One Last Time, I'll Fight
Chapter 3
We Can Still Be Friends
(Uploaded on January 12, 2019)
(Updated on April 23, 2022)
Summary: The Revenge had failed.
Kirby was triumphant again.
All of Dedede's efforts… meant nothing in the end.
…or at least, that's what he thinks.
Notes: This chapter is set during the credits of Revenge of the King.
An update was issued on April 23, 2022 in order to touch up the writing.
[King Dedede]
Dream Land
Sunset Trail
…
…
…
…I've failed.
My coveted revenge, my final stand—
It's completely and utterly fallen to pieces.
…
It took me a while to get off the floor.
It was a cold, hard, incredibly uncomfortable floor.
But in a way… it was where I belonged.
Honestly, I didn't want to get up.
I'd let the night wash over me if I could.
But… I promised myself that I wouldn't run from my mistakes.
That hasn't changed.
Even if all I have left are my regrets…
…I have to still face them, either way.
Reluctantly, I got to my feet and started trudging the gravel path in front of me.
The setting sun cast a gigantic shadow over the entire area. My head faced the floor, a despondent expressing filling my features. Many a thought spun through my mind.
I pulled out all the stops for this.
I recruited all my old Guardians. I sent out every minion I had. I trained myself and all of us until we reached our breaking point—
And despite all that… it still wasn't enough.
I laughed bitterly.
Things never change. They never do.
Why do I even try? I fail every time.
There's no point to this. We've been fighting for over sixteen years now. It doesn't matter how much tougher I get or how much I throw at Kirby; he'll always find a way to triumph over me every single time.
He's the respected hero of Dream Land. The lone light holding back all the demons. The one friend who everyone adores.
Me?
I'm just the wannabe king. The bad guy that does bad things and doesn't know when to stop. Even if I actually do good, nobody stops to take note of it.
They just remember the villain who stole all of Dream Land's food because he was hungry that one time.
And now, it's too late for me to change anything.
…who do I even have left, anyway?
I sent all my Dees away.
I've alienated all of my subjects.
…I bet even Kirby's finally given up on me.
How could he not, when I was trying so hard to engineer his perfect destruction in the name of my own ego?
That's literally the definition of petty animosity.
I sighed.
And I only have myself to blame.
…I hope my Waddle Dees made it out fine, at least.
That gave me some thought.
Will they be okay now? Out there in this world, completely free of my guidance, however poor it may have been?
Did I end up making another poor, terrible decision, dragging all that I care about into it?
I wanted to say no. I wanted to say that they'd be perfectly fine.
But my heart couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty flowing through my veins.
I looked up the trail into the vast desert beyond.
It was going to be lonely without them by my side, but…
I've been making my bed for a long, long time now.
It's only right that I finally lay in it.
…
Then, I heard it.
A peculiar waddling sound, right behind me.
I'd…
I'd know it anywhere.
Slowly, I turned my head.
There, I saw… one of my former Waddle Dees, walking alongside me as if it were still his duty.
I stared disbelievingly.
We locked gazes with each other.
…
He gave me a firm nod.
A reaffirmation.
"…you should've gone with everyone else," I said wearily. "You deserve better than to stick with a guy like me."
To my surprise—subdued though it may be, given my recent rollercoaster of emotions—he shook his head and kept marching onward with me.
It was clear: he wasn't going away.
In a way… that was its own sort of comforting. I mean, if he's still here, then… maybe there's hope for me yet.
…probably.
I don't really think so. I mean, I failed here, didn't I?
But it's not like I can order him away now.
(…after all, I don't even have the right to anymore.)
So, I let him stay and continued trekking into the sunset. If this is what he wanted to do, then who was I to disparage him?
But as my feet trudged forwards through the rather barren desert with cactuses abound, my face remaining solemnly directed toward the ground… the sounds of waddling became more and more numerous. One by one, the footsteps traversing this gravel path increased in volume and synchronization, as if it were a band performing a well-practiced symphony.
…no.
It couldn't be.
I turned my head again—
—and my jaw dropped.
All of my Waddle Dees—every single last one of them, even Bandana Dee—were loyally marching behind me, as if the past seventy-two hours or so hadn't happened at all.
I… I don't get it.
They saw me today. They saw my twisted determination, my desperation and despair brimming all around me.
And yet, here they are. Refusing to leave me.
Loyal to the end.
As if he was sensing my confusion, Bandana Dee looked up to me—and gave his best impression of a smile.
