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Participating in the cake royale was really something else. To be honest, when he’d first seen the competition, he hadn’t been sure he’d be able to handle his own. But he did! He wasn’t really sure how long this would go, but still, he felt happy actually managing to hold his own like that. And then, he had to take on some of the challenges with a partner, and he paired up with Kirby. And it was nice. Fighting together, cooperating… It was nice. It kinda reminded him of their first adventure together, to save Ripple Star.
And they’d managed to beat the rest of the competition too! Even Meta Knight! They’d managed to beat everyone!
And then they’d gotten to the finale. And they’d won that, too. And the King didn’t appreciate it. So much so, in fact, that he was now in a one on three battle with Kirby and two other guards.
And Bandee had no idea what to do about it. He just knew he wanted to be there.
So, wanting to support his best friend, he’d made his way to the arena, watching from the side.
This… brought back memories. Not the pleasant kind. At least the competition wasn’t as serious this time. Even if the King was mad, it wasn’t the same kind of mad as back then… Back then, when he’d also sat there and watched, supporting his king, all the while hoping none of the two fighters got seriously hurt. It wasn’t a pleasant memory, at all. He was glad this whole thing was mostly behind them now. At least it was fully behind Kirby. But the memories made this whole thing feel a bit strange, despite the obvious differences. He wasn’t alone on the stands this time, it wasn’t as serious, and…
And he was cheering Kirby on. Unlike last time. That felt strange. But it also felt right. After all, they’d won this competition fair and square!
And then there was a third battle. And that’s when he decided this was officially too much. So without really thinking, he rushed in to give Kirby a helping hand. Giving them a weapon they could use to win the fight.
And they won. For real this time. And he had to pause for a moment, thinking about what just happened. He’d just participated with his friend in this huge competition! And they won! They really won! And even though in the end, it was still Kirby who did most of the work, he was still happy. Happy he got to be there. Happy he got to help. Working with his friend, fighting alongside them…
It was nice. Really nice. So much so he found himself wishing he could do this more often. Not just that, but the whole battle thing too. It was nice, a friendly spar to prove his strength. To get stronger.
He liked this.
But now wasn’t the time to think about this stuff. It was time for cake!
And after this long day, they both headed home together. The stars above were twinkling with a comforting, familiar light, and the moon was bright and full. It was a pleasant, quiet moment, the nightly breeze slightly ruffling his fur, and he found himself wishing it would last just a little longer, unwilling to let this adventure end so soon.
“Hey, Bandee?”
“Yes?”
Kirby turned to him and smiled.
“I just wanted to thank you for participating in the cake royale with me! I couldn’t have done this without you!”
…
Oh, there it was again. The warmth, the butterflies, how light and happy he felt. The stars shone bright, but their smile was even brighter. And it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, like he could do anything, floating on his own little cloud of happiness.
“Thanks, Kirby. But I’m pretty sure you did all of the heavy lifting back there!”
“That’s not true! I couldn’t have done this without you! Even in the final battle, you’re the one that gave me the cannon!”
…
Feeling his face heat up, he looked away in an attempt to hide it.
“T-thanks Kirbs.”
Kirby smiled. They were really happy to have gotten to do this with Bandee. And it was true they couldn’t have done this without him. Sometimes, he felt stronger, simply by him being there, by knowing that their friend was by their side. It made them feel warm. Happy.
The two friends looked up to the sky again, in sync.
…
The moon was really beautiful tonight.