Hello everybody! I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer to publish- I lost inspiration for it, and I'd feared it was going to be a dry chapter. However, the chapter took an unexpected turn, and it actually ended up being full of life and pretty interesting! I don't have much else to announce, other than the fact that the next chapter or two may be a bit slower when it comes to publishing. I have a few things coming up, and also those lovely final exams are almost around the corner, so hooray for that... Either way, that shouldn't affect my progress for this story, but I can't say that for certain. That's all folks as far as my little speech goes, so let me step off of the old soap box and let you jump in and get right to reading!
CallieSizemore601- I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I try to make Kirby's thoughts as childish as I can, without overdoing it of course. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
When Meta Knight first arrived to Dreamland, the very first thing he did after swearing allegiance to King Dedede was travel around the town to become familiar with it quickly. After strolling around the main village, he decided to check its surroundings as well, thus prompting him to enter Whispy Woods. Now, even the villagers easily got lost in Whispy Woods, so Meta Knight wasn't any better off. Though he'll never admit it, he did end up stuck in the forest until he found what he thought to be a way back to town.
Well, he didn't find the right exit, but he found something just as desired: a secret and quiet area perfect for combat training. It wasn't too small of a field, and there were no creatures inhabiting it, so Meta Knight dubbed it for his own. He even made a secret path made of unsuspecting clues throughout the woods for himself so he wouldn't lose the field. And ever since that day, Meta Knight and his esquires have been training there.
As the four warriors came upon the entrance of Whispy Woods, the youngest one whimpered in fear, as he had heard stories of children getting lost in there forever. He tightened his grip on his mentor's paw as he huddled closer to him as well. Upon hearing and seeing Kirby's distress, Meta Knight patted his pink head gently. "There there, little one. Whispy Woods isn't as scary as it seems. Once you know the way to Whispy himself, you know your whole way through the rest, since he is in the exact middle of the forest." The child looked at Meta with wide eyes. Meta Knight is so smart! He thought. He seems to know everything! I won't get scared now, because Meta Knight says it's not scary. It's just a bunch of trees, and there's nothing scary about trees!
So Kirby loosened his grip on Meta's paw, but still stayed close as the group began to trek on through the forest. The knight stayed true to his word, as they found Whispy easily and then followed the "trail" to the training spot. The weather was perfect, as it was sunny with a small chilled breeze. The esquires were pumped up and ready to train, and they began by stretching. As they did so, Meta Knight sat the little one on the ground and said to him, "Kirby, I'm going to help Sword and Blade now. I know you're a Star Warrior, but you're still very young. We have ample time to train, so we'll start later."
Kirby was upset. Too young? But I'm a Star Warrior! It doesn't matter how old I am, I have to fight back! I want to get better and help others!
To Meta Knight's surprise, his cape was pulled by the small puff, who had barked a loud, "Poyo!" in protest and now was frantically waving his paws around. Time was being lost, and the knight sighed, though a tired smile formed on his face. "Do you really want to train that badly, little one?" A proud "Poyo!" was clearly spoken, and he nodded. "Alright then, I'll train you once I'm done with Sword and Blade. But be warned: I won't go easy on you." And he headed from the side of the field to the center to begin the session.
A thousand thoughts raced through Kirby's head. The first one was definitely shock. I can't believe that worked! I got Meta Knight to say yes! He said he wouldn't go easy- uh oh… When Meta Knight says he won't go easy, he means it. Kirby gulped. But...he won't kill me, like the monsters he says I'll have to face. Up to this point, Meta Knight had been able to fend off all of Nightmare's demonbeasts sent to destroy the infant Star Warrior. He knew Kirby had natural fighting abilities, as they ran in his blood, but he still didn't want to take any chances. Despite the protection, Kirby was an exceptional Star Warrior: he was given more potential than his kind, a power strong enough to destroy Nightmare forever. Meta Knight knew this- he had seen it in the child's eyes.
But no matter how strong Kirby was, he still needed proper training to discover and control his strength. Like any child, he needed guidance, and Meta Knight, unknown to him, was happy to provide it. So today's now scheduled training session filled the two with eager anticipation, with one of them showing it outwardly and the other feeling it inside his heart.
Sword and Blade had become fine swordsmen under Meta Knight. Sometimes, it's hard to look back and believe that the two were criminals fighting for survival until they'd met the old Star Warrior. After they were saved by him, they had admired his nobility and then sworn loyalty to him. Ever since then, they'd grown close to him and had become something like older sons to him. As their bonds grew, so did their code of chivalry. Their training today focused on defense, and they excelled as always.
After about an hour of blocking Meta Knight's attacks, and then finding openings in his defenses, they took a well-deserved break while the knight gave them an analysis of their session. "Sword, you're getting quicker with your blocks, which is good so keep it up. However, they are a bit loose and sloppy, so make sure to find a balance between speed and keenness. Blade, you're improving on finding weak spots in my defense. The next thing you must work on is the power you put in to break the block- you're not going to hit the weak spots with weak moves. Other than that, I have no complaints for either of you, as you've both come a long way. You may have a small break to yourselves, and then I'd like you to train with each other, since I promised Kirby I'd help him today."