"S-Surprise, Great King!" he announced brightly. "We're… We're here for you!"
I'd try to count how many Dees were here, but I know that's a number too high for me for my mind to even remotely get to.
"…Bandana Dee?" I breathed. "…everyone? You're… You're not gone?"
He got up beside me, practically beaming all the while.
"Y-Yep! All of us are here and a-accounted for, King!" he said. "You're not getting rid of us that easily! No matter what happens… we're not leaving you alone.
"I'm not leaving you."
"…but why?" I asked. "Why are you all still willing to follow me?
"I told you before, in the throne room: I'm a terrible king. Selfish, egotistic, careless, unrewarding, ungrateful—if there's an unpleasant adjective, it probably describes me.
"Surely, there's someone better for you guys…?"
Bandana Dee shook his head.
"Of course not! You're our Great King – and that means a lot! We wouldn't be here if you hadn't taken kindness on all of us. Remember the day you first met my brothers…?
…
…yeah, I do.
It was a year prior to my 'ascendency'—fresh out of my formative years, venturing away from my childhood home for the first time.
I wanted to make something of myself, as many of us so wish. To that end, I had built a little house in sleepy little Dream Land.
But I was seeking so much more…
The sun was shining.
The skies were clear.
The grass bristled wildly in the fresh spring breeze.
For the rest of Dream Land, it was another bright and cheerful day in this sleepy country.
But for me…
…this couldn't be anything further from what I wanted.
"I've been here for months and still, nothing's happened," I groused loudly to myself, not even bothering to hide my distaste. "You'd think that I'd find something interesting every once in a while, but no!"
I raised my arms to the sky in frustration.
"I'm so sick of waiting! What does it take to actually become a legend 'round here!?"
Seriously! I travel the whole freakin' planet, visit all these interesting places – and the sum total of worthwhile events I had stumbled upon was essentially zero.
I knew I was born to do something great—maybe be a superstar warrior, or something neato like that—
And yet… here I am, nothing more than a simple commoner in this backwaters land.
It makes me so… ugh!
I brought my arms back down as I continued to walk along this grassy path.
"Well," I huffed, "at least this place is… pretty enough, I'll admit. Doesn't completely make up for all the nothing I've been through, but whatever."
Look, it doesn't even have to be a 'KERBLOOEY!' or something. I'll take anything.
A few crickets chirping differently than usual? Sure, why not?
Just please—let something happen already!
(And then…
…my wishes were heard.)
…
"Huh?"
I noticed something off to the side, something that definitely qualified as 'unusual'.
Sitting on the sidelines were these… strange, orange-colored creatures. They had tan faces reaching out to their cheeks—and for some reason, they lacked a mouth at all. (Freaky!)
There were a huge number of them, too; more than I can honestly bother to count. And each and every one of them were simply sitting on the ground, doing nothing more than looking out into the horizon.
Wh-What the heck are they doing…? I thought. They're not… waiting for something, are they?
Hmm…
They… They don't seem unfriendly. Just a bit weird. I wouldn't exactly be losing anything if I walked away here…
…but then again, the same thing could be said for if I approached them.
And this did shake things up on an otherwise boring day, so…
…I suppose I should see what they're on about.
"Heh," I chuckled to myself. "It's your lucky day, Dedede. You won't be bored anymore!"
With a prominent gait, I strutted on over to the brigade of brownies. They didn't seem to notice me at all.
I can change that soon enough.
"Hey, you there!"
The brownies started turning their gazes to face me, their heads tilted in curiosity at my mere presence.
"What are you people doing here, just sitting around? You all look like you're having a joint snooze fest, staring all the way into space! You gonna be this dreary all day or what?"
They looked at each other, as if they were pondering the meaning of my words. Eventually, the bunch of 'em collectively turned back to me and effectively shrugged.
I furrowed my brow. Okay, I didn't expect that reaction…
I guess I'll have to take a different approach, then.
"…do you guys need a hand, or anything?" I tentatively asked. "I, uhh… don't think you should really be squatting 'round out in the open like this."
I have no idea what they want, seeing as how they haven't said a word. Do they use sign language? Do they even understand English?
Again, they shared glances together – what are they, a hivemind? – and shrugged.
It was getting a little grating, keeping up this 'conversation'.
"…well, you're all simply an eyesore on this grassy plain!" I declared.
(…what? Don't look at me like that! It's true!)
