so I used your slippers. With much love, Toon Link.

Shuddering, Ganondorf rose up from his bed and tried to turn on the light...only for a lightbulb to burst. When Ganondorf went into the closet to retrieve a new lightbulb, he saw that the box was empty! Except for this note that he found inside:

Dear Ganondorf, I took these to build a planetarium suit for Falco! Sorry! Toon Link.

Grumbling mightily, Ganondorf crumpled the note and tossed it inside his trash can. The poor guy just couldn't win, could he?

Before the start of the new year, it was a very common theme to have a few New Year's resolutions. For some, it was to exercise more. For others, it was losing some weight. Could be both even, as both resolutions overlapped somewhat.

One of Mario's resolutions for the new year was to learn a new hobby - and what was that hobby, you ask? Learning how to play a new instrument. There was a wide selection of instruments to choose from, from the guitar to the flute, or even the ocarina if he wished to follow in Link's footsteps. But instead, Mario opted to go with the most annoying instrument of all...the tuba.

"Every day since New Year's Day...it's been torture," remarked Spyro, he and Hunter being forced to suffer while Mario was playing his tuba in the living room. Mario was tooting his horn as he maneuvered around.

"I wouldn't know, I can't hear a thing!" Peach said to Spyro, sitting in the living room with a smile on her face while she knitted. The princess gestured to her ears as if she was trying to flex.

"Wait a minute, are you wearing earplugs?" That was indeed the case, as Peach smirked as she carried on with her business. But Hunter, after learning this information, had a rare moment of brilliant epiphany.

"If that's the case, then how were you able to hear Spyro?" Hunter questioned Peach, whose eyes went wide as Mario carried on with his tuba solo. Peach curled her lip as she was reluctant at first to respond.

"...that is a question for another day." Peach ignored Hunter as she kept on knitting, while Mario brought his tuba over to Spyro. Mario was playing loudly in Spyro's face, and Spyro was ready to snap.

"Can you PLEASE stop?!" Spyro yelled at Mario, who honored the purple dragon's wishes as he took a couple of steps back. "You're gonna make your kids cry with that nonstop playing..."

"My kids have never cried, so your argument-a is invalid," Mario informed Spyro, putting him in his place as he continued playing his tuba. Spyro groaned as he tried to cover his ears with his wings, while Hunter hid his head underneath a couch pillow.

Mario: The tuba was honestly my last-a option when it came to learning a new instrument. I originally wanted to play the guitar, but K.K. Slider was charging too much-a for what he called "free" guitar lessons. Five dollars for going over the thirty-minute time limit ain't-a cheap. And I also wanted to play the bongos, but Donkey Kong talked-a me out of it saying that it was "too advanced". All you're doing is just-a slapping some drums, it isn't that complex. Could've played the hawk grass, even, but Link was scared that I might show-a him up. He didn't say it, mind-a you, but I could anticipate it.

Fortunately for Spyro and Hunter, Mario's tuba playing finally came to an end when the doorbell rang. Seemingly aware of what was going on, an eager Mario excitedly put his tuba on the couch next to Hunter, who along with Spyro saw the window of opportunity open.

"Let's do it..." Hunter whispered to Spyro, who hopped up to his feet as Hunter grabbed the tuba. Meanwhile, Mario went to the front door and answered it, and was happy to see Isabelle.

"Good-a morning, Isabelle!" Mario greeted the Shih Tzu, a bit more chipper to see her than ever before. Isabelle herself was quick to notice how overtly happy Mario appeared.

"Good morning, Mario! And happy Friday!" Isabelle returned the favor, as Mario's excitement was starting to boil over. Isabelle was growing concerned, even. "Hope you haven't eaten breakfast yet. Because Master Hand wants to..."

"NO, IT'S NOT MELTING!" Hunter wailed, as Spyro was breathing his fire breath on the tuba. The flames weren't enough to damage Mario's tuba, as Isabelle took a curious peek at Spyro and Hunter.

"Before-a you ask...yes, that's my tuba," Mario informed Isabelle, as Spyro kept dousing the tuba with his fire breath until he couldn't do it anymore. All those flames, and not a single blemish on the tuba.

"So that's where those awful sounds came from," remarked Isabelle, before having to change her tune to no offend Mario - while also remembering what she wanted to tell Mario about. "Oh! As I was saying, Master Hand wants to..."

"Die, you stupid tuba! Die, die, DIE!" screamed Hunter as he repeatedly smashed Mario's tuba against the living room floor. The seemingly indestructible nature of Mario's tuba made Spyro and Hunter all the more agitated.

"I'd really hate to speak loudly, but Master Hand..." Isabelle was interrupted once more, as Hunter attempted an elbow drop on the tuba once to yelp in pain after delivering the move. So she had to shout at the top of her lungs: "...MASTER HAND WANTS TO SPEAK WITH YOU!"

"He does?! Yippee!" exclaimed Mario, jumping for joy as he was fully elated. So elated, that he took Isabelle by her hands and danced around in circles. "Oh happy day, oh happy day..."

"What is he so happy about?" questioned Spyro as he observed Mario, who lifted Isabelle off her feet and hugged her. Also kissed her on the cheek, which Isabelle did not appreciate.

"That's so gonna be us when we finally destroy that tuba," Hunter smirked, only to wince in pain seconds later as he nursed the throbbing pain in his elbow. Done being happy, Mario placed Isabelle back on her feet.

"Just a heads up, this isn't anything worth smiling about," Isabelle stated to Mario, wanting the plumber to be serious when he approached Master Hand. But Mario, who had been promised a private conversation since the holidays, was too over the moon to act serious.

"Tell Master Hand I'll be over soon. Wahoo!" Mario told Isabelle, before letting out a cheer and tapping his heels as he went to put his tuba away. Spyro and Hunter both looked un as the tuba remained intact...lose the battle, win the war.

Kazuya was usually in an instigating mood, always stirring the pot whenever the opportune moment arrived. So when he went through the mansion, on his way to breakfast, his ears couldn't help but pick up on a conversation between Zelda and Overwatch's commanding officer, Sojourn.

"I'm afraid that this is a serious matter," Sojourn was heard speaking, as Kazuya quietly peeked inside Zelda's room and saw Zelda speaking with Sojourn. "Master Hand even stressed as such." Sojourn handed her phone to Zelda, who read the text message sent.

"Was this from Isabelle's phone? And why are there so many exclamation points?" questioned Zelda, while also making notes of the all caps. It was a very loud text message, to say the least.

"Thought it was Crazy Hand's doing when I saw it the first time." Sojourn took her phone back from Zelda, as Kazuya remained keeping a very close eye on the ongoing conversation. "But yeah, Tracer and Winston are expected to stop by as well."

"Must be a very big deal...hope it's nothing too major." Zelda tried to remain optimistic, as Kazuya cracked an evil smirk as he backed away. Upon turning around, Kazuya ran into Yoshi.

"Lemme guess - you like to spy on Zelda in her bedroom?" Yoshi asked Kazuya inquisitively, with his eyes narrowed, before softening as he held up his hand for a high five. "Me too! Welcome to the club!"

"No thank you," responded Kazuya, leaving Yoshi hanging as he tarried to the dining room. Yoshi felt awkward and sweaty as Sojourn exited Zelda's room, and encountered the green dinosaur.

"Erm...morning to you as well," Sojourn greeted Yoshi as she gently took the dinosaur's hand and put it back down. Sojourn then left, as Yoshi remained frozen like a statue.

Because he had no lightbulbs in his room, Ganondorf was forced to go to the grocery store and buy some. Shopping was the one thing that Ganondorf didn't want to be caught in public doing. Especially when he was at the checkout counter with Ann, Ryuji, and Futaba around.

"Woah, let's not take this line, there's an old person in it," Ann warned Ryuji and Futaba, keeping her friends from entering the line that Ganondorf was in. Ganondorf did not appreciate the shade that was thrown at him.

"Psh, yeah! He's probably gonna pay with like, rupees and Hylian war bonds," snickered Ryuji, adding more fuel to the fire as he successfully garnered Ganondorf's attention. Ganondorf wished to teach the Phanom Thieves a lesson, but perhaps not in a public setting.

"For your information, I was gonna shoplift most of this," stated Ganondorf, speaking perhaps a bit too loud as the cashier overheard Ganondorf's plans. "And I'm not an old person, either. Show some respect."

"Security!" shouted the cashier, and soon enough a bunch of security guards came to rush Ganondorf. Being the demon lord that he was, Ganondorf was largely undeterred by some measly security guard.

"Smoke bomb!" Sparing the security guards a Warlock punch or two, Ganondorf threw a smoke bomb onto the floor...and it did nothing. Upon further inspection, Ganondorf saw that the smoke bomb was past its expiration date. "Seriously?"

Mario was advised by Isabelle to be serious ahead of his meeting with Master Hand, but the plumber couldn't help but be in happy spirits. After all, he had been waiting to speak with Master Hand in private for some time. But as he would later find out, his meeting wouldn't be so private after all...

"Mama mia! Finally gonna speak-a with Master Hand," said Mario, humming a happy tune as he was on his way to Master Hand's room. Samus passed by Mario, taken back by te plumber's candor.

"You speak with Master Hand almost every day," Samus said to Mario, stopping the plumber during his stroll. "What will make this instance so different?"

"Not every day, Samus - but hey, an anti-social gal like-a you wouldn't understand." Leaving behind a frowning Samus, Mario continued on his merry way. "Why is she like-a that..."

"Sometimes I wonder who's to blame..." An overhearing Samus would frown at Mario for another moment or two, before heading off as Mario reached Master Hand's door. Still in high spirits, Mario opened the door wide open...

...and was caught off-guard when he saw Zelda, Tracer, Winston, and Sojourn gathered with Master Hand. So much for that private conversation - although Mario thought otherwise.

"Cheers, love!" Tracer happily greeted Mario, before Winston gave her a stern look that made the pilot more serious. "I mean...cheers, love," Tracer repeated, this time with a very deep voice.

"Oh! Did I come-a at the wrong time?" asked Mario as he stepped inside the room, analyzing how serious the atmosphere was. Master Hand and company were all looking like a part of some execution jury - a firing squad, but without firearms.

"You were like ten minutes late, but I'm just happy that you showed up," replied Master Hand, never the one to excuse Mario for being tardy. He knew how busy Mario was as a family man...among other things.

"Sorry that I kept-a you waiting; I was fighting with-a Spyro and Hunter over my new tuba. Who knew that a musical-a instrument could be that trigger-some?"

"At least we now know who was making that awful noise in the morning..." After he was done speaking, Master Hand saw Mario look at the Overwatch operatives as if their presence was alarming him. "...yes, Mario?"

"Aren't they gonna leave?" Mario pointed at Tracer and company, while also including Zelda in the mix since he didn't want her either. "Since we can have our, you know...private meeting?"

"Erm, about that..." replied a sheepish Master Hand, as Mario looked at the giant hand bracing himself for disappointment. "...I had to include the others in this. Since they deserved to know as much as you do."

"But Link's important, and he wasn't invited," Zelda pointed out, as Mario was displeased to know that private conversation wouldn't be so private after all. "Unless..."

It was the first week of the new year, and Master Hand was in a generous mood. So generous, that he decided to add more folks to Omnis Adest. Only a modest amount. Master Hand's primary focus was adding folks who were close to the mansion residents, tower denizens, and even the neighbors. While some were in favor of the new additions, others were feeling some type of way.

"Oh! Uh...hi, Dante," Link awkwardly greeted Dante, whom he encountered the moment he exited the bathroom. "Can I...help you?" Link could tell by the look in Dante's eyes that the vigilante had a bone to pick with him.

"Yeah, you can help me," replied Dante, not hiding the disdain he held towards Link at this very moment. He was ticked off. "I heard from my man Diddy that you invited Candy Kong to Omnis Adest. But not Trish? What's up with that?"

