Chapter 35: Evacuation
"We're losing power! Engine number 3! Engine number 5!"
"There ain't any power left! We can't fly!"
"Everyone, ABANDON SHIP!!!"
"Evacuate! Evacuate!"
Captain: "Waaah! The ship's going down!"
"Kirby!" yelled Gooey. "The Halberd's going to crash! Get out of there!"
"Right!" replied Kirby.
Suddenly, there was a huge explosion and Kirby was blown off his feet. With the core gone, the reactor was self-destructing. Fire was everywhere.
"I'm cut off!" shouted Kirby. "The way I came in has been covered in flames and seems to be collapsing!"
Gooey swore and Kirby started wondering if "swearing" actually meant "using another language". Kirby then wondered if he could learn this seemingly non-Dreamlander language. After that, Kirby screamed and jumped out of the way of a falling (and flaming) piece of the Halberd.
"How do I get out of here?!" Kirby yelled.
"I'm working on it!" Gooey yelled back.
"Kirby," said a voice, "this way!"
It was the hamster. It was smiling through a large hole that it had made in the wall. Kirby quickly hopped through.
"Thanks!" yelled Kirby.
"Follow me!" replied the hamster.
"Who are you?" asked Kirby as he quickly followed the hamster through passageway after passageway.
"A friend!" answered the hamster.
In order to keep up with the hamster, Kirby had to run as fast as he could. Kirby was running so fast that he didn't have enough breath to ask the hamster the multitude of questions he had going through his mind. They were questions like "Why are you helping me?", "Where are you from?" and "Are you involved with the other animals that have been helping me?".
The hamster ran through a door and the door suddenly shut, blocking Kirby.
"Wait, Kirby!" said a voice.
"You can't go any further!" said another.
"You'll never escape!" said a third.
Kirby turned around. There was the Meta Clan.
"We want a rematch!" said Meta Chain.
"This time the hamster can't help you!" said Meta Sword.
"Fight!" yelled Meta Lance and the battle begun.
Meta Lance shot at Kirby, but Kirby got out of the way just in time and Meta Lance crashed into a wall. Meta Drone tried to poke Kirby with a spear, but Kirby opened his mouth and clamped it shut just as soon as the point was in. Kirby swallowed to become Needle Kirby! Kirby turned into a ball of spikes and Meta Sword almost got spiked through! Meta Chain swung his mace, but Kirby retracted his spikes and ducked. The mace went right over Kirby's head and hit Meta Axe in the face.
Suddenly, there was another explosion. Now the room was on fire. The Meta Clan faltered a bit. They were staying back. They were separated from Kirby by fire. Kirby inhaled the fire and combined it with his Needle ability to become Fire Arrow Kirby! The Meta Clan immediately retreated when they saw the flaming arrows coming at them.
"Sir Meta Knight!" called one of them. "You're on your own!"
"We're evacuating!" yelled another.
Kirby shot a fire arrow right through the door and raced into the open passageway. The hamster was gone. Kirby hadn't expected it to stick around, rather than escape before its fur caught on fire.
Kirby ran and ran and ran, taking every turn that looked remotely safe. More explosions rocked the Halberd and Kirby lost his Fire Arrow ability when he was thrown by one of them.
After much running, Kirby found himself on top of the Halberd among the wreckage of the giant cannon. He didn't know what had destroyed it, but he was glad it wouldn't be able to stop him from escaping.
"Gooey, I'm outside!" shouted Kirby. "Get me a warpstar with a maximum tomato!"
"Done!" replied Gooey and a warpstar landed in front of Kirby.
Kirby hopped on, ate the maximum tomato and heard Meta Knight behind him.
"The force field! Now, Captain!"
Kirby flew off on the warpstar, but ran into some sort of invisible barrier. The warpstar disappeared and Kirby fell to the floor. He looked around and saw Meta Knight a ways off. Meta Knight was, just like last time, facing away from Kirby.
"Excellent, Captain. Now, evacuate. There is nothing more that can be done."
Meta Knight snapped his fingers and a sword materialized in front of Kirby. Kirby inhaled it and swallowed. A green pointed hat (that was tipped with a little tuft) appeared on his head and a sword appeared in his hand. Kirby had become Sword Kirby!
Meta Knight turned. His face was covered by circular grey mask with a shallow V cut into it for his eyes.
"The sword you just swallowed," he said casually, "was connected in energy to this force field. You will not be able to rid yourself of Sword ability until you leave, but leaving is out of the question. It is with honor, Kirby," his voice became harsher, "that I now challenge you to a duel! Kirby, this is it!" he drew his sword. "Prepare to die!!!"