Hello, and welcome, to the relationship support for Fox and Krystal!

Now, this is meant to be a tie-in for my Star Fox fanfic, Nexus of Lylat, but if you're just looking to read about two of your favorite characters without the extra nonsense going on, you're welcome to read this without it as well. Since I've only got this chapter up and it'll be like that for a little while, it should be fine for now. No promises for the future, though.

Anyway, this short story will help develop Fox's relationship with Krystal, as the two get some one-on-one time with each other. It is meant to be separate from the other stories that share this title and the tie-in, but you're welcome to read all of them, if you like. Things will be platonic for now, but I am shipper trash, so I can offer you no promises that it will remain that way.

So, read on and enjoy!

...

[Great Fox Simulation Room, Present Day, 21:38]

Behind the window of a large dark room, Krystal sat and typed at a computer in a smaller white plated room. The blue vixen rose from the desk after inputting a code, put a blaster into the holster on her belt, and walked to the door that opened, letting her tail sway as she went.

She stepped inside the larger room, and the door closed behind her. Essentially blinded from the dark, Krystal stepped carefully around, making her way to what she imagined was the middle.

"ROB, I'm here," called Krystal. "Run Combat Training Session 062."

"Loading…" ROB's deep voice rang out from around her. "Commencing Training Session."

Green wireframe lights lit up the room. Krystal slowly closed her eyes as the room was enveloped in a bright light.

Not long after, she opened them to a rainforest setting, with tall trees and exotic plants around her. She gazed up at the sky, fitted with a wireframe pattern like a net in the water.

Returning her attention back down to the environment around her, she glanced at a nearby plant, studying it carefully. The flower was bell shaped, about the size of her hand, yet out of place compared to the other plants, which were twice as large.

"Let's try this without shooting," murmured Krystal, as she raised her right hand forward. She placed the left one against her head as her eyes lit up a faint blue, glowing as she concentrated. "Come on…"

Focused on the bellflower, Krystal watched as it wiggled and twitched in her mental grasp. She slowly smirked, but dropped it and gasped.

The bellflower was hoisted into the air, revealing it to be attached to a larger, plant-like creature. An eyeless red face with a massive, white-lipped mouth faced Krystal, and let out a massive roar before extending forward to chomp down at her.

She flipped back and gazed at the rest of it. The green body below its long neck appeared like a stem, and though bulkier, it appeared skeletal. Its arms resembled leaves, but with claws extended from the ends of them. Below its body were extensions that barely resembled legs, firmly planted into the ground, yet burrowing forward.

"Not good."

Krystal placed both of her hands on her head and glared at the monster, which reared its head back. It hissed, and then launched down at her again.

The plant monster chomped at the ground and tore up the grassy earth, as Krystal rolled aside from the outpouring of dirt. She growled and quickly grabbed the blaster on her belt.

"Wait."

Leaving the blaster tucked inside the holster, she fingered along the other side her belt. The monster roared again and swiped at her with its claws, as Krystal back-flipped away.

"Pete, please. I'm trying to…ah!"

Grabbing a pouch, Krystal unzipped it and pulled out a red appliance from it. She grinned at the capital black "B" in its white center, and brought it behind her head.

"Sorry, Pete," mocked Krystal. "Only one way this ends."

Aiming the object, she flung the gadget forward and into the beast's open mouth. It crunched at the device as Krystal raced away from it.

An explosion detonated and burst around the plant monster, engulfing it in a fiery explosion. It wailed as the flames expanded into a sphere, but then grew silent as it flopped down, receding with the blast.

Peeping out from a distant tree, Krystal exhaled upon spotting the smoke that rose from the explosion's site. She stepped out and brushed the long fur on top of her head, watching as the environment faded into green wireframes around her. They too faded as the room began to return to its darkened state.

"Pete?" Krystal jumped at the laughing voice that rang out over the speaker. "Really, that's what you named it?"

"Yes, Fox, that's what I named it," retorted Krystal as she folded her arms. "Peter Plant."

"I'd call it Audrey, but whatever works for you. Close your eyes for a second." She complied as the darkness around her brightened. "Ok, you can open them again."

Slowly, Krystal stared forward in the now matching white room at the window, where Fox waved to her. She waved back before strolling forward and picking up a red disc with a white "B" on it.

