Warning: this chapter contains violence that could be considered above canon-typical levels. I don't think it's anything too graphic (there is no blood), but I still felt the need to warn.
Battle versus... the past?
Dedede hung up the phone and let out a defeated sigh. He was going to have to pay a lot for that.
Dream Land's lack of a currency didn't mean that the effort its inhabitants put into their work or creations wasn't appreciated or paid. And when someone orders over a hundred meals from the best local chef, they are expected to give something as valuable in return. Even if Kawasaki gave him a special discount for ordering over 300 dishes, the bill was still going to be very high.
"Well, I'll pass it to the other Dedede," the king decided. "This is his fault, after all."
Since the castle's kitchen hadn't been repaired yet and Dedede didn't want to overwork the Waddle Dees, Kawasaki ended up being his only option for getting lunch. Calling the chef had also allowed him to clarify what had happened the day before with at least one person, although given how much Kawasaki liked to chat with his customers, it was only a matter of hours before the information spread, which would result in less work for Dedede.
Apparently, the inhabitants of Dream Land who had witnessed the "scene" in the market had assumed that the king's terrible attitude was due to him being possessed. Dedede didn't know if he should be upset or relieved by that. On the one hand, the fact that people realised he wasn't being himself meant that his reputation hadn't been as damaged by his counterpart's attitude as he had initially thought. On the other hand, the fact that the inhabitants of Dream Land took his possessions as a habit stung him quite a bit.
Did they really think that he let himself be possessed on purpose?
Dedede found himself clenching his fists in anger, so he shook his head to redirect his thoughts back to the issue of the portals and those who had come through them.
"The kids are taking way too long to pick up Tiff's brother," the king noticed. It had been several hours since the four children had left, and there was still no sign of them. "I hope it's because Kirby is wasting his time chit-chatting with Daroach and not because something bad has happened…"
The strange, digital-looking Waddle Dees who had tried to capture Tiff the previous night came to Dedede's mind. What were they? Why did they look like his precious subjects? Were there more creatures like them? And if so, would they have attacked the children?
"Meh, it's nothing Kirby, Bandana, and Gooey can't handle. Those three have faced much worse foes than some tin-foil copycats," he assured himself.
While that thought didn't quite take away his uneasiness, it did help him temporarily put one of his worries aside, though he would never admit out loud that he was worried about Kirby. Dedede clung to the hope that the children would return safely at any moment now.
"At least things are quiet around here," the king said.
Just as he finished saying those words, he heard his own voice screaming in pure terror reverberating through the castle.
"Me and my big mouth," he growled in frustration.
Dedede didn't even have time to grab his hammer and run out to see what had happened to his other self when Meta Knight flew in at high speed through one of the windows (although this time there was no glass to break).
"My king, are you okay?" Meta Knight asked, wielding his sword on high alert.
"It wasn't me, Meta," Dedede said, bringing his hand to his temple. "It was the other Dedede."
"Oh, I see..." said the knight, trying to hide his embarrassment for having confused the other Dedede's scream with his sworn partner's. "I felt a surge of energy similar to the one last night. He could be in trouble," he added, regaining his composure.
"He is," Dedede confirmed. "I recognise my own screams, and I haven't screamed like that since..."
...since his first encounter with Dark Matter.
Dedede ran out in a hurry. He had to find his other self immediately. Meta Knight followed him without needing to ask the reason behind his anxious behaviour.
Where could the other Dedede be? From what the Waddle Dees had been reporting through the morning, the king from another dimension had tried to avoid every single task assigned with very silly excuses. Was he in one of the bathrooms, or perhaps in the infirmary pretending to be injured or sick? The scream had come from inside the castle, so the camp was out of the question.
As Dedede ran in search of his other self, he crossed paths with Beamy and the Waddle Dees who had been assigned to his counterpart as guards. They were very nervous and scared.
"Beamy? What's wrong?" the king asked the Waddle Doo, since he was the nearest, trying to calm him down.
"Great King! Sir Meta Knight! He's back!" exclaimed the terrified Waddle Doo.
"Who's back?" Dedede wanted to know, although he had an inkling of the answer.
"Dark Matter, sir," the Waddle Doo managed to say. "He has captured your other self!"
Those words confirmed Dedede's fears. The king glanced at Meta Knight, who nodded determinedly. There was no time to waste. No matter how much he disliked the other Dedede, he couldn't allow any version of himself to fall victim to Dark Matter on his watch.
"Where are they?" he asked the Waddle Doo.
Beamy told him in a very brief way that Dedede and Escargoon had offered their help to recover the king's memory box, so he had guided them to the hole it had fallen into. Dedede doubted that those two had altruistic intentions. "If they have read my diary, they are getting the clobbering of their lives..."
"Evacuate the castle immediately," he ordered the Waddle Doo and the Waddle Dees. "I won't let that monster bring any harm to my subjects."
"Yes, sir!" they exclaimed before running off.
Although Dedede had stood firm in front of his subjects, inside he was nervous. Many things could go wrong when facing Dark Matter face-to-face, especially considering that he didn't exactly radiate positivity. But at the same time, with Kirby absent, who was going to protect his subjects from such a threat?
"Dedede..." Meta Knight called him, concerned.
"I'm fine, Meta," the king assured the knight, putting his fears aside. "I'm not going to let that thing get inside me again. And if it has possessed the other Dedede, I'll clobber it out."
º.·º
His face hitting the ground made Dedede (the one from the other dimension) regain consciousness. However, the pain, along with the ripped back of his coat, something that would have angered him in any other situation, were the least of his problems.
The distorted, sounding similar to a radio receiving a bad signal, and unintelligible voice he could hear in his mind was much more worrying.
