Chapter 24: Bonus 4 – The Copy Ability Exam
One day, Captain Vul and Meta Knight were on the bridge of the Halberd. The captain had been waiting for Ledo to arrive with his report on the maintenance of the ship. As for his superior...he appeared to be staring absentmindedly at the sea in front of him, occasionally stopping to write on a notepad he was carrying or eat another lemon drop.
"There's clearly something wrong...is it that time already?" he thought.
That was when the door opened, and the ensign entered.
"Captain Vul, Lord Meta Knight, I'm here to submit my report. She's ready for takeoff."
He handed the clipboard to the vice-captain who read it over with a nod.
"Thank you, Ensign. You're done for the day." After saying that, he noticed that the young man was looking over at the knight with a concerned expression. Normally, his superior would be the first to notice Ledo's entrance to the bridge, but he didn't even acknowledge him. Silently, Meta Knight left the room through the same door the ensign entered.
"Captain Vul, is it just me, or has Lord Meta Knight been acting strange the past few days?" he asked.
"You're right. I believe that it's that time of year again..." the avian captain replied, receiving a confused glance from the young man. "Ah, I don't think you're aware of it. Around this time of the year is when Lord Meta Knight has Kirby undergo a so-called Copy Ability Exam."
"A Copy Ability Exam?" This was the first time Ledo had heard about anything like that.
"Based on previously obtained data, I believe it is a combat training exam designed specifically to test Kirby."
"That's correct. It's a yearly test he uses to see how much Kirby has improved with using his Copy Abilities and how well he can adapt with them. He picks out a set of abilities to focus on and allows Kirby to pick a few to focus on. They alternate back and forth until the test is complete."
"So, it's a test where Kirby shows off everything he's learned?"
"Exactly."
"But if it focuses on Kirby, why is Lord Meta Knight so nervous about it?"
"I think it's fairly simple. If Kirby fails this test, then that means that he failed as his mentor."
Honestly, that just made the young man a bit confused. "But wouldn't that just mean that Kirby failed?"
"You're not the first person to ask that question, kid..." he gave a shrug.
"Has he ever failed?"
Captain Vul stopped for a moment to think. "…once. It was not pretty." He seemed to shudder at the thought. Ledo wanted to ask him more about it, but he decided against it.
"Based on your knowledge, I assume that you have watched this exam take place several times before."
"That's right. I've sat in on it a few times. It's quite entertaining to watch." He seemed to smile at that memory.
"From what I've seen of Kirby's Copy Abilities, it sounds like it would be fun to watch." The young man commented.
"Well, maybe when Lord Meta Knight is in a better mood, you can ask him if you can sit in on the exam. For now, just prepare for takeoff."
"Understood, sir!" with a salute, the young man left the bridge.
After walking down the hallway for a few minutes, Ledo came to a stop and got into a readied stance, catching a familiar pink ball in his hands.
"Hello, Kirby." He said with a smile.
"HIIIIIII LEDO!" the puff replied cheerfully.
"What brings you here? Other than to visit me, of course." The puff hopped out of his arms and they began to walk together.
"Oh, I also wanted to visit Meta Knight! But…he shut himself up in his room and he said he's busy right now and doesn't want me to cheat on the exam." He pouted childishly.
"You mean the Copy Ability Exam?"
"Yup. He likes to surprise me with his picks, so he doesn't really talk to me much until the day of the test. It's pretty dumb…" Based on Kirby's tone, Ledo assumed he didn't like the tests that much.
"He might just do that because he wants you to practice all your abilities beforehand."
"BUT I HAVE A TON OF THEM! IT'S SO ANNOYING! HE ALWAYS PICKS SWORD FOR ONE, SO WHY DOES KEEPING THE REST SECRET MATTER?!" the sudden yelling caught the young man a bit off-guard.
"Kirby, do you hate the exam?"
"…it's a bit hard to explain, but I love actually taking it! It's super fun! …except for that one time, but whatever. The part I hate is the five days before it happens when Meta Knight is preparing it…"
From the little the ensign saw of how he was acting; he could honestly understand that sentiment.
"Ah! I know! Ledo, you should come watch me!" There was a bright excitement in Kirby's voice as he said that.
"Do you think Meta Knight will be fine with it?" he asked.
"I'm sure he won't care! Come on! It'll be fun!" He seemed to become even more excited. So much so that the young man didn't have the heart to say no.
"Well…there's a chance that I'll be fighting alongside you if Dreamland is attacked, so it'd be a good idea to see what you can do."
"I agree with this judgement."
"Really?! Yay! I can't wait!" the pink puff was now jumping up and down in excitement. Honestly, the ensign was surprised that Kirby could get anymore hyper than he already tended to be. "Oh! I remember what else I came here for! Vividria is making a short film and she wants me and you to be in it!"
"A…short film? What's it about?"
"I don't know! Let's go! It'll be fun!" the pink puff began to drag the young man off.
"Chamber! Notify the bridge about this!"
"Roger."
Ledo didn't say anything about it, but he had a vague feeling that this casting decision was a mistake.
Soon came the day of the exam. It was to be held in the large combat chamber on the main base, so the entire crew was bustling about in final preparations for the exam.
"Lord Meta Knight, what time is the exam scheduled for?" Ledo asked upon entering the observation room with a tray of tea. After explaining his conversation with Kirby, the knight came to the same judgement and had given the young man permission to observe the exam.
"I told him to be here before the test starts at noon, but he's yet to show up…" he gazed towards the clock on the wall. "…and we're supposed to begin in five minutes…" he tried to give a calm sigh, but it only came out irritated. The door to the combat chamber suddenly slammed open.
