Chapter 15: For Krystal and Kaltar, PART 2
Fox's eyes snapped open as he heard the raccoon's footsteps sprinting towards him, holding the metal-tipped club above his head. Fox patiently waited for his opponent to get closer so he could make his move. The raccoon jumped into the air a few yards away from Fox and let out a loud scream as he fell back towards the ground where Fox was standing. Fox flexed his knees and rolled safely to the side, easily avoiding the raccoon's aggressive attack. Fox exited his roll back onto his feet and quickly faced his opponent, who was still trying to recover from the mis-footing that resulted from his failed attack. Fox took advantage of the raccoon's clumsy steps and attempted to knock the metal-tipped club free from his hand with a swift downward kick. The blow connected, but the raccoon was able to keep a firm hold on his weapon. Fox quickly jumped away as his opponent tried to counter with another swipe from his club.
The raccoon began to circle Fox, holding his weapon in front of him, making sure that Fox did not make an attempt to attack. Fox slowly circled with the raccoon, taking deep breaths as he went. Suddenly, the raccoon darted towards Fox in a zigzag pattern, moving one direction and then quickly shifting to the other. Fox held his ground, making sure that he would not make a wrong move and get thrown of balance. He would wait until the raccoon made that mistake for him. Fox's opponent broke off from his attack pattern and charged straight for him. The raccoon swung the club hard in a circular motion, which spun him into a quick pirouette. Fox saw the attack coming and quickly ducked under the spinning attack. Fox took a short hop underneath the swinging club and threw his foot into the raccoon's knee, causing him to fall to the ground and stopping his rotation. Fox stood up quickly and tried once again to jar the club loose from his opponents hand using the same downwards kick, but the raccoon rolled back in the dirt and quickly regained his footing as Fox's boot flew just past him and hit nothing but air. Fox kept his balance and watched his opponent hesitantly lower his weapon.
The two contestants paused momentarily, desperately trying to catch their breath. Fox could hear the stands exploding with different cheers for the raccoon, yet among all the voices in the stadium, one stood out to Fox. It was the only voice in the crowd that was cheering for him instead of against him. Despite the fact that thousands of others were screaming and chanting in the crowd, it was the only one Fox was able to focus on. It was the only voice he needed to hear to give him the strength to continue fighting. It shouted, "Don't give up Fox! I know you can do it!"
Krystal...I won't let you down...
Fox barred his teeth and faced his opponent with a new determination. He looked up at the raccoon with a snarl and suddenly took a quick charge towards him. His opponent was taken slightly off guard, but was able to take a fast swipe at Fox just as he came within arms reach. Fox bent down to avoid the attack, and when it was clear of danger, Fox leaped up towards the raccoon and gave him a solid punch to his unprotected face. The force from the blow wrenched the raccoon's head off to the side as he fell clumsily towards the ground. Fox quickly took the opportunity to kick the club free from his opponent's hands, sending it against the surrounding arena wall. The raccoon rose back to his feet slowly and swung his arm to strike Fox with his club, but quickly realized that it was no longer in his hand. Fox swiftly grabbed the raccoon's outstretched arm and twisted it hard, causing the raccoon to scream out in pain. Fox quickly let go of his opponents arm and circled back around to the front of his opponent, who was still screaming in pain. Fox took a hard shot at his opponent with his right fist and followed it up with a jab kick to the stomach, which sent the raccoon sprawling onto the ground face down, gasping for breath. Fox quickly knelt beside the raccoon and removed the light body armor that he was wearing. He slid his arms through the two small, wooden holes in the top of the armor and fitted it securely around himself. Since the raccoons here were about the same size as Fox, his newly acquired armor fit almost perfectly.
