Chapter 14: Friendship Diary (Part 1)
Plenty of time has passed since the Great Cake Royale. Dreamland has been in relative peace. No crazy attacks, no dumb monster shenanigans. Just peaceful peace on this peaceful planet. King Dedede was sitting on his throne, munching on food as per usual.
"Ugh... man, it sure is boring around here..." He grumbled.
"Your majesty, you've been saying that every day for the past six weeks." Renya Dee said as he shook his head.
"Well, I'm sorry for being BORED!" He suddenly shouted, causing some of the other Waddle Dees in the room to jump.
"If you're that bored, why don't you do some training? Or go swimming?"
"I trained yesterday, and I swam the day before that!"
"Then go for a walk. There's plenty of things you can do besides complaining."
"AND WHAT IF I LIKE COMPLAINING?!"
"Then complain about anything but being bored."
"Fine, I'll complain about you telling me to not complain about being bored!"
Renya shook his head with a sigh. "Good enough."
Dedede crossed his arms and looked outside. The scenery was what one would expect. Blue sky, plenty of clouds, a purple object flying right towards them, a flock of birds.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
"What is it, your highness?"
"Waddya mean "what?" Look outside!"
Renya turned to the window and squinted. "...it appears that there is a purple object heading straight towards us."
"No duh! Everyone, duck and cover!" Dedede yelled as he tackled some of the Dee's to the floor to shield them as best he could until the dust cleared.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the strange purple object, revealed to be heart shape, left a bit of a crater in the middle of the floor. Dedede stood up, both angry but also curious. Slowly he walked up to the heart shaped object.
"Your highness don't! It might be dangerous!" Renya warned.
"Is that your way of saying you don't think I can handle it?"
"That's my way of saying we don't know what it is. It could be a new type of Dark Matter and we both know what tends to happen when Dark Matter gets involved."
"This don't look like no Dark Matter I've seen before!"
"THAT'S EXACTLY MY POINT!"
Dedede rolled his eyes. "You worry too much. Besides, Dark Matter is dead or as good as dead after Zero bit the dust. Twice. What's the worst that could happen?"
"A lot of things and especially now it'll happen now that you said this!"
"Well, excuse me for wanting to get to the heart of the matter." The king said, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to make a pun.
"Your highness, this isn't the time for making puns. We have to figure out how we're going to investigate that thing safely."
He scoffed at that notion. "Please I already have a safe way to investigate it. My hand of mine!"
"But your highness..."
"But nothing!" Dedede reached out and touched the mysterious object, an action he soon would regret. Purple energy came out of the heart and completely covered him. The king stood still, not saying anything, not moving a single inch. The Waddle Dee's looked at him in concern.
"...your highness?" Renya asked in a nervous tone.
Dedede's body slowly turned around to reveal his eyes were glowing an ominous red.
"Oh no..." He uttered.
The king snarled and opened his mouth to yell. "BRING ME ALL DA FOOD IN DREAMLAND!"
All the Waddle Dees in the room seemed to blink in simultaneous shock and confusion.
"...excuse me?" Renya asked.
"YOU HEARD ME! BRING ME FOOD, YOU NIMRODS!" He continued to yell.
Suddenly, the same dark energy began to consume many of the Waddle Dee's, giving them the same glowing eyes.
"Y-yes, your highness!" Was the immediate response.
"Bandana, get out of here and get you know who!" Renya ordered as his eyes slowly started to become red.
"Already on it, Renya!" The Waddle Dee shouted before running out of the castle.
"Nova speed." He struggled to say before he was completely taken over.
When Dedede came to, he was in a familiar and aggravating position. He could tell he once again trapped in his own body.
"Just great. I'm possessed again, ain't I? So, who or what is it this time? A mage? An embodiment of chaos? A rotten egg? Come on show yourself already so you can do your dumb monolog."
However, nothing showed up.
"Well, that's different. And a bit spooky, normally something shows up by now."
"MORE FOOD DANG IT!" He suddenly heard a loud, aggravating and annoying voice yell.
"Wait a minute... that was my loud, aggravating and annoying voice! But why is my body talking and demanding food?" He then looked around. "Aight, who's the one possessing me!?"
Again nothing, nothing but the literal sound of his voice demanding food.
"...is it literally just me!?"
Dedede was starting to get worried. This time was certainly different from every other time he was possessed or brainwashed or anything of the like.
"...That heart thing I touched, that must be the reason I'm like this."
Not only that, but he could now see that his Waddle Dees also had red eyes and were mindlessly delivering him food.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but stop giving me food!" He yelled.
Of course, his body said the complete opposite. "KEEP GIVING ME FOOD!"
The king let out a groan. "Ugh... am I gonna have to wait for that dumb blob to show up!?" Dedede was expecting some condescending voice to say, "what do you think?" Or "There's no escape from my control." But, alas, for poor Dedede, he was completely alone, unable to do anything.
"Ugh...this sucks!" He sighed. "At least I can still see out of my eyes, but dang this is hard to watch."
The fact that he could do nothing but watch his Waddle Dees practically overwork themselves sickened him a bit.
"Come on me! Give them a break already!"
However, he heard those words once more. "GET ME MORE FOOD!"
Dedede was now completely out of patience.
"Wait, I don't see Bandana. Good, that means he's safe at least. He can grab help and I'll have my sweet bod back." He then let out a groan.
"The problem is waiting for him to get back..." He metaphorically shrugged.
"Eh... he's fast, he should be here in no time. Might as well nap while I can." He said, deciding to fall asleep.
When he woke up, he unfortunately was still trapped in his body. Thankfully from his eyes he could see a group of four standing before him. This was Kirby, Bandana Dee and his old comrades Ribbon and Adeline.
"Ugh... it's about time that blob got here!"
The blob in question walked up. "Dedede, are you under that heart's thing control, too?"
"Of course!" Was what the king inside said, but that wasn't what he said on the outside.
"You! You've come to ruin my meal again have you! No one gets in my way! No one!" Dedede's body yelled out like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I think that answers your question, Kirby." Bandana uttered.
"Hey, body! At least say what I'm actually saying! Why is it spouting words I would say if I was younger!?" The king questioned, thinking back to the first time he stole all the food in Dreamland.
However, there was no response.
"Of course it does! There's no way Dedede nowadays would take all the food in Dreamland!"
Internally, Dedede smiled at that, his smile slowly dropping as he realized something. The way his body was acting, it was like an exaggerated version of his younger, dumber self.
"Well, then we have to free him, don't we?" Adeleine asked.
"The only freeing that's gonna happen is me freeing my castle from your obnoxious presence!" Dedede's body yelled, brandishing his hammer.
Kirby equally readied his Copy Ability for combat, which was the Water Ability.
"You think I'm scared of a little water?" Dedede's body yelled, with the real king shaking his head at how dumb his possessed body was being. Kirby responded by shooting out a blast of water at him, knocking the hammer out of his hands. The evil king growled and roared in anger.
"THAT'S IT! YOU'LL PAY FOR EVERYTHING YOU LITTLE ANNOYANCE!" He screamed as his body began to change. His arms became muscular and doubled in size, same as his chest. Gone was the normal pudgy Dedede, I'm front of Kirby and the gang was now a buff Dedede. While the group there stared in horror, the internal king thought otherwise.
"Wait, are they admiring me?"
How the king even got to that conclusion would remain a mystery for the rest of time. However, his thoughts seemed to somewhat change when Kirby attacked him.
"Hey, watch the merchandise!" Both Dedede's yelled as his body swung a massive fist that was easily avoided.
Then, as if Kirby's attack snapped them out of it, the other two members of the group started to join in on the beat down.
"Hey! If you're gonna free me, do it less painfully! Ow, Bandana you know better than to stab me there!"
But no one seemed to listen. He had a mouth, but he could not scream. Dedede's body grabbed a bunch of the stolen food, which by this point as already become rotten and threw them all at Kirby. As if quickly thinking, the puff shot water at the food, which seemed to instantly become new again.
"How does that work!?"
The real Dedede questioned but quickly decided it wasn't important. To his body, what was important was defeating these nuisances! With a little bit of effort, the king destroyed the floor they were all on, sending them to another floor with large pillars.