"Meta-senseiiiiiiii! I'm hereeeeeeee!" Kirby's voice echoed through the room as he skipped over to the viewing room.
"I'd appreciate it if you arrived earlier, Kirby." The knight replied, exiting the room with the young man behind him.
"Why do you sound so annoyed? I'm five minutes early!" his student pouted in response.
"I told you the test began at noon and to arrive before then!"
"But I arrived before noon, didn't I?"
The knight let out a groan and facepalmed at that response. His student technically wasn't wrong.
"I still would have preferred if you arrived earlier…" he sighed as he looked behind him. "And…you didn't bring your Ability Items, did you?"
"Oh, they're on their way." The puff seemed to wave it off. Shortly after that, a heavy bag was pushed through the door.
"Heavyyyyy…!" a feminine voice from behind the bag uttered before they halted, as if not being able to move any further. "I must question how just a few Ability Items can be this heavy." A Blade Knight wearing a hat resembling that of Kirby's Sword Ability peaked out from behind the bag. Ledo was quick to recognize her from his many meetups with Kirby's Helper friends.
"Saber Blade? What are you doing here?"
The sword-wielder noticed the young man and knight watching her and walked out from behind the bag. She pulled out her sword and planted it into the floor.
"Fare thee well, Sir Ledo and Sir Meta Knight! Good to see that thou art in good health!" The two stared at her in silence. "In other words, wassup, homies." They only continued to stare awkwardly at her.
"…so what brings you here? Other than to deliver Kirby's Ability Items, of course." Meta Knight finally said after a deafeningly long moment of silence.
"Kirby asked me first, then I thought I'd stop by to visit my younger brother while I'm here." She explained. That's right. It had slipped Ledo's mind for a moment that Saber Blade was Blade Knight's older sister.
"If you're looking for Blade Knight, I believe he is getting a routine checkup in the infirmary. I'll ask Sword Knight to guide you there." He took a cellphone from out of his cape subspace, walking away as he talked into it.
"You have my gratitude." She replied before turning to Kirby. "You will probably not need it, but best of luck on this exam."
"Thanks! Have fun talking to Blade Knight!"
"Peace out." She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"…Chamber, did you have any idea what she was saying?"
"Negative."
Saber Blade's way of speaking made it hard to understand what she's saying at times.
He turned to the bag. "So, these are all the Copy Abilities you picked out for this test?"
"Yup! I tried to pick ones I think would be fun for you to watch!" Kirby exclaimed, patting the bag.
"…can I look inside?"
"NOPE!"
"NOPE!?"
"NOPE! It's a surprise!"
He probably should have expected that. It sounded like a very Kirby thing to say.
"We shall begin the test! Ensign Ledo, please enter the viewing room!" Meta Knight called out from a ledge above them.
The young man responded with a nod before turning to his pink friend. "Good luck, Kirby."
"Thanks! Have fun watching!"
Upon hearing that reply, he entered the room and took a seat.
A few seconds later, he heard the knight clear his throat.
"We shall begin the Copy Ability Exam. The goal of this test is to show me what you've learned and how well you can adapt your Copy Abilities. We shall alternate between Abilities I have chosen, and you have chosen. The test will end when we have done five each. There are three rules for this test: First, do not hold back."
"Meta-sensei, you explain the rules every time we do this test…I think I know what they are by now…" the child pouted as he cut him off.
"Do not interrupt. I am making sure you know them."
"And isn't it dangerous if I don't hold back?"
"Do. Not. Hold. Back. I will not repeat myself. Second rule: you must stay in the testing area. You cannot leave this room for any reason. If you are somehow injured during the test, I will contact the infirmary. Finally, neither of us can select any limited-use abilities such as Crash or Microphone for this test."
"But didn't you say the base is reinforced enough so it could handle Crash?"
"Again, do not interrupt. Even if it can, I'd rather not risk it. Besides, there's no point in testing it. We all know what it can do."
Even Ledo himself was aware of what Crash could do after seeing Kirby use it a short time back. However, the young man had a vague feeling the real reason had something to do with that Microphone ability. Everyone he's met on this planet has treated it with the utmost dread and horror and it only made him more curious to why. Could it be because it's more destructive than Crash?
"Do I make myself clear with these rules?" The knight finished. His student replied with a nod. A sword was immediately embedded into the floor in front of Kirby. There was no further conversation, as if the knight was saying "you know what to do".
The pink puff sighed for a moment before taking the blade, transforming into Sword Kirby. The knight immediately jumped down from the ledge and their fight began. There was an immediate clash between the blades that caused both to stagger back.
Ledo was quick to notice that this fight was greatly different from that Sword training session he saw a while back. Then again, it was probably because Kirby wasn't holding back this time.
The two puffs spun at each other and were knocked back by another clash. Taking advantage of his mentor's stagger, Kirby charged forward with his sword. The attack was quickly dodged by the knight, who used his cape to teleport and try to slash at him upon appearing from a pit of darkness. The pink puff managed to block it but staggered from the blow before the knight came at him from the side. Gaining a bit of aerial momentum from jumping over the attack, he thrust the blade down, but it was blocked again. He tried another aerial attack blocked again. And another. It was blocked again. Then with another aerial spin slash, he managed to break through his guard. The knight flinched back from the impact before beginning another charge, which his student countered.
