"I'll come to see you fight. You better fight like you fought in there." Judy finally answered.

"Well, that will depend on who I fight. Maybe if I fought you, we would get somewhere." The fox suggested slyly.

"You know you would snap me in two in the ring."

The fox leaned in towards the doe's ears."With a punch like yours, it would be no surprise." When she heard that, she crossed her arms and let out a disgruntled hmph. "But we can work on that.". He then stood up straight again. "Besides, first, you need to know your way around this place, right?" The doe quietly nodded in compliance. Every time the fox referred to a room he pointed to the door. "The training room is there, in there is where you will be training and practising your skills. You will also spar against me later, and I use the term spar loosely but yeah. That is the kitchen, in there you will find food that I can eat but also food both of us can eat. Avoid the meat, it wouldn't be pleasant for you, unless you can quickly hop to the toilet." He smiled at that one. "Speaking of which, it is there. Don't worry about me , I'll use the one upstairs, in my flat. Don't go in there. It is my personal place. That is the living room , there you can find the more fun things such as a television. And finally, that is the bedroom. Guess what, you won't believe this. There's a bed. Oh , almost forgot, locked room is an armoury. Has guns , guns , more guns , swords and a kusari-gama. If you ever want to practise using one, tell me , whether it is knocking on my door or whatever. The firing range is beyond that door as well and it is sound proofed to avoid any noise complaints. The ceiling is mostly a lot of concrete with a metal frame. But I have reinforced it with steel and ceramics. Try to remember or just learn the layout and I'll be training for the fight. Thank you for joining my tour."

"Wait, what if you're not in you're flat? Where do I find you then?"

"Check the roof , where I'm probably drinking. Don't worry about that. Or I'm doing something important."

"Thanks for clarifying." The doe then realised that she doesn't know what a kusari-gama is but it was too late to ask.

The fox re-emerged from the kitchen with a litre bottle of water. "Hey, what's a kah-suri-garma?"

"Good question. The answer is much simpler than expected . It is a sickle with a chain and a weight on the end. Because maybe you are curious, I will explain why it exists. It was designed to be a weapon for civilian use or for non-military use. That was because the katana was designed for military purposes then guns were made. So katanas were more used in civil cases. And that is a short history lesson. It is effective but needs lots of practise for effective use."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"No problem, I guess. I'll be in there now." He points to the training room.

The fox opened the door to his training room. "Hey, can I try a gun now?"

"No, your wrists wouldn't be able to handle it yet." He walked through the door after saying it. The rabbit got annoyed and puffed up. "You are welcome to work on your wrist. Maybe punch a punching bag?" The fox shrugged. Judy relented and followed the fox. "Good choice."

"I thought you told me to rest."

"Maybe I lied. Or I was being comforting. Or these are recommendations and you can choose what to do. I'm not the be all end all."

The rabbit huffed at that response, she didn't know what to think anymore. The rabbit walked through the door and saw about 30 wooden dummies and 4 punching bags. "Why so many?"

"For when I have to fight crowds of mammals. It's not always as easy as two or three mammals."

The bunny nodded and walked up to one of the bags and started punching , first lightly but built it up to be more powerful later on. The fox walked to centre of the 30 wooden dummies. He pulled out earbuds from his pocket and planted them in his ears. He then entered what could be described as a Zen form. He straightened out and placed his arms at his side. He moved slightly faster and more precisely in this form. He started punching at the dummies around him. He then surprisingly started dancing and cartwheeling. He moved from enemy to enemy elegantly and accurately. The bunny stopped attacking the bag in front of her and turned to watch. She was in awe at what she was witnessing. 'Who would dance in a fight?'. He then started swinging his leg mid moves while on his hands or while bending backwards. This was consistently occurring and was fast enough to keep his opponents back, if they were fighting. "I know you are watching." He shouted midway through, while still continuing his assault. "It's fine you can ask."

"Err, what are you doing?"

"It's a martial art called capoeira. Mixes acrobatics, dancing and actual fighting." At this point , he was starting to cause the wooden dummies to tilt. "There's something else on your mind, spit it out."This perplexed the rabbit as he wasn't even looking at her. She thought if she wanted to ask the question or not. She shook her wrist then thought a bit further. "No really , just ask the question."

"Is this what your entire day is filled with?"

"No, ask again." The rabbit was stunned at his deductive skills. "I lived on the streets a very long time, I know a lie from the truth and recognise beating around the bush."

"How did you learn that fighting style?"

"Was that it? Really, you were afraid of asking that. Well, a certain rabbit taught me it, that is all I'll say for now. Is that it?" The fox stood up , barely sweating and starting to move to a punching bag. He started improving his boxing skills. "What? You need to be versatile in this profession, when one thing doesn't work, adapt. Capoeira is good for more 'discreet' fighting. But if you can take a hit , do boxing. There are overs but I'm not too familiar with them."

"You said there are lots of guns, what are your favourites?"

"In practicality or personally?"

"Personally." The rabbit responded.

"Desert eagle, can pierce all skin and kicks like a bitch. Rifle would be the SCAT-L but I do like the AK-12 or the M4A1. Both are very nice."

"Practically?"

"FN-Five Serpent. Light plastic low recoil highly accurate, just extremely expensive. Thanks Beargium. But rifle would be the Honey Badger, integrated suppressor good at close range high fire rate low recoil. Just it is a bit iffy in the legal department. Luckily, fuck the legal department. I'm a wanted criminal. By the way , the ACR is a close second, practically no recoil highly accurate good for long range and close range but no suppressor unless you buy one. That answer your question."

