One Last Time, I'll Fight

Chapter 3
We Can Still Be Friends

(Uploaded on January 12, 2019)

Summary: The Revenge had failed. Kirby was triumphant again. All of Dedede's efforts… meant nothing in the end.

But as the King walks into the sunset, ruminating over his failures… there are those ready to remind him there's more to him than just that. (And another soul in particular who's still willing to let bygones… be bygones.)

Notes: This chapter is set during the credits of Revenge of the King.

[King Dedede]

Dream Land – Sunset Trail

It took me a while to get off the floor.

It was a cold, hard, incredibly uncomfortable floor.

But in a way… it was where I belonged.

Honestly, I didn't want to get up. I wanted to stay here until it was nighttime. Maybe even longer than that.

But… I can't run away from my mistakes. Not now… not ever.

…I've failed.

My coveted revenge, my final stand—

It's completely and utterly fallen to pieces.

And though the only thing remaining are my regrets…

…I have to still face them, either way.

(Whatever I have left to face, anyway.)

Reluctantly, I got to my feet and started trudging the gravel path in front of me, the setting sun casting a gigantic shadow over the entire wasteland. My head faced the floor, a despondent expressing filling my features. Thoughts whirled through my mind, a heavy weight seemingly bringing it down to the depths of darkness.

I pulled out all the stops for this. Again, in order: I gave all of my old guardians – Whispy, Lololo, Lalala, Kracko, and Kabula – a massive power boost. I brought back some of the guys from the old Nightmare crisis, so long ago. I sent every one of my troops after Kirby—every one—after a long training session. I myself even had a beefed-up arena—and a brand new weapon in the form of his Deluxe Dedede Hammer, designed specifically for one final showdown against my nemesis.

And despite all that… it still wasn't enough.

I laughed bitterly. Things never change. They never do. Why do I even try? I fail every time.

There's no point to this anymore, either. We've been fighting for over sixteen years now, and yet—it doesn't matter how much tougher I get or how much I throw at Kirby; he'll always find a way to triumph over me every single time. And again… he's the respected hero of Dream Land. The guy who saves everybody from all the demons of the universe. The one friend who everyone adores, always.

Me?

I'm just the wannabe king. The bad guy that does bad things and doesn't know when to stop. Even if I'm actually doing good things, nobody ever really remembers those. They just remember the villain who stole all of Dream Land's food because he was hungry that one time.

And it's too late for me to change anything.

Not when I've been antagonistic for so long that I don't know how to be anything else anymore.

There's nobody left to care, either.

I sent all my Dees away.

I've alienated all of my subjects.

…I bet Kirby's out of the picture now, too.

How could he not be, when this whole event was tailor-made specifically to utterly defeat him, in the most spectacular way possible?

That's literally the definition of petty animosity.

I sighed. And I've only got myself to blame, I thought. …well, I hope my Waddle Dees made it out fine, at least.

That gave me some thought. Will they be okay now? Out there in this world, completely free of my guidance, however poor it may have been? Did I end up making another poor, terrible decision, and dragged all that I care about into it?

I wanted to say no; I wanted to say that they'd be perfectly fine. But my heart couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty flowing through my veins. I looked up the trail into the vast desert beyond. It was going to be lonely without them by my side, but… I've been making my bed for a long, long time now. It's only right that I finally lay in it.

A peculiar waddling sound started perking up behind me.

I… I know that sound. I'd know it anywhere.

Slowly, I turned my head, and I saw… one of my former Waddle Dees, walking alongside me as if it were his duty (because it was his duty, just a few hours ago). Though he was supposed to be with his brethren, he was waddling on beside me despite every single action I've done and commanded – and upon noticing my tired gaze, he looked up at me, and merely nodded his head as if reaffirming his own decision to me.

"…you should've gone," I said wearily. "You deserve better than to stick with a guy like me."

To my surprise—subdued though it may be, given the rollercoaster of emotions I had been on—he shook his head and kept moving onward. He shuffled a little closer to me, too. It was clear: he wasn't going away.

