Chapter 2

(Star Fox Zero OST – Star Wolf Theme)

The wolf man broke ranks with his minions, strutting with a casual swagger towards Kiryu and Fox, as another train passed under the bridge. Kiryu scrutinized him as he approached. So far, this wolf was the tallest Cornerian canine he'd met, almost the same as Kiryu in height.

"I said freeze Wolf!" Fox clutched his blaster tighter.

Wolf broke into a sprint, charging straight for Fox. The vulpine opened fire with blaster bolts, but a strange hexagonal shield popped up around Wolf, deflecting the shots away. Instead of fighting Fox, the lupine shoved him aside, knocking him to the concrete.

A startled look crossed Fox's face as he climbed to his feet. "You're ignoring me?!"

Without missing a beat, Wolf ran right at Kiryu, that malicious smile never once leaving his face. Though surprised, Kiryu reacted by reflex, throwing a kick at the incoming lupine's face. But his foot only met air, as Wolf dropped to his knees and slid underneath the attack.

WOLF O'DONNELL

LEADER OF STAR WOLF

The wolf jumped back up to his feet and spun around behind Kiryu, assuming a stance with one fist close to the face, the other fist held lower and to the side. Strange… Kiryu raised his own fists. I recognize that stance. Oh well, if Okami-san wants a fight, he's got it.

Kiryu stepped forward and threw a punch at the smirking wolf's face. He thought for sure it would connect...but the lupine stepped to the side ever so slightly, enough for Kiryu fist to tickle canine's nose hairs. A strong arm latched around Kiryu's neck, the lupine pulling him in tight. Kiryu gasped, his breathing cut off. Even with both hands around his opponent's arm, he couldn't pull hard enough to break free. Giving up, Kiryu went for an elbow to the lupine's side. Wolf released his grip, giving Kiryu enough time to grab one of his arms and pull...hard enough to hear a crack. The lupine grunted, but Kiryu wasn't done, throwing him over the shoulder by his arm. With most people he used that move on, his opponent would slam into the pavement on their back, but this guy was slippery. The wolf turned his fall into a roll, springing back to a stand. The two of them squared off again.

Looks like things work here the same way they do back home. Whoever the boss is, he earned his place there by fighting his way to the top.

The lupine made small hops to the left and right, as if daring Kiryu to attack again. Despite being such a big burly guy, this wolf seemed to be light on his feet, almost dancing from side to side. I should lighten my step too. Releasing a long breath, Kiryu hopped on his feet a couple of times, getting his blood and energy circulating through his whole body, raising his fists closer to his face. Kiryu closed the gap with a lunge, unleashing a flurry of jabs at his opponent.

But the wolf countered by raising his arms to block, tanking the hits and taking a step back, before replying back with a long straight punch. Kiryu sidestepped, but his opponent turned the momentum from his fist into a spin, throwing a roundhouse kick straight for Kiryu's head. Kiryu's eyes widened, barely getting his head out of the way as the wolf's boot brushed along his sideburns. He raised his head back up, ready to strike. The wolf had turned too far, his back to Kiryu now.

The seasoned yakuza smirked, thinking he'd get a free hit in….until the wolf kept his momentum going with a second spin, using his other leg to aim another roundhouse kick at Kiryu's head. Two kicks in a row! Kiryu cried out as the kick slammed into his side, knocking him backwards and into the pedestrian bridge's railing. As Kiryu pulled his head up, the wolf beckoned him with an open palm, that big grin still on his face.

Grunting, Kiryu pulled himself back into a stand.

This guy seems to know my style. And I feel like I've fought him before too, even though he's a space wolf...

The two faced off again, the wolf's shiny purple eye upon Kiryu. Carried by the wind, an aluminum can clattered down the bridge, the only sound besides Kiryu's labored breathing. It collided with one of the nearby construction barriers, getting stuck there. Fox watched on one end of the bridge and Wolf's thugs stood on the other side, all quiet as they waited to see what the next move would be...

...until the silence was broken by the sound of humming, the sound of boots scruffing on dirty pavement as somebody turned the corner, venturing onto the bridge behind Fox. He revealed himself as a tall wolf, dark gray fur with a lighter gray muzzle and mohawk, wearing a black bodysuit with a purple vest, purple gloves, and purple boots. The wolf had a cigarette between his fingers, stopping his humming for a moment to take a long drag and exhale smoke. He had an eyepatch over one eye, with a notch cut out of one of his pointed ears—wait, what?! Another Wolf O'Donnell? Kiryu lowered his fists, astonished.

