(AN: Well, hello all! So, glad this didn't take me another month to write, although I won't lie I DID get a little lazy towards the end but hey... glad this got written in the end!
So, happy new year! I'm hoping that the Sonic archive continues to see more great fics, and that I'm able to bring you all more quality stories in the future! I have a few already planned, but finishing this remake first I think is top priority!
Now, writing this chapter for me was interesting because re-reading the OG Transfer, the chapter where the events seen in this remake's Chapter 10 is so... do nothing. It's the pure definition of fluff for the sake of fluff, but we get to see the making of some later storylines, and even some developments in said storylines! What will they be? Well, you gotta wait and see!
By the by, thanks for 3.4k views! We've finally reached chapters in the tens, so let's hope that number rises! Let's begin!)
That morning, Vector woke up later than he normally would. When he did, he groaned out in pain as he could still feel his head pound. Rubbing the temple of his head, he turned and grabbed his phone to his side, only to realize what the time was.
"E-E… Eleven THIRTY?!" he screamed out in terror, realizing that not only was it Sunday, but it was also a practice day. The practice day before tomorrow's game. Immediately, when he got off the bed, he stopped.
Because when he did, he felt the world around him turn white. Not only was he nude, but…
"…this… this isn't mah room…"
He began to shake as he looked down at his feet, seeing not just his costume, but the costume of someone else… someone he DEFINITELY did something with if the used condom by both costumes was of any indication. He began to hear a feminine voice make noise behind him as he turned around, still trying to piece together everything that happened last night that he could remember. When he saw exactly WHO was in the bed he slept in, his fear grew tenfold.
On the bed was his ex from High School, Julie-Su the Echidna, who was now beginning to open her eyes. She smiled as she looked at the crocodile.
"Ha haa… mornin', Vector…" she said. "What a surprise to see you standing above me like that… Don't tell me you wanna-"
"Shut up, shut UP! Wha… what did ya DO to me?!"
"What did I do?... Don't you remember? You wanted to fuck me last night, and you sure did, big boy…"
Vector's mouth opened wide. What did he DO?! Never once did he want to even look, even INTERACT with Julie-Su since the day he first saw her at Mobius U. Everything in his past came rushing back to him as he stared into her eyes.
"Aw… don't look so angry, big guy… We haven't done something like that in forever… besides, you're just as good as I remember…"
It took everything to restrain himself from not strangling Julie right then and there, acknowledging mentally that it still wasn't right to hit a girl no matter what horrid stuff the pink hedgehog did to him.
"Say, why don't we hook up some time in the future? It'll be like old times… Come on, whaddya say, Vector? I've been meaning to talk to you for some time, and I wanna put our differences aside. I know you hate me. Look at the face you're making. But come on… please? For me? It doesn't have to be romantic, it can just be… be like fuckbuddies…"
The crocodile grit his teeth, but knew that he couldn't stick around. Not only was coach going to be FUMING when he saw him, but there was one other person he needed to see…
Espio.
Even though he was drunk, he could remember seeing how concerned Espio was after drinking so much during the beer pong game. He knew Espio was worried about him, and the more he stuck around, the more he was giving Julie.
And so, he quickly began to grab his costume, realizing that was the only thing he could wear. The echidna girl looked up from the bed, covering herself with her sheets.
"U-Uh… hey, where are you going?"
The crocodile didn't give her the satisfaction of answer as he ignored her, putting his costume together once again and grabbed his phone and sandals, slamming the door behind him as he ran down the hall. He could hear the door open and Julie call out, "HEY, RESPOND TO ME, VECTOR!", but ignored her as he ran out. He didn't want to look back, he couldn't DARE to face Julie again, not just after his past with her, but after what happened last night. How could he be so STUPID as to let his guard down?!
"ARGHHHH!" Vector yelled, slapping the palm of his hand against his head as he ran out of North Hall, gathering the attention of a few people outside once he left the dorms. He could hear some laughter as he quickly ran back to A building, flashing him back to when he ran out of Prom back in high school when Julie revealed the truth to him.
How come after all this time, she still managed to find a way to humiliate him no matter how sweet she tried to coat her language?...
Finally reaching A building, Vector didn't care anymore. He wanted to stay up in his dorm all day and hide, knowing that someone likely took a video of him running out of North Hall and that it would spread over social media all day. But he didn't even care anymore, as long as he was away from Julie and avoided her like the plague, then she could no longer hurt him.
"That bitch…" he growled. "How dare she…"
But the truth was, he could barely be mad at her. Sure, she was one of the people seducing him during last night's party, but it was his drunken state that thought it was a good idea to give into her lust for him. He knew that she wanted to sleep with him again, it wasn't a shocker to anyone on both the football team and cheerleading squad. He knew that as much as he wanted to be mad at Julie, he only had himself to blame.
With the feelings of regret and anger filling his body, he finally reached West Hall and back to his room, realizing that he didn't have his room key on him. Cursing out loud, he knocked on the door and hoped that Espio was inside. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing both the chameleon and Valdez. The blue chameleon expressed surprise.
"Ah, Mr. Vector! There you are!" he said. "We were concerned about you. Are you okay?"
The crocodile quickly went into the dorm. "Y-Yeah… yeah, yeah I'm fine…"
"…are you sure?" he raised a brow. "Mr. Espio told me last night you were drinking VERY heavily."
