"I can't believe you talked me into this," Falco grumbled as the elevator doors closed and it began to ascend.

"It's our only option," Fox replied, though he didn't sound particularly pleased with the situation either. "Star Wolf are the only people who we know have that information."

"Then let's kick their tails and steal it from them! I've been itching for a shot at Leon ever since-"

Fox held up a hand insistently. "The data is useless without also having the decryption keys, and we'll never get both unless we cooperate."

"But we can't trust them! Not to mention how humiliating this is, it's just for his own pleasure!"

The elevator came to a stop. "That's why we can trust him," Fox reasoned as he stepped out and into the corridor of the apartment building. "He doesn't need us for money, supplies, or anything else Star Wolf could possibly need. But the chance to potentially embarrass us? He can't get that anywhere else."

After a glance around to make sure nobody else was in the corridor, Falco stepped ahead of Fox and thrusted out his wing-arms for emphasis. "But a naked piss-holding contest?" he protested.

Fox pointedly stepped past him regardless. "Panther could've asked for worse, trust me..."

Falco sighed and followed along as Fox headed to one of the apartments and knocked on the door. "Come on in," came a deep, purring voice from behind the door, "It's not locked."

Fox reached for the door handle, only to feel Falco grabbing his arm. Falco shook his head insistently, but Fox shrugged, then pushed open the door and headed inside with Falco reluctantly coming along with him.

Panther's 'work' for Star Wolf clearly paid well, as his apartment was luxurious in addition to being located in the heart of downtown. All of the furnishings were high quality, and it was quite spacious for a one-bedroom apartment, with a huge glass wall along the back offering a commanding view of the city. Many flower vases filled with roses adorned side tables and cabinets, and lounge music was playing from some sound system built into the apartment.

The lighting was dimmed, but enough to illuminate the way to the combined living and dining room that lay just ahead past the closed door to what was either a bathroom or a closet. Fox's "hosts" for the night were waiting at a big square table there, where Panther himself sat at one side idly shuffling a deck of cards, and Wolf leaned back in the chair to Panther's left, impassively watching Fox enter. The only thing on the table was a large, elegant pitcher of water, and a collection of shot glasses at each seat. What stood out about the two men the most was that neither of them had a single item of clothing on, with Panther's black fur barely reflecting the overhead lights so that his yellow eyes and the white scar on his face stood out from the darkness.

"Good of you to join us," Wolf remarked sarcastically as the new arrivals closed the door, idly running a hand through the fur on his chest. "I was worried there might be a pair of chickens instead of just one." Falco narrowed his eyes, but Wolf went on, "Now strip down; I don't want to be here all night."

"Don't ruin the mood, Wolf," Panther rumbled, picking up the cards and shuffling them further in his hands. "Our guests need to be comfortable."

Fox held up a hand. "First thing's first: do you have the intel?"

"So much for foreplay," Panther muttered. "I am a man of my word. Yes, it is here in this apartment, but you will never find it without my cooperation. And if you want that..."

He trailed off, and Fox stoically began taking off his jacket in silence. Falco shook his head and sighed, but ultimately followed suit, leaving their clothes in a pile on a table near the front door. Fox confidently took the seat across from Panther and ignored the gazes of the other two while Falco followed after him to quickly slip into the last available chair.

Setting down the deck of cards with a smirk, Panther reached out for the water pitcher and stood to fill a shot glass at each player's seat. "You always claim to last longer in a dogfight, Fox, but how long will you last in my little contest?"

"Long enough," Fox answered confidently.

Nonplussed, Panther replied "Well, that remains to be seen," as he set the pitcher back down, shuffling the cards once more before beginning to deal them out. "It is quite simple. Fold, and you must drink all of your glasses. Raise, and I will fill another for everyone. If one of you two wins, we must drink ours; if one of us wins, you two drink yours. No getting up from your seat. The last one still dry will win, and if that is one of you two, then, and only then, will I give you what you want."

He began to deal out the cards, deftly flicking them across the table even around the water pitcher in the center of it to get to Fox on his opposite side. Once they had all five of their cards they picked them up, and Fox noticed Falco's eyes narrowing.

"The player to the dealer's left goes first," Panther stated, looking towards Wolf.

