JC: Thanks for complement! I hope you like where I take the story.

Plute222: Thank you for commenting on my story! I so glad that you like what I have done. I've worked on this for a while now, so I'm hoping to keep this running for a while. I plan on putting in little mysteries so that when one is answered, more are opened up. I once read on the profile for The Cosmic Penguin (an awesome writer, by the way, even though I don't agree with all their theories) the quote that you should write what you want to read. I agree wholeheartedly with that, and try to do that myself as a writer.

Also: Yay! Someone else who like Spanish Meta Knight! I agree that it is not perfect (there are times when I can't not hear James from Team Rocket, as Eric Stuart voiced them both), but I believe it gives MK kind of a suave Hispanic gentleman vibe. I know I'm the minority, so it feels good to know there are those who agree with me.

All Kirby characters and settings belong to Nintendo, Hal Laboratories, 4Kids, and Warpstar Inc. I own diddly squat.

Episode Seven: What's in a Name? Part 3

"Is it just me," Ado asked as the group of kids turned to leave the castle, "or was Meta Knight acting kinda funny?"

"I don't know what was on that recording," Tiff responded, "but it seemed to spook him."

"Maybe we should let things be," Adeleine said after a few moments. "After all, if it spooked someone like Sir Meta Knight, then it's probably something dangerous and scary."

"No way!" Tuff declared. "If there's something coming, it'd be better to know about it beforehand. That way, we can prepare to face it, instead of always having to hide when trouble comes!"

"Normally, I'd say that we should listen to Meta Knight," Tiff said after thinking for a moment, "but here, Tuff's right. Remember when Nightmare attacked us? We were basically only Kirby's cheer-squad. Even in that deal with the Collector, there really wasn't much we could do to help." She got up after a moment. "One things for sure. As long as we're in the dark, we're going to be pretty useless."

Kirby patted the girl on her shoulder. "No u'less," he said, doing his best to be comforting. "You Kaabii fwiends!"

Tiff gave a small smile to the little Star Warrior. "Thanks for trying, Kirby, but I'm afraid even the babies would be more help than we are right now." She motioned to the little ones, who were happily playing with several shiny pebbles they had found. "At least they have the copy ability, like you do."

"Hey, guys!" a voice in the distance called. "You guys coming or what?"

First you draw a circle,

( )

Then you dot the eyes,

(0 0)

Add a great big smile,

(0u0)

And Presto! It's Kirby!

The kids looked up and spotted three more of their friends, Iroo, Hohhe, and Honey. The three Cappy kids were waving for the others to join them.

"Coming where?" Poppy asked.

"Don't you remember?" Iroo called back. "It's the fourth Thursday! Free sample Thursday at the restaurant!"

All the kids got up at that. Every other Thursday, Kawasaki and Nago gave out free samples of the food they offer. They would alternate who cooked by the day. Kawasaki got the second, and Nago the fourth. Samples always went fast, so you always had to hurry to make it on time.

Hearing the prospect of food, the babies also got up and followed after the older kids. Once again, the little yellow one raced ahead of the others, overtaking even the older children. However, in doing so, he ran smack into Hohhe, knocking them both over.

The Cappy kid looked around in shock. As usually, he wasn't really paying attention, so the yellow baby had stunned him. "What hit me?"

Honey was quick to pick the baby up. "Aw!" she declared, cooing over the struggling Puffal. "He looks just like Kirby!" She then noticed the other babies as they clustered around. "Where did they all come from?"

By now, the older kids had caught up. "These are Kirby's new siblings," Adeleine explained. She went on to explain everything that had happened with the Collector. "Now, since they have nowhere else to go," she finished, "they're going to be staying here, in Cappy Town."

"Aww, man!" Iroo grumbled. "It figures that the time when there's a big adventure is also the time when we had to be in Yogurt Yard on an errand for school!"

"That's OK," Honey said. She was still fawning over the yellow baby, who was making it clear he wanted to be put down. "At least these little cuties are getting to stay. What are their names?"

"Well," Tiff said, "we only have names for a couple of them. The brown one's Sammy, the red one's Andy, the Green one's Marty, the white one's Mikey, and the purple one's Charlie. I'm afraid the yellow and blue ones don't have names yet."

