(AN: Oh my god, I'm sorry this is so late. I didn't even except this story to be so long, but here we are at 9k words, the longest story period! Wow, what is this, a chapter of A Deal or No Deal?
Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy. I loved making this story either, and it definitely added more to the four characters of Transfer. Oh, and just to let you guys know, there'll only be 2 more stories left. Next one is the second to last one, so enjoy!
Story 34-
Beach Spring Break Fun Buddies
Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty spend the spring break week at the beach.
Notes - This story's concept also came from the talented Miguelisasir, in fact, when he brought it up, we talked about it for a WHILE. That's why there's so much in the story. Some of the concepts I mentioned here I had thought up in the original Transfer, while others are completely new.
Speaking of Transfer, much like the Spring Music Festival, this really should have been in the original Transfer. Also, so this doesn't contradict the music festival story, this takes place the week before that story.
Knuckles pounded on the door. "Vector? Espio? Are you guys done?!"
"In a minute, Knux! We're still packin'! We'll be out in a minute."
The echidna and armadillo sighed. It was the day before the start of their spring break, and for the occasion, the three athletes booked a rather cheap hotel to spend their week-long vacation to spend at the beach. They had spent all summer saving up as much money as possible (Mighty got a summer job at a gas station while Knuckles did lifeguard duty at the local pool, meanwhile Vector helped out his father at his lumberjack job), and they were determined to make the best of it. However, they needed to get to the hotel before 8pm.
The door finally opened, revealing Vector (wearing a white shirt, khaki pants, and sandals) and Espio (wearing his usual kimono, but had on sandals too). The two reptiles carrying their luggage in their hands, and the crocodile held bag in his other hand.
"Well there you guys are!" Mighty said. "What took so long?"
"Sorry Might, we got set back cuz Sally did dorm check," Vector replied. "Anyway, ya guys ready?!"
"Hell yeah! Have been since the start of April!" Knuckles said.
"So… you sure we got everything?" Mighty asked.
"Everything's packed!" Vector replied.
"Mighty, you asked that SO many times back at the dorm it's not funny."
As the four started walking, Espio felt nervous. He didn't know what a beach was, or any of the things Vector talked about. Not to mention… why did they want to bring him? Sure, he WAS dating the crocodile, but they didn't have to do this. Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty went as far as to convince Valdez to bring him along.
"I don't know what I'm talking about…" The chameleon thought. "Yes… I should try to enjoy this 'vacation'. After all… my friends are here with me."
The group headed towards Knuckles' car, a rather large Jeep. The echidna unlocked the door as he opened the trunk, placing his luggage into it. Everyone else did the same, Mighty closing it once all four bags were in there. The four got into the car as the large green reptile opened up his bag.
"Alright boys, I loaded up on snacks and drinks from the vending machine the night before. So let's enjoy this shit 'till the cows come home!" Vector said, pulling out a cola and a bag of hot fries. Mighty and Knuckles already dipped their hands into the snack bag as Espio looked to see what was inside. He decided to go with something called a 'honey bun'.
Knuckles started up the car, putting it in reverse, then in drive as he pulled out from the school's parking garage and onto the road. The armadillo turned on the echidna's GPS, which stated that there was 10 hours from the school to the hotel in Eastern Mobius.
"Buckle up boys, it's gonna be a fun ride!" Mighty said.
"Yo Might, get the Aux cord!" Vector said. The wrestler nodded as he got the cord, hooking it up to Knuckles' phone and going to the music app. Placing it on shuffle, a rap song began to play as the three athletes began to sing along.
Meanwhile, Espio stared out the window. Eastern Mobius… that's where all the beaches were, as explained to by Vector. Eastern Mobius… a new land…
It was strange, for someone who had never even step foot outside of his village until Valdez told him about Mobius U to not only be in Central Mobius, but now Eastern. For someone who thought the world around him was just Gojo… Espio wanted to see all of it now.
He took a bite of his honey bun, enjoyed the sweet taste, and then swallowed.
A FEW HOURS LATER
The group were finally in Eastern Mobius, driving to their hotel. Currently, Mighty was driving (the three athletes switched every three hours), and Espio and Knuckles were fast asleep.
Vector had his hand on his chin, looking out the window. In just a few hours, they would be arriving to their destination, and then, their week of fun would begin.
And speaking of fun…
The crocodile looked over to where Espio was sleeping, and smiled at the sight.
"I hope ya have a lot of fun on this trip, Esp…" He whispered to himself.
All of a sudden, Vector stopped himself when he saw his hand getting closer towards Espio's stationary one. He pulled it back, hoping that Mighty didn't see.
He shook his head. Maybe when they were alone they could get in some 'quality time'.
At last, the group finally made it to the hotel. The four got their luggage from the trunk, and then shut it as Knuckles locked the car. They made it towards the lobby, the echidna showing the attendee the receipt of the room.
"Okay okay, the echidna party," The skunk attendee said. "Your room is 343. Here's your key, sir."
"Thanks!"
As the three checked in, Espio looked around his surroundings. He had never been in… what did Vector call it? A hotel?
"Espio!" Mighty called out. The chameleon turned towards him as he went over to the group. Vector pressed the up button for the elevator. Seconds later, the doors swung open as the four went inside. Upon the doors closing, Espio's claustrophobia began to come to life. With nearly four people with luggage in hands inside a small elevator, it was natural why the chameleon was afraid.
Fortunately, the nightmare was over after only a few seconds as the doors swung open on the third floor. Everyone got out as they began to look for room 343. Knuckles was able to find it, right next to the ice machine on the floor. He took out his card key and swiped it, allowing entrance for the group.
As Vector turned on the lights, the four was able to see their room; two beds, a large TV, a fridge and a microwave, nightstand and phone, working AC, and on their left, a bathroom.
"Me 'n Espio call window bed!" Vector said. Mighty groaned.
"I wanted window bed…" The armadillo whined.
The crocodile and chameleon set their stuff down by their bed, getting onto the rather comfy bed.
