Note: Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, the final battle of the story. I hope that you like it. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 10: Father vs Son
Star Fox, Bill, Katt, Lucy, most of the Cornerian Knights and Margaret had arrived at the hospital. Once they got there, Falco got a cast on his arm and Fay had been given bandages for her toes. As for Slippy and Miyu, their wounds had been given additional treatment by Doctor Granger. The snow leopard then took the group to the cafeteria, where they decided to stay. Inside the cafeteria, they saw Art and Steve standing near the wall.
"Alright," Bill said, "while we're here, we might as well relax."
"Shouldn't we go help Prowl?" Flora asked.
"He did zay zat zome of uz could go back to ze dockz and help him, didn't he?" Pierre added.
"Yes, we need to send someone out to help him." Lucy said.
"My nephew's never usually the kind of person who needs help." Doctor Granger said.
"He's learned about teamwork at the Flight Academy." Bill said.
"But how do we know that his Zipper will stand a chance against Epitaph?" Miriam asked.
"I outfitted our Zippers with force field devices before we went down to the docks." Jethro said. "Prowl might stand a chance against Crimson Unit #21, but I'm not sure that his Zipper has the right arsenal to destroy Epitaph."
"Epitaph?!" A voice cried out.
Gertrude came up to the table and spoke to everyone, anger and worry in her voice.
"My son is up against that death machine?!" She cried. "How can he be so reckless?! I blame this on you, Katt Monroe! You influenced my son for the worst! I'm going to -"
Falco then used his free arm to put a reassuring hand on Gertrude's shoulder.
"Relax," he said, "it was your son's decision to fight Crimson Unit #21. Katt, along with the rest of us, had nothing to do with it."
"That's true, Mrs. Granger." Flora said.
Gertrude then turned around to walk away from the table.
"Why does she not like me?" Katt asked.
"You're kind of a bad girl, Katt." Falco said. "I can see why Gertrude would think that you are a bad influence on her punk of a son."
"And you're a bad boy, my bird." The pink feline said as she kissed him on his beak.
"Wait," Fox approached Gertrude, "before you go, it's about time we told you what's really going on. You know how your husband was reported dead? Well, he was saved from death by the Cornerian Army and given cybernetic implants in order to save his life. However, he went rogue, changed his name to Crimson Unit #21, left for Zoness, got the Mauricio Family and the Zimmerman Brothers together and abducted most of my team, including me, and ordered our executions in order to kickstart his plans for galactic domination."
"And your son is fighting him as we speak." Peppy added.
Gertrude and Doctor Granger looked mortified by the revelation that was released before them.
"Tobias is Crimson Unit #21?" Gertrude asked.
"My nephew is fighting my brother-in-law?" Doctor Granger asked.
"Yes," Miyu said, "and we need to go back for him."
"And Officer Black had better brought backup with him." Margaret said. "The Mauricio Family is far from a group of cowards."
Krystal stood up, walking to the cafeteria door.
"Where are you going, Krys?" Fox asked.
"I'm going to help Prowl." She answered. "Is anyone coming with me?"
"We'll go with you." Flora said.
"Yeah," Collin added, "Prowl's our teammate. We can't leave him behind."
"He might be a jerk, but he's actually proved himself to be a good person underneath." Miriam stated.
"Prowl's not someone I think highly of," Jethro spoke, "but he's still our friend. I can appreciate his criticisms towards my work."
"Oui," Pierre approached Krystal, "Prowl'z got ze right ztuff, in zpite of hiz behavior! He'z on ze guezt lizt for ze wedding anniverzary, after all!"
"I've even made a scarf for him." Shelly said. "I'll give it to him after the battle."
"Alright, let's go!" Krystal opened the door.
"Before you leave, I have to ask something." Peppy spoke.
"What is it?" The cobalt vixen asked.
"Who has been taking care of the Great Fox?" The hare asked.
"ROB and the Army have been watching after it, but I still go into it to check and see if everything is okay." She said.
