In Times of Crisis

Chapter 3
A Dee and His Duty

(Uploaded on August 23, 2018)

Summary: Robots may be tearing across the ruined landscape, but one faithful assistant won't let that stop him from saving as many people as he can.

[Bandana Dee]

Overload Ocean – Docks

They say a Dee's work is never done in Dream Land.

But I don't think they ever accounted for a situation like this.

It's been quite a few days since what Great King has dubbed the 'Robobot crisis' has begun, and in that time, I've been out and about, trying to save as many people as I can from the invaders.

This crisis is even worse than the Dark Matter ones, too – at least Dark Matter had the courtesy not to bother affecting most of everyone on Pop Star. But these guys just don't care! They're killing off our way of life just because they can! They're attacking everyone just because they're in the way!

So the minute I saw the people of Dream Land in danger… I didn't hesitate to go out and protect them the best I can. I may just be a little Waddle Dee with a expertise in spear-using, but that doesn't mean I don't have the experience to take down fleets of robots!

I've been out since then, trying to find as many people as I can – the ones who haven't managed to get away from the 'Haltmann Works Company' (that's the corporation that I've heard the robots belong to).

Oh, and I can't forget helping Kirby out as well! I'm really good at encasing spare food in Assist Stars! I know Kirby appreciates it a lot – though they help me out in a pinch, too. (Man, can those mid-bosses really hit now!) I don't see him a lot, seeing as how I'm on my own little journey, but I know he's been doing a great job saving us all as usual!

Just looking at what's happened to our beautiful land gives me pain, though. Our gorgeous oceans have transformed into an industrial docks with a lot of salvaging operations going on. It… It's just not us! It's not Pop Star. And I don't know why you would ever want to change that.

Why would these invaders do such a thing to us?

These docks have been relatively free of those in distress, thankfully, but I've still been keeping on the lookout in case said civilians are still here anyway. I also have to make sure I don't dive into unnecessary fights against the Haltmann henchmen – I only have so much energy to spare when I'm fighting all alone. I'm not Kirby, after all.

To that end, I've been doing a lot of stealth – the only problem is, I'm not very good at it. It's not like we have to do a lot of that here! So every time a big Haltmann guard nearly catches sight of me, I have to scramble to fit behind whatever nearest trash I can find (though my small statue does help in that department). I really do wish I didn't have to, but this world is super dangerous now.

And boy, does it hurt to have to admit that.

"…it's too quiet here," I muttered to myself, staring ahead at all the shipping boxes on the docks. I haven't encountered a single actual person yet today. Like, where—where is everyone? D-Don't tell me the H-Haltmann Works Company g-got to all of them…

N-No, that can't be possible. I gotta keep my spirits up!

J-Just because they're everywhere doesn't mean they can get everyone!

With this thought in mind, I cautiously made my way across the dock area. There were so many boxes here, and I didn't even know what was in them. What could possibly be so important on Pop Star that you'd need a shipping industry, anyway?

"I don't like the looks of this…" Against my better judgement, I decided to shout a bit. "Hello!? Is anybody there!? Please answer me!"

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your perspective), nobody answered my call. Seeing as I didn't have a lot to do here as a result, I went and got a move on. "Well, at least no one here is being attacked. That's a plus, right?"

The minute I said that, I heard a bunch of loud footsteps suddenly echo right into my ears. Startled, I ran back into cover and witnessed a bunch of Haltmann robots (at least, I think they were robots) and even Capsule J3s standing in a militaristic fashion. The robots held in their hands either a blaster or an evil-looking flail, and it all made me all kinds of nervous. (And not just because I wasn't sure if they heard me or not.)

I watched the faction of robots make their way through the docks, seemingly set on reaching a destination unknown to me. Whatever it was, I couldn't let them just wander about without me watching! So clutching my spear tightly, I started running toward wherever this battalion was heading.