"I raise," Wolf said simply, to which Panther once again stood and filled an additional glass at each man's seat, while keeping his eyes on Fox.

Fox contemplated his cards. He didn't have a good hand, but Wolf was probably just trying to intimidate him. "Call," he eventually announced.

Falco glanced over at Fox before following his lead with a "Call."

"And I shall raise," Panther said silkily, filling another set of glasses. From there it proceeded like a normal hand as each of them swapped out some cards, but Falco's poker face certainly needed some work despite his attempt to cover the edges of his mouth with one of his wing-arms.

Panther raised again while the rest called, and when the time came to reveal their hands, neither Falco nor Wolf had anything to work with. The best that Fox could muster was a pair of aces – certainly not enough to overcome Panther's three of a kind. "You are off to a poor start," he observed after smugly laying down his hand, "But there is still time. Drink up."

It was only four shot glasses, so Fox and Falco downed them one after another while Panther tipped the water from his and Wolf's glasses back into the pitcher. Fox saw clearly where this was going: the more he lost, the harder it would be to win the actual contest. He and Falco had both taken a trip to the bathroom before departing, but no doubt Wolf and Panther had done the same, so they were on even footing there...

The next hand didn't go much better, but Fox folded early to save himself from the extra drinks – something Falco should have done, but instead the other two raised at every opportunity and Falco had many drinks to take after his loss. Yet even though Fox spent much of the hand with a keen eye on Panther's hands, he detected no foul play; though he wouldn't put it past the Star Wolf members to cheat, if they were doing so, he couldn't see it.

And in the third hand, Fox came out ahead with two pairs beating out Panther's one, yet they only had three drinks each to take as neither Fox nor Falco had raised...

The game continued. More and more shot glasses were filled, and their contents drunk, more often by Fox and Falco than by the Star Wolf members, something Wolf was acutely aware of with a wide grin on his face. By the time Panther got up to refill the water pitcher, Falco was already starting to feel it, and Fox could see him shifting about in his seat whenever he was considering his hand of cards. Only Fox's more cautious play had saved him from a similar fate, but at this rate, he would surely lose too...

Panther returned to the table with the filled pitcher and picked up the deck to shuffle it once more. "It would seem the stakes are already beginning to rise," he observed with a glance towards Falco.

"I'm not done yet, fuzzball," Falco quipped. "Just deal them out already."

"As you insist," Panther remarked with a smirk. Again, Fox kept his eyes closely on Panther's hands, but there was no trickery going on that he could see. What he did spot out of the corner of his sight was Falco's eyes widening, and Fox quickly spoke up to draw attention away from his wingman.

"I must say, this is the most unique challenge I've ever been in," Fox said to Panther.

"I find this to be far more thrilling than playing for currency," Panther purred. "Money comes and goes, but your humiliation at my hands will last forever."

"If I'd known it'd be this easy to show the 'mighty' Star Fox who's boss around here, I would have agreed to it sooner," Wolf concurred. "I raise."

"So do I," Fox added immediately.

"Me too," Falco followed up.

Panther arched an eyebrow as he reached for the pitcher to fill four glasses at each person's seat as he spoke, "Well, well. This is exciting. I shall also raise. Let us see who fortune favors."

Cards were exchanged for everyone but Falco and all of them raised once more, for a total of nine glasses at each seat. Fox had to hope his faith in Falco was well-placed.

"Three of a kind," Wolf declared smugly.

"Two pairs," Fox offered, but he hadn't expected to win.

Falco gave a victorious squawk before tossing down his hand. "A flush!" he declared proudly. "Drink up, Star Dogs!"

"What?" Wolf exclaimed, baring his teeth as he leaned forward.

Panther gave a low rumble, both impressed and irritated. "I see," he remarked impassively, setting down his hand to show two high pairs. "It is no matter, Wolf. Fate is a fickle mistress. One loss is not total defeat."

Falco grinned deviously as the other two drank glass after glass, while Fox was relishing Wolf's angry look far more than anything else. Another hand was dealt and the game continued, but after that humbling defeat, Fox noticed that Panther seemed to be taking things far more seriously – and Wolf became even more aggressive.

Back and forth the hands went, with more and more drinks taken. Although Falco was squirming nearly constantly now, and Fox wasn't far behind him, Fox could see his opponents weren't faring all that well either. Wolf kept shifting and adjusting the way he sat, and while Panther was far more stoic about it, his movements slower and more subtle, they were still there, betraying his growing need in some small way.

