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Day 1 and Slippy, Bill and General Pepper compete in the off-road events with their vehicles. Everyone else relaxes and prepares for the coming events later on in the week while a certain someone stops by the pit... wonder what they want now...?\n\nIf you like my writing, please fave, watch and comment and watch out weekly for new chapters~!\n\nThese stories have been largely influenced by my lifelong love for the Star Fox video game released in March 1993 as well as the Nintendo Power comic released in the February to December 1993 issues of the magazine as well as the development of the fan comic Star Fox: Alternative Training Methods by ladydino on FurAffinity. You can read her fan comic here: https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/ladydino/folder/1166155/Comic-Alternative-Training-Methods/\n", "description_bbcode_parsed": "The Grand Prix has begun!  Day 1 and Slippy, Bill and General Pepper compete in the off-road events with their vehicles.  Everyone else relaxes and prepares for the coming events later on in the week while a certain someone stops by the pit... wonder what they want now...?

If you like my writing, please fave, watch and comment and watch out weekly for new chapters~!

These stories have been largely influenced by my lifelong love for the Star Fox video game released in March 1993 as well as the Nintendo Power comic released in the February to December 1993 issues of the magazine as well as the development of the fan comic Star Fox: Alternative Training Methods by ladydino on FurAffinity.  You can read her fan comic here:  https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/ladydino/folder/116...
", "writing": "[center]~Star Fox: Miyu's Love~\n\n~Chapter 24: The Cornerian Grand Prix: Just What They Needed To See...~[/center]\n\n\t–dirt and off-roading track, 10 miles south of Corneria City, one week later, Day 1, 07:02--\n\n\tThe first day of the Grand Prix, an exciting event of motorsport coming back for the first time in five years to the Lylat System, hosted on Corneria, began on a day of almost cloudless sunshine and gentle warm temperatures. The site of the opening events began south of Corneria City in a large plot that was all razed and cleared ground that used to be occupied by a large factory that produced paper and processed timber products many years ago. Now it was just dirt that covered several acres with hills, boulders, tree logs and a big water pond. The property was considered for the tent city program when Miyu and Leo began their work together, but the unevenness of the plot along with the fact it was almost ten miles south of the city disqualified it for development. The racing council set it up for some interesting hazards for off-road vehicles to tackle for the events for the day.\n\tThe Great Fox landed on the outskirts of the dirt track with General Pepper's highly modified truck along with two modified Landmaster tanks to be piloted by Bill and Slippy on board. Once on the ground, they lowered the loading bay ramp to disembark the ship and begin to set up a big tent with soft walls and toolboxes to use as a temporary pit to repair any vehicles. Many people showed up to compete and watch, along with several TV crews to broadcast the event all over the Lylat, including a trio of personalities well known in the motorsport world with their famous TV show that played on the most popular network.\n\tMany other vendors were setting up shop near the entrance to the spectator stands as well, including a big cookout booth set up by Sid Chalmer to sell his amazing food. Once the tanks and truck had been unloaded, entrants were then met by race official inspectors who gave a thorough inspection of all vehicles being entered to compete, making sure they not only were safe to operate but were operating within power output and/or time specs via scantool to make sure no one was cheating. All weapons systems were also inspected to ensure they were either removed or at the very least disabled and empty in military vehicles. Slippy had gone as far as to remove the gun turrets from the front of both Landmasters to compete to show his compliance. All drivers had badges assigned by the racing council along with all staff regarding support crew as well as emergency medical when needed. \n\tEveryone stood around checking all the Landmasters to make sure they were all setup and ready to go, along with General Pepper looking over his own truck with Slippy's help when Miyu nudged Leo's side and motioned out to the front of the tent where they saw three people with microphones followed by a cameraman video recording their performance as they went, with Fox standing off to their side just out of camera view for the moment. Leo smiled as he recognized them immediately as they approached the tent and began to televise live.\n\t“Allo everybody, I am Jeremy Markinson, and I am joined here south of Corneria City by my mates James Clay and Richard Drummond in what is to be the grand reopening of the Cornerian Grand Prix,” the tallest of them announced into his microphone, the man a slightly pot-bellied donkey with blonde curly hair.\n\t“Yes, and this is the first time in five long years that this event has taken place since the war against Andross began, the war ceasing a lot of operations in the venue of sport and entertainment during that time,” James said, an equally tall slender sloth.\n\t“This year has turned out to be a record turnout, not only due to the return of the event in peacetime, but also that one particular name that is famous among all in the Lylat has decided to compete in these events, and that group... is the Lylat's very own Star Fox team,” Richard, a short slim hamster said.\n\tThe three presenters and the cameraman then stepped to the side to include Fox in the broadcast. “And here we have the leader of that squadron with us today to talk with us about it, Captain Fox McCloud. Captain, thank you so much for your service to the Lylat System and to humanity as we know it,” Markinson said, shaking Fox's hand happily, followed by James and Richard.\n\t“Well thank you so much, you guys. And thank you many times for coming by to talk with us and watch our performances,” Fox said with a smile, shaking all three presenters' hands.\n\t“So Fox, tell us, what will you and the rest of the team be competing in this year?” Drummond asked politely.\n\t“Well, today we have our very own Slippy Toad and our partner Bill Grey of Katina's Bulldog Unit participating in the off-road events, as well as Corneria Army's own General Pepper with his own highly modified truck,” Fox started.\n\t“I am very much looking forward to that, especially from the Landmasters as I understand those are highly capable of going over just about anything everywhere,” Drummond said.\n\t“Indeed. The Landmaster is Slippy's own creation, so we're excited to see it perform here today for sure,” Fox said.\n\t“Anything else you have planned, Captain?” Clay asked.\n\t“Tomorrow, Slippy also has a modified version of his Blue Marine to participate in the dragboat races. Day three for the brackets, we will have a couple of Arwings and a highly modified Speedwell Series III car to run. The 24-hour event will feature another one of our Arwings driven by our three finest female pilots that do NOT mess around. And the final day of the event in the tag-team race, we will have our Speedwell driver as well as our two fastest Arwing pilots participating to finish it all off,” Fox said.\n\t“It is interesting, this Speedwell you mention, as it is a classic entry from a time gone by with it's powerplant, which if I remember was one of the first cars to have a G-diffuser system installed in it, is that right, Captain?” Markinson inquired.\n\t“Well, that you would have to ask our driver here, Captain Leo Cuttridge, as it is his car, and he is far more knowledgeable about that than I am,” Fox said with pride, motioning Leo over to join in on the televised conversation. \n\tLeo then joined in on the conversation, giving a smile and wave to the trio of presenters. “Hey there guys. Well Markinson, you are right in that fact, as it is one of the last examples of the first generation of G-diffuser cars made by Horace/Speedwell back in those days. This particular car is an experimental vehicle I've had for quite some time and have only recently finished it with the great help of my team mates here in Star Fox, so to them I owe a great amount of gratitude in this car even being here today,” Leo said.\n\t“I'm more of a fan of the older muscle car Horaces myself, but when I heard about yours Captain, my attention was immediately grabbed and I look forward to seeing how well it does as well. So best wishes to you, and indeed to all of you competing in the Grand Prix. And many thanks again for your great service to Lylat,” Richard Drummond.\n\t“Thank you guys, it was a great pleasure to meet you all,” Leo said to them as they all shook hands with him and Fox and then walked along to the next booth as they carried on with their mobile broadcast.\n\tMiyu hugged Leo from behind and smooched his cheek softly, with Krystal and Fara joining in by Leo's sides, each of the girls wrapping an arm in his. “Mwah. That was cool you got to be on TV, sweetie,” she said joyously.\n\t“I've been on TV a few times in the past for various small things, so being in front of the camera is not too big a deal for me,” Leo said with a bit of a blush. “They were another set of people I was hoping to meet one day, just never imagined it would be here.”