Legal:
Kirby and related things are owned by HAL Labs and Nintendo
The Parodius series and all things related are owned by Konami
Dew the character and this fanfiction belong to ME, Star Eater
Anything else belongs to their respective creators
Tales of Pop Star: Lost And Found
By: Star Eater
Chapter 1: Inconvenience
"Come ON, Gooey! We'll be late for the tour!" Kirby shouted to his blue friend and ally. He, Gooey and Dew were busy heading for the port which would take them from Pop Star to Gradius. Kirby had every reason to hurry, for the personal tour of Qvelthin, Gradius' capital city, was going to start in only a few hours; space ports tend to be slow, and the destination on Gradius would take the party to Vehim, which was a good 34.56 kilometers of mountain from Qvelthin.
"I am!"
"Kirby? How are we going to get to the capital city?"
"Dew, don't worry about that. What I AM worrying about, however, is why didn't they just build the other end of the port directly in Qvelthin…"
Once on Gradius, Dew asked again, "How are we going to get to the capital city?"
Kirby smirked. "Let's just say that I arranged this next leg of our journey…"
True to Kirby's words, three small mechs flew down in front of the trio. To be more precise, they were the Bees.
Gwinbee opened his cockpit. "Hop on in. Qvelthin is just a stone's throw away!"
Gooey climbed in. Twinbee did the same with Dew, and Winbee with Kirby. The three mechs then ascended into the air and they began flying towards the capital city.
It was a very good thing Kirby and company had private transportation, for the city was crowded. Very, very crowded. Gradians and Pop Star natives were everywhere, eager to sightsee and interact with each other.
"Well, there you go, Kirby! Looks like there isn't enough room FOR a port, the way the city's going!"
"Winbee, let's just get on with the tour."
At City Hall, the six travelers made their way towards the mayor's office. It looked really regal, the way some of the wealthy folk on Pop Star would be – only now, different material were used in the construction of the Hall. The group stopped at the double doors, awaiting the person in charge.
While he was waiting, Dew observed the Gradian race. From what he could gather, they were insectiod in nature, rather close to a centipede. The average Gradian was about a foot taller than Dew was, and it used its hind legs for movement. The fore arms were used for carrying objects, and often a Gradian needed to use a few such arms to carry heavy objects. The body was bent in an L shape and the head featured four eyes – quite similar to a normal human's – and a pair of jaws; inner jaws were to be used for speech, and the outer mandibles appeared to be rather sharp.
(Most likely to eat with),
Dew reflected.Gradians' skins were a bulky-looking carapace which had shades of either red, brown, or black, depending on the native region of the individual in question.
The doors swung wide, and a reddish Gradian stepped out. The only difference was that this Gradian had a golden sash around his body, and his carapace was starting to grey, signaling age. "Welcome, travelers. I am J'ison, and I happen to be the mayor of this city, and the leader of this planet.
" So nice that you were able to make it on time. Now, come in and let's get acquainted."
"The three Bees, as we like to call them, have already been made known to you quite a while ago. Now, am I to assume that you are Kirby?"
"Yes."
"Ah. Gooey is the blue person with you, right? And the humanoid here is… Dew, correct? I heard you caused quite a stir."
"Er…"
"No need to apologize. It wasn't really your fault."
Dew looked uneasy.
"Now, there is no need to dawdle. The tour starts soon, and it would be a shame to miss it. So, let's get started!"
J'ison then got a call from the telewave radio. "Yes, who is this?"
"Sir? There has been an… unfortunate event. The repulsor bus you planned to use has broken down. The estimated repair time is too great to fit in with the schedule."
"I… see."
J'ison turned to the tourists. "Lady and Gentlemen, there is a slight alteration to your tour." Turning to the radio, J'ison ordered, "Get my private Hill Beetle here." Turning the radio off, J'ison gestured to the tourists to follow him to the parking complex.
