Fox and Krystal wearily woke up in their cell; a small room with a large metal door. They felt dizzy and groggy as they struggled to shake themselves awake. They quickly shook their heads to regain consciousness. They kept on struggling to maintain their consciousness. Fox rubbed his forehead due to dizziness. "Uh… my head… You all right, Krystal?"

"Yes, Fox. I think I'm okay."

Fox smiled for a bit. But then he noticed Krystal's staff was missing. He tried reaching for his own, but couldn't find it. "Our staffs!" He felt somewhat panic-y for a moment, but then he calmed down for a moment. He and Krystal sat on opposite sides of the room, looking at each other, leaning against the walls. "That's just great. This whole thing has gone from bad to worse in an instant. We lost our weapons, my PDA got smashed, and Scales has made us his prisoners. The only way this could possibly get any worse is if Pigma Dengar were coming after the SpellStone."

"What would Pigma want with the SpellStone, Fox?"

"Obviously, he would want to sell it at an auction to the highest bidder."

Krystal had a very disgusted expression on her face. She found it sick that someone like Pigma would take something vital for restoring Sauria and use it for his own selfish gain. That he would be willing to let an entire galaxy be destroyed just to get what he wants. "I hope he gets what he deserves."

"After Peppy made it back alive after what happened on Venom, he told me about what happened to my father. And ever since then, I swore to avenge his death. When I became an adult, I became the leader of the new Star Fox team, and my co-pilots were Peppy, Slippy, and the one member you haven't met yet, Falco Lombardi. But after Andross died, Falco left the Star Fox Team and has been off wandering in the galaxy for quite some time."

"Why did he leave?"

"He got a mission request from Katt Monroe, a lone rogue with a band of thugs who helps out the Star Fox team from time to time. But a disagreement came between me and him, and that's why he left."

"Have you ever confronted Pigma face to face?"

"After betraying Star Fox, Pigma joined a group of mercenaries named Star Wolf. And unlike Star Fox, Star Wolf, yes, was the way that most people seem to think of mercenaries. Remember when you said Star Fox was more like knights-errant than soldiers for hire?"

"Yes."

"Well, 'soldiers for hire' sums up Star Wolf almost perfectly. During the war against him, Andross hired Star Wolf to take down myself and my copilots. The rest of the team consisted of a lunatic named Leon Powalski, Andross's nephew, Andrew Oikonny, and finally, their leader and sworn nemesis to both myself and my father, Wolf O'Donnell."

"But why would Wolf hate you and your father?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. Maybe Wolf blames him for something horrible that happened to him or something. Maybe he accuses him of murdering his father or any other loved one he might have, but my dad wouldn't do something like that."

Krystal closed her eyes and tilted her head down pensively. She thought it was unfair for a man to be hated for something he wasn't responsible for.

Fox asked, "Apart from that phantasm back at Krazoa Palace, do you have a sworn nemesis?"

"I've had a few for a while. Like I said before, some of the people I encountered after Cerinia was destroyed made attempts to manipulate and/or hurt me. They ranged from sleazy womanizing lords and kings who just wanted to add me to their harems, to desperate militants who wanted to use me as a weapon in their battles, to people with a terrible grudge against Cerinians who wanted to lure me into a death trap, to scientists who wanted to run experiments on me so they could find out how I obtained my powers, to power-hungry tyrants attempting to turn me against the very innocents I've been fighting to protect. But thanks to my telepathic abilities, I was able to catch them at it fairly quickly, which often led to me either confronting them head-on, or if I needed them to accomplish any goal I might have, turning the tables on them and manipulating them instead."

"Wow! That's incredibly impressive!"

"To be honest, actually, the destruction of Cerinia wasn't the point where I decided to stop upholding our tribe's laws of not diving into the minds of others unless we had a good enough reason for it."

"What did lead to that decision?"

"Not long after fleeing Cerinia, I received a distress signal from one of the nearby planets from a lord and his advisors who were being attacked by a group of criminals and needed my help. I thought that they were just a group of innocent people who were attacked by an unjust group of criminals, and I thought I was helping them out. But after a few confrontations with the rebellion, I realized that the armies that I sided with were the true villains who oppressed and enslaved the people they were supposed to protect and the 'criminals' were just the innocent citizens fighting back. Then I changed sides and started helping them out instead, and killed the evil lord. I also learned that they were planning on disposing of me as soon as I gave them what I wanted. The innocent people that I protected hailed me as a hero, and I stayed with them to celebrate their freedom, but I couldn't stay for long. I knew they were good people, and I was glad to see justice be done, but I still had a mission to do. So I bid them farewell and left. But from that point on, I decided to always use my telepathy to check the intentions of everyone around me, as I was nearly tricked into going against my beliefs, values, and ideals. At the same time, however, I knew that if more people knew about my telepathic abilities, they would see me as a threat and try to hurt me just to keep me from having this power. So, I kept my power a secret from everyone around me. Except you."

