Chapter 21: Status Retort

"Not again..." groaned Gooey. "Now we need to find yet ANOTHER way to get you back on that ship."

"But, I got the Star Rod shard," replied Kirby. "Do I really need to go back and take down the Halberd?"

Gooey growled in frustration and said, "Meta Knight is planning something. This Halberd is part of something big; I know it. If only I knew what their plan was..."

"But," said Kirby again, "I got the Star Rod shard." He then continued, with a touch of sadness in his voice, "Is bringing down the Halberd really more important than stopping Dark Matter?"

"Ergh... It depends on a lot of factors, and too many of them are unknown."

"Then, what power did the shard I just got give me?"

"Oh! Right, I haven't told you. The fifth Star Rod shard granted you the power to mix abilities. Now, if you inhale an enemy while you already have an ability, and then copy its ability, you will mix the two to create a combo-ability."

Kirby thought for a moment. He was unsure how this new power helped him. "Why would I want to do that?" he asked.

"Combo-abilities are generally more powerful than regular abilities," answered Gooey. "They are the combined power of two normal abilities, after all. It is even possible to make a combo-ability by combining two of the same ability, say Fire and Fire. I should mention, though, that you cannot combine single-use abilities like Paint or Light. Also, if you copy a third ability while you have a combo-ability, the combo-ability is replaced by the new ability. Oh, and when you combine two abilities, you should know now what the combo-ability is without my saying it."

"Huh. Wow, so, what are these combo-abilities like?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that. Still interpreting some stuff."

"...Uh," replied Kirby shortly. "What do you mean by th—"

"Hold on a minute!" interrupted Gooey. "The meeting! They're actually broadcasting it across their communications network! We can listen to it!"

And so they did. Kirby recognized the voices of the Meta Elite as they spoke.

Meta Lance: "So, now that we're here, what is it that we're here to discuss?"

Meta Axe: "I would think that's obvious, Lance. If you look at the plans, you'll see that Sand Canyon is our next target. However, it cannot be taken without the use of Combo Cannon, which Kirby destroyed. The Eye Minds will not fall to normal weaponry alone."

Meta Chain: "But, what about Grape Garden? We're done there already?"

Meta Knight: "It appears that the blue-suited Poppy Brothers Senior was dead before we got there. Our anticipated battle with him and his PBJs turned out not to be necessary. We would proceed to the Eye Minds' base in Sand Canyon if it weren't for Kirby's sabotage."

Meta Sword: "We need an accurate account of damage to go off of. Meta Drone, if you please."

Meta Drone: "Left wing is 26% operational. Right wing is at 23%. We can remain airborne if each wing's functionality is as little as 10%, but we are significantly slowed by the extensive damage, and we can only go as fast as our weaker wing allows."

There was a pause.

Captain: "Hey! Don't you all look at me! I got Kirby off the ship, didn't I?"

Meta Blade: "Cool it, Captain. Remember, the troops can hear this."

Meta Sword: "Let's get back on track. What about Combo Cannon? Let's have a status report on that."

Meta Chain: "Come on, Sword. It's been blown to smithereens!"

Meta Sword: "Even so. Meta Drone, if you please."

Meta Drone: "Combo Cannon is offline. Furthermore, it can neither be repaired nor replaced."

Meta Axe: "So, how are we going to take Sand Canyon without it?"

Meta Knight: "We're not."

There was another pause.

Meta Knight: "Our plan was to eliminate all opposition before seizing power. With Kirby in the way, and with the damage he has already caused, we have slim chances of making such a plan manifest. We must devise a new strategy."

Meta Axe: "Hmm... Well, we could go for Castle Dedede next. I know that it was originally supposed to come as the location we target last, but from there we could launch an improved assault on the remainder of our foes."

Meta Knight: "No. That would result in conflict with Dark Matter, which we must fight at the very end. We must weaken resistance before taking Castle Dedede."

Meta Sword: "Okay, so we need a new strategy for doing that. Meta Drone, where is Dark Matter headed at the moment?"