"Fuck…" he thought to himself. Not only did Valdez know, but now he needed to explain to the two why he was gone and why he was still in costume. He couldn't reveal the truth, so he came up with a quick lie. "…S-Sorry, Mr. Valdez. A friend let me sleep in their dorm last night. Is… is Espio okay?"
"Yes… he is fine. He was worried about you and left the party early when he saw you drunk."
The crocodile looked at his feet, not wanting to look at Espio in the eye.
"Well, I'm just glad you're okay. Although… shouldn't you be on the football field right now?" Valdez continued.
"I… I woke up late. I'm gonna get a verbal lashin' from Coach, I just know it."
"Oh, I know that Augustus isn't the type to see his players late. I've seen it up close. Well, I recommend you do it as quickly as possible. He texted me and asked if I knew where you were since you and Espio room together."
As if this day wasn't getting worse, he knew that once Coach gave him hell, he would force him to do extra warmups before being allowed to participate with everyone else. It was all a part of his three strike rules; one tardy, you do extra warmups that could take an hour to finish once everyone finished theirs. Two tardies, you not only have to do warmups, but you have to arrive early to help coach not only set up the field but take it apart after practice. And three tardies immediately kicked you off the team, no ifs, ands, or buts. With this being his first tardy, the crocodile was NOT looking forward to his punishment.
And yet, he felt like he deserved everything because of what he did…
"Well… I say just go when you can. Have you had breakfast, Vector?"
The crocodile shook his head.
"Well, breakfast should be shut down unfortunately as they're getting ready for lunch. I think you might have something here…"
The blue chameleon walked towards the fridge and pulled out a box of granola bars. Opening it up, he handed one to Vector.
"Here, eat. You likely need one after what you had last night."
The crocodile nodded. "…thank ya…"
"Anyway, I have to take my leave. I'll see both of you tomorrow. Espio-kun, jaa ne!"
The blue chameleon walked out of the room as Vector solemnly ate his granola bar. He still didn't want to look at Espio out of shame, and he was unaware that the chameleon was looking at him. Once he was done and he threw away his trash, he removed his costume and walked over to the dresser and pulled out clothes, not caring that he was changing in front of the chameleon. After getting into new clothes, including pants and a sweater, the crocodile walked by the desk and smashed his fist against it, yelling out a loud 'FUCK!' out of anger.
However, he heard a gasp from the chameleon behind him.
The crocodile turned to face Espio as he walked over to the desk, quickly grabbing something. Espio saw that it was a DVD case, and the crocodile feared the worst when he also saw the chameleon pick up one of his ninja knives, which had been atop the DVD case and had been bent in half due to Vector's punch.
The crocodile's eyes widened as he looked at how upset Espio looked, and as he opened the DVD case, Espio pulled out the remains of one of Mark's anime DVD's, which cracked in half.
"A-A…aa…" was all that came out of Vector's mouth. Espio stared at the crocodile, fear in his eyes.
"W-Wh… wha… whyy?..." he asked. Vector closed his eyes, and as much as he tried, the stress of everything finally reached a breaking point. He got on his knees, grabbing his head as he tried to suppress a sob. But it was too much, and he could feel a lone tear slide down his snout.
Not only did he break his rule with Julie, not only did he miss practice, but now he had to break something of Espio's too. All because of himself.
"I'm s-such… such a fuck-up… such a fuck-up… such a fuck-up…" he repeated to himself. His body shook as he covered his eyes, feeling shameful that he, the quarterback of the Badniks, was about to cry like a baby. He didn't care to notice that Espio had slowly walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. But it wasn't enough. With his hands in his eyes, Vector punched his head as Espio took a few steps back.
"Such… a… fuckin'… FUCKIN'… DUMBASS!" he said with each punch, slowly winding himself down as he put a hand on the floor. He took a deep breath as he looked at Espio, his mouth and eyes wide open. It was then that he realized what he was doing, he wasn't just taking it out on himself.
He was expressing his anger in front of Espio, making him think that the reason he was acting like this was his fault.
What was already a bad day was only getting worse and worse… He got up, turned to face the mirror that hung by his bulletin board, and stared at himself.
"…what am I doin'?..."
Once again, he turned to look at Espio and then at his feet. "…I'm… I'm sorry, Espio. I didn't mean to act like this… I just…"
The chameleon looked away, and Vector was unable to read his expression. However, he knew the best thing he had to do was to fix everything he broke. Now that Julie was out of the way, he had to focus on this, and then trying to get on Coach Augustus' good side when he found out he was late.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Vector rubbed his face, trying to change his face as he walked to the door. When he opened it, he saw the last person he wanted to see.
"Oh, hello there, Mr. Vector," said Mark, the tapir with his hands behind him. "Um… is Espio in your dorm right now? We're doing a group project in Math 101, and I figured we could work on it out of class."
"G-Group project?!" questioned Vector, turning his head back into the dorm to see Espio still holding the broken anime DVD. "Y-Yeah, I see whacha mean! B-But sorry, I… I dunno where Espio is. I… uhh… I uh… I had to leave practice early this mornin' s-so that's why I dunno where he is…"
"…are you sure?"
"Positive! Super cereal!"
Mark turned his head but shrugged. "Well… okay. Guess there's nothing I can do. If you see Espio, tell him I came by here and that we need to work on our project, okay?"
"S-Sure… sure, no prob…"
He watched as the tapir waddled away before quickly slamming the door of the dorm, sighing.
"That was too close…"
He then turned to face Espio, who DEFINITELY knew Mark was here.
