(AN: Well, hello once again! It's time that we return to another Transfer chapter! And this one is surprisingly a bit shorter than before! I thought it was gonna be longer, but perhaps maybe it's better that it's not TOO long as I think Despair Hill Zone has controlled my writing style lol.

Anyway, I'd like to give a super huge thanks to a good friend of mine on Twitter for helping me with the Japanese so far not in the story but in this chapter too. There's QUITE a bit of it and without him, I likely would be butchering it all to hell, so thanks so much! Don't worry, I'll hold up my end of the bargin when the story ends!

With that out of the way, we gotta little bit of drama today, so let's get started!)


The next day, during Creative Drawing I, Espio dipped his brush into a small cup of brown water as he held it by the end of its handle. He squinted his eyes as he pressed his brush onto his easel, not letting go like how he or his mother would be writing on the scrolls in the dojo. Valdez watched over him, not saying a word but letting the chameleon let his brush do the talking for him.

After his brush started losing strength and the color was getting weaker, Espio placed his brush back into his water cup and continued coloring the interior of his dojo.

"Okay, time iz up!" Professor D' Coolette said. "You've all 'ad enough time to draw and to paint your drawing over 'ze past few days and nights, so now it iz time we begin our critique! Drop whatever you are doing and turn around your easel's, 'zen let's begin the critique."

Thankfully, Espio had memorized that 'time is up' means to stop, so the chameleon dropped his brush in his cup and turned around his easel like he did multiple times in the class when it was time for presentation.

"That really does look like the dojo, Espio-kun," Valdez said. "I'm sure your mother will be proud you're showing your home to the people of the outside world. In fact…"

The blue chameleon got out his phone and quickly took a picture of the canvas as he followed Espio, the chameleon briefly noticing Jewel roll his eyes at the two reptiles as the class turned around. Professor D' Coolette walked around the classroom, looked at each drawing and nodded his head at each one he stared at.

"I see… I see…" he murmured. "Well! 'zese are certainly some interesting drawings! Perspective iz certainly important when doing drawings from memory, without any references. While I'm sure you all would and in my personal opinion, SHOULD be using references as you draw, one of the best ways to develop yourself as 'an artist is to draw from memory. And it seems 'zat you all were able to get that down pat! 'zere are a few I see issue with, and 'zat will come when your critique comes in. Now, who would like to go first? Or shall I call names?"

Espio looked around the line of students as the art professor called on Johnny Lightfoot, a rather silent rabbit boy who sat a few seats away from the chameleon, who quietly introduced his piece. Then, it was Jewel, and it was about two other students after her before Espio was called on. The chameleon nodded at Professor D' Coolette as he and Valdez got out of line and walked towards the canvas.

"Well? What is 'ze name of your piece?" the coyote professor asked.

Remembering how this worked, he had to give this a name just like his last two projects. Looking at it, something already came to mind.

"Doujou naibu," he told Valdez.

"He's calling it, Dojo Interior," explained the blue chameleon. "Painted on canvas with watercolor and with aaaaaaa… uh…" Quickly sniping the brush on Espio's canvas, he read aloud the brush size. "36 size round brush…"

"And, 'ow would you describe your drawing?" Professor D' Coolette asked.

Remembering that he was now asking the meaning behind his art, Espio continued. "This art piece is a replica of my home, which I haven't seen in almost two months. It's the first thing you see when you come inside, with everything including stuff owned by my mother, the table in which we eat, and the outside leading to our zen garden, among many other aspects."

"Espio here says that this is a drawing of his home, how it's pretty much what you'd see when you walk in, with many of the things he would see whenever he'd come home," Valdez added.

"Ah… I 'zee!" Professor D' Coolette said. "Now, I noticed that for this project, you used a LOT of brown here. Sans the little bit of color we 'zee in 'ze background, it's almost entirely brown. Does your 'ome look that way?"

Valdez repeated the question back to the chameleon, who nodded.

"I 'zee! Now, I also find it captivating too that you are able to remember your 'ome in such detail. 'Zee, many of the students who do this project don't pick the 'ome simply because remembering all 'ze details is quite difficult. 'zere is the subject of perspective as well, which is why many of my students keep to doing a person or maybe an object, or maybe a replica of something they've 'zeen in a movie or something. But interior design isn't something I see often! I think it looks lovely, but I think we should ask your classmates 'ow it looks. And-"

It was then that Jewel raised her hand.

"Ah, yes. Jewel, did you 'ave a critique for Mr. Espio?"

"I did actually," the beetle smiled before turning and staring at Espio dead in the eyes. "This goes to what I you were saying about the color, Professor D' Coolette. I think that in using too much brown, Espio has muddied his drawing far too much. I mean, I think personally it looks very unappealing to the eye with that much brown. It makes you think of certain… DISGUSTING brown colored objects."

There was some soft snickering coming from different students.

"Well, I respectfully disagree," said Gadget, the same boy who critiqued his first piece. "Remember, the project was about using as little color as possible. Plus, you're able to tell in what parts Espio used more or less color, and I think in doing so, he was able to understand his light sources in his drawing despite the sole main factor of coloring being from the outdoors you see in the corner."

Jewel grit her teeth but tried her best to hide it. "I'm sorry, I was in the middle of my critique, Gadget…" she said. "And if you have to ask my personal opinion, I think the color makes this piece look… well, if you ask me, it is NOT appealing at all."

