One Last Time, I'll Fight

Chapter 1
It's Time to Finish This, Kirby

(Uploaded on November 24, 2018)
(Updated on April 21, 2022)

Summary: A letter is delivered to Kirby as he sits in the Purple Plants. The contents: an issue of a final challenge, to settle the score once and for all.

"King Dedede wants revenge! Careful, he's serious this time!"

Notes: This fic is set during the Revenge of the King scenario from Kirby Super Star Ultra.

This chapter was updated on April 21, 2022 to touch up the writing.

[King Dedede]

Castle Dedede
Throne Room

Dark clouds were hovering in the skies.

Inside my castle, very little actual light was coming through the windows. There was nary a sound to be heard at all—save for the lightning bolts striking from outside.

I didn't mind it.

The atmosphere was just right for my mind right now.

With nothing more than a portable lamp and a pen in my hand, I wrote a letter to my age-old nemesis. Bandana Dee – my trusty assistant, and probably my closest confidant – looked at me with worried eyes, but I paid him no mind.

I needed to concentrate on this.

…

…

…

…it's been over sixteen years since Kirby first came to Pop Star.

Sixteen years since I stole the Sparkling Stars from Dream Land.

Sixteen years since he first defeated me and set things right.

Sixteen years of friendship and rivalry; of ups and downs and all arounds.

We've fought each other so many times since then, for a myriad of reasons – be it the Star Rod, possession by Dark Matter, or even over a simple slice of cake.

But now?

This isn't about the fate of the world. This isn't about a traditional clash between good and evil.

This is a matter of pride.

(…My pride.)

Another bolt of lightning struck down outside, briefly illuminating the room I was in.

All the while, I continued to pen down the words I wanted to say.

…

…

…

…it's done.

I folded the letter in half, placing it inside an envelope and sealing with a me-approved stamp.

Then, I stood up from my throne.

At the same time, Bandana Dee finally found the courage to speak up.

"G-Great King… A-Are… Are you sure you w-want to—to do this…?"

I let my face turn to him, never once straying from my serious expression.

His eyes were the most anxious I've ever seen them. Not even during the final Dark Matter crisis did he ever look like that.

"I—I mean… K-Kirby doesn't… Kirby doesn't really care about this—this rivalry thing! It's—It's not like you have to d-do it at all!" he pleaded with me. "And I d-don't know what'll happen if—if you do go through with it! You, you might get hurt, and—and Kirby, too!

"P-Please…"

Tears built up in the corner of his eyes.

"Don't… Don't do this."

…

Dee was always a loyal friend, to both me and Kirby. I admire that aspect of him. Really, I do. It's what makes him such a good guy (far more than me, if I'm being honest). I wouldn't want him to choose between either of us—

—but for my own sake, I have to do this.

I closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dee," I said, "but… I'm tired of letting these feelings hang over me. One-sided or not… this matters to me. I need to settle this. I need to."

For too long, I've always ended up the loser in our matches.

I can learn some of Kirby's skills.

I can fight him on equal ground.

I can have my Waddle Dees and Doos by my side…

…and it's always—always—never enough.

I'm tired of that.

Once, I would've just treated him as my nemesis out of rage and adolescence. Out of a sense of obligation, maybe.

But I've come a long way since then, and I'm ready to close out this chapter of my life for good.

I have to do this. I have to prove I'm better than him.

Because if I can't win against him, despite all my efforts…

…then what good am I as a king, self-proclaimed or not?

"B-But—what am I supposed to d-do, then!? I like Kirby and you, Great King! I—I can't choose between either of you! You, you guys…!"

"It's fine if you want to be by Kirby's side," I interrupted him, eyes still closed. "I'm not about to force you to decide who you want to follow. All I want to do…"

I opened my eyes and clenched my fist, the one that wasn't holding the letter.

"…is show Kirby what's for, once and for all."

"G-Great King…!?"

I've prepared for this day. I've taken three out of Dream Land's five Sparkling Stars and given them to old guardians. I've trained them up as well, and sent out several more of my generals out into the field for Kirby to face off against.

I've even given my castle a bit of a makeover, just for this occasion.

It's high time that pink puffball got what he deserved. It's time to go all-out.

No more games.

No more play.

Whatever it takes, I will reign victorious over him.

…whatever it takes.

Dee shivered, repeatedly glancing between me and the door to my throne room. He was conflicted – but that's not surprising.

While he was doing that, I held up the letter with the seal on it, making sure it was still crisp and clean. I gestured for one of my Waddle Dees to come over, and he obediently followed, spear still in hand.

"Waddle Dee," I stated, handing him the letter. "Take this letter, and deliver it to Kirby, wherever he may be. Make sure he opens it; don't leave until he actually does. That's an order, alright?"

