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Kirby and the Amazing Labyrinth Friend Rescue - Chapter 6: What Was Wished For
"Kirby…!" Waddle Dee, who had been running around to avoid King Dedede, noticed Kirby's dire situation, and steeled his resolve. He stopped running, looking up at the king. "Your Majesty, you're the only one left who can save Kirby and Sir Meta Knight. Please, take this sketchbook and the crayons…!"
"Took ya long enough, dummy! Hurry up and hand 'em over!" King Dedede snatched them up, grinning as he pulled out a crayon. "Let's see here. What design should I go with? I gotta make it so cool that the stupid Kirby Rocket looks like trash in comparison!"
King Dedede enthusiastically started to draw. But he was having trouble drawing what was in his imagination. Just like the incident with Claycia had proven, King Dedede's artistic talent was a little… mostly… well, let's just say it was completely nonexistent.
"Nnnn… It looks off… Needs more cool factor… Let's try adding some spikes. Gotta have a flag too… I think it'd be cooler if it also had a propeller…"
"Your Majesty, we don't have the time for this!" Waddle Dee hurried King Dedede along, fluttery with anxiety. "If you don't hurry, Kirby will be in danger…!"
"I get it already! Lay off! Hmmm… It still needs a finishing touch… I know, a laser cannon. It needs some rainbow lights too…"
"Your Majesty! Hurry!!"
"Shut your trap! The design's getting all messed up because you keep nagging at me!"
"It isn't messed up! Your rocket was always going to be cool, no matter what the design was!"
Hearing this, King Dedede's mood lightened, all at once. "Hohoh. Good point, Waddle Dee. That's why you're fit to serve me."
"Please hurry up and show me your cool King Dedede Rocket, sir!"
"All right, watch closely!" King Dedede raised the sketchbook up high. In an instant, the mysterious power of the sketchbook transformed King Dedede completely into what he had drawn.
Waddle Dee, who was already in the process of clapping for whatever happened, stopped mid-clap.
The transformed king looked down at Waddle Dee and asked, "How's this? Stunned by my sheer coolness?"
"Um… Uh… Y-Yes. I'm… stunned."
"I see, I see. Well, then it's time to show you just what this King Dedede Rocket can do. Try not to collapse in awe!"
King Dedede Rocket tried to move forward, just like the Kirby Rocket had done. But there was no momentum behind the travel. It couldn't even move straight forward. It weaved to and fro in midair, before plopping down onto the ground.
"Owowow! What's with this? Why won't it go straight?!"
"Um, Your Majesty…" Waddle Dee piped up in a timid voice. "Maybe you can't move straight forward because the design is crooked. And it's loaded down with so many decorations that maybe the balance is off…"
"Shut up! You just don't get it. This is the definition of cool!" the King cried out, and sent himself back up into the air. Though he kept drifting back and forth, somehow he managed to progress. And yet, he had no control over where he was going. He was heading in a direction completely opposite from Kirby and Meta Knight's battle…
Kirby was constantly on the back foot as he dodged Meta Knight's attacks, slowly being backed into a corner.
(What am I going to do? At this rate…!)
Meta Knight's sword had the power to cut through anything. Even Kirby wouldn't get away scot-free if he took any of these attacks head-on.
(What exactly do I do here…?!)
If only he had a copy ability to use. He could wish all he wanted, but without anyone around to inhale, he was out of luck.
"Meta Knight, snap out of it! It's me, Kirby!" His words didn't stop Meta Knight's attacks.
Taranza threw his head back to laugh. "Kehehehe! It's useless. You can't break my magic that easily!"
"Taranza… Why are you doing this…?"
As Kirby turned to glance over at Taranza, he noticed something strange. The mirror that was supposed to be behind Taranza was gone.
"…What? Where…?"
Kirby quickly scanned the area, and his eyes stopped on the large mirror. It was being carried away by Magolor, who was unsteady with the weight of it on his back.
"Magolor!"
When Kirby called out, Magolor just increased his speed.
Kirby shouted again as he dodged a cut from Meta Knight. "Look, Taranza! Magolor's leaving with the mirror!"
"…What?" Taranza finally noticed where the mirror was now. "Wh-What are you doing?! That mirror is Sectonia's precious treasure! Give it baaack!"
The instant Taranza screamed, Meta Knight fell forward, collapsing in a heap. Now that Taranza's attention had strayed, the control spell had been broken.
"Waaaait!"
Taranza and Kirby raced after Magolor, one after the other. But someone else rushed in to intercept Magolor before either of them could catch up. It was the King Dedede Rocket that had gone off course and out of control.
"Whoaaaa! Make way, make waaaaay!" King Dedede Rocket connected with Magolor, shouting.
Magolor went flying from the direct hit. For a tense moment, the mirror spun in midair.
"Sectonia's treasure!" Taranza cried, leaping to catch the mirror.
King Dedede's transformation had worn off from the impact with Magolor. He was back to normal, rubbing his head and muttering complaints. "Yeowch…! How rude do you have to be to block my way like that? What were you even thinking, Magolor?!"
"Thanks, King Dedede!" shouted Kirby as he ran over. "I had no idea he was doing that. He almost got away with stealing the mirror. Good thing you noticed what Magolor was plotting!"