"̴͍̯̹̏M̸̗̳̆̔T̴͉͔̎͐B̷̪̽̌ ̷̳͕͐X̷͕͉̗͠Y̵̟͐͆͝ͅẀ̷̥̳̒F̶͚͒Ŝ̵͎͑͐L̵̫̳͌̈́J̷̼̋͝.̴̪̱̻̽͋͛ ̴̮̗̼̊D̴̺̩̠̈́T̵͇̹̣̓Z̶̨͉̋̽ ̴̡̘̎͐͒Q̴̭͐͂T̶̬̼̂͜T̷̯̄̇P̴͎̙̰̈́ ̶̳̐J̷̝̹̏̋͠C̵͇͐̓F̸̨̆͂́H̴̖͑̏͠Y̴̡͆̍̈Q̷͍͇͇͛͠D̶̙̣̲̑̍̾ ̴̡̩̿Q̸͚͍̀̃N̴̰̦̳͌̋P̴̢̙̀J̷̝͋ ̷̨͕̪͋͘Ẏ̷̜̺̈M̶̱̲͚͛J̵̭̜̖̆̔͂ ̷̭̭͛T̴̩̠͠͝ͅS̸̹͐̒J̸̧̘̥̈ ̴͈̜͚̌̇̒N̷̤͍̅̔'̴̤̆͐R̷͉̓̓ ̸̭͓͓̅͌Q̷̯̥̪̀́̎T̴͕͍̈́͒T̵̛̛̬̖Ṕ̴̝̌̅N̴̗̙̪͊́̌S̸̨̺̝͘L̴̰̫͗̈́ ̷͚̏Ḱ̴̛̖T̸̛̩̘̝͋͘W̸̤̲̫͋̚,̴̜͙̓̀ ̶̖̹͂D̵̖͝͠J̷̢̙̘͒͋Ỹ̴̬͓̓͜ ̶͚̠͙̇̈́N̴̬̈́͑ ̸̭̌H̸̩̲͑̓F̴͍͉̣͂́͑Ş̶̰̘̆ ̶̜͔͓͆̃X̶̺̞̳́J̸͈̺̉S̵̙̀͐X̶̙̌̌J̶̯͎̞̍ ̴̻̇͆͝D̶̼̳̙̈́T̵̢̟̤̾̐Z̸̨̦̈́̊ ̶̦̳͖̂͝F̵͍̭̽͆̋Ẉ̶̐J̵̛̻͕̀̎ ̸̗̗̏̎͝S̸̹͆̌T̸̪̃Y̶̮͓̳͊ ̴͍̳̕M̴̥̅̕̕N̴̳̳͂̈́̀Ṟ̸̮͙̆.̷̗̳͎͒̀̕"̵̨̡̗̍͝
Dedede raised his head to see where the voice was coming from, immediately regretting doing so. The being that had attacked him in the basement stood in front of him, staring at him intensely with its one eye. Dedede jumped back to put some distance between them, but a wall blocked his retreat.
"̶̱͂H̴̳̄͝T̵̪͍̾B̴̎́͜F̶̛̪͎W̵̜͔̿Ḯ̵̹̏N̸̹̋H̶́͜J̵̼̋.̶̡̃̾ ̸̟͊̕B̶̏̊͜J̸̝̑͊ͅF̵̳͍̚Ṗ̴̫̜S̵̢͐J̴̨̲̈́X̸͈̓̇X̶͙̲͗.̸̬͉̏̚ ̶̞̑͝ͅL̶̙̆W̷̛͜J̸̫͂J̵̡͎͗I̶̮̥̍͛.̴̳͑̅ͅ ̴̳̈́S̷̘̒͝ͅṬ̴͉̽̚Ỳ̴̜͜ ̷̲̖͘F̵̨͔̚ ̴̜̊X̶̫͛N̶͎̓̓S̸̝̋ͅL̶͖̔̕Q̵̬͓̊̕J̶̞͑̄ ̷̹̏L̶͖̈́Q̷̡͈̀̉N̶̼͊̇R̶̰͆U̶̙̳̾͗X̶̓̆͜J̶̘͍͌ ̶̪̊̈́T̵͖̦̚K̵̻͆̍ ̸̲̣̏̂F̴̮̈́K̴͈̼̋̀K̵̰̋̅J̵̤̠͒̔H̶̯͋͐ͅY̵̲̝͋͆Ń̷̯̝̑T̸̮̆̓S̵̛͕̳̈́ ̶̝͑̈Y̴̠̕T̷̨̬̅B̸̤́̑F̸̨̱̌Ẇ̸̟͘Ì̷̫X̴̯̋̚ ̵̬́̓T̶͖̈̽Y̵̯̹̑̂M̴̫͕̅J̶̠͍̌W̸͚̗̅X̷̨̩͂̚.̶̲͎̑̓ ̵̝̉D̴̫̃͠Ṯ̵̈́͝Z̷̼̾̈́ ̷̡͐F̶̖͕̿W̵̗̪̊J̶̬͇̎̐ ̵̮̜̇͆I̸͍͗̈́J̸͎̙̆K̵̖̦̅̔N̸̢̲̔͆S̷̹͐N̴̙̓Y̵͙̒̋ͅJ̷͍̽̆Q̴͓̭̍D̴̹̈́͠ ̴̻̣͊S̸͈͌T̸̠̍͋Ŷ̶̻͚̚ ̵̹̊͝M̴̺̙̀̚N̸͖̞̋R̴̯̖̈.̵̝͎̍̈"̷̫̏̈
Dedede was so scared he couldn't even scream. It was that thing. That terrible, horrible thing. Dark Matter. It was in a different form, but he was still able to identify it.
Wait, where had he seen this creature before, and why did he know what it was called? As he tried to remember when he had learnt about it, a reflection of himself came to his mind, one that made him feel sick.
"̵̨̠̽N̷̢̓ ̸͍̀͠Y̶̨͍̋̚M̶̪͒̏͜N̶̜͗̿S̵͘͜P̷̪̋͆ ̴̛͖̌͜Ṅ̶͔̻͛ ̶̧̄W̴͎̕J̶̨̙͗R̶͓͊J̸͙͔̿R̶̪̭̂͝G̴͔̽͋J̵̛̟͠W̸̛͈̳̐ ̵̧̺͋Ş̵̙̔̆Ț̷͗̄B̵͇͊̋ͅ.̷̳̞̎̀ ̷͉̎X̸̰͙͊͝M̶̧̩̓J̸̨̪͂ ̷̜͉̐͂R̸̗̤͌̇J̴̼͙͌̅S̸͌ͅY̵̠̣̐N̷̻͓̔͛Ṫ̷̥S̴̗̾̕J̶̼͒Ĭ̵̧͜͝ ̷̦͒Ÿ̵̝́͑M̵͙̈́̓F̷̞̄Ỹ̵͍͖ ̷̱̯̊͛Ǹ̸̜͈̓ ̶̝̆B̶͙̗̍͝T̴̬̿Z̷̞͐̋Q̷͚̮̋̈Ḯ̵̡̱ ̵̣͛̔K̷̖̖̑Ǹ̸̝̲͛S̷̠̅̅Ĭ̵̺ ̵͙͑̓Y̷̝͌B̷̫͎̈T̸͖̮͝ ̴͔̈̌B̵̬͌M̸͖̖̈́̽T̶̝͋̋ ̶̯͙̌F̷͇̄ͅẂ̵̪J̴̞̯͋ ̶̠̽́X̷̞̦̔̾Ṉ̸̛̹R̶͇͆̕Ń̴̲̐Q̷̘̙̓̈F̵̩́̾W̸͇͂͝,̶͔̣̐͘ ̸̘̙̏̂D̴͍̩̍J̶̭̤̐Y̴̬̌͘ ̶̧͎̌̚I̴͂͗͜Ń̶̘͖̕K̵̢͌Ḱ̴͙̉J̴͕̰͑̕Ẅ̴͈́̀J̸͍̒̚S̵͉̚͘Ȳ̶̚͜.̴̼̙̾ ̶͔̮̎͠D̸̖̹͆͆T̴͕́Z̵̧̛͕̐ ̸̮̅́Ȓ̵̩̳͑Z̶͇̉̑X̸̨̒̀Y̴͕̦͒́ ̵̹̖̒Ģ̸̦̓J̸͎̐ ̷̲͎͊̓Y̷̘̌M̷͍̙̋̃J̷͈̬̍̀ ̴̳͠T̸̫̳̎Y̴̡͋M̷̰͙̑̎J̵̾͜ͅẀ̴̞̉ ̴̣̕T̶͇̀̚S̶̝͠J̸̤͋.̴͈̖̏͠.̶̠̌.̵̹̀́"̵͙͍̚
In the blink of an eye, Dark Matter closed the distance between them, leaving Dedede completely cornered.