"Yeah, it did." The doe paused for a second. "Can you help me train? Pretty please?"

The fox looked over . "Stay on your toes, not only lets you move more but lets you lean forward to swing further. Start with light jabs to bring your enemy in then sucker punch em. It's not only a physical fight but also a mental one. Outsmart your opponent to win or overpower them. Your greatest strength will be speed. Use it, maximise it."

"What's your greatest strength, Mr fox? "

The vulpine laughed when he heard that. "Mr Fox, that's good, but please call me spectre. I insist." He then muttered to himself "Mr Fox." He then turned to the rabbit. "I'm annoying. And fast as well but not as fast as you. I'm more of a jack of all trades personally though." He smiles. "You can work on your weaknesses, you know."

"Okay, but I don't feel right calling you spectre."

"Better to call me Mr. Fox?"

"Well, since I only know one other fox , yes?" The fox started laughing again. "I don't get it."

"You don't belong in the city, there are many foxes here , not just me."

"But you are willing to help me. Why not tell me your actual name?"

"Because, animosity is where fear comes from. If they don't know who I am, they're more scared. They usually know what I am though."

"But I'll be living here for a while , no?"

"A while. What about when you leave?"

"Then I wouldn't tell anyone your secret."

"And why would I believe you? This business ruins trust first." The rabbit didn't know how to respond. She knew that in such a career path, trusting someone was a huge risk. She thought about it for a second.

"Then why help me?"

"Carrots, it's beca-"

"Carrots?"

"Yeah, you're always straight to the point , hard-headed and most importantly a rabbit. Any issues?"

"Ugh, I thought you were different. But even you can't see past the "Cute wittle bunny" stereotype. Do you know how degrading it is?"

The fox chuckled when he heard that. "Do you think this , all this is a choice? That one day I just went, 'Fuck my amazing life, I want to be a contract killer'?" While saying all of that , he pointed to the room around him, wildly. He put his arms by his side then continued, "I understand what you are saying , I'm a fox."

"Then why perpetuate the degrading of rabbits."

"Oh what? The whole stupid cute thing? Really? It's about that?"

"Yes, I was denied many job opportunities, including my dream job, just because they saw a cute little bunny instead of who I really am."

"Carrots, why did I say I call you that? Was it because you're cute? Or was it because I said you are sensible or hard-headed? You see, assumption is the mother of disaster. If I truly thought you were incapable of anything, you wouldn't be here. For example, I told you to rest, it was a hectic day for you. A few fights, fired a gun and nearly killed someone. What did you do?" He seemed slightly agitated now, but still calm and restrained.

"I started working on my punch."

"Why?" the reply was sharp and rapid.

"Because you pointed it out, rather quickly and I felt ashamed of it."

"But I thought that I didn't see past the stereotype that 'plagues' bunny kind. I thought that I said you are a cute little bunny. You see what I'm getting at, don't you?"

Judy started blushing and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry , it's just tough when that's what happens all the time. It's just I get really defensive."

"I know, I like that fire that dwells inside of you. You , although you given up then, are a fighter. And even the best fighter gets exhausted so now, I recommend rest for you. Side note, you are cute when flustered."

The doe's head shot up and she stared daggers into the fox, who just grinned smugly in response. "How dare you?" She took it as a personal attack directed at her emotions.

"Oh no, what will you do?" The vulpine responded jokingly.

The rabbit forcefully yet with gritted teeth responded "Nothing because you are faster ,stronger and smarter than me in a fight." She hated she had to admit defeat to this sleaze ball of a mammal. "But I will get you next time ,slick"

The fox was walking away to get another bottle of water. "Now that was a better name." He shouted from across the corridor. The rabbit rolled her eyes. "If you want to have a better punch, put your entire body into it. You put more weight and force behind it, lets you follow through." The fox was now returning. "If you need help just ask." He grinned with pride when saying that. "You never know what could happen."

"Why help if you told me to rest?"

"Why bother trying to fight you verbally, if you can beat yourself? You are too proud and stubborn, rest is needed."

The two continued to train and practise. However this time the vulpine has taken a mannequin from the edge of the room where it was barely noticed. The mannequin was clearly a dense wood and metal mix. He struck at the mannequin repeatedly in many different ways, seemingly practising his accuracy over other things. Different styles , stances and strengths. No two punches were truly the same here. There was a bit of the acrobatic dance fighting but a lot was influenced by his boxing nature. This continued for about an hour before spectre got tired and his paws were in pain. "Still going?"

"Yeah." Judy grunts while punching the bag in front of her. "It's getting easier."

"Your paws will swell up and it will hurt tomorrow, but you don't have to take my word for it." She hears that and pauses. "So you finally stopped. You overworked your body, I'm being serious. Tomorrow may be a difficult day for you, but you can soldier through the discomfort an pain ,right?"

"Yessir." She responded.

The fox rolled his eyes at that retort. "I'm not your boss , just a friend."

"Well, I don't know your name so I wouldn't consider you a friend." The rabbit confidently announces.

"Well , if that is the case then , let's be roommates." Judy crossed her arms when she heard that. "No , I'm not sleeping with you if that's what you think, and I mean in both senses of the word. I'm sleeping in my own bed and you sleep in yours." The fox sighed. "Wanna discuss something else?"

Judy instantly took the opportunity to ask "What about your parents, do they know what you do?"

"They don't and they never will. It's a topic I'm not discussing. What about you?"

"Why should I open up , if you don't?"

