"The Invincible Star Man"

by: SiR6

It was a dark night in summer on the peaceful planet of Popstar, a typical evening. However, on this one night, it seemed something was amiss. In the town square, there could be heard the lone scream of a hapless woman, specifically of the wife of Dreamland's cabinet minister. Lady Like was simply going for her evening stroll to who-knows-where to do who-knows-what, when she felt a presence behind her. At first, she thought it to simply be a branch she may have brushed against, but this wasn't such an inanimate presence. This one, she could sense a sentience within it. Whatever it was, it knocked her down, and pinned her against a tree. And while she normally enjoyed being in compromising positions, she was a married woman, and not one of loose morals. This wasn't her husband, and thus, it wasn't any fun for her.

"Help! Someone HELP ME!" she screamed, as her shadowy assailant made a more personal advance on her. She was alone, and knew that it wasn't likely anyone would hear her. However, at that moment, Kirby walked past, blissfully unaware of what was going on.

"Kirby! Kirby, help me!"

"Poyo? What's wrong? Who's there?" Kirby asked, before looking around. He saw Lady Like out of the corner of his eye, and a shady creature looming over her. Quickly, he began to run to inhale the beast, but before he could, a figure jumped down from a tree nearby, landing between the two of them.

"I'll save you, fair lady! Fear not, for the foul shall fall, when I'm on the job!"

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, but it fell on deaf ears. The being rushed the shadowed creature and tackled him to the ground, removing the cape he was wearing and blinding the shadow figure with it. As the creature rose, he tripped over a loose stone in the road, and fell back down, landing face first. Kirby simply watched in amusement and amazement as the smaller figure removed his cape, as well as the assailant's hood.

"Oh, my head…" came the voice of Dreamland cabinet minister Sir Ebrum, to the bewilderment of both Lady Like and Kirby.

"Ebrum? What on Popstar possessed you to do that?" came Like's voice.

"Ha ha! I sure showed him! Let that be a lesson to you, never attempt a criminal act on MY watch! I am the protector of the people, the savior of justice!" was the small savior's triumphant tirade, but it was a short one. He was quickly cut off by Lady Like, who by now, was very angry.

"What is wrong with BOTH of you?"

Ebrum replied, "I was simply trying to recreate our first date, my sweet. But I dare say, perhaps this wasn't the best way to go about it."

The other figure panicked. "First date?!", he cried. "You mean… you're not a prowler?"

"He is the cabinet minister of Dreamland, and my husband! You leave him alone, you horrible beast!"

"Me, a beast? Nonsense, I hunt beasts, and demons, and monsters, and criminals, and there is one I have followed here to Popstar! My name is Star Man!"

Star Man stepped into the light, revealing himself to be a star-shaped being with a blue and orange cape. He stood in a triumphant pose in front of everyone.

"Star Man?" Kirby questioned.

Meanwhile, within the castle, King Dedede and his unfortunate lackey and expert botanist Escargoon sat in the throne room, watching old superhero movies. King Dedede seemed enraptured by the spectacle of super-powered people saving the meek and innocent, while Escargoon looked moderately uninterested.

"This here movie's a hoot! Superheroes got it all! They can fly, shoot lasers from their eyes, and they always get the girl! I sure wish I was one!" Dedede bellowed.

Escargoon looked up at his adored leader, with a dazed look in his eyes "You actually LIKE this kind of stuff? Majesty, superheroes are pure science fiction and fantasy! The girls they get aren't all that interesting, and it's the villains who get the best lines anyway."

"Zip your lip!"

"You're just jealous because I'm right!"

"You're WRONG, boy! Heroes fight for truth, justice, and makin' sure the villain don't get his way!"

"Maybe so but most of their motives are revenge-based, or a way to cover up their powers without causing suspicion, and their constant tirades about fighting the good fight are about as badly written as most lines in your average Saturday morning cartoon!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Well then, I've got a way we can settle this one!"

King Dedede walked over to his throne, and pressed a button on the armrest to activate the screen for Nightmare Enterprises, brining the salesman into view. He was reading a comic book, but looked up with interest to see who had called. His face grew into a smile when he saw it was his "favorite" customers.

"Hey there, Triple D! What can I do for you? Ready to pay off your bills?" he said with a smirk.

