PoC: This story contains Sega-exclusive anthropomorphic characters at no extra cost! No lawsuit required!

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PoC: Actually yeah, that's why I-

Silver: That's why you should hire one of our well-trained albino time-traveling hedgehogs! Guaranteed to provide hip, next-generation humor or your money back! No more dull disclaimers! Silver-Circus Inc. brings all the jokes right to your front page!

PoC: Very funny, but that's-

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Metal: Unhand me you glowing sack of excrement! Why am I wrapped in happy-colored ribbons? I HATE HAPPY-COLORED RIBBONS!

PoC: Alright, alright! I'll let you do next week's disclaimer, if you just pipe down! For now, it's chapter time.

-l-

Strength in Numbers

-l-

A good plan, that's what they desperately needed. Whoever had given off that nasally laugh was no doubt plotting their demise, or maybe worse. Precautionary thoughts aside, Miles didn't manage to feel even a twinge of fear in presence of their unknown stalker. Rather, he almost pitied how self-assured that laugh was. It rang deep of amateurish pluck, or foolhardiness. Indeed, the only factor that half-bothered the confidant vulpine was the heavy 'thumping' of his or her steps. It was no question that the foe was big, possibly twice the size of Amethyst (he wisely chose not to voice how shocking this was).

He or she was close now. Tails could smell their rank breath seeping its way into his nostrils. It was now the optimal time to start putting that brilliant plan of his into action; the one that would foil the dark assailant's evil designs, and give him a chance to be a hero in front of Amethyst. Such perfect timing too, seeing how they had just intimately gotten back together. And who knows? Maybe even Sonic would see him and start getting jealous of his glorious day in the spotlight. Yep he had to admit, this was the greatest plan he'd ever devised to date!

There was only one glaring flaw in his masterfully cunning plan: The fact that he still hadn't thought one up yet!

Amidst dealing with this 'minor setback', Tails had failed to hear a powerful thud, followed by an uncommonly whiny grunt of pain. One more cry and thud later, the prodigy swung his body around 180 degrees to see his beloved vixen standing over an obscure, but slightly green-tinted bundle doubled over in the swampy brush.

"Owie owie owie!" the not-so-tough person complained, raising a hooked nail inches from Amethyst's face "What'd ya have to go and do that for Tails? I wasn't going to hurt you or nothin' geez!" after that small rant, it was almost impossible to mistake who that voice belonged to. Letting loose an exasperated, but faintly relieved, sigh, the vulpine took hold of the newcomer's clawed hand and brought them to their feet.

"Well, while I'm glad to know it's just you, I have two things to say." Tails began after releasing the large reptile from his supportive grip "For one thing, don't sneak up on us like that unless you want to get attacked. I mean come on; we thought you were going to jump us for crying out loud." this point was quite sensible, but it didn't bode well for the butt-hurt Vector. Sitting up and crossing his arms really did make him look like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Yeah well I wasn't going to, so there!" the croc snapped in a bratty way. Stewing in his own petty anger made him slightly recant seconds later by saying "Okay maybe I should've said something, but why'd ya have to kick me so hard? You know we crocs have soft bellies. Look, see? I've got a mark from where your big, fat, ugly foot was!" Vector pointed to his 'mark' with a fussy frown, not noticing the daggers the nearby vixen was shooting at him.

"And that's the second thing." Tails chuckled nervously at Vector's poor choice of words "You see Vec um… I uh…. I-I didn't kick you." he revealed, hoping the small-time crook would catch his drift. While it did take an extra head tilt and eye point, Tails did eventually get Vector to see his potentially lethal mistake. This was evident from the way his green skin turned a whitish mint, and by the thin film of sweat that formed above his brow. Sooner than one could say 'dead croc', the great lizard was on his knees practically kissing the vixen's feet (which he now stated were dainty, petite, and lovely) in repentance; much to the intelligent vulpine's amusement.

"The boss always did have a way with women." a coolly reserved voice said from thin air. Tails whirled around to see none other than the elusive Espio holding a now-unconscious Sonic under his right arm. Tails' blood froze at first, but moments later he felt it coursing through his vessels now with intense heat.

Meanwhile, having found it in her to forgive the groveling reptile, Amethyst and Vector stood talking casually until they saw Espio for themselves. While Amethyst could only gasp in fear, Vector immediately started demanding an explanation out of his camouflaged comrade. Instead of words, he received warning-shuriken which landed a mere centimeter away from his shoe. With stepping in out of the question, Vector joined the worried female fox in stunned silence.

Tails, however, took the scene before him into account, and soon found himself knowing full well what the chameleon intended by this bold move.