"Simulated Smart Bombs work just like the handheld ones," reported Krystal. "Tell Slippy he's outdone himself again."

"He'll be glad to hear it, I'm sure." Fox smiled. "All finished with training?"

"Well, I was planning on running at least two more sessions," explained Krystal. She then smirked. "However, I could use a sparring partner instead."

"Yeah, I'd rather not."

"What? Why not?"

"Because Falco wasn't kidding earlier," chuckled Fox. "You make meat puppets out of us with your telepathy."

"Aw, you're no fun," teased Krystal. "Ok, fine. How about if I only fight with you using my new telekinesis? No telepathy, close quarters when needed, but we'll practice my mind manipulation of the physical plane. Sound good?"

"I'm not the kind of object that's looking to get thrown around," gibed Fox.

"It's not all that likely that I can pull it off," admitted Krystal. "Still, I would like to start somewhere."

"Only because you made it such a tempting offer."

She grinned as he walked off from the window. Fox typed at the computer and switched the codes that went into it. Walking away from it and through the door, he stepped into the larger room and waved to Krystal, who winked at him.

Lowering her voice, she raised her hands menacingly and uttered, "You're going down, Fox McCloud."

"Is…is that supposed to be Andross?"

"What? Yes, of course it's Andross!"

"Well, how should I know?"

"Are you joking? I did the ridiculous hand motions and everything."

"Eh…not a bad impersonation overall, but needs some work." Fox shrugged. "Maybe less corny with the threat."

"No way, I nailed it." Krystal folded her arms at Fox's playful smirk. "Oh, whatever. Now I'm really taking you down."

"Bring it on."

Both hunched down into fighting stances, Fox bouncing a bit on his feet while Krystal raised her left hand to her head.

They raced forward at one another and Krystal raised her hand to Fox, focusing on his jacket as her eyes lit up. He ran up and threw a punch at her, to which she whipped back and away from.

Fox flipped into a kick and spiraled around to hit Krystal, who flipped back from him. She lowered herself to the floor and twisted around to sweep at his feet with her own.

Fox jumped back from her leg sweep and jogged back a bit. He watched as Krystal narrowed her eyes, returning to her telekinetic stance.

"Enemies won't give you this much time," cautioned Fox.

He ran at her again and kicked forward, to which she ducked under. Coming up from under him, Krystal punched Fox's gut and knocked a bit of wind out of him.

Staggering back, Fox swiftly glanced up and blocked a punch from Krystal, grabbing her wrist.

"That's not very nice."

"Hey, you told me that I didn't have a lot of time."

Lowering his eyes at her wink, he twisted her arm around and slipped behind her back. Krystal yelped at and struggled against the grapple, her arm locked tightly behind her. She glanced down and stomped on Fox's foot.

"Not that easy," he grunted.

She threw her head back to his, but didn't connect. Twisting herself further, Krystal roughly elbowed into Fox's arm with her free arm, knocking her locked one loose.

"Ha!" She blocked an incoming jab at her head and backed away from a flurry of kicks. "Not easy? No problem."

"Good work," congratulated Fox. "And yet…I'm still standing."

Running at her again, Fox punched and kicked at Krystal, who sidestepped the majority of his attacks, sans a few lucky hits. She got low and knocked into his stomach again, hurriedly backing away as he fumbled back as well.

She raised her hand to her head and extended the other forward, locking her eyes onto Fox's jacket. He glanced up at her and ran forward again.

"Not…this…time."

Thrusting her arm forward, she grinded her teeth. Fox jerked back and his mouth fell open. He glanced at the jacket around him as it was hoisted into the air.

Just as Fox began to squirm and pull his arms from the sleeves, Krystal punched her arm into the air and flung Fox back. He crashed down against the floor and skidded back a bit of distance.

Groaning, Krystal sank to her knees and clutched her head, shaking it slightly. She exhaled and slumped down, panting lightly.

"You ok?" She glanced up as Fox waved at her from the ground. "You just kind of dropped suddenly."

"Yes, I'm just…tired, I suppose." Krystal sighed and recomposed herself. "It's a bit more difficult to use telekinesis than telepathy. And…actually, it's much harder for me, so it's draining on my stamina." She blinked and shook her head. "And are you out of your mind? I just flung you across the room and you ask if I'm all right?"