At long last the lupine seemed to notice he was the center of attention, looking at everybody staring at him. He raised an eyebrow. "...um…? Fox?" And then he saw the first Wolf O'Donnell, startled. "What the shit?!"

"Two of them?!" Fox glanced back and forth between the two O'Donnells. "Which one is the real one?!"

The first Wolf laughed. It was a high pitched laugh, one that resonated a lot with many past memories of Kiryu's…

"Wha?" Fox took a step back from the first Wolf, unnerved by the sound. "That doesn't sound like Wolf…"

Kiryu's eyes widened. No way… He spun back around, facing the first Wolf.

The first Wolf grabbed his neck…and pulled off his head. The laughter continued as the man inside tossed the Wolf mask to the ground. Revealing himself, under the mask was a Japanese man with a haircut just above his ears, the rest shaven away. Most prominently, he had on a black eyepatch with a silver snake…

"Majima-san?" Kiryu relaxed his stance. "What are you doing here?!"

Majima belted out another one of his signature laughs. "Oh, what are the odds I'd meet you here of all places, Kiryu-chan?" He continued to discard the rest of his outfit, letting the pieces fall to the ground.

Kiryu grimaced. "Knowing you, I bet you planned this whole thing. Like that fake zombie apocalypse. Hiroya-san was in on this, wasn't he?"

"Exactamundo, Kiryu-chan!" Majima laughed as he finished taking off the fur suit. He still wore his traditional snakeskin jacket and tight leather pants. Oddly though, he left on the pawed gloves, and removed the pointy wolf ears from the mask, revealing they were mounted to a separate head piece. Majima put them on his head, still giggling like a schoolgirl as he adjusted them.

"Umm...what are you doing?" Kiryu raised his eyebrow.

"Didn't you like my fursona?!" Majima cackled, as he waved his 'paws' around. "I spent over a million yen having my costume made! I should be a dog right? I am the Mad Dog of Shimano, after all!"

Kiryu grimaced. "...I'm afraid to ask, but what's a fursona?"

"Oh, didn't you know on Earth dressing up like animals has been a thing on the Internet for the past couple decades? People even invent their own animal personas! Fursona, see? They call themselves furries! I only found out about it myself recently, so I thought it might be fun to create my own! And they even have big conventions where they all get together to meet!"

"And...why do these people do this? What is the point?" Kiryu had to admit he was too old to be trying to keep up with current trends younger people obsessed over, but he could not fathom why something like furries would be popular enough to have a name and community surrounding it.

"Ha!" Majima let out a cackle. "Oh you poor innocent thing Kiryu-chan! So blissfully unaware! Heck, the artwork furries create makes even the craziest things you see at the porn shop look like something you could show your mother! How about show you and-"

"Hold it, you two!" A harsh guttural voice ended the conversation, both of the humans turning to face the actual Wolf O'Donnell. He strutted over with that cigarette still between his fingers, the fumes wafting in the breeze. "Now who are you two?" He glared at Majima. "And you! Snakeskin baldskin man! Why the hell are you dressed up like me?!"

"What are you talking about? I came up with this on my own!" Majima picked up the mask, shaking it at Wolf. "See?!"

Wolf rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure you copied all of that, down to the last detail." He waved at his black bodysuit and purple vest over it. "Like, exact."

"Okay fine, I admit it!" Majima laughed. "I was surprised to find out Lylat had a notorious criminal who's got an eyepatch, like me! And a canine at that! I feel like we're kindred spirits, Wolf!"

Wolf scoffed. "Hmph, a fan." He smirked, casting a glance at Fox. "Is this what it feels like, McCloud? To have adoring fans like this?"

Fox's ears curled back. "...yes."

Kiryu sensed there was a lot more Fox could've said, but he was keeping quiet. Did it have something to do with those things Majima-san said furries did at conventions?

"Anyway," Majima turned back to Kiryu, resuming his familiar stance again. "Whaddaya say we throw down again, huh Kiryu-chan?"

"Like you'd let me say no, after you went to all this trouble." Kiryu sighed. "All right, let's get this overwith..."

(Yakuza Kiwami OST – Receive You The Prototype)

Majima laughed, throwing aside his snakeskin jacket to the pavement and pulling out a familiar knife, glowing with a purple aura.

In one motion, Kiryu grabbed his red shirt and suit jacket, also tossing them to the side. He raised his fists again, staring at Majima as his rival also faced him down, blade ready at the go.