"̴̬̊͐X̸̡̘̐͝M̷̹̻̀J̸̝̄̕ ̶͍̭͂̀Ị̷͘Ń̷̨̗I̴̥̩̽S̴̘͝'̶̺͐Y̶̢̏ͅ ̸̫̐̀Y̷͙̫̿͋T̴͈͉̆̚Q̶͉͕͛͋Ĭ̶͕͂ ̶͚̙͆R̵͕͗J̸̺̊ ̷̒̽ͅB̵̦̊̑M̵̞̃F̴̻̜̐͠Ÿ̸̪̮́ ̷̡̾͋N̷̯̔̍ ̴̢̖̿X̸̢̙͛͝M̶̨̲̒͘T̸̘͑͘Z̵͈̑͂Q̵̢̝͌͠I̶͕͐ ̸͚̈́İ̴̫̘T̸̗̜͒ ̶̖̤̾͗B̵̮̑Ṉ̵̬̄̎Y̴̻̯̆M̴̡̯̉ ̷̟̀D̷͓̈́Ț̸̿Z̴͚̭̅̔.̵͙̗̿"̵͍͐͜
Dark Matter raised his sword and placed it dangerously close to Dedede's body.
"Get... get away from me," he managed to say, his voice trembling. More than a threat, his words sounded like a plea.
S̴͙̩̃J̷̝̼͒͊͝ͅL̸̹̩̀́F̷̛̺̰̜̋Ỹ̴̢̗͓N̴̳̽͆Ả̵̧̬̬J̶͔̬̋̒̈ ̷̲͒̈́J̴̟͙̝̈́͊͂R̴̗̎̒T̷̜͗͌Y̶̨̔́͝Ņ̵̭̦͌̐͠T̴̩̮̓S̵̠̒͜X̵̧̰̘́̿ ̵̮͔̄̉X̴̳̽̕B̵͓̪̦̿N̸̼̯͉͠Ŵ̴̠̾͐Q̵̖́ ̸̘͕̟̅͒͘N̶̟̍ͅS̴̢̜͂͘X̴̦͒͊̿N̷̝̘͐̾͝ͅỊ̴̽͂J̷͓̪̊̀ ̴͙̀͘Ḍ̶̀Ţ̴̂̚ͅZ̶̬̞̍,̷͇̾"̶͍̔͜ Dark Matter spoke, ignoring Dedede. "̸̜̓Y̷̺͇̋M̷̭͈̊J̵̱̱̆̍D̷̜͌ ̷̪͋Ȳ̷̬̎T̴̟͒W̶̡̢͂̂̌R̸̺̹̲͌͝J̶̩̗̊S̶̼̓̋̚Ỹ̸͈̰ ̷̟̫̄̔͝D̶̟̬̄̄T̵̖̋Z̴̝͙͛͐̕ ̴̙̰̹̔F̷̰͌̃̾X̷̭͔̭̐ ̶͙̪͇̇͛͊Y̴̱̽̔M̸̨͇̦̎̈̉J̸͎͍͍͐͌͝D̶̬̘͊͜͝ ̴̢͍́͊̐L̴̜̎͊S̷̡̈́̏F̶̺̮̳͠B̵̨̧͐Ṣ̴̗̹̌ ̷͎̬͒̊͝D̶̢̤̰͆͠T̵̨̀̓͊Z̶̢̹͛̀W̷͙̄ ̴̨̢̢̽͆̔M̶͇̼̓J̷͕̰͎̄F̶̙̉́͐W̴̗̗̳͗̂͝Ỳ̶̜̀͋͜.̸͔̤̿ ̷̛̞ͅG̴͈̓Z̷̫̈́̀Y̶̮̑͆ ̶̳͋̃I̷͔̕Ṱ̷̈́̃̎Ṣ̴͙̙̎͠'̶̞̮̄͛ͅȲ̸̟͖͚ ̵̳͆͠͠Ĝ̷͇̮̞J̶͚͒ ̴̡̮̤̒F̵̜̝͓̅̉̚K̸̤̥̫̀W̸͓͙͂͘F̷͖̈́N̷̠̠̓I̵̻͌̆.̸̢̨̱͆̕͠ ̸̞̥͑Ñ̸̨̥̤͌ ̶̺͖̆͘B̶̬́̍͝N̶͍̖̑͐Q̸̝̟͐̐͝Q̸͙̊̂̚ ̴̩̲̉͆̏Ẍ̸̥̤̥̌̂J̶̭̫̐̔̕Y̷̱̍̇͌ ̸̯̪͈͗̀D̶̛͓̊̈T̵̰̠͙̈͝Ẓ̸̡̬̿͠ ̸͍̓K̴̨̋̔̎W̵̻͎̏̏͗J̸̪͎͂̿J̴͕̮͚̕.̷̣̪̙͌"̴̮̀̎͝
Fear had paralysed Dedede. The more he looked at Dark Matter, the more images came back to his head. A place lit by crystals, Tuff being hit, Escargoon grabbing his hand while yelling something that Dedede's mind didn't register due to the shock, once more that sickening, deformed reflection of himself... His head hurt, his heart was beating way too fast, and breathing was getting harder by the second. Was it because those memories were coming back, or was it because of Dark Matter's oppressive nature? Maybe it was both at the same time.