"Well, 'zere is no need to be so putting down of 'is work, Jewel," Professor D' Coolette said. "I understand the use of color might… put off 'zome people, but I don't think it ruins the piece overall. I think Gadget made a good point."

At this point, Jewel started to ball up her fists in anger. Espio wanted to ask if she was okay, but everyone but her began to clap for him. Quickly diverting his attention away from the beetle, he bowed as he returned in line, the class finishing their critiques. Once they were done, everyone went back to their seats after Professor D' Coolette collected everyone's canvas.

After he was done, the coyote clapped his hands.

"Well! Another successful project done!" he said. "And quite wonderful work you've all done! I'm very proud of you all! Well, on 'zat note, since we don't 'ave much time left in class, let me very briefly introduce our next project. As you know, our first main project was drawing a full body sketch of moi, and one of your warmup assignments was fifteen minute sketch of one of the athletes from the school's wrestling team as your model. 'owever, it's time that you 'ave 'zomeone less professional, someone less… willing to stand still for 'ours on end. To understand 'ow the great painters of the New Dawn drew portraits of their political leaders, aristocrats, and… basically anyone who had the time to pose and the money to spend on 'iring an artist…"

The coyote looked around the room before walking back to his desk, grabbing a piece of paper, and returning to the middle of the classroom.

"'zis time, you all shall be your own artists and models. I shall pair you up with one student, and whoever you are paired with shall not only be the person drawing you as their model, but you will be responsible for drawing that person too. When I call your name, I shall tell you who you are paired with and give you the rubric for this assignment. Now…"

Valdez relayed the information to Espio in Japanese, and the assignment from how it sounded seemed interesting. He remembered once how his father hired an artist from Hirunotsuka to draw a family portrait after Shami's birth. Maybe he could do something similar to that? Perhaps he could even get someone he's been wanting to talk to. Perhaps Johnny, who kept quiet about himself, or maybe that strange looking girl named Belle who he only ever saw in this class. Or perhaps-

"Espio Chameleon… you shall be working with Jewel Beetle. Here you two are…"

oh.

Espio grabbed the rubric from Professor D' Coolette's hands as he slowly turned towards the beetle. She slowly turned to him and gave him a look that would kill, trying to play nice when Professor D' Coolette came to her before returning to her murderous glare when he walked away. No matter how little he could understand her, the chameleon knew this WASN'T good news…

"Would you like me to help you interact with Jewel?" asked Valdez, oblivious to her hatred of him. Espio shook his head.

"I… I think I should be fine for this project, Valdez-san. I don't see much talking to be done…"

"Perhaps you're right. Well, if you're ever having any trouble interacting with her, just let me know and I can swing by."

But his voice was drowned out as Espio continued to stare at Jewel. Oh, how he wished Vector were there to make him feel better…


After explaining that the project needed to be done mainly outside of class, the clock hit 9:30, meaning it was soon time for his weekly ESOL lesson since it was a Thursday. After packing everything into his bag, the entire class started to leave for the day as Valdez tapped Espio's shoulder.

"I'm going to go on ahead to Professor Longclaw's classroom so we can prepare today's lesson for you. You know where to go, right?" he asked. Espio nodded in response. "Good! We'll both meet you there later. I think you'll like today's lesson."

By then, everyone had left the classroom, even Professor D' Coolette announced that he had to make a quick run out for a bit. Just as the chameleon was about to walk out of the classroom, someone harshly tugged on the back of his haori's collar. Espio hissed as he was nearly knocked to the floor, looking into the angered face of Jewel.

"YOU?!" she screamed. "Of anybody I could possibly get as my partner… It's YOU?!"

Espio stood silent as he stared at Jewel, who was grabbing her antennae and pulling them. "ARGHHH, WHY ME, WHY ME, WHY MEEEEE?!"

Her tone then changed as she flew up to Espio's face, pointing her finger near his eyes. "Listen here, BUB… I'm not flunking this project, lowering my GPA, AND losing my spot on the Dean's List just because my partner can't understand English! SO, let's get this through your thick head, Espio… When I need you for my… ergh… OUR project, I NEED you. I don't care what you're doing, how you're doing, where you're going, whatever. You WILL come with me, and you're going to follow EVERYTHING I say. No ifs, ands, OR buts! Otherwise, I think you'll be facing just how much power I have with the higher ups at the school. Understand?!"

The two stood silent as Jewel raised her hands in the air out of frustration. "WELL?!"

But Espio still continued to not say a word as the beetle snorted. "Of course, probably STILL can't understand me… Oh Gaia, give me the strength to get past this nightmare…"

She started to buzz out of the room, but before she left, she quickly poked her head back into the classroom.

"OH, and one more thing? Draw me ugly, and I'm frankly going to knock that horn off your face."

With that, the beetle girl left the classroom, leaving Espio alone to himself. Even if he couldn't really make out most of what she was saying, there were a few words he caught. And the way she spoke too? It was clear to him that she wasn't happy, if not even angrier than she was yesterday.

As he walked out of the classroom, he couldn't help but wonder how Jewel of all people intimidated him. Being reprimanded by his mother or his senseis made sense, they were his teachers and the adults in his life. But Jewel was the same age… yet the anger she built up in her was even larger than even his mother when she dealt with an evil doer facing the judgement of her. How he'd remember sitting on his knees next to his mother and father prior to the latter's death, seeing the silent fury on the Bride's face as her words, sharp and deadly, struck fear into the ones being judged for their crimes.