\n\t“Yeah, that was really cool to see them for the first time. I've watched their show a few times here and there, but never imagined I'd meet them ever,” Fox said as he faced Leo, Miyu, Fara and Krystal.\n\t“They are such a riot! They always do something in their show that just makes me laugh,” Fara said with a smile.\n\t“Kind of interesting that their accent is similar to mine,” Krystal said, everyone else nodding in agreement. Everyone's attention except for Fox's was then brought to who was standing behind Fox suddenly, when their voice was heard... it was familiar to everyone except Leo... a deep, smooth, sly and suave tone that made Fox softly cringe.\n\t“Hey there, young man, can I get your autograph? I'm yer biggest fan, ya know,” they said.\n\tFox then turned around slowly to find himself facing Wolf O'Donnell, with Leon Powalski and Panther Caroso standing off to his sides behind him. Fox smirked a bit and put his hands on his hips as the others watched what happened next, Wolf's voice grabbing Falco, Fay, Katt, and Peppy's attention, making them stop everything that they were doing, sensing a possible fight coming. “Well, if it isn't Wolf and his buddies in Star Wolf,” Fox said softly. \n\t“That be us,” Wolf said softly with a smile.\n\t“Thought you guys were supposed to be in jail?” Fox suggested.\n\t“Aww that is a bit harsh, Fox. But not undeservedly so, I suppose,” Wolf continued. “Thankfully we have a wonderful defense attorney that negotiated a strict conditional release for us all, brought about by some... major concessions and sacrifices.”\n\t“Like what?” Fox said incredulously.\n\t“Like... we surrendered the blueprints to our Wolfen fighters to Corneria for starters. Along with some other things to make us good little boys for a few years down the line,” Wolf said, then turned a little in Fara's direction. “Fara, it is lovely to see you again.”\n\t“Well, that makes one of us, mate,” she said, flatly, raising a hand to flip him off with the middle finger.\n\tHe smiled and shrugged a bit. “Fair. Again, deserved to a great degree with what I did back then,” Wolf admitted.\t\n\tFara suddenly walked forward and gave Wolf a firm slap across his face, making everyone jump a bit at the sudden turn of events. “FAIR?! You fucking asshole, you made me and Bill the subject of a three-week investigation to determine our loyalty to Corneria after what you did... bringing you into the base so you can steal that Arwing back then...” she said scornfully.\n\t“I'd be a liar if I said I didn't deserve that...” Wolf said softly, rubbing his cheek where Fara slapped him firmly.\n\tPanther smiled and walked over towards Krystal, his hand reaching into his front jacket pocket to bring out a small black rose. “Krystal, my darling, I have missed you so. Would you permit me to take you out sometime and maybe we can make our own magic together?” he said smoothly. Leo was starting to get irritated watching and listening to Panther as he began to advance on the girls standing around him, even when they were still holding onto his arm. \n\t“Sorry, Panther, but the answer is still no,” Krystal said softly, turning her head to not face Panther. \n\t“Still???” Leo thought to himself.\n\t“Aww such a shame. Maybe the lovely Fara or Miyu would possibly be interested?” Panther pressed gently.\n\t“No way,” Fara and Miyu said in unison, a clear tone of disgust in their voices.\n\tLeo got even more pissed off deep inside with Panther, making him take a step forward to get closer to Panther, the girls' eyes going wide as they watched Leo confront Panther up close. “Excuse me, but these women are LIEUTENANTS in the Cornerian Air Force. Show some damn respect if you would please.”\n\tEveryone's attention was suddenly on Leo and Panther, the feline grinning a bit. “Ooh-ho-ho-hooo, the bunny comes bravely to their defense. And who might you be, young man?” he asked Leo.\n\t“CAPTAIN... Leo Cuttridge...” he said, putting an emphasis on his rank for the first time ever, and not really liking doing so, especially considering the fact that he had to against someone as uncouth as Panther was proving himself to be.\n\t“Oh, my apologies Captain Cuttridge. I meant no disrespect to anyone, of course,” Panther said.\n\t“See, I figure with you striking out three times in as many seconds... that you are either multilingual and can't figure out which language you need to be told 'no' by someone to give up... or you're a rapist, so which is it?” Leo pressed.\n\t“How dare you!” Panther seethed through gritted teeth, staring Leo down.\n\tKrystal, Fara and Miyu gasped at Leo's words and put their hands on Leo's shoulders to hold him in place, Fara and Krystal stepping a little in front of him. “Leo, don't, this prick isn't worth the trouble,” Fara said.\n\t“You stand down too, Panther. We didn't come here to start a fight,” Wolf said sternly. Panther then sighed with closed eyes and took a big step back from Leo and the girls, Wolf approaching them slowly. “Captain Cuttridge, Lieutenants, my deepest apologies for my buddy's behavior. As you can see, he sometimes lets his dick do his thinking for him before rational thought and decency takes precedence.”\n\t“No harm done,” Leo said softly.\n\t“What DID you come here for, by the way?” Fox asked Wolf.\n\t“Truthfully Fox, I was hoping I could have a private word with you and Peppy. I have something I need to give you and show you,” Wolf said gently.\n\t“....really?” Fox said with a raised eyebrow.\n\t“Yes... please... Fox, do me a solid and let me speak with you and Peppy in private, please,” he continued.\n\tThe attention was all on Fox and Wolf as they stood looking at each other for several seconds. Wolf's face showed a face of seriousness, but that which was calm and a bit sad, Fox thought. Fox then looked over at Peppy, who immediately nodded. “Alright... let's go on the Great Fox where it is cool,” Fox said, heading behind the tent to the huge airship, Peppy and Wolf following close. Once they got on board, they headed to a conference and planning room where they could talk in private. Fox and Peppy sat across from Wolf at a small table as Wolf reached into his jacket pocket and brought out something to give to Fox. He then set it down on the table between them. It was a pair of dogtags. “I figured you'd want these,” he said softly. Fox picked up the dogtags to read them... the name on them making his heart sink.\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t[center]DENGAR, PIGMA\n\tSN: 55-12196876C\n\tB NEGATIVE\n\tNO REL PREF[/center]\n\n\t“How... did you get these, Wolf?” Fox said, letting Peppy look at them.\n\t“After the battle against the Aparoids, Leon and Panther and I headed back to Sargasso to regroup and plan our next move. On the way there, we picked up a weak distress signal from Pigma's ship on the surface of Titania. At first we thought it may have been just a fragment of his Woflen fighter that crashed there, but we decided to land and check,” Wolf began as he reached into his pocket for his phone and started to tap on it to load something. “It was definitely him. He broke both of his legs and dislocated his right shoulder, but despite that, he managed to crawl his way out of his destroyed ship and into a nearby cave. The Aparoids had severely mangled his body into a grotesque form mixed of droid parts all over himself. We only got to him in time to see him alive for about 15 minutes. He insisted I record this and play it to you both.” He then turned his phone display to Fox and Peppy as it began to play a video of Pigma's last words.\n\t\n\t[i]Pigma lay on his back, wheezing as he breathed deep and slow, tears streaked down his cheeks as he rested his head on Panther's legs, Leon sitting by Pigma's right side.\n\t“Okay, it's running,” said Wolf, off-screen.\n\t“Okay... Fox... Peppy... I am so sorry... about all that I have done,” Pigma began. “I know I broke your trust... many years ago on Venom when I turned... to support Andross and his... evil ways... I thought that I was doing something for a better life elsewhere... and needless to say... I got greedy...” More tears streamed down his face as he grimaced from the agonizing pain in his legs and shoulder. “I know I can never undo everything I've done... nor can I try to make amends because I'm a goner... but I'm hoping my passing will put you both at ease... in the form of some repentance and revenge... and hope that my comrades in Star Wolf will also find it in their hearts... to find a better way... to not end up like I have... they have a chance to learn from my mistakes...” He then reached under his chin to grab his dogtags with his left hand and yanked them free to give them to Wolf, his paw coming into view to take them from him.\n\t“Give these to Fox and Peppy... and play them this... guys... we all fucked up harshly... I'm almost gone... but you three can change for the better... I want all three of you, right here right now... to promise me to better yourselves... because I know you're all better and can do it... please... promise me, right now...” he said, choking a bit on air as he lay there.\n\t“I promise, Pigma,” Wolf was the first to say.\n\t“Me too, my friend... I promise,” Leon said.\n\tPanther was silent and hesitant as Pigma tilted his head up to look at him. “Come on, Panther... promise me, man...” Pigma continued, coughing and wincing in pain again.\n\t“A-alright... I promise,” Panther said off-camera, hesitantly.\n\t“James and Vixy... they are the most wonderful people...” Pigma began as his breathing became shallower and slower, more tears streaming down his face, another minute going by before he looked right into the camera, his words quiet and muttering. “Ja.... Jame... James...”