The First Rival
A Kirby One-Shot

Notes: This fic is set during the final boss of Kirby's Dream Land, with elements from the Spring Breeze remake from Kirby Super Star (i.e. the Mario cameos and the use of Copy Abilities). Kirby has lived on Dream Land for around a month prior to the beginning of Kirby's Dream Land.

Everything has an origin point.

Miracles aren't exempt from this fact.

But where, exactly, do miracles begin to take shape?

When does their potential really start to shine through?

The ones on Pop Star, in particular, has a clear one to see:

When a rivalry-to-be-friendship began, with the theft of the World of Peace's food by their very own King, and the challenging of that action by a new, to-be-Miracle Maker himself…

That was the day, perhaps, where a true miracle was born.

May 27, 1992

Castle Dedede – Battle Ring

"Welcome, people of Dream Land, to the fighhhhhhhht of the century!" a Walky exclaimed, standing atop a podium from which the audience could see him. The surroundings of the arena were pitch-black, beyond the Walky on the podium, but that only made the excitement factor bigger. The audience cheered at his words, their volume almost managing to dwarf the Walky's own. "That's right, folks—all of you are about to witness a clash the likes of which have never before been seen in this realm!"

A spotlight shone itself onto the battle ring, revealing the presence of a blue, regal penguin, wearing a royal red coat and a tan kimono beneath it. Slung over his shoulder was a large hammer; heavy in appearance but potentially devastating in use. The crowd all knew who this was.

"On one side, representing himself, we have our home challenger. Our reigning champion, the regent of Dream Land himself: King Dedede! Give up a round of applause for our King!" A large cry went up for the self-proclaimed king, who—despite having literally stolen every inch of his people's food out of greed—was still getting a lot of praise amidst some of the booing. King Dedede himself seemed to bask in the attention, outstretching his arms in the air as if to attract more.

"Yeah! That's right! I'm the King, everybody—and I'm not going anywhere!"

"And on the other side, representing Dream Land, we have a brand-new opponent willing to challenge our titleholder. He's pink; he's puffy; he's a little blob that's barely been here a whole month: give up some more applause everybody for Kirby!"

Another spotlight turned on opposite to that of Dedede, and the figure shown before the denizens of Dream Land was a bit of a puzzling sight: he was a pink puffball-like 'person', with stubs for arms and large red feet below his round body. Adorned on his head was an odd little jester's hat; one side solid red and the other orange with white stars. And being carried in his hand was a golden wand with a blue orb on the top—presumably serving as his current 'weapon of choice' for this match.

"Hiiiiiii, everybody!" he cried, waving a hand in the air. "I'm Kirby!"

He was a strange figure, with instant comparisons drawn to a similarly unknown individual around Dream Land, Meta Knight. He seemed almost comically outmatched compared to the large, towering king before him. Excited whooping went up for him, with nary a boo to be found – for who doesn't like a good underdog?

"This will be a fight to determine the ownership of Dream Land's supply of food: King Dedede, or the people!" A monitor on the wall started displaying piles of food holed up in Castle Dedede's basement, a tantalizing image to the people sitting in the bleachers. "Who will come out on top? Will the Great King Dedede finally be dethroned? Will Dream Land's food be returned to its rightful place? Let's begin this battle with everything we've got!"

Another loud cheer went up for the two opponents. King Dedede sneered at Kirby with an ugly grin on his face. "Ha! So you're the guy going about, trying to 'reclaim' all of my food! And the Sparkling Stars, too! Well, let me tell you this…" He beefed up his stomach. "I'm the King, Pinky! There's no way someone like you will win against me! You should just give up here while you're at it!"

Despite the threats, Kirby didn't look phased. "The food doesn't belong to you, Dedede! And neither do the Sparkling Stars! I'm gonna put 'em back where they came from!" He pointed his wand at the self-proclaimed king, unhesitating in his desire for a fight. "I've faced all your other bosses already. You're not gonna be any different from them!"

"HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Dedede laughed. "You think you can be so confident just because you have most of the Sparkling Stars? Think again!" Still smug, he swung his hammer down, the shockwave from its slam able to be felt from where Kirby was standing. "I'm gonna win this match, no prob! And then I'll enjoy all the food I want! And you're not gonna stop me!"

"You can try, King Dedede! I'll take you down and bring back all the food! Just watch me!"

And so, the King ran forward to the puffball, and – with Kirby merely standing his ground – the battle of the century began.

"This is pretty interesting, wouldn't you say, Mario?" Peach spoke up, sitting down in the audience among the other denizens of Dream Land. "It's not every day you get to see a new hero on his first journey!"

Mario laid back in his seat, a soft smile appearing on his lips. "It's a good thing Bowser happened to be-a sick, then," he said. "Star Spirits know he never stops-a kidnapping you." It was a miracle they – Mario, Peach, Luigi, plus some Toads (and Wario, for some reason) – had managed to make it to Planet Pop Star to see the event play out, honestly. But Mario wouldn't have missed it for the world.

