Chapter 7: Fox (Leader of Star Fox)

Outer Space

It's been an hour since we left Planet Popstar and began our journey to Corneria; the planet where Fox's journey began. The Ship has been flying pretty smoothly, dodging meteors and other ships nearby. Samus and I have been watching our coordinates very carefully as the rest of the team gets themselves ready for our next fight. "1, 2, 3, 4…" said Mario as he did push-ups. DK and Yoshi were punching some punching bags and both Link and Kirby were practicing with their weapons. "Everyone's getting pumped, huh?" I asked Samus. "Hm… seems like it. I haven't seen them train like this in a while." she replied. "Same here. It feels nostalgic just to see everyone train again." I replied as I brushed off my armor sleeve. Samus nodded her head in agreement and then turned to her window; seeing a planet up ahead. "What is it?" I asked her. Before she said a word, my Slate beeped; giving me a update. I walked over to it and picked it up; reading it silently. "Got anything?" Samus asked me. "Yeah... his Trophy's close. That means that planet is-" I said. "Corneria." she replied. We looked out and saw the planet for the first time. As we looked at it, the rest of the team walked upto us and saw the planet for the first time. "We made it." said Mario. "Yeah... but who knows what lies ahead there?" said Link. "We'll soon find out. I'm heading into Corneria's orbit now." Samus replied. "Got it." I replied. After that, we flew into orbit and reached our destination.

Corneria- Corneria City

We flew in the skyline of the city; looking down at the view of it. "Whoa... this place is very populated..." I said. "Yeah, but what's so special about this planet anyway?" Link asked me. "I got the info you two need." said Samus. We walked over to her and saw her turn on the Planet Database monitor. "The fourth planet in the Lylat System, Corneria, is known as the "bread basket" of the system. It is a fertile farming world with a variety of climates and terrains. Most of the inhabitants live in the shelter of the mountain ranges, where the most productive farming soil can be found. Corneria is a peaceful planet with only the smallest of defense forces. Most of its starships are designed for exploration and transportation. When Andross's invasion fleet threatened the planet, it was up to General Pepper to improvise some kind of planetary defense. He hired the Star Fox Team to pilot the experimental Arwing Fighters." I read aloud. "Wow... I never thought of Corneria like that before." Link replied. I nodded my head in agreement and then heard something outside. "What was that?" said Mario. I walked over to the window and saw a fleet of Arwings flying towards us!

"Brace yourselves!" I yelled. Everyone turned to the window and saw the fleet of Arwings attack us. Samus retaliated and fired back at them; watching one of them dodge her attacks with ease as the others fell back. "Alright, Space Cowboy... whoever you are, you're going down!" she yelled. She fired lasers at the one Arwing and watched it dodge again. "Samus, wait! Fox's Trophy might be in that Arwing!" I yelled. "How would you know?!" she yelled. "My Slate picked up his signal! He's in there!" I yelled. Samus growled angrily and the one Arwing dropped a Smart Bomb on the Ship; destroying the engine. I grabbed my Slate and put it in its sleeve on my belt; keeping it safe. We all huddled together, bracing for impact as we crashed down to the ground. After that, the Arwing disappeared and we blacked out. "Hey, are you alright?" said a voice. I opened my eyes and looked around; seeing that we were relocated to somewhere safe. "W-where are we?" I said as I looked at my team. "You're all inside the Great Fox." said another voice.

I turned to the door and saw three warriors looking at me. "Easy there, partner... we're on your side." said an elderly voice. I stared at them for a moment and realized who they were! "Hold on a second... Peppy Hare? Slippy Toad? And Krystal? Fox's friends and teammates?" I said. "Heh, you got that right!" said Slippy happily. "And you must be Taylor, right?" said Krystal. "I am." I replied. "I knew it was you, Fox has told me alot 'bout you." said Peppy. "Really?" I asked. "Why sure he has! He keeps telling me how you are a good fighter against him; giving him good competition." Peppy replied. Really? I give him competition... I guess that's a good compliment from him. To be honest, I've never heard him tell someone that they give him good competition before. I guess that I'm the lucky one (well for now at least). "Hey, Peppy? How long have you guys dealt with that fleet of Arwings?" I asked. "Around three months now... if it wasn't for that dark grey Arwing piloted by that fake Fox, we would've warned everybody about what was going on..." Peppy replied.