"Not really. I need you to settle an argument for me! Escargoonie here thinks that villains are the best in TV shows and comic books, but I say it's the heroes! Who's right here?"

"Whoa ho ho there, D-man! Heroes versus villains? That's a cliché if ever I saw one. Most historic precedents have the hero shown as the victor."

"Huh? Victor? Never heard of that guy"

Escargoon added, "What kind of cheesy name for a superhero is Victor?"

"Easy there, let me finish… I mean that the hero is always victorious."

"See, Escargoon, I told ya! The hero always gets the girl, and this Victoria must be pretty! He's ALWAYS gonna be hers forever!"

"Oh please, he means that the hero always wins! I'd ask you if you ever read comic books, but ya can't for obvious reasons!"

"Why you little swirly shelled wisecracker!" Dedede grabbed his hammer and prepared to smash Escargoon, but was stopped by the salesman's voice.

"He's right, Big D. The hero always wins, or at least that's what they want you to think. Honestly, there are a few occasions where the heroes lose. And when they lose, they lose BIG time!"

"Well, send me whatever comic book you have about that, then I'll believe it!"

"No need for that, Triple D. You see, we've got our own little supervillain here, and he's been… well, he's been being followed and troubled by a little upstart superhero who keeps foiling his plans, though usually by some manner of luck. We call this fellow Wizard of Death! Or 'Wiz' for short! He's a maniacal magician with an endless bag of tricks! But some caped crusader has been giving him a hard way to go… calls himself Star Man the Invincible. Says he can fly. We sent Wiz over to Dreamland to get away from this pest, and get Kirby, but rumor has it up here that Star Man hacked our system and transported himself after him. We've checked the records of download, and it shows two transports to Dreamland. So, if you wait long enough, you just might see your argument settled for yourselves."

"Well, how do we get this Wiz up here?"

"No need, King. Wiz likes palaces and mansions and castles, so he's bound to come sooner or later. Just relax and read a comic book, like this one. 'The Adventures of Dream Warrior'!"

"He can't read comic books!"

"Why you! Get back here, I'll crack your shell like an egg!"

As King Dedede chased Escargoon with his hammer, the salesman laughed and signed off, terminating the connection. A few floors down in the castle, Sir Ebrum and Lady Like escorted their "savior" into their home, where their children, Tiff and Tuff, sat playing a board game. Kirby saw his friends, and bounded over to them happily.

"Poyo poyo! We found a new friend, look!"

"Hm?", was Tiff's response, as she looked up from the game in the direction Kirby pointed. She saw Star Man, and nudged for her brother to look. "Look, who's he?"

Tuff replied, "I don't know, ask Kirby or Dad. I've never seen him before", barely even looking. Star Man walked over to them.

"Hello youngsters! I am Star Man the Invincible! That's supposed to come with a fanfare, but I left my band on my home planet. I was trying to save your lovely mother from a prowler, but that prowler turned out to be her husband. Why she'd want to be pinned to a tree on her first date, that is beyond me."

Tiff looked a bit shocked. "Mom, I never knew you had it in ya!"

"Had what in her, sis?" Tuff asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older"

"NO you won't!" came Lady Like's voice, audibly irritated.

"Anyway", Star Man continued, "I came here to Popstar, in pursuit of a nasty villain. He's come here to take over this planet!"

Tiff inquired, "Are you a Star Warrior?"

"Poyo! No way!" Kirby added.

"No. I've heard of them, though. Very wonderful bunch of people. I'm a superhero!"

Tuff seemed bewildered. "A superhero? But I thought they only existed in the comic books and movies!"

"Well, you're looking at one now! Grade-A quality planetary protector! And there's a villain on Popstar named Wiz! He's really nasty! A malevolent magician!"

"A magician? How can a magician be evil?" Tiff asked, visibly confused.

"Sounds like he's got his cape on too tight" Tuff added.

A third voice added, "Do not be so sure…" Everyone looked around the room, and saw Sword and Blade standing in the doorway, no Meta Knight to be seen. Sword continued, "Remember that Sir Gallant fellow who visited last year. He was a royal nutjob, but he had his heart in the right place. And he sensed monsters here… the Windwhipper."

"Plus", Blade added, "Old King Dedede orders monsters whenever he sees fit."

"ORDERS monsters? Who would do such a thing?", Star Man piped in, eager to get his hands on whoever would willingly endanger their planet.