GORO MAJIMA

TOJO CLAN, PATRIARCH OF THE MAJIMA FAMILY

Kiryu went on the attack, charging forward as he unleashed a flurry of punches towards Majima, the skinnier man stepping back to elude the assault. Majima threw his arm back, going into a twirl as he spun his knife around like the deadly blades of a helicopter, coming straight towards Kiryu. However, Kiryu had seen this move many times before, easily jumping backwards to avoid being sliced.

With a cry, Majima launched himself into a spin in the air, bringing his knife down hard upon Kiryu. Kiryu slid backwards...until he realized he didn't have any more room. He collided with one of the construction barriers behind him, sending a stack of pipes behind it clanging to the ground. Majima's knife nicked one of Kiryu's arms, Kiryu hissing as he felt the blood sliding along his arm. Cackling, Majima went for a slice across Kiryu's chest.

CLANG!

Majima recoiled backwards, stunned for a moment. Kiryu had grabbed one of the pipes from the stack, and used it to block the knife strike. While Majima was off balance, Kiryu swung the pipe around, a sickening smack as it collided with the side of Majima's torso. The pipe bent at a forty-five degree angle from the impact, as Majima flew backwards into the railing on the other side of the pedestrian bridge. To everyone's surprise but Kiryu's, instead of howling in pain or keeling over, Majima smiled, a little blood seeping out of his mouth as rose back up to a stand.

"Well done, Kiryu-chan!"

Kiryu smirked, throwing the bent pipe at Majima. Majima ducked underneath, laughing again as he closed the distance for his next strike.

~X~

Fox and Wolf stood side by side, watching the fight, Wolf had an amused expression on his face, while Fox stared blankly, stunned by the prowess and durability of these two humans.

"Wolf, this isn't happening right now, is it?" Fox's eyes could scarcely keep up as he watched the two humans bob and weave, Majima doing crazy moves like backflips and high kicks while Kiryu replied with fast footwork and quick punches.

"Oh no, it is." Wolf had his arms crossed, observing with a smirk on his face. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and rubbed it out under his boot. " Why's Majima called the Mad Dog of Shimano though? He's not a dog. Hehe, like his style though." Majima's knife swings were like art, smooth and elegant as the purple-tinged blade sliced through the air. "Wish I could use a knife like that. Even Leon would be jealous."

"I don't get it." The two kept watching, Fox with a befuddled look on his face. "Fake zombie apocalypse? And why take off your shirts? Those are some elaborate tattoos too… I thought Krystal's were something, but that detail is insane!"

The dragon on Kiryu's back almost seemed alive as he fought Majima, twisting and bending like it was thrashing around at some kind of prey.

"Hey Fox," Wolf laughed, a thump to his side. "What do you say we join in?"

"Wha—whoa!" Fox jumped out of the way as Wolf's claws slashed where he'd been standing.

Wolf laughed, taking a feral-looking stance as he held up his clawed hands. In the short time he'd been looking away, the lupine had also removed his shirt, his muscles rippling underneath his gray fur, leaving no clothing chest up besides the purple bandana around his neck.

Fox's eyes widened at the display, his own rival towering over him. "Huh, you wanna do this?!"

"Why not? You don't need space fighters to have a good fight!"

Fox reached for his blaster.

"Really Fox?" Wolf tsked tsked, waving his finger. "I thought you were supposed to be the hero! You're gonna shoot an unarmed man?!" He gestured to his holster and blaster, also on the ground next to his vest and shirt. "How could you?!" The lupine's voice dripped with mock disapproval. "For shame, Foxy!"

Grumbling, Fox put his blaster away. "All right, fine. But I'm not taking off my damn shirt!" He raised his arms, hopping back and forth on his feet, his tail bobbing behind him.

Wolf charged forward, throwing his arm out, his claws moving so fast they left distortions in the air. Fox wasn't afraid though, knowing he was the faster of the two. He turned his head to the left, the claws brushing his fur and taking a few strands away. Leaping over Wolf, Fox took a step on his shoulder as he passed by. A light pole stood tall behind the lupine, Fox using one foot to bounce off of it and the other to deliver a kick straight to Wolf's head. The lupine didn't have time to turn around as the hit connected, sending him staggering away as he put a hand to his head.

Though he was grumbling, Wolf had a smirk on his face as he rubbed the blood away from his jaw. "Nice moves, kiddo. Got any more?"

"Plenty." Fox raised up his fist. "Let's do thi-"

Something collided with Fox, sending him to the pavement. It turned out to be Kiryu, having been slammed into the guardrail again by one of Majima's attacks. The vulpine scrambled to his feet, as Wolf grinned, waving his claws at the smaller canine. Meanwhile, Majima closed in on Kiryu, twirling the knife as easily as any knife thrower at a carnival.