"Gods above, please let me get past this project… And please… let Jewel be nicer than Mother during her worst outbursts…" he prayed to himself as he headed towards the C building and to his ESOL lesson. After minutes walking from the Creative Drawing classroom to his ESOL classroom, he stepped into the class as Professor Longclaw and Valdez were busy preparing his lesson.

"Ah, you've come, Espio-kun. Come on and sit, we-" Valdez spoke in Japanese before being cut off by Professor Longclaw.

"Espio? Are you alright?" she asked. Espio looked at the owl and chameleon before looking at the mirror near the tree in the middle of the classroom, noticing his worried and depressed expression.

"Espio-kun… You ARE feeling okay, no?"

Espio took a seat. "I… I'm… okqy."

Professor Longclaw looked at Valdez with concern before looking at Espio. "Well, we did have a fun idea for a lesson today, but by your expression… I can't help but feel like something happened. Tell you what, why don't we discuss something a little different today."

"Weren't we going to teach him about expressions and words to use while in conversations today?" Valdez asked.

"We were… but I think maybe we could do things a little different. Why don't we talk about what to say whenever we're sad, angry, hurt, or what to do when someone is bothering us? We can still use our fun game too…"

Espio took out his notebook from his bag, and a pencil, and began to pay attention as Professor Longclaw began to write, 'I'M FEELING SAD' on the board.


After his lesson, Espio surprisingly felt like today's lesson really seemed to sum up how he was feeling after Jewel screamed into his face. He was angry, embarrassed, and most of all, sad. He needed to let her know how he felt…

At least, after he got some lunch. And sure enough, he found himself waiting in front of the statue of the founder of Mobius U just behind North Hall. Amid all the people walking past him, a familiar smiling face came walking up towards him wearing his white t-shirt, jeans, and his signature headphones.

"Hey there, Espio!" Vector said as he walked up to his roommate, bag over his shoulder. "Say, how was yer classes today?"

Espio, remembering what he was supposed to say thanks to both his ESOL and Vector's lessons, bobbled his head. "I… I a-am feeling o-okay…" he said. Vector looked over at his friend with concern.

"Espio?... Is everythin' alright?" he asked. "Say… nothin's happen to ya, is it?"

The chameleon said nothing. He didn't want the crocodile to know about what was going on. Not only was it getting him involved with something that wasn't his business, but it felt shameful to admit that he was being insulted. After all, back in Gojo, Mother and Father always told him that if someone is making you feel bad, telling someone what was going on was most shameful. 'Growing from others' harsh words is how real ninjas live' is how they used to say, so Espio turned his head as Vector stopped his roommate and crouched down.

"Say… ya know yeh can tell me anythin', right?" he asked. "It ain't got nothin' to do with that bitch from yesterday, right?"

Espio still, once again, stood silent.

"Alright… well, I'm sure ya have yer reasons fer stayin' silent. If I see her, frankly I'm gonna give her a piece of mah mind. Well, regardless… I can't have ya just frownin' and lookin' forlorn like that, can I? So, lemme make it up to yeh before we get something to eat. Ya remember what's this Saturday, right?"

Espio bounced when he heard Vector. "T-The g-ge-gemuh?"

"Not… the way ya say it, but hey, maybe we can work it on later tonight! But yeah, we got a game this Saturday!"

The chameleon smiled at the thought, but he still hadn't asked Valdez to get him a ticket. He had been far too busy outside of Espio's classes for him to ask, and he still didn't know how to get one himself.

"And well… thanks to our last two games bein' wins, coach decided to be nice to the team and give us all a free ticket to give to anyone."

Espio's eyes widened more and more as Vector reached into his bag and pulled out a ticket, handing it into the foreign exchange student's hands.

"V-Vector!" he said, noticing that he was more comfortable using Vector's name when speaking English. "T-Thank y-yu-you very m-much!"

"No prob! Def cheer me on, though!" Vector gave his friend a thumbs up. "We gotta win three times in a row! Dun be afraid to be yerself! Cheer as loud as ya can! I wanna see ya whoopin' and hollerin' on that stand!"

Espio nodded as he put the ticket in his bag, the two starting to walk towards K building.

"NOW, with all that outta the way, let's treat ourselves to a nice lunch!" Vector said as they reached the steps. Espio was in the mood for Takikomi Gohan with ingredients provided by different parts of the school's buffet, watermelon and most importantly, trying a food that Vector had been wanting all week. According to him and from the pictures he showed off to him, they seemed to be meat on bread with vegetables on it. He still felt guilty eating meat behind Gojo's back, but Vector told him he could maybe try just a LITTLE bit of it before he replaced the meat with something like fish, which Espio thought of as amazing. He was never a glutton for food, but with how the school supplied it all and seemingly never ran out, the chameleon wouldn't deny… he was starting to get spoiled, and he loved it.

With their mouths watering, the two reptiles opened the doors to the K building, went towards the food court, got their lunches, and headed towards their friends waiting for them.


TWO DAYS LATER

A mostly cloudy sky overcast the Mobius U stadium as it was after halftime during the match between the Mobius University Badniks vs the Winterberg University Peckys. The Mobius U cheerleaders and band had finished their halftime presentation and the players had went back onto the field.

