The Great Fox II, Lylat System
In an immaculately clean room, a Vixen was taking a shower. From how much she’ll sweat, there was basically no point, but she liked feeling clean and she’ll only need her flight suit. Done with her shower, she dried off and suited up for her mission. Some Pirates stole newly built Destroyers, and the ship builder company hired Star Fox to have them destroyed. They can always disassemble the remains and rebuild them, after all. But Krystal thinks destroying the command centers should do the trick while saving them money. Other than the money she’ll get from her cut of doing the mission, money she can put towards a personal vessel she can use to get back to exploring her past. In fact, these particular ship builders, Kuat Drive Yards, make custom configurations and even do Burst-capable ships!
Feeling excited, she found herself running over to the hangar bay and checked on her Arwing… But something wasn’t right. Last time she flew, she got hit a few times. The blasts left scorch marks, and those are cleaned up. But the outer plating is still dented. And the shield module is still busted, the hole made where an asteroid struck it is still there, it should’ve been replaced days ago. Fox said it was getting handled.
Fox…
She looked over to the other Arwings. There’s supposed to be five more, but there’s one missing. The custom painted one belonging to Falco. But that would mean Falco left, and there was only one mission today…
An Arwing Mechanic walked by and Krystal stopped him.
“Excuse me, were repairs on my Arwing moved over?” Krystal asked.
“Yes ma’am, Slippy moved it back to work on Falco’s Arwing last night.”
“Thank you.”
The engineer walked back to his duties and Krystal approached an office space on the other side of the hanger. Slippy was sitting in a chair going through a computer monitor, checking on inventory. Krystal spots this and takes note of it as she approaches the toad.
“Checking on inventory, Slippy?” She asks in a sly yet friendly tone.
“As a matter of fact, I am!” Slippy chirps, “We’re pretty well stocked, as far as I can tell.”
“How are we on armor plating and shield modules?”
Slippy froze in that moment, slowly turning to face the Vixen.
“U-uh… Please don’t get mad.”
“I couldn’t get mad at you, I already know it’s not your fault. I just want to hear you say who pushed back the repairs to my fighter. Is it who I think it is?” Slippy only nods, shaking a little as he does so, “I see. Thank you for helping.”
Krystal walks out of Slippy’s office and through a door out of the hanger.
… Fox.
“FOOOOOOOOOX!!!!”
Krystal ran over to Fox’s quarters where he’s filling out the documents involving Falco running the mission.
“Fox, What The Hell!?” Krystal yelled, slamming her hands on Fox’s desk.
“W-what’s wrong?” Fox stuttered, baffled by this sudden outburst.
“You Pushed Back My Fighter On Its Maintenance And Sent Falco On The Mission I Signed Up For!!!”
Fox knew already that she’s absolutely correct. He pushed back the work her Arwing needed and prevented her from doing an incredibly dangerous mission. It was almost a suicide mission involving fending off Pirates in stolen destroyers, but Falco could pull that off easily. Though, it’s still likely that he could get hurt, and Fox doesn’t want that to happen to Krystal.
“... Krystal, you have to understa-“
“‘That you’re only doing it for my protection’,” Krystal interrupted, “Just like the last dozen times. I’m getting tired of that excuse, Fox. I’m not some damsel in distress, I wanted that action!”
“But it’s something I would’ve struggled with,” Fox pleaded, “I don’t even expect Falco to come back in one piece!”
“Do you think I’m made of glass!?”
“Please, when I found you-“
“Don’t You Dare Bring Up General Scales!!! That Was One Time That He Got The Drop On Me, And After I Almost Liberated An Entire Planet On My Own!”
“I’m Doing It Because I Love You!!!”
Krystal went still and silent, her eyes now staring into Fox’s soul.
“... What do you love about me, Fox?”
Fox was taken aback by the question, not immediately sure how to answer the question. He thought for a bit before giving an answer.
“W-well, you’re beautiful-”
“Too easy. Give me something else.”
“Y-you’re smart, and you’re kind. You always help others-”
“Do I help others, Fox?”
“What?”
“I just want to know if I do help others, or if I can only do it when you feel that I won’t be in any immediate danger, regardless of if I wanted to put myself in it?”
Fox wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He just sat there and stayed silent.
“I know what we’re going to do. You’re going to meet me in two hours in the gymnasium in sparring pads.”
“Sparring gear? Why would we spar?” Fox asked in confusion.
