Chapter XXVII- Route 70, number 11, Coneria
The tempest is at its strongest. rain created a light gray shade, along with the rain and black sky.
Fox is the first one to come.
When he saw inside, it was dark and mysterious. The warehouse was abandoned for a long time, fallen rooftops are everywhere, and they failed in trying to block the rainwater. They went in fearlessly, along with the weak light from the clouds.
"So, an abandoned warehouse. What a perfect spot for these things to occur."
As he shouted: "Krystal! Krystal! Where are you?!"
Finally, he saw a storm drain, and he rushed to there.
Seeing that she was inside, he wanted to open the storm drain for it was not locked. When a familiar voice appeared.
"Congratulations, Fox."
Fox looked back, and saw a gray figure. It was Wolf.
"You accomplished your mission."
Fox did not wait. And bolted: "Why did you do this to everyone? Are you really that selfish and ignorant of the people's feelings?"
Wolf then said: "I always wanted to find true love, since my lover, many years ago, died in a storm drain just like the others. The people now say that they have true love for their lovers. But look at how fake they are! Until two years ago, when I finally see you trying to save yours."
Fox then flashed back to the accident, where he saw a gray figure appear but disappeared shortly afterward.
"So you are the one who witnessed the case two years ago, eh? All of that murders, all of that sadness to all of them just to find one who is able to save his lover?"
"You will never understand what it feels to see your lover dying in the tempest!"
"While I cannot witness a person who gave a promise and turns out that it is fake!"
"There...just open the storm drain...and you can save her out."
Fox looked at Wolf skeptically, then ran to the storm drain. Just then when he tried to open, Wolf pulled out a gun and aimed at Fox's head.
"HANDS OFF MY FRIEND!" When Falco went impulsive and pushed Wolf down instead of using his gun to shoot him.
Fox yelled: "Falco! What are you doing here?"
But Falco pulled out his pistol after getting up, and saw Wolf is running away to the upper floor. He did not fire.
"I'll get Wolf, Hyacinth will help you!"
And Falco bolted off.
Just then, Pigma appeared out of the warehouse, along with the police officers and Conerian army soldiers.
"I won't let you get away now." Thought Pigma. As he said: "When Fox Mccloud or Falco Lombardi, any of them gets out, fire at will." Ordered he.
"But sir, there is a big signal of ships coming right at us. They're the Federation's ships."
"Just the Andromeda or Amber that their president gave us as a gift. Or is it The Polaris?"
"But sir, it's the Amethy..."
"Ok, you go on your babbling. I won't mind at all."
The soldier went speechless.
"I won't let you live." Thought Pigma. "You will die just like your father."
When there is the high-pitched sound of bombs coming down.
"BOMBS!" A soldier yelled, as he hit down on the ground.
Pigma looked up, and there IS a bomb going down.
After it hit the ground, it released a huge explosion, fortunately, on the ground just between the warehouse and the police cars.
The destroyer Amethyst has warped its way to Coneria, and it appeared in the sky. It went down in the planet atmosphere, on about 4km above the surface. You could see that a big ship has pierced through the clouds and part of its hull was shown.
There was a voice which yelled: "This is the commander of The Amethyst, and President of the Earth Federation! Drop all of your weapons or we will attack you!"
"Oh yeah?" Thought Pigma. "I would like to see Earth fighting Coneria!"
And he also used the announcer the army brought along.
"You there! Admiral Hyacinth! I am in charge!"
"Drop all weapons or we will use the Valkyrie Missile Systems! Fox Mccloud and Falco Lombardi are innocent in the case! Cease all firearms!"
"Valkyrie! We surrender!"
"Not the Valkyrie missiles! I wanted to have my full body intact when I die!"
"Anything but Valkyrie! We surrender!"
"Please don't blow us into atoms!"
All the police officers and soldiers dropped their Weapons. But Pigma, seeing this, went furious.
"Yeah. You keep on your Valkyrie. But you come down here and fight me!"
Just then, a starfighter went down. First rushing. Then, slowly descending while in vertical flight mode. It is the Spectre Falcon which the president owns.
A figure who is like Falco went out.
"Wait for me when I go in and finish something. You son-of-a-pig!" Said Hyacinth.
"I will make you die like Fox's father does!"
But Hyacinth already rushed in.
Inside is a desperate Fox trying to open the storm drain. And Hyacinth saw him struggle.
"Fox!"
"Hyacinth! Please help me get this open!"
Hyacinth, quickly, then placed his hands on the storm drain bars.
"OK, Fox. On the count of three."
As Fox also put his hands on the bars.
"OK. One, two, three!" Said Hyacinth, as the storm drain was opened, pulled the drain up then releasing it. Slamming on the ground. A loud noise was heard.
