A/N: Pfft, I said I'd actually have productivity but completely forgot who I was talking about. Sorry for hitting a block, but there really wasn't anything i could do about it.

Anyway, here's another chapter. I still have quite a few slots open, so if you want to see your character in here, please visit the page I have linked in my profile. I've already started with a few cameos, and yours could be next! :)

Don't forget to leave reviews too! Thank you, and enjoy.

-Sheppard

Chapter 2 — Ropes

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Fox didn't know what to expect upon stepping foot inside an official Strikeforce facility for the first time. Having already placed his name down as an entrant, Fox still had to qualify, as many others tried to claim a spot in the tournament as well. To do so, he needed to train in order to hold his own in preliminary matches. Nevertheless, with Miyu in tow, he gently pushed open the doors of the performance center of the facility and entered.

"What did I say?" a booming voice thundered upon Fox's ears. "Quit muckin' around with this pussy shit and fight!"

Fox then heard three heavy steps, followed by a resounding smack, and then a much louder thud. All of those violent sounds originated from a caged octagon in the far corner of the room. Tentatively, Fox approached, allowing him to see two fighters panting from exertion inside of the cage, with one on his hands and knees. Tail tucked between his legs, the downed fighter meekly glanced out of the cage and towards the trainer overlooking the fight.

"Brooks, take a break," the Alsatian trainer grunted, prompting the standing fighter to nod and exit the cage. The massive and intimidating canine looked directly at the other and growled, "Your odds aren't on your side this time. Pack it up and move out. You're done."

Ashamed and humiliated, the fighter kept his muzzle pointed to the floor as he exited the gym. As the trainer watched him leave, his eyes directed towards Fox, yet his indifferent expression remained unchanged as he approached.

"Son of a bitch," the Alsatian muttered with more awe and eagerness than displeasure. Holding out a meaty hand, he firmly said, "Fox McCloud in a Strikeforce promotion. That is something that you couldn't pay me to believe two years ago. It's a pleasure to be here for you, son."

"Thank you," Fox replied awkwardly, almost wincing as his paw was crushed under the trainer's firm hold.

"Name's Axel," the intimidating canine smirked. "Used to be a Strikeforce fighter until one too many shots to the head sidelined me. I train the new blood now. It's quite an honor to be able to train someone like yourself."

"I'm glad to be learning from a former pro," Fox responded.

Axel grinned. "Well, I'll give you a moment to warm yourself up. We'll get right into it since I'd assume you've had some prior training."

Fox shrugged with his own grin. "Hey, gotta be prepared when working as a merc. I've got the essentials down, but everything else may be tougher."

"That makes my job easier," Axel chuckled loudly. "If that's the case, I'll see if anyone wants to square up for a sparring match. I'll be in your corner to show you the ropes."

Fox nodded, prompting the huge Alsatian to check up on another group of fighters over by the left side wall. He was barely able to spin around before the fighter from before came rushing up to him.

"Whoa, the Fox McCloud?" a noticeably young sky blue fox spoke up. Fox looked over to see two bright green eyes staring at him through a screen of wet, messy black hair. The mere fact that the vulpine fighter was blue startled Fox enough, but the other was that he seemed to ooze an exuberant and extroverted personality just by his initial actions. Seemingly noticing Fox's reaction to his presence, the vulpine calmed down slightly and made himself more presentable by parting his hair away from his eyes, making the green pigment pop.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry; my bad. I'm a fighter here. I'm… well, my Cerinian name is way too hard for everyone to pronounce, so everyone just calls me Seth. And you're Fox! The Fox!"

"That's me," Fox chuckled. "And this here's my teammate, Miyu."

"It's a pleasure," Seth belted out, instinctively outstretching a gloved hand, sans the fingers. "You know, I have a girlfriend too, but she stays away from the fighting."

Fox arched a brow. "How'd you know that we—"

"Oh, gosh, I never told you," Seth stammered, folding his tall ears back. "Well, I'm from Cerinia, and… Cerinians have varying types of telepathy from birth. I… may or may not have read your mind on accident, Fox. I'm sorry, I should've asked."

"It's okay buddy," Fox grinned. "So, you're in this tournament?"