"Hm…?" Kirby, of course, was misunderstanding. King Dedede wasn't trying to stop Magolor at all, and just so happened to be in a collision path… but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Arrogantly, he said, "Naturally! I saw through everything. I knew about Magolor's evil plan from the very beginning."
"I don't have any evil plan!" Magolor wobbled as he got up off the ground, making a pitiful appeal. But the one he was clinging to was Taranza. "Please believe me, Taranza! I wasn't trying to steal the mirror. I was protecting it, because everyone was saying that they wanted to break it! I'm your friend, after all!"
"My… friend…?"
"That's right. Let's team up to take them all out!"
"Whaaaa—?!" Kirby was shocked by this development.
King Dedede raised his voice in anger, too. "What are you saying, Magolor?! You little…!"
"That mirror has been his objective from the very beginning," Meta Knight cut in from behind them.
"Meta Knight!" Kirby turned to face him with sparkling eyes.
Meta Knight was looking down in shame. "I apologize, Kirby. I take responsibility for my mistake."
"I'm glad Taranza's spell wore off!"
"Yes. The same trick will not work twice." Meta Knight brandished his sword.
Taranza and Magolor blocked the others from moving forward. Taranza's eyes looked even more empty than before.
"Trying to break Sectonia's treasure… I won't ever forgive you… I'll be the one to protect it…"
"That's right, Taranza. You can't forgive them. I'm on your side, too!"
Taranza softly raised all six of his hands.
Meta Knight shouted, "Look out! It's coming!"
Extremely fine threads shot out from Taranza's fingers. Kirby and Meta Knight were able to avoid the attack. King Dedede just barely avoided it too, thanks to Meta Knight dragging him out of the way.
"Taranza, listen to me!" shouted Kirby. "We aren't your enemies. We want to save you…!"
"Don't fall for their little tricks, Taranza. Who knew Kirby was such a shameless liar!" Magolor circled Taranza as he spoke. "These guys all haaaate Sectonia! You're the only one Sectonia can rely on to protect her, Taranza!"
"Right… I'll be the one to protect Sectonia…!" Taranza sent out attack after attack in rapid succession.
Kirby glared at Magolor as he frantically dodged danger. Queen Sectonia may have been an evil queen, but she was precious to Taranza, and the feelings he had for her were incredibly pure. That's why he had fallen so deeply under the mirror's spell. Magolor saw the purity of Taranza's heart as a tool for him to use.
"Magolor… You're awful…!" Kirby leapt through the air, almost dancing.
Magolor faltered for just a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "Threats aren't going to help you, Kirby. I don't see any copy abilities around! I've got nothing to be afraid of from you!"
Kirby hated to admit it, but Magolor had a point. Meta Knight and King Dedede were desperately fighting with their weapons. But Kirby had no sword, or hammer, or anything else. His normal air bullets were no match for Taranza and Magolor's powerful tag-team. In between Taranza's threads shooting out, Magolor would fire off his magic spheres. Kirby couldn't do anything. He couldn't even cover for Meta Knight and King Dedede…
But, just then—
"Kirby! Look over here!"
A shout rang out.
It was Waddle Dee. He was running over, holding the sketchbook up high. On it, he had drawn an impressive picture of Kirby transformed into a tank.
"Waddle Dee!"
The sketchbook's strange power took effect as soon as Kirby cried out. Instantly, Kirby had transformed into a tank in real life.
"It's the Kirby Tank!" Waddle Dee cheered, jumping for joy with the sketchbook still held high.
Kirby felt a hundred times more energized, now that he had the power to fight back. He fired his cannon again and again, rushing forward. The powerful shots attacked Magolor and Taranza.
"W… Waaahhhh…?!" Magolor no longer looked so confident in his attacks. Taranza, too, had to put all of his effort into dodging the bullets.
The appearance of the Kirby Tank had instantly reversed the tide of battle. Kaboom! Kaboom! The shots rang out with a crisp sound, making Magolor and Taranza rush to and fro. Kirby was getting into the rhythm of these shots when Meta Knight interrupted him.
"Kirby, don't get overconfident. Your shots are limited in number."
"Hm?"
"Focus all of your shots on Taranza."
"Huh?!"
"Ignore Magolor. Aim only at Taranza."
"That's… Why?!"
Kirby was thrown off. Magolor was the really dangerous enemy. Taranza was only being tricked by Magolor's lies. If he's going to aim at only one of them, shouldn't it be Magolor…?
Meta Knight spoke forcefully, sensing Kirby's hesitation. "We need to expose Magolor's true intentions. Of course you shouldn't give Taranza any serious injuries. Incapacitate him with as light of an injury as possible."
"O… Okay…"
"I'm counting on you, Kirby."
"…Okay!"
Kirby, calmer now, readjusted his aim. He stopped watching Magolor as he flew around, focusing only on Taranza. He aimed carefully, withheld his true power, and began his volley of attacks. His aim was true. The bullets sailing through the air hit Taranza directly, and he was knocked down onto his back.
"Taranza…!" Magolor froze for a moment, but soon enough, a smile appeared on his face. "Hehehe! Poor Taranza! I'll be taking that mirror off your hands!"