"I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I think we should head to bed early," Vector said. "We got lots to do tomorrow."
"By lots to do you mean have as much fucking fun as possible, right?" Knuckles asked.
"Hell yeah," Vector took off his headphones. "So let's get some rest."
THE NEXT MORNING
The four woke up early that morning, feeling rather refreshed. As Knuckles, Mighty, and Vector were shirtless (the red echidna specifically nude), they placed back on whatever morning clothes they had on and went downstairs for breakfast.
Awaiting them was a container full of donut holes, mini muffins, slices of bread and bagels, sausage links, mini omelets, fruit, cereal, coffee, milk, and fruit juice. Never had so many tasty things been on Espio's plate before, and he made sure to get one of each thing. The chameleon even went as far to go for a second helping of a donut hole and some more toast.
After breakfast, everyone made the bed, brushed their teeth, took a shower, and got dressed as they would go to the beach today. As Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty put on shirts and shorts, Espio found himself with a pair provided by his boyfriend (it was apparently from when he was in elementary school). It felt so strange, not wearing his usual kimono, but it was Vector's idea…
Getting their bags containing what they needed, the four headed out the hotel as Vector put sunglasses on his forehead.
"Now we really look like tourists."
Mighty and Knuckles laughed as Espio grinned.
When the four finally arrived to the beach, they saw mobians of all genders and body types walk around the sandy beach. Vector began to chuckle.
"We're finally here! Time to enjoy the day!" The quarterback said.
"Time to be referred to as a beach hunk by the ladies~" Knuckles said, clicking his tongue.
Vector turned to face Espio, and mouthed the words; "I'm sure yer gonna be happy seein' me strut around shirtless."
The chameleon's face lit up.
"Let's go change first," Mighty said. The three athletes and the transfer student walked over to the changing rooms, stepping on the sand for the first time. Espio looked down.
"Err… Vector? What's this yellow stuff on the ground?" He asked.
"Oh, that's sand. Ya find them all the time on beaches, but I guess ya probably never have been to a beach, have ya?"
Espio shook his head.
When they entered, only three doors were open, and quickly, Vector, Knuckles and Mighty took them. This left Espio alone on the bench.
Was he really going to have to be shirtless in nothing more than these… beach shorts? It wasn't bad if he was alone, or with people he trusted… but the people on the beach were people he didn't know. It made him feel out of place, with skinny small him next to large, muscular men.
Mobians went in and out from the stalls as soon after, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty exited the room. What caught Espio off guard was Vector's 'swimwear'. It was nothing more than a black speedo, and a rather tight one too. He wasn't the only one to notice it too.
"Vector… what the hell is that?" Knuckles asked.
"What? It's mah swimsuit!" The crocodile replied.
"Vector, that is… quite possibly the GAYEST thing I've seen you wear, and I've seen the jockstrap image on your Instagram."
Oh, how could Espio forget THAT.
Before he could think of anymore dirty thoughts, Espio went into an empty stall, mustered up courage, and took off his shirt as he placed his orange swim trunks on. He exited the stall to see the three athletes waiting for him.
"You didn't take too long, Espio." Mighty said. "That's not a bad thing though. Anyway, let's go guys!"
The four exited out the dressing room, and that's when the chameleon's self-consciousness came back. He placed his arms over his chest, not wanting anyone to look at him. Vector however, took note of this.
"What's wrong, Espio?"
"I just… I feel out of place here…"
"Because yer from Northern Mobius?"
"Yes… that and look at you and Knuckles and Mighty, well built, muscular men. What am I? Purely skinny."
Vector looked somewhat cross. "Espio… ya should never feel that way 'bout yer body. Yer body is perfect the way it is. And ya know what? I love ya regardless, no matter what body type. No one's gonna think bad 'bout ya because of that, and if they do, they're gonna have to talk to me first. Okay?"
Espio was taken aback. He simply nodded as he felt… emotional. Touched in a way only Vector could do.
He puffed up his chest, and relaxed, getting closer and closer to the water. As they did, they walked by some rather… large breasted women, who took off their sunglasses and whistled.
"Damn, what hunks!" One said. Knuckles turned around and winked.
"I like that crocodile the most," The other said. When Espio heard this, he felt a twinge of jealousy. He looked back for a brief moment before getting an idea. A rather mischievous one at that.
The chameleon turned around, looked at the women straight in the eye, and then placed his arm around Vector's waist, wording to them 'He's mine'.
As Espio turned around, he couldn't help but chuckle at himself. Never had he done anything his mother would have surely thought of as 'petty' or 'rude', but it felt rather great.
Finally, the four reached the water as Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty immediately dived in, the crocodile going underwater as the echidna and armadillo swam forward. Espio on the other hand, sat by the edge of the water, relaxing as he felt the waves of the water tickle his feet.
Suddenly, he was distracted as Knuckles called his name.
"Espio! Come on in, the water's great!"
Remembering when he joined the swimming team and how he couldn't swim period, the chameleon shook his hand.
"Oh, no no, I'm fine, really."
Vector eyed the chameleon before walking up to him, crouching down to his height.
"Espio… I know ya can't swim, as I learned from when ya joined the swim team, but ya know what? I can teach ya."
Espio looked at the water, seeing the blueness of the waves move back and forth as mobians swam.
"Err…"
"Don't worry, Espio. I promise to hold ya the entire time."
"Well… okay."
"That's the spirit. C'mon!"
Vector took Espio's hand as he slowly brought him into the water. As soon as it went over his feet, he already began to freak out. The crocodile could feel him tense up.
"Espio… yer okay. We're not even in the water yet."
"I-I know! It's just…"
"Ya never did this while in Northern Mobius. Right?"
The chameleon nodded his head.
"Well, don't be scared! Yer a fierce guy, Espio. Ya can do this."
Espio nodded again as the two went deeper. Espio could feel his feet lifting up from the ground.
"Don't worry, Espio. Yer floatin' in the water, that's good. I still gotcha, so don't worry. Now, try kickin' yer legs. Extend 'em out, like that… Yeah, that's good! Now kick!"