Fake Fox? What did mean by that..? "What did the pilot look like?" I asked again. "He looked like Fox, except with yellow glowing eyes, darker fur and uniform, and evil!" said Slippy in a worried tone. Yellow glowing eyes? Evil ambitions? That could mean only one thing. "False Fox!" I said. "Huh?" said Slippy, Krystal, and Peppy in confusion. "That fake Fox you're talking about... it is called False Fox. It was made by the Shadow Bugs after Fox was turned into a Trophy from the Calamity Tabuu attack a few months back. Once the Shadow Bugs make a False copy of the Trophy: they make them really dangerous." I said. The three pilots looked at me in shock for a moment and then started to process what I just told them. "So, let me get this straight... you're telling us that these "Shadow Bugs" made a False version of Fox after they touched his "Trophy" and did all of this chaos?" Krystal asked me. I nodded my head yes to her question. "But, how do we stop them?" Slippy asked worriedly. "The Shadow Bugs are attracted to the energy of the Smash Ball... which is now inside me. So I can truly destroy them. Think of it as Light vs. Darkness in some sense." I replied. "Kind of like a wizard or something? Do you say your attack names too?" said Slippy. "You think I'm like Harry Potter or something?" I asked curiously. "No, Slippy... do you think wizards wear something like what she is wearing?" said Krystal. "Uh... yeah..?" he replied. "Oh boy." Krystal sighed. I lightly laughed at the conversation and then turned to Peppy; seeing him looking at us silently. "Peppy? You alright?" I asked.

Peppy took in my words for a moment and then began thinking of something. "Peppy? What'cha thinking?" said Slippy. "Slippy? Do you still have that energy absorber engine proto-type?" he asked. "That thing? Oh yeah! I still have it." Slippy replied. "Good, 'cause we're going to need it. Put that engine in Taylor's Arwing immediately! I know she'll put it good use." Peppy replied. "Yes sir! False Fox won't even know what hit him!" Slippy replied. He ran out of the room and went to work. "Krystal, I need you to tell General Pepper that we have the key of taking down the enemy!" Peppy told her. "Yes sir, right away." Krystal replied. She left the room and went to meet General Pepper. "Hold on a second... did you just say that I have a Arwing?" I asked Peppy as I walked upto him. "Sure did. You remember the promise Fox made with you when you two had your match a year ago?" he asked. I thought about it for a minute and then remembered the promise! "Oh yeah! He promised me that if I beat him in a 1-on-1 match, he'd let me have a Arwing of my own." I said. "And you won that match, right?" he asked. "Yeah..." I replied. "And he made his promise. So, let's go to your Arwing and get it ready to fly! And don't worry about your friends, our doctors will stay with them and keep them safe." he replied. "Okay, Peppy. Thanks." I said. After that we left the room and went to my Arwing.

"Whoa... it's beautiful." I said. I looked up at my Arwing and saw it looked exactly like Fox's; with the red color changed to black. "Peppy! The new engine is in and all set!" said Slippy as he ran upto us. "Good job, Slippy!" Peppy replied happily. I walked upto my Arwing and hopped inside it; sitting down in my seat. "I'm pretty sure that Fox told you how to work the Arwing, right?" Peppy asked me. "He sure did, but how will this new engine work?" I asked. "Oh, just wrap that strap there onto your wrist and the engine will sense your energy... and then travel to the laser blaster, and wham! False Fox's Arwing will be finished!" Slippy cheered. I wrapped the strap on my left wrist and then looked down at Peppy and Slippy. "Good luck, Taylor. Give 'em everything you got." said Peppy. "I will, and I'll get Fox back... I promise." I replied. The hatch closed and I turned on my Arwing; ready to fly. "Let's do this." I said to myself. After that, I flew out of the Great Fox and started my search for the enemy. I kept flying through the sky and looked around the City; wondering where False Fox would be. I put my Arwing on auto pilot for a second and connected my Slate to it; helping me find Fox's Trophy. "Perfect." I said to myself. I turned the auto pilot off and resumed my search.

