This story is fictional and for entertainment purposes only; no money hath changed hands in the production of these works.
The characters Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy Toad, Miyu Lynx, Fay Spaniel, Fara Phoenix, Bill Grey, Katt Monroe, Krystal, Amanda Toad, Lucy Hare, ROB64, Andross, Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski, Pigma Dengar, Andrew Oikanny, Panther Caroso and General Pepper are all copyright to Nintendo 1993-2023. Please support the ORIGINAL release of all games, comics, manga and related material to the Star Fox franchise.
Leonidas Cuttridge, Rob Cuttridge, Judy Cuttridge, Lawrence Lynx, Patricia Lynx and Sid Chalmer is copyright myself, Leo Cuttridge (Leo_cuttridge@proton.me).
The content written for this story arc will range from a PG rating all the way up to NC-17 and X-rating, therefore, this fanfic is recommended for adult reading only.
~Star Fox: Miyu's Love~
~Chapter 31: The Cornerian Grand Prix: A Tag-Team Effort – Panther vs Leo, Part 1~
Leo took off the line at full throttle until he saw Wolf pass him, then he reverted to 80% power output per Peppy's instructions, his eyes facing forward to stay on the road as his speed continued to rise at a gentle rate. It didn't sit well with Leo that going only with limited power output would enable Panther to catch up with him easily, but it would allow him to catch up sooner and give more time for Panther to stay behind Leo and try to formulate a plan. More time to stir the deadly feline's nerves up and raise the levels of frustration, but at what cost to Leo's safety was a total unknown. This race was turning out to be a double-edged sword in many ways the more Leo thought about it. Panther's eyes scanned forward as he accelerated his Wolfen Black Rose at full throttle to catch up to Leo, several miles having gone by before he got a glimpse of Leo's Speedwell far off in the distance. He began with a good dose of boost at the start to try and close the gap, but he maintained a level of conservation to only use it to get him up to full throttle speed, using that velocity to close the remaining distance on Leo. By the time they were both halfway through the first tunnel, Panther had caught up to Leo, following close behind him by a dozen feet or so as he watched Leo's moves as they drove on at nearly Mach 0.7. “There you are, little bunny,” Panther thought to himself. Driving down the highways at limited output, Leo continued his lead and did his best to follow Peppy's instructions. He found himself struggling to look in his rear view or side mirrors, telling himself he would be able to sense Panther behind him once he caught up... and once he heard the jets from Panther's Black Rose behind him along with the minute adjustments of the stabilizers and ailerons of his wings, he knew for sure he was behind him. His heart picked up the pace in nervousness as he now knew he was being watched closely by a very deadly man, and was prone to anything he wanted to do to him.
--The Star Fox tent--
Everyone except Wolf and Leon stood around ROB as he continued to project video from the television broadcast of the race which came largely from the high-speed drones following Leo and Panther along the track along with some from the sides of the road at various different mile markers. Another video projection off to the side showed status of Leo's vital statistics and his Speedwell's, showing many live data points for them to monitor. Slippy sat on edge as he knew that Leo's setup for the Series 3 engine in his car was producing a great deal more power than it did in factory tune, but also the fact it had its share of reliability problems. He knew Leo had replaced and upgraded many points of failure to extend performance and avoid complications, but even so, it was asking a lot out of the engines in that car to take part in everything Leo was using the car for in the Grand Prix. He was pleased to see how good it was performing thus far, but he kept wondering how much longer it would last under these very hot and mechanically torturous conditions. Both he and Peppy were on headsets connected to Leo's helmet to give alerts and warnings if need be. “How is he going so far?” Fox asked. “So far, everything is working really well,” Slippy replied. “Leo's heartbeat, respiration and blood pressure have elevated slightly after Panther approached from behind, but nothing out of the ordinary,” ROB added. “He'll do just fine, I know it,” Miyu said as she stood with Krystal, the girls wrapping an arm around each other for comfort. Wolf and Leon stood between their Wolfen craft parked next to each