"I'm paying the bills and protecting you , while teaching you to protect yourself with no demand for any payment." The answer was so seamless that the bunny couldn't compute it in time before, "And besides, I'm curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"First off, no it didn't." He paused for effect then pointed at himself while saying "I did." Then he closed the gap between them a bit. "Second off, satisfaction brought it back."

"You made that up."

"Nope, that is really how it goes . The true response that should be given."

The rabbit sighed, "Weeeell, my parents and siblings don't know about my current situation, and I hope they don't find out any time soon. It will be difficult explaining that , not only am I a criminal but I also work with a fox."

"What's difficult to explain? You make decent money and the grim reaper is your personal guardian angel. I think you will be fine."

"My parents are more traditional, and won't like foxes around."

"I'm different though."

"Yeah, you're a contract killer, so you are worse."

"At least I don't conform to the stereotypes?"

"And which ones are you referring to?"

"You know the ones that suggest that I'm sly , sneaky , conning and conniving. You know the ones that I have to be." The fox chuckled at the irony. "Listen, in all seriousness, your stereotypes can be used as an advantage. People will think you are cute and weak. Use it, overpower them with rapid barrages and high speed. Maybe even a gun." He shrugged. "Just don't think it is a fair fight. You must do everything to survive here. Out there is just a game of chess. Always stay 4 moves ahead of your opponent, and if you can use every advantage you have at your disposal."

"You seem to not do that. So how are you still alive?" The rabbit asked genuinely ,now taking a seat.

"Easy, I have a lot of experience in this, so I know how to read mammals quickly. This lets me make decisions quickly. In other words I know how to taunt well."

The rabbit shook her head, "I can't believe I asked."

"I can, seems like a genuine question." He paused for a second. "And I always stay as far ahead of my opponent as possible." His glare was completely serious. No humour , no nothing. He stood up then looked at the rabbit. "Fuck it, wanna try use a gun?"

"Um, sure?"

"That's the spirit." He walked to the locked room, with Judy in tow. The door was unlocked and inside was a giant modular wall mount gun rack. The entire wall was filled with all sorts of weapons but mainly guns, lots of guns. "Here you can find most guns from the practical to the fun to the unique." He looked at the KSG that he possessed in the corner of the room , which was beside the DP-12. "Yeah, those are definitely unique weapons. Anyways, you should take a nice starting weapon. Before you ask, these firearms are mainly designed for size groups so a fox gun can be used by say a bunny." He picked up a Bearetta M9 from the wall. "Try this for now." He handed the empty gun to the rabbit ,who quickly tried to adjust to the size of the gun. During this she pointed the gun directly at the fox. "Ok rules that everyone follows with gun safety, which you will basically disregard for work purposes. One, finger off the trigger. Two, don't point at something you don't want to destroy. Three, treat as if loaded. Four , be weary of your target and what is behind it." The rabbit looked up and quickly realised why he said that. She quickly lowered the newly acquired pistol and pointed it at the ground. "Wasn't the first time a gun was pointed at me." The fox grinned when he said that, knowing that the ewe that Judy nearly killed pointed a gun at him and many before.

"I'd assume so, mammals tend to not like those that kill them."

"You're god damn right." He grabbed a few magazines then walked to the actual range. "Close the door behind you and put on ear protection, you will need it."

"Why?"

The fox in response pulls out his personal pistol and fired it into the ceiling. The rabbits ears were quickly ringing. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH , THAT'S LOUD. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? HOLY SHIT!"

"You don't need to shout, and if you are curious , this is my own pistol that I call the Foxtrot. I know creative but it fits with my name so yeah. It has a slightly longer barrel to let the bullets travel further and faster, a suppressor to be quiet and an extended magazine to hold 12 rounds instead of the usual 7. Very comfortable and designed perfectly for me by a friend. It was a gift and accepts different cartridges. In other words it's very versatile. I just took the suppressor off for this."

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT. FUCK YOU, YOU KNOW A BUNNY'S HEARING IS SENSITIVE."

"And you should know better than to question me but here we are." He re-screwed the silencer on to his pistol and re-holstered it. He walked to one of the stations he had and placed the two magazines for the M9 down, upright. "Come and load your weapon."The rabbit was upset but still listened although barely. "Put your ear protection on." Judy did that without hesitation this time. "Grab a magazine and push it up from the bottom, where the hole is in the handle." Judy complied, while keeping the gun down range. "Now, either pull the top back or push the small lever on the side down, both will accomplish the same thing and chamber a bullet." Judy pushed the lever down. "If you point it at me you will lose your right to have paws, I'm warning you." That line was given with the same monotone voice that was used while giving instructions. "There will be no second warning, you have a loaded weapon and I'm not dying to a negligent discharge." The rabbit sharply exhaled once she heard that. "Now aim your weapon at the target and fire as accurately as possible. Aim for 10s but don't take too long to shoot, you won't have time to adjust your aim in the real world." The rabbit nodded and fired multiple times. The bullets rocketed down the grey concrete room and penetrated the paper that was hanging in the middle. The bullets were scattered around the paper but mainly were condensed at 7s and 8s. "Not bad but need to improve. Both slow and inaccurate, we will work on it one at a time." The rabbit nodded. "Try again with the second magazine." The rabbit reloaded the pistol and fired again. "Not much different but it was slightly quicker, good job." The fox taken the gun and removed the magazine afterwards to make sure it was safe. "My turn " He declared after placing the gun down. He pulled out the foxtrot and unloaded the gun rapidly and precisely. Every bullet whizzed down the grey concrete room, barely whispering through the suppressor and striking at the 10 in the middle of the target. It all happened so fast Judy couldn't keep track of it.

