3(AN: Oh man, sorry for not updating like a few days ago like I normally do. But I guess to make up for that, here comes probably the longest chapter for this fic so far! We're talking 4.1k words here, and man, I spend around 3-4 nights on this. I hope it pays off :P

The stuff in this chapter are stuff I've been planning for a while, and what are they? Well, let's just say I think it's Espio's time to shine...

One last thing, as a bit of a warning, there is going to be quite a bit of violence towards the middle of the chapter. So for those who are squicky by that sorta thing, you have been warned in advance.)


For many days in November, Vector's prediction about days getting better turned out to be true. On November 2nd, Rotor gave back the symbol, now fixed. Espio was glad to get back what he said was a "family heirloom". It seems like things after that couldn't get any better, and for many days, it stayed that way.

However, it soon came tumbling down.

One morning toward mid-November, around 7:00 A.M., Vector's cellphone buzzed from the desk. The crocodile yawned and rubbed his eyes, getting out of bed as the cold of the room hit him due to being dressed in nothing but his boxers. Vector picked up his phone and answered it, wondering who would call him this early in the morning.

"Mmm… what is it?" he asked tiredly.

"Vector, it's me, Knuckles." Knuckles said on the other line.

"Oh, Knux… what's up?"

It was then that Vector noticed what seemed to be paranoia in the red echinda's voice.

"Vector, listen to me. Drop whatever you're doing and get to the locker room."

"I was only sleepin', so not like I was doin' anythin'. What's wrong?"

"Just… come here. It's urgent."

"Alright, alright…"

The crocodilian quarterback hung up as Espio woke up, mainly due to Vector talking on the phone.

"V-Vector?" Espio asked, raising himself up from his covers. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Knux is tellin' me to head to the locker room." The large green reptile explained. "From the way he said it, he sounded kinda frantic. C'mon, let's head out together."

"Yes, we should. Although, I recommend a change of clothes."

Vector looked down at his almost naked self and flushed. "Y-Yeah… I agree…"


Bundling up in warm sweaters and sweat pants, Vector and Espio made their way to the locker rooms by the football field. As they did, the two reptiles noticed all sorts of trash littered all over the floor.

"That wasn't there yesterday…" Vector noted. He and Espio walked into the locker room, seeing everyone on the team all standing near each other. As soon as he got in plain sight, Vector's jaw dropped as he froze.

"Oh mah god…" he said. Espio looked past Vector as he too froze.

The locker room was completely vandalized; graffiti was spray-painted all over the walls, broken equipment lying on the ground, and trash on the floor much like how it was outside. The phrase "THIS IS REVENGE" was spray-painted on both the walls and the lockers. Coach Augustus, who was holding a pencil in his hand, soon snapped it in half as his arm began to shake intensely.

"Who… who did this…" The large polar bear growled. Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Coach Augustus yelled, punching the wall next to him. "WHOEVER THE LITTLE SHITS WHO DID THIS, THEY AREN'T GOING TO GET AWAY!"

Espio was in near shock at the coach's outburst, never seeing him so enraged. The foreign exchange student could then hear Vector growling beside him.

"What kinda little punk thinks this is cool… If I get mah hands on 'em, I'm gunna kill them!" Vector said through gritted teeth. Espio's heart pained seeing his friend so angry, and while everyone else stayed in the locker room, bantering angrily between each other about the situation, the fuchsia reptile sneaked out of the locker room quietly.

He looked up at the morning sky as a breeze hit him from behind.

"Vector… for you, your coach, and your team… I shall find out who did this… Evil acts must not be tolerated in this world."


Beginning with his search, Espio knew he had to get information from people first. He went to Mighty and Knuckles' dorm and asked the armadillo.

"Sorry, Espio. I don't know much besides from what Knuckles told me. But yeah, whoever did that? That wasn't cool."

Espio then continued with other people he knew and conversed with. Heading to the dining hall, the chameleon proceeded to ask the Babylon Rogues.

"Sorry kid, don't got nothin'." Jet said with his hands behind his head. "I only heard about it through a lot of people. It's spreading around like wildfire. But no, I don't know who did it."

Then Maria and Barbi from the sandwich shop him and Vector went to.

