(AN: Hi everyone. Last time we met, it was exactly a month ago. So, I'd like to begin this chapter with an editoral.

And that's I'm sorry.

This past month has absolutely just been DREADFUL for me. From me having to deal with my shitty job, to quitting said shitty job after a horrendous night, to now being completely 100% unemployed but still having absolutely no motivation to do anything, especially write.

I know it's out of my control, but it's frankly embarassing that it took me this long considering how long it takes to release these chapters. So, to make it up, we have a very long chapter today that... MIGHT be breaking the boundries of M rated, but hey, some stuff from the OG Transfer and Memoirs got risque and they're still up. Don't worry, in spite of everything, I'm not giving up on this story. I've been loving how this remake has been coming along to just outright cancel it.

So I wanna say, thank you so much for waiting, I do hope this chapter was worth the wait. I'll try to release the next one hopefully soon.)


THE NEXT DAY…

With the clock hitting 9:30, everyone left Professor D' Coolette's class with collective agreement on how well they used their time or complimenting their work partner.

Everyone, except Espio and Jewel.

As the chameleon stepped out of the classroom, Jewel walked next to him.

"You have GOT to stop with trying to fidget so much!" she said. "You don't wear the same… whatever you're wearing, even AFTER I told you again and again that you need to have the same thing on when we work on our project, you don't wanna stay still, and that… THING you hold…"

Espio held up the Shinobi clan's fan.

"Yes, THAT! It's hard to draw! Why did you need to bring THAT with you?!"

The jewel beetle groaned. "NEVER MIND!... Forget it. We're done for today, but you know the rules… if I see you again, work time. GOT IT?!"

With her daily threats, the jewel beetle once again buzzed off as the chameleon watched someone walk next to her. He could see Jewel go from angry to all smiles as if she wasn't just threatening the chameleon. With that, Espio sighed…

It had been four days since Vector's football accident, and there was still no word. Now he went from concerned to outright panicked. He had defied every piece of thinking his senseis and his mother taught; Never panic when your allies don't return in time. But Vector… Vector was different. Seeing him suffer that injury, try to play off like he didn't just die… and still didn't appear…

It was getting to a point where he wasn't even sure WHEN he'd be back at this point, and that worried Espio. Who would be there to help him with English, eat with him during all three meals of the day, or even be around him when Vector knew he liked to be around his football teammates?

The chameleon shook his head. "Remember rule five point three of the Shinobi Conduct, Espio. Don't let your personal feelings overshadow your goals," he said to himself, remembering all the work he had to do. Not only did Professor Longclaw assign him work, but he had homework in all his other classes, he also had a paper for Social Science 101. His professor, Professor Bartleby Montclair, assigned the class a paper based on their recent lesson and a film they had watched during lecture: a study of multicultural societies and the discrimination that can arise from some not willing to accept such a society.

In fact, while Espio had trouble of what to think of when Valdez translated what the project would be about, it wasn't until he saw Jewel leave the building that ideas popped into his head.

Before coming to Mobius U, Espio was reveled as an important figure to Gojo, being seen as the future leader as early as his childhood and being treated like royalty despite the original monarchy of Northern Mobius being abolished when the previous generations of Brides separated from the ancient monarchy. But here in this college… he was a nobody, another target for people to take out their anger or to fool. He could see the faces of Jewel, Connery, and Jet clear in his mind.

"I need to write all of this down…" Espio said, walking out of the hallway and towards the third floor and to West Hall. Thankfully, since it was Tuesday, that meant no ESOL lesson today, meaning the chameleon was free until after lunch.

Once he got into his dorm, Espio set his bag down next to the desk as he picked up a pen on the desk and opened his social science notebook. Normally, he would try to find Valdez so he could help him write in English, but the ideas of what he could write were only filling into his head by the second that he had to immediately go back to his native language, figuring that Valdez could translate it later.

With that, the chameleon hunched over and pressed his pen on the paper, immediately writing the kanji for 'society'.


It was nearing towards lunch hour as Espio had already written three pages of his paper. He was surprised at how much he had gotten into it, especially without any kind of 'internet', and only his books by his side. Thankfully, with the method that he adopted thanks to Valdez and Professor Longclaw, he had highlights sticking out of his Social Science textbook and passages from the book written in Japanese so he could understand it better.

"I think I will need to ask Valdez-san for help," Espio said to himself. "But perhaps I should eat soon…"

With that, just as the chameleon was about to put his pen down and get up from the chair, the door to the dorm beeped. Espio turned towards the door and quickly got up, turning invisible as he wondered who was coming in. Normally it was either Valdez who had the dorm key, or-

…Vector…

It was in that moment that a familiar figure walked into the dorm, his right arm in some kind of fabric that was over his neck and his left hand grabbing onto his belongings. In that moment, Espio undid his Chroma Camo ability and gasped. His mouth was wide open as he stared at his roommate.

"Hey, I'm home!" Vector's familiar gruff voice said. It was all that was said before the chameleon, forgoing anything he'd learned, quickly ran towards the crocodile and hugged him. He had seen so many people do it around here, learning that it was a sign of affection. Normally, stuff like this was VERY taboo in Gojo, but here? There was nothing more he wanted to do than to be glad that his friend was finally home, safe and sound.

Espio continued to hug tighter around his friend as Vector grunted.

"W-Wow! Y-Yer sure goin' tight there, arentcha? Didja miss me that much? Heh, no amount of rival teams can bring me down!" he said, pointing at himself. Espio didn't mind though, as he continued to hug his friend. It was then that he felt Vector's long and strong arms soon return the hug as well.

"Heh, I missed ya too, buddy…"


A FEW WEEKS LATER…

Some time had passed since Vector's return from the hospital. While Espio couldn't be more ecstatic about Vector's return, there were some limitations. One of the biggest was that the crocodile wouldn't be able to practice until near November, meaning that unless his prognosis was better by the next game, he wouldn't be able to play.

"Ya sure yeh wanna go with me, Espio?" Vector asked that Saturday morning as the two walked towards the field. "I ain't gonna be able to practice… mah arm still hasn't recovered fully."

But it was no big deal for Espio. Not only did he use that chance to finish up with homework, he even got to go onto the field itself, sitting on what the quarterback called, "The Bench". The chameleon had a good time after he was done watching Vector add suggestions to the other players and watching them attempt their plays. He was reminded how even when he was injured, the chameleon was expected to still commit to his ninja training. In the words of his senseis and mother, 'A ninja's life doesn't die in the shadows when delicate branches break.'

Thankfully, with Valdez's help translating, there were ways for Espio to still help Vector train after the crocodile complained one night about not being able to work out. And of course, the time the two spent together had increased double, culminating in Espio getting stuff from the dining hall one morning for Vector in bed. To say that the crocodile was more than grateful was an understatement.

A few of the team did come to visit the dorm to check up on him, including Rotor, Thrash, and Connery, the latter of whom was just finishing a conversation with the crocodile when the equine noticed the canvas Espio had placed near the TV, the one consisting of his drawing of Jewel.

"Decadence… I'm seeing arising decadence in this room…" he muttered to himself as the horse walked away. Espio didn't quite catch what he said, but he knew Connery didn't like the drawing being there. Sure, it WAS of Jewel, but…

"Just ignore 'im, Espio. He's bein' a major weirdo 'boutcha again," said Vector. It seemed weird that Vector almost wanted to just… ignore how the horse was acting. Maybe one of these days the chameleon should sit down with Connery… after all, it did seem like the horse was rather intelligent based on his mannerisms, way of speaking, and how he always seemed to offer advice to his fellow players even when they seemed annoyed for… some unknown reason.

But then again, Espio looked back at his notebook and remembered his paper, which was due the next day…

All in all, it was a fine couple of weeks as Vector healed up, and thankfully, due to some issues with the rivaling team, the next football game was postponed until November 2nd, meaning it gave the crocodile sometime to better prepare. Sure enough, by the end of October, he was finally able to make a full recovery and took off his 'cast'.

"Man, I feel better already!" the crocodile said when he finally got the OK to take off his cast, flexing his arms. "I missed these guns of mine!"

Espio laughed, watching Vector relish in his own strength. He was already happy to see his friend gleefully announce he could take off his cast by his doctors, but seeing the quarterback back to his usual loud and happy self made the transfer student even more proud that he was able to bounce back from his injury. That night, after he had met with Coach Augustus and had dinner, the two were back at the dorms. Vector was finishing up some homework while Espio was treating himself to a bottled water from the mini fridge.

