Kirby and his friends's next destination was the planet of Aqua Star. From space Aqua Star's appearance is a large raindrop shaped mass with a solid core located far beneath it's depths. Most of the planet's surface was water with several islands linked together with wooden bridges.
The group of five arrived on a sandy beach nearby an ocean. It was a much needed change from Rock Star's deserts that blazed like an angry woman. This area was a calm and relaxing coastline with several palm trees littered about.
"Water!" Dedede ran toward the ocean and began scooping handfuls into his mouth.
"Dedede, no!" Adeleine called.
"Why am I still thirsty?!" Dedede yelled in confusion.
Waddle Dee sighed. "Because the ocean has salt in it. Drinking too much sea water makes you crazy."
"Then we should probably stop Kirby." The king replied.
They looked to the side and saw Kirby swallowing some of the water. They quickly yanked him out of the ocean.
"But Kirby is thirsty, poyo!" He wriggled and squirmed in their grip.
"Dedede wants water too!" The king whined.
"Everyone, relax." Ribbon said. "Aqua Star isn't just oceans. There are ponds and rivers that are safe to drink from."
Kirby and Dedede bolted off as soon as Ribbon finished her sentence.
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Kirby entered a cave not too far from where they arrived. The cave was tall and expansive, but not similar to the underground cavern in Rock Star. Kirby could see something sparkling on a ledge above. He puffed himself up and flew to the source of light. It was another shard, which Kirby quickly collected. The pink puffball continued his flight until he entered the room on his right.
After crossing several more rooms and a multitude of enemies, Kirby stopped in a room with a Big Tick. He defeated his foe with a new ability, combining the Bomb and Ice abilities to create the Exploding Snowman. After his enemy's defeat, Kirby obtained a crystal shard.
Kirby exited the cave and ran into Adeleine, who painted him food to keep up his strength. He walked along the wooden bridges of the small islands and noticed a block checkered with blue and black. Kirby used his Exploding Snowman ability to break the block and jumped down. He landed on a Zebon that chucked him into the air. Kirby was sent flying into a tower. When he fell out, he noticed that a crystal shard was in his arms.
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The next area Kirby explored was a marshy forested area. A river flowed throughout the dense forest of Aqua Star, seemingly never ending. After traveling a while and going through a small cave, he stumbled upon a Big Kany. The Star Warrior used a new combination of Stone and Fire to create the Volcano ability. Fiery rocks were spewed from Kirby, finishing off the monstrous crab easily. After it's defeat, a small chunk of the ceiling crumbled, revealing a crystal shard. Kirby grabbed the item and left the cave with a giant hole in the interior.
Kirby approached the river, noticing a small box floating on the water. Waddle Dee popped out of the box and motioned for Kirby to get in the box.
"Is this supposed to be a boat, poyo?" Kirby asked as he climbed into the box.
Waddle Dee nodded in confirmation. "I found it by the bank. I think it will make a good boat."
Kirby looked at the river ahead of them. "Is this safe, poyo?"
"As safe as a box-boat can be."
Before Kirby could question any further, Waddle Dee gave the box-boat a little push and the two floated down the river. There was a large wooden crate ahead that would most likely break their makeshift boat if they were hit. Kirby and Waddle Dee grabbed the sides of the box and jumped at the same time, effectively dodging the crate.
Kirby and Waddle Dee rode down a small waterfall, flapping their arms on the way down in shock. After dodging another crate, they spotted something in the air. Kirby and Waddle Dee jumped in their box-boat to grab the floating object. It was another crystal shard. The two fell from a few more waterfalls until a larger one appeared. The box-boat flipped, flinging Kirby and Waddle Dee in separate directions.
Kirby landed on his face in the small stream below. He picked himself up and searched for Waddle Dee's location. After following the river, Kirby found another crystal shard under a waterfall. He continued to search for Waddle Dee, climbing up the small cliffs of the area while dodging rolling logs with spikes.
Waddle Dee was found stuck headfirst into the ground. He tugged on his companion's foot to free him from the wet dirt, eventually succeeding. The two exited the dense forest with the crystal shards in hand. Waddle Dee decided that when they got a chance to rest, he was asking Adeleine for a grilled cheese sandwich.