"Well, I'm glad there were some people you met that trusted you and would like to be your friend."

"You're right. There were. But I wanted to find out what dark secrets the Venomians were willing to kill my mother just to protect. And I didn't want to be distracted from that goal. And it broke my heart because some of the people I came across during my travels sympathized with me and wanted to be my friend. I wanted to be their friend too, but I was afraid that being their friend would distract me from my ultimate goal and put other planets at risk, or put them in danger if I decided to bring them along, so I had no choice but to tearfully say goodbye to them. Unfortunately, there were also some that were afraid of Cerinians for their powers and kept their distance from me. Or, they thought that I was a barbarian because I dress so skimpily. And it saddened me because some of those people were oppressed innocents that I wanted to help out. Upset that anyone would be willing to reject salvation, I would even have loud angry arguments with some of those people Depending on how they treated me, I would either help them from the shadows without them knowing it, or just leave them to die. Two or three of those times, they even tried to attack me, so I had no choice but to fight back."

Fox's eyes widened in shock. That was an incredibly harsh story. He was outright horrified that anyone could possibly turn against a potential savior to them, let alone do something outright cruel to her. Upset and horrified by what he just heard, Fox angrily shouted, "But why would they do that!?"

"Because they didn't believe me. They thought I was a spy for the horrid warlords and tyrants they were fighting against. At one point, when I tried to help one such group of rebels against an evil emperor, they, out of fear that I was working with the enemy, turned against me in an instant and tried to drive me away. I had loud angry arguments with them, but two of them grabbed me by the arms. Then, their leader started belittling me and disturbingly stroking my midriff with one hand, and my leg with the other. Even without reading his mind, I knew exactly what he planned on doing to me, so I surged my psychic energy into him, causing him to stagger and writhe in pain until his head exploded. And then, I just lost it. I broke free from his guards' grip and when the rebels started attacking me in an attempt at revenge, I went on a killing spree, and slaughtered them like cattle. None of them survived afterwards, then I fled before other factions could have a chance to retaliate. I went back to my ship and fled the planet as quickly as possible, but after leaving the planet's atmosphere, I just broke down and cried. I always believed in protecting the weak and fighting those abusing their power. But to see that the very people I meant to protect could be so… evil… and that I would end up slaughtering the very people that I intended to protect… that I would do something so evil just to stay alive... it just broke my heart. I looked ahead and never turned back. The tyrant on that planet meant nothing to me anymore. If the people he oppressed were going to be as bad as him, I didn't care what happened to them."

Fox glanced downward and put an upset, angry look on his face. Krystal immediately knew that he was angry with the rebels for how they treated her. He knew what that rebel leader wanted to do to Krystal and it disgusted him to the core. To him, a person Krystal declaring as an enemy doing something like that to her was unforgivable to begin with, but someone she wanted to help doing that to her? Unforgivable doesn't even begin to describe it.

"On the upside, Fox, that only happened to me once. Most of the others that feared me either tried to drive me away, or were nice to me just because they thought I would kill them if they weren't, or reluctantly accepted my help in exchange for me leaving them afterwards. Most of them, thankfully, were in that last category, and even some of them treated me with gratitude. And there were some that didn't care who or what I was; they just wanted a savior, and were happy to let me be their messiah. In fact, most of the people I helped out and protected were thankful for my services."

Fox breathed a sigh of relief. "And at least the CloudRunners were nice to you."

"Yes, they were. They welcomed me into their family with open arms and didn't see me as a pawn for their agenda. And that incident I told you was the only time someone actually attempted… that… with me. There were a few times where I came across someone who merely intended something like that with me, but I beat them to a pulp before they could even get started on trying it. And there were a few others that didn't attempt to violate me, but they did attempt to seduce me, but I used my charm to manipulate them and play them like fiddles."

"That sounds really awesome, Krystal! Seeing you give them a taste of their own medicine would have been wonderful to watch."

"You're right. It would have. I have taken advantage of my desirability many times in the past."

"You know, I think I have a story similar to the one you just told me, Krystal."

"You do?"

"Sometime after the war against Andross, I think three years afterwards, I received a distress signal from a distant planet. I thought that the people sending it needed my help, so I swooped in to offer assistance. But as soon as the people sending the signal knew who I was, they shot down my Arwing and captured me. At first I thought that they were a bunch of thugs who used the distress beacon as a set up just to ambush me, but no. Their plight was real. They just blamed me for it."

Krystal felt terrified. "They what!?"