They were moving at a particularly fast rate, though. While I was able to somewhat keep pace with them, the run to wherever they were headed was quickly wearing me out despite that. "W-Wait… up…" I panted quietly, even though I knew they weren't going to communicate with me. "I… I can't… keep up…"

Finally, I heard their synchronized footsteps stop right outside the primary docks area, and I similarly stopped nearby just to catch my breath for a couple minutes. Oh boy… I hope Kirby's having an easier time than I am at this. That Robobot Armor would really come in handy at times like this…

"Wait… Why did they stop?" I asked myself, my breathing slowly getting back to a regular rate. I looked up from the floor, trying to figure out where exactly we were. Why are these guys here, anyway? What could possibly give them cause to—

It was then that I noticed a little village on the outskirts, right in the shadow of the docks. One of those light bulb spires – the ones that had 'patched over' most of Dream Land – was sticking right in the middle of the village, too. From here, I could see a bunch of villagers banded together, their faces noticeably consumed with one of two things: abject fear, or angry defiance. "Oh no… This is bad, this is very bad!" I realized. None of them would be able to handle that thing at all!

One of the many Haltmann grunts, in one of their many Robobot Armors, descended from the sky (from somewhere, I suppose) and hovered stationary in front of the miniature army. He pulled out a loudspeaker and held it to his… face, I think. "Attention, natives of Pop Star," the grunt pronounced. "You are currently residing in territory that belongs to the Haltmann Works Company. We must ask that you please vacate these premises and allow our expansion work to continue unopposed."

One of the angry-looking villagers – a Bonkers with a big hammer (but not as big or as great as Great King's) – defiantly glared back at the worker. He had some sort of strange mouth guard on, for some reason. "You come to our planet, you mess with our land, and after all of that, you want us out of our own land?" he gruffly stated. "You can take your dumb statements and get out."

"Y-Yeah!" a frightened Parasol Dee agreed. To my horror, there was some sort of metallic eye guard over half of his face – was that a result of the mechanizing spire? (T-That's terrible!) "T-This is our village, y-you can't j-just kick us o-out!"

"We have all the power in the galaxy to," the worker proclaimed. "You natives are merely ants to our mechanical might. We are giving you a generous chance to depart without any major trouble. It would be unwise for you to refuse."

I can't believe what that guy's trying to do right now. He's kicking them out of their homes just because they're in the way! If Great King was here, he'd never agree to that!

Why… Why are they doing this!?

"Generous?" the Bonkers snorted. "Generous would imply there is anything for us to gain. All you want is us out of the way. And we are left in the dust as a result."

"And how is that a problem? It would save many resources for both our company and you."

"Where would we go to live, then!?" a particularly prickly Sparky demanded to know. Her sparks were hovering about vicariously around her. "Do you expect us to just find a new place to stay immediately!? We don't have your type of budget to spend!"

"That is not our problem." Jeez, that's harsh! "Now, can we finish this job the easy way…" The grunt then proceeded to gesture toward the little army, which outnumbered the villagers three-to-one. "…or do we have to finish this the hard way?"

I saw the villagers huddle up, discussing something that I couldn't hear from where I was. I myself took this time to think. These guys wouldn't stand much of a chance against these guys! The only guy who could probably feasibly handle them would be the Bonkers… but the Haltmann Works Company have already managed to take over most of Pop Star, too.

After a little, the villagers started to turn their attention back toward the Haltmann robots. "Have you made your decision yet?" the mech rider saw it fit to ask, even though he looked like he didn't care to what the result actually was.

The Bonkers nodded. "We will not be submitting to your demands. This is our village, and—like it or not—it is where we will stay." He swung his hammer over his shoulder, ready for battle. "If you disagree… then try and get us out yourself."

"I was hoping you natives would be reasonable… but as I see, you are nothing more than unintelligible savages. Haltworkers! Capsule J3s!" The lead grunt pointed in the villagers' direction. "Take them out by force!"

The squadron of baddies began to charge forward, and I watched as the villagers did the same. A fierce battle soon erupted – the villagers tried their best to push back with their limited abilities, but it soon became clear they wouldn't be able to do this alone. Even the Bonkers was having a bit of bit of trouble dealing with the swarm (specifically with the Capsule J3s).

But, well – that's why I'm here! To help!

I aimed my weapon well, and a split second later, a flurry of three spears flew from my grip and struck a Capsule J3 that the Bonkers was having considerable trouble with. "Huh?" he dumbly stated, watching the enemy being sent back a fair distance. I hopped off from my hiding spot and ran into the battlefield, giving a few consecutive stabs to the downed worker. "Hey, you guys need a hand?" I asked.