You know, in a way… that's its own sort of comforting. The fact that he's still here proves that maybe—just maybe… there's hope for me yet. I don't really think so – I mean, I failed here, didn't I? – but… it's not like I can order him away now.

(…after all, he's not even under my orders anymore.

Plus… I'm out of strength to really try arguing with him at this point. So why not?)

So I let him be a partner of sorts and continued trekking into the sunset. If that's what he wanted to do… who was I to disparage him?

But as my feet trudged forwards through the rather barren desert with cactuses abound, my face remaining solemnly directed toward the ground, the sounds of waddling became more and more numerous. One by one, the footsteps traversing this gravel path increased in volume and synchronization, as if it were a band performing a well-practiced symphony – and when I turned to look out of curiosity, I found myself in disbelief.

All of my Waddle Dees—every single last one of them, including Bandana Dee; a greater number than I could have ever imagined—were loyally marching behind me, as if the past seventy-two hours or so was nothing more than an imaginary blemish on my record. And I could tell they were all here for the same singular reason: being by my side, even after everything.

I… I didn't get it.

They saw me today. Several of them have been in the throne room with me for literal hours, seeing my determination and desperation and despair brimming all around me; all things which should've only added to the gigantic pile of fuel for the 'Dedede is Absolutely Imperfect' engine. (NOVA knows that can't get any bigger at this point.)

And yet, here they are. Refusing to leave me.

Loyal to the end.

As if he was sensing my confusion, Bandana Dee looked up to me – and closed his eyes with an expression that could best be described as 'smiling'. "S-Surprise, Great King!" he announced brightly. "We're… We're here for you!"

I'd try to count how many Dees were here, but I know that's a number too high for me for my mind to even remotely get to. "…Bandana Dee?" I breathed. "…everyone? You're… You're not gone?"

He got up beside me, practically beaming all the while. "Y-Yep! All of us are here and a-accounted for, King!" That statement seemed so impossible to my quite depressed mind, but he didn't seem to have the same problem. Did… Did all of them really decide on this as a collective? (Do I inspire them that much, to this degree?) "You're not getting rid of us th-that easily!—or convince us you're not great, I m-must say. No matter what happens – or what's already happened, even – we're—I'm—not gonna let you be alone."

"…but why?" I asked. "Why are you all still willing to follow me? I told you before, in the throne room… I'm a terrible king. Selfish, egotistic, careless, unrewarding, ungrateful—every unpleasant adjective you could think of describes me well. That's not hyperbole—that's the truth." Technically, it used to be proof, but—c-c'mon. It still happened; I can't deny it. "There's no point to sticking behind someone so unworthy. Surely, there has to be someone better…?"

Bandana Dee shook his head. "Of course not! You're our Great King – and that means a lot! We have a reason why you became that to us, you know. My brothers wouldn't be here if you hadn't shown them kindness. Remember that day?"

…wow, was it really that long ago? That brings back memories…

It was a year or so prior to my… 'ascendency' to being the king I am today. I was fresh out of my more formative years, and I had moved out of my mom's place to try to make something of myself. (I was young; we all do that at some point.) Eventually, I had managed to make a little house in Dream Land—nowhere near the heights I had been aspiring toward, but… it was a start.

I still remember the day I met the Dees, vividly in my mind…

The sun was shining and the skies were clear, the grass bristling wildly in the fresh spring breeze. For the rest of Dream Land, it was another bright and cheerful day in this sleepy country. But for me… this couldn't be anything further from what I wanted.

"I've been here for months and still there's nothing," I groused loudly to myself, not bothering to hide my distaste – who'd hear, anyway? "You'd think that this sleepy planet would have something interesting happen once in a while, but no!" I raised my arms to the sky in frustration. "What does it take to actually become a legend 'round here!?"

Seriously! I travel the whole freakin' planet, visit all these interesting places – and the sum total of worthwhile events that had happened was essentially zero. I knew I was born to do something great – maybe a superstar warrior, or something neato like that – and yet… here I am, nothing more than a simple commoner in this backwaters land. It makes me so… ugh!