Although Ledo could hear the clanging of swords, it was all deafeningly silent. Usually, Kirby would happily yell move names whenever he was showing off his abilities, but the lack of speaking at this moment was likely the result of this particular test's intensity. Now that he thought about it, the pink puff didn't do that in the first training session with Meta Knight that he saw. He wondered if it was because the knight would rather have his student take fights like this seriously, or if it was simply because their sparring matches were so intense that he needed to put all of his effort into fighting seriously.
The fight continued as Kirby spun his sword again, only for Meta Knight to block it, reel back and charge at him. The student uppercutted him with the blade, causing him to stagger. The pink puff raised his sword, gathering energy, and fired off a crescent shot. This attack was barely blocked, and the knight took to the air immediately, performing a Shuttle Loop which caught the pink puff inside it. Gritting his teeth in frustration, the puff swung the sword downwards, cutting off the aerial attack. This caused his opponent to be slammed into the ground, bouncing once before skidding backwards a bit, using his wings to balance himself. The pink puff spun his sword around, slamming it down from the air. The knight jumped back to dodge the attack, it nearly connecting. The two stared at each other in a ready stance, waiting for the other's next move. That was when the knight again retreated into his cape. Kirby began to slightly walk away, his sword still at the ready. The moment his mentor reappeared with a spinning slash, he countered with his own and forced both of them to stagger back. The pink puff quickly recovered, however, and attacked with a series of quick slashes. The knight blocked all but the final which he barely managed to dodge. Regaining his footing, the knight charged forward in a drilling move, which Kirby himself barely dodged and clashed with another swing. The impact of the attack threw both of them back and they stood across from each other, now panting heavily.
"I... I think...that's enough..." Meta Knight finally said, still barely able to catch his breath.
"We...we aren't done though...!" Kirby replied, equally panting.
"Any...any further and... you're...you're going to...break...my mask..."
Ledo noticed that Kirby rolled his eyes at that.
"We'll take a break...before the next test...pick out what... ability you want to use..." he returned his sword to the scabbard on his side.
His student nodded and walked over to the bag of Ability Items, opening up a case of bottled water that had been placed alongside it. As he waited to catch his breath, he watched his mentor return to the viewing room. Shortly after entering, there was an audible cracking sound, a loud groan, and the young man inside looking visibly surprised. The pink puff laughed to himself at the scene.
After the short break, it was time for the next test.
"Alright, Kirby, show me what your ability is." Meta Knight said through the microphone.
With a nod, Kirby ate a strange looking hat, gaining a striped tent with a face on his head.
"Circus?" the knight murmured.
"Yup! Circus!" the puff replied.
"What does this ability do?" Ledo asked.
"Watch this! Somersault! Backsault!" he leaped forward and backward onto his hands and back.
"That's…interesting but is that it?" the young man questioned.
"Nope! Watch!" with a running start, a flaming hoop seemed to appear out of nowhere as Kirby jumped through it, setting himself on fire.
"Is... he okay?" the young man uttered just as the puff landed on his two feet without a scratch on him.
"Fire Hoop Jump!" The pink puff then seemed to bounce into the air. "Trampoline!" he jumped onto another trampoline, propelling him even higher. "Acrobatics!" Just as he was about to hit the floor he stepped onto a spinning ball and regained his balance.
"Impressive. It's a roundabout way of melting ice, but a way to melt ice nonetheless." The knight commented.
"I'm not done yet!" hopping off the ball, Kirby began to juggle batons into the air.
"Is there a purpose to this?" the ensign questioned his superior. Just as he uttered that, the batons were set on fire, with the puff continuing to juggle them as if nothing was happening.
"Yes, that is the purpose." Meta Knight replied.
"Ah! One more thing!" The pink puff blew up a flower shaped balloon, which popped at a certain point.
"What is that?"
"Balloon art! You want to see something cool with it!?" Kirby blew up another balloon, but this time it resembled Chamber. "Here! Take this as a souvenir!" he skipped over to the door and opened it, handing the balloon to the ensign.
"Oh...thank you, Kirby." The young man couldn't help but smile at the sudden gesture.
"Is that all you have to show off with the Circus Ability?" the knight asked.
"Yup!"
"I see. Take a bit of a break while I prepare the next ability." Giving an understanding nod, the child walked back over to his case of water and opened another bottle.
"Lord Meta Knight, if you don't mind, I'd like to take this to my room." The young man said.
"Make it quick. I'd like us to begin the next test soon." His superior gave a reply without looking up from his notebook.
"Understood." He swiftly stepped out of the room upon hearing that.
Upon returning to the combat room, Ledo didn't notice anything different.
"Lord Meta Knight, did you continue the test without me?" he questioned.
"No, we were waiting for you to return." The knight stepped out of the observation room, allowing the young man to enter. "Now, for your next test!" a flaming crown was tossed to Kirby, who immediately swallowed it. His head burst into flames, resembling the aforementioned crown.
"Ah, what ability is this, sir?" the young man asked.
"Fire." The reply was blunt. He probably should have figured. "Show me what you can do, Kirby. Start out with Fire Breath and go on from there." The knight sat back in his chair, carefully observing his student. With an acknowledging nod, the pink puff breathed out a fury of hot flames.
"Why start with something so simple?" Ledo questioned. To him, this was a far cry from a few of the other abilities he's seen Kirby use. Many of those abilities were quite eye-catching. This was…just simple.
"It's the most basic move for the Fire Ability. Years ago, this was the only move he could perform with this Copy Ability." That was when the fiery breath began to engulf Kirby. "Fireball Inferno, huh?" the knight murmured.
"That's not the only thing, you know!" his student pouted as he jumped into the air and set himself on fire again.
"I see…" he commented.