"Woah, that's it?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just making sure." The fox chuckled at that and shook his head. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time.

"It's starting to get late, I'm gonna head out. Follow if you want to." The fox started walking out of the room and replaced the M9 he taken before. "But you are leaving this room. Right now I trust you less than the negative of how far I can throw you and if we go on the roof , you will go flying." The rabbit followed , scared that she will be punished in some cruel and unusual method.

The vulpine quietly headed for the door, mostly instinctually as he was used to sneaking around and not making noise at this point. "Wait for me."

"Shit" he muttered under his breath, a part of him didn't want her to come. He turned back and stated sharply "15 seconds, hurry up."

As they were leaving she asked, "What should I expect?"

"Surprised you didn't ask before in a safer environment, such as the untraced one in which we live in. Well, it's a regular tournament, 16 mammals compete and only one wins. Mainly criminals are accepted and no weapons are allowed. Theoretically, the further you go, the stronger your opponent is. What you should also expect is , how do I say this, eye candy for the males, if you catch my drift. And considering one of the sponsors was a sex trafficker, I suppose he had some spare stock, or they are employed properly full time. I don't know fully, never really cared for them, they just get in the way. Oh and the audience is mainly just a bunch of low level criminals that wish they could compete but know they would be easily beaten. Easily appeased. Try to avoid to much discussion with them but don't out right ignore them. Could get a bit icky then." The rabbit nodded in understanding and compliance.

Just as spectre finished explaining, two police officers walked past. One was a wolf and the other was a tiger. "Ah, Wolford , Fangmeyer, how are you two?"

"Ugh, it's you again." The tiger, called Fangmeyer, responded.

"Hey, I'll talk to him." The wolf, unsurprisingly the one called Wolford, replied to her. He then turned to the suited fox. "What are you two doing?"

"Can't two friends meander aimlessly around the city?" The rabbit was getting visibly uncomfortable with the presence of the police officers ,considering this afternoon's events and the fact that he was technically a wanted criminal. Also she felt ashamed that she couldn't make the cut when she saw the uniform. There was also the pure intimidation of the size of the mammals that were supposed to convey justice that irked the tiny rabbit. All this pressured the bunny heavily and she was really struggling to keep calm in front of them. All three of the mammals that were next to her noticed this. "Hopps, are you okay?" No response, she was clearly not thinking straight. "Carrots?"

"Ma'am, are you in trouble? It is okay to tell us."

"N-no, it's all fine." The rabbit responded dismissively , trying to divert the attention.

"Carrots, I'm not that stupid, what's going on?"

"It's fine really." She muttered out.

"I told you, you're stubborn." He stood back up,sighing, and turned to the officer. "We'll be heading back now, see ya Wolfie."

"I hate you, you dumb fox. See you next time." The wolf groaned and turned back to continue his patrol.

"Were you scared because of them?" The fox asked bluntly."It's okay if you were."

"Y-yeah, Yeah, I was."she responded shakily. "How did you keep so calm?"

"It comes with time. Don't worry about it right now. But please , try not to blow my cover. I'd hate to be arrested on false claims due to poor assumptions." His trademark smile shone through at the end of that statement. "I'd be hated more in prison if that were to happen." Judy shook her head at the remark. The two continued walking swiftly towards where their direction. "Oh, by the way, it isn't the cleanest of places, especially the ring, but you're not fighting so lucky you. Maybe next month, in the female division."

The rabbit instantly panicked when she heard that and waved her hands in front of her. "Woah, a bit soon no? I mean, how would I know if I'm ready?"

"We will be sparring when I deem ready, and when you can hold your own, you'll be ready." The two finally reached an abandoned warehouse , where the front door was heavily damaged but the side door , which was hidden away, was good for use. The duo used that door and entered the damaged building.

"This place could collapse any second."

"Not really, there is a lot of structural support inside and renewal. It's only the outer shell that looks like shit."

"HEY, HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS PLACE SHIT." A bulky wolf shouted from inside, clearly hearing what was commented about the establishment. "Spectral Showman, you're back, and with a fine lady. Who is she?"

"Unimportant, all you need to know is she is a plus one and is going to watch the fights."

"Good enough" He turns to the rabbit, "Head up the stairs and take any empty seat, we work on a no reservation policy, first come first serve." Judy nodded , a bit shy now, and hopped up the stairs that the wolf pointed to. Once she left, the wolf turned back. "So who is she to you?"

"Mikey, do you want a premature death?"

"If I get to find out, I'll take it. You never had a plus one before."

"Your funeral." The fox shrugged then pulled out his pistol. The wolf remained unflinching.

"You can trust me , friend. After all, I am one of few that know your name."

"That's different, it's me not her."

"There's something between you two, isn't there? You feel something for her. Admit it."

"Pssshh, as if, I don't do relationships anymore, you know that."

"Time heals all wounds, maybe that one already healed. You can't base all relationships off of that one vixen. She was an absolute cunt and deserved what happened."

"Stop, I'm not in the mood." His cheery demeanour quickly changed to a deathly scowl. Mikey gulped when he saw the fox staring daggers at him.

"Just go in now, you're already signed in." Normally the fox would thank Mikey but today was different, he was reminded of her again. Pain and anger flowed through his veins and he was happy that he was about to release all that pent up frustration, hopefully someone would take it all. He needed someone to take it all or at least collectively to be absorbed.