Magolor hoisted the mirror onto his back again, and ran off at top speed.
Meta Knight said, "That is who Magolor really is. He uses skillful words to lead people astray and gain allies. But in his heart of hearts, he is only thinking about how to fulfill his own objectives."
Just then, Taranza rose up, gingerly. He was still wobbling after the attack, but he was not hurt in any major way.
King Dedede yelled, "Look, Taranza! Magolor ain't your friend! He's been after that mirror from the start!"
"The mirror… Sectonia's… treasure…"
"Yeah, you got it. Take Magolor down, and get that mirror back—!"
When Taranza heard King Dedede's words, he suddenly snapped to attention, jumping up. He spread his six hands out wide, screaming in a voice loud enough to make the air shake. "I won't forgive you—! I'll be the one to protect Sectonia's treasure—!"
Threads shot out from his fingertips. They extended straight forward until they coiled around Magolor. Magolor collapsed, falling down with the mirror still on his back. Taranza tried to yank the threads back towards him, but Magolor did his best to struggle against it. He crawled across the ground, trying to escape.
Kirby tried to fire another shot to help Taranza, but he didn't have any tank power left.
"Wh… Whaaaaa…?"
Fsshhh… With a hissing sound, Kirby returned to his normal self.
Waddle Dee ran up, calling out to him. "Are you okay, Kirby?!"
"Yeah… Thanks, Waddle Dee! Your tank drawing saved me!"
"I'm so glad!" Waddle Dee laughed, embarrassed. "There weren't any pages left, so I wasn't sure if it would work. But I thought I may as well try drawing it on the back of one of the other pages. I drew it really fast on the back of the King Dedede Rocket. I'm not good at drawing, so I couldn't make it look cool, but…"
"That's not true! It was super cool!"
"But now we really are out of pages. We lost the power to transform you, Kirby…" Waddle Dee slumped.
Kirby focused his attention back onto the battle between Magolor and Taranza. Taranza had the upper hand. Magolor was tied tightly by the thin threads, barely able to move at all.
"We don't need the tank power! We can capture Magolor!" Kirby ran over towards Magolor.
But Magolor wasn't out of commission yet. His movement was sealed away, but he was able to peer into the Dimension Mirror anyway, straining his voice to speak. "Please grant my wish… I don't want to lose to anyone. Please make me much, much strongerrrr!"
"This is bad!" Meta Knight had noticed Magolor's plan. "We won't be able to lay a hand on him if he uses the mirror's power. We have to stop him…!"
But it was too late. The mirror shot out a blinding white light, granting Magolor's wish.
"Wah…?!"
Kirby and the others squinted, flinching away from the brightness.
Before he could even open his eyes, Kirby could sense that something had changed. He felt an intimidating oppression in the air that he'd never felt before. He hadn't taken any attacks yet, but he felt strained, like he was about to be crushed.
With the power of the mirror, Magolor had gotten his wish. He had transformed into something massive, wicked, and monstrous.
Kirby heard a triumphant voice coming from far above his head. "Huhuhuhu! You already know what's coming, don't you, Kirby?! This time, victory is mine! I can do anything! I'm an all-knowing, all-powerful king!"
As he could sense the light dying down, Kirby timidly opened his eyes. Meta Knight and King Dedede opened theirs, too, at the same time. For a moment, they all stood speechless.
King Dedede was the first to open his mouth. "…What's with him? What was he even going for here?"
Kirby, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, and even Taranza were dumbfounded, staring up at Magolor. Magolor had, indeed, transformed into something stronger than ever before. He was massive. The top of his head was so high up that it looked hazy and indistinct. But his appearance was exactly the same as the regular Magolor they'd always known. He was still round with a hood, with the same ears poking out. He was only bigger than before. Being so large did make his aura very intimidating… but he looked less like an all-knowing, all-powerful king, and more like a large theme park attraction.
Magolor looked down at everyone, giggling happily. It was ominous… but they had to admit it sounded kinda cute, too.
Meta Knight sighed. "I see. This is Magolor's ideal for his strongest self. How frivolous."
"Wahahahaha!" King Dedede guffawed, holding his belly. "This one lost all the terror! It's just a bigger Magolor! I ain't scared of this guy even a little!"
"What was that?"
Magolor's large eyes moved to fix King Dedede with a glare. There was, indeed, a certain force behind a glare from so high up. King Dedede shut his mouth.
"You aren't scared of me? Do you reeeally mean that?" Magolor's eyes looked even sharper. "When I'm through with you, you won't dream of being so cheeky with me, ever again!"
Magolor swung his giant hand to try and crush King Dedede. The massive shadow closed in over Dedede's head. It was happening so fast, King Dedede just stared, unable to react.
He was only saved by thin, thin threads, too fine to see. The threads Taranza shot out wrapped around the King's body and dragged him out of the way. King Dedede escaped danger by only a hair, flying through the air before landing safely on the ground.
"Yeowch…! I ain't a piece of luggage here! Set me down gently!" King Dedede griped.
Waddle Dee, still looking panicked, ran over to Taranza. "Thank you for saving the King, Taranza!"
