She'll meet tomorrow's teammates and make a game plan

The night after being defeated by Bayonetta didn't result in a lot of restful sleep for the goddess, Palutena. She knew that she had the power she needed to go toe-to-toe with the Umbra Witch, and yet, she'd been treated like a child and a lesser opponent, ultimately ending up naked and discarded below the stage. What had happened that caused things to go so far awry?

"It's my modesty... A woman should have some modesty, right?! In the end, Bayonetta can take off all of her clothes and dance around like an exhibitionist, but I'm constantly doing my best to stay decent. If you look at it that way, I wasn't in the wrong! I just need to find a way of handling these new rules Master Hand-- or whoever's behind this-- has been putting me through..." Palutena grumbled to herself, tossing and turning in her bed of clouds as naked as when she'd gotten back to her heavenly retreat. The next day's match had already been arranged: she'd join Wii Fit Trainer and the Inkling in a handicap match against Dark Pit. That handicap would be pretty significant, to make up for the three-on-one arrangement; either he'd show up as a giant, made of metal, or else, just with stats through the roof. "My teammates are all girls... I wonder if they've been dealing with the same problems? Maybe I can ask them for some pointers to avoid ending up in the same predicament again."

With that on her mind, Palutena finally managed to fall asleep, just as the moon was at its low point and the sun was beginning to rise.

The next noon-- she'd slept past morning-- after a quick bath, she fetched the fifth dress in her line-up. This was the little-used royal blue one, identical in most ways except for the color and the choice of undergarments. Palutena tried to ignore the depressing fact that her closet was now half-empty. Was there a way to get more clothing to replace what she'd lost? Something told her Master Hand wouldn't be forthcoming with that knowledge.

The location for this battle was set to be the Fountain of Dreamland. Why were they on a Kirby stage instead of a Kid Icarus one? Weren't two of the four participants from the Kid Icarus franchise? Palutena wished they'd been put in her temple instead, so she'd have ample hiding places if things went awry. Then again, beating a giant there would just be annoying; it would be a lot harder to **** him off the back of the stage if he could retreat to the center of the giant temple.

When she arrived, it was no surprise for her to see that her partners had beaten her there. Palutena wasn't sure about the squid-kid's wake-up habits, but it was hard to imagine that the Wii Fit trainer wasn't an early riser. The skinny, short Inkling had dressed up in a dark blazer and pink-checked skirt, with vibrantly pink, inky "hair," or whatever you called the stylish mass of tentacles upon her head. Wii-Fit Trainer, on the other hand, seemed to be wearing her usual get-up. "Oh, thank the Goddess," Palutena sighed in relief, although she realized that thanking herself for this good luck was a bit off base; she'd been completely in the dark until a moment ago. "You don't know how relieved I am to see you still have your clothes. There's some kind of curse going around."

The Inkling shuffled one foot and frowned, while gurgling her throat in an unenthusiastic, almost apologetic noise.

Wii-Fit Trainer kept her smile, placing both hands on her hips, but shook her head. "If an exercise is too difficult, try changing your approach. Don't give up!"

Palutena slumped her shoulders and tried to ignore her growing impatience. She couldn't understand either one of her teammates... one only spoke in squid noises while the other only spoke in motivational exercise quotes. It was impossible for her to make out what either one was saying. "Can we discuss strategy? I don't know if you two have noticed, but a lot of ladies are losing their clothes on the Smash battlefield lately. I just want to make sure we're all prepared..."

At this, the two perked up; the squid girl raised her gun with a resounding "Woomy!" although it was hard to tell how that constituted a strategy.

"Always choose the appropriate workout attire," Wii-Fit Trainer agreed, gesturing over her body with both hands. It looked a little like she was taking a deep breath before her "Salute the Sun" pose. The trainer's gear was, as ever, form-fitting, seeming to hug 1:1 to her shapely, athletic, and unusually colorless body. Today, it somehow looked extra tight. Palutena found herself noticing how the gear was nearly skin-tight against her toned bottom. "Be sure to account for the humidity in your environment."

Growling, the goddess grabbed both hands to her staff and wrung them against the metal in confusion. "I-I don't get what you're trying to say! Can you tell me more clearly? What strategy have you two come up with? Is it something I can do too?!"

The Inkling nodded, still beaming with annoying optimism. Wii-Fit Trainer joined her in the affirmation, bobbing her pony-tail in a quick nod. "This workout is suited for all ages and body types. When you're ready to begin, let's try it together!"

"Aaaagh! The only workout here is a linguistic one! Why is it so rare to find somebody in Smash who speaks in full, English sentences?!" Palutena complained, scratching at her voluminous green hair with furious energy.