"Not yet," Seth answered, sitting down on a nearby bench. "Since so many people register for Lethal Lockdown, there's a whole ton of qualifying matches to go through. But, since I'm a Strikeforce regular, I've only got one match to fight. You, though…"

"I know," Fox nodded. "That's why I'm here. Axel said he wanted to get me started right away—"

"Hey, I can be your sparring partner!" Seth exclaimed, tail wagging furiously. "I'll start slow to get you used to the style, and then we can go from there. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Sounds good to me," Fox smirked, nudging Miyu gently. "You didn't forget my—"

A slamming door broke the conversation in half. Recovering from his monstrous flinch, Fox turned to face the door… an all too familiar face staring him down at the end of the hall.

"Oh, no no nonononono, you for serious?" the white wolf Lecter moaned, arching his back as if he was half-assedly bowing at the group. He looked about the same as the last time they met, but Fox's eyes honed in on the golden pentagon bolted into a large leather strap resting over Lecter's shoulder. The pentagon was lined with dual blue and black stripes around its perimeter, and in amongst intricate golden designs carved within the boundaries, an angled S that more resembled a backwards Z combined with an F using the bottom line shone brightly with its untarnished silver finish. Lecter's personal design—A wide vertical bar split by parallel red and white sections, with perpendicular bars above and below, one red and one half red and white, to give the illusion of his initials overall—stood out on two golden ellipses flanking the large pentagon.

"Great, it's you," Fox commented sarcastically. "I see you decided to drop by your own gym."

"Yes, Itami know this," scoffed Lecter, adjusting the belt on his shoulder. "So, that let me kick you Star Foxes out of my gym then, hai?

"You wish, sensei," Fox countered jokingly, backing up to place a paw over Seth's shoulder. "I'm gonna be training with Seth here to enter this tournament."

"First of all," Lecter started, pointing a finger while contorting his face as if he had eaten a sour lemon but actually liked it. "Mister Seth cannot instruct you, only actual trainer can. And also, I do not see how you could even fathom stepping into the ring with anyone, let alone with someone of… how you say…?"

"I don't care how I say," the vulpine said mockingly. "And I didn't say Seth was instructing me. He's just a partner right now."

Seth began fanning his face. "Oh my gods and goddesses above, it's a dream come true!"

Lecter grunted. "It will not matter. You will need years of training to best me." He began to pace the gym, oozing that irritating style of arrogant charisma by snapping his fingers and trotting to the beat of his own drum. "Itami do have to congratulate you on making it this far. Most people—incompetent people—become afraid of failure, and do not accept challenge. You may show bravery, Mister Fox, but that will not shield you."

Fox couldn't withhold a laugh. "So, you compliment me, but then go right back to trash-talking?"

"Ah, ba, ba, ba; you know, Itami allowed to bring hopes up," Lecter flashed his teeth again in a self-indulgent smile as his voice lowered. "That makes their defeat much more enjoyable. So many people believe they have a chance, but then—"

Lecter lashed out with a taped-up foot-paw, his claws slicing the air mere inches from Fox's nose. Fox flinched and almost fell backwards, especially since the lupine slapped his trunks to imitate the sound of his hind paw actually coming into contact with Fox's muzzle. Lecter then came to a stop facing away from the three, looking over his shoulder with a slight smirk.

"That all it takes," he finished. "And this here?" he shuffled the championship belt on his shoulder. "Stay on me."

"You only got it because you bullied your way to the top," Seth blurted out, eyebrows curled downward.

Lecter barked out a hyena-like laugh. "I sorry, who are you again?" he said in an infuriatingly condescending voice, narrowing his eyes further. "Itami do not remember anyone who lose to me."

Seth growled, but Fox intervened. Confidently, the vulpine commented, "Then I guess you'll remember me then, hai?"

Lecter rolled his eyes. "As if. And watch the accent, Mister Fox. You do not wish to offend anyone, especially one of my culture."

"Sure, because people that insult others and walk around like they just bedded every single vixen in Lylat will get offended if I mispronounce one of your words," retorted Fox with visible distaste. "Unbelievable."

Lecter scoffed and turned his head away. "You know, as much I hate to say it… you and Itami… we very much the same." Fingers extended erratically, he started pacing while rolling his wrist. "We both have big name… big accomplishment… but what you do not have, Mister Fox, is skill. Fighting skill—"

"Shut up Itami, I can hear you from here!"

The gravelly female voice made both Fox and Seth flinch, but Lecter seemed to be unfazed by the outburst. Looking up at the ceiling, Lecter shouted back, "Do not start with me again. I kick you faster than you can think."

