Chapter 7: Ghrelin

It all started when Meta Knight was having a monthly check-up. Everything went smoothly as it usually did, until he was weighed. It was after that moment that the head nurse, Bio Gale, became unusually silent as she stared at the clipboard with the results. It was beginning to unnerve the knight.

"...Bio Gale?" he asked. No response.

He walked closer to her. "Head Nurse Bio Gale?" Nothing.

"Is everything all righ-"

"Lord Meta Knight, you're going on a diet."

Meta Knight simply blinked in response as the nurse glared at him.

"You've been eating too many of those desserts you like to have when you think no one is looking."

"Please wait a moment, Nurse Gale. Exactly how much have I gained?"

"About 2.3 kilograms."

The quick, blunt reply caught him off guard.

"I mean no offense to you, Nurse Gale, but I fail to see the issue."

"The issue is if you keep it up, it will be more than 2.3."

Meta Knight mentally facepalmed at this. Due to his species naturally having an extremely fast metabolism, he could easily work off 2.3 kilograms in a single training session. It truly wasn't a big deal. But he also knew that Bio Gale wouldn't take no for an answer, so might as well play along. For now.

"Very well. I will do as you say." He sighed.

With a nod, the nurse vanished from sight.

"I don't plan on following it for long anyway. How bad could it really be?" The knight thought.

It was now evening, and Meta Knight just finished an intense training session. He was starving and beginning to wonder what Sailor made for dinner today. That was when Bio Gale teleported in front of him holding a tray of food.

"Nurse Gale, what is this?"

"Your new diet. You'll be eating this from now on."

Sighing, Meta Knight took the tray and went to his room. He figured that if he didn't like it, he could always throw it away. Though, when he entered his room, he noticed that his trash can was missing.

"I took the liberty to remove it, just in case you try something. I'll put it back after you eat."

With that, she "vanished" from sight. However, the knight already knew that she was simply hiding in the shadows like she always did. It was then he got a good look at the food he was given. It looked...strange. While he could see there were a lot of vegetables, there was an indescribable brown mush also pilled on the plate. Honestly, the look of it alone made him lose his appetite, but he knew that the head nurse wouldn't leave him alone until he did. With a slight sigh, he braced himself and took a bite. Almost immediately, his body wanted to violently reject what he had eaten, but he barely resisted enough to swallow it. Quickly, he grabbed a glass of water and drank its entire contents.

"...Gale..." he gasped. "What is this...?!"

The kunoichi appeared on top of his filing cabinet. "Various leafy green vegetables, a small amount of turkey, fruit, yogurt, and a hard-boiled egg. All of which are proportioned enough to be sure that you're eating all the necessary nutrients you need in a day without consuming too many calories. It's based on a similar recipe for the manjuu my clan eats when out on long missions. Why do you ask?"

"...it tastes awful." He gagged as he coughed again. "I... I've had military rations that taste better than this!"

"It's a small price to pay for better health, Lord Meta Knight. Now please finish your meal." Without another word, she vanished.

The knight could only look back at his food and stare with silent dread at the thought that he had to eat this every single day.

A couple of weeks had passed since the diet first began. Meta Knight had continued to eat the horrible "meals" that Bio Gale prepared for him each day. While it did help him lose weight, it also was making him feel worse than he had before. Most noticeably, he lacked the energy to do much and even had to cancel a handful of training sessions with Kirby because of how exhausted he was. Even worse, when he tried to fall asleep, he'd often be kept awake by his hunger. He had thought several times about coming clean to the nurse and explaining that his species had a faster metabolism than most but rejected that thought upon thinking about how she'd react to such a revelation. There is no doubt that she'd just see it as an excuse.