Just then, Vector closed his English Literature book and turned towards the chameleon.

"Hey, Espio," he began. "I wanted to tell ya somethin'. Although, I probably shouldda told ya earlier, huh?"

Espio turned his eyes away from the TV playing some kind of program as he faced the crocodile.

"So, do ya know what day is the 31st?" Vector continued. Espio got up from the bed and walked towards the calendar by Vector's bulletin board. He was trying to remember what number was 31, thinking back to the episode numbers of Sakura Taisen and Koudoutai no Pegasasu Kishi-Dan and how they were pronounced in English. He pointed at the day, which was a Saturday.

"Yeah, that's the day. Got any clue as to what's goin' on?"

Espio looked closer at the calendar but wasn't quite sure what Vector meant. There was something at the bottom of the specific date he mentioned though…

'HALLOWEEN', it read. Espio turned towards the crocodile and shook his head, not really sure what that was.

"Lemme guess, ya dun have Halloween where ya live, right?"

"H-Ha… Hollo… Ehh…" Espio said, trying to repeat the word back. Whatever that word was, he'd NEVER heard of it before.

"D-Dun worry 'bout pronouncin' it, the most important thing is that ya know what Halloween is. It's this AMAZIN' holiday where ya getta dress up as whatever the hell ya want, eat as much candy as yeh possibly can, and go out drinkin' with yer friends all while ya dress up! It's basically a night where ya get to do whatever the hell ya want, and no one throws a fuss cause it's Halloween! No one hates it!"

Espio didn't catch about 95% of what Vector was talking about, but from the way the crocodile was describing it and the look on his face, it seemed to be yet another tradition from the Outside World. Perhaps some kind of festival? Festivals were always a joyous occasion back in Gojo, but he didn't expect the Outside World to have anywhere. Whatever this 'holouen' is, he had to make sure to ask Valdez about what it was. After all, seeing how excited Vector was for it…

"So, ya in, or ya in?"

Espio looked at his roommate and nodded. "Y-Yes. I-I… I would… woulddd… ehh… would la… lai… like tu-to go…"

"Goodness, I hope I said that right," he thought to himself.

"Heh heh, now yer talkin'! Trust me, yer gonna love it!"

With that, Vector turned back to his homework, but Espio couldn't help but mull on whatever this festival must be. Where was it going to be? What was it going to be like?...


THE NEXT DAY

…and that was the question he asked when Valdez joined Vector and Espio that afternoon for lunch. While Vector was busy talking to his football buddies and Mighty, Espio took a drink from his water and a bite from his fruit cup as he looked at his family friend.

"Valdez-san. I wanted to ask you…" Espio began. "Vector wanted to invite me to something that was going on. I'm not sure what it is."

Valdez, who was in the middle of eating a burger, looked at the fuchsia chameleon. "What is it, Espio-kun?"

"I… I'm not sure. He called it something odd. Something like… Ho… Hollo… uen?"

"Ahh, you mean Halloween."

"Halloween?... What's that?"

The blue chameleon mulled over for a second as he turned his head towards Vector and his friends, then back at Espio. The chameleon couldn't help but hear Thrash say, '…I'll beat you even with a mask on!'.

"How's the best way I can describe it, Espio-kun?... It's… It's a holiday here celebrated in the Outside World that commemorates when ghosts and spirits return to this world."

"Ghosts… and spirits?!"

"Well, that was the historical purpose. Thanks to commercialization, Hall-"

"What's commercialization?"

"It's… it's a topic a little too big for you to understand since Gojo never had it. But in a nutshell, it means doing things just for financial gain."

"Mother would have someone tried for that."

"Well, it's a reason why it's mainly an Outside World thing. Anyway, nowadays, Halloween is celebrated in many different ways. Children dress in costumes and ask for candy from adults, adults your age use this opportunity to have feasts and celebrate. And some choose to celebrate it for its original purpose; to celebrate the return of ghosts and spirits to our world. Think of it like… like Obon."

"Like… Obon?"

After he'd left for Mobius U, the Obon festival had passed, meaning he was unable to celebrate it.

He was confused about the other stuff. What should he do or not do? Should he dress up? That was something only performers in festivals did, and he wasn't performing anything. What about the ghosts and the spirts? Doesn't Vector care that the spirits of any of his dead relatives will be returning?

"I can tell you look very confused, Espio-kun," Valdez smiled, turning his head. "Don't worry about it. If you want, I can talk to Vector and make sure you have a good time while you're with him. This'll be your first Halloween after all, and your first holiday here in the Outside World."

"I… suppose… Thank you, Valdez-san. However, I would like to ask… Do you happen to have something… something related to my father?"

"To Naga-san?... I suppose at home I think I do… I'll need to check. Why do you ask?"

"You said this is like Obon, right? I feel I need to pay my respects to my father during the Segaki ritual."

"Oh… erm… Espio-kun… they don't do Segaki here in the Outside World…"

"Then what of the spirits? How do they feed the spirits when they return to the world?"

"Many of the people in the Outside World don't think of spirits returning. Instead, some believe that costume wearing wards off evil spirits."

"Evil spirits shall return to the world as well?!"

"No need to panic, Espio-kun! I'm sure you'll be okay. If you're that concerned though, I can get you salt."

"P-Please… that would be kind."

Now he was concerned for Vector's safety. But as long as Espio had his salt at the ready, he would defend his roommate from any evil spirits coming to harm him!

With that, the two continued their lunch until it was time for the chameleon's next class.


OCTOBER 31ST

With the days growing even shorter, it was nearing sundown on Mobius U as there was activity coming from the stadium. With the delayed match against the Castle Town University Eagles from Soleanna, there was thankfully a few extra days for the Badniks to train.

And best of all, Vector's arm had made a full recovery. With plenty of practice runs to make sure that it would be able to withstand things like throwing a ball, running, and the test that had everyone scared; getting tackled or hit, it was safe to say that the crocodile was good as new.

With only two days left before the Eagles game, the Badniks all got ready to end the day as they returned to the locker room. With loud commotion going on as showers were being turned on, Vector grabbed a soap bar in the shower he was in as he spoke to Knuckles over in the next stall.

"So, who else is comin' along with us?" Vector asked. "Mighty is the reason I'm comin', and I told ya in advance that I can bring Espio. Anyone else?"

"I asked most of the team earlier but it all looked like they were coming on their own. Well, some except Connery, Axol, one of Mighty's wrestling buddies, and a few other guys on the team are skipping. Which is a shame. You probably dunno Ripper, but he can really hold his alcohol if I'm totally honest!"

"True, but they were never really too into celebratin' holidays. Either that, or seein' their fellow teammates eat candy and drink booze probably messed with their egos! Well, Connery and Axol's mainly. I think that Ripper dude doesn't mind."

"You think Rotor's gonna be happy?"

"Hell ya! Didn'tcha hear him talk about what he was doin' yesterday? He was doin' some kinda really elaborate robot costume. He wanted me to see it when we arrive to K buildin' tonight."

"Sure enough, Mr. Engineer himself probably is gonna win Best Costume AGAIN this year."

"Aw, yer right. And I even decided on goin' all out this year."

"What, as a bodybuilder? All you need is a speedo!"

"Y'know, I WAS considerin' that. But then I realized how cold I wouldda gotten so I said fuck that. I just found this costume at the store the other day which… ironically means I'm gonna have to go shirtless."

"It's like everything you wear is stripperific!"

"Hey, I think Connery would don the bodybuilder costume. Not to show off to others, but to prove to everyone on the team that he could strip down in the cold and not complain."

"So… to show off."

"Ha, basically!"

Vector laughed to himself as he turned off the shower. Grabbing his towel, he didn't help but notice a pair of hooves from under the stall's curtain. So, when the crocodile wrapped himself in his towel, he was met with the shock of his life when he saw the running back's large frame in front of him.

"Argh! Co-Connery?! Uh… hey… what up?..." the quarterback said.

"…nothing much, Vector… I just hope you were having a fun time in there. I wouldn't want to be cold when I left the shower, would I?" he replied.

"N-No… no, of course not."

"Good… most of the team already left, so I was making sure you were okay. Glad to see that you and Knuckles are having a little friendly moment together…"

"Y-Yeah… I figure we needed it."