After all – this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see for themselves the protagonist that would soon be joining their growing roster of universes. Not seeing it was simply out of the question.

"There does seem to be a lot of posturing being done, though," she noted as the Walky continued his commentary work. "It reminds me a lot of what Bowser does sometimes."

"Yeah, it kinda does," Mario agreed, "just without all the lava and the danger. And the high stakes, too." Well, if you could call kidnapping a princess 'high stakes', anyway.

The battle before them was not particularly an exciting affair, but it served its job well. Dedede was using a wide variety of attacks: super jumps, hammer slams, dives, even inhaling. But it was clear he was an amateur when it came to fighting, whereas Kirby seemed to have much more experience as he fought back with projectile attacks. (Of course, that didn't mean he managed to avoid damage entirely – but that was only a minor thing to note.)

He's skilled, Mario thought, maybe more than me. I wonder how long he's been practicing for something like this?

"I think Kirby will be a great person to have around," Peach decided, drawing Mario's attention away from his thoughts. "I mean, he's pretty cute!" It was hard to dispute that, given the puffball's small stature and adorable face. "How can you not like it?" she cooed.

Mario raised an eyebrow amusedly. "I never said I didn't," he teased. Watching Kirby fire off a charged shot as Dedede tried to dodge it, he added, "He's got a lot of potential beneath his cute exterior. He may be-a small now, but I can tell he'll be a force of nature in the years to come."

"I do hope that he's not as hungry as he looks, though!" a nearby Toad worried. "If he ever comes to visit, we might find ourselves going hungry!" He shivered in fright, as Toads often did in the face of terror.

"I'm sure he won't be that impolite," Peach soothed. "I, for one, look forward to seeing him grow. And I'm sure he'll be a great hero for Nintendo."

"Me too," Mario added. And as the clash between Kirby and Dedede continued, the plumber internally mused, Dedede's got his work cut out for him, if he wants to match up to Kirby's fighting prowess. (Who knew such a simple moveset could be used in such a skillful way?) I think I'd like to spar with him myself sometime.

"Hey, maybe we can go meet him after this!" Peach happily exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at personally meeting the new resident protagonist. "Ooh, I should've baked a cake to give to him. I wonder if they'd allow me in the kitchen here…"

Mario chuckled. "You just can't stop-a baking cakes for the life of you, huh Peach?" But that was part of what he liked about her. "Maybe we should bake a strawberry shortcake. Those are always good!" He'd know; he had plenty of cakes from Peach over the years.

"Good idea, Mario! Something tells me he'd enjoy that a lot."

"H-How're you doin' this!?" King Dedede stammered, struggling to hold up against Kirby's Beam-empowered assault. The King had expected an easy fight going in, even though he knew the ease of which his opponent had dispatched his previous opponents, but this… This was simply unnatural! "I-I'm the King of Dream Land! I can't be losing to someone like you!"

Angered, he tried to swing his hammer at the little puffball again, but Kirby merely slid out of the way, another beam whip coming out of his wand and striking Dedede where he stood. "Why won't you stop moving!?"

"'Cause I'm not as tubby as you!" Kirby sassed back, a smug smile on his face similar to the one King Dedede had held when the fight had begun. He swiftly guarded against the King's efforts to dive bomb him, spinning out and unleashing a Cycle Beam at his rival's unguarded form. "I'm cute as heck and I've got more power than any of your glowers!"

"This is impossible!" Dedede was panting now, growing increasingly exhausted whereas Kirby looked like he could fight a dragon and still not break a sweat. He tried desperately to slam the puffball into the ground with a Super Dedede Jump™, but this effort failed like all the rest. He looked up at the puffball. "You're—You're supposed to be just a little pink blob! What… What the heck are you!?"

Kirby grinned, his eyes shining. "I'm Kirby of the Stars! And I'm gonna be the guy who makes miracles happen!" Quickly discarding his Copy Ability and inhaling the Star Bullet that came from it, he fired it at the tired king.

Unable to move, and unable to dodge, Dedede could do naught more than take the hit – which would prove to be the concluding move to this battle. The blow knocked him into the air, his hammer dropping onto the floor as he screamed, "Curse you, Kirbyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

His body flew out of the castle, creating a hole from which the image of his body shape could be seen. The audience stared in awe at their King having been so handily defeated through such simple methods. For a moment, all they could do – the Walky included – was stare in silence, before they turned back to the puffball still standing in the arena.

Kirby gave a smile as wide as the spring breeze that was blowing through. As he did, a Sparkling Star – the last of the five that were stolen – descended from the ceiling to hang about in the air, glistening as brightly as always. It was a sight that seemed impossible to behold.

The other four Sparkling Stars rose from Kirby's grasp, dancing with the one in the air almost as if to celebrate the occasion. Inexplicably, two copies of Kirby appeared beside the triumphant puffball – and together, the three of them proceeded to do something just as remarkable.