"And I'll punch your teeth so far down your throat that you'll be talking out of your ass," she bellowed back. "Wait, you already do that anyway, so I'll just be fixing ya the way you should be!"

Fox managed to link the irritated voice to an utterly massive wolf and collie hybrid benching an entire rack of weights on the opposite side of the facility. She forced the weights back so that she could sit up and look Lecter dead in the eye, her hostility all the more imposing even with her distance. Yet, Lecter didn't seem to be intimidated at all.

"She's Shira Amorae," Seth whispered in Fox's ear. "She's quite the vicious fighter."

"She doesn't sound too friendly at all," Fox whispered back.

Lecter clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Miss Shira, Itami only talking to fellow fighter. Go back to lift your marshmallows."

Shira merely huffed and laid back down to continue her reps.

"Itami cannot wait to fight her," he muttered. "Itami cannot wait to fight anyone."

"Good," a returning Axel boomed, smiling widely as he approached the group. "Because you're gonna be a training partner for Fox here."

While Seth seemed to deflate, Lecter looked completely outraged. Yet, he kept his tone at a comfortable level and managed to force a smile, saying, "Ah, Mister Axel, you see… Itami do not like the Star Foxes. They bring disgrace to fighting."

"And you're a disgrace to that belt," Seth snapped back.

Axel kept his voice even. "Sorry, but Fox requested to train with the best. Kinda looks like you're the champion right now, so unless you're not the best, I'd suggest showing Fox the ropes."

Lecter sighed. "Hai," he grunted, roughly pushing off his championship belt onto Axel. "Hold this. Do not get it dirty."

Lecter tore open the cage door and stepped inside. While he checked on his clothes and made sure that he was all set to spar, Axel gently set Itami's belt on the benched behind him. As Fox approached, he set a paw on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," he assured. "It's only a spar. Lecter will play easy just so that you can get a feel for the pacing of these fights." He looked up at the wolf, who was busy slicking back his hair and checking his taped paws. "Lecter, go easy on him. It's a spar, not an actual fight."

"Yes, yes, yes; I know what to do," Lecter grumbled. "Just tell the Star Fox not to… how you say…? Get under my fur."

Miyu squeezed Fox's wrist before he had a chance to move. "Good luck," she purred, planting a quick kiss on the side of his muzzle.

"Aww, that's cute," Lecter said with a slight hack, solid sarcasm dripping from his lips. "Now I have to go puke."

Fox stepped into the cage and slammed the door behind him. Initially, Fox's eyes examined his dance partner. Lecter stood confident and poised, not letting a single ounce of intimidation or anxiety show in his eyes or expression. While Fox was a bit trepid of his match, he stayed calm and, contrary to Lecter, stayed moving. He bounced on the digits of his feet, letting his legs relax as he folded his fists inward. With a proper fighting stance assumed, his focus was set on the wolf… but was soon broken when Lecter barked out a taunting laugh.

"You for serious? This how you Star Foxes train?" Lecter waved his index finger at him as Fox seemed to deflate, halting his movements altogether. "Listen. Itami will only say once. If you move fast, you have no more energy when you need it. How Itami win all the time? He move when he need to. Not when he can, like you."

"It's better to move," Fox argued. "That way you're one step ahead if someone tries to attack. You can move out of the way or counter it."

Lecter rose two open paws. "Fine then. Itami will not tell you how to win. You have no chance to win even if I tell you myself."

Fox began to bounce and move again. "Oh, now I'm crushed. My sempai thinks I'm terrible."

Lecter barely even reacted to Fox's insult. "Itami not say it if it is not true. What? Just because you are famous Star Fox mean that you can just be good at whatever you do?"

"My name is not Star Fox," the vulpine groaned. "And I'm only good at what I do because I train. No different than you."

Lecter scoffed. "If you think you can train to be a fighter in few days and win matches in this tournament, then you are… how you say…? Delusional."

Fox bared his teeth. "I'm delusional? Lecter, you're the one who—"

"Ba ba ba; shut up and fight, Mister Fox."

Fox shook his head and folded his arms up again. Knowing Lecter was going to gloat and taunt longer the more he stood still, he decided to make the first move. Lightning quick, Fox stepped forward, tested the waters with a limp paw haphazardly waved in front of Lecter, and then stepped right back to see how his opponent would react. He sure wasn't expecting a lack of a reaction, but that's what he got.

Lecter smirked. "Afraid of me?"

