If the last chapter made you think the ending would be the Kirby gang and the other characters finding each other and defeating the big bad revealed in the third act with the power of friendship, well…

You're mistaken.

Have a good read.

c:

So long story short my device charger wasn't working so I couldn't write or it would go dead, so I have to update later. Olly still try to update the finale today however.

Chapter 16: Penultimacy (6/7)

…

I wonder how this will go.

Well, I already know.

But they don't.

Hmm.

Start.

Kirby and Co, fully powered, at least as far as they were aware, rushed out into the hallway, and made their way down. It was like a Stampede, if that stampede was a cavalcade of fictional character heading towards a fictional door in a fictional area. Thankfully this is real life however.

Through the immense trial and error of turning a corner, walking a bit, turning another corner, then walking again the group came face to face with a bowl. The same spiraled bowl Meta Knight told the others of, and more importantly the next dead end in the adventure.

"Alright, let's bust down this door!" Dedede yelled, about to swing the hammer at the bowl.

"HOLD IT!" Phoenix- I mean, Meta Knight yelled. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He said.

"Why not?" Dedede asked.

"Well, I don't see a door, do you?"

Dedede looked around. "Nope." Dedede then looked at Meta Knight. "Oh yeah, it said we needed the Captain's DNA or whatever that means."

"Captain's DNA, eh?" Meta Knight paused, then looked back at the others in the group. "Nah." He said, turning back to the bowl. "I got this."

Meta Knight stretched his hand put, and before it could even touch the bowl a green scanner appeared, and Meta Knight stopped his hand midair. A green scanner suddenly came out of the wall, and it quickly scanned Meta Knight's hand, soon blinking red and retreating into the wall.

[Wrong, please administer the captains DNA]

"Oh." Meta Knight said. "Any of you guys the captain?" he asked.

Everyone looked around at each other, each looking equally unsure of whether or not the captain status was in their DNA.

"I'll try." Ribbon shrugged, going up to the bowl. "Uh, DNA is like… hair yeah?"

"Something like that." Meta Knight replied.

"Uh, could you-" Meta Knight knew what she meant and he sliced his sword at her. He used such precision that it only cut off a tiny section of the end of Ribbons hair, which slowly fell to the ground like a flat piece of paper. "Thanks." She said.

Ribbon quickly grabbed the hair from the floor, and held her hand over the bowl. The green scanner appeared when she did, bit she quickly dropped the few strands of hair inside. The scanner scanned over the hair, and turned a greenish yellow color.

[Incorrect Captain]

The hair then disappeared. "Huh?" Ribbon looked confused, more than anyone else. "Well, that's a bit odd, but uh… anyone else want to try?"

"Poyo." Kirby said, reaching for his massive head of hair.

Oh wait.

"Yeah, that ain't gonna work." Meta Knight replied. "Unless there's some other type of DNA, but what are the chances."

"Poyo." Kirby responded, getting a funny look from Meta Knight.

"Kirby, what does this have to do with spit?"

"Poyo Po poy." Kirby responded. "Po po po poy po poyo."

"Really?" Meta Knight said sounding surprised. "Where did you learn that?"

"Poyo."

"Hm." Meta Knight turned his back to the group for a moment. "I'll have to ask him next tournament." Meta Knight then turned back to the group. "Anyways, apparently DNA is also in spit, atleast according to Kirby."

"Poyo po." Kirby added.

"Kirby, I'm not saying that aloud." Meta Knight then continued his train of thought. "So I need all of you who don't have hair to spit in the bowl."

"Ew." Sword Knight whispered to Blade. "How would that work, do we even have mouths?"

"I haven't checked in a while." Blade whispered back.

"AS I WAS SAYING." Meta Knight said a bit loudly. "The… other things go first, then we'll try." Meta Knight said pointing to Poppy and Madison respectively, holding his sword up. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Uh…" Madison paused. "I'll just go last."

"No you won't, in fact, you're going first, get up here." Meta Knight said beckoning her forward.

"Uh… are you quite sure?"

"Stop making this longer than it has to be." Meta Knight replied. "It's inevitable, and you aren't a billionaire with a suit last time I checked."

"Pardon?"