"That makes sense." Slippy stated.
"Yeah," Falco said, "Brett was let go when Krystal went back to normal."
"C'mon," Krystal said as she let the Cornerian Knights out of the cafeteria, "we can't waste more time than we have!"
"Right!" Collin said as he ran down the hallway.
"We're coming, Prowl!" Shelly shouted.
Krystal and the Cornerian Knights went to the garage, getting into their ships. Krystal let the Knights go first, as the Zippers were faster than her Arwing. Once they made their way out of the garage, the cobalt vixen flew after them, setting a course for the docks. The seven then made their way to Prowl's location, hoping that he was doing alright. After all, the snow leopard was going to need all the help he could get.
Above the sea, Prowl was in a dogfight with Crimson Unit #21. He was doing well, as he avoided each attack from Epitaph by doing barrel rolls and somersaults in his Zipper. In addition to that, the young man occasionally turned his force field on, the shield absorbing the blasts that he received. However, Crimson Unit #21, the man who was once called Tobias Granger, wouldn't stay down. In fact, despite the damage that Epitaph received, the ship wouldn't go down.
A yawn came from Crimson Unit #21.
"Is this the best you can do, Prowl?" He mocked.
"I'm not giving up, if that's what you're hoping for!" Prowl shouted as he shot at Epitaph, which scraped the paint.
"Rough and overconfident, just like how I was at your age!" Crimson Unit #21 snorted.
"I'm nothing like you, and I never will be!" The younger snow leopard shouted as he continually fired at the enemy ship, which only did minor damage to the wings.
"But, you've proven to be as reckless as I was." The cyborg snow leopard stated. "Now, you're going to die for your mistakes."
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" A voice called out.
Out from the horizon came the other Cornerian Knights and Krystal, who opened fire on Epitaph. This did additional damage to the ship, cracking the windshield and nearly destroying the wings of it.
"What?!" Crimson Unit #21 screamed.
The Knights flew near their ally while Krystal landed on the ground.
"I'm going to help Officer Black capture the Mauricio Family!" Krystal shouted.
"Good call!" Flora called down.
"Great, you guys are here." Prowl said out of sarcasm.
"We couldn't let you get killed." Jethro said.
"You're our friend," Collin stated, "we need to help you!"
"Then, for that, all of you will die!" Crimson Unit #21 roared as he fired at them. However, Epitaph was shot out of the air by a combination of Prowl and Miriam's attack. The ship went crashing into the water, making a big splash in the process.
"We did it!" Collin said.
"He's dead!" Miriam shouted in excitement.
"No, he isn't." Prowl said.
"Prowl's right." Shelly stated. "If Crimson Unit #21 only went crashing into the sea, then he's had a chance of survival."
True to Flora's words, Crimson Unit #21 swam onto shore.
"Should we fire at him with our Zippers?" Miriam asked.
"No, we should land." Prowl stated. "It's only fair to face him outside of our ships than inside."
Back at the hospital, Panther and Leon had arrived. The moment they arrived, Panther immediately went over to Miyu. As for Leon, he stood with his back to the wall.
"I'm so glad that you're okay, my desert rose." Panther said as he hugged Miyu.
"You're not the only one." Miyu stated.
"Can we save the sentimental rubbish for later?" Leon asked. "Did you forget that Wolf is going after the Mauricio Family?"
"Wolf's going after them, too?" Fox asked.
"Of course, stupid, he's planning to kill the Mauricio Family." The chameleon stated.
"I hope that Wolf's happy with the fact that he'll get arrested for doing so." Bill said.
"Krystal went with the new recruits, so maybe she'll stop Wolf from killing the Mauricios." Slippy surmised.
"And Wolf will stay out of jail, so it's a major victory for all of us." Panther said.
"I'm surprised that the two of you are confident." Steve spoke. "If Wolf kills the Mauricio Family, not only will he be arrested, but you'll be arrested as well."