"The king orders them, but not for most reasons one would think." Sword replied.

"Then I shall go and stop him! Tomorrow, I will make my crusade to save your planet from this foul ruler of yours, and continue to pursue the vile Wiz, for I, Star Man the Invincible, will not rest so long as there are vile villains to plague the galaxy! Away!" Star man jumped, but hit his head on the ceiling, and crashed down onto the couch. Tiff and Lady Like ran over to him.

"Are you alright?" Like asked, concerned as always for others' well being.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. I'm Star Man the Invincible! Nothing can hurt me!"

"Well, you should be more careful." Tiff said, propping his head on a pillow. "Even if you're invincible, you shouldn't be careless."

"I appreciate your genuine concern. Thank you both. I should get going, though."

"Nonsense!" Lady Like chimed in. "You are our guest, and we can't let you run around at night, it isn't safe!"

"Safe for who?" Tuff jokingly asked.

"Tuff, be nice! We simply must insist you stay here with us!"

Sir Ebrum walked over and added, "I insist, old bean. You rest up here, and tomorrow, we'll show you around Cappytown. Then, you can tell us more about this Wiz fellow."

"Very well." Came Star Man's relenting reply. "I'll rest here. For tonight."

"Poyo!" Kirby chimed happily. Sword and Blade bowed respectfully and excused themselves, retiring to their quarters for the night. Up above, though, a shadow moved through the walls of the castle, watching every move, even by the smallest insect. It paused when it saw Star Man, and cackled lightly before moving on.

The next morning, Kirby awoke to find himself in Tuff's bedroom instead of his own house. He quickly remembered Star Man, and dashed off to locate him for their tour of the town. Tuff would just have to catch up, or so he figured. Truth be told, he didn't like to leave his friends behind, but he knew a Star Man unchecked could be hazardous. Tuff, however, was already dressed, and waiting in the main family room. When Kirby got there, he saw everyone waiting, as if their departure depended on his arrival.

"Poyo?" He chimed, uncertain of the situation at hand. "What happened here?"

"Kirby, we were all waiting for you." Came Tiff's reply. Kirby shrugged and dashed out the door, with an eager Star Man following. Tiff and Tuff followed, leaving their parents behind. Before they could even step foot out of the door, King Dedede raced by, seemingly looking for something. He stopped, pivoted on his right foot, and ran back to their room, giving them an order to remain in the castle, for he'd gotten word of a mysterious stranger loose in the castle.

"And if you see anything funny, even the slightest bit, you come and report it to me, you hear?! I don't want no nasty villains loose in my castle!" Dedede finished before racing away. Escargoon came up shortly after, an apologetic look on his face.

"You'll have to forgive the king… he's locked in a debate with me about heroes and villains, and now he thinks anything loose in the castle that he doesn't know about is a villain!"

"So then, we can go and catch up with the children now?" Sir Ebrum asked cautiously.

"NO!" And with that, Escargoon left, off to try and calm his beloved ruler down. As he dashed off, Lady Like thought she saw a shadow float past, but paid it no mind. However, as she sat down with her husband, another shadow entered behind them, and began charging up energy.

Meanwhile, in town, Star Man seemed to be very excited to see his first civilized planet in, as he said, "What would be ages to the ages". When asked how long it had been since he last saw a civilized planet, he replied that it was over ten thousand years.

"Ten thousand years?" Tuff inquired.

"Yep, ten thousand… Last civil planet I saw was overtaken by Wiz."

"Why would Wiz want to overtake a planet?"

"Tuff, he's a villainous being! He probably does stuff like that with no real reason." Tiff answered, annoyed at her brother's seemingly stupid questions. Star Man, however, was thrilled at the chance to talk more as they passed Kawasaki's restaurant. Kirby disappeared inside, to the sheer horror of Tiff.

"Oh no… lunchtime!" She griped, and walked in after him. Tuff reluctantly followed, and Star Man flew in and sat down across from Kirby.

"I'll explain Wiz to you over lunch. What's cookin'?"

"You don't wanna know." Came Tiff and Tuffs simultaneous reply. Before long, the bumbling but determined Chef Kawasaki came from the kitchen carrying the soup of the day. He set a bowl down for each of his four guests, and set to taking their orders. Two of everything for Kirby and Star Man, spicy curried rice for Tuff, and stir fry for Tiff Kawasaki took their menus to the back, and began to cook, while Star Man continued his story.

