S1.5 E5 RoKJ P2 Ch7

Return of Knuckle Joe
Part II: Strongest of the Strong
Chapter 7: Double Betrayal


Kirby was weak, injured, and barely able to stand upright, but if there was one thing he could still do, it was inhale.

The smash punch bulged and flexed within his mouth as if he'd swallowed a lightning bolt; it gave him a charge equally strong. He spun up into a flash of light too blinding to look upon. When he came down, a red band – a fighter's headdress – was wound around his head.

"He did it!" exclaimed Fumu.

"Fighter Kirby!" agreed Bun.

Touching down to the ground with renewed energy, Kirby tapped the patch of his pink skin between his eyes and mouth. Knuckle Joe grinned and put his hands on his hips. "That's more like it, Star Warrior!" he declared. He looked up at Masher mischievously. "Let's do it, Masher!"

Masher roared in agreement and began to twirl his mace again. Knuckle Joe leapt into the air as if he was going to throw another punch at Kirby – but at the last minute, he turned himself around with a cry of, "SPIN KICK!" The attack pummeled into Masher, denting his hard metal exterior.

Masher gave a long, drawn-out roar of pain and confusion. Everyone watching – Fumu and Bun, the knights, Dedede and Escargon – was stunned. Knuckle Joe landed easily on two feet. His smile was gone; the game was over. "Vulcan jab! Vulcan jab! Vulcan jab!"

Masher reeled and finally tipped over under the onslaught. Dedede screeched his car on to the battlefield. "What do you think you're doing, Knuckle Joe?!" he demanded.

Joe rubbed his nose and cackled. "I'm betraying you!"

"Nani?" Dedede looked genuinely confused by this announcement, and so did everyone else.

"This was my plan from the beginning," Joe continued. His smile had returned, but it now vanished just as quickly, replaced by an expression of determination. "I only wanted to defeat the strongest demon beast, Masher. In the name of a demon hunter!"

"Demon hunter?" Bun repeated quietly.

"You were lying about becoming their employee, weren't you?" realized Fumu joyously. "This was your new job?"

"The Holy Nightmare Company wouldn't make their strongest demon beast public easily," explained Joe. "So I had to trick them."

By the cliff side, Meta Knight, who had recovered sufficiently from being thrown against the rocks, nodded thoughtfully. "To deceive your enemy, you first had to deceive your allies…"

King Dedede laughed and clasped his hands together as if applauding. "You're brilliant!"

"What's so funny?" demanded Escargon. "We're the ones who were tricked!"

"NANI?!" shouted Dedede, as if this had only just occurred to him. "Knuckle Joe, do you think it's over with this?!"

"Just watch," responded Knuckle Joe casually.

Dedede clenched his fists together and growled. "Masher, don't hold back! Pulverize them both!"

The now considerably dented Masher lifted itself up and began to twirl its mace again, rapidly gathering speed. Knuckle Joe rubbed his nose, eagerly anticipating the battle. "Kirby, you ready? Together now."

"Poyo!" said Kirby, mimicking the gesture.

Masher hurled his mace at the pair…and as if on cue, they split up, dashing off in different directions. Then, simultaneously, the two jumped up and cried "VULCAN JAB!" Two spheres of pale blue energy battered Masher from two sides. Enraged, the enormous mechanical demon beast hurled the handle of its mace at Kirby. The baby warrior was smacked aside, but Knuckle Joe avoided the attack. "Kirby!" he called.

Masher tossed the spiked ball at the end of the chain towards Joe, who jumped up and met the weapon with his foot. "Kirby!" he panted as he landed. Kirby followed the older boy's lead, and the duo raced around to opposite sides of their opponent.

Kirby sent out a few Vulcan jabs as a distraction; then Joe leapt over his head and released a powerful spin kick. Masher reeled from a blow to the visor. Meta Knight, Chuva, Sword, and Blade watched the fight rage back and forth, amazed and impressed.

"Sir, they're…" Sword began.

"Like two halves of a whole…" murmured Blade.

"No, like light and shadow…" corrected Sword.

"They're in perfect sync!" Blade finished.

Chuva smirked; she was clearly pleased with this turn of events. "Like doubles, you mean."

Meta Knight's eyes surged a proud and enlightening blue. "The two of them have grown up."

Meanwhile, Kirby and Knuckle Joe were succeeding. Together, Masher posed no challenge for them. In unison, they threw off spin kicks, then Vulcan jabs, then smash punches. Masher was bruised and battered all over, and as it succumbed to the high level of damage being thrown at it, it began to short circuit.

"Kirby, it's time for the finishing blow," Knuckle Joe told his partner.

"Poyo!" agreed Kirby.

They readied their fists as they prepared for one final attack: "Sure Kill! RISING BREAK!"

As they screamed out the last, they drew volts of power up through Masher's chest, utterly obliterating any mechanisms inside of it that might still be working. Masher was momentarily airborne; then, as it came back down, it detonated, sending smoke and clouds of silt into every direction.

"They did it!" exclaimed Fumu and Bun.

Suddenly, a wind of backlash spread over the plain. Everyone struggled to stay rooted, and Dedede and Escargon's car was overturned and rolled against the cliff – the usual act of deliverance.

Kirby and Knuckle Joe landed before the remains of Masher. Kirby's transformation had ended, but it was clear that Knuckle Joe was now and always would be a full-blown demon hunter. Maybe he wasn't quite all grown up, but he was continuing onward with his parent's legacy. He was a true Nexgen.

The two fighting partners turned toward each other, rubbed their noses, then shook hands.

***

Far, far away from Popstar, at the base of the Holy Nightmare Company, the Customer Service man turned around to face a hunkered silhouette in the wall behind him. "Knuckle Joe managed to completely deceive me this time," he said, flustered and embarrassed at his critical error. "I apologize for this."

"No matter," answered a deep, menacing voice. "Someday they'll come to realize the dreadful fate that awaits them for opposing me."