He waltzed into the changing room and removed his blazer and tie. After that , he started unbuttoning his shirt. As he was doing this, many murmurs were heard from behind him. "If you want to say something , say it to me." The tone was sharp and vehement. It scared all in the room, including the rhino and elephant that were standing there. Spectre removed his shirt revealing his torso. It was russet with a beige chest and stomach area. Around the beige laid brown streaks that flowed down from his face. There were also brown lines trailing down his back and along his upper arm, stopping suddenly at the elbow. He hung the clothes in a locker then placed his pistol in the same locker. "No questions? Good. Can't wait to beat all of you." Every one remained unnerved and watched the fox while changing. Spectre just sat next to his locker and stared into the empty air. He didn't want any interruptions right now. There continued to be subtle murmurs in the room and the 15 mammals in the room excluding the showman himself all were worried about what is going to happen. The fox was usually exuberant and jovial. Something was clearly off for him. A hippo entered the changing room just then.

"5 minutes, everyone to their ring." The 16 mammals walked out and followed the hippo. The giant mammal led them to a giant auditorium-like area, where a giant crowd of mammals of different sizes all waited for them. The room was huge and had many wooden seats that stretched around the circumference of the room. Chances are there was always a seat for you just in case. In the centre was 9 rings , 8 smaller ones surrounding a larger one in the middle. All were clean, for now, but once the fights were going to start, that's when the mats will be dirty and messy. The hippo directed everyone to their ring alongside their opponent. Spectre's opponent was a husky. No claws but sharp teeth.

When they entered the ring, spectre asked "So you're in a relationship , right? Who's the bitch, you or your partner? I'd guess that your girlfriend is the alpha of the house." That very quickly riled the husky up. 'good ,use that anger to take more of these punches that I will give you.' The two mammals headed to opposite ends of their ring. The husky looked down at the fox as he was taller but not by much. The glare that the husky was giving was extremely serious and terrifying, to a normal mammal. "Hey, my eyes are up here, you dirty dog."

The bell went off , letting all fighters start to engage in kombat.

The husky charged at the fox, who reciprocated the action. Spectre halfway through, feigned a jump but then went into a slide and toppled the husky over. He laid on his stomach and the fox jumped onto his back and started bludgeoning the husky's skull with his fists. "You will take this , just like I know you do at home." That annoyed the husky even more , who rolled over, forcing the fox to fall over and have to roll away. There was blooding dripping from the paws of the showman. He raised his hands into the air and yelled, "Ladies and Gentlemammals, I have drawn first blood, now the main event will ensue." As he shouted that, he turned quite swiftly , trying to find the rabbit that followed him here. The crowd cheered in response to what the fox called out. Spectre found the rabbit, and winked at her. He heard the approaching steps of his opponent and instinctively leaned left, dodging the attack. "That won't work against me, fool." He turned around and faced the husky. "Just because you're from the tundra , doesn't make you scarier. I'm the scary one here." That sentence was ended by a knee connecting with the husky's stomach. Next, showman grabbed the head of the husky and dragged it down to his stretched out knee, causing the dog to be slightly dazed. "Is that all you are capable of? Maybe I should put you out of your misery?" He looked back at the rabbit and felt a bit more at ease. Spectre started to breathe more slowly, then walked over to the barely standing husky. As he got close, the fox swung his leg rapidly at the knee, causing the husky to topple over again. "Strike. Again. One more and I get a turkey. Wait , do I get a turkey?" His voice was loud enough for all to hear. His showman side was starting to show again but his rage was still present, just a little dormant. The husky crawled on all fours and struggled to stand up. "Oh sorry, did you want a warm up first? Too fucking bad, bitch." Just then the husky growled and charged at the fox , just about standing up. "Just as the husky was about to grab the fox, he hears "You're wide open." Then feels a strong pain in his stomach. The husky pauses and looks down at his belly. There it was, the fox's paw firmly planted against his unguarded stomach. "Yield while you are still conscious." The husky nodded and fell to the ground. "There it is , a victory but I would like to apologise, the fight was short and not very entertaining. I shall try to make up for it next round."

He looked around and saw that all the fights were ending about now. The eight that survived were to return to the changing room, while the defeated eight were to be removed from the rings.

As the combatants were returning, they all walked past 6 skimpily dressed mammals , just a bikini. They walked onto the larger middle ring and started dancing in a routine. The routine consisted of the smaller mammals such as the otter to dance more energetically, while the tiger and jaguar were more supportive. The dance did well to show off their bodies. Cheers and whistles were heard from the crowd.

In the changing room, it seemed only the spectre was untouched. Every other mammal had some form of bruise or cut on them. This meant that the fox had the advantage currently, all he had to do was keep it. He knew the timing of the events at this point so he knew he had 15 minutes to rest and recuperate. He just sat down next to his locker again and breathed gently, while listening to the heaving of some of the other mammals. "Those that are heaving , have no chance to reach the final. If you return, make sure to improve your conditioning first. Don't want to fight on empty now do you?" Spectre said to everyone in the room, his face and tone were both showing that he was all serious and no nonsense. Mammals nodded to show that they were listening to what the fox said. "But not all of you will return, I can guarantee that." He wanted to kill someone right now and realised it just now. All stared scared at the fox, while praying that they don't have to fight him.

The 6 mammals returned and walked through the changing room. Neither party cared about the other group being there as the females left, now dressed properly. As they left, the hippo returned, "Time to go back to fighting, break is over." The seven mammals groaned, slightly out of pain from the fights 10 minutes ago but mostly from the idea that they had to fight the fox if they want to win. The fox got up and waltzed over to the open door ,where the hippo was waiting. "Come on there is 2 minutes so get going."