other a hundred feet or so away from the Star Fox tent and spoke about the race. Leon held up a tablet with data coming from Panther's Black Rose. “Well, what do you think so far?” Wolf asked softly. “He's keeping up so far,” Leon said calmly. “Although, his speed is not as much as it could be, and his stability is as good as I would expect it.” “Yeah, he's gonna struggle to pass Leo just about anywhere he tries. His craft is not known for agility and maneuverability,” Wolf added. “True, even without that huge rail cannon attached and reducing the total weight considerably, he's still showing signs of struggling,” Leon said. “And every second he stays behind Leo, the more antsy he's gonna get.” “Yyyyyup. Panther is not the most calm or civil person I've ever known,” Wolf said, his head turning over to the Star Fox tent looking at everyone standing around at their own data readouts. He then looked out at the start/finish line. “You just stick to our plan, Panther... don't lose your cool, I know that'll be a challenge for you, especially since this bunny has already fought back against you... but just park your pride for this race so we can all build a better life... don't fuck it up...” “We are only about 25% of the way through the final race, and both contenders are close together,” Markinson said over the program broadcast. “Indeed, and it will be an incredible challenge for either one of them to get in the lead and maintain it,” Clay added. “Yes, even though the vehicle power outputs differ due to racing rules regarding different vehicle classes, both drivers are very much equal in speed and maneuverability, so it really is any man's race in this final event,” Drummond finished. “Who will come out victorious?”
--first turn after the first tunnel, 70% of the course remaining...--
Leo led himself and Panther down the road to the right hander after the first tunnel which was followed by a left hander leading to the slow and long 180 degree length leading to the second tunnel. The tall lapine continued to look forward and ignored his mirrors, his eyes carefully darting down to this instrument cluster to make sure the turbines in the engines were all only putting out a maximum of 80 percent. He could see what Peppy was talking about by ignoring his mirrors... just HEARING Panther's Wolfen craft behind him was enough to know he was following him closely, visual confirmation totally unnecessary at this point in time. It didn't feel like it was reducing the amount of stress from the situation, but he wasn't about to look behind, because as always in racing, what is behind you is not important. It didn't help Leo knowing that his car's physical shape was a huge drawback for him in terms of aerodynamics either... his Speedwell Cushman was the last of a series of boxy-shaped vehicles with curved edges that had a lot of wind resistance and aerodynamic drag before the car companies started to create more sloped and gentle-edge fronts on their vehicles in the next generation, the design of which was a requisite of what they called their “cab-forward design,” where the windshield and dashboard actually sloped over the rear half of the engine bay to reduce underhood engine space, creating more interior room. In short, Leo's Speedwell was cutting through the air like a brick with smooth curved edges, requiring more power to move forward through the air while the sleekness of Panther's Wolfen Black Rose, which was used for air and space travel, cut through the air flawlessly. They both decelerated and banked into the two turns after the first tunnel gently and easily, only a dozen or so feet separating them still. Panther narrowed his eyes in a mild confusion as he was easily able to keep up with Leo's Speedwell as he held close behind him. “Are you toying with me little bun? I'm not at full throttle and we're both at the same pace? I know you and I ran almost the same times in the quarter mile event the other day...” He thought, his upper lips curling up a bit to bare fangs as he hissed quietly, his hand gently moving forward on his throttle to accelerate closer to Leo's car... “Well... since you are testing ME...” then the tip of his fighter gently bumped into Leo's rear bumper, shaking Leo's rhythm slightly, his Speedwell fishtailing very mildly as he easily maintained the pace ahead of Panther. The fearsome feline continued to bump very gently into Leo's rear bumper over and over every 15-20 seconds over the next several miles as they continued to battle, the second half of the course still left to go as they drove along the soft 180 degree right hander before the second tunnel.
