DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kirby or the Kirby's Dreamland 2 storyline—I'm just elaborating on it. Kirby and pals belong to Nintendo, Hal Laboratories, etc., and I am writing this for entertainment, not profit, OK? If it is illegal for me to do this, let me know because I'm not really sure. ^_^;
A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry this took so long. I got a minor case of writer's block when I got to the part where… well, I can't tell you that! Then you won't read it. ^_^ Plus, my little brother spilled water on the keyboard, so the "a" key isn't working. I had to copy and paste almost everywhere there was an "a", so if there is a word that seems to be missing that letter, you know why, and I apologize in advance. ^_^ But I still finished it, so you can continue reading the story that I didn't even make up (remember, I'm just elaborating) b/c I have no creativity whatsoever. ^.^; And I am dedicating this chapter (and most likely the rest of the story) to DestinyLord7381 for all the support and wonderful reviews--thank you so, SO very much!
Battle of a Lifetime
Chapter Three: A Spikey Situation
Last time, Kirby battled Efreeti to rescue Rick. Eventually they found the Grassland Rainbow Drop, and Rick received much condemnation and many injuries from Kirby for putting his hunger over the mission. ^_^ They then defeated Whispy Woods to free him from Dark Matter's power and to get the Warp Star to Big Forest, which is where their adventure continues…
"Oh, I can't WAIT for those big, sweet, juicy apples! I'm SO hungry!!"
"Well, what about all those baddies you swallowed back in Grassland?"
"Those were just appetizers—now I'm going for the real deal, baby!"
"Just remember that we have job to do. We're not going there for a fruit feast."
"Yeah, yeah, I know—but I can't help save Dreamland on an empty stomach, now, can I?"
Kirby just sighed as the Warp Star landed in the center of the island of Big Forest. The star hadn't even stopped before Rick jumped off and took off towards the first apple orchard. "Yummy, yummy, apples apples," he kept muttering as he sped off. Kirby followed him as fast as he could, but Rick reached it first. And something wasn't quite right…
"NNOOOOOOOO!!!! Oh for the love of Gordo, WHY???" Rick cried as he dropped to his knees (?) and viewed the empty, dried up mass of trees before him. "NOT EVEN A DAY AGO, COO SAID THERE WAS PLENTY OF FOOD! What happened?"
(A/N: I'm being so mean to Rick, aren't I? Rick: Yes, you are! What? What did I do? All I wanted were a few apples, but noooo, you can't give me those, CAN you? Waaaaahh! It's not fair! Me: Don't worry, Rick, it gets better, really… ^^; Rick: It had better…)
Kirby finally caught up with Rick and scrutinized the surroundings. "Hmm… I guess whatever is causing the drought in Grassland has finally spread here, too. You know that the famine in Grassland started in about a day, too."
"HOW can you say that so calmly? I'm going to shrivel up and die of starvation! It's probably something Dark Matter did, and you know it." Rick grumbled.
Kirby looked at Rick with a look of awe. "Rick, I think that is the most intelligent thing you've said yet!"
"Huh? You mean you think I'm right?"
"Well, I'm not sure, but it's a good start. Somehow, we'll have to find clues to figure that out. But right now we have a job to do. Come on, let's go!"
Kirby hopped on the gloomy Rick and they began their journey in Warp Door One.
"Jeez, you'd think they'd have made Warp Stars to get to these areas by now. I feel like I'm on a game show with these numbered doors," Rick remarked.
"Well, the Warp Star Mine's been having difficulty getting resources, so they put these doors here till they can make more." Kirby informed him.
Just then, a Cappy came bouncing toward them. "Oooh, I love mushrooms!" Rick cried as he inhaled it… or, at least, he thought he did.
"Hey! Give me back my cap!"
"Oh, THAT'S how they got their name…" Rick mused as he inhaled the rest of him.