"HEY, I HAVE TO PAY TO FIX THAT, YOU KNOW!" The internal king shouted.
Dedede's body grabbed hold of the pillars and spun around incredibly quickly, becoming a muscley penguin tornado. However, the attacks kept coming. Kirby kept shooting streams of water, Bandana throwing unlimited spears and Ribbon shooting crystal shards. The king's massive body was nothing more than a giant target and he couldn't do anything about it. And this more than irritated the king inside.
"If I had full control of my body, I'd be doing much better than this idiot!"
Thankfully, the king wouldn't need to complain for much longer as Kirby readied himself and launched a gigantic wave that knocked Dedede down.
"Ugh, is he done yet!?" To make extra sure he was defeated, Bandana stabbed Dedede one more time.
"Aight, now that's just excessive!"
For some vague reason, the king had the feeling that this was Bandana venting the stress he had towards the king against him. Regardless of that slightly disturbing thought, Dedede slowly felt control being granted to him again as a purple heart came out of his body.
"Ah! It's one of those heart things I've been seeing!" The puff shouted before turning to the king. "But first..." He pulled out a pink heart and threw it at the king.
Dedede's body went back to normal, and the king jumped into the air striking a pose.
"Great King, are you ok?" Bandana asked.
"I feel a sharp pain in my side." He groaned.
"Yeah, we should probably get that treated."
"Save that for later. Can anyone explain what the heck happened to me?"
"Um... you were possessed by some purple heart thing, and you went berserk."
"Ok, anyone got any specifics?"
"We're waiting for Renya to get back to us with that. Kirby threw a Friend Heart at him to free him from the possession."
"Slow down! What's this about friend hearts or whatever?"
"They're this strange ability Kirby suddenly picked up. It allows him to free people from the influence of purple hearts like the one what was possessing you."
"Well, alright, I guess. Why are you using water, Kirby?"
The puff, who was tossing Friend Hearts at more Waddle Dees, turned to them.
"Because I used Fire against Whispy Woods, and accidently set him on fire, so I felt bad and used water to put it out!" He replied with a timid giggle.
"...Ok. Now, how impressed were you by my muscles?"
The Dee stared blankly, as if traumatized.
"Uh... Bandana, you alright? Were my muscles really that glorious?"
"Suuureee... let's go with that..." Adeleine said from behind him.
"How'd you even do that?" Kirby asked.
"I don't know!"
"Huh?"
"If I knew how I would do it all the time!"
"Please don't do it all the time..." Bandana uttered under his breath.
"I just said I don't know how!"
"Then it must have something to do with that purple heart thing." Ribbon said.
"Yeah probably." Dedede said, disappointed that he'll never look like that again. However, everyone else seemed relieved by that idea.
"They're just jealous of my good looks." The king thought to himself, completely in denial.
"Bandana, I think I've pulled up information on the strange purple heart you told me to look up." Renya said as he entered the room.
"Oh, I see his highness has returned to normal."
"Renya, you're ok!" Dedede exclaimed only to notice Renya had his "I told you so" expression. "What you givin' me that look for!?"
"I warned you against touching the heart, didn't I?"
"...y-yeah! So?"
"So!? You became possessed, ordered us to steal food from Dreamland and destroyed part of the castle!"
"You were also possessed, weren't ya!?"
"Because you touched it! No one would have gotten possessed if you just listened to me!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do!?"
"Nothing! You could have done nothing!"
"And then what?!"
"And we could have gotten our scientists to examine it from a safe distance."
"Then they would just get possessed, wouldn't they?!"
"WHAT PART OF SAFE DISTANCE DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!" Renya yelled, clearly angry by the king's carelessness.
"Renya, what's this about the purple heart?" Bandana asked, getting between them.
"...Right. From my research I've discovered it's called the Jamba Heart."
"Jamba Heart? I ain't never heard of that before."
"Because it's apart of a religion, you know. The thing you have no interest in."
"Well, that crap's boring! Of course I wouldn't care about it!"
"...Anyway, it's said to bring out someone's most negative traits and amplifies them."
"Ah, so that's why Dedede was acting how he used to act!" Kirby exclaimed.
"And probably why Whispy was so grouchy." Bandana added. He then turned to the glasses-wearing Dee. "And why you were so snobby."
"Yes, precisely. Now this is just my own hypothesis, but it appears the more negative the trait, the more powerful the victim becomes. Which might explain your random transformation into that grotesque ogre." Renya said towards Dedede.
"That's probably why you also gave us a hard time." Kirby said.
"Back up! What do you mean negative traits? There's nothing negative about me!"
Almost everyone in the room glared at the king.
"Oh please! Name one thing!"
"Well, you were ordering people to take all the food and Dreamland and give it to you."
"That was years ago and today doesn't count!"
"You're also pretty greedy and arrogant, your highness." Renya said.
"So? How is that negative?"
"...are you serious?"
"I'm always serious!"
The glasses wearing Waddle Dee gave a sigh. "I'd be pointless to explain..."
"Besides, we can't stay here for much longer." Kirby stated.
"We have to get rid of as many of those hearts as possible!" Bandana nodded in agreement.
"And maybe we can look for Meta Knight and he can give us more information!"
That got Dedede's interest. He hadn't seen the knight in a while, not since the cake royale. Even then his contact with the knight that day was minimal. Besides, it seemed like Dreamland was in trouble and when it's in trouble.
"You'll need the king!"
"Are you sure about that, your highness? You're probably still injured."
Dedede rolled his eyes. "Just give me a maximum tomato and I'll be good."
"Alright, then you should probably get going, your highness. The group already seemed to have left." Amaguchi stated.
"What!? I expect from the blob but even Bandana? Hey, you punks wait for me!"
"Well, they did seem to be in a rush after mentioning Meta Knight-"
However, Dedede was already gone by the time he said that.
"...Well, everyone let's get to work fixing the castle. Again."
"Yes, sir!" The Dees replied.
It didn't take long at all for Dedede to catch up with Kirby's group.
"The heck did you leave me behind for!?"
"Oh, we're kind of in a bit of a rush!" The puff replied.
"But leaving without even a word!? That's just plain rude!"
"Oh. Ehehe... sorry!"
Dedede glared at the kid, but also at Bandana. "I expect that from Kirby, but what the heck, Bandana?"
"Um... well... you seemed like you were gonna argue with Renya again and I wanted nothing to do with it."
"Bullcrap! You took after we got done with our argument!"
"Ahhh... I'm sorry, your highness!" The Dee jumped.
Dedede was still angry, especially after Bandana stabbed him when he was already down. But even he knew that there were more pressing matters to attend to.
"Apology accepted."
"Thank you, your majesty. But are you sure you want to be moving around so soon?"
"I'm perfectly fine!"
"Even though you're using that hammer as a walking stick?" Adeline deadpanned.
"YES!" He then stared at the artist and fairy in confusion. "So uh, why are you two with the sentient bubble gum?"
"Well, we both decided to help him out. Also, because we're both curious to know more about those Jamba Heart things." Ribbon replied.
Next to speak was Bandana. "It's not that I don't trust Renya to get information, it's just that I think Meta Knight might know more."
"I know that part! I know why you goody goodies are helping, but how did you come to be here? Especially you little miss, shouldn't you be on Ripple Star? Oh, don't tell me it's under attack again!"
"...it is." "Great, and I assume these heart thingamajigs are to blame?"
"From what I've seen so far, yes."
"And you came here to get your boyfriend. And you, Adeleine?" Dedede asked, enjoying the embarrassed expression on the fairy's face and the look of confusion on Kirby's.
"I just thought I'd help out everyone."
"And we happened to come across her and Ribbon on the way here." Bandana added.
The duo nodded, as if to confirm this.
"Well, alright, now let's go find and fight the moody blueberry."
"Yup! That's what we're gonna do! There's no doubt he's gonna know more about all of this than anyone!"
"Are you sure about that, Kirby?" Adeleine asked.
"Yup! Meta Knight knows EVERYTHIIINGG!" He them paused as if finally registering something. "Dedede, what do you mean fight?"
"Ain't it obvious? He's probably possessed by that heart thing like I was."