The transfer student kicked his legs as the crocodile still held him.
"Whoop! Watch out fer the current!"
As Vector continued his swimming lesson, Knuckles and Mighty watched from afar.
"Does Espio not know how to swim?" The echidna asked.
"Guess not," Mighty replied. "It looks like those two are gonna take a long while."
"Yeah, I guess so- Mighty, what the hell are you doing?!"
The armadillo, who put his hand under the water and rubbed across Knuckles' abs, close to his swimming trunks, looked at the defensive tackler.
"I-I… you know, thought since Vector and Espio were taking their sweet ol' time, we could have a little fun."
"First, you rubbing across my abs, hot when a girl does it, but you? Well, let's just say I start to believe you aren't as straight as I thought. Second, not here you bimbo!"
"Oh, I'M not straight, Mr. 'I –fuck-Mighty-the-Armadillo-when-I'm-horny'-"
"Hey, that's different!"
Meanwhile, as Espio was getting the hang of swimming, the chameleon paddling to the crocodile, the quarterback looked back to Knuckles and Mighty, both trying to splash salty ocean water on themselves.
"They're gettin' along so well."
After some time in the ocean, the four decided to get out the water and made their next plan to go to the jacuzzi, at least, not before they grabbed a bite to eat.
By the ocean was a cabana themed outdoor restaurant, complete with a bar. Heading there, the four sat down at the bar as the cook took their orders. Vector decided on the signature 'volcano burger', meanwhile both Knuckles and Mighty went for the steak topped with chili con carne, and finally, Espio decided on grilled salmon with potato soup. The three athletes had light beer, and the chameleon went with simple water.
Waiting for their food to cook by the chef just a few feet away, a bartender quickly served the three athletes. Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty thanked the bartender as they drank away. Espio was served his water as the crocodile put his attention on the TV above the shelf full of wine and alcohol.
"Oh, c'mon! Avery's doin' so bad this game!" Vector complained.
"That's just one game. Cribbins has been awful the whole season," Knuckles replied.
"Oh don't get me started on Cribbins, like CHAOS. Two years ago? Guy always made the final touchdown. Now? Crap crap crap, and did I mention crap?" Mighty added. The two other athletes laughed.
Espio on the other hand, looked out at the sea, letting the three have their conversation about football. He was only cut off by Vector, who tapped his shoulders.
"Hey, Espio! Ya havin' a great time?" He asked.
"O-Oh! Why yes!"
"That's awesome! Trust me, we're gonna have so much fun this entire time, yer gonna go back to Northern Mobius and wish ya were back here!"
Espio turned red softly as he touched his arm.
Soon after, the food was prepared and served as the four began to dig in. Vector put globs of ketchup on his burger as he chewed away, Mighty and Knuckles cutting their steak and eating away each bit they cut, and Espio started off with his potato soup, enjoying the taste of it before going to his salmon.
After lunch, the three paid for their meal, and decided to walk along the beach to lower their food so they could go into the Jacuzzi. Espio spotted a group of children making some sort of structure out of sand, and tapped Vector's shoulder.
"Vector, what are they doing?" The chameleon said, pointing to the children.
"Oh, they're making sand castles," The crocodile replied.
"You can make castles out of sand?! And not only that, you can make things out of sand?!"
"Well, not HUGE HUGE castles, but just small ones. Here, I'll show ya. Err… where's a bucket, where's a bucket."
Vector noticed a tub full of toys for the children as he found a bucket. He walked over to the sand and scooped some of it up, then placed it on the ground and pulled it back up. Knuckles rolled his eyes playfully.
"Sand castles, my favorite past time when I went to the beach as a kid."
Meanwhile, Espio was incredibly amazed; he looked around the 'castle' in pure awe.
"How… how did you do something like that?!"
Vector grinned.
"It's like seein' a little kid do this fer the first time."
"There's always a first time for everything," Mighty said.
Knuckles nodded, before he gasped. "OH MY GOD, GUYS GUYS. While we're here, while we're here, listen up. We need to reenact that one Vine we love so much."
"Ohh! Yer talkin' 'bout that one, right?"
"The one we send in the group chat for a guaranteed laugh?" Mighty asked.
The echidna nodded.
And so, after burying the armadillo in a large amount of sand, Vector pulled out his phone.
"Vector, c'mon, start recording!" The armadillo said.
"I gotcha man! And, begin!"
"I… uh, oh yeah!"
Vector pressed stop.
"Might! Don't fuck it up!"
"Sorry, sorry! I forgot! Let's just start it over."
The crocodile sighed before pressing play.
"I am the the sand guardian, guardian of the sand," Mighty said. Knuckles quickly ran and dropped near the large hill of sand.
"CHAOS QUIVERS BEFORE HIM!"
Vector quickly pressed stop as he ran behind Mighty, pressing record yet again at an angle showing the wrestler from behind.
"FUCK OFF!" He yelled loudly, causing people to stare at them. Vector hit stop as he and Knuckles cracked up laughing, getting Mighty out from the sand pit they made.
"Oh mah god, I gotta post this on Instagram when we get back to the hotel," The crocodile said.
"Did you see everybody's face, like chaos Mighty, that's the loudest I've heard you!" Knuckles added.
"Hey, in the moment, it's what you do."
Espio awkwardly went along with the three athletes. "Ha ha ha… so, what are we laughing at?"
Finally, the four found themselves at the Jacuzzi.
Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty immediately were relaxed as soon as they got in; however, Espio was a different story. With the bubbling hot water, it felt like his scales were on fire.
"How could anyone grow accustomed to this?!" He thought while frowning.
"How's this feel, Espio?" The crocodile asked, sighing happily.
"Too hot…" Espio replied, frowning.
"Too hot? Oh right, yer not used to this, are ya?"
"It shows."
"Well, perhaps I can make it a 'little hotter'."
"W-What are you implying?!"
Then, Espio felt it; Vector's hand on his thigh. Espio was redder than before. Knuckles and Mighty were too busy talking amongst each other to even realize what was going on.