"A long time ago, Wiz came to this galaxy in search of an audience to his tricks. He had a great stage presence, but his tricks were often very lethal. Instead of a rabbit out of the hat, he'd pull a tiger. Saw a lady in half? He'd never put her back together. Swords in a basket? Shishkabob, Harry, and whoever else he stuck in there. Make someone disappear? They'd be in intensive before the night was over. His reputation spread all across the planet he lived on, so he couldn't get an audience anywhere."

"Poyo." Kirby chimed in, sad to hear such a thing.

"That sounds awful." Tuff added.

"It gets worse. Once he'd spread to being notorious the whole world over, he had no choice but to flee. And he ran, he ran so far away. But everywhere else he went, there was no population to witness his tricks. One day, he happened upon a massive, dark star. He went into the swirling blackness, and was lost. Before long, he found himself face to face with the grand emperor of evil himself… Nightmare!"

"Nightmare?!" Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, and Kawasaki (who had just finished the orders) all exclaimed.

"Yes, Nightmare. He agreed to help Wiz with his problems, but he lied. He said he would teach Wiz how magic tricks work, and Wiz bought it. However, he was selling his soul to the Devil himself! Or a reasonably frightful facsimile. Whatever Nightmare is, he's demonic, cold, and cruel. He infused Wiz's hat with black magic, allowing him to pull random and deadly objects from within, to decimate his audiences. He also planted the idea in his head that everyone in an audience was out to ruin his reputation, make it so that he could never again perform his magic. And Wiz fell for it. He was convinced that he'd forever be a wandering man, so Nightmare changed that. He gave him a massive cloak to disguise his features, and gave him an option to make his home with Nightmare's empire. Wiz accepted."

"Why'd he do THAT?" Kirby asked, as he ate a plate of glazed chicken and barbecued ribs. He was finished his first helping of everything, while Tiff gagged lightly at her stir fry, though it actually was cooked very well.

"He felt he'd otherwise be forever wandering, I just said that. Nowhere to call home, and he'd always be running from people. So he allowed Nightmare to take him in, and make him a full-fledged demon. He now holds within his hat, an endless array of bombs, poison apples, and other such deadly devices. He feels for no one. And already, his former home planet has experienced that. It was a small, but very heated planet, which he cast into darkness. Combining his apples and bombs into a weapon, he permanently coated their atmosphere with a layer of acidic clouds, forever raining thunderstorms down upon the surface. No one survives from that day, and none dare to penetrate the membrane to claim the land."

"Wow! That's nasty!" Tuff had finished his food, but was referring to the heinous acts of Wiz and Nightmare.

"Hey!" called Kawasaki, not knowing what Tuff meant. "I thought I did spicy food well!"

"Sorry, Kawasaki. I didn't mean the food."

"Oh, okay then. In that case, would you like to try my pineapple and chocolate cheesecake?" Tiff gagged at the thought, and looked to see that everyone was done eating, so she grabbed Kirby and Star Man, dropped some Dedede dollars on the table, and fled the building before Kawasaki came out from his office. As she exited, she was nearly knocked over by a Cappy with a circular mustache, carrying a green bag.

"STOP! THIEF!" came a gruff voice. It was Chief Bookem, the sole cop in Cappytown, and apparently, the Cappy he was chasing was Doron, the local thief. As Bookem blazed past, Star Man leapt into action.

"STAR MAN THE INVINCIBLE!" Came his battle cry, and with that, he took a massive leap into the air, appearing to fly, but then plunged down, knocking Doron on the head, and stopping him long enough to be caught.

"Thanks, kids!" came the chief's voice, as he righted Doron and handcuffed him. Hey, you should be on the force!"

"Thank you, kind officer of justice. But I am a superhero and must wander the galaxy. And I sense trouble nearby. AWAY!" Star Man flew off as he said this, and the kids and Kirby followed, leaving a confused Bookem and disgruntled Doron. Both cringed as they saw Star Man crash into a tree.

"I'm okay!" came Star Man's almost instinctive reply. He took off again, and stopped at the tent of local psychic, Mabel. He immediately dashed in, and greeted the lady Cappy.

"Oh, my, who are YOU?" Mabel quivered, startled by Star Man's appearance.