Hyacinth saw his fifth finger was gone.
"I will help you get your finger when we finish this."
But Fox already pulled Krystal out from the water. He was so relieved to see Krystal, he cried.
Hyacinth knew this is not the time for hugging Fox, instead, he checked Krystal's pulse and body temperature by placing his fingers on her left wrist.
"She has a severe hypothermia, but she has a strong will of living, so she did not die. However, she has a weak heartbeat, and may have breathe in water. I think it is not good for me to make her cough water from pushing her chest. You should do it."
Fox, even crying while hugging Krystal tight, did not hesitate to put Krystal on the ground. And use his hands to push her chest.
He was still crying. Crying for relief. Crying for sadness. Crying for a reunion.
Hyacinth kept checking her pulse.
"Ok, keep pushing it. Her pulse is going up."
Finally, Krystal remained conscience. She coughed out water while waking up.
She opened her eyes, looking at her love gazing at her. With Hyacinth at her side.
Fox gasped, and hugged her.
"Oh my god. Krystal, I thought I will never see you again."
"I know that you guys will save me as a family." Said she.
Hyacinth then patted Fox's shoulder. It was a brotherly shoulder pat.
"You guys better keep safe. Cause I have to get rid of someone out there."
When Fox looked at his watch, there are only 30 seconds left.
He spoke his last sentences quickly to Krystal:
"Krystal. You are the most precious person in this world I have ever met. I am dying in a few seconds. Falco and Hyacinth will protect you well, and you'll find another one who loves you like I do."
As Fox hugged Krystal tight. Pushing her muzzle to his muzzle and they kissed deeply. Trying to spend the last moments of his life with his love.
But nothing happened.
Fox stopped kissing her. And thinking that he should be dead, he looked at the world beside him. Then looked at Krystal who seemed astonished. Her eyes looking curious. Then his watch.
"I'm not dead. I'm alive!" Said Fox. Laughing a bit when he said that.
"Uh...Fox? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing, Krystal, my love. Nothing at all."
As the two hugged tighter, they transcended into a light kiss. He finally found back her. After all, he had gone through.
He finally did it. After all this. He had. Went. Through.
Meanwhile, Falco went up to the rooftop. Down the stairs lead to a belt which lead to a large plasma combustor. Although it was raining, Falco cannot feel the coldness of the rain. He aimed his gun, scanning the area cautiously.
He did not notice that there was a staircase from behind. And Wolf tackled him. Two of them went down to the belt.
Falco dropped his handgun when he was tackled. As he tried to grab it whilst in mid-air.
When they stood up again, they naturally entered their battle stance.
"Looks like you will be my prey." Said Falco. Ready.
"I will slam you till your weak avian skeleton breaks." Said Wolf, ready.
They looked at each other for a while, then it was Falco who attacked first.
It was a quick flying side kick, and Wolf is able to block it easily. However, Falco regained his feet on the ground before Wolf can grab it.
"Hmm, ferocious." Said Wolf
"Don't you even try me!" Yelled Falco, furious.
As Falco threw a jumping side kick, then a ferocious reverse kick right after the sidekick whilst mid-air.
The sidekick broke Wolf's defense, and so he cannot block the reverse kick. Wolf was sent flying, then fell on the belt.
"Good." Said Wolf, as he jumped back up. Sensing blood in his muzzle, he spat it out. A red mark was seen on the floor. And he said: "Taekwondo. Hyacinth has taught you well."
Falco then has his eyes even more furious. As he returned his battle stance.
"You dare to speak his name?!"
Wolf started his offense, and it was an unpleasant experience for Falco. He can barely block Wolf's attacks for Wolf's ones are quite ferocious. And Wolf can block Falco's counter-kicks either.
In the meantime, Hyacinth went out of the warehouse. And walked to Pigma.
Pigma, of course, was afraid. But he concealed his feeling.
With a sarcastic tone, he told Pigma: "Oh hey there, handsome. You make me sick." As he forced Pigma to back off, and it did. Pigma stepped back a few steps.
Hyacinth then pointed at Pigma's chest.
"You. Stop trying to harm my family. I can hear what you have just thought."
"How'd you..."
"Krystal has taught me basic telepathy. And can hear weak-minded person's thoughts. For instance, you." Emphasizing "you".
The land troops from the Earth Federation has arrived. As they use their guns and pointed at the Conerian soldiers who already dropped their weapons. Forcing them having their hands in the air.
Hyacinth then pushed Pigma on the ground, stepped on him, and grabbed his carbine out from his back.
He took out the carbine, and pushed the gun-muzzle to Pigma's head. As he crouched down. He was furious. And talked quickly. His head very close to Pigma, which made him turn his head left to avoid eye contact to that furious avian.