"You're weird and silent and I don't even know what you're supposed to be! I think you should be doing something else, at the very least! Hmm…"
My mind whirled on with ideas, until it finally settled on one that was… mmm, gonna be a little uncomfortable.
But hey, these… squatters have gotten me out of a funk. They should be thankful that I'm even deigning to do this for them to begin with!
"…how about all of you join me at my house?" I suggested. "I've got plenty of food for your tastes! Maybe not enough beds… but somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem for you! Heh heh heh!"
I mean, if they're willing to sit on the ground for no reason, they're probably willing to sleep on the ground for all I know.
"C'mon, whaddya say?"
Anyway, another lock of their gazes, and then finally—finally!—they nodded.
Getting up, they all formed a sort of crowd circling 'round me, a wave that could probably be seen from orbit.
I looked with surprise at each of them… before a delightful grin sprouted on my face.
"Heh heh heh! Man, you sure react pretty fast to that! This place may be boring as can all get, but I'll do my best to make things entertaining as possible!
"Now, let's head home!"
And so, the group of dozens of creatures strong began to follow me back down the trail to my house, marching obediently by my side like they were servants.
Man… I didn't know I was missing something like this.
Weird though these guys may be…
I think I'd be just fine with them hanging around!
…heh.
Who would've thought just a simple act of kindness—well, whatever passes for it—would've indebted them to me?
An offer for shelter…
…was that, perhaps, something they hadn't seen before?
Or… was it that they saw something in me?
Something more than just an arrogant blowhard?
"…yeah, I remember that day," I finally replied to Dee. "That was… something else, looking back in retrospect."
The day I first got my beloved servants…
I could never forget that, not as long as I live.
(But that wasn't all.)
"And don't forget!" Dee perked up. "You inspired me, too! P-Plus… I might not even be here if you hadn't saved me during the Crystal Shard hunt!"
There was a giant lump of magma in the background.
We were fighting a giant lump of magma.
"What the heck is this thing!?" I shouted, barely able to steady myself these tiny rock platforms. "And why is this place so dang precarious, anyway!?"
This wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. I was barely able to keep my hammer from falling into the very hot magma below! What am I supposed to do here!?
"No time to talk!" Kirby told me, jumping over a swinging tentacle of magma. A stone with an electricity field was ricocheting about him, bashing the arm as it went. "Just hit Magman as you can! Preferably without becoming fried chicken!"
"Th-Th-This is c-c-c-crazy!" Bandana Dee exclaimed, doing his best to stay in the center of his glorified podium. "I—I don't wanna g-g-get burned here!"
"You and me both, Dee!" I replied.
Is this the type of stuff Kirby has to deal with on a regular basis!? I think a part of me's actually pitying him now—and that's not right!
I'm Kirby's rival, I'm supposed to be envying him!
On the mainland, which was sadly far from where the three of us were, Adeleine and Ribbon—the former an artist from two years ago, the latter Kirby's newest friend—were cheering us on as much as they could, given the circumstances.
"You can do it, guys!" Ribbon called out to us. "Don't let this lava-weirdo win!"
"Yeah!" agreed Adeleine. "If he's got a Crystal Shard, just beat it out of him! I can get a picnic ready when you're finished!"
Well, that's motivation enough for me!
And Kirby too—but mostly me!
Focusing back on our not-so-little boss fight…
The big monster guy—Magman, apparently (heck kind of name is that?)—bashed his head into the ceiling, causing a bunch of rocks to fall from the ceiling. Of course, all of those rocks weren't falling in his area; that would make too much sense.
No, they were descending down on us—who would've thunk?
Oh come on! I internally groaned. It's hard enough to dodge the tentacles as it is!
Thoroughly annoyed, I set about hammering away at the falling projectiles.
'Least they die to any 'ol attack! And my hammer's a good cleanser!
Thanks to that, none of them even came close to scratching me. Though they were still falling, I was ready to congratulate myself on a job well done—a kingly performance, if I do say so myself!—
—and then, a startled yelp hit my eardrums.
I turned my head sharply, and found Bandana Dee having an extremely rough go at dodging things. He was jumping all about creation—as much as he could on that thing—but for some reason, the rocks were piling up. Soon enough, he found himself pushed to the brink, barely hanging on by a thread.
"H-H-Help!" he cried. "I-I-I need h-help!"
The sight of it gave me pause, and an uncomfortable, even frightful feeling went down my spine.
Wh-Why do I feel this way…?
