Next to the lab's door was a sword, which I decided to take. With the silver blade clutched in a firm grasp, quiet footsteps padded towards the creaking of the metal hinges. I unlocked the door with a familiar rusted key I found buried in the ground nearby. Silence filled the vacant hallways as shadows clouded my vision. Eventually, I reached my destination- the basement. Or rather specifically, the room holding my father's old secret project. Although I wasn't prepared for the door to slam shut behind me once I entered. My feet halted in their tracks, breathing hitched as I went still. After a few moments, I turned around once nothing seemed to be happening. There were no figures lurking in the corners, only an empty room with my fingertips loosening on the handle of a sword. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I turned foot to face the portal again. This room looks exactly the same as when I left it. The dark, swirling opening of space in the center of the room almost appeared to be surreal. Perhaps I should've bid my last farewell to everyone before leaving… it's too late now. But I'm sure they'll be glad to have the friend that they know back. I stepped closer to the portal, drawing near the opening until a single thought caused me to pause. My father's still here in this universe. Does that mean he'll exist in mine, too? Tutting with a brief shake of my head, I dismissed the thought. I'll deal with him back in my own universe. My alternate self should be able to figure out how to defeat him, too. Especially since we both share the same powers- and considering this planet is exactly how I remember it… we most likely share the same past, as well. The space rift beckoned me nearer. Not to mention, my alternate self seems to have plenty of helping hands in this universe, too. So he'll be fine. I took a glimpse at the machine to the right of the portal, foggy memories resurfacing at the timeline graphs. King Dee's words echoed in my mind, causing my thoughts to reel. "...you don't even know what universe that portal could send ya back to." My feet halted in their tracks as realization dawned upon me. He's right. This may not be the exact same portal. Even if it was, it may not send me back to the same universe again. Letting out a huff, I went to take a closer look at the machine next to the portal. Reading graphs of different timelines until something caught my attention. Tinted blue eyes narrowed at a timer, one underneath each wavelength. So this portal switches between different timelines and universes. How do I tell which one is mine, though? There were four different timelines on the screen, each one indicating a different wavelength and timeline. Sighing, my eyes darted back to the portal. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. The only way to find the right timeline for my universe that I can think of is to jump into each one. I don't know anyone that would be able to figure out any other way… Susie, perhaps? No, she's never even met me in this universe. Not to mention she'd immediately raise questions about this planet. It seems like I'm on my own, per usual. Despite knowing that I'd get switched with my alternate self of whatever universe I travel to, my sight darted towards the graphs. As soon as the timer underneath the first timeline went off, I took in a breath and stepped into the portal. I wish there was a way I could have dragged the starship down here. Although that would be an impossible task with how narrow and dark these hallways are. Darkness enveloped me before a wave of gravity encased my form. I landed on a patch of grass underneath a cloudless sky. Breathing out a sigh, I stood and brushed myself off. I glanced up to see the sun at its highest peak. Really, again? Taking in my surroundings, I came to the conclusion that I was in a rich person's backyard. At least, if the mansion the picket-white fence was connected to was anything to go by. I hope whoever the land owner is doesn't take this as an invasion of privacy. Deciding to take my leave quickly before anyone noticed me, I ran to the edge and jumped over the fence. Taking a completely graceful landing- as I lay sprawled out on the grass. Alright, that could have been planned out better. Standing up once more, I flicked a few chopped blades of grass off of my light pink hoodie. The lawn must have been recently mowed. Hopefully they won't be coming back outside anytime soon, then. I sprinted away from the house, silently wishing that I had packed a couple of meta tomatoes in my mailbag before diving into yet another universe. Yeah, I really should've warned them back in the other universe about hopping into another timeline. I'm sure they'll figure it out when my alternate self from this universe falls into their timeline without a clue to what's happened. Dang it, now I feel bad. A huff slipped through my next breath, dismissing any track of thoughts. I slowed my pace considerably when I arrived at a small town with a marketplace and a hospital on the corner. Not to mention some sort of sign for several different arenas for sparring. Interesting. The ringing of a silver doorbell chimed as my quiet footsteps entered the farmer's market. In my search for a meta tomato, the woman running the cash register piped up. My line of vision flickered towards her direction as she spoke. "Ah, good afternoon Kirby. You're back already for more healing items? I thought that I had already scolded those reckless boys to go easier on you during your matches!" I blinked at her, casting her a half-hearted shrug as she heaved a sigh. During our matches? Thinking back to the strange sign I saw, my jumbled mind started connecting the dots. So I'm not a toddler in this universe like the last one. However apparently there's a competition of several different matches, or battles, that my alternate self participates in. Great. I don't even know who these 'boys' are that she's talking about, either. After putting four meta tomatoes into a small basket, I carried the red fruit over to the cash register and pulled out- wait is the currency different here? Noting my hand about to reach into my mailbag, the woman smiled and held her hand up. "Don't worry about paying, it's on the house." She handed me the four tomatoes back, now in a small plastic bag. I nodded at her generosity, offering a simple smile. "Thank you." With a hum of acknowledgement, she glanced at the clock behind her- most likely waiting for her lunch break. I bid her farewell and promptly walked out of the shop, stepping into the warm sun glowing above the light breeze. I found a recycling bin nearby, dropping the plastic bag into it and placing the meta tomatoes inside my red leather mailbag. After doing so, I decided to try and find an automobile shop- either that or Susie- to find a spaceship to use. In the middle of my walk around the town, I passed by Meta. The masked knight acknowledged my presence right away, to my misfortune. Or perhaps it was luck… yeah, most likely not. He prompted me with a nod, stopping me in my tracks. "I thought you were practicing in the backyard for the upcoming battle. Are you ready for the next match?" Alright, so the parallel version of myself from this universe was apparently in the backyard I landed in. That would make sense. I cast the caped swordsman a brief nod in reply. "Yeah, I just wanted to stop by the farmer's market and another place in town before the match started." Amber eyes flashed as he hummed in acknowledgement. "Well you should probably save your next stop for later, the match is about to start in a moment. I'll come with you to the arena." He gestured for me to follow him, with me doing so begrudgingly. I shouldn't have played along, now I'm stuck with battling against someone I most likely don't even know. I don't exactly know how these matches work, either. Probably just have to knock my opponent off the arena platform. Meta's voice lured me out of my thoughts. "By the way, you'll be fighting against one of the princesses today. So there's no need to pack more than one meta tomato." Hold up- what? The last time I checked, there's not any royalty we know of besides Prince Fluff. I cleared my throat, giving a small confirmation towards the knight. "Alright." He sent a brief nod towards my direction. The rest of the walk remained silent. He wished me luck once we stopped in front of the arena gates. "Good luck, Kirby. I'm certain you'll do well, as usual." My eyes widened slightly, gazing at Meta's back as he walked away. What's up with all of his alternate selves being unusually kind? Breathing out a sigh, I stepped onto the platform to greet my opponent. Sky blue eyes met my own weary ones. The princess donned a puffy light pink ball gown, a long pair of white gloves, and a bronze crown with a dark pink jewel in the middle and two blue gems on either side of it. Her long blonde hair was tucked behind her ears, the fringes on each side of her forehead curling at the tips. Her pink-lipped smile was soft, yet her eyes held pure determination. I have a feeling she's one of those people who are a lot tougher than they appear to be. Lovely. Before I could think twice about backing out of the stadium, a timer went off and started the countdown. The doors to the arena clicked, a clear sign of a lock preventing anyone to enter or leave. I grasped the silver blade I had brought with me from the other universe, my hold as taught as a spring. Not a moment later, the countdown ended.