"Haha, yeah, what is up with that?" Link was awkwardly laughing as he scratched the back of his head, but Dante himself was in no laughing mood. Dante wanted to give Link a piece of his mind.

Link: We didn't invite Candy Kong to Omnis Adest because she was a good fighter or anything. We did it because she still has Mecha Sonic at her disposal. We could use him. Hard to believe that Mecha Sonic has been Candy's maid for years, being bossed around and doing who knows how many chores, and he has never once thought about escaping! He must really like it.

"Look, man, we don't have to include Trish..." Link did his best to convince Dante, backing away for his own safety as Dante slowly marched towards him. "...we don't have to invite everyone we know!"

"Maybe my good friends Ebony and Ivory can sway your mind," Dante snarled as he whipped out his guns, looking to send a message. As he continued backing away, Link suddenly bumped into a certain rabbit - and it wasn't Lucario's beau, Lopunny.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Link," the rabbit apologized to the Hylian, and it was none other than Bianca. Hunter's girlfriend from the Forgotten Realms. "I wanted to stop by and tell you about this house key."

"You invited her to Omnis Adest too?" an even saltier Dante asked Link as he pointed at Bianca with heavy contempt. Link could only smile nervously as Bianca whipped out a key.

"Nope...she probably found that house key lying on the ground somewhere," Link hastily replied, with Bianca furrowing her brow as Link tried to take the house key out of her hand. "Much appreciated, Bianca."

"What do you think you're doing? That's my house key..." Bianca snatched the key away from Link, who was as nervous as ever as he could sense Dante giving him a death glare. "...anyway, it's not working. Might be something wrong with the lock."

"Link!" Isabelle called out to the Hylian from down the hallway, as she ran over to greet him. The tension in the air died down as Isabelle zipped past Dante en route to Link. "Can you come with me?"

"Of course," replied Link, before heaving a relieved sigh as he followed after Isabelle. The Hylian cautiously looked over his shoulder at Dante, who let the Hylian that he was always watching him with a two-finger gesture.

"Guess I'll ask him later," remarked Bianca, using the power of magic to vanish away from the mansion. Dante frowned as he left the scene, making a mental note in his mind to visit Omnis Adest later.

Link was brought to Master Hand's room, thinking that he had a favor to fulfill for Master Hand. Like maybe running a few errands, since some of the Smashers couldn't be trusted (case in point, Pit). But Link didn't know what he was walking into when he followed Isabelle into the room and saw Master Hand and the others.

"When you brought-a up that meeting to me, I thought that it was gonna be private," Mario spoke with Master Hand, as Link saw who was gathered in the room and feared for the worst. "I didn't think you would bring-a these folks in!"

"Was gonna be private, but frankly this issue is bigger than us both," stated Master Hand, grateful that Mario was no longer holding anything against him. "Also included these guys so it won't look like I'm playing favorites."

"How would-a you be playing favorites, when it's a private..." Mario would pause mid-sentence as he turned his head to the door, and saw Link idly standing by with Isabelle. "...ah, there you are, Link."

"Cheers, love!" Tracer greeted Link with a cheery two-finger salute, before realizing her big mistake as she mentally slapped herself. "Oh, right, I'm supposed to be serious. From the top..."

"A do-ever won't be necessary," Sojourn stopped Tracer as she held her arm in front of the pilot. Link looked around, sensing the tension in the air as he cracked a nervous smile.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" questioned Link, uncomfortable with being the center of attention in most situations. And this was one of those situations. "Do I have food on my face?"

"If that were so, I wouldn't have called you in...criminal!" boomed Master Hand, causing everyone in the room to gasp. Link was stunned, most of all. "Whoops! Getting ahead of myself."

"Link is a criminal?" Mario asked Master Hand, never imagining the man that he loved as a brother (and sometimes a son) was a turncoat. Link was perplexed by the allegation, furrowing his brow mightily.

"I'm afraid so. And the evidence dare I say, Mario, was underneath your bed! Isabelle?" Upon hearing her name called, Isabelle went inside Master Hand's dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a gold bubble mailer.

"That's the mailer Link and I found in Mario's room..." gasped Zelda, equally shocked as Link was; Isabelle opened the gold bubble mailer, and pulled out a large CD.

"Mario, were you aware of this CD hidden underneath your bed?" Master Hand asked the plumber, who shook his head no much to Master Hand's surprise. "You didn't? That changes my thinking..."

"First-a time seeing it," explained Mario, who now understood why Master Hand wanted to meet with him so badly. It was never explained why Master Hand postponed the meeting a few times, though.

"Well, whoever placed that mailer under your bed has a serious axe to grind. Because dare I say, there is a LOT of damning evidence against you on that CD...Link." All eyes were back on Link, as Trace gasped in response.

"Are you for real?" asked Link as he began to feel the heat, finding himself in hot water. His man of the mansion role was looking shaky at the moment. "Does anyone else know about..."

"Layton and Luke knew, I played to them the entire CD. They ran an investigation on you throughout most of the fall last year." Should be noted that said investigation took place during the Smash Life hiatus. Link was very much at unease.

"W-Well...what did they find out? Mind sharing a few details?" As he was being put on the spot, Link felt so nervous that he felt his tunic drench up with sweat. Mainly near the armpit area.

"I won't share much, since it's mostly confidential, but I will say this...it's not looking good for you. Not only for you...but for the mansion as a whole. It's a misconduct infraction, but a damning one at that."

"So I'm on thin ice, then..." Understanding the gravity of the situation he found himself in, Link looked down at the floor and nodded his head.

"Much more than thin ice, I might add. And based on the result of the investigation that Layton and Luke have conducted, I have no choice but to..."

"Wait! Before you say anything..." Link interrupted Master Hand as he put his hand out, and everyone in the room was anxious to hear what Link had to say. "...I know what you are about to do."

"Erm, thank you Captain Obvious. Or would you rather be called Mr. Clairvoyant instead? You better have a real good reason for cutting me off..."

"I do in fact have a good reason." It seemed as if Link was hesitant to speak, holding back what he was about to say. "Because based on the investigation, and this evidence against me, I have decided..." Link hesitated a second time, as everyone was leaned in close to the Hylian. "I have decided to, um..."

Coming home bruised after the security guards had their way with him, Ganondorf went to the living room to recuperate from his injuries for a bit. He wouldn't dare to tell anyone how he got beat up, lest he wanted his reputation damaged.

"Ugh, a rough start to a day," remarked Ganondorf as he headed to his room after he was close to feeling a hundred percent again. "But it's all going to be worth it when I fix that light...bulb." Upon entering his room, Ganondorf saw Peppy Hare screwing in a light bulb with Slippy Toad watching.

"And that, Slippy, is how it's done!" Peppy exclaimed after he was done with the task, as Slippy cheered - almost mindlessly. Ganondorf was beside himself, his mouth fully agape.

"Is anyone seeing this?" asked Slippy, wondering where the adoring crowd was as he wanted to heap a giant amount of praise on Peppy - just for simply fixing a lightbulb. "This is what a hero looks like right here."

"I was out of light bulbs," Ganondorf informed Peppy, not appreciating the rabbit for stealing his shine. But if it meant avoiding having Slippy as a sycophant, then it wasn't all too bad for the demon lord.

"Oh I knew you were, so I invented my own!" responded Peppy as he showed off the lightbulb in Ganondorf's room, as it shone brightly throughout the room. "It will last for years and the light it emits makes your skin softer."

"Oooh! Never have I known such softness!" smiled Slippy as he rubbed his skin all over, already feeling the positive effects of the lightbulb's shining light. He felt like a new man, almost.

"Anyway, where were you? Missed you during breakfast." Peppy waited for an answer, but Ganondorf was too salty to provide one as he dropped the new lightbulbs in the trash and sat on his bed.

"Well, TV at least you appreciate me. Give me the good news." Ganondorf wouldn't get the chance to turn on the TV with his remote, for Isabelle came running inside the room to deliver some news herself.

"Good, Ganondorf, you're back!" exclaimed Isabelle as she walked inside the room, ready to tell Ganondorf about the important stuff he missed out on. "Just wanted to inform you that Link has stepped down as the man of the mansion."

"What?!" Ganondorf looked at Isabelle in bewilderment, the shock of the news overwhelming him so much that he nearly dropped the TV remote out of his hand.

Mitsuru: Link was quietly under investigation, and the result wasn't looking too favorable for the man of the mansion. So Link decided to get ahead of the decision and step down from his post. *smiles*
Akihiko: Mitsuru I'd hate to ask, but...why are you smiling?
Mitsuru: I'm sorry. It's just been so long since we've had anything major happening at the mansion.
Akihiko: Anything major? So Mega Man and the boys fixing the teleportation device, that doesn't count?
Mitsuru: That...that machine is just a frivolity.

"There will be a meeting in the lecture hall this afternoon to discuss replacing him," added Isabelle, also while taking the time for Ganondorf to settle on the shocking news announcement. "Everyone is required to be there."

"New man of the mansion, huh? Wonder who it could be..." pondered Ganondorf as he saw his reflection on the blank television screen. Perhaps the right man for the job was the one man that Ganondorf knew best...

News about Link stepping down spread like wildfire around the mansion, with Mitsuru being one of the first to know. The meeting was obviously an important one, so everyone under the roof had to be in attendance. That said, there was always a solid chance that someone would skip out.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mitsuru asked Dante, whom she caught about to sneak out the front door. Dante froze as he turned his head to Mitsuru. "We have a meeting later, you know."

"Tell 'em I'm not interested," replied Dante, sounding like he was in a salty mood as he exited the mansion. Mitsuru was at first taken aback by Dante's body language, but later thought nothing of it as she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Hmph...your loss." Mitsuru went on her way, as Dante was heading out to do one thing, and one thing only...scope out Omnis Adest.

Dante: Link's in big trouble, you say? Good, that's what the guy deserves. He has one coming for him. I'm gonna go take a peek around Omnis Adest, and if I see a bunch of underserving losers but no Trish... *cocks his gun* ...I'll make sure Public Enemy Numero Uno doesn't make it to the end of the day unscathed.

"Do you know what time the meeting is?" a certain Hylian asked Mitsuru, as Champion Link joined the woman in the foyer. Mitsuru glanced at the clock.

"Should be starting at one o'clock," replied Mitsuru as she walked out of the foyer, as Champion Link added a reminder in his Sheikah Slate. "Don't be late."

"Believe me, I'm rarely late for anything." After adding his reminder, Champion Link put away his Sheikah Slate as he took a deep breath. "This could be my big break..."

Being that he was good friends with Link and all, Cloud was obligated to be informed of Link's decision. That was why Mario caught up with the swordsman outside Cafe Leblanc and told them the big news.

"Link is stepping down? Because of some investigation?" Cloud asked Mario, obviously stunned to hear how much trouble Link found himself in. He was hoping that Link was potentially living a double life.

"He did it to make-a it easier for Master Hand," replied Mario, left with many questions about that mysterious CD - and why anyone wanted to place said CD under his bed in the first place. "Didn't want-a him to make the hard decision himself."

"Aw, what? Link is stepping down?!" exclaimed an eavesdropping Pit, obviously late to the news as he ran out of the cafe out of shock. "Does this mean Cafe Leblanc will be shut down forever?"

"Pit we're not done setting up, get back to work!" Joker was heard shouting at the angel, sounding as if he was on his last nerve. As expected when you have Pit as an employee.

"Get back to work? We're not on the clock yet!" Pit argued with Joker as he rushed back inside the cafe. Mario and Cloud didn't have time to think about their encounter with Pit, as they were later joined by Zelda.

"Zelda, how is your man holding up?" Mario asked the princess, under the assumption that Zelda was comforting Link during his time of anguish. Her body language seemed to suggest otherwise, however.

"I would give you an answer, but...I haven't seen him," replied Zelda, bringing much shock to Mario and Cloud. "Not ever since he stepped down." Link had gone missing, and that clearly was not a good sign.