"I-I'm sorry! I wish I knew more, but I only know about what happened! I'm truly sorry!" Maria said. Espio calmly told her that it was fine, and that he appreciated the help.

"And as for you, B-Barbi was it?"

"Yeah, nope, I got nothing. I only heard about it cause Maria mentioned it to me."

Heading to the Rec Room, Espio then proceeded to ask Bow and his group of friends.

"Nope. I'm sorry if it wasn't the answer you wanted, Espio, but none of us know what happened. Though funny that you mentioned that it was just the locker room. One of my mates told me the field was vandalized as well." Bow said. Espio cringed, knowing that the team would be in even more rage if they had already found out.

"We're sorry, I know you want some more information, but no one here really knows who did it." said Thorn. However, Alan stepped in front of her.

"That might not be true. Try asking an RA or an official with the school, perhaps they might know something." suggested Alan. Taking the quail's advice, Espio then proceeded to ask Blaze, since she was the RA for the Rec Room. Surprisingly, she had an answer.

According to her, the security guards of Mobius U caught surveillance footage of five large unknown individuals walking to the locker rooms, first putting trash on the ground, then entering and soon exiting the locker room. While this gave Espio a closer answer, Blaze said that no one knew who the five in the footage were, as they were covered in facemasks and black sweaters.

Exiting the Rec Room, Espio was glad to have a few clues: first, five people were involved with the vandalism. And second: they had a large, muscular build.

Hoping to find a few more answers, Espio then asked Sonic, Manic, and Sonia, who had nothing, much like everyone else. However, when he asked Sally, he had another clue: apparently, it is believed that the five are not from Mobius U, but instead, another college, due to the cryptic "THIS IS REVENGE" message.

The female chipmunk theorized that the five came to the locker rooms to vandalize it in response to their school losing a football game. Not to mention, destroying the equipment as it was getting closer to the qualifications for the finals seemed like it matched up as well.

With all the people he knew, Espio knew it was everything he needed. He walked out of Sally's RA room and made his way outside of the school. He then took note of the important details: five mobians, large muscular builds, and motive being revenge over lost football game.

Espio felt like he got a fair amount of information, but felt like it wasn't enough. He was a bit nervous to ask his other professors at first, but as soon as he saw Professor Finitevus, the foreign exchange student went up to him, asking him if he knew about the situation and the perpetrators.

While the white echidna professor said he didn't know who did it, he told Espio that the school is reviewing the footage over and over to see if they can find any faces.

"I also overheard them mentioning that the school needs more security cameras, especially in the locker rooms so situations like this couldn't happen again."

Espio bowed and thanked Professor Finitevus before walking off. There was only two other people that Espio knew who he hadn't talked to; Valdez and Headmaster Robotnik. However, Valdez was usually not around a lot, meaning that Espio's choice of person to talk to was the headmaster.

The chameleon walked into the school official's office and requested to see the headmaster.

"What for?" The secretary, a lynx named Nicole, asked.

"It is about the situation that happened."

The lynx looked at Espio before pushing a few buttons on a keypad near her.

"I see. Go through the doors and you should find the Headmaster's office."

Espio nodded and thanked Nicole as he entered.

All around, various offices for different officials for Mobius U lay. It almost felt like a maze to Espio, having to turn his head left and right in order to find Headmaster Robotnik's office.

He eventually found the door which lead to the headmaster's office. As he did however, two officers walked out of the room, startling Espio slightly. The chameleon poked his head out from the doorway.

"Ah… Espio. Is there an issue?" asked Robotnik. Espio walked into his office and sat down on a chair.

"It's about the vandalism in the locker rooms."

Headmaster Robotnik sighed. "I thought today was going to be peaceful… little did I know… Well, I had two officers question me about it and I asked if they could find any evidence on whoever caused this. The situation should be looked at, but I know you must be hurting due to being Vector's friend, correct?"

Espio nodded; that was the main reason he set out to find whoever vandalized the locker room.

"Well, I hope we can find the people who did this. I'm sure everyone at our school would appreciate it dearly."

"Yes… I agree… B-But… do you have an idea who did it?"

"Who did it?" Headmaster Robotnik asked. He scratched his chin, then his moustache. "I can't say for sure… but if I had to guess, judging from the surveillance footage, we're dealing with someone who also knows how to get to the school by foot since they were found running away."