Yes, his situation is extremely precarious, and yeah, I'd want to assist him from death-by-too-many-degrees. And s-sure, we've been… 'bonding together', or so Kirby says, and he's not really that bad, but… he's just a Waddle Dee, isn't he?
He's not someone I really care about, or even one of my own Waddle Dees. This is Kirby's job, not mine!
Sh-Shouldn't he be the one to handle this…?
I turned to Kirby… but he was preoccupied with his own issues. He was busy weaving through a bunch of weird fireball beings—and he was too far.
"No! B-Bandana Dee!" Adeleine screamed, heart practically in her mouth. "He—He's going to fall…!"
Ribbon looked similarly distressed—she'd probably be rushing in herself, if she wasn't so fragile herself.
For a moment, I didn't know what to do.
The rocks had stopped falling on me at this point, leaving me some time to think.
My limbs trembled, unable to budge despite my mind shrieking at them.
Sweat squirreled down my forehead, dripping onto the floor and immediately dissipating.
Another magma tentacle shot straight for him—
—and finally, I willed my body to finally move.
Hammer still in hand, I valiantly jumped from platform to platform, until I slammed down into the dumb arm and sent it reeling. With a free hand, I grabbed Bandana Dee and perched him on my back, saying grimly, "Hang on to your hat, Dee!"
"Y-Y-Your Majesty!" he squeaked. "Wh-Wha—!?"
I didn't give him too much time to reply. Quickly, I hopped to another rock as Magman sent the one I had been on straight into the freaking ceiling.
I continued to put a little more distance from him, so I could finally get some actual breathing room.
This guy is way too nuts for me…!
"Jeez—that was too close!" I panted. "I need to take a break from all this nonsense, I swear…"
"Your Majesty…" Bandana Dee exhaled. "You… You saved me? F-For real…?"
"Well, yeah," I replied. "I—I couldn't just let you boil 'cause of that magma freak. I'm your king, and that means you're my subject. And I always protect my subjects."
And by that, I mean my subjects… minus Kirby.
And no, this wasn't because Dee was becoming a 'friend' or anything. Definitely not.
"Now, don't let go! It's gonna be a wild ride, dealing with this guy!"
"W-Wow… A-Amazing…! You're, you're like—a great king! A true Great King!"
His eyes sparkled in admiration.
"I'll—I'll try my best to do as you say, G-Great King…!"
…that adventure certainly had many ups and downs.
There was a lot for me to grouse and grumble through; back then, I still had a long way to go. Despite that, though, I still lent a hand where I could—and ended up spending a lot more time with Dee there than I had expected.
…I haven't ever regretted that.
(It's… nice, having a best friend.)
"…yeah, that happened too, didn't it?" I recalled. "Saving you from that crazy Magman… You still remember that?"
"O-Of course!" Dee said. "You were—you were amazing then, y-you know? Th-The way you swooped in and hammered that guy… Th-That type of thing's why you're my Great King.
"And it's also why you're everyone else's Great King, too! I—I know you haven't done all good—but you haven't done all bad, either! You're more than what you think you are! D-Don't put yourself down for everything."
"…that still doesn't change the fact that I've been an unworthy king," I replied. "Nothing ever will. Everyone knows it. My subjects, Kirby; even you guys have seen it first-hand. I can't overcome that."
"Yes you can!" Dee tugged at my arm. "Th-There's no reason why you can't be a better king now! Even if it t-takes a long time for everyone to acknowledge it… it's s-still worth it to try! A-And you won't have to do it alone!"
He gestured out to everyone behind me.
"…we'll be here with you. So d-don't worry!"
…he won't give up on me, huh?
Not him, not any of my Waddle Dees.
"Wh-What about Kirby, though…?" I questioned. "I started this whole thing to take him down in the first place."
"I'm—I'm sure he hasn't taken it personally! He's a f-friend, after all! Friends understand what other friends are going through. If you talk to him a little… then things'll change!"
Dee stared at me wisely.
"You don't need to be better than him to be a worthy person. T-Trust me on that, Great King!"
…
…he believes in that to his core, doesn't he…?
…
…
…
(I guess it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, just this once.)
"…alright," I finally conceded. "I'll… I'll do my best, then."
If he really, truly still has faith in me—despite everything that's happened, despite all the things that I've said… then maybe I need to have a little faith in myself, too.
After all, when you've hit rock bottom… the only way to go is straight back up, right?
For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself a little smile.
Where would I be without you?
"…thanks, Bandana Dee. I… I really appreciate you being here."
