"This just in, a crashed spaceship has been found at the bottom of Onion Ocean!" The television was covering a news story, with a Waddle Dee speaking about some alien crash. It was unimportant. "The pilot of this spacecraft was revealed when Meta Knight, a Star Warrior that is staying in Waddle Dee Town, arrived at the scene to salvage materials."
A punching bag fell to the ground at the mention of his name. Meta Knight, a ruthless Star Warrior General who was known for his strength. His power, the dimensional armor, made it nearly impossible to find him. Especially when he could retreat into the Void at any time and warp to any location in range.
But now that he was in the very same town as him, Knuckle Joe wasn't going to let him escape.
=====
*Theme Song Plays*
=====
Beep.
Beep.
Meta Knight woke up in a panic as the beeping got faster, he had to defuse the bomb. After a few seconds, there was a sharp pain in his arm as a tiredness washed over him.
"Calm down," a familiar voice said, "You'll be fine!"
As her face came into view, Meta Knight could barely believe his eyes. How was she here, of all places? How did she find him? "Sirica?" He gasped in disbelief.
The girl stepped further into the light, very confused. "Uh, this is Tiff," she said, turning to someone next to her, "Is he delusional or something? What happened?"
"Sorry, you just look like someone I knew," The knight rubbed his eyes, and it took that for him to notice that his mask was gone! "Where's my-"
"You're awake!" A voice shouted from the hallway. Though his vision was still blurry, he could make out Bandana Dee and Kirby, standing in the doorway. "Kirby, he's awake!" He cried.
"Poyo!" Kirby cheered, excited to see his friend.
As another wave of drowsiness came over him, he managed to get one question out, "What happened?"
Bandana Dee, being the last one he saw, began to explain."Well, you kinda collapsed in the castle. At first, I didn't know what to do, so I got the Royal Guard to help me take you to a hospital. Dr. Chemitory is the best doctor in Dreamland! But, as he was busy, Dr. Yabui is taking care of you tonight. It turns out Kirby and the kids were nearby, so they decided to pay you a visit!" Kirby tapped on the Waddle Dee's shoulder, and he remembered something else, "And Kirby got you some flowers."
Kirby pulled out a bundle of freshly-plucked daisies, bringing a smile to Meta Knight's maskless face. Soon after, he shook the smile off and asked the doctor, "What's wrong with me?"
"You just have Azublur!" Yabui said, looking at his checklist, "Usually a rare symptom of azure pollen, but it should be relatively easy to deal with!" He looked at the list again, "So why is your case so serious? Especially with your powerful genes?"
Everyone thought for a minute, before Bandana Dee realized something, "Doc," he said, "He hasn't slept in like, two weeks. Would that cause an issue?"
"Yes, it would! Luckily, the treatment already requires a medically-induced coma, so it should just need to be a bit longer to be fully effective!" Dr. Yabui stepped out of the room to get a stronger sedative as Meta Knight groaned.
Bandana Dee was about to say something to comfort him when an explosion sounded from outside. The captain looked out of the window to see a house fire, glowing in the night sky. A shadowy figure was in front of it, and he thought that he saw a some eyes looking at him fiercely. Shortly after that, he ducked under the window.
The Waddle Dee squeaked a bit, "Okay, so there may be a slight issue..." A fireball was shot through the window, destroying a poster that showed a cat hanging from a tree branch, "Scratch that, a big issue!"
"Meta Knight!" A familiar voice shouted, "Are you in there?"
"Come fight me, you coward!" He shouted, still sick in bed.
Tiff threw a blanket over his mouth, whispering, "Are you crazy?"
"Even if I cannot see very well, and even if my body feels like collapsing in on itself, I will fight on!" Meta Knight said triumphantly, before feeling a prick in his arm. Looking over his shoulder pad, he saw Dr. Yabui, holding an empty syringe. "Oh, no..." he said before going limp and falling unconscious.
Tiff frantically tried to think of a plan. It didn't take long for a half-baked idea to hit her. "Bandana Dee, you and Kirby hold that guy off until Meta Knight wakes up," She grabbed the Star Warrior and pointed out the door, "Tuff and I will hide him somewhere safe."
