Chapter Text
Sonic whistled casually as he made his way to the library, looking to spend some time peacefully. Even though he called himself "the fastest thing alive," he enjoyed a good book as much as anyone. Or anyone with culture, of course. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to distract himself for a few days until the fights started.
Just as he was about to open the door, however, it swung open on its own. Suddenly, Sonic found himself flat on his back, his quills standing on end, as a gun was aimed at his head... a gun held by the Doom Slayer.
"I must kill... must kill them all! Rip... and... tear! The demons... they’re everywhere! I must... kill them all!" shouted the Doom Slayer, his voice deep and intimidating.
Sonic rarely felt fear, and if he did, he was great at hiding it. This time, however, he felt his soul leave his body for a good 30 seconds, uncertain if this guy was going to shoot or not.
But the fear faded, replaced by confusion when the Doom Slayer started laughing. And it wasn’t a maniacal laugh as one would expect, but a mocking laugh, which only left him even more bewildered.
The Doom Slayer lowered the gun and removed his helmet... revealing that it was the Mii Gunner, or Gun for short, disguised as the Doom Slayer, still laughing.
"Oh, this is gold!" she said between laughs. "You should've seen your face! If you had pants, I’m sure you would’ve peed yourself, man."
Sonic blinked a couple of times before bursting into laughter and getting back on his feet, shaking his body to get his quills back to normal.
"Okay, okay, I admit you got me," he said with a half-smile. "I swear I thought it was the real Doom Slayer. Where did you even get that costume?"
"It was in my closet with a bunch of others," Gun replied, her mischievous smile widening. "Thought I could put it to good use."
"Well, just make sure you don’t end up scaring anyone who breathes fire," Sonic warned, crossing his arms. "Remember what happened last tournament with Charizard?"
"Oh, relax, I just wanted to give someone a good scare." Gun took off the Doom Guy costume, revealing her normal outfit underneath.
Suddenly, they heard quick footsteps approaching, and in no time, Isabelle had stopped between them.
"Hi!" she greeted cheerfully, a tired smile on her face as she held a clipboard and a pencil. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you tell me your birthday dates?"
The question, although not strange, still confused Sonic and Gun, who exchanged glances before turning back to Isabelle.
"Uh, excuse me?" Sonic spoke first.
"Your birthdays! You know, the day you were born," she said, unusually enthusiastic.
"I know what you mean; what I’m asking is: why do you want to know?" the hedgehog rephrased.
"So I can plan it!" Isabelle replied. "Since we'll all be living under the same roof for 24 hours over 427 days, it’s the least I can do!"
"That sounds like a lot of work," Gun pointed out, scratching her head. "I mean, we’re almost 90 people, Isabelle. Are you sure you can plan that many birthdays?"
"Oh, don’t worry! I love working! Plus, I’m used to multitasking. I thrive on it!"
Despite how cheerful she sounded, Gun was sure she saw a tic in Isabelle’s right eye, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the dog ever rested from her duties.
Sonic, on the other hand, shrugged.
"Well, if you insist: June 23rd," the hedgehog responded with a smile before finally entering the library.
"Thank you!" Isabelle exclaimed, wagging her tail happily as she started jotting down notes on her clipboard.
She then looked at Gun, patiently waiting for her answer while still smiling.
"Uh... mine’s October 3rd," Gun replied skeptically. "Actually, Brawl and Sword share the same birthday as me. Though that’s probably just a coincidence..."
"Noted. Thanks!" Isabelle said before darting off, likely to ask the same question to the other fighters.
Gun watched her leave with incredulity and then turned her gaze to the library door, where Sonic had already disappeared among the shelves. She sighed, crossing her arms as she still processed what had just happened.
"Well, that happened," she murmured to herself.
Rosalina and Palutena were sitting in the lounge, chatting quietly, when Isabelle suddenly burst in, clipboard and pencil still in hand.
"Hi!" she greeted quickly, still wearing that tired smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know if you’re comfortable or have any issues celebrating Christmas."
