A Solitary Star
Kirby slowly picked himself up from where his Warp Star had crashed. His round, pink body was covered in dirt, and he was slightly dazed, but otherwise, he was unhurt. Once he managed to push himself to his feet on the cold, stony ground, the young Star Warrior scoured the gloomy wasteland for signs of life. Sadly, he found none, only the low howl of the wind and the dark rocks to keep him company.
Gone. They were all gone. All of his friends, wiped out in a single, devastating strike by a powerful being.
This had happened ten years ago, yet this time was much worse, as they were literally disintegrated by powerful beams, and they probably felt every second of it. By sheer luck, Kirby had managed to warp to safety.
"Poyo…" he whimpered as finality sank in. He was alone. Alone. Galeem had slain every last one of his friends in front of him.
Surely, not all of them were slain.
Not Pikachu.
Not Luigi.
They were two of the most important figures in his life, aside from Sir Meta Knight and DDD, of course. But the masked knight and the King of Dreamland had nothing on an electric mouse and a stout-hearted plumber. They'd taught him to love and to endure. They'd taught him the meaning of strength. He hoped against hope that they'd somehow been able to escape Galeem.
Kirby closed his eyes and flashed back to the first day of the first tournament in 1999. He remembered tottering into the Smash Mansion with his suitcases, excitement and trepidation swirling in his bottomless gut. Everyone was milling around in the Reception Area, waiting for Master Hand to arrive and give them their instructions. The pink puffball scanned the eleven faces around him, and in all of them, he saw varying degrees of nervousness and homesickness. So, he decided to do something about it.
Kirby puffed out his cheeks and floated over to the first person he saw, a plumber dressed in red with a bushy moustache. He alighted himself in front of this plumber, greeting him with a cheery "Hii!"
The man in red smiled. "Hello," he said. "You must be Kirby, the Hero of the Stars."
"Poyo!" replied Kirby. "Poyo, poyo, poyo?"
"My name's Mario. It's very nice to meet you," the man introduced himself.
"Poyo!" chirped Kirby as he shook Mario's gloved hand.
He greeted the other newcomers in the same fashion—the tie-wearing ape, the elf with the ocarina, the armored bounty hunter, the green dinosaur, the anthropomorphic fox. When he got to the mouse, however, it was like a magic spark. The mouse was very cute, with yellow fur and red cheeks. But in this mouse's eyes, Kirby saw separation anxiety. And the Star Warrior couldn't stand for that.
"Hii!" he said to the mouse.
"Pika!" the mouse giggled in response.
In his own language, the mouse told Kirby that his name was Pikachu, and that he could shoot electricity stored in those red cheeks. The puffball hugged Pikachu, feeling him relax in his arms.
"Poyo," Kirby said reassuringly to him.
Sensing that Pikachu was feeling better, Kirby proceeded to break the ice with a teenage psychic, another pink puffball and a handsome, muscular racer. Then, he reached the mustachioed man in green, who wore a warm smile with his green cap.
"Kirby, right?" he asked.
Right off the bat, Kirby decided that he liked him. He had such a laid-back, easygoing personality!
"Poy!" laughed Kirby.
"I'm-a Luigi, number one! And that's my big bro!" He indicated the one known as Mario.
"Poyo poy!" Kirby had heard so much about the Super Mario Bros, but he also heard that Luigi didn't get enough chances to shine in his own right. Perhaps his chance would finally come here.
Luigi seemed to read his mind, for he said, "Let's be friends, Kirby."
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed.
And that was how it all began with Pikachu and Luigi. Love and friendship, respectively, at first sight. Pikachu and Kirby's first date was in the ice-cream parlor, the two of them sharing a banana split and getting ice cream and whatnot all over their faces. That just so happened to be the day when the first tier list was released, and it had been decidedly cruel to Luigi, as he had been ranked the worst fighter in the tournament.
The plumber in green faced mass ridicule and harassment from the spectators, as well as from two of his fellow Smashers, for his low ranking. Kirby was among those who'd jumped to Luigi's defense and kept him strong, keeping him from succumbing to despair. Luigi, in turn, entranced Kirby with his spunk, responding to the jeers and laughter by fighting harder and getting better. And when a "A" tier fighter tried to pick on him in the lounge one evening, the man in green decided that he wasn't going to put up with it anymore, an all-out brawl quickly ensuing. It took a while, but eventually Luigi earned the respect he deserved, the pink fluffball standing by him every step of the way.