"It turned out that those people depended on Andross for their economy and livelihood. They thought he was some kind of savior to them. I tried to tell them that it was all a facade. That Andross was a madman taking advantage of their strife and helping them just to manipulate them, which he was, but they wouldn't listen to me. I kept telling me that I was there to help, but they kept telling me that I was the reason they needed help in the first place. As far as they were concerned, I was the one that put their livelihood in shambles, so they abducted me and strapped me to a chair. Unfortunately, the chair turned out to be an electrical torture device and they kept electrocuting me just because they wanted me to suffer for tearing their way of life apart."

Krystal covered her mouth in terror. At least she managed to evade the horrid fate that those corrupt rebels intended for her back in her story. She too became angered by the fact that anyone in danger could reject Fox's help. She read in his mind how angry he was that her help was rejected by some, and she outright related to that.

"They tortured me for a day, but then Peppy, Slippy, and Falco swooped in and saved my tail before my mind could even start to break. My team and I had no choice but to fight back in order to escape. Even if it meant killing them. And we barely escaped with our lives"

Krystal replied, "You're right. That story is exactly like mine. I guess I'm not so different from you."

"I kind of figured that we were so much like each other since we first met."

"Oh, you asked me if I ever had a sworn nemesis, didn't you. Well, ever since Cerinia was destroyed, I have traveled around the galaxy battling one power-hungry tyrant after another. And each one I battled felt like an arch foe to me. Like General Scales for example."

Fox smiled. He thought she was incredibly admirable, fighting numerous tyrants single-handedly, and she kept powering on through no matter how cruel the hardships she faced. He felt that she was the perfect woman for him. Not only because she was exquisitely beautiful, not only was she a great warrior, but he could relate to her! He got up and said, "Krystal, when we finish this, when we save the planet, I definitely think I should let you join Star Fox. If you do, you'll never be alone again. You'd have a new home and a new family. And you deserve to be with people you'd be able to trust again."

Krystal felt happy hearing that. She got up as well, saying, "You're so wonderful, Fox. I would love that. But like I said. I'd only join if you'll kiss me."

"Well then, let's have that kiss, then." Fox and Krystal started embracing each other. They closed their eyes. They opened their mouths just slightly and moved slowly towards each other. They could almost taste it. They couldn't wait to experience feeling the interlocking of each other's muzzles. It felt so wonderful to them…

An evil laughter sent a shiver down their spines. Their blissful, sensual mood disappeared in an instant. A cold chill petrified the two vulpines removing any romantic feeling from the room. They instantly recognized who it was. They turned to the cell door and say who it was. It was General Scales who was emitting that nightmarish laugh that chilled them to the bone. He then said, mockingly, "Xen hemudkas. Mo kne cakkco licfado utlohjuhaoj tosatot ke mubo celo roveho kxo0 tao. Xen utehurco. (How romantic. My two little vulpine adversaries decided to make love before they die. How adorable.)"

The vulpines dropped their embrace and growled at him "Scales!" While Fox could no longer understand a word Scales said due to his PDA getting smashed, he knew Scales had malicious intent for them.

"Je jehho ke adkohhifk oeih keisxadw memodk, cakkco wahc. A jiffejo mo kamadw nuj evv. Fohxufj A jxeict xulo nuakot idkac oei xulo vadajxot xuladw oeih hemudkas memodk. Kxuk nuo oeih jivvohadw neict xihk oei olod meho! (So sorry to interrupt your touching moment, little girl. I suppose my timing was off. Perhaps I should have waited until you have finished having your romantic moment. That way your suffering would hurt you even more!)"

Krystal angrily rushed to the cell door. "Nxo uho oei teadw kxaj!? Nxo te oei kubo fcoujiho ad effhojjadw kxo ekxoh kharoj ev Sauria!? (Why are you doing this!? Why do you take pleasure in oppressing the other tribes of Sauria!?)"

"Rosuijo kxoo xulo rood effhojjadw ij! Kxoo khoukot ij cabo lohmad udt rudajxot ij ke kxo xuquhteij nactcudtj ev kxo fcudok! Couladw ij ke tao ev jkuhlukaed eh dukihuc tajujkohj! Te oei opfosk ij ke zijk ussofk toukx zijk ke jukajvo kxoah xotedajm!? (Because they have been oppressing us! They treated us like vermin and banished us to the hazardous wildlands of the planet! Leaving us to die of starvation or natural disasters! Do you expect us to just accept death just to satisfy their hedonism!?)"

"Oei seict xulo khaot ke dowekauko nakx kxo ekxoh kharoj. Khaot ke nehb eik u semfhemajo. Eh ujb kxom ke xocf oei riact oeih end sakaoj. Rik de! Oei tosatot ke jirziwuko udt urijo kxo ekxoh kharoj zijk veh fenoh! Kxo CloudRunners noho hawxk ucc ucedw. Oei UHO olac! Oei'ho de tavvohodk vhem ucc kxo ekxoh... (You could have tried to negotiate with the other tribes. Tried to work out a compromise. Or ask them to help you build your own cities. But no! You decided to subjugate and abuse the other tribes just for power! The CloudRunners were right all along. You ARE evil! You're no different from all the other...)"