"Here, lemme make this up to ya. It's the least I can do. Besides, I dun want Mark finding out what happened," Vector said. He walked over to and sat down at the desk, pulled up his laptop and opened it up, clicking away until he reached an auction site.
"Okay… Ringbay dot com…" he said to himself as Espio looked over his shoulder. He grabbed the broken case, revealing that the disc he needed was My Everyday School Life, Volume 2. After spending some more time on the site trying to find the cheapest disc he could find, he was able to purchase a replacement disc so Mark wouldn't be mad that his anime DVD was cracked in half.
"There ya go, Espio. I just bought ya a new one," he said. "Now ya dun need to worry 'bout that. But… yer knife…"
Espio grabbed the bent knife, looking at the extent of the damage. The crocodile frowned as he noticed the look Espio had on his face, and his guilt only intensified.
"…could he?..." he said to himself, thinking the entire time watching the transfer student that maybe SOMEONE he knew would be able to fix it. "Naw, he does machines and stuff. Unless..."
Vector turned back to face the chameleon. "Espio, come with me. I think I know someone who can fix yer knife! We need to go now, I got quite a bit of demons today…"
As the crocodile got up, he knew he didn't have to go far. Walking to the dresser, he pulled out his team sweater and put it over his body as he tapped Espio's shoulder, motioning with his head to come along. The chameleon followed behind as the two left the dorm.
The person in question was Rotor, who was surprised to see not just Espio, but especially Vector.
"Jeez, I didn't think you'd skip on practice!" he said when the two reptiles walked into his dorm.
"Rotor, get them out…" the walrus' roommate moaned from the top bunk.
"It's fine, they're just here for a quick visit. Anyway, did you get hardcore drunk? I heard that you were swarming with girls at one point. Lucky, I saw my crush at the party and-"
Vector growled. "Rrr… drop it, Rotz. I'd like to do mah best to forget 'bout that."
"Still, I don't blame you. I'd say about seventy five percent of the team didn't show up to practice today. Coach was FUMING and had no choice but to postpone practice at six on the dot, and that anyone who was late got kicked off the team. He was especially mad that you weren't there. Connery had a field day honestly."
"I bet…"
"Anyway, were you just here to ask about practice? Or was there something else?"
"Oh right, yeah. Show 'em, Espio."
The chameleon held up the ruined knife as Rotor had a surprised look on his face.
"W-What the heck is that?!" he questioned.
"Err…" Vector's eyes moved around the dorm, realizing that he alongside Headmaster Robotnik were the only ones who likely knew of his ninja heritage. "It's just a family heirloom of his. Look, I kinda fucked it up earlier this mornin'… is there anyway yeh can fix it?"
Rotor walked over to the knife and picked it up carefully, hoping not to poke or cut himself with it.
"Hmm… made up a dense yet effective material… doesn't appear to be too stretched… I mean, was it like this before?"
"Nah."
"Okay, then it hasn't set like this. I might be able to adjust this, in fact, come by my dorm after practice, I can try to fix this up in the meantime. It might not be accurate to how it was before, but I think I got an idea how it can be fixed."
Vector put a hand on his chest. "Oh, thank Gaia indeed… I was really worried when I broke it."
"Oh, be thankful you didn't snap it in half. Although, with a little soldering, a snap can fix it up. Anyway yeah, I'll get started. But don't forgot, six on the dot, you gotta be changed and out on the field ready for practice. And lemme just say, I don't think we'll be leaving the field for QUITE some time."
"Oh joy… guess we all gotta suffer…"
"Hey, I think playing the game with a bunch of hungover players, it would be a miracle if we even won this. We'll be fine, just gotta take the next few days easy."
"Fair enough. Anyway, let's get goin', Espio. Rotor will fix yer knife, I promise."
The two reptiles walked out of the dorm and closed the door behind them. Vector turned to face his friend.
"…hey listen, I know I replaced Mark's DVD and I had Rotor help with fixin' that, but again, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have taken out mah anger like that. Not only is it not right, I just... I just dun want ya to see that side of me. It feels wrong."
Espio shook his head. "I… It… it is… it is ookay?... How do you s-say that wa-word?..."
"I get what yer tryin' to say, but dun say that, Espio. It ain't okay. This day is punishment for how I acted last night. Bein' drunk can be fine but… there's a limit to HOW drunk yeh can be…"
Vector sighed as he stared out the windows of the first floor of West Hall, revealing the grey, gloomy sky against the backdrops of some of the buildings, North Hall, and the edge of the football stadium.
"…I really need a pick me up," he said. "Coffee sounds nice at a time like this. Wanna join? I'll treat. I know I bought ya the DVD and fixed up yer knife, but I promise fer today, I'll do whatever I can to treat ya, okay?"
Espio likely stumbled on everything he said due to how fast the quarterback was talking, but he did follow Vector as he made his way out of West Hall. As he did, they walked outside to the back campus, and made their way to the K building. Making a left, Vector began to flash back at how Thrash running down the stairs was the starting point to last night's tumble, and he shut his eyes, wanting to repress everything.
After passing the dining area, the two headed into the door by the stairs to the School Store, where more snacks, supplies, textbooks, and other commodities needed for any College student were supplied. Vector walked over to the instant coffee machine, his favorite place to be whenever he had to go to practice and he needed to wake up, and grabbed one of the plastic containers, grabbed a cup, and pressed the middle button as his coffee started to pour out.
With it now being done, he stirred in limited sugar and crème, then prepared Espio's cup.