"Well," Hohhe recommended, "since this little guy likes racing so much, how about Toby? Like Toby Falcons, the Cappy racer who holds the record for fastest speed on a race track."

"He also holds the record for most crashes walked away from," Poppy snarked.

The baby, however, seemed to like the idea. He succeeded in squirming away from Honey. "Poyo Toobii!" he declared.

Suddenly, he stopped for a moment, and looked up. He grinned brightly for a moment and rushed off. He was then followed by the other babies and Kirby, who had caught on to what he had sensed.

The other children caught it in a moment too, and rushed off after the babies. "Hey, wait guys!" Tuff called out. "Leave some of the samples for us, too!"

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The town square was full, as it typically was on sample days. The villagers who live in and around Cappy Town always made certain to be present. Indeed, it was hard to imagine at this time that this area was usually pretty peaceful. It was the perfect area to set up the plan.

Dedede grinned. With everyone here, there would be lots of witnesses to his "heroic" feat.

He was currently waiting near a shop across the street from the restaurant as he usually did, with Bandana Dee (who was clueless as to the plan) standing guard nearby. Marx was currently setting up the fake monster in a clearing of tall bushes. It would be controlled by Escargoon and Magolor, who would be able to view all the happenings from back within the palace.

The "Monster" wouldn't hurt anyone, only cause a panic among the gatherers. Then, when everyone was certain that the horrible creature couldn't be stopped, he'd come out and save the day! Everyone would then laud him as a hero, and then he'd finally get the respect he deserved.

The Pengu smirked at the idea. If he was lucky, that Ebrum girl might even see it, so he could rub his great victory in her face.

He was still thinking about his soon to be victory when he felt something hit him in the back. Whatever it was that hit him moving fast, and when it hit fell back and squeaked "Poyo!"

Dedede turned around and realized to his dismay that it was one of those annoying Kirby babies. "Watch where you're going, pipsqueak," the Pengu growled.

The baby, however, wasn't intimidated. "Poy poyo poyo Toobii," he said, waving his little arm in a scolding manner. "Poyo poyo, poyo poyo poyo!"

"I don't know what you just said," Dedede snarled back, "but I know ya just said something I wouldn't like. You've got some nerve, ya know. Don't you know who I am?"

"Poyo!" was the bold response. "Poyo poy Dedededededede poyo poyo poyo poy!"

By now, Kirby had caught up with his younger brother. "Poyo, Toobii ha' ta wait for ev'y-u," he explained as he tried to catch his breath. He suddenly noticed Dedede. "Hi!" he said, grinning brightly. He proudly patted his brother on the head. "Thi' Toobii, Kaabii's brotah! Toobii ve'wy fas'!"

Toby grinned, beaming with the praise.

Dedede scowled. "Just what I need. A mouthy Kirby." With this, he stormed off, ignoring chattering Puffal.

Kirby frowned. He was very happy to have new siblings, and he was rather upset that Dedede wasn't happy too. After all, the babies might be a bit of a handful, but they were so much fun to have around, and the little warrior was certain that everyone would agree with him, if only they'd come to meet the little ones.

Bandana Dee, after viewing the fight, patted Kirby on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said, trying to be comforting. "I'm sure his highness is just in a bad mood. He'll come around eventually."

"Hey guys!" Ado called over from the line forming outside the restaurant. She, along with the others, had arrived and taken their places while the argument had been going on. "They're getting ready to open! You'd better hurry up and join us!"

Kirby and Toby hurried to the two spots saved, though Toby was still upset by the way Dedede had yelled at him. Tiff laughed, giving the little yellow Puffal a smile. "Don't worry about it. I've been having problems with him since I started talking, and I still haven't had much progress. He's just that way."

"Poyo," Toby squeaked in agreement, crossing his arms.

"It's kind of funny, though," Lalala added. "Usually Dedede's at the front of the line and won't move for anything. Today he just kind of ran off. Do you think he's up to something?"

"Maybe," Iroo replied, "but whatever it is, it can probably wait until after the samples are given out."

"Poyo!" Kirby squealed in agreement.

Dedede rounded a corner, and looked briefly to make sure he wasn't being watched. When he was certain that everybody was focused on the sampling, he pulled out a walkie-talkie. "You two online yet?" he asked.

It was Magolor who answered. "We're online and ready to go. We're just waiting on your word."