The fox turns around, "If none of you leave, I will make sure you all die painfully right here." That convinced them to return to the rings .

All eight left the changing the rooms, spectre led the way and raised his arms to gesture to make some noise. The rings that were used this time were the 4 cleanest ones, which were still messy and stained with blood spilled. The mat was starting to be a bit sticky from the blood that was remaining. Spectre was put up against a honey badger, who actually had a nickname 'Black Iron Hide'. He wasn't a great fighter skill-wise but he was very scrappy and was willing to claw and bite to win. "So, time to fight someone lesser than me."

"Nice try, but your taunting is pointless."

"I noticed, you are already scared half to death, so that makes my job easier." The badger gulped quietly but the fox noticed, he knew he was right and under the badgers 'iron hide'. "Show me what you are made of." The fox sprinted at the honey badger, who reciprocated the action but also extracted his claws. "A a a, that's not wanted here." Spectre grabs both paws of 'Black Iron Hide' then pushed them down to get them stuck in the mat. "You're fucked now , kid." The vulpine swung his arms upwards, uppercutting the badger in the head. The hit was strong enough to send the badger moving backwards and crash on his back."At least you're not stuck any more." The fox walked over then firmly planted his rear paw on the honey badger's chest. "Don't resist, it will only make it more painful." Black Iron Hide struggled to breathe and shook his head while crying. He was clearly begging for his life. "Should've learned to fight better." He looked up at the crowd, more specifically at the rabbit that he is currently training. She looked a bit worried but was trying to hide it. 'I can't kill him like that now , lucky bitch.' "I made a promise to the audience, and I shall keep it." His voice was loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. He pushed the badger forwards from under his paw. There was cheering from his actions. The badger slid along the mat and was let off to get up. "Don't disappoint again. There is no second chance." The badger got up now enraged at the actions of the fox that he was fighting.

"How dare you treat me like that."

"Don't act all tough, you were weeping when you thought you were about to die. I'm just prolonging it. Milking the fight for more entertainment." The badger charged at the fox. Spectre waited a few seconds then committed to a leg sweep to try and knock over the badger. The badger however reacted fast enough to jump over the leg and aimed to land on the fox's back. The fox kept spinning as he started to smile. He then presented his fist , carrying momentum from the spin and rocketing towards the badger's stomach. The badger couldn't avoid this , he was currently in the air. "Nice try, but you were too hasty." The punch connected and it connected extremely potently. The badger flinched and remained on the fist for a few seconds. He swung his paw at the forearm of the fox and clawed at his skin. Blood started to trickle down the fox's arm. "Fair enough, you actually hit me. But that is still my arm." The fox raised his leg and delivered a front kick, pushing the badger off of the knuckles he was pained by and causing him to fall on the ground again. This time however, the badger rolled backwards and hissed. "Shame nothing is there though, maybe you could've killed me." The badger charged again. "I really don't know how to fight you interestingly. You really don't know how to fight. You just have a thick hide and sharp claws. You skill is less than shit. " The fox chuckled then released a strong hook , which connected with the badger's temple. The badger dropped to the floor. Seeing the fox approach , he quickly yelled. "I yield, I yield."

"That's unfortunate, I wanted to play with you a bit more." The fox lifted the badger up and helped to stand him up. "You get to live to die another day." The honey badger walked off , pleased that he survived. He was too weak to fight properly, and too cowardly to keep going.

The fox noticed that everyone was still fighting but the fights were clearly drawing an end. The two larger fighters, the elephant and the rhino were both still standing and the last one was a panther. Biologically, the fox had a massive disadvantage, but he had much more ability in hand to hand combat , which could tip the scales in his favour. After this round, there was no break and the fox knew that well. But he wasn't concerned by that, actually he was pleased by that. He would be quite well rested while his opponent was exhausted. That was his second advantage here. If he was to guess, he would be facing the panther first then the winner between the other two and by what he saw, he was willing to bet that the rhino would win.

The hippo returned and directed the four to their respective rings and let them get acquainted. "Semi-finals, rules are unchanged." As he said that, every mammal went to their corner and prepared for the fight.

"Maybe you will suffice." The fox stated blatantly. The panther that he was facing was confused by that comment. He wasn't sure how he should feel, honoured and proud or upset. In the end he decided to ignore the comment made. "No comment? Well then , good to know." Just then the bell went off and both approached the other with caution. Both had their arms up to guard any oncoming attacks. Then after a few seconds, the fox reached to grab the jaguars arm then strike with his other in the newly opened area. This was extremely risky but in the end pained off. The panther coughed up blood and spat all over the fox.

"Fuck you." The panther swung at the fox's stomach, causing the fox to flinch.

"I'd fuck me too." The fox lets out a left hook , aimed at the hip. This forces the panther to lean into the hip. As the panther lowered his head, the fox sent uppercut at hit . This launched the panther back up and left him dazed. The panther stands with one paw holding his head and the other swinging wildly around to try and keep the fox away. It worked for a few seconds until the fox ran and slid at the foot of the panther. Forcing the panther to trip over, the fox forced his legs upwards as he laid on his back. Just as the panther fell, the fox kicked full force, winding the panther. The panther laid on the floor , struggling to breathe. He slammed his fist into the mat and somehow went completely against his base instincts to breathe. He stood up and stared at the fox that now stood before him. His breathing became more controlled and regular against what the fox expected. "Impressive, you can go against what your body says." The two smiled at each other. "So, you are better than you let on, why go easy?"