I brought my arms back down as I continued to walk along this grassy path not too far from my current place of residence. "Well," I huffed, "at least this place is… pretty enough, I'll admit. Doesn't completely make up for all the nothing I've been through, but whatever." If only I'd come across something of interest. I'll take anything at this point, even if it's as small as a few crickets chirping differently than usual!

Please – just let something happen already!

(And then my wishes were heard.)

"Huh?" I noticed something off to the side, something that definitely qualified as 'unusual'. Sitting on the sidelines were these… strange brown creatures, with tan faces that reached out to their cheeks – and for some reason, contained no mouth at all. (Freaky!) There were a huge number of them, more than I can honestly bother to count, and each and every one of them were simply sitting on the ground, doing nothing more than looking out into the horizon.

Wh-What the heck are they doing…? I thought. They're not… waiting for something, are they? Hmm… They… They don't seem unfriendly; just a bit weird. I wouldn't exactly be losing anything if I walked away here… but then again, the same thing could be said for if I approached them. And this did shake things up on an otherwise boring day, so… I suppose I should see what they're on about.

"Heh," I chuckled to myself. "It's your lucky day, Dedede. You won't be bored anymore!" With a prominent gait, I strutted on over to the brigade of brownies. They didn't seem to notice me at all.

I can change that soon enough.

"Hey, you there!" The brownies started turning their gazes to face me, their heads tilted in curiosity at my mere presence. "What are you people doing here, just sitting around? You all look like you're having a joint snooze fest, staring all the way into space! You gonna be this dreary all day or what?"

They looked at each other, as if they were pondering the meaning of my words. Eventually, the bunch of 'em collectively turned back to me and effectively shrugged. I furrowed my brow. Okay, I didn't expect that reaction… I guess I'll have to take a different approach, then.

"…do you guys need a hand, or anything?" I tentatively asked. I have no idea what they want, seeing as how they've been silent this whole time – maybe I'll get a response in sign language, or whatever language these guys speak. "I, uhh… don't think you should really be squatting 'round out in the open like this."

Again, they shared glances together – what are they, a hivemind? – and then they shrugged their nonexistent shoulders again. At this point, it was getting a little grating keeping up this 'conversation'. Was I going to get any actual response out of them anytime soon? I'd prefer for it to be this century!

"…well, you're all simply an eyesore on this grassy plain!" I declared. (…what? Don't look at me like that! It's true!) "You're weird and silent and I don't even know what you're supposed to be! I think you should be doing something else, at the very least! Hmm…" My mind whirled on with ideas, until it finally settled on one that was… mmm, gonna be a little uncomfortable.

But hey, these… squatters have gotten me out of a funk. They should be thankful that I'm even deigning to do this for them to begin with!

"…how about all of you join me at my house?" I suggested. "I've got plenty of food for your tastes! Maybe not enough beds – but somehow, I don't think that'll be a problem for you! Heh heh heh!" If they're willing to sit on the ground for no reason, they're probably willing to sleep on the ground for all I know. "C'mon, whaddya say?"

Anyway, another lock of their gazes, and then finally—finally!—they nodded. Getting up, they all formed a sort of crowd circling 'round me, a brownish wave that could probably be seen from orbit, should somebody actually be able to look up from there. I looked with surprise at each of them… before a delightful grin sprouted on my face. "Heh heh heh! Man, you sure react pretty fast to that! This place may be boring as can all get, but I'll do my best to make things entertaining as possible! Let's head onward home!"

And so, the group of dozens of creatures strong began to follow me back down the trail to my house, marching obediently by my side like they were servants. This is an amazing feeling, one I didn't know I was missing all this time. Weird though these guys may be, I wouldn't mind seeing them more every day!

(…would they stick around Dream Land, if I asked them? Hmm…

I don't know the answer, but hopefully… it'll be one that benefits me in the end!)

…heh. Who would've thought just a simple act of kindness—well, whatever passes under your definition of kindness, anyway—would've indebted them to me? An offer for them to stay for a bit… was that, perhaps, more than they had ever seen before? Or was it that they saw something in me… something more beyond my then rough personality?

"…yeah, I remember that day," I finally replied to Dee. "That was… something else, looking back in retrospect." The day I first got my beloved servants—I could never forget that, not as long as I live.