"Well, ya got it." He grinned to himself. "It's time that all these no-counts figure out who's really ruling the roost around here!"

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Meta Knight worked hard in his training. He had gone far out into the woodlands to practice. Whispy Woods had been kind enough to allow the knight to have a secluded area to practice with Galaxia and clear his head. Usually, such activity calmed him and allowed him to see things from a less emotional perspective, but today, it wasn't helping much.

He felt bad about snapping at the kids. They hadn't intended any harm, and they were only curious. On the other hand, however, they were coming too close to dangerous secrets; secrets that he had held for who knows how many star-years; that even Sword and Blade were completely unaware of. If they found out just what was hidden within the old files of the Star Warrior Archives, than everything he had worked for, even before he arrived at Dreamland, could be put in jeopardy.

Then there was the awakening of the Excalibur. All Star Warrior vessels were well made, so there was no surprise in that it would still be semi-functional after all these star-years, but the fact that it had unearthed itself, rather than waiting to be activated, was a bad sign. It stated that they had far less time than he had first anticipated. That danger was close at hand.

Meta Knight swung Galaxia twice at the limb of a dead log, cutting it neatly, first from the trunk and then in half. He watched as the twigs fell and then, moving swiftly, caught them before they hit the forest floor.

Perhaps he should tell someone else. At the very least, the heavy weight of all these secrets would not rest solely on him. Then, he would have a confidant he would be able to discuss these problems with. Even if they couldn't help much with executing what must be done, a listener to bear the burden with him would be such a relief to have.

He tossed the twigs away, as if tossing those ideas away with them. No. This was his problem, and his problem alone. In his experience, bad things have happened to people who tried to aid him with his problems. It would be better to keep these secrets secret, and deal with them himself when the time came.

The Star Warrior was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a loud explosion. He looked up and realized there was smoke rising above the tree-line in the direction of Cappy Town. Something had happened there! There might be trouble.

By instinct, his wings flared out as he prepared for flight. However, a surge of pain in his left wing reminded him why he had walked all the way out here.

He scowled. Flight was certainly out of the question, so he was going to have to run. He hoped that he wouldn't be too late.

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It was all out chaos in the town square. No one could have seen it coming. Everyone had been waiting patiently for their turn to collect a sample, when, out of the blue, the creature had attacked!

It was something out of a nightmare! Claws and tail-spikes crackled with electricity as it swiped out at anyone unfortunate enough to be to close. Everyone scattered far and wide, eager to avoid the monstrous creature. Kirby, with several of the kids, had taken sanctuary in a nearby tree, and his eyes scanned desperately for something to copy.

Before anyone else could respond, Dedede sprang out, hammer ready. "Y'all better stay back!" he called out. "I'll deal with the beast!" With that, he sprang at the monster, smacking it hard with his hammer.

That was where it was supposed to end. It was supposed to fall down with one hit, and then all would see how great their king was. There was only one problem. It didn't go down.

It had been thrown backwards, but instead of going limp, it sprang back onto its feet. It gave a screeching roar and charged at the Pengu, who could only just avoid a slash from the creature's claws.

"What's going on over there?" Dedede hissed into a hidden walkie-talkie. "That thing was supposed to go down! What are you doing over there?"

"It's not our fault!" Magolor called back. "Something's gone wrong, and we've lost control. I'm afraid you're on your own!"

"What!" the Pengu cried out, horror in his voice. He had no idea how to handle this thing.

The monster took advantage of his distraction and swung its tail at him. This succeeded in throwing him back into a shop wall, where he was knocked unconscious.

The monster stalked for a moment towards the unconscious Pengu, but then something else caught its attention. Far more interesting prey was hiding nearby. It raised its head, sniffing until it came upon an overturned fruit stand.

Underneath, Adeleine was hiding, clutching Sammy and the little blue baby close. She prayed that they wouldn't be noticed by the monster. However, the cover being thrown back violently told them it was too late.

However, before she could respond to stop them, the two babies sprang from her arms to deal with the monster, delivering swift kicks.

This had no effect, and the monster swiped them away with a knock of its tail. The duo were knocked into a glass window of a near window, which they bounced off of. They came to a stop, resting at the feet of the beast.

Seeing his little siblings in trouble, Kirby dashed out of his cover, copy ability or no. Marty followed closely behind him.