Leon and Panther looked at each other.
"We should go after him." Panther said.
"Yes," Leon stated, "but we can let Wolf pound Giorno Mauricio's face into a pulp."
The two Star Wolf members went out to their Wolfens, flying off and setting a course to the docks.
Back at the docks, Giorno, Antonio, Louis and Daniel were watching the Cornerian Knights facing off against Crimson Unit #21. The four gangsters were confident, believing that the man who had them and the Zimmerman Brothers team up would defeat the team that was a thorn in their side. Antonio, in particular, was practically giggling at the sight of the seven trainees struggling to take down the former Cornerian Army soldier-turned-cyborg. As they watched the battle, Giorno tapped on the wall.
"Gentlemen," he spoke, "shall we have a bet on the victor?"
"What's the point in having a bet?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, we already know who's going to win!" Antonio said.
"I wouldn't bet on anything, gentlemen!" Krystal said as she kicked the door open, her blaster in her hands. Following her was Officer Black, who also had his blaster out. Before Antonio, Louis and Daniel could get out their weapons, Giorno stopped them.
"People, please, must we shoot each other when we meet?" The gorilla asked.
"Just surrender, Mauricio, it's over." Officer Black said.
"Why should I, mule?" Giorno scoffed.
"Because the boys and I managed to clear out every single gangster, hitman and spy you had employed." The mule stated.
"That doesn't matter," Louis said, "Crimson Unit #21 will kill you once he has dealt with the Cornerian Knights."
"But we have help with us." Krystal stated.
"Oh, really?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, really!" Charles said as he entered the lifeguard's house.
"Charles, what are you doing here?!" Giorno growled.
"I'm here to arrest you, father!" The younger gorilla took out his blaster.
"Will you surrender peacefully, or will we have to fight?" Officer Black was stone-cold, his fingers ready to pull the trigger.
Giorno looked at Antonio, Louis and Daniel. The three had agitated, defiant looks on their faces, meaning that they were not willing to surrender.
"Boys," Giorno spoke, "get out your guns!"
Prowl and Crimson Unit #21 were now looking at each other eye-to-eye. The other Cornerian Knights were catching their breath, having been nearly worn out from fighting the cyborg snow leopard. In addition to that, they had a bad feeling about the fight that was about to happen.
"Is that all, my son?" Crimson Unit #21 asked. "Is that all you and your teammates can do?"
"Teamwork doesn't hinder progress." Prowl said. "In fact, I do believe that we somewhat weakened you."
"Is that so?" The cyborg feline asked. "Don't you realize that the cybernetic implants I have keep me up and moving?"
"Then all I need to do is destroy them!" The snow leopard cracked his knuckles.
"Prowl, be careful!" Flora warned.
"Yeah, Crimson Unit #21 is your dad, but he's also a cyborg!" Miriam stated.
"And let's not forget that he was a member of the Cornerian Army once!" Collin added.
"Relax," Prowl said, "I can beat him."
Crimson Unit #21 only laughed, showing overconfidence in his voice.
"Looks like I'll have to write your obituary, Prowl!" He chuckled.
Prowl fired his blaster at Crimson Unit #21, which caused him to stagger backwards. After that, the young man began to pound at his father-turned-cyborg. However, the older snow leopard roundhouse kicked the younger one, knocking him down. Luckily, Prowl was quick on his feet, as he fired his blaster into his opponent's eye. He then followed that with a tackle, intending to push the-man-who-was-once-known-as-Tobias Granger into the water. However, Crimson Unit #21 threw him off, knocking him out.
"Prowl!" Shelly cried.
"I didn't promise that I would be merciful, children!" Crimson Unit #21 laughed as he walked towards his son.
Prowl struggled to get up, somewhat unable to move from the ensuing attack.
"Looks like your battle against the Mauricio Family, the Zimmerman Brothers and I has ended, Prowl." Crimson Unit #21 got out one of his Starless daggers. "I shall give you a proper eulogy, like the good father I am."