"It's—It's no problem!" He closed his eyes tearfully, a hand rubbing the back of his head. "J-Just doing my duty, th-that's all…"
With that declaration, we walked on into the beautiful sunset – and I could feel a heavy weight at last lifting off of my shoulders.
Though my final revenge had failed, and I had been defeated in every sense of the word… I didn't have to let that define who I am.
I'm King Dedede.
I'm the ruler of Dream Land.
I'm the guy who takes care of both his servants and his subjects…
…and it's time I finally take that job description seriously.
No more moping around.
No more trying to clobber Kirby.
No more trying to steal food, or inconveniencing everyone with my actions.
Today… is the day I really change.
(There's just one last thing to take care of, first.)
For several minutes, we walked to the end of the sunset trail—
—and at the precipice to my castle, Kirby stood with his two Helpers, Birdon and Simirror.
Birdon seemed nervous, shifting around uncomfortably as she sat.
Simirror had his eyes closed, seemingly meditating amidst the quiet desert.
In-between the two, Kirby… looked as patient as ever. When he noticed me and my crowd of Waddle Dees… he perked up and smiled.
"Dedede," he called. "You're back."
"…Kirby," I replied. "You're—You're here."
…has he waited here this whole time?
Birdon jolted at our greetings, and stared at us with surprise.
"D-Dedede, Bandana Dee." Her eyes shifted away. "It—It's good to s-see you."
Simirror hummed as we approached, opening a single eye that gazed at us rather creepily.
"…so, you have returned. And your resolve… much like Dee's, I sense that it is no longer in constant turmoil. You've taken your first step to a new future."
His eye glinted with intrigue.
"…it has been a long time coming, I say. I look forward to seeing what's in store for you."
Gee, does he have to sound as cryptically foreboding as physically possible?
I swear Kirby makes the weirdest friends just to troll me sometimes.
The pink bird sighed and looked tiredly into my eyes.
"…look," she said, "I know I and everyone else haven't exactly been the most… welcoming to you, as of late."
It sounded painful for her to admit it – much like how it was painful for me to admit my own mistakes.
"…but, well… Dee showed me that there is more to you than what I've always believed. If… If you are willing to change, then…" She looked away, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "…then I guess I could try to accept you. T-Try, a-anyway."
Kirby just smiled wider.
"…you don't have to be an enemy, you know," he simply stated. "It doesn't matter what you've done in the past; I'll always be someone to reach out to."
He sounds so earnest when he says that.
"Do you really mean it?" I asked. "Like… really, really mean it?
"Of course. I've always treasured friendship in all kinds. And even though we've been rivals for the better part of two decades… I'd love to be your friend, too. After all… there's nothing wrong with having a lot of good friends!"
He held out his hand toward me, wearing a heartfelt expression.
"So… what do you say? Wanna start over?"
There was a sincerity to his words that I couldn't deny. It was like a wave of water flowing down and splashing against your back, giving you a sense of calmness in its serenity.
I stared into Kirby's inviting eyes for a few seconds more.
Here he was, the hero of Dream Land, my rival—and even a travelling companion, at times—offering to put all our animosity behind us once and for all.
The very action that, deep down… I knew I wanted all along.
…
…
…
"…you know what? Sure." I took his hand and sealed the deal. "Let's start over."
I smiled.
"I'm King Dedede."
"And I'm Kirby—Kirby of the Stars."
His eyes twinkled.
"Let's be the best of friends now, alright?"
Best friends, huh?
…I think I'd like that.
Revenge of the King's ending was really heartwarming, something you don't normally see in a happy-go-lucky Kirby game. It's hard not to feel something when you see all the Waddle Dees—and Bandana Dee!—walking alongside Dedede as he goes into the sunset. It was a joy to recreate that moment—
—and I couldn't just help but make it more heartwarming, what with Dedede's inner monologue, the added dialogue… oh, and Kirby taking his hand at the end, too. After all, this is the end of Dedede's major character arc. I wasn't gonna not make it a moment to remember.
It's a miracle this chapter both A) didn't take too long and B) doesn't have a word count through the roof. I guess that proves I can pace myself!
…sometimes.
Very occasional sometimes.
I wasn't originally going to add in the pre-series and Crystal Shards flashback sequences, but given how much more introspective this chapter is, I think they work well enough. After all, I'm not gonna be rewriting the entire Kirby series here, so any bit of additional context helps.
Who doesn't love seeing more Adeleine, anyway?
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!