The Bonkers looked contemplative for a moment. "Hmm… This is unexpected," he said, "but good. I have heard word of your exploits from across the land, little Dee. Your assistance is most appreciated."

"Heh heh, you have?" I said, blushing and rubbing the back of my head. "Thanks!"

"Another unwanted interferer?" the Haltworker noted, a bit of annoyance leaking through its mechanical tone. (Ha, how does it feel now?) His eyes narrowed at me. "You… Internal data logs tell me you have been a particular source of annoyance for the Haltmann Works Company, alongside that persistent pink native." Pink native? He must be talking about Kirby! "We do not have the tolerance for your unwanted interference. Haltworkers! Take care of this bandana-wearing pest!"

A fair amount of Haltworkers (maces and blasters and all) broke free from combat with the villagers to take care of me. Blaster shots started firing in my direction, forcing me to wildly jump away from them. A mace was thrown in my direction while I was still in the air, and actually landed a solid hit to my side. "Yowch!" I yelped, promptly sliding on the floor.

The guy with the mace wound it back and threw it at me again, and this time I spun my spear around in front of me in an attempt to deflect it. Thankfully it did, catching the Haltworker off guard. I took the opportunity to rush on in with a flurry of spear strikes, each one doing noticeable damage to it before I ended it off with a final thrust. By the time the enemy hit the floor, he was out cold.

"Impressive, little Dee," the Bonkers complimented. "Let us do battle with these invaders!" He charged into the fray himself, spinning his hammer around and smashing several enemies backward. A stray shot from a blaster Haltworker gave him pause, but he quickly shrugged it off.

Two Capsule J3s approached from my sides, their rockets blasting toward my position. In response, I rapidly spun my spear above my head and flew out of the way, watching as they crashed into each other with a comedic 'TONK!'. Right afterward, I pointed my spear toward the ground and slammed right into the two.

One of the J3s ended up pretty dazed and out of it, judging by the way he was wobbling around with stars spinning above him, but the other J3 wasn't having any of it. He crouched and revved his engines, and subsequently blasted off at practically light speed! "W-Whoa!" I shouted, barely sidestepping out of his way – that was so close, I could see my reflection on his jet! (D-Did I adjust my bandana wrong today?) "Hey, w-watch it!"

As soon as he stopped, the J3 turned around and shot off at me again. This time I wasn't so lucky, and let me tell you, being slammed by somebody at that speed kind of hurts! A lot! (I think I'd rather face off against Kirby's hammer!) "O-Oof! H-Hey, w-what are y-you doing!?" Though I had already taken a bruise, the J3 wasn't letting go of me, his hands grabbing me intensely. I didn't get his intentions until I looked behind me – he was trying to crash me against a nearby house!

I can't let that happen! Great King's always telling me to limit property damage! I can't go against his word!

Quickly, I grabbed my spear and stabbed his hands, forcing me to release his hold on me. I tumbled onto the ground, but not before following up with a quick spear throw. The tip plunged into his jet, causing it to explode and him to be knocked to the side, unconscious.

"Phew!" I wiped my forehead. It was a good thing I had a never-ending supply of spears on me; otherwise being out here would get troublesome really fast!

I took a glance at some of the other villagers, and it looked like my appearance gave them some renewed determination! They were actually putting up a far better fight than they were just minutes prior, the Sparky in particular using her electric forcefield to absorb some of the blaster shots. It looked like we actually had a chance at winning this now!

"Your performance against these natives is absolutely disappointing!" the armored Haltworker berated his minions. "Mere moments ago we were close to finally expanding our influence!" He shook his head. "No matter. The Haltmann Works Company has made a special 'present', specifically for the bandana-clad native here."

Loud whirring noises began to echo throughout the village, and even a bit of rumbling, too! "P-Present!?" I squealed, struggling to keep my footing (I'm just a Waddle Dee, after all!) as the tremors increased. "W-What are y-you talking about!?"