"Good father?" Prowl glared at him. "Good father?! You are NOT a good father! You were arrogant and nasty around everyone, including mom, William and me! Let's not forget that you didn't come back to the family the moment you were saved from death! You bailed on us so that you can do what you have done!"
Crimson Unit #21 was then taken down by a shot from Collin's blaster, allowing Prowl to get up from the ground. However, he grabbed one of Crimson Unit #21's Starless daggers.
"What are you doing?" Collin asked.
"I've got an idea." Prowl said.
Grunting as he got up, Crimson Unit #21 glared at the Cornerian Knights, giving off a deranged smile.
"Give up." Prowl said.
The cyborg snow leopard ignored him, tackling him and attempting to strangle him. Luckily, Prowl was able to push his father off of him. Crimson Unit #21 then let out a chuckle.
"I shall kill you, your teammates, Star Fox and Star Wolf without pity or mercy!" He boasted.
Prowl pressed a button on Starless, which launched the blade into Crimson Unit #21's right arm-mounted blaster.
"What the?!" The cyborg feline roared.
"Get down!" Prowl said as he led his teammates away from Crimson Unit #21.
All of a sudden, Crimson Unit #21 was blown up. When the explosion cleared up, the remains of the cyborg fell to the ground. All that was left of Tobias Granger was charred flesh, broken machinery and a massive amount of blood. Once he was dead, the Cornerian Knights looked down at the remains, not even noticing Fox when he walked up to them.
"Goodbye, Tobias Granger." Fox said.
"And good riddance." Prowl said as he spat on the remains.
"Is anyone hurt?" The orange tod asked.
"My arm iz zore." Pierre answered.
"And I think I pulled a leg muscle during the fight." Jethro stated.
"There are plenty of ice packs in my Arwing, so I'll let you use them." Fox told them.
Pierre and Jethro went over to Fox's Arwing, which allowed him to speak with the rest of the Cornerian Knights.
"I didn't thank any of you for helping to save us from the mob." Fox stated.
"It was nothing, Mr. McCloud." Miriam said.
"Yeah, it was just our job." Collin stated.
"I can see why the General wanted you to succeed my team." Fox said. "All of you have the potential to become a legitimate team of pilots. Good job, my friends."
"We don't need your thanks," Prowl said, "but you're welcome."
Meanwhile, Krystal, Officer Black and Charles were in a standoff with Giorno, Antonio, Louis and Daniel. The four gangsters did not stop firing, as they were determined to kill their enemies. That was until they heard the explosion. It caused everyone to stop firing, as Louis looked out to the docks, where the explosion had occurred. Upon seeing Crimson Unit #21's corpse, the yellow frog gasped.
"Tobias is dead!" He shouted. "Those bratty Cornerian Knight punks killed him!"
Shocked, but still maintaining the backbone of a leader, Giorno put his blaster into his inner shirt pocket.
"Alright, gentlemen," he spoke, "it's time for our backup plan: we take the Cerinian as a hostage after we kill the officer and have my son severely punished. No one's stopping us yet."
However, two wolves walked into the room. The first one to walk into the room was Margaret, while the second one was Wolf. Before either of them could open fire, Louis and Daniel were taken down by shots by Margaret's blaster, hitting the former in the head and the latter in the heart. The two gangsters fell to the ground, dead. As for Antonio, he was shot by Wolf several times. Now that he was alone, Giorno backed up against the wall.
"It's over, you annoying mob boss." Wolf spoke. "I want to get one thing straight here: if anyone is going to bring an end to Star Fox, it's going to be me. It's an honor that I feel like I have earned. As for you, Giorno Mauricio, your life has just come to an end."
"Margaret," Giorno looked at Margaret, "come back to the Mauricio Family! I can turn you into my hit woman and I'll treat you with dignity! What do you say?!"
