Chapter 7: Believing in Oneself

"Bottom of the ninth-tie score, at the plate we have rookie sensation from across the galaxy, Miles 'Tails' Prower!" Sonic announced dramatically. He had dressed himself well for the day, wearing a Green Hills Baseball team jersey which had been a gift to him from the little league.

Tails stood at the plate, gripping the bat tightly in his gloved hands as he breathed nervously. The red baseball helmet he wore fit snugly on his head, albeit squishing his ears slightly and making it a little harder for him to hear. He too wore a Green Hills Baseball jersey.

"And standing at the pitcher's mound, we have the deadliest warrior in the galaxy, Knuckles the Echidna!" Sonic added.

Knuckles stood at the pitcher's mound, ball in hand with a stoic look on his face. "Time for you to feel the dishonor of my own 'fast-ball', fox!" He called out.

Tails sucked in a breath. "Bring it!" He yelled, trying to sound confident.

"Come on, Sweetie, you can do it!" Maddie yelled from right field.

"You got this, buddy!" Tom added from left field.

Sonic, easily seeing through his baby brother, quickly zipped over to him. "You okay, Tails?" He asked.

Tails nodded tensley. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He brushed off, even though it was very clear he was shaking with a bit of fear.

Who could blame him though? He was going up against Knuckles, the same echidna who managed to knock the ball out of the park when they first played. And if he was as strong a thrower as he was a hitter, Tails knew he was in for a rough time.

"Remember, you got this, little bro!" Sonic said, smiling encouragingly at his little brother.

Smiling back at his big brother, Tails nodded before looking back towards Knuckles at the pitcher's mound, his eyes narrowed as he once again gripped the bat tightly. "You're right, Sonic. I can do this!" Tails said confidently, feeling empowered by his older brother.

Sonic smiled proudly at Tails before he zipped over to put on his catcher gear as fast as he could before zooming back to the plate.

"Alright, give it to him, Knux!" Sonic yelled out to the echidna while Tails stood ready. "And no power bumps!"

Knuckles gritted his teeth determinedly before he winded up his arm before throwing the ball towards the plate.

Tails swung the bat, but had swung too late as he missed the ball while it landed in Sonic's mitt.

"Strike one!" Sonic called, taking the ball out of his mitt and tossing it back over to Knuckles.

Feeling his confidence waning slightly, Tails sucked in a breath and bit his lip as he readied himself at the plate again.

Knuckles once again winded up his arm and threw the ball again. This time, Tails swung the bat too early as it once again whizzed by him into Sonic's mitt.

"Strike two!" Sonic announced, throwing the ball back to Knuckles again.

By now, Tails was practically falling apart, his face looking dejected as he looked down at his feet, almost looking like he was on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, Sonic inched over to Tails, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Tails, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Tails looked up, his eyes filling with unshed tears. "I-I don't know if I can do this, Sonic. I've already gotten two strikes and if I miss this third one, we'll lose the game!" He exclaimed, sounding like he was on the verge of panicking.

Sonic smiled sympathetically as he gently placed his hand on Tails' shoulder, causing the kit to look at him. "It's gonna be okay, Tails." He said reassuringly. "Just breathe, okay? In and out. In and out."

Tails hesitantly nodded, taking slow deep breaths as he matched Sonic's breathing.

"Hey, it's just a game, okay? It's not a big deal if we lose." Sonic told him.

Tails lowered his head, refusing to meet his big brother's gaze. "I just... don't want to let you down is all."

Sonic smiled softly, gently cupping Tails' cheek and tipping his head up towards him. "Tails, you could never let me down."

Tails gazed up at Sonic, his sapphire blue eyes meeting Sonic's emerald green as he looked up at his brother with uncertainty.

"You can do this, okay? Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Sonic said, giving Tails an affectionate jab in the chest as he gazed at his baby brother with soft and comforting eyes. "I believe in you!"

Tails looked up at his brother with wide eyes, almost unable to believe the level of confidence his hedgehog brother had in him. He felt a warm smile grow on his face as he dried his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. "Thanks, Sonic." He said gratefully.

With his confidence restored, Tails squared his feet and held the bat up high.

"Prepare to be dishonored, fox!" Knuckles stated, lightly juggling the ball before letting it land back in his hand.

"Bring it, Knucklehead!" Tails exclaimed challengingly.

Winding up his arm for the third time, Knuckles threw the ball as hard as he could at the young fox.

Tails sucked in a deep breath as everything seemed to slow down. All he could focus on was the ball as it came soaring towards him.

Summoning every bit of strength his little body could muster, Tails swung the bat as hard as he could.

*CRACK*

Tails felt the vibration run up the bat as he hit the ball, sending it soaring high into the air above the field.