The warrior children nodded as the wall began to break open. Tiff and the doctor ran out carrying Meta Knight, leaving Kirby and Bandana Dee to face their foe.
Kirby recognized him instantly. From the blonde hair to his blue shoes. He let out a little squeak in worry.
Knuckle Joe.
=====
He's back...
King Dedede had been preparing to go to sleep when Zero spoke, making him jump. Escargoon was about to leave when he heard a gasp.
"What is it, sire?" The snail said, scared of any Dark Matter that might have been around.
"Just..." The king thought of an excuse in about two seconds, "thought I saw a spider, it was just a bunch of yarn under the table, hehah!" Escargoon shrugged before leaving the room, and King Dedede brought his attention to Zero, who seemed strangely happy. "Who's back?" He whispered.
Knuckle Joe. I have been waiting for this moment.
"What's special about him again?"
He was my only willing subject. I can sense that he is ready to fight once more. I have a genius plan prepared, but it will take a lot out of me.
"What is it?"
We are going to give him the vengeance he so craves...
=====
The brawler picked up Kirby, holding him by his cheeks. "Where is he?" He shouted, "Where is that traitor, Meta Knight?"
Bandana Dee ran out of the room, leaving the pink puffball to defend himself. Kirby squirmed, trying to kick Knuckle Joe into letting him free. As his captor began preparing an uppercut, Kirby got an idea. He began to inhale, making his foe throw him out of survival instinct. He landed outside of the hospital wall, dazed.
Not exactly as planned, but close enough.
Knuckle Joe charged up a Force Blast and fired it at the young Star Warrior, who inhaled it to become Fighter Kirby. The two charged at each other and became a flurry of fists, each trying to knock the other one out. It seemed to be a stalemate until Knuckle Joe dodged behind Kirby, grabbing him.
A green blur rammed into them. Kirby recovered quickly, seeing Blade Knight pinning Knuckle Joe into the ground. Kirby was relieved to see him.
"Hope we're not late to the party!" Bandana Dee said, running out alongside Waddle Doo and Sailor Dee.
Furious, Knuckle Joe kicked Blade Knight away, forcing him back a few meters. This was a bad decision, as he was now surrounded by four very capable warriors (and Waddle Doo). Nobody expected him to surrender, but to their pleasant surprise, he did.
He just put his hands up, shocking everyone around him. Blade Knight shrugged and ran to pin him down again, when Dark Matter came down and possessed Knuckle Joe in a blur of darkness, turning him back into the purple color that Kirby had remembered from a while back. The green knight tried to stop, but was met with a fist into his gut. The impact sent him flying into the hospital.
Kirby pulled out a heart, but it quickly dissipated when he was hit by a powerful uppercut, along with his ability. That didn't discourage the pink puff, as he even tried to land a heart while descending, but Knuckle Joe dodged it, running back into the partially destroyed building.
A spear landed in front of Knuckle Joe just before he entered. He looked back and was swiftly attacked by the rapidly approaching Royal Guard. The Waddle Dees and Waddle Doo held him down as Kirby ran up and threw a heart at him, curing him of Dark Matter.
Bandana Dee went up to celebrate with Kirby when the pink puff spotted something. It was some sort of black tornado. As it descended, he realized something that made him shiver in disgust and fear. It was all Dark Matter.
Taking action, Kirby tackled the captain out of the way as the whirlwind of darkness descended on Knuckle Joe, Waddle Doo, and Sailor Dee.
"Oh, no!" Bandana Dee shouted as he realized what was happening. He wanted to run in and help them, but Kirby held him back. "I-I wanna help them!" He looked back at his friend, but got a solemn head shake in response, "Y-You're right, we need a plan."
It didn't take very long for the young Star Warrior to come up with a plan. It was quite simple, and Kirby prepared a heart as three figures came out of the tornado. The one in the center was small, it was Knuckle Joe, back in his dark color palette. On the right was King Doo, a giant, yellow Waddle Doo with a blonde eyelash. On the left was a new foe. A large, fuzzy, brown Waddle Dee, only spoken about in legends. Of course, topped with a sailor hat that was way too small.