With the last of the knowledge he got, Espio thanked Headmaster Robotnik before leaving his office.


Heading outside of the school, Espio remembered all the information he got from everyone he talked to. Yet, despite with certain details listing characteristics of culprits, there could be so many people that could fit their description.

It was then that Espio heard loud laughing near him. Feeling something suspicious, Espio hid behind a bush as he saw five large and muscular mobians walking on the path to the technology department. He could hear them having a conversation.

"Ha ha ha! Can you believe some of those Mobius U jackasses are freaking out so bad over what we did?" The one in the middle, a white wolf wearing a sleeveless blue vest said.

"Yup! Gotta say, Drago, you did a nice job organizing everything." said a yellow ox.

"Hey there, Jun! Not giving me some of the credit is like fucking a girl with a condom! You just don't do it!" exclaimed a brown dog to whom Espio assumed was "Jun", the yellow ox.

"It would be you to say that, Sleuth." said a monkey, the largest one of the group. "Tell me, how many girls you got pregnant? Forty-one or something?"

Everyone laughed except for Sleuth, growling at the monkey.

"Don't fuck with me, man! I at least know when to pull out! Besides, like I want kids."

"You'd be the world's worst parent, Sleuth." said a bear, last on the right. "But yeah, getting back on track, I think we all deserve something for the accomplishment we did last night."

"Agreed right there, Diesel. Let's order like, five pizzas when we get back to Crisis City to celebrate and watch the Mobius U cunts wallow away at their oh-so poor locker room." said Drago. "Heh, this'll teach them not to fuck with Crisis City's football team and make us look like a bunch of pussies when we lost. And the best part? They'll never know it was all us."

While Espio remained hidden, he was completely shocked. The five walking away from his hiding spot were the felons that vandalized the locker room. Despite how rude they seemed, Espio knew he couldn't let them get away with anything.

"This is for you, Vector… and everyone else on your team…"

Espio got up from his hiding position and stood up straight, glaring at the five football players from Crisis City University.

"Stop. All five of you." Espio said in a serious tone. The five stopped as they looked behind them.

"Huh? What the fuck?" Drago said. He saw Espio standing a few feet away from him.

"Awh shit, Drago! I think shorty there heard us!" Diesel said. Drago glared at the bear, then at Espio.

"You hurt my friend." said Espio.

"Friend? You mean to tell me someone on your team is your friend? Pff, ha ha ha! Don't even make me laugh!" said the white wolf, laughing hard. Drago's friends began to laugh with him as well.

As Espio became embarrassed, he noticed that Jun, the yellow ox, had a necklace with a symbol he has seen before. The chameleon's eyes widened as he realized what it was; the symbol of Northern Mobius' main religion.

"You, ox." Espio said, pointing at Jun.

"What? What do you want?" Jun replied.

The foreign exchange student began to speak in his native language. "I know you are from Northern Mobius. You do not deserve to carry that symbol on your necklace if you commit acts like this."

Jun scoffed as he put his arms together. "Well, who knew someone from where I lived went here." The large, muscular yellow ox took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, taking one cigarette out from the box and lighting it up. He inhaled the tobacco and blew it out from his mouth. "Look here, who the fuck do you think you are telling me what I can and can't do?"

"Do you believe that no one will find out about this?! Evil must be eradicated from this world!"

"You little prick!-"

Just as Jun dropped his cigarette to the ground and started to walk towards Espio, Drago pulled him back.

"Don't. Let me deal with him."

The muscular wolf walked towards Espio and looked down at him.

"Listen kid, this is going to be my only warning to you. You turn around and forget you saw us, and we'll make sure we won't touch this school again. Got it?" growled Drago. The fuchsia reptile lowered his glare at the white wolf.

"No. I don't. You hurt my friend, and I shall take my revenge."

"You little bitch! You'll regret that!" Drago snarled as he threw his fist at Espio. The chameleon dodged quickly as he put on a stance.

"Get him!" yelled Drago. Jun, Sleuth, Diesel, and the monkey (named Sergeant) ran towards Espio. Jun attempted to strike Espio in the face, but the fuchsia reptile quickly crouched down, kicking him under his legs. Jun dropped to the ground and tried to get up as Sergeant threw multiple punches. While Espio was hit on his left arm, he was able to block one punch with his right hand. He then grabbed the large simian and threw him to the ground hard.