"Ya ever had coffee before?" he asked as he covered his coffee cup. Judging by the reaction, it was no doubt 'No', but he was sure that the chameleon would like it. As such, he did the same steps as before, only pressing the left most button, which only filled the cup halfway, and put in more sugar and crème than his own cup.
"There ya go. Careful, it's hot!" he said, as the chameleon went 'Ah!' when he felt the cup. Walking to the counter, he paid for the two cups, and they left.
"Something's starting today
Where did he go? Why you wanted to be?
Well you know, November has come
When it's gone away…"
The gloomy backdrop of the grey clouds on that November 1st served perfectly for the mood the crocodile was in. He and Espio sat across from each other at one of the long tables in the Student Center part of the K building. He bopped his head very slowly to the words and melody of the song, knowing that soon, winter was coming, and so too would long and cold nights, and gloomy, grey grass and leafless trees.
"Yup… November has come alright…" he thought to himself, closing his eyes. "And what a day its been…"
As he let his mind sink into the song, an 'Itai!' from Espio interrupted his deep thought. The crocodile looked at his roommate.
"Espio, what did I say? It's hot," he said. "I showed ya. Open it up and blow on it fer a bit. It'll cool it down for a bit."
The quarterback was surprised at how easily Espio had adapted to drinking out of a coffee cup. Then again, he just watched what the crocodile did and just copied him, but it seemed to have been an easy lesson even if it was clear he hadn't had a drink as hot as coffee before.
"It… it is… ho-hot," Espio said, still blowing on his coffee.
"Yeah, that's coffee fer ya. It's always that hot, and it frankly will continue to be that hot."
As Vector continued to vibe out to his music, he wasn't aware that Espio had been staring at him. When the song finally came to an end and he opened his eyes, the chameleon was staring wide eyed.
"…what's wrong?" he asked.
"What… what was… that?"
"Oh, it was just me listenin' to music."
Espio turned his head. "So-Sorry, I-I am c-confuused."
The crocodile pulled down his headphones. "Y'know what, c'mere. It's a Sunday, we dun got anythin' to do. Why don't I introduce some more about Central Mobius to ya? Come on, sit next to me."
The chameleon looked confused, but when he saw Vector tapping the seat next to him. As such, with his coffee cup in hand, Espio walked over to the other side and sat next to his roommate.
"Ya know headphones already, so no need to introduce ya to 'em. But did ya have music back home?"
"What? M-Miyuzzhik? I-I do not a-a-understand that w-word."
"Course, he'd probably know the word fer that in Japanese," Vector thought to himself. He continued, "Nah, music. Consider this our bonus lesson fer today. It ain't just repeating stuff to yerself, or writin' it down, it's gainin' firsthand experience in our culture that'll help ya learn English. Music is… well, any kind of sound made with instruments… ya know what instruments are, right?"
Espio's silence said it all.
"…figures. Y'know what, here, why dun I just let ya listen to some to get an idea. Besides, yer centuries behind on pretty much everythin', it frankly ain't surprisin' to me that yer behind on music too. We can go fer a bit of a lighter song since I like mah music heavy and loud. Somethin' like…"
He scrolled through his music list, soon coming across a song by Madonna the Diva, and pressed play. He opened his headphones, letting Espio close as he placed one side of the headphone on Espio's ears and the other on his own. Just then, the song began to start, and the intro before the vocals began to play. A soft, almost orchestral sounding instrumental prelude began to play as melodic noises were made on pianos and cymbals before culminating to the sound of saxophones playing. Vector watched Espio's face as the saxophones starting up played.
"Ha, ya used to hearin' saxophones?" he asked as there was a beat in the song before the main melody began. There was a few seconds of instruments playing before the song began tof real.
"On that day,
Fourth of may,
You said to me,
Girl, gimme a fee.
I looked at you,
And said, 'Oh boy, whew'."
This wasn't his favorite Diva Madonna song, but he thought this was a good introduction for Espio for the simple melody and short lyrics. But Espio started to bop his head like Vector had been doing so earlier.
"Ya likin' this, Espio?"
He watched as two students walked past the two, staring at the two reptiles before walking away. Espio continued to hold onto the headphones with his right hand as Madonna continued singing her song.
Then, once the song was over at the three-minute mark, Vector pressed pause as he looked at Espio.
"Well? How did ya think 'bout that?"
Espio looked at his hands and then at Vector. "I-It was… was good. B-But… I… I…. h-how do you say that word…"
"Whaddya mean?"
"Y-Yesterday… m-miyuzzhik…"
"Yesterday music?... Oh, ya mean, the music playing yesterday durin' the party! Yeah, that's more like party music. I dun listen to that too much, ain't really mah thing. But that's just one example of music. See," Vector showed his phone to Espio, scrolling through his music list. "Ya probably ain't gonna see Justin Beaver anywhere on here or Fabian Vane, Gaia help me if I put his music on here. But we got stuff like Max and the Forget-me-Knots, Snoop Hogg, Michael Yakson, just to name a few!"
From the look on Espio's face, he didn't know who ANY of the people just listed were.
"…there's a lot of musicians out there, and hey, maybe as we continue this year, we can discover more. I mean, ya did like the song I played, right?"
"Y-Yes… I… I did."
"Didja wanna listen to more of it?"
He didn't think Espio would understand the question, but he surprisingly shook his head.
"Aw, alright! So, let's do somethin' like… hmm… well, hip-hop is Mighty's favorite genre, and I gotta few o' 'em here. Let's give it a shot!"