That wasn't all, though. "And don't forget!" Dee perked up. "You inspired me, too! P-Plus… I might not even be here if you hadn't saved me during the Crystal Shard hunt!"

"What the heck is this thing!?" I shouted, barely staying steady on these tiny-butt rock platforms. My hammer was out, and I was trying not to swing it into the very hot magma below. "And why do we have to fight in such a precarious place, anyway!?"

"No time to talk!" Kirby told me, jumping over a tentacle of magma as it tried to slam into him. A stone with an electricity field was ricocheting about him, bashing the arm as it went. "Just hit Magman as you can! Preferably without becoming fried chicken!"

"Th-Th-This is c-c-c-crazy!" Bandana Dee exclaimed, doing his best to stay in the center of his glorified podium. "I—I don't wanna g-g-get burned here!"

"You and me both, Dee!" I replied. Is this the type of stuff Kirby has to deal with on a regular basis!? I think a part of me's actually pitying him now – and that's not right! I'm Kirby's rival, I'm supposed to be envying him! …probably!

On the mainland, which was sadly far from where the three of us were, dealing with this freak of nature, Adeleine and Ribbon—Kirby's two newest friends on this Crystal Shard journey—were cheering us on as much as they could, given the circumstances. "You can do it, guys!" Ribbon called out to us. "Don't let this lava-weirdo win!"

"Yeah!" agreed Adeleine. "If he's got a Crystal Shard, just beat it out of him! I can get a picnic ready when you're finished!"

Well, that's motivation enough for me! (And Kirby too—but mostly me!)

Focusing back on our not-so-little boss fight… The big monster guy—Magman, apparently; the heck kind of name is that?—bashed his head into the ceiling, causing a bunch of rocks to fall from the ceiling. Of course, all of those rocks weren't falling in his area; that would make too much sense. No, they were descending down on us—who would've thunk?

Oh come on! I internally groaned. It's hard enough to dodge the tentacles as it is! We have to deal with rocks now, too!? Thoroughly annoyed, I set about hammering away at the falling projectiles. 'Least they die to any 'ol attack! And my hammer's a good cleanser!

Thanks to that, none of them even came close to scratching me. As should be! Though they were still falling, I was ready to congratulate myself on a job well done—a kingly performance, if I do say so myself!—when a startled yelp hit my eardrums.

I turned my head sharply in the sound's direction – still swinging, mind you – and I found Bandana Dee having an extremely rough go at dodging things. He was jumping all about creation—as much as he could on that thing—but for some reason, the rocks were piling up. Soon enough, he found himself pushed to the brink, barely hanging on by a thread. "H-H-Help!" he cried. "I-I-I need h-help!"

The sight of it gave me pause, and an uncomfortable, even frightful feeling went down my spine. Wh-Why do I feel this way…? Yes, his situation is extremely precarious, and yeah, I'd want to assist him from death-by-too-many-degrees. And s-sure, we've been… 'bonding together', or so Kirby says, and he's not really that bad, but… he's just a Waddle Dee, isn't he? And he's not someone I really care about, or even one of my own Waddle Dees – that's Kirby's job, not mine! Sh-Shouldn't he be the one to handle this…?

I turned to Kirby – but he was preoccupied with his own issues. He was busy weaving through a bunch of weird fireball beings trying to swamp him – not to mention, he was too far to reach Bandana Dee right this instinct.

"No! B-Bandana Dee!" Adeleine screamed, heart practically in her mouth. Ribbon looked like she was in a similar state, and she'd probably be rushing in herself if she wasn't so fragile in terms of defenses. "He—He's going to fall…!"

For a moment, I didn't know what to do. The rocks had stopped falling on me at this point, leaving me some time to think. My limbs trembled, unable to move themselves despite my mind shrieking to do the opposite. Sweat squirreled down my forehead, dripping onto the floor and dissipating the second they touched the ground.

Another magma tentacle shot straight for him – and finally, I willed my body to finally move. Hammer still in hand, I valiantly jumped from platform to platform, until I slammed down into the dumb arm and sent it reeling. With a free hand, I grabbed Bandana Dee—and he responded with a rather high-pitched squeak—and perched him on my back, saying grimly, "Hang on to your hat, Dee!"