"Why are you saying that?! You already know that I can do that!" Kirby ran towards the window and turned into a burning fireball. Ledo was about to panic before he saw the puff stop just before with a small explosion.
"Huh. You can even do Searing Burn."
"WHY ARE YOU ACTING SURPRISED?!" the knight's student pouted. He then jumped into the air again, setting himself on fire just before hitting the ground. To the ensign's surprise, he began to move around the ground and jump! He rolled over to the other wall and began to climb it.
"All the Fireball skills…" the knight took some notes. "Impressive. It appears you've gotten better with the Fire ability."
Kirby landed perfectly on the ground upon hearing that. "Yup! I thought I did as well!" he smiled.
"I'd like to say that you improved, but frankly, I've never seen you use this ability before." The young man sighed.
"Thank you anyway! Would you like to try it?!"
"It is not possible for Ensign Ledo to use Copy Abilities, Kirby." It was Chamber that spoke up that time.
"I know that! We could have Sailor make him Superspicy Curry if he wants! It'll make a similar effect!"
"I think I'll pass on that." He didn't want to admit that he had tried it before and regretted the decision immediately.
"That's enough of that, Kirby. Prepare for the next test." Meta Knight cut him off.
"Fiiiinnnneeee…" his student uttered with a pout.
After a brief break, it was time for the next test.
"Now, what ability are you going to show off now?" Meta Knight asked.
"Hee hee! It's one you don't know about yet!" his student giggled, hiding an Ability Item behind his back.
"I highly doubt that, Kirby." Just as the knight said that, the item was swallowed, and the puff gained a red and yellow wrestling mask on his face. "...what is this?" he barely managed to contain his surprise.
"Lord Meta Knight, I think that is the Wrestler ability." Ledo's response was met with a white-eyed stare of shock.
"How do you know about this ability!?"
The young man hesitated to reply for a moment. "He used it during the Buddy Tower incident..." He was met with a silent stare.
"…I see." The tone the blue puff used was not clear. It was likely just an acknowledgement, since the ensign and his superior mutually disliked talking about that incident for various reasons. While they did ultimately become closer because of it, the circumstances weren't the best.
The knight turned his attention back to his student. "Alright, Kirby. What can this ability do?"
"Um…you wouldn't happen to have any boxes or something you wouldn't mind being broken, would you?" his student replied.
"Use the Star Blocks we use for testing Suplex if you need to."
With a nod, the pink puff ran over to the nearby wall and began to pull out several yellow blocks with a star design on them.
"What's the Suplex Ability?" Ledo questioned.
"It's an ability that focuses on grabbing and using various throws to damage enemies. There's only one attack that does not require a grabbed enemy to do damage, so it's quite impractical to use against larger opponents."
"That does sound like it would be impractical…" the young man murmured.
By the time their conversation was done, Kirby had carried all the boxes and placed them in front of the viewing window.
"Begin when you are ready." Meta Knight said.
With a nod, his student began with several chops. "CHOP! CHOP BARRAGE! FINAL CHOP!" The final hit sent the box to the opposite side of the room. He followed up by grabbing a box next to him. "BLAZING BACK BREAKER!" With a slam, the box was destroyed. Kirby then continued to chain grab on the many boxes spread throughout the room, performing various throws on them. "MEGATON SLAM! AIR SUPLEX! GIANT SWING! ROLLING BREAKER! ULTRA BACK BREAKER! AIR CORKSCREW!" Ledo found it entertaining to watch, but he then noticed that his superior had a certain air of…disappointment around him. Is it something about the Ability itself?
As if having enough of supposedly humoring him, Meta Knight gave a sigh before speaking. "Kirby, from what you've shown me so far, this doesn't seem any different from the Suplex ability other than looking flashier…" The student, who appeared to be charging his fist, pouted in irritation.
"They ARE two different abilities! You think I don't know my own Copy Abilities?!" the pink puff gave an annoyed punch to one of the Star Blocks, sending it through the ceiling. There was nothing but stunned silence.
"Lord Meta Knight…?" Ledo finally uttered.
"That was like a hammer swing without the hammer…!" His superior managed to utter under his breath.
"Did you see that?! I call it Launcher Lariat!" The child gave an innocent smile.
"I…see…" the knight uttered, unsure how to react further.
"But that's not all! I have a bunch of other moves!" Kirby climbed onto an unused box and then jumped off. "ROLLING SOBAT!" he did a spinning kick in front of him. "HEADBUTT!" he swung his head in front of him and landed on the floor. "FLYING DROPKICK!" The puff gave a spinning dropkick as he charged forward. He jumped back into the air and gave a downward kick. "WRESTLER PINPOINT KICK! WRESTLER FURY STOMP!" Upon landing, he jumped up in a backflip and gave a diving charge. "METEOR PLANCHA!" he jumped off a wall and stuck the landing perfectly.
"Ensign, did you know he could do all that?" Meta Knight finally turned to Ledo and questioned.
"I did, but he's a lot less clumsy while using it now."
"…so, he did practice after all…" He wrote down some notes.
"Did you see?! Wasn't that awesome!?" Kirby ran up to the window in excitement.
"It was. I enjoyed watching you, Kirby." The ensign replied.
"It was quite a sight." The knight didn't look up from his notebook.
"Sensei, were you even watching?!" the child said with an annoyed pout.
"I was. If you're done, take a break before the next session." The reply he gave was blunt.
"Fiiinnnneeeee…."
"Well, we wouldn't have to if you didn't put a hole in the ceiling."
Kirby averted his eyes sheepishly at that.