"Yes… it's good to have friends during a holiday like this. Now, I'll be returning to my dorm since I won't participate in today's events. For multitudes of reasons, but frankly… I have no desire to dress…"

He turned around, but then looked back at the crocodile. "…especially as a bodybuilder."

With the clacking of his hooves on the floor, Connery walked away as Vector watched him leave. A scowl appeared on his face.

"Geez, cantcha take a joke?" he asked.

Just then, Knuckles' shower ended as the echidna opened his stall, towel around his waist.

"Hey, there's a reason I didn't come out," he said.

"…that's what he said."

Vector turned at his friend and grinned as he ran out of the showers, Knuckles following in tow but almost slipping on the wet floor.


After getting dressed and returning to A building, the crocodile and echidna watched as people were already getting dressed for the occasion. Some people had some of the most basic costumes he's seen, while others went all out. Some people wore massive amounts of makeup, had on wigs or other accessories, and some of the most elegant costumes he'd seen. It reminded him of that center that was near the Central City Dome, where every summer, there would be a massive gathering of people visiting that celebrated all things pop culture.

As Vector walked past a few people he recognized from his classes in passing, including a few other people such as that jewel beetle girl who was harassing Espio the other day, that weird wooden looking girl named Belle who was dressed like a schoolboy, and even the center field player, Bull Bones, wearing a ripped red suit and beige pants. Not sure what he was supposed to be, Vector turned around as the two football players walked up the stairs and made their way towards West Hall.

After going through the hallway and down to their dorms, the two first picked up Mighty, who by this time, was already dressed. Much like Vector's planned costume, Mighty too was also shirtless, but he was covered with some kind of camo paint on several parts of his body and his face. With a blue bandana over his head, the armadillo's heavy boots thudded on the floor as he walked to his friends.

"So? What do you think?" Mighty asked. "Cool, huh?"

"Looks like yer ready to mass kill in a forest, that's what!" Vector said.

"I-I am?!"

"Hey, that's cool though, Mighty!"

"I just thought it would be cool since hiding in nature does seem amazing but to have such a violent connection…"

"Ehhh, don't give it too much of a mind, pal!" Knuckles replied, bringing the armadillo in a headlock. "You look cool like that, and that's all that matters! Come on, Vector! Get your costume too so we can head out! Look, everyone else is starting to leave too!"

Sure enough, that was correct, as various doors in the hall were opening and people in costume were spilling out. The door next to them opened, revealing Knuckles and Mighty's next door roommates, an emu and another person who to this day, the three have NO idea what exactly he is. What they did know is that they were dressed as a painting of a man and a woman on a farm in very old clothing, and the two held up a frame of a portrait in front of each other.

"…I think that's your cue, dude," Knuckles said. "Don't worry, I'll be out."

"Right!" Vector said as he turned around, heading towards his dorm. As he entered the dorm, he could see Espio preparing something on the desk.

"Hey there, bud!" he said. "Come on, it's time! Let's get ready, the Halloween celebration at K buildin' is startin', and I dun wanna miss it!"

Vector ran over to the corner and put his duffel bag on the floor. Then he quickly ran to the drawer and opened the very bottom shelf, picking up his costume that consisted of a large dark blue wig, dark green forearm bracelets and a skirt that covered Vector's lower body down to just before his knees, lime green bicep bracelets and a collar that went around his neck, and finally, a fake gold crown with a purple plastic 'jewel' on the base.

There was also a purple body paint tube to go with the costume, but Vector frankly wasn't in the mood to cover nearly his entire body with it. Besides, why would he wanna paint these scales? He had just gotten them washed and everything earlier!

As he took everything out, he looked over at Espio.

"Erm…. Espio? D'ya mind if I change in front of yeh?" he asked. "Naw… naw, I shouldn't be askin' that. I almost had to see ya nude on the first day, I dun wanna subject ya to the same thing."

The chameleon stared at the crocodile, seemingly confused at not only the request but also what Vector was doing. The crocodile looked around, cursing that the dorms didn't have a closet of some kind.

"Here… lemme just…"

Vector took off his shirt, unaware of why he was acting all sheepish like this towards Espio. Normally, he wouldn't have minded changing in front of other guys, if the team was anything to go by anyway. But… something about changing in front of Espio was different. Who knew that changing in front of your roommate could be so hard?

"Why am I feelin' like this?" Vector thought to himself as he placed the lime green collar over his snout, his head, and then over his shoulders as he placed the wig and fake crown atop of it. With Espio turning around, the crocodile quickly unbuckled his pants, and without the transfer student noticing the top of his boxers, threw his pants to the side as he placed the dark green skirt on. It was a LITTLE shorter than he expected, and there was the thought of what it would be like if the wind blew it upwards. Curses for trying to costume shop the day before Halloween…

Regardless, for the most part, he was done. Not feeling like wearing shoes, he decided to get a pair of sandals that he wore at the start of the year so it didn't look out of place. With that, he finished by placing the lime green bracelets on his biceps, flexing them to make sure they wouldn't break. Once that was verified, he put on the forearm bracelets, grabbed his phone, shot a quick selfie of himself, and then proceeded to look at himself.

"Heh, not bad, ya stud!" Vector said to himself. "Now ya really look like an idol ready to be worshipped! Alright, we're done here!"

Vector tapped Espio's shoulder, and the chameleon gasped when he saw what the quarterback had on.

"Ya like it?" the crocodile asked. "It looks… a little tacky… and maybe a little revealin', but hey, it looks great! And that's all that matters! Wish I couldda gotten ya somethin' to dress up as… I wonder if we got somethin'…"

As Vector turned around, looking around to see if he'll have to go for the usual, 'White clothed ghost', he was oblivious to the noise of the chair sliding and the drawer opening. He then grabbed his phone and began to text Knuckles and Mighty for ideas. Just then, a voice spoke up.

"E-Eh… V-Vector?..."

The crocodile turned around, and when he did, he went from almost dropping his phone to smiling and putting his hand over his mouth.

"Y-Ya… ya fuckin' asshole…" he said almost ecstatic. Espio was wearing the jersey that Coach Augustus had given him a few months back. Admittedly, it was FAR too large for the chameleon, who had worn it over his haori, yet it was almost as long as that. It even seemed like the jersey reached down to his mid thighs too. Just how SMALL was this chameleon?

"Ha ha ha!" Vector said, taking a quick picture before an idea popped in his head. "Nah, dun change outta that, Espio. It's PERFECT. In fact, hold on, hold on."

The crocodile ran out of the dorm and towards Knuckles and Mighty's dorm. There was a bit of shuffling and a voice saying, '…come on, seriously?', before Knuckles opened the door. The echidna bawked at Vector.

"W-Wow, dude! You look great! Lookin' all… holy with that!... What are you supposed to be anyway?" the echidna asked. Vector raised his arms.

"Y'know, I dun quite know," he replied. "The costume said, 'Desert God'. But I dunno how this is godly. By the by, whadda 'bout yeh? What's with all the sports tape?"

Knuckles looked at his hands and arms, which were both bandaged up in sports tape. "This? Uhh... well, I was thinking mummy at first, but I kinda stopped because something about this sports tape just kinda… beckoned me. Like, not so much I was trying to make a unique costume out of it. More like… it was my destiny to make sports tape a little bit of my costume. I just dunno if it looks good."

"Don't worry about it, Knuckles. You look great and that's all that matters. Anyway, ready to go?" Mighty asked as he suddenly came into view.

"Actually, I want a huge favor. And this is gonna be great. Knux, doncha keep yer helmet and yer football pants with ya?"

"Uhh…" the echidna looked behind. "Yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Can I borrow 'em just fer tonight? Please, please please PLEEEEEEASE!" Vector put his hands together. "Trust me, it'll make sense. I promise."

"What are you trying to do?"

"Just promise me on this!"

Knuckles stared at him, but gave in, turning around to hand the crocodile his helmet and an extra pair of his football pants. As soon as they were put into his hands, Vector quickly zoomed back to his room to see the still confused Espio standing by himself with the jersey still on.

"Okay, Espio. Yer gonna need to get out of all these clothes. Take 'em off."

Vector took off the shirt as he began to reach towards the tie of Espio's haori. But as he did, Espio put his hands on the crocodile's large hands.