--the Star Fox tent--
Gasps came from several as they watched the footage of Panther beginning to put stress on Leo's performance in attempt to disrupt him to mess up. ROB's readout on Leo's vitals show his heartbeat and blood pressure jump a little bit, but it slowly lowered back to previous levels. “Ooh, now Panther is pushing Leo a little,” Markinson said on the television broadcast. “He is definitely getting predatory at this point as we near the halfway point of the race, Leo Cuttridge still in the lead,” Drummond said cheerfully. “But one must ask, for how much longer? Considering all of the variables, this race will very much be a battle of attrition to the finish,” Clay noted. “Definitely heating up,” Peppy commented softly. “But it does look like Leo is taking my advice soundly. He should be fine.” “This race really is mind over matter,” Falco said. “Gonna be incredibly close.” Miyu continued to hold onto Krystal as they stood and held close, their eyes looking over at the start/finish line nervously as they awaited for their bunny to return. It was already halfway through the race, but every second that passed by felt like an eternity to them. They weren't certain as to how far Panther was willing to go to take the lead, but they also knew Leo hated quitting or losing at anything. They were also unaware as to how far Leo would go to maintain his lead or take it back. The setting made it uneasy of most as they stood and waited for the conclusion...
--entrance to the third tunnel, 50% of the course remaining...--
Panther continued to gently nudge and bump into Leo's rear bumper repeatedly every 30 seconds or so, but Leo continued to easily recover each and every single time. The overhead lights of the tunnel dotted past them at great speed as they shot through just under Mach 1, Leo still maintaining his 80% power output the whole time while he was in the lead. Leo's insistence to maintain his lead was starting to get on Panther's nerves, making him grit his teeth and growl softly in annoyance. Once the tunnel finally came to an end, Panther finally went forward on his throttle enough to advance closer to Leo at a faster speed. “Bored now... get out of my fucking way...” Panther thought with a grimace as he aimed the tip of his craft's nose at Leo's rear bumper and then edged to the right, forcing the rear of Leo's rear end to sway off track, nearly putting his Speedwell sideways, the sensation making Leo's heart race for a moment as he counter steered into the curve, the directional vanes behind his rear engines directing the jet exhaust to put him slowly back into a straight path on the road, all while Panther slipped past him on the right.
--the Star Fox tent--
“Oh geez, and here we go, Panther forcing Captain Cuttridge's Speedwell nearly into a spin to make him lose control and steal the lead, so we now have a potential win for team Star Wolf,” Clay announced loudly. “It has been a good round for Captain Cuttridge, but it appears he will be at a loss unless he can pass Panther in the last quarter of the race,” Markinson said. “Which... is.... ENTIRELY possible, gents, BUT... because I and many others have a great faith in Captain Cuttridge and his abilities, so we will see what happens in the next few minutes,” Drummond said proudly. “After all, rabbits ARE tricksters!” Everyone in the Star Fox tent gasped at the sudden movement Panther pulled on Leo to make him lose control temporarily, but all were hopeful he could recover, chuckling softly at Drummond's lapine comment. “Leo is still very much in the race,” ROB announced. “There is still a lot of straightaway for Leo to pass on and he hasn't used much of his boost whereas Panther has used up a lot of his catching up to Leo. I still put Leo's odds of winning at least 73.4% under the circumstances.” “How's his car doing, Slip?” Peppy asked. “Tiptop and not a single issue so far,” Slippy said with glee. “He has tuned that car amazingly.” Miyu and Krystal gasped and sighed at the sight of Leo losing control on the course only to recover behind Panther, the girls holding hands and in arms as they hoped for Leo to come back alive...