And so, the two spent some time listening to Vector's music. While he enjoyed some of the rap stuff, the chameleon didn't seem to like the rock stuff, probably because it was too loud. Soon, they realized that they had probably spent too much time in the K building and decided to head back to the dorm until Vector's practice later that evening.
"Lemme throw this away fer ya, Espio," he said, grabbing Espio's empty coffee cup and walking to the trash can. But as he did, he suddenly tripped on his shoelace.
"W-Waughhh!"
Vector flailed his arms, falling on his stomach as the two cups fell to the ground. He sighed, his snout rumbled as he exhaled.
"…so much for finally having something positive happen today…" he muttered, trying to ignore some of the snickers coming from people near them. As he got up, he walked to the trash can and walked back to Espio, who stared at him.
"…what?"
And then, Espio softly smiled, turning away as he tried to cover his smile with his hand only to laugh very softly. Vector was surprised, as the chameleon wasn't the type of person to share outwards expressions like this. Normally, he either looked very serious, or had an unreadable expression, but very few times he had seen the chameleon happy, such as when he spoke his first words in English, when Coach gave him the extra jersey, making friends with the archers when they went to work out, but something like this?
It was… almost precious to look at it. And the sound of his laugh?
Gosh, it was cute…
After returning to the dorm, Vector wondered what else he could do to pass the time. He wanted to avoid his assignments because, frankly, he was too lazy to do it. But as Espio pointed at the homework he had yet to do and were due tomorrow and Tuesday, Vector exhaled as he realized he had no choice.
And thus, with less than four hours left before he had to head to the field for practice tonight, he decided to get started, first opening his Advanced English Literature textbook to page 189 to read about journalism and to write an essay about the styles in which journalism is written and how they articulate words to the common people.
Once the one-hour mark hit however, Vector found himself at a slump. The textbook didn't have much information on the topic they were writing on, and he resorted to doing what he normally did: describing examples instead of talking about what was written in the book. Thank goodness most of his teachers never really minded him doing that…
He turned to face Espio, who was writing more English in his English notebook.
"Hey, Espio? How are things comin' along fer ya?" he asked, only to see Espio look over at him from the bottom bunk. He then got up from the bed and proceeded to walk over to the bulletin board.
"…he never took interest in that…"
Thinking this was time to take a short break, Vector got up from his chair at the desk and walked to Espio's notebook. There was a piece of paper atop his notebook, a worksheet it seemed. Vector picked it up and began to read.
"TALK ABOUT YOUR FRIEND!"
"友達の話をしよう!"
"We all have friends that we care for, talk to each day, and enjoy company with! In two paragraphs in English, write about your friend! What is their name? What do they like to do? Talk about anything they own that defines them as a person! Be sure to ask them questions!"
"みんなには気にして、毎日話し合って、一緒に付き合うのが好きの友達がいます!英語で友人について2段落分を書いてみて!その人の名前は?趣味は?人として明確にする持ち物などを何でもいいからそれにもついて話してみて!その人に質問を聞くようにしよう!"
Realizing that the translations were from Valdez, he turned to face the chameleon who was looking up at the pictures on the bulletin board. He reached out towards one of the pictures, the publicity picture of the Badniks for last September's issue of Mobius Men's Sports Weekly, but tugged at it due to it being stuck on the board via thumbtack.
"Ya need help with that?" Vector asked as he walked behind his roommate, removing the tack and showing the picture to the chameleon. "Real beauty that picture, huh? That's when a bunch of us joined the team. Me, Knux, Rotz, Brawny, Rudy, a whole bunch of them. In fact, there I am right there."
The crocodile pointed at the picture, showing him next to Connery and last year's quarterback, Avery Bear, who had graduated this May.
"Y'know, it was Avery right here," Vector continued, pointing at the bear. "That told Coach that I should be the quarterback of the team. He said that out of everyone here, I had the most potential and took control durin' practices like a team leader. I think without Avery, I likely wouldn't be where I am right now."
Espio however, moved his eyes towards another picture on the board. He started to reach out towards a newspaper clipping on the bottom right, with Vector getting it down for him.
"Now THIS is another beauty of mine. This was an article written about us after winning the College Bowl back in January. So, we lost that year's Central Mobius College Playoff Tournament and we were all bummed, but the College Bowl is basically like… basically kinda like a second chance! And really, outside of playing games with school's ya haven't faced off against in ages, the entire post game season is all 'bout trainin' fer the College Bowl. I still remember that game too. There were only 'bout sixteen seconds on the clock, and after Monk was handed the ball by Knuckles, he soon passed it to me since I was Connery's back up running back. It was then that Avery, ya know, the old quarterback, came up next to me as I had 'bout seven guys runnin' behind me. And just as they were about to hit me and that clock only had five seconds left, I threw the ball to Avery all the way from the other side of the field, and with that, we won the bowl."
Vector shook his head. "Gaia, ya shouldda heard the noise in that stadium. Probably the loudest thing ya heard. Avery was able to make a last second touchdown, and we went home as champions that night. I like to think this was to make up to Coach fer losin' the Playoffs. He was really bummed when we lost last year's season durin' the end of year tournament. In fact, our trophy from the College Bowl ya can still find in the I buildin'! That's where they keep all the trophies and rewards that the school earned."
With all the talk about football, Vector started to find himself hyped up, and in that moment, he realized the best way to get out of doing his homework.