Palutena and Rosalina exchanged a glance before turning back to Isabelle, who kept smiling with an almost unsettling energy, as if she had been running around nonstop for hours.
"Christmas?" Palutena asked, tilting her head curiously. "What a specific question."
"It’s because I need to plan ahead!" Isabelle responded, adjusting her clipboard. "I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or left out! So I’m gathering information about everyone’s holidays, preferences, and potential nut allergies. It’s vital information! Not to mention I don’t want to intrude on anyone’s beliefs."
Rosalina, with her serene demeanor, placed a hand on her chin as she pondered the question.
"I have no issue celebrating it," she answered. "It’s not something the Lumas and I do often, but I like the idea of sharing with everyone."
Palutena nodded with a smile. "Same here! Although we have our own celebrations in Skyworld, I’m always up for a good party."
"Perfect!" Isabelle furiously scribbled notes on her clipboard, writing at such a ridiculous speed that Palutena wondered if she somehow had super speed. "Thank you so much! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have 73 people to ask!"
And with that, Isabelle shot out of the room like a whirlwind of administrative energy.
There was a moment of silence between the two goddesses before Palutena sighed with an amused smile. "That little dog is going to collapse any second now, isn’t she?"
"No doubt," Rosalina agreed calmly. "But I admire her dedication."
Meanwhile, Isabelle was rushing down the hall, nearly bumping into Luigi if she hadn’t stopped just in time. Luigi jumped slightly at her sudden appearance.
"Oh, it’s you, Isabelle..." Luigi sighed in relief with a nervous smile.
"Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to know if you’re comfortable or have any issues celebrating Christmas."
The question left Luigi a bit puzzled, and he adjusted his cap.
"Uh, not really. I mean, it’s Christmas; who doesn’t like it?" the green plumber replied before raising an eyebrow. "But we’re not celebrating it until next year. I mean, I know we’re already in December, but the announcer was clear that we won’t celebrate any holidays until January."
"I know! But there are still several celebrations in the next few months, even days! Mega Man and Pit have birthdays this month, two days apart! And I still have to plan Valentine’s and Halloween!" Isabelle explained quickly, jotting down notes on her clipboard before looking at Luigi with a radiant smile. "Anyway, thanks for helping, Luigi! Bye-bye!"
Luigi watched her speed off like a Bullet Bill, leaving only the sound of her rapid footsteps and the faint echo of her endless energy. He blinked a few times, processing what he’d just heard, before shaking his head in a mix of confusion and resignation.
"Madonna mia... that little dog has more work than Mario himself," he muttered before continuing on his way.
Corrin and Byleth were in the middle of the garden, both surrounded by the adorable Pokémon from the tournament. Corrin had Pikachu resting peacefully between her legs while she gently petted Ivysaur’s head. Meanwhile, Pichu was curled up on Byleth’s shoulder as she softly stroked Squirtle and Jigglypuff.
"You were right, Corrin... this feels therapeutic," Byleth said after a while, a calm smile on her face as her fingers ran through Jigglypuff’s soft fur and Squirtle’s incredibly smooth head.
Corrin grinned in satisfaction, snuggling a little more among the Pokémon. "I told you," she said playfully. "There’s no better way to relax than being surrounded by adorable little creatures. It’s like... an instant happiness recharge."
Byleth nodded, watching as Pichu nestled deeper into her shoulder, releasing a small, harmless spark. "I suppose after so much time in battle, this is a nice change of pace."
Before Corrin could respond, they heard the tapping of approaching footsteps. Both turned just in time to see Isabelle appear before them, clipboard still in hand and a determined gleam in her eyes.
"Hello, Corrin! Hello, Byleth!" she greeted with her boundless energy. "Sorry to interrupt your relaxation time, but I need to ask you something very important."
Corrin and Byleth exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to the eager pup.
"What is it about?" Byleth asked curiously.
Isabelle took a deep breath before blurting out her question; "How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Do you want to celebrate it? Do you have any specific traditions, candy or flower preferences?"