"You know Majima…" Wolf said as an aside. "I thought you were talking shit before, but now I agree. We are kindred spirits. Diggin' that snake design on your eyepatch, by the way."

"Your eyepatch ain't so bad either! A wolf wearing an eyepatch! What could be more badass than that?" Majima laughed, as the two of them cornered Fox and Kiryu by the guardrail, threatening them with a thirty foot drop to the train tracks below. "Whaddaya say we take these two out together?"

"Sounds good to me! Maybe you can even join Star Wolf!"

"Nah, I'd rather have you join the Majima family!"

Wolf's grin vanished, as he looked over at Majima. "No way, I'm in charge."

Now it was Majima giving the stink eye. "I don't think so, ya mutt, in fact..."

The two of them bickered with each other, ignoring both Kiryu and Fox as their voices rose in volume, both of them making all sorts of threats against each other and their respective organizations.

"Hey, Fox…" Kiryu whispered.

Fox looked up. "Wha-AAAAH!"

Kiryu grabbed Fox by the hand and swung him around like a sack of potatoes, Fox screaming the whole way with his jaw wide open. Wolf and Majima looked up in time to have Fox's boot connect with their heads, sending them to the ground together.

Meanwhile Kiryu dropped Fox back on his feet, the vulpine with a furious expression on his face. "Hey! What'd you do that for?!" He hissed as he soothed the arm Kiryu had grabbed. For a moment there, it felt like it was going to pop out of its socket.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Kiryu smiled, turning back to their opponents. "Anyway, let's worry about it after the fight."

Wolf and Majima climbed back to their feet, the lupine looking a lot more pissed. "Why you…! Stupid baldskin!" Wolf picked up one of the pipes that had rolled away from the construction area, charging Kiryu as he swung the pipe wildly. Kiryu juked left and right, avoiding the incoming swings. Furious, Wolf swung faster and harder, but compared to Majima his form was sloppy, each blow telegraphed by him throwing his arm back for more force. Kiryu ducked underneath another swing, crouched on the ground.

"I've got you now!" Wolf got a sick grin on his face, pulling the pipe back for an overhead slam.

Kiryu spun around while crouched, doing a low sweep kick on Wolf's feet, knocking him to the ground, sending the pipe clattering across the concrete.

Smirking, Kiryu rose to his feet, but Fox spotted Majima creeping up behind Kiryu, knife in hand. "Look out, Kiryu!"

Fox rushed towards Kiryu, jumping in the air and placing a foot on Kiryu's shoulder. He used it as a springboard to jump again, aiming a drop kick right at Majima. The eyepatched human looked up, wide eyed as Fox flew towards him like a missile. While the vulpine was small and light, the extra height gave him more force as he descended, both boots plowing straight into Majima's bare chest, sending him to the ground. Fox rebounded away, pulling a backflip to land on his feet.

The vulpine let out a breath, grinning. While he preferred his Arwing, he had to admit going back to the most barebones form of combat was a nice change of pace.

Majima laughed, wiping some blood away from his mouth as he climbed back to his feet. "Not bad, Foxu-chan!" He brandished the knife in his hands, stalking towards the smaller vulpine. "Now how about we try that agai-"

In the blink of an eye, Fox backflipped, his leg kicking out as he did so.

Majima took it straight to the chin, staggering backwards and almost falling over again. He groaned, holding onto his mouth where he'd been hit. "Damn, you're fast!" Majima mumbled, the words garbled he kept a hand over his mouth. "Shoulda figured, with you bein' a fox and all! I need to stop playing around…"

Majima put the knife away...only to replace it with a baseball bat. Fox's eyes widened as he watched Majima twirl it around as easily as if it were a baton, grinning the whole way.

~X~

On the other end of the bridge, Wolf lunged at Kiryu, his claws slicing through the air. Kiryu had already picked up some gashes on his bare skin from the attacks, hot blood intermixing with his sweat. Compared to human opponents who attacked while upright, Wolf seemed to prefer leaning forward and lunging with his long arms. Kiryu found himself on the defensive, leaping backwards lest he take a claw to the calf. What a strange stance! Hard to counter with punches, since he's keeping his body low. Normally that would slow down a human, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for him. It's like being attacked by a rabid dog trying to bite you in the leg!