The puff tilted his head. "And what makes you think that?"
"He's not here, is he? If he was in control of his body and was aware of what's going on, then wouldn't he have already come to you?"
"Well, he also could be investigating another area!"
"Without contacting you or his crew? He's antisocial but even he knows how to give people updates."
"I haven't talked to his crew, but he somehow hasn't contacted me first."
"Then he's possessed. So, let's go find him, smack some sense into him and be on our merry way."
"You mean talk to him afterwards!" Kirby said with a pout.
"I said what I said. Now let's head to the mountains."
"How are you sure that's where he will be?"
"One, he likes flying by the mountains. Two, if he's possessed and looking for a fight, he would choose a location that he can go all out at. And three, he likes posing on top of rocks."
"Ooooh. Ok!" The puff replied casually.
"But can we even beat him if he doesn't have any self-control? He's the strongest warrior like ever, right?" Adeleine questioned.
"Thankfully, we already have someone with us who's beaten him multiple times before." Bandana stated.
"Yup! It'll be fine!" Kirby said, though it was obvious to everyone he wasn't exactly excited about the idea of fighting his mentor.
This seemed to draw concern from Dedede and his companions.
"What? You afraid you might actually lose?"
"No! Not at all! I just... rather not fight him if I don't have to. Especially if he's possessed..."
At first, Dedede was going to scoff, but he stopped to actually think. Those hearts bring out the worse in a person, and if Meta Knight really was under its control... the mere thought of it slightly scared him.
"The worst parts of that blueberry... yeah, I can understand..." He thought. He didn't know everything, but he did know once upon a time Meta Knight was a ruthless fighter, a stark contrast to the current noble and cool-headed warrior.
"It's gonna be awful if he's like how he was back then..." He laughed internally, but it was clearly one without humor. "Now I'm hoping that I'm actually wrong this one time and that he's actually perfectly fine."
Soon, the group arrived at a place known as Sacred Square.
"Alright, he should hopefully be around here somewhere. Hey blueberry! Show yourself!"
There was a moment of silence, as if he wasn't there.
"Well, I guess he's not here then..." Just as Kirby was about to walk off, a voice resounded throughout the entire area.
"Kirby, prepare yourself!"
Almost immediately, a sword was tossed and embedded in the ground in front of the puff.
"...Of course the one time I hate being right." Dedede uttered getting his hammer ready.
As expected, Kirby grabbed it and copied the Sword Ability. The moment that happened, Meta Knight took to the air and dive-bombed Kirby, knocking him away a few feet.
"Meta-sensei! What's wrong with you?!" The puff shouted.
"He must be under the influence of that Jamba whatever that made me all buff!" Dedede yelled out.
The king swung at Meta Knight but was quickly knocked aside effortlessly, as if he was nothing more than an annoying fly.
"None of that matters! I only care about Kirby, the rest of you can disappear!" Meta Knight yelled out, dark energy coming out of his body. He then created three clones of himself, an ability he had never used before and sent them after the whole group.
"The heck, man!? Since when can you do this!? You hate clones!"
"Yes, but this is him while he's at his worst!" Adeline quickly replied as she painted a Fighter headband and tossed it to Kirby, who copied it and gained the Fighter Ability.
"A savage warrior who will use whatever to win huh? So, this is the legendary soldier... "the Knightmare" ..." Dedede thought to himself, shaking in fear.
Almost immediately, he was attacked by one of the Meta Knight clones.
"Hey! Back off, man! What happened to that honor of yours!?"
However, he didn't seem to be listening.
"Oh right, clone. Talking is pointless then. Fine! I prefer swinging anyway!" He yelled as he swung at the clone.
The clone only dodged the attacks swiftly. Then, the king felt himself be hit by a rock. He turned to see that the knight was now using some kind of telepathy to toss rocks at him and Kirby. Getting annoyed, Dedede caught one of the rocks and chuckled it at the clones he was fighting, scoring a direct hit.
"Aight, now to fight the blueberry himself!"
As soon as he said that he noticed that the other clones were also defeated. Just as the group was heading to attack the knight, he let out a burst of dark energy, followed by his most powerful technique: the Mach Tornado.
"Yeah, should of saw that coming." Dedede complained as he lied on the ground.
"Time to ensure my victory." The king heard an unusually monotone voice utter.
Looking up he saw Meta Knight slowly approach Kirby, who was also on the ground, begging Meta Knight to stop. Dedede tried to get up but his body refused to move. Not just from pain, but from fear as well. Even from the distance he was at, he could see those cold eyes the knight had, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Suddenly, the knight's body stopped, as if the child's pleading had somehow reached him. Then, without a second to spare, Kirby punched him in the face as hard as he could.
"MEGATON PUNCH!"
The impact echoed throughout the arena as Meta Knight's mask shattered and he fell to his back.
"Now, please return to your senses!" The puff shouted as he tossed a Friend Heart at him.
Dedede slowly got up and walked over to Kirby.
"You alright twerp?"
"I'm fine, but can you stay there for a couple minutes? At least until Meta Knight gets up?"
"Uh... sure. How long will it take for him?"
"Two minutes."
"Alright. I'm surprised, you managed to get him to come to his senses, if only for a brief moment."
"I'm not! He cares a lot about me!" The puff giggled.
Dedede grunted. Honestly, he was bit mad that Meta Knight could regain some control when he couldn't.
After two minutes, a groan was heard. "What happened?"
Then, a panicked gasp as the knight scrambled and stood up with a new mask on.
"Nobody saw my face, did they?" He asked in a dark tone.
"Meta-sensei, you're back to normal!" Kirby cried out happily.
"Good to see you're finally awake, blueberry, but there's better places to sleep than the ground, ya know." Dedede said with a laugh. But while he appeared jolly, he was incredibly worried. Meta Knight's savage way of fighting refusing to leave his mind.
"I'm just relieved that he's ok and not our enemy now..." Bandana said with a sigh.
"Yeah. I haven't seen how he normally fights, but he seemed to be really strong during that last battle." The artist added with her fairy companion nodding. The knight looked confused at the fairy and artist.
"And who might you two be? I don't recognize either of you."
"That's right, Meta Knight wasn't with us during the Crystal Shards incident..." Dedede thought to himself.
"We haven't met before. I'm Adeline and this is Ribbon, we're friends of Kirby."
After listening to their introductions, the king himself spoke up. "Well, now that them introductions are done, MK, ya gots any idea 'bout them Jam-whatchamacallits?"
"Jamba Heart, your highness."
"Yeah, that thing!"
The knight looked like he was thinking, but wasn't fully sure of it. "First, I'd like to ask why all of you are here."
This was Kirby's cue to start talking. "Oh, uh...I was taking a nap, then I woke up when a pink heart thing hit me! It gave me the ability to toss these pink heart things at people and free them from some purple magic stuff! Oh, oh, oh! I also was walking around, and I found Bandana and Adeline and Ribbon! Adeline and Ribbon seemed to be visiting and stuff, but then I found out Waddle Dees were taking a bunch of food to Castle Dedede! Then Bandana said that something weird is going on 'cuz Dedede's telling the Waddle Dees to steal all the food in Dreamland again! Which is really, really bad since Dedede would never do that ever again! All the Waddle Dees were afraid to defy him, so he went out on his own while the archivist stayed in the library to investigate the purple heart thing that possessed Dedede! Then we beat up Whispy Woods and came to the castle and beat him up!"
The king grumbled at Kirby's explanation. Not because it was bad, but because he completely skipped the best part, his kingly muscles! "Alright, pinky, let me take over." The king uttered, wanting to correct this mistake ASAP. He cleared his voice and continued from there. "So, I was apparently possessed by one of them Jam Heart things, but I felt totally normal. Well, 'cept I was a bit hungrier than normal and just wanted to eat all the food I could and that feeling went away once Kirby tossed one of them heart things at me. Also, it gave me a bunch more power that caused me to go buff 'n stuff." He crossed his arms proudly, as if Meta Knight should be amazed by that, but the latter only stared at him in puzzlement.
"...you didn't miss much to be honest." Adeline shrugged with Ribbon and Bandana nodding in agreement.
