Note: Well, last chapter was a bit of doozy, wasn't it? I accidentally posted it on Wednesday, when I meant to post it on the weekend. I promise, I won't do it again. Before we move on, I want to say something to three reviewers.

Big Bossk Man 92: If that happens, then Katt would have some explaining to do. Also, she would speak to Falco, explaining why she did what she did.

The White Wolf named Alex: If you think she put on an impressive show, then I hope that you're ready for the battles in the future.

Ron: There's no Russia in the Star Fox universe, given how the series takes place in the Lylat System and not the Solar System. I'm not sure if Katt will encounter a fighter who's on the level of Drago, so I can't give a clear answer. Stay tuned, though.

Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter seven.

Chapter 7: Claudia King

On Monday, Katt was just practicing on a punching bag in the gym. As she had managed to take down two opponents, the pink cat felt the urge to test her strength and speed. She wanted to make sure that she was ready for the next battle. From what she could tell, the next opponent the feline was supposed to fight next hadn't been decided. To make sure, she had even used the telepathy she had gotten from the transfusion she gave herself. Getting no clear answer, Katt continued to practice, deciding to leave it alone for the time being.

While practicing, Katt saw someone enter the gym. This person was a peacock with teal eyes. She was wearing a leather jacket, purple gym clothes and sneakers. Once the avian stepped into the room, those who were training and exercising stopped in their tracks. Everyone looked like they had just witnessed something frightening, or even if they were in the presence of a movie star. Katt, on the other hand, was somewhat quizzical, having never seen the peacock before.

"Excuse me," the peacock spoke, "are you Katt Monroe?"

"Yes," Katt responded, "and you are?"

"I'm Claudia King." The avian stated. "I'm a member of this gym, and a consecutive winner of several tournaments in the past."

"What do you want to talk to me for?" The pink cat asked.

"I heard about how you managed to take down both Teagan Blunstone and Janet Lee in the matches that you were in." Claudia said. "My question is how you managed to bring down opponents with superior skills. Aren't you a newcomer to boxing?"

After hearing that, Katt thought about what she would say to Claudia. Considering how ridiculous it would've sounded, the pink cat couldn't have told the truth. It was one thing when she was up against a bronze medalist and a two-time champion, but now the feline was talking to the champion of several past tournaments. Thinking of a quick lie, she spoke to Claudia again.

"Yes, I'm a newcomer to boxing!" Katt spoke. "However, I've got an observant eye, which makes me able to keep an open eye for when my opponent is about to unleash their most devastating attacks!"

"Really?" Claudia asked.

"That's it, that's the truth!" The pink cat stated.

For a second, Claudia had a quizzical look on her face. Katt hoped that the peacock would believe the lie that she just told, to the point where she felt the urge to raise her fists if she wound up getting into a sparring session. However, the avian then lost the quizzical expression she had, getting a more relaxed one.

"Well," Claudia said, "in that case, I'll leave you be. See you around!"

Claudia then walked away from Katt, allowing her to continue practicing on the punching bag she was at. As the peacock walked away, Katt let out a sigh of relief. The pink cat felt that she couldn't had been lucky enough for a champion to had believed her lie. If she hadn't, then the feline would've had to come up with a different one. She had only started boxing, so she didn't want to be outed by anyone yet. Katt could only hope that her secret was kept in the dark.


Back at the Great Fox, Falco was just sitting in his room. Star Fox hadn't been called in for a mission, so the team was able to relax for the day. Falco didn't feel relaxed, however, he felt depressed. It was nearly two months ago that he received a phone call from the Corneria City Hospital. Once he got the call, the pheasant felt something in him die. While he still occasionally joined the team on missions, the avian didn't feel as cocky as he was before.

Now that it was the present, Falco thought about something else: Katt. The last time he spoke to the pink cat, they pretty much had a falling out. While he didn't mean to hurt her, the pheasant refused to speak about what was on his mind. When he saw her again, the avian heard about the feline becoming a boxer at the Corneria City Women's Boxing Gym. Once he heard that, he wanted to tell off Katt for doing something so reckless. However, Falco had a feeling that someone else would do that, mainly Fox or Peppy.