"It's official - Link ran away from the mansion!" shouted Pit, eavesdropping once again as he ran out of the cafe once more. "Pretty sure we're gonna see his face on a milk carton soon..."

"Pit, I'm not going to tell you again, please get back to work!" Joker shouted at the angel a second time, very close to losing it. You'd have to be someone special to make Joker of all people snap.

"You said you're not going to tell me again, but you told me anyway. You're not being very technical." Pit was later cut off, as Joker whistled into his fingers at Incineroar was summoned. Incineroar walked out of the cafe and grabbed Pit before tossing him back inside.

"I think Link went to get some alone time," Zelda said to Mario and Cloud, as Incineroar dusted his hands off and returned to the cafe. Joker could be heard reprimanding Pit from inside.

Joker: Sometimes I hate having to discipline Pit, it makes me feel like a dad. Could explain why the others refer to me as such. *sighs* Where is Lady Palutena whenever you need her?

Dimentio was back in Seattle, and the jester was all alone in the middle of an open field. Almost too conspicuous. Dimentio would later receive company when a dark corridor appeared, and Xigbar walked out.

"The new guy said he's ready to rock and roll," Xigbar informed Dimentio; those Organization dudes always seem to know where to find somebody. "So when are we gonna debut him?"

"When the time is right," replied Dimentio, as his coalition was still growing even with all the evil firepower he had at his disposal. "I'm confident he'll pass his trial with flying colors!"

"Oh, I bet! Oh, and before I go...about that CD you got, does the mansion have possession of it? Was there any fallout from it?"

"Plenty of fallout, I'll say; I saw they had a meeting, and Link had no choice but to step down. Everything is going as intended..."

All the mansion residents met in the lecture hall, to discuss who would be following after Link. Given the weight of Link stepping down, the lecture hall was abuzz as folks were chatting with each other about the mansion's future.

"Alright. Order! Order everyone! Calm down now!" shouted Master Hand, as he was with Isabelle on the lecture hall stage. Zelda and Mario were nowhere to be found. "We're here to choose a man of the mansion for the first time in almost nearly three years. So here's what we'll do: any worthy candidate who can cast a shadow, count to ten, and throw their hat into the provided ring will be in the running." Isabelle brought out a hoop and placed it on the floor - who would be the first to throw their name in the hat?

"Well, I do believe I fulfill all the requirements," surmised Kazuya as he approached the hoop on the floor and tossed his flat cap into it. Not liking what Kazuya had done, Heihachi angrily stood up only for Terry to calmly sit down the fighter.

Heihachi: That's not fair, I have never seen Kazuya wear that hat a day in my life. He cheated!

"Wait, Kazuya?" said Dark Pit, as the others didn't know how to feel about Kazuya being a potential man of the mansion. Aside from doing stuff like tossing family members into volcanoes, he had a lot of other negative qualities about him that hurt his case.

"Now folks, I know I've had my fair share of mistakes in the past, but I'd like to make up for it by formally announcing my candidacy for the man of the mansion," Kazuya addressed the crowd, using his candidacy as a way to atone for his past misdeeds and then some. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, will Heihachi aid you at all during your campaign?" asked Sonic as he raised his hand, asking a question that offended Heihachi. Heihachi angrily got up from his seat again, with Terry playing peacemaker once more.

"That's a great question, I'm giving you 50% off a used car."

"Fifty percent?! FIFTY PERCENT?!"

"In fact, everyone look under your seats." Kazuya pointed to the crowd, who looked underneath their seat as they were told and took out a car discount coupon from under their chair. "You get half off a used car! You get half off a used car!"

"Wow, a colorful piece of paper?" gleamed Aerith, as Kazuya was channeling some Oprah Winfrey energy while somehow staying true to his character. "He's got my vote!"

"I dunno, you guys, I've got a really bad feeling about Kazuya as the head guy," said Cloud, one of the few individuals to not take the car discount coupon from underneath his chair. Probably imagined that he was head and shoulders above everyone else for not taking the bait.

"I mean, it's not like we have a lot of good options," Barret offered his two cents, willing to take a chance with Kazuya even if he wasn't the best candidate in mind. "Everyone in this mansion and beyond is a tad strange. Even Larry!"

"Larry's the name, and being normal's my game..." moaned Larry, who was sitting a row ahead of Cloud and company as he startled the friends with his dour presence. Larry didn't even live at the mansion...why was he here?

"Loving you, Larry!" Tifa called out to the salaryman, who muttered something under his breath as he buried his face in his hands. Being the center of attention was one thing that Larry greatly abhorred.

Larry: I was sent to the mansion as an informant for Omnis Adest. Thought that I would avoid doing any unnecessary dirty work during my time here...La Primera must still be sending orders from Paldea just to keep my life miserable.

"So since everyone's happy I'll just take the oath now, sound good?" Kazuya asked Master Hand, ready to become the man of the mansion after seeing how much support he gained from the residents in such a short amount of time. But then everyone gasped, as a hat was thrown into the hoop. Another challenger!

"Where's your hat?" Toon Link asked Young Link, who was touching around the top of his head after realizing that his hat wasn't there. Young Link's hat was in the hoop, and it was thrown...by Ganondorf?!

"Hold it right there Kazuya - I'm taking you on!" challenged Ganondorf, as everyone gasped once more; Ganondorf versus Kazuya Mishima would make for quite an exciting duel for the man of the mansion job.

"No offense but you're just some lousy Gerudo man," Kazuya said to Ganondorf, hardly seeing the demon lord as viable competition as he haughtily folded his arms. "And your head is more chin than face!"

"Oh yeah? Well, your face is more ugly...than...not ugly!" The crowd gasped at Ganondorf's insulting retort, as Heihachi got a good laugh out of it. "What do you say, Master Hand? Are we just gonna let Kazuya win? How about a real election?"

"Looks like we've got some competition here folks," replied Master Hand, very delighted by the growing developments. "Which I'm fine with, totally fine with." And so it was on...it was going to be Ganondorf and Kazuya vying for the man of the mansion. Many folks in the lecture hall were chanting "election", as Master Hand took note of the growing euphoria.

"Let the madness begin!" exclaimed Master Hand, desiring to kick off the election with something big. "Isabelle, fire the cannons...do we even have any cannons?"

"We gave them away to charity last month, remember?" Isabelle reminded Master Hand, as Kazuya grabbed Ganondorf and pulled him towards him amid the crowd noise.

"I was gonna let bygones be bygones Ganondorf, but you just made a powerful enemy," Kazuya spoke quietly to Ganondorf, letting the demon lord know how much he meant business. The mean look on his face meant business already. "I'll win either way and when I do, you might not like the mansion you wake up in..."

If you might recall, Ganondorf was part of a club led by Marth and Geno, with its members being Wario, Captain Falcon, and Chrom. Back in 2016, the club was known as the Romance Club, meant to help the members find love and/or move further in their relationships. Nowadays, the club has shifted its focus and were more concerned with protecting eight individuals on a certain list.

Funnily enough, Chrom was one of the eight individuals on his list, so you could say that he was protecting himself. Nonetheless, the prince still chose to fulfill his duties if it meant appeasing Marth (and to a greater extent, Master Hand). With one of the club members, Ganondorf, vying to run for man of the mansion, Chrom met with Captain Falcon to discuss Ganondorf's chances.

"...yeah, I honestly don't see him lasting that long," Captain Falcon spoke with Chrom just outside the lecture hall, giving his honest thoughts. Way to support a brother in arms.

"You trust Kazuya over him?" Chrom questioned Captain Falcon, who kept his lips pursed nearly forced to rethink his answer entirely. "Ganondorf is the lesser of two evils if you ask me."

"But Kazuya is a natural-born businessman, he knows how to be a leader of people! Ganondorf is just a king, a king of, uh..." Captain Falcon's mind was drawing a blank, as Chrom was disappointed with how little Falcon knew about his fellow Smasher.

"He's a demon king." A split second after Chrom spoke, Captain Falcon delightfully snapped his fingers as if Chrom had given him the right answer.

"Right! He's the king of demons. Hence the reason why his chances are slim - he's not a people person." Not having it in him to argue with Captain Falcon, Chrom instead opted to facepalm at the racer.

"Sure got a lot on our hands, don't we? Dimentio is out and about, Link stepped down, someone has to fill in his shoes..."

"Dimentio is also building a doomsday device at his base..." Captain Falcon added this detail almost casually, a little too casually, and it made Chrom look at him in surprise and shock. "...yeah, I told Link and Zelda about it. Haha. Ha..."

Chrom: How come I didn't know about this doomsday device until now? Who else knew? Did Falcon tell Wario? That would explain why those WarioWare employees were working on that machine. I knew that whole "making money" thing by Wario was a ruse! But if the machine is meant to be effective...then why is Jimmy T. part of the effort? Something's not lining up.

"Why yes, Master Hand, I would love to interview the candidates!" Tom Nook was heard speaking with Master Hand, as Chrom and Captain Falcon saw the tanuki in conversation from a short distance. "Ah, this takes me back to 2020..."

"Who said that you could go down memory lane?" Master Hand scolded Tom Nook, backhanding the tanuki just when he was about to revisit some memories from the past. "We have no time for reminiscing. We gotta move!"

"Yes, yes! This is an urgent time. No time for dilly-dallying!" Having heard enough, Chrom and Captain Falcon pulled away from Tom Nook and Master Hand to privately discuss what they heard.

"Ganondorf has to interview with Tom Nook?" Chrom whispered to Captain Falcon, with understandable fear that Ganondorf might not have the patience and self-control required. "Got a bad feeling about this..."

Another conversation about the election was taking place, and this one was conducted outside the mansion. Sonic stopped by the Crash clan's place, telling them about everything going down at the mansion today.

"And get this - he's giving everyone fifty percent off a used car," Sonic explained to the bandicoots and Aku, the glee in his voice suggesting that he found the offer to be legit. "Imagine me cruising in a used 2021 BMW!"

"Sonic, that sounds too good to be true," Coco offered her two cents, as Sonic took out the car discount coupon thinking that revealing it would somehow make Coco a believer. "I mean, if it came from Kazuya..."

"C'mon sis, you know Kazuya's a smooth talker," stated Crunch, and Coco felt awfully disgusted with herself about agreeing with her older brother. "If he promised us free money, I'd take it in a heartbeat!"

"Hold that thought, got a text," Sonic said to the bandicoots after receiving a text notification, as he took out his phone. "Look who it is..." The blue hedgehog showed off his phone - and Kazuya was on the screen, as Crash and company leaned in close.

"Hello to anyone who receives this video text - if you vote for me, I will give you $100,000 for free," Kazuya promised in the video that Sonic played, as Crunch's eyebrows were raised after hearing the details. "The money will be pulled straight out of my idiot brother's account; anyone who shows this to Lee Chaolan will be very sorry."

"That's it, I'm sold!" Crunch felt giddy as he snatched the phone out of Sonic's hand, as Coco facepalmed at the burly bandicoot's behavior. "Where do I go to vote for the man?"

Kazuya: Empty promises. They're the constant fuel that propels any leading candidate to victory. Many nominees in any sort of election have used empty promises in their favor, and I will be no different. The hundred grand giveaway is just one of my many tools to dupe my fellow constituents - and that is only on the small scale of brilliant ploys I have planned.

"Crunch you can't vote, you don't live at the mansion anymore!" Aku tried to tell Crunch, who was not listening as he desperately looked for a voting app on Sonic's phone. Sonic, who was about to ask for his phone back, heard the doorbell ring and ran to go answer the door.

"Hey Sonic! Knew I'd find you here," exclaimed Tails, his words unnerving Sonic - had the blue hedgehog thinking that his good friend was a bona fide stalker. "Are you..."