"Let him go." Tails ordered him curtly. He was in no tolerant mood for hostage-taking, least of all when it involved his best friend. Espio seemed unhurried by the fox's sharp demand. In fact, he let his steps ease into the springy grass on a circular path, indicating he wanted a showdown. Tails reciprocated this motion, showing his acceptance for whatever challenge he might be in store for.

Stopping abruptly in his tracks, Espio locked his golden irises on the vulpine's face. He was pleased to see his foe's eyes alive with the might of stress-induced vigor. The chameleon then unceremoniously dropped his 'cargo', ready to claim the real prize he came for.

"I assume you know what this is about, Miles Prower." he gravely addressed Tails by his formal title. Drawing his pair of kunai and all his combat gear, Espio cast his weapons aside. Tails replied by removing and discarding his pack and rifle sling. With both men now unarmed, the chameleon flashed a never-to-be-seen-again smile of pure bliss. The fox shot in return a fearsome grimace, mostly due to the cowardly move used to instigate their dual.

"I told you I'd fight you whenever you wanted." Tails growled in a rare tone of hatred "But you had no business bringing my friend into this! I'll never forgive you for hurting him!" with that said, he let out a cry and dove in with a wild swing, causing the blending warrior to duck and avoid the sloppy hit. While Tails' arm sailed over his head, the chameleon dealt him a concentrated blow to his left kidney. Crippled briefly by the pain, the fox couldn't dodge or defend against Espio's lightning-fast kick to his temple region. After the vulpine had been sent flopping like a fish out of water, Espio disrespectfully grabbed and thrust him back up to his feet, proceeding to then shatter his nose with a point-blank strike to the face.

Around this time, Sonic had been starting to come to. What was sadly first to meet his vision was the unpleasant spectacle of his best friend being pummeled by the same ex-ninja that had clocked him earlier. Now ready to dish out a bit of payback and rescue his buddy, Sonic tried to steady his aching head long enough to pelt that chameleon were it hurt. Empowered by strength that only seeing his fox-bud in danger could supply, he courageously leapt into the fray.

A minute before this awakening, Espio had dropped the fox's apparently lifeless body into the grass below, both of which were now stained with a crimson hue. Satisfied with his victory, the shaded fighter knelt back near his weapons and brandished one of his kunai, but he did so in such a way that his audience would remain none the wiser to his actions.

"The victor claims his honor, while the loser is granted his freedom." he said cryptically, readying to sink his weapon into his target's gut "You fought with anger, which only blinded you and made you weak. In the survivalist's code, there is no greater sin than allowing oneself to lose a fight. I will free you from a dishonorable life, by allowing you an honorable death." nodding once, he silently set the blade and drove it towards the fox's abdomen.

"TAILS!" Sonic shouted in a distraught voice. It shouldn't have happened, but it did. He should've made it in time, but he didn't. Struck heavily by the loss in front of his very nose, Sonic struggled to admit the truth: He'd failed, failed once again to reach his friend in time.

Sinking to his knees, the hedgehog let the scene nestle deep into the foremost regions of his brain. Beyond the hatred he felt for the once-dignified Espio, Sonic couldn't contain the overwhelming sadness that tightened his chest. Unable to hold back any longer, small droplets of boiling tears formed in his spearmint-green eyes.

Softly though, a strange noise began to enter the edges of his ears. It was not the expected sound of a death-rattle or of Amethyst screaming in terror. It was a gentle, but ever-growing sound of….laughter? No it was more of a snicker, and it was getting louder and livelier by the second.

The hero then raised his head up along with his reddened orbs to see the curious event transpire. Sonic's eyes met those of the once fearless Espio, who was now sporting a mug of total disbelief. Sonic then turned his attention down a few clicks to see his best buddy smiling with that unmistakable 'fell for it' grin plastered on his features. The hero then saw what had become of the blade. It was caught in Tails' grasp by peculiar means, almost as though he was holding the blade by its flat sides. A twist to the side and aggressive kick later, the fox was up on his feet, somehow shrugging of his 'broken' nose.

From the chameleon's point of view, he was shaken to see that the whole fight thus far had been a sham "You… You deceitful dog! Who taught you how to grasp blades like that? Only one with proper training and discipline should be able to execute that with such skill!"

Cracking his neck and stretching out leisurely, the fox replied "Oh really? Huh, well I guess that's why they call it 'beginners luck'." putting the toe of his boot to the ground, Tails then kicked the stabbing tool into the bowels of a nearby bush "And by the way I'm not a dog, I'm a fox. You see, we foxes fall into a tribe called Vulpini that is indeed part of the Canidae family, but which also includes wolves, jackals, coyotes etc. Now if I were a wolf or jackal, then calling me dog would be more or less accurate, assuming you were applying me to the Canis genus. But one must not forget the unique traits that distinguish them from the more common dog. Even with the term 'dog', there are many 'dogs' that can be divided up into much smaller classes-umm… Why is everyone staring at me?" Tails asked, suddenly feeling sheepish with all the inquisitive looks he was receiving. Everyone but Sonic was baffled by the random outburst of unnecessary information. The hero himself merely placed the ridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb.