Getting up from his bed, Falco walked out into the hallway. Before he could even get near the next door, the pheasant heard a conversation going on at the end of the hallway. While he couldn't see what was happening, the avian was able to pick up four familiar voices: Fox, Krystal, Fara and Sabre. Standing with his back against the wall, he listened to what was being said.

"I still can't believe that Katt would do such a thing!" Sabre's voice rang out.

"Well, she said that she needed to do it in order to help her during her boxing career." Krystal spoke, having some anger in her voice. "I shouldn't have let her into my apartment! Dammit, I should've told her that she needed to join the gym in an honest way!"

"With the mood she was in, I don't think she would've listened to you." Fox's voice spoke up.

Falco's brow furrowed, as if he just saw something odd. He continued listening in on the conversation, wanting to see where it was going.

"Fox, we still shouldn't be letting her do this." Krystal's voice spoke.

"The fact that Katt is doing such a thing is surprising." Fox's voice echoed. "I mean, why would she?"

"Yeah, Krystal, you were the first person she spoke to after she joined." Fara's voice spoke. "Fill us in on it."

"It's because she wanted to get her mind off of Falco." Krystal stated.

"She became a boxer to take her mind off of what happened between them?" Sabre spoke. "I wonder how Falco feels about that."

"Speaking of Falco, I can sense him in the hallway." The cobalt vixen said.

"Should we take this to another room?" Fara asked.

"Let's head down to Fortuna," Fox said, "I think they've got a diner open down there."

"Good, because it's about time for lunch." Sabre stated.

Falco heard footsteps at the end of the hallway. This was soon followed by Krystal's telepathic signals getting smaller. The Great Fox was flying above Corneria, but Fox, Krystal, Fara and Sabre were going to Fortuna. From what Falco could tell, the cobalt vixen's telepathy couldn't reach from planet to planet, which meant that she would be unable to sense for him. With that in mind, the pheasant walked into the living room once the coast was clear. He sat on the couch shortly after, letting out a sigh.

Now that he was alone, Falco thought about what was revealed in the conversation he overheard. While he was glad that Katt was doing something to take her mind off the argument that they had, the pheasant wasn't happy to hear that she became a boxer. The avian knew that the pink cat could fight, but the fact that she was now in a boxing league made him feel worse. He couldn't help but think that the whole thing could've been avoided if he simply told her why he was so down. By going to each of Katt's matches, he had an opportunity to tell her, but he didn't say anything. Falco just hoped that he would get an opportunity to tell the feline, mainly to stop her from getting killed in her next fight.


On Tuesday, Lucy was simply walking down the street, minding her own business. She merely wanted some fresh air, as she had spent yesterday indoors. The hare was in the safe part of Corneria City, so she knew that she wouldn't be threatened by a criminal. However, she wasn't expecting what would happen next. The lepus could hear footsteps, but she ignored them, assuming that someone was just going jogging. Had she stopped in her tracks and turned around, Lucy wouldn't have went through what happened next.

All of a sudden, Lucy felt something hit her in the gut. It wasn't a weapon, but it hurt enough to disorient her. The hare found herself collapsing on the pavement, clutching her abdomen in pain. As she blacked out, the lepus could see someone standing above her. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out a few details on her attacker. One major detail on the assailant was that they looked like a bird, albeit with blue-green feathers.


Meanwhile, Katt was jogging to the gym, getting some extra exercise before she got there. As she did so, the pink cat got a call on her communicator. The call was from Peppy, which surprised her. He almost never called the feline, unless it was for something big. Not wanting to be rude, the feline answered the call.

"What's shaking, Peppy?" Katt spoke.

"Katt, have you seen Lucy anywhere?" Peppy's voice came out of the communicator.

"No, why?" The pink cat said.

"Lucy told me that she was going to head to the General's office so that they could discuss something." The hare stated. "But, when I called him, he told me that she wasn't there! Could you check for her? I'm worried that something bad might've happened to her!"

"I'll do that, Peppy, don't worry!" The feline said before hanging up.