"No, your girlfriend doesn't want to see you," interrupted Sonic, before looking back and seeing Coco put Crunch in a chokehold to make him give up the phone. Crash was contributing by biting Crunch's heel. "As you can see, she's a little busy."

"I didn't come to see her - I just wanted to speak with you." As Sonic drew his attention back to Tails, Crunch could be heard screaming as Crash chomped down on his ankle. "Anyway, are you free?"

"Not really, I'm kinda cheap." Sonic smiled big and clicked his fingers at Tails, as he expected a laughing reaction. But all he got from the yellow fox was an annoyed face.

"Well, I hope you're free, 'cause someone at Omnis Adest wants to see you." Tails wasn't able to convince Sonic, as Sonic seemed to know from the jump who this someone was.

"Bet it's Amy, isn't it? Tell her that I come with a price. She can name the price if she wants." Settle down there Sonic, you ain't no Drew Carey.

"It's not Amy...it's someone that you know personally." Tails had to smile and lean in close to Sonic to sucker the blue hedgehog in, and Sonic was giving it some thought.

"You're starting to sound desperate, so...I guess I have no choice now." His time with the Crash clan cut short, Sonic looked back and saw Crash and Coco both ganging on Crunch as he was pinned to the floor. "Crunch, I need my phone back!"

Sonic and Tails wouldn't be the only mansion residents at Omnis Adest, for Dante skipped on attending the meeting to visit the community. Dante was on the hunt for new Omnis Adest residents, and see if any of them were underserving. So far the vigilante didn't see anyone new, until...

"Oh ho ho! Master Hand did a bang up job adding so many attractive women to this place," a man was heard speaking, his voice reaching Dante's ears as the vigilante was passing through a street. Jumping into some shrubbery, Dante looked out and saw the Luminary speaking with his old pals - Jade, Erik, Sylvando, and Rab.

"Most of the women here are young," Jade pointed out to Rab, the man who was no doubt talking about women. "And also out of your league." Dante was rustling in the shrubbery, securing his footing, as the Luminary turned around and frowned.

"You're not out of my league, Jade." Rab patted Jade on the leg, and Jade responded by leg sweeping Rab and sending him to the ground. As Erik and Sylvando laughed, the Luminary cautiously approached the rustling shrubbery.

"Aha!" the Luminary yelled as he stuck his hand in the shrubbery, feeling a shoulder; seconds later, Dante was forced to emerge from his hiding spot. "What are you up to, Dante?"

"Oh, just doing a little snooping around," replied Dante, who looked over at the Luminary's friends with Jade refused to help Rab up. "Seems like your little friends passed the vibe check."

"Uh...thanks." The Luminary looked back at his friends, as Jade was crossing her arms and standing over Rab like she meant business. And she did. "Is there any reason why you're doing this?"

"Nope! No reason. No reason at all." Looking all the more suspicious, Dante backed away from the Luminary while holding his hands up in innocence. "I was never here...never here...never here..." As he backed away, Dante drowned out his voice for effect.

"I can still hear you," the Luminary shouted to Dante, who turned and ran down the street. The Luminary furrowed his brow, knowing Dante was up to something fishy.

Link was nowhere to be found at the mansion after stepping down, and it had Zelda very much worried. Therefore, Mario and Cloud both felt that it was in their best interest to look for Link.

"Spyro, Hunter, and I will look-a for Link ourselves," Mario said to Cloud as he and the swordsman convened outside the mansion. Cloud heard his phone ringing, but paid it no mind. "You hold it down-a while I'm gone."

"Won't be much of a problem for me," responded Cloud, and after shaking Cloud's hand Mario headed home to inform Spyro and Hunter about their mission. "Keep me posted, alright?"

"My phone batter's below-a ten percent; I'll do my best!" As he headed home, Mario waved to Cloud with the back of his hand facing the swordsman. Wasn't until Mario reached his front door that Cloud sighed.

"He is still always so unprepared..." As Cloud muttered this under his breath, he heard his phone ringing. The swordsman took out his phone, and saw Elena's name on the caller ID. One of the Turks.

Cloud: Haven't spoken to the Turks much since Thanksgiving. Last I heard about Rufus was that he was still healing in the hospital. I reckon that he's moved farther on the road to recovery now. Whatever he was dying to share with us, I hope he still remembers...

"Who is that I spy?" a familiar voice asked Cloud, peeking over his shoulder; Cloud jumped back in fright when he turned around and saw Sephiroth peeking at him like the creep he was.

"It's...it's none of your business," Cloud replied as his window of opportunity for answering Elena's call was dwindling. All thanks to Sephiroth's presence - Sephiroth typically showed up when Cloud least expected it.

"Was that Elena? You should know better than to flirt with the enemy, Cloud." Sephiroth was in a teasing mood today, and getting any sort of reaction out of Cloud would make this interaction a successful one.

"Well, for your information..." Cloud was so busy staring down at Sephiroth, that he completely neglected his phone call. It wasn't until after the ringtone ended that Cloud glanced at his phone. "...great. Now I have to return her call."

"Ooh, I would hate to tell Master Hand about this matter. What would he even think of you..." Sephiroth was focusing hard on getting under Cloud's skin, and by this point Cloud had enough of the one-winged angel's shenanigans.

"Just stay out of my business..." Cloud stormed past Sephiroth as he marched back inside the mansion, looking to get as far away from his arch-nemesis as possible. Sephiroth watched Cloud leave, with an evil smirk on his face that he simply couldn't wipe off.

When Master Hand went on his vacation back in 2020, he put Tom Nook and Isabelle in charge of finding a new man of the mansion during his absence. Fast-forward to 2024, and with the mansion looking for a new man to lead them, Tom Nook was back in the groove. Master Hand mandated Tom Nook to interview Ganondorf and Kazuya to see how qualified the two men were and said interviews would take place in Master Hand's room.

So Tom Nook sat at a table in Master Hand's room, waiting to speak with Ganondorf and Kazuya. He was teeming with anticipation about which man would show up first for their interview. When Ganondorf stepped inside the room, Tom Nook put on his best friendly face.

"Ganondorf, hello! Have a seat," Tom Nook welcomed Ganondorf, who sat down at a table that was in the center of the room. "First question: how do you feel about the American flag placed outside the porch?"

"Meh, I can take it or leave it, too many stripes," Ganondorf candidly replied, taking it easy with his elbow resting on the table. "Next question." Furrowing his brow, Tom Nook jotted down Ganondorf's answer.

"What would you do to help educate the youth? Specifically, the Koopalings, since Bowser has never once thought about putting them in public school?"

"Ha, simple. Put them on an island and make them fight for dominance. Also, teach them to swear. That'll bring them into the real world!"

"What would you do about the crime around the mansion? The buddy cops badgered me into asking that question..."

"Wait, do you mean crime in general, or just the specific crimes committed by me?" Watching through the creaked doorway were Captain Falcon and Chrom, and they didn't like what they saw as they exchanged worried looks with one another.

Ganonforf: Usually I always say words that come out of my brain. If my head says, that lady's got an ugly baby, my mouth says, "woah, lady, you got one ugly baby." It's just how the dice rolls.

Tails brought Sonic with him to Omnis Adest, to introduce him to the "someone" that he knew personally. Sonic tried to keep an open mind about who it was, firing off guess after guess.

"Let me guess - it's Sydney Sweeney!" Sonic said to Tails, who gave his blue hedgehog friend the most quizzical stare known to man. Tails thought for sure that Sonic was messing around, but nope.

"Is Sydney Sweeney someone that you know personally?" asked Tails, having to stress the last word hard to hammer the message home to Sonic. And yet Sonic was still convinced that an A-list actress was moving in.

"I follow her on Instagram, does that count?" Not in Tails's book, as the yellow fox focused on the road and tried not to entertain Sonic as best as he could. "She's also from Seattle..."

"Close - Spokane." Having been corrected by his friend, Sonic snapped his fingers in disgust. So much for knowing Sydney Sweeney personally. "And what does Sydney have to offer, fighting-wise?"

"Heard she's gonna be in that new Spider-Man movie." Seconds later, Sonic let out a small giggle as gave Tails a playful shove. "You know I was just messing with ya, Tails!"

"Sometimes I can barely tell...also, we're here." Tails came to a stop, as he and Sonic arrived at a newly occupied townhouse. Compared to the other townhouse, this townhouse ornate. Had Sonic thinking that an A-list actress like Sydney Sweeney was living inside of it.

"Wow! Whoever designed this house really outdid themselves." Sonic was busy checking out the townhouse, looking at it from top to bottom as Tails led him to the front door.

"The owner of the townhouse had it redesigned to their liking. Wait till you see who it is..." Tails rang the doorbell, as the sound of someone quickly scurrying was heard from inside.

"One moment!" a voice called out from inside the townhouse, and it was a voice that Sonic knew all too well. Sonic widened his eyes as the door was opened...and it was opened by a good friend of his, Blaze the Cat.

"Look who I brought," Tails smiled at Blaze as he gestured to Sonic, whose shock and surprise was validated in that very moment. It has been about four years since Sonic and Blaze last saw each other.

"Sonic! It's good to see you," Blaze greeted the blue hedgehog, her usual calm demeanor softening into a warm smile. The shock Sonic had quickly wore off, as he reassumed his friendly visage.

"Hey, Blaze!" Sonic greeted Blaze as he took a small peek inside Blaze's townhouse, taken aback at how grand it was. "Nice place you got here. It's very...you."

"Thanks! Wanted it to reflect my personality, so I had my way with the Carpenters. Mutoh was more of a pushover than he wanted to believe...you two come in, and make yourself at home!"

As stated earlier, Captain Falcon and Chrom were part of a club put together by Marth - one that was formerly called the Romance Club. Since Marth was their leader, Captain Falcon and Chrom stopped by the hero-king's house to inform Marth about the news regarding Ganondorf and Kazuya vying for the man of the mansion job...and how the former was shooting himself in the foot.

"And he's insisting on speaking his mind!" Chrom said to Marth in the hero-king's living room, with Marth attentively listening with his finger underneath his chin.

"So this is an emergency," confirmed Marth, never expecting Link to step down from his post, investigation or not. Had him thinking that something was up.

"Ganondorf has to deliver a speech in a couple of hours, and if he continues like this, he'll lose to Kazuya for sure!" Clearly Kazuya coming out on top was the worst-case scenario.

"Hmm. It's a shame there isn't some device that would allow you to control someone else. Oh. Wait. Of course, yes. There is." Marth reached into the drawer of a living room dresser and pulled out a tie. "Anna obtained this tie from the NME salesman. Just get Ganon to wear this, and you can make him a literal talking head."

Anna: The tie I got was a total freebie. The NME Salesman originally designed it for his corporate bosses, so...you can imagine why he was so gung-ho about giving that tie away.

"Wow! This is amazing!" exclaimed Captain Falcon, as he and Chrom both peered inside the tie to see all the technological framework. "And ethically ambiguous!"

"As long as you wear the matching one, he'll say and do whatever you want him to," explained Marth as he took out another tie from the drawer, but one that was a bit darker in color. He then handed both ties to Chrom.

"Thank you, Marth!" Chrom thanked his ancestor, who was left smiling as Chrom and Captain Falcon left Marth's house, ties in hand.

"Yes, yes. Use it responsibly and all." As time slightly passed, Marth's smile began to fade, as he feared trouble brewing ahead...

Dante's trek throughout Omnis Adest took him to Ryu Hayabusa's townhouse, and a townhouse next to it that was occupied by Hayabusa's female ninja friends. One of those female ninjas, Kasumi, was spotted outside speaking with Bianca.

"I'm starting to think that maybe this isn't my house key," Bianca discussed with Kasumi, as Dante came around the corner glaring down at the rabbit. "That said, does this belong to you?"

"I'm afraid not, but thanks for asking," replied Kasumi, before she and Bianca looked over and saw Dante looking at them. After he was caught, Dante innocently looked away with his hands behind his back.