But Taranza didn't respond. He looked dazed, not fully conscious, looking around. It seemed that rescuing King Dedede had been an action of pure instinct.
"Taranza!" Kirby called out.
Taranza turned to look at Kirby, curious. "…Kirby? What are you doing? Where… are we?"
"It seems the mirror's spell has been broken," said Meta Knight. "Now that Magolor is in possession of the mirror, it no longer has any effect on Taranza. And so Taranza has escaped the mirror's control."
"The mirror…" Taranza looked up at Magolor.
Magolor was gripping the Dimension Mirror tightly in his massive hand. The instant Taranza laid his eyes on it, he jumped. It seemed like he'd finally become clear-headed again.
"Ahhhhh! That's a very important mirror that I presented as tribute to Queen Sectonia! Whyyyyy does he have it?!"
Meta Knight explained, "Magolor misled you with his words to steal the mirror. He told us you were his closest friend, but…"
"Friend? Absolutely not! Not even close!" Taranza clenched his fists, swinging them and bitterly throwing a fit. "The only reason he ever came to meet me was to steal the Dimension Mirror! What a shameless coward…"
Meta Knight interrupted Taranza's oncoming rant. "Taranza, you can explain the details later. Focus on the battle for now."
"…Got it!" Taranza looked back up at the giant Magolor.
Magolor chuckled back down at him. To Magolor, it must have sounded like a soft laugh, under his breath. But at his current size, it sounded booming to everyone else. The air shook with it.
"Give that mirror back—!" Taranza screamed, sending out his threads again. The threads were perfectly aimed, circling around Magolor's hand.
But no matter how strong they were, they were no match for Magolor anymore. He tore off the threads easily, laughing again. "Hehehe! Congratulations, you did absolutely nothing. You really don't have anything stronger than this? Aaany of you?"
Magolor swung his hand up, preparing to crush them. Everyone frantically ducked and rolled to escape.
Meta Knight tried using his sword, King Dedede tried using his hammer, and Taranza tried using his threads. They all tried to get a hit on Magolor, but they all bounced off the giant Magolor without a scratch. Kirby tried to provide any kind of backup with his air bullets, but it was no use.
"Take this seriously, Kirby!" Taranza had lost his temper. "You're just shooting him with air! That's not going to work! Use a copy ability, like you did when you were fighting in Floralia—!"
"I can't, Taranza…!" Kirby grimaced. "I can't use a copy ability unless I inhale someone who has a power of their own. But there's no one I can do that with here right now…!"
"So basically, you can't even fight right now?! Seriously, Kirby?! Why are you useless when it really counts…?!"
Just as Taranza's irritation boiled over, and he was about to fly over in a rage—something moved just under him.
"…Wah?! Whaaaat?!"
Taranza tripped over it, falling to the ground. Some yellow creature with round eyes was burrowing up from underground. Strangely, part of its body was a mirror. Or, more accurately, the creature was covering a mirror, absorbing it into itself.
This bizarre creature shouted in annoyance, "Shut uuuup! Quiet down in here. Some of us are trying to take a nap…"
"Wh-What are you…?" Taranza asked, voice shaking. He was still sprawled out on his back on the floor.
Meta Knight answered before the strange creature could. "You're Mirra, aren't you? A troublesome sort who sticks to a mirror and hides."
"You know me? I guess my reputation precedes me!" The creature—Mirra—seemed to take their fame as a compliment. They laughed.
King Dedede yelled, "This ain't your show! Go back where you came from!"
"No, do the opposite of that," Meta Knight shouted over him. "Mirra, you might be able to save us!"
Mirra blinked their round eyes, suddenly intimidated. "Save… you? I mean, this isn't any of my business…"
"Wait."
Meta Knight swiftly swung his sword, the point of it stopping right in front of Mirra's face. Mirra, who had been about to burrow back underground, cowered in place.
"Don't move. If you move, you die."
"Wh-Why?! I haven't done anything—!"
"And you don't need to do anything now, either. Just stay still."
"Wh… Huh…?"
"If we use that mirror you are carrying, we can freely travel throughout the labyrinth. Waddle Dee!"
When Meta Knight called his name, Waddle Dee jumped up so fast to dash over that he almost tumbled head over heels. "Y-Yes, sir!"
"Go through this mirror to leave this room. Then, bring back something with a copy ability for Kirby to use, as quickly as you can."
"Wh… Whaaaat?! You want me to do that?! I-I don't know if I should be doing something so important…"
"You can move the fastest. We are all counting on you, Waddle Dee."
Waddle Dee hesitated. But even as he did so, Magolor continued to attack the others, again and again. Kirby was using all of his effort to fly around and dodge. The sight of that struck him.
(If only he has a copy ability, Kirby can fight back. He's not going to lose to someone like Magolor!)
Waddle Dee raised his head and nodded. "Understood! Then I'll be off!" he shouted, leaping into Mirra's mirror.
King Dedede, meanwhile, was glaring at Meta Knight. "Waddle Dee works for me. I'm the only one who can order him around that way!"
"My apologies, King Dedede. It will only be this once." Meta Knight turned his head up to look at the giant Magolor. "It's up to us to buy time until Waddle Dee returns. Let's go!"