Currently, Meta Knight was taking a walk, hoping that the fresh air would make him feel better by serving as a distraction to his constant feeling of hunger. Luckily, Bio Gale was busy looking after Sailor Dee, who unfortunately caught the flu. While part of him felt sorry for his crewmate, he was also happy to finally get away from that paranoid, overly serious nurse. Admittedly, he barely had enough energy to make it to Prism Plains just for a change of scenery, but it was honestly worth it in the end, as the fresh air truly did help to clear his mind. Suddenly, he heard what sounded like... mice? He turned to see a group of small, mouse-like blob creatures carrying multiple small treasure chests passing by him and heading into the nearby forest. Curious, he decided to go after them, but just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished without a trace. Was his mind playing tricks on him?

"...I must be hungrier than I thought." He uttered, shaking his head.

Well, while he was out here and away from the Head Nurse, why doesn't he go buy something sweet? No... that wouldn't be good at all. It would be a disgrace to his reputation to be seen buying and eating sweets. Unless... ah, he could just say that they're a gift for Kirby. No one would see anything wrong with that, would they? Then he could find a hidden place to eat them. Yes, that will do.

Upon returning to the main base, Meat Knight found someone unexpectedly waiting for him.

"Welcome b-ba-ACHOO! Back sir." Sailor Dee weakly said. Thankfully, the mask he was forced to wear blocked the sneeze.

"Sailor, I thought both Nurse Gale and myself told you to remain in bed." The knight replied, trying his best not to sound irritated.

"Well... I know... but we received an important message from Kurabe..."

The knight felt a slight chill for some reason upon hearing that. "I see. Well, thank you, Sailor, but please head back to bed, that's an order."

"Aye, aye, captain..." The Dee saluted with a sniffle.

After Sailor left, Meta Knight looked at the message that had arrived from his mentor.

"Dear Meta,

To make a long story short, a gang of intergalactic thieves known as the Squeaks stole a certain dangerous treasure chest. This chest contains a dangerous creature known as Dark Nebula. The leader of the Squeaks, Daroach, was last seen headed towards Dreamland. Would you please keep a look out for him and his gang? I've included pictures of all of the Squeaks for reference. If you see them with the chest, I highly recommend that you report them. Although knowing how you are, you will actively try to fight them. In the case that happens, confiscate the chest so it can be returned to HQ or, in an absolute last resort, destroy the contents. Either way, please stay safe.

Much love, Kurabe."

Meta Knight's first thought was to slightly chuckle at the motherly tone his mentor used to write her message. His second thought was about this being known as Dark Nebula. Who exactly is he? Not only that, but he recognized the small mice blobs in the photos as the same ones that passed him by on his walk.

"I'll just have to remember to keep an eye out for them..." he thought.

After placing the message and included photos in his cape subspace, Meta Knight started making his way to his room, fully expecting another "meal" courtesy of Bio Gale. He shivered a bit as he wrapped his cape around himself.

"Is it supposed to be this cold around this time of year? Or is it just my imagination?" he thought as he walked.

Along the way to his room, he heard yet another argument between Axe Knight and Mace Knight. Normally he would just ignore it, but for some reason, it was getting on his nerves. The more he walked through the hallway, the more it grated on his nerves and the louder it felt. The louder it felt, the more he couldn't hear himself think. After that, he just couldn't take it anymore.

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP!?" he suddenly shouted, turning back to his men with a harsh glare.

Without another word, he only continued walking as his men continued to stare in shock. As he began to approach the door to his room, he began to feel... tired. More tired than he had felt at any point these past few weeks, like any energy he previously showed was being sucked out the closer he got. Not only that, but he could feel his brain slowing down and his vision blurring. The moment he reached the door, his mind just... blanked. The last thing he could remember hearing before he lost consciousness was collapsing to the ground followed by the faint voices of his crew, calling out his name.

Meta Knight groaned as he woke up. It took a while for his eyes to readjust to the bright lights, but soon enough he came to recognize that he was laying in Bio Gale's office.

"Lord Meta Knight, you're finally awake..." Gale said, although there was something particularly off about her. Whatever it was exactly, Meta Knight would have the chance to figure out later.

"Nurse Gale, what happened?" He asked, trying his best to reign in his rising anger.