As the fight between the five Crisis City U football players and the foreign exchange student continued, hundreds upon hundreds of students and teachers began to surround the six.

As Sergeant was thrown to the ground, Espio caught himself off guard as he was kicked in the stomach by Sleuth. The large dog placed his foot on Espio's chest, applying pressure.

"*huff* Now you're gunna get it, ya little shit." he said. Espio clenched his teeth as he put his arms around Sleuth's legs and brought him to the ground. Getting up, Espio jumped off from Sleuth's chest as only Diesel and Drago remained.

"Dammit! He got Jun, Sleuth, and Sergeant!" Diesel exclaimed.

"Alright! Me and you are gunna make sure this little punk isn't gunna live!" Drago yelled. The crowd simply stood around, not daring to interrupt the fight.

Diesel charged towards Espio, tackling him to the ground. He threw a few punches to his face, feeling each and every punch sting his face. Espio soon spit out blood from his mouth as he soon made his next attack. The chameleon threw Diesel off the ground and karate chopped his neck. As the bear dropped to the ground, Espio grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.

With only Drago left, Espio stared at him in the eye, spitting out more blood on the ground as he saw three people coming in from the crowd from the corner of his eye.

"E-ESPIO?!" The chameleon heard someone exclaim. He turned his head and saw Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty only a few feet away from him. The crocodile looked incredibly shocked as his jaw was dropped.

"I'm coming for you little prick!" Espio heard Drago yell. Just before he could attack, a twinkle shined in Espio's eye as he put on a stance.

"Haa! Ultimate Ninja Power!" Espio exclaimed in Japanese. He began to spin in place as he moved towards Drago. Hitting the wolf, he grabbed him by his arm, continuing to spin. He soon let go of Drago as he became dizzy. Espio stopped spinning as he back flipped in the air and kicked him on the back of his leg. He grabbed Drago in a chokehold as he took out a kunai knife and held it towards his neck.

"ESPIO! WHAT IN CHAOS' NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" Espio heard Coach Augustus yell. The chameleon turned his head and threw Drago to the ground near his four friends.

"They did it." Espio breathed, pointing at Drago, Sleuth, Jun, Sergeant, and Diesel. "They are the ones who vandalized the locker room. They have come from Crisis City University, which is why they wanted revenge."

The large polar bear ran towards the five as he checked each and every one of their I.D.'s. In order, Coach Augustus checked the I.D.s of Drago Wolf, Jun Kun, Sleuth "Doggy" Dawg, Diesel Bear, and Sergeant "Serg" Simian.

"Heh, I hope you realize how fucked you five are once we get you back to your school."


After campus police was called, they brought the five into a large car, driving back to Crisis City U.

With the situation resolved, everyone soon left the front of the school as Vector and Espio returned to their dorm. Espio had his wounds healed up, but the crocodile said nothing the entire way back. As they entered inside, the chameleon bowed to Vector.

"I hope I have fixed your situation, Vector…" he said. Vector looked flabbergasted.

"W-Wha? E-Espio!? I just, you did, all that-"

"Calm, Vector. Calm."

The large green reptile took a deep breath as he began.

"Espio… those moves… how the hell did ya do them?! I've never seen anyone do somethin' like that before!"

"Sit down. I shall explain everything."

When the two reptiles sat down, Espio got his bag and pulled out one of his kunai knives and a photo.

"It may be hard to believe Vector, but my ancestors were all ninjas."

"W-Wait, ninja's? Ya mean-?"

"Yes. For generations, our family has passed down the teachings and art of ninjitsu and becoming a master ninja. We train ourselves regularly by doing even the most simple of activities, as they help with our learning."

Espio held out the kunai. "This is a kunai. Every ninja is expected to carry one of them, and this is the most common weapon for a ninja to use."

Vector looked awestruck. "Whoa… still… I can't believe it… mah roomie… mah friend's a ninja…"

"Is it hard to believe?"

"I thought ninja's were somethin' in the movies."

"It's not as you think. Unlike fiction, being a ninja is much different than expected."

He then showed the crocodilian quarterback the photo. "The picture you're seeing was the day I graduated from my ninja academy. "

Vector examined the photo. A larger male and female fuchsia chameleon were standing by a smaller Espio, who was holding a stainless steel kunai.

