Ch.2

Relief

"When I first felt you presence, I could hardly believe it. Yet I find you wandering around town not even a mile from where I was staying at." Jim said as Calvin sipped his cappuccino. Both humans were in a cafe just by the shore on the planet Zoness. Jim, an Ultra/human of great power, was surprised to discover Calvin, another human with hidden talents of his own. "Tell me, how did you get here?" Jim asked. Calvin thought, wondering if he really should tell him.

'It's alright, Calvin. We can trust him.'

"Adara?" Calvin asked out loud.

"So, this is also who I felt." Jim said, looking as if he just recognized an old friend. Calvin was more than confused.

"How...did you know about Adara?" he asked.

"I have the power to sense powerful entities. And your 'Adara' is no exception."

'I didn't know Ultras were such flatterers.' Adara's voice rang out in their heads. Jim broadly grinned.

"So, how did you get to my neck of the universe?" Jim asked.

"Well, it all started when, in my universe, I was at my dad's daredevil show."

"Your dad's a daredevil?" Jim asked, raising an eyebrow. Calvin nodded.

"Yep. And he's the best there is, too. You should see him, sometime. Anyway, during the show, the vat of water that he was jumping over glowed. I was hypnotized by it, and that's when Adara met me. She was inside the vat, waiting for me."

"Waiting for you, eh? Now, don't get me wrong, but why you of all people?" Jim asked.

'Because his was the only pure soul that I could find on his Earth.' Adara replied.

'But still, out of the billions of lives on Earth, you chose a seventeen year-old boy?' Jim asked with his telepathy.

'Like you should talk. You were only a baby when you received your power.' Adara replied.

"You became an Ultraman when you were a baby?" Calvin asked, surprised.

"Well, yes and no. What happened was, when I was born there was a complication. I was going to die soon, and that's when he showed up. Seeing that I didn't have long to live, the Ultra decided to give me his life. In doing so, I did gain the power of an Ultra, but I wasn't aware of it until I was older."

"How much older?" Calvin asked.

"Not until I was nineteen, when Krystal came to Earth and met me."

"Wait, Krystal? As in the Krystal, Fox's girlfriend?" Calvin asked, his eyebrows raising high. Jim laughed at this.

"Well, yes the Krystal from Star Fox, but not exactly the same one that you're thinking. See, in this reality, Fox has a girlfriend already, even before Krystal joined the team."

"Really, who?"

"Does the name 'Fara Phoenix' ring any bells?" Jim asked.

"It does sound familiar…"

"If you've read any of the Star Fox comics that came out in Nintendo Power in the mid to late nineties, then you'd know that Fara Phoenix is Fox's love interest. Krystal was only added in the Star Fox universe because of 'Adventures'."

"Yeah I know, I've played it…" Calvin said. "So, how did Krystal come to Earth?"

"It was an accident, actually. They were testing out a new warp system when something went wrong, and Krystal was flung to the Sol system. She landed on Earth, and I patched her up. After that, I joined the team."

"Really? Just like that?" Calvin asked.

"Well, Krystal persuaded them that I come along."

"What about your family back home, didn't they say anything about it?" That's when Jim hung his head a little, looking somewhat sad. "What's wrong?"

"You haven't been told about Earth, have you?" Jim asked.

"What happened?"

"I didn't have time to contact my family on Earth, because immediately after I was brought aboard the Great Fox, the human race was destroyed in an instant." Calvin was stunned.

"Wh-what?"

"The Earth itself remains, but the human race is nothing but a memory now. Only ruins remain of the civilization on my planet."

"But…how?"

"Gorzul." Jim replied, his face growing grim.

"What's Gorzul?" Calvin asked.

'The ruler of the Dark Realm.' Adara replied. 'Gorzul is the master of a reality filled with nothing but demons and malevolent beings. The same type of evil that I was born to help combat. One of the reasons why I bonded with you, Calvin, is because of this. Because of your pure heart, no evil can touch you. And that is why you are a worthy candidate to wield my power.'