"You were walking to your room when you suddenly fainted." The nurse explained.

"I see... do you know why?" he asked.

"Well... your symptoms seem to point to one thing, but that's impossible..."

"Tell me."

"They matched up with those of low-calorie intake... but that's impossible, since the meals I made for you give you both the right amount of nutrients and calories needed for a single day..." The kunoichi appeared to be genuinely confused by this.

Meta Knight had enough at this point.

"Head Nurse Bio Gale... you do understand that my species has a faster metabolism than average and can easily burn off 2.3 or more kilograms in a single intense training session, don't you?"

Admittedly, the way he said that was a bit colder than he thought it would sound.

Time seemed to stop after the knight revealed that information. Bio Gale became completely still, as if what she just heard knocked her out. Meta Knight started to get worried, with any previous aggression he had completely gone.

"Bio Gale?' He said, receiving no response.

Without a single word, Bio Gale disappeared from sight and came back holding a piece of paper, which she then handed to the knight.

"What is this?"

"My resignation." She said, her voice noticeably shaking.

"Denied." He firmly replied, only for the kunoichi to shake her head in response.

"Lord Meta Knight, I made a grave mistake. My incompetency led to this situation, where I ended up causing harm to my own patient. I don't deserve to be here, let alone be working in any medical profession." She lowered her head in disgrace.

Now Meta Knight felt horrible. Why exactly did he go through this again? That's right. He had such little faith in his own subordinate that he believed she wouldn't listen to him if he spoke up about it. No matter how he looked at it, this was ultimately his fault.

"Gale, let me ask you a question. Did you have good intentions when you put me on that diet?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then there's no issue. You made a mistake, a mistake that can be easily forgiven."

"Why would you forgive me for that!?" Bio Gale yelled, which surprised Meta Knight, as he had never seen her yell before.

"You once said you consider this crew family, correct?"

He was given a nod in response.

"Then there's your answer. Families fight, but they also forgive."

"Yes, but...to make such a mistake as a medical officer is absolutely unforgivable...!"

As much as the knight wanted to comment how unusual it was to see the Head Nurse acting this distressed, he shoved that thought to the back of his mind and let out a sigh.

"You are required to swear an oath to become a medical practitioner, are you not? Recall for me the second line of that oath."

Gale only looked at him for a moment. "I shall abstain from whatever is harmful and malicious, and shall not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug."

"And what is the last line of that oath?"

"I shall be loyal to my work and devoted towards the welfare of those committed to my care..."

"You didn't know that the diet you assigned would be a bad thing and you did it out of concern of my welfare. Is that correct?"

"Yes..."

"Then you're more than worthy of being a medical officer. I've yet to encounter someone as dedicated to the profession as much as you are."

Bio Gale became quiet for a moment before bowing.

"Thank you very much, Lord Meta Knight."

She then walked over to her desk.

"Now if you excuse me, I need to make adjustments." She said, causing Meta Knight to look a little confused.

"With this new information you gave me, I can make an even better diet, one that will ensure you remain in peak physical condition." She said, already reading through new recipes and complex medical information that honestly went over Meta Knight's head.

"I see. I'll be returning to my room." He then began heading towards the door, only to stop before it. "One more thing, Nurse Gale."

The kunoichi looked up from her notes. "Yes, sir?"

"Keep up the good work."

He received an understanding nod in response.

As Meta Knight walked back to his room, he was approached by Archer Kibble, one of the maintenance workers and caretaker of the main base.

"Lord Meta Knight." She said with a salute.

"What is it?"

"We received a report from Captain Vul. Repairs are almost complete. He requests your presence in Secret Sea as soon as possible."

The knight quietly nodded as a smile formed under his mask.

"It's about time..."

Hm? Did I really complete this chapter so soon? Ah, well, I guess part of that is because the last one was uploaded while I was waiting for some assignments to upload.

Anyway, this chapter is fairly short and the next one will likely be fairly short as well. I don't think there's much to work with in Squeak Squad...