Kirby and the Rod of Darkness
Chapter 6: Battle For the Rod
Deep in Another Dimension, the shadowy villain was watching his computer screen angrily. "Someone managed to steal the Rod of Darkness I placed on Planet Popstar!" he growled, "Mirrobo, go and find that rod!" His robot sidekick obeyed and teleported away.
Back on Popstar, the Lor Starcutter landed at the edge of a forest in a state of perpetual autumn. Kirby, Taranza, and Susie came outside and gazed in awe at this wondrous place. All around, colorful leaves adorned the trees and blanketed the ground, and the air was crisp and cool. "Wow! Look at this place!" Taranza breathed.
"It's gorgeous!" Susie added.
"I visited this forest back when I was looking for the Crystal Shards," Kirby told the other two, "It's always autumn here."
"You guys can stay outside for a while if you want," Magolor called out from inside the ship, "I still have some analyzing to do." He was at the computer studying the Dream Rod, which was kept in a capsule beside him.
Taranza decided to float up to the top of a tree so he could get a bird's-eye view of the surrounding areas. From there he could see the original Dreamstalk in the distance, its beautiful pink flowers in full bloom. He could even see his homeland, Floralia, way up at the top of the towering plant, though it looked very tiny from such a distance. After he viewed these things for a few moments, Taranza spotted something moving out of the corner of his eye. When he looked down, he found that it was a small Dreamstalk flower made of paint drifting right in front of him. He held out two of his hands and caught the painted flower.
On the ground nearby, Adeleine, the artist with the magical paintbrush, was painting a picture of the scenery in front of her. Susie was standing next to her, watching her effortlessly paint Dreamstalk flowers that floated right off the canvas. "I'd recognize those paintings anywhere!" Kirby was happy to see his artist friend. He ran over to her, waving both arms like he often did when greeting others. "Hiii, Adeleine!"
Adeleine waved back. "Hi, Kirby! Long time no see! It's such a lovely day, I just had to paint some of the scenery around here." While she was saying this, she painted an ice cream cone. With a flick of her brush, the painted treat became real and hovered into Susie's hand.
"Your artwork is truly amazing, Adeleine!" Susie looked very cheerful. She was happy to see Adeleine too, and not just because she could materialize ice cream with her brush. The two girls had become good friends when they first met on one of Kirby's adventures, even if they didn't see each other very often. Adeleine's fairy pal Ribbon was also a good friend of Susie's, but she was on her home planet, Ripple Star, right now.
"Thanks, Susie! I've had plenty of practice." Adeleine then painted a Maxim Tomato and gave it to Kirby, whose eyes sparkled at the sight.
"Just like how I practice my singing," Susie commented.
"And how I practice my eating," Kirby chimed in; he finished off his tomato in a single bite. Susie and Adeleine laughed.
At that moment, Magolor rushed out of the Lor. "Kirby! Taranza! Susie! You won't believe what I've discovered!" he called out. His three friends hurried back inside, where he told them something they were definitely not expecting to hear. "This rod...is not the Dream Rod at all!"
"What?!" Kirby, Taranza, and Susie all exclaimed at once.
"It appears to be a copy of the Dream Rod with entirely different powers," Magolor explained, "Rather than radiating light energy and summoning friends, it's filled with dark energy and has negative effects on any creature it makes contact with."
"Like teleporting them, possessing them, and trapping them in blocks?" Taranza said.
"Who would create such a thing?" Susie wondered.
"And where is the real Dream Rod?" Kirby inquired.
Magolor scratched his head in thought. "I don't know. It wasn't in the Dream Palace when we were there yesterday, and this rod is the only one my computer could locate."
Before another word could be spoken, a commotion was heard from outside. Everyone hurried outdoors to find Adeleine repeatedly swatting a small round robot with her paintbrush. "Leave me alone! I'm trying to paint here!"
"What is that thing?" Kirby said once Mirrobo moved aside, making it more visible.
"It's a robot," Susie answered him, "and definitely not one of my workers."
At this point, Mirrobo was staring directly at Kirby's group with its blank black eyes. Not only did it recognize them as the same beings it sensed in Another Dimension the day before, it could also tell the rod it sought after was nearby. Its eyes flashed as it began to speak. "I am Mirrobo, subordinate of Master Shadread. He has need of the rod you possess. Hand it over now."
Magolor didn't know what this Shadread guy wanted the dark rod for, but he knew it couldn't be good. There was no way he was going to hand it over. "Too bad! Finders keepers, pal!"
"Then I will take it!" With that, Mirrobo zipped toward the Lor Starcutter.
The robot was moving faster than the others could run, so Magolor surged forward with a blast of air, knocking it down when he collided with it. Susie used her Transporter to zoom ahead and launch a burst of air at Mirrobo; however, its mirror flashed and reflected the blast, striking her with her own attack. Her friends rushed to her side. "Susie! Are you okay?" Magolor asked her.
"I'm fine," Susie answered, pulling herself up. She looked back and gasped at what she saw. "That robot is entering the Lor Starcutter!"
Mirrobo went straight for the capsule containing the mysterious rod and shattered it with a laser shot from its eyes. But before it could grab the dark object, it was suddenly caught in an icy blast. Adeleine was riding a painted Ice Dragon, which breathed icy breath on the robot. Once Kirby and company entered the doorway, Mirrobo managed to escape the freezing attack and grab the rod. The Ice Dragon tried to drop sharp icicles on it, but it was too late. The robot was already teleporting back to Another Dimension.
Everyone ran over to the empty, broken capsule. "It got away with the rod! Now what will we do?" Kirby exclaimed worriedly.
"We need to go back to Another Dimension," Magolor replied.
"What? But why?" Susie asked him.
"I'm starting to piece things together now. Based on what we just saw, I'd guess that Shadread was the guy who spoke to us in that dimension yesterday, and Mirrobo was his assistant who always knew where we were. They must be behind this whole thing! If we return there, maybe we'll find the real Dream Rod!"
"But won't those two try to kill us again if we do that?" Taranza spoke up.
"Don't worry! The Lor can travel between dimensions in a flash, so if things get too dangerous we can fly back to Popstar!"
With that, the Lor lifted off and prepared to travel to Another Dimension. Adeleine stood below, waving. "See you guys later! Good luck in there!" When the ship disappeared, she continued watching the sky where it had been. And stay safe in there… she thought, hoping Kirby and the others would be all right.