"You think I will die so easily? Huh? I'm gonna tell you, don't play with me. And don't you curse anyone in my family ever again. Fox's father was a hero and was killed by you. But I just cannot find evidence of you deleting all the information to make you Go. To. Jail. But. Keep! In! Mind! That, you don't know how much my family is so important to me. Do you want to taste some Valkyrie missiles? Right at your stomach which is full of flesh and fat? I bet it will be fun. You pink piece of fat! Afterwards, I will make spaghetti out of it and it will taste so awful, even I give them to your wild counterparts, they will refuse to eat it!"
As he used his rifle to shoot Pigma. Not in the head. But his arms and legs.
Pigma cried in fear and pain. An unpleasant high-pitched tone while screaming in Lylat language. As Hyacinth walked away from him, then turned his head and faced him. Furiously. With his red mark around his eyes more curved, and with a bit bigger eyes, green also.
"Don't. Mess. With. Any. Of. My. Family!"
He then flicked his fingers while he was going back to the warehouse, and the troops forced the Conerian army and police officers to drive back to where they come from.
Meanwhile, Falco was fighting relentlessly. But he seemed to be at the downside of the fight. Wolf easily blocked Falco's attacks. Even they are mostly aimed to the head and should have caused tremendous damage.
The belt was going and going, and it was already near to the plasma combustor.
And so Wolf knocked Falco down, and he ran to the edge, and rested at the side of the belt, where there are two metal platforms. One at left and one at right.
Falco, who regained his balance, also went to the platforms. But he went to the left one, which is opposite from Wolf's.
Down there was the dangerous Plasma Combustor which will send rubbish and people to death. Falco could feel the heat rising up from the plasma.
"You will be under arrest, Wolf O'Donnell." Said Falco. On his battle stance again.
"Not much. Before I take you down!"
As he leaped to the platform Falco was standing on.
Falco cannot block Wolf's sudden strike and he fell down. The momentum from Wolf is too high for Falco to stand still. Furthermore, Falco has been quite injured: a bit light headed for his head was hit multiple times. Some of his rib bones were broken. And the nasty claws on Wolf's hands has scratched Falco's arms and chest very deeply with blood coming out of it. His yellow beak then having blood coming out from the edges of his mouth. He lost his combat capability.
After that takedown, he cannot hit back. For he was being sat on the legs by Wolf. And even more, his arm bones were snapped by Wolf. There was a clear crack when he did so.
"Argh! My arms!" Yelled Falco. In pain when his arms were snapped. Then his arms refused to move at his command. That yell was so loud, that no one has ever heard of him yelling like that.
A couple of punches then were given to Falco. He moaned in pain every time he was punched directly in the head. First, it was shouting and swearing at the same time. But then it went softer, and softer, and softer. He can barely retain his strength to yell anymore.
Finally, he was on the edge of fainting. As his vision was half-blurred.
After the beating to Falco's head is finished, Wolf pointed his gun to his forehead.
"Goodbye. Falco Lombardi." Said Wolf, as he mocked Falco's last moments by speaking his name in a joking way. And Falco had a face of pure anger and sorrow. Only that he appeared extremely tired.
However, Wolf stopped. And a bullet was clearly seen flying through his chest. Blood came out the moment the bullet got away from his body. As blood was out of his muzzle.
He looked back.
And saw Fox standing on a platform a bit away from Wolf's position which Wolf have not seen while fighting, and the belt stopped.
Taking a handgun given from Hyacinth, he shot Wolf once just before Wolf can shoot Falco. Krystal and Hyacinth were standing at the left and right.
"You've hurt Krystal. I can accept it. But you can never hurt Falco. Never hurt my family ever again." Said Fox. As he fired again. The white smoke from the gun was appearing out from the muzzle.
Wolf can no longer maintain his balance. As he fell down to the plasma combustor. The sound of the cloth contacting with the air was heard. Then it was the sound of flames.
Hyacinth then saw Falco lying on the ground.
"Oh god! Falco!" As he ran to the platform Falco was lying on.
But Falco yelled: "Quit all that talking and send me for treatment! Professor Ampere!" Even though he was half-fainted, Falco was still himself.
Hyacinth smiled. As he took Falco up, and walked down the stairs which that platform has back to the ground.
Fox and Krystal followed.
Fox carried Krystal in his arms, who seemed to be a bit too weak to walk. Hyacinth was having Falco's left arm around his back, and holding his left hand. He was half-limping. With an expression of pain while Fox walked tranquility, and solemnly, with Krystal asleep in his arms. As they kept being hit by the rain.
When they went down, the Earth Federation troops guarded them back to the Earth Federation Hong Kong St. Margaret's hospital for medical treatment.