Byleth blinked, surprised by the sudden question. Corrin, on the other hand, tilted her head with a slight smile. "Valentine’s Day? Oh, well... I’ve never really celebrated it much. I guess flowers are nice, but what interests me the most is chocolate."
"Oh, good to know!" Isabelle eagerly jotted it down on her clipboard before looking at Byleth. "And you?"
Byleth averted her gaze for a moment, thoughtful. "I don’t usually celebrate it either, but... I think it would be nice to see everyone share something special that day."
Isabelle nodded in understanding, quickly taking notes. "Got it! And don’t worry, I’ll make sure there’s enough chocolate for everyone. Thanks for your time!"
And with the same boundless energy she arrived with, Isabelle dashed off again, leaving Corrin and Byleth in a brief silence.
"Be honest," Corrin said with a mischievous smile. "Did you picture someone special for Valentine’s Day?"
Byleth glanced sideways calmly, though a faint blush appeared on her face. "...Don’t be ridiculous."
Corrin giggled before turning her attention back to her Pokémon. "Uh-huh, sure..."
Meanwhile, Isabelle continued running around at full speed, her clipboard now filled with an even longer list of celebrations, birthdays, and personal preferences.
"This is going to be an incredibly busy year!" she said to herself, her determination unwavering.
Turning a corner, she nearly collided with King K. Rool, who raised an eyebrow at her, arms crossed. "Hey, pup, what’s the rush? You’ve been running around like there’s a discount on Grandma’s turnips."
Isabelle skidded to a stop, adjusted her glasses, and beamed at him with her usual enthusiasm. "I’m planning every celebration of the year! Would you like to participate in Valentine’s Day?"
The large crocodile blinked, caught off guard. "Valentine’s Day? Ha! Of course! But can I demand tribute in the form of sweets and gifts?"
Isabelle chuckled a bit before jotting something down on her clipboard. "I’ll see what I can do."
And with that, she took off running again, leaving K. Rool with a confused but amused expression.
"Well, at least someone cares about team morale..." he muttered before continuing on his way.
Soon, Isabelle zipped past Gun again, who raised an eyebrow at seeing her so rushed and excited. "Okay, this is starting to get out of hand..."
Metal Knight watched Isabelle with a raised brow beneath his mask. First, she interrupted his breakfast to ask about his birthday. Then, she knocked on his door to ask if he celebrated Christmas. About an hour ago, she walked into the mansion’s sauna blindfolded—so she wouldn’t accidentally see anything she shouldn’t—just to ask if he was comfortable celebrating Valentine’s Day. And now, she was asking about Halloween.
"Are you seriously asking if I’ll wear a costume for Halloween?" the knight asked, puzzled.
Isabelle grinned with the same boundless energy and proudly held up her clipboard. "Exactly! I’m organizing all the year’s festivities, and I want to make sure everyone participates. Wouldn’t you like to pick a costume for Halloween? It could be something imposing, elegant, or even spooky!"
Metal Knight crossed his arms, his expression hidden behind his mask, but his posture radiated skepticism. "It’s not that I’m against festivities... but I don’t see the need to wear a costume. Isn’t my armor enough?"
Before Isabelle could reply, Kirby approached with small hops and, with a determined look, inhaled deeply...
SLURP!
In mere seconds, Olimar, who had been calmly strolling down the hall while inspecting a Pikpik Carrot, was sucked in without warning. In his place, Kirby now sported a helmet similar to Olimar’s and a tiny space backpack on his back.
"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed proudly, spinning around to showcase his new improvised outfit.
Isabelle clapped excitedly. "That’s the festive spirit! See? Even Kirby wants to participate!"
Olimar, now sitting on the floor after being spat back out by Kirby, blinked in confusion. Then, he sighed in resignation and shook his head, unwilling to question what had just happened.
Metal Knight observed the scene in silence before looking back at Isabelle. "So, if I don’t pick a costume, does that mean I’ll have to deal with Kirby inhaling me and turning me into one?"
Isabelle tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well... I wouldn’t rule it out as an option."