More hands. More drinks. Another particularly risky bet had backfired on Falco, giving him seven shots of water to drink, and now he was playing one-handed – or one-winged, at least – with his left between his legs to grip at his loins. But if anything, his desperation gave him a better poker face, as it was hard to tell if his sudden changes in expression were from a pang from his bladder or the realization of what he could do with his cards.

Panther again had to refill the pitcher, and when he came back, he remained standing in front of his chair, nonchalant about his nudity, though the dim lighting made it hard to make out any details of his sheath or the balls under it. "I believe at this point we should all stand," he told the table as he picked up the deck to shuffle it once more.

"What? Why?" Wolf asked at about the same time Falco did.

"As we grow closer to the conclusion of our little contest, I would hate for anyone to try and hide their loss beneath the table," Panther explained. "So if you could all be so good as to stand, that way, there will be no doubts..." he raised his eyes towards Fox and added, "...and no suspicions of treachery."

Fox blinked; had Panther been watching his attempts to spot Panther potentially cheating? "Fine by me," Fox agreed, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet.

"If I must," Wolf muttered, raising as well, casting a side-glance at Fox's loins, perhaps to compare them to his own.

"Ugh... whatever," Falco conceded as he struggled to stand, his knees wobbling a bit. In the brief period of time before he covered himself with his wing again, the avian's slit between his legs was visible to the other three, contrasting to their mammalian sheaths.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Panther remarked slyly as he began to deal out the cards once more.

Falco's desperation grew all the more obvious in this new arrangement, every grip of his left wing visible as he kept shifting from foot to foot. He folded early to save himself from as many drinks as possible, but that just simply guaranteed that he still had to take two even though Fox went on to win the hand. Wolf's displeasure at another loss intensified within a couple more hands as he, too, began to have to grip at his sheath with his left hand, while Fox and Panther made do merely by pressing their legs together.

"Nothing," Wolf grumbled, laying down his cards at the end of another hand.

"Nothing," Fox followed, as did Falco.

Panther raised an eyebrow and set down his cards, showing he had nothing either. "One drink for all of us, then," he told them, taking a glass and downing it before setting it back down on the table firmly.

Fox and Wolf drank theirs, and Falco hesitated before taking his, his legs shaking. "You can do it," Fox tried to encourage him, but Falco's dancing was getting more and more insistent.

Once more, Panther dealt out the cards. Falco reached out for his, stopping and clenching his beak as his legs shook, fighting against his bladder. The other three kept their eyes on him, and he huffed, picking up the cards as the moment seemed to pass – but only for a moment. "Fuck!" he blurted out, dropping his cards onto the table, putting both hands between his legs and shaking his head, eyes squeezed shut tightly. "No, I... rrgh!"

His attempts were in vain and the golden cascade running down his legs and the ends of his wing-arms was obvious enough as he shuddered in place, giving a groan of defeat. "Fuuuuuck," he complained, slouching in place as he stopped fighting it, soaking his wings and legs further.

"You lose, Lombardi," Panther taunted in a purring voice. "The bathroom is right behind you."

"No thanks, the least I can do is... nnh... give you something to clean up," Falco groused.

Panther's eye twitched, but he simply scooped up Falco's cards and set them next to the deck. "Then we shall continue without you."

Wolf's confidence surged as he watched Falco wetting himself, and he didn't even look at his cards before declaring, "Raise."

"Sorry, buddy," Fox consoled Falco. It would be even harder now, but maybe Wolf's overconfidence could be taken advantage of. "Raise."

"Call," Panther said, keeping his eyes on Falco as well while he filled up more glasses.

Fox took a risk with his card exchanges, but it paid off, and predictably, Wolf raised again, and so did Fox. Panther had remained the dealer the entire time, which would now work against them; Fox tried not to grin too widely when it was his turn to reveal his hand, declaring "Straight flush" in a smug tone.

Wolf growled, leaning forward and grabbing the edges of the table angrily before wincing and returning his left hand to his sheath. "How? You must be cheating!"

"Be silent," Panther snarled. "Take your loss like a man. We will still win."