Dedede's face grew red in anger at the dismissal. "HEY, I WAS TOLD I LOOKED ABSOLUTELY STUNNING! BEAUTIFUL! HANDSOME! SHOULDA BEEN TURNED INTO A STATUE!" The king shouted back.
"By who?" Adeline asked simply.
"All of your silence spoke volumes about it!"
"So, what lead all of you to come here?" Meta Knight quickly interjected, cutting off further conversation on the matter and giving Bandana a chance to speak up.
"Renya managed to find out that the thing that possessed Dedede was called the Jamba Heart, so we decided to look for you. We thought that you would know more about it. It was also to chase after the piece that flew off. That lead us here."
The masked man nodded. "Now, you asked me if I know about the Jamba Hearts, correct? Yes, I have."
Kirby gave a smile. "Ah! I knew you would know! So, what's this Jamba..."
"Those things aren't the Jamba Heart itself. They're its fragments."
The blunt response from Meta Knight slightly surprised everyone gathered. Suddenly, the ground began to shake.
"AGH! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE?!" The king shouted.
"An earthquake? No..." The knight uttered as he turned in the direction of the tremors.
In the distance, the group began to see a massive object landing on the surface of the planet. It appeared to be a giant flying fortress of some kind. Dedede just stared at it, getting a sense of dread and of envy. Why couldn't he have something like that?
"I know that look Dedede, complain about it later. Kirby, summon the Warp Star! I'll explain more while we make our way to that thing!"
With a single nod, his student complied.
While taking flight, Meta Knight continued to explain all that he knew.
"A long time ago, my mentor told me about an ancient book known as the book of legends. In it, there was a story about four heroes who sealed away an object that had suddenly emerged from a dimensional rift. This object was called the Jamba Heart. It and its fragments are best described as a crystal-like concentration of pure darkness and negative energy."
"Huh...that explains why I didn't feel so good when I looked at it." Kirby said.
"Exactly. It uses its power to corrupt anyone that comes near it and turn them evil by possessing them. However, this type of possession is slightly different than others. Instead of straightforward possession, it instead forces the most negative aspects of a person to take full control."
For some reason, Bandana became noticeably silent upon hearing this before he spoke up. "Hm... so is that why Dedede told everyone to steal all the food for himself when he was possessed?"
"Exactly. Because Dedede's worst trait is arguably his greed, that was what the fragment emphasized."
Dedede quickly glared at him. While he couldn't deny he was greedy, it still angered him to be called out on it. Especially when it was Meta Knight of all people. The king was wanting to give the knight a taste of his own medicine. "An' for you, it showed how vain you are!"
"I'm not vain." The knight replied with a cold glare.
"Aw, sure ya are! What 'bout all them times you were like "Oooh, I'm the strongest warrior in the galaxy, but I can't beat my own student! I'm so cool and mysterious! Look at how edgy and cool I am! I'm gonna show you how cool I am and how I'm SOOOOOO strong! Did I mention that I'm cool?"!" Dedede shot back. Sure, he was projecting a lot with that statement, especially since Meta Knight never actively went around saying he was cool, but why should he care if he wasn't being completely accurate?
"Dedede, unless you want to be eating dirt, I'm going to have to ask you to be quiet." The knight uttered in a dark tone as he continued to coldly glare at him. All of the king's bravado completely evaporated as he started into Meta Knight's cold, deadly eyes. His heart was pounding, and his legs were shaking. Clearly, he went too far and was starting to pay the price. Then, as if she were an angel saving him from a horrible fate, Adeline spoke up.
"Um... Meta Knight, did your mentor say what happened to the Jamba Heart after it was sealed?"
He looked at her, all hostility gone from his face. "She did. The four heroes originally sealed it with four objects called the Heart Spears. Afterwards, the heroes mysteriously vanished and were never seen nor heard from again. However, she never said where it was kept after that point. The only thing we can assume is that someone or something must have attempted to remove the Heart Spears."
Dedede toned out the rest of the conversation until Ribbon brought up the Friend Hearts. The knight once again became silent to think before he spoke up once more.
"I'm not sure, but I have a theory. If the seal on the Jamba Heart was broken, then that would mean that the Heart Spears broke as well. Maybe one of these landed on Kirby, giving him the ability to create those hearts."
The king rolled his eyes, because of course his rival would be lucky enough to just happen upon a new ability like that. All he got were sore arms and an indescribable stomachache. Oh, and being possessed, that, too.
"Guys, look alive, we're here."
After Adeleine said that, the group looked to see a giant fortress looming before them. The Warp Star landed at was most likely the entrance of the massive fortress, with Dedede being the first to get off.
"Now, come on! Let's go smash some skulls!" The king shouted with a grin as he ran forth towards the fortress with his allies.
After traversing for what felt like an hour, the group arrived to what appeared to be an open gate and a piece of the Jamba heart.
"Quickly, we must grab it before-"
As soon as Meta Knight said that, the heart piece flew away and the gate entrance was immediately closed. Then two large figures dropped down in front of it. They were a fox and tanuki wearing armor.
"I'm Pon."
"And I'm Kon."
"We are the guardians of this place, turn back or face the consequences!" They both said at the same time.
Dedede groaned, not in the mood for dumb distractions, especially from a wannabe tag team wrestling duo. "Augh, we don't have time for this!"
Suddenly, Pon was struck by what appeared to be black lighting and Kon was hit by bladed feathers.
"Who dares!" One of the guards shouted.
"What's a dare? Can I eat it?" A new voice said, causing Kirby's face to light up.
"I know that voice. Gooey, it's you!"
"He isn't the only one, old friend." Another voice said.
"Coo, is that you? Rick and Kine too!"
"G'day, mates!"
"Guys! What are you doing here?" The puff quickly ran over to his friends as he shouted that.
"Gooey felt something disturbing, I think."
"We have also seen the effects of whatever's going on firsthand." Kine explained.
The king stared at these newcomers in confusion, scratching his head. He had a feeling he's seen these critters before. Before he could ask about it, Adeline quickly painted a key and used it to unlock the gate.
"Everyone, get going! Ribbon and I will help them fight these two off!"
"Are you sure?" Kirby then questioned, worried about their safety.
"Come on, Kirby, trust your friends. We need to stop the Jamba Heart as soon as possible." Meta Knight said.
Almost immediately, Dedede rushed through the gate first, not wanting to waste time.
As they were running Dedede finally remembered who those animals were. They were friends of Kirby's that helped him out at the Rainbow Islands.
"Man, I haven't seen those dudes in forever. Wait, wasn't that little slime with them dark matter?"
"Yeah, but he's good now!" Kirby replied with a pout.
"I never said he wasn't good you brat! I just asking a question! Not every question I make is an attack!"
"Are you sure?"
"It's my voice 'n thoughts! Of course I'm sure! If that piece of goo was evil, he would of possessed me by now!"
"See? He's good!"
"I just said that I never said he wasn't!"
"Enough, you two. Let's head deeper into the fortress." Meta Knight said, a bit unusually tense.
"We can head in deeper while also arguing! It's called multitasking!"
"If you can talk, you can run faster!"
"Do you know who you're talking too blueberry? I run my feet and my mouth all the time! I'm a pro at this!"
"I don't care, move!"
"Do you know how redundant it is to tell a man who's already running to move!?"
It was at that point that Meta Knight seemed to ignore him and picked up his flying speed.
"The heck is his problem? He still grumpy because of what happened earlier? Oh, I know, he's just jealous he didn't get to see my muscles!"
"Or maybe he's hiding something, your highness." Bandana said bluntly.
"Like what?" He tilted his head.
"Like maybe something really bad happened while we went ahead of him and Kirby?"
"Please, if something like that happened the blob would have said something about it by now."
"Kirby's quite good at respecting Sir Meta Knight's privacy. Besides, there's also a chance he wasn't there when it happened."
"Meh, I bet he's just cranky that he lost again."
Bandana Dee sighed at the kings words. "Sir Meta Knight isn't like you." He whispered.