Just before the crocodile could slide his hands higher, he pulled it back immediately when a male boar and his wife entered. The two sat together as Espio turned to his boyfriend.
"You're quite frisky and touchy, you know that?" He said.
"Ah yeah, but ya know ya love it, right?" The large green reptile replied.
"Right you are…"
"Ah, c'mere, babe."
Vector held Espio by the neck, the transfer student hoping no one saw him.
And if they weren't, he very much enjoyed what he was doing at the moment.
After spending some more time at the beach, the group headed back to the hotel for the evening. As Knuckles turned on the TV to put on the movie channel, Mighty flipped through a flier of locations and restaurants near the hotel.
"We could simply order a pizza," Vector suggested, a card by the phone on the bedstand having a number for a pizza delivery place.
"Hmm… I dunno, I'm not really feeling pizza tonight."
"Get the fuck outta mah room," Vector said jokingly, pointing at the door. Mighty laughed as he put his arms up.
"Okay fine, geez," He said, playing along. The armadillo went out of the room as Espio looked angrily at Vector.
"Vector! Did you actually kick Mighty out because he didn't want pizza?!" He scolded.
"Esp, it's just a joke. See?"
Vector got up from the bed and opened the door revealing Mighty at the doorway, still reading the restaurants.
"Ooh! How about this Southern Mobius chicken restaurant!" He said. "Offering both fried and grilled chicken, curly fries, fried cornbread, beans, etc etc…"
"That sounds pretty amazing," Knuckles said, turning his head towards the armadillo.
"Southern Mobius food is soo good…" Vector reflected, placing his hand on his chin. "Yeah, let's head there tonight. Is it cheap?"
"Yeah, looks like it," Mighty said.
"Then I guess we found dinner!"
"Well, can't I watch this movie first?" Knuckles said.
"Knux, are ya serious?!"
"I'm sorry! It's just I need to know what happened to Hana's lover!"
The three looked at the red echidna weirdly.
"What? Can a guy be into his romance movies every once in a while?"
"Knux… ya are aware we are TOTALLY gonna make fun of ya fer this, right?"
Knuckles sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's head out now so I can save myself the embarrassment."
Vector and Espio got off from the bed as Knuckles turned off the TV, everyone leaving the room as they headed out for dinner.
THE NEXT DAY
Unlike the previous day, the three athletes slept in until almost 10. Espio on the other hand, was up at 6, had time to finish an hour of meditation, get breakfast, and finish a 340 page book until the time Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty woke up.
After everyone had breakfast, they wondered what to do next. Knuckles pulled up a map of the area, finding any place perfect for tourists sans the beach.
"Hmm… there's a movie theater here. I'm hoping they got the new Werehog movie there," he said.
"You mean the horror blood-fests that are awesome as hell?" Vector said.
"We should watch it here if we got the chance," Mighty added.
"Oh, but what's this? A sports center store?" Knuckles said.
"…I think you know where we're going to now."
As Knuckles pulled up to the large sports center store, they saw a sign that said 'GOING OUT OF BUISNESS SALE". Vector looked at Mighty and Knuckles before looking at the sign yet again.
"Guys I think I just felt mah wallet cry out."
The three athletes quickly got out from the car and almost ran into the store, Espio following behind them slowly.
When they arrived, many shoppers were there, finding whatever they could.
"Looks like we got here when some of the good stuff is still here!" Vector said. "Imma look for football stuff!"
"Same here!" Knuckles said, following behind Vector.
"I need to see if they have any stopwatches. I need one to count how long I should weightlift…" Mighty mused aloud.
Espio on the other hand, looked around to see what was available. Golf balls, boxing gloves, soccer cleats, nothing out of the ordinary.
That was until Espio noted a pair of roller skates. He walked over to them and picked them up.
"What is this?"
The chameleon spun the wheels a few times before he suddenly felt a presence behind him. Espio turned around to see Vector. The large green reptile holding a pair of black and yellow cleets, and a facemask designed specifically for crocodiles.
"Roller skates?" He asked. "Ooh man, I remember when I had these as a kid."
"Roller… sk-skates? That's what these are called?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, that's their name. What, ya gettin' this or somethin'? I dunno where ya could use this. Pretty sure campus bans stuff like this."
"Well, I just saw it but it… looked so interesting. How do you move around with that?"
"Ya don't. It's like a skateboard on yer feet."
Now what on Mobius was a skateboard?! Espio simply looked confused, and it was clear to Vector.
"Yeah, ya probably dunno what a skateboard is. Here, lemme show ya. Take off yer shoes."
Espio did so, and placed his feet into the roller skates. Immediately however, he fell and his hard onto the floor. A few people looked over as Vector got the transfer student back to his feet.
"Yeah… I dun think yer ready yet-"
"No. I… I want this. I will learn how to use and master these…"
"Ya sure 'bout that?" Vector tilted his head to the side.
"Positive."
"Well, okay… anyway, let's go find Knux and Mighty and pay fer this stuff."
After paying for everything, the four decided to head over to the movie theater to watch the new Werehog horror movie as Mighty suggested. While Espio found it far too gory for his tastes, and even at times a little too scary (he buried his face into Vector's shoulder at least once during a rather disgusting scene in which the Werehog of the movie ate someone alive), he still found it enjoyable, more enjoyable that he was with his boyfriend and his friends.
After the movie, Vector decided to get a small snack to go as the four went back to the hotel, wondering what to even do for the rest of the day.
"Wish this place hadda gym. I think I've already gained a few pounds," The crocodile mused back at the hotel.
"Well maybe getting those taffies from the movie theater didn't help," Knuckles commented.
"Hey! I'll have ya know that A. those things are delicious, and B. even then, I'm the buffest and biggest outta everyone!"
As Vector and Mighty had a minor argument, Knuckles along with Espio looked for more things to do on the echidna's phone.
"We could go to the beach again," Espio said.
"Yeah… but we already went yesterday. How about we do something different tonight, and then tomorrow, we can head out to the beach?"