--road to the final tunnel, 30% of the course remaining...--
Leo recovered from the pass of Panther and was now pursuant of the predatory feline, his throttle now finally going to full and utilizing little amounts of boost to stay close to him, mimicking the actions Panther pulled on him previously. Leo couldn't help but grin as he closed in on Panther with very little effort and watched him struggle to maintain the lead ahead of him, feeling very much like a predator himself in this situation. The only difference being he wasn't going to push him physically and be annoying. He felt his mere presence behind Panther's Wolfen craft would be more than enough to irk him to no end. “That was a good attempt, sir... but let's see if you can keep your cool before I pass you again...” Leo thought to himself. But now that he was trailing, it wasn't all fun and games, because he needed to get back in the lead or suffer a loss. Leo knew the only spot where he didn't have much of a chance to flip the tables again was in the final short tunnel, so he was focusing on the remaining road other than that until the finish... plenty of time and length to make an attack. Panther seethed and groaned as his eyes darted back and forth, looking forward to maintain his line on the road while glancing on his rearward looking radar to see Leo was not far behind at all. He began to sweat in nervousness as his craft wobbled from side to side in a struggle to maintain speed and control, and Leo could easily sense it. “Damn rodent... so annoying!” Then, as Panther entered the soft left hander after the third tunnel, he noticed Leo trying to accelerate by him on the outside of the turn. “...waitWHAT???” Panther's first instinct was to cut Leo off by swerving to the right directly in front of him to which Leo countered by swerving sharply to the left to dive into the left lane, powering up his boost as he steered left, his car going into a gentle drift in the turn and passing Panther to regain the lead. “Haha,” Leo said with a sly grin as he accelerated, not using a lot of boost, but still going full throttle to go 100% on all his engines. Only the sharp right hander and the left hand tunnel was left before the straightaway to the finish line. Leo couldn't help but giggle and feel giddy as he was so close to a win, but he kept himself in check by being as alert and careful as he could the rest of the way, knowing that one simple slip-up could cost him the race. Panther growled and hissed in anger as he was passed by Leo, his hands moving quickly and sharply to control his Black Rose craft to keep up with Leo, once again going full throttle and using serious amounts of boost in order to keep up as they both entered the final sharp left hander that consisted of the final tunnel. The dark feline's attention went once again to Leo's front bumper as he aligned the tip of his fighter towards it, making an attempt to bump Leo's car out of the way, and by the time both had exited the final tunnel to the straight away tot he finish line, Panther successfully nudged Leo out of his way with a gentle bump, very briefly making Leo's car go almost sideways. Leo controlled the maneuver by counter steering into the movement and bringing his car back into control right next to Panther's craft, the two of them neck and neck on the final straightaway as they both went full throttle and full boost on the final stretch.
--the Star Fox tent--
Everyone gasped deeply with wide mouths and eyes as they watched what happened, Leo's lead being taken away from him by a simple bumping and disruption of rhythm only to put he and Panther in a tie race in the final stretch of the race. Crowds all over the compound, and indeed all over Lylat, all got up to stand and cheer on their favorite, the race bringing an intense moment of anxiety, excitement and nervousness in almost everyone. “Omigawd, we have a neck and neck race going right now for the win!!! Who will come out victorious???” Markinson shouted out. “They are so frighteningly close, with the speeds they are attaining, it will be a photo finish for sure!” Drummond said in equal excitement. Everyone was suddenly looking at the finish line where the timing tree was and the high-speed cameras focused over the finish line ready to record the final moment for an official decision should it be necessary. Whoever crossed first would get the flashing green lights and seconds place would get solid red. “Come on, Leo! You can do it!” Fox shouted. “Go, Leo, goooo!” Fay screamed out as she hopped up and down in excitement. Miyu and Krystal couldn't help but begin to hop up and down excitedly as well as they awaited for their bunny to come back. Leon and Wolf simply stood off to the side of the Star Fox group and watched nervously as they too waited for whomever would become the victor in this race.
