Chapter 37: Let's Talk

"Gooey, I just realized something," said Kirby. "I've been on this mission for a few days now and I still haven't gotten tired. Why is that?"

"It must be the maximum tomatoes," replied Gooey. "They energize you so you don't need sleep."

"Ah. I was just wondering. You see, the sun's setting and... um..."

"You were just wondering why you weren't sleepy."

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Um..." began Kirby after giving much thought to the subject he was about to bring up. "When I sliced off Meta Knight's mask–"

"Wait," interrupted Gooey. "Just tell me one thing. Did you kill him?"

"No..."

"You didn't?! Oh, no..."

"As I was saying," continued Kirby, "his face was that of a Dreamlander's. Is Meta Knight... really... is he one?"

"I don't know. Maybe he is. There's a weirdo in every species."

"But he had wings... and fingers!"

"Yes. I agree it's strange. Maybe he's some sort of hybrid like Lololo and Lalala, but I can't think of what could be the other half of the combination. Hmm..."

Silence.

"Gooey," said Kirby a while later, "I have another thing to tell you. On my adventures, I have been helped at certain points by strange animals. A little bird gave me the shard in Butter Building. A cat fed me something that revived me during my battle with Ado. A fish saved me from Acro. Lastly, a hamster got me out of numerous jams on the Halberd."

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Gooey. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? I know about these guys! They're a group of animal fighters for justice. They are one of the agencies that has a job of protecting Dreamland."

"You mean, there are more... agencies?"

"Well, yeah. I'm one of them. You see, each has a specific job. Mine is to aid you. The animals' job is miscellaneous protection. There are others. The Ripple Star Fairies prevent war. The Combo-Elementals protect the land. For instance, it's the Combo-Elementals' job to make sure the trees don't get cut down and the oceans don't get polluted. However, they were nearly all wiped out a few years ago when the Meta Clan devised a way of making the sun and the moon fight each other. I think the only one left is the Metal and Sky hybrid, Dynablade. Then there are the Star Warriors–"

"Everyone thinks I'm a Star Warrior!" interrupted Kirby. "I'm not... am I? What are Star Warriors?"

"I was just about to tell you," Gooey continued. "The Star Warriors are special people who are designated, by the protectors, to be special heroes."

"Wow," said Kirby. "I am a Star Warrior. I must be pretty special."

"Yeah. Anyway, there have been other Star Warriors in the past, but I admit they're not that common. Also, I didn't help any of them. They were specifically chosen, not like you. You were the only Dreamlander who wasn't captured, so you had to be chosen. It was my job to help the 'sole survivor', when there was one."

"Oh," Kirby said a little dejectedly.

"Don't take it like that!" Gooey put in. "You're still special. There aren't many Dreamlanders who could do what you've done. Even with powers, you've accomplished no mean feat! You've calmed Whispy Woods, navigated through Butter Building, freed Lololo and Lalala from possession, defeated Ado, destroyed the Halberd and unmasked the notorious Meta Knight. You surely are special to have done such great things."

"Thank you," said Kirby, feeling much better. "I didn't know I had it in me. I was such a coward before."

"Well, sometimes the most insignificant people have the makings of greatness."

"I'll take that as a compliment," said Kirby as the warpstar sailed into the sunset.