"You have this power, Calvin, to make sure that nothing like that ever happens to anyone, same as me. What happened to Earth in this reality, must never happen to any other world, this reality or otherwise." Jim finished. Calvin looked away, as if unsure.

"I…I'm not sure if I can do that…" Jim chuckled a bit at Calvin's response.

"I'm not surprised by you reaction. It is overwhelming at first. But once you learn to use your power, you'll feel like you can take on anyone and anything. Trust me, I've been there before." Calvin looked up, and saw the confident smile on the human's face. He nodded back.

'Calvin, Jim can help you with controlling your power.' Adara explained.

'Is that why you brought me here?' Calvin asked.

'That's part of it.' Adara said.

'What's the other reason?'

'You'll see, in time.' That's when Jim's head snapped up, and he suddenly looked out the window, as if he saw someone. Calvin noticed this.

"Jim, what's wrong?" Calvin asked.

"Damn. They found me sooner than I hoped…"

"Who did?" Calvin asked. Jim looked at Calvin, an apologetic smile on his features.

"Sorry about this, but what's about to happen may seem a bit…strange."

"What do you mean?" Just then, the bell above the door jingled as the door opened, and Calvin saw who it was that came in; Fox and Krystal looked around, seeing the patrons strewn about. Calvin recognized Krystal right away, and deduced that Fox was her companion. "No way…that's Fox and Krystal!" he said excitedly.

"Keep quiet or they'll hear you." Jim said sharply. Calvin gave him a funny look.

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll explain later. Just keep quiet, and let me handle it." Jim said, sipping from his own cup. Fox and Krystal moved towards the reception desk, where a female puma was talking to a bulldog employer that was working in the backroom behind her. The bulldog gestured to the couple behind her, and the puma turned to them.

"Afternoon. How may I help you?" she asked, a smile plastered on her muzzle.

"We're looking for someone. Have you seen a person about this tall, wearing a blue and black outfit? He'd look simian in nature." Fox explained, putting his hand to just above his head. The puma thought for a moment, then answered.

"Actually, he did come in here with another person. They're sitting…well, they were sitting right over there." she said, gesturing to a table by the window where a wolf and a lynx now sat. Fox said thanks, and the pair left the café.

"He's gotta be around here somewhere…" Fox said, looking around. Krystal's brow furrowed.

"I could have sworn that he was in there. I felt his presence."

"How about now?" Fox asked. Krystal only shook her head.

"I don't know. With all these people here, it's a little difficult to pinpoint."

"We'll just have to keep looking. Come on." Fox and Krystal went towards a crowd of people, and from the café Jim let out a sigh of relief.

"That was more than a little close." he said, leaning back. Calvin was puzzled.

"What happened, I saw them look directly at us, but then they just left."

"You could call it a Jedi mind trick. I simply made us appear as someone different." Calvin was surprised.

"You can do that?" he asked. Jim nodded.

"It's one of my mental abilities. I can mess with another person's sense of perception, though it does take quite a deal of concentration."

"That's so cool." Calvin said. "So, why are you ducking them?"

"I'm sort of laying low for awhile."

"Why, what happened" Jim explained to him what happened a few hours ago, leading up to his discovery of Calvin.

"So you had an argument with Krystal, and that's why you're ducking her?"

"It's no just that. She's convinced that if I don't 'relax' more, I may give myself an ulcer."

"Well, why don't you? Everything looks alright here." Calvin said, looking around him.

"But see, that's what you don't understand."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not just threats here that have me on edge, but also the possible threat from other realities as well. You've been through the 'Cross Roads', right?" Jim asked.

"'Cross Roads'?" Jim nodded.

"the 'Multiverse'. The Ultras call it the Cross Roads, the space that links all realities and universes together. We use it to travel to other realities, and defend against those possible threats, while dealing with the possible threat that the reality that we are in may be to the Ultraverse."

"'Ultraverse'?"

"It's the reality where the Ultras come from. We act as a vanguard against threats both foreign and domestic."

"I see. You're a soldier, then."

"Exactly." Jim said, nodding. "And I have to keep my skills at peak efficiency, so I've been training nonstop for six months after the defeat of Gorzul."