Kiryu took another step back, only to find his foot meet the guardrail at the edge of the bridge. He was trapped, and Wolf knew it. The lupine grinned as he took another swing with those claws. Thinking fast, Kiryu grasped the railing and leaned backwards, both of his legs leaving the ground as Wolf cut clean through where they had been a split second before. Though he teetered over the train tracks far below, Kiryu was cool and confident, a smirk on his face. Too close now. As his momentum swung back, Kiryu brought the back of his foot down hard...right on the back of Wolf's head. The canine faceplanted muzzle first into the pavement, crying out and rolling to the side as he pawed at his bloody nose.

With the wolf momentarily dispatched, Kiryu looked up to see how Fox was doing. Majima had put away the knife and pulled out his trademark bat, and was trying to bash the poor vulpine's skull in with much gusto. Fox didn't seem to be in much danger though, as he damn near flashstepped all around Majima to avoid the blows. Even though Majima was quick himself, he seemed to be no match for the space fox's speed. Kiryu's eyes had trouble keeping up with the movements, even with his practiced eye.

Then in an instant, it was over. Majima went falling head over heels, as Fox seemed to flash step through him. One instant Fox was crouching in front of Majima, and in the other he crouched behind him, Majima now flat on the pavement.

Kiryu walked over, as Fox dusted off his flight suit. "That was rad! What move was that?"

"Oh, that?" Fox gave a sideways smirk. "I call it the Fox Illusion."

Hmm...Essence of Fox Illusion. I wonder if I could learn it too...but these space animals seem to be able to do things a human could not. Not to mention I'm over fifty now…

Kiryu heard a groan behind him, seeing Wolf start to get to his feet. And on the other side, Majima appeared to be getting up as well. Fox and Kiryu exchanged a look with each other, the two of them nodding. They broke out into a sprint, running past each other to their respective rivals.

While Wolf tried to stand, Fox planted one of his feet to the ground while unleashing a flurry of kicks, battering him with the blows. Then spinning around, Fox gave one final hard kick, knocking Wolf straight over the bridge's railing. A loud clang sounded from below. Fox hurried over to look, seeing Wolf had fallen on the roof of a passing train...that was now carrying him away from the fight. Growling, Wolf leaped to his feet, running with all his might to get back to the bridge, but the train was moving too fast for him to make it. Wolf tripped over a gap between the cars. Shaking his fist, he swore and shouted all kinds of obscenities that were soon out of earshot, soon disappearing around a bend as the commuter train pulled away.

Meanwhile, Kiryu unleashed a powerful uppercut under Majima's chin, sending him flying into the air. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Kiryu wasn't done, slamming Majima with a flurry of punches that kept him airborne from their force alone. He paused to take a breath, Majima hanging in the air, before Kiryu unleashed one final uppercut. "ORAAAAA!"

Majima went flying, smashing through the nearby construction barrier and shattering it to pieces, the bits clattering all over the ground. He wasn't moving anymore, aside from his heaving chest.

REWARD EARNINGS: 10,000 Cornerian Credits, 300 Strength EXP, 300 Ability EXP, 300 Spirit EXP, 300 Technique EXP, 300 Charm EXP

~X~

"Good grief…" Fox breathed hard, his hands on his knees. He looked out of breath and exhausted. "And I thought the bicycle and the orange were over the top…"

"You didn't do too bad yourself with the train." Kiryu smirked at Fox, rotating his arm as if he'd got done with a relaxing exercise.

The two of them looked at Majima still lying in the middle of the shattered barrier.

"So...uh…" Fox breathed hard. "What about him?"

"He'll be okay. We do this all the time." Kiryu walked away for a moment to collect his shirt and jacket, checking his watch. "He'll probably be back up in about...now."

Majima let out his laugh again, albeit this time it sounded a little more pained. Nonetheless, he wobbled back to a stand before long. "Hahah! Now that was fun, Kiryu-chan!" He went to grab his snakeskin jacket.

"Only you would follow me to the other end of the galaxy to have a fight, Majima-san…" Kiryu rolled his eyes, doing his best to clean the dust off his jacket.

Majima called out to the Cornerian yakuza who were still nearby. "You guys can go home now! See ya later!" With a huff, the mob of nicely-dressed dogs dispersed. "So…" Majima fluffed his snakeskin jacket, making sure it was straightened out. "Now that we've all had a workout, who's up for going out to eat? Replenishing some lost calories? I'll treat!"

Kiryu smirked, as he slipped his jacket back on over his shirt. "Sounds good Majima. You'll have to show me around though. I don't know any of the restaurants here."

"No problem, Kiryu-chan!"