"Have no fear, STAR MAN is here! And I sense that you can help me find evil!"

"You must be mistaken, I am no psychic. I simply…" Mabel was cut off as Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff entered.

Tiff yelled "Star Man, what was THAT all about?!"

"I think there is danger nearby."

"What danger is it?" Tuff piped in

"Poyo?"

"I think Wiz is active now! I'll look into this soothsayer's ball, and see for myself"

"But mister Star Man, I'm not…"

Star Man began to stare into the ball. At the same time, in the castle, King Dedede and Escargoon were in their throne room staring a massive red cloak and black top hat in the face. A pair of eyes peeked out from the space between the top of the cloak and the brim of the hat. A shadow formed on each side, by the shoulders of the cloak, becoming a disembodied hand, with a wand forming in the right.

"Wh-who ARE you?" asked a frightened King Dedede.

"Yeah, and who gave you permission to enter this castle?!" Escargoon sniped, not a good idea.

"SILENCE! I am the Wizard of Destruction!"

"WAAAAAAAAH! You're that supervillain the salesguy warned us about!"

"I told you villains are better than heroes, sire! You see any hero here to save us?"

"I said QUIET! And what do you mean, 'sire' SURELY, this trippy blue tub of lard can't be a… king…."

"HEY! What you mean I'm a tub of lard, I ain't fat! This here royal gut is made from royally rich food, fella! Solid monarch muscle!"

"Yeah, sow some respect for the king, why don't ya?"

"Why don't I? Because I DON'T want to, that's WHY! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking over this castle, and next, this planet!"

"Over HIS cold, dead body, you will!" King Dedede challenged, holding a sweating Escargoon in front of him.

"Sire, please!"

"ENOUGH! I shall ensure my victory. Ho'lo… k'ua… paluushii!"

After Wiz uttered those words, he pointed his wand at the penguin and snail, and a bright flash of light emitted. Seconds later, the flash died down, and where the monarch and sidekick once stood, there now stood two plush dolls of them. The Dedede plush spoke.

"What you done to us?!"

"Yeah, I feel kinda stuffed!" Added Escargoon's plush.

"Just take a look!" Wiz roared, showing them a mirror. Dedede screamed, but then stopped when he noticed Escargoon was not screaming.

"Huh? Why ain't he screamin'?" Dedede asked

"Pull his cord, he needs that." Wiz gestured to a cord sticking out from the lower front region of the plush doll. "Oh wait, ya CAN'T! HA HAHAHAHAHA HA!!!!!!" As he laughed, he pulled the cord, and Escargoon screamed as well.

Back in the tent, Star Man continued to stare into the ball.

"Any second now, we're going to get a sign…" came Star Man's voice

"Any second now, I'm gonna fall asleep." Tiff said tiredly

"Any second now, we had best get back to the castle." Came a deep voice, one that immediately woke Tiff, and startled everyone.

"Meta Knight!" Kirby happily chimed. The elder Star Warrior nodded before speaking again.

"Something is brewing at the castle! Your parents sent me to warn you, but I decided they had best come with me!"

"Where are they?" Tuff asked. His answer came in the form of Sword and Blade. Sword was carrying a plush doll of Lady Like, while Blade held a Sir Ebrum plush.

"Oh NO!" yelped the children and Kirby, while Star Man gazed, getting a determined and angry look on his face.

"THIS is definitely the work of Wiz! To the castle! CHARGE!" Star Man bellowed the last word before flying out of the tent towards the castle. Kirby and the kids followed, and Meta Knight and his subordinates followed him, still carrying the dolls. Mabel shrugged, and ran off after them. In the distance, the castle was smoking, with a swirling purple vortex above it.

"Holy macaroni!" Sword yelled. Kirby chimed a happy "Poyo" at the thought of macaroni, but quickly focused on the situation at hand as they crossed the drawbridge and entered the castle courtyard. Wiz was sitting on Dedede's throne, with the dolls on each armrest. He looked up at the figures running into "his" courtyard, and his amused gaze grew even brighter.

"MORE insolence? I'm a bit bored with plush dolls, all THESE two on the chair do is argue about things… I suppose I can turn you all into jellyfish. Or maybe just into jelly! Or perhaps…" he stopped when his gaze fell upon the form of Star Man "YOU!"