--the final straightaway... 5 miles left--
Panther and Leo firmly planted their feet down and hands forward on their throttles, accelerating as fast and as powerful as their vehicle's engines could propel them, rapidly surpassing Mach 1 and continuing well into the quad digit speeds as they raced for their lives back to the finish line, both of them gritting their teeth and egging their craft on to give them all the power they could make. Only a couple miles left and Leo could barely notice that Panther's Black Rose, with it's sleeker and more aerodynamic shape was slowly beginning to inch forward ahead of Leo into a minor lead, the crutch he feared of his vehicle's shape beginning to make itself prevalent. He also knew that Panther's engines were hardly stressing and that they were capable of making more power and holding it longer than his car with it's wild modifications could attain for a short time. Leo began to panic inside at the sight of Panther's craft slipping slowly ahead, his right hand diving for a switch on the dash which he installed that controlled a bleed valve in the induction ports on the engines to allow them to take in more air and fuel and create more thrust. “DAMMIT, NOOOO!” he screamed as he flicked the switch, his engines beginning to whine louder and higher in pitch as he saw the power output gauges for each engine raise up into the red zones, well into the 110%+ range, the turbine speed indicators also in the red as his engines began to rev up beyond 80k RPM. He knew these conditions were harsh on the engines for extended periods, but for short bursts needed in a pinch and allowing proper cool down time afterwords, things would be okay, and he couldn't think of another time than now to use it. With the increase of thrust and power, his Speedwell began to inch on Panther's Black Rose again, the angry feline gritting his teeth as he quickly glanced out the side of his craft to notice Leo speeding up again, growling out in frustration that he couldn't shake Leo off him, the finish line just ahead...
--the finish line...--
It was a loud roar of excitement that erupted all around as everyone cheered on their favored racer, even those in the Star Fox team all joining in with the noise as they watched Leo's highly modified Speedwell Cushman LX and Panther's Wolfen Black Rose speed across the finish line in a photo finish... and instead of the tree lights giving an indicator to who won and lost... it remained unlit for several seconds before both sides of it began to flash slowly in all yellow lights. The roaring of the crowd in the excitement of the race slowly turned to a hushed silence of confusion, no one knowing the results of the race or what was going to happen. “Well.... that's... entirely unexpected...” Markinson said over the broadcast. “Yeah, we're not sure what has happened, so we will have to wait for an official word from the Cornerian Racing Council as to what happened and what will be decided, so we have.... yet ANOTHER wait, apparently,” Drummond said with a hint of disgust in his voice. “Wh... what happened?” Miyu asked, totally confused. “Shouldn't it have given green and red lights for winner and loser?” Leon asked everyone around. “That's what I would think, yeah,” Bill said. Beltino then rushed to the tree lights with a few other officials of the Cornerian Racing Council to retrieve the data box from the module and take it someplace to overview the evidence. Panther and Leo let off their throttles and boosters and immediately looked back at the tree lights after they crossed the finish line, Panther raising an eyebrow while Leo groaned out in frustration, getting a clue as to what might have happened. Once the two took a decelerating loop around the tent in a wide circle, they then parked in front of the Star Fox tent. Panther shut off his Wolfen while Leo left his Speedwell running with the heater on full blast with the windows down, Bill, Slippy and Falco running out with large fans to blow cooler air into the radiators to cool off his engines quicker. Miyu and Krystal ran up to Leo and gave him a hug, the bunny wrapping his arms around his lovely girls as everyone else stood around them. “What was the result, honey? We couldn't tell from here,” Miyu asked in a worried tone. “Yes, all the lights flashed yellow, so I don't know what that means,” Krystal added, everyone standing around all silent waiting for Leo to answer. “I'm not 100% sure myself, but I think... the timers and the cameras got us both crossing the line at the exact same time,” Leo said with a sigh. Everyone's eyes went wide in shock. “W-wait... a TIE?” Falco asked incredulously. Leo nodded softly. “Yeah... probably right down to the finest thousandth of a second.” “Th-that is RIDICULOUS!” Panther