Chapter 5: King Dedede's Discovery
NOTE TO ALL WHO HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS: LEAFAN=LEAFLY.
Everyone sat down around a large table. The Waddle Dee squad, sheer in number, lined up neatly along the walls. King Dedede spoke:
“Alright, let’s begin the meeting. I’m the chairman, of course. Raise your hand if you have an opinion.”
Kirby raised his hand cheerfully.
“I think all-you-can-eat restaurants are the best! The more options there are, the better! I think it would be great if there were about 3,000 kinds to pick!”
Chef Kawasaki raised his hand.
“Don’t ask the impossible, Kirby. First we need to talk about the fish we can catch around here, and the forests… I’ll research fruits and come up with menus that go well with them.”
“Hmph, how pointless. As long as the food is edible, that’s all that matters.”
A hateful voice was heard. Bonkers, who had been loitering outside the shop, peered through the window and muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Chilly looked in disbelief.
“Bonkers, instead of loitering around there, why don’t you just go inside?”
“What? You want me to join the discussion too? You’re hopeless.”
Bonkers pushed his way through the Waddle Dees and entered the shop with a look of delight. He looked around with a menacing gaze.
“Well then, let me give you some helpful advice. Listen, in a restaurant, serve some power food. Food that will make your muscles bulge. And in a general store, serve food that will help you build your body… sell exercise equipment. Like dumbbells or jump ropes."
Knuckle Joe shouted with a triumphant gesture.
“Woah, sounds great! This is the first time I’ve agreed with Bonkers!”
Everyone started expressing their opinions all at once.
“I don’t need dumbbells! I’d rather have ribbons, brooches, or some other fashion accessories.”
“I think you should sell cooling products. Like ice packs or shaved ice machines.”
“No way, if we sell that, everyone in this village will catch a cold! We should keep it hot, goods like that would be nice. Like a stove or a heated table!”
The meeting turned into noisy, chaotic commotion. But then, Bandana Waddle Dee spoke up.
“Wait, everyone. This isn’t going to be a proper meeting… please, listen.. I beg you… listen. Please, PLEASE!”
Bandana Waddle Dee raised his voice as high as he could. Everyone was surprised hearing his unusually loud voice, and they all fell silent.
Bandana Waddle Dee turned red and continued in a low voice.
“What we want to create is a shop that will liven up the village, like the one Oba-chan was trying to create.. A wonderful shop or restaurant that will attract customers from far away. To achieve that, I think we need specialties that are unique to Sunset Village, such as dishes that can only be eaten here or souvenirs that can only be brought here.”
Leafan shook the leaf on her head.
“There’s nothing like that. If you’re talking about a speciality that’s unique to this village, the most you can hope for is fruit that’s too sour to eat.”
Kirby shivered as he remembered the sourness of the fruit.
“Oh no! If you eat that, the leaves will shrive up! You absolutely can’t eat that!”
Chef Kawasaki spoke in surprise:
“You can’t eat it Kirby?! I can’t believe such a fruit exists in this world. That could become a valuable local speciality!”
“No way! Fruit that can’t be eaten can’t become a local specialty!”
Everyone was thinking very seriously. Bandana Waddle Dee asked:
“Besides fruit, is there anything else? Like some beautiful seashells that could be made into accessories?”
Burning Leo shook his head.
“We’re in the mountains. There aren’t any seashells here.”
“Are there any unusual flowers?”
“I saw lots of flowers, but they were the kind you see everywhere.”
“So how about some pretty pebbles?”
“No, there aren’t any. They’re not pretty at all, just ordinary pebbles.”
“Hmm… well, those aren’t local specialties. It would be great if there was something that would make people think, “I want to go visit Sunset Village!”
Everyone racked their brains and shared ideas, but no good solution came to mind. After some discussion, King Dedede finally rose up in a fierce rage. Bandana Waddle Dee looked up at the King with sparkling eyes.
“Oh Great King! Have you come up with a good idea?”
King Dedede raised both his arms and shouted out loud.
“..Huh? You’re tired of it…?”
“I’m tired of this boring discussion! I’m going to take a break. Think of a good plan by the time I get back. Got it?!”
And then he quickly left the store. Kirby shouted loudly.
“Why?! King Dedede is the leader, right?! The leader is a high-ranking position, right?! So how can you leave like that?!”
Bonkers grinned and said:
“Let him do as he pleases. Dedede is no match for us anyway. From now on, I’ll be the leader!”
Chilly watched and spoke in a low voice.
“Bonkers was grumbling earlier, but now he’s totally into it. He’s even volunteering to be the leader.”
Bonkers glared at Chilly.
“Huh? Did you say something, eyebrow snowman?!”
“Eyebrown snowman?! That’s not my name! It’s Chilly!”
“Anyway, you guys, keep coming up with ideas! If you don’t, I’ll beat you up! Oi, oi!”
Bonkers leaned back in his chair and glared at everyone.
Now, King Dedede left the shop and walked leisurely, swinging his arms around in circles.
“Phew, I’m tired. Sitting still is quite hard work. When I get tired… the best thing to do is relax at a cafe…”
Then he realized, there are no cafes in the village.
“Hmm… in that case, I’ll take a break on a park bench…”
This village doesn’t even have a park.
King Dedede stopped in his tracks. Around Dedede Castle, there was Chef Kawasaki’s restaurant, as well as pleasant parks and plazas. You can even take a nap in the shade of trees near Whispy Woods. However, there is absolutely no such place in this Sunset Village.