"I believe we were in the middle of a dual." the violet lizard reminded the vulpine, the added under a shift of tone "So be it, if you will use trickery to defeat me, then I..." speaking with ever quieting speech, the ex-ninja faded into the background "I will use my innate talents to the fullest." his words, along with the rest of his body, disappeared into the shadows of the vibrant plant-life.

Fearing this turn of events, Sonic got back on his feet to rush to his friend's aid. His kindly support was, however, refused by the calm 'stop' hand-sign given by his endangered ally.

"Stay back Sonic. I want you to see this; I think you'll get a kick out of it." Tails requested, to which Sonic obliged with some confusion. What was he going to get a kick out of? Watching his brother get the snot beat out of him by a more experienced fighter? Whatever the cocky fox was planning, the hedgehog was sure it wouldn't be good for his health.

Unexpectedly Tails started jumped up and down with childlike excitement "Question time everybody! When tracked by an unseen target, where can you most likely expect the first attack to come from, assuming you're facing forward with no head turning?"

"The back?" Vector rang out first.

"That's where you would attack." Amethyst shot the croc down "I'm betting from the sides.

"No, a frontal attack would be best, since you wouldn't be expecting it." Sonic offered, trying to think like the prodigy for a change.

Grinning widely at the slew of answers, Tails sunk down low to feel the dewy grass beneath his fingertips. Undeterred by the faint crunch of approaching footsteps, the fox poked his head up to say "Ooh so close, but you're all wrong!" pretending to pull a slip of paper out from his pocket, the fox said "And the correct answer is: From below!"

The trio blinked at him like he'd just broken out of the asylum "Um… below Tails?" they all asked.

The vulpine nodded happily saying "Yup!" and then blasted off for the sky. His timing was such that a pained grunt could be heard followed by the thump of a body hitting the earthy floor. Afterwards a yellowish-orange flash sounded off an even louder grunt of pain "See, from below!" the fox exclaimed, pointing to the now-visible purple figure underfoot.

"Damn you!" Espio screamed, no longer keeping his composure intact "How could I have been fooled by you, not once, but twice!" he cried out, seemingly in more mental than physical anguish. Vector stood where he was gaping dumbly, while the vixen and Sonic were cheering and fist-pumping respectively.

Tails leaned over to reply to his injured living carpet "As I said before, I'm a fox, and we foxes stay alive by out-witting our predators." hopping off the chameleon's back, the vulpine extended a hand to help him up. Choosing to neither swat it away nor accept it, Espio pulled his own weight up, showing clear signs of damage to his back. The severity of his wounds was not known until he made a stubborn attempt to leave, resulting in a miserable tumble face-first into a patch of wet soil.

To make up for this, both Vector and Amethyst rushed to side, helping the pride-crushed ninja over to a more suitable place for medical treatment. Sonic had meanwhile stepped up to his friend to give him a firm slap on the back.

"That was both funny and impressive, bud." Sonic complemented in earnest "But how the heck did you know when to jump?"

Smirking smugly, the vulpine answered "A true warrior never reveals his secrets." he gave a mock 'Espio-esque' bow, but then put in rather hesitantly "And uh besides, everyone gets lucky from time to time, right? Now, I think it's time we had a chat with our guests." Tails slipped away too fast for Sonic to get anymore answers. This left the hero to wonder if the fox really meant what he said, or if he was simply cracking another joke.

L

*An hour later*

L

"So, you were trying to help us out?" Sonic was still lost by the puzzling explanation given by the group he recognized as his world's Team Chaotix, or as this Vector called them 'Tactichaos', a detail he found difficult to not laugh at. Apparently they had decided to look for the emerald in exchange for a 'favor' Tails had done for them, although he couldn't get the fox to tell him what that favor was. In short though, they had some kind of debt to pay off, and thus were asking the trio if they could join them in their hunt. Tails was quick to point out that they only had one more emerald to get, and they wouldn't likely need any assistance in rescuing Rouge. Espio dismissed this, claiming that they didn't understand what they were up against. He then revealed his intel about Maasawd, claiming him to be a very deadly fighter and thought that when paired up with Knuckles, would be impossible for the three heroes to face alone.