"Wiz…" Star Man said coldly, no longer his fun loving self.

"Pest!"

"Freak."

"Oh, that's it! I FINALLY manage to escape your so-called "super heroism", and take over a small kingdom, set to move on to the planet next... and, just like clockwork, YOU show up again. When will you EVER leave me ALONE?!"

"When one of us is dead, villain!"

"I can arrange that…"

Escargoon's doll turned to the Dedede plush. "See, villains get better lines, I TOLD you"

"Yeah, we can BOTH arrange it, but you offing yourself isn't any fun for me." Star Man retorted to Wiz.

"You were SAYING, Escargoonie?" Came the voice of the plush Dedede.

"If you two dimwit dolls don't SHUT UP already, I'm gonna…" Wiz stopped mid-sentence when he saw a masked figure and a round pink creature out of the corner of his eye. "Meta Knight! Oh no, that caped dork led the Star Warriors to me! Gotta get away….it a minute… Meta Knight's older than ME, and probably decrepit by now. I can take him!"

"Big talk, you cloaked cad! Let's have at it!" Star Man challenged, dashing into Wiz and knocking him over. Wiz growled in response, and fired an energy beam that would have killed most beings or possibly been another transformation spell. It's unknown what it would do, for Star Man remained unharmed, bar a slight singe mark on him, which healed quickly.

"DRAT! He's still got his powers!" Wiz cursed, before firing off more bursts, which looked intense enough to kill, exploding in dazzling light bursts. Star Man either dodged them, or took the hit and kept going, to the amazement of everyone else. Sword and Blade moved in to slice him while he was distracted, but Wiz released a radiating blue beam from his body that put them to sleep. He then caught full sight of Kirby, and beamed proudly. "My my, the puffy pink one… the boss would have QUITE the reward for me if I kill YOU off now. However, first things first, I shall attend to my first victim, Star Man here!

"You'll never beat me." Came Star Man's cold voice, as he dashed into Wiz again, knocking him into a wall. Wiz sat back up, and threw a poisoned apple from within his hat. Star Man threw it into the sky, where it exploded into sparkling dust, and was immediately hit with a football, and a bomb soon followed. Kirby tried to inhale it, but it exploded before he could.

"Fool! I can dissolve my weapons before you can TOUCH them! If I could only beat this pest of a "hero", then I'd own this universe by now! But HE can't beat me either!"

"Why not?" asked a curious Tuff. "What's the matter, Star Man?"

Star Man sighed. "I suppose I should come clean. I may be invincible, but that's my sole super power. No strength, no eye lasers, no lightning fist, nothing! I'm a hero by choice, but I can't fight well at all."

"Yeah, and if he hadn't been so nosy, I'd have worlds under my thumb, but his powers block my magic!"

"But… you can fly, Star Man!" Came Tiff's voice.

"Poyo!" Kirby seemed to agree. Perhaps he was chiding Wiz, but he didn't want to speak much right now.

"That comes from the cape. I can't fly without it, so I wear it when I'm hunting scum like Wiz."

Mabel finally spoke "He reminds me so much of that Sir Gallant fellow. He may not be a great warrior but his heart is in the right place. Power doesn't make you a hero, the will to protect those in danger does."

"Here we go, more sappy diatribe about right and wrong from the hero peanut gallery". Escargoon's plush moaned.

"Not really, snail doll!" Boomed Wiz's voice. He then fired a beam at Mabel but Meta Knight stepped in to block it with Galaxia. However, the beam changed Galaxia into a plastic toy version of itself.

"Well, this sucks." Meta Knight uttered. Star Man, however, looked around, seeing his smiling, yet concerned new friends. He stopped his gaze on Kirby.

"Ready to try your hand at being a hero, young one?" Star Man had regained his normal voice.

"Poyo! I'll try my best!" came Kirby's reply. Star Man removed his cape, and laid it at Kirby's feet. Kirby picked it up, examined it, and put it on. Unfortunately, the cape was so long, that the second he tried to walk, he tripped over it.

"This isn't gonna work!" Tuff cried, but Kirby didn't falter. He tried again to run, but again tripped. Wiz looked on, amused, and began laughing loudly.