"Why do you?"

"Touché, so you're just testing me?"

"Pretty much." The two readjusted themselves and set their bodies back to prepare to fight. The fox jumped back to rest on the rope.

"Come on, hit me." The panther charged at the fox as he heard that. The fox ducked under the punch and stepped to the side evading the body charge. The panther got stuck on the rope due to how fast he charged. The fox made the most of the situation by striking at the back of the panther, rapidly without stopping. He looked up into the crowd and looked into the eyes of the rabbit , looking at him apathetically. He smiled and whispered into the ear of the panther. "Now is a good time to yield, it would be a shame to kill you."

The panther groaned, knowing he is struggling too much to get off and the constant barrage of blows isn't helping. "I yield." The fox stopped punching and pulled the panther off of the ropes.

"We may have been enemies here but we could really help each other in the future, Panthingson." The panther opened his eyes wide when he heard his name stated. He nodded and walked off the ring. He didn't wait to be escorted , just left by himself. "One more mammal to take out. Let's make this quick then." To his surprise it was actually the elephant that won, his hooves completely covered in blood and the rhino completely bludgeoned to death. Half his organs were forcefully pushed out and his horn was broken off and lodged in his throat. One of his eyes were barely holding on by the nerve surrounded by scattered skull fragments. The ring was covered in red and purple from the guts that should be inside the body. "So, you are strong and willing to kill. This will be interesting." Six new female mammals came in a differently coloured set oh underwear to dance for the crowd. And this time the two winners were to rest in the ring they were fighting in. During the entire performance the fox sat on the edge and observed the rabbit , wondering what she was thinking at the moment. He hasn't turned his head away for the entire dance routine and he clearly saw her staring at him slightly panicked after seeing the mangled body in the other ring. He knew how much time he had and nodded his head sideways to try and talk to the rabbit. He saw her nod and start to head out. He reciprocated the action. The hippo stopped him but the fox stared into his eyes,which caused the hippo to get out of the way with a slight sense of fear. He headed to the entrance which is the only place where the seats and the ring are connected as the other stairs have been destroyed. "Hey, hey, why are you here?" Is what the fox heard from in front of him. "Don't like the show?" The fox approached the source of the voice.

"Leave her alone Mikey." he said when he entered the room. The wolf turned around and smiled awkwardly at the fox that just came in. "Let us talk privately."

"Sure." The fox approached the mammal behind Mikey, "Hey, Carrots, come with me." His face was stoic. "We'll be in the changing room."

"Hey, no funny business."

"Everything I do is funny business." Mikey looked at him seriously. "You know me well enough to know I wouldn't do that." The wolf relented and let him go.

"Was it the way the rhino looked ?"

"Hmm? Yeah, it was."

"Don't worry about it, he signed up for this, he knew it was a possibility."

"But it was so brutal."

"Sometimes desperation forces your hand. If it makes it any better, I'll try not to kill the elephant."

The rabbit nodded when she heard that. "Thank you. You're a good mammal underneath all that blood shed."

"Well, that's a first. Okay, second. You wouldn't believe who said it first."

"Really who?"

"I'll tell you in due time."

"Ugh, I hate being kept in the dark with everything."

"Plausible deniability, just in case. And before you ask, technically nothing you did was illegal. Viewing this isn't illegal either."

"Why do you keep looking at me? That I need an answer."

"Its because I don't trust any of the mammals here. I want to know you are safe." 'And I want to know how you are reacting to everything that's happening.'

"I can handle myself you know. And for what it's worth, thank you for sparing them."

"The last guy was a fellow hitmammal named Erik Panthingson. Odd name but quite deadly. Not as good as me but try not to be hunted by him just yet. But when you're trained enough, then you can have a crack at him." The rabbit nodded. "Now go back to your seat, I gotta return to the fight." The two parted and spectre returned to the ring, where the elephant was waiting inside the big one. "Time to finish this, don't you think? Let's end this with a bang. And I'll only need to topple you."

"Don't act so cocky you won't beat me." The elephant let his trunk flail from side to side. The fox cracked his knuckles then swung his arms up.

"Make some fucking noise." He yelled and received a cheer from the crowd he spoke to all but Judy to whom he tilted his head and raised his eyebrow . She just shook her head left to right.

"Let the fight begin." The hippo yelled from the sideline.

The elephant slowly walked towards the fox, but he was shaking. Clearly, he was slightly tired from the fight with the rhino. "You don't seem to be 100%, but considering you are an elephant , you never are." The Spectral Showman was finally back to fight. He jumped back to make some distance. He felt the previous step the elephant took. "Damn , I didn't know your feet are sexual organs. If you step on me, I'm fucked." He decided that he has a very simple task: get behind. "So is it true? The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"I don't know you tell me."

"Well, you are the fat one so I thought you would have experience." The elephant scowled and started to run. It was now or never. The fox ran as well , observing the trunk. The trunk swung side to side. 'One two three four , one two three four' he kept count the entire time. When they finally got close enough that the elephant could crush him, the fox grabbed onto the trunk and propelled himself upwards over the elephants head , turned around in mid air and kicked the head of the elephant as hard as he could. "Let's see if those tusks are just aesthetics." The elephant kept moving forward and lost his balance. He tripped and fell. There was a loud thud and a slight shock wave that was emitted. "Told you we are going out with a bang." He walked over and started wrapping his arms around the throat of the elephant. The elephant tried to swing at the fox but it was impossible to hit behind him like that. The fox squeezed tightly and held on until he was either knocked off or the elephant collapsed. Neither felt endangered so neither would give up or yield , especially not in the final fight. The elephants movements started to slow down, more and more until he fell onto his knees. "Hey Dumbo , it's over." The elephant could barely look straight but the fox finally let go , launched himself further up and smashed downwards , knocking the giant deoxygenated elephant out. "He was worse than the jaguar, I mean panther." He stood on the corner of the ring. "Anyways, THE CHAMPION REMAINS. " He held his arms up high and his chin up high. He looked at his trainee and winked.