Espio found himself on a higher stand compared to the last game he went to, sitting next to Mighty as the armadillo was the one who was doing all the celebrating. The chameleon didn't consider himself all that loud, so he felt a little embarrassed to be as loud as his friend, but he did join in with the clapping.

The two watched as Vector got into position in behind the Badniks' center player; Bull Bones, his hand right near the ball as the referee took a few steps back and blew a whistle. Immediately, the Winterberg quarterback grabbed the ball and rushed forwards as Vector was able to block with his body. In that moment before he tripped and fell, he was able to throw the ball to his right, not before being caught by Thrash. In that moment, as Vector ran forward, Thrash was able to throw it to the crocodile as he moved in place, noticing the amount of Winterberg players coming his way.

It was then that Espio noticed that Connery was running from behind Vector to his right, and it seemed the crocodile took notice of this too, because he passed it to the horse…

But didn't.

Instead, as the players were distracted at the idea of the ball being passed to Connery, Vector ran around the group as the crowd gasped. Espio was confused at what was going on, after all, wasn't Connery supposed to have the ball?

He tapped Mighty's shoulder. "Ma-Mighty… I a-am… con… con…" he said, trying to remember the word he learned that meant he didn't understand.

"Yo-You're confused?" Mighty asked. "Okay, I'll try to explain it,"

He put his hand on Espio's shoulder. "So, look at Vector," he continued, pointing at the crocodile with his free hand. "Right now, he did a move what's called a bootleg. Basically, he confuses the other team by pretending to hand the ball to Connery, who's the running back. At this point, Vector is running around the line of scrimmage, using his chance to get around everyone. Now, you'll notice Knuckles and Monk are by his side. Generally, when you do a bootleg, it's recommended you have some offense on your side to take care of the others, so pretty much they'll take the hits-"

And in that moment, someone came by Knuckles' side and tackled the echidna to the ground as Monk was only barely able to get out in time.

"Oof! That's gotta hurt!" he said as the crowd on the other side of the stadium began to cheer. Just then, Vector looked behind him to see both guards and one tackler on the other team coming from behind him. He attempted to stop and dodge out of the way.

"W-What the?!" Mighty questioned, getting up. "What the hell is he doing?! And where's the lineman?!"

Espio didn't understand 95% of what came out of Mighty's mouth but judging by his tone of voice and the sudden movements of the crocodile… something wasn't right. In fact, he was now starting to get a bad feeling.

What happened next happened like a blur: just as his foot was stepped on by the Pecky's Tight End, the three people who was chasing after the quarterback finally was able to catch him, bringing him to the ground. Vector's helmet quickly slid off and he began to fall…

The crocodile's head was the first part of his body to land on the grass before his body landed on top of the football. But then, despite the large field, Espio heard it clear as day, a clear *CRACK* sound as under Vector's weight, the football slid and shot forward in front of him. The Mobius U part of the stands gasped as they got up, quickly picking up that something happened. Even all the players on the field stopped running and stopped as the Winterberg players stopped piling atop of Vector. Coach Augustus, the referees, and medical personnel began to run towards the crocodile as Espio watched with wide eyes.

He never thought Vector could get hurt… all this time. He thought Vector was indestructible when he played football. To see him like this…


Pain.

That was all Vector saw and felt in that moment once he was on the ground. From the way he landed on the football, his shoulder REALLY didn't feel alright. And most of all, he was starting to see stars in the dark night sky.

He really fucked this up, didn't he?...

Just then, his teammates, Coach, and the refs and medical staff stood in front of him.

"Vector, can you hear me?" Coach Augustus asked as a medical staff shone a flashlight in his eyes. Vector followed the light as he groaned loudly, muttering curses under his breath as he attempted to get up but felt a sharp pain as he attempted to raise his right arm off the ground. "Kid, kid, don't get up now. You took a really huge fall."

"C-Coach…" Vector said in pain. "I… I can… argh, fuckkkk!"

He grabbed his shoulder in pain, falling back to the ground.

"You're in no condition to play, Vector," Connery said, his moustache joining his face in a perpetual frown.

"He's right," the polar bear said. "You took a nasty fall like that. I'm sorry, Vector, but you gotta go to the hospital."

"C-Coach… I… I can't… we were going to wi-win…"

"And we will. But we can't win if you're like that. Stay still, the medics are coming with a stretcher."

Vector hissed as he grabbed his shoulder with his left hand, muttering more curses as his football team looked down at him. Some of them looked sad, horrified, or disappointed at what just occurred. Just then, he noticed the stretchers come from the corner of his eye as he began to hear Coach yell.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING, TELLING YOUR BOYS TO JUST… VIOLENTLY MAKE A MOVE LIKE THAT?!"

"My fucking fault?!" yelled back the Winterberg coach. "I'll have you know, Augustus, that I tell my boys that when a quarterback makes a bootleg move, find a way to distract them so you can bring them to the ground and end their little charade. You haven't changed one bit, treating your athletes like little boys. My damn team is doing what I told them, and if you have an issue with that, maybe learn how to coach better, or better yet, treat them like fucking MEN first!"

"I teach my boys to respect their teammates and who they're playing against, not to treat them like FUCKING wild animals! If my way of coaching somehow offends your 'perfect standard' of coaching, then you can kiss. My. FUCKING. ASS!"