\n\tThe video went in closer as Wolf brought the phone camera in closer to be sure it caught Pigma's speech as clear as possible, a few more seconds before Pigma said, “James McCloud... survives...” With that, he took one more soft inhale before letting out a slow exhale before going still, his life leaving his body, a trail of saliva dripping down his cheek from the corner of his mouth as Wolf, Leon and Panther sat there silent for several seconds, Leon's hand going to Pigma's neck to check his pulse.\n\t“...he's gone...” Leon said softly.\n\tWolf then reached over to close Pigma's eyes and mouth shut slowly and gently. “Rest in peace, Pigma Dengar.” A few more seconds went by of an overview of Pigma laying there gently reclined against Panther's legs before the video stopped.[/i]\n\n\tFox and Peppy watched silently, tears flowing from their eyes and down their cheeks as Fox clenched the dogtags softly in his hands. “May silence enshroud his tomb... forever,” Peppy said softly, Fox and Wolf nodding in agreement.\n\t“Thank you so much for bringing and showing me this Wolf,” Fox said as he looked up at Wolf, the two of them smiling gently at each other for the first time in a very long time.\n\t“I figured you would want to see that, Fox,” Wolf replied. “And I can get the file onto a media disc for you once I can get to the right equipment.”\n\t“Sounds good to me,” Fox replied and let out a deep sigh. “So... you and Panther and Leon are in this for a better run at life? Decided to mend and change your ways?”\n\t“I'll be honest with you, Fox... I've grown weary and tired of working and taking shouting orders from tyrants, taking dangerous and sinister jobs just to make ends meet,” Wolf began. “With Andross gone and the Aparoids defeated, there isn't much left for people like Star Wolf.”\n\t“Andross never did value people with respect or dignity,” Fox replied softly.\n\t“I felt like a mafia foot soldier who wanted out, but realized he has no place to go. It's not easy when you realize the Godfather is a fool,” Wolf said. Fox smirked a little at that comment, feeling if Wolf never ever truly confessed to being wrong any more than he already has, this would be it. Wolf then produced a list he retrieved from his pocket. “And like I said, we made several concessions and sacrifices when we approached the Cornerian Military Council, and here is the details of our... 'contract' so to speak,” he said handing the list to Fox, him and Peppy reading over it.\n\t“Geez, you even offered up a handsome amount of money along with promise to be on good legal standing,” Peppy noticed. \n\t“That's right,” Wolf said. “Five years is gonna be a long time, but even that was reduced by our attorney from 12.”\n\t“And they're permitting you to race as well?” Peppy asked. \n\t“I'd be lying if I said we weren't in this for the money,” Wolf said openly. “The prize money would bring a good chunk of change for us all to start new lives elsewhere. Despite all this though... I have one more thing I need you both to listen to, in the hopes that you will see it as an additional modicum of goodwill from me.”\n\tThat made Fox and Peppy look up in a bit of concern. “What do you mean?” Fox asked.\n\tWolf then went to his phone to load up something else. “I had a consort with the guys yesterday to make sure we were all on the same page. We had just finished modifying our Wolfen craft when this conversation took place.” He then played the audio file.\n\n\t[q]Wolf: Alright you guys, we've got everything set up and registered and inspected. Let's make a serious effort to satisfy the Councils on our goodwill so we can try and do something better. We did make a promise to Pigma after all.\n\tLeon: M'yes, my craft is all ready for the events. Here's to hoping we can do well and our best.\n\tPanther: Pft... yeah, okay.\n\tWolf: You don't sound too enthused Panther.\n\tPanther: Well now... the way I see it, we get the prize money any way we can, the better off we will be and the quicker we can get the hell outta here.\n\tLeon: Get the hell over yourself, Caroso.\n\tWolf: Panther, you keep it legal and civil the whole way. I know that Leon and I are trying to make an honest effort to try and make good when we already have a tarnished reputation, so it'll be enough of a challenge without trying to dodge the law because of dirty \ttricks. If you can't handle it Panther...\t\n\tPanther: Heh... I'm just saying how I think it should be done, Wolf. \tI'm not pissing on your ideas at all here--\n\tWolf: Look asshole, you either tow the line or you can consider yourself out. You try something out there to violate our contract, you'll be out on your ass then as well. We really are trying to make an honest effort here, and if you screw up, you'll fuck us all over.\n\tPanther: Relaaax, my friend. You can count on me.\n\tWolf: ...I fucking hope so.[/q]\n\t\n\tFox and Peppy sat in shock not only at the fact that Wolf was warning them about Panther, but that it sounded like Panther may try something during the event. “He sure doesn't sound too convincing, does he?” Fox replied.\n\t“Not to me he doesn't,” Wolf said, a slight tone of disgust in his voice. “I've always known him to be a ruthless hardass, which is part of why I brought him into Star Wolf when Andrew disappeared, but.... I had my doubts about him begin when he sounded hesitant with his promise to Pigma that day. Like I said, I hope that will help you out before he tries something.”\n\t“We sure do appreciate your efforts in this, Wolf,” Peppy said. “What events will you guys be running?”\n\t“We're in on the bracket races and the tag-team races,” Wolf replied.\n\t“Very nice, we'll be in those as well. Here's hoping to some friendly competition,” Fox said with a smile.\n\t“I totally agree. Very much looking forward to it,” Wolf said, getting up out of his chair. \n\t“Thank you so much again, Wolf,” Peppy said reaching out to shake his hand, which Wolf graciously accepted.\n\t“Absolutely, thank you, Wolf,” Fox said, shaking his hand as well, guiding them all outside the Great Fox back to the tent.\n\t“You're most welcome, guys,” Wolf said. “And I thank you for listening to what I had to say.”\n\tThey all walked back to the tent and saw everyone was at peace, Panther standing by himself and not really associating with anyone, Leo standing by the girls and chatting with them about random things. Leon was actually chatting leisurely with Falco, which amazed Fox and Peppy. “Well, I'm happy to hear that things are turning around for you,” Falco said to Leon. “I'm hoping for the best for you guys, and hopefully we'll get to see each other out on the tracks.”\n\t“Likewise, Falco,” Leon said with a smile, shaking his hand. “Thank you so much for listening.” He then noticed Wolf, Fox and Peppy show back up and joined Wolf and Panther as they all departed the Star Fox tent and to walk about the rest of the proving grounds.\n\t“Well... that was certainly surprising... and interesting...” Fox said.\n\t“Tell me about it,” Falco said.\n\t“Now lies another question,” Peppy said.\n\t“What's that, Pep?” Fox asked.\n\tPeppy's eyes closed a tiny bit. “...how GENUINE was Wolf in all that? Are those three trying to be better and was that a true warning, or are they playing tricks like usual?”\n\t“My apologies for intruding on the conversation,” ROB said. “...but I took the liberty of recording all that conversation on board the Great Fox as well as monitored Wolf's vital signs as well as other indicies.”\n\t“And...?” Fox asked.\n\t“Based on medical information in my databanks... Wolf was telling the truth,” ROB concluded.\n\tLeo gave a silent scoff at ROB's “truth-detection” with a soft shaking of his head, Miyu tilting her head a bit at that reaction. “So that was... Star Wolf?” he asked.\n\t“Yeah... pretty disgusting and conniving people...” Miyu replied. “Can't hardly trust them to save your life.”\n\t“From the conversation we had, it sounds like they are really making a serious effort to turn their lives around for the better,” Peppy said. \n\t“I guess there really is hope for every ape on Venom,” Fara said sarcastically.\n\t“I can't stand that Panther guy,” Leo said.\n\t“Wolf is no better. He is an absolute wanker,” Krystal said in disgust.\n\t“Leo, it's best not to tango with any of those guys,” Fay warned him softly. “It'll just bring more problems.”\n\t“I'm not suggesting any of you girls are helpless in the least bit, but do you really want some asshole like that going unheeded and unchecked? Making advances on you all like that?” Leo asked softly in defense.\n\t“I understand what you mean, sweetie,” Miyu said as she hugged him from behind. “We just don't want to see you get into a fight with any of them.”\n\t“He just seems like one of those 'hopeless romantics',” Leo said with disgust in his voice. “Those people not only make me sick, but also make me think they are one step away from being rapists. Hence why I called him on it. Now he knows, or at least he should know not to do it again.”\n\t“Ease down there, son,” Peppy said to Leo calmly. “We'll just be cognizant to not get involved with him as much as we can, even if we get into a race with him.”\n\t“We overheard Leon telling Falco they were in the race... but what all are they going to compete in for the Grand Prix?” Krystal asked.\n\t“They're competing in both the bracket mile and tag-team races,” Fox began, suddenly staring at Leo. “So the possibility for you to have to deal-in with them in the future is still there. If it does.... don't,” Fox finished, a clear and gentle firmness in his voice at the last word.\n\tLeo sighed and nodded. “Understood, Captain.”