(A/N: Oh, heavens, that was corny. But I couldn't resist! ^_^)
Rick licked his lips as he continued. "Maybe I won't have to worry about apples… although those would have been better…"
They raced, leaped, and swallowed as they continued through Big Forest, searching thoroughly for the Rainbow Drop. Rick ate everything in sight—and I mean EVERYTHING. They also came across more Floaties, but Rick, having had his fill, was more interested in a Flamer he saw trying to charge them. He swallowed it and copied its power, and soon Rick was a fire-breathing machine. "Look out baddies, or you're gonna get burned!" Rick shouted giddily. They came upon a door and found Scarfy, floating up and down next to another bag tied to the ceiling, very similar to Rick's…
Scarfy laughed, almost like a little girl. By nature Scarfy is a pretty happy guy. Until someone tries to suck him up… and to make matters worse, this one was obviously also under Dark Matter's spell.
"Hello, Kiiiirby. Your little bird friend is in that bag. I've been chosen to guard it. Too bad you can't inhale me without getting blasted," he said smugly.
"Hmm, well, then it's a good thing we have Burning Power. Isn't that right, Rick?" Kirby replied.
Rick simply nodded and burned the stunned Scarfy to an unidentifiable crisp. Coo's bag fell and he wiggled his way out as amusingly as Rick had—maybe even more so with his wings and feathers. ^_^
"Good gracious, how did they even get me in there in the first place?" Coo griped when he finally set himself loose.
"Oh, Coo! You're OK!" Kirby yelled, jumping down from Rick's shoulders.
"Hello Kirby, Rick. Yes, I'm fine—just a little ruffled from being cramped into that poor excuse for a potato bag."
"Hey! That's exactly what I called it!" Rick chimed in.
O_o "Right… Anyway," Coo began, "I need to inform you of something very important. While I was trapped here with Scarfy, someone else came—I'm not sure who—and told Scarfy to make sure that all of Dark Matter's minions in Big Forest have hoarded enough to eat so that they would not be affected by the famine. He said Dark Matter didn't want any of his loyal soldiers to be unable to destroy Kirby because of lack of nourishment... and also perhaps to Kirby's strength down as well." Coo flapped his wings excitedly. "Don't you see? Dark Matter is controlling it! He wants to starve us out, Kirby!"
Just then, they heard a low rumbling sound: Rick's stomach.
"For the love of Sparky! You CAN'T be hungry now, Rick—you just ate practically everyone in Big Forest!" Kirby cried.
O_O "I can't help it! I just have a large appetite. Don't EVEN tell me you're not hungry, too." Rick gave him a dubious glare. As if on cue, Kirby's stomach growled as well.
^_^; "OK, maybe a little…"
"Well," said Coo, "Before I came to get you guys in Grassland, I went apple-picking myself. They should be in my nest, hidden from anyone who doesn't know where the nest is," he said knowingly.
Rick's face lit up so brightly that Kirby had to put on sunglasses (A/N: I couldn't resist that, either—Kirby looks so cool in sunglasses ^_^). "Well, you know, Kirby, Coo knows this forest better than I do, and being able to fly, he should be quite useful, so I'm just gonna leave you two to defend Dreamland till later…" Rick told them. "…after I eat my fill of those delicious apples," he added under his breath.
Kirby laughed. "OK, Rick, I'll be able to eat while Coo is carrying me… and you'll be able to get your fill at his nest." Kirby said slyly.
o_O;; Rick blushed and giggled sheepishly. "Yeah, well, catch ya later!" he stuttered, and then he ran off.
"Ready to go, Coo?"
"I have been for the past five minutes. You guys really do talk too much, I'm afraid."
Kirby just snickered as Coo took him in his talons once again and they continued their journey. Since Rick had taken the Burning Power with him, Kirby was finally able to inhale all the baddies himself. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was till he started; he ate everything in sight just as Rick did! But what really caught their attention was a new ability enemy: Sir Kibble.
"Die, Kirby!" he yelled as he threw one of his razor-sharp cutters at the duo, hitting them.
"Whoa, that's sharp! That could be useful!" Kirby exclaimed after recovering from the pain. Coo flew right up to Sir Kibble for Kirby to inhale. He sucked up a very reluctant knight and gained the Cutter ability. Coo was now able to send out three dagger-like feathers in three different directions.