As the screaming match between Augustus and the Winterberg coach only intensified, the medics began to lift the crocodile with intense difficulty onto the stretcher as he was lifted. Vector watched his coach and his teammates as he looked around the stadium, noticing the horrified expressions of everyone. As the medics began to move him off the stadium, the pain in Vector's shoulder and arm grew as more stars formed in his eyes. The crocodile continued however, to hang onto consciousness, turning his head to the left to notice the people on the stands.

He heard the voices of the radio commentators of KLAK 102.9, Sam Speed and Wes Weasly, saying, "Oh, how absolutely tragic, folks! Vector staring at your humble hosts as he's being carried off the field… This is gonna be one of the worst moments from this year's college football season!"

And then, he two people on the stands that stood out to him: Mighty, and next to him…

Espio.

Vector felt disheartened when he noticed Espio's expression, the horror clear in his face and in his eyes. Never did he want him to see the crocodile like this… It felt embarrassing, degrading, and most of all…

He felt like he'd let his team, his fans, his school, and most importantly, his friend down.


From atop the stands, Mighty could only watch as Vector was taken off the field. His ears fell and he looked at the ground.

"Man… poor Vector…" he said before he suddenly heard a feint murmuring.

"Koroshite yaru… koroshite yaru… koroshite yaru!"

It was Espio, who began to shake as he began to reach into his hakama. Mighty, noticing this, stopped the chameleon as he got up.

"Espio, what are you doing?!" he said, bringing some attention to themselves.

"I… I w-want…" he said, Mighty unaware of what he was trying to convey. But by his anger, his shaking, he knew that the chameleon wanted to make this personal.

"Espio, you can't just go on the field!"

Just then, the chameleon was about to rush off the stands before Mighty grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

"HANASE!" Espio screamed as more eyes darted towards the armadillo and chameleon. Some of them started to jump out of the way while others started to yell at the two. Despite Espio's strength, Mighty's far overpowered him as he was able to chokehold the chameleon back to his seat.

"Look, I know Vector got hurt and you're angry at the person who did it… but this isn't the way! Stand down… Vector will be alright. I promise. He's getting help right now…" he said.

Just then, someone to Mighty's side tapped his shoulder and reached towards his ear.

"You REALLY gotta control your friend," he said.

"S-Sorry…" Mighty replied. "He's still a little new to the football world…"

Mighty turned his head back to his friend, who continued to fidget. Thankfully, there had been a large commotion on the stands, so they didn't bring TOO much attention to themselves.

"Look, just… calm down… You have every right reason to be angry but just… wouldn't it matter to Vector more that you be worried about him instead of focusing on the other team?"

While he wasn't sure if Espio understood him, minute by minute, he slowly let go of his chokehold as he saw the chameleon calm down.

As the game continued again, Mighty looked at Espio. "You feeling okay, dude? If you want, once the game is over, we can try to find where Vector is and visit him."

However, Espio hung his head, not watching the game anymore. The armadillo frowned, not knowing what to do from here. So, he put his hand on the chameleon's shoulder and patted it, continuing to watch the game.


FOUR HOURS LATER…

After a physical examination, it was determined that Vector's collarbone and upper right arm suffered intense spraining and that his head suffered a very minor concussion, one that the doctor said could be cured with anti-inflammatory drugs. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but Vector was recommended by the doctor that he likely won't be getting better until two weeks from now, and that he had to stay in the hospital to make sure his condition would get better until Tuesday where he had to wear a cast for a few days.

When he heard all this, it disheartened Vector. He wanted to get back to playing and hopefully by next week, return to practice and working out in the I building. He didn't want to have to give it up, even if it was for two weeks.

And so, with his collarbone and arm swelling, taking multiple anti-inflammatory drugs, and his head aching, Vector sat in his bed at the hospital. He stared up at the ceiling, hearing the heart monitor beside him beep.

In that moment, so much was going through his mind. How was the team? Were they able to win? How was everyone else? Could they have gotten past their shock of seeing their star quarterback just… fall to the ground like that?

And most of all…

How was Espio doing?

He thought back to the memory of Espio's horrified face, only imagining what he would do to some of the Peckys players. After all, he WAS a ninja…

Vector shook his head, knowing more than anyone else that Espio wouldn't hurt someone like that, even if he was a ninja. After all, it's just like Valdez said, people from Gojo stuck by a very strict system.

…he hoped anyway.

Most importantly, Vector wanted to hear back from SOMEONE on the team. He wanted to know if they won despite his injury, if the team was able to perservere. Unfortunately, there wasn't a radio anywhere and his phone was across the room. That, and the doctors recommended that he avoided electronic devices so he wouldn't strain his eyes, so the TV was out of the question.

The crocodile sighed, placing his hands over his stomach. Maybe he could get some rest for the time being, maybe he could-

Hear his cell phone ring from across the room.

"God fucking damn it…" he said, cursing to himself. "Why do I gotta be stuck to this?..."

Reaching over to the side of his bed, Vector grabbed the remote alerting the medical staff and pressed the red 'panic button'. Instantly in a couple of seconds, someone came rushing into the room, a yellow duck nurse.

"Oh, Vector… what seems to be the problem?" she asked.

The crocodile pointed at his duffel bag which lay across the room. "Mah phone's ringing… Can ya pass it to me, Nurse Quack?"