"We were originally going to save this for the pink native, but calculations indicate that now is an opportune time for a latest investment. Now, behold!" All of a sudden, a giant and purple snake-like robot burst onto the scene, sporting some strange shoulder pads from what I could tell. Its hands were also very much gigantic golden blocks, too, and something told me it was very efficient at slamming things. (The electricity crackling around it didn't help, either.) "This is our new, advanced prototype machine: the Gigavolt II!"

Screwball Slitherer
Gigavolt II

All of us looked up at the newly-dubbed Gigavolt IIin horror. H-How the heck were we supposed to face off against that!? You'd need a giant robot of the same caliber (or Kirby) to stand any sort of chance!

"You have got to be kidding me!" the Sparky exclaimed, both exasperated and frustrated. "Why is this invasion so freaking unfair!?"

"I see this as perfectly fair. Your venting is just an after-effect of our striving toward infinite prosperity. Simply inconsequential in the grand scheme of events." Oh, I'd like to show you 'inconsequential'… "Now, Gigavolt II. Take out these savage natives by any means necessary!" The giant robot began to move toward us, and unfortunately, there was only one thing we could do.

"R-R-Runnnnnnnn!" I screamed, grabbing my spear and hightailing it. Luckily, everyone else had a similar idea, and were all bolting with me as far away as we could from the mechanical behemoth. I felt utterly flummoxed – were they so annoyed at us that they were willing to kill us that simply!? What's their beef with us!? Or anyone, for that matter!?

The Gigavolt II had far more than just its menacing size to count on though; when I looked back, I caught a glimpse of the many rocket launchers behind its head. Which promptly began to fire. Repeatedly. At us. And said rockets were big, purple, and did not look like things I wanted to touch.

Oh, that's just great! I internally grumbled. There's no way we were going to be able to battle this thing with rockets repeatedly firing at us – not that we were able to fight it to begin with!

Too bad Kirby and Great King aren't here to figure things out for us!

"W-What the h-h-h-heck!?" the Parasol Dee shrieked as we attempted to maneuver between the incoming missiles. Their explosions were just as massive as the rockets themselves! "A-Are t-they trying to k-kill us!? B-B-But why!?"

"What, did the giant robot there not tell you anything about what they think!?" the Sparky snapped. "Just shut up and keep running! I'd like to live to see tomorrow, thank you!"

"That's right," the flying Haltworker taunted, flying far away from us (but close enough to still see us). "Flee all you might; you're only delaying the inevitable."

The scramble away from the Gigavolt II led us right back into the docks, and the thing seemed either oblivious or uncaring to all the property damage it was causing to its owner's own place. It was tearing into all the boxes and the equipment, seriously! Not that that mattered; we had to keep going, no matter what!

"We will not be able to sustain this flight for long," the Bonkers said, running next to me. "We must find a way to turn the tide back around!"

"But how do we do that!?" I replied, deflecting a rocket from hitting my head with my spear. "None of us have the firepower or maneuverability to damage that thing in the slightest!" I hopped over an explosion in my way. "We'd need a miracle to tackle it!"

An unfamiliar voice hit the scene. "If it's a miracle you want…" I didn't recognize the voice, beyond it being male… and certainly very charismatic. "…then a miracle you shall have!"

A series of indescribable blurs gathered in front of the Gigavolt II – and when I narrowed my eyes, I saw that they were all mice. They were all of varying sizes, too – there was a fat blue one with an eyepatch, a stout yellow one with cool shades, a bunch of little tiny ones who reminded me very much of my fellow Waddle Dees, and a crazy-eyed one in a UFO of all things. (How'd he get his hands on one? Those things are rare!)

Finally, the last of the collection of mice hopped in, wearing a red top hat and sporting a really fashionable cape (one that Great King would've liked to wear himself). His claws brought down the rim of his hat, and he looked back at us with smug confidence. "I believe you desired help, yes?" he asked us. I recognized him – he was Daroach; Dedede showed me a picture of him once. So that meant… this was the infamous Squeak Squad! I… I didn't know they operated here!

"What is this!?" the Haltworker shouted from his lofty throne. "More interlopers!?"

Daroach turned to look at the annoyed pilot. "Ah, another one of you 'Haltmann' people. Let me tell you: you have troubled this part of Pop Star for long enough. It wouldn't do well for us thieves to ignore these villagers and their plights, after all."