The hippo approached from beside and called out "100 straight wins, a new record, will anyone ever beat him? Maybe you will?" Then the hippo pulled out a suitcase. "As usual, he gets his winnings of 650,000 zoolars. Maybe someone will shoot him on the way home for the money." The crowd ,apart from Judy ,laughed, she just had a concerned look on her face. Spectre just shrugged with a smile on his face.

He returned to the 'remainders' changing room , where he washed quickly and put on his suit. Brown washed down and he just groaned and reapplied the brown streaks on his fur. During the shower , he kept his trousers on to wash off any excess blood, even though no liquid should be able to soak in. Judy walked in and heard the running shower. She felt a bit embarrassed at that but still walked in. "Hey Carrots, how are ya? You seemed to have not enjoyed the show. But to be fair , I was in a different mood at the first part."

"Well, it was quite brutal and I noticed very few criminals are actually prey mammals."

"Well, that's social pressure for you." Judy looked at the shower curtain from where spectre spoke. She noticed traces of a brown dye flowing down the drain in the water. She was about to ask but decided to keep the intriguing question for later. "Don't worry, there are exceptions to every rule, the assistant mayor is a lion, I assume you know that. And if you remember, that ewe was a criminal." Judy heard that and felt a bit alleviated by that fact.

"So, what are you planning to do now? I mean you won 100 times, that's cause for celebration ,right? To let loose a bit."

"I could always go higher, and besides, next month it will be the woman's tournament. And yes it only occurs once a year because so few compete. And let me tell you, that one is boring. It's always the same and the fighters are all in cahoots with each other."

"So you want me to shake things up a bit?"

"Ideally, yes. Also , you know what, maybe I should celebrate but I'm keeping my foxtrot."

"As long as you don't point it at me, I think we will be fine."

"I wouldn't dare, that would be the difficult option."The fox left the shower. "Besides, I would take my chances."

"Wait, what?"

"Time to celebrate ,right?" The rabbit just shook her head again and followed closely behind.

"What about the rest?"

"They are in the medical ward, the doctors are capable and the machinery is good. The ones I fought will be fine."

"Thank you." The fox raised his brow. "For not killing them."

"Well, I did promise you, you were so uncomfortable there."

"It was my decision, you did ask, multiple times."

"At least you accept the consequences." The two stopped their conversation as spectre got fully dressed and the two left the room.

"Congratulations, my well dressed champion. How did you find this place?"

"A story for another time."

"Another one?"

"The same one." He winked at the doe next to him.

At the entrance/exit was a lot of mammals going through and Mikey hanging back, "Congrats, again."

"Thanks, again." spectre responded.

"You're the reason we stopped collecting bets, you know. I mean, we know when you are coming so we cut bets for then and the other fights have them. I could be rich if you were a new guy."

"Too bad, besides I would've bet even more on me." Mikey shook his head and let the two go. "See ya in two months time."

"Don't hold ya breath but she might join next month."

"That's a literal agreement fight and it only exists to keep the female mammals happy. Are you sure? "

"If she can fight like me, then she will be fine."

"So she is your trainee?"

"Carrots can you leave for a second?" He pulled out a knife "Just in case use this."

"But, I don't know if I can."

"It will be you or them, just like that alleyway." Judy looked down but then walked away, gripping the knife firmly but discreetly .

"What did she do? Why do you see potential in her? Why do you call her carrots?"

"She saved my life. She was willing to kill someone to save me. She's a rabbit but also stubborn and usually straight to the point."

"Okay but you usually know who mammals are, who is she?"

"A friend."

"You don't have friends, and we both know that. What is special about her, that you refer to her as a friend?"

"She is his niece."

"His? She's a Hopps?" The fox nodded. "When will you tell her your connection? Hell, they probably all know the legend of one Wilde fox." The fox glared at him. "But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. She asked to celebrate a bit today, considering the big triple digits."

"You could use that as an excuse to open up a bit. At least tell her your name."

"We'll see how the night goes." He started to head out to go back to the rabbit and most mammals already left so the door was empty. Empty except one mammal, a fox in ninja garbs with two katanas on his back.

"Spectral Showman, I challenge you to a duel."

A/N: So I had many complications, and I do mean many. First all my written stuff got suddenly corrupted so I had to restart so my chapters were essentially deleted without me doing anything. It was just painful. Anyways, I'll try to rewrite everything for soon.

Woah, there was a big reveal that no-one expected here. It really is hidden and doesn't stick out. But in all seriousness, I feel most expected this to be the case, at least those that read the first two chapters.

I'm hoping to write one more chapter for this this week and one or two chapters for my other story but I don't know if I will so no promises. Other than that inconvenience, I do still enjoy writing this to be honest.

How many references can you find in this chapter? Tell me all you find in reviews or private messages (prefer reviews)

With all that said and done, I wish you all a good week and thank you for reading another one of my chapters. Have a good one and Goodbye.