Mikey was also eager to spring into the fight. As he prepared to follow behind his twin, however, one of the broad leaves of the tree they had been in smacked him in the face. He looked in frustration at it for moment before getting an idea. He quickly inhaled the leaf to see if it would give him an ability.

A bright flash of light happened and as soon as it passed, the little white baby had transformed into Leaf Mikey! A crown of bright green leaves with an emerald in the center rested on his head. Now armed, he charged after his brothers into combat.

However, despite the intentions of the trio, they were too far away from the blue and brown babies to be of any help. The monster prepared to land the killing stroke, when its claws clanged noisily against steel.

The babies looked up to see what had saved them. Much to their surprise, it was Bandana Dee, who was holding the monstrous creature back with his spear!

He attacked the creature hard, but it was just too strong for him. It swung at him with its tail, which he was able to avoid. Unfortunately, this put him right in the path of its claws. It succeeded in catching his arm, causing him to drop his spear. The beast then swung again with its tail, and this time was successful in knocking him back into the damaged restaurant. The creature turned to its fallen foe, and prepared to strike.

With the monster temporarily distracted, the blue baby moved quickly, inhaling the fallen spear. In a flash, she gained the spear ability. In her hand rested the spear, though it now had a lavender ribbon bound around it, and on her head was a lavender headband with a golden crest resting on her forehead.

In a heartbeat, the blue baby charged the creature and landed a few skilled hits with the spear. The monster turned, but before it could respond to her, it was hit in the face by a full stream of leaves. It gave a cry and began tearing at the befuddling foliage, unable to respond to the multiple attacks the little Puffals unleashed on it.

Kawasaki and Nago were quick to pull the injured Bandana Dee away from the battle scene. "You alright there, little buddy?" the chef asked as Nago hurried to get the first aid kit.

"Got my arm. I think it's bleeding." The Waddle Dee grimaced. "Are they alright?"

"They're fine," Nago answered as he began pulling out bandages. "Kirby got to them. They've got their hands full, but they're not helpless."

"I've got to do something to help." Kawasaki gritted his teeth. He then spotted something that would do some good.

"Hey, Kirby!" the chef called out over the small barrier. "Catch!" With that, he tossed out his frying pan, hoping that the young Star Warrior could do something with it.

However, his aim was bad, and the pan landed nowhere close enough for the pink Puffal to get a hold of it. However, it was near enough for Marty to take notice. Hurriedly, the little green baby inhaled the utensil, and in a flash he transformed into Chef Marty. A white chef's hat rested on the young one's head and he brandished a large frying pan.

Now that three of the babies each had a copy ability, the fight wasn't quite so one sided. However, the little ones, though extremely skilled with their weapons, weren't enough to bring the monster down, and there was little any of the onlookers could do to help.

However, from her hiding place, Tiff noticed something of interest. One of the little spear baby's thrusts had caused a nick in one of the tail spikes. It wasn't deep, but it gave the young Dreamlander an idea.

"Hey, guys!" She called out to the fighters. "Aim for the spikes! See if you can't break them off!"

The Puffals nodded, signaling that they had heard the plan of action. Mikey continued distracting the beast with a barrage of leaves while the little spear baby started focusing her strikes on the spikes, whittling through them until she got one to break off. This she tossed to Sammy, who gave it a swift kick, knocking it over to Mikey. He batted it with his frying pan so that the crackling spine sailed over to Kirby, who quickly inhaled it.

In a flash, the young Star Warrior transformed. Resting atop his head was a gold circlet with a peridot stone resting in the center, and from the circlet long bolts of green lightning shot out. "Spa'k Kaabii!" Kirby declared.

The creature, roared and charged at the young warrior, who responded by unleashing a heavy bolt of electricity. This stunned the creature, which allowed Marty and his sister to land one more blow each. Then Kirby sent out one last mighty bolt of electricity, which finally felled the creature.

The danger now passed, the people of Cappy Town began to creep from their hiding places. Realizing their victory, a rush of excitement came through Kirby that he couldn't contain. He began a little celebratory dance, which his siblings soon joined in on.

A large crowd gathered around where the monster had fallen. Much to their surprise, it no longer resembled the monster that had been attacking a few moments ago. Instead, a pile of ruined scrap metal, only vaguely resembling the creature, lay in a ruined sparking heap.