"Grand Dee?" Bandana Dee gasped, recognizing the creature.
As Kirby wondered what he was talking about, Grand Dee and King Doo charged at Kirby and Bandana Dee. Kirby, seeing an opportunity, ran in between them to Knuckle Joe. He didn't make it, as he was grabbed by Grand Dee. Bandana Dee would've helped, but King Doo was a surprisingly tough foe, especially with his giant Beam Attacks. And because he threw his spear to a place that was simply inaccessible.
Meanwhile, Knuckle Joe ran towards the hospital, where an ambulance was driving away. Given the fact that Meta Knight wasn't in the room anymore, he assumed that that was where he was.
He was correct.
=====
Kirby, seeing Knuckle Joe leave and the cyclone of darkness follow, tried to throw a heart at Grand Dee. However, he was slammed into the ground repeatedly, with her not giving him a chance to recover. It wasn't until a parasol was thrown in her face that she let go.
Blade Knight, arm still outstretched from the throw, called out to Kirby. "Kirby!" he exclaimed, "We can handle these two, go protect Meta Knight!"
The pink warrior stood up, but there was no way he could just run to the ambulance. Blade Knight knew this and thought up of a plan while he was holding off Grand Dee. He spotted the broken lamp, sparks still flying, and got an idea. He threw his sword at Kirby, who inhaled it to become Sword Kirby.
"Use that!" He shouted, pointing at the lamp. Kirby understood what he meant, so he held his sword to the sparks and became Zap Sword Kirby.
In a flash, he threw hearts at both Grand Dee and King Doo, destroying the Dark Matter in them both. Bandana Dee, still flailing his nubs, was tired enough to barely see the electric puffball before he zipped away in a thrust of lightning.
=====
Tiff was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Funny, whenever she had imagined herself here, she thought it would be Tuff unconscious in the back. Instead, it was Meta Knight, who had worked himself to weakness, only to be ill due to a few flowers. It still worried her.
Especially when something thudded against the door. Knuckle Joe was trying to pry it open, so Tiff whacked him away with a fire extinguisher.
"Go faster!" She shouted to the front of the ambulance, where Tuff and Dr. Yabui were trying to figure out a place to go.
"We're trying!" Tuff shouted back, before turning to the doctor, speaking calmly, "So, do you know how to get to the castle?"
"Yes." Yabui responded, also strangely calm.
"Good, let's go there!" The little boy said, looking back. It looked like Knuckle Joe had just fallen off of the back of the vehicle.
The possessed brawler, with the dark cyclone still looming above him, shot a Mega Force Blast at the ambulance, causing it to swerve off a cliff into a stony shore and crash. Knuckle Joe jumped down and started to walk towards the flaming wreck.
Kirby looked down on the scene as it was unfolding. Dr. Yabui had pulled the siblings out of the crash, but Meta Knight was still in there. Tiff saw his foot and tried to pull him out as Knuckle Joe approached. He doubted that he was there to help.
As Zap Sword Kirby ran down the cliff, Knuckle Joe shoved Tiff aside to view his target. He smirked, seeing Meta Knight unconscious.
"Such a shame that you'll end this way," Knuckle Joe began to charge a Giga Force Blast, "But you don't deserve to die in a blaze of glory," The gathering blue energy changed to red, "You deserve an ember of shame!"
A sharp pain went into his arm as it was forced to the ground, causing the fireball to shoot upwards. Then, electricity began to surge through him. He looked behind him and saw Kirby, using an electric sword to pin his arm to the ground.
"Poyo!" The puffball said, lifting his sword to point it at Knuckle Joe.
"Grrah! Why are you obstructing my vengeance?" A backhand was swung that had been barely dodged, "He deserves this!"
"What in the world did Meta Knight do to you?" Tiff said, bruised on the ground. If she could figure out why he was doing this, maybe she could find some way to convince him to stop.
"He killed my father!"
"Do you know how?" She said, trying to learn more.