After ending the call, Katt found herself at the entrance of the gym. Looking inside, she saw several other members exercising and practicing on punching bags. However, while looking, the pink cat saw a familiar face: Claudia King. In addition to that, she was able to find a familiar set of ears. Realizing that they were Lucy's, the feline was eager to go in and get her friend. However, the fact that she was at the gym surprised Katt, as she wasn't the kind of person who would get a membership.

Entering the gym, Katt went over to Lucy, only to find that she was holding her abdomen. Alarmed by this, the pink cat went over to the hare in concern. This didn't go unnoticed by Claudia, who let out a sly chuckle. Katt ignored it, wanting to check on her friend. She looked Lucy in the eyes, hoping that she would be able to talk to her.

"Lucy, are you alright?!" Katt asked.

"No, I'm not alright." Lucy groaned. "Miss Crazy Feathers punched me in the gut and brought me here."

Knowing who Lucy was talking about, Katt immediately felt furious. She turned around and looked at Claudia, who was standing by a punching bag. The peacock had a smug expression on her face, glaring at the pink cat. The feline was eager to pound her face, wanting to return the favor for what she did to Lucy.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Katt hissed. "Why did you kidnap my friend?! She was just on her way to talk to the General!"

"I was just hoping that she would tell me what your secret was." Claudia stated.

"Lucy?" The pink cat looked back at her friend.

"I don't know anything!" Lucy stated. "I already told her that I don't know!"

"She's lying, I can see that." Claudia said.

"You brought my friend here so that you can find out how I was able to win my last two matches?!" Katt asked.

"That, and I wanted to pay her back for dumping on my position as a boxer a year ago." The peacock said.

Katt was filled with rage. Not only did Claudia knock out Lucy and drag her to the gym, but she was even going out of her way to force her to spill secrets. Even worse, the peacock was showing no guilt for what she had done. This made Katt so angry, she could knock off the avian's head off her shoulders. Without any hesitation, the pink cat threw a punch at her. She closed her eyes, feeling her fist hit something.

Opening her eyes, Katt saw that the punch that she threw didn't hit Claudia. Rather, her fist was caught by Steve. The wolf had a disapproving look on his face, looking like he was about to lecture the pink cat. The feline calmed down a little, but she was still mad about what Claudia did.

"Katt, what the hell are you doing?!" Steve spoke.

"I was just about to give the champ a taste of karma!" Katt stated.

"Why?" The wolf asked.

"Because she essentially grabbed Lucy off the street and brought her here to shake her down for information!" The pink cat said. "I trust that you're here to get Lucy for General Pepper?"

"I am." The lupine said. "Little did I know that she would be at the gym, courtesy of a local champion."

"Well, take Lucy out of here!" The feline said. "I've got to speak with the champ!"

Steve complied, carrying Lucy out of the gym. Once he was gone, Katt approached Claudia, cracking her knuckles.

"You have the nerve to try and interrogate my friends about my personal life!" Katt hissed.

"As I said before, I also brought her here for some payback." Claudia said. "It's a shame that you had Armstrong take her out of here, because I was getting ready to give her a pummeling!"

"I'm going to make you eat those words!" The pink cat shouted. "By the time I'm done, you'll never come near my friends again!"

"Try it, you'll never beat me!" The peacock snorted.

"How about we have a fight to prove it?!" The feline spat.

"I'm willing to fight you!" The avian stated. "I'll even turn your puny body into a punching bag!"

Mr. Simms came up to Katt and Claudia, having a confused expression on his face. However, the look quickly faded when he realized what was going on. Being careful, the tabby put each of his hands on their shoulders. Katt and Claudia were alarmed, but they were still in the mood they were currently in. Slowly turning their heads, they looked at the feline.

"There's no need to act like crazy bitches, you two!" Mr. Simms stated. "What in the hell is going between the both of you?"

"Mr. Simms, I want the next fight I'm in to be between me and Claudia King!" Katt stated.

"In other words, the amateur wants to take me down!" Claudia said.

"If you two want to have a match, then I'll set one up!" Mr. Simms told them. "There's no need to get your panties in a twist!"

Walking off, Mr. Simms allowed Katt and Claudia to continue speaking to each other. The two glared at each other, their fists ready.