Eventually, the group was making their way to the center of the Jambastion. There were a few hiccups along the way with fighting two other generals that seemed to own the place. One of them was a lady in blue, with blue hair and big ol' ice axe. Some part of Dedede was jealous but he quickly tossed that thought out. The other was some fiery red head who jabbered on about someone named Francisca and he quickly pummeled out of existence upon her insulting Bandana. Nobody insults his Dees except for him after all. And especially not that dumb pink blob. So far the king wasn't too impressed by this enemy. If anything, the only thing that he kept thinking about was Meta Knight's strange behavior. While it was normal for him to be tense in a situation like this, he seemed abnormally on edge in this case. It was like something was distracting him. Wait, this Jamba nonsense is affecting Ripple Star, which means that the rest of the galaxy might be under attack as well. Which means... his mentor might be caught up in all this nonsense.
"But why would he be worried about someone whose nickname is literally "the unkillable"?!"
Though after thinking about it, unkillable or not, she was Meta Knight's adoptive mother. The heart of this issue was a kid being worried for his mother. If it was under any other circumstances Dedede would be laughing right now, but he decided that right he should at least try to be mature as this was a serious matter. Especially since it concerned one of the strongest people he knew.
"Question is, how should I approach him about it? Or should I even say anything?"
When it came to his issues, Meta Knight was near impossible to talk to. He would generally either avoid or ignore the question or try to change the subject. If he was in a particularly bad mood, he would give a cold "it's none of your business." in response, and clearly, the knight was in a "none of your business" kind of mood. But he couldn't just leave the knight alone like that. It would affect team morale, or more accurately, Kirby's morale. Not that he cared about him, not at all. It would just make the mission more annoying is all. That brat would likely just become whiny and annoying if nothing was done about it.
"Bandana, what do you think I should do?"
"About Meta Knight? I think you should find a good chance to bring it up to him."
"That's the problem. Where am I going to get a good chance when we're deep in enemy territory?"
"I guess the best option would be to get us out of enemy territory as soon as possible."
"I know that. I'm asking how I should talk to him. Like what do I say?"
"Just politely start by asking if anything's wrong."
"In the mood he's in? You really think that'll work?"
"Um... maybe open it with something tangentially related?"
"..Bandana, what would be tangentially related to his mom being in danger?"
"Good question." Dedede sighed. "I'll just worry about it after we beat whoever is in charge of this place."
"That would probably be the best option for now. We're close to the center."
"How can you tell? You got a map or something?"
"It just looks like it."
"I'll just take your word for it then." Just as he said that, they entered the center of the Jambastion Fortress to see no one but a single woman.
This one was like the previous two, except her hair was short and yellow, matching the yellow color on her clothes where the blue and red were. Immediately, she noticed the group's presence and turned towards them.
"Bonjam." The woman said. "I am Zan Partizanne, the eldest of the three generals of magic." She continued with a tone that was a mixture of elegance and arrogance. "At first, I thought you and your friends to be just a group of simpletons with a knack for annoyance, but clearly that's not the case." She then summoned a spear whose head was surging with electricity. "By the will of our beloved liege, Lord Hyness, Officiant of Doom. I shall defeat all of you here and now!"
Dedede watched as Meta Knight was the first to attack the lightning lady. The king couldn't help but grin, at least he could still count on the guy to fight seriously. He rushed forward as the knight then used his Galaxia to absorb some of her electricity, coating it in an electrical aura before punching Zan in the stomach to stun her.
"Kirby, Bandana! Take this!" He shot electricity at Kirby's staff and Bandana's spear, coating them in electricity as well.
It took long for the general to be overwhelmed by the powerful opposition. Not even her natural resistance to lighting could save her now. With one final smack to the head from Kirby, the enemy general went down.
"Ugh... Jam... blasted...!" She said between heavy breathes, struggling to move. "Bah! How could there be such opposition on a measly and remote planet?!"
Meta Knight then turned his blade towards her. "Your first mistake was coming to this measly and remote planet. Your second mistake was underestimating us." He uttered coldly, receiving a glare in response.
Dedede was about to rush in, when he noticed her chuckling. "Well, it matters not. This Jamba Heart piece is already within my grasp!"
"EVERYONE, GRAB THAT THING!" The moment Dedede shouted that, everyone attempted to grab the heart piece from Zan, to no avail as she managed to use the king as a springboard to now stand on top of the fortress's generator.
"Listen here, you tiny ball of puffy pink mischief! For all I care, you and this Jambastion can rot in ruin forever!"
The moment she shouted that, Zan stabbed the power core, causing the entire fortress to begin to crumble.
"Jambuhbye!" With a laugh, the general made her escape, leaving Kirby's group behind.
Flashbacks of his own castle falling down to him came rushing to Dedede. Not wanting to get caught up in this, Dedede began to panic. "WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!"
"Calm yourself, Dedede." The knight replied.
"Calm myself!? Blueberry, this whole place is falling apart, we gotta go!" He yelled, not understanding how anyone could be calm in this situation.
"I agree, but panicking will just make things worse. We need to stay calm. One mistake and that's it." Meta Knight said, his tone that of someone who has dealt with this kind of situation before.
"You speaking from experience?" He asked, still freaking out.
"...perhaps."
The king groaned at the unhelpful answer. Was it really that hard for the knight to be straightforward? "Well, Mr. Expert. You gots any bright ideas?"
"Well, first, we will need something to deal with the falling debris as well as smashing through any opposition, those will be our main obstacles."
"But where are we going to find something like that?" Bandana asked, trying to calm himself down.
"I have an idea! The Friend Circle!" Kirby exclaimed.
"What? That thing?" Dedede chimed in.
As if things couldn't get more annoying for him. The Friend Circle as the kid called it, was a combination technique Kirby came up with were they linked together to become an almighty circle that smashed through almost anything. It was highly embarrassing but highly effective.
"Good idea, Kirby. Now, let's go."
Somewhat hesitantly on Dedede's part, four linked together to form the Friend Circle and proceeded to smash through a nearby wall, going through various areas of the Jambastion they had ventured through previously. As hoped, the Friend Circle successfully kept them safe from harm while also making great progress. That is, until they hit a wall that was strong enough to stop the circle.
"Dang it! That hurt! Watch where you're going, pinky!" Dedede complained, despite knowing he was actually the one that caused them to roll into it.
"Hey, that was all you, Dedede!" The child pouted back.
"It doesn't matter who did it, all that matters is getting out. Kirby, can you summon the Warp Star?"
"Let me try, Meta-sensei."
Kirby pulled out his cell phone and thankfully he was able to connect to his Warp Star. In a matter of seconds, the Warp Star landed in front of them.
"Hop on, everyone!" The puff shouted.
As soon as everyone was on it, the Warp Star speed off at extremely high speeds, successfully getting everyone away from the exploding Jambastion.
The team now found themselves in outer space, completely unaware of where they were. At least, Dedede was. Due to how unknown the location was and the current predicament, it was agreed by everyone that they should investigate the nearby planets and their moons for any Jamba Heart fragments or clues to where the three generals went off to. The current moon they were investigating was the moon Falluna, though to Dedede, it was not like it mattered what the name was, all these moons seemed the same to him. As they were exploring, and being bored by doing so, the king noticed that Kirby and Bandana were slightly ahead of him. Which meant now he had an opportunity to talk to the knight. Or at least attempt to talk.
"So... uh... wonderful weather we're having on this planet, doncha think?" The king uttered in an attempt to start a conversation.
"If you have something to say then say it." Meta Knight said with a glare.
It was enough to send a chill down his spine, but Dedede pressed on. "Is something bothering you? You seem a lot tenser than usual."
"I believe the situation we're in demands a bit of tenseness."
"Yeah, but you're even more tense than you normally are at a time like this."
"With all due respect, how would you know? You and I have only fought alongside each other once, back with Magolor. I hardly say that's enough for you to grasp how I usually am on missions."
"While that may be true, there's an air of uncertainty around you. Like you're worried about something... or someone."
Meta Knight sighed and glared at him. "I believe I told you to say something if you have something to say. There's no need to beat around the bush."
"Look, are ya acting weird because of the grape or not?"
"If you're going to ask me about her, at least use her name." The knight replied, not going to tolerate any disrespect towards his mentor.
The king gave an annoyed sigh. "The Lady of Shadows Kurabe. There, better?"