I flew around for a couple minutes and my Slate began to beep. "Gotcha." I said. I flew the path of where Fox's Trophy was and saw False Fox flying in his Arwing; causing chaos. "Well, looks like my mission impossible motive won't work... time to improvise." I said. I flew up close to him and began firing lasers at him, making him barrel roll a couple times and then hit his Arwing. I flew a few feet away from him and then saw him fly after me. "Good, he's following my tail. Once we're away from the city: the real battle begins." I said. We flew away from the city and went to a open field; seeing no one in sight. I did a barrel roll and then began firing lasers again. False Fox started to fire back and noticed that I've dodged all of his attacks. "Right into the danger zone!" I said. I fired my lasers and took down his engine; watching him eject from his Arwing and land onto the ground. I flew down and jumped out of my Arwing; staring him down. He took out his Blaster and fired lasers at me; watching me reflect them with my energy shield. I put my hands down on the ground and made a line of electricity towards False Fox; creating a shock wave around him. All of his weapons broke apart and were no use to him anymore.

I ran upto him and we started punching and kicking each other for a couple minutes. He jumped away and began surrounding himself in purple flames. I created ice energy in my hands and watched him dash upto me. I shot the ice energy at him and watched him instantly freeze.. I walked upto the frozen foe and shot a light ball at him; destroying the Shadow Bugs. As I watched the Shadow Bugs disintegrate, I looked over to his Arwing and walked over to it; finding Fox's Trophy behind his seat. "There you are, old friend." I said. I picked up his Trophy and put it in my Arwing. "Come on, let's get you home." I said. I started my Arwing and flew back to the City; hoping that everyone is awake now. As I flew through the sky, I saw the Great Fox down below at a military base and decided to go there. I landed safely on the flight line, grabbed Fox's Trophy, and then jumped out; seeing Fox's friends and my team right by the Great Fox. "There she is!" said Slippy happily. "Hey guys." I replied. "So, did you win?" Peppy asked me. I nodded my head yes to his question; making him and his friends smile happily. "And, look who I found." I said as I put down Fox's Trophy in front of them. "It's him... that's Fox!" said Krystal happily. "What do you think, General Pepper?" said Peppy.

General Pepper walked upto Fox's Trophy and studied it for a minute; then looking at me. "So, you're the hero who rescued Fox?" he asked me. "Yes sir, that's me." I replied. "I must say... you did a very fine job on the mission for us. We didn't know what to do when False Fox was around, but now that he is gone the City is safe once again. From all of us here on Corneria, I thank you for your service." he said. I shook hands with him and then saluted to him; making him salute back. He smiled and then stepped back to his allies. "You don't have to tell us everything, we already know." said Samus as she and the team walked upto me. I nodded my head in understanding and then looked down at Fox's Trophy. "Well..?" said Mario. I touched the Trophy and a gold light glew around us for a moment. After it disappeared, our friend was revived! "Ugh... where am I?" said Fox as he stood up slowly; scratching his head. "Back on Corneria, Fox." said General Pepper.

"General Pepper!" Fox saluted. "Welcome back, Fox." General Pepper replied. Fox's friends ran upto him and hugged him; making him smile and laugh. We reunited with him for a few minutes and then stood by the Great Fox. "Are you sure about this, Fox?" said Peppy. "I'm sure, Peppy. They made it all this way to rescue me and the City... so I want to help them out in rescuing the others in the tournament." Fox replied. "Like Falco?" said Slippy. "Yep, and even Wolf." Fox replied. "You have to rescue Wolf!? Even after all the trouble he has put you through!?" Slippy yelled. "Yeah... but I have to. He's part of the tournament just like my friends over there. I can't let Tabuu take our worlds again, so I gotta go with them and stop him." Fox replied calmly. "You really are just like your father, Fox. Always caring about others before yourself." said Peppy. Fox lightly smiled happily and then said goodbye to his friends; walking towards us after that. "You alright, Fox?" Mario asked him. "Yeah, I'm alright... just, trying to get used to what's going on around here." Fox replied. "Same with all of us. We're all still wondering how Tabuu came back a few months ago." said Samus. "Just when we all thought after a decade winning against him..." Fox sighed. "Wait, you guys beat him a decade ago?" I said.