Walking to his duffel bag by the bed, the crocodile opened it up and pulled out his own personal football, twirling it in the air.
"Say, why don't we play a little bit of ball together?" he asked. "Not only will this help ya with yer assignment, but I can teach ya how to play football!"
Espio walked over and touched the football, surprised at how it felt.
"C'mon, whaddya say?"
He watched as the chameleon looked up at him. He knew that he likely didn't understood what he was saying, but by bringing out the football, the chameleon knew what the crocodile wanted to do. In that moment, he nodded.
"Alright! Now, I think ya might need to put on a different pair of shoes. Those wood shoes of yers aren't gonna be helpful, but don't worry! I got a spare pair of cleats yeh can use! Come on, it's cloudy and gloomy, perfect time fer football if ya ask me!"
With that, Vector walked out of the dorm as Espio followed, turning the lights off behind them.
It was about an hour into playing football together with the crocodile by a huge patch of grass near by the N building, which was where students with kids younger than three could enroll them in a daycare, and Espio was still getting used to football.
There was a difference between playing football and watching it, and the chameleon learned it quickly as soon as they began playing. He kept missing every throw, even if Vector went as easy as he possible could until he finally was able to catch his first ball, feeling proud when he did so.
Currently, he saw the crocodile throw the ball high into the sky. Espio quickly ran to where the ball might be heading, and remembering the advice that the crocodile gave him, looked up and down, up and down only to extend his arms out when the ball was about to reach the ground. However, just when he thought he got it in his hands, the ball fell out of his hands and onto the ground.
"Aww! So close!" Vector said as he ran behind the chameleon, picking up the ball off the ground. "Hey, yer still doin' good fer a first timer! Keep this up and I may really ask coach to put ya on the team."
However, Espio felt like he wasn't all that good. Outside of his ninja skills within the Shinobi clan and his daily training, it was mainly the villagers of Gojo, Hirunotsuka, Kaku, and Tsunoda that mainly played sports not just for the people, but also for the Brides and the Four Clan houses. Something like this he'd likely never be able to do back home, although it was fun to imagine how it would be like if football was brought to Gojo.
Regardless, despite his lack of skill, it was nice of Vector to go easy on him. He taught him stuff like, 'how to pass', 'how to avoid the other team', 'how points work', 'what are the different positions on the team', and 'illegal plays'. One of the things Espio really wanted to learn was how to punt a football with your feet, as some of the people the chameleon saw doing that during games looked incredible to him. Never did he think something could go so high watching his very first game…
So, he tugged on Vector's shirt.
"Eeh…" he began to say. "I… I… u-uh… h-how do you say that word…"
Vector turned his head. "Hm?"
Espio grabbed the football out of his hand and put it on the floor, replicated what he saw in games only for him drop the ball and completely miss.
"Oh!" the crocodile said. "Oh, ya wanna learn how to punt? Okay okay… UHH well… Puntin' ain't really what I'm known fer, but I can show ya how it's done. Okay, so whacha need to do is hold the ball in front of yer dominant leg. Then, let go of it. In that exact moment ya let it go, ya need to kick it with the leg yer holding it above. This is so ya can kick it far away from yer team's end zone so yeh can buy more time keepin' the ball away from yer goal. Okay, now watch me."
Vector began his demonstration, holding the ball above his right leg. As soon as he dropped it, he kicked it high into the sky. Thankfully, it didn't travel too far, and Vector was able to run after it and catch it once it hit the ground. He ran back to the chameleon and passed the ball to him.
"Alright, now yeh give it a try!" he said. Espio concentrated on the ball, and following what he saw Vector do, he dropped the ball above his right leg and kicked it. Thankfully, he didn't miss and the ball travelled a good thirty feet away from where the two reptiles stood. Vector patted his roommate's shoulder.
"Hey hey, nice job!" Vector said before running to get the ball. Upon returning, he slapped the ball with his hand. "Hey, what time is it anyway?"
He reached into his pockets and grabbed his phone. He then nodded his head.
"Ah okay, so it's almost four. I dun got much time before practice, so let's call it a day and head back and grab some lunch, okay?"
Espio nodded as he was starting to feel a little hungry himself. Wondering what to have for lunch, the two packed up and headed back on campus. As they walked back, Espio looked up at the mostly cloudy sky.
"Days like this are perfect fer a sky like this as I was sayin'" Vector said. "They just… scream November honestly. Might treat mahself to somethin' like soup honestly…"
It was after lunch, and there was only about an hour left before Vector knew he had to be on the field if he wanted to get on Coach's good side. After taking a shower, he finished up about forty five percent of his assignments before the clock hit five thirty.
"…hopefully I can do it in the mornin' on Monday," he said, closing his notebook. "Okay, I gotta be off now-"
Just then, Espio got off the bed and started to walk towards the crocodile.
"Oh… ya wanna go to practice with me?" he asked. "Well… I dunno… Coach likely ain't gonna be in a good mood, and somethin' tells me that he's gonna force us to work extra hard today since the game against the Monpole University Robots is tomorrow. I just dun want ya gettin' bored, ya hear?"
But Espio shook his head. Vector knew that Espio liked going to his practices and watching them, no matter if he understood or not. And besides, perhaps Espio being there would help practice go a lot faster since he knew the team would be spending QUITE a while on the field tonight.
"Well… alright! Ya made up yer mind, and I ain't gonna stop ya! Come on, we need to head to the field as early as early can be,"
With that, Vector grabbed his duffel bag and Espio followed behind as the two started to leave West Hall and head towards A building. But as soon as the two of them reached the bottom floor of A building.
