In this chapter, Gooey starts talking.
The Dark Matter watched as his siblings flew by. Some of them headed over to Lord Zero's nest while others got ready to train. Some would even talk amongst themselves, though most of the time their conversations revolved around Lord Zero, other siblings, or even the Lord Miracle. At some point, The Dark Matter started to hear about a sibling that learned how to "copy" their enemies in order to defeat them, much like their guardian.
It would be neat to join his siblings and hear more about these rumors, but nobody aside from his brother wanted anything to do with him. He assumed it had something to do with multiple eyes being "unsettling" and "creepy", but it might've also have something to do with his brother as well. Despite being Dark Matter, neither of them could really "connect" with their siblings. Not only that, they could easily feel things like "excitement" and "joy", things that Lord Zero described as "useless" and "weak". His brother was always good at suppressing these sort of emotions, which was something that the Dark Matter still needed to work on. Especially when Lord Zero was around.
Speaking of which, his brother lied down next to him with his fins tucked into his body. He resembled a spiky blob. Like the Dark Matter, he quietly observed his siblings as they floated by them.
"You know...our youngest siblings have learned how to talk not that long ago," his brother said as his attention turned to the Dark Matter. "So why can't you talk yet?"
The Dark Matter looked away in shame, he didn't have an answer. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how to bring his own thoughts into words.
"Hm...perhaps you require more time before you can speak," his brother suggested. "Or perhaps you might not be able to speak at all? Either way, I'm sure we'll figure it out."
Maybe, though the Dark Matter wouldn't count on it anytime soon. He wasn't like any of his siblings, but neither was his brother. Although the two of them couldn't "connect" to anybody, maybe it was better that way?
After all, the Dark Matter didn't need to "connect" to his brother to be close to him. But if he could find a way to talk to his brother, then they could talk about all sorts of things. Not just what their siblings talk about, but other stuff too...He just couldn't help but wonder what else there was to talk about...
It was day time, and Gooey stood outside Kirby's house yet again. He looked in front of a small mirror he had found earlier, he assumed that a Waddle Dee must've dropped it at some point.
He looked over his own body, he was still as grey as he was yesterday, though he was relieved to see that his fins were still orange. Change wasn't always a bad thing, though...right? If he were to keep changing, then perhaps he was on his way to gaining a "Blade" form like his brother? Most Dark Matter would say that he had a long way to go before he reached that point, but if that really was the case then maybe he wouldn't be as helpless as he was right now.
Kirby stepped outside of the house with a pole in his hand, the pole had a hook attached to it by a string.
"Hey, Gooey. Wanna go fishing with me?"
What was fishing? Gooey gave him a curious look, as if he were asking that question. Was the pole some sort of weapon?
"Er...On second thought, maybe it'd be hard to do with that parasol of yours.." Kirby said quietly. "You can still come with me, though."
Gooey nodded as he followed Kirby. The walk wasn't very long, and the duo quickly made their way to a lake. Rick was already sitting under a tree with a pole in his hands. Nago sat closer to the water with his eyes wide open, he was watching something swim underneath. Sitting in the tree was another Dedede-like creature. However, his body was purple and his head was somewhat spiky. The trio waved as Kirby and Gooey got closer.
"Heya, guys!" Rick called out. "How've ya been?"
"We've been fine!" Kirby said as he sat down next to Rick. He threw the hook into the water and held onto the pole. "I thought we'd do some fishing today."
"And I suppose the blob you brought with you is Gooey?" asked the purple creature. Kirby replied with a nod.
"I figured as much, Rick told me you were taking care of a little blob a while ago."
Yes, but Gooey was doing just fine now. He tucked his fins into his body and crawled next to Nago.
"Hello, Gooey." Nago said as he patted Gooey's back with his paw. "I hope you've been doing well."
Gooey nodded, though his attention turned to the water. He could see all kinds of creatures swimming underwater, these creatures looked a bit like comets. Perhaps these were the tadpoles Pitch told him about, earlier?