"Just get up here." Madison reluctantly nodded, and walked up to where the bowl was. When she stopped, Meta Knight quickly sliced, without warning mind you, and a similarly small part of her hair compared to the cut her gave to Ribbon's hair. Maybe if this was after some sort of Quarantine, Meta Knight would make bank by cutting hair, but thankfully Quarantine doesn't exist because this is real life.

Madison picked up the strands of hair, put them in the bowl and waited for them to scan. The scanner scanned over the hair in s green light before turning blue.

[Not even close baby]

"What is that supposed to mean?" Madison asked.

"I mean you're nitpicking and biased." Dedede responded. "I mean, it means you got the wrong DNA."

"Okay, next generic character with hair, step up." Meta Knight said, pointing to Poppy. Poppy did indeed walk up, and Meta Knight shared an odd look at them. "Did we meet at one point?" he asked.

"Poyo." They responded.

Meta Knight didn't respond, instead he looked at Kirby who nodded in his direction. "Okay then." Meta Knight sighed, chopping off a rather large section of hair. "Sorry, my finger slipped." He said.

Dedede looked a bit befuddled. "Is there something I should know?" he asked. "Cause I'm in the dark right now."

"Don't worry, it's nothing important." Meta Knight replied, dropping the hair into the bowl. The scanner indeed scanned the hair, and after the scan was complete it turned a black color.

[Incorrect]

The hair quickly disappeared, but the scanner didn't disappear into the wall. The atmosphere was puzzling as Meta Knight was getting low on possibilities. "Okay, guess we'll have to try that spit thing." He sighed.

[Wow, they're actually doing it, can you believe this?]

Meta Knight realized where the voice came from, but didn't say anything at the moment. "Okay, I'll go first…" he said, slowly turning around.

[Okay, okay get ready.]

"Gotcha!" Meta Knight exclaimed, as he sliced his sword into the wall, just about where the scanner would retreat into, stopping it in its tracks.

[Oh….s…..I…..t]

"Meta Knight, was that?" Blade Knight asked.

"Clearly they were trying to make us wait here by giving out false information." He deducted. "There's probably no such thing as a Captain's DNA, though it's odd that they flubbed up so quickly, I digress.," Meta Knight took his sword from the wall, and looked over to Dedede. "Okay, Mr Dedede, tear down this wall!"

"Mista?" Dedede asked. "I ain't no mista."

"Oh so I can't make references now?!" Meta Knight asked. "Just break the damn wall." Meta Knight huffed. Dedede shrugged and swung his hammer at the wall, which like all walls came down in one swing to reveal an even longer hallway ahead.

"Huh." Dedede said, peering down the way. "Guess that's convenient." He muttered.

"Almost too convenient." Meta Knight replied. "Keep your eyes peeled for an ambush." Everyone nodded, and headed down the hallway that was always there. As they walked down the empty hallway, they noticed a singular door at the end of the hallway. Nothing else, just a door.

The grey door seemed to be some sort of elevator, so they got the feeling they were going up. Then as they were perhaps ten feet away, the doors slowly began to open. They all saw as the steel doors opened revealing...

Alyssa.

"Halt!" Meta Knight said, stopping the group in their tracks. "What are you doing here?" he asked. There was no response. "We're willing to fight." Meta Knight said, holding out his sword.

"No." Alyssa said, walking up to them. She then reached into her pocket, held out her hand, and...

"So what do you need me for?"

"Alyssa, you're fired." I said.

"What?" Alyssa asked. "But I did everything you asked of me."

"Yes, you did, and for that you're fired." I continued.

"I don't get it."

"What's not to get, you did everything asked of you, and you are no longer required."

"…"

"Get out."

"Okay."

So, they left., and now we're here.

"So I looked at the camera, right? Then, get ready, then what I expected to happen, well it happened! Believe it or not, due to being fired they grabbed a key, a wonderful, wonderful key. They key to get in, yes they did."

"… ah, anyways you're not going to believe what happened next alright?"

"…"

"So she looked at the map, right, and… keh… sorry, sorry I'll continue."

"…"

"So she decided to, and you won't believe this, she decided to-"

"You've decided the give us this key?" Meta Knight asked. Alyssa nodded. "Huh, I thought there would be some sort of boss fight." Meta Knight chuckled.