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The next area Kirby entered was a beach similar to the one before. He passed by some sand sculptures and swam to a rock island. The pink puffball crossed the wooden bridge when suddenly a burst of water had flung him into the air. Kirby descended into a stone tower.
He landed inside the tower and noticed a mossy green rock. Kirby used his new ability, Shuriken Bomb, by combining the Cutter and Bomb abilities. The rock crumbled to pieces, revealing a crystal shard within. Kirby moved a block off of the rock pile he had landed on, resulting in a geyser bringing him to the surface.
Kirby walked a little further to find Dedede and a large wooden board on a log of some sort.
"See that island over there Kirby?" Dedede pointed. "We're gonna catapult you over there."
"What is Kirby supposed to do, poyo?" He scratched his head in confusion.
Dedede face palmed. "You stand on this end of the board." The king nudged Kirby on the piece of wood. He walked to the other end.
"And I whack the other end with my hammer!"
Before Kirby had time to protest, Dedede's hammer rained upon the board. Kirby was flung into the air with a startled shriek, while the royal penguin laughed at the puffball's reaction.
Kirby landed on the targeted island with a thud. He picked himself up regardless and moved on. He eventually came upon a small mountain with a large hole in the middle. The Star Warrior jumped in and faced a Big Kapar. He defeated the attacking opponent and collected a crystal shard. Suddenly, the floor caved where the Kapar stood, leaving a hole in it's place. Kirby jumped down the hole and fell into a pool of water.
Kirby looked up to see a shard clinging to the cave walls. He couldn't float that far without getting tired. He decided to try an experiment. His recently obtained combination of Stone and Cutter abilities gave him the Stone Friends ability. He transformed into a stone likeness of his bird friend Pitch. He tried to fly to the shard, but fell down after a few seconds.
His next transformation was a rock form of ChuChu the octopus. He knew that ChuChu had good arms, but not good enough to reach that far. Then Kirby transformed into Rick the Hamster. Rick had a strong back and could travel and climb long distances. Kirby began to scale the wall in this form. After a seemingly long amount of time, Kirby grabbed the shard, then went back to his original form to jump down.
Kirby jumped up the ledges on the other side of the wall, jumping over spiked logs on the way. Then he jumped down the other side of the rock wall and exited the mountain.
Meta Knight and his small crew were hard at work, trying to repair the Halberd's dangerous leaking oil pipes. Meta Knight had decided it was better to remove the oil from the ship in it's entirety and use a different type of gasoline when the pipes were fixed. The risks were just too great and too likely.
The blue knight was currently retrieving buckets and an instruction manual for the oil leaks. Sword, Blade, and Sailor Dee were mulling over what to do. They couldn't fix the pipes until Meta Knight returned with the manual and supplies they needed.
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"This is most likely the most dangerous assignment we've ever been given." Sword said while paced around the large basement.
"We've been in situations worse than this." Blade replied.
"Blade, there is a possibility of an explosion at our hands! Also, I wasn't finished talking." Blade sighed at his companion, but let him continue.
"Men, we will have to be careful, vigilant, responsible-"
"All things that you are not."
"Blade, I am just as skilled and responsible as you! Now please let me finish." Sword continued his pacing past the two.
"Men, we will have to be careful, vigilant, and responsible. This is a matter of life…" Sword stopped walking and looked at one hand. "Or painful agonizing widespread death!" He looked at his other hand.
Sword continued walking. "That is why we are the protectors of Dreamland at this time. We are holding the scissors of fate and the thread of life in our very hands. We are- Gooey?! What are you doing here?!" Sword yelled at the blue blob that had suddenly materialized next to Sailor Dee.
"I thought the Corps would help me straighten out my life sir!" Gooey answered.
"The Corps? What the…Gooey this isn't the…How did you get in here?!"
"Oh, well it turns out Dark Matter can take on different forms, so I just turned into liquid form and slipped under the door!" Gooey then transformed into a puddle with eyes on the floor.