"He was probably stabbed-" The brawler paused, a sudden realization hitting him. How did his father die again? Come to think of it, how did he even know that his father was dead? They had a ceremony to mourn him, but that didn't mean that Meta Knight was the one who did it. It was a mission with just those two, but couldn't he have died any other way? No, his father was one of the toughest Star Warriors out there. His power was literally the power to shield anything. True, Meta Knight could've warped around the barriers to stab him, and he wouldn't put it past him to kill someone, but something wasn't adding up.
As Knuckle Joe began to have an existential crisis, Kirby took the opportunity and threw a heart at him. He didn't really fight back, as he was busy thinking about the possibility that he'd been wrong all along. Of course, it didn't take long for him to get repossessed by one of the Dark Matter blobs from the cyclone.
"What are you doing, you moron?" The voice that came out of Knuckle Joe wasn't his own, and it was just as angry as he was a minute ago, "If you don't take care of this, then I will!" Knuckle Joe's body turned to Meta Knight, before he grabbed his own arms, stumbling back. Immediately after that, he began to punch himself.
Kirby and Tiff were watching in awe. As far as they knew, no one had been able to fight against Dark Matter's control before.
Tiff cheered, "You can do it!" As Kirby ran up to him, readying a heart. Before he could throw it, however, he was decked in the face, nearly dropping his ability.
"You are playing a dangerous game, you children!" The voice was seething, furious at Knuckle Joe and Kirby. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with?!"
Kirby was horrified as the entire cyclone began to stuff itself into Knuckle Joe, whose voice finally came through in a scream of pain and terror. His body began to bloat and contort itself into a ball, with sharp needles lining the top of his head instead of hair. He grew bigger and bigger until he was the size of a house! At the peak of his height, he sprouted arms, with two large fists, and sharp spiked gloves. And then he opened his eyes.
There were so many eyes...
Around this point, the Royal Guard had finally caught up to the action. When they saw the monstrosity that he was up against, they were tempted to back out. Bandana Dee was the first to jump into the fray, spear at the ready. Seeing their leader jump in, the rest of them followed suit.
"Guys!" Tiff shouted, seeing them slide down the hill, "Protect Meta Knight!"
"Hehehe, don't worry," Sailor Dee giggled at a memory, "I can handle that myself!" She looked at Kirby, waving her parasol, "Kirby! Throw a heart at this!" The electric puffball was confused, but did what he was told, making her parasol grow and turn to a pink, heart-studded pattern.
The beast roared, and Tiff ran to hide with Tuff and the doctor. Meanwhile, Kirby, Bandana Dee, Waddle Doo, and Blade Knight prepared for a fight (Because 4 is the magical number of friendship).
After a silent couple of seconds, Needle Joe (that's what I'm calling him because he doesn't have a name) let out a roar, followed by a volley of sharp spikes. Waddle Doo hit behind Blade Knight as the rest of them used their weapons to hit them away. Kirby zipped up to the monster and threw a heart at it before it could counterattack.
It didn't work.
The heart was supposed to work. Why didn't it work? What was he supposed to do now? Kirby thought for too long, and Needle Joe smacked him into the ocean, making him drop his overpowered ability.
=====
"Kirby!"
The voice was faint, and his ears were ringing a bit, but he still knew who it was.
"Kirby, wake up!" Tiff tried shaking him, which worked like a charm.
Kirby jumped up and looked around. He was in the spot that Tiff, Tuff, and the doctor were hiding. Well, the doctor had fainted upon seeing the beast, due to his Trypanophobia (ironic, I know). Looking at Needle Joe, he saw that the beast was trying to slam Meta Knight, but the entire Royal Guard was holding up the magical umbrella.
"Okay, Tiff! He's awake!" Tuff said, looking at the scene unfold, "Now what?"
"I don't know! Those hearts didn't work, so we need another way to take it down!" Tiff stroked her chin, thinking of an alternative.
"He could just, y'know, kill him." Tuff suggested.
Kirby was a bit scared of the thought, but it seemed like it was the only option. He looked for anything that could give him enough firepower when Tiff spoke up.
"Heartstorm..." She said, remembering why some people thought of Kirby as a villain, "Maybe the key to beating a lot of Dark Matter is with another Heartstorm!"