"I'll be at that match!" Katt stated.

"So will I!" Claudia said. "And, believe me, I won't be merciful!"


Throughout the rest of the week, Katt trained at the gym and at home. She was so eager to fight Claudia, she was practically in a blind rage whenever she exercised. The pink cat occasionally spoke to her friends, even inviting them to the match that would be held on Saturday. Mr. Simms even spoke to her, saying that setting up the match wasn't easy. Nonetheless, the feline wanted to go through the match and win. If she won, then she would've defended Lucy's honor.

On Saturday, Katt decided to run down to the boxing gym. The Cat's Paw wasn't having problems, but she didn't want to fly down to her match that night. While running down the street, Katt bumped into someone. This person was a zebra who was looking through the window of a store. Upon seeing him, the pink cat stopped in her tracks. The zebra just so happened to be the same one she saw at that café: Michael Hill.

"Hey!" Hill spoke. "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, I was just on my way to the gym!" Katt said.

"The gym?" The zebra asked. "You're a boxer now?"

"Yeah," the pink cat said, "I have won two matches! Tonight, I'm going to try and win my third!"

"Your third match?" The equine asked.

"I'm going up against Claudia King, a champion of several tournaments in the past!" The feline said.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" He said. "Get down to that gym and show her what you're made of!"

Nodding, Katt continued to run to the gym. While doing so, she looked back and saw a flower pot falling above Hill. Before she could say anything, the pink cat saw the zebra punch the pot, shattering it into pieces. Disturbed, but undeterred, the feline continued on her way to the gym. Once she got there, she ran through the hallway, entering the arena. Climbing into the ring and seeing Claudia, Katt overheard the Announcer tapping his microphone.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," he spoke, "to another match in the Corneria City Women's Boxing Tournament! Now that the fighters are here, let's introduce them!"

Katt and Claudia stood up, letting the audience see them.

"In the right corner is the newcomer, Katt Monroe!" The Announcer spoke. "She's here to take down her opponent for the night! Her opponent, standing in the left corner, just so happens to be the five-time champion: Claudia King! So, now the question remains: Will a local champion win, or will the newcomer get another surprise victory?"

Katt and Claudia walked up to the Referee, ready to begin the match. Neither of them said anything, only bumping their gloves to signal that they were ready. Seeing that, the Referee blew his whistle and stood out of the way. As the match had begun, Claudia threw a left jab at Katt, only for it to get blocked. The pink cat responded with an uppercut, which hit the peacock in the abdomen. However, it had no ill-effect on the avian.

Realizing that she needed to rely on her telepathy now, Katt quickly blocked a left hook that came her way. She then threw a cross, which hit Claudia in the face. The peacock stumbled back, but regained her composure. As she did that, Katt kept her guard up, glaring at her. Walking back up to her opponent, the avian proceeded to trade blows with the pink cat. Neither of them went down, even as the first round came to an end.

The bell went off, causing Katt and Claudia to cease their fighting and go back to their corners. Sitting down, the two waited for the next match.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it appears that our first round has been tied!" The Announcer stated. "When the second round begins, we will see who will go down! Then, in the final round, the fighter who broke the tie will have to beat her opponent, or be brought down!"

Once the second round began, Katt and Claudia were quick to begin trading blows again. This time around, Claudia was appearing to be getting the upper hand, as she launched hooks that hit Katt in her abdomen. After receiving each hit, the pink cat felt somewhat dizzy. Her telepathy was going haywire, acting like an energetic child when they had too much sugar. This kept the feline from receiving a jab to the face. Sensing the attack coming towards her, Katt blocked it and did a cross.

Before Claudia could throw another punch, she found herself getting a jab in her abdomen. This was followed by an uppercut that hit the peacock in the jaw. Katt kept on punching her opponent, using whatever attacks she could. As the avian received each punch, she became disoriented. In order to bring her down, the pink cat threw an uppercut in her abdomen. Once Claudia collapsed to the floor, the Referee came over and began his countdown.

"Ten!" He counted. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five!"