The knight let out a sigh and placed a hand on his mask. "Fine, I’ll think about it. But don’t expect me to do anything ridiculous."
"Perfect!" Isabelle jotted something down on her list and did a little hop of excitement. "This is going to be an amazing year!"
As the cheerful pup dashed off once more in search of more fighters, Metal Knight stared at Kirby, who was still wearing Olimar’s helmet and watching him with an innocent expression.
"Don’t even think about it."
Meanwhile, Gun had been watching everything from behind a corner, and now she frowned. "Alright, I’ve seen enough."
In the pond in the mansion's garden, Villager and Steve were sitting on a couple of chairs, fishing. Steve remained expressionless and motionless as usual, though for some reason, he was wearing a hat that wasn’t square, shielding him from the sun. Meanwhile, Villager happily wiggled in his chair while fishing.
Suddenly, however, Gun appeared behind him and spun him around abruptly, earning a startled expression from Villager before it shifted back to his usual smile.
"Alright, Villager. I know Isabelle is your assistant in the town you come from because you're the Mayor, but can you explain what exactly you had her doing to make her multitask so much in a single day?"
Villager tilted his head. Even though his smile remained unchanged, Gun could tell he was confused.
"Isabelle has been asking about birthdays and different holidays all day. She’s got Christmas planned out already, and that’s a year away!"
Steve dropped his fishing rod and looked at Gun with the same blank expression as always. Then, slowly, he pulled out a book and a quill from his inventory, wrote something down, and showed it to her.
"That sounds like a future problem."
Gun frowned deeper. "No, Steve, this sounds like a present problem."
Villager let out a neutral noise before pulling a fish fossil from his bag and proudly displaying it, as if it were his greatest achievement of the day. Gun sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Doesn’t this concern you? Isabelle is overworking herself."
Villager tilted his head in thought, then pulled out another sheet from his inventory. This one had a drawing of Isabelle… wearing a Santa hat!
Gun snatched the paper from his hands. "That’s not what I’m worried about!"
Steve wrote in his book again and held it up. "Let her be. She's happy like this."
Gun opened her mouth to argue, but then she spotted Isabelle in the distance, happily trotting around while checking her clipboard with boundless energy.
"...Ugh." In the end, she crossed her arms and looked at the two of them. "Well, if Isabelle collapses from exhaustion, it'll be your fault for not keeping her in check."
Steve shrugged and resumed fishing. Villager, on the other hand, pulled out another sheet… this time with a drawing of Isabelle sleeping in a hammock.
Gun eyed him suspiciously. "Are you saying you do make her rest?"
Villager nodded.
"And how do you manage that?"
Villager pulled out another sheet with a drawing of him handing Isabelle a huge cup of coffee, followed by another where she was sleeping at her desk.
Gun ran a hand down her face. "...I think I just found the problem."
A few minutes later, Gun stood outside Isabelle’s room alongside Rosalina, Luigi, and Corrin. After explaining what Villager had told her, the others weren’t about to sit back and do nothing.
"Isabelle! Do you have a moment?" Gun asked as she knocked on the door.
Suddenly, sounds of movement came from inside, along with some unintelligible mumbling. It seemed like Isabelle was shifting something around.
"Just a second! Let me just…" Isabelle’s voice trailed off as she struggled to push something before finally opening the door to find the four of them waiting. "Oh! Hello! Is something wrong?"
Rosalina was the first to speak, her tone serene but firm. "Isabelle, we know you’ve been very busy organizing all the year’s festivities... too busy."
Isabelle blinked and tilted her head with a smile. "Oh, don’t worry! I have everything under control!"
Gun crossed her arms. "That’s what worries me. You can’t do everything by yourself."
Isabelle chuckled and waved her clipboard. "But it’s my job! And I love doing it, so it’s no problem."
Luigi, who had been quietly observing with nervousness, finally spoke up. "Uh... well, yeah, but... have you been sleeping well lately?"
"Of course!" Isabelle answered way too quickly.
Corrin raised an eyebrow. "How many hours exactly?"