"Y-Y-Your Majesty! Wh-Wha—!?"

I didn't give him too much time to reply. Quickly, I hopped to another rock as Magman sent the one I had been on straight into the freaking ceiling. I continued to put a little more distance from him, so I could finally get some actual breathing room. This guy is way too nuts for me…!

"Jeez—that was too close!" I panted. I think the heat was finally getting to me! "I need to take a break from all this nonsense, I swear…"

"Your Majesty…" Bandana Dee exhaled. "You… You saved me? F-For real…?"

"Well, yeah," I replied. "I—I couldn't just let you boil 'cause of that magma freak. I'm—I'm your king, and that means you're my subject—and I always protect my subjects." And by that, I mean my subjects… minus Kirby. And no, this wasn't because Dee was becoming a 'friend', or anything. Definitely not. "Now, don't let go! It's gonna be a wild ride, dealing with this guy!"

"W-Wow… A-Amazing…! You're, you're like—a great king! A true Great King!" (His eyes closed.) "I'll—I'll try my best to do as you say, G-Great King…!"

…the Crystal Shard hunt was certainly filled with its own ups and downs and all-arounds. I groused and grumbled through the whole thing, yeah; I still wasn't very mature back then. However… that didn't stop me from assisting everyone anyway. I ended up spending a lot more time with Dee there than I had thought I would.

…I haven't ever regretted that. (Having a best friend is… nice, in a special way.)

"…that happened too, didn't it?" I recalled. "Saving you from that crazy Magman… You still remember that?"

"O-Of course!" Dee said. "You were—you were a-amazing then, y-you know? Th-The way you s-swooped in and h-hammered that guy… Th-That type of thing's why you're my Great King. And it's also why you're everyone else's Great King, too! I—I know you haven't done all good—" (Heh—even he admits it.) "—but you haven't done all bad, either! You're more than what you think you are! D-Don't put yourself down for everything."

"…that still doesn't change the fact that I've been an unworthy king," I insisted. "Nothing ever will. Everyone knows it—my subjects do, Kirby does… even you guys have seen it first-hand. I can't overcome that."

"Yes you can!" Dee tugged my arm a little. "Th-There's no reason why you can't be a better king now! Even if it t-takes a long time for everyone to acknowledge it… it's s-still worth it to try! A-And you won't have to do it alone!" He gestured out to everyone behind me. "…we'll be here with you. So d-don't worry!"

…he won't give up on me, huh?

Not him, not any of my Waddle Dees.

"Wh-What about Kirby, though…?" I questioned. "I started this whole thing to take him down in the first place."

"I'm—I'm sure he hasn't taken it personally! He's a f-friend, after all! Friends understand what other friends are going through. If you talk to him a little… then things'll change! You don't need to be better than him to be a worthy person. T-Trust me on that, Great King!"

…he believes in that, doesn't he?

(You've already tried everything else. Surely, it couldn't hurt to give this a shot, just this once…?)

"…alright," I finally conceded. If he really, truly still has faith in me, despite everything that's happened, despite all the things that I've said… then maybe I need to have a little faith in myself, too. After all, when you've hit rock bottom… the only way to go is straight back up, right? "I'll… I'll do my best, then." And for the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself a smile – a little one… but a smile nevertheless. Where would I be without you? "…thanks, Bandana Dee. I… I really appreciate you being here."

"It's—It's no problem!" He closed his eyes in a tearful joy while rubbing the back of his head. "J-Just doing my d-duty, th-that's all…"

With that declaration, we walked on into the beautiful sunset – and I could feel a heavy weight at last lifting off of my shoulders, freeing me to see, perhaps, the rise of something beautiful into this world. Though my final revenge had failed, and I had been defeated in every sense of the word… I didn't have to let that define who I am.

I'm King Dedede.

I'm the ruler of Dream Land.

I'm the guy who takes care of both his servants and his subjects…

…and it's time I finally take that job description seriously.

No more moping around. No more trying to clobber Kirby. No more trying to steal food, or inconveniencing everyone with my actions.