\n\t“Besides,” Miyu started, hugging softly around Leo's chest from behind as she leaned back and lifted him up off his feet about a foot or so. “Nobody messes with MY bun!”\n\t“OUR bun!” The other girls said happily and giggled as they all stood with Leo and held together close. Fara soon left the group and stood by Fox, watching all the girls hugging and holding close to Leo as he blushed deeply.\n\tFox smiled at the sight and shook his head with a soft chuckle. “Man... how does he do that?”\n\t“He's a bunny! That's why!” Peppy said jokingly while poking Fox in the side and then walking away guffawing happily, the comment making Fox roll his eyes while still smiling.\n\t“No, seriously... he's always got several girls around him...” Fox said incredulously.\n\t“Says the man who has... NONE,” Fara said smiling, her hand ruffling Fox's head softly.\n\t“Ack! Well... I mean... I just... erf...” Fox started, blushing as he suddenly felt cornered in a difficult subject.\n\t“Seriously, Fox. Why is it that after all this time, we can't be dating?” Fara said softly in a bit of a complaining tone.\n\t“Do you... want to...?” he asked nervously.\n\tFara groaned out in disgust and stamped her foot into the ground as she threw her fists down. “UGH! YES! Bloody fucking hell, after all these many damn years! YES, I want to date you, you dumb, adorable, fucking fox!” she said, poking his chest firmly with her finger at the last four words.\n\t“O-okay, okay, fine!” Fox replied, quickly holding her hand in his and smiling at Fara. “We're dating!”\n\t“Good,” she said, leaning in to give Fox a kiss on the lips. She then started to walk off to a toolbox on the other end of the tent, her head turned to speak over her shoulder at him as she walked away. “I'll stop sleeping with Leo, then.”\n\tFox couldn't help but remain frozen in place, blinking repeatedly as his brain literally grinded every possible metaphorical gear it could have. “...uhh... waitsaywhat...?”\n\t“Hey... what's that smell?” Fay said, sniffing the air, others following suit.\n\t“It wasn't me!” Falco said, illiciting a chuckle from a few people.\n\t“Not that, you dork,” Katt said with a grin. “It smells... beautiful,” she said.\n\t“Like I said, it wasn't me!” Falco continued as if to suggest his shit don't stink, the others groaning at that lame joke and throwing several objects at him as they all laughed. Their moment of comedy was interrupted by a black boxy minivan with tinted windows pulling up in front of the tent, the scent coming from it. \n\tMiyu looked at the grille and noticed it had the same manufacturer's emblem as Leo's Speedwell, and nudged him to point it out. “Hey hon, look...”\n\t“Oh neat! A G-diffuser equipped Speedwell Chariot!” he responded. “Those were built in the same years as my Cushman. That van has the same powerplant my car could've had as a top option in a different trim. Who is that, tho?”\n\t“Dunno...” Miyu said, everyone watching the van.\n\tThe driver's door opened and out came Sid Chalmer. “There you guys are!” he said joyously. “I wanted to stop by and get you guys some breakfast while I had a bit of time to get away from my own tent.”\t\n\tEveryone applauded joyously as they all gave hugs and handshakes to Sid in appreciation. “Many thanks as always, Sid,” Peppy said as he and Leo went to the sliding door of the van to help unload boxes of food for everyone. \n\t“Absolutely, Uncle Sid,” Leo said. “Also, nice choice in a delivery vehicle, I must say.”\n\t“Hehehe That's how I get food hot and fresh to everyone on time every time, my boy,” Sid said with a smile.\n\t“Totally understandable, especially if you modded it,” Leo suggested.\n\t“I have, actually! Only within the last few years after a powerplant rebuild, though. But still, I love it,” he replied. “Hopefully it'll do well in the brackets day after tomorrow.”\n\t“Oh nice! Can't wait to see how it does! Who are you racing with?” Fox asked.\t\n\t“Well, I haven't asked around yet, to be honest,” Sid replied.\n\tSome of the team looked around at each other smiling, soon coming to a nod from Fox and Peppy. Falco then grabbed a white ink marker and went to the rear quarter windows of Sid's van and marked them with the symbol 'SF1' on each side. “You don't need to now, Sid. You're racing with us,” Falco said happily. Everyone cheered as they welcomed in Sid to their racing team, the platypus smiling wide with both of his hands at the sides of his face in awe.\n\t“Omigosh, you guys are all so amazing. Thank you so much! I look forward to racing with you all,” Sid said happily. \n\t“Now we have TWO Speedwells to wow the crowds,” Leo stated.\n\t“Two?” Sid asked.\n\t“Yep,” Leo said, motioning over to his own car on the other end of the tent. Sid and Leo stood together chatting about cars for a while as everyone sat and ate breakfast. As the time advanced to the first day's events out on the track, ROB came in and broadcast the event from a projector built into his robotic frame, the video showing onto one of the canvas sides of the tent while everyone sat around and chatted. \n\tThe events started at noon, the trio of car show broadcasters from earlier playing host to all the events with their commentary and frequent japery. The course turned out to be an interesting road in a figure-eight shape that began with several hills to jump over in the beginning, a mudbog to drive fast through all the way from one side of the track to the other, an uneven slope to slowly traverse, a bridge made of tree logs that spanned a portion of the course to cross over, then the final two obstacles consisted of an incline with alternating repeating dips and slopes on each side of the track, followed by a tall crest where the final stretch of the course was a very steep decline at about a 55 degree grade where braking, both physical and engine, along with usage of the low-range gears in a transfer box would be key to getting to the bottom safely. \n\tOf the 32 contestants in the Off-Road events, they were randomly paired off to run against one another\t into 16 competitions which later got reduced to 8, then 4 then 2, with the final two drivers battling against each other. Slippy, Bill and General Pepper all performed incredibly well and made great displays of driving throughout their runs. Slippy was ever being the showoff, always engaging the Landmaster's front retro rockets to induce a backwards somersault in the air before he landed on the ground, which amassed great applause from the audience and proved to have great views on the TV broadcasts. Bill noticed it as well and soon followed suit to wow the crowds with similar techniques, both Landmasters performing incredibly well, showing agility, durability and reliability the whole way through. \n\tEven General Pepper's raised and treaded truck ran incredibly well. It may not have been as fast as most of the other vehicles, but it proved reliable and steady in the most difficult contours of the land. It seemed that the back end of the truck tried to sway to one side or the other during the final steep decline, but for a vehicle with very little to nothing in the way of electronic control and stability installed in it, it performed very well, proving that this vehicle was mostly up to the driver and his skill, which General Pepper was incredible at. The event went by without a hitch with no destroyed or damaged vehicles, no accidents and no drivers needing medical assistance by Amanda or Krystal or the rest of the base hospital medical crew. A terrific start to the Grand Prix. \n\tWhen it came down to the final few rounds of competition, it left the General, Bill and Slippy in the finals. Bill ended up finishing 3rd, with General Pepper claiming 2nd while Slippy took home 1st place along with the most points for the Star Fox team in that event. After the event, everyone gathered back at the Great Fox for a short celebratory get-together along with dinner supplied by Sid and they all went to wash off the General's truck and the two modified Landmasters of all the dirt and mud they accumulated during the off-road course competitions. The sun then set soon with everybody full and happy, everyone going off into their respected rooms on the Great Fox... Fox and Fara... Slippy and Amanda... Falco and Katt... Bill and Fay... and of course, Leo had Krystal and Miyu to share his warmth and love with as they lay together and slept, their minds full of hopes and dreams for the rest of the Grand Prix as they dozed off to sleep.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
~Star Fox:  Miyu's Love~

~Chapter 24:  The Cornerian Grand Prix:  Just What They Needed To See...~


\t–dirt and off-roading track, 10 miles south of Corneria City, one week later, Day 1, 07:02--

\tThe first day of the Grand Prix, an exciting event of motorsport coming back for the first time in five years to the Lylat System, hosted on Corneria, began on a day of almost cloudless sunshine and gentle warm temperatures.  The site of the opening events began south of Corneria City in a large plot that was all razed and cleared ground that used to be occupied by a large factory that produced paper and processed timber products many years ago.  Now it was just dirt that covered several acres with hills, boulders, tree logs and a big water pond.  The property was considered for the tent city program when Miyu and Leo began their work together, but the unevenness of the plot along with the fact it was almost ten miles south of the city disqualified it for development.  The racing council set it up for some interesting hazards for off-road vehicles to tackle for the events for the day.