Meta Knight gripped his sword, and returned his focus to attacking Magolor.
"Hmph! Don't think you're the only one who can look that cool!" King Dedede swung hard with his trusty hammer.
"Took ya long enough, dummy! Hurry up and hand 'em over!" King Dedede snatched them up, grinning as he pulled out a crayon. "Let's see here. What design should I go with? I gotta make it so cool that the stupid Kirby Rocket looks like trash in comparison!"
King Dedede enthusiastically started to draw. But he was having trouble drawing what was in his imagination. Just like the incident with Claycia had proven, King Dedede's artistic talent was a little… mostly… well, let's just say it was completely nonexistent.
"Nnnn… It looks off… Needs more cool factor… Let's try adding some spikes. Gotta have a flag too… I think it'd be cooler if it also had a propeller…"
"Your Majesty, we don't have the time for this!" Waddle Dee hurried King Dedede along, fluttery with anxiety. "If you don't hurry, Kirby will be in danger…!"
"I get it already! Lay off! Hmmm… It still needs a finishing touch… I know, a laser cannon. It needs some rainbow lights too…"
"Your Majesty! Hurry!!"
"Shut your trap! The design's getting all messed up because you keep nagging at me!"
"It isn't messed up! Your rocket was always going to be cool, no matter what the design was!"
Hearing this, King Dedede's mood lightened, all at once. "Hohoh. Good point, Waddle Dee. That's why you're fit to serve me."
"Please hurry up and show me your cool King Dedede Rocket, sir!"
"All right, watch closely!" King Dedede raised the sketchbook up high. In an instant, the mysterious power of the sketchbook transformed King Dedede completely into what he had drawn.
Waddle Dee, who was already in the process of clapping for whatever happened, stopped mid-clap.
The transformed king looked down at Waddle Dee and asked, "How's this? Stunned by my sheer coolness?"
"Um… Uh… Y-Yes. I'm… stunned."
"I see, I see. Well, then it's time to show you just what this King Dedede Rocket can do. Try not to collapse in awe!"
King Dedede Rocket tried to move forward, just like the Kirby Rocket had done. But there was no momentum behind the travel. It couldn't even move straight forward. It weaved to and fro in midair, before plopping down onto the ground.
"Owowow! What's with this? Why won't it go straight?!"
"Um, Your Majesty…" Waddle Dee piped up in a timid voice. "Maybe you can't move straight forward because the design is crooked. And it's loaded down with so many decorations that maybe the balance is off…"
"Shut up! You just don't get it. This is the definition of cool!" the King cried out, and sent himself back up into the air. Though he kept drifting back and forth, somehow he managed to progress. And yet, he had no control over where he was going. He was heading in a direction completely opposite from Kirby and Meta Knight's battle…
Kirby was constantly on the back foot as he dodged Meta Knight's attacks, slowly being backed into a corner.
(What am I going to do? At this rate…!)
Meta Knight's sword had the power to cut through anything. Even Kirby wouldn't get away scot-free if he took any of these attacks head-on.
(What exactly do I do here…?!)
If only he had a copy ability to use. He could wish all he wanted, but without anyone around to inhale, he was out of luck.
"Meta Knight, snap out of it! It's me, Kirby!" His words didn't stop Meta Knight's attacks.
Taranza threw his head back to laugh. "Kehehehe! It's useless. You can't break my magic that easily!"
"Taranza… Why are you doing this…?"
As Kirby turned to glance over at Taranza, he noticed something strange. The mirror that was supposed to be behind Taranza was gone.
"…What? Where…?"
Kirby quickly scanned the area, and his eyes stopped on the large mirror. It was being carried away by Magolor, who was unsteady with the weight of it on his back.
"Magolor!"
When Kirby called out, Magolor just increased his speed.
Kirby shouted again as he dodged a cut from Meta Knight. "Look, Taranza! Magolor's leaving with the mirror!"
"…What?" Taranza finally noticed where the mirror was now. "Wh-What are you doing?! That mirror is Sectonia's precious treasure! Give it baaack!"
The instant Taranza screamed, Meta Knight fell forward, collapsing in a heap. Now that Taranza's attention had strayed, the control spell had been broken.
"Waaaait!"
Taranza and Kirby raced after Magolor, one after the other. But someone else rushed in to intercept Magolor before either of them could catch up. It was the King Dedede Rocket that had gone off course and out of control.
"Whoaaaa! Make way, make waaaaay!" King Dedede Rocket connected with Magolor, shouting.
Magolor went flying from the direct hit. For a tense moment, the mirror spun in midair.
"Sectonia's treasure!" Taranza cried, leaping to catch the mirror.
King Dedede's transformation had worn off from the impact with Magolor. He was back to normal, rubbing his head and muttering complaints. "Yeowch…! How rude do you have to be to block my way like that? What were you even thinking, Magolor?!"
"Thanks, King Dedede!" shouted Kirby as he ran over. "I had no idea he was doing that. He almost got away with stealing the mirror. Good thing you noticed what Magolor was plotting!"
"Hm…?" Kirby, of course, was misunderstanding. King Dedede wasn't trying to stop Magolor at all, and just so happened to be in a collision path… but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Arrogantly, he said, "Naturally! I saw through everything. I knew about Magolor's evil plan from the very beginning."