"Jeez, that's the most grief I've gotten from anyone so far—but it was worth it!" Kirby said, watching Coo's feathers slice through anything in their paths.
They entered the final door and proceeded to the next area of Big Woods. They found themselves in the canopy of the heart of the forest. Gordos, Waddle Dees, and Bronto Burts were everywhere, but Coo and Kirby easily flapped and cut their way through, gathering about two or three small stars in the process.
Next they were face to face with a couple more Brontos, but, too late, they realized that they were on a kamikaze mission.
"Oh! Two hits at once! A warning would have been nice," Coo seethed, as Kirby sucked back up the Cutter Star that was lost after the hit. "If this keeps up you're going to be on your own again, Kirby."
"Well, we'll just have to be more alert, then."
Soon enough, they came upon more potion—guarded by Poppy Bros. Jr. riding on an apple, and a sneaky Waddle Dee that tried to hit them from behind. Fortunately, their encounter with the Bronto Burts taught them to expect everything from all sides, and they got the potion safely. They sliced through their way again, not even paying attention to what they were destroying lest they be destroyed first. They reached the final door, but it was enclosed in two Star Blocks with a floating Gordo in between. They destroyed a Star Block and let the Gordo float away before entering the door.
In the third, and last, area of Big Forest, our heroes were greeted by a slew of Bouncy Tys, Waddle Dees, and a new enemy (with a new ability), Spikey. It walked up to them until it was two feet away, then curled up into a needley ball.
"Ha! I bet Spikey would love to give us Needle Power, huh, Kirby?"
"Yes, look, he even stopped to let us inhale him…" he agreed as he released the Cutter star.
"Wait a minute! This isn't supposed to happen!" Spikey cried, but it was too late. Now as Coo held Kirby, sharp spines shot down from Kirby's body, making Kirby look like an upside-down porcupine—and making ground assaults useless.
They jabbed through any oncoming enemies, and entered the next door. Waddle Dees carrying Floaties and Bouncy Tys were dropping from above, and when they flew upward, they had to watch for the Floaties that shot back up at them whenever a Waddle Dee let go.
They found another potion and entered the next door. It was obviously another Mini-Boss room since Jumpershoot was standing there, ready for battle, but they didn't know who was in the bag.
"Hmm, I'm supposed to be guarding you, bird," he said, startling Coo and Kirby. "But we found another little guy to replace you. If you defeat me, he'll heal you a little. But I never planned on losing," he added, quite seriously. It intimidated Kirby, just a little.
But Kirby, as we know, is a brave soul, and he wasn't gonna let a bunch of big talk bother him. "Whatever, Jumpershoot. Just begin the battle so we can keep going."
Jumpershoot laughed and began to spin rapidly toward them. Coo flew up and out of the way, and Kirby used his Needle Power to jab down at the enemy. But Jumpershoot jumped unexpectedly up, and he knocked the Needle star out of our heroes before spinning into it and destroying it. He laughed softly.
"You thought I was going to be a pushover like the others? Sorry, you were wrong," he told them, and then he threw his sandal at them.
"You attacking us with your shoe? What kind of attack is that? It'll hurt you more than it will hurt us!" Kirby cried as he inhaled it and shot it back out at Jumpershoot.
"Err, you may have hit me this time, but you're going down!" he cried, and spun toward them once again. Coo easily stayed out of the way, and Kirby continued to spit his sandals at him till he lay on the ground motionless. The bag fell from the ceiling nd a strange looking blob popped out. Kirby sucked him up and his health was restored. Then Kirby looked at Jumpershoot.
"Please don't inhale him, Kirby. He gives Parasol power, and, well, it makes me dizzy," Coo said sheepishly.
"OK, Coo. We probably won't need him anyway."
Little did he know how wrong he was…
And waiting for them were dozens of Spikeys… and they didn't look too happy.
"We heard how you taunted our friend before swallowing him to an early grave," one of the larger ones said. "You shall not get away with your dastardly deed! Revenge, comrades!" he shouted, and the entire Spikey population seemed to charge at Coo and Kirby.
O_O "Quick, Kirby, inhale and swallow! We must fight fire with fire—er…needle with needle!