"Oh… Well, you see… you know what the doctor told you. You shouldn't be using electronic devices. It might hurt your head more due to the ultraviolet light, and you should start recovery as soon as possible for your minor concussion."

"I ain't gonna mess around on it. I just need to answer some inevitable calls. Please?"

"…just as long as we keep this between us."

Nurse Quack walked over to the bag and crouched down, unzipping it and pulling out the ringing phone before walking back to the quarterback.

"Is this all you need?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

She handed it to Vector. "Well, in that case, just call if you need anything else. Are you hungry? We can wheel you in something to eat."

"I can call ya when I'm hungry."

"Okay, well, I'll be on my way."

The nurse walked out of the room as Vector checked his caller ID, seeing that the call was from his mother.

"Oh shit, did they hear?"

Quickly taking the call, Vector stood up in his bed as best as he could. "Hello? Ma?"

"Oh Gaia, you're okay!" the feminine voice of Martha Crocodile said, almost on the verge of sobbing. "V-Vector… we saw what happened to you. Your father and I were watching your game when we saw the whole thing… I… Oh, Vector!"

She sobbed loudly into the phone as Vector pulled away the phone a few inches away from his ear.

"Quick, tell us what hospital you're at. We'll be there as quickly as we can be! O-Oh…"

"M-Ma… fer real, it's okay… it's okay, I promise."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITS OKAY?! Do you not know how bad you got hit?!"

"The docs said I had a really minor concussion, ma. And sure, mah collarbone and arm are sprained, they said by Tuesday I should be safe to be discharged as long as I keep on a cast. Nothin' broke!"

"I can't believe you're downplaying this! …but I suppose that always was your nature. Remember the time you almost tore your bicep in high school because you worked out when you were told not to do so by the doctor?"

"Yeah yeah, I remember…"

There was some silence before his mom spoke up again. "Your dad wishes to speak with you. I'll put him on now but… Vector, you don't know how worried I am. I'm your mother, and even if you are fully grown, it's always in a mother's best interest to worry about the wellbeing of her children. I know you're an adult, and I know you can take care of yourself… But I still worry about you because you're my son. Okay?"

Vector looked down at his sheets. "…okay ma. I understand."

She did have a point though. He could picture how worried she was, and likely hearing a crack like that coming from her son? No wonder she was as freaked out as she was.

"…didja still wanna come? They're gonna send someone to check on me periodically… but I know it's a drive away from where we live all the way to Central City."

"We'll talk about that, Garth and I. If things don't improve, we'll visit you. If you're getting better, we can do a video call or something. Okay, now for real I'll hand it to your father."

There was some shuffling around on the other side of the line as a voice gruffer than Vector's voice spoke up.

"Are y'eh okay, son?"

It was Vector's father, Garth.

"Y-Yeh, pops. I'm okay… I'm just kinda… here sitting in the hospital… Waitin' to get better and waitin' to hear back from the team and mah friends to see if we won," Vector replied.

There was some silence on the other side of the line before Garth spoke up. "V-Vector… I… I know y'eh were really hopin' fer some good news… but… the Badniks lost."

And just like that, everything came crashing down. Vector's eyes widened as his jaw opened.

"W-What? P-Pops… this… this ain't-"

"I know y'er disappointed… but the most important thing is that y'er okay. I say talk to y'er teammates 'bout what happened, but until then… I'm just so glad to hear that y'er okay. I know y'er strong, all the training y'eh done have prepared y'eh for moments like this. But even they catch us off guard. Do the best y'eh can to recover, and I know y'eh can win the next game. And… and son? Even if y'eh did get hurt and y'er team lost, I'm still proud of y'eh no matter what. Y'er performance was amazing."

Vector started to slightly get emotional as his father continued. "Y'eh make me proud to call y'eh mah son, Vector."

"Pops… I…"

"Y'eh dun need to talk, son. I know y'er thankful, but the most important thing I see is that mah son gets better, okay?"

"…okay…"

Just then, Vector saw that he was getting another call. This time, from Rotor.

"H-Hey… pops? I gotta hang up now. I'm gettin' a call from someone on the team."

"No worries. Say what y'eh need to say to 'em and get as much rest as possible."

"I will. Dun worry. I love ya, pops."

"Y'er mother and I as well, son. Have a good night. Call us when y'eh can."

Vector's dad hung up as the crocodile quickly took the next call from Rotor.

"Hello?"

"Oh gosh, you're okay!" the walrus said over the line. "Hey… how are you? Coach got a call from the hospital letting us know that you're in stable condition but that you might not be able to practice or workout fully until the next game due to your injury. How… are you taking it?"

Vector sighed. "I dun even know, Rotz. Frankly, I'm still in shock but also… I need to ask. Mah dad told me we lost… is that true?"

There was some silence from Rotor before he spoke up. "…yes. It's true."

And there it was: the confirmation that they lost…

"How… how can this be?!" Vector grabbed his forehead in despair.

"Your injury just kinda… took us all out of the game. We just couldn't bounce back after losing you. People aren't taking it well once the game ended and we got back to the locker room. Some like Brawny and Thrash are demanding a redo of the game, saying the people who hurt you did an illegal move. Others like Augustus and Knuckles are releasing their anger pretty bad. I'm hiding in the supply closet cause of all the noise in the locker room. Right now, Knuckles keeps slamming his fist into the walls of the shower and Coach is screaming into a pillow in his office. And others are trying to pass blame onto anyone or anything. Connery is blaming your chameleon friend because he saw him in the stand and you looking at him as you were being stretched away and thought you were trying to show off for him."