"Jacodso! Oei jkacc rcadtco rocaolo nxuk ekxohj kocc oei!? Oei uho cokkadw oeihjocv rosemo u fiffok veh kxo ekxoh kharoj! (Silence! You still blindly believe what others tell you!? You are letting yourself become a puppet for the other tribes!)"

"Te oei olod homomroh nxuk oei'lo tedo!? Te oei xulo udo atou nxuk neict xuffod ke kxo fcudok av kxo SpellStones uho dek rheiwxk rusb!? (Do you even remember what you've done!? Do you have any idea what would happen to the planet if the SpellStones are not brought back!?)"

"A uchouto kect oei; A hico eloh kxo mudo tadejuih kharoj udt mijk sedkhec kxaj fcudok nakx vouh. Ekxohnajo, kxo kharoj ucnu0j kh0 ke vawxk uwuadjk mo. (I already told you; I rule over the many dinosaur tribes and must control this planet with fear. Otherwise, the tribes always try to fight against me.)"

Krystal's muzzle retracted back baring her sharp teeth. "Oloho ekxoh fenoh-xidwho kohudk A xulo vusot juat kxo jumo kxadw uj oei. Kxoo scuam kxuk kxoo uho zijk kubadw thujkas moujihoj ke uleat horoccaed. Rik kxoo uho ucc senuhtj. Senuhtj nxe neict te udokxadw ke jkuo ad fenoh. (Every other power-hungry tyrant I have faced said the same thing as you. They claim that they are just taking drastic measures to avoid rebellion. But they are all cowards. Cowards who would do anything to stay in power.)"

"Jacodso! Nxuk A te ajd'k zijk ke jkuo ad fenoh. Ak'j ke boof mo kharo ucalo udt xocf kxom oluto opkadskaed! Eh uk coujk, kxuk'j nxuk A rocaolot uk vahjk. (Silence! What I do isn't just to stay in power. It's to keep my tribe alive and help them evade extinction! Or at least, that's what I believed at first.)"

"Nxuk te oei moud? (What do you mean?)"

"Hosodkco, A jkuhkot kxadbadw. A houcaqot kxuk kxo meho moujihoj A kubo ke boof kxo ekxoh kharoj ad cado, kxo meho A hid kxo hajb ev kxom horoccadw uwuadjk mo. Udt av kxo0 horoc uwuadjk mo, m0 odkaho kharo aj teemot ke opkadskaed. A tosatot kxuk mo kharo'j opkadskaed nuj adolakurco. Je A tosatot ke kubo oloho ekxoh kharo ed kxaj nhoksxot fcudok nakx ij! Kxuk aj nx0 A homelot kxo SpellStones udt jok Sauria ed u seihjo veh akj ickamuko tojkhiskaed! (Recently, I started thinking. I realized that the more measures I take to keep the other tribes in line, the more I run the risk of them rebelling against me. And if they rebel against me, my entire tribe is doomed to extinction. I decided that my tribe's extinction was inevitable. So I decided to take every other tribe on this wretched planet with us! That is why I removed the SpellStones and set Sauria on a course for its ultimate destruction!)"

Krystal gasped in horror at what she just heard. She was appalled and horrified that Scales would be willing to sacrifice the entire planet just for revenge against the other tribes. She was also angered that Scales would reject peaceful solutions to their strife. She screamed, "Oei medjkoh! OEI OLAC, OLAC MEDJKOH! (You monster! YOU EVIL, EVIL MONSTER!)"

"Oei jkacc rocaolo kxo loh0 thaloc kxo CloudRunner Giood boofj vootadw oei, cakkco wahc!? Oei muo kxadb ev mo uj olac, rik kxo tadejuih kharoj oei boof jatadw nakx noho kxo edoj khoukadw ij cabo tahk ad kxo vahjk fcuso, thaladw ij ke kxojo moujihoj udt fijxadw eih rusbj uwuadjk kxo nucc. Av oei cok kxuk jadb ad, 0ei'cc bden nxe kxo houc laccuadj uho. (You still believe the very drivel the CloudRunner Queen keeps feeding you, little girl!? You may think of me as evil, but the dinosaur tribes you keep siding with were the ones treating us like dirt in the first place, driving us to these measures and pushing our backs against the wall. If you let that sink in, you'll know who the real villains are.)"

"A idtohjkudt oeih fuad udt jivvohadw rik kxuk teojd'k zijkavo nxuk oei'lo tedo! Oei scuam dek ke ro olac, rik oeih uskaedj giucavo uj laccuado! (I understand your pain and suffering but that doesn't justify what you've done! You claim not to be evil, but your actions qualify as villainy!)"