"Don't know who you're trying to fool...I know what you're up to." Bianca was frowning at Dante with her hands on her hips, and Dante was doing his best not to pay Bianca any mind. So far, he was killing it.

"Oh, don't mind me - just admiring the weather." Dante looked up at the sky as he kept on walking, with Bianca intensifying her frown at the vigilante. Dante didn't get that far when he bumped into a man who had his back turned, wearing a dapper suit.

"Goro Majima! I knew you followed me here!" the man yelled as he turned around to face Dante...only to loosen up a second later. The man, who was of Japanese descent, crinkled his nose. "Now wait, are you..."

"Dante...demon hunter extraordinaire," Dante introduced himself with a cocky grin, clicking his finger at Kazuma. He sure loved being recognized in public. "And you are...Kazuma, right?"

"Kazuma Kiryu. I moved in to Omnis Adest today. Master Hand was awfully fond of me, even though we have never really met before..."

"Ah, Dante! I see that you have met my new neighbor," said a certain legendary ninja, as Ryu Hayabusa approached Dante and Kazuma. With Harvey no longer at Omnis Adest, Hayabusa didn't have to worry about his Dragon Sword potentially being stolen.

"A fine neighbor he is," remarked Dante, before remembering what he came to do as he walked down the street. "Well, I'm off boys...nice seeing ya, Kazuma."

"Well, he didn't stay long." Seconds later, Hayabusa remembered something himself, eyes widening as he made chase after Dante. "Wait, Dante! Come back!"

Wanting to test out the ties, Chrom and Captain Falcon first required a guinea pig. They would find the perfect one in Donkey Kong, who was already used to wearing a tie. You'd be extremely hard-pressed to find that gorilla without one.

"Thanks for the slamming tie, you guys!" Donkey Kong thanked Chrom and Captain Falcon, who told the gorilla that the tie he was putting on was a belated Christmas gift. "These stripes are so slimming!"

"You really think this mind-controlling tie is gonna work?" Captain Falcon whispered to Chrom, as Donkey Kong stood in front of the mirror in his room and checked his tie out.

"Flip the switch and test it out! " Chrom whispered back as he handed Captain Falcon the other tie, which Falcon put on. After flipping the switch, Donkey Kong suddenly became coordinated with Captain Falcon.

"I'm a dancing dude!" Captain Falcon and Donkey Kong both sang...and danced, as Donkey Kong was doing everything that Falcon was doing. "I got some fancy moves and a bad attitude!" His performance over with, Captain Falcon turned off the switch as Donkey Kong started sweating and panting.

"Guys! Something weird just happened," the panting Donkey Kong said to Chrom and Captain Falcon, who were both amazed at just how effective the control tie was. "I'm really freaked out!" Wanting to take another crack at it, Captain Falcon flipped the switch o again.

"I am DK-Tron! Watch me eat this hair product!" Captain Falcon mimicked eating some hair product, squeezing an imaginary bottle of hair tonic into his mouth, while Donkey Kong...actually ate some of his hair tonic, thanks to mind control. Captain Falcon then flipped the switch off; Donkey Kong collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting again.

Captain Falcon: Mind control is awesome. *gasps* I could use this tie to get Nowi to accept my marriage proposal! *pauses* But wait, the logistics of that would be off...

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Donkey Kong, as Chrom and Captain Falcon left the gorilla's bedroom after their work was done. "My life just flashed before my eyes! Agh!"

Cloud was in his room, trying to get in touch with one of the Turks after he missed Elena's call. So far, no dice. After calling Reno, Rude, and Elena one or two times, Cloud had moved on to calling Tseng.

"Come on, pick up, pick up..." said Cloud as the dial tone sounded from his phone; Sephiroth was peeking inside the room, keeping up with his stalking ways as he had his eyes on Cloud.

"You have reached the voicemail box of..." the automated voice sounded, as Cloud grunted an ended the call. That was Sephiroth's cue to enter the room and stir up some trouble.

"Still trying to get in touch with the enemy, I see," Sephiroth smirked at Cloud, who instinctively frowned when he heard the one-winged angel speaking. Cloud sighed as he closed his eyes in frustration.

"What do you want, Sephiroth? Can't you see that I'm busy?" Cloud turned to face Sephiroth, and it was obvious that he wasn't in a good mood. Not that Sephiroth cared, of course.

"I do, obviously - and that makes bothering you all the more fun." Sephiroth's smirk widened as he went over to Cloud, uninvited. "Care to explain your affiliation with Shinra and the Turks?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not affiliated with Shinra anymore. You know that." Not liking how close Sephiroth was to him, Cloud moved further down his bed for his own safety - and also his sanity.

"You say that, yet I learned from Dingodile recently that you and Team Rocket were seen outside with Rufus and the Turks." Sephiroth leaned in close to Cloud, his tone teasing. Cloud was forced to remove himself from his bed at this point.

"That is nothing to be concerned about. They just wanted to show us something, but then someone got in the way. I haven't spoken to the Turks since Thanksgiving."

"Engaging with the enemy on a holiday...you have some nerve, Cloud." Sephiroth was chuckling, clearly enjoying himself as he absolutely loved getting under Cloud's skin. "Let me guess, did you and the Turks cut some turkey?"

"I was handling business, Sephiroth. Unlike you, who spends his time stalking me. You seriously need a life." Cloud's patience was wearing thin, and all Sephiroth could do was feign hurt feelings.

"Stalking is such a harsh word. I prefer 'keeping an eye on my enemy.'" Just then, Champion Link walked by and noticed the tense interaction, as he entered the room to deal with Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth, leave Cloud alone will ya?" Champion Link asked the one-winged angel, whose work with Cloud was done as he arose from Cloud's bed. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"How nice to have a friend stick up for you. Perhaps you ought to stick up for yourself." Sephiroth got this one last jab in at Cloud, before deciding to depart. "Very well, I shall leave..."

"...and good riddance." Champion Link watched as Sephiroth exited the room, and once the coast was clear, Champion Link ventured over to Cloud. "You really let him get to you, huh? That guy sure has a knack for getting under your skin."

"It's like he has nothing better to do," Cloud sighed, running a hand through his hair as he was relieved to be in much more pleasant company. "He's been pestering me about my 'affiliation' with the Turks."

"Ignore him. You know deep down he wants to get you all riled up." As Champion Link was about to leave the room, he couldn't help but notice Cloud looking at him all funny. "What's with that face?"

"Oh, nothing, just thought you looked more authoritative than usual, dealing with Sephiroth. Carry on." So Cloud went back to his phone, and Champion Link left the room...with a smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Mario was out and about with Spyro and Hunter, looking for Link since he was nowhere to be found at the mansion. Mario suggested that he and the boys look outside, since Link preferred to be within nature when he wanted to be alone.

"Master Hand said that Link is in trouble for misconduct," Mario explained the details of the meeting to Spyro and Hunter, as he and the fellas traversed through the forest. "Said that it could affect-a the entire mansion."

"I don't like how ambiguous that sounds," frowned Hunter, only for his eyes to widen when a disturbing possibility entered his mind. "What if Link is in trouble for sexual misconduct?"

"No way - Link and sexual misconduct should never go hand-in-hand," replied Spyro, who glanced at Mario and saw that the plumber was apparently in an inquisitive mood. "Mario, please don't tell me that you're..."

"You know, that theory has some legs-a to it," said Mario, as Spyro was in disbelief of what he was hearing. Was Mario actually agreeing with Hunter?

"You cannot be serious right now..." Spyro didn't have the chance to verbally eviscerate Mario, as he and the fellas came to a stop when they heard some whistling. Whistling that came from a cheeky British pilot.

"Cheers, love! The cavalry's here!" Tracer shouted from up above as she leaped down from the trees, doing a backflip as she stuck the landing. "A one-man cavalry, but it's better than none."

"Tracer! You're looking for Link, too?" Mario asked the pilot, happy to let her join the fray; Tracer's Blink ability could prove quite useful in any manhunt.

"Oh, that's what you're doing? I thought you gents were going out for a little exercise. I was going to join you! But if you must know...I did see Link speaking with Fox and Falco."

"You saw Link? Outside?" When Tracer nodded her head yes to both questions, Mario was getting all excited. "Take-a us to him!"

"I reckon that Link is already done speaking and moved on, but...aw, what the heck. After me, boys - and try to keep up!"

It was about that time for Ganondorf and Kazuya to cut their speeches, and present their best case for why they should be the man of the mansion. Chrom and Captain Falcon met with Ganondorf backstage, handing him a tie.

"Ugh. Do I really have to wear this thing?" Ganondorf asked in disgust as he looked down at his tie, which was around his neck much to his chagrin. "It looks like a flag threw up on me."

"Ganondorf, just trust your lucky tie," Captain Falcon encouraged the demon lord, who didn't like how American his tie looked. Now if it had some Hylian imagery on it, like a Triforce or something, no big deal.

"And now, Ganondorf!" Isabelle announced from the lecture hall stage, as the crowd cheered. Ganondorf had absolutely nothing to lose, not when he had his "lucky" tie.

"You're on, Ganondorf!" Captain Falcon pushed Ganondorf towards the stage, before slipping on the mind control tie and turning to Chrom. "Okay, we'll only jump in if he starts doing badly."

"Greetings, everyone!" Ganondorf greeted the mansion crowd as he appeared through the curtains, trying his hardest to come off as friendly. He couldn't be friendly even if a gun was pointed at his head. "Ganondorf here. Let's get real. Do you think the women under this roof wear too much makeup?"

"Jump in! Jump in!" Chrom said to Captain Falcon, who turned on the switch right before the female residents could turn on Ganondorf. Ganondorf's mind was now at the mercy of Captain Falcon.

"Uh, what I meant to say was: you ladies all look great. And have you done something with your hair? Girl, you are working it!" Ganondorf snapped his fingers in a way that looked out-of-character for him...nonetheless, the demon lord got on the ladies' good side with his remark.

"That is exactly what I needed to hear right now," said Lip, nodding in approval as the flower fairy happily patted her ponytail.

"Whew!" After wiping off his forehead, Ganondorf was ready to continue. "I'm Ganondorf. You may know me as the guy who accidentally let all those bees loose on the racetrack a few years ago." Very quickly, Chrom pulled the tie off of Captain Falcon and put it on, gaining control of Ganondorf. "But I believe in things. America. Freedom. Ameri-freedom!"

"Good! He's saying all the right things," exclaimed Terry, with Samus looking at the fighter with much disapproval as she and many others found the support to be off-putting. The buddy cops on the other hand were not in the same boat; instead, they were...proud?

Toon Link: Took Ganondorf long enough to realize just how great and powerful America is. Better late than never.

"Like my opponent pointed out, I may not have a pretty face, but if you want a candidate that will listen to you, well, I'm proud to be all ears," Ganondorf continued his speech, as the crowd cheered in response. Captain Falcon took the tie from Chrom, now taking control of Ganondorf. "Now, watch me break it down!"

"Is it just me, or does this dancing feel incomplete without some Tom Jones playing in the background?" asked Wolf, as Ganondorf danced onstage as if he was dancing to "It's Not Unusual". Ganondorf danced his way off stage, heading to the back, and was later scratching his head in confusion once the mind control shut off.

"Ganondorf, that was awesome!" smiled Captain Falcon as he gave Ganodnorf a high five. A high five on the chest, rather, since Ganondorf never cared to raise his hand.

"How'd you do it?" asked Chrom, playing ignorant to lower any suspicions Ganondorf might've had. Fortunately for him, Ganondorf never suspected a thing.

"Eh, I don't know. I just opened my mouth and spoke from the heart, or...gut, or something," Ganondorf replied with a shrug, before looking through the curtain and seeing the mansion residents all clapping. "And what is that sound? Why are people jamming their hands together? Is that applause?"