“Because you forgot that I’m still a warrior, and I intend on reminding you. If you don’t show up, we’re through and I’m leaving. If I beat you, we’re through and I’m leaving. But if you somehow manage to beat me instead, we’ll discuss this further. Understood?”
“... Yes, I understand.” Krystal got off Fox’s desk and walked out of his quarters, “I love you!”
“That remains to be seen.” Krystal says coldly as the door closes behind her.
-----------------------------------------------------
A custom painted Arwing approached The Great Fox II. The fighter was still blue and white, but with extra red pinstripes that he painted on himself.. After several tries. Still, He got it right eventually. Now it stands out better! The craft pulled into the hanger and arms with magnetic tips grab the Arwing and pull it down, Falco shutting off the craft and opening the canopy. He hopped out and walked towards Slippy’s office.
“Ey, Slippy!” Falco called, only to see that the office was completely empty, “Slippy?”
He looked around, but no one was in the hanger at all. Exiting the hanger, he saw one of the ship’s security hustling down the hall.
“Hey, what happened to the hanger?” Falco asked.
The security specialist stopped and turned to Falco.
“Falco? Sir! Everyone’s going to the gymnasium.”
“What’s so exciting that everyone’s going there?”
“Sir, Krystal is gonna go at it with Fox!”
“Oh god, they’re putting on shows now?”
“No, they’re gonna fight!”
Falco was caught off guard with that one.
“... Fight? As in, they’re gonna yell at each other?”
“No sir, they’re gonna spar!”
“Oh no…”
Falco broke into a run to the gymnasium, hoping that he could stop something before Fox gets hurt. He ran through the entrance to the gym and found it configured for sparring with no barriers, and Krystal standing at the center wearing no sparring pads, only athletic pants and a sports bra.
“No no no no no no, you are not doing this!” Falco exclaimed as he stopped in front of the Vixen.
“Stop me, and I’ll dunk you in the basketball hoop and you can watch from there.” Krystal threatened.
“You’re doin’ the thing where you blindly threaten people, Krys’.”
“Oh! Terribly sorry, Falco. But you’re not stopping this from happening.”
“Are you out of your fuckin’ mind? You’ll snap him in half.”
“Only his arms. Medical staff will have him fixed by tomorrow.”
“You realize you sound kinda crazy right now, right?”
“Falco, I’m tired of Fox’s bullshit!”
Falco’s face fell into his palm and he let out a very audible sigh.
“… Yeah. Yeah, I know he’s gettin’ pretty bad. Hell, he got on my case because I didn’t want to take the mission.”
“I’ve heard the same from Miyu and Fay, forcing them to come with or to take the mission so I don’t have to go alone or even do anything… Though, you have been giving me someone to vent to.”
“You’ve had my back a few times. Seemed only fair I have yours.”
Falco took a moment to think about her venting. Rants about how Fox was so protective of her, always having things done for her, ready to find out whatever she has planned so she doesn’t have to do it. He remembered an extremely peculiar night from it all.
It was half a year since Fox and Krystal were dating that night, and Krystal wanted to make him a nice dinner. She planned a nice, big dinner for the both of them, but Fox found out and made it instead. Sounds harmless enough if Fox didn't either have food made for her or made her food almost every single night. She thought she’d make something for Fox so she could also eat something she made herself, and Fox took that from her. She was going to do it in an elegant red dress because she wanted to do something special for him.
How does Falco know this? Krystal was crying her eyes out at Falco’s door and he let her in. She vented about her bottled up feelings while Falco held her head in his lap. A strange thing, but it was only the one time. And he let her come to his room to vent about whatever problems she was having with Fox.
Which brought him back to that moment of thought.
“... Kick his ass. Just don’t kill him, alright?” Falco requested, “I need him tomorrow.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
Falco walked off and looked around, spotting Miyu and walked towards her. Miyu put her hand out for a macho handshake, and Falco slapped his hand against her’s, the two squeezing each other’s hands and flexing a little. Sadly, all of Falco’s muscle definition was hidden under his feathers, while Miyu had no trouble with her arm muscles becoming particularly pronounced. She’s almost as much of a showoff as Falco, and it shows.
“Ready for the show, birdbrain?” Miyu poked.
“Ehh, I’ll watch the show, but I wish this didn’t have to end in violence.” Falco admitted.
“How did it boil to this point, anyways?” Fay asked, walking up to the falcon and the lynx, “I mean, Krystal’s the one who flirted with him in the beginning. She was obviously interested.”