"Yeah, well…me writhing in pain makes sense after getting thrown by mind power," joked Fox. "You just dropping would be…a little less so."

"So…?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine too." Fox pushed himself up from the floor and sat up. Krystal walked over and offered her hand. He took it as she pulled him up. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." They released their grip and stared at one another. "Shall we continue this another time?"

"What, you didn't kick my butt enough?"

"No, it's fine, I just…" Krystal rolled her shoulders and shook her head. "Well, I suppose I'm sufficiently exhausted."

"Oh, whipping me across the room does you in, is that it?"

"Please, I could do that all night," teased Krystal. "It's just been a long day, talking with those ladies from the Cornerian Army. Or Space Dynamics, right? Whatever, that and discovering telepathy was enough excitement for me." She smirked. "Training was just the bonus."

"Seemed more like getting out some tension."

"Well, a little."

"Uh-huh."

"How about you?" Krystal's smile dropped and she relaxed her shoulders. "Falco told me you went to visit your parents' first home, just outside the city, right?"

"I did." Fox turned away from her. "It was quiet, nothing special."

"Sorry, Fox, I didn't mean to pry—"

"No, don't mind me." Fox returned his attention to Krystal, glancing at her team jacket. "I've just been stuck on them a bit more than usual lately. It's nothing that I can't get past."

"It's perfectly fine to keep it with you." Krystal folded her arms and looked away. "Losing your loved ones is…difficult."

"Krystal, I'm sorry." Fox placed a hand on her shoulder as she turned back to him. "Losing my parents is nothing compared to—"

"The whole planet?" Krystal shrugged. "Perhaps not, from an outside perspective, but we both lost our whole worlds growing up."

"Mine still doesn't compare."

"Cerinia is a fading memory for me, Fox," admitted Krystal, her voice and expression quite somber. "There are no traces, no clues for me to detect or follow, nothing around but myself and what I have with me that can remind me of it. I carry a whole planet's history that's destined to become extinct on my shoulders. I am the sole reminder of it, and even I can't think about it every day, no matter how often I take a free opportunity to look into it, see if anything's left that I missed…"

Softly, Fox's arm dropped away. "Krystal…"

"You deal with your father's legacy just about every week, in some capacity or another," continued Krystal, picking up his hands into hers. "And lately, your mother's research and works are being the new buzz topic for everyone. That's a complete nuisance, and I'm sorry that you need to go through it."

"It's nothing that I can't handle," assured Fox.

"And I must learn to come to terms with my planet's fate," decided Krystal. "If you can withstand your pain, then I have no right to be buried by mine." She let go of his hands and brushed her fur back again, lightly touching her tiara. "Andross was more than likely the cause of my planet's ruin anyway, and you've taken care of him, so that should be the end of it."

"It better be," grumbled Fox. "We need to make sure there are no more insane resurrections by his and Oikonny's loyal grunts."

"We can handle it." Krystal smiled again. "So long as they keep trying to rise from their ruins, Star Fox will always be around to send them back down."

"Always," repeated Fox, a little less certain.

"Fox?"

"Sorry, just had an odd thought."

"The team's future?" Krystal jerked back a bit from Fox's raised brow. "Sorry, invasive telepathy, I just…I should stop that."

"Nah, it's part of who you are." Fox smiled softly. "Just as long as you don't go too overboard with it around the wrong people, you should be fine."

I cause one, odd interference with my newfound powers, and suddenly I'm not good at concealing my powers.

Fox jumped and blinked at Krystal, who giggled.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she laughed. "Telepathic communication can be such fun, really."

"Somehow, I think you enjoy the startled reactions of others more than the actual powers themselves."

"Ah, it's all under the same idea," joked Krystal. "But your big eyed reactions are still priceless, as always."

"Ha-ha," deadpanned Fox. He sighed and shook his head. "It's just…well, I don't know if I want to do this forever. I'm only growing older. Maybe I should take some time to quit sooner and try to figure out another path that I'd like to explore."

"Tell me something, Fox."

"Hmm?"

"Do you like what you do?"

"Oh, I…well, yes," determined Fox. "It can be challenging, and I'm not bloodthirsty, but I like protecting Corneria and completing missions for money. And…flying is one of the ways that I can still feel close to my father, so…I don't know if I could ever give that part of my life up."