"Of course, it's applause! They love you!" replied Captain Falcon, and the thought of being loved by the mansion was a thought that Ganondorf found too good to be true. He was used to being loved by Rosalina, but loved by anyone else? That was foreign to him.

"They...love...me?" Ganondorf was amazed as he looked at the crowd, seeing them all cheering and applauding. They were even chanting his name, just like how the unseen audience would do in a typical Smash battle.

"There he is! " squealed Lakitu as he hovered to Ganondorf on his cloud, his camera at the ready. "Ganondorf, can I get a picture?" As Ganondorf posed for his photo op, folding his arms, Kazuya looked on as an evil plan was concocted in his mind.

Sonic and Tails got themselves comfy in Blaze's townhouse, the two friends sitting on some bean bags in the living room. Because she had company over, Blaze was obligated to prepare lunch for her two house guests.

"Gotta say, Blaze, your kitchen is amazing!" Sonic gave his compliments to the purple cat, who was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. "You could open a restaurant with this setup!"

"Well, I hope you like what I've fixed up for you," responded Blaze as she came from the kitchen, presenting to Sonic and Tails a tray full of chili dogs. Sonic looked as if he was on cloud nine.

"Chili dogs?! Blaze, you are speaking my language!" Sonic's eyes sparkled as Blaze placed the tray on the living room table, and less than a split second later Sonic stuffed his mouth with chili dogs.

"What's the matter, Tails? Not hungry?" Blaze asked the yellow fox, who was looking some type of way. Either he was annoyed by Sonic hogging the chili dogs, or he was just disgusted by the blue hedgehog's lack of table manners.

"Did you really have to cater to Sonic?" Tails questioned Blaze, who seemed to regret her decision as she blushed and looked the other way. "I know he has a one-track mind when it comes to food, but..."

Just then, a loud crash was heard in the living room as Knuckles came crashing in through a window. Sonic and company all looked surprised as they saw Knuckles sprawled on the floor, having knocked over a vase in his clumsy entrance.

"BLAZE!" Knuckles randomly shouted at the top of his lungs as he got up and confronted Blaze, his anger boiling over. "I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"Knuckles! What are you doing here?" asked Blaze, trying to keep a straight face; realizing that he was directing his anger at the wrong person, Knuckles turned to Sonic and Tails.

"My bad...I've got a bone to pick with YOU!" Knuckles pointed at Tails, as Sonic ate his chili dogs while watching some potential fireworks fly. "How are you gonna visit Blaze's house and invite Sonic, but not me?!"

"It's not what you think..." Tails expressed his innocence as he stood up from his bean bag, looking to clear the air with Knuckles. "I thought you were aware about Blaze moving in..."

"I wasn't aware, you dolt! Nobody told me, not even Shadow! You have any idea how left out I feel?" Knuckles felt some type of way as he folded his arms, as Sonic looked to inject himself into the conversation.

"If nobody told you, then how did you know where to find us?" Sonic asked Knuckles, whose eyes widened as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Good question...just had a hunch, I guess. Still salty about not getting the invite." Knuckles was soon drawn to the chili dogs, and wanted some before Sonic devoured them all. "Mind if I get a chili dog?"

Tails: *sighs* Why can't my friends learn to broaden their horizons? Chili dog this, chili dog that...at least it's better than Crash only eating Wumpa-based products. Not saying much, though.

Kazuya didn't like how universally loved Ganondorf became after making his speech, and needed to do something to swing momentum back on his side. And that's when he remembered...a certain Smasher was still in jail, doing time for carjacking.

Believing that this Smasher could be his ticket to getting the man of the mansion job, Kazuya went to a detention center in Seattle to visit this incarcerated Smasher. Leading Kazuya through a hallway of jail cells was a prison warden who happened to stub his toe during the trek.

"Doggone it! Gosh heck, huckleberry honey suckle darn it!" the prison warden exclaimed while in a great deal of pain, before apologetically looking at Kazuya. "Erm, excuse my language I'm so sorry..."

"Eh, I've heard far worse," responded Kazuya, as he and the prison warden reached the end of the hallway. Kazuya peered inside a jail cell and saw Wario, sitting on the floor in his prison garb with his back turned.

"He's all yours, sir," the prison warden said to Kazuya, before looking inside the jail cell and calling out to Wario, "Hey, fatty! You got a visitor!"

"Who are you calling a..." Wario growled as he turned his head, only for his face to brighten up when he saw Kazuya. He also put away whatever he was holding in his hands. "...oh, Kazuya! I...I...I wasn't playing with toy dolls or anything."

"I'll let you take it from here." Leaving Kazuya alone (could be a bad decision that he was making), the prison warden walked away as Kazuya focused his attention on Wario, cracking his knuckles.

"I know this is a few days late, but...happy new year, Wario." Following Kazuya's rare moment of cordiality, Wario went up to the prison bars and grabbed them with his hands. "How's the prison life treating you?"

"It's alright, I suppose," replied Wario, his response coming as a major surprise to Kazuya; you'd think that a guy like Wario would be beyond miserable. "Can't really complain."

Wario: Prison is a nightmare! I eat the same slop every day! They have no hair products in here! I can't sleep because my cellmate took my pillow for a wife! You think I've been having fun in here?!
Prisoner #1: *comes up from the background with another prisoner* Hey, best friend!
Prisoner #2: Don't be late for friendship bracelet class!
Wario: I have finger painting at the same time! *shakes fist as the prisoners leave* Whew! In case you couldn't tell, I hate it here.

"Wanted to stop by and fill you in on what's happening at the mansion," said Kazuya, with Wario excitedly waiting for the info dump - hoping to hear something about a secret gold mine uncovered below the mansion. "Link stepped down from his post, and there is an ongoing election to select his replacement. Only Ganondorf and I are in the running."

"Link? Stepped down? So that means he's no longer in power?" Wario was awfully more excited about the news than he should be, as he was doing some sort of happy dance. "Good riddance! Now I can do my laundry outdoors again."

"Slow your roll, Wario...if I win the job, it'll be your one ticket out of here. I can pardon you, and you'll be a free man again."

"But how do you know that Ganondorf wouldn't do the same? I mean, we are pretty tight...we're partners, even! Working under Marth"

"Pretty tight, you say? If that were the case, wouldn't Ganondorf have cared enough to break you out of prison?" Kazuya got Wario thinking, the businessman smirking as he had Wario deep in thought.

"Come to think of it, he has yet to call me ever since I ended up in this dump! Says a lot about him. The other fellas haven't called me either!"

"Exactly. That is why you should put your trust in me, and not those posers. Say, didn't you have your WarioWare Inc. employees build a machine?"

"Yes I have, are they finished with it yet? More importantly, does the machine look awesome and will it make me lots of money?"

"I can't say for sure, but I can let you see the final result. How does an early pardon sound?" Kazuya's eye flashed a bright red, and it had Wario's mind wandering about what was bound to happen next.

Dante wasn't done at Omnis Adest just yet, as his goal was to learn of every single individual that had moved into the community. His latest stop was an apartment, where Lloyd Irving was standing outside. With Lloyd was his love interest, Colette - and some of his old friends.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Dante seethed when he saw Lloyd standing around with his friends, and the friends were all happy to see Lloyd. Lloyd was happy to see Dante when he looked over and spotted the vigilante standing by.

"Hey, Dante! Come and meet my friends!" Lloyd waved to the vigilante, gesturing for him to come over. Against his best judgment, Dante went over to Lloyd and company, eyeing curiously at Lloyd's allies.

"So these are your pals, eh?" Dante took a gander at Lloyd's friends, all of whom were traveling companions of his some time ago. "How much do you pay them to put up with you?"

"Silly Dante! Friendship doesn't pay. If it did, we'd all be millionaires!" The thought of Lloyd Irving being a millionaire sounded unsettling to Dante, but it could've happened had Lloyd not discontinued his food delivery service.

Lloyd: My friends were slated to move in last year in February, but one of them caught the flu so their move-in date got pushed to August. And then that date was pushed even further, because of some "real-life stuff" that got in the way, whatever that means. That's what Cranky Kong told me, anyway. He's the best for sage advice; I always go to him whenever I need advice on which pair of underwear I should wear in the morning. He's the best.

"Let me show you who's who," Lloyd said to Dante, ready to do some introductions, but then Dante high-tailed away from Lloyd and his friends. "Wait, Dante, come back! My friends won't bite!"

"Dante, come back!" Hayabusa called out to Dante, as Lloyd and his friends saw the legendary ninja running after the vigilante. "I must tell you something important!"

For the first time in what felt like forever, Ganondorf was (mostly) adored by his fellow residents. Everywhere he went, he was getting a high remark. It seemed as if Ganondorf was letting the hype get to his head, and so it was up to Chrom and Captain Falcon to try and keep the demon lord in check.

"Lookin' good, candidate!" Andrew Oikonny said to Ganondorf as he passed by the demon lord in the hallway, pointing at him.

"Hooey! It's the guy I'm gonna vote for!" exclaimed Yoshi, slightly squealing as he was simply unable to contain his excitement.

"Looking A-OK there, Ganondorf. A-OK," Larry said to the demon lord, briefcase in hand as he exited Cafe Leblanc. Even though Larry's delivery was deadpan, Ganondorf was still touched by the salary man's remark.

"Larry, that means so much coming from you," Ganondorf said to Larry as he patted him on his shoulder, before entering Cafe Leblanc. Chrom and Captain Falcon followed Ganondorf inside.

"Hey you guys, it's Ganondorf!" Pit exclaimed to the baristas and cafe patrons alike, before getting a chant going as he pumped his fist and chanted Ganondorf's name. Sadly for Pit, no one else joined in.

"I can have Ganon remove you from the cafe if he gets the job, you know," Joker said to Pit in a threatening tone, and his threat got Pit to stop as the angel kept his mouth shut and immediately went back to work.

Pit: I had to ask Link for permission to get the barista job at Cafe Leblanc since he was the man of the mansion at the time. So what happens now when either Ganondorf or Kazuya becomes the man of the mansion? Does the process start all over again?

"On the house, mister big shot!" Kirby said to Ganondorf as he served him a stack of pancakes, with the words "Ganon 4 Mayor" on it. Ganondorf was already a huge fan.

"Now this I could get used to," smiled Ganondorf as he picked up his knife and fork, and began cutting his pancakes. Captain Falcon took a gander at Ganondorf's appearance and noticed that Ganon had switched up his look.

"Ganondorf, what's with the outfit?" Captain Falcon asked the demon lord, who ditched his usual garb for a suit. However, one essential item was missing from the attire. "You're missing your lucky tie. Power tie, gotta wear it!"

"Come on, have you seen how much support I've been getting? I could debate naked and I'd still win! Huh, come to think of it..."

"...seriously though, we need you to wear that tie, Ganondorf. Your suit feels completely naked without it!"

"Ugh! Why do you have to constantly tell me what to do? Everyone in this mansion is finally showing me respect! Maybe you should do the same."

"Ganondorf, we'd respect you if you took things more seriously!" Chrom yelled at Ganondorf, growing frustrated as he was causing a scene. The tension was heating up as Ganondorf slammed his fist on the counter.

"I am taking this seriously! If you haven't noticed, everything that has come out of this golden mouth has put us on top! With or without your dumb advice!"

"Dumb advice?!"

"Yeah! Dumb advice."

"Dang it, Ganon!" Now Chrom was the one slamming his fist on the counter, as he stood up from his barstool. "That speech you delivered in the lecture hall...we were controlling you!"

"Chrom!" gasped Captain Falcon, after Chrom angrily spilled the beans; the baristas and nearby cafe patrons were hanging on to Chrom's word, while Ganondorf stared at Chrom in disbelief.

"This tie is a mind control device we got from Marth!" Chrom pulled out the tie in question, peeling back the front layer of the tie to reveal the circuitry inside. "If it wasn't for this tie, you'd be nothing!"