Even though it was a good plan, everyone was hesitant. Especially Kirby, who still remembered that odd, creepy feeling to have people bow to him. He shivered at the thought, but his guardian grabbed his (shoulder? Does he have shoulders?). "Kirby, don't worry, you won't hit anyone other than him. We'll all be under cover, and we're in the middle of nowhere. It will be fine!"
A bit scared, but trusting in her words, Kirby nodded.
"Everyone! Under the umbrella!" Tuff shouted, overhearing the plan.
Just as the Royal Guard was beginning to buckle under the pressure, the rest of them helped hold the parasol in place. As Kirby looked around at the burning wreckage, he saw just what he needed to get into a good position. He inhaled the fire, and became Fire Kirby.
After seeing an opening, Kirby became a fireball and shot himself up the nearby hill. Needle Joe saw this and fired dozens, if not hundreds of needles at the pink hero. Now at the precipice of the hill, Kirby kept his wits, focused, and fired heart after heart at the beast, refusing to let up.
It was barrage versus barrage, with neither side seeming to give. Eventually, the needles died down, allowing some of the hearts to hit the beast. Seeing only minimal black smoke leak off of it, however, Kirby decided that he needed a different approach.
The approach? Add a bit of heat to the mix. This time, going directly above the monster, Kirby shot hearts that were infused with his own fire, which did a better job of melting through its defenses.
And then Kirby saw it, a white boxing glove, reaching out of a hole that was melted into the creature's exterior. Knuckle Joe was still fighting. Opposite to what one would expect, Fire Kirby flew into the hole, which blew up Needle Joe from the inside.
After the fiery explosion, Fire Kirby was next to a dazed Knuckle Joe, and surrounded by a Dark Matter cyclone. Thankfully, the brawler snapped out of his daze in time to punch an approaching Dark Matter into Kirby, who hit it with a heart.
With this new tactic, they fought the entire cyclone in a blaze of power, glory, and a kindling friendship.
=====
Meta Knight woke up feeling perfect. His superior Star Warrior immune system must've allowed for a very quick and easy recovery. In the room with him was Kirby, Tiff, Bandana Dee, and some blonde kid that he didn't know. Absentmindedly, he touched his face and went into a panic. "Where's my-"
"Here you go, MK!" Bandana Dee said, holding the metal mask.
Putting it on, the knight grumbled, "Don't call me MK."
After everyone and everything seemed comfortable, Knuckle Joe decided to walk up to Meta Knight and ask, "What do you know about Jerca?"
Hearing that name, he froze. It had been so long since that day...
=====
"Alright, Jerca!" Meta Knight said, "Are you coming or not?"
"Calm down, Meta!" His partner replied, carrying a map while trying to keep up. Jerca was always one of the more tank-y of the Star Warriors, especially when so many were wiped out by NME. "We need to think of a plan!"
"You know me, Jerca!" The knight flexed his muscles, which paled in comparison to his partner's, "Do first, ask later!"
"But this is serious! The Jambastion has supposedly created a new weapon, we can't just rush in without a plan!"
"Oh, please! We're clearly the main characters of this! We will never die!"
Jerca sighed, "If you say so, Meta..."
As the two of them entered the clearing, they saw a horrible scene. An entire village, still intact, but every single citizen gray and without life. Jerca ran up to them, looking around. Meta Knight followed nonchalantly.
"They've been voided, all of them." The warrior stammered, frightened by the implications. Voiding was a dangerous thing. After all, one's life force if sucked out of them and transferred to something else. The most common way this happens is through entering the Void and staying there for long enough. However, due to dark and ancient magic, the Jambastion had figured out a long time ago how to void creatures. Their plan was always obvious, and constantly repeated, with them stealing life force to resurrect their supposed god of destruction. But this instance was different.
"Hmm, no signs of a struggle," Meta Knight noted, "Interesting..."
"Meta, these people are literally lifeless husks!" Jerca said, "We have to help them!"
"Oh, come on! We all know that once you're voided, you can't come back!" Meta Knight blew on the side of a dust-covered building, revealing nothing, "It's best to just forget about them and move on with the mission."
"But," Jerca started, but was soon interrupted.
