a King Dedede X Chef Kawasaki story by lexdoes

Chapter 1:
Chef Kawasaki's Restaurant

Revision 0 (rough draft)
First posted: 3/23/23

Chef Kawasaki woke up at seven in the morning every day, and that was for good reason. You see, he ran his very own restaurant that opened each morning at eight o'clock. In just one hour, the chef had to bathe himself, dress in a white apron and chef's hat that perfectly complimented his orange, egg-shaped body, do any dishes remaining from last night, clean the many tables, and preheat his oven.

Kawasaki's restaurant was alright. It was certainly not the greatest restaurant in all of Popstar, but you could tell that Chef Kawasaki put a lot of love into his cooking. On a regular day, Kawasaki's would get about 20, maybe 30 patrons. He barely made enough money to keep the lights on and keep his customers happy, but he didn't seem to care too much. The main reason why only a few people went to Kawasaki's is that most citizens of Dream Land worked at the castle, which had a cafeteria.

Speaking of the castle, Dream Land was ruled by His Majesty, the great King Dedede, and he was known for wanting you to know that. Almost everyone in Dream Land owned a portrait of him, as they were given a complimentary one for free by the government either when they were of age or when they moved in. Kawasaki, as with everyone else, also had a portrait of the King, which he hung up next to the food safety certificate for his restaurant. It showed the King's head, wearing his trademark red and gold cap and his big fluffy coat that wrapped around his chubby body. Kawasaki had never actually seen King Dedede in person, so this portrait was the only likeness of the King that Kawasaki was familiar with.

Anyways, one fateful morning, Kawasaki was happily working his job in the kitchen, sizzling some eggs. Earlier, he had put on a radio news program that was set to some quiet jazz music for the enjoyment of his patrons. The newswoman was in the middle of a story about a Waddle Dee who painted a mural of a Maxim Tomato all by himself when she got some breaking news from Castle Dedede. "It has just come to my attention that due to accidental cross-contamination, Castle Dedede's cafeteria will be closed until further notice," the radio announced to the restaurant, "so the King's loyal servants will have to eat somewhere else today."

Chef Kawasaki was both excited and nervous. He was excited because, of course, he would have a lot more customers. But he was also nervous, for he had heard many things about the King that made him nervous. "That big penguin can be so selfish," Kawasaki once overheard a patron complain, "and not to mention hungry! If he ever stepped foot in this restaurant, Kawasaki's probably going to be bankrupt within hours!". What if the rumors were true, Kawasaki worriedly thought, and King Dedede would act bratty to him, or worse, eat his restaurant out of business?

Lunchtime came, and sure enough, the restaurant was filled with Waddle Dees who couldn't eat at the Castle's cafeteria for the time being. Kawasaki had a bit more work to do, but he loved cooking, so the extra patrons were actually quite enjoyable to him. As he worked, Kawasaki kept an eye on the clock, nervously wondering if the King would come to his restaurant, and what he would do if he did. The shorter hand slowly went from pointing straight up to leaning to the northeast. The closer the shorter hand went toward the right side of the clock, the more the lunch crowd reduced, and the less Kawasaki worried about King Dedede arriving. Eventually, the clock struck 3. This meant that the crowds from lunch would be completely gone, and Chef Kawasaki would have about two hours to relax a little before dinner starts. His favorite way to relax was by making himself a small chocolate mousse.

Kawasaki was about to dig into his mousse when he heard someone open the door. The sound of this customer's footsteps was loud and deep, and it shook the floor a little bit. Chef Kawasaki walked out of the kitchen, mousse still in hand, to take the customer's order. "Welcome to Kawasaki's, how may I--" he began, before noticing the customer's appearance. The customer was a chubby blue penguin with a big fluffy coat and a red and gold cap.