"Just take it." She sighed, walking past everyone, but stopping to look at Madison. "What…" she stopped looking. "Whatever." She then walked farther. "I'll be waiting." She said, before turning the corner.

"Well, uh… let's continue." Dedede shrugged, as everyone walked forward towards the door near the end of the hallway. Dedede pushed a button that was near the side of the door, then they all waited.

"So, I imagine this is the part where the final battle happens, yeah?" Ribbon asked.

"Usually there's some sort of cinematic rising up like this, so I imagine so." Meta Knight responded.

"Ain't this also they part where we're usually betrayed as well?" Dedede asked. "Any of y'all gonna do it, do it now." Dedede said, looking at everybody in the group, one by one. "Nobody?" he asked. "Okie dokie then."

"Poyo." Kirby said looking at Dedede. "Poyo po poy poyo."

"What did he say?" Dedede asked Meta Knight.

"He said you'll probably be the first to d-"

Ding

"There's our ride." Meta Knight said, not finishing his sentence, and walking into the elevator. "Get in everybody." The elevator was a blue color, and had a similarly blue floor. Why everything was color coded like a seven year old made the schematics, they had no idea.

So, everyone crowded into the elevator like a pack of sardines, the Elevator being completely full. Dedede was the closest to the buttons, and for whatever reason there were only four. A button labeled "B" one labeled "L" another labeled "D" and the top one labeled "P"

"Imma guess we're on B right now, so I'll press…" Dedede hovered his hands over the buttons. "P!"

As soon as he pressed it, the elevator began to ascend. Slowly at first, but it began to get faster, so fast to a point where you couldn't jump, exerting a mass amount of G forces on everybody in the Elevator. But it didn't last long, and as quickly as the speed rose it suddenly stopped. The doors opened, and it lead to a square room with a table.

Behind the table was somebody sitting in a chair, facing a glass wall.

"Hi." The one facing the glass asked.

"Who are you?"

"Wonderful day, isn't it?" the one facing the glass asked.

"Hey, we kind of asked a question." Ribbon spoke.

"Are all people from your world so impatient?" the one facing the glass said, sighing. "To cut to the chase, I am Kelstri."

"Is that a name?" Dedede asked.

"Is King Dedede a name, is Kirby a name, is Ribbon a name?" Kelstri asked. "Names aren't important." Kelstri sighed. "What is important, is that I know why you're here."

"Why are we here?" Meta Knight asked. "What do you know?"

"Your friend, Adeline was it?" Kelstri tapped a finger on the side of the chair. "Check floor D." she said.

Dedede then spoke. "What about Bandanna-"

"No." Kelstri responded. "Adeline is on floor D, that is all."

"Now hang on a minute!" Dedede said, walking forward. "I may not know when those two trains meet, but I do know that Bandanna Waddle Dee has to be here." Dedede announced. "Now tell me."

"No." Kelstri replied. "Now get out."

"I ain't getting out till you be where my buddy is." Dedede replied defiantly.

"Dedede, we'll come back for him later, let's rescue the artist first." Meta Knight whispered. Dedede ignored him and walked forward.

"Step forward again, and I'll break your spine." Kelstri told him.

"Jokes on you, I don't even know what a spine is." Dedede replied. "Now where's Bandanna Dee?"

"You want to know where he is?" Kelstri asked. "You really want to know?"

"Uh, DUH." Dedede responded.

"Your funeral." Kelstri responded, as their chair began to lower into the ground, and before long it disappeared. Dedede ran forward and looked below to see a rectangular hole in the ground, leading to the unknown. Dedede looked determined, then made an announcement to the rest of the group.

"I'm going in!" Dedede announced.

"Dedede stop!" Meta Knight said, running forward to stop him. "We don't know where that leads, it could very easily be a trap!" he said tugging on Dedede's coat. "We're going to floor D."

The rectangle in the ground began to close up slowly, and Dedede looked back at Meta Knight who seemed adamant in his floor choice. Dedede however wasn't having it and took a step forward, dangling his foot over the rapidly closing floor.

"Meta Knight…" Dedede took another step forward, almost into the floors "I'm saving…." Dedede was almost there, just one more step… "BANDANNA WADDLE DEEEEEEEEE-" Dedede screamed as he and Meta Knight fell through the hole in the floor just as the floor closed up, leading them both to an unknown fate as Ribbon flew over to where they just were.