\tThe Great Fox landed on the outskirts of the dirt track with General Pepper's highly modified truck along with two modified Landmaster tanks to be piloted by Bill and Slippy on board.  Once on the ground, they lowered the loading bay ramp to disembark the ship and begin to set up a big tent with soft walls and toolboxes to use as a temporary pit to repair any vehicles.  Many people showed up to compete and watch, along with several TV crews to broadcast the event all over the Lylat, including a trio of personalities well known in the motorsport world with their famous TV show that played on the most popular network.
\tMany other vendors were setting up shop near the entrance to the spectator stands as well, including a big cookout booth set up by Sid Chalmer to sell his amazing food.  Once the tanks and truck had been unloaded, entrants were then met by race official inspectors who gave a thorough inspection of all vehicles being entered to compete, making sure they not only were safe to operate but were operating within power output and/or time specs via scantool to make sure no one was cheating.  All weapons systems were also inspected to ensure they were either removed or at the very least disabled and empty in military vehicles.  Slippy had gone as far as to remove the gun turrets from the front of both Landmasters to compete to show his compliance. All drivers had badges assigned by the racing council along with all staff regarding support crew as well as emergency medical when needed.  
\tEveryone stood around checking all the Landmasters to make sure they were all setup and ready to go, along with General Pepper looking over his own truck with Slippy's help when Miyu nudged Leo's side and motioned out to the front of the tent where they saw three people with microphones followed by a cameraman video recording their performance as they went, with Fox standing off to their side just out of camera view for the moment.  Leo smiled as he recognized them immediately as they approached the tent and began to televise live.
\t“Allo everybody, I am Jeremy Markinson, and I am joined here south of Corneria City by my mates James Clay and Richard Drummond in what is to be the grand reopening of the Cornerian Grand Prix,” the tallest of them announced into his microphone, the man a slightly pot-bellied donkey with blonde curly hair.
\t“Yes, and this is the first time in five long years that this event has taken place since the war against Andross began, the war ceasing a lot of operations in the venue of sport and entertainment during that time,” James said, an equally tall slender sloth.
\t“This year has turned out to be a record turnout, not only due to the return of the event in peacetime, but also that one particular name that is famous among all in the Lylat has decided to compete in these events, and that group... is the Lylat's very own Star Fox team,” Richard, a short slim hamster said.
\tThe three presenters and the cameraman then stepped to the side to include Fox in the broadcast.  “And here we have the leader of that squadron with us today to talk with us about it, Captain Fox McCloud.  Captain, thank you so much for your service to the Lylat System and to humanity as we know it,” Markinson said, shaking Fox's hand happily, followed by James and Richard.
\t“Well thank you so much, you guys. And thank you many times for coming by to talk with us and watch our performances,” Fox said with a smile, shaking all three presenters' hands.
\t“So Fox, tell us, what will you and the rest of the team be competing in this year?” Drummond asked politely.
\t“Well, today we have our very own Slippy Toad and our partner Bill Grey of Katina's Bulldog Unit participating in the off-road events, as well as Corneria Army's own General Pepper with his own highly modified truck,” Fox started.
\t“I am very much looking forward to that, especially from the Landmasters as I understand those are highly capable of going over just about anything everywhere,” Drummond said.
\t“Indeed.  The Landmaster is Slippy's own creation, so we're excited to see it perform here today for sure,” Fox said.
\t“Anything else you have planned, Captain?” Clay asked.
\t“Tomorrow, Slippy also has a modified version of his Blue Marine to participate in the dragboat races.  Day three for the brackets, we will have a couple of Arwings and a highly modified Speedwell Series III car to run. The 24-hour event will feature another one of our Arwings driven by our three finest female pilots that do NOT mess around.  And the final day of the event in the tag-team race, we will have our Speedwell driver as well as our two fastest Arwing pilots participating to finish it all off,” Fox said.
\t“It is interesting, this Speedwell you mention, as it is a classic entry from a time gone by with it's powerplant, which if I remember was one of the first cars to have a G-diffuser system installed in it, is that right, Captain?” Markinson inquired.
\t“Well, that you would have to ask our driver here, Captain Leo Cuttridge, as it is his car, and he is far more knowledgeable about that than I am,” Fox said with pride, motioning Leo over to join in on the televised conversation.  
\tLeo then joined in on the conversation, giving a smile and wave to the trio of presenters. “Hey there guys.  Well Markinson, you are right in that fact, as it is one of the last examples of the first generation of G-diffuser cars made by Horace/Speedwell back in those days.  This particular car is an experimental vehicle I've had for quite some time and have only recently finished it with the great help of my team mates here in Star Fox, so to them I owe a great amount of gratitude in this car even being here today,” Leo said.
\t“I'm more of a fan of the older muscle car Horaces myself, but when I heard about yours Captain, my attention was immediately grabbed and I look forward to seeing how well it does as well.  So best wishes to you, and indeed to all of you competing in the Grand Prix.  And many thanks again for your great service to Lylat,” Richard Drummond.
\t“Thank you guys, it was a great pleasure to meet you all,” Leo said to them as they all shook hands with him and Fox and then walked along to the next booth as they carried on with their mobile broadcast.
\tMiyu hugged Leo from behind and smooched his cheek softly, with Krystal and Fara joining in by Leo's sides, each of the girls wrapping an arm in his. “Mwah.  That was cool you got to be on TV, sweetie,” she said joyously.
\t“I've been on TV a few times in the past for various small things, so being in front of the camera is not too big a deal for me,” Leo said with a bit of a blush.  “They were another set of people I was hoping to meet one day, just never imagined it would be here.”
\t“Yeah, that was really cool to see them for the first time.  I've watched their show a few times here and there, but never imagined I'd meet them ever,” Fox said as he faced Leo, Miyu, Fara and Krystal.
\t“They are such a riot!  They always do something in their show that just makes me laugh,” Fara said with a smile.
\t“Kind of interesting that their accent is similar to mine,” Krystal said, everyone else nodding in agreement.  Everyone's attention except for Fox's was then brought to who was standing behind Fox suddenly, when their voice was heard... it was familiar to everyone except Leo... a deep, smooth, sly and suave tone that made Fox softly cringe.
\t“Hey there, young man, can I get your autograph?  I'm yer biggest fan, ya know,” they said.
\tFox then turned around slowly to find himself facing Wolf O'Donnell, with Leon Powalski and Panther Caroso standing off to his sides behind him.  Fox smirked a bit and put his hands on his hips as the others watched what happened next, Wolf's voice grabbing Falco, Fay, Katt, and Peppy's attention, making them stop everything that they were doing, sensing a possible fight coming.  “Well, if it isn't Wolf and his buddies in Star Wolf,” Fox said softly.  