“What a mess! I can’t even get a proper rest…”
King Dedede, having no choice, began walking again. Before he knew it, he had left the village. He followed the bumpy mountain path, heading further into the mountains. Before he knew it, the bumpy road was gone, and it had become difficult to get there.
“Hmm… I guess I’ll head back. What a boring place, I can’t even take a walk!”
Dedede was about to turn back, but then… he noticed a strange smell. It was pungent, not exactly a pleasant scent, but for some reason, it’s intriguing.
The king frowned, but was drawn in by the intriguing scent and quickened his pace. Pushing through grass, climbing the slope, clinging to the branches of the trees, we finally arrived at our destination-
The king cried out when he saw the scene unfolding before him. What he found there was a truly eerie spring, bubbles rising from the bottom. In fact, just getting closer makes you feel some heat… it’s so hot it’s almost humid. And the color of the water was so dark that you couldn’t see the bottom.
“Th-this is… a poisonous spring! We can’t leave such a dangerous place as is!”
Dedede’s face changed drastically, and he rushed back to Sunset to tell everyone there was danger. Dedede rushed into the village and nearly tripped over a Waddle Dee crouching by the pathway.
“Whoa! What are you doing?!”
The one who looked up was a smart-looking Waddle Dee wearing glasses. In one hand, he had a magnifying glass.
“Oh, you’re quite knowledgeable. What are you doing?’
This Waddle Dee knows everything, so everyone calls him Wise Waddle Dee.
Wise Waddle Dee looked up at the king and replied,
“I thought I’d do some research on this village while the meeting is dragging on. I was looking into the types of flowers that bloom here, like the ‘Tsuchiseichi’ flowers, and the properties of the soil.”
“Well there’s something else I’d like you to investigate, rather than that.”
What the king was referring to was the creepy spring he had found deep in the mountains.
“It’s too dangerous to have a spring like that nearby! We must evacuate everyone immediately!”
But Wise Waddle Dee, his glasses gleaming, muttered:
“Light blue water… and a strange smell… could it be…!”
He turned around in a flash.
“Let’s go, Your Majesty! We need to investigate!”
“Hold on a second, Wise! It’s dangerous to approach carelessly. Get a mask and gloves ready…”
“It’ll be alright, if my hunch is correct!”
Wise Waddle Dee started running. But even though he was knowledgeable, King Dedede can’t leave a little Waddle Dee in danger on his own.
King Dedede reluctantly chased after the wise Waddle Dee.
The pair followed the scent and finally reached the eerie spring. Wise Waddle Dee crouched down at the edge of the spring to get a good look at the hot water. King Dedede was panicked.
“Stay back, Wise Dee! It’s not safe…!”
“It’s alright, Your Majesty. This water is indeed…”
Wise Waddle Dee tried to calmly report the news, but Dedede, worried, jumped on him.
“Stay back! Leave this to me… AAAAH!”
Overwhelmed with energy, the king instead jumped over Wise Dee and plunged headfirst into the bubbling, foamy spring.
Wise Waddle Dee screamed. King Dedede lifted his head from the spring and thrashed about. He groaned in agony as he squirmed.
“Guh… is this the end for me too?! To be defeated by a poisonous spring… what a tragedy…!”
“Pull yourself together, Your Majesty! This spring is not poisonous!”
“Hmmm… poison… poison?…..”
Dedede looked confused, and stood up. The water level was low, and the hot water only reached about as far as his stomach. He made a dog-like noise to hide his embarrassment.
“Hmph! Of course it’s not poison. I knew that from the start!”
“How is the water temperature? Is it too hot?”
“This is just right. It feels good, like a bath. Mmm… I feel warmth from the core of my body. I’ve made a blunder.”
“Your Majesty, this is a hot spring.”
“And it’s an exceptionally high-quality spring. This is a wonderful discovery…!”
Wise Waddle Dee jumped up and down in excitement.
King Dedede crouched down, splashing around in the hot water that’s up to his shoulders, and asked.
“Discovered…? This hot spring…?”
“Yes. We’ll connect the pipes and transport this hot water to Sunset Village. If we build a large public bath, it will become a major tourist attraction that would bring everyone to visit! We could turn Sunset Village into a huge hot spring resort!”
King Dedede leaped out of the hot spring with a splash.
“What a brilliant idea! Well done, Wise Waddle Dee!”
“Oh it’s no thanks to me, Your Majesty. It’s to you, you discovered the hot spring. What’s more, you willingly jumped in to check the water temperature and composition. What a brave act!”
The wise Waddle Dee looked up at the king with a look of respect. Dedede stretched out his arms, wringing out his soaking wet gown.
“Hmph. Well naturally as a great ruler, I only did what was expected.”
“As expected of you, King of Dreamland!”
“Now, let’s head back to the village right away! I’ll let everyone know that I’ve found something incredible”
“We better hurry, Your Majesty!”
King Dedede and Wise Waddle Dee rushed back to Sunset Village in joy.
<- Chapter 4 Chapter 6 (WIP!) ->
I apologize for only now realizing Leafan is the actual name of the enemy not Leafly. I also edited the names of Waddle Dees in Chapter 1 to match Bandana Waddle Dee.
The design of the smart Waddle Dee seems exactly like Wise Waddle Dee in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. And since Elfilin is also in this book, I assume it's the same character from that game.
Two weeks from this post I'll start senior high- and while I can't guarantee when I'll have freetime to continue this, I can promise I will not abandon this project. Thank you all for your patience and time and Chapter 6 will be here when it's ready. :)