“You’ve never been Fox’s girlfriend before.” Miyu said, “I was his high school sweetheart and I can already tell you, he’s attracted to strong girls but wants to do everything with them. I mean, he tried to get me out of a fight I got myself in.”
“Yeah, I remember that.” Falco recalled, “But you lost that fight and Fox did save your ass.”
“Hey!”
“Are all public schools like that?” Fay questioned, her expression one of total shock.
“Nah, we’re just fighters.” Falco answered, “Krystal just hasn't been as abrasive as Miyu because she’s got a softer heart. Well, before she’s pissed. That’s where she differs from us. Me and Miyu? We’re fighters. You, me, and Miyu? We were trained to be soldiers and pilots. Fighter pilots at that. Krystal is something else.”
“What’s different about Krystal?” Miyu chuckled, “Her tattoos have magic properties?”
“Well, you already know that Krystal can read minds, right? Like I said, we’re soldiers. But Krystal’s a purebred warrior hunter. Remember when she got around Fox to get that one escaped convict that even I couldn’t catch and she used a shuttle pod to get him?”
“Yeah, the dude was in a jungle world. She probably just read his mind.”
“Actually, she couldn’t. Too much wildlife she read instead, couldn't find him that way. But from how her report described it, she toyed with the poor bastard. Like, made him feel watched from every angle and never even touched the ground, swinging from vines and jumping from the trees to find him. And that wound through his leg? Just a stick, right?”
“He didn’t trip on it, did he…” Fay commented.
“She stabbed him with it to disable him.”
Miyu was dumbstruck by the revelation.
“Good god, she’s going to kill Fox.” Miyu said before dropping her jaw.
“The report only said she apprehended the convict…” Fay said in shock.
“She’s not going to kill Fox. She only wants to teach Fox a lesson.” Falco stated.
Fox walked into the room, his full sparring gear on, which consisted of various pads across his arms, legs, and chest with padded sparring gloves. He was shocked by Krystal’s complete lack of protective padding of any kind, making him feel even more uncomfortable about this fight. Falco waved him over as he walked somewhere out of general earshot and Fox approached him.
“Why isn’t she wearing sparring pads?” Fox asked.
“For the same reason you don’t recognize why she doesn’t need them.” Falco answers.
“What?”
“Fox, remember before Krystal was in a relationship with you?”
“Yeah, I remember. She joined to fill in for Peppy Hare.”
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’?”
“Did it ever once occur to you that she also signed on to be a hero?”
“Of course I do! That’s what we are, hero mercenaries.”
“Good, you recognize that. Were you going to let her do that?”
“I-I just don’t like seeing her get hurt.”
“That’s understandable, but have you ever asked what she thinks? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but she kinda likes to volunteer for the particularly dangerous stuff that’s available. Stuff that makes me blink. But what I find to be the most confusing is that you’ll pull Krystal from the dangerous missions, yet would rather put others in that danger to protect her even when she volunteered in the first place.”
“You guys can handle it, I only want the best flying for Star Fox.”
“So what about Krystal? Like I said, she volunteers the most out of all of us and even went behind your back to do ground missions. Hell, she trained you to be a better fighter on the ground, and that helped with the Aparoids and even let you feel confident to ride on the side of Wolf’s Wolfen without slipping. And she’s taught all of us her CQC skills so we could fight on the ground if we ever got shot down, and she taught me and Miyu to be better disciplined.”
“... She has done a lot for us. I just thought I’d return the favor.”
“And you never once let her make her own choices. I’m amazed the consequences didn’t come sooner.”
“What happens now?”
“You know what, Fox.”
Fox looked to Krystal who’s just standing there, waiting. He approached her and met her at the center of the gymnasium, the Vixen having her hands up.
“H-hey, can we talk about this?” Fox asked, “Or ask everyone to let us do this privately? I just don’t want to hit a girl in fron-AH!!!” Fox got knocked to the ground by a punch square in the snout, “Gh-No Warning!?”
“Take the padded gloves off, Fox.” Krystal demanded.
Fox would ask if there was no talking about this, but it’s obvious that Krystal doesn’t want to talk. And the crowd of mechanics and security was cheering on. Fox gets up and takes his gloves off, getting a jab in the chest from Krystal but blocking her left hook. Fox wasn’t sure how to handle this. He didn’t want to hurt Krystal, but blocking a kick to his gut made him realize that it was his only way out of this. Partially committed, he threw a punch that was dodged by a fancy handstand followed by a kick to the nose, this strike bloodying Fox and making him stagger. Krystal quickly followed with a punch to the shoulder to flip him around and land a second punch at his spine, knocking him down onto his chest. Krystal mounted Fox’s back and lifted his head up to whisper in his ear.