"ARGHHH! There you are!"
The two reptiles turned around to see Jewel, quickly rushing towards them. Espio panicked as soon as Jewel grabbed the sleeve of his happi and began to forcefully drag him away. The chameleon he looked to Vector for help, mouth open.
"W-What the hell are yeh doin'?!" Vector questioned.
"I need Espio right NOW!" Jewel replied. "I don't care where he's going or if you need him, this is an emergency!"
"V-Vector!" Espio cried out, trying to struggle out of the beetle's grasp. But it was too late, she was already dragging him upstairs.
"S-Sorry, Espio! Come back to practice if ya can!" Vector called out, wishing that he could just take Espio and run, but had no choice but to turn around as he had no time.
Espio was furious that he was going to miss another practice all because of Jewel. He wanted to scream at her, to just strike her down.
But again, the Shinobi code of conduct…
So, with absolutely no choice, he was forced to follow her against her will all the way to her dorm in East Hall. She slammed the door behind her.
"W-What… what i-" Espio said before being cut off.
"Don't you begin with me!" she pointed at the chameleon. "We're in DEEP shit right now! And I normally hate swearing on campus!"
Espio turned his head.
"Oh, stop trying to be cute, you absolute dunce! My PROJECT is missing!"
The chameleon looked around the room, noticing that the canvas that Jewel had on the easel next to her desk wasn't there, and instead sat a blank canvas. Espio's eyes widened, remembering that they were both supposed to turn in projects, and how it had taken them a long time to draw and paint both paintings. He recognized how well Jewel's looked, so for it to be blank…
"I don't even know what happened!" she continued to shrill. "I wasn't even at least night's Halloween party and simply organized things for the Sorority house, so I don't even know HOW I lost it! But this project is due in TWO days! We can't sketch, line, paint a person AND a background, AND also add shading and lighting in two days! But I had to buy a canvas since what else could I do?!"
Jewel grabbed her antennae and tugged on it, gritting her teeth. "ARGHHHHHH, why me, why me, why me, WHY MEEEEEEE?! Everything about this project has been going wrong from since the moment I was assigned to work with you on it! Is this my life now, just going downhill because frankly YOU had to come in and completely mess up the flow of not just classes but also presenting and frankly doing the bare minimum with your art, I mean, LOOK at how you've been drawing me! You did me in that… that lazy style you're used to! Professor D'Coolette won't accept that, and if you think he will, frankly maybe I need to go to whatever second rate college you went to so I can find where BOTH your brains leaked out-"
As the jewel beetle continued to rant, Espio turned his head towards the blank canvas. He didn't like how he was being yelled at… AGAIN, and ultimately decided there was only one thing to do if the project was missing. With Jewel still deep into her rant, the chameleon walked over to the canvas, lifted it up, and placed in front of Jewel. He looked to her desk and found one of the pencils they used in class and watched as she still pulled on her antennas with her teeth grit. Looking at her intently, he began to sketch a head.
"…understanding of a concept like fine art, maybe I should just take you to a museum NOW so you can understand what FINE art is! WELL?! Are you just-"
Jewel stopped her rant when she realized what Espio was doing.
"W-Wait… wh-"
And then…
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
The beetle quickly rushed towards the chameleon and almost pushed him out of the way, looking at the canvas which only had a head and the start of a body sketched. But there was something about HOW it was being drawn as well as the details of her face and the lack of high quality details like clothes creases, intricate expressions…
"Oh… OH NO… OH NO NO NOOOOO!" she threw a fit in the air. "I am frankly NOT going to go up to Professor D'Coolette himself and showing… and showing THIS to him!"
Jewel then quickly tapped her finger on the canvas. "THIS?! This LAZINESS isn't what I do! You saw how well detailed I was drawing mine! This is frankly EMBARASSING! This isn't FINE art, this is… this is your weird idea of what art should be!"
But Espio looked at Jewel. He wanted to tell her it was the best thing they could do since the due date was soon, but he didn't quite know how to say it. Then there was also the yelling thing too…
"If you think I'm going to actually PRESENT this, you have ANOTHER thing coming! I refuse to take shortcuts, I'll work on this all NIGHT if I have to!"
But Espio continued to stare at her.
"Stop STARING at me! SPEAK!"
And so, the chameleon realized he had no choice. "Y-Yu-You should… should… eeeh… d-du… duu… do… it. D-Did I... I say t-that ra-right?"
"Oh, give me a break!" Jewel rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, you did I guess. Ha, look at you, staring to speak more English. It's almost comical seeing you just TRY to say a sentence without stuttering or mispronouncing words."
But then she turned away from the chameleon. "But… FINE… ugh, I guess I have no choice but to humor you. We don't have much time anyway, so I suppose this is the easiest way for me to finish my drawing in two days."
Then, Jewel quickly turned and rushed towards Espio. "BUT! Let me make this ABSOLUTELY clear, Espio. I'm only doing this just so I can get SOMETHING in and not get a zero. But I will only accept PERFECTION. If this drawing doesn't get me a good grade and we both fail this project, then I swear to you that I'll find a reason to get you expulsed out of here back to a college from whatever backwater place you came from if it teaches you how to be a high-end student! Do… I… make… myself… CLEAR?!"