Thankfully, the hole was small enough to be patched up in only a couple of minutes. It was time for the next test. Meta Knight stepped out of the viewing room and tossed a hammer to Kirby. Upon swallowing it, the puff gained a twisted blue and white headband and now held the swallowed item as his weapon. It was the Hammer Ability.
After reentering the room, the knight cleared his throat and began to speak. "Ok, Kirby. As you can tell, next is the Hammer Ability, and for this test—…" But before he could finish his explanation, the lights went out and then smoke began to fill the room.
"…Chamber, did the power go out?! Is there a fire!?" Ledo shouted.
"Negative. Sensors indicate that the power is working as intended. There have been no reports or indications of a fire."
The lack of power was immediately followed up with...music? Then, the lights came back on and in the middle of the floor stood a shadowy figure holding a huge object. Suddenly, the figure took a mighty swing, clearing out all the smoke. Once all the smoke cleared, the figure was revealed to be King Dedede wearing a peculiar mask. With a confident glare in his eyes, he pointed towards Kirby.
"Alright, you pink blob! Let's get this party started!"
After the masked monarch shouted this, Ledo heard clapping. Turning towards the door, the young man saw a horde of Waddle Dees cheering on the king.
"Why did I agree to this...?" Meta Knight uttered with a facepalm.
"You asked him to help out?" Ledo questioned.
"Yes, but I should've figured he would make a show out of it…" Just as he finished that sentence, there was a loud slam from outside as Kirby whacked Dedede's masked face with a hammer, sending him skidding back.
"OI! I'M TRYING TO DO MY INTRO HERE, YA PUDGY TUB OF LARD!" Slamming the handle of his hammer into the ground, the hatch on the main body opened and launched several missiles.
"Look who's talking!" the pink puff dodged and destroyed the missiles by spinning the hammer at his feet. The king followed immediately with a jumping hammer swing, but Kirby dodged it with a horizontal swing.
"Come on, I thought you were faster than that!" The puff transitioned immediately into a fiery hammer flip.
"Ack! Son of a!" Out of seemingly impulse, the king threw his opponent away like a croquet ball.
"Lord Meta Knight, are you sure Kirby will be okay?!"
"Don't worry about it. This is just how those two fight." The knight replied calmly. The child in question immediately got to his feet and charged back into the battle with another hit and run hammer swing. Dedede ran after him with his hammer at the ready.
"Get back here! Or are ya 'fraid of getting squashed!?" The next heavy swing missed.
"Big talk from the guy with a perfect loss record!" Kirby jumped with an aerial hammer swing, causing the king to flinch.
"YOU LITTLE SH-!" the monarch cut himself off, as if remembering that Meta Knight was watching him and knowing fully well that he would violently disapprove of any foul language used in front of his child opponent. Instead, he took a deep inhale. Of course, that didn't do anything but leave him open to a back attack from Kirby.
"Ugh! Stupid pink marshmallow! Prepare to get ROASTED!" The king stabbed his hammer in the ground and shot out a burst of fire.
"Say that when you can actually hit me!" Dodging again, Kirby jumped and gave another hefty aerial hit. Dedede stumbled back from that hit, and his hammer was knocked to the other side of the room.
"Did you see that!? I did it!" The puff cheered as he turned to the viewing room window.
"NO WAY! NOT YET!" Surprised, everyone turned their attention to the king, who grabbed a poleaxe from one of the Waddle Dees watching.
"Dedede, what are you doing!? This wasn't what we agreed on! You were only supposed to use your hammer!"
"PLANS CHANGE, BLUEBERRY!" The king held out the axe in a ready stance. "Listen 'ere, pinky! You're going down!"
Kirby seemed to scoff at that as he hit the king with another hammer attack. However, his opponent didn't even flinch that time, instead hitting him with an axe combo, sending him across the room before doing a horizontal spin attack.
"Lord Meta Knight, shouldn't we stop him?!"
"No, this is good training."
"But isn't Kirby in danger?!"
"Despite how ruthless Dedede's fighting style is, when he's against Kirby, he becomes about as threatening as a passive-aggressive memo."
"So, he talks big, but can't back it up?"
"Exactly."
Just as he said that the king stopped spinning out of dizziness, allowing Kirby to attack. He swung back, getting in another hit, only causing the puff to skid a bit backwards. The king charged forward with the axe, but that was dodged by his opponent. With one final swing, Kirby smashed his hammer into Dedede's head, shattering the mask he was wearing. Stunned, the monarch finally collapsed to the floor.
"Are you done now?" the knight uttered in an annoyed tone.
"NO WAY! NOT YE…OWWWWWWWW!" the king was surrounded by panicked Waddle Dees the moment he let out that groan of pain.
"Ensign, contact the medical ward." Meta Knight grumbled.
"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea?" The young man questioned with concern.
"He'll be fine. Besides, he needs to learn a lesson from this anyway."
"Got it…" He looked back at the scene outside to see the large crowd of Waddle Dees trying to help the king stand while Kirby walked over with a second bottle of water. "Chamber, contact the head nurse."
"Understood. Contacting the medical ward."
Hopefully, the head nurse won't be too harsh on the king.
While Kirby wasn't that hurt from the previous fight, the break was a bit longer than it normally would be.
"Hey, Kirby, what was with that mask that Dedede was wearing?" Ledo asked. The puff had been taking his break in the viewing room for this round.
"Oh…that? It's just a mask that he wears when he's "serious". Like he wore it the one time when he wanted to get revenge on me for beating him down the first time."
"When he took all of the food in Dreamland?"
"Yup."
"I still can't help but feel he got the idea from me…" Meta Knight uttered.