Surprisingly, the child sitting on the outskirts of the field never fell asleep waiting his turn. Instead, he concentrated on the practice session between Meta Knight and his two esquires. He noticed how fast they were, and how they always seemed to stay on their toes with perfect posture. Sword and Blade are so...together in their actions. It's as if they're the same person! Kirby tried to take notes, focusing on Meta's comments throughout the exercise. He figured, maybe if I listen now, I'll be just as perfect as them! Though the logic was a bit, say childish, it sparked a determination in the boy to begin his training as flawlessly as he could.
An hour passed by, and Kirby was not any less focused on the session than he was to begin with. He saw the three in the center stop as the two brothers stood together and received their analysis on how they did today. The young one didn't miss a single word spoken from his mentor, and he felt a wave of excitement take control of his body when he heard his name spoken. Is it finally my turn?! I can't wait to start- I want to show Meta Knight I was watching and listening!
As Meta turned towards the child, he noticed how enthused he looked- it seemed as if he would explode in happiness at any moment! Unable to hold back a smile and even a small chuckle, Meta finally approached his student who was bouncing up and down on his toes. "Okay Kirby, I assume you're ready to begin your training?" Kirby nodded his head frantically, squealing an energetic, "Poyo poy!" for a prompt answer. The knight gestured his hand out to the center of the field. "Alright, come on then to the middle of the field, we shouldn't waste any time now."
Kirby ran to that field, as if he was being chased by Nightmare himself, and still had ample energy to spare. The knight took a little more time, but still met up with him pretty quickly. "Now little one, I have a special kind of exercise I want you to learn first. It's not like what I practiced with Sword and Blade, but it is crucial to know and may save your life in a battle. You will learn how to meditate, but not in the normal sense. No, you're going to learn to become one with your sword." Inside of his dimensional cape, he pulled out a smaller sword and handed it to Kirby, who seemed to be a bit on the disappointed side. Aw man, I can't show off what I learned. And we're not even learning any kind of cool move either...but Meta Knight said this was important so I have to pay attention. This sword...there's something about it that seems...familiar?
Without even thinking otherwise, Kirby's instincts told him to inhale that sword. And suddenly, in a bright light, a green hat formed on his head, and thus he wielded his sword again, but with a much more familiarity with it then before. Wait...what just happened?! Did I really just put that sword in my mouth? It makes no sense but...it just feels normal, or something… Kirby was really confused why he not only swallowed a sharp blade, but now was wearing a green hat and felt as if he was as trained as Sword and Blade.
Meta Knight looked at the child, who seemed to be looking at his sword with a...strange look on his face, as if he was thinking about something. Then in an almost blinding light, Meta couldn't stop himself from letting a small gasp escape as he watched the pink boy transform. Could this child be even stronger than I first imagined? Though he looked much more ready for combat, Meta noticed Kirby's perplexed expression. Ah, so these abilities are natural instinct. Even though he's had them from birth, that doesn't mean he himself had known he'd inherited them.
While he was thinking, the knight's eyes were orange, making it clear to Kirby that he was surprised about what happened. He didn't speak for a few moments, trying to find the right words to use. After taking a deep breath in, Meta Knight now made eye contact with his still-confused student. "Do you understand what just happened, little one? What inside you made you inhale that sword?"
Kirby shook his head no. He then started to panic. Oh no, was I not supposed to do this?! Is Meta Knight mad at me?! I gotta spit this thing out! But...how?! I gotta do it before I get in trouble! At this point, he was having a hard time to breathe and his eyes were brimming with tears.
Meta Knight grew alarmed at Kirby's response. To think all he wanted was a head nod or a shake! Quickly, he attempted to calm down the boy, as he didn't want him to hurt himself. "Kirby...please calm down." But he didn't reach him, as the boy was too busy in a trainwreck of thoughts. So for his direct attention, Meta grabbed his paws, and immediately blue eyes met golden. "Kirby." Meta's voice was gentle. "I'm not mad at you. Not in the smallest sense. You've done nothing wrong, believe me. Just listen to me, I need you to answer my question. Do you understand why you inhaled that sword?" A much calmer but still confused Kirby shook his head no. So the abilities are pure instinct. "I know what's going on, little one. Would you like me to explain?" A quick head nod was given, and then he continued. "Well you see, all Star Warriors are given talents in all sorts of areas when they're first born. Most of us are sword fighters, but there are ninjas, medics, and many more types of fighters out there. You are a Star Warrior, but your power is even greater than all of ours. You were blessed with something called the copy ability. You're able to inhale multiple objects and gain specific abilities based on the particular object. When you inhaled that sword, you gained the Sword ability."
Kirby could only stare at Meta Knight as he began to comprehend what he had just learned. Star Warrior...that sounds familiar, I think. But the whole copy ability thing makes sense, I'm just glad Meta Knight's not mad at me! He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a light chuckle coming from said person. "I can't believe it…" He murmured, "To think up until this point, the copy ability was just a myth…" Then his shoulders sagged a bit, showing he was upset about something. "Poy?" Kirby asked in concern. He got a head rub in response. "Oh, it's nothing little one. Now, let's begin our meditation, and work on Sword Beam, alright?" Once again, the child started jumping around, now with his hat bobbing all over the place. Sword Beam?! That sounds awesome!