"Stuff it," Margaret said, "I was never on your side, Mauricio. I was working for the Cornerian Army, and I have been since the Aparoid invasion, but you couldn't see it. Now that I've cleared that up, do what you're going to do, Mr. O'Donnell."
Wolf grabbed Giorno by his shirt collar, raising his fist.
"Wait, Wolf O'Donnell, think of the opportunities you and I might have!" The gorilla pleaded. "We can use that Cerinian for money, even though her fur might scare people away!"
Angered, Wolf began to beat Giorno to a pulp. Krystal then ran up to the one-eyed lupine, trying to stop him from killing the mob boss.
"Stop! Don't kill him!" The cobalt vixen cried.
Wolf did so, turning his attention to Krystal while still holding Giorno by his collar.
"Pepper told you about the deal I made with him, didn't he?" He asked.
"Yes," Krystal said, "I was expecting you to show up. Now that you're here, I need to tell you that you'll be sent to jail if you kill him. Leon and Panther would also go to jail, so they're not even safe from this deal. Dad, just let Officer Black and Charles take Mr. Mauricio to jail."
"Listen to her, O'Donnell." Officer Black spoke.
Letting go of Giorno, Wolf let out a sigh and looked at Krystal.
"Fine then," the one-eyed lupine said, "even though I'd be okay with going to prison, I won't spill Mauricio's blood to sully you. However, you owe me something, Krystal."
"What is it?" Krystal asked.
"You owe me some time with you." Wolf said.
"Okay," the cobalt vixen said, "that's fair. After all, we haven't really spoken since this whole affair. Officer Black, you can have Mr. Mauricio."
Krystal walked out of the room, allowing Officer Black and Charles to handcuff Giorno.
"Let's get you down to prison, scumbag." Officer Black hissed.
"I hope you like those orange jumpsuits, dad." Charles said as he got ready to take Giorno to the cruiser he and Black had arrived in.
Down at the docks, Fox and the Cornerian Knights saw the scenes unfold beforehand.
"Looks like Krystal got Wolf to spare Mauricio." Fox said.
"And Mauricio better hope for life imprisonment," Prowl stated, "because I'll make sure he wished that it was when I see him out of jail."
"Prowl, c'mon, it's finally over!" Collin said as he walked to his Zipper.
"Yeah, we can finally party!" Miriam said.
"Gee, I never liked parties." Prowl said as he went to his Zipper.
After that, everyone (including Fox and Krystal) flew away from the docks. However, Wolf and Margaret were still at the lifeguard's cabin. Unbeknownst to either of them, Leon and Panther had arrived.
"I guess that we didn't need to come here, after all." Panther spoke.
"And how long were you two standing there?" Wolf asked, turning his head to them.
"We just arrived." Leon said. "Did you get a few punches on Mauricio?"
"Yes," the one-eyed lupine said, "I even killed his younger brother."
"It's about time that the Mauricio Family was gotten rid of." Panther said.
"Too bad we had to work with Pepper and Star Fox and those rookies in order to do it." Leon stated.
"We had a deal with him, so we couldn't do what we wanted." Wolf said. "Krystal even had to remind me of it, to the point where I said that she owed me some time with her."
"That girl just makes you mushy, doesn't she?" Leon asked.
"Come now, Leon, let's just get out of here!" The one-eyed lupine walked out of the cabin.
"Would you like a ride home?" Panther asked Margaret.
"No," she said, "I'll just get a ride from one of the soldiers."
"Suit yourself." The black jungle cat said as he walked out of the cabin, with Leon following him.
After that, Star Wolf flew back to Sargasso, with Wolf leading the way. Margaret received a ride back to her place from Bill. It was finally over: the Mauricio Family and the Zimmerman Brothers had been defeated. No more would their criminal activity plague Corneria.
Note: Welp, that was fun to write. What do you guys think? Don't let the end of this chapter fool you, as there are two more left after this one. Nonetheless, I hope that all of you have enjoyed the story. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!