"This is what was attacking?" Hana Len asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"It's just a piece of junk!" Her friend, Buttercup Bookem, agreed. "How could that be what was attacking us?"

"I'm not sure, but it was pretty effective," Bandana Dee added as he came out of his hiding place. His arm was bandaged, but a trace of blood could be seen through the white cloth.

The little spear baby, spotting her rescuer, immediately ran up and began hugging him. "Poyo!" she cooed happily.

The Waddle Dee, who wasn't much of a hugger, stiffened but didn't push the little Puffal away. "Huggy little guy, aren't you?" he commented, trying to do his best not to look uncomfortable.

"Actually, that one is a girl," a voice from behind added in. Everyone turned to see Meta Knight approaching the group. Eager to see their mentor, the little Puffals ran up to him to greet him.

"You can tell by the markings on her cheeks," the knight continued. "They are a light violet instead of pink. This marks her as a lady." He calmly surveyed the damage. "Now, what happened here?"

The kids hurried to explain everything that had occurred. "But we have no idea where it came from." Tiff said, finishing the explanation.

The knight surveyed the wreckage before speaking, though doing so quietly so that only a select few could hear him. "It was Dedede," he explained. "This was a plan of his to set up a moment of heroics of his own."

"It was Dedede!" Tiff crossed her arms. "I should've guessed. It's just like him to set up something like this for his own glorification."

"However, there is something else," Meta Knight added after a few moments. "This contraption, when it was first made, resembled the pile of scrap you see now. However, what you described from the young one's fight does not match either what we see here or what was first invented. I fear other forces are now at play."

Nearby, the little blue baby went back to following Bandana Dee around. He was flattered but a little unnerved by the attention. "You're welcome, but I have to get King Dedede home before he wakes up" he said, trying to get the little Puffal to leave him alone. "So go on home…um…" he looked up after a moment. "What is her name?"

"Actually," Ado answered, "she's the only one we don't have a name for yet. Since she likes you so much, why don't you name her?"

"Well, alright then," Bandana Dee stuttered. "How about Kirsti?"

"Like a female Kirby," Tiff said, a tone of disapproval in her voice. "It's not very creative."

However, little Kirsti seemed to disagree. "Kaastii! Poyo Kaastii!" she squealed happily.

"Well, I guess if you like it, that's what it is," Tiff said, giving a small smile.

"What is this I hear of names?" Meta Knight asked. They couldn't see it, but he was pleased to find that the little one had joined the group so easily.

Adeleine explained. "We didn't think that the babies should go nameless so we came up with names for them today. So the brown one is Sammy, the red one is Andy, the green one is Marty, the white one is Mikey, the purple one is Charlie, the yellow one is Toby, and the blue one, now, is Kirsti. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," the knight responded. "Those are fine names."

While this talk went on, Tiff picked up several of the discarded claws from the pile of rubble. She slipped them into her bag so she could examine them later.

"Children."

The young ones turned and realized that Meta Knight was speaking to them.

"I want to apologize for my behavior this afternoon," he said quietly. "I should not have responded with the harshness I did."

"It's alright," the Adeleine responded with a shrug.

"What was bad that freaked you out so much?" Lololo couldn't help but ask.

The Star Warrior closed his eyes momentarily, and when they opened, they were grass green. "I cannot give you a detailed response," he answered, "but be weary. If I am right, then there will be trouble coming very soon."

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From behind a corner, Marx grinned wickedly before rushing off towards the woods. Once within, he went up to an oddly bent tree. He touched a panel hidden in the bark, which caused a door to open up. The jester hurried into it, and closed the door behind him, cautious that no one saw him.

He then went up and activated a computer screen on the other side of the room. The face of a purple skinned humanoid filled the screen. "Marx!" the creature said, a tone of false excitement that was put on for all deals in his voice. "Glad to hear from you!"

"Hold the plaudits, Honest John," Marx scowled. He knew that the friendliness was a façade, and he had other business. "I have good news."

Honest John adjusted the thick sunglasses he always wore. "You do? What do you have to report?"