\t“That be us,” Wolf said softly with a smile.
\t“Thought you guys were supposed to be in jail?” Fox suggested.
\t“Aww that is a bit harsh, Fox.  But not undeservedly so, I suppose,” Wolf continued.  “Thankfully we have a wonderful defense attorney that negotiated a strict conditional release for us all, brought about by some... major concessions and sacrifices.”
\t“Like what?” Fox said incredulously.
\t“Like... we surrendered the blueprints to our Wolfen fighters to Corneria for starters.  Along with some other things to make us good little boys for a few years down the line,” Wolf said, then turned a little in Fara's direction.  “Fara, it is lovely to see you again.”
\t“Well, that makes one of us, mate,” she said, flatly, raising a hand to flip him off with the middle finger.
\tHe smiled and shrugged a bit.  “Fair.  Again, deserved to a great degree with what I did back then,” Wolf admitted.\t
\tFara suddenly walked forward and gave Wolf a firm slap across his face, making everyone jump a bit at the sudden turn of events.  “FAIR?!  You fucking asshole, you made me and Bill the subject of a three-week investigation to determine our loyalty to Corneria after what you did... bringing you into the base so you can steal that Arwing back then...” she said scornfully.
\t“I'd be a liar if I said I didn't deserve that...” Wolf said softly, rubbing his cheek where Fara slapped him firmly.
\tPanther smiled and walked over towards Krystal, his hand reaching into his front jacket pocket to bring out a small black rose.  “Krystal, my darling, I have missed you so.  Would you permit me to take you out sometime and maybe we can make our own magic together?” he said smoothly.  Leo was starting to get irritated watching and listening to Panther as he began to advance on the girls standing around him, even when they were still holding onto his arm.  
\t“Sorry, Panther, but the answer is still no,” Krystal said softly, turning her head to not face Panther.  
\t“Still???” Leo thought to himself.
\t“Aww such a shame.  Maybe the lovely Fara or Miyu would possibly be interested?” Panther pressed gently.
\t“No way,” Fara and Miyu said in unison, a clear tone of disgust in their voices.
\tLeo got even more pissed off deep inside with Panther, making him take a step forward to get closer to Panther, the girls' eyes going wide as they watched Leo confront Panther up close.  “Excuse me, but these women are LIEUTENANTS in the Cornerian Air Force.  Show some damn respect if you would please.”
\tEveryone's attention was suddenly on Leo and Panther, the feline grinning a bit.  “Ooh-ho-ho-hooo, the bunny comes bravely to their defense.  And who might you be, young man?” he asked Leo.
\t“CAPTAIN... Leo Cuttridge...” he said, putting an emphasis on his rank for the first time ever, and not really liking doing so, especially considering the fact that he had to against someone as uncouth as Panther was proving himself to be.
\t“Oh, my apologies Captain Cuttridge.  I meant no disrespect to anyone, of course,” Panther said.
\t“See, I figure with you striking out three times in as many seconds... that you are either multilingual and can't figure out which language you need to be told 'no' by someone to give up... or you're a rapist, so which is it?” Leo pressed.
\t“How dare you!” Panther seethed through gritted teeth, staring Leo down.
\tKrystal, Fara and Miyu gasped at Leo's words and put their hands on Leo's shoulders to hold him in place, Fara and Krystal stepping a little in front of him.  “Leo, don't, this prick isn't worth the trouble,” Fara said.
\t“You stand down too, Panther.  We didn't come here to start a fight,” Wolf said sternly.  Panther then sighed with closed eyes and took a big step back from Leo and the girls, Wolf approaching them slowly.  “Captain Cuttridge, Lieutenants, my deepest apologies for my buddy's behavior.  As you can see, he sometimes lets his dick do his thinking for him before rational thought and decency takes precedence.”
\t“No harm done,” Leo said softly.
\t“What DID you come here for, by the way?” Fox asked Wolf.
\t“Truthfully Fox, I was hoping I could have a private word with you and Peppy.  I have something I need to give you and show you,” Wolf said gently.
\t“....really?” Fox said with a raised eyebrow.
\t“Yes... please... Fox, do me a solid and let me speak with you and Peppy in private, please,” he continued.
\tThe attention was all on Fox and Wolf as they stood looking at each other for several seconds.  Wolf's face showed a face of seriousness, but that which was calm and a bit sad, Fox thought.  Fox then looked over at Peppy, who immediately nodded.  “Alright... let's go on the Great Fox where it is cool,” Fox said, heading behind the tent to the huge airship, Peppy and Wolf following close.  Once they got on board, they headed to a conference and planning room where they could talk in private.  Fox and Peppy sat across from Wolf at a small table as Wolf reached into his jacket pocket and brought out something to give to Fox.  He then set it down on the table between them.  It was a pair of dogtags.  “I figured you'd want these,” he said softly.  Fox picked up the dogtags to read them... the name on them making his heart sink.\t\t
\t\t\t\t
\t
DENGAR, PIGMA
\tSN: 55-12196876C
\tB NEGATIVE
\tNO REL PREF


\t“How... did you get these, Wolf?” Fox said, letting Peppy look at them.
\t“After the battle against the Aparoids, Leon and Panther and I headed back to Sargasso to regroup and plan our next move.  On the way there, we picked up a weak distress signal from Pigma's ship on the surface of Titania.  At first we thought it may have been just a fragment of his Woflen fighter that crashed there, but we decided to land and check,” Wolf began as he reached into his pocket for his phone and started to tap on it to load something.  “It was definitely him.  He broke both of his legs and dislocated his right shoulder, but despite that, he managed to crawl his way out of his destroyed ship and into a nearby cave.  The Aparoids had severely mangled his body into a grotesque form mixed of droid parts all over himself.  We only got to him in time to see him alive for about 15 minutes.  He insisted I record this and play it to you both.”  He then turned his phone display to Fox and Peppy as it began to play a video of Pigma's last words.
\t
\tPigma lay on his back, wheezing as he breathed deep and slow, tears streaked down his cheeks as he rested his head on Panther's legs, Leon sitting by Pigma's right side.
\t“Okay, it's running,” said Wolf, off-screen.
\t“Okay... Fox... Peppy... I am so sorry... about all that I have done,” Pigma began.  “I know I broke your trust... many years ago on Venom when I turned... to support Andross and his... evil ways... I thought that I was doing something for a better life elsewhere... and needless to say... I got greedy...”  More tears streamed down his face as he grimaced from the agonizing pain in his legs and shoulder.  “I know I can never undo everything I've done... nor can I try to make amends because I'm a goner... but I'm hoping my passing will put you both at ease... in the form of some repentance and revenge... and hope that my comrades in Star Wolf will also find it in their hearts... to find a better way... to not end up like I have... they have a chance to learn from my mistakes...” He then reached under his chin to grab his dogtags with his left hand and yanked them free to give them to Wolf, his paw coming into view to take them from him.
\t“Give these to Fox and Peppy... and play them this... guys... we all fucked up harshly... I'm almost gone... but you three can change for the better... I want all three of you, right here right now... to promise me to better yourselves... because I know you're all better and can do it... please... promise me, right now...” he said, choking a bit on air as he lay there.
\t“I promise, Pigma,” Wolf was the first to say.
\t“Me too, my friend... I promise,” Leon said.
\tPanther was silent and hesitant as Pigma tilted his head up to look at him.  “Come on, Panther... promise me, man...” Pigma continued, coughing and wincing in pain again.
\t“A-alright... I promise,” Panther said off-camera, hesitantly.
\t“James and Vixy... they are the most wonderful people...” Pigma began as his breathing became shallower and slower, more tears streaming down his face, another minute going by before he looked right into the camera, his words quiet and muttering.  “Ja.... Jame... James...”
\tThe video went in closer as Wolf brought the phone camera in closer to be sure it caught Pigma's speech as clear as possible, a few more seconds before Pigma said, “James McCloud... survives...”  With that, he took one more soft inhale before letting out a slow exhale before going still, his life leaving his body, a trail of saliva dripping down his cheek from the corner of his mouth as Wolf, Leon and Panther sat there silent for several seconds, Leon's hand going to Pigma's neck to check his pulse.