"Yes, as for your question, yes, I am worried about her. If that's all you need then I'm dropping the subject."
"Wait, hold on a minute, what's going on with her?"
"I believe you've already figured it out. She's busy dealing with the Jamba Heart crisis herself."
"I figured, but I know there's more to it than that! What's going on with her?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business." The knight replied coldly.
Before Dedede could respond they heard Kirby yelling from the distance. "Hey, I think I see something up ahead! Come on!"
Quickly, the knight and king ran to catch up with the puff. "We'll finish our talk later, blueberry."
Meta Knight only rolled his eyes in response.
In about a minute, the duo was able to catch up to their allies.
"So, what is it you twerp?" Dedede asked, taking a moment to catch his breath.
"Look!" The child pointed to a tree.
"...It's a tree with facial hair." The king deadpanned, looking very annoyed.
"Yup! You think it's a relative of Whispy Woods?"
"I doubt it. Hey you! What's your name!?" Dedede asked rudely.
"Who dares to trespass on my territory?!" The tree's voice boomed.
"Hey! You can't talk to the king like that!"
"Your majesty, we aren't in Dreamland anymore!" Bandana whispered.
"So? I'm still the king no matter where I go!"
"I do not recognize you!" The tree replied.
"What!? How can one not recognize me!?"
"Your majesty, you're not even recognized on Popstar..."
"THAT'S A LIE!"
"LEAVE NOW OR SUFFER THE WRATH OF YGGY WOODS!" The tree yelled.
"Oh... um... right! We should get going!" Kirby quickly said, not wanting to have an unnecessary battle.
"No! I have to teach this fool a lesson!" Dedede protested.
"The only fool here is you, Dedede. Let's go, it's pointless to fight someone who isn't our enemy." Meta Knight chastised.
"Come on, your highness, we don't have time for this!" Bandana said in agreement with the knight.
"You should listen to your friends, false king."
Dedede had it at that point. "That's it! It's fight time!" He roared running at the tree, only to slammed by a falling Gordo.
"Great, we have no choice but to fight now..." The knight sighed.
"Wait, maybe we can still negotiate with him?" Kirby asked.
"Look at Dedede and tell me we can negotiate with him."
"Well, Dedede's unconscious so negotiating with Yggy should be easy!"
"Then try it."
"Ok! Hey Mr. Tree!"
"YOU! ARE YOU ALLIED WITH THIS FALSE KING!?"
"I mean, I guess so. And yeah, he was being mean to you for no real reason. Can we please keep going forward? The rest of us don't want to fight you."
"YOU ARE ALLIED WITH THAT FALSE KING, SO YOU CANNOT PASS!" He bellowed, dropping rotten cherries on the group.
"Hey, that's just uncalled for!"
"It's as I thought..." Meta Knight grumbled.
"BEGONE!" Yggy yelled as he dropped more objects on the group.
One of these objects caught Kirby's attention. "A golden cherry!?"
"Kirby, inhale it!" Bandana yelled as he was lifting Dedede up.
The puff nodded and inhaled the fruit, swallowing it in a single gulp. Instantly, he gained a winged red and black marching band hat with multicolored feathers flowing from it.
"A new Copy Ability?!"
"That's...not one I'm familiar with." Meta Knight said, a bit confused by the new power.
"What!?" Bandana looked at him in surprise.
"Even I don't know everything. In fact, I doubt even my mentor knows about this."
The Waddle Dee blinked in shock. "Then how will we know what it does!?"
"Simple. Kirby, do whatever feels natural to you!"
"Alright then!"
Doing as told, Kirby began to, to the surprise of mostly everyone, dance.
"Kirby, this is the time to dance!" Bandana Dee freaked out.
"No, Bandana, let him." Meta Knight stated, not fazed by what he was seeing.
"Why?! This is literally the worst time to be dancing! We're under attack!"
"Simple. I told him to what felt natural. Clearly with him dancing the power he gained was dancing related. Look at the tree. He's clearly in pain."
Bandana turned to look at Yggy Woods and indeed, he was in pain. "Um... sir Meta Knight, why is your foot tapping?"
"I do not know."
"Come on guys, can't you hear the music? Let's all dance!"
Suddenly, Dedede shot awake. "WHAT!?"
"Come on, dance!"
"Why!?"
But there was no response. The three allies were already captured in the beat of this Copy Ability. Everyone was dancing, whether they wanted to or not. Soon the music and the dance ended and the ability disappeared. Thankfully, it seemed the fight was now over.
"That was a lot of fun, wasn't it, guys?!" Kirby happily exclaimed, only to see Bandana lying on the ground in exhaustion and Meta Knight seemingly internally screaming in a corner as he appeared to be dying from internal embarrassment. "Hmm... now what should I call it? Oh, I know! Festival!"
Kirby then looked over to see Dedede stealing fruit from the defeated Yggy.
"What? I'm hungry!"
"You do know those cherries are all rotten, right?"
The king dropped all the cherries in his arms. "Oh, now you tell me!"
"Oh, I guess you were knocked out for part of the fight."
"Of course I was! Ugh let's just get out of here!"
"Ok! Come on, everyone! We're heading to the next planet!" The puff said as he summoned the Warp Star.
The next planet to investigate was Frostak and its moon, Blizzno.
"There's nothing here. Let's just get out of here and move on to the next planet..." Meta Knight uttered, wrapping himself in his cape.
"What, blueberry? Scared of a bit of cold weather? I thought you was better than that!" Dedede laughed.
"Bit of cold!? Are you kidding me, it's freezing! Why else do you think I changed to my Fire Ability?!" Kirby gave a pout towards the king.
"Aw, you guys complain too much! Y'all weren't this bad back in White Wafers! What's the difference?"
"The difference is White Wafers isn't an entire planet." The knight seemed to grumble.
"Nah, I think you guys just whine too much, right, Bandana?"
"Uh-huh..." The reply was slightly muffled due to Dedede's robe as the Dee had been forced to take shelter underneath it due to the elements.
"Hey, that's no fair! How comes he gets to stay warm while I'm out here freezing!" Kirby shouted.
"Cuz you have that there Fire Ability!"
"So?!"
"Whaddaya mean "so"!? You trying to set me on fire!?"
Meta Knight only sighed in irritation. Dedede didn't see the problem, nor did he realize that as a penguin he was naturally resistant to the blistering cold. Suddenly, a voice caught their attention.
"...hmph. Color me surprised."
"I know that voice! It's one of the mage ladies!" Dedede yelled internally.
The group turned around to see that it was the icy general Francisca. "I certainly didn't expect to run into your puffy self again. And here I thought you would all be buried along with the Jambastion..."
"That was because you and your friends made the mistake of underestimating us." The knight uttered with a glare.
"Well then! I'll just have to ensure that my victory is complete this time! Let's start by turning that pink ball of nice into a frozen block of ice!" The moment she said that, she pulled out her own weapon with a chuckle. "I always wanted an ice sculpture for my trophy collection!"
Francisca attacked Meta Knight first and Dedede grinned. "Lady, that's the worst target you could have picked."
The instant her axe and his sword clash, she began to laugh. "You fell for my trap! Now you'll become a beautiful ice statue!" She began to send ice magic through her axe into Meta Knight hoping to freeze him solid, only for it to do nothing to him. "What?! Why isn't working?!"
"My mentor's signature element is ice. Your magic doesn't even begin to compare to hers." He responded coldly.
Suddenly she tackled by fire Kirby, sending her crashing down to the ground. He then sent a wave of flames that were blocked by a shield of ice. The flames hit and soon the field began to fill with mist, that quickly started to freeze. Francisca used this opportunity to use the freezing mist to trap Dedede and Bandana in ice, effectively removing them from the fight. Hilariously, Dedede still didn't feel cold, but he was incredibly angry.
"That's two down, now to put out that fire."
"Yo, how dare you do this to me!"
She ignored him as she brought out what appeared to be a water gun. "I'm admittedly very weak in the presence of fire, so that's why I make sure to carry my ultimate weapon. No fire can stand up to it, now freeze!" As she went to pull the trigger however, she noticed that the gun was no longer with her. "When did?"
"You looking for this, madam?"