"Kxaj aj opuskco nxuk A nuj kucbadw ureik! Kxo kharoj ev Sauria fijxot kxo SharpClaw ke kxojo moujihoj udt kxoo toximudaqot ij veh ak!? Oei bden nxo no doloh sedjatohot u fousovic dowekaukaed? Rosuijo eih madtj xulod'k oleclot ke kxo feadk nxoho jisx u kxadw neict ro vukxemurco ke ij! A nuj kxo edco SharpClaw nakx ud oleclot madt, sufurco ev jisx kxadwj, rik mo xukhot bdon de reidtj. A nudkot ke fidajx kxo ekxoh kharoj ev Sauria veh kxoah shiocko! (This is exactly what I was talking about! The tribes of Sauria pushed the SharpClaw to these measures and they dehumanized us for it!? You know why we never considered a peaceful negotiation? Because our minds haven't evolved to the point where such a thing would be fathomable to us! I was the only SharpClaw with an evolved mind, capable of such things, but my hatred knew no bounds. I wanted to punish the other tribes of Sauria for their cruelty!)"

"Kxoah shiocko!? A jun nxuk oei tat ke kxuk CloudRunner ed oeih wuccoed kxuk dawxk! Udt muoro A jxeict homadt oei, kxuk CloudRunner nuj u ruro! U RORO! Mo vukxoh hicot eloh mudo kharoj uj nocc! Rik kxo kharoj xo hicot eloh tatd'k horoc uwuadjk xam rosuijo xo tatd'k hico r0 vouh! Xo hicot ro khijk! Xo veiwxk ke fhekosk kxejo kharoj, dek jirziwuko kxom! Udt kxoo celot xam veh ak! Kxoo ceebot if ke xam uj u xohe! Udt ucc kxo odomaoj xo xut noho opuskco cabo oei; senuhtco kohudkj nxe jeiwxk ke urijo kxejo kxoo hicot eloh. Oeih ukkomfkj uk zijkavasukaed xulo de cow ke jkudt ed! Oei UHO olac! Fiho, sedsodkhukot olac! Udt kxuk'j ucc kxoho aj ke ak! (Their cruelty!? I saw what you did to that CloudRunner on your galleon that night! And maybe I should remind you, that CloudRunner was a baby! A BABY! My father ruled over many tribes as well! But the tribes he ruled over didn't rebel against him because he didn't rule by fear! He ruled by trust! He fought to protect those tribes, not subjugate them! And they loved him for it! They looked up to him as a hero! And all the enemies he had were exactly like you; cowardly tyrants who sought to abuse those they ruled over. Your attempts at justification have no leg to stand on! You ARE evil! Pure, concentrated evil! And that's all there is to it!)"

"JACODSO! A nacc ijo oei udt oeih fhosaeij reovhaodt ke jok ud opumfco ev nxuk xuffodj ke kxejo nxe tovo mo! Kxo kne ev oei nacc xulo ke nuksx xocfcojjco uj oei rekx jivvoh kxo ickamuko uwedo! Fuad je adkodjo, je idrouhurco, oei nacc ROW mo ke bacc oei, zijk ke odt oeih jivvohadw! (SILENCE! I will use you and your precious boyfriend to set an example of what happens to those who defy me! The two of you will have to watch helplessly as you both suffer the ultimate agony! Pain so intense, so unbearable, you will BEG me to kill you, just to end your suffering!)"

Krystal growled angrily at Scales in her sheer contempt. Her eyes turned bloodshot. "Sihjo oei, Scales! (Curse you, Scales!)"

"Oeih fohjajkodso aj utmahurco. Rik feadkcojj! A juat ak edso, udt A nacc juo ak uwuad... De edo sud tovouk General Scales! (Your persistence is admirable. But pointless! I said it once, and I will say it again... No one can defeat General Scales!)"

"Oei'ho nhedw! Fox udt A sud... udt nacc tovouk oei! (You're wrong! Fox and I can… and will defeat you!)"

Scales laughed evilly, his maniacal cackles echoing all across the dungeon. "Odzeo oeih uhhewudso... nxaco oei sud! (Enjoy your arrogance... while you can!)" He walked out of the room, continuing his evil laugh. As soon as Scales left and the laughing died down, Krystal started crying. Fox went up to Krystal to see if she was okay. "Are you alright, Krystal?"

Krystal couldn't stop sobbing over the horrid fate Scales had in mind for her and Fox. "You're wrong, Fox. There ARE other ways this could get worse! We MUST escape this place! And FAST!"