"Yer folks?"

"Yes. Not pictured in here is my younger sister, Shami."

"Ya gotta nice little ninja family right there, Espio."

The foreign exchange student softly chuckled. "If that's how you see it, then yes, it is a "nice little ninja family"."

The two than sat in silence, before Vector spoke up. "So tell me, Espio… what do ya normally do when yer a ninja? Besides the whole fightin' stuff."

"I see where you're coming from. Well, when one is a ninja, we practice meditation a lot."

"Meditation?"

"Yes, I have meditated a lot during my time here. Perhaps you would like to join me for a session?"

"Well, what do I gotta do?"

"It is quite simple. Empty your mind, enter a calm state, close your eyes, and relax."

"That's it?"

"Yes, you try."

Vector looked at Espio before he took a deep breath. He cleared his mind, closed his eyes, and relaxed.

"Is it working?" asked the chameleon.

"Y-Yeah…"

Espio nodded as he watched Vector meditate. He decided to meditate along with him.


After about an hour, Vector and Espio's meditation session was finally over. Vector sighed as he got up.

"Man… I'm surprised… I feel a lot better after that. Thanks fer the meditation, Espio." said the crocodile.

"Well, you're welcome."

The two stood in silence before Vector broke it yet again.

"Man… today sure has been somethin'. I'm sure that meditation helped ya after yer little fight."

"Yes… it has."

"Man, Espio, it still shocks me how ya took on five guys larger than ya, and still managed to win."

"Being calm during situations helps, another thing taught in our ninja training. But… truth be told, Vector… I went after them because… of you."

"Me?"

"Yes… when I saw how mad your coach and especially you were… well… I knew I couldn't let them get away with this."

"Espio… I-I… I dunno what to say…"

"Well… I hope I have made you happy by finding out who angered you."

"I… well…" Vector was speechless at first. "Man… ya did this fer me especially… man… awh, c'mere buddy."

The large green reptile hugged the fuchsia reptile tightly. Espio felt himself blush as he felt Vector's muscular chest on his face.

After a minute, Vector still didn't let go of the hug.

"Um, Vector? I thought you would have stopped your hug." Espio said.

"Hey, it's a bro hug. Bro hugs are the best." replied Vector. "Cause… y-y'know… heh heh…"

Espio could see Vector's face becoming slightly red. He then shook his head as he looked at his roommate.

"What time is it anyway? Time fer lunch?"

Espio looked at the clock on the desk. "Apparently 12:36"

"Whaddya say? Wanna head to the dinin' hall fer lunch? Or ya not hungry yet?"

"I don't particularly mind."


Upon reaching the dining hall however, someone stood up, quieting the entire room.

"HEY GUYS! LOOK! IT'S THE TRANSFER KID WHO FOUND OUT WHO VANDALIZED THE FIELD!" The person yelled. Many began to whoop and holler as Espio looked around in confusion.

"What? What happened?" he asked. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him behind his neck playfully.

"You don't know? Everyone knows your awesome moves and how you kicked five guys' asses at the same time!" Knuckles said.

"Man, that was possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen! How come we didn't know you had that ability?" Mighty asked. Espio looked at him.

"W-Well…" he began. Just as he was about to answer the armadillo, Headmaster Robotnik came into the dining room, most likely drawn in by the noise everyone was making.

"Well, Espio, seeing this from you was certainly a surprise." he said. "While I don't approve of you using weapons on campus, Valdez has told me your reasoning for having it. So don't expect a punishment. What I'm here for is to tell you something quite important!"

"Important?" questioned the chameleon.

"You see, our school has trophies dedicated to mainly athletes setting records for the school, but we also have special deed awards, which are given to students doing good causes for the school, and I've decided that in the future, I'm declaring that you will receive an special deed award for finding the vandals who decided to mess with our school!"

A chant for Espio soon began to echo all over the room. The chameleon wasn't sure what to say, especially when everyone began to walk up to him and lift him up, carrying him throughout the dining hall. Espio looked at Vector, who gave him a thumbs up.

The fuchsia reptile smiled at Vector, and with that, he knew that today would be a day he wouldn't forget for all his time here at Mobius U.