"O-Oh… d'ya not like it when others try to take off yer… dress thingy? My bad."

Just then, Knuckles and Mighty came into the room as they saw what was in Espio's hand.

"Hey, isn't that your jersey?" asked the echidna.

"Nah, coach personally gave him an old one he had," Vector replied.

"Is THAT why you wanted Knuckles' helmet and pants?" added the armadillo. "You wanted him to dress up as a member of the team, right?"

"Well, he did that after watchin' me get dressed, but look at him. Ain't he just the most precious lookin' member of the Badniks?"

"Maybe Connery could use a backup running back," Knuckles chuckled.

"Oh gosh, the idea of Connery needin' one of those would hurt his ego so hard. Havin' it be Espio? I think we might be seein' him be the new runnin' back!"

In the midst of their conversation, the three had completely failed to realize that Espio had taken off his haori, and proceeded to use his Chroma Camo ability to take off his hakama and put the clothes that Vector placed in front of him. With a quick flash of smoke, the three turned to face Espio, who was now wearing both the jersey and the white pants.

"Hey hey, ya look great, Espio!" Vector complimented, noting that both were FAR too large for him. The pants fit on a bit better, but the shirt was just sagging.

"Okay okay okay, I'll let him borrow mah cleets and mah socks. See if ya can fit the helmet on his head in the meantime."

Vector walked to his duffel bag and unzipped it, picking up his white socks and his black cleets as Knuckles said, 'Okay Espio, just hold still. We'll try to get this on you."

As echidna and armadillo worked to get the helmet on Espio's head, the mouthpiece was getting in the way of Espio's horn, so the two resorted to removing it and carefully placed the helmet on the chameleon's head. Despite his and Knuckles' different head shapes, the helmet was able to fit on perfectly, and Vector finished by placing the socks and cleats on, tying the shoes and finally, placing a belt on the pants so it wouldn't fall. Espio got on the ground, but almost tripped as he clearly wasn't used to anything that wasn't his geta shoes.

"Perfect!" Vector said. "Man, I wish we had everythin' else. It would be the most perfect thing ever!"

Just then, he pulled out his phone. "Hey guys, picture time!"

Knuckles brought Espio closed towards them as the three posed for a selfie, the transfer student looking confused at what was going on. However, he did notice the phone and jumped when the flash animation played and the picture was taken. With that, Knuckles and Mighty left the dorm.

"Come on, let's go! We're already late as is!" the echidna complained as Vector grabbed Espio's hand.

"Alright, let's go! If ya want… I can… y'know… help ya if it's hard to move in those cleats," the crocodile said. Espio looked at his shoes, then his hand, and then at Vector.

"A-Ah… t-thank yu-you ver-very much…" Espio replied. "Ee… ehh.. p-pu… pl-pleease… wwwait a mo-moment."

The chameleon ran over to the fridge and opened it up, pulling out a bag of salt. Vector turned his head upon seeing this.

"…huh?" he asked himself, muttering to himself about why Espio was putting a bag of salt into the borrowed shirt. Regardless, the two made their way out of the room as Vector locked the dorm with his free hand, guiding the chameleon down the hall. The crocodile looked down at the little football player next to him, seeing his horn poke out from the helmet.

"…gosh… why does he look so adorable with that?" he said to himself.


MEANWHILE…

With the very loud commotion coming from the dining area and all around K building, it was a wonder that there was barely anyone in the kitchen. Sans a few students from the Culinary department making Halloween themed treats and putting candy into bowls for the students going to tonight's Halloween party, two notable figures were sitting in front the stoves.

"Okay okay, mix it in," Sonic said as twin brother Manic opened up several boxes of tonight's gelatin shot flavors: cherry, orange, lime, lemon, grape, and blue raspberry. With the water from six pots boiling, the green hedgehog proceeded to, one by one, empty each box of gelatin into an individual pot. With Sonic stirring it as quickly as he could, Manic finished it off each liquid with half a cup of vodka and cold water before turning the stove off.

"Maaaan, this shit is gonna be greeeeat!" Manic said, the cape of his vampire costume flapping as he clapped his hands together. "This Halloween party is gonna be the bomb! And we perfected our gelatin shots compared to the ones we made for the Homecoming party!"

"Yeah, I know. I actually get to join the athletes this time! Hey, who'd you see?"

"I'm surprised you wanna hang out with that crowd, bro! I thought one of the reasons you gave up baseball was how competitive people got on your team!"

"Doesn't mean I can't hang around them! Besides, don't rag on me Mr. Do-No-Sports."

"Oh yeah, Ma likes to remind me that I don't. Middle children ALWAYS get the short end, ya know."

"H-Hey… I didn't mean it like that, bro…"

"I know ya didn't. Hey, while we're here, there's still a bit of time left before Sonia's thing. Wanna make a quick run to the grocery store If you wanna make our hardcore fruit shots!"

"What was our flavors again? Watermelon, pomegranate, dragon fruit…"

"Do they even sell those at this time of year?"

"Who knows?! It's a suggestion!"

"Uhhh, are my ears deceiving me?" a sudden female voice said. The two hedgehogs bit their tongues once they recognized who the voice belonged to. "But you two surely aren't going back to making alcohol after what happened during the Homecoming party, right?! Or have you confused me into thinking that you're making fruit juice for everyone?"

The two turned to see their sister Sonia, dressed as a witch with her long black dress and a pointy hat to match. The pink hedgehog's brow furrowed as she stared at her brothers.

"O-Oh, hey there, sis!" Manic said. "I thought you were off doing your things with your friends!"

"We had just gotten done with our group photos, thank you very much! Come on guys, can't you do this at least AFTER the Best Costume contest me and my sorority sisters are gonna do? I don't want this party getting shut down because everyone will get drunk!"

"Relax, sis! That's why I'm here! If I wasn't, you know Manic would be going HAM on serving drinks tonight. And besides, ya know you like our fruity drinks!" Sonic replied as he began pouring the gelatin and vodka mix into shot glasses..

"W-Well… m-maybe I do but-"

"And you know your little sorority and gym girl friends like 'em too!" teased Manic.

"S-So what if Tiara or Mina are the type of girls to get sloshed during girls night out?..."

"And don't you all agree it's amazing before going for another drink-"

Sonia groaned. "Okay guys, you win! Just… I expect you all to clean up the mess in the K building before morning."

"T-The whole thing?!" the green hedgehog whined.

"Yes! Not only would you and everyone who set up the party get in major trouble with the staff, ME INCLUDED mind you, but you need to stop being such a bum at times, Manic!"

"Ouch, sis! Now I have to hear it from both Ma AND you? It's like I hear it every time we come home for the holidays," the hedgehog continued, making exaggerated motions with his hands and hips as he pretended to simulate the triplets' mother. "Manic, why aren't you as athletic as your brother? Manic, why aren't you a star gymnast like your sister? Manic, why aren't you solving the cure to Lemon Sundrop Dandelion overdoses? It's because I'm fucking high and barely conscious at all, Ma! I exist to barely meet expectations, and I'm okay with that!"

"Okay, Mr. Beat-yourself-up," Sonic said. "Let's wait until either during or AFTER the party for the self-deprecation to begin. You still gonna get the fruits from the grocery store?"

"You gonna let me borrow your car, sis?"

Sonia groaned. "Come on, do I have to?"

"I'll bring your favorite flavor, mango! And besides, I'm sure you're gonna be talkin' to alllllll the hot guys tonight. Our drinks tend to be really successful with both the football, wrestling, and men's basketball team sooooo… take of that as you will, sis!"

"Oh please, I'll enjoy a few drinks to myself to support you guys, but just because I'm a sorority sister AND I'm apart of the gymnastics team doesn't mean I'd automatically want a jock to hook up with!"

"Wellll, I dunno about that, Sonia," Sonic said, finishing up the remaining shot glasses. "Manic and I saw you oogling eyes at Knuckles the other day."

The pink hedgehog bounced. "O-Oh crap!"

"Ah ah ah, thought you could hide it from us, huh?" Manic waggled his finger.

"Ok-Okay, so maybe Knuckles IS a little cute… fairly cute… um… v-very cute…"

"Well, tonight's the night you should talk to him. It's a pretty well known fact that he massively simps for Rouge, so he'll likely try to pull punches."