They danced.

They jumped, they moonwalked, they spun – but most of all, they had won. Amidst the loud cheers from the crowd, almost drowning out the sounds of music inexplicably playing through the air, a phenomenon was born that day – one that would hereby go on to be referred to as the 'Kirby Dance'.

And once it ended, the five Sparkling Stars hovering above flew into Kirby, and—while glowing a glimmering white—he took off to the ceiling…

…and Dream Land, henceforth, would become a very different place.

May 27, 2017

Castle Dedede – Battle Ring

"…heh, that feels like such an eternity ago," Dedede remarked, he and Kirby sitting in the bleachers in the battle ring where they had once fought. "It's hard to believe that, once upon a time, we were nothing more than rivals."

It had been over twenty-five years since the day they first clashed – and in hindsight, stealing all the food in Dream Land hadn't been one of Dedede's brightest ideas – and through several ups, downs, and all-arounds (as Sonic would no doubt put it), they had grown to become the best of friends. Through thick and thin, the duo had seen plenty of adventures and misadventures – and now, here they were, back where it all began.

"It makes me a little nostalgic," Kirby said. "Has it really been that long since then? Just you, me, beaming things up among a crowd of people cheering for us?"

Dedede smiled. "I bet even they couldn't have predicted how things could've turned out. All the things we've seen, all the things we've faced…" Nightmare, Dark Matter, Magolor, Queen Sectonia… Since the day Kirby had arrived, there had truly been no end to the Super Tuff Pink Puff's journey on Pop Star – and of course, no end to the amount of friends he was willing to make as well.

But that was okay. Dedede wouldn't have had it any other way. (And he knew Kirby wouldn't, either. That was just the way they were.)

"And there's still plenty more to go, too," Kirby added. "Who knows what we'll be seeing in the future? Especially with the Nintendo Switch out and all."

"Oh, right! Heh heh heh! We can't forget that little beauty. I think I've put too many hours into that thing, honestly." The self-proclaimed king proceeded to look up at the ceiling, where the spotlights still shone over the battlefield. "…hey. You know?" he started to say. "I'm really glad you're my best friend. I don't think I could've come as far as I did without you. And I just wanted to say… Thanks for being there."

"I gotta say the same to you, too," the little puffball said. "You were a big help during the Dark Matter and Lor Starcutter adventures – and we can't forget the Robobot crisis! The both of us have come a pretty long way, huh? I can't imagine others in our field can say the same."

"True that. You and I? We make a perfect duo. And that's just the way I like it." The two of them remained sitting there for a while long, contemplating and reminiscing over their shared history. Before long, a familiar cry echoed from the entrance to the battle ring.

"H-Hey! Kirby! Great King!" Their heads turned, and there was Bandana Dee, Dedede's faithful assistant, rushing toward them – and looking pretty exhausted, too. He panted, "P-Phew! It… It took me a while… to get here! I think my feet are tired, now…"

"Hey, Dee!" Dedede greeted his friend. "What's up?"

"Mario and Peach are visiting, today – you know, since it's the twenty-fifth anniversary of you guys' friendship! And they've brought some strawberry shortcake to celebrate, too!"

"Ooh!" Kirby's eyes immediately lit up. "Strawberry shortcake! My favorite!" He never failed to brighten up the minute his favorite food was mentioned. In fact, he could practically feel the taste of it on his tongue as they spoke.

Mario and Peach had long been friends with the duo, seeing as how they'd been around for the end of Kirby's first adventure – and with every passing anniversary of then, they'd also come for an interdimensional visit, just to commemorate the moment again.

"Heh, they never fail to remember today," Dedede said. "Who could've thought that Nintendo's mascot could be such a sweetheart?" He got up from this seat. "Welp, I'm definitely feeling a little hungry! C'mon, Kirby, how 'bout we go have a bit of a meal?"

"As if I could say no!" With that, the three of them proceeded to make their way out of the arena where history was once made.

(And who knows? With luck, it might be the place where history continues to be made.

We'll just have to wait and see… and I, for one, can't wait to see what happens next.)

So I just wanted to write the final battle of Kirby's Dream Land for my Make a Friend universe. It's not anything too spectacular, but it does show the origins behind Kirby and Dedede's relationship – which is something remarkable in itself.

Kirby Super Star shows Mario and Peach (among other Mario cameos) in the audience of the battle arena, so I felt it interesting to write their own perspective on the event. If they're gonna be there, then I might as well incorporate them in in some way, right? (I imagine Mario doesn't get a chance to see new protagonists be born, so it must've been something special.)

Originally, my headcanon day for Kirby's Dream Land in this 'verse was August 1st, 1992 (its American release date, for those not in the know), but Super Star kind of implies KDL1 takes place in spring—hence the name, 'Spring Breeze'. So to consolidate it, I had the game take place a month after April 27th, Kirby's birthday of sorts. I think it works out.

Well, that's all for now – see you around!