"I don't have any evil plan!" Magolor wobbled as he got up off the ground, making a pitiful appeal. But the one he was clinging to was Taranza. "Please believe me, Taranza! I wasn't trying to steal the mirror. I was protecting it, because everyone was saying that they wanted to break it! I'm your friend, after all!"
"My… friend…?"
"That's right. Let's team up to take them all out!"
"Whaaaa—?!" Kirby was shocked by this development.
King Dedede raised his voice in anger, too. "What are you saying, Magolor?! You little…!"
"That mirror has been his objective from the very beginning," Meta Knight cut in from behind them.
"Meta Knight!" Kirby turned to face him with sparkling eyes.
Meta Knight was looking down in shame. "I apologize, Kirby. I take responsibility for my mistake."
"I'm glad Taranza's spell wore off!"
"Yes. The same trick will not work twice." Meta Knight brandished his sword.
Taranza and Magolor blocked the others from moving forward. Taranza's eyes looked even more empty than before.
"Trying to break Sectonia's treasure… I won't ever forgive you… I'll be the one to protect it…"
"That's right, Taranza. You can't forgive them. I'm on your side, too!"
Taranza softly raised all six of his hands.
Meta Knight shouted, "Look out! It's coming!"
Extremely fine threads shot out from Taranza's fingers. Kirby and Meta Knight were able to avoid the attack. King Dedede just barely avoided it too, thanks to Meta Knight dragging him out of the way.
"Taranza, listen to me!" shouted Kirby. "We aren't your enemies. We want to save you…!"
"Don't fall for their little tricks, Taranza. Who knew Kirby was such a shameless liar!" Magolor circled Taranza as he spoke. "These guys all haaaate Sectonia! You're the only one Sectonia can rely on to protect her, Taranza!"
"Right… I'll be the one to protect Sectonia…!" Taranza sent out attack after attack in rapid succession.
Kirby glared at Magolor as he frantically dodged danger. Queen Sectonia may have been an evil queen, but she was precious to Taranza, and the feelings he had for her were incredibly pure. That's why he had fallen so deeply under the mirror's spell. Magolor saw the purity of Taranza's heart as a tool for him to use.
"Magolor… You're awful…!" Kirby leapt through the air, almost dancing.
Magolor faltered for just a moment, but quickly regained his composure. "Threats aren't going to help you, Kirby. I don't see any copy abilities around! I've got nothing to be afraid of from you!"
Kirby hated to admit it, but Magolor had a point. Meta Knight and King Dedede were desperately fighting with their weapons. But Kirby had no sword, or hammer, or anything else. His normal air bullets were no match for Taranza and Magolor's powerful tag-team. In between Taranza's threads shooting out, Magolor would fire off his magic spheres. Kirby couldn't do anything. He couldn't even cover for Meta Knight and King Dedede…
But, just then—
"Kirby! Look over here!"
A shout rang out.
It was Waddle Dee. He was running over, holding the sketchbook up high. On it, he had drawn an impressive picture of Kirby transformed into a tank.
"Waddle Dee!"
The sketchbook's strange power took effect as soon as Kirby cried out. Instantly, Kirby had transformed into a tank in real life.
"It's the Kirby Tank!" Waddle Dee cheered, jumping for joy with the sketchbook still held high.
Kirby felt a hundred times more energized, now that he had the power to fight back. He fired his cannon again and again, rushing forward. The powerful shots attacked Magolor and Taranza.
"W… Waaahhhh…?!" Magolor no longer looked so confident in his attacks. Taranza, too, had to put all of his effort into dodging the bullets.
The appearance of the Kirby Tank had instantly reversed the tide of battle. Kaboom! Kaboom! The shots rang out with a crisp sound, making Magolor and Taranza rush to and fro. Kirby was getting into the rhythm of these shots when Meta Knight interrupted him.
"Kirby, don't get overconfident. Your shots are limited in number."
"Hm?"
"Focus all of your shots on Taranza."
"Huh?!"
"Ignore Magolor. Aim only at Taranza."
"That's… Why?!"
Kirby was thrown off. Magolor was the really dangerous enemy. Taranza was only being tricked by Magolor's lies. If he's going to aim at only one of them, shouldn't it be Magolor…?
Meta Knight spoke forcefully, sensing Kirby's hesitation. "We need to expose Magolor's true intentions. Of course you shouldn't give Taranza any serious injuries. Incapacitate him with as light of an injury as possible."
"O… Okay…"
"I'm counting on you, Kirby."
"…Okay!"
Kirby, calmer now, readjusted his aim. He stopped watching Magolor as he flew around, focusing only on Taranza. He aimed carefully, withheld his true power, and began his volley of attacks. His aim was true. The bullets sailing through the air hit Taranza directly, and he was knocked down onto his back.
"Taranza…!" Magolor froze for a moment, but soon enough, a smile appeared on his face. "Hehehe! Poor Taranza! I'll be taking that mirror off your hands!"
Magolor hoisted the mirror onto his back again, and ran off at top speed.