Fox put his hand on Krystal's shoulder. "And we will. In fact…" He eyed one of the walls in the cell, the one next to the one with the prison door. "I think there is something suspicious about that wall over there. He started pushing the block on the prison wall, until he was no longer even in the room. He was now in a slightly smaller room next to the cell. Krystal skipped right after him, excited and relieved at the escape route that Krystal discovered. "You're a genius, Fox!" She tightly glomped him like an excited fangirl. Fox chuckled nervously and blushed.

"Thanks, Krystal, but we still need to escape and save the Queen." Krystal let go of Fox. Fox then looked at his now broken PDA in disgust and worry. "Too bad we can't contact Peppy and Slippy for any help."

Krystal obviously had an idea. "Actually…"

Back aboard the Great Fox, panic was overflowing the crew. Slippy started grabbing his books and stomping all over them when the monitor for his spy drone went static, which meant that the drone got smashed.

Peppy nervously called, "Hey, take it easy, Slippy! We won't be able to find Fox if you lose it like that."

"How am I supposed to remain calm!? We've completely lost contact with him! Who knows what kinds of danger he could be in right now!? Should we contact General Pepper and ask him to send Bill Grey down there?"

"If we run out of drones, then maybe we should…"

But in an instant, they started a voice in the room. A woman's voice. Peppy? Slippy? Fox and I need your help. Can you hear me?

Slippy stumbled and shook his head around in panic. "Wha…!? What was that!? Who's there!? Where are you!?"

Peppy may have recognized it, so he wasn't as freaked out. "Krystal? Is that you?"

Yes. General Scales smashed Fox's PDA and threw us into a cell. We managed to escape, but now we need another PDA to help us out on our mission. Fox's translator, maps, and communications device are all in a state of disrepair and I had to use my telepathy to communicate with you. Slippy, how soon can you send us the new PDA? Did you store the data on a backup?

Slippy stammered, "Uh… yeah! Yeah, I did! Peppy uploaded the maps to the new PDA and I stored on it a special disguise to fool the guards here!"

How did you know that there would be SharpClaws here, Slippy?

"If Scales were heading to CloudRunner Fortress, he would be bound to have his henchmen with him. Anyway, the walls are causing too much interference for me to teleport the new PDA, and I'm still working on re-uploading the translator to it. It'll take a while, but you may need to use an explosive to create an opening so you could get the new PDA at all. We'll send it to you and Fox in a care package as soon as you have made it easier for us to confirm your location."

Okay. We'll make sure it happens as soon as possible. Krystal signing off.

Krystal's voices no longer reached Peppy and Slippy. Peppy opened the visual for CloudRunner Fortress on his monitor. "Okay. We'll know if Fox has made the opening for us if we monitor the Fortress. Is the new PDA ready for delivery?"

"Apart from replacing the translator module, I'd say it's ready for delivery. ROB, prepare the PDA care package so Fox can have it replaced."

ROB said, "Affirmative."

Back at CloudRunner Fortress, Fox removed his old, destroyed PDA from his right glove, saying, "Nice work, Krystal! Your telepathy definitely comes in handy in a pinch."

"Thank you. Like I said before, though, they also protected me from manipulation, and they alerted me to whenever people were in danger. But, I did have to keep that power a secret so that nobody would either try to exploit it, or see me as a threat. Oh, you mind taking off your glove for a moment?"

Fox took off his glove. Krystal held her hand to it and the gash on Fox's arm from General Scales quickly healed up. "Thanks, Krystal."

"You're welcome, Fox. Now let's get going."

Fox and Krystal walked through a tunnel that lead to a room with a few cages, and at the very end, a sleeping SharpClaw guarding their staffs. But just before they could go anywhere near the room, Krystal stopped in her tracks and urged Fox to do the same. She briefly noticed a CloudRunner youngling in one of the cages. She thought that she needed to use her telepathy again. She projected a voice in the mind of the CloudRunner. Can you hear me, Seh-kai?

The CloudRunner quietly spoke, "Krystal?"

Don't talk, Seh-kai. We do not want to alert the guards. I am using my telepathy to communicate with you, so please use your thoughts to communicate with me.

Okay, Krystal. I just want to let you know that I'm so glad to see you again. That guard at the end of this room has been beating me mercilessly. I was almost beginning to lose hope. But then you came and…

I understand, Seh-kai. I know you're excited to see me, but please. Until I tell you when, close your eyes and don't make a sound. All right?

Yes, milady.

Good. Fox and Krystal started to sneak their way into the room. They came across the cells in the room. In the cage on the opposite side of the room as the CloudRunner was a two-legged dinosaur as tall as one of the adult CloudRunners, two stubby arms, and a head with thick bone-like features on the forehead. Krystal walked up to him. She whispered softly to prevent the guard from waking up. "Gradabug?"

The dinosaur in the cage turned to Krystal. "Krystal? Aj kxuk… (Krystal? Is that...)"