"Hm… I see. Well, now what?"
"Hold on, I'm going to see if there's any events going on here."
Knuckles typed away at his phone, scrolling down to see what was available. One of the first things he saw made him stop.
"Holy crap…"
"What? What's up, Knux?" Vector asked.
"Apparently, there's a carnival here, it's open until midnight. Guys?"
"Hell yeah! Canival time-"
"What's a carnival?"
It was something the three always forgot; Espio wasn't like them. He didn't grow up around the same people like they did, did the same things like they did, etc. The chameleon was someone of a completely different background.
But that didn't mean he couldn't learn what it was.
And so, walking to the boardwalk carnival around sunset (The group ended up getting lost as Mighty got the direction wrong), Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty grinned as they saw all the rides, games, and attractions in front of them.
"Espio, welcome to a carnival! A fun land of, well… fun!" Vector explained. The chameleon was taken by awe. He had never seen so many pretty lights and loud noises since the Halloween party, but this was different. It was everything the chameleon couldn't explain. It intimidated him to a degree even, but he couldn't help but be so fascinated by everything.
"Ha ha! I can tell yer just lookin' at everythin' in amazement!"
"Well c'mon, I wanna see if they have dunk the clown in here. I need my throwing arm to get better for next football season!" Knuckles said. The group began to walk along the boardwalk, Espio feeling like how he was when he first saw Mobius U; feeling like he needed 100 pair of eyes to see everything.
"Oh great gods, why is that wheel so big?!" Espio said, pointing to a ferris wheel.
"That's a ferris wheel, Espio. It basically spins around while you're in this gondola," Mighty explained. Espio went over to the gates and looked at it, stars in his eyes as he placed his hands on the railing.
"I… I want to get on it."
Knuckles chuckled.
"He's acting like a little kid during his first time at an amusement park," He said.
"Hey, it's not every day we see somethin' like this. Let's enjoy the most of it that we can," Vector whispered back.
It honestly was cute to see Espio experience a carnival for the first time. Since his local carnival was usually close by his house, the crocodile frequently went. It almost felt like seeing himself at a young age, first time taken to the carnival by his parents.
As the four waited in line, the gondola stopped as everyone got out from the ride. The guard opened the gate for the four as they walked towards two separate cars; Vector and Espio getting into one and Knuckles and Mighty getting into another. A few more people got into separate gondolas as the ride started. Vector helped Espio buckle up (as the chameleon still had a hard time doing so), as their gondola went slowly up.
The chameleon looked out from the window to see the ocean, the waves going back and forth. Espio's smile grew as he looked out the window. Meanwhile, Vector placed his hand onto the chameleon's own hand, causing him to tear his attention from the ocean to his boyfriend.
"Oh, yes Ve-"
He was cut off when the crocodile gave him a slight kiss. When he pulled back, the large green reptile said, 'its common fer couples to kiss while on a ferris wheel, y'know'. Winking, Espio started to stuttered before saying softly; 'Come here, Vector', going back to kiss him again.
After some time, the ride stopped as each passenger on all the gondolas were escorted off. Vector and Espio were let off first, then Knuckles and Mighty.
As they walked forwards, Vector took note of a stand selling shirts. He walked over to it, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty following behind.
"Oh, hey there, man. See anything you like?" The attendee said. Vector looked at each shirt, until he noticed one specific shirt.
"Oh… oh mah Chaos. Knux? Mighty?" He said, picking it up. The two other athletes looked at it.
"Oh man…" Mighty said.
"This, we need this." Knuckles added.
And soon after, after paying for it and changing in front of the attendee (which garnered some whistles from behind them), Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty walked around in their new black sleeveless shirt that said 'I FLEXED AND THE SLEEVES EXPLODED'.
"Well, this is gonna garner some attention, and I'm ready for it," Knuckles said, hands behind his head. "Anyway, where to next?"
"I wonder if they got a roller coaster here…" Vector mused.
"They do," Mighty replied, pointing to the large roller coaster lit up with neon lights. Espio looked at it, squinting.
"Why… why are those train tracks so curvy and up high?!" Espio asked.
"That's… a roller coaster, Espio. Not a train. Well, it's KINDA like a train, uh, right?" Vector replied.
"Yeah...?" Mighty said in reply to Vector's statement, not understanding how he didn't know that.
"Well, anyway, let's ride that!" Knuckles said, the four walking to the line where the roller coaster started. Unfortunately, it seemed like many other people had the same thing in mind, and a long line was up for the coaster. Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty frowned at each other.
"Should we wait?" Vector asked.
"I don't have much of a problem with waiting," replied Espio.
"Yeah, same here, Espio," Mighty said.
"Alright, let's wait then," replied Vector. The four stood in line for quite some time, in fact, it was quite some time that Vector, Knuckles, Mighty, and Espio decided to fool around by taking selfies, uploading them to not only Instagram, but Snapchatting them to their friends.
It was a clever way to pass the time, as soon after the four were done; it was their turn to get into the coaster. They were all lead to the cart and sat down, the proper safety precautions done. Espio felt uncomfortable with a strap over his body, it made him feel weighed down. As he tried to shift in place, Vector stopped him.
"Uh uh uh, Espio. Don't do that," he said.
"Why not? This is uncomfortable…"
"Well, imagine if it came off during a ride that goes super, SUPER fast, and ya fell out of a ride that's at least more than 30 feet in the air. Tell me, would that sound pleasant?"
Espio stayed quiet, not wanting to imagine such a brutal scene.
"So, Vector… how do these work anyway? Is there something we have to do?
"Nah, we just gotta stay still, and enjoy the ride."
"Wait, stay stil-"
Before Espio could finish what he was going to say, the coaster began to take off. Espio got chills up his spine, not knowing what was going to happen next. The chameleon shut his eyes tight as the coaster began to speed up. It went downwards as some of the people on the coaster began to scream. No running he had done in Northern Mobius had been this fast. The wind blew in his face; it felt like all of his body parts was going to come out from him.
And yet…
He found it enjoyable.