The Haltworker growled. "My internal data logs pin you as Daroach of the Squeak Squad. Your team has similarly been a constant annoyance for our expansion efforts. Is today simply a day for all of the nuisances to band together at once!? Is the pink one going to show up as well!?"

"Hmph! You're speaking of Kirby, I take it? We won't need him to take care of you. Squeak Squad, you know the drill – take this oversized behemoth down!"

"Yes, sir!" Without another word, the Squeak Squad all dashed forth, and we all stared in awe as they began to thrash the Gigavolt II in various ways – the little Squeaks ran all about the Gigavolt to distract it from firing any missiles; the yellow one was throwing shurikens into its arms and doing a fair bit of damage, actually; the UFO guy was sitting on its head and pulling out the screw atop it with a giant screwdriver; finally, the big fat one was slamming into one of the Gigavolt's blocks for hands. And get this – the thing was being dented!

Before long, another screw was revealed on what used to be a massive hand, and the UFO guy tossed the big guy another giant screwdriver to use. These guys were just making a joke out of this massive robot, it was amazing!

"Wow!" the Sparky exclaimed. "Heh, these guys aren't half bad!"

"How fortunate," the Bonkers commented as well. "I suppose we did get a miracle in the end."

"Don't worry, I don't ask for any payment," Daroach chimed in. He shuffled over to me. "So… You must be the little Dee that King Dedede holds fondly. Bandana Dee, no?"

"U-Uhh, yes! Yes, t-that's me!" I stammered and saluted. "Bandana Dee, reporting for duty!"

"You're pretty commendable, to have been out here for so long without being caught. Some of the refugees over in my ship speak quite highly of you."

T-They have? "Y-You mean, t-the guys I saved… they're alright?" I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't know I had been holding. "T-That's great!"

"Indeed," Daroach smiled, "you are certainly as much as an inspiration to them as Kirby is. I must confess, it is nice to see such noble figures doing good during this crisis. It is certainly a lot to be proud about."

The sound of rockets coming down the sky interrupted our little conversation. "I'd love to let you continue your little talk," the armored Haltworker spat in disgust, "but I have duties to the Haltmann Works Company, and I am getting tired of dealing with you all. If I must take you on myself, then so be it!"

As the Invader Armor charged on toward us, Daroach simply tipped his hat again with a smirk. "Trying to handle things yourself? I must warn you…" Suddenly, he pulled out a cane with a star box thing atop it. "…we're not as easy to take on as you think!"

I aimed my own spear at the armor, too. "Y-Yeah! W-We'll take you down!"

Daroach swung his cane, and three separate Star Bullets rushed from it and into the armor. The Invader Armor swung its arm and blasted them away, but that wouldn't deter us from continuing our approach. I myself dashed in, hopped right over the armor, and repeatedly stabbed several of its parts with my spear. "Wha—! Hey! You—! Stop that!"

The grunt attempted to swipe at me with his armor's fist, but he was distracted enough to get smacked by a particularly big bomb. I took the opportunity to get some distance as Daroach's Fire Bomb went off with a spectacular bang, even making a large pillar of flame in the process! By the time the dust settled, there were many black blemishes on the Invader Armor's paintjob. The pilot also looked pretty ticked off.

Rage adorning his features, the pilot began to repeatedly jump and slam down, making little shockwaves each time he tried to squash us. Sadly for him, it was much easier to maneuver around him than it was to do the same to the Gigavolt II, so we ended up making an absolute joke out of him. (An excellent technician, these guys are not.)

"Stay still, you persistent pests!" he shouted angrily.

"A treasure seeker never makes things easy for his rivals, you know," Daroach taunted, shooting a few ice crystals from his cane. "The same holds true even in battle."

"Hmph! Babble on all you want, it won't help you! Not when we still have the Gigavolt II on our side," our enemy spat at us. He looked back at where the Gigavolt had been. "Gigavolt II! Hurry up and teach these natives a lesson!"