"̵̞̠̙̾̒Ḑ̴͈̪̃̈́T̵̨̤̾͜Z̵̰̟͊̽͝W̶͓̼̕ ̴̺̆̕F̸̧̋Ĺ̵͇͌ͅŢ̵̩̯͗̔̚S̸͙̳͈̀́D̶̙̆͊,̶͉̘̘͛̓ ̴͖͔͂D̵͔͙̋T̵͚̔̔Z̴̹̊́Ẃ̴͖ ̴̢̟͂͝Ǵ̸̨W̶̜̋̄T̵̲̈́͠P̷͇̒͑J̷͚̪̏͝S̸̨̖̼͌ ̶̧̜̕M̸̼͌̚J̵̺̊F̴̲͉̗͒Ẅ̵̙̪́̑Ỷ̵̥͔͔͆͑.̴̤͈̄.̸̦͊̎.̵̡̺̭̇̽ ̴̝̹͗́͝Ỷ̶̮̜͓̋̅M̸̮̉̄J̷̺͖͖̽́Ḓ̴̲̦̓ ̵̯̒̏B̸̩̗̃͝N̶̪̦͗Q̶͎̓̓Q̸̼̏͛͗ ̵͈͙͕̋͂͘R̷̠̀͝F̸̪̽̋P̵̖̼̉J̸̬̕ ̵̙̟͙̐̎F̷̦͎͌̋͑ ̴͎̰̟̐̃̚K̴̛̬͙̑N̶̗̫͖̈̃S̷̥̅̒J̶̫̱͋̋ ̷̲̉Q̷̞͛F̵̙͚͗X̴̡͙̟̕̚͠Y̸̥̦̔ ̷̨̞̐͘X̴͕͈͐Z̴͔̈͝U̸̮͊̅̉ͅŮ̴̬̼̀̃J̴̅͜ͅW̸̛̰̌.̵̖̈́͆"̸̀̓ͅ
Dedede had ended up being hunted down by the very monsters he had ordered more than once, but this was the first time he felt like a truly vulnerable prey. It was clear that Dark Matter wanted to devour him, and he had no way to defend himself.
"Is this going to be my end?"
That was the first coherent thought his mind had managed to conjure up in the last few minutes. To the whirlwind of terrifying memories attacking his mind, he had to add a wave of negative feelings welling up from the depths of his soul, summoned by Dark Matter. Yes, that would indeed be his end. Unworthy of a king, but perhaps he deserved it. He had never amounted to anything, accumulating failure after failure. He had never loved or been loved, so no one would mourn him. In the end, his greatest fear, the one he had hidden for so long, would come true.
He was going to die alone.
Sunk in despair, Dedede couldn't register the accelerated footsteps approaching his location, but Dark Matter did.
"̵͈̀Y̶̅̆͜M̴̟̊͌Ţ̴͓̓Ẕ̶̰̔L̸̜̘̈́M̵̳͋ ̴̙̍̑Ÿ̶̡͚́̀M̸̙̳͠F̴̼͇͗͝Y̵̥͎̐ ̵̘̉B̷̟͈̎N̵̯̙͝Q̵͕̙́Q̶̔̑͜ ̸̪̂M̴̢̜͑F̴̢͗͝Ä̵͆͜J̴̞̀́ ̷̧̻̏̚Ỳ̸̱̹T̶̲͇̄ ̴̢̍͝B̸͈̈̂F̶̻̞̊̀N̷̗͝Y̷̢͎̅.̶̞̉ ̴͇̹̍M̴͚̂J̵͙͒͝ ̷̼̖́M̶̤͕̄F̶̧͗Ẋ̴̼͘ ̸̻͊F̷̨̫͝W̶̛͍W̶̘͋̎N̴̤͐Ä̸̯́͘J̷̗͔̈́̀Į̴̰̓.̴̘̐"̶̮͆
Even in his current state, Dedede could feel the pure hatred that impregnated the creature's voice.
º.·º
Dedede, that dimension's king, hastily arrived at the place where the Beamy and the others had seen Dark Matter Blade, accompanied by Meta Knight.
The being was dangerously close to the other Dedede, who seemed to be in shock. There were two things Dedede found quite odd upon looking at the scene. The first one was the appearance of Dark Matter Blade. Its looks were the same as when it attacked Dream Land the first time, but its body had the same corrupted, digital-looking effect as the Waddle Dees that had assaulted them the previous night, pointing to a similar nature. The second one was that the dark being hadn't possessed his counterpart yet. Perhaps that was never its plan.
If he stopped to think about it, the other Dedede did not hold any position of power, nor did he have emotional ties in that world that Dark Matter could exploit to extend its influence as it did on his first invasion. He also didn't seem to be particularly strong and skilled, or at least enough for Dark Matter to consider using its body instead of fighting itself. The only thing the being would get from possessing the other Dedede was sustenance.
Dedede gripped his hammer tightly. He would prevent whatever Dark Matter intended to do to his other self.
"Hey, cyclops. Why don't you mess with someone at your level?" he mocked Dark Matter in order to draw its attention upon himself.
As soon as he said those words, something unexpected happened. Dark Matter Blade lunged at him with a wrath atypical of its kind, with the intent to stab him with its sword. Dedede prepared to block the creature's blow, but Meta Knight was faster. The swords of both warriors clashed, raising sparks.
The attack had left Dedede a little startled, not because of how sudden it had been but because of the hatred that emanated from the creature.
Beings born of the "Matter of Darkness," like Dark Matter (hence its name), or at least those who belonged to Zero's colony, were not capable of feeling emotions. The sole exception was Gooey, who had been considered something worse than an anomaly by his "father's" standards. As for Dark Matter itself, it was unknown if they were several individuals connected by a hive mind, if they were different manifestations of the same entity and this particular one was under Zero's command, or if there was only one being called Dark Matter and each member of the species had a different name and function despite their shared origin.
According to what Gooey had told once he had developed the ability to speak coherently, when Dark Matter attacked Dream Land for the first time, it had done so on its own initiative, implying that it had a certain "independence" from Zero. But not even it had been able to feel complete emotions, only small traces of a limited range of them, such as jealousy or loneliness.
In short, that pure, visceral hatred was something Dark Matter shouldn't be able to feel.
"Dedede! Can you lend me a hand, or are you just going to stand there?"