Meta Knight said, "That is who Magolor really is. He uses skillful words to lead people astray and gain allies. But in his heart of hearts, he is only thinking about how to fulfill his own objectives."
Just then, Taranza rose up, gingerly. He was still wobbling after the attack, but he was not hurt in any major way.
King Dedede yelled, "Look, Taranza! Magolor ain't your friend! He's been after that mirror from the start!"
"The mirror… Sectonia's… treasure…"
"Yeah, you got it. Take Magolor down, and get that mirror back—!"
When Taranza heard King Dedede's words, he suddenly snapped to attention, jumping up. He spread his six hands out wide, screaming in a voice loud enough to make the air shake. "I won't forgive you—! I'll be the one to protect Sectonia's treasure—!"
Threads shot out from his fingertips. They extended straight forward until they coiled around Magolor. Magolor collapsed, falling down with the mirror still on his back. Taranza tried to yank the threads back towards him, but Magolor did his best to struggle against it. He crawled across the ground, trying to escape.
Kirby tried to fire another shot to help Taranza, but he didn't have any tank power left.
"Wh… Whaaaaa…?"
Fsshhh… With a hissing sound, Kirby returned to his normal self.
Waddle Dee ran up, calling out to him. "Are you okay, Kirby?!"
"Yeah… Thanks, Waddle Dee! Your tank drawing saved me!"
"I'm so glad!" Waddle Dee laughed, embarrassed. "There weren't any pages left, so I wasn't sure if it would work. But I thought I may as well try drawing it on the back of one of the other pages. I drew it really fast on the back of the King Dedede Rocket. I'm not good at drawing, so I couldn't make it look cool, but…"
"That's not true! It was super cool!"
"But now we really are out of pages. We lost the power to transform you, Kirby…" Waddle Dee slumped.
Kirby focused his attention back onto the battle between Magolor and Taranza. Taranza had the upper hand. Magolor was tied tightly by the thin threads, barely able to move at all.
"We don't need the tank power! We can capture Magolor!" Kirby ran over towards Magolor.
But Magolor wasn't out of commission yet. His movement was sealed away, but he was able to peer into the Dimension Mirror anyway, straining his voice to speak. "Please grant my wish… I don't want to lose to anyone. Please make me much, much strongerrrr!"
"This is bad!" Meta Knight had noticed Magolor's plan. "We won't be able to lay a hand on him if he uses the mirror's power. We have to stop him…!"
But it was too late. The mirror shot out a blinding white light, granting Magolor's wish.
"Wah…?!"
Kirby and the others squinted, flinching away from the brightness.
Before he could even open his eyes, Kirby could sense that something had changed. He felt an intimidating oppression in the air that he'd never felt before. He hadn't taken any attacks yet, but he felt strained, like he was about to be crushed.
With the power of the mirror, Magolor had gotten his wish. He had transformed into something massive, wicked, and monstrous.
Kirby heard a triumphant voice coming from far above his head. "Huhuhuhu! You already know what's coming, don't you, Kirby?! This time, victory is mine! I can do anything! I'm an all-knowing, all-powerful king!"
As he could sense the light dying down, Kirby timidly opened his eyes. Meta Knight and King Dedede opened theirs, too, at the same time. For a moment, they all stood speechless.
King Dedede was the first to open his mouth. "…What's with him? What was he even going for here?"
Kirby, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, and even Taranza were dumbfounded, staring up at Magolor. Magolor had, indeed, transformed into something stronger than ever before. He was massive. The top of his head was so high up that it looked hazy and indistinct. But his appearance was exactly the same as the regular Magolor they'd always known. He was still round with a hood, with the same ears poking out. He was only bigger than before. Being so large did make his aura very intimidating… but he looked less like an all-knowing, all-powerful king, and more like a large theme park attraction.
Magolor looked down at everyone, giggling happily. It was ominous… but they had to admit it sounded kinda cute, too.
Meta Knight sighed. "I see. This is Magolor's ideal for his strongest self. How frivolous."
"Wahahahaha!" King Dedede guffawed, holding his belly. "This one lost all the terror! It's just a bigger Magolor! I ain't scared of this guy even a little!"
"What was that?"
Magolor's large eyes moved to fix King Dedede with a glare. There was, indeed, a certain force behind a glare from so high up. King Dedede shut his mouth.
"You aren't scared of me? Do you reeeally mean that?" Magolor's eyes looked even sharper. "When I'm through with you, you won't dream of being so cheeky with me, ever again!"
Magolor swung his giant hand to try and crush King Dedede. The massive shadow closed in over Dedede's head. It was happening so fast, King Dedede just stared, unable to react.
He was only saved by thin, thin threads, too fine to see. The threads Taranza shot out wrapped around the King's body and dragged him out of the way. King Dedede escaped danger by only a hair, flying through the air before landing safely on the ground.
"Yeowch…! I ain't a piece of luggage here! Set me down gently!" King Dedede griped.
Waddle Dee, still looking panicked, ran over to Taranza. "Thank you for saving the King, Taranza!"
But Taranza didn't respond. He looked dazed, not fully conscious, looking around. It seemed that rescuing King Dedede had been an action of pure instinct.
"Taranza!" Kirby called out.