Wolf grumbled as he drank his glasses one after another, getting more hesitant and shaky towards the last one. "Yeah, how does it feel?" Falco taunted, but Wolf merely made an offensive gesture at him before setting down the last glass and allowing Panther to continue.

Fox had to fold on the next hand, and with Falco out, that brought the hand to an end immediately. But Fox was getting to the point of dancing in place as well, and even Panther had crossed his legs too, while Wolf was bouncing in place with his left hand between his legs, on the verge of losing control of his bladder. He only needed another push...

"Falco, you really should go clean up," Fox said casually as Panther dealt more cards.

"Later. I want to see Wolf piss himself."

"I... will... not!" Wolf snarled, his legs shaking. "I am not you, I am nothing like you...!"

"You're going to wet yourself like a cub and I'm going to watch," Falco sneered. "At least my feathers are waterproof. You're just going to stink like a wet dog."

Wolf leaned forward and growled angrily, losing his temper, and that wasn't all that he lost. He let out a gasp and put both hands between his legs, his cards on the table untouched. "You...!" he howled as he started pissing all over his hands uncontrollably, falling down to his knees.

"Told you," Falco observed casually.

Wolf glared daggers at both Falco and Fox, taking his hands away to piss on the carpet under table uncaringly. "You'd better win," he snarled to Panther, "I refuse to be humiliated by this trash!"

Panther paid him no attention as he fixed his eyes on Fox. "It is just you and me now, McCloud. May the best man win."

Fox took his cards and they continued. Without Wolf constantly raising, the rounds became much more conservative, a back and forth battle of only two or three shots at a time. It was taking its toll on both of them, with Fox the first to start gripping his sheath in his left hand, and Panther not far behind. That only slowed things down further as he awkwardly shuffled and dealt one-handed, yet the manner in which he did so showed Fox that Panther had plenty of practice at this.

"You are a far more formidable foe than I expected," Panther remarked as he picked up another set of cards.

"Thanks," Fox replied, too caught up in bouncing on his feet to provide a wittier reply. "You're not too bad either. I call."

"Finish him, you fool!" Wolf growled, "Crush him!"

"Patience," Panther replied. "But I will raise."

His shaky hand set down his cards and reached out for the pitcher. Fox watched and grimaced as his bladder protested at the thought of having to drink any more, already feeling so full, to say nothing of the pressure within him. He felt like he had won more, but Panther had experience – obviously, considering he was the one who issued the challenge. Fox couldn't take much more.

At the end, all he had was a pair of aces. Yet Panther had only a pair of tens, and he grudgingly took the loss, picking up the first of the three shot glasses before him, his left hand pressed tightly to his sheath. Fox watched, but the sound of Panther swallowing was making his problem worse. He was about to lose it.

Panther paused, then gulped down the third. A little shiver ran through him as he set the glass down unsteadily. "Mmh. It has been... a long time since I..." he began.

Fox shook his head and closed his eyes, fighting the pressure within. He had to hold it just a bit longer...!

"...well... fought," Panther muttered through clenched teeth.

Fox groaned out as he felt hot fluid splash on his fingers, quickly trying to clench his muscles and stop it to no avail. His urine spilled over his hands and down his legs as he bent his knees, yet Falco cried out "Ha! You lose, Panther!"

"Nonsense, you have lost!" Wolf shouted, and Fox forced one eye open. Panther had his right hand on the table to support himself, his left hand still at his loins, yet he let go of his sheath to let his stream spray onto the carpet below the table in a sign of acceptance at his loss.

"Panther wet first, Fox wins!"

"No, it was that pathetic Star Fox who couldn't hold on long enough!"

"Stop," Panther growled. Fox leaned forward as Panther was doing, piss still soaking his hand as he tried to cover up to little effect. "Well fought, McCloud. I will give you what you came for on one condition."

"What!" Wolf snapped, but Panther ignored him.

"What condition?" Fox asked hesitantly, trying not to stare too much at the panther's stream, his soaked inner thighs and loins reflecting the lights much more readily as his piss dripped down them.

"That you and I have a rematch some day in the future," Panther answered with a grin. "You are a worthy opponent."

Fox wasn't thrilled, but if it meant he'd get what he came for... "Fine. And I'll win that time, too."

Panther simply flashed him a grin. "We shall see about that, McCloud."