"Well, you can tell that good-for-nothing Marth that she can keep his magic ties!" frowned Ganondorf, visibly shaking with anger as he stood up and marched out of the cafe. "I'm gonna win this debate on my own, without any of you!"

"Ganondorf, wait! You can't..." Too late - Ganondorf was out of the cafe, and Chrom grunted knowing that he screwed things up with his big mouth. "Augh, this is bad. If we want to beat Kazuya, we need another candidate, fast!"

"What we need is a blank slate, someone totally suggestible!" stated Captain Falcon as he took a look around the cafe, looking for anybody that met the criteria. "An empty piece of clay we can mold to our whims."

"Hey, a little help anyone?" asked King K. Rool as he entered the cafe with a sweater stuck to his head - a sweater that he got for Christmas. "I accidentally got my head stuck in my shirt sleeve. I guess this is my life now." Chrom and Captain Falcon looked at each other, smiling.

If you might recall from the past episodes, the WarioWare Inc. employees were tasked with building a machine. With their boss doing time in jail, the employees were working harder than even before to not only impress Wario, but justify Master Hand's decision to add them to Omnis Adest.

"Guys, he's here!" Dribble alerted the other WarioWare employees, who were busy working outside on the machine while Dribble was being a worrywart. "There's an alien in our midst!"

"Erm, yes...thank you for acknowledging my existence!" Orbulon thanked Dribble, as Spitz came over to investigate. Spitz searched left and right, before his eyes fell upon a UFO parked near the work area.

"You do realize that's Orbulon's spaceship, right?" Spitz asked Dribble concerning the UFO, as Dribble felt stupid as his mouth went agape. "I really do think you need some therapy." Spitz went back to work as Dribble just stood there, dumbfounded.

Dribble: That green alien, I saw him! Saw him with my own eyes! Heck, I even saw him outside Omnis Adest, near Blancho's Sushi. Begged a photographer girl to take a picture of him, but she turned me down. She must want to make me look bad.

Max Caulfield: Some dog dressed as a taxi driver offered me $50 to take a picture of some alien. I turned him away because $50 just wasn't enough. Or at least that's what Chloe told me to say. She can be a bad influence sometimes.

"I ask you all to stop what you're doing," shouted Kazuya as he showed up at the premises, commanding everyone's attention with his black suit. "For I have a pleasant surprise..."

"Are you gonna break it down?" asked Jimmy T, unironically hoping for Kazuya to start a dance party by busting a few dance moves. Smirking, Kazuya moved to the side...revealing Wario in all his glory.

"What's up, losers...and Mona!" Wario greeted his employees, ecstatic to see everyone's happy faces. Only Ashley wasn't happy, but that was a huge given. "I'm back, baby!"

"Wario! You've returned!" rejoiced 5-Volt, as Kazuya left after his work was done...but he didn't get that far, though. "Just in time, too - we were about done working on this machine."

"Great to have you back, boss!" 18-Volt greeted Wario, whose face contorted in a look of intrigue when he saw the completed machine. Wario's employees were all huddled together as the tension outside was palpable.

"So you actually finished the machine while I was gone..." remarked Wario, rubbing his chin as he inspected the machine. He didn't think his employees would get the job done, so his surprise was ginormous to say the least. "...what does it do?"

"I call it...the Wario Deluxe Machine!" replied Dr. Crygor, shouting the name of the machine with a bit of pizzazz. Wario's eyes narrowed. "We had a vote to decide on the name."

"Said vote might've been rigged," Dribble admitted in-between coughs, as he and Spitz were feigning innocence. They were doing a terrible job at it, though.

"Wario Deluxe Machine? Better name than the Something Inator 3000," insisted Wario, giving his employees some props for being original. His expectations for them were steadily rising. "How much money will it make me?"

"You mean how much money will it make us," Penny Crygor corrected Wario, who believed that he was right the first time. "Me, myself, and I" were the only words that came to Wario's mind when money was involved.

"And we won't know how valuable this machine is until we put it into action...or if it gets totaled," stated 9-Volt, as he couldn't wait to unleash the Wario Deluxe Machine on Dimentio. However, Wario was losing faith in his employees as he scowled.

"So you guys haven't run the numbers yet?" asked Wario, fearing that his employees missed one crucial step during the process. "Did you determine how valuable this machine could be?"

"That never came to mind, quite frankly," replied Mona, delivering an answer that Wario deemed to be saving face. Once he fully read the room, Wario was greatly beside himself.

"Nothing?!" Wario roared at the top of his lungs, so loud that some of the others had to shield themselves with something. "You've spent weeks on this thing and it's gonna net us goose eggs? What kind of useless hunk of junk is this?"

"It's a machine not really meant to be on the market," defended Kat, as Wario was left disappointed by the ninja girl's lack of marketing acumen.

"Yeah, but once people see what it can do, they'll love it!" added Ana, as a grumbling Wario was rubbing his temples. He had such high hopes for his employees at first.

"Marketing, shmarketing. This thing needs to be turning a profit, pronto!" stated Wario, as he was now interested in seeing what the Wario Deluxe Machine was capable of. "Show me what it can do."

"Not just yet!" said Dr. Crygor as he got in front of Wario, just in case the fatso were to take matters into his own hands. "We need a suitable test dummy first. Still looking for one."

"In the meantime, check out this video I made that promotes the machine!" 9-Volt said to Wario, playing for him a video on his phone. It was an advertisement, and it had retro video game graphics and 8-bit music. It looked promising at the start...

"Get that crap outta my face!" boomed Wario as he knocked 9-Volt's phone away with the swipe of his hand. 9-Volt as he inspected his phone for damages. "We need to focus on what people actually want! Something that'll make me...uh, I mean, us...rich!"

"Uh, boss, I thought the whole point of this machine was to justify our stay here," Jimmy T. spoke up, hoping that the Wario Deluxe Machine would impress Master Hand. If not, it would be all over...

"Speak for yourself; I only helped with the machine because I had no choice," said Ashley, pleased that her days of having to come to Omnis Adest finally came to an end. Every time she saw her co-workers' face, she became more done with life.

"This is hopeless...you guys all stink!" growled Wario as he pointed at everyone...only to change his tune when his finger was pointed at Mona. "Except you, Mona. I am very sorry that you have to call these bums your co-employees."

"Please forgive us, Wario..." Orbulon pleaded to the fatso, kissing up just to get on Wario's good side. Just when Wario was about to snap at Orbulon, Kazuya returned to the scene.

"Even if this machine isn't profitable, I can certainly make good use for it," stated Kazuya, as his eye flashed red once more. Wario looked at Kazuya, and then at the Wario Deluxe Machine, as he scratched his chin.

Tracer took Mario, Spyro, and Hunter to the spot where she saw Link speaking with Fox and Falco, who were at a food truck. Link was gone, but Fox and Falco remained...and the latter pilot was wearing a planetarium suit. One that was crafted by Toon Link.

"Call me Spaceman," Falco said to Mario and company as he showed off his planetarium suit, albeit struggling to walk around in it. But he made the most of it. "I'm built like David Bowie."

"No, pretty sure David Bowie was called Starman, love," corrected Tracer, as Falco approached a line of customers at the food truck in an attempt to scare them. The avian pilot raised his arms, but fell down on his back due to the suit's heaviness.

"Thought I told Toon Link to lay off on the leather..." Falco was lying on the ground looking up at the sky, as the customers pointed and laughed at him. There was no worse feeling in the world than that.

"If you must know, Falco is doing promotional work for Yashiro," Fox explained to Mario and company, showing no urgency in helping his friend up. "So this is supposed to be Yashiro's doing, but..."

Yashiro: I'm dreadfully sorry, but I refuse to be seen in a spacesuit. Even if it's for my David Bowie homage album. Everything from the hair color to the face paint, I'm impartial towards.

Eleonora: For a so-called music exec, Falco apparently doesn't know a lot about David Bowie. When I told him that Bowie wore a spacesuit, he thought of the literal spacesuit that astronauts wear in outer space! And now he's out and about, making a fool out of himself. I probably won't break the news to him until later.

"Tracer said that you and Falco spoke-a with Link," Mario said to Fox, as Falco tried to pull himself up off the ground but to absolutely no avail. "What did he tell-a you?"

"Did he reveal the names of the women he sexually harassed?" asked Hunter, still under the wild assumption that Link was in trouble for sexual misconduct. Tracer and Spyro were forced to pull the cheetah to the side.

"Basically he told us about the investigation, and that he was stepping down...and that was it," explained Fox, and it sounded like to Mario that the pilot was holding back. Just a hunch that Mario had.

"Did he say where-a he was going?" asked Mario, as he was desperate to know about Link's current whereabouts. He wanted to at least have something to report.

"Nope, but we did see him leave in his truck. Bet he's gonna travel throughout the country, and rediscover himself and all that jazz." Rediscovering himself - that might be something Link set off to do.

"Rediscovering himself 'cause he's in trouble for sexual misconduct. Ayo!" exclaimed Hunter, starting to treat the situation in a funny light when that wasn't the wisest thing to do. Spyro felt embarrassed as Mario looked rather despondent.

"Why must you be like this..." Spyro facepalmed at Hunter, as Mario sat on a log near the food truck feeling like a lump on a log. Tracer came over to Mario, patting him comfortingly on his back.

That evening, the big debate was about to start - Ganondorf versus Kazuya. Two men going at it, and only one of them would get the man of the mansion job. But little did they know, that a third candidate was joining the party...

"What's this?" said Isabelle as King K. Rool walked onto the stage, placing a podium in front of him while wearing the mind-control tie. "One new candidate has entered the ring!"

"Wait a minute. What?!" growled Ganondorf, before taking a quick peek through the stage curtain and seeing Chrom and Captain Falcon together as the controlled K. Rool. "Those backstabbing..."

"Let the debate begin!" announced Tom Nook as he rang a bell, with Ganondorf quickly hustling back to his podium. Simon Belmont stepped up to the plate, about to ask the three candidates the first question.

"First question. What's your position on axes?" asked Simon, before squinting his eyes at the card and realizing the error he made. "Wait, I mean...taxes! How do you feel about paying the mansion's taxes?"

"Easy! Taxes are the worst," answered Ganondorf, as what he said wasn't entirely an unpopular opinion. "I propose we remedy the issue by waging wars on neighboring homes. We. Have. The cannons. No wait, we gave them away to charity..." When the crowd started to boo, a confused Ganondorf looked desperately at his queue cards.

"I don't know much about paying taxes, but I can promise you a free puppy in every pot!" answered K. Rool, before pointing accusingly to the right. "That doesn't make sense, Falcon." And then to the right. "You don't make sense, Chrom!" Suddenly, the tie was sparking up.

"Friends, can't you see what's happening on this stage?" Kazuya asked the crowd, bringing their attention to Ganondorf shuffling through his queue cards and K. Rool dealing with a malfunctioning mind control tie. "These two are dancing around the issues. One would be foolish to put their trust in them. Vote for me and there will be no doubt!"

Chrom and Captain Falcon were losing it backstage, unable to agree on anything to say backstage. Even worse, Kazuya was getting all the momentum while Ganondorf insisted on shooting himself in the foot.

"We're getting eaten alive!" Chrom discussed with Captain Falcon, who looked back and gasped when he saw a large machine behind him. "Since when is Kazuya been...so charismatic?"

"I think we got company!" alerted Captain Falcon as he pointed at the machine, which had two extending hands. The hands reached out and grabbed Chrom and Captain Falcon, holding them tightly.

"Aha! Hello there, long time no see old friends!" exclaimed a voice familiar to Chrom and Captain Falcon, as Wario emerged from the machine seen running the control panel. "Except in my weird fantasies where I see you on an hourly basis."

Wario: Had to paint over the "W" on the machine. It was the only way to potentially avoid getting in trouble. *pauses* But anyone can see me behind the control panel, though...