Vector gripped his phone in anger. Of COURSE the horse was trying to do something like that… But to hear his other teammates explode with anger at not just losing the game, but also losing Vector…

"I wish I could offer more…" Rotor continued. "I feel so useless at a time like this… I know we can't always win them all, but we were doing so good this season. Thanks to a lot of the newcomers and us getting stronger, I really thought we were gonna have this by the bag…"

"I suppose we got spoiled by last season…" Vector replied, remembering how they only had one loss prior to the championship match in December. "One thing is fer certain… next time we meet Winterberg durin' the Winter Championship… I'm gonna KILL 'em!"

Just then, Vector hissed as he grabbed his forehead.

"A-Are you alright?!" questioned Rotor.

"I'm… I'm fine… I just got a little too angry…"

"I say I should let you off the phone for now. You shouldn't probably be using it if you have a concussion. And try not to let your anger get to you. Everyone's emotions are already high as is, I don't wanna have to deal with it from both sides of the aisle."

"Takin' the centrist side?"

"If you can call it that. Just… don't be disheartened, Vector. It won't be the last time we have losses, or the last time someone on our team will get hurt. Just recover… and come back to us in one piece, okay?"

Vector nodded. "Alright. I'll see ya. Try to calm down Knux, okay? I dun need him to collapse the locker room in anger."

"I'll try the best I can…"

Rotor hung up as once AGAIN, another call was coming in. This time, it was from Mighty.

"Geez, I'm popular tonight," Vector said as he answered the third call. "Hullo?"

"W-Whoa… you're okay!" Mighty said. "I haven't heard anything about what your condition was. The news or social media aren't really updating with much, so I figured I could call but… but you're okay! Man, thank goodness…"

"S-Sorry fer makin' ya worry, Mighty. I'm just kinda stuck here, waitin' to get better 'till Tuesday."

"Until Tuesday? Man, that sucks. And I don't know if you'll be okay to practice. You NEED to win the next match to make up for this loss."

"Oh trust me, I know. But dun worry 'bout me. Worry 'bout Knux."

"What about Knuckles?"

"He's throwing a hissy fit in the locker room. I told Rotor to calm him down, but he likely isn't gonna be calm any time soon. Just prepare for him to blow up."

"Blow up, how ironic…"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, other than to say sorry for losing tonight's game and checking up on you, while we're waiting for Knuckles and the team to leave the locker room, Espio wanted to talk to you."

"Espio?... Does… Does he even know how to use the phone?"

"I… don't even think he understood me, b-but we met with a guy named Valdez. He introduced himself as the Director of the Board of Foreign Languages and Study at the school and said that he was Espio's sort of mentor and translator while here. He explained to him in Japanese about my phone and how he can talk to me over it, so after we left, he wanted to talk to you as soon as possible."

Vector had a deep pit in his stomach. How was Espio going to react when he picked up the phone? He looked horrified as is… Was he even okay? "…can… can ya put him on?"

"One second."

There was some shuffling in the background before a familiar brooding voice was heard from the other line.

"V-Vector?"

"Espio… I… I dun even know where to begin. I… I didn't-"

Vector was cut off as he suddenly began to hear deep breathing.

"Uh… Espio?"

"Kono… kono baka ga…"

"What?"

The chameleon's deep breathing continued as it was sounding like Espio was breathing through his teeth.

"Y-Yokumo… yokumo…"

And then, it began.

"YOKUMO SHINDA TO OMOWA SETE YA GARU, KONO AHO YARŌ-ME!"

Vector was taken aback. "W-Wha-"

"ANO OTO O KIKOETARA, SAIAKUNA KOTO NI, AITSU-RA GA OMAE O KOROSHITA KA TO KANGAETE…"

The yelling from the chameleon made Vector pull his phone away from his ear. "E-Espio… I-" the crocodile continued, trying to reason with his friend but failed as he continued.

"KUTABATTE HOSHIKATTA YO, AITSU-RA GA YARAKASHITANONI TAISHI MIN'NA GA KUTABATTE HOSHIKATTA NO NI, OMAE GA… ZENZENHEIKI DATTE!? YOKUMO MATA DAIJINA HITO GA KONOYO O-"

"E-Espio!" Vector could hear Mighty say from the other side of the line. "Y-You keep holding my phone like that and you're gonna smash it in your hands! I think Vector gets it now! Come on, g-give it baaaaaack!"

There was some more rumbling in the background as a few seconds later, Mighty finally responded. "S-Sorry about that… Espio was gripping onto my phone HARD. As you can tell… he's not very happy with you…"

Vector's lips dried up, as he felt a lump in his throat. "H-He isn't?..."

"I think he's just mad that you were okay after thinking you died. Just let him cool off, I'm sure he'll be okay tomorrow… Oh! Here comes the rest of the team-"

There was some noises coming from the other line as Vector proceeded to hear talking.

"…you feeling better, Knuckles?" he heard Mighty clearly say.

"You!" Vector then heard Connery say. "I knew that letting Vector indulge in bringing YOU to our games…"

"Dude, let it the fuck go… he had nothing…" Knuckles said before Mighty picked up the phone.

"Lemme call you back later, Vector. I think we need to let Connery cool down a little."