belted out in anger. “That couldn't be possible in the SLIGHTEST!” Wolf put a hand on Panther's shoulder and looked at him sternly and gave a shake of his head, telling him without words to calm down. “I have calculated the odds of it happening with all the factors in this situation to be billions to one,” ROB said. “And because it was a tag-team event and no reaction times were recorded off the start line, there isn't anything to fall back on like you can in the mile brackets in the event of a tie, either,” Sid said from his years of racing experience. “We simply have to wait for whatever Beltino and the rest of the officials have to say after they've looked at the digital evidence.” A lot of faces suddenly looked sullen and sad with that news, Leo and Panther trading gazes for several seconds as they all stood around awaiting the results. Everyone stood around chatting quietly as they waited, Leo and Panther drinking cold sports drinks while Leo stood in front of a portable air conditioner in the tent, Panther talking with Wolf and Leon by their Wolfen fighters. The whole atmosphere was filled with uncertainty and anxiety, the air quiet and very still as they all waited for an answer. Leo let his engines run for at least 10 minutes before shutting it off after turning them off to save fuel, another 20 minutes of waiting going by before the race officials had ended their meeting. They then walked over to the Star Fox tent to make an announcement, the TV crews all following to broadcast what happened next. “Fox, Wolf, Leo and Panther,” Beltino began. “Come over here.” They then walked over to Beltino and the other race officials, Leo and Panther separated by Wolf and Fox walking side by side. “Soooo... we have made a decision,” Beltino resumed. The air became the quietest it could possibly become, even the gentle breeze seemed loud. “It turns out both craft crossed the finish line at the exact same time. With no other parameter to go by to determine a winner, we are going to run another race.” Gasps sounded from some as eyes and mouths wide a little wider. “The final race will consist of only Leo and Panther. Each driver will have 30 minutes of rest to recuperate beforehand and there will be no refueling. They will perform the race on whatever remaining amount of fuel they have in their vehicle.” Leo looked over at his Speedwell and Panther's Wolfen fighter and saw race officials placing red Xs in the form of masking tape over the fuel fill ports. “If there are any questions on this ruling, we can do our best to answer them now, otherwise, the 30-minute rest period will begin now.” “No issues here,” Leo said. “Fine by me,” Panther replied. Fox and Wolf looked at each other then back at Beltino and gave him a thumbs up. “Alright then. Rest period begins now. Best of luck to you both,” Beltino said. Leo reached over to shake Panther's hand, which he did quickly with a soft glare from his feline eyes before walking back to the tent with Wolf. Fox stood by Leo for a few seconds as Peppy walked up. “You did great there, Leo. I'm mighty proud of ya,” the hare said with a smile. “Thanks,” Leo said, letting out a long and soft sigh as Panther walked away. “How're you feeling?” Fox asked. “Good, but a bit nervous,” Leo replied, remembering Panther's constant barrages of bumps throughout most of the race. “You were right, Pep. He IS relentless.” Peppy sage-nodded softly. “I hate to say it, but this next race may show his pure evil side, so you need to be extra careful out there, Leo.” “I'm counting on him to do something... just dunno what... he already has bumped me dozens of times and disturbed my line to get me out of the way,” Leo replied. “Ggrrr... he should be black-flagged for that, the sneaky bastard,” Fay said with clenched fists and a growl that sounded more adorable than fearsome. Leo simply shrugged with a gentle smile. “Rubbin' is racin', cute puppy,” he replied before walking over and giving her a hug, Fay squeezing him softly. “I'll be okay.” The next 30 minutes went by mostly silently, Leo and Panther resting in comfortable conditions as they waited for the final lap. Leo spent part of the time talking to his parents and Miyu's parents on the phone as they all sat together and watched the race together at Miyu's parent's place in Corneria City. Once it was almost time, Leo got up and went to give soft gentle kisses to Miyu and Krystal as he hugged them close, then Miyu put his helmet on so he could perform an audio and video check on his mic and camera with Slippy and Peppy. “How much fuel do you have left, Leo?” Peppy asked. “A little over 5/8 in the tank and 68% of boost left,” Leo replied. “Sounds like you'll be okay for this one,” Slippy said cheerfully with a thumbs up. Leo