"Wario! What is the meaning of this?" questioned Chrom, he and Captain Falcon struggling to break free from the machine's grasps. Those hands had a very firm grip.

"I thought you were in jail!" said Captain Falcon, hating the fact that he couldn't Falcon Punch his way out of the machine's grasp. "And aren't you supposed to be on our side?"

"Let's just say that Kazuya broke me out and cut me a deal," grinned Wario; Chrom and Captain Falcon should've known that Kazuya was behind this. "I help him win the man of the mansion job, and in exchange I get...well, he already gave me my freedom, so maybe he'll give me something else."

Sonic and Tails were missing out on the debate, but it was all good since they were doing some catching up with Blaze. Oh, and Knuckles was there, too.

"Well, it's getting late," remarked Sonic after looking at the time, not realizing until later that was now evening. "We're gonna miss the big debate!"

"It's only between Ganondorf and Kazuya," said Tails, who was in no rush to leave - especially when the yellow Fox was getting super comfy in Blaze's digs. "Not like we're missing out on much."

"Those two are having a debate?" Knuckles asked Sonic and Tails, totally out of the loop as he was munching on a chili dog - and getting crumbs all over Blaze's carpet. "Is there supposed to be a winner?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Sonic as he stood up and stretched his arms, before looking at Blaze. "It was nice getting to see you again, Blaze. But we gotta jet!"

"Who's we?" questioned Tails, who again was comfortable with not leaving. He could have a sleepover with Blaze if he wanted to.

"See you soon," Blaze said to Sonic, who flashed a peace sign before speeding out of the townhouse. Seconds later, Blaze looked down and saw food crumbs on her carpet, as she furrowed her brow at Knuckles. "You're going to clean that up...right?" the purple cat asked Knuckles, who had chili all over his mouth.

Since it was getting late, Dante had to get back home as well. The vigilante was doing his last rounds at Omnis Adest, as he was speaking to two of the community's newest members - Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth, from the sky city of Columbia. Not a couple.

"So, when's the wedding?" Dante asked Booker and Elizabeth, as the former was triggered by the question. Master Hand asking when he and Elizabeth would hook up at that new year's party still bothered Booker.

"There will be no wedding," stated Booker, already annoyed with Dante as he took Elizabeth's hand and took her away. "Let's head back home, Elizabeth."

"Nice meeting you!" Elizabeth waved to Dante, as Booker gestured the psychic woman to not speak to Dante. Still thinking that Booker and Elizabeth were a couple, Dante smirked.

"Well, I guess they did a fine job selecting this new crop," remarked Dante, speaking to himself as he turned and headed to the Omnis Adest exit. "Still sucks though that they couldn't..."

Dante came to a stop when he arrived at the exit, and he crinkled his nose when he saw Bianca speaking with a woman. The woman in question? She had blonde hair, and was dressed in black leather.

"There's my house key!" said the blonde woman, relieved as she accepted the key from Bianca - the same key that Bianca was going around with earlier. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Trish," responded Bianca, only look over and see Dante standing afar off, confused. Dante looked like he was seeing a ghost.

"Why, hello Dante..." Trish went over to speak with Dante, hoping to ease the vigilante's visible confusion. "...I'm guessing they didn't tell you the news. Zelda invited me and Lady to Omnis Adest."

"She wha...?" uttered Dante, as this news caught him completely off-guard. But the news was definitely legit, as Dante looked over and saw a lady with short black hair. And her name was, well, Lady.

"What's up," Lady greeted Dante, who didn't now what to think anymore as he giggled with a stupid look on his face. Lady leaned in close to Trish and whispered, "I think we shattered his brain, somehow."

Zelda: It was my idea to add Trish and Lady to Omnis Adest. Their addition was meant to be kept as a surprise for Dante, but I assume someone has told him already...

"Dante, I have something that I want to..." yelled Hayabusa as he finally caught up to Dante, only to see Dante in the presence of Trish, Lady, and Bianca. "...oh, he finally found out. Never mind." Hayabusa quietly returned home, as Dante still had that same look on his face.

"I think he's gonna be like that for a while," remarked Bianca, as Trish waved her hand over Dante's eyes in an attempt to break him out of his trance.

Back to the debate, Ganondorf was struggling mightily without Chrom and Captain Falcon's assistance. Every time Ganondorf was asked a question, he gave an answer that made him further lose the high amount of support he had. Most times, he didn't even answer the question that was asked of him.

"And uh, that is why, um...the Statue of Liberty is our hottest landmark," stated Ganondorf, as the crowd was turning on the demon lord by booing him. Ganondorf had to set things straight. "Alright, I lied. She's kind of mannish. What do you want from me?"

"Boo!" booed Terry, no longer a fan of Ganondorf's after hearing the demon lord diss one of America's most iconic landmarks. Kazuya smiled smugly at Ganondorf, happy that the positive momentum was shifting in his favor.

"Augh. You're dying out there, Ganon..." Ganondorf grabbed a piece of paper and wipes his forehead with it, only to see that the paper was actually Chrom's speech written for him. "Fellas, you were right all along. I should have listened to you when I had the chance."

"Help! Help us!" Captain Falcon shouted from behind the curtains, as Kazuya tried to pay the pleas for help no mind. However, the crowd was murmuring among themselves about whatever predicament Captain Falcon was in.

"What the...?" Ganondorf crinkled his nose as Lakitu peeked behind the curtain...before peeling them back to reveal Chrom and Captain Falcon being held hostage by the Wario Deluxe Machine. The crowd gasped in horror.

"Those, uh, those are just some...test dummies," Kazuya addressed the crowd, trying to diminish their concerns despite everyone and their mom freaking out. "Nothing to see here!"

Suddenly, an arrow was fired at the machine, piercing through it and shutting it down in the process. Surely no ordinary arrow was able to pull off such a feat...since the arrow fired was an Ancient Arrow! And who fired it? Champion Link, who was armed with his Ancient Bow.

"Game...over," proclaimed Champion Link, as his message was directed towards Kazuya. Kazuya angrily clenched his fists as his master plan was derailed.

"What a shocking turn of events!" exclaimed Master Hand, his ears perked as everyone in the lecture hall was going ballistic for Champion Link. "And the crowd is loving it!"

"NOOOOOOO!" growled Kazuya, falling down to his knees and pulling on his hair. With his evil plan foiled and exposed, Kazuya was sure to lose the election, big time.

"Link, Link, Link, Link!" the residents cheered, as they were all chanting "Link" in unison. But not the Link who willingly stepped down as the man of the mansion, mind you...Champion Link.

"Isabelle...I think we've found our temporary leader," Master Hand said to the Shih Tzu, taking in the overwhelming crowd reception. Champion Link had a big smile on his face, as he saw Cloud in the crowd smirking at him.

"Uh...I can explain," Wario said to Ganondorf, Chrom, and Captain Falcon, still sitting in the cockpit of his fallen machine. He hoped that his companions wouldn't be too harsh on him.

Sadly for Mario, Spyro, and Hunter, the job was not done as they were unable to locate Link. The trio returned home, as Peach let them inside the house!

"Just in time for dinner!" exclaimed Peach, who had cooked some pulled pork roast for dinner. Gotta start off the new year strong. "By the way, did you..."

"...no we didn't," answered Mario, left in a rock and a hard place as he sat in his favorite sofa in the living room. The plumber grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, his mind heavy.

"I was going to ask if you got any hamburger buns. But we should have enough!" Peach closed the front door, as Mario stared at the television screen, blankly.

Spyro: On our way back home, Hunter was selling Mario on the idea that Link was in trouble for sexual misconduct. No, he didn't have any evidence to prove his point, obviously. But his argument was somehow sound enough to change Mario's line of thinking...

Marth met with his fellas - Ganondorf, Chrom, Captain Falcon, and Wario - backstage, where Wario was forced to explain his actions. The Wario Deluxe Machine, which now had a gaping hole through it, was just a few feet away.

"Basically, Kazuya told me that you guys didn't care about me," Wario explained to Ganondorf and company, as Marth was looking on. "That's how he suckered me in - I believed every word he said!"

"We forgive you," Chrom said to Wario, who had earned back his companions' trust. Wario was in relief. "Trust me, if Kazuya promised me free money, I'd believe him too!"

"Just don't make that mistake again," Marth warned Wario, waiting for the day that Kazuya would receive his comeuppance. Whether it was from his father Heihachi, or anyone else.

Marth: So if Kazuya broke Wario out of jail, does this mean the police will find and hunt Wario down? For the record, I'm not in the business of hiding inmates at my house...

"Look, I'm sorry I was being stubborn," Ganondorf apologized to Chrom and Captain Falcon, as he had an apology of his own to make. "I guess I'm not cut out for being the mansion's hero. Or a hero in general."

"We're sorry, Ganondorf," Captain Falcon apologized to the demon lord, making his apology as heartfelt as possible. "We should've supported you, win or lose."

"Probably lose," Chrom rolled his eyes, as Ganondorf glared at the prince. Marth saw the curtains rustling, and soon he and the others were joined by Isabelle.

"Hello Marth! Is Ganondorf here?" Isabelle asked Marth, as Ganondorf instantly perked up when he heard his name called. "Just wanted to stop by and tell him that he has been disqualified from the running."

"What?!" exclaimed Ganondorf, who expected to lose rather than be outright disqualified. Talk about news that came out of nowhere.

"Yeah, turns out that you have an extensive criminal record." Isabelle pulled out a long list, and didn't feel like reading it out loud. "Tom Nook put this list together after your interview with him - with some help from the buddy cops."

"Ganon, what did you do?" Marth asked the demon lord, worried about how terribly long Ganondorf's rap sheet was.

"What didn't I do?" Ganondorf replied with a shrug, as if he was proud of the crimes he had committed. As any villain would.

"Crimes include shoplifting, teaching horses to drive, a new crime you invented called "burglebezzlement", first-degree llamacide..." Isabelle read the list of infractions, and the more she read, the more confused her expression became.

"That llama knew too much..." Ganondorf shook his fist as he said this - who knew that a guy like him had a beef with some llama?

Isabelle: There's a whole lot of other crimes Ganondorf has committed. *pulls out list* First-degree thermometer theft. Pug trafficking. Snacks evasion. Pickpocketing. Woodpecker baiting. Impersonating a dentist. General indecency. Golf cart theft. Bingo fraud. Telling jokes that just go on and on. I mean, I have things to do today, really...that last one was an actual item on the list.

"So if not Ganondorf, or Kazuya...or King K. Rool, then who won?" Captain Falcon asked Isabelle, who beckoned the racer and company to take a peek behind the curtain. So Captain Falcon and the others followed Isabelle out of backstage...

...and to the center stage, where they saw Champion Link with Master Hand and Zelda. Someone was about to receive a very big promotion.

"Champion Link, on top of your heroic actions...as well as you being the only person who actually filed their paperwork..." Master Hand said to Champion Link, as Ganondorf smacked his forehead realizing he goofed up. "...I now have the pleasure you name you the new man of the mansion!"

"You didn't fill out your paperwork?" Captain Falcon whispered to Ganondorf, who was facepalming as Master Hand cordially "knighted" Champion Link. With his index finger.

"Do I have to deliver a speech?" Champion Link warily asked Master Hand, as he was in no mood for speaking. Public speaking wasn't his best virtue.

"Meh, I'll let it slide," replied Master Hand, as Champion Link sighed in relief. Now named the man of the mansion, Champion Link faced the crowd as everyone was cheering him on.

"This...this is good." Champion Link was feeling awfully proud of himself, soaking in the big reception as he nodded his head. His eyes were drawn to Cloud, sitting at front row.

"Way to go, Champ," Cloud called out to Champion Link as he gave the Hylian applause. Champion Link couldn't hear Cloud amid the crowd noise, but he still understood the message loud and clear.

Now that he was the man of the mansion, it was time for Champion Link to show the world what he was made of.