The key word to my earlier statement was 'had,' of course. For where there once stood a towering robot lay only a disjointed mess of parts, the other members of the Squeak Squad laying all about it. The other villagers were joining in too, repeatedly kicking the taken-apart Gigavolt II while the Bonkers looked on with faint amusement.

"What!? This possibility was not predicted in our calculations!" Funny way of saying 'This cannot be!', but I suppose it works either way.

"Alright then!" I declared. "You're through here! Your minions are down, and your big robot's scrap now! Leave these villagers alone—" I pointed my spear at him, just to drive the point home. The rest of the Squeak Squad and the villages followed up with their own threatening pose. "—or you won't like the consequences!"

"It would be wise for you to make a strategical retreat now," Daroach advised as well, "lest your company winds up with further damages to pay."

The grunt sizzled for a bit before simmering down. "Fine," he relented, "but don't think this is the end. The Haltmann Works Company will achieve infinite prosperity – even if we must exterminate all the natives to reach it."

With those ominous words, the Haltworker flew off, though his armor was noticeably smoking and frayed from our battle. Once he finally left our sights, I sat down on the floor and allowed myself to fall onto the grass. "We—we did it!" I cheered, feeling sweat pour down from my forehead. Jeez, that was a little tougher than I expected! "Phew, I-I'm feeling pretty tired…"

The Parasol Dee from before waltzed up to me and Daroach. "W-Wow, you guys really s-saved us!" he excitedly stammered. "Y-You're like heroes!"

"Heh heh…" I chuckled lightly, a hand scratching my head. "T-Thanks!"

"I admit," the Sparky began, walking up beside the other Dee, "you guys really helped us out in that pickle – not that we… needed it… or anything…" Her eyes shifted about, but it was obvious what she actually believed. "…but now that that's over, what do we do about our village? We can't stay here anymore, even if we don't want to leave."

She's right. The Haltmann Works Company have proven themselves determined to reach their 'infinite prosperity' thing by any means necessary. If they stayed, they'd only come back again – and no amount of stubborn defiance can fight back against the larger force they'd no doubt bring the next time.

I'd tell them to head to Castle Dedede, but that's pretty far from here. And I can't get in touch with Great King, what with the communications block and all.

Luckily, Daroach had a solution on hand. "Well, if it's a place to stay you need, then our airship will provide plenty of room." He put his claws under his chin. "It will be than a slightly bigger strain on our resources, but nothing we cannot handle."

"That would be much appreciated," the Bonkers acquiesced. "I do not want to see my friends hurt under those intruders again."

To his crew, Daroach called, "Hey, Spinni! Have you guys finished harvesting all the resources yet?"

The yellow mouse – Spinni, I now knew him as – ran up to his leader and stated, "The parts of the Gigavolt II has been successfully taken, Boss. We are currently in the process of taking the last of the pieces back to the airship."

"Very well. Come, Dee, villagers – let us be off. We parked fairly close to here; it won't take us long to get there."

Daroach's Airship – Cockpit

I've never been inside the Squeak Squad's headquarters before. Or even seen it, for that matter – I spend a lot of time either doing my duties in Castle Dedede or helping Kirby out with whatever latest adventure he's on. I wasn't too surprised to find that the ship looked a lot like Daroach (I mean, Meta Knight has that whole motif going on with his Halberd), but I was surprised to find that it was pretty spacious!

The villagers we had rescued were currently exploring the place elsewhere from the cockpit – the Parasol Dee and Sparky in particular were pretty amazed – and I noticed that there were a bunch more civilians floating around the ship, too. My heart warmed at the sight of everyone. Some of them even went up to thank me for saving them a few days earlier – to which I could only say, "It was nothing, really! I was just doing what was right."

To which they replied, "It meant something to us."

And now I was just sitting around, watching as the little Squeakers competently operated the computers next to the steering wheel and the villagers happily played around without a care in the world. I know Great King would cry tears over how beautiful this is. I'm struggling to hold it in myself.

"It's a pleasant sight, isn't it?" Daroach's voice came into my ears as the leader of the Squeak Squad himself situated himself next to me. "I imagine your King Dedede sees a lot of this at his castle, too."

"I hope he has," I quietly replied. "I… I don't want the people I've saved being captured despite my efforts. I don't want them to be hurt by these evil invaders. I—I just want everyone to be happy."