Meta Drone: "Dark Matter began its assault three days ago. It traveled south, and then west, taking the following locations, in chronological order: Cappy Town, Vegetable Valley, Whispy Woods' Forest, and Green Greens. It is currently headed southwest, out to sea, towards Ice Cream Island."

Meta Axe: "It's taken the southeast coast and left for the island in the south."

Meta Knight: "It's going after the outermost edges of Dream Land first. Based on this information, we'll assume that Dark Matter will arrive in Sand Canyon, on the southwest coast, by this time tomorrow. The Eye Minds will be its first true challenge."

Meta Sword: "And, our plan, Sir?"

Meta Knight: "We move on to the next target. Once we have control of Castle Dedede, Dark Matter will undoubtedly use the Eye Minds against us as it attacks us, removing them from the safety of their base. Then we'll be able to eliminate the Eye Minds before destroying Dark Matter."

Captain: "So, who's our next victim?"

Meta Knight: "The Underwater Mafia. It is time we ended our conflict with them once and for all."

Captain: "Ha! They won't stand a chance against our depth charges! We'll bomb them from on high without any sort of danger! Hyahahahahaha!"

Meta Knight: "Just make sure to keep all guns ready in case Kirby tries to board again. Also, we must begin keeping track of the L.A.P.'s geographical position, as they will be our next target once we are done with the Underwater Mafia. Meeting adjourned."

There was a pause before anyone spoke.

"This explains everything," said Gooey finally in bittersweet tones. "The Meta Clan has launched a campaign to take over Dream Land since Dark Matter has weakened the defenses around its current 'ruler', King Dedede. But, first, they're using the Halberd to eliminate everyone who doesn't want them taking over. The Halberd even allows them the mobility to evade Dark Matter if need be. But, Kirby, one of their targets is the L.A.P.! We must stop them before they get that far!"

Kirby remained silent. He was still a little preoccupied with the information that Dark Matter had 'taken' Vegetable Valley. If he hadn't gone on this quest, he would have been possessed by now.

"Wait a moment," resumed Gooey. "How can the Meta Clan be planning on destroying Dark Matter without the Star Rod? You can't just blow it up! What are they thinking?!"

Silence.

"Kirby?" finished Gooey. "You gonna say anything?

"Oh," responded Kirby at last. "Uh, well, how can I stop them? They're gonna have their guns ready for me alone. I can't stand up to that..."

"Naw, you can't," said a low, cawing voice suddenly, "but who says you have to?"

"Who's there?" said Kirby and Gooey simultaneously. Kirby spun around to locate the source of the voice, as it hadn't come from the phone.

A white pelican flew down to the ground in front of Kirby.

"I've been tailing you since you killed our man Sweet Stuff," said the pelican. "The boss sure is angry with you, see? But, I reckon bearing a grudge wouldn't be smart now we've got a common enemy."

"Who..." began Kirby.

"The name's Cawcun," said the pelican. "I am an associate of the Underwater Mafia."

Kirby didn't know what to think of this. Gooey, however, responded in skeptical tones, "Oh, really? And how do we know we can trust you?"

"Well, for one thing..." Cawcun paused while he opened his mouth wide, revealing the nozzle of a gun just above his mandible. "I haven't attacked you, see?"

"That doesn't convince me of anything," said Gooey; his tone of voice alone conveyed his disbelief.

"You're no fool, Gooey, putting your money on this Dream Lander guy," replied Cawcun. "He would've murdered me real quick if I'd attacked."

"I'm still waiting for you to give us some reason to trust you."

"If I were you, I wouldn't be waiting for anything right now. I'm not gonna stick around for this, see? I'm gonna go distract the Halberd. If you want to see your precious L.A.P. again, you two had better get your heads out of the sand, if you know what I mean."

Cawcun flew off to the east.

"We most certainly are not..." began Gooey angrily. "Kirby, I'm sending you a Warp Star with a Maxim Tomato. You need to follow him! If he does indeed provide an opening for you to board the Halberd, be sure to take advantage of it."