“Do I look like I need protecting, Fox?”
Before Fox could answer, his head was punched into the floor by Krystal before getting lifted back up to get elbowed back into the floor. A pool of blood formed under Fox’s face, all leaking from his nose. The crowd around them got silent when they realized that this wasn’t going to be what they thought. Krystal gets off Fox and waits for him to get up. Fox got up to one knee, wiped off his bloody nose, and got to his feet. Now fully committed, he ran towards Krystal and threw an aggressive punch that Krystal dodged and made Fox lose his balance. Steadying himself, he tried for his signature rush of kicks, but Krystal blocked every single one and backed away. He charged in with a punch that Krystal caught and pulled Fox in to lift him over her shoulders and toss him across the room.
Standing over the previous puddle of Fox’s blood, Krystal dipped two fingers in it and used them to make two blood red stripes under her eyes. Fox then came to a realization.
She’s toying with me. He thought to himself, She’s trying to prove herself to me.
“You want to prove yourself to me, Krystal?” Fox spat, “Don’t hold back.”
Fox reengaged with Krystal, but found that she disappeared. Then one of his arms was forcibly outstretched with Krystal standing behind it putting a hand behind the joint. Rapidly moving it forwards, Krystal hyperextended Fox’s arm, making it bend backwards how it shouldn't be able to. Fox cried out in pain as Krystal backed away a bit. Fox looked at his arm and a nurse in the crowd ran out to check on it, only to be stopped by Krystal.
“I’m not done with him.” Krystal told the nurse, gesturing to them to get back in the crowd.
Fox gathered himself, despite the pain and readied himself the best he could. Krystal charged him and went for a punch he stopped with his good arm, but Krystal punched the blocking arm as hard as she could, the connecting force being felt through the protective pads and snapping the bone in his forearm. She then did a spin and kicked Fox’s chest to crack multiple ribs through the ballistic gel the chest protection used. Fox flew backwards onto the floor, laying there in absolute pain with an inability to do anything. Still, Fox did try to get up again, Krystal walking over and looking down on him.
“You want to keep me safe?” Krystal grimmly chuckled, “Fox, I could’ve killed you in the first ten seconds if I wanted to.” She grabbed Fox by the chest pad and dragged him to the wall, the security standing against it clearing it so she could lift Fox and pin him to it, “Instead, I’m choosing to break you.” She delivered multiple successive punches to Fox’s snout, blood spraying against the wall and Krystal’s own face, “Do you know how fucking annoying it is to join a group of heroes only to be stopped from being one because I liked you?”
She tossed Fox to the center of the gym, Fox gaining a little control of his hyperextended arm as he got flipped over with Krystal kneeling besides him.
“Do You Know What I Am, You Piece Of Meat!?”
She lifted a fist, Fox moved to block it.
“I AM A DAMN WARRIOR HUNTER!!!”
Krystal struck his upper arm hard enough to cause the bone to snap backwards, pain shooting through Fox’s arm worse than his snapped forearm.
“I didn't join Star Fox to be some fucking trophy girlfriend! I don’t even put on makeup regularly like Fay and Miyu do, and I’ve been trying to pull my weight for ages! But You Keep Fucking That Up!” Krystal lifts a fist, and Fox can only give a pleading look, pleading that she won’t hit him again, “Look at you. You’re so worried about my safety that you forgot that I could have you at my mercy better than Wolf O’Donnell ever could. And you know why?”
“W-why?” Fox managed to cough out.
“Because you’re only a pilot, Fox.” Krystal got to her feet, still looking down at Fox, “I’ve already packed a shuttlepod. I’m leaving Star Fox and I’m going to Star Wolf. I don’t know where to find them, but I’m certain I’ll be able to. Goodbye Fox”
Krystal started to walk to the door, Fox tearing up and managing to stand up.
“W-Wait! Krystal, Don’t Go!” Fox pleads, “I Just Didn’t Want To See You Hurt! I Love You!!”
Krystal stopped and turned around in the doorway.
“... Fox, I used to love you too.” Krystal said, “But now? I can’t find it in myself to even think that thought. I don’t love you, Fox McCloud. Not anymore.”