Meta Knight's voice brought Dedede's focus back. Despite his skills, the knight was having trouble repelling Dark Matter's attacks due to its unusual aggression and violence. Dedede firmly grasped his hammer and slammed Dark Matter hard enough to smash it. The being hit the floor, turning into a dark puddle. Dedede and Meta Knight took the chance to reposition themselves, gaining distance and blocking the creature's path to the other Dedede. The fight was far from over, and there was the possibility of Dark Matter changing its mind and deciding to take refuge inside the other penguin's body.
Dark Matter Blade recomposed its body and launched itself at Dedede again. The monarch of Dream Land was ready for the creature's attack, so he leapt to avoid it and counterattacked with his hammer. It was in vain, as the creature blocked the weapon with a fleeting movement of its sword. Meta Knight tried to take advantage of Dark Matter's focus on Dedede to attack him from behind, but the being turned at the last second and parried the knight's blow. Then, Dark Matter made a spinning slash to try to attack both the monarch and the knight at the same time. Both were barely able to dodge it thanks to their reflexes.
"Even if I manage to hit it, I can't actually damage it with the hammer," Dedede grumbled, gritting his beak. Meta Knight stood beside him. Both keep their guard high, waiting for Dark Matter Blade to make his next move.
"Same weaknesses and strengths. These 'copies' are more faithful to reality than we initially thought," Meta Knight commented with a serious expression behind his mask.
Dark Matter Blade launched several dark orbs in their direction. Dedede dashed to avoid those launched at him, while Meta Knight deflected as many as he could with his sword, throwing them back at Dark Matter. The dark being avoided most of them floating in the air, but he reflected the last one with his own sword, starting the classic ping pong game between light and darkness that had been told in so many legends. That made Dedede realise something about the knight's weapon.
"Meta, isn't Galaxia a legendary weapon, like the Rainbow Sword or the Love-Love Stick?" Dedede asked the knight. Beings like Dark Matter had very few weaknesses, and while giving a "beating" to the possessed individual could get the invader out of their body, only weapons with the power of light or created from pure positive emotions could truly harm and destroy them.
"It is. Galaxia is a sacred weapon whose edge is able to cut through darkness," Meta Knight informed him without turning around as he kept his attention on returning the Dark Matter's projectiles. "I can also release its power through energy beams; however..."
"You don't want to use them because the things from last night multiplied by absorbing energy. I get it, I get it..." the king guessed. He couldn't blame Meta Knight for that. If one Dark Matter Blade was already giving them problems, fighting two at the same time was a death sentence.
"So Meta Knight is 'nerfed,' and my hammer is harmless. Just how are we going to beat this guy?! I hate it so much..." Dedede grumbled. "No, no, no. Don't get carried away by negative emotions, Dedede. The fight is already hard enough, so don't power Dark Matter up!" the king scolded himself after shaking his head.
The projectile that Meta Knight and Dark Matter Blade were throwing back at each other was getting faster and faster. If Meta Knight was hit by that projectile, he could end up badly hurt. And while Dedede believed in the knight's skills, the probability of him making a mistake due to exhaustion was never zero. The king decided to stop thinking about a way to defeat Dark Matter and focused on helping his partner instead.
While Meta Knight was preparing to return the projectile once more, the penguin threw his hammer at the enemy. The impact of the weapon was enough to distract Dark Matter, so it couldn't protect itself from the projectile that was launched back at it.
Upon being hit by the projectile, Dark Matter Blade got stunned and crashed to the ground. "So it's vulnerable to its own attacks! If we repeat this enough times, could we be able to defeat him?" Dedede wondered.
"It won't work," Meta Knight said, panting, as if he had read Dedede's mind. "We can't rely on it repeating the same patterns. This copy of Dark Matter is way too clever... As long as it's in the 'Blade' form, it has the upper hand," the knight added, frustration reflected in his voice. He didn't seem to be taking too well the fact that the creature was able to block all of his attacks.
"Then we will force it to adopt its real form!" Dedede decided, an idea forming in his mind as he took another hammer out of his cloak.
Dark Matter Blade rose again and lunged at the king. Dedede tried to hit the creature with his hammer, but it teleported behind him at the last moment. Luckily, Meta Knight had his back covered and prevented the enemy from backstabbing Dedede by parrying its slash. While Dark Matter readied itself to launch a counterattack at Meta Knight, Dedede engulfed his hammer in flames and hit the creature's cape. The fire set the item ablaze, forcing Dark Matter to adopt its true form and leaving his weak point, the eye, fully exposed.
Without thinking for a second, Meta Knight flew with Galaxia in hand towards Dark Matter, with the intention of piercing its eye and putting an end to the battle. Dark Matter did nothing but hover, staring directly at the knight. Dedede noticed a strange, almost subtle glow in the creature's iris.
"Meta, stop! It's a trap!" Dedede tried to warn his partner, but it was too late.
It all happened in a matter of milliseconds. The creature waited until the last moment and released a powerful beam of energy. Meta Knight, who had been unable to avoid a point-blank attack, crashed into the ground and rolled. Galaxia slipped from the knight's hand and landed next to Dedede.
It was at that moment that Escargoon decided to poke his head out of the hole. Seeing the situation, he muttered, "I think I'd better stay here," and slid down the rope without anyone noticing.
Dark Matter slowly approached the injured knight, a threatening aura surrounding it.