"Aw, Rouge? I can't compare to her. It's amazing that she's not even apart of our sorority yet everyone idolizes her…"

"Oh, trust me, you ain't the only one on this campus who idolizes her. Besides, I'm sure if she blows him off, he might try to go for someone else. Like… I dunno, maybe Julie-Su."

"You think he likes her?"

"Doesn't she room with you?"

"No, Julie wasn't able to join our sorority in time but we like to invite her into our group outings since we like having her around. That and Tiara and Honey are friends with her. In fact, I should ask about that once they arrive… Now that I think about it, I should really start heading out too. I'll need to check in on my sisters to see if they've started setting up everything. I think people are really starting to arrive."

"If that's the case, you better bolt it outta here, Manic! It takes longer for us to prepare these drinks, so find the nearest grocery store and get here as fast as possible!" Sonic said.

"But try to obey the speed limit! Don't you remember when mother said when you broke the speed limit back in senior year of high school?!"

"Yeah yeah, she didn't let me live it down for three weeks. THREE! I promise I'll get here faster than you can say, 'Bummer May-whore-s!"

"You're saying it WRONGGGGGG!" Sonia screamed as Manic ran out of the kitchen. "Ugh, Gaia help me with our brother…"

"I'm sure Gaia has Manic in his protective arms. After all, we couldn't ask for a more better middle triplet, right?" Sonic replied.

"…yeah, you're right. Anyway, Sonic… sorry to leave you here, but I gotta check in with the rest of my sisters. I hope you enjoy the contest and the party!"

Sonia began to run off, holding her dress in two hands as the clacking of her heels were heard.

"Alright, no prob!" the blue hedgehog said. "Now, here's hoping Manic gets here soon. Once he does, it's time for our, 'Let's ask everyone embarrassing questions' game once we hit 20 shots!"


MEANWHILE…

Professor Morgan reached over the table as he placed his piece of raw steak over the grill in the middle, watching it smoke and sizzle as the other professors watched. He, alongside Professors D' Coolette, Remington, Longclaw, Finitevus, Starline, Montclair, and Von Schlemmer of the Astronomy department, as well as Coach Augustus, Whisper of the L Building's Student Services main attendant, and Valdez, sat at a Northern Mobius style barbeque restaurant for their Halloween night out.

"Try not to let that burn, Nate," Coach Augustus began. "The fire from your first piece almost terrified you!"

"You know I've never been to one of these!" the overlander replied. "It was your recommendation, Starline and Valdez."

"Oh, I very much know," the white platypus added, trying his bow. "How truly terrifying it must be to fear fire on a day such as Halloween. So many people believed that fire would ward off evil spirits, and would throw huge bonfires while they're at it."

"So, what you're saying is that we should expect the school to be set up in flames once we return?" Von Schelmmer added, taking a bite from his grilled vegetables.

"Was it such a good idea to let most of the students on their own?" asked Professor Longclaw. "I mean, we still do have the security guards and Officer Wachowski on patrol, but at the same time… you know college students."

"They're adults too. Most of them grow out of their high school ways of acting. And besides, knowing Headmaster Robotnik, the primal fear they're going to feel if they don't clean up their mess will be astronomical," Valdez said. "Besides, I thought we could all have a bit of a teacher's night out. I know that you're personal friends with some of our fellow staff, Longclaw."

"That, and you wanted a taste of home?" Professor Montclair asked. "I must say, this is probably the most upscale eatery in regard to Northern Mobius cuisine, but cooking meat on a grill yourself feels so… odd!"

"'Zank you!" Professor D' Coolette added. "I was afraid to say it without offending you, Valdez! But iz 'zis 'ow you eat in your village?"

"Well, this is something more from the… you know, the NEWER Northern Mobius," the blue chameleon replied. "Something like this would never exist back home."

"Too modern, right?" asked Professor Remington. "You know how Espio is like with the computers."

"Oh, he hasn't even seen this before. He would instantly be confused. Well, that and he probably wouldn't like to eat meat."

"Doesn't like to eat meat?!" bellowed Coach Augustus. "Red meat does have its benefits as long as you don't get that processed, over chemicalized shit! How does that boy get his protein?!"

"Vegetables, I bet," Whisper replied, taking her chopsticks and having another piece of tofu.

"I-I mean, I try not to eat meat TOO much…" Von Schelmmer added, drinking sake to avoid Coach Augustus' glare.

"Hey, these are good. Regardless, thanks for inviting us. Not only do we get to get hammered, but I finally get the time to eat out without stress. It's amazing how we're almost into November and yet the L building is packed. And of course…"

"You're the one in charge of everything?" asked Professor Finitevus, taking another drink of sake. "Mmm… this really is good. Should we order another bottle?"

"Well, I did say I wanted to get hammered. What about you?"

"Nuh uh, no way!" Coach Augustus shook his head. "Not after last time!"

"You've been fixated on that ever since I teased you about it, Augustus," Professor Longclaw replied. "Surely it didn't hurt your ego that much."

The polar bear looked away as the others chuckled.

"Nate? Nate?" Starline said. "Your meat is burning. That is, unless you're the one odd individual who loves to char your steaks prior to consumption. It says a lot about-"

In the midst of Professor Starline's triade, the Biology professor panicked. "A-Ah, do I just grab it with my chopsticks?!"

"You already forgot?" Professor Montclair questioned, the mink's hair curling as he stared at the overlander. "Yes!"

"A-Ah… I-… Um!" He quickly grabbed the meat with his chopsticks, placing the other side on the grill as it began to smoke.

"Don't be such a wuss, Nate!" Coach Augustus said. "It's just a little fire!"

"You ever set your hand on fire, coach?!" Professor Morgan replied frantically, finally flipping over his piece of beef. "Whew… I have during one experiment. It wasn't fun."

"Sure I have! Happened while we were setting up the field four years ago!"

"Oh right!" Professor Remington said. "Wasn't that the fire you caused on the field because you thought it was faster and easier to burn all the grass on the field rather than let the Headmaster hire someone to cut the grass?"

"You did that?!" Professor Longclaw questioned, not being around at the school during the incident. "Augustus, my goodness you're wilder than I thought. That explains your team's behavior at least…"

"I'm gonna ignore that comment, Longclaw, and say that in my defense, I don't regret it! A lot of field owners recommend it!"

And such, the conversations, eating, and drinking continued for the staff of Mobius U, unconcerned for what was going on back on campus.


MEANWHILE, BACK ON CAMPUS

The K building was packed with so many students as nearly everyone had on costumes, some held drinks or treats in their hands, some were dancing, or hanging out with their friends. Some were even playing games, some of the Drama majors were performing in the dining area, while someone brought a projector and displayed slasher movies on the wall of the game corner.

Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty all stood around one corner of the K building, the three athletes holding some fruit punch in their hands as the DJ by them were playing songs and flashing lights near them, causing the friends to have to yell out in order to speak.

"ENJOYIN' THIS PARTY YET?" Vector yelled.

"IT'S GREAT!" Knuckles replied. "I JUST SAW A GIRL FROM MY GEOGRAPHY CLASS THROW UP IN THE PARKING LOT FROM THE WINDOWS!"

"THAT'S REALLY GROSS BUT ALSO REALLY FUNNY!" Mighty yelled back.

"ESPIO, YA LIKIN' THIS PARTY SO FAR?" the crocodile hit his elbow against Espio's arm, causing the chameleon to look up at his friend. The transfer student looked around, seeing not only how big the crowd was, but also just how… tight everything was. It reminded him of when he first rode Valdez's 'car', only it was much bigger. How could people in the outside world celebrate like this? With lights of different colors flashing into his face, people going wild, and music blaring into his ears as loudly as possible.

Worst of all, some of the things people were wearing couldn't help but remind Espio of all the stories he'd heard of yōkai and yūrei back home, and he was starting to become VERY uncomfortable and on edge. However, he took a deep breath and remembered the salt he carried on himself. As long as he had that and remembered the phrase the priests at the local shrine back home used during one incident years ago when he and his family watched over them perform an exorcism on an old woman.

"Remember, it was 'Please move onto the next life'," He told himself, watching as the middle-aged turtle by the four stopped playing his music.

"Goodness, how you college kids get wilder and wilder the more I get older!" he said. "Can a get a holler for this partyyyyyyy?!"

As he placed a hand over his ear, everyone in the room began to hoot and holler, clap or cheer, or yell out the name of their school. Espio looked around the room, keeping to himself as Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty joined in with the hooting.