"Quick, go, go, go!" Sonic yelled as Tails quickly dropped the bat and sprinted as fast as he could towards first base.

Tom and Maddie were both wandering the fields, trying to figure out where the ball was going to land as it began to come down.

His foot hitting first base, Tails immediately shifted his direction towards second base, reaching it within mere seconds before making his way over to third base.

The ball finally landed in right field as Maddie quickly ran over and grabbed the ball. She then heaved it over to Knuckles, who quickly caught it.

"C'mon, Tails! Go home! Go home!" Sonic cheered on his baby brother as Tails reached third base before sprinting towards home.

"You will not evade defeat so easily, fox!" Knuckles yelled, throwing the ball towards the plate.

Tails noticed the ball sailing towards Sonic out of the corner of his eye and immediately pushed himself to go faster, his little legs practically becoming a blur.

The ball was coming closer to the plate, much faster than the fox kit could run.

Realizing this, Tails narrowed his eyes in determination as he sucked in his breath, swished his tails, and leapt with all his might towards the plate.

For a moment, Tails felt as though he were flying, even though his tails weren't spinning. He almost felt like a bird as he sailed through the air, his only focus being on getting to the plate before the ball.

Suddenly, everything sped up again as Tails crashed on the dirt ground, sliding over the plate as the ball landed in Sonic's glove, who attempted to slam it on Tails, only to miss.

"Safe!" Sonic declared, having changed into a referee uniform in an instant.

Sliding to a stop and with dirt covering his goldish-yellow fur, Tails' eyes widened as he registered the call before a big smile formed on his face.

"Wahoo!" Tails cheered adorably, jumping to his feet and pumping his fists happily. "I did it! I did it!"

"You did it, little bro!" Sonic cried, picking up Tails and spinning him around, earning a squeal followed by a stream of giggles from the fox cub.

Setting him down, Sonic placed his hands on Tails' shoulders and knelt down to his level with a wide grin. "You did great, buddy! I'm so proud of you!" He smiled, feeling immense pride swelling in his heart for his little brother.

Tails smiled as his cheeks blushed cutely. "Aw, thanks, Sonic." He said bashfully, wrapping his arms around Sonic's neck and pulling him into a loving hug, which Sonic gladly returned.

Knuckles, Tom, and Maddie soon approached them as Sonic and Tails separated.

"Great job, buddy." Tom smiled, congratulating his youngest son by ruffling his bangs, causing Tails to giggle happily.

"You were amazing, sweetie." Maddie said, giving Tails an affectionate kiss on the forehead, causing the kit to blush.

"Congratulations, fox. You have defeated me at Base of Ball." Knuckles smiled, slapping Tails on the back, almost knocking the kit over.

"I think this calls for some celebratory ice cream!" Sonic declared, scooping up Tails in a bridal style hold. "C'mon, Tails! It's my turn to carry you this time!"

Tails yelped as his older brother picked him, but soon laughed happily as Sonic carried him over to the truck. "Lead the way, big bro!"

Sonic and Tails quickly got in the back of the truck, followed by Knuckles while Tom and Maddie got in the front seats along with Ozzie.

As they drove away, Tails leaned against Sonic's shoulder, to which the blue hedgehog wrapped his arm around the kit's shoulder and pulled him into a comfortable half hug.

They eventually arrived at the ice cream parlor in town, with Sonic getting a scoop of chocolate, Tails getting a scoop of mint chocolate chip, Knuckles getting a scoop of blueberry (since there was no such thing as grape ice cream), and Tom and Maddie both got a scoop of strawberry and cookie dough respectively. Even Ozzie got a little cup of vanilla for himself.

As they sat by the window to the ice cream parlor, Sonic and Tails leaned against each other as they enjoyed their ice cream.

"You did really great today, Tails." Sonic spoke up, taking a short break from licking his ice cream. "I mean that."

Tails beamed up at his older brother. "Thanks, Sonic, but I don't think I could've done it without your encouragement." He replied.

"You kidding? I bet you could've hit that ball right out of the park without me!" Sonic exclaimed with a grin, to which Tails giggled cutely. "I mean, you were able to dance just as well as I could when we were in Siberia, remember!"

"Dancing and playing baseball are two totally different things, Sonic!" Tails laughed before taking a bite out of his mind ice cream. He then gazed up at the blue hedgehog with a soft smile. "And even then, you were the one who helped me believe in myself, just like you did today."

Sonic smiled back as he wrapped his arm around Tails' shoulder, pulling him into a half-hug. "I love you, little bro."

Tails beamed happily as he nuzzled his cheek into Sonic's shoulder. "I love you too, big bro."