"Yeah that sounds really nice, but how do we know you're not in league with Knuckles? Do you have anything for us go on, except for your word?" Tails accused jaggedly, putting up what he thought was a much needed screen against any trick-play the crooked threesome might pull.

In a smile of genuine understanding, however sinister it may've looked to them, Vector placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. As quick as his cue, a fast flying mobian came barreling out of the thickened woods, holding and rubbing what was obviously the emerald they had come for.

"Ooh, I get it now." Amethyst whispered in Tails' pointy ear "I bet that's why the signal was going crazy earlier. That cute little guy must've been circling us the whole time! Isn't that just precious?"

Tails' ears drooped along with his head, realizing just now that Vector and his crew was probably watching them the whole time. He was only thankful that no one had volunteered to bring it up…yet "Yeah this guy's really 'cute' alright." came his sour reply "So I guess this is the 'proof' of your trust?" the fox asked, having wrested the gem out of Charmy's crazed grasp, much to the bee's irritation.

"Yep that's it." Vector confirmed, clasping his hands together in a businessman-like manner "Listen up shrimp; we don't accept charity where we come from. If you expect us to keep that hefty slip of green, you're going to have to take us along. I make it my policy to give out work in proportion to how well I'm paid. That stiff Knuckles wanted us to do his lousy butt a 'favor', as in 'work without pay'. Not to mention dirty work at that. All we want to do with you is earn our keep."

When Tails seemed to be okay with saying nothing, Sonic decided to answer for him "We need all the help we can get. Glad to have you aboard Vector." the vulpine didn't like the choice being taken from his hands, but he did admit that his friend was right. Once all three heroes had shown approval, Vector and his team stood up and motioned for them to follow.

"You guys'll be heading for the Barren Cataract next, right? Well I s'pose we could walk it, but I prefer to travel in style." he then drew the last few bushes away like a curtain, revealing a large almost surreal looking…something.

"What…is it?" Amethyst queried in certain awe.

"I… I don't believe it! It looks like a giant…" Tails started to say.

"Flying house." Sonic finished for him.

-l-

End of Chapter Twenty-three

-l-

Busy, busy, BUSY! I can't find the time to get anything done, this story included! Mucho high on the dialogue here, but I'm not about to change it now. Error-proof? Not likely since I once more didn't have time to double-check! No matter, I'm sure some of you will like this. Yes I know I need to start tying in the others (Rouge, Knuckles, Maasawd, Maria, Robotnik, and Amy) back into the mix, but all in good time. These scenes filled up a lot more space than I was anticipating.

DanceDream: Antagonists are real characters too. Everybody needs a 'real' side :). Heh-heh, made you look! Espio's capable of knocking our blue hero out too, sadly. I'm happy it made your day. It IS about time that couple reconciled (I know I wouldn't get away with half the mess-ups Tails does XD). Heh, yup I'm a wicked person like that. Thanks, I was hoping so. As I told Sierra, suspense is my forte! As always, my prayers are with you :). And darn right! MERRY CHRISTMAS IT IS!

Ghostkid33: Thank yuuuu! :D I've missed writing for you all. No nothing in this world likes our heroes, but then again they do seem to be getting more friends by the minute (or are they? XD)! Thank you, I was hoping you would like it!

Serenity: Aw I know. I've come to love my own pairing, as vain as that is. I'm SO VERY HAPPY TO BE BACK TOO (sorry for shouting XD).

Infamousplot: Your concrit is much appreciated. I may have few more noticeable 'flubs' as you call them in this chap, but this is one I'm willing to take a loss with (given the time crunch I can't avoid). I await your review, whether by pm or by that little button below!

KoTwz10z: Yup, yup, yup. That's me! I love me mah cliffhangers! Aw thanks. I'm not really good at all that lovey-dovey stuff, but I make my best effort! I know, poor Sonic. You'd think they could stop their lip-locking long enough to help a friend in need! Ah well, nobody's perfect XD. You were right! Espio is a crafty fellow indeed.

Kindra Mckleen: They did, they really did. I can't leave a couple out to dry forever. Yeah Sonic has been having issues up the yin-yang. Btw that 'voice' as you called it will be returning next chap.

Sierra Zanimalini14: I've pm-ed you about this, but what's the harm in saying it again? XD I'm glad you noticed, and yes I understood what you meant. Thank you :). You're doing just fine! I'm still enjoying your story! Btw did you update? I didn't see any new chapters when I clicked on the link 0_o.

Super Shadix 520: Glad you think so! I believe I had plenty of angst to go around, but not enough romance and humor (the latter is evidenced in this chapter). Thank you again for tolerating my ever common cliffhanger!

Sparkling-nexis137: Should you ever decide to return, I'll be more than happy to hear your reviews again! I hope I see you this chap :).

Until next time!