"I suppose you've never seen a fish before, have you?" Nago asked as he leaned towards the water. "Most of them live in the water, and they taste great if you know how to get them out...though not every fish can be used as food, of course."
As if on cue, Rick let out an annoyed groan. He lifted a large blue fish with yellow fins out of the water. The fish looked just as annoyed as Rick did.
"...Well...not fish like Kine, anyway," Nago continued. "But maybe later on we'll cook some fish up for you? I'm sure you'd love it."
So fish could be used as food? That would explain why Kirby and Rick had those poles to begin with. They were trying to catch their food much like the frogs did in the pond over at the Sunflower Fields.
Gooey couldn't help but wonder what it must be like to grab things like a frog. He could imagine himself with an open mouth as he grabbed the fish with a long, pink appendage. He could even imagine how scaly the fish were before he dragged one into his mouth.
Nago let out a loud "meow" as he looked down at Gooey, which prompted the others to look in their direction. Gooey couldn't tell what they were all surprised about, he hadn't done anything wrong...right?
...And then Gooey realized that he had a fish in his newly-formed mouth, he hadn't imagined anything at all! Gooey dropped the fish and stared at the water in disbelief.
"I forget...did he always have a mouth?" Rick whispered, all Kirby could do was shrug. "No...I'm pretty sure he might've mutated again."
Gooey couldn't believe it, he was changing AGAIN. And not in the way he wanted to, either. Although his memory wasn't the greatest at times, he knew most of his siblings didn't have a mouth, and even if they did Lord Zero would've scolded them for it.. Gooey placed a nubby arm over his face, he looked as if he was about to cry.
"Hey! Gooey! It's OK!" Kirby said as he dropped his pole and dashed towards his friend's side, with Rick and the others following close by. Nago stroked his back as a way to keep him calm, though the Dark Matter still sobbed quietly to himself.
"Take it easy, bud!" Rick said quietly. "We're just as surprised as you are, that's all."
"Do you wanna go home and take a nap?" Kirby asked quietly. "That's what I do when I'm upset."
"D...dunno."
The group stared at Gooey with wide eyes, though they stayed quiet. They hadn't expected their silent blob friend to speak so suddenly, but they knew it was best not to bring it up right now. The last thing they needed was to upset him even more.
"OK..." Kirby said as he put a hand on Gooey's back. "Do you just wanna let it all out then?"
"I not...apposed to...to cry," Gooey sobbed. "But...I...I can't...'top!"
No matter how hard Gooey tried to stop himself, the tears would keep coming out. Others would've punished him if he acted like this, and yet Kirby and his friends did nothing to stop him. He wouldn't blame Kirby for being angry with him, especially after ruining his trip like this.
Once there were no more tears to shed, Gooey started to feel drained. On one hand, he felt ashamed for crying for as long as he did. But on the other hand, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his mind. He felt Kirby grab him in an attempt to hug him, "Are you feeling any better?"
"D-dunno." Gooey said quietly.
"Do you wanna take a nap, then?" Kirby offered again. "I promise it'll make you feel better."
Given how drained he was, Gooey didn't have the energy to say 'no'. Kirby threw him onto his back and looked back at his friends. "I'll be back in a little bit, OK?"
"All right, take your time!" the purple creature called out. With that said, Kirby grabbed the parasol from Gooey and held it over him as best as he could.
Gooey's mind felt hazy, he could barely keep his eyes open. Next thing he knew, he had completely dozed off.
Gooey woke up back on Kirby's bed. It wasn't quite day time anymore, but it wasn't exactly night time either. There was a fish on the ground, with scribbles written beside it. The fish looked a little burned, but Gooey might still be able to eat it.
He wasn't sure where Kirby was, perhaps he was still with the others? Whatever the case, he needed to thank them later. He grabbed the fish and dragged it into his mouth. He wasn't quite familiar with the sense of "taste", but he enjoyed the fish regardless.
Perhaps change may not be as bad as he thought it was? Because no matter what, Kirby and his friends still treated him with kindness in the end.