As the coaster began to go up a steep hill, the transfer student waited excitedly wondered what would happen next. Vector looked over from where he was, seeing the ecstatic chameleon.
"Espio? Ya havin' a fun time?" He asked.
"Yes, yes I am! Never have I felt so alive before!" He laughed.
To think this was the same chameleon that was emotionless and silent on the first day of term. It was astounding to Vector
The coaster went downwards at a fast rate, causing nearly everyone to scream, including Mighty. Yet, in the case of Espio, he was laughing. It made Vector smile on the inside while he was yelling on the outside.
The ride came to an end just minutes later, most people came out from it adrenaline pumped, but one looked sick. Vector put his fists in the air.
"Woo! That was awesome! What did ya guys think?" The quarterback said.
"Fast… totally fuckin' fast…" Mighty mused.
"Dude, that's the best thing though!" Knuckles argued. "Well, it was good, but not the best one we've ridden. What was that indoor one at the huge mall in Metal City?"
"Oh, the Body-Bender?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Espio? What did you think?"
The chameleon looked up at the coaster again, pointing up at it.
"Can we ride it again?"
After convincing Espio to not ride the coaster a second time, the four decided to see what else there was to do.
It was then that Espio found a game stand where bottles were stacked on each other.
"Step right up and try out your luck! Only three dollars! Come on, that's so cheap! I'm still ripping you off anyway but go on ahead! Try your luck!"
"Ooh! Ooh, Vector, let's try that!" Espio said, pointing at the booth and dragging the crocodile towards it by his arm.
"Err… well, those things are usually rigged, but… y'know what? I'll make an exception."
The four walked over to the booth, the attendee eying Espio.
"My, what strange clothes you have on," he said, looking at Espio's kimono.
"Oh, this? Yes, you could say I'm not really from around here," The chameleon replied, trying to make a joke.
"Well, come to try your luck?"
"Yes!"
"That's amazing to hear! Now, all you need to do it shoot down those bottles that are stacked on top of each other. All of them, though! And it's going to be with this baseball. You'll get three chances. First before anything else, I'll need 3 bucks for the game."
Vector pulled out his wallet and found a couple of bills. Handing it to Espio, the fuchsia reptile winked as he handed the booth manager the cash.
"Now there's something awesome I gotta tell you. If you get them all out on your first try, which I doubt, then you'll get the best prize immediately. AND, as an added bonus, I'll even give you back two dollars. How does that sound, kid?"
"That sounds… good."
"Excellent! Now, begin!"
Espio was handed a baseball as he began to look at the positioning of the bottles. He held the ball in his hand firmly, eyeing the bottles closely. There had to be SOMEWAY he could win first try. The man sounded unconvincing in how he thought everyone could win. Vector was right, this booth was rigged somehow.
And the chameleon was about to prove he can't be bested by even the largest of tricks.
Finding a good spot, Espio stuck his tongue out as he threw the ball as hard as he could. A brief nyoom sound was heard as the attendee of the booth crouched down. He looked at the chameleon with fear.
"N-Never in my life of working here have I experienced something like that… Kid, you have a strength that I've never seen. One thing I'm gonna say though, if this is your first time playing a game like this, you must have luck by your side real good. Well, I'm keeping my promise. Pick any of the big prizes you want." The attendee took out a large pair of prongs.
Espio looked at each of the prizes with curiosity. He noticed a large bear with a heart on it.
"That would make a good present for Shami… I can just ask Valdez to bring it to her to Northern Mobius next time he goes," The chameleon thought to himself. He pointed at it.
"That one."
"Alright, here you go, man."
The attendee brought down the large bear, then proceeded to take out two dollars.
"Have a good evening sir," Espio smiled, waving. The attendee, who was still in shock, simply groaned.
"Geeze, Espio! I didn't know you could do that!" Knuckles said.
"Yeah! That was amazing! Where'd you learn to throw that good?!" Mighty added.
Espio grinned; one of his training lessons at his Ninja Academy involved him throwing kunai knives as fast and as accurately as possible.
It was kind of funny, so many things in this part of Mobius he would have been able to do all because of his Ninja Training and his overall daily life. It only made him wonder what else he could be able to do.
"I want to do another game, Vector!" The transfer student said. "Like, uh… that one!"
Espio pointed at a stand where you threw darts at balloons. They went there, and Espio won that game too.
"Oh, and that one too!"
The cycle of Espio wanting to go to a new game and winning continued. At the end, the three athletes let the fuchsia chameleon go wild, running around the area looking for whatever game or ride there was to do.
"This is literally so pure…" Vector thought to himself, watching Espio act like a wild child. Never had he seen such happiness on the chameleon before.
As he grinned happily, running around, Espio took a moment to stop internally.
"Look at yourself right now, Espio. What would mother think of this if she saw you right now?"
Bride of the Constant Vigil's face popped up in his mind.
"Espio! Why are you acting this way?! Have you lost your sense of reality?! This new world really has changed you, and for the worse too…"
Espio shook his head as he blocked his imaginary mother created by his mind out from his thoughts.
"No no, this will just be for today. I just want to experience a freedom like this… just for today."
Soon after, the chameleon's adrenaline rush ended. By the end, he had won so much stuff that it all had to be placed in a rather large bag, which Mighty happily carried.
"Ya worn out?" Vector said.
"Well, I still want to ride stuff as before, but I think my hyperactivity has finished," His boyfriend replied.
"Good. It looked like you had a major sugar rush," Knuckles replied.
"Sugar… rush?"
"Eh, look it up. Anyway, you hungry?"
"Uhh, yes. A bit."
"Then let's go find food."
As Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty entered the main food area, the chameleon noticed a merry-go-round. He looked at it with curiosity.
"What is this spinning wheel? And why are there horses going around in a circle and WHY ARE THEY STABBED THROUGH?!" Espio yeled.
"You're asking about a lot of things, Espio," Knuckles said. Vector looked at his friend cross.
"Knux! We talked 'bout this. Ya know Espio doesn't know a single thing 'bout a carnival."