"That's what a party should be sounding like! Now, before we all get to dancing together to this next tune, we have a word from one of our organizers! Why don't you come on down here, lil' lady?"

Espio watched as a pink hedgehog walk up in front of all the objects the turtle had in front of him, carrying the same black device he saw the turtle with in her hands. The room quieted down as she cleared her throat.

"Hello ladies, gentleman, and everyone else of unspecified gender, and welcome to the twenty-seventh annual Mobius University Halloween Party, hosted by the Gamma Zeta Beta sorority house!" she said as everyone began to clap. "My name is Sonia Hedgehog, and as we celebrate tonight's ghooooulish events with our DJ for tonight, Leory Turtle, we here at Gamma Zeta Beta would like to remind you to be safe and diligent during tonight's party. While we strive ourselves to represent the best out of all the universities in Central Mobius, unfortunately, nights like this can lead to very unfortunate circumstances and… well, to put it bluntly, some people see no harm in taking advantage of you. Whether it be personal belongings or worse… your body…"

The pink hedgehog looked down at her feet. "…so, to make sure you're as safe as you can be, here's a few guidelines to remember. If you're with friends, always stay by their side no matter what you do. Even if it's going to the bathroom, take someone with you. If you see a drink or a snack provided by the various people around this room somewhere and you don't know who touched it or where it's been, don't consume it. In fact, stay diligent on any kind of drink you have tonight. If you drink something and it starts to taste salty, spit it out IMMEDIATELY. If you're by yourself, make sure to be aware of your surroundings."

Sonia took a drink from the cup she was holding in her hand. "And, because I know we're going to see more than a few people drunk, if you do get hammered, please make sure you find someone to return you back to your dorm safe and sound. Finally, even though this is a party, let's try not to get it shut down! I'm sure our seniors might remember three years ago, the Halloween party having to be shut down due to police arriving to the school because of noise complaints."

She then cleared her throat again. "Anyway, with serious time out of the way, I wanted to remind you all that in fifteen minutes, the annual Best Costume Contest will begin! If you'd like to submit in your costume for a chance to win a gift card for both the school store and the Meh Burger located in the dining area, as well as fifty Mobiums for winning first place in our prize, you can sign up in the Dining Area near the door to the kitchens! Other rooms shall be available for you to have private parties in, and alongside all the food our guests have provided, we're providing candy, pizza, and drinks for meals as well! With that out of the way, if you'd like to participate in tonight's event, registration begins in fifteen minutes and will continue throughout the hour! Have a good rest of the party everyone! Back to you, Leory!"

Everyone began to clap as the turtle began to DJ once again, lights flashing across the room as the music continued to blare. Everyone began to sing along to a song that the chameleon could barely recognize as the crocodile looked back at his friends.

"DIDJA EAT DINNER, GUYS?!" asked Vector. In that moment, two girls walked past the group.

"Oh my gosh, is that Vector?!" said one of them.

"He looks so hot in that costume, aieeee!" said the other, Espio looking at the two as they walked away. Turning back to his friends, Vector motioned towards the chameleon.

"COME ON, ESPIO. LET'S GET SOMETHIN' TO EAT. TIME TO INTRODUCE YA TO CANDY!" he yelled due to the loud noise. But in that moment, something caught his eye that made him stop.

Someone holding a circular object was walking straight towards them. As the chameleon squinted his eyes to get a better look, he saw how the person with the object looked so much like the Kasa-obake yokai, something that he remembered due to scaring both he and Shami when they were younger. And here it was, getting closer while NOBODY seemed to react?!

With the creature coming towards them at an alarming rate, Espio took a step back. Never before did he think he would come across a yokai, more especially Kasa-obake, at a time like this. Was Valdez right? Was this 'Halloween' inviting every spirit and malicious entity back to the world?

It barely had a second to say anything before Espio turned his head away, reached into his shirt, grabbed the salt bag, and ripped it open as he started to throw salt at the 'yokai'.

"Aaaaaaaah! Please move onto the other life! Please move onto the other life! Please move onto the other life! Plea-"

"Espio, what the hell are you doing?!" Knuckles yelled as he grabbed the chameleon's hand from digging into the salt. The chameleon stopped as a few people around them had their heads turned towards them. While most people weren't paying attention due to how loud the music was, those who were made the chameleon the center of attention as the robed figure started to shuffle around.

"Oh come on, on my feet? Seriously, dude? I wasn't THAT scary, was I?" a familiar voice asked. Espio turned his head as the figure lowered the circular object in his hand, revealing some kind of tablet with small drink cups on them. In that moment, the free hand of the figure tore off its robe, revealing Manic.

"M-Manic?!" Espio questioned.

"Yeah, who else did you think it was? Man, what an entrance. Can't say I've ever had salt thrown at me," he replied.

"…I… I'm… so-sorry…"

"Eh, no big deal. This is your first Halloween party if what Knuckles told me is true, so hey, hope you're having a good time! Anyway, as for the rest of you, I'm glad I finally found ya!"

Mighty clapped his hands together. "You got the drinks?!"

"Sure do! Made fresh, all from real fruit and or gelatin packets!"

"Alright!" Vector yelled, immediately swiping a glass of green liquid and drinking it in one gulp. He sighed when he put down his cup. "That hit the spot!"

"There's more where that came from! We're making plenty in the kitchens right now, help yourself!"

"I'm not the one for drinking hard shots, but yours and Sonic's fruit shots are the best!" Knuckles said. "You really serious when you say we can have more?"

"Course! Everyone's getting some?"

"Even the freshies?" asked Mighty.

"Oh, you know those little punks are gonna wanna act like they're big kids now."

By now, Vector had already licked his lips as he moved onto his third shot. After taking a swig from an orange glass, Espio watched as the crocodile buzzed, shaking his body and snout as he continued to hold the glass.

"Hey, don't stand there by your lonesome, Espio!" Manic said. "Why don't you try one!"

Espio looked over at all the drinks, his eyes looking at all of them with concern. From the smell, he made out what smelled like fruit and… what was no doubt alcohol. Only once had he had any drink, and that was his birthday when he turned eighteen. He remembered being given a glass of sake, and drinking it to celebrate 'his arrival into manhood' according to his father. Other than that, he knew Mother would absolutely have him hanging by his collar with a kunai on the walls of the dojo if he was so much to be even inches near the few sake houses around Gojo.

And yet, everyone was starting to stare at him.

"A… Ah…" he said, trying to get out of his current situation.

"Come on, dude. It won't bite!" Manic assured him. Espio looked around at his friends.

"Yeah, Espio!" Vector said. "It tastes great!"

"CHUG… CHUG!" Knuckles said into his second shot. Suddenly, a few people began to start to chant 'chug' around him, and the chameleon began to fidget around. There was only one thing he could do to get them to stop…

The chameleon stared at his target, a glass with an orange liquid in it. Manic nodded his head.

"Nice choice, young chameleon," he said. "It's not everyday you see someone's first gelatin shot be orange. You like living life on the edge, huh?"

Espio looked around as more people joined in on the 'chug' chant, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty included. Holding the cup in both hands, he brought it to his mouth and began to drink it, feeling the cold, citrusy liquid enter his throat. The crowd began to cheer as the taste of orange and alcohol overpowered his taste buds, burning his throat by just how strong it was. Whatever this was, it SURELY wasn't sake. What even WAS this?!

The transfer student shook, feeling his nerves buzz as he placed the glass down on the plate with a look of disgust on his face. At least sake tasted better…

However, no one minded, as they all began to cheer. Vector slapped his shoulder and grinned.

"There y'go!" he said, picking up another glass. "Now yer really one of us, Espio! To a great Halloween party!"

Holding up his glass, Espio watched as Knuckles and Mighty grabbed another glass and clinked them together as the three took a drink at the same time.

"Well boys, glad to see you liked it!" Manic said, smiling. "Well, can't stay here all day. I gotta give drinks to everyone, and I ain't gonna let you all hog them!"

With that, the green hedgehog took the circle with him and walked off, holding it out to another group of students. Espio watched as the three continued to hold onto their glasses, now dancing with the crowd and drinking whatever they had left.


It was an hour after arriving at the party, and Espio wouldn't deny… he was starting to get into the party. Sure, he didn't know QUITE how to dance and only copied what his friends were doing, didn't know either how to sing or understand what the songs being sung meant, but never had a celebration like THIS ever been done at Gojo.