"But still, Krystal does have a point. If you don't relax every now and then, eventually you'll get to the point to where you won't be able to fully do your duty."

"You're starting to sound like her." Jim replied in an annoyed tone.

"Well, it's the truth, right? I don't think that she'll tell you to do something that wasn't helpful to you."

"So while I'm relaxing, a new threat will pop up and threaten people. That's the way I see it."

"Okay, but if something does happen, she knows that you'll be there to help take care of it, along with her and the rest of the Star Fox team. That's what she's trying to get through to you I'll bet. It's not that she doesn't think that you'll not be able to handle anything, but that she knows that you will be able to, but it's also alright to rest every now and then." Jim seemed to consider, then looked up.

"How annoying. Even the kid agrees with her." Calvin chuckled in response. "I give up. Can't deal with fools, I guess."

"Well, shall we go find them? I'd really like to meet the rest of the team." Jim sighed, and got up. Calvin followed him to the entrance of the café. The pair went in the same direction as Fox and Krystal did, and soon enough, caught sight of the two wandering around the crowd, looking for the Ultra/human. Jim looked at Calvin, who nodded at the pair. Jim focused on Krystal. 'Looking for me?' he thought. Krystal caught it, and looked in Jim's direction. She smiled when she saw him, and tapped Fox's shoulder. He looked where she was looking, and smirked himself. Both worked through the crowd until they caught up with the Ultra/human.

"Jim, where have you been?" Krystal asked, taking on a sterner tone and folding her arms after reaching him. Jim chuckled a bit.

"Every time I want to go out, or be alone, you always seem to want to tag along." he replied. Fox laughed a bit at the scene himself.

"Well, maybe that's because I worry about you. First you won't take it easy, then you run off on your own. It's like I should put you on a leash, or something."

"I don't need a babysitter, Krystal. I can take care of myself."

"Are you two always like this?" Calvin asked.

"Yes!" Jim and Krystal answered simultaneously. Both looked at him, then glared back at eachother.

"Uh, who's this guy?" Fox asked, pointing at Calvin. Jim looked at him, then back at the pair.

"Calvin, I'd like you to meet Fox McCloud, and Krystal." he said gesturing to them. "Guys, this is Calvin. He's a human."

"A human?" Krystal asked.

"But, I thought that the humans were all, well you know."

"Well, he's different." Jim said. However, Krystal couldn't take her eyes off of the younger human. She got this feeling off of him, like she did when she met Jim for the first time.

"Nice to meet you two." Calvin said, offering his hand to Fox. The vulpine took it, as did Krystal. "You guys are famous where I'm from."

"Oh really, where's that?" Fox asked.

"Earth, but not exactly from this reality."

"What do you mean, 'This reality'?"

"He's from an alternate reality, sort of like me." Jim explained. "Or rather, half of me." Jim explained.

"Really? So, how did you get here?" Fox asked. Calvin looked around, looking at all of the people walking around, some giving them funny looks.

"Uhm, is there someplace more private we could talk?" he asked.

"Follow us." Fox said as he, Jim and Krystal headed back to the Great Fox, while Calvin followed them.

"Fox, Krystal, did you manage to find…" Peppy didn't finish his sentence when he saw both the people he was talking to, and Jim and Calvin walk in at the same time. Peppy went down to the entryway to greet the two back, but was unprepared for another visitor. "And who might this be?" the hare asked. Calvin looked at Peppy with a mix of surprise and shock.

"I don't believe it…" he said.

"Believe it. That's actually Peppy Hare." Jim said, seeing the younger human's expression.

"Yes, my name is Peppy." the hare replied, not really sure what to make of this situation. "And, again, who might you be?" he asked, pointing at Calvin.

"Uh, Calvin. My name's Calvin." the younger human replied.

"Well, Calvin, are you a human, or an Ultra like Jim here?" Peppy asked.

"Uh, human." he replied.

"Really? But, Jim, I thought that the humans were all…"

"So, where's everyone else at? Still at the resort or something?" Jim asked Fox, cutting Peppy off. Fox caught on, and replied.

"Actually, I think so. But they might be heading back any second now. You missed Fara and them, by the way."