The room was suddenly punctuated by a loud scream originating from the direction of the medical ward. "I see the head nurse has begun Dedede's treatment already..." The knight uttered. Kirby hopped down from the chair and walked out the door.
"Where are you going?" The ensign questioned.
"I'm gonna start the next test!" The pink puff skipped over to the bag he brought and took out another Ability Item.
"Very well. Show us what ability you have this time." His teacher nodded, preparing his notebook.
Kirby took the item and swallowed it, gaining a broom and a white bandana with green stars.
"Cleaning?" The knight seemed to question under his breath.
"Is it that odd of an Ability?" Ledo asked.
"No, it's just…"
"Heeyyyyy! Aren't you supposed to be paying attention?" The student pouted at them through the window.
"Well, you'll see in a bit." The young man nodded and looked out.
"Hup!" Kirby began to sweep the floor, generating dust. He walked further and created an even larger cloud of dust.
"It seems to be fairly straightforward." Ledo commented.
"It is. However, this is a test to see how well he can utilize it." His superior replied. A splash of water slammed into the window and they could see child pouting at them from the other side. "We're still watching. Just keep going."
With an additional nod, Kirby dashed for a moment before being pushed along the ground by what appeared to be Nago.
"Lord Meta Knight, what was that?" The young man questioned in surprise.
"Magecraft." The reply was blunt.
"Kirby knows magecraft?"
A nod. "Our species can learn quite a lot of magecraft. This is one that allows him to summon a construct of his friends in certain attacks. As long as he has a close connection to his friend and an ability to match up, it works."
This idea made Ledo stop and think a moment. Could there come a time where Kirby will be able to summon him? There was also something about that magecraft he mentioned that interested him.
"Is this the same magecraft that allows you to transform your cape into wings? And if that's the case, does that mean Kirby will eventually learn to use it some day?"
"Perceptive as always…" the knight mused. "Yes, it's similar, though it also utilizes my Dimensional Cape's own abilities. If Kirby ever wishes to use it when he is older, I might teach it to him." He stared reflectively outside, noting that the next technique was riding on a broom with Chuchu.
"But for now, the Wing Ability should be enough." The young man added after a moment of silence.
"…yes, I agree."
During the next break, Dedede was returned to the room by Bio Gale, but there was something…off about him. He slumped in a chair in a dead-eyed daze, not even reacting to Kirby poking him.
"…I feel like I should question the head nurse about this, but I doubt she would give me a straight answer." Meta Knight commented.
"She'd probably just say this was the result of his treatment." Ledo nodded in agreement.
"I brought lunch." Sailor Dee entered the room with a cart of food.
"LUNCH TIME!" Kirby jumped up and immediately raced over to the Waddle Dee. In panic, the Dee held up a plate that was immediately devoured.
"Kirby." Still chewing, the pink puff turned back upon hearing his name being called. "While we're eating, your next test will begin." The knight tossed a spear towards him, which was swallowed up. The puff gained a spear and wore a gold-crested red headband.
"Would this be the Spear Ability?" The young man asked.
"Correct." His superior turned to the outside. "This test will also be a duel. I feel that I must remind you again..."
"I know, I know! Don't hold back! You've said it so many times that I know it by now!" There was an irritated pout on his face.
The reason why he was given that reminder became clear when the door to the combat chamber opened and someone stepped in. It was Bandana Dee. Sailor immediately left the room afterwards.
"Remember what I said, Kirby. You may begin."
Right off the bat, Bandana started off with a ground thrust, throwing the puff off guard and balance. Now in the air, Kirby heavily dropped downwards, landing with a thud. The Waddle Dee dodged it but was barely scraped by it. He spun and threw three spears at him, only to be dodged and receive an attack with more spears in retaliation. The Dee let out a barrage to counter his attack. The Dee spun his spear to knock away the attacks. The puff countered with his own, knocking away every blow, staggering back at one blow. The Waddle Dee then spun up into the air as if it was a helicopter propeller. Just as he got high in the air, he dropped an attack similarly to Kirby's own earlier attack. The puff dodged again.
Ledo had been watching the fight intently but was suddenly broken out of this trance-like state by a slight growl from beside him. He took a moment to look and saw that Meta Knight was sitting there, clenching his pen with reddened eyes.
"Kirby…what did I tell you about holding back?" he spoke coldly through the mic.
"I'M NOT HOLDING BACK!" His student responded by slapping Dee with the spear. "Ah! I'm sorry!"
"Do not make me repeat myself!"
Kirby seemed to sigh at that snapping order and let out another barrage of spears that managed to kick Bandana. Another ground thrust in response. It was dodged. The fight began to turn in a completely different direction. It was as if Bandana was being even more intensely pressured than usual and was now struggling. Then suddenly…
"OW! OW OW OW OW!"
A spear landed in front of the viewing glass. Kirby stood strong but was panting just as much as the Dee before him.
"That's good enough Kirby. Take a break" The knight replied in satisfaction.
"I…I thought I was gonna die!" Bandana squeaked, being helped up by Kirby.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Meta Knight would've gotten angry at me if I held back…"
"Oh, I know that well." Bandana shrugged, as if telling Kirby not to worry. However, Kirby's tone showed that he was indeed worried. "Don't worry about it, Kirby! I'm not hurt!" The Waddle Dee attempted to reassure him. He received a nod in response.
Just as Kirby sat down to drink a bottle of water, he heard Bandana screaming.
"GREAT KING?! WHAT HAPPENED?!" That should probably be explained.
"Leaping Quiver!" Several arrows were embedded into the block.