While Knuckles and Mighty were at the bathroom, Vector was by his side in front of a table of MANY sweets. The chameleon had a plateful of them, standing by the table as the crocodile convinced him to try many of them. There were a few he didn't like, such as what Vector called, 'jawbreakers, 'licorice, and 'candy corn', but there were some REALLY good sweets such as 'chocolate peanut butter bars', 'cherry taffy', and 'lemon drops'. Still, for as good as some of them were, just like the 'papusukul' he had with Vector last month, they still didn't beat Hanami dango, mochi, anmitsu, and now that it was getting colder, oshiruko, at the end of the day.

After he was done eating some of his sweets, the chameleon and the crocodile were still waiting for Knuckles and Mighty to return, so the crocodile decided to treat himself to some pizza being served nearby. As he did, Espio couldn't help but notice Vector's demeanor had changed slightly. The crocodile now seemed to be a lot happier, a bit more giggly, excitable, and while walking, had a bit of a wobble going onto him.

He didn't want to say anything just yet, but it reminded him of everyone that walked out of the sake house at night back home.

Finally, with Vector eating and even Espio deciding to have a slice due in part with the crocodile pressuring him into doing so, echidna and armadillo returned back to their friends. By now, Vector had finished his pizza and held a beer in hand as he watched Rotor getting it down on the dance floor as people laughed and recorded him.

"Hee hee hee… h-he ain't gonna live that down~," he said, shaking his head and taking another drink. "O-Oi, there ya two fuckwits are. Whaddya been doin'? Fuckin'?"

"O-Ohh…" Knuckles moved his head. "H-Here… here comes Mr. VVVVVirgin himself… go-goin' on and on about… fucking…"

Espio turned to face the echidna. Surely he wasn't as well?...

Just then, the song came to a close as the 'DJ' scratched his record.

"…finished channeling yer parents' disco days, eh kiddos?" the frog asked. "Well, better get ready cause we got another announcement from the Halloween Princess herself!"

Once again, the girl who introduced herself as Sonia, appeared in front of the DJ as she spoke into the black device he saw her use earlier.

"Hello again, everyone! We at Gamma Zeta Beta have been hoping that you've enjoyed this year's party so far! Can we get a holler for another successful year?"

Once again, the entire room drew into loud roaring and thunderous applause.

"We're glad to hear it! Well, as you know, in the last hour we asked you all to submit in any applications for our yearly Costume Contest for the chance to win gift cards to the on-campus store and Meh Burger, as well as fifty mobiums, and at long last, we're ready to begin our contest! Contestants, please line up as we call your names! We'll judge this under three categories; solo, duo, and group costumes! First, let's begin with Bark the Polar Bear and his costume, Blockbuster Bear!"

With everyone now turning their attention to the costume contest, Espio couldn't deny at how good some people looked. It was far better than the thing he was wearing, which was now starting to get tiring and he could even feel himself starting to sweat from within the helmet. Still, it was fun to watch how creative everyone was, and it was also fun watching his friends react too.

However, something happened in the middle of the contest that neither he nor Vector was expecting.

In the middle of the duo category, Sonia then proceeded to open her mouth to announce the next contestants, and who they were shocked them.

"Next is… oh…! Oh my! It's Mr. Vector Crocodile and his roommate, Espio Chameleon with their costumes, The Desert God and the Badnik!"

Vector spat out the beer he held in his hand, dropping his can to the floor. "W-What? What in the hell?! Whaddya mean me?!"

"C-Come on, you two~!" Knuckles slurred. "You're g-gonna look greeeeeeat out there!"

He pushed the two reptiles in between the crowd as a light shined on them. The two looked around as they heard a large amount of 'yeeeeeeeeeeeeeah!'s from all across the room. Espio was highly conflicted and debated using his Chroma Camo until Vector hit him with his shoulder.

"Act natural. Do somethin' ya think I'd do," he said as the crocodile began to pose, trying to find something that seemed 'godly' to the cheers from many women and a few men in the crowd. Just then, Espio noticed something being thrown at them, some kind of green bottle. Hoping to not hit Vector, the chameleon dived for the bottle and grabbed it only to crash onto the ground. However, despite his embarrassing fall, it seemed to be the right move, as everyone cheered.

"Wow, what a natural! You might wanna consider him for the football team, Vector!" Sonia said. "Next up is Belle Tinkerer and Rotor Walrus with their costumes, Puppet and Robot Master!"

Espio got up from the floor as Vector walked him away from the crowd and back to Knuckles and Mighty. Echidna and armadillo slapped his shoulder.

"That was an amazing catch, Espio!" Mighty said. "You may have never played football before, but you might wanna give it a shot!"

"H-Heeeeey Vector…" Knuckles slurred. "D'ya… d'ya wanna tell coach the play Espio made?... We can win the championship with him…"

"More like why the hell was I called up there?!" Vector question, now starting to sober up a little bit. "I didn't put mah name up there."

"Y-You didn't… but WE did…"

"Yeh WHAT?! I dun mind being half naked at a party but not when EVERYONE has their eyes on me!"

"Yoouuuu never know… know if you m-might win a… a card…"

"Ya dun even know what kinda card it is! And besides, it ain't a guarantee although I do suppose it ain't a bad prize…"


However, despite his hopes, after judging almost an hour later, it was the group costume, 'Knights of the Square Table', by Bow and his group of friends, that won the costume contest. Vector sucked his teeth upon hearing the news but was happy to see he was at least in the top five alongside Espio.

"Hey, maybe next time, Espio!" he said. "Maybe I might need to be more stripperific fer the crowd… heh heh…"

It was two hours and a half into the party, and despite the fact it was now close to being 10, the party showed no signs of stopping. By now, Knuckles and Mighty had a few more of Sonic and Manic's shots, and with a few extra beers they had with Vector, the two had gotten drunk completely. Thus, the two reptiles were left on their own as they began to walk all over the building.

"Ya liking yer first Halloween so far, Espio?" Vector asked, the two talking past the dining area and past a group of girls taking pictures of each other. Espio looked up at his friend, and nodded, recognizing about 78% of what he said. Despite how rowdy, crowded, and hawk eyed the crowd was, the food was very much different than what he was normally used to eating daily, and that he now decided to take off the helmet not just due to the heat but also the comments he was getting from some people who recognized him from the costume contest, he was having a VERY good time. This was something he would NEVER tell mother, but it was so interesting and exciting to see how the Outside World celebrates a day such as this…

Just then, a purple figure wearing a devil costume came rushing down the stairs near them. Espio recognized it as Thrash, a member of the Badniks and one of Vector's friends.

"W-Whoa! Speak of the devil!" he said, holding his chest. "Well, look at you Mr. 'Desert God', himself! I bow in honor of his holiness!"

"I don't demand bows, I demand offerings!" he said. "Gold or women, right now!"

"Well gee, isn't God himself sounding like such a manwhore, huh?"

"Ya know how them old gods are, Thrash! Anyway, what's up?"

"Brawny's just challenged you to a game of beer pong in the upstairs lounge, and he isn't taking no for an answer. You better go challenge him, I don't wanna incur his wrath. He's already getting tipsy as is."

"Oh, like hell that wimp is gonna upstage me!" Vector flexed his arm. "Espio, yer gonna back me up, right?"

The chameleon had no idea what was going on, but simply nodded and went along.

"Got it! Come on boys, let's show him a lesson!"


THIRTY MINUTES LATER

It didn't take long for Vector to eat his words.

The unfortunate luck that the crocodile was having caused the crocodile to drink more and more, and by now, he was back to his old self from all the shots back on the first floor. Espio looked at his friend with concern, thinking that he had too much to drink at this point.

"V-Vector… su-… stoop… please…" he said, shaking his roommate's arm.

"W-Whaaaaaa?... Wazzat, E-Espio?..." he said, his movement and tone of speaking sluggish. "W-Whateva… c'mon Brawny… 'nother round…"

"W-Who am I to say… say no?" the warthog said. "Alright…"

Brawny filled up the cups once again and handed Vector the ping pong ball. The crocodile managed to punt out a shot which landed into a cup. The crocodile quickly grabbed a cup, and with the chants of 'CHUG, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!' echoing across the room, Vector dropped the cup after finishing it and shaking his head. Everyone cheered as Espio was only getting more and more uncomfortable. He didn't like to see Vector like this. It reminded him of everyone who left the sake house, crashing into things, returning to their families in their stupor while yelling the occasional curse.