"Really? Well, it couldn't be helped."

"In this particular situation, it could have." Krystal said almost under her breath, but Jim heard her.

"Do I need to explain it all over again?" he asked her.

"No, but then again, there really isn't any need for you to train so much and push us all away at the same time, either." Krystal retorted. Peppy sighed at this, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"It's like they're already married…" he muttered.

"WE HEARD THAT!" Jim and Krystal said simultaneously. Calvin laughed, as did Fox. Jim and Krystal glared at eachother before turning away.

"Great, trouble in paradise." Fox muttered. However, it looked like the pair ignored this comment as they just have their backs turned to eachother.

'Have they always been like this?' Calvin wondered. Several minutes later, when the Jim and Krystal calmed down a bit, the Ultra/human led the other to a spare room. Inside, he closed the door, and looked at Calvin.

"I suppose you have questions, still." he said, leaning on a dresser, while Calvin sat in a chair.

"Yeah, like this one thing that I've noticed."

"What's that?"

"Every time someone mentions the word 'human', you clam up, or you cut them off, like you're trying to hide somethin. What's with that?" he asked. Jim sighed and moved to the window overlooking the sea.

"You can't know what it's like, to be almost totally alone."

"What do you mean?"

"You know that I'm the last of my kind in this reality. It's not something that I like to keep bringing up. You haven't felt that kind of loss, and I pray to God in Heaven that you never know what that feels like." he said, looking back at the young human. Calvin looked away from the other's gaze.

"Krystal's the last of her kind too, right?" he asked. "Or, is that also just something that the games made up?"

"No, the franchise got that one right, too." Jim said, almost bitterly. "That's the main reason why she's so close to me. She lost her homeworld when she was only a child, and yet she still strived forward. She's helped me cope with the loss of my race, and to help me understand my power better. I owe her a debt I don't think I can ever repay."

"And yet, you snapped at her when she said that you should take it easy." Calvin said. Jim faced him, then looked away. Calvin stood back up, then walked towards Jim. He was behind him when he was looking out of the window. "I think you need to patch things up with her. Don't let something like this come between you two."

"How old are you again, seventeen?" Jim asked.

"Yeah, why?" Calvin asked.

"'Cause you sound like Yoda, and it's really starting to annoy me." he said. Calvin laughed.

"Well, go to her, get your problems handled and I'll stop. Otherwise, I'll just be doing this the whole time." Jim looked at the younger human, who wore a smirk. Jim matched it.

"You really would, wouldn't you?" he asked.

"Oh, believe me, I will annoy you in ways that you couldn't even imagine." Calvin replied, his smirk turning into something akin to an evil smile.

"Alright, alright. Just, expect a lot of cold, empty silence followed either me or her screaming bloody freakin' murder." Jim walked out of the door, and towards Krystal's room. Through her door, he could hear the sound of music coming through. It was faint, but the Ultra/human knew that kind of music; it's the same one that he usually listens to. He even remembers the title, 'Kimi Ni Dekiru Nani Ka', aka 'You Can Be Anything'. After all, this is one of the first songs that Krystal ever heard from Earth. He sighed. 'This is going to be messy…' he thinks, and knocks on the door. The song is paused, and Krystal opens the door.

"Oh, it's you." she says, in an almost disapproving tone.

"Okay, look, I know that you're a little mad right now…"

"A little?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Alright, downright pissed,"

"That's better."

"And I just want to make it up to you."

"How?" she asked, opening the door a little bit more as she leaned on it slightly with her hand on her hip.

"How about an apology, first?" he asked, getting his hopes up.

"That's it, an apology?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, but…" Krystal closed the door on him before he could finish. Jim knocked on it again, and the vixen opened the door, her expression unchanged. "Could you let me finish, please?" he asked. Krystal sighed.

"Alright, say you pathetic apology, then go away. I don't feel like talking to you right now, not after what happened."

"Hey, you were the one who stabbed me." Jim retorted.

"True, but you actually tried to kill me." Krystal replied. This shut Jim up.