Taranza turned to look at Kirby, curious. "…Kirby? What are you doing? Where… are we?"
"It seems the mirror's spell has been broken," said Meta Knight. "Now that Magolor is in possession of the mirror, it no longer has any effect on Taranza. And so Taranza has escaped the mirror's control."
"The mirror…" Taranza looked up at Magolor.
Magolor was gripping the Dimension Mirror tightly in his massive hand. The instant Taranza laid his eyes on it, he jumped. It seemed like he'd finally become clear-headed again.
"Ahhhhh! That's a very important mirror that I presented as tribute to Queen Sectonia! Whyyyyy does he have it?!"
Meta Knight explained, "Magolor misled you with his words to steal the mirror. He told us you were his closest friend, but…"
"Friend? Absolutely not! Not even close!" Taranza clenched his fists, swinging them and bitterly throwing a fit. "The only reason he ever came to meet me was to steal the Dimension Mirror! What a shameless coward…"
Meta Knight interrupted Taranza's oncoming rant. "Taranza, you can explain the details later. Focus on the battle for now."
"…Got it!" Taranza looked back up at the giant Magolor.
Magolor chuckled back down at him. To Magolor, it must have sounded like a soft laugh, under his breath. But at his current size, it sounded booming to everyone else. The air shook with it.
"Give that mirror back—!" Taranza screamed, sending out his threads again. The threads were perfectly aimed, circling around Magolor's hand.
But no matter how strong they were, they were no match for Magolor anymore. He tore off the threads easily, laughing again. "Hehehe! Congratulations, you did absolutely nothing. You really don't have anything stronger than this? Aaany of you?"
Magolor swung his hand up, preparing to crush them. Everyone frantically ducked and rolled to escape.
Meta Knight tried using his sword, King Dedede tried using his hammer, and Taranza tried using his threads. They all tried to get a hit on Magolor, but they all bounced off the giant Magolor without a scratch. Kirby tried to provide any kind of backup with his air bullets, but it was no use.
"Take this seriously, Kirby!" Taranza had lost his temper. "You're just shooting him with air! That's not going to work! Use a copy ability, like you did when you were fighting in Floralia—!"
"I can't, Taranza…!" Kirby grimaced. "I can't use a copy ability unless I inhale someone who has a power of their own. But there's no one I can do that with here right now…!"
"So basically, you can't even fight right now?! Seriously, Kirby?! Why are you useless when it really counts…?!"
Just as Taranza's irritation boiled over, and he was about to fly over in a rage—something moved just under him.
"…Wah?! Whaaaat?!"
Taranza tripped over it, falling to the ground. Some yellow creature with round eyes was burrowing up from underground. Strangely, part of its body was a mirror. Or, more accurately, the creature was covering a mirror, absorbing it into itself.
This bizarre creature shouted in annoyance, "Shut uuuup! Quiet down in here. Some of us are trying to take a nap…"
"Wh-What are you…?" Taranza asked, voice shaking. He was still sprawled out on his back on the floor.
Meta Knight answered before the strange creature could. "You're Mirra, aren't you? A troublesome sort who sticks to a mirror and hides."
"You know me? I guess my reputation precedes me!" The creature—Mirra—seemed to take their fame as a compliment. They laughed.
King Dedede yelled, "This ain't your show! Go back where you came from!"
"No, do the opposite of that," Meta Knight shouted over him. "Mirra, you might be able to save us!"
Mirra blinked their round eyes, suddenly intimidated. "Save… you? I mean, this isn't any of my business…"
"Wait."
Meta Knight swiftly swung his sword, the point of it stopping right in front of Mirra's face. Mirra, who had been about to burrow back underground, cowered in place.
"Don't move. If you move, you die."
"Wh-Why?! I haven't done anything—!"
"And you don't need to do anything now, either. Just stay still."
"Wh… Huh…?"
"If we use that mirror you are carrying, we can freely travel throughout the labyrinth. Waddle Dee!"
When Meta Knight called his name, Waddle Dee jumped up so fast to dash over that he almost tumbled head over heels. "Y-Yes, sir!"
"Go through this mirror to leave this room. Then, bring back something with a copy ability for Kirby to use, as quickly as you can."
"Wh… Whaaaat?! You want me to do that?! I-I don't know if I should be doing something so important…"
"You can move the fastest. We are all counting on you, Waddle Dee."
Waddle Dee hesitated. But even as he did so, Magolor continued to attack the others, again and again. Kirby was using all of his effort to fly around and dodge. The sight of that struck him.
(If only he has a copy ability, Kirby can fight back. He's not going to lose to someone like Magolor!)
Waddle Dee raised his head and nodded. "Understood! Then I'll be off!" he shouted, leaping into Mirra's mirror.
King Dedede, meanwhile, was glaring at Meta Knight. "Waddle Dee works for me. I'm the only one who can order him around that way!"
"My apologies, King Dedede. It will only be this once." Meta Knight turned his head up to look at the giant Magolor. "It's up to us to buy time until Waddle Dee returns. Let's go!"
Meta Knight gripped his sword, and returned his focus to attacking Magolor.
"Hmph! Don't think you're the only one who can look that cool!" King Dedede swung hard with his trusty hammer.