"You call THAT a hero? THIS is the great, threatening Star Warrior? Oh, that's rich! Normally, I'd throw in a cheesy line about having a nice trip and seeing you next fall, but that's done to death, so I'll spare your sense of humor." Wiz laughed, then his face grew serious, and he fired a burst of magic at Kirby, who quickly jumped away, but got his feet tangled in the cape, and crash-landed. Wiz laughed some more, making Kirby a bit upset.

"I… can't win. Not like this. Well, if you can't beat 'em… EAT 'em!" Kirby said, and with that, he did a small dash, and tripped, knocking the cape off. He began a powerful inhale, which dragged Wiz a little bit, but caught the cape quickly. The cape was engulfed by Kirby's mouth, and swallowed. Kirby felt a familiar energy run through him, an energy he feels whenever he swallows an enemy attack or an object, and copies it. He jumped up, doing three frontflips, and stopped amid a starry background, with the stars moving downward. Kirby looked left and right, before looking straight up to spot a golden halo with wings above him. He jumped twice to reach it, but it was just out of reach, so he made a third, more powerful jump, and grabbed it, securing it to his head. A red and blue cape began to form from the halo, which was now a headband, and Kirby spun slowly counterclockwise to show a close view of it, before stopping with his arms crossed under the cape. He then flung them open, revealing his face, the blue inside of the cape, and a shining light behind him that lit up the sky.

"That's the way to do it!" Star Man cheered.

"Alright, he's REALLY a hero now!" Tuff also cheered.

"That… is Hi-Jump Kirby!" Meta Knight informed everyone, and received a questioning "Hi-Jump Kirby?" from Tiff and Tuff in response. Wiz simply glared.

"I'm NOT impressed! Take THIS!" Wiz began throwing bombs, footballs, and poison apples at Hi-Jump Kirby, but with a quick spin of his cape, he deflected them all, to the delight of his friends.

"Why YOU!" Wiz fumed, throwing even more bombs, and firing a burst of light energy at Kirby. Kirby simply jumped away, and out of Wiz's line of sight. "What the?"

Before Wiz cold finish, he was met with a kick to the face by Kirby, who then began to fly around his face rapidly, making him dizzy. Wiz responded with another blue sleep ray, but Kirby flew even higher to escape. Angered and humiliated, Wiz followed, ready to rip Kirby apart.

"Why's Kirby running away?" Tuff asked.

"Watch." Came Meta Knight's short reply, as Sword and Blade stood next to him.

Up above, Kirby was flying higher, into the stratosphere, with Wiz Following. He then made a U-turn, and flew back down, passing Wiz, whose hat became red from his fury. He continued his pursuit, but as they came into view of the castle, Kirby stopped, and turned around. Just as Wiz was about to catch him, Kirby performed a midair leap, fists extended, and crashed through Wiz's body. Before Wiz could try to escape, Kirby performed a reverse of the move, plunging downward, driving Wiz straight toward the ground. Before Wiz got too close, Kirby dashed past him, and prepared another attack.

"HAI…. JANPU!!!!!" Kirby called, making another midair jump, and smashing through Wiz, who began discharging green electricity. With a final bellow of "NOOOOOOOO!", Wiz exploded, and Hi-Jump Kirby floated down to earth, dropping the ability on the way. He was met with cheers as he landed, and as he did, he noticed Galaxia had returned to its former glory, and the plush figures of King Dedede, Escargoon, and Tiff and Tuff's parents had been restored to their usual living selves. Kirby managed to cough up Star Man's cape, which was promptly placed back around his neck.

"Wonderful, Kirby! You really ARE a superhero!" Star Man cheered proudly.

"Good show, Kirby!" Sword and Blade said simultaneously. Meta Knight nodded his silent approval, while the children hugged Kirby. Sir Ebrum seemed confused about the matter, and Lady Like wanted to simply get back inside. Dedede and Escargoon were having an argument.

"See? I TOLD you heroes are better than villains." Dedede bellowed triumphantly.

"Yeah, but that hero always makes a fool outta you, sire! Hm… now what would THAT imply?"

"Why you little! Get back here! I'll teach you who's the top villain on this show!" Dedede whipped out his Hammer and began to chase Escargoon, which amused everyone else. After some time, Sir Ebrum led them all back inside. However, as they left, unnoticed to them, a magic wand plunged down, and landed in the grass by the fountain. A shadowed hand picked it up, and waved it in a taunting manner before flying into the sky.

THE END.