"Er, could you wait here?" Sword said when he realized Meta Knight had returned with his supplies.
"We can explain." Sword said to Meta Knight, who had a look of slight confusion under his mask.
"He thinks this is the Corps." Blade said, only increasing Meta Knight's confusion.
"He knows too much…we must dispose of him!" Sailor Dee squawked.
The three knight stared at Sailor Dee briefly. "Sorry. That was too extreme, but he does know too much though!"
"Sailor Dee does have a point." Meta Knight said. "Gooey has not only seen the Halberd, but could possibly know of the oil leak."
"So…what are we going to do with Gooey?" Blade asked.
Meta Knight looked at the blue blob who was still standing in the same spot. Then he looked at Sword and Blade. "Gooey will help repair the Halberd."
"Sir Meta Knight, you can't be serious!" Blade shouted in shock.
"You don't really mean that, do you?" Sword asked.
"I do. He somehow wandered into the room without your detection, so he is your trainee." Meta Knight answered.
"The doors were locked, but we didn't tell you how he got in here." Blade said.
"He turned into liquid and slid under the door! We couldn't have stopped him if we tried!" Sword finished.
Meta Knight shook his head. "I never said that training him was a punishment. You are my loyal knaves and I have taken you under my wing. Now it is time for you to take Gooey under yours."
"But I thought that Sailor Dee was supposed to be our sidekick?" Sword asked.
"I'm already trained!" Sailor Dee huffed.
Meta Knight called for Gooey. "Yes, Meta Knight sir?" The blob asked.
"Gooey, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Meta Knight stated.
"Oh, did I interrupt you guys building your airplane?" Gooey asked obliviously.
"It's a battleship!" Sword corrected. "And it's filled with a highly flammable fuel that could blow up Dreamland in it's entirety! Did we also mention it has a broken pipe that's leaking at this moment?"
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Gooey's eyes widened in blank shock.
"And you are going to give your assistance in repairing it." Meta Knight got to the point.
Gooey stepped back. "Wha…aflaflafa…Huh?" He swooned and fell onto the floor.
"Get a hold of your self man!" Sword shook him. "What we have here is life…or painful agonizing death on our hands!"
"But I don't have any hands!" Gooey blubbered.
Sword backed away from the hysterical blob. "I didn't mean to cause trouble! I'm sorry!"
Meta Knight gave Gooey a few moments to calm down before speaking again. Seeing genuine tears always made the knight feel uneasy.
"You're not in trouble. However, your presence here did lead to this." Meta Knight said calmly. "This ship is a secret and the oil leak is as well. If word was to spread to the village, it would cause a state of panic."
Gooey nodded. "So no one needs to know?"
"No one whatsoever."
"Well, I kept me being a Dark Matter a secret for a long time. That shouldn't be too hard!" Gooey said.
"Are you ready to begin work?" Meta Knight asked.
"Gooey reporting for duty!"
"Sword and Blade will be your mentors of sorts."
Sword approached Gooey. "We're serious. This is dangerous stuff we're handling. This is life or-"
"Painful agonizing death. We know." Blade finished.
"Your not helping me with my anxiety attack." Gooey said. "I don't work well under pressure."
"If we finish this quickly, then there will be no need for pressure." Meta Knight opened the manual for the Halberd's pipes.
Everyone grabbed their tools and entered the Halberd, ready to prevent an explosion that could take Dreamland off Popstar.
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The next area Kirby explored was the depth's of Aqua Star's ocean. There were several strong currents in the treacherous ocean, but the Star Warrior had to press on. He dove down, then entered a small hole on his right. Still swimming, he ventured through the dark sea floor while dodging several falling rocks.
Kirby entered another hole in the wall. The current in this room was not very strong, but still enough to slightly sway the pink puffball. Kirby swam to the ceiling of the underwater room and found a crystal shard. The current pushed him into another room.
This area of the cavern had much stronger water flow. Kirby was pulled by the sea current until he managed to grab a pole stuck in the sand. He scooted down the pole to see a crystal shard to his right. He nudged himself carefully over to the gem, then grabbed it before the current swept him away.