"Yeah yeah, I know."
"I want to go on that," Espio pointed at the ride.
"Hmm… I dunno, Espio," Mighty replied. "That ride is more so for the little kids then people like us. Besides, aren't you hungry?"
"Why is that an issue? And besides, I can live with it for now."
Vector shrugged. "Hey, he's gotta point."
And so, the four rode the merry-go-round, holding the pole stabbed through the horse. The attendee maintaining the ride turned it on as the horses began to go up back and forth. Espio didn't know how to feel about this, but it was fun none the less.
After getting off from the ride, Mighty's stomach growled.
"Heh heh, looks like I'm hungry too. Let's go find something to eat before we all eat, I dunno, the tables," he said. Espio frowned; he wanted to go on more rides, regardless of his own status of hunger.
"Ah yes, overpriced carnival food, my favorite," Vector said.
"How could we ever forget?" Knuckes added.
Walking over to the various food and snack stands, Espio looked at each and every one of them with interest. He took note of a long frankfurter being grilled.
"Why is that hot dog so large?!" The chameleon questioned.
"If I had a dollar for every time a girl told me that…" Knuckles commented, snickering.
"You'd have zero dollars because zero times however many girls you've been with is zero," Mighty replied.
"It really DOES seem like you want to know what a dislocated nose feels like from something other than an illegal move in Wrestling!"
"ANYWAYYY, yo man," Vector said to the white mustached walrus.
"Oh, what you like sir?" The walrus replied.
"Gimme one of those 'dogs ya got grilled right there," Vector pointed at the long hog dog. "And uh… hey guys, whacha want?" The crocodile looked behind him at the squabbling Knuckles and Mighty.
"A FUNNEL CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SYRUP, POWDERED SUGAR, AND STRAWBERRIES TO SHARE!" Knuckles and Mighty yelled quickly before going back to fighting.
"Yeah what they said. And uhh, Espio, whaddya want?"
The chameleon had to stand on his tiptoes to see anything. When he did, he took note of an employee bend over a machine, pulling out a stick with a pink colored object around it. Espio pointed at that.
"I want what that man just made," he said to Vector.
"Cotton candy? Alright, he wants that," The crocodile said.
"Alrighty, now what do you want on your hot dog sir?"
"Err, ketchup, mustard, chili, onions, and chips"
"Okay… and that'll be all?"
"Yup."
"Alright, your total is going to be 22.56 (Vector cringed on the inside when he heard that)."
The crocodile handed him his debit card as the employee handed Espio the cotton candy. He looked at it in confusion.
"How do I… eat this?" The transfer student asked.
"Eat it like ya would any normal thing," Vector replied.
Espio took a bite into it, the cotton candy ripping off like he were an animal eating flesh. As he chewed, he felt the cotton candy melt in his mouth and disappear.
"W-Where did it go?" The fuchsia reptile asked.
"Huh?" Vector replied.
"My… snack. Where did it go?! It was in my mouth a minute ago and now it's gone!"
"I… Espio…"
Espio crouched down, looking on the ground for the 'missing' cotton candy piece, the stick of the sugary snack still in his hand.
"Where did it go?! It can't have disappeared like that!"
He then began to scrape the inside of his mouth, hoping to find it.
Now the walrus was looking at Espio. He and the crocodile looked at each other for a brief moment.
"Yer gonna have to excuse him. This is the his first time in his life he's had cotton candy," Vector explained.
"Oh, I see. But why's he never had cotton candy of all things?"
"He ain't from around here. He's from a place where they dun have stuff like this."
"Ohh…"
After admitting defeat on the cotton candy piece, Espio bowed in front of the walrus man.
"The snack was delicious! I swear! I didn't mean to spit it out! I apologize for not even being able to consume the entirety of this so called 'cotton candy'!"
The chameleon knew he's shamed his family name doing something as senile as this. A Northern Mobius custom was to always eat what you are served down to the last bite, no matter what. It seems like to the chameleon, it felt like the end of the world.
The walrus looked at him "Err, kid? You still got PLENTY more left."
Espio looked at his cotton candy. "Oh… you're right."
"Espio, you didn't spit it out," Vector explained. "It melts in yer mouth whenever ya eat it."
"Oh… how can a food melt in your mouth?"
"That I do not know," The walrus said. Just then, he looked behind him and saw the hot dog and funnel cake. "Anyway, sorry for the long wait, here you are sir."
"Thanks!" Vector said, grabbing the hot dog and the funnel cake. He walked up to Knuckles and Mighty.
"Are ya two STILL squabbling?!" he asked.
"N-No!" Knuckles and Mighty said.
"Well good, c'mon, I got our things. Let's eat."
Finding an empty table was easy enough, and the four sat down. Opening up his wrapped hot dog, he smacked his lips as he began to eat.
"You know Sonic would kill for something like that," Knuckles commented, taking his fork and slicing into a piece of funnel cake.
"I know. Should I take a picture and brag to him 'bout it?"
"Nah, let's not be cruel JUST this once," Mighty replied. "Mm, this is some good ass funnel cake. Too bad my weight is gonna say a different thing."
"Yup, when we get back to the school, its double the time at the gym and the weights."
Meanwhile, at the three athletes talked, Espio picked pieces off from his stick of cotton candy, eating them one by one. To think that there was a sweet that melted in his mouth AND tasted good….
"Espio?" Knuckles asked.
"Huh?"
"What do you think of this place so far?"
"It's… it's so fun! I've never experienced anything like this before. After this was done, can we go on more rides?"
Vector chuckled.
"Well, ya heard the man."
After throwing away their trash, the four looked for more rides to go on. Espio took note of a spinning airplane.
"What's that?" He asked.
"Another ride fer the kiddies. It's kinda fun. Ya wanna go on?" Vector said.
"I'd like to."
"Well, seeing as how ya wanna go on all the rides, sure."
And so, one airplane carnival ride later, the three athletes were beat and sat down at a bench as they watched Espio, sitting on a stool while an artist drew him. He came back minutes later, portrait in hand.