Kirby didn't have time to think. He did just that, and Coo flew through the onslaught with a spiky ball at his talons. Most of the Spikeys were obliterated, but a few of the more experienced ones got to them. When the battle was over, Coo and Kirby were pretty beat up, but were still OK. They found another potion hiding in a crevice, so they were able to restore their health to a decent level before proceeding to the next part of the area.
Now they found themselves facing a huge hill covered with enemies looking to kill.
"I think this is the time to fly. What do you say, Coo?"
"I couldn't agree with you more."
They flew up and over until they reached the final door. But they had searched the entire island and didn't find the drop. Where could it be?
"Maybe when we flew over that hill we missed a door," suggested Coo.
"No, I was searching the ground the entire time, and I didn't see anything suspicious. It was all pretty out in the open.
So there they were, sitting in the very core of the islnd, using all their brainpower when they should have been fighting the next boss and going. Finally, Coo thought of something.
"Kirby, in the second door, remember how we were in the treetops?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, we never thought to see what was at the base of the trees, did we?"
O.O "Hey, that's right! Coo, we need to go bck! NOW!"
They rushed back into the door, and instead of flying straight through, they dropped straight down. Sure enough, there was a door hidden in some bushes. They went in and saw the beautiful drop—trapped underneath more Power Blocks, but they definitely weren't Parasol blocks.
"Oh man, what kind of power do they want now?" Kirby said, exasperated.
"Well, we could try Needle, since we have it," Coo replied.
To our heroes' great luck, the blocks gave way, and they were able to grab Rainbow Drop number two and exit the area to battle the next boss.
"Yes! Wow, that was lucky—who knows how many powers we could have tried to break those!" Kirby cried happily.
They entered the boss door to see who was guarding the next Warp Star, and they met up with what looked like a gigantic Spikey surrounded by an army of smaller versions of the boss.
"My name is Nruff," he said in a high, raspy voice. "I have been chosen to guard the Warp Star to Ripple Field. Do you think you can handle me, my children and…" He produced a bomb out of nowhere, "…my favorite toys?"
O_o "Kirby, re you sure we can handle this?" Coo asked tentatively.
"Aww, he doesn't look so tough." Kirby answered.
"Well, then," Nruff began, "let the battle begin. Go, Nelly!"
The small versions of Nruff, Nellys, popped out of the many doors of Nruff's hideout. Coo and Kirby spiked them, but they weren't able to hit Nruff—he was too fast, and had too mny bombs.
"Coo, I think we need to drop Needle."
"But then what will we use to defeat him?"
"Don't worry, I have an idea."
Coo dropped the star and Kirby inhaled it. When Nruff ws right in front of him, he spat it out like nobody's business.
"Direct hit!" Coo cried.
"You fools! Don't you realize you re now defenseless? With what, praytell, will you attack me now?"
Kirby got a sly look on his face. "You own weapons."
"But you can't inhale my bombs!"
"No, but I can inhale the Nellys!" Kirby shot bck, sucking up a Nelly to prove his point.
"No! Not my children! You shall face the dire consequences of your actions!"
Nruff charged at Coo and Kirby full force, and Kirby shot Nruff's own means of destruction bck at him before Coo lifted him up to safety. Much to Nruff's dismay, Kirby repeated the action and blasted him again. At first, Nruff's anger powered him, but he soon realized too late that he should have used his "toys" if he wanted any chance of winning, and with one last hit Nruff was out of commission. The Warp Star appeared from one of the doorways, and Kirby and Coo hopped on it to progress to their next destination: Ripple Field.
A/N: lol These chapters are SO long! I know, I know, they're dragged out, too. ~ If you have any suggestions to fix this dilemma, PLEASE, feel free to e-mail me or tell me in a review. Flames are also welcome—I'll use them to train my newborn Bulbasaur to be resistant against fire. ^___^
Next chapter: On to Ripple Field, the island of water. Could Kine possibly be trapped on this island? Will Kirby have as much trouble finding the Rainbow Drop? Did Rick ever find those apples? You have to read and review to find out! And remember, Venus loves you! ~venusAUR!~