He opened his mouth, but by now, the crowd had gotten too much for him, and Espio knew it was his time to go. He was very worried about Vector and prayed that he would come back to the dorm safely. He left the room, looking back to see if the crocodile was worrying where Espio was.

"Please stay safe…" he said to himself, walking down the steps to the first floor to see the party still going wild. As he was about to leave, Espio remembered one thing just as he reached the door. Returning to the food tables, the chameleon noticed a large, 'Chocolate coated wafer candy' sitting out on the table. He was surprised at how big it was and knew that this would be his offering for his father after he got back to the dorm to do the Segaki ritual before bed.

Holding the candy in his hand, the chameleon sighed. Despite everything, he still did have fun, and made sure to remember to thank Vector for bringing him. It just… was a LITTLE too much for him.

Then again, even back in Gojo, he wasn't the type for 'parties' anyway…

As the chameleon left the K building, heading down the steps and leaving all the lights and loud music behind him, he walked back to the dorms with the clacking of Vector's borrowed cleats hit the pavement. As he walked past North Hall, a figure appeared from behind the front of building and shined a light on him.

"Hey, who are you?!" the voice questioned. Espio covered his face with his arms, hissing at the heavy light as a pair of footsteps walked towards him. Just then, the light lowered as Espio lowered his arms to see who it was. It was a Caucasian Overlander wearing a beige outfit with multiple different things decorated around his body. He wasn't sure if he was participating, but as he got closer, he realized that it was Officer Tom Wachowski, the main Campus police officer at Mobius U.

"Hey, what are you doing here at this time of night?!" he questioned. Espio froze on sight, thinking he was in trouble.

"Ah… aaa… I… I was…" he pointed at the K building as Officer Wachowski looked over at the rowdy building.

"Oh, you came from the yearly K building Halloween Party, eh? Surely you aren't trying to goof off, are you?

Espio wasn't sure what was going on, but the officer put some strange device in front of him. He tried to poke it, but he pulled it away.

"No no no, you don't do that. You need to blow into it, like this," Officer Wachowski demonstrated, and when he was done, Espio followed suite. The chameleon wasn't sure what was going on, but a few seconds later, a BEEEEP came from the device as he nodded his head.

"Ah… okay, so there isn't too much booze in your system. That's good, son," the officer said. "Those parties are always crazy, and I'm on campus tonight making sure no one is causing grief. You wouldn't believe how many Halloween's I've had to put up with this. So far, I had to stop a group of seniors from teepeeing the ST building, stop a drunk freshman from vomiting into the fountain, and I had to tell off Jet and his friends for chasing people outside the building pretending to be cut in half. At least you seem like a good kid. Say, why don't I bring you on back to your dorm? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with anyone looking to pull pranks. Come on, which dorm do you stay in?"

Espio was confused, but quickly followed after Officer Wachowski.


MEANWHILE

The beer pong game had now gotten intense, and alongside the six more beers he had, a pile of women was now starting to surround the crocodile. Unbeknownst to him due to his drunken stupor however, one of the girls was Julie-Su, the same girl he shared grievances for just some time ago. She was right under his arms, snuggling against him alongside her friends, Honey and Tiara, as well as a few of the cheerleaders from the team.

"Feels… so good… t-to be… be god…" Vector muttered, his psyche completely destroyed due to the alcohol intake in his body. "C-Come... c'mon… one more… one more game…"

"O-O-" Brawny hiccupped. "Okay… Imma… imma get one of th-them… them giirlssssssssssss-"

However, it proved too much for Brawny, and he collapsed on the ground with a loud THUD. The girls by Vector all cheered for him as the crocodile looked down at each of them.

"You won, hot stuff!" said Honey. "Now, your reward…"

"I get all o' ya at once?..." Vector replied, still struggling to keep his body up.

"Hmm… I think we should be fair and let him pick one of us," Julie replied. Immediately, the girls around him started to clamor, asking for them to be picked. With the crocodile walking towards one of the sofas, legs spread out, Vector put his finger on the side of his face as he watched each girl continue to beg.

"Yer god has now c-chosen… and… and he picks…" Vector said, looking at his choices. Despite his thinking going haywire due to all the alcohol, looking at each of them on a physical level. Mina, one of Sonia's sorority sisters, was rather… well-endowed despite her thinner frame. Not to mention, Tiara's costume REALLY made her look even more hot than she normally looks, and Staci, one of the bandicoot twins on the cheerleading team, DEFINETLY perked her breasts up to make herself more attractive.

Not like he didn't mind at all, but there was someone he had his eye on, despite the shock of some of the girls there.

"O-Oi… oi Julie, why dun ya come s-sit here on yer god's lap?" he said, motioning his finger towards him. Some of the girls began to cheer and clap for their friend as the pink echidna gasped, holding her hand to her chest. She walked towards the crocodile and did what he asked. The crocodile moved his eyes up and down her frame, realizing he made a good choice as he smirked.

"Yer god a-asks to have yeh tonight~…" he said, not even aware of half what was coming out of his mouth.

"You picked well," Julie-Su said, looking down at her old ex's body. "You'll be perfect to get back at my ex."

"Awh… f-fuck 'em… yeh… yeh can have a good time with me, baby…"

"You're so lucky, Julie!" Staci said, holding her hands to her face. "Let us know how it is tomorrow!"

"I've always wanted to get with someone from the football team…" cried Tiara. "Gaia, they're all so HOTTTTTT!"

"H-Hey, Tiara… we can try to find someone else! Why don't we go find Thrash! I'm sure he wouldn't mind, he's such a gentleman…"

"C-Come on… we can't waste any time…" Vector said as Julie got off his lap, holding her hand out to help get the crocodile back up off the sofa. The two began to walk away as everyone cheered and wolf whistled behind them, realizing what the two were going to do once they had returned to the dorms.


LATER…

As the two returned to Julie's room, Vector slammed his back on the bed as Julie climbed on top of his body. Vector slowly raised himself up as he felt up the pink echidna's body.

"Gosh, yer a perfect pick…" he said in his stupor. "C-Come on, show me yer tits…"

"Well, look at you," Julie said. "We shouldn't rush this. We got all the time in the world."

"H-Heh… y-yer right… yer right… Sorry… guess yer god is getting carried away…"

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Guess this maiden better show you the right way to some love…"

The two kissed as Vector put his large hands on Julie's cheek, the two collapsing onto the bed together.


MEANWHILE…

With his costume thrown on the floor by the bed, the room entirely dark sans for the candles Valdez provided earlier in the week, and the candy he got from the party earlier, Espio was back in his normal clothes as he took a few steps away from the small shrine he made in honor of his father. Since he wasn't able to celebrate Obon due to being at Mobius U, he missed out on the segaki and even the yearly Daimonji festival, which he and Shami always loved.

Still, he knew his father's spirit would be put to rest, hopefully not committing any kind of mischievous actions with any of the spirits that came back to the Outside World. The chameleon hoped that he would accept this candy as his offering, remembering how his father did have a bit of a sweet tooth and always made sure to pass that belief down when he gave his children extra mochi during the New Years festival.

He bowed down in front of the shrine, raising himself up and putting his hands together as he began to chant out loud.

"…Hi fu mi yo i mu na ya ko to mo chi ro ra ne…

…Shi ki ru yu wi tsu wa nu so wo ta ha me ku ka…

…U o e ni sa ri he te no ma su a se we ho re ke…"


AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER…

Julie's dorm room was entirely quiet, entirely dark as the only light shining through was the moonlight from the night sky glimmering on many things on the floor. From the costumes of Julie-Su and Vector, to the remains of what was once an unused condom, a long while of a room filled with the sounds of nothing but feminine moans, masculine grunts, and a creaky bed turned into peaceful serenity.

On Julie's bed were the two, finished from their romp, sound asleep. Vector's light snoring rumbled once again as he held onto the pink echidna, who lay her nude body right next to the quarterback. The two were smiling, satisfied that their night had went from joyful fun to ending with the both getting laid.

Unbeknownst to the two, come morning, the aura of fun and the smell of forbidden dances would soon be gone, and the buzz the crocodile had would soon dissipate…


END OF CHAPTER 9