nodded and gave a thumbs up in return before opening the driver's door to his Speedwell and sat down. Wolf and Leon some distance away were having their own talk with Panther as he prepared for the race as well. “What's your fuel levels like, Panther?” Leon asked. “Ugh... not so good... I have just over a half charge on the main engines, but I've only got about 31% of my boost left. I had to use a lot of it just to keep up with that little shit,” Panther replied. “That's not all that good a start, even though you are both equally fast,” Wolf commented. Panther grimaced at that. “Well, I wouldn't BE so low on fuel if SOMEBODY hadn't fallen so damn far behind in the second leg, would I?” “Hey smartass, I did my best, and that is all I am going to ask of you to do in this race, and do it legit, you got that?” Wolf responded with a slight gruffness in his voice. Panther strapped himself into his pilot seat and started up his engines, looking back at Wolf with a scornful stare. “A loser should bark up someone else's tree. Now get off my wing,” Panther replied with a curt tone as he pulled his canopy shut. Wolf growled softly to himself as he stepped off Panther's wing, Leo having started up his Speedwell and slowly began to advance it to the starting line. Once both vehicles had been brought up to the starting line, they both parked, engines idling. “Here we are now ladies and gentlemen,” Markinson began on the broadcast from their booth on the racing compound. “This WILL BE the final race of the Cornerian Grand Prix after some deliberation from the previous tie finish, and it will be quite a race.” “Definitely, this will be quite exciting, nerve-wracking and possibly will be quite dangerous for both of the competitors, Capt Leo Cuttridge representing team Star Fox versus Panther Caruso of team Star Wolf in two vastly different vehicles that run very similar in speed and maneuverability,” Drummond said as the video showed Beltino walking to the center lane between the two vehicles. “And I will be here at the pits to report on all the happenings during the race from both teams to give as much of a report as I can,” Clay commented as he and his cameraman stood off to the side of the tent between the vehicles and everyone in the tent. The cameras all then focused on the starting line as Beltino grabbed his checkered flag and stood ahead and between Panther's and Leo's vehicles, his left arm raising... “Drivers, ready!” Leo and Panther began to gently gun their engines a little to prepare take-off... “W-wait!” shouted Miyu. Beltino stopped and looked in her direction, lowering his arm as he noticed her running towards him, Leo and Panther idling their engines for a brief moment. “Lemme do this one, Bel,” she softly said, her hand on his shoulder. Beltino smiled and nodded, giving Miyu the checkered flag and walking off to join the rest in the Star Fox tent. “I won't let anyone else do it for my sweetiebun,” she thought to herself as she gazed over at Leo, smiling softly at him with teary eyes. She couldn't see it, but Leo was smiling back at her behind his helmet, his hands raising to form the shape of a heart, Miyu mouthing the words “I love you” to him. She then raised her left arm... “Drivers, ready!” Leo and Panther resumed gunning their engines, Miyu raising her other arm with the flag into the air... “Set!” Their throttles went forward more to make their engines all whine sharply in a power brake at the line, Miyu holding for several seconds before taking a deep slow breath before she suddenly threw the flag down towards the ground rapidly. “GOOOO!!!” Leo's Speedwell and Panther's Wolfen Black Rose took off at full acceleration down the road once again in the final race of the event, Miyu slowly standing up straight and turning around to watch them both depart at high velocity. Tears began to streak down her cheeks as she knew this race was going to be much more violent and stressful for both Leo and Panther, the risks as high as the stakes. “...Leo... do your very best... win or lose... come back to us alive...”
The final round of the battle is here. Only one winner will rise between two who are strikingly similar in speed and movement. It's gonna be a mighty close race....
If you like my writing, please fave, watch and comment and watch out weekly for new chapters~!
These stories have been largely influenced by my lifelong love for the Star Fox video game released in March 1993 as well as the Nintendo Power comic released in the February to December 1993 issues of the magazine as well as the development of the fan comic Star Fox: Alternative Training Methods by ladydino on FurAffinity. You can read her fan comic here: https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/ladydino/folder/116...