"̸̡̃Ú̸̲̍N̸̠̘̈̈́Y̷͖̅̕N̷͚̅͊K̴̦̝̎̀Z̸̺̋̐Q̴͖̰͝ ̷̹̩͂̓P̸̡̡̂S̸̢̝̈̇Ṉ̷̦̉L̸̼̈͝M̸̢̺͋Ȳ̷̟.̸̙̊̍ ̷̨̣̾̔D̶̝̀͊T̴̼͗̅Z̵̢͍͑̔ ̶̼̼̈H̴͖̜̔̅Ṱ̴̭̂́Z̵̰̉Q̵͓̝̿Ĩ̷͖ ̷̥͝S̷̪͋̌T̸̟̓̂Y̸̻̻̓ ̴̭̕͝X̶̞̙̅Ỵ̶͙̌T̸͍͛Ủ̸̺̥ ̵̜͚̇̂R̶̞̈͋J̴̠̏ ̶͓́G̶̫͍͗F̴͕͐͆H̶̩̾͝P̴̺͍͝ ̶̛͓Y̶̡͈̆̂Ḿ̸͇̆J̴̩̻̋S̷͖͝,̷̻̟̐̕ ̸̛͎́F̸̦̤̾S̴͑̋ͅI̵̺͑ ̷̛̝͜D̴̥̟̆̌T̸̖͓͂̍Z̶̳̝͌̽ ̴̳̘̏̌B̷̨̒̅N̷͕͈͊̆Q̷̖͑Q̵̥̤̍ ̵̢͔͌S̵̳̾́ͅT̸̜͆͘Y̸͚͌̀ ̵̲̩̅X̷͍̘́Y̶͈͛T̸̖̏͗Ủ̸͖̫ ̷̝́̊R̵̗̘̋J̶̺̔͋ ̴͖͛Ś̵̙̒͜Ṱ̶͉̊B̸̪̦̉̚.̷̘̺̍ ̵̪͆̂N̶̦͠ ̶̰̺̌́B̶̛̫̋ͅN̴͍̓͝Q̶͍̅Q̵̫͋ ̶̲͛͠M̷̖̟̔̅F̵̪͝͝À̸̡̿J̸͖̥͂ ̶̙͈̔̈́R̴͍͎̈́D̵̲̏ͅ ̷̗̓̆Ẉ̸̼̓J̵̗̄ͅA̴͇͊J̶̮͋́Ś̴͕͖L̶̲͐͆J̷̱̮̀̕ ̴̗́͝G̸̘̗̈́͛J̵͕̃̐K̸͇͎̆͘T̶̘͛W̶̱̾J̵̧̤̿ ̶̪͑Ṟ̴̪̔D̵̙͙̂ ̴͚̼̾̕Ỳ̶̙̬N̴̤̼͆̆R̴̢͐J̵͈̇̊ ̸̗͉͛̀W̴͈͍͛Z̷̯̭͌͝S̵̠̓̾X̶͉̆̕ ̶̡̓͗T̸̟̀̉Z̵̯̫̀̋Ỳ̶̰̬.̷̮̥̓ ̵̮͑N̸̜̑ ̶͕̄̔Ẍ̴̮́ͅJ̵̡̖̔̽Ś̵͎̊X̸̗́́J̸̡̘̈̚ ̴̣͂F̸̮͚͛ ̴̘̽͝X̸̹͝Y̴͔̠̑W̵̢͉̌T̷̲͝Ș̵̓͝L̵̻̀̈́ ̵͍̈̿G̸̏̿ͅT̶̲̂S̴̼͘I̸̡͐ ̷̡͌̕Ğ̷̣̬̔J̴̡̲̑Y̴͎͔̋͛B̵̫̌̊J̸͎̰͗J̵̭̖̈́S̸̠̪̾͝ ̷͙̐̕D̵̤̝͒T̶̻̍͠Z̸̙̪͗͐ ̸̦̖̒͘Y̷̙̥͐B̵̧̄͘T̴͎̣̐̒;̷̰͈͛ ̶͕̘̂́Y̵̖̣̌́M̷͇̦̋͆J̴̻̗̑̎Ŵ̷̛̟̣J̷̮̎̍͜K̷̥̀̊T̴̪͌W̵͉̍̋J̶͖̩̓,̷̥̄ ̸̢͛M̸̞̳̓J̴̹̞̈́ ̷̖͚̅͋B̷̖̠̂N̶̨͒̂Q̵̥̉Q̴̠͊ ̶̪͓̾͝X̷̰͕̅͌Z̷̦̉͝K̷̼͝K̶̨̋J̶͈͛Ẁ̷̡̠ ̶̢̈́̌R̴̥͒̕T̸̝͝W̶͚̦̓J̷̼̓̽ ̷̘̖̔̾N̶͎̳̉Ḳ̴̃ ̶̧̙̓͂D̷͖̈́T̵̼̥̄̉Z̵̧̎̆ ̸̠̣͋̐K̴̼̄F̴̰͗Q̵̼̈́͜Q̷̨̥̅ ̷̭͂͋K̸̩͊N̵͕̆̐Ẅ̵̛͙́X̸͌̒͜Ý̸̗.̵̹̆"̸̬̼̒̆
Dark Matter's gruesome intentions were stopped when a sword descended upon it.
While the dark being had its focus on the knight, Dedede hadn't thought twice. Seeing that Meta Knight was in danger, he grabbed Galaxia, leapt into the air, and pierced Dark Matter from top to bottom.
Dedede ripped out the sword, and Dark Matter violently turned towards him. The king didn't give him a second to counterattack, immediately stabbing his enemy again, this time straight in the eye. Dedede ripped out the sword once more, and a shrill sound, similar to a howl of pain, erupted from Dark Matter.
The being began to flicker as it flew uncontrollably, its digital visual effect becoming more erratic, as if it were disappearing from reality. Dedede paid no attention to it and went to tend to Meta Knight.
Noticing Dedede at his side, Meta Knight raised his head and looked at the king. The knight's mask could break at any second, but that didn't matter to him when Dedede was wielding Galaxia. His surprise was only surpassed by how proud he felt towards the king.
Galaxia, like most legendary sentient swords, was very picky. If someone she didn't consider worthy tried to wield it in combat, they would receive a shock of energy equivalent to being struck by lightning. That fact, along with his lack of interest in swords in general, had caused Dedede to always stay away from the knight's sword, assuming that it would punish him for his past actions. In his eagerness to protect the knight, Dedede had either forgotten that detail or ignored it completely. Meta Knight didn't know if it was because of that selfless gesture or because of how much the monarch had grown as a person in the last few years, but the reality was that Galaxia now considered the king of Dream Land worthy of wielding her.
"Are you okay, Meta?" Dedede asked him. He let go of the sword so he could help the knight sit down.
"I've been worse..." Meta Knight replied, letting out a groan of pain. Suddenly, his eyes filled with alarm, and he shouted, "Dedede, behind you!"
Dedede turned around, only to see Dark Matter charging at him in a desperate flight and enter his body in a last attempt to possess him.
Just as Dark Matter entered the king's body, Dedede's vision changed. Meta Knight was no longer by his side, nor was he inside the castle. Instead, he was standing on the rooftop, and his own reflection stared back at him.
Dedede tried to say something, but he couldn't move a muscle, let alone his mouth. "Again? Really?" he thought, believing that he had been possessed. Rather than being scared, he was upset and angry. "Wait. I have too much mental clarity to be possessed," Dedede realised, not feeling a flood of negative emotions trying to suffocate him, a voice in his head giving him orders he couldn't resist, or his own consciousness slowly disappearing. And that wasn't the only oddity.
Everything looked like an old, damaged movie. The other Dedede held a rainbow-coloured sword in one hand and his hammer in the other. Clutched on his back was Kirby, looking the same age as he had been during the first Dark Matter invasion. Both of them were wounded and tired, but they still looked in his direction, their eyes filled with determination. As for Dedede himself, he was leaning on a sword identical to the one Dark Matter Blade used and was wearing its clothes. He looked very exhausted and weak, although his mind only perceived those sensations faintly.