The raccoon had failed to make any movements for a long time, and the cloaked figure responded in disgust, "Take him away, this match is over." A few other raccoons dressed in white robes rushed out onto the field and carried Fox's unconscious opponent out off the arena. Fox looked up at the balcony where the figure was standing and gave him a cocky smirk while trying to regain his breath. The crowd went ballistic with booing and began throwing objects onto the field at Fox. The figure raised his hands to calm the audience down and said, "My friends! There is no need to worry! That was only the first and weakest opponent for our friend Fox McCloud. His death is imminent and your planet along with the rest of the universe will be freed!" The crowd forgot about Fox and was now wildly rallying behind their master's voice. Fox looked around at the crowd and thought of how everyone of them were being forced to cheer for someone who ruined their lives, having to watch their own kind being wounded right in front of them, and they could only cheer. Fox looked up at the shadowed figure in disgust and yelled, "How can you do this!? You make them cheer against their will. They sit and watch their own kind fighting and hurting, and you make then cheer? Is that something you find entertaining!? There's no way I'm gonna let you get away with this and turn the whole Lylat System into your slaves!" The cloaked figure let out a booming laugh, "You are bold to speak of things you know so little about Fox McCloud...The lives of these people mean nothing to me. Why would I bother trying to appease them when I can simply take over their minds and bend them to my every wish? It brings me great pleasure seeing them forced to cheer while their once useless feelings may tell them otherwise. That is why I striped their minds from them. They are now able to realize things that were thought impossible during the time they used their own minds. They can see the brilliance of my plan, which is something you and your group cannot seem to grasp. They know that when you are out of the way, no one will be able to stop me! The only two remaining from that planet will be gone from existence."
The only two remaining from what planet? What the heck is he talking is filled with all kinds of animals, what two is he talking about?
Fox shook himself from thought and looked up at him with a confused and aggressive sneer, "I'll never let you get away with that! Too many lives are at risk." The figure laughed and replied, "And that, my friend, is why I must kill you and end your futile quest." The figure raised his arm and signaled for another of the stone doors to open, "Reveal the next challenger now!"
Fox quickly turned from the figure standing above him and focused on the slowly opening stone door behind him. The silhouette walked out into the light so that Fox could see his opponent clearly. He was a very large raccoon, at least a foot taller than the others and very muscular. He wore thick wooden body armor around his upper body and most of his legs. A thin wooded helmet that covered his face and neck protected his head. And at his side he held a large sword. The entire blade was crafted of thin rock that was grinded into an extremely sharp edge on each side of the blade. Fox was busy contemplating how he would defeat his opponent as the figure again yelled over the field, "Let the fighting commence!"
Fox kept his ground as the raccoon slowly approached him, holding his sword at his side. Fox still remained stationary, even as his opponent walked into close range. Suddenly, the raccoon let out a loud scream and thrusted the sword straight towards Fox. Fox quickly reacted and back fliped to safety as the sword missed him by inches. Fox swiftly regained his feet and once again found his defensive posture. The raccoon let out a growl and took a hard swipe at Fox. He quickly jumped to the side and then took a few steps back out of the swords range. Fox hunched over slightly as he tried to regain his breath from this and the last match. I can't keep running or I'll get worn out...I need to think of an attack, but that guy has such thick armor...I need a weapon to fight him... Fox again dodged the raccoon's attack and readjusted his foot positioning. He looked up at the tall raccoon and saw that he was not about to wear out any time soon. As the raccoon again approached Fox, something behind his opponent caught his eye. That'll work perfectly! Fox took his focus off his opponent and ran as fast as he could around the outside wall of the arena. The raccoon chased after him, but his movement was hindered by the amount of body armor he had equipped. Fox kept his momentum as he swiftly bent over and picked up the metal-tipped club his last opponent had used. Fox stopped and felt the object in his hands. It was heavier than he expected and some of the metal shards on the club had fallen off, but Fox knew it would be enough to help him gain the victory.
Fox held the heavy club in front of him; making sure that his opponent knew he could fight back. The raccoon didn't seem to care as he quickly rushed towards Fox and took an aggressive swipe at him with his sword. Fox ducked under the sword, which sliced into the thick, wooden barricade around the arena floor. The raccoon struggled to pull it out and Fox quickly took advantage. He took a few sidesteps behind his opponent and threw all his weight into swinging the heavy club. The blow connected the back off his armor and also grazed over his unprotected arm. The armor cracked slightly and didn't affect the raccoon at all, but when the metal tipped club ripped through his arm, large chucks of his skin and fur were torn off in several places, and they began to drizzle blood down his arm. The raccoon let out a cry of pain, which only seemed to give him even more strength. He ripped his sword out from the wall and quickly turned back to Fox as his arm began to produce a puddle of blood beneath him. The raccoon let out a deafening scream and swung the sword at Fox with all his strength. Fox quickly spaced out both hands on the wooden club and held it in front of himself vertically. When the sword hit the thick piece of wood, Fox almost fell over from the force of the blow, but as he expected, the sword had again become lodged inside the wood. Fox twisted the club hard and the raccoon unexpectantly lost the grip on his sword. Both weapons flipped behind Fox and landed a safe distance away.
