Kirby x Pokemon AU: Champion of Popstar

Gone with the Breeze: Popopo Beginnings

"Morpho?" A young child whimpered softly, "...Will I ever become a great trainer?"

"Why not, my child?" A middle-aged person replied gently, sitting by the shade of a large oak tree.

The small child clenched their empty Poke Ball and could only stare at the lowering sun in sadness.

As the sky turned a warm purple in Popopo Village, the young child looked at his mentor in orange robes. His large starry blue eyes twinkled with hopelessness, knowing he failed in his training.

Morpho gave their child an assuring nod of approval and got up from their resting spot under the evergreen tree. They proceeded to pick up their small child in woolly, pink clothes.

"Listen to me Kirby, you do not have to be the greatest trainer in the World. I would never ask for such a cruel favour, " Morpho had a smile of compassion, "I just wanted you to learn to throw a Poke Ball for today,"

"I still couldn't hit the target on the rock! My throws are too weak..."

"And one day you will hit the rock, just not today,"

"...Can we go home now?" The young child tugged their parent's silky orange robe, discouraged and ready to go home.

"Haha, of course, my child. I should start preparing dinner anyway."

The young child and their caretaker began to pace slowly down the hill. Both have delicious dinner ideas on their minds.

"Morpho, can we have strawberry cake for dinner?"

"Kirby that's dessert, not dinner. And no, we'll make a cake this weekend instead,"

"Awe..."

-End of Flashback -

CRASH

"Huh?"

A 12-year-old child woke up in the dead of night and scrambled across their cozy, pink-themed room. They quickly put on their warm slippers and skid across the semi-messy hallway, only to come face to face with an open door. A harsh breeze suddenly pushed the child away, leaving them unbalanced for the moment.

"Morpho!?" The child yelled in terror as they ran across their house in search of their mentor, "MORPHO?!"

"KIRBY!" a young girl called, running into the house with orange, fluffy pyjamas and a parasol in hand, "Kirby! There you are! You woke up half the neighbourhood with that loud shouting..."

A young boy ran into the house and immediately locked eyes with his childhood friend.

Kirby!? Is everything okay? The young boy signed to his neighbour who still lying on the cold floor.

"I-I.." Kirby began to tear up, overwhelmed by the panic,

The teenage girl and young boy looked at the state of the house and came to a similar conclusion.

"Judging by the messy house, someone left in a hurry! I mean, just look at the flowers on the ground! You know Morpho takes their gardening seriously! " Parasol, Kirby's older neighbour stated, crossing her arms at the sight of a messy house.

Gooey embraced Kirby, as the child in fuzzy pink pyjamas looked down in sadness.

At this point, all the neighbours had awoken and gathered around the small orange, flower-covered house. They all went to comfort Kirby, who was afraid of what had happened to their guardian.

"No way! Morpho just got up and left?" Chef Kawasaki questioned, looking around the large cul-de-sac.

"Sure doesn't sound like them. Morpho had the most chill out of anyone here. They wouldn't leave Kirby behind, ever!" Parasol's father said with worry, embracing his worried daughter.

"I say they got kidnapped! You're right about Morpho not leaving Kirby behind, we all knew them quite well, and they literally adopted Kirby so the kid wouldn't be alone!" Waddle Doo declared as the villagers looked at Kirby softly crying.

The child in fluffy, pink pyjamas then looked up at the adults and cried harder.

"I'm adopted???" Kirby bawled.

The villagers glared at Waddle Doo.

"AHEM. So, now that Morpho's gone. Kirby can stay with us in the meantime!" Parasol jumped in attempting to act optimistically, "You're gonna be my new lil' sibling, ain't that right Kirby?"

Why does he get to live with you? You're not the only next-door neighbour around here! Gooey signed with a pouty expression.

"Parasol... We should let Kirby rest first. We'll discuss this in the morning," Parasol's Dad sighed sadly, "Come on Kirby, you can stay at our house and sleep!"

"...I don't think I can go back to sleep," Kirby sighed, walking into their house and shutting the door. Gooey knocked repeatedly, but there was no answer.

Kirby locked the front entrance and began to sluggishly sweep the floor. The kid organized each room in the house one by one, attempting to make the place look like it did before. No clutter, no footprint stains, and no fallen flower vases.

Finally, the child went into Morpho's room and organized the place, which was the messiest in the house. Their cluttered work desk, their messy closet with suits and robes everywhere, and their mentor's bed were all reorganized. In Morpho's closet, a single Friendball was found in a box, but Kirby decided to place it in their mentor's dresser.

A Friend Ball? Morpho's not a trainer...

Kirby then lay on their mentor's empty bed, refusing to sleep. The child attempted to fluff the pillow before noticing an odd detail.

"What the? Morpho didn't tell me they liked late-night snacks like me!" Kirby pulled a multicoloured candy wrapper underneath the pillow, revealing a crumpled note inside, "Huh, I didn't know these came with..."

Kirby read the letter, staring intensely at the messy writing.

My child,

I am sorry to leave you but I must go for your safety. I wish I could have told you sooner. I have unfinished business with something. For your safety, I ask you to follow my instructions if you want to see me again. Defeat all the region's Gym Leaders and work to become a certified ace trainer. There should be a single Friend Ball in my closet that contains a single Pokemon that I think suits you quite well. Please be safe.

-Signed Morpho

"...Oh, so that's what that single special-looking Poke Ball was for, whoops," Kirby rushed over to the polished dresser and took out the Friendball, "Friend Ball...Go!"

As the ball hit the ground and bounced in the air, a single Togepi appeared and looked around. The moonlight shone in the Pokemon's eyes as Kirby took out their Pokedex and scanned the pages in alphabetical order.

"The Spike Ball Pokemon. So you're called Togepi? Nice to meet you!" Kirby lifted the Spike Ball Pokemon and gently coddled the baby Pokemon.

The young Pokemon looked around in bewilderment, formed tears in its eyes, and began to cry from confusion.

"Ah! What's the matter? Are you hungry? Maybe you need to play?" Kirby then peered out the window, "Oh, right. It's way past midnight. I forgot how late it is after all the cleaning I did,"

Kirby along with Togepi crying in his arms, lay on the soft, orange sheets and attempted to coo the saddened Pokemon.

"Togepi... You're all that I have left. We have to... work together and..."

The promising young trainer and their new Pokemon drifted off to sleep, dreaming of reuniting with Morpho.