Krystal was worried that the dinosaur was speaking a little too loudly. "Shhhhhhh… Shhhhhhh…" She whispered, "Ooj, ak'j mo. Rik no xulo ke nxajfoh. No te dek nudk ke nubo kxo wiuht. (Yes, it's me. But we have to whisper. We do not want to wake the guard.)"

The dinosaur whispered, "Ebuo. Jehho. Udonuo, A'm wcut oei'ho xoho. Udt A joo 0ei'ho dek ucedo. (Okay. Sorry. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. And I see you're not alone.)"

"Fox udt A nacc wok oei eik ev kxoho uj jeed uj no sud. (Fox and I will get you out of there as soon as we can.)"

"Whur oeih jkuvv. Rik ted'k nubo kxo SharpClaw. (Grab your staff. But don't wake the SharpClaw.)"

"Ted'k nehho. A xulo u fcud. (Don't worry. I have a plan.)"

Fox looked a little worried. He whispered, "Krystal?"

Krystal whispered to him, "Don't worry. I have a plan. Stay here."

Fox stayed put. Krystal stayed on the side of the room where Gradabug was being held and saw the sleeping SharpClaw at the very end of it. She crouched down and slowly crawled towards the wall like a jungle cat and slowly crawled her way toward the sleeping SharpClaw. She positioned her hands and feet in such a position so that she wouldn't make a sound. The SharpClaw began to raise the volume in his snore for just a second, making Krystal worry that he was waking up. But everything quieted down in a second and Krystal breathed a sigh of relief. She kept crawling towards the SharpClaw and once she got to the end of the room, got up and stood behind him. She prepared her hands to strike, then she grabbed the snout of the SharpClaw soldier and jerked him towards her. The SharpClaw awoke and struggled to call for help, but with Krystal's hands keeping the SharpClaw's mouth shut, that was an impossibility. Before the SharpClaw could react, Krystal wrapped her arms around his throat, and then started squeezing away at it with such fierce intensity. The SharpClaw struggled to breath, much less cry for help, but all that did was hasten his doom, as holding his breath would have preserved him longer. Krystal kept squeezing tighter and tighter. The SharpClaw's eyes started to bulge as it flailed his limbs and then attempted to pull Krystal's arms away from his throat, but to no avail. Krystal put more pressure on the SharpClaw until finally, the sound of a snap was made and the SharpClaw stopped moving. His arms then dropped downward towards the ground and then Krystal dropped his corpse and picked up both her staff, and Fox's. She ran back to Fox, giving him back the silver staff with the red filigree and the red stones at the tips "Here you go, Fox."

Fox took back the silver staff. "Wow… Krystal, that was awesome! Scary, but awesome!"

Krystal giggled. "Why, thank you. I like men who like powerful women." Fox blushed. Krystal then walked up to the trapped CloudRunner. "Ak'j ebuo den. Oei sud efod oeih oooj den. (It's okay now. You can open your eyes now.)"

The CloudRunner opened her eyes. "Krystal! A'm je wcut kxuk oei'ho... (Krystal! I'm so glad that you're...)" but then the CloudRunner looked around the room. She saw that the SharpClaw that abused her and was watching over the prison was now dead. "Krystal, tat oei... (Krystal, did you...)"

Krystal replied, "Ooj. A seictd'k vehwalo xam veh nxuk xo xuj tedo ke oei. A wulo xam nxuk xo tojohlot (Yes. I couldn't forgive him for what he has done to you. I gave him what he deserved.)"

The CloudRunner looked a little tense. Krystal then reassured her. "Ted'k nehho, Seh-kai. A nacc hojsio oei. (Don't worry, Seh-kai. I will rescue you.)" Krystal then activated the two switches right in front of the CloudRunner's cell. The CloudRunner was grateful for Krystal's rescue.

"Kxudb oei je misx, Krystal! (Thank you, so much, Krystal!)"

"A'm ucnuoj xuffo ke xocf. Zijk ro suhovic eik kxoho. Vadt jemofcuso juvo. (I'm always happy to help. Just be careful out there. Find someplace safe.)"

"Ebuo! Rik A kxadb A jxeict jku0 nakx 0ei idkac no xulo veidt ud efodadw. (Okay! But I think I should stay with you until we have found an opening.)"

"Vuah odeiwx. (Fair enough.)"

Unable to figure out what they were saying, Fox asked, "What are you guys talking about?"

Krystal turned to answer Fox's question. "The CloudRunner that I rescued was beaten and abused by the SharpClaw that I killed. And now, we need to create an opening to help her escape. And since Slippy said he needed an opening to send you the new PDA, I'd say we'd be killing two birds with one stone, don't you agree?"

"Good idea. First, we've got to save the other prisoner."

"Good idea," agreed Krystal. Fox then activated the switches on the other side of the cell using his staff, releasing Gradabug. Gradabug then said, "Kxudb oei veh hocoujadw mo. (Thank you for releasing me.)"