The crowd was erupting with mixed cheers as they watched the spectacle below. The cloaked figure stood patiently on the stone balcony, not seeming to be at all worried with the outcome of the fight. Krystal was leaning as far over the hand railing as she could without falling off as she eagerly cheered Fox on. Katt tried to look like she was maintaining her composure, keeping her arms crossed and her gaze steady, but inside she was desperately hoping that Fox could earn victory.
Both opponents stared each other down with no weapons between them. They were both breathing heavily as they exchanged hostile glances. The raccoon was holding onto his badly bleeding arm, but kept an angry gaze fixed on Fox. He suddenly rushed at Fox and threw out a hard punch towards his chest. Fox was caught off guard and took the blow to the right side of his chest. He took a few clumsy steps backwards, but was able to recover quickly because his newly acquired body armor had absorbed most of the blow. The raccoon quickly planted his feet and took another shot at Fox. Fox was able to anticipate this attack and easily jumped clear of the raccoon's fist. Fox quickly countered with his own punch, but it was thrown to the side as the raccoon turned and blocked the attack with his arm. He then tried to quickly retaliate with a punch of his own. Fox sidestepped to avoid the attack and swiftly returned the attack with a hard kick to the raccoons already beaten arm. The raccoon let out a loud, painful scream as the treads on the bottom of Fox's boot badly agitated the open gashes on his arm, making them produce even more blood. The raccoon slowly knelled on the ground and grimaced as the pain from his arm began to overwhelm him. The blood it produced had already created a large puddle of blood beneath him in the dirt. The raccoon let out a few more painful screams as the wound began to spurt blood viciously. It ran down his armor and legs and had already soaked into all the fur he had on his arm. He let out one final, painful scream before he passed out in the puddle of blood beneath him.
The cloaked figure standing above Fox let out a booming laugh as he announced, "Well done Fox McCloud, you're more of a challenge than I had expected. You have only one opponent left. Are you sure you won't give up now? Perhaps I could find some use for you and your companions." Fox stared down at the defeated raccoon, who laid in the puddle of blood. He slowly looked up at the cloaked figure with anger in his eyes, but talking came hard as he tried to catch his breath. The figure continued, "Are you that tired already my friend? I hope you can still muster the strength for one last match. I would hate to see you killed without a fight." Fox finally caught with breath and screamed, "You! You are...forcing me to kill innocent animals...that have done...nothing to deserve any of this! I'll...make you pay for what you've done..." The cloaked figure laughed and responded, "Defeat me!? Do you realize where you are? I could send this entire tribe of mindless beings after you right now. You would have little chance at victory I'm afraid." Fox provocatively replied, "Then why don't you!? Why don't you just kill all of us right now!?" The figure responded, "My friend, I am not dishonorable enough to do something like that. Besides, It is much more enjoyable to see you fight for the lives of everyone in your group." He let out a wicked laugh that seemed to shake the entire stadium. "And with that said, I invite the next and final challenger onto the field. It has been a pleasure watching you fight with such valor Fox McCloud, but I'm afraid it all ends here."
Fox hesitated to turn around when he heard another of the stone doors opening from behind him. He wiped the heavy sweat from his mouth and eyes as he slowly turned to see his last opponent. His next opponent wielded a huge axe, which was about half the size of Fox himself. It was also wearing heavy armor around his entire body, leaving only his face exposed. The creature itself was twice the size of Fox, but he didn't seem to notice any of this as he stared into the face of the creature. He froze in place when he realized what it was...A Sharpclaw.
What!? A Sharpclaw? What the heck are one of those doing here...I thought that they all stayed on Dinosaur Planet...Or did that cloaked guy take over Dinosaur Planet too...This is insane...Is there anyway to defeat that thing? At least I had Krystal's staff back then to fight with...this could be bad...