"Arrow Slash!" The block had been destroyed.
"Very good, Kirby." Meta Knight said as he began to write down some notes. "Go take a break before the final test."
With a nod, his student walked over to the bag and case of bottled water.
"It's quite interesting to see how Kirby uses his copy abilities…" Ledo commented.
"While I cannot directly observe how these Copy Abilities work, I find that the data collected from these tests will be very valuable for future planning." Chamber added.
"Ugh…I don't know why we gotta sit here and watch 'em…but I guess I gotta keep an eye on Bandana…" Dedede grumbled. The king had woken up during the test that used the Jet Ability to all the noise it was making.
"You were kind of out for a while, Great King…" Bandana sighed.
"Frankly, I don't even remember what happened in that there medical office. I just had a massive amount of pain and everything went black." He turned to Meta Knight. "I dunno what medical school that there nurse of yours went to, but Imma be sure it gets shut down ASAP!"
"If you're asking me to tell you what school it is, even I don't know that." The blue puff didn't even look up from his notebook.
"Oh! Can we start the next one!?" The puff suddenly exclaimed.
"Don't you need a break?" Bandana questioned in concern.
"No, I'll be fine! This next ability is easy to use!" The puff smiled.
"Very well…we can wrap this up early." The knight turned the page. "Begin."
With an understanding nod, Kirby swallowed the final ability item, gaining a big top hat with a yellow ribbon brim.
"Magic…haven't seen this one in quite some time…"
"Is there a reason for that, sir?"
"Yes. Some abilities are harder to find than others." In Ledo's mind, that probably meant it was a very powerful one.
Kirby began by taking the hat off, with several birds flying out. He repeated the action again to throw out three cards. Then again, a jack-in-the-box came out. They all seemed like fairly basic attacks.
"Man, can't ya do somethin' interesting…" Dedede grumbled.
"I'm getting to that! Next is Luck of the Draw!" Kirby pouted.
"Luck of the Draw?" The ensign asked his superior.
"A roulette of varying effects. It's the signature move of the Magic Ability."
That was when Kirby clenched the brim intently, as if in deep thought about something. "LUCK…OF…THE…DRAW!" He threw his hat off and a puff of confetti burst out. Several hats began to appear on top of Kirby's head at rapid speed.
"What's going on?" Ledo looked towards Meta Knight.
"One of the effects that could be obtained from Luck of the Draw is a Copy Ability roulette. When the roulette stops, he will have a random Copy Ability."
"So, you gonna test 'em on that ability as well?" Dedede seemed to shrug.
"…that would be quite a good idea, actually."
At that moment the roulette stopped. Ledo noticed that Meta Knight, Dedede, and Bandana were now staring in horror at the ability that had been given by the roulette. Kirby was now wearing red earphones with stars on them. It didn't take long for him to realize why they were so horrified. This must be that Microphone Ability he had heard so much about. For a moment, the puff seemed surprised, but then there seemed to be a twinkle of glee.
"Ah! Now you can finally listen to my song!"
"KIRBY, DON'T-!"
"This first one is called 'Assault Love Heart' or something like that!"
"Ensign Ledo, I recommend immediate evacuation. The threat level of your current location has risen by 200%."
"Chamber?!"
Any further conversation was cut off by a loud blast of sound originating from a megaphone.
"That son of a bitch!" Dedede gritted his teeth and rushed towards the door with his hammer.
"KIRBY, STOP!"
Another blast of sound shook the room, causing both Meta Knight and Ledo to fall out of their seats. He had begun to see why this ability was feared. He had heard Kirby sing normally, and it was already quite awful. But…now that it was amplified…it hurt…everything about it just hurt.
"For the love of Nova, I told him not to use it!" The knight was barely able to push himself onto his hands.
"Is this…Microphone!?" The ensign managed to get out.
"And…for the finale!" He braced himself for impact.
"CHESSSUUUUTOOOOOOOOO!"
That was the last thing Ledo heard before he passed out.
The young man stood silently, staring at a communication device. While thoughts of his old friend came back occasionally, they were returning particularly strong this time.
"Hey, Ledo! Sorry for being a bit late! There were a ton more letters than usual!" A tanned girl ran up beside him.
"Ah, hey, Amy." He briefly looked at her.
"Hey, what's the matter...?" that was when she noticed the device in his hands. "...oh, were you thinking about Chamber again?" her tone was of clear concern.
"Yeah...it's been happening more often recently."
"Oh...do you have any idea why?"
"Hmmm...it might have something to do with a few of the dreams I've been having recently..."
"What kind of dreams, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'll explain on the way home. I'm sure Bebel's waiting for us."
"AAAHH! You're right! He's probably worried sick!" She pulled him along with a grip so harsh he could've sworn his arm would've come out of its socket. "Ah, so about that dream?" she suddenly remembered as she slowed her running.
"Oh, well...first of all, Chamber was still with me and...how do I explain the rest of it? It might sound a bit strange..."
"Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything! I won't think it's weird!" she pouted.
"You're right." The young man cleared his throat. "So, as I mentioned, Chamber was still with me. But we were working on a battleship run by a blue ball creature who wore a mask."
"Why did he wear a mask?"
"Outside of hiding his face, I don't know. I guess it's because he's afraid he won't be taken seriously because his real face looks cute. He was kind and patient, if a little harsh at times, but he really seemed to care for me. He trained another ball creature, but that one was pink and very hyper."
"Uh-huh?! Uh-huh?!"
"He was pretty amazing, like not only did he have this sort of talent that let him copy powers from various things, but he could instantly become friends with anyone regardless of their past."