"Not hardly," Fox grunted in reply. "I've fought in wars. Nothing scares me."

"Itami fight mid-carders more battle-hardened than you," Lecter sneered.

"And you're about as intimidating as the sandwich I had for lunch today."

Lecter had heard enough. He faded forward, not throwing a punch but closing the distance between the two. Fox tried to step back, but that momentary movement registered in the lupine's eyes. He was quick to pounce, tossing a low kick at Fox's leg. While the vulpine was stunned at first, he still managed to recover from a split-second panic by raising his arm, deflecting a left jab aimed at his shoulder.

Fox spun around, keeping the back of the cage on his six as he paced around Lecter. He tried to strike again, but Lecter had his movements tracked down to a tee. The wolf blocked a jab, nimbly evaded a right hook, and then finished it up by lifting his leg to defend against Fox's kick.

"I see…" Lecter started, tilting his head. "You are not wrong, Mister Fox. You seem to know what you are doing. But you are… how you say…? Wooden. You lack important skills that a fighter needs."

"Oh, and I suppose it just came naturally to you?" Fox retorted.

Lecter chuckled. "You are competing just for fun, hai? Itami do this for career. I paid to kick people. I spend years training. You… what? You just wake up one day and say you go to defeat Itami?"

"I'm just trying to keep my team intact," Fox growled. "We need the money. I didn't know I had to get through you to get it."

Lecter's bottom lip bulged. "How sad. Look like you are going to go home with nothing then. Good thing too; it will get you Star Foxes out of the sky to make room for real mercenaries. I say it again: Star Wolf was always better."

Fox decided to retort with a wild haymaker directed at Itami's muzzle. He ducked, and as Fox's fist flew overhead, he countered with a stiff knee into Fox's midsection. All the air left his lungs as the blow numbed his entire torso. The lupine didn't stop there. He grabbed the back of the vulpine's head and threw him towards the cage wall. Fox barely managed to lift his arms to block a forearm intending to cave his muzzle in. Soon thereafter, he pushed off and put distance between Lecter and himself; completely out of breath and in pain.

Lecter's nasty smirk of pleasure only irritated Fox more. "Mister Axel, I have had enough of this amateur. He is undeserving of my teaching."

"What teaching?" Fox retorted, panting heavily. "You just trash-talk and beat me up!"

Lecter's muzzle contorted again. "It what I do best, Star Fox."

"My name isn't goddamn Star Fox!"

"Alright, that's enough," Axel barked out. "Itami; leave. You ain't gonna do shit in there, you can get your ass outta here."

"But we were just getting started, Mister Axel," Lecter grinned with false compassion.

"Don't care," the Alsatian grunted. "Fox, I'll find ya a better sparring partner. Take a quick break while ya wait."

Fox nodded and exited the cage while Itami just shrugged everyone off, collected his championship belt, and then left the center entirely. Fox swiped a cool towel in an attempt to relieve some of the heat in his body, and while he mopped up his face, he noticed his significant other talking with a group of fighters by the weight benches.

As he approached, a cinnamon colored husky belted out a squeal of delight and exuberantly waved both of her arms as if to flag him down. As Fox approached, Miyu extended her arm and draped it over the back of Fox's neck, disregarding the clammy skin underneath.

"And here's Fox himself," she said with a smile. "Fox, this is Wes—" she gestured to an imposing wolf hybrid who merely nodded. "—Sheila—" she pointed to the cinnamon husky who had resorted to jumping up and down, creating a bouncing plume with her eruption of hair. "—and Kyle," the lynx finished as the other lighter furred hybrid fighter actually put forth the effort to shake Fox's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Fox smiled.

"It's a pleasure," Kyle grinned back. "New to fighting I suppose?"

"Professional fighting, yeah," Fox nodded. "I was just having someone spar with me to show me the basics, but he bailed so I need—"

"I'll be your partner!" Sheila yipped. "Where's Axel? AXEL!"

"Gah, right in the ear," Wes grumbled as Sheila took off as if she had gotten wound up like a toy.

"Does she even know how to fight?" Kyle whispered to the other canine.

Wes shrugged. "She ain't the best, but—"

"Fox!" Axel shouted. "Sheila's willing to spar. Let's go, bud."

Fox himself shrugged, but obliged. Again, before he could advance, Miyu stopped him and gave him a good luck kiss. With that, he rejoined the trainer and prepped for another fight.