Claudia picked herself up, signaling that she wasn't throwing the match. Before she could approach Katt, the bell rang, signaling the end of the second round. As she went back to her corner, the pink cat looked into the audience. From what the feline could tell, everyone was in the audience. However, the only people who weren't in the audience were Falco and Lucy, which somewhat saddened her.

"The second round goes to Monroe!" The Announcer spoke. "But, will she be able to take down Claudia King, or will she be victim to the champ?"

As she waited for the final round, Katt saw Claudia talking to another peacock, presumably her coach. The pink cat got ready for the final round, cracking her knuckles for good measure. Once it began, she found herself dodging a right jab from Claudia. After that, the feline hit the peacock with a left hook. She even hit her opponent with a few jabs, all of which hit her in the face.

Claudia didn't go down from Katt's attacks. Rather, she stood in a defensive stance.

"How is this possible?!" Claudia spoke. "You're an amateur!"

"Well, you hurt my friend, so I'm just giving you some payback!" Katt said.

Undeterred, Claudia ran towards her opponent, throwing a left jab. Katt caught it before it could even hit her. Pushing Claudia's fist to the side, the pink cat quickly threw an uppercut. She followed this up with a right jab, which hit the peacock in her beak. The avian returned the favor with a jab in the abdomen. Before she could attack, Katt found herself being knocked down by a left hook, which caused the Referee to come near her.

"Ten!" The Referee counted. "Nine! Eight! Seven!"

Katt stood back up, getting in a defensive stance. In response, Claudia came towards her, getting ready to pummel her. However, the pink cat hit her in the face with a jab. This was followed by an uppercut to the abdomen, two left hooks, a right hook and a right jab, all courtesy of the feline. Before Claudia could react, Katt threw another right jab at her. This caused the peacock to become dazed, her vision becoming blurry.

"Consider that as a gift from me!" Katt spoke. "And now, this one's for Lucy!"

Wanting to end the match, Katt threw a jab at Claudia, which hit her in the beak. The punch was followed by a crunching sound, which meant that something got broken. Once the peacock hit the floor of the ring, the Referee did his countdown. Upon reaching ten, he let out a gasp as he looked down at the avian. In response, Claudia's coach came over, concerned. Looking down at her, the peacock let out a scream.


An hour after the match had ended, Claudia was loaded into an ambulance. The doctors who carried the peacock on there assured her that she would be fine. Her team watched on in concern, worried about what would happen next. Watching this, Katt decided to head home. The match went to the pink cat, but it was only because the Referee called for it to be made unanimous. She did have more points than Claudia, so it made sense for her to be declared tonight's winner.

Seeing as she didn't take her ship down to the gym, Katt accepted a ride from Bill. He was in the front seat with Fay, who was fast asleep, so he made Katt promise to be as quiet as she could. Before the pink cat could even approach the greyhound's ship, she heard someone call her name.

"Katt!"

Turning around, Katt saw Falco approaching her.

"Falco?" Katt asked. "Hon, where were you?"

"I was in the bathroom while the final round was happening." Falco stated. "I was planning on leaving as soon as the match ended. Little did I know, you would wind up putting your opponent in the hospital!"

"She hurt Lucy and threatened her for information!" The pink cat said. "In a way, me turning her into mincemeat was karma for her actions!"

"Katt, you smashed her beak!" The pheasant said. "The MD said that the punch either broke her nose or shattered her jaw!"

"Well, then I guess I need to watch my strength, so that nothing like that happens again." The feline said.

"Are you coming, Katt?" Bill called from his ship.

"I'll talk to you later, Falco!" She said, walking away.

As she walked over to Bill's ship, Katt looked back at Falco. The pheasant had a disapproving look on his face. Said expression was something Katt was used to. However, in a situation like this, it felt different. Climbing into Bill's ship, the pink cat was quiet enough to not wake Fay, even on the ride to her house. As that happened, the feline watched the stars in the sky.

Okay, Falco's mad at me for hurting my opponent, but he doesn't know about how I'm able to fight as well as I do! Katt thought to herself. All I need to do is keep fighting and carry on! As long as no one spills the beans, I'll be fine!

Note: Katt's got some messed up priorities, doesn't she? I guess that I'm not putting her in a great light in this story, but every character needs a flaw. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!