\t“...he's gone...” Leon said softly.
\tWolf then reached over to close Pigma's eyes and mouth shut slowly and gently.  “Rest in peace, Pigma Dengar.”  A few more seconds went by of an overview of Pigma laying there gently reclined against Panther's legs before the video stopped.

\tFox and Peppy watched silently, tears flowing from their eyes and down their cheeks as Fox clenched the dogtags softly in his hands.  “May silence enshroud his tomb... forever,” Peppy said softly, Fox and Wolf nodding in agreement.
\t“Thank you so much for bringing and showing me this Wolf,” Fox said as he looked up at Wolf, the two of them smiling gently at each other for the first time in a very long time.
\t“I figured you would want to see that, Fox,” Wolf replied.  “And I can get the file onto a media disc for you once I can get to the right equipment.”
\t“Sounds good to me,” Fox replied and let out a deep sigh.  “So... you and Panther and Leon are in this for a better run at life?  Decided to mend and change your ways?”
\t“I'll be honest with you, Fox... I've grown weary and tired of working and taking shouting orders from tyrants, taking dangerous and sinister jobs just to make ends meet,” Wolf began.  “With Andross gone and the Aparoids defeated, there isn't much left for people like Star Wolf.”
\t“Andross never did value people with respect or dignity,” Fox replied softly.
\t“I felt like a mafia foot soldier who wanted out, but realized he has no place to go.  It's not easy when you realize the Godfather is a fool,” Wolf said.  Fox smirked a little at that comment, feeling if Wolf never ever truly confessed to being wrong any more than he already has, this would be it.  Wolf then produced a list he retrieved from his pocket.  “And like I said, we made several concessions and sacrifices when we approached the Cornerian Military Council, and here is the details of our... 'contract' so to speak,” he said handing the list to Fox, him and Peppy reading over it.
\t“Geez, you even offered up a handsome amount of money along with promise to be on good legal standing,” Peppy noticed.  
\t“That's right,” Wolf said. “Five years is gonna be a long time, but even that was reduced by our attorney from 12.”
\t“And they're permitting you to race as well?” Peppy asked.  
\t“I'd be lying if I said we weren't in this for the money,” Wolf said openly.  “The prize money would bring a good chunk of change for us all to start new lives elsewhere.  Despite all this though... I have one more thing I need you both to listen to, in the hopes that you will see it as an additional modicum of goodwill from me.”
\tThat made Fox and Peppy look up in a bit of concern.  “What do you mean?” Fox asked.
\tWolf then went to his phone to load up something else.  “I had a consort with the guys yesterday to make sure we were all on the same page.  We had just finished modifying our Wolfen craft when this conversation took place.”  He then played the audio file.

\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWolf:  Alright you guys, we've got everything set up and registered and inspected.  Let's make a serious effort to satisfy the Councils on our goodwill so we can try and do something better.  We did make a promise to Pigma after all.
\tLeon:  M'yes, my craft is all ready for the events.  Here's to hoping we can do well and our best.
\tPanther:  Pft... yeah, okay.
\tWolf:  You don't sound too enthused Panther.
\tPanther:  Well now... the way I see it, we get the prize money any way we can, the better off we will be and the quicker we can get the hell outta here.
\tLeon:  Get the hell over yourself, Caroso.
\tWolf:  Panther, you keep it legal and civil the whole way.  I know that Leon and I are trying to make an honest effort to try and make good when we already have a tarnished reputation, so it'll be enough of a challenge without trying to dodge the law because of dirty \ttricks.  If you can't handle it Panther...\t
\tPanther:  Heh... I'm just saying how I think it should be done, Wolf. \tI'm not pissing on your ideas at all here--
\tWolf:  Look asshole, you either tow the line or you can consider yourself out.  You try something out there to violate our contract, you'll be out on your ass then as well.  We really are trying to make an honest effort here, and if you screw up, you'll fuck us all over.
\tPanther:  Relaaax, my friend.  You can count on me.
\tWolf:  ...I fucking hope so.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
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\t
\tFox and Peppy sat in shock not only at the fact that Wolf was warning them about Panther, but that it sounded like Panther may try something during the event.  “He sure doesn't sound too convincing, does he?”  Fox replied.
\t“Not to me he doesn't,” Wolf said, a slight tone of disgust in his voice.  “I've always known him to be a ruthless hardass, which is part of why I brought him into Star Wolf when Andrew disappeared, but.... I had my doubts about him begin when he sounded hesitant with his promise to Pigma that day.  Like I said, I hope that will help you out before he tries something.”
\t“We sure do appreciate your efforts in this, Wolf,”  Peppy said.  “What events will you guys be running?”
\t“We're in on the bracket races and the tag-team races,” Wolf replied.
\t“Very nice, we'll be in those as well.  Here's hoping to some friendly competition,” Fox said with a smile.
\t“I totally agree.  Very much looking forward to it,” Wolf said, getting up out of his chair.
\t“Thank you so much again, Wolf,” Peppy said reaching out to shake his hand, which Wolf graciously accepted.
\t“Absolutely, thank you, Wolf,” Fox said, shaking his hand as well, guiding them all outside the Great Fox back to the tent.
\t“You're most welcome, guys,” Wolf said.  “And I thank you for listening to what I had to say.”
\tThey all walked back to the tent and saw everyone was at peace, Panther standing by himself and not really associating with anyone, Leo standing by the girls and chatting with them about random things.  Leon was actually chatting leisurely with Falco, which amazed Fox and Peppy.  “Well, I'm happy to hear that things are turning around for you,” Falco said to Leon.  “I'm hoping for the best for you guys, and hopefully we'll get to see each other out on the tracks.”
\t“Likewise, Falco,” Leon said with a smile, shaking his hand.  “Thank you so much for listening.”  He then noticed Wolf, Fox and Peppy show back up and joined Wolf and Panther as they all departed the Star Fox tent and to walk about the rest of the proving grounds.
\t“Well... that was certainly surprising... and interesting...” Fox said.
\t“Tell me about it,” Falco said.
\t“Now lies another question,” Peppy said.
\t“What's that, Pep?” Fox asked.
\tPeppy's eyes closed a tiny bit.  “...how GENUINE was Wolf in all that?  Are those three trying to be better and was that a true warning, or are they playing tricks like usual?”
\t“My apologies for intruding on the conversation,” ROB said. “...but I took the liberty of recording all that conversation on board the Great Fox as well as monitored Wolf's vital signs as well as other indicies.”
\t“And...?” Fox asked.
\t“Based on medical information in my databanks... Wolf was telling the truth,” ROB concluded.
\tLeo gave a silent scoff at ROB's “truth-detection” with a soft shaking of his head, Miyu tilting her head a bit at that reaction.  “So that was... Star Wolf?” he asked.
\t“Yeah... pretty disgusting and conniving people...” Miyu replied.  “Can't hardly trust them to save your life.”
\t“From the conversation we had, it sounds like they are really making a serious effort to turn their lives around for the better,” Peppy said.  
\t“I guess there really is hope for every ape on Venom,” Fara said sarcastically.
\t“I can't stand that Panther guy,” Leo said.
\t“Wolf is no better.  He is an absolute wanker,” Krystal said in disgust.
\t“Leo, it's best not to tango with any of those guys,” Fay warned him softly.  “It'll just bring more problems.”
\t“I'm not suggesting any of you girls are helpless in the least bit, but do you really want some asshole like that going unheeded and unchecked?  Making advances on you all like that?” Leo asked softly in defense.
\t“I understand what you mean, sweetie,” Miyu said as she hugged him from behind.  “We just don't want to see you get into a fight with any of them.”
\t“He just seems like one of those 'hopeless romantics',” Leo said with disgust in his voice.  “Those people not only make me sick, but also make me think they are one step away from being rapists. Hence why I called him on it.  Now he knows, or at least he should know not to do it again.”
\t“Ease down there, son,” Peppy said to Leo calmly.  “We'll just be cognizant to not get involved with him as much as we can, even if we get into a race with him.”
\t“We overheard Leon telling Falco they were in the race... but what all are they going to compete in for the Grand Prix?” Krystal asked.