"It's best to focus on what we can save rather than what's already been lost! Now, let's go find these Jamba-jerks!" (Again, censorship.)
The two of them continued onward until they reached a cave. In there, they spotted something that made them certain that this was the place. It was Zan Partizanne, one of the elemental generals of the Jambastion, specializing in lightning magic.
"Hold it right there, you witch! (you should know the drill by now)" Meta Knight called from above, "Surrender now, and I'll give you a swift and painless death!"
"Bonjam, Meta Knight," Zan said, surprisingly calm, "I do Mapop that you're ready for a Goppoko!"
"Your silly words are no match for the might of Galaxia!" The knight leapt down, only to be trapped with a cage of lightning.
"The trap is set, fire it Majaja!" Zan Par spoke into a magical transmitter, before zipping off into the sky.
"Orbital sensors say that there's a massive amount of energy gathering in orbit!" Jerca said, coming out of hiding and looking at a device, "That must be where the weapon is!"
"Go stop it!" Meta Knight said, trying to break free from the cage. He couldn't break it, given the fact that it was electricity.
"I can't! You're the one with the wings and the teleportation!" Jerca groaned, setting up a barrier around them. He tried to break his friend free as the weapon in orbit went off. The effect on the barrier was immediate, as it began to dissipate, forcing the free Star Warrior to hold the shield instead of helping his friend.
Meta Knight, seeing the danger that they were in, tried to break free. He had to break out of the trap and warp off-planet. He had to save them. He had to-
"Hey, Meta?" Jerca sighed, visibly weakening from holding the barrier up, "In case this is it, I want you to know something..."
"Do not talk like a coward, Jerca!" Meta Knight seethed. He was angry. Angry at Zan for trapping them, angry at Jerca for giving up, and angry at himself for letting this happen. "Don't you give up on me, soldier!"
"I have a son. I know that we aren't allowed to sire children, but..." The barrier warbled for a second before stabilizing again, "I fell in love. I named him Joe, after an old pet that I had. I love him. Please, promise me that you'll find him!"
The knight's anger turned into tears that streamed down over his mask. "Jerca-"
"Promise me!" He shouted, as the barrier fizzled out, and came back not fully there.
Before Meta Knight could say another word, the shield collapsed. He watched helplessly as his friend became a gray husk of his former self. Thankfully, his own powers kept him safe for long enough. The electricity faded, getting absorbed by the weapon, letting Meta Knight warp onto the planets moon.
There, he could see the full effect. A machine in orbit was sucking the life force from the entire planet. Meta Knight hid behind a moon rock to avoid being seen by Zan as she left.
Once she was gone, he set up an SOS beacon for Star Warrior base to pick up. He looked back at that planet one last time.
"I promise."
=====
"After the Star Warriors arrived, I went back, but I couldn't find him." Meta Knight sighed, "I had looked for around 100 years, but I didn't catch what planet you were on. I gave up on that promise. It was one of the three failures that I've made in my life, and for that, I deeply apologize."
Knuckle Joe fought back his tears. Kirby and Bandana Dee were bawling as Tiff was trying not to join them. The knight pleaded, "If there's anything that I can do for you, just ask. I-I want to make it up to you!"
"You could forgive me for trying to kill you in your sleep!" The pugilist suggested, grabbing his hands, "That would be a good fresh start, right?"
After Meta Knight nodded, he held him close, trying to comfort him.
=====
"Dark Matter is a serious threat," Knuckle Joe said, hopping on a Warp Star , "If left unchecked, it could take over entire galaxies! I'm gonna warn the Star Warriors about it! You coming, Meta?"
Meta Knight was a bit excited, but backed up towards Kirby, "No, I think I should stay here. Try and figure out more. We might be close to figuring out who's behind it all!"
"Suit yourself!" The brawler looked at Kirby, "Kirby, you're stronger than you look!" He said, rubbing his nose (where it would be if he had one) a bit. The pink friend copied him, giggling. With that goodbye, Knuckle Joe shot off into orbit, aiming all the way for Star Warrior home base.
"I kept my promise after all, friend..." The knight mumbled to the stars, watching the boy fly through space.