"So don't." Krystal smiled. "You might be older than me, but we're both still young. Maybe not teenagers anymore, but we're not getting gray yet." She paused and frowned a bit. "Well…Peppy is, but that only proves my point. He's still ready to give it a go, right?"

"Sometimes, I'm not so sure that he should be," laughed Fox.

"Perhaps not, but then again, it's something he loves to do." Krystal smiled again. "It's something that he continues to follow because it makes him whole. If you ever wanted to do more with your life, you can, Fox. But if you've found something that you love, and that it's something you couldn't possibly let go of, why do that?"

"W-Well…I…don't know."

"Then, do this: try to settle on the best of both worlds."

Fox and Krystal gazed silently into one another's eyes for a long moment. Their breathing was close between one another, so they backed up a bit, gaining more air with the added space.

"If you want to find what else is out there for you, go for it," advised Krystal. "But you don't have to give up everything to do it. And don't ever believe that you're alone. The whole team is right here, and we'll support whatever decisions you choose to make." She picked up her smile again. "Always."

"Krystal…I—"

"Don't mention it." She reached up and ruffled his head, giggling at his eyes lowering. "And don't be such a stick in the mud over this, ok? Smile, laugh a little, and learn to let me mess with you as I please."

"First two, I can work on. That last one, I'm not so sure about."

"Denying me so many amounts of fun," teased Krystal. "Fine, I see how it is. No time for play with super serious Fox McCloud."

"Hey, come on, I can cut loose too," defended Fox. "It's just…I've got a lot of responsibility on top of that."

"And Lylat forbid that Fox McCloud ever lets his work take second fiddle to something that might make him a little more cheery," gibed Krystal. "Come off it, Fox. You just need to relax sometimes. Let me teach you a little about mischief once in a while, yeah?"

"Is that what you find as a valuable trait? Trouble making?"

"If that were true, I'd be flying for a different team," joked Krystal. "You know I enjoy being one of the heroes more than fooling around with my psychic skills." She paused and smirked. "Though, mixing both together is a pleasure."

"That's cute," mocked Fox. "Did you come up with that all by yourself?"

"Yes, but I must admit, it did take a few tries," played along Krystal. "I had to make sure that I got something that rolled off the tongue just the right way."

"Funny, it worked."

"Really? Well, thank you for letting me know."

"Not a problem." Fox put his hand on Krystal's shoulder again. "And thank you, for all of the help that you've given me tonight."

"Of course." Krystal met his smile and hesitated, but then nodded. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah. In fact, I really need to return the favor to you, in the future, for all of the help that you've given me, and the work you've done for this team."

"Repay me? Fox, I'm still in your debt for saving Sauria," explained Krystal. "You answered my plea for help when I was at my lowest and when a planet you knew so little about cried out in distress. I don't know anyone more heroic than you."

"Thanks, but that can't be all," persisted Fox. "You helped defend Corneria from the Aparoid Invasion."

"And you gave me a family and a new home in return for my services," clarified Krystal. "Again, I owe you, not the other way around."

"Let's just agree that we're both doing what we can for each other then," decided Fox.

"Sounds about right," laughed Krystal. "Anyway, it's late, and I do believe I need my beauty sleep. You…well, maybe a little less so."

"Ouch."

"What? No one can be as pretty as me, Fox," teased Krystal. "Can you really argue that point?"

"Well, I could, but I won't, because I don't think I'd agree with it, or win," determined Fox.

"No you would not."

"Ok, got it the first time." Fox laughed and walked for the door, heading out into the smaller white room. He stopped and turned back. "Oh, but Krystal?"

"Yes, Fox?"

"If you ever find out any more about Cerinia, don't hesitate to let me know, ok? I want to help you out in future, in any way that I can. Just let me know whatever comes up, whenever it does."

"Of course. Thank you, Fox."

Krystal smiled back to Fox as he left the training room and made his way for bed. Her mouth dropped down once he was out of sight, and she thought quietly to herself.

...

And there is the first part to the Krystox relationship development! Krystal certainly has the tragic past of her own to go over, as well as new powers to work with. Can Fox help her through things? And what else will come of her? Time will tell!

That's all for now. Feedback would be super great though, so if you've got time, please message or review with comments, questions, or criticism. Thank you for reading!