"Uh…wha?" Fox stared at the two humans, his jaw dropped. "You two were beating the life out of each other before, and now you wanna grab something to eat together? It's almost like…like you're friends."

"In a sense…we kind of are." Kiryu grinned at Majima. "We just have our own way of expressing our friendship."

Fox seemed at a loss for words.

Kiryu shrugged. "Let me explain. This is every day for us, really. I go into the corner shop. Majima watches me look at the magazines through the window. We fight. I'm headed somewhere out to eat. He jumps out of a manhole. We fight. I go to the club. He's dancing in there. We fight. He dresses up like a cop and frisks me for weapons. We fight. He dresses up like a hostess and tries to woo me. We fight. Heck, he's even challenged me at MesuKing and bowling."

Fox's eyebrow raised higher and higher as Kiryu kept listing their battles, especially the last few…

"It's been so many times, I stopped counting after about the seventeenth time, but…" Kiryu did some math on his fingers. "It must have been over fifty times now."

"Fifty?!" Fox looked ready to collapse. "I get tired thinking about it."

"So yeah," Kiryu looked back to Majima. "Where can we eat, Majima-san?"

Majima let out a cackling laugh. "As a matter of fact, Kiryu-chan, I know a nice little ramen shop over at the next train stop, if you wanna check it out. You can come with us too Fox. I don't mind paying for you too!"

"Heh, seems like they have everything here we do back home." Kiryu smirked. "Sounds good. Let's go."

Fox stared, befuddled as the two aliens walked away while chatting, but threw up his hands and followed. He supposed what was said was as good an explanation as he was going to get. Were all humans like this though? Did they all fight each other because they were friends and not the other way around? What a crazy species!

As they left the bridge though, he noticed something on the ground. A black bodysuit, a vest, a blaster and- Oh, it's Wolf's things. Fox picked them up, wrapping the blaster with Wolf's bodysuit. He sniffed them. Man, these stink, but I can't leave his gun lying around. Better take it all with me.

~X~

After Fox caught up with Kiryu and Majima, the three of them walked over to the nearby train platform. With a whistle, the train soared into the station and came to a stop in front of them, the doors opening wide to reveal a familiar face.

"Wolf?!" Fox said.

The lupine looked out of breath and sweaty, not to mention dirtied with dust, oil, blood, and mud all over him. He was cradling his injury from when he'd fallen shoulder first onto the roof of the train, while his chest heaved. "I thought these commuter trains were slow. Had no idea how quick they were till I tried running faster than one…" His ears flicked up, as he realized Kiryu, Majima, and Fox were all standing beside each other without any fists flying. "Huh? Why aren't you fighting each other now? What'd I miss?"

"I'm as confused as you Wolf." Fox shrugged. His ears shot up with realization. "Hey, wasn't I supposed to take you in?!"

The two looked like they were about to fight again, barging up to each other, but Majima stepped between them.

"Don't worry your fuzzy little heads about it! Foxu-chan, it sounds like all this trouble started because I made my costume look like Wolf's I was only causing trouble to lure Kiryu out, so now my guys'll stand down and everything will be fine! I'm a legitimate business man, you know! Come on, let's get on the train! I'll say more on the way!"

The four of them boarded, taking seats next to each other, as it smoothly glided away from the stop. Though they got some curious glances from other passengers, they were left alone. Meanwhile Fox gave Wolf his garments back, letting him put them back on so he wouldn't be running around the city half naked. Not that some of the ladies (and a couple of men) on the train seemed to mind admiring his figure...

Majima pulled out a small silver case, removing a gold-colored business card and presenting it to Fox with the utmost precision, as if he were a salaryman. Kiryu found it funny watching him do it. The card displayed the Majima clan symbol along the top.

"Uh…" Fox was confused as he took the card and looked at it. "Majima Construction? You do...construction?"

"Nani?!" Kiryu swiped the card from Fox, looking at it in disbelief. "You expanded your business to Lylat too?!"

"Oh, you're good Kiryu-chan!" Majima did his mocking little laugh again. "I built this whole neighborhood! We're calling it Little Kamurocho!"

Kiryu looked around in disbelief as all of the buildings slid past the train window. To think everything he saw before him was due to the will of Majima-san… "How did you get the money to do all of this?! I would've struggled to do it even back in the eighties during the bubble!"

Majima gave a sly grin. "Well, you remember Mr. Shakedown? Hiroya-san? You know how fast he got his money shaking people down back then, right? Now imagine how much money he's managed to get in three decades!"

Kiryu thought he'd be surprised...but he wasn't. It all made sense now.