Today… is the day I really change.

(There's just one last thing on the road, first.)

At the end of the sunset trail, standing at the precipice to my castle… was Kirby and his two Helpers, Birdon and Simirror. Birdon seemed nervous, shifting around uncomfortably as she sat. Simirror had his eyes closed, seemingly meditating amidst the quiet desert. And, to absolutely nobody's surprise, Kirby was in the middle, waiting patiently for… me, most likely. (Who else could it be?) When he noticed me and my crowd of Waddle Dees… he perked up and smiled. "Dedede," he called. "You're back."

"…Kirby," I replied. "You're—You're here." …has he waited here this whole time?

Birdon jolted at our greetings, and stared at us with surprise. "D-Dedede, Bandana Dee." Her eyes shifted away. "It—It's good to s-see you."

Simirror hummed as we approached, opening a single eye that gazed at us rather creepily. "…so, you have returned. And your resolve… much like Dee's, I sense that it is no longer in constant turmoil. You've taken your first step to a new future." His eye glinted with intrigue. "…it has been a long time coming, I say. I look forward to seeing what's in store for you."

Gee, does he have to sound as cryptically foreboding as physically possible? I swear Kirby makes the weirdest friends just to troll me sometimes.

The pink bird sighed and looked tiredly into my eyes. "…look," she said, "I know I and everyone else haven't exactly been the most… welcoming to you, as of late." It sounded painful for her to admit it – much like how it was painful for me to admit my own mistakes. "…but, well… Dee showed me that there is more to you than what I've always believed. If… If you are willing to change, then…" She looked away, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "…then I guess I could try to accept you. T-Try, a-anyway."

Kirby just smiled wider. "…you don't have to be an enemy, you know," he simply stated. Though we had been locked on bitter combat not an hour or so ago… he didn't seemed phased by my appearance at all. "It doesn't matter what you've done in the past; I'll always be someone to reach out to."

He sounds so earnest when he says that. "Do you really mean it?" I asked. "Like… really, really mean it?

"Of course. I've always treasured friendship in all kinds. And even though we've been rivals for the better part of two decades… I'd love to be your friend, too. After all… there's nothing wrong with having a lot of good friends!" He held out his hand toward me, wearing a heartfelt expression. "So… what do you say? Wanna start over?"

There was a sincerity to his words that I couldn't deny. It was like a wave of water flowing down and splashing against your back, giving you a sense of calmness in its serenity. I stared into Kirby's inviting eyes for a few seconds more. Here he was, the hero of Dream Land, my rival—and even a travelling companion, at times—offering to put all our animosity behind us once and for all. The very action that, deep down… I knew I wanted all along.

"…you know what? Sure." I took his hand and sealed the deal. "Let's start over. I'm King Dedede."

"And I'm Kirby. Kirby of the Stars." His eyes twinkled. "Let's be the best of friends now, alright?"

Best friends, huh? …I think I'd like that.

Revenge of the King's ending was really heartwarming, something you don't normally see in a happy-go-lucky Kirby game. It's hard not to feel something when you see all the Waddle Dees—and Bandana Dee!—walking alongside Dedede as he goes into the sunset. It was a joy to recreate that in my writing—and this whole chapter, for that matter.

And I couldn't just help but make it more heartwarming, what with Dedede's inner monologue, the added dialogue… oh, and Kirby taking his hand at the end, too. When I said 'I wanted to capture the moment where Kirby and Dedede's relationship start changing', I meant it. I think it really puts into perspective how close the two (plus Dee) are in my later Make a Friend fics, and I hope the scene was worth the wait.

It's a miracle this chapter both A) didn't take too long and B) doesn't have a word count through the roof. I guess that proves I can pace myself! …during very, very specific times. *nervous laughter*

I wasn't originally going to add in the pre-series and Crystal Shards flashback sequences, but seeing as how I wanted this chapter to be a little more introspective… I believe they work well enough. An extra assortment of backstory here and there doesn't hurt at all, I think. (Also, there's a little Adeleine in here – and more Adeleine is always good around here!)

Oh, and yes – I'm retconning Dee so that he's always had the bandana. My universe, my rules!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!