"Wow, for real?! Sounds like a great person to be friends with!"
"Yep. There was this bird king that was his self-proclaimed rival...he was big and a bit overweight, to be polite. He also liked to call me "princess", and it really got on my nerves..."
"Was he a nice king?"
"When you got to know him, yeah. He'd try not to say it directly to your face though. In one dream, his hug nearly crushed me..."
"So that's why you were screaming that one night..." Ledo turned to her with a gasp. "Just kidding! What else?"
"He had this other ball creature that wore a blue bandana that served as his advisor. He was extremely polite but knew how to wrangle everyone well when they got out of hand. They also had a ton of other friends who were each unique in their own way."
"Sounds like an amazing dream..."
"Yeah, it was. It's a bit strange how real it all felt..."
"What a strange dream…" Ledo uttered when his vision finally returned.
"Ensign Ledo, I do not recommend doing such dangerous actions in the future…"
"Chamber…what happened?" His mind felt foggy and dazed. It took a moment to piece together what happened.
"Your body has induced physical trauma, which caused you to lose consciousness for a few minutes."
"I see…" He looked beside him to see half of his superior's familiar mask. "Must've broken during that impact…" he thought.
Just as that left his mind, Meta Knight immediately jumped to his feet upon waking and made a beeline to the door. From the brief look he got of the blue puff's face; the young man saw that he was furious. The only thing the ensign could think of to do was to follow out the door after him. Kirby himself was already on his way to the door but froze in place when he saw his mentor briskly stepping towards him.
"You absolute FOOL!"
Both Ledo and Kirby seemed to flinch back when the knight shouted that.
"Not only did you not follow the rules we established, but you endangered Ledo's life with that stunt! I was beginning to think you have matured, but clearly I was wrong!"
With every scolding word he said, it seemed more like Kirby was about to cry.
"I have no choice but to fail you for-!"
"Lord Meta Knight, Kirby never broke the rules."
The knight glared at the ensign upon hearing himself be cut off. "Explain." He ordered coldly.
"Chamber, what is the final rule of the Copy Ability Exam?"
"The final rule of the Copy Ability Exam is that neither Kirby nor Lord Meta Knight can select any limited-use abilities such as Crash or Microphone."
"And who does this information come from?"
"Lord Meta Knight."
With a nod, the ensign turned to the pink puff, who was still shaking.
"Kirby, how much can you control the Copy Roulette?"
"I can stop it at any time or leave it to finish on its own…but it's been super long since I last used Magic and I forgot the timing for the Copy roulette! That's why I let it run on its own…"
"Then you technically didn't break the rules."
Meta Knight gave a sigh after Ledo said that. "Yes, then you didn't break any rules…" he placed a hand on his cheek and froze in shock once upon finally realizing that his mask had broken. Embarrassed, he took a step back, covering himself with his cape, and teleported away.
"Kirby, did you really forget the timing of the roulette?" The young man asked.
"Of course, I did! You think I would lie about something like that?!" The puff pouted in annoyance.
"Ugh…man…if I knew this was gonna happen, I woulda stayed home!" Dedede grumbled as he woke up in the viewing room.
"My ears are ringing…" Bandana moaned.
"Ah! You guys are safe!" Kirby exclaimed.
"Yeah! No thanks to you!" Dedede yelled, stomping out of the viewing room. He was stopped by Meta Knight teleporting back with a new mask.
"Ok, Kirby. Based on the notes I took throughout this test, I'm happy to say that you have passed this exam."
His student's eyes lit up. "Bandana, Ledo, did you hear that?! I passed!" The child hopped up and down with excitement.
"Congratulations!" The Dee clapped.
"Yeah… congratulations, Kirby." The young man replied with a smile.
"But we'll have to prohibit you from using the Magic Ability in future exams." The knight added with a sigh.
"Yeah…congrats I guess…" Dedede mumbled under his breath.
"Than…"
"Hey! I'm only sayin' it to be nice! Not 'cuz you're my friend!" The king snapped at him. The other three suppressed a laugh.
"Well, how about we go have some tea?" The knight wrapped his cape around himself, looking towards his Ensign. He received a small smile.
"Yeah."
Kirby and Dedede were the first ones out of the room upon hearing that, with Bandana following them in panic. The knight only shook his head and motioned for Ledo to follow him. After a few minutes of walking, the young man spoke up.
"Lord Meta Knight, do you believe that dreams have any meaning?"
The knight looked at him, then away, as if he was thinking. "That depends on the dream, ensign. Tell me, what did you see?"
The ensign paused for a moment to think.
"Well…"
So, was it all a dream? Or is Microphone Kirby so powerful that the two parallel Ledos shared memories through their dreams? Either way, it's up to you to decide.
By the time some of you read this, it won't matter, but I actually took a bit longer than usual to write this chapter. I usually upload these in the morning, I'm uploading this now late at night. Long story short, it took a bit longer because of college, being distracted with a few other projects, and playing 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (Great game, by the way, highly recommended if you want a good narrative).
Anyway, I must emphasize that I'm genuinely grateful to everyone who read this. It warms my heart to see that so many people enjoyed this story that I poured my soul into.
I know I said I wouldn't make the notes for these too long, so I'll just end it here by saying this: Thank you!
Omake (Bonus):
MK: Luck of the Draw has a Copy Ability roulette. When the roulette stops, he will have a random Copy Ability.
(Roulette stops. Kirby has a purple cap with yellow spots and immediately falls asleep)
Ledo: ...I feel like it's obvious, but what ability is this?
MK: Sleep.