"So you're saying you beat Hiroya-san, you got all his money, you started your own space program-or rather, you took over his-and you did all of this?!"

"Oh yeah, Kiryu-chan! I'm richer than Avon Hertz now!" Majima drummed his finger on the nearby train car pole, as he checked his smartphone.

"Are all humans as crazy as you two?" Fox asked. He looked at Wolf. "Kiryu said they've fought each other over fifty times!"

Wolf found himself stunned by the number, but a mad gleam came to his eye as he looked at Fox. "Is that so?" The lupine slammed a fist into his palm. "We're slacking off Fox! We need to play catch up! I want to have at least a hundred fights with you now! Also, I might start calling you Foxu-chan now! I think it's an adorable nickname, don't you?"

Fox groaned, leaning back into his chair.

"You know...I realize I haven't even asked you two what your story is." Kiryu leaned over. "Why do you two fight each other?"

"Oh, him and me?" Wolf smirked. "We've fought each other a lot too over the years, except we do it with space fighters! We've battled over Venom, and we also fought the Aparoid bugs and kept them from assimilating the system! We've done it all!"

Foxes and wolves flying fighter jets, fighting bugs in outer space… Now I've heard of everything. Kiryu rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something out of Fantasy Zone or Space Harrier…"

"What are those things?" Fox asked.

"Eh, some old Sega arcade games from the eighties. Don't worry too much about it."

"Heh, maybe we could have our own games too, Fox!" Wolf nudged him in the shoulder.

"Ah get real…" Fox shoved him away. "Saving Lylat's enough for me. I don't need my own game."

"Hehe!" Majima laughed. "What about us, Kiryu-chan? Maybe someone could pick up our story and make it a game!"

Kiryu found the idea amusing, although he shook his head. "Nah, I don't want that kind of attention." Not to mention doing voice acting for that yaoi game left a bad taste in my mouth…

"Oh well, maybe I can bankroll it!" Majima laughed. "In a couple of days, I'm going to be even richer. Soon I'll be headed back to Earth for a special event, and I want you to be there Kiryu-chan! Da da da Da da DAAAAAAAAAH!" He pulled a flyer out of his jacket and handed it to Kiryu.

What Kiryu saw there shocked him so much he dropped the flyer, and picked it back up again, glancing between Majima and the paper. "No! No no no…" Kiryu shook his head. "This has to be another one of your pranks. Even you couldn't do this!"

Majima still had a huge shit-eating grin on his face, as he watched Kiryu process what he'd read. "Wait a few more days, then tell me I'm kidding…"

~X~

"Goro Majima, I speak for all of Japan when I say how honored it was you who made peaceful first contact with an alien race. Japan is now the first country on earth to have contacted an alien race, and our prominence has been boosted to astronomical levels on the world stage again." The man shook hands with Majima.

"Oh don't worry your tits about it!" Majima's cackling laugh echoed through the room. "It was nothing! I did it because I felt like it!"

The other man was the Japanese prime minister.

Kiryu watched off to the side, facepalming the hardest face palm of all time.

The three of them stood in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City, where Majima was about to speak to the entire world. Well, not only the world, but also the Lylat System, as this was being broadcast there as well. This was considered by many across both systems to be a momentous occasion, heralding an entirely new era where two new civilizations would learn more about each other and hopefully grow together in a peaceful, productive relationship.

Majima still wore his damn snakeskin jacket, and hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt under it.

"Are you ready for the ceremony?" A brown hare in a red general's uniform asked Majima. Fox had introduced him to Kiryu earlier as his godfather, Peppy Hare. Another original name straight from Corneria.

Majima laughed, clenching his fists. "You betcha! Let's get this shit goiiiiiiing!" He strutted his way towards the podium, not even caring as he shoved aside a poor intern.

All of the world leaders and bureaucrats nearby shuffled around awkwardly as they watched Majima's vulgar speech and actions, but did their best to put on smiles for the occasion. Language should have been a barrier, but Majima had opened a contract with a Lylatian manufacturer to create universal translators for people on Earth, and everybody here was wearing one of them. Just another one of his new businesses he'd opened since going to Lylat.

The Mad Dog of Shimano stepped up to the podium, before billions of people, and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, along with a separate medal from Peppy. Majima spoke at the podium, his words sounding more like shrieks at times, people in the audience visibly recoiling back as his voice caused scratchy feedback in the sound system. Everyone in the audience looked at each other...some of them suppressing laughs, some looking on in horror, while others expressed disgust and shook their heads.