Lastly, lying on the ground between both parties was Meta Knight, unconscious.
Dedede was quite perplexed by the scene. It was clear that he was seeing everything from Dark Matter's point of view. But was it an illusion, a dream, or a memory? The last one would be unlikely since that scene had never happened, but if he took the portals into account... Perhaps what he was seeing was a memory, one that belonged to another dimension. In that case, given the courage that the other Dedede showed and how close to the other Kirby he seemed to be, it couldn't be the same one that Tiff had come from. Besides, if Tiff's Kirby had faced Dark Matter in the past, she would have said so. That could only mean one thing.
The one standing in front of him was a third, unknown Dedede.
Then, the other Dedede stepped forward, with the other Kirby firmly gripped on his back. Both were enveloped in a multicoloured aura, a power that obviously came from the Rainbow Sword. How much he wished he wasn't just a mere spectator. He had so many questions to ask these two.
"̷N̴y̶'̷x̴ ̵t̵a̶j̶w̵,̴"̴ the unknown Dedede began to say. He put down the hammer so he could wield the Rainbow Sword with both hands. It would have been nice to know what he was saying, but the audio was even more damaged than the image. "̸B̷j̷ ̷b̷t̸s̷'̵y̷ ̷q̷j̶y̵ ̴d̷t̶z̸ ̵m̸z̵w̶y̶ ̵f̵s̸d̴t̴s̶j̶ ̵j̶q̵x̵j̶.̵ ̷I̴n̴x̴x̶f̴u̷j̷f̴w̶!̶"̵
The unknown Dedede and Kirby let out a synchronised scream as energy erupted from them. Then he launched himself with the intention of stabbing Dark Matter. Dedede, despite knowing that he was not in his body and that what he was seeing wasn't real, braced himself for the attack and tried, in vain, to close his eyes.
The Rainbow Sword pierced through Dark Matter Blade's visor (his own head from Dedede's point of view). Dedede was glad that the sensations he felt through the body he was "invading" only reached him in a faint way, as getting impaled by a sword seemed to be quite painful.
Then, Dark Matter's body began to crack down as a rainbow-coloured light consumed it from the inside. As the being collapsed, Dedede felt a link between it and "something else" break. Dark Matter Blade raised its sword one last time, echoes of freedom and hatred motivating its attempt to take its enemies with it before imploding...
...and then Dedede woke up.
"My king!" Meta Knight exclaimed, relieved to see Dedede open his eyes.
Dedede was back in reality, lying on the floor of his castle. His head was spinning. What exactly had just happened?
"Are you okay?" Meta Knight asked him, extending his hand.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I think..." he replied as he grabbed the knight's hand and tried to sit up. Then he realised something. If his mind had been busy up until that time, what had his body been doing? What if Dark Matter had trapped his consciousness in that memory to puppet his body around? "Please tell me I haven't been possessed the entire time I've been KO'd," he asked Meta Knight, anxious.
"Don't worry. That copy of Dark Matter dissolved before it could fully take over your body," Meta Knight explained. Dedede sighed in relief. "Is something wrong?"
"I think it somehow transmitted its memories to me before disappearing."
Dedede told Meta Knight about the scene he had just witnessed.
"A Dark Matter from another dimension, one in which you were the one who defeated him? That would explain, in part, why it hated you so much," Meta Knight commented thoughtfully. "In that case, I wonder if those Waddle Dees from last night weren't copies, but they actually came from another dimension too."
"Oh no, don't say that. I don't want to think that there is a dimension in which my little ones ended up being dark creatures," Dedede lamented. "They behaved like they weren't even alive..." he shuddered.
"It's fascinating. From the way you described the scene, it seems that, in that dimension, Dark Matter was destroyed by the Rainbow Sword for good," Meta Knight continued, lost in his musings. "It is likely that what you felt was its connection with Zero being severed. I wonder if, perhaps, that was what allowed it to feel emotions. If so, it is a shame that it chose to dwell only in hatred upon its return."
"None of that explains why a Dark Matter that 'Kirby' and 'I' destroyed in another dimension came back to take me down. If it wanted revenge, it should have gone to the dimension it came from instead. How is it my fault that another Dedede destroyed him?!" the king complained, angered.
"Maybe it ended up in the wrong dimension," Meta Knight suggested. "We don't know if our universe is the only one that is being affected by these portals. It's possible that the scale of the problem is bigger than we first thought. It could be affecting an innumerable amount of realities!"
"Don't be so dramatic, Meta," the king scolded him. "As strange as this whole mess of copycats and portals is, it's impossible for it to be a 'multiverse' level threat. Something capable of affecting not one, not two, but many universes at once would be more powerful than Void Termina. Something like that can't exist!
"We can't know that," the knight insisted. "We must prepare for the worst."
"Look, I think we're overthinking this," Dedede said, trying to downplay the situation. When Meta Knight went into "paranoid" mode, it was impossible to talk to him. "That scene could be a fabrication to confuse me. Normal memories don't look like a damaged video recording."
Neither he nor Meta Knight were convinced by that explanation. Regardless of its real reach or power, it was clear that there was something or someone very sinister and dangerous behind the existence of those "copies." However, they didn't have time to continue discussing the subject since a nervous, yet emboldened, voice echoed in the room.
"Dedede, don't worry! The cavalry is here!"
Taranza ran into the room, his hands shining from a spell waiting to be released. Next to him entered a hooded person carrying two rapiers that Dedede found vaguely familiar.
"I think we're late, Tar," the hooded person said as they scanned their surroundings in search of a danger that had already vanished.
"A bit too late indeed," Dedede laughed. "Sorry to greet you like this, but between yesterday's mess and now this attack, we have the castle upside down," he said as he approached to greet the newcomers.
Then Dedede noticed that right behind those two was the person he had been waiting for since morning.
"Kirby!" the king cheerfully exclaimed, relieved to see him. "You're finally back, little menace! Where are the others?"
Kirby didn't answer. Instead, he ran towards Meta Knight as soon as he set eyes on him, completely ignoring Dedede. The king was perplexed and even offended. What had gotten into Kirby to ignore him so abruptly and shamelessly?!
Wait, was it him, or did the puffball look kind of weird?
"Meta Nini! Meta Nini! Poyo, poyo!" the puffball cheered, a mix of relief and happiness reflected in both his voice and his expression. Meta Knight let out a groan of pain when the little boy "charged" to give him a hug. Still, Meta Knight didn't push the child away, either because he was too tired to do so or because he knew it was useless and the child would just stick to him again.