He nodded, taking the envelope and saluting (as was Waddle Dee custom). He ran out of the throne room to fulfill my command, just as another flash of lightning shone through the windows.

Dee's gaze lingered upon his exiting brethren for several moments, as if he was debating with himself whether or not he should follow.

As for me…?

I was gazing for a different reason.

I sat down in my throne in anticipation, drumming my fingers on the side of my throne to keep them exercised.

"…here we go," I muttered. "It's time to get serious."

…my final revenge has come.

…

A couple more minutes passed in silence.

And then…

"…I'll stay with you, Great King!" Bandana Dee declared to me. "I—I won't let you face this alone!"

He walked up to me, and though he didn't have any weapon by his side, I could see an unwavering, burning determination in his eyes.

"If you're—if you're g-going to do this, then I'll be with you while you fight! It's my duty as your loyal retainer!"

I smiled a little.

"…thanks, Bandana Dee," I said. "…I really appreciate it."

I glared confidently toward the door, both sides of my vision lined up with a row of my spear-holding Dee guards.

Another burst of lightning came down.

From a nearby window, I caught a glimpse of Kabula, newly reactivated and newly upgraded.

This is it.

This is really it.

Get ready, Kirby, I thought vindictively. Because today—you're going to lose. You're finally going to lose.

And for once, I'll be triumphant.

Just you wait.

[Kirby]

Dream Land
Purple Plants

Something's up.

That thought rang through my head repeatedly throughout this entire morning. I don't know why I'm thinking it, or what even the 'something' is, but I just know—

Something's up.

I stared out into the purple scenery that made up—well, the Purple Plants. I don't normally come here, primarily because I think all the purple really does not suit a grassy plain like this.

Like—c'mon. The color scheme clashes so hard.

Adeleine would agree.

But there's something else worth noting about Purple Plants: it's a lot more chaotic than, say, Green Greens.

The natives are territorial; hostile to intruders.

And it's definitely not the easiest place to traverse peacefully.

I… wouldn't recommend it for a tourist spot. It's a little too 'Extra' for most Dream Landers.

Even I tend to stay away, even though I can handle most things that come my way.

Still, there's a reason I'm here.

Call me what you like, but you can't deny I've got pretty good instincts. And those instincts, for some reason, just drew me to this place.

Something important's about to happen.

Something important, in this place, is about to happen.

I…

I just don't know what it'll be.

I sighed.

"I wonder what Dedede's doing right now," I wondered, sitting beneath a bushy, purple-leaf tree. "It's been a while since I've heard from him."

I'd like to believe that we've become… well, maybe not friends yet.

Frenemies, maybe. Just like Mario and Bowser.

We've fought each other plenty of times; we've helped each other plenty of times.

Without him, I don't think I'd ever have been able to get all the Crystal Shards.

But recently, however… Dedede's been a bit dissatisfied.

Sure, we still have our regular clashes (that I typically come on top of, naturally), but he hasn't taken as much enjoyment out of them as of late. And whenever I try to ask what's wrong, he just… brushes me off and goes back to his business.

He doesn't even react to any of the sass I throw.

That's how I know he's not acting normal.

I'm worried about him. We may not be as close as I'd like to be, but… whatever's going on, I hope we can at least talk about it, you know?

…

"…it's been half an hour since I got here," I said aloud, standing up from my sitting place. "Nothing's happened yet."

Strange. My instincts have never let me wrong before.

…except the whole Squeak Squad debacle, but—that was a one-time thing.

"I should get moving," I decided. "Nothing's gonna come if I'm only just sitting around."

Maybe I should go check up on some of my old Helpers, too. It's been a while since our last adventure together—it'd be great to hang out with them again.

Waddle Doo, Bonkers, GIM, everybody…

(Little did I know, however…)

Footsteps bounced in from the distance.

"Kirby!"

I blinked, and turned to look at the voice. "Huh?"

A simple Waddle Dee was heading up to me. One of Dedede's Waddle Dees. I'd recognize them anywhere.

There was a letter in his hand.

He stopped in front of me.

"The Great King has written this to you," he said. "He wants you to read it."

"From Dedede?" I asked. "…well, alright."

I'd never turn down a letter from a friend—or an almost-friend, as the case may be.

What could he want, though?

If there's anything he wanted to say to me, he could just do it in person. I'm not exactly unapproachable.

But if he so insists…

I took the envelope and opened it up.

My eyes perused the letter inside.

…

…

…

…oh.

Oh.

I think I've found the 'something' that I was looking for.

[▪]

Kirby,

It's time we settled the score.

We've been going back-and-forth for sixteen years, and I've put up with it for long enough. For the last few months, I've been training myself and my army as hard as I can. Every trick of yours, every Ability you have, we've been studying up on it—and now, we're ready for the ultimate challenge: defeating you, once and for all.

But that's not all. After everything we've been through, it's only right that we take things back to the beginning—all the better to make our conquest as definitive as possible.