My team looked at me all confused after hearing what I had said. "Sorry... was I supposed to know that years ago?" I said. "No, it's our fault... we should've told you and the newcomers years ago during the fourth tournament." said Link. "It really slipped off our minds when we started it that day." Mario replied. "I see." I replied. We started walking inside the Great Fox and then heard someone run upto us. "Peppy? What are you doing?" Fox asked him. "I think you should the Great Fox with you on your journey." said Peppy. We all stared at him in shock to hear what he had said. "Peppy, are you serious?" Fox asked him. "Yes, I'm serious. This old girl has been helping us here in the Lylat system for years... now, it's time for her to travel many other worlds. Besides, you can't just travel in your Arwing alone while everyone else is in Samus's Ship, right?" Peppy replied. Fox blinked his eyes and then nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, I'll take the Great Fox with me." Fox replied. "Atta boy, Fox! Now, go give those Shadow Bugs a piece of their own medicine... and make sure all your friends are safe." Peppy replied. "Got it." Fox replied. They shook hands and said goodbye to each other. After that, Fox left with us in the Great Fox and we began flying back into outer space.

Outer Space- Inside the Great Fox

"How's my Ship doing, Fox?" Samus asked him. "Hm? It seems to be just fine. Slippy fixed it up when you were knocked out." Fox replied as he piloted the ship. "Good to hear." Samus replied. I nodded my head in agreement and then took out my Slate. "What are you checking?" Samus asked me. "Nothing, just connecting the Great Fox to the Slate." I said. "Wait what!?" said Fox in a worried tone. "Relax... watch this." I replied. The Slate beeped and scanned the entire ship; adding it to its database. "New transportation acquired." it said. "Oh... so it's supposed to help us get to everyone quicker." Fox replied. I nodded my head yes to his question. "Phew, that makes things easier." Fox sighed in relief. "Yeah..." I replied. A few seconds had passed and then my Slate began to beep. "Hm?" I said as I looked down at it. "Found something?" said Link as he and Mario walked upto us. "Could be a Trophy." said Mario. I looked at the screen and then noticed a Trophy symbol that left me speechless. Samus walked up and stood in front of me; snapping her fingers to get my attention. "Hello..? Earth to Taylor, can you hear me?" said Samus.

I looked up at her and then put my hood down; letting her see the speechless look on my face. "You okay?" she asked me. "I found someone." I said. "Well, tell us who it is." she replied. I looked down at the Slate again for a second and then looked back up at her, Link, Mario, and Fox as they stared at me. "It's Pikachu." I said. They looked at me all surprised of the name I just said. "Are you serious?" Link asked me. I nodded my head yes to his question. "Put his location on the screen." said Samus. "Right." I replied. I put the location on Fox's travel map and we looked at the location for the first time. "Saffron City, huh? Haven't been there in a long time." said Fox. "It feels like forever ago since I've heard that place." Link replied. I stared at the screen silently, turned away, and then walked upto the window; crossing my arms silently. Mario and Link walked upto me and then Link patted my shoulder; wondering if I was alright. "She's worried about him... I can tell by her sudden silence." said Samus. "Don't worry, Tay... we'll get him back. I promise. We'll get him, Roy, Cloud, and Corrin back." Link consoled me. I turned to him and nodded my head in understanding.

"You good now?" Mario asked me. "Yeah, I'm good... just, trying not to let my emotions take over me." I replied. "Spoken like a true warrior." said Samus. The three of us turned to her and Fox and nodded our heads in agreement. "Now, shall we go to Saffron City?" Fox asked us. "Yeah, let's go." I replied. Fox nodded his head in understanding and then began making the ship fly faster. "Hang on, Pikachu... I'm coming. I will rescue you, I promise." I said in my thoughts.

Thank you for reading Chapter 7 of the story! So... what did you guys think of the teams trip to Corneria and meeting Fox's friends? I'm really happy of how I included them in the Chapter and their conflict with False Fox before the team came to save Fox. It really was fun to write them and their interactions with Taylor. And also, I made the Harry Potter reference just for fun because in my mind, Slippy would think Taylor was some kind of wizard because of her powers... so I decided to include that for fun. Also, when Link told Taylor about them getting Pikachu, Roy, Cloud, and Corrin back... it pretty much confirms that they are roommates and share the same house together. Anyways, thank you so much for reading and have an awesome day!

Next time, Chapter 8: Pikachu (Hero of Thunder). The team arrives at Saffron City and encounter False Pikachu and his gang of rogue Pokémon. Will they fight through them all to save their friend? Or will they blast off to the sky like Team Rocket? Find out in Chapter 8!