Fox scratched his head going, "Uhhhh... " as he was unable to understand a word Gradabug said. "You're welcome?..."

Krystal stepped in. "Fox, this is Gradabug. He is from an endangered tribe of dinosaurs known as the BoneHead tribe." Fox tried to keep himself from laughing. Krystal felt a bit irked, and as soon as Fox noticed that, he immediately stopped laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I"m sorry, but I don't think BoneHead is an appropriate name for any tribe. 'Bone Head' is an insult used at someone you don't particularly consider to be intelligent."

"Well, I did mention how meanings differ from dialect to dialect, but even so, he runs the power plants for CloudRunner Fortress so treat him with respect!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Let me speak with him."

"Okay, Krystal."

Krystal then started speaking with Gradabug. "Fox juoj, 'Oei'ho nocsemo' (Fox says, 'you're welcome.')"

Gradabug chuckled a little. "Udonuo, A'm wcut oei'ho rusb, Krystal. Rik A xulod'k jood xam uheidt. Aj xo don? (Anyway, I'm glad you're back, Krystal. But I haven't seen him around. Is he new?)"

"Oh, um… A mok xam hosodkco. Xaj dumo aj Fox McCloud. Xo'j u vhaodt ev mado. (Oh, um… I met him recently. His name is Fox McCloud. He's a friend of mine.)"

"U reovhaodt, fohxufj? (A boyfriend, perhaps?)"

Krystal blushed upon hearing Gradabug say that. She quickly shook her head and had to get back on track. "Udonuo, Fox udt A uho ceebadw veh kxo SpellStone je no seict hojkeho kxo fcudok. Te oei kxadb oei seict xocf ij? (Anyway, Fox and I are looking for the SpellStone so we could restore the planet. Do you think you could help us?)"

"Ke vadt kxo SpellStone, oei mijk vahjk uskaluko kxo nadt cavkj. (To find the SpellStone, you must first activate the wind lifts.)" Gradabug picked up something he was keeping on his back. It looked like a navy blue S or Z type Tetris block but with gold and purple boarders at each end. "Kxaj aj kxo boo ke kxo fenoh sxumroh. Kxo fenoh jiffco ke kxo nxeco sako aj tend. Kxojo nadt cavkj nacc edco nehb av oei hojkuhk kxo wodohukeh. (This is the key to the power chamber. The power supply to the whole city is down. These wind lifts will only work if you restart the generator.)"

Krystal then took the key. "A idtohjkudt. Kxudb oei. (I understand. Thank you.)" She then turned to Fox. "Gradabug said that we need to activate the wind lifts. He gave us the key to the power plant so we could restart the generator. Well, Fox? You ready to get going?"

"All right! Let's go! We've got a planet to save!"

Krystal smiled and nodded. She then turned to the CloudRunner. "Veccen ij, Seh-kai. No'cc wok 0ei eik ev xoho. (Follow us, Seh-kai. We'll get you out of here.)"

"A'cc ro hawxk roxadt oei, Krystal. (I'll be right behind you, Krystal.)"

Fox, Krystal, and Seh-kai through the opening on the other side of the room, where the now dead SharpClaw's corpse continued to lie. They then turned left to the hallway, and turned to a door to their left after walking a few feet forward. They hopped downward into a small room with a windy jetstream in the center of the room, a Fuel Barrel on one of the sides, and a switch on the other. Fox looked upward and noticed that above the wind stream, there was a crack in the ceiling. He picked up the Fuel Barrel and placed it on the windy jet stream, and asked Krystal and Seh-kai to stay on the side of the room. He then stepped on the switch, shooting the barrel close to the cracked ceiling, until the timer on it detonated and blew a hole in the ceiling. A probe carrying a package descended from that hole and onto the floor. Fox walked up to it and opened the package that the probe. It turned out a PDA was in the package. Fox put the PDA onto his wrist. He activated it. Slippy's image showed up on the PDA. "Well, Fox, it took you longer than I hoped, but how are you liking the new PDA?"

"It's working great! Thanks!"

"By the way, I uploaded that SharpClaw disguise in case you might need it. And I finished up with the translator too!"

"That's great! Thanks, Slippy! Call you back soon." He adjusted his PDA to set up the translator. Krystal spoke to Seh-kai in Saurian, but after Fox set up the same adjustments as last time, it sounded to him like they were speaking Lylatian.

Krystal said to Seh-kai as Fox adjusted his translator, "Now, take care out there and remain safe."

"Okay, Krystal!" Seh-kai flew through the hole. "Good luck, Krystal! You too, Fox!"

"Good luck to you too!" called Fox back at the CloudRunner. He then turned to Krystal. "All right, Krystal. You ready to take back the Fortress?"

Krystal had a heroic smirk on her face. "I'm ready."