I've taken three of the Sparkling Stars and given them to four of my former lieutenants: Whispy Woods, Lololo and Lalala, and Kracko. And they're powered up, too—stronger, deadlier, and utterly uncompromising. You'll find that, with them, things won't be as simple as they used to be.

We're all in this to win it this time. Everyone's waiting to kick your tush back to the star it came from. There's no way you can triumph.

But if you're still willing to try…

Collect the Sparkling Stars from the Purple Plants, the Illusion Islands, and the Crash Clouds, and bring them up to Castle Dedede. There, we'll put our long-standing grudge to rest.

Bring all the Helpers you want. They won't help you, in the end.

This is my final revenge. I won't be holding anything back.

I'll be waiting for you, Kirby.

Don't disappoint me.

Your Eternal Nemesis,
King Dedede

[▪]

I read the letter.

Then, I re-read it.

And then, I re-read it again.

I bit my lip.

"…so this is your game," I stated quietly.

…

Dedede's… always been a strange one.

Strange and complex.

I mean, one year, he's stealing everyone's food out of total selfishness—and the year after, he's acting as the villain to save the very same subjects he was intimidating.

He's greedy, he's as hungry as me, he cares for his Dees…

…but most of all, his pride can be seriously overpowering.

…

I guess…

…this doesn't really surprise me, then.

…

…I don't know what to think.

Mario would know what to do more than me.

He and Bowser delight in being rivals; I've never cared for the same.

All I've ever wanted is for me and Dedede to be friends.

Why do we have to have this kind of routine, anyway?

…

…there's no point of wondering, though.

Mario's not here.

Bandana Dee's not here, either.

He must be standing by his 'Great King'.

That makes sense.

He may be my friend, but he's loyal to Dedede, too. And I can't fault him for that.

I've got plenty of other friends as well, but… I know he wouldn't appreciate them butting into our feud. Not if he's gotten like this.

So that means…

I have to face Dedede myself.

…

What is this gonna do to us?

Are our friendships gonna break under the strain?

How…

How different will our status quo be, when all is said and done?

I already know this'll be uncomfortable for Dee. He's strong in his own way, but watching his two best friends fight has never gotten easier for him.

I don't want to hurt him.

I don't want to hurt Dedede, either.

I wish we could just get along, without any barriers holding us back.

That's just who I am.

From the day I was born into this galaxy, to the day I started living on Pop Star… that's the way I've always rolled.

And…

I don't want it all to fall apart just because of this.

…

But I won't accomplish anything just sitting here.

If Dedede wants a showdown, then by golly, he's gonna get a showdown.

Maybe – just maybe – it'll be enough to put an end to this.

And then, perhaps…

…we could be friends for real.

I put the letter down on the grass and nodded to myself.

To the Waddle Dee, I said, "Thanks for bringing this to me. Tell Dedede… I accept his challenge."

I stared out into the Purple Plants where I knew the first Sparkling Star would be located.

I hope you'll forgive me for the rude reunion, Helpers.

"Very well," the Waddle Dee replied. "I shall inform Great King of this at once."

As he retreated back the way he came, I made my way into the heart of the grasslands, riding in on that ever-so-familiar spring breeze.

And just as Dedede said… there was several of his troops, waiting for me at the edge of destiny.

I wasted no time in getting into a fighting stance.

Koozers, Perots, Bio Sparks, Waddle Doos—creatures of all kinds were glaring at me, be them natives of the Purple Plants or otherwise.

I didn't show them any trace of fear.

Numbers didn't mean much when it came to me.

Alright, Dedede, I thought determinedly. You say you're not gonna hold anything back?

Then I won't either.

Come what may, I'm giving this my all. I'm Pop Star's premier protagonist for a reason—and if this is what it takes to bring you to your senses, so be it.

Prepare yourself, buddy…

…'cause it's way past time I finally saved you from yourself!

Ha ha ha ha ha! More Kirby fics, more! You're never going to escape them! HA HA HA HA!

Ahem! So… originally, I was just going to rewrite the ending cutscene from Revenge of the King. Then I decided, let's do the entirety of the game's climax. Why not? It might be fun.

Revenge of the King is notable because it's the last time in the mainline series that Dedede holds a truly antagonistic role. And he didn't disappoint—the EX Bosses, the Kirby's Adventure mid-bosses, and Masked Dedede himself are proof of that. After this, Kirby and Dedede's friendship was essentially set in stone—

—and you better bet that I wanted to capture the moment it happened myself.

The game itself doesn't really provide much of a premise other than 'King Dedede wants revenge! Go beat him up!', so this chapter is my attempt to write something more substantial in its place. It's gonna take a couple chapters for things to pay off… but trust me, I'm gonna make it all worth it.

Well, that's all for now – tune in next time for The Revenge™!