Hold on again. What did Kirby just say?
"Meta..." a very confused Meta Knight began to say.
"...Nini?" Dedede finished, equally confused.
They both stared first at the young puffball and then at each other as they became aware of what was actually happening.
"This is not our Kirby," they both said at the same time. They didn't need a confirmation from Taranza and his companion, but they nodded anyway.
"Poyo?" the other Kirby said, tilting his head in curiosity.
"I'm sorry, little one. But I think you've got the wrong Meta Knight," the knight said as he gently pushed Kirby away and caressed his head.
"Other Meta Nini?" the infant puffball asked. He looked disappointed and sad.
"He must be very worried about his universe's Meta Knight," Dedede deduced.
After some theorising, both Meta Knight and Dedede had reached the conclusion that the mysterious person Taranza was going to bring as his companion would be an alternative version of Meta Knight, surely the same one Tiff had told them about, taking into account the precedents. In the end, that turned out not to be the case. Who was that person, and where was the Meta Knight from the other universe? If only six portals had been opened from Tiff's dimension, did that mean that the other Meta Knight had been left behind? Did something bad happen to him, or was Kirby only missing him?
"Yes, Kirby. This is the other Meta Knight," the hooded person answered in a calm tone. "We already talked about him; do you remember?"
Baby Kirby nodded.
"Other Kaabi, other Meta Nini... other Dede?" the puffball listed while pointing first at himself, then at Meta Knight, and then at Dedede.
Dedede could feel his heart melting due to sweetness. "How can he be so cute? If this had been the Kirby that showed up at my castle instead of that little cheeky rascal, I would have adopted him without hesitation," the monarch thought.
"That's right, little one. I'm another Dedede, one who's not as mean and unlikeable as the one you know," he said to baby Kirby, looking smug, while he gently petted the puffball. The other Kirby let out a few happy "poyos."
"So you've already met the king of the Lands Below," the hooded person, who had put away their weapons, guessed without hiding their disdain. "The one from our dimension, I mean."
The Lands Below? That was how the inhabitants of Floralia referred to the Pop Star's surface. Did that person come from the alternate version of that kingdom?
"Unfortunately, yes," Meta Knight sighed. "I guess both you and this Kirby come from Tiff's dimension."
Kirby's cheerful and carefree demeanour changed automatically upon hearing the girl's name.
"Poyo?! Where Tiff, poyo? Tiff, okay, poyo?" Kirby asked nervously.
"Calm down. She's with our Kirby. They've gone to look for Tuff. They're both fine and will be back soon," Dedede reassured him. "Or at least I hope so," he added in his mind. Why were the children taking so long to come back? "If they're not here in the next half hour, I'm going to go look for them," he decided.
The young puffball seemed to calm down a little, although a concerned expression remained on his face.
Taranza, for his part, went to observe something that had caught his attention. That something was the unconscious body of a second Dedede. Taranza examined him but soon confirmed that the penguin wasn't hurt.
"So this is the other Dedede. What happened to him? Did Dark Matter possess him?" Taranza asked worriedly. From the way the spider and his companion had entered the room, it was clear that one of the Waddle Dees had already informed them of the dark being's attack.
"No. Dark Matter hasn't done anything to it, I think..." Dedede replied. The other Kirby approached them and began to poke the other Dedede, who let out a loud snore.
"Dede mimir?" baby Kirby asked.
"Luckily, he is. I had no desire to listen to his constant moaning and temper tantrums," the hooded person said. "I don't even know why he insisted so much on following us on our mission."
"Your mission?" Meta Knight asked, intrigued.
"Oh, sorry. Forgive my manners," the hooded person apologised. "The urgency of the situation is no excuse for not having properly introduced myself."
Taranza's companion removed their hood, revealing a face similar to Taranza's with distinct and clearly feminine features. It was a face that Dedede had already seen before, although only in photographs and portraits that Taranza had shown him.
Dedede's heart skipped a beat as he recognised the Queen of Floralia in her non-corrupted form.
"My name is Sectonia," she finally introduced herself. "And all the universes need your help."
This chapter was difficult to write. I wrote and deleted parts of this chapter several times until I ended up with this final version.
By the way, I am checking the previous chapters, correcting mistakes, and changing some sentences. They are very minor changes that do not affect the main plot. So far, chapters 1 to 5 have been revised, but the following chapters may still contain mistakes. I'm also searching for possible plot holes, as we are closing arc 1 and I do not want to drag any to the next part of the story.
Anyway, these are this chapter's codes in clean format. The key this time is the last number of the release date of "Kirby's Dream Land 2."
Sentences said by Dark Matter.
"MTB XYWFSLJ. DTZ QTTP JCFHYQD QNPJ YMJ TSJ N'R QTTPNSL KTW, DJY N HFS XJSXJ DTZ FWJ STY MNR."
"HTBFWINHJ. BJFPSJXX. LWJJI. STY F XNSLQJ LQNRUXJ TK FKKJHYNTS YTBFWIX TYMJWX. DTZ FWJ IJKNSNYJQD STY MNR."
"N YMNSP N WJRJRGJW STB. XMJ RJSYNTSJI YMFY N BTZQI KNSI YBT BMT FWJ XNRNQFW, DJY INKKJWJSY. DTZ RZXY GJ YMJ TYMJW TSJ..."
"XMJ INIS'Y YTQI RJ BMFY N XMTZQI IT BNYM DTZ."
"SJLFYNAJ JRTYNTSX XBNWQ NSXNIJ DTZ,"
"YMJD YTWRJSY DTZ FX YMJD LSFBS DTZW MJFWY. GZY ITS'Y GJ FKWFNI. N BNQQ XJY DTZ KWJJ."
"DTZW FLTSD, DTZW GWTPJS MJFWY... YMJD BNQQ RFPJ F KNSJ QFXY XZUUJW."
"YMTZLM YMFY BNQQ MFAJ YT BFNY. MJ MFX FWWNAJI."
"UNYNKZQ PSNLMY. DTZ HTZQI STY XYTU RJ GFHP YMJS, FSI DTZ BNQQ STY XYTU RJ STB. N BNQQ MFAJ RD WJAJSLJ GJKTWJ RD YNRJ WZSX TZY. N XJSXJ F XYWTSL GTSI GJYBJJS DTZ YBT; YMJWJKTWJ, MJ BNQQ XZKKJW RTWJ NK DTZ KFQQ KNWXY."
Sentences said by the "third" Dedede:
"Ny'x tajw,"
"Bj bts'y qjy dtz mzwy fsdtsj jqxj. Inxxfujfw!"