It wasn't an easy session for baby Kirby. He found it hard to meditate, to focus on one thing, especially on a beautiful day like this. Every slight rustle of the trees had the child open his eyes and become hopelessly distracted. Meta Knight noted on how the boy couldn't seem to ease into a world of calm, drifting thoughts. A little under half an hour passed, and Meta Knight called out for a moment. "Kirby, you're becoming a bit too tense when you're trying to meditate. Surely, you must already know of a place where you're always relaxed?"
Relaxed? By the point, the boy's adrenaline rush was halting, leaving him tired. Maybe I can figure this out in my sleep… And with a small yawn, Kirby sat on the floor, and he started to doze off. Meta realized what was happening when he saw his student suddenly fall asleep on the ground. His eyes glowed a soft green as he began to think. So this is where Kirby finds peace- in sleep. I'm positive he's not fully unconscious, but enough to connect the real world with the dream one. Now, will he hear me while I speak to him in this state? Meta softly but clearly tried to call his name, with no avail. His physical self is oblivious to me, but maybe I can reach his mental state…
Meta Knight started to meditate, and found himself in his peaceful state of mind in no time. He, in a sense, looked around for Kirby's mind. It did take a moment or two to find it, but it was clearly visible and easily accessible. He approached it- something similar to an aura of light, and met a dreamy Kirby with his eyes closed as if he were in a truly peaceful state of mind.
"Kirby." The knight called. The child opened his bright blue eyes, and waved. "Poyo poyo!" "You're in your meditation state of mind. Good work. Now all you need to do is focus in becoming one with your sword and transfer that energy out. I know this sounds confusing, but it's much easier just to try it." With his job done, he left the child alone amid his thoughts, and woke up back to the real world.
Dreamy Kirby was confused as his mentor left for the real world. Be one with my sword? All he really did was imagine himself holding his sword, and that was all it took to send a powerful wave of new energy throughout his tiny pink body. It felt so electrifying, and it seemed as if instincts took over once more as Kirby went back to the real world with this energy in him.
On the field, he suddenly opened his eyes, jumped high in the air, and sent a blade made of light hurling down on the ground. The blade had sapped all of his unnatural energy and the remainder of it, so he harshly crashed back on the shaken field. He wanted to get up, but he was gasping for air and his vision was bombarded with black spots. His ears started to fade out sounds around him, yet he could still hear his name being called in the distance. He wanted to desperately call back, but he literally couldn't do anything at this point. Right before he blacked out completely, he felt a pair of gloved hands pick him up and a familiar voice sounded muffled and oh so far away…
Meta Knight had returned back to the real world and escaped his train of thought. It didn't take Kirby long to wake up either, but he noted something seemed...off about the way the child woke up, as if it were abrupt. He watched the child jump in the air, curious to whether or not he had understood what Meta tried to tell him about the whole "one with the sword" thing. Well, Kirby must've understood alright, as the next thing he knew, a bright light began to form at the tip of his sword. A large and quite impressive Sword Beam shot out of the sword, and it ran across the ground for a few seconds until it split a nearby boulder in two and dissolved. Meta Knight took his eyes off of the beam once it had died off, and went to go ahead and congratulate Kirby. Happiness was quickly replaced with fear when he saw the little guy wither to the floor in an abnormal way. "Kirby?!" He shouted out, unable to keep the panic from escaping into his voice. He was already heading in the child's direction, but a lack of answers made him run like there was nothing to it.
By the time he got to Kirby's aid, the baby was unconscious. He had also lost his hat, indicating that he'd lost his copy ability as a whole. The boy's face was planted in the dirt, and his body looked crumpled. When Meta Knight had picked him up softly, his panic only got worse, as the child almost looked dead. His face was extremely pale, almost a perfect shade of white, and his facial expression showed pain. Meta gently cradled Kirby in his arms and called out again, "Little one? Can you hear me?" When the child didn't budge in the slightest manner, he quickly opened his bat wings to prepare to get him immediate medical attention.
Before he left, his two esquires ran to his side. "Hey sir, what's going on?!" Sword asked. "Yea, what's wrong with Kirby?!" Blade finished. Meta Knight answered them in a rushed tone of voice, "Something happened when he tried to use Sword Beam, and I think he had his energy drained unnaturally from the action. I'm getting him to Dr. Yabui's right now- you two should head back home. I'll make sure Kirby's okay." And without even waiting for an answer, the winged knight was off, keeping the child close to him and praying to Nova that he was going to be just fine...
I refer to Kirby in his mental state as "Dreamy Kirby", just like Dreamy Luigi from Mario and Luigi Dream Team if you were wondering. I hope you enjoyed this chapter- please write a review! I don't care whether it's a small comment or a question about something: I appreciate everything you send, and I really want to make sure I'm clear in my writing. Other than that, have a wonderful day!^^