"Lord Nightmare's plan worked perfectly. Everything went just as planned. I was able to manipulate the idiot into getting his two morons to make a frame. It was pretty weak and flimsy, but the monster-making device made up for that." The jester grinned evilly. "It caused a lot of trouble for that pathetic town. In the end, Project Night-Terror was able to defeat it, but there's no surprise there. We're going to need a lot more firepower than just one monster to bring him down."

"This is good news," the NME crony said. "I shall be sure to tell the master as soon as possible. All hail the Nightmare."

"May his reign of terror last forever," Marx finished, before shutting off the communication.

Honest John turned around once the meeting had ended. "I assume you heard the good news, sir," he said to the dark cloaked figure behind him.

Nightmare gave a toothy grin. "Yes. Our time is coming fast. We now have a new way of creating monsters. All we need is a frame, and the possibilities are endless."

"And I think I know just the witch to make those frames," the lackey added. "I'll go to her soon and offer her a deal."

Nightmare's eyes flashed in wicked delight. He picked up the small chess figurine of Meta Knight. The Star Warrior would certainly begin to suspect something, but that was no matter. His student was nowhere near prepared for what was coming, and, skilled though he was, the knight was not strong enough to handle everything that was coming himself. Soon, this hated foe would fall, and then the reign of terror would start in earnest.

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That night, as she was preparing for bed, frustrated thoughts ran through Tiff's mind. Once again, they had been useless in helping Kirby. Thankfully, the littler Puffals were able to aid in defeating the creature, but everyone else had to run and hide.

She closed her eyes frustrated before tossing her bag on her bed. She was surprised by a clanking sound that came out of it. She opened her bag, finding several of the "creature's" spikes, which she had brought back to study, along with a pair of golden gauntlets.

That's right, she thought as she picked up the gloves. Kirby had given those to her earlier, and she had forgotten all about them. She lifted the bright gold hand armor up to examine them. There wasn't a speck of rust or damage on them. There were holes between each knuckle, as if made for someone who had claws which were to be fought with.

That gave her an idea. Quickly, the Dreamlander girl grabbed one of the claws. She tied a cord around it and pulled the cord through a spring. This she threaded into one of the openings of the gauntlet. She then pulled back and released.

The claw shot through, embedding itself into her bedroom wall. Tiff grinned to herself. She was certain that Meta Knight was right and that trouble would be coming soon. However, if this worked as planned, then next time a monster attacks, she would be able to help Kirby defend against the monsters.

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Like Tiff, Adeleine was also having trouble sleeping. She was pouring over the leather-bound journal that they had found in the ship. It was heavily locked, and she could figure out no way to get it opened.

"Hey, 'Leine, you coming up soon?" Ado asked. She had been leaving the hall light on, but she could only wait for so long.

"I'll be up in a while," her twin responded. "I'm just trying to figure out how to get this book opened."

"Really, that's all?" Ado asked. "I've got just the way."

"How?" Adeleine asked, hopeful but skeptical.

"We paint ourselves a skeleton key, of course," Ado responded with a laugh. She withdrew her pad and did just as she described.

"Thanks," her sister responded. "I guess I'm just too tired to think straight." Adeleine tested the key. It worked, and the heavy lock fell away.

The two artists looked inside to see what was written. In a simple but dignified hand were the words "The journal of Sir Heavy Knight, Officer in the Galactic Star Army, of the Order of Star Warriors."

"Whoa! A Star Warrior's journal!" Adeleine whispered, handing the book over to Ado to look at. "This is big! We'll have to tell the others about this."

"Uh," her twin responded after a few moments. "I think this is bigger." She handed Adeleine back the book, which she had opened to a particular page.

The artist's eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw what was drawn and the description beneath it. "Oh. My. Gosh," was all she could choke out.

To be continued…

Author's note: So, once again we reach the end of an episode. I hope my readers have been enjoying the story so far. I have an announcement to make though. I plan on putting Kirby! Dreamland Chronicles on a short hiatus. During the Christmas season, I am going to focus on putting out my crossover between Kirby and A Christmas Carol. However, I do not plan on dropping Dreamland Chronicles. You can expect the next episode, "Little Miracle" Part One, on Christmas Eve. I hope to see you then!

P.S., I went with the Japanese names for the Cappy Kids because I hate the name "Spikehead". However, I do have one question for those who have heard it. Is Hohhe's name pronounced "HO-hhe," "Ho-HEE," or "Ho-HAI"?