Smash Them Good: Frog-ified Preview (Patreon)

“Hmmm…” Delicate fingers quickly typed away. “…sorry! We don’t seem to have any regular copies of Smash Ultimate in stock. We only just started carrying games, so I suppose that was expected. We’ll be beefing up inventory eventually though."

“Oh. I see.” Josh felt his heart sink at that. The young man had been all over the area, hunting for that game all day.

Josh was a gamer, a big one. He wasn’t always up to date or had the money to buy the hottest games, but when everything lined up, he was there. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was the latest game he was invested in, finally getting around to Nintendo’s premiere, non-racing, multiplayer experience. He even went on a bunch of amiibos as well!

However, when it was finally time to buy the game, luck had run out. Every store, whether major or not, did not have a copy of Smash. High and low he searched, but here, at the end of the line, he had exhausted all options. There was always the option of a digital purchase, but he was more of a physical kind of guy. He liked seeing the box game on his shelf.

He let out a sigh, despite how much he tried to suppress it. He didn’t want the employee, Traci according to the nametag, to feel bad. She couldn’t help that her place didn’t have what he wanted. She probably had enough annoying customers to deal with anyways.

Though… Josh subtly looked at her. That green skin, long nose, mostly black attire, and particular hat she dawned. All of that said she wasn’t the kind of woman who’d put up with a frustrating customer.

Regardless, despite how much he wanted to avoid it, he was out of options. Guess I’ll get an eShop card or something if she has one.

He was about to ask, but stopped. She was looking at him, staring rather hard. There was almost a mischievous glint in her eyes, especially as she began to smile. Nervously, he asked, “Umm… is something wrong, miss?”

“Oh! Nothing at all!” She adjusted her glasses, her smile turning warmer now. “In fact, I have some potential good news if you’re interested.”

“Really?”

“Mhm! I think I can hook you up with a copy of Smash. Got a copy in the back that I was fixing. Bit of an expert on fixing games, you see~.”

Josh felt his heart literally soaring at that. “W-wait, really? Oh my god, that would be so-”

But then, he stopped. A funny feeling popped into his head. A feeling that made him suspicious. “Wait… there’s not a catch to this, is there?”

“Oh, it might be a little glitchy or odd,” the green woman giggled, “Our electronics end up being a tad strange after spending time here for a while. Usually means I have to check them, but if you don’t want to wait, you can have our special right now.”

All of that felt ominous to him. The way it was all worded made him rather suspicious… but on the other hand, every other part of him was filled with joy and excitement now. “Okay then, I’ll take it!”

“Great!” Traci chimed, “One special copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, coming right on up!”