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Great Wolf, Unknown Space
Wolf O’Donnell was sitting in his ready room, going through stacks of paperwork. Contracts with smugglers, allied gangs, taking out ship defenses, distracting militares and security, and various other tasks. It would be mind numbingly boring if he didn’t have a musical playing on a display on his desk. It was a bit of a romance using older rock music and incorporating social issues of the time into the conflicts between a guy and a girl who loved each other. The current point in the movie involves a musical sequence involving the boyfriend doing art involving strawberries and the girl’s brother fighting in a war. The song is “Strawberry Fields” or something. He was mumbling the lyrics while filling out a personal report on Panther Caroso.
Panther’s been with Star Wolf for a while, but he’s a bit of an odd fit for the team. He’s an excellent pilot who’s well disciplined and would probably be seen as well respected if he hadn’t chosen a criminal path. And that’s the thing. He almost doesn’t fit, other than the fact that he’s got a major crime on his record. And even at that, it’s an honorable one. He was dating a colonel’s daughter at the time when she was killed in a gang shootout on Cornaria, and Panther located their hideouts. He then stole a Cornarian Fighter and used it to blast apart the hideouts. He might’ve done it partially out of revenge, but he also found out that the gangs were responsible for several other situations like his own. It was revenge and punishment. And on top of that, the colonel secretly had the fighter prepped, armed, and gave Panther the codes to get it in the air. Panther flew the fighter out of the Lylat system until the fighter couldn’t operate, which is when Wolf found and hired him.
Wolf can see it in Panther. It’s in his eyes hidden behind the criminal persona. He’s too honorable for Star Wolf, but he stays because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.
As he was filling out the paperwork, his movie got interrupted by a transmission chime.
“Answer transmission.” Wolf said, the computer answering the transmission and displaying his archrival, “Fox? Is this import-wait, holy hell! Who did that to your face!?”
“It’s more than just my face,” Fox replied, “And the person who did it is why I’m calling.”
“Cashin’ in that favor for a hit?”
“No, I actually wanted you to ensure her safety.”
“A Girl Did That To You!?” Wolf chuckled before breaking out into laughter, “I Didn’t Take You For A Fighter, But That Takes The Cake!”
“Krystal did this.”
Wolf’s laughter turned into realization that made him go silent.
“... Krystal?”
“Let’s just say that we broke up.”
“Fox, what break ups end like that? I know I’m normally surrounded by crooks, criminals, and other shady folks, but even I know that relationships don’t end like that. It was because you’re over protective of her, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Holy fuck, Fox. You’re kiddin’ me, right?”
“Look, Wolf, she’s going to you. In revenge against me, she wants to join Star Wolf. Now I’m not trying to be protective of her when I say this, but just… Keep her out of trouble, will you?”
Wolf leaned back in his chair with an arm across his chest supporting his other arm, holding his hand on his chin and giving a pause while he thought for a bit.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll do that. She doesn’t need to be a troublemaker, I’ll keep her record clean. You have my word. Hey, did you secure a data feed?”
“Yeah, I‘m going to give you copies of Krystal’s paperwork. She did kinda come out of nowhere, so she lacks a lot of proper documentation.”
“That won’t be a problem… A xenobiologist?”
“You didn’t know this until now, but she’s not Cornarian. Sometimes normal medicines don’t work, but it’s not as problematic as it sounds.”
“Eh, I’ll take care of it. Don’t you worry, I take good care of my people.”
“That’s good… Hey. Thank you.”
“It’s no problem. But this doesn't stop that I’ll beat you one day, Fox.”
“Never said it would. Fox out.”
With that, the transmission cut out and Wolf’s movie came back on the screen, though it was paused. Wolf brought up Leon Powalskion internal ship coms.
“Wolf to Leon.”
“What do you need, Wolf?” Leon responded.
“Get in your Wolfen, search for a shuttle pod from Star Fox. We’ve got a new member on the way.”
“Who’s the new member?”
“Fox’s now ex-girlfriend.”
“Fox blew it with Krystal!?”
“And you’re not going to bring that up. In fact, we’re keeping that underwraps, understand?”
“... You’re no fun.”
“This isn’t about ‘fun’, Leon. Be a fuckin’ professional about this or I’ll ground your ass for the month and leave you incharge of handing my paperwork. Got it?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! I get it!”
“Good. Now get it done.”
“Understood.”
Wolf closed the coms and looked over Krystal’s paperwork as well as her record. He has a few ideas involving things she can do for him. She’ll need to be trained for a Wolfen, but she will only be left to do stuff that will keep her nose clean. But regardless, she’ll make a good addition. Besides, Panther could use a partner.