"Look! Doesn't this look just like me?" The chameleon said, showing the drawing to the three.
Vector gave Espio a look that said. "The real one's cuter though."
"Yeah, that does look pretty good. Better than anything I can draw, and I took a few art classes," Knuckles said.
"Yeah, for credits," Mighty replied.
"Hey! In my defense, I needed them, AND I actually learned how to draw a cube, thank you very much!"
"Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself you're the next big time artist because you can draw a cube. Anyway, I'm real tired. We've been here for nearly four hours and it seems we went through the whole place. Time to call it a day?"
"Let's. Mah feet are killin' me," Vector replied.
"Coach is gonna kill you if he heard you say that," Knuckles teased.
"Well Coach isn't gonna know, is he?"
"Touché, unless I TELL HIM!"
"Tell and next season, YER gonna be the next football."
"You three never stop, huh?" Espio said to Mighty, an awkward smile on his face as a sweat drop went down the side of his face.
"Yeah, you could say that. That's how all of us get along though. But, then you came along and became the voice of reason, so I guess in the end that's how we all are. Heh heh," The armadillo replied.
They returned back to the car, prizes and everything in the trunk, and drove back to the hotel.
THE NEXT MORNING
Espio was the first to wake up, quick to notice… the sound of rain?
The chameleon walked over to the window and saw it raining heavily, the wind being so fierce, it felt like the trees were going to snap.
"Vector, Knuckles, Mighty?" Espio called out, trying to wake up the three athletes.
"Mmm… what iz it, Espio?" Vector asked, slightly sleepy.
"The weather outside is very bad right now. What's going on?"
The crocodile got up from bed, walked over to the chameleon (not before giving him a good morning kiss), and looked out the window. His eyes widened as soon as he saw what was going on.
"Wait, what?!"
The quarterback dived for his phone and checked the weather for the area. On the top of the screen in a red box read: 'HURRICANE WARNING'.
"Oh shit…" He said to himself.
"What's… a hurricane?" Espio asked.
"It's a weather event where it rains really hard, and the wind is super-fast," Vector explained. He walked over to the bed of Knuckles and Mighty.
"Knux! Might! We're in a hurricane," He said, shaking them to wake up.
"Huh? A hurricane? But it was supposed to be sunny all week…"
"Well I guess the weather reports get it wrong sometimes. Whadda we do now?"
"We can't really drive back," Knuckles said, muscular red chest in view as he yawned. "Too dangerous to ride it out."
"But it's dangerous if we stay here!"
"We're on the third floor. We should be good. It's the lobby we should be concerned about."
"Hmm… so whadda we do? Camp out here fer the week?"
"Seems like it."
"FFFFUCK… man, this vacation is ruined now…"
"Trust me, I don't like it either. But we have to make do with what we make do. Me and Mighty are gonna head back to sleep."
"Alright, oh, and uh, don't wrap yer arm around Might, okay?"
"W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"
As Espio did his morning meditation, Vector lay on the unmade bed, looking at his phone. He posted a status on Instagram, many of his friends and football buddies taking pity on the crocodile and his friends. The crocodile sighed as he placed his hand on his stomach, rubbing along the abs on his body.
"Fuck it, Imma get breakfast, and see if there's anythin' here besides a bunch of rooms."
Vector walked out from the room as Espio got up from the floor, finished with his meditation. He looked out the window, watching the rain drip down the window.
It was just like the spring and summer time rains in Northern Mobius. The fields would be flooded, the ground would be too muddy to walk around, but families used the days to spend time with each other. Rain was seen as something sacred, a gift from the gods, and the villagers of Gojo didn't want anything to with disturbing the gift.
"I wonder if the gods sent this 'hu-huricane' as a gift…" Espio said to himself.
The chameleon looked over to his bag of prizes, noticing a large balloon alien. He grabbed it, and held it as he continued to look outside.
Sometime later, Knuckles and Mighty finally woke up as Vector opened the door.
"Guys! Turns out, this place has a gym!" The crocodile said.
"It does? A run down place like this?" Knuckles asked.
"Well, yeah, that's what I was gonna say, it's REALLY run o' the mill, but hey! We can start burnin' off the calories we gained while here, and not to mention, it gives us somethin' to do while we're just waitin' fer this storm to finish."
"Well, let's go! But first, I think we should get some breakfast. We haven't eaten. Espio? Have you?"
The transfer student shook his head.
"Then yeah, tell us where it is after we're done with breakfast and we'll meet you there."
The 'gym' at the top floor of the hotel wasn't the largest, but there was enough equipment for the four to use.
Since there was nothing to do but to wait out the hurricane, the daily cycle was to work out, eat breakfast at the hotel, order takeout at a location nearby for lunch, and have the leftovers from lunch for dinner, and mainly, watch videos online, as there was no TV.
To say the four had a ruined vacation was an understatement.
At one point, the power went out for nearly 5 hours. It was at this point Knuckles advocated the idea of suicide.
It was so boring that in fact, the most interesting thing to happen during the entire week was helping the staff with preventing the lobby from flooding, bucket after bucket, Vector, Espio, Knuckles, Mighty, and all the other guests filled up buckets of water, running out of them at least more than twice and having to get the help of natural disaster services.
Finally, Sunday came, and the hurricane was finally over. An irritated looking Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty packed their stuff, signed out from the lobby, and headed towards the car. Placing all their stuff in the back and in the trunk, Knuckles got into the passenger seat, Vector took shotgun, and Espio and Mighty sat in the back. The echidna started up the car as they drove off, everyone still looking irritated.
"Next time we go on a vacation, let's CHECK THE DAMN WEATHER," Knuckles said after nearly ten minutes of silence.
"Let's…" Mighty sighed.
"Let's also have something that ISN'T pizza for lunch for a while…" Espio commented.
"Even someone who loves pizza like me started gettin' a bit sick of it…" Vector added. "Let's hit up the closest… err, diner and try to get back to Mobius U as fast as we can..."
Knuckles nodded as the road trip back home was only beginning.