"That was…" Jim looked away, then back at Krystal, his expression more somber. "That was an accident. I was going through a tough time, and I took it out on you when you were only trying to help. By rights you probably should've killed me." Krystal wanted to say something sharp, but the look on his face made her feel otherwise.

"I'd never do that. It's just, nowadays whenever I try to bring you out a little bit you just attack me. And when we sparred, I felt your emotions. It was like pure malice, and anger. It practically border lined on hate."

"Yeah, I know."

"Jim, you know that you can tell me anything that's bothering you. I don't want to see you like this, it's like something is consuming you from the inside." Jim laughed a bit, puzzling Krystal. "What's so funny?"

"First, you told me to say my apology then go away, now you're telling me to stay and tell you what's been eating away at me. Funny, how things often change so quickly." Krystal saw this, and laughed a bit herself.

"Well, it's true, isn't it? I really care about you, and I want to help you in any way I can."

"So, what happened to 'say your pathetic apology, then go away'?" Jim asked, still smiling.

"Well, maybe I'll make this exception." she said, opening the door to her room to allow Jim to enter. The Ultra/human did so, and Krystal looked outside to see Calvin standing in the hallway. She winked at him, and the young human returned it before the door closed. Calvin walked back to the room, and waited for the Ultra/human to return. After an hour and a half, he walked in. He looked at Calvin and shook his head while wearing a scowl.

"What?" he asked.

"I should kill you."

"What, why?" Calvin asked, feeling nervous right now.

"There was only one way for Krystal to forgive me, and that's where I cross the line!" Jim almost shouted.

"Why, what happened?" Calvin asked.

Some time ago: "So, what's been bothering you?" Krystal asked, sitting down on the bed. Jim took the computer chair in front of her desk.

"You already know." Jim replied, hanging his head.

"Still worried about losing yourself?" she asked. Jim didn't answer.

"Trust me, just because you haven't used your power in so long, doesn't mean that you'll lose yourself."

"It's not myself I'm really that concerned with, it's losing my ability. I fear that, if I don't use it, I might lose it and then I won't be able to defend Lylat as well as I could."

"Sounds like you're letting your own power use you." the vixen said. Jim looked up at her.

"Just because things have slowed down to the point to where you don't use your power as often, doesn't mean that you'll lose it. It will always be with you. It's been lying dormant inside of you for years on end, remember, before being finally awakened. I don't think six months of not using it will change anything. The problem is that you're so used to using it, that this is the first time that you have actually had a break from it all. In other words, you might have become almost an addict to being an Ultra." Jim just looked at her as she went on. "This is the first time in a long while for you that you've actually time to act normal. Take advantage of it."

"Normal? I'm not normal, even by your standards, and I'm not talking about my being an Ultra!"

"What are you…"

"Everyday I walk down the street, or go into a store, I get these weird stares from everyone around me, like I'm some sort of alien monster! I've lived here for over a year, a freakin' year, and people still do that to me. I know I chose to stay here, but now it's really starting to tax me." Jim said, standing straight up. "You say act normal, well I wish that I could be normal. I just wish that I could be…one of you." he said, plopping back down on the chair.

"You could change you appearance, like you did last time." Krystal suggested.

"It wouldn't work as well. It takes a bit of a drain on my power, and even then, I couldn't hold it up indefinitely." Jim replied.

"Then, they'll just have to get used to you." the vixen said with an adamant tone.

"I wish they could."

"They will, I promise."

"Really, how?" Jim asked. Krystal grinned.

"Well, for starters, we could go to…the Zoness Shopping Center." she said with a thoughtful expression. Jim stammered.

"Th-the Zoness, uh, I…I don't think that…"

"It's either that, or leave and never speak to me again." Krystal said, her tone becoming hard.

Present: "I'll deal with fighting monsters all day, non-stop until my body gives out and I spit my last breath at them, but going to any shopping center, and I mean any shopping center at all with Krystal is a torture that you can only imagine!" Jim said. Calvin just looked at him.

"It can't be that bad." Jim gave him a look like he had gone insane.

"Oh, believe me, it can. And you will."

"What do you mean?" Calvin asked.

"'Cause you're coming with me."

"What?"