"Mmm… I'm glad you're trying your best. I think both Kirby and King Dedede would be proud of everything you've done." He looked back at the kids running about, having a game of what I can only presume to be tag. "I may be a simple treasure hunter myself, but there's a heart inside me too. It is a shame then, that this 'Haltmann Works Company' can't recognize it."

"Yeah, it is… but they won't be here for too long! Kirby will take care of them, I just know it!" It's been a while since I've seen him, but I've seen that everything the invaders have thrown at him hasn't stood any sort of chance – especially not with his new Robobot Armor by his side!

"Ah yes, Kirby. I assume he's been doing his usual, then?" Daroach smiled. "If he can trounce me and my Squeaks, then he can certainly come out on top of this conflict."

I frowned mentally. "I should really get going," I said. "I mean, I have to make sure I'm there to help Kirby too. That's why I'm making all these Assist Stars, after all." I pulled out one of said items, holding a cherry that was as pristine as the day I put it in there.

"Assist Stars, eh? Didn't think you had a talent for making those," he commented. "That type of skill is rare here in Dream Land." He closed his eyes for a bit – clearly deep in thought – and as he opened them again, he pulled out a few somethings from his cape. "Here, take this."

In his hands were three Maxim Tomatoes, equally as fresh as the cherry I had. My eyes immediately widened. "W-Whoa, r-really!? Y-You'd… You'd really let me have t-them, just like that?"

Daroach's eyes twinkled. "Well, I'd be a terrible person not to help a hero like you out during a time like this. Just make sure to tell Kirby they're a gift from me."

"T-T-Thanks, D-Daroach!" I said. Maxim Tomatoes aren't really common either; it must've been tough finding enough to just give away like that!

"You can thank me later. So, how about I give you a flight to wherever Kirby is?" he put forward. "Even with those invaders affecting our scanners, I'm sure he's not too far from our current positions."

"Well, last I checked, he was heading for that big building in the middle of this ocean." I pointed out the window, where there was this abnormally-shaped skyscraper just sitting out there, visible even over the water's horizon. "Our best chance of finding him should be close to there – b-but not too close, y-you know?"

He smiled. "If it's there he's headed, it's there we're heading too. Spinni!" he called to one of his crew, who happened to be operating the ship. The yellow mouse looked back. "Get us as close as you can to that building over there without being spotted. Can you do that?"

Spinni nodded, and got back to driving. In just a few moments, the airship truly became airborne, and began to make its way to my next destination.

I looked at the Maxim Tomatoes Daroach had given me, and carefully put them in my coveted Assist Stars. I've fulfilled one goal today, but there's another I have to do as well. And I'll face it with as much confidence as I can, even despite all the risks. It's what Great King would want; it's what Adeleine and Ribbon would want; it's what I'll always be there to do.

Kirby, if you're there, don't worry.

Everyone here in Pop Star's doing their best, even if things aren't so hot right now.

We don't have anything to fear, not while we have our friends and allies by my side.

And so long as I'm still here, I'll be there to help you and everyone else!

And here's the last part of my three-shot (which is getting increasingly longer than expected) – starring the Dee of the hour, Bannnnnnndana Dee!

This chapter was originally supposed to include Kirby in his Robobot Armor, but then I set up the Squeak Squad in Dedede's piece and I couldn't resist including them in here. After all, the Haltmann Works Company would have plenty of valuable material (or treasures, maybe) for them to take a hold of. And also I couldn't see them not joining in against the company, anyway.

I imagine Bandana Dee's character as a natural-born 'Helper' (heh heh), and Planet Robobot's scenario would give him the perfect opportunity to indulge in that. Of course, he'd definitely have a harder time with it – I mean, just look at the type of stuff the HWC can throw at Kirby – but dang if he won't try his best!

Also, yes. Gigavolt II. I'm a bit of a jerk, yeah.

You know, I honestly didn't expect this three-shot to get as long as it did, but I suppose that's the way the cookie crumbles. (I'm kind of regretting not making Dedede's piece longer now.) Well, see you next time for whatever the heck I publish next! (It'll probably be another Kirby thing, but – who knows?)