The line disconnected as the crocodile sighed, reaching his large hand over to the desk by his left and placing his phone on it. He slid further into his bed as he continued to look towards the ceiling. He just hoped everyone was okay. Even Connery, who he knew was trying to blame Espio for the team's loss…

And most importantly, once he was discharged from the hospital, he needed to see Espio and apologize to him. The idea that he hurt him, the yelling he had received from him… even if it was in a language he didn't understand… it still hurt regardless…

Just then, Nurse Quack rolled in with a cup of fruits and vegetables, yogurt, and some vitamins. The crocodile sat up, his stomach rumbling.


THAT MONDAY…

Espio sat at his usual spot during that morning's Advanced English Literature lecture as Professor Finitevus continued their lesson on aesthetic exploration in short fiction. However, he was hardly paying attention to the lesson. In fact, even with Valdez standing behind him and with a sheet that discussed lines from sections of the textbook, the chameleon found himself staring blankly at the window.

It had been a few days since Vector's football accident, and the crocodile STILL hadn't returned back to school. At this point, he was starting to get very concerned. He remembered the choice words he shared with Vector, stuff he knew his mother would immediately lash out at him if she heard him say it in person. But now… now it was starting to feel like he WASN'T okay after all…

In that moment, as Espio returned to reality, he watched as the class began to shift in their seats and talk among their peers. He watched as Rouge turned in her seat behind the chameleon.

"Do you mind if I work with you, Espio, honey?" she asked. "Just looking at you, I can tell that you're concerned about Vector."

The chameleon stared at the desk.

"No need to get embarrassed, hun. Don't worry, Vector's a strong guy. They said he should be feeling better by the end of this week. He'll be fine, I promise."

The bat offered a smile, and Espio softly returned it, laughing to himself mentally as he imagined Knuckles' anger due to how nice she was being to him. Regardless, he was glad at least SOMEONE was here for him…

But after class and into Algebra 101, his feeling of loneliness returned, and Mark was the second person to pick up on it just a minute before the class was to discuss last Friday's homework on linear inequalities.

"Espio?... are you alright?" the portly tapir asked. "You look really sad."

The chameleon looked up at the tapir and sighed. He wished he could just… tell him everything. Mark seemed like the type of person who he could vent to, but with his limited English, there was only so much he could say…

Not to mention…

"Espio-kun, that's the second time today someone asked if you're okay. Surely you're not letting what happened to Vector get to you?" asked Valdez, who also knew of what happened. Just as Espio was about to respond.

"Alright class, now that you've discussed the homework, let's get started. So, which question did you all have difficulty with?"


After class, as everyone walked out of the classroom, Espio grabbed his bag and held it tightly as Valdez decided to go on ahead. However, Mark ran out after the chameleon.

"Espioooo!" he said, huffing as he ran towards the transfer student. "You… you still haven't told me what's going on. Are you sure you're okay?"

Espio looked down at the floor and spoke. "V-Vector.. ha… he… hurt…"

"Vector… hurt?" the tapir turned his head. "Y-Your roommate got hurt?"

In that moment, the tapir pulled out his phone and began to type away. A minute later, he began to nod his head.

"Oh... I see…" he said. "I'm sorry to hear that happened to your friend. A concussion with arm and collarbone injury sounds like it hurts a lot."

Espio contined to stare at the ground as Mark looked down at the chameleon.

"Hey…" the tapir continued. "I know you're probably still hurting… b-but at least this article says he's in stable condition! That means he's doing better! Cheer up, Espio! Your roommate is a lot stronger than I am! I'm sure something like that is nothing to him! Now come on, why don't we get lunch together and I can introduce you to some of my friends? Oh, and you still need to tell me what episode of Sakura Wars you're on!"

As thew two walked towards the stairs to the first floor, Espio looked up and remembered the number on the last episode he watched in a lonely Sunday.

"E-Eto…" he said, trying to remember what thirty one meant in English. If he remembered correctly… "S… n-no… Th… thhh…"

"In the thirties?" replied Mark.

"Y-Yes… yes! Thi-thirty… thirty… one!"

"Oh, that episode! Yeah, you were on the filler episode where Ichiro and his friends start to set up that play and-"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

The chameleon and tapir turned their head to see Jewel, standing in the middle of the second floor with her hands on her hips, her light pink scarf wrapped tightly around the black and white clothes she wore. Espio gasped.

"Damn…"

"H-Hey… who are you, yelling at Espio like that?!" Mark said before the jewel beetle buzzed up to him, putting her fingers in between Mark's glasses.

"Can it, you incel looking anime Poindexter!" she replied.

"P-Poindexter?! A-And hey, I take offense to-"

"Didn't you hear me?! I said CAN IT! Come on, Espio! You know the routine! Time to work on our project until my break time ends!"

The beetle grabbed Espio's hand as she dragged him away. The chameleon tried to shuffle out of Jewel's grasp, but she was only gripping tighter.

"Hey you jerk!" Mark yelled back. "Espio and I were gonna grab lunch!"

But the tapir was ignored as Jewel dragged the chameleon and herself towards the stairs and down towards North Hall.

"Goodness… let this quickly end…" he said as soon as the two were outside, everyone stopping to watch a small beetle drag the foreign exchange student to North Hall, the doors to the dorms shutting behind them.


END OF CHAPTER 8