Isabelle opened her mouth to respond... but then fell silent, her ears drooping slightly. "Uhh... enough!"
"That’s not a number," Rosalina said gently.
The little dog started sweating a little. "Oh, don’t worry about me! I’m completely fine and ready to keep organiz— Oh! That reminds me, I need to check something about your birthdays! Come in, come in!"
Isabelle left the door open for them while she ran to her desk. As the girls' eyes widened, Luigi’s jaw dropped upon seeing that Isabelle’s room looked more like a detective’s office in the middle of the most important and complicated case of their lives.
Multiple whiteboards were arranged by date, with various notes and pictures of each fighter beside them. Stacks of papers reached the ceiling. Several boxes had tape with different fighters' names written on them. Her desk was cluttered with documents and folders, and her bed—if it could even be called that—barely had enough space for someone to sleep in.
Gun ran a hand down her face, stifling a sigh. "Isabelle... this is insane."
With her usual grace, Rosalina approached the desk and picked up a random paper. "This is a document detailing every fighter’s candy preferences for Halloween… including statistical probabilities of which candies will disappear first."
Luigi, still dumbfounded, walked to one of the boxes and read the label. "‘Contingency plan in case King K. Rool tries to monopolize Valentine’s Day chocolate’?"
Corrin, meanwhile, picked up another paper from the desk. "This is a schedule with alarms to remind you to take breaks, but…" She frowned. "Every alarm has been ignored."
Isabelle smiled nervously and waved a hand. "Oh, that’s just because I got really focused on my work! But really, I’m fine!"
Gun looked directly into her eyes, her patience running thin. "No, Isabelle. You’re not fine."
The little dog opened her mouth to argue, but Gun cut her off.
"Look around. You have no space to sleep, you’ve barely rested, and you’re handling more work than any person… or dog… should take on alone."
Isabelle lowered her gaze for a moment, her ears trembling slightly. "But… it’s part of my job! Planning and organizing events, parties, and holidays is as natural to me as breathing! If I don’t do it, who else will?"
Rosalina gave her a kind look. "We will, Isabelle. We can help you."
Luigi nodded eagerly. "Yeah! We can split the tasks! That way, you don’t have to do everything yourself."
Corrin smiled and put a hand on her hip. "Besides, I highly doubt anyone would complain if the festivities were a little simpler. As long as there’s fun, candy, and some organization, everything will be fine!"
Isabelle blinked several times, as if the idea of delegating work was completely foreign to her. "You’d really... help?"
"Of course!" Gun said firmly. "But on one condition: you are going to rest."
Isabelle opened her mouth to protest, but Rosalina raised an eyebrow and pointed at her with the paper in her hand. "And by ‘rest,’ we mean actually sleeping. Not a five-minute nap at your desk. Speaking of which, maybe you should lay off the coffee."
It turned out Isabelle’s desk was covered in nearly empty coffee mugs, which would explain her endless energy.
Isabelle hesitated for a moment, but seeing everyone’s faces—their concern, their determination to help—her expression softened. "Well… I guess I could take a little break."
Corrin smiled and patted her head. "That’s the spirit."
"Maybe you should start by getting some real sleep," Luigi suggested.
Isabelle chuckled nervously, but suddenly, her body felt heavier than usual. And just like that, she collapsed face-first onto the floor, lightly snoring as all the exhaustion she had been ignoring finally caught up to her.
Gun sighed, kneeling beside her and shaking her head in disbelief. "I don’t know whether to feel relieved or worried about how fast she passed out."
"I’d say both," Rosalina replied with a small smile before raising a hand. With an elegant motion, she used her magic to gently lift Isabelle and place her on the bed. "At least now she is resting."
Luigi glanced around, then at his friends. "Should we... clean up a little while she sleeps?"
Corrin nodded. "Yeah, but let’s not move too much. We don’t want her waking up and panicking because she can’t find anything."
Gun rubbed her neck, eyeing the mountains of papers and whiteboards filled with notes. "...This is gonna take a while…"
End of Chapter 4.