Looking over to his right Dedede saw a new face. A rat holding the mage's secret weapon.
"...Where have I seen this guy before? Oh right! Those dang ol' Squeaks!"
"Good evening, lady and gentlemen. Most of you know me already, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Daroach, master thief and leader of the Squeaks, and I have a bone to pick with you Jamba people. One of you attacked my base of operations and even turned some of my men against me with some weird heart-looking object. After I took care of that mess, I decided to look into your little cult."
"We are not a cult, we are the Jambastion religion!"
"Did I stutter? Anyway, Kirby, Meta Knight. I assume it's safe to say we share a common goal?"
"We sure do! Please help us, Daroach." Kirby said in his usual cheerful manner.
"Well, since you asked nicely, you got it, kid."
Dedede watched on as their new teammate assisted Meta Knight and Kirby in battle. That lady didn't stand a chance. However, something happened that greatly concerned the monarch penguin. The knight was going to kill the mage if he wasn't stopped by Daroach at the last second. Even though he was somewhat distracted with Kirby using the Fire Ability to free him, he could easily see and somewhat hear the thief's short conversation with the knight. The thief thankfully reminded Meta Knight that he was no longer a merciless soldier. While Meta Knight seemed back to normal, he still needed to talk to him about this. There was no doubt that if the king left it be, the knight would just get worse mentally.
After an uneventful trek of the next planet, the planet after that was the complete opposite of Frostak. It was Lavadom and its moon, Sizzlai. Despite the intense heat, the group was easily able to run through the entire area. Dedede was trying to think of how to bring the subject up to Meta Knight, when he finally spoke. "Dedede, I'm surprised you haven't been complaining about the heat on this planet."
The king stopped moving. He wasn't bothered by Meta Knight's comment, but he decided now was the time.
"Yo, Bandana, take the pink lump and continue forward for a moment."
The Waddle Dee jumped a bit. "Um... if I may ask, why?"
"You guys can talk about it while I'm here, you know! That's mean of you!" Kirby added with a pout.
"Just get out of here, you two!"
For a moment, Bandana seemed to stare in surprise before blinking. "C-come on, Kirby..." He started to drag the child away.
Dedede sighed and looked at the angry knight. He wasn't sure where to start, but he knew he had to say something. "So, blueberry, you know what a berserker is?"
The knight only turned and stared at the king in confusion. "Dedede, I know your thought process tends to be absolute nonsense, but what does this have to do with anything?"
The king sighed, knowing that this conversation would be difficult. "It was in a book I read. It said that berserkers are warriors that fought in a trance-like fury back in ye olden days." Dedede continued, crossing his arms. Meta Knight's eyes widened, as if he was realizing something.
"Are you saying that I'm one of these berserkers?"
"Not exactly. Though I was frozen, I did see everything that happened in that there fight on Blizzno. You were 'bout to kill that there general without realizing what you were doing, weren't ya? I also saw the same thing happen back when we fought you. Come on, Meta Knight, just talk to me already." He continued, sounding more serious than he ever had in his life.
The knight stared at him in cold silence for about two minutes before he let out a sigh. "...that mindset used to be my default state of mind when I was a soldier working for The Organization. I've since discarded it, but I can revert to it at times. Mainly when I'm under a heavy amount of stress."
Dedede gave a look of understanding. "It's 'cuz of your teacher, isn't it? Can't blame ya for being worried, but I'm sure she's fine. She's the unkillable, right?"
"That she is." Meta Knight replied and almost immediately, the king noticed he sounded a bit better already.
"Bahahahaha!"
Suddenly, Dedede and Meta Knight heard a loud laugh from the direction that Kirby and Bandana ran in.
"Dang it, just when we were finally getting on good terms!"
Just as they arrived, they saw that the fiery mage general Flamberge was now standing before them.
"Who would've thought my search for the Jamba Heart pieces would lead me back to you and your puffery! This must be the fiery flames of fate at work!"
Before Kirby or anyone else could give a response, the general let off a burst of fire from her sword, indicating proficiency with the element.
"OOOOHHHH YEAHHH! MY FLAMES AND I ARE FULLY STOKED NOW! BEWARE, YOU PUNY PINK PEST!"
As the group got into a battle stance, Meta Knight stepped in front of them. "Kirby, you and the others go on ahead. I can handle her." "Meta-sensei?" "Just prepare to go!"
"You heard the man! Let's go before our gooses get cooked!" Dedede said as he started running.
The knight then quickly turned to Flamberge. "You said your name is Flamberge, correct? My name is Meta Knight, the current greatest warrior in the galaxy."
"Bah! So what?! You think I care about that?!"
"It's not every day that you get the chance to duel the greatest warrior in the galaxy, correct?" The general only scoffed, but then gave a grin. "How interesting...very well then!" She then set her sword on fire. "In the name of Lord Hyness... I'll turn you into a burning ball of meddlesomeness!"
Upon shouting that, the knight nodded towards his student and allies, who immediately ran off.
While they were running, Dedede couldn't help but worry about the knight. Oh, he knew he would win, that wasn't a concern. What was a concern was him potentially going back into that so-called Soldier Mode. Thankfully, he met him long after he had discarded that mindset, but the idea that he could revert to... whatever he saw... horrified him.
"Kirby, aren't you worried?" Bandana asked, seeing Kirby's calm expression.
"Meta Knight is the greatest warrior in the galaxy! I trust him to come back to us!" He replied happily.
"I've been meaning to ask. Why do you call him the greatest when you've beaten him before?" Dedede asked.
"Because I'm not really a warrior type..." He replied with a timid giggle.
Probably also because he's a child, your highness."
"His age is hardly relevant Bandana, considering how he's killed literal demons."
"I don't know then."
"Then why even say anything Bandana? Anyway, why don't you consider yourself the warrior type, Kirby?"
"Simple, I don't like fighting. I like helping, but in all honesty, I'd rather not have to fight if it can be helped."
"Yeah, but you can still be the greatest warrior, can't ya?"
"Sure, but I don't want to. I don't really care about titles. I'm just fine being myself."
"You can still be yourself. Like I'm the king, but I'm still me!"
"...I know, I just said I'm fine being myself."
"Then what's the big deal?"
"There is no big deal. I don't consider myself a warrior so I don't see why I should take a title Meta Knight worked so hard to gain. You're the one making a big deal about it."
"And you technically should have it, shouldn't ya?" He then squinted his eyes. "Ooooh, I get it... you're 'fraid your precious mentor's gonna throw a fit if you claim the title yourself!"
"No. I don't want it because I don't want it. Besides pretty much every time I've beaten him, he was either holding back or under someone else's control. I never beat him when wasn't holding back. So, I don't deserve it. Not everyone cares about titles like you, Dedede."
The king huffed. "I don't care 'bout no titles!"
"Dedede, you constantly brag about being the king and how you can do anything because you're a king. That's a title."
"So?"
Kirby only looked at him with an annoyed expression as he summoned the Warp Star.
"What's his problem?"
"You are, your majesty."
The king only shrugged as they jumped on the star, and it flew off.
"You sure taking a star is a good idea? Won't it take him awhile to catch up?"
"Perhaps, but it will let us clear everything out so he can catch up more quickly!"
"Fine, whatever..."
Upon leaving the atmosphere, Dedede asked another question. "Do you even know where we're going?"
"That big base looking place far over there!"
The king quickly turned in the direction the puff was pointing in and he was indeed correct.
"Why am I always the last one to see these things!?"
"You should be more observant!"
"I'm more observant than you!"
"You should also get better at lying!"
"Let's just get to the base and take down whatever these guys are..." Bandana grumbled.
"And what's got you in such a hurry, Bandana?"
"I just have a bad feeling about everything that's going on..."
"Why? We've been consistently kicking butt. These guys are pushovers!"
"There just seems to be something more to this..."
"Does it matter? Who cares what they are up to? All we gotta do is smash them and the day is saved. Then the whole galaxy will celebrate the name Dedede!"
"I don't think you understand... I'm getting the same feeling, too." Kirby said.
"Please, you probably just ate something funny." Dedede remarked, completely forgetting that not too long ago he was eating rotten food.
"Whatever, we're just about here."