Kiryu meanwhile stood off to the side stiffly, his hands folded behind his back as he watched the spectacle unfold. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would see something like this...Majima of all people being credited as bringing peace and prosperity to Earth.

Meanwhile Kiryu glanced at a television showing a feed from outside. Those 'furry' people Majima mentioned had filled the streets for multiple blocks surrounding the U.N. building, a rainbow kaleidoscope of colors on all of their dog, cat, dragon, goat, or whatever other animal costumes they were wearing. All of them were hoping to get a glance of the real live space animals in the building, and were barely being held back by security outside. Though they were only people in costumes, they terrified Kiryu, more so than any army of thugs coming to kill him. He dreaded what it must be like for those guards out there. Kiryu thought Majima was talking nonsense before when he brought up the furry community...

Also, that was another business opportunity Majima had opened. He'd started to organize tours for the furries to Lylat, and they'd sold out within minutes. The tickets were being scalped for close to ten million yen online now.

"Isn't this great?!" Haruka stood beside Kiryu in the best dress she had. "We found aliens, and it turns out they're super cute!" She looked over at the Star Fox team waiting off to the side, also in attendance. "This is like-"

"Zooarium...yeah, I know." Kiryu replied by reflex, not actively listening to her words.

Ever since Kiryu had taken up Hiroya-san's invitation to go to space, he felt like he'd been in a dream he couldn't wake up from. Hiroya's personal space program, the visit to Lylat, the space animals, and finding out Majima had expanded his business to cater to the space animals. But this topped everything. Surely none of this was real, right? But he'd pinched his hand so many times it had enough red marks on it to create a solid red rash.

Shaking his head, he facepalmed again...feeling like he was going to leave a centimeters-thick imprint on it with how hard he pressed.

~X~

A week later, Kiryu found himself back in Kamurocho, standing on Tenkachi Street where he had encountered Mr. Shakedown for the first time in three decades. This was where the entire saga had begun, yet everything appeared as normal as it could be. Well, as normal as things could get in Kamurocho with Majima and the other weirdos around, anyway… He gazed up at the night sky, the far off stars twinkling as best as they could under the assault from the lights of Tokyo all around him.

I went up there, but I can't believe it's true. Or any of that other stuff I saw in Lylat or New York. Surely I'm going to wake up soon, right?

Oh well. Kamurocho was still here and it wasn't going anywhere, right? Well, at least until someone launches a scheme to take it over again. Like the vacant lot. Or the Jingweon Mafia. Or, or… Kiryu shook his head. All right, bad example. But oh well. If there's a new threat I'm sure I'll get mixed up in the center of it somehow and destroy it, like I always do. Everything's still as it was before. I better go check on Haruka. She's trying to date one of those Lylatians, since she thinks they're all as cute as stuffed animals. Don't know how I feel about her going across the stars on Majima's new starliner to find true love…especially if it's full of those 'furry' people.

Kiryu shook his head. What am I thinking? He looked around the street, watching all of the people walk past as though it was an ordinary night. Which it was. Right? Humanity was still alone in the universe, weren't they? Talk about a bizarre adventure.

As Kiryu departed Tenkachi Street, a cab arrived at the curb by the main strip, a man in a business suit getting out of the car. He had the face of a raccoon dog. The animal paid his cab fare to the driver, who was baffled by the man's appearance, but nonetheless maintained a neutral face and the requisite level of Japanese politeness and professionalism endemic to his job.

"Arigato." The raccoon dog man said, his briefcase inscribed with Y. de Pon on a brass plate. "Can you tell me where the Tojo Clan offices are?"

Substory #10,462 – To Infinity… END

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the story!

I got the idea for it after thinking of what it would be like if Mr. Shakedown, Hiroya Egashira, would do if he actually got together enough money to train in space, like he declared he would do after Kiryu defeated him the fifth time in Yakuza 0. The idea is already absurd, so I didn't think it'd be that much more absurd to say he ended up in the Lylat System, which led to this current story XD It just naturally grew and evolved from there.

Also, a fair bit of this story's inspiration was helped along by my own trip to Japan in 2013, which is ironic since this story's all about leaving Japan. Regardless, I took all the feelings and memories I had from being there so far away from home, and put them to use when writing this story. A lot of Kiryu's feelings as he sees Corneria City for the first time are also my own from my first morning in Tokyo. Also, it's been so long since I visited Japan, it feels like a dream now and sometimes I can't believe I went there. You can see parallels from this final section with Kiryu too, right? :)

After this I should be getting back to Hazardous Contents and the Shoot the Tubes revamp. See you over there!