"Let Fox McCloud's final battle commence!" Fox broke out of his thoughts as the cloaked figure's words echoed thought the stadium. He refocused on his large opponent and desperately tried to figure out how to defeat him. The Sharpclaw slowly walked towards Fox holding the axe just to his side. Fox back peddled slightly to give himself more time to think. The Sharpclaw noticed that he was not making much ground on his small opponent and broke out into its version of a sprint, which was more like a clumsy waddle. Fox soon found himself against a wall with no more room to back up. The Sharpclaw came within a few feet and raised his huge axe above his head. Fox quickly dove well to the side as the giant axe ripped into the thin outer wall of the arena, easily cutting the length of the wood. It turned around to face Fox as he pulled his axe out of the wall. Fox tried to stay behind his opponent, knowing that he was far more agile than his large adversary. The Sharpclaw let out a frustrated grunt as he tried to find Fox behind him and spun around 180 degrees as he swung his axe out in front of him. Fox didn't see the attack coming and took a hit to his right shoulder. The blade mostly cut into the corner of his body armor, causing little damage to that area, but the axe had also cut slightly into his shoulder. It was not a large cut, but it was deep and painful. The sore began bleeding as he felt the pain pierce into his arm. He let out a painful scream as he jumped away from the Sharpclaw to avoid another attack. The crowd was bursting with excitement to see Fox draw blood for the first time. The roar was deafening and unencouaging, but Fox was able to draw strength from the anger that accumulated from hearing the crowd cheering against him.
Fox quickly dashed towards his opponent in an attempt an attack on the seemingly impenetrable enemy. The Sharpclaw swung his axe as Fox approached and directed its blade towards his head. Fox had anticipated this attack and jumped into the air. The blade passed well under him and he delivered a hard kick to the side of the Sharpclaw's exposed face. Its head jerked slightly to the side, but didn't seem to receive much pain from the blow. Fox fell to the ground and quickly jumped away from the axe's range. The Sharpclaw let out another low-pitched grunt and simply threw the axe out of his claws and towards the unexpecting Fox. The large axe soared through the air headed directly at Fox. He attempted to jump out of the way, but his reaction came a little to late as the axe crashed into him. The flat of the axe smashed into the side of his face and he was sent sprawling onto the ground. The flat of the axe didn't cause as much damage as the blade had, but his sight became blurred and he could feel a small amount of blood running from his nose and mouth. He tried to regain his focus before the Sharpclaw could reclaim his axe, but the painful impact from such a large and heavy weapon was too great to recover from as quickly as he wanted. He slowly leaned up on his arms and let out a small groan in pain. He desperately looked around to find his opponent, but his vision was still unclear and everything seemed blurry. Fox clumsily attempted to stand up, but quickly found himself with his back to the ground as the Sharpclaw placed one of it's heavy feet on top of his stomach, holding his axe to his side. Fox saw the axe and realized that he had no chance of escape. The Sharpclaw let out a strange laugh as he held the axe in front of him. He held its blade just above Fox's head and didn't move it any further. The figure spoke from above the contestants, "Hahaha! I'm afraid this is the end for you Fox McCloud. But I'm an honorable creature you see. Do you wish to say any last words to any of your companions?" The crowd went completely silent as they awaited the defeated vulpine's answer. Fox closed his eyes as he realized his end was near. All the things he had worked so hard to achieve...would it really end here?
It's over...I've failed my mission...for Corneria...for my team...for all of Lylat...and for you...Krystal...I wish I could just come out and say it in front of everyone here...As my last...dying words...Why would I have to wait until the end to tell you...I'm sorry I couldn't save anyone...I've failed you...I've failed Cerinia...the scroll...I guess this was my destiny...the one you had planned for me must've been for someone else...
The figure shouted from above, "You have nothing to say to your pathetic team? Nothing at all? This is the last time you will ever gaze upon them, and yet you can say nothing...you are a pathetic leader I must say." Fox gritted his teeth, he wanted to answer, but he was just too weak to say anything. The cloaked figure continued, "Very well then. If you have nothing left to say, then neither do I. My servant, you may now kill the fox...Farewell, my admirable adversary..."
Fox took his final glance up at Krystal, who was crying uncontrollably. I'm sorry...it had to end like this... Fox saw the Sharpclaw raise the axe above his head from the corner of his eye. He took a long sigh and again closed his eyes tightly, knowing that it was the last breath he would take. The Sharpclaw let out a loud grunt as he began the axe downward at Fox's neck. Krystal shouted desperately from the balcony, "No...This can't happen! Fox...!"