\t“They're competing in both the bracket mile and tag-team races,” Fox began, suddenly staring at Leo.  “So the possibility for you to have to deal-in with them in the future is still there.  If it does.... don't,” Fox finished, a clear and gentle firmness in his voice at the last word.
\tLeo sighed and nodded.  “Understood, Captain.”
\t“Besides,” Miyu started, hugging softly around Leo's chest from behind as she leaned back and lifted him up off his feet about a foot or so. “Nobody messes with MY bun!”
\t“OUR bun!” The other girls said happily and giggled as they all stood with Leo and held together close.  Fara soon left the group and stood by Fox, watching all the girls hugging and holding close to Leo as he blushed deeply.
\tFox smiled at the sight and shook his head with a soft chuckle.  “Man... how does he do that?”
\t“He's a bunny! That's why!” Peppy said jokingly while poking Fox in the side and then walking away guffawing happily, the comment making Fox roll his eyes while still smiling.
\t“No, seriously... he's always got several girls around him...”  Fox said incredulously.
\t“Says the man who has... NONE,” Fara said smiling, her hand ruffling Fox's head softly.
\t“Ack!  Well... I mean... I just... erf...” Fox started, blushing as he suddenly felt cornered in a difficult subject.
\t“Seriously, Fox. Why is it that after all this time, we can't be dating?” Fara said softly in a bit of a complaining tone.
\t“Do you... want to...?” he asked nervously.
\tFara groaned out in disgust and stamped her foot into the ground as she threw her fists down.  “UGH! YES!  Bloody fucking hell, after all these many damn years!  YES, I want to date you, you dumb, adorable, fucking fox!” she said, poking his chest firmly with her finger at the last four words.
\t“O-okay, okay, fine!” Fox replied, quickly holding her hand in his and smiling at Fara.  “We're dating!”
\t“Good,”  she said, leaning in to give Fox a kiss on the lips.  She then started to walk off to a toolbox on the other end of the tent, her head turned to speak over her shoulder at him as she walked away.  “I'll stop sleeping with Leo, then.”
\tFox couldn't help but remain frozen in place, blinking repeatedly as his brain literally grinded every possible metaphorical gear it could have.  “...uhh... waitsaywhat...?”
\t“Hey... what's that smell?” Fay said, sniffing the air, others following suit.
\t“It wasn't me!” Falco said, illiciting a chuckle from a few people.
\t“Not that, you dork,” Katt said with a grin.  “It smells... beautiful,” she said.
\t“Like I said, it wasn't me!” Falco continued as if to suggest his shit don't stink, the others groaning at that lame joke and throwing several objects at him as they all laughed.  Their moment of comedy was interrupted by a black boxy minivan with tinted windows pulling up in front of the tent, the scent coming from it.  
\tMiyu looked at the grille and noticed it had the same manufacturer's emblem as Leo's Speedwell, and nudged him to point it out.  “Hey hon, look...”
\t“Oh neat!  A G-diffuser equipped Speedwell Chariot!” he responded.  “Those were built in the same years as my Cushman.  That van has the same powerplant my car could've had as a top option in a different trim.  Who is that, tho?”
\t“Dunno...” Miyu said, everyone watching the van.
\tThe driver's door opened and out came Sid Chalmer.  “There you guys are!” he said joyously.  “I wanted to stop by and get you guys some breakfast while I had a bit of time to get away from my own tent.”\t
\tEveryone applauded joyously as they all gave hugs and handshakes to Sid in appreciation.  “Many thanks as always, Sid,” Peppy said as he and Leo went to the sliding door of the van to help unload boxes of food for everyone.  
\t“Absolutely, Uncle Sid,” Leo said. “Also, nice choice in a delivery vehicle, I must say.”
\t“Hehehe That's how I get food hot and fresh to everyone on time every time, my boy,” Sid said with a smile.
\t“Totally understandable, especially if you modded it,” Leo suggested.
\t“I have, actually!  Only within the last few years after a powerplant rebuild, though.  But still, I love it,” he replied.  “Hopefully it'll do well in the brackets day after tomorrow.”
\t“Oh nice!  Can't wait to see how it does!  Who are you racing with?” Fox asked.\t
\t“Well, I haven't asked around yet, to be honest,” Sid replied.
\tSome of the team looked around at each other smiling, soon coming to a nod from Fox and Peppy.  Falco then grabbed a white ink marker and went to the rear quarter windows of Sid's van and marked them with the symbol 'SF1' on each side.  “You don't need to now, Sid.  You're racing with us,” Falco said happily.  Everyone cheered as they welcomed in Sid to their racing team, the platypus smiling wide with both of his hands at the sides of his face in awe.
\t“Omigosh, you guys are all so amazing.  Thank you so much!  I look forward to racing with you all,” Sid said happily.  
\t“Now we have TWO Speedwells to wow the crowds,” Leo stated.
\t“Two?” Sid asked.
\t“Yep,” Leo said, motioning over to his own car on the other end of the tent.  Sid and Leo stood together chatting about cars for a while as everyone sat and ate breakfast.  As the time advanced to the first day's events out on the track, ROB came in and broadcast the event from a projector built into his robotic frame, the video showing onto one of the canvas sides of the tent while everyone sat around and chatted.  
\tThe events started at noon, the trio of car show broadcasters from earlier playing host to all the events with their commentary and frequent japery.  The course turned out to be an interesting road in a figure-eight shape that began with several hills to jump over in the beginning, a mudbog to drive fast through all the way from one side of the track to the other, an uneven slope to slowly traverse, a bridge made of tree logs that spanned a portion of the course to cross over, then the final two obstacles consisted of an incline with alternating repeating dips and slopes on each side of the track, followed by a tall crest where the final stretch of the course was a very steep decline at about a 55 degree grade where braking, both physical and engine, along with usage of the low-range gears in a transfer box would be key to getting to the bottom safely.  
\tOf the 32 contestants in the Off-Road events, they were randomly paired off to run against one another\t into 16 competitions which later got reduced to 8, then 4 then 2, with the final two drivers battling against each other.  Slippy, Bill and General Pepper all performed incredibly well and made great displays of driving throughout their runs.  Slippy was ever being the showoff, always engaging the Landmaster's front retro rockets to induce a backwards somersault in the air before he landed on the ground, which amassed great applause from the audience and proved to have great views on the TV broadcasts.  Bill noticed it as well and soon followed suit to wow the crowds with similar techniques, both Landmasters performing incredibly well, showing agility, durability and reliability the whole way through.  
\tEven General Pepper's raised and treaded truck ran incredibly well.  It may not have been as fast as most of the other vehicles, but it proved reliable and steady in the most difficult contours of the land.  It seemed that the back end of the truck tried to sway to one side or the other during the final steep decline, but for a vehicle with very little to nothing in the way of electronic control and stability installed in it, it performed very well, proving that this vehicle was mostly up to the driver and his skill, which General Pepper was incredible at.  The event went by without a hitch with no destroyed or damaged vehicles, no accidents and no drivers needing medical assistance by Amanda or Krystal or the rest of the base hospital medical crew.  A terrific start to the Grand Prix.  
\tWhen it came down to the final few rounds of competition, it left the General, Bill and Slippy in the finals.  Bill ended up finishing 3rd, with General Pepper claiming 2nd while Slippy took home 1st place along with the most points for the Star Fox team in that event.  After the event, everyone gathered back at the Great Fox for a short celebratory get-together along with dinner supplied by Sid and they all went to wash off the General's truck and the two modified Landmasters of all the dirt and mud they accumulated during the off-road course competitions.  The sun then set soon with everybody full and happy, everyone going off into their respected rooms on the Great Fox... Fox and Fara... Slippy and Amanda... Falco and Katt... Bill and Fay... and of course, Leo had Krystal and Miyu to share his warmth and love with as they lay together and slept, their minds full of hopes and dreams for the rest of the Grand Prix as they dozed off to sleep.", "pools_count": 0, "title": "Star Fox: Miyu's Love - Ch 24: The Cornerian Grand Prix: Just What They Needed To See...", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "0", "rating_name": "General", "ratings": [], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "32" }