"Okay, we kind of just lost two of our best fighters, no offense Kirby." Ribbon said worrily.

"Poyo." Kirby shrugged.

"So, I guess we go to floor D right?" Blade Knight asked. "All… five of us?" Blade Knight looked around. "Wait, shouldn't there be six of us?" he asked.

"Well there's me, you, the other knight guy, Kirby, and uh… what's your name?"

"Madison."

"Cool, anyways, I think we're missing that… the weird one with the red hair that Meta Knight seemed to hate with a burning passion." Ribbon realized.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked, but with nobody to translate he was essentially talking to himself.

"Well that's kind of ominous." Sword Knight said to Ribbon. "But I'm sure Meta Knight will be alright, at least I hope."

"He'll be fine." Blade responded, looking back towards the elevator. "Let's just head down."

Ribbon flew back over to the rest of the group, and pressed the elevator button, which opened immediately. The group then walked into the Elevator, crowding in quickly. Kirby pressed the button for floor D, and the elevator slowly began it's descent to whatever floor D would bring. The elevator was slow, a bit too slow honestly and it seemed they had a bit of time before they got there.

"So…" Ribbon started quietly. "You guys… a fan of… sci-fi?" she asked.

"No." Sword Knight replied. "Don't read that much anymore." He shrugged.

"Ditto." Blade added. "Though I read occasionally."

"Poyo po poy poyo." Kirby said.

"Cool, cool." Ribbon responded, looked around. "So, what do you think Floor D will be like?" she asked.

"I don't know." Sword Knight told her.

"Hm…" Madison muttered.

"Did you say something?" Ribbon asked.

"No."

"You did though." Blade Knight said.

"Yeah, you kind of did." Sword Knight confirmed.

"Poyo." Kirby added.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"So-" Thankfully Ribbon was interrupted, as the elevator let out a nice Ding and the elevator stopped. Slowly, almost cinematically, the doors of the elevator slowly opened, and the room that lay ahead was clear.

It was a long with with a generator.

And Adeline was in there.

Ribbon, Kirby, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight walked in the room, Madison was still looking I'm the room. Suddenly, they felt a thin sort of blanket form around them, and they all looked around. They weren't quite sure what the blankets were, but that wasn't important as something materialized in the room.

Two beings.

One a dark being with a white cloak held it's sword on its side. The dark being had a one lenses eyeglass which covered both of it's eyes. The one next to it was another kind of dark being , but far bigger and holding a dark mass at it's side. I had multiple orange circles near it's side which seemed to rotate.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked.

There was no response, and there was an immense stare-off befofe the dark Swordsman looked at the big one, and nodded. They both rushed forward, beggining a fight.

Meta Knight and Dedede were falling. Falling fast.

"This is your fault!" Meta Knight yelled at Dedede.

"Yeah well you were the one who grabbed onto me in the first-" Dedede suddenly hit the ground HARD, with Meta Knight having his landing cushioned by Dedede. Dedede got up and Meta Knight stepped onto the floor, and looked around the room, which was dark.

Then, a light came on.

...

"Bandanna Dee?" Dedede asked.

"No." Kelstri responded, rolling out of the dark corner, still facing a wall. "But there's good news for you all."

"And that is..."

"Your demise." Kelstri said. "But not by me." she said. Then from the ceiling Meta Knight and Dedede felt a thin sort of blanket around them. Then, four strange figures appeared, each looked somehow familiar. "Begin."

They were four figures, though perhaps there could've been more. They each looked the same. Small dark balls, one flying higher than the others, two holding swords, and one in the middle holding seemingly nothing.

Then the one in the middle moved it's body up and down as if it was talking, yet no words came out of its mouth. Then there was an immense stare-off before Meta Knight looked at Dedede, who nodded. They then rushed forward, beggining the fight.

One more hecking chapter, and then it's over yay. Give me till either the eight or ninth because I didn't expect my charger to not work, and I have something else to write today.

Sorry for the delay, but I will say it gives me more time, so that's cool.

Anyway-s, stay safe and… don't deny cognitive testing.