He was brought out of it by the chill suddenly sweeping across him. Kirby shivered and began puffing his way through the ruins in search of shelter. As he journeyed, he found himself thinking about Melee and how his kindness toward Luigi finally paid off.
No doubt, Melee was Kirby's darkest hour, as he'd found himself from second place on the tier list to dead last. He'd seen the signs when he lost some key matches, but he didn't want to believe it. The ravenous wolves had pounced on him at once, booing him whenever he was in battle, ignoring his heroic exploits to protect Dreamland and bestowing the moniker of "filthy casual" upon him. Worst of all, Pikachu wasn't there for him, instead antagonizing Luigi over their side specials. At first, Kirby tried to ignore it and put on a happy face, but it only worsened despite Master Hand's efforts. That was where Luigi came in.
Having experienced this ill treatment first hand, Luigi did what he could to shield Kirby from the hate, telling the bullies to back off, calling everyone out in his blog and being his sound board whenever he needed to vent. But one dark night, Luigi had found Kirby semi-conscious on the floor of his room, covered in cuts from his own sword, which lay not far from him. Immediately, Luigi bandaged the wounds and rushed him to Dr. Mario's office. Once Kirby recovered, Luigi confronted him over his—pastime—made him promise never to frighten him like that again and then suggested some alternatives to dealing with the pain. From then on, when the pink puff felt like he couldn't go on, Luigi was the first to know. And, like Luigi, he bounced back, mainly due to his "Kirbycide" technique.
As for Pikachu, the incident helped him see how much his beau was hurting, and with some prodding from Master Hand, reached an unsteady truce with Luigi. Kirby and Pikachu eventually reconciled, and their relationship had only gotten stronger since.
Kirby ducked into a cave-like structure, warming up his rotund form. The last time the Smashers faced a power-mad being, a swift attack—the Off Waves—had overpowered them in droves, save for three. Luigi, Ness and DDD. DDD had created brooches counteracting the Off Waves' power and restoring the trio to life. Elsewhere, Kirby had swallowed a brooch, his life saved by his own appetite. They revived their friends and faced down their adversary as a stronger unit, a certain supersonic hedgehog's surprise attack weakening those Off Waves and giving them a better chance. United by the danger, the Smashers engaged in a prolonged, brutal and bloody battle with Tabuu.
Luigi had been the one who landed the finishing blow.
He, along with Ness, DDD, Kirby and a few others, were honored for their bravery, and Super Smash Brothers changed from an "are" to an "is".
A change which was just as important now, maybe more.
Kirby…
Slightly startled, Kirby looked around for the person who addressed him, but he only saw emptiness. "Poyo?"
Kirby…
Wait a minute. That sounded like—Luigi!
Luigi? Is that you?
Yeah, Kirby. You're not getting rid of me that easily.
Are you okay? What did Galeem do to you?
He turned our bodies into shells, and he's forced equally unwilling spirits to inhabit them. He's made us into an army of mindless slaves.
Oh, my. That's terrible!
Kirby, you managed to escape. You're the only one who can help us. I know you can help us. And I know you will.
Oh, Luigi—you've got to hang in there. And don't you worry. I'll find you..
Pika-pika!
Pikachu! I'm so sorry I couldn't save you!
Pika, pika, pika pi!
I love you, too, Pikachu! And I don't care what it takes. I'm gonna get you out of there if it costs me my life!
We have faith in you, Kirby. You're our only hope…
Kirby straightened himself and marched resolutely out of the cave. Standing at the cliffside, he saw Galeem and his army of Master Hand clones, looming threateningly over the Smash World, the world Kirby had called home.
I don't know what's up ahead, Kirby. But you have to fight. You have to save us.
Pika!
I will, I swear to you. I will.
Kirby—it's your choice. Luigi—will follow you.
Kirby took a deep breath, his mouth hardening as Luigi's voice swirled around him.
And remember, we'll be right there with you. Every step of the way. We're all here for you, little Kirby. Always…
And as Luigi's voice faded away, and Pikachu's gave one last spirited "Pika", Kirby, the Star Warrior and Hero of Dreamland, dropped into a fighting stance and glared across the sky at the menace that was Galeem. A solitary star defying a mammoth force of darkness. A solitary star on a mission to rescue the friends that had become his family. A solitary star who knew, deep in his heart, that he was going to succeed, or perish trying.
Colors weave into a spire of flame
Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed
Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Light will guide you, on your way to the ultimate fight!
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