Kirby entered the next room and faced a Big Blowfish with his Missile ability. The missiles didn't have as good of range as they did on land, but they were enough to defeat the opponent. Kirby swam through the hole in the wall to the next area.
The current pushed him forward while rocks fell from the ceiling. He dodged to the best of his ability and dove into a small ditch. Inside was a crystal shard almost invisible due to the darkness of the trench. Kirby grabbed the shard then exited the underwater cave.
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Kirby entered the final area, prepared to take on whatever boss that will most likely attack him. A giant whale jumped from the water, but not just any whale.
"Acro?!" Kirby shouted in shock.
The orca whale opened his mouth to reveal a crystal shard, then closed his jaw shut and jumped under the water with a taunting splash. Kirby dove after Acro, determined to get the crystal shard.
Acro spat a skull at Kirby, who inhaled it and spit it back. The orca did several flips in the water, knocking Kirby around with each movement. Acro called a Fishbones to attack Kirby, who threw the enemy back in retaliation.
Acro flipped into Kirby again, but the puffball managed to get away with minimal damage. Kirby threw another one of Acro's Fishbones at him. The orca suddenly slumped to the bottom of the ocean floor, which bean to crumble around him.
Kirby swam up, avoiding the falling debris in the water. Acro had appeared behind him, spitting missiles in an attempt to stop the Star Warrior from reaching the surface. Kirby redirected the missiles to Acro, giving Kirby more time to swim upwards. After a few more missiles, he reached the surface with Acro defeated.
Acro resurfaced moments later and spat out the crystal shard. "Wuh, Kirby? What are you doing here? What am I doing here?! Where am I?!"
"You're on Aqua Star, poyo." Kirby answered.
"Aqua Star? Isn't that like another planet?! How did I get here? Not that I'm complaining. It's pretty nice here with all the water." Acro splashed. "I guess I'll just stay here then."
Kirby retrieved the crystal shard then bid Acro a farewell and left to find his friends.
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Kirby and his friends sat on one of Aqua Star's sandy beaches. The sun was shining, though not as severe as Rock Star. The ocean's waves would reach their feet every so often.
"This place is nice…really nice." Waddle Dee sighed.
"It's perfect. I should build another castle here." Dedede felt the warm sunshine.
The group of five continued to watch the ocean until Adeleine abruptly stood up. She grabbed a nearby pebble and threw it in the water, watching it skip. Dedede and Waddle Dee stood up and began throwing rocks too. It soon became a contest of who could get their rocks the farthest.
Waddle Dee threw with all his might, but the rocks would sink under the ocean's waves.
"That isn't how you're supposed to throw em!" Dedede told Waddle Dee.
Adeleine chuckled. "Then what is the proper technique, oh Rock Skipping Master?"
Dedede glared at the young artist, then brought his attention back to Waddle Dee. "You're throwing way too hard and in the wrong direction. You need to throw out instead of down like you're doing."
Waddle Dee threw like the king had instructed. The rock flew across the water, skipping five times before sinking.
"See, that's how you do it!" Dedede grinned at Waddle Dee.
Adeleine and Ribbon clapped at Waddle Dee's performance. Kirby looked at Ribbon from the side then picked up a large rock.
"Kirby will try now!" He shouted with glee, trying to look impressive.
"Kirby, that rock is too big. It won't go very far." Adeleine said.
"This rock will fly, poyo!" Kirby began winding his arm for the big throw.
"You're gonna lose, kid." Dedede snickered in triumph.
Waddle Dee turned toward the ocean with wide eyes. Adeleine was so startled, her beret jumped off her head briefly. Dedede's eyes popped in shock. The three ran away from the sand's edge with Ribbon following close behind.
Kirby was still winding his arm, unaware of the giant wave approaching him. Moments later, Kirby washed up on the beach face down. He looked up to see the portal open, with Dedede and Adeleine jumping in. Kirby hopped up from the sand and scurried into the portal.
"Don't leave Kirby behind, poyo!"
Author's Note: Gooey has joined the Halberd crew...what have they done? There should be about four more chapters in this arc, then we move on to the next!