"Good, I've been needing to talk to you." A new, yet familiar voice called out from the ground.
Looking down they saw a recognizable face. The spider mage Taranza waving at them.
"Ah! Taranza! What are you doing here?" Kirby asked as he practically jumped off the Warp Star.
"That's a bit simple really. There's been issues in Floralia regarding these Jamba Hearts. I've been tracking powerful magical energies that all lead to this one place. So, I came here and waited for you. I figured you come here sooner or later."
"Well, ya made the right decision!" Dedede said.
"I know I did. It would be reckless for me to go in alone."
"Yeah, yeah! The faster we take these guys down, the faster we can all go home and chillax!"
"If it only it was that simple. I sense something truly evil brewing in there. Expecting things to be easy would be a mistake."
The king laughed. "Do ya realize who we are? We can handle it! Now come on!" He shouted, rushing forth into the base.
"I really wish he knew how to listen. Especially since I was about to warn him about the moving pillars that can easily crush him."
"AGH! WHAT THE HECK!?" The king called out from the direction he ran in.
"...Like that. Come on, let's go save the king." The puff and Waddle Dee nodded and followed after him.
When they got inside, they saw Dedede struggling to hold a pillar that was slowly coming down on him.
"Don't just stand there! Help me!"
The group nodded and assisted him, mostly by Taranza using his webs to pull him out of the way.
"Whew! I was almost a pancake!"
"This is why you shouldn't run off like that." The mage sighed.
"Oh please, I'm fine, aren't I?" The king protested.
Taranza glared at him and proceeded to wrap him up in a web cocoon. "I'll let you out when it's time to fight. Until then I'll carry you."
The king sighed.
"So Taranza, how's you get here? Like I know why you're here, but how?" Kirby asked.
"That's a good question. Sectonia... used to own a Star Jet. It's been collecting dust for years, so I dusted off the webs, made sure it was in working order and began my journey."
"Oh, and then you came here and waited for us to show up?"
"Exactly. I knew you would show up sooner or later, Kirby. If our corner of the galaxy is in trouble, you always do the right thing."
"Eh he he! I'm just doing what I think's the right thing!" The puff timidly giggled.
"I appreciate the modesty. I assume that Meta Knight person you told me about is busy?"
"Yup, he volunteered to fight off one of the generals so we could get here."
"Then he'll be here at some point. Good, I have a feeling we'll need all the muscle we can get."
Kirby nodded. "Who knows? He might be here before we even get to the center of this place!"
"That would be preferable."
"Please, I'm enough muscle for all of us!" Dedede protested.
"Even then, it's better to have even more muscle, don't you think?" Kirby asked.
"Not when you have me!"
"Try breaking my webs then." Taranza dared him.
"FINE, I WILL!" Dedede yelled as he tried to break free, but no matter how hard he tried the webs just wouldn't budge.
"Told you."
"And like the blueberry could break free!?"
"I wouldn't doubt it if he's similar to Kirby."
"What's that's supposed to mean!?"
"It means he probably could if he's similar to Kirby."
"The way you are saying it makes sound like you think they are better than me!"
"I didn't imply anything."
"Oh yes you did!"
"Your majesty please be quiet, we don't want to alert the guards."
However, they were already too late with that, as several guards already descended upon them.
"Alright. Dedede, here's your chance to prove your strength." Taranza said as he let him free.
The king gave a grin and practically pounced on the enemies, almost instantly taking them out.
"You see that! Like I said, I'm all the muscle you need!"
"Even so, it would be good to have extra."
"Oh, come on!"
"Your majesty! Volume!"
"Hey! Did you hear something from over there!?" A guard suddenly shouted.
"...It seems it's not extra muscle we need, but extra brains. Kirby, would you handle this?"
"Got it!"
"Hey what about me!?" Dedede question, only to get his mouth webbed shut.
"Dedede, I owe a lot to you, and I highly respect you, but I need you to be quiet."
The king wanted to shout at him, but he just couldn't. Kirby returned, already finished dealing with the guards.
"So Taranza you know a lot about magic and stuff, right? Do you know anything about these Jamba people?"
"I don't know a lot about them, honestly."
"Yeah, I figured, but I needed to ask. Even Meta Knight doesn't know too much. Just that they are serious business."
"I think that's obvious."
"Well let's not waste any more time, let's go!" Kirby whisper-yelled.
The group nodded and continued forth.
"Chances are we'll have to face the leader of the Mage Generals. What was her name again?" Bandana asked.
"I think it was Parmesan."
"I think it sounded like Partisan!"
"I think you two have food on the brain." Taranza sighed.
"Well, it was a kinda long sounding name!"
"Well regardless of her name, we need to be careful. If she's the leader she has to be tough."
"We'll be fine! We took her down once already!"
"That may be true, but I've learned that caution is always necessary."
"Like I said, we can handle it!" T
aranza sighed but also smiled. "Good to see some things never change."
"Hm?"
"Your endless optimism Kirby. Now let's speed up, I can feel that we're almost there."
Everyone nodded as they picked up the pace.
As they got even closer to what was assumed to be the center, Taranza and Kirby suddenly both put their hands on their heads in pain.
"What's wrong you two!?" Bandana said in a panic.
"I just sensed something truly sinister. Eviler than even the power that corrupted Sectonia. Kirby, did you feel it, too?"
Kirby nodded with an unusually serious expression. Dedede tried to say something but couldn't. Sighing, Taranza released the webs over his mouth.
"Finally! First, never do that again! Second, why so serious?"
The puff quickly shook his head, as if trying to get the energies out, but it didn't work.
"I... I just had an intense feeling of bad emotions..."
"Huh?"
"Your majesty, do you seriously not know about his ability to sense emotions?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, I know it!"
However, Bandana only continued to stare at him.
"I do! But if you want to explain it I won't stop you." He said while crossing arms, pretending like he didn't care. No one fell for it.
Bandana gave a sigh. "Since you don't want to admit that you don't know, I'll explain it. The Star Warrior species is highly attuned to sensing the emotions of others. This is because they can get energy from them. Positive emotions give them strength, while negative emotions weaken them."
"Is that why the pink sludge is so strong? Cause he sickeningly happy all the time?"
"Well... yes, but also because he's surrounded by people who emanate positivity. Simply being around people they like is enough to give them energy."
Dedede nodded along with Bandana's explanation, but the only parts he really understood was Kirby was strong when happy. The Waddle Dee squinted, as if he had noticed this.
"In other words, simply being around people he considers his friends gives him energy."
"I said I knew that already! But thank you."
"You're welcome."
"So then, he's acting like that because the big bad is negative or something?"
"Somewhat. It's more because it's feeling a lot of things like anger and hate."
"But I have a lot of anger and hate? Why doesn't it affect him?"
"Because it's always either fake or highly exaggerated. Plus, we're friends!" Kirby answered, still grasping his head in pain.
"I AIN'T YOUR FRIEND!"
"See? You're lying right now! I can feel how happy you are right now."
"You're just imagining things!"
Taranza clapped his hands, gaining everyone's attention. "While normally I would let this comedy routine continue, can we please take this seriously?"
Bandana nodded in agreement.
"Right..." Kirby said, his grim expression back. "Whatever it is I'm feeling, it's pure evil. Even more than Zero."
"Eh, you can handle it, can't ya?" The king asked.
The puff didn't answer and just silently kept walking.
"I hate it when he does that. He reminds me too much of the moody blueberry when he does."
"Well, they're the same species, so that makes sense."
"If you say so. I just don't get it though. Little twerp has beaten demons plenty of times, as much as I hate to admit. What's he got to be scared about?"
"He said it's much worse than anything he's felt before."
"Not like that's stopped him before. I bet he senses something that he doesn't want us to know about."
"If he is, he's being surprisingly good at not telling us. Usually, he has a hard time at hiding secrets at times."
"We can theorize later; we can't let Kirby go off on his own. Come on." Taranza said as he hovered away at top speed.
The group nodded and quickly followed after him.
This is probably one of the longer chapters for this series, but Star Allies was always a longer story for me to adapt.
I say this as this is probably longer than Only Neat Life's version.
Either way, I hope you enjoy it.