Espio stared at the jewel beetle. He couldn't help but think back to the stares that the guards at the Dojo back home would give when it was time to practice training and you were just a minute late, that stare with the intent of seeing your enemy fall. He was glad no one had tried to invade Gojo for centuries, otherwise the transfer student wouldn't know how to handle seeing that look on an actual enemy. With no intent to make Jewel even more upset than she already was…
"…yes," Espio replied, nodding his head.
"Good. Least we can come to that. Now, help me with understanding this… 'style'."
MEANWHILE…
It was six on the dot, and all the Badniks players stood in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder on the football field. With the sun almost set and the bright lights of the field on them, Vector looked around as he tapped his helmet with his cleats, which lay on the ground. He wasn't sure what was coming next, but he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. It was then that Coach Augustus came onto the field, a stern look on his face as he held his clipboard in one hand and a whistle in another. Passing by a pile of boxes as he walked by the first few players, he stood in front of the entire time and looked down the row of players silently.
"WELL…" he began. "It seems that quite a bit of you had a fun time last night…"
The polar bear began to walk down the row of players, "Enjoyed your young college years, huh? After all, they always say once you leave college and head into the real world, life becomes a torment of pain, misery, and low-income jobs. I had my time of fun too, got to go out with some of the professors to eat if you must know… I know that training can be hard, having your personal life be taken over by football can be a little demanding…"
Coach stood in front of Thrash, who eyed up the Tasmanian devil. "But you know what I REALLY hate?..."
He got closer to him. "When about SEVENTY percent of your team isn't present on a practice day. Do you know how EMBARRASSING it is… to have some of your best players…"
The muscular bear then turned his head and quickly rushed down the row to where Vector was standing and gave him a murderous look. "INCLUDING your quarterback… not even present?"
Vector didn't even want to look at Coach Augustus' eyes, but as soon as he began to look at his cleats…
"Ay, AY AY AY! My FUCKING eyes are right here, Vector!"
The crocodile quickly looked into the anger filled eyeballs of Coach Augustus, feeling his back drip with sweat.
"…y-yes…" he said quietly.
"Sorry, what was that?! I don't speak MUMBLE!"
"Y-Yes, coach! It is embarrassing!"
"I didn't ask if it was EMBARRASSING, you dunce! All I want is a, 'Yes, Coach!'. IS THAT SO HARD?!"
"N-No, coach!"
"And FRANKLY, to the LOT of you who didn't even show up… don't think I don't know who was and wasn't here this morning. When I call your name, I want you to step forward and stand by me. DON'T… question it. Just DO it."
And so, Coach Augustus began to call off a few names, including Rotor, Connery, Monk, Bull, as well as a few dozen other of Vector's fellow teammates. The crocodile frankly didn't want to know what was coming from coach, but he already invited his anger ONCE, best not to do it again…
"Now… for everyone who's standing by me… congratulations, you did the BARE minimum by actually showing up to practice. I would give applaud you, but frankly, going to practice on a PRACTICE DAY, isn't something worth celebrating, now is it, Connery?"
Connery's brow and moustache furrowed. "No, coach."
The polar bear nodded his head. "Now, as for all the pigs I see right in front of me, I would frankly tell you all to fuck off and see how well you do during tomorrow's game without any kind of practice, but I suppose you can call me 'forgiving'. So, here's what we're doing."
Vector watched as Coach Augustus walked away from the players behind him, walking towards a large box some distance away. He then came back and slammed it in front of everyone not by him.
"In here are weights used by professional players during training that you attach to your arms and legs. I want ALL of you to put four on, one for each arm and leg, and when you're all ready, we'll start warmup. But for all of you jackoffs with weights on your limbs, I expect you to do DOUBLE of what we normally do. And by Gaia's name, if I see you lagging, hear you complain even ONCE, or Solaris HIMSELF forbid, ask if you're getting a water break when only your teammates who actually knows the concept of TIME are getting one, you'll be thankful that I don't throw you out PERSONALLY WITH MY TWO HANDS! NOW, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!
There was a loud, collective, 'YES, COACH!'
Coach Augustus began to clap in a sarcastic manner before speaking. "Look at you, you can all say, 'Yes, coach' no problem. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
No one dared to reply.
"…good. Now…"
Coach blew his whistle.
"Let's begin, drop and give me fifty right now, and all you cows with weights on should know the double of fifty. Now COME ON, get started!"
It was after midnight when the Badniks finally returned from practice, and there was only one mutual connection between most of the players.
Pain.
Their limbs hurt, their bodies were aching, it even hurt just to WALK, and Vector knew more than anyone else how much it hurt to practice with weights on all four of your limbs.
"One thing's fer certain…" Vector said as he and Knuckles returned to West Hall. "I ain't EVER gonna be late fer practice ever again. Holy… fuck this… if I knew things were gonna be this painful, I frankly might as well not gone to the party…"
"I better get huge thighs honestly…" Knuckles added. "All this working out had to amount to something…"
"I thought yeh were the one who always got on mah ass 'bout talkin' 'bout guys' legs?"
"Yeah but I'm talking about my own… Agh…"
Knuckles hissed as he crunched over the stairs in the A building, finding it too painful to walk up them. Vector turned around.
"Ya need help?" he asked. The echidna proceeded to shake his head.
"No, no I'm fine. It's all good."
"Ya sure?... Ya look like yer gonna die honestly."
"Frankly I think dying right now would be a better option. Holy shit, I'm hungry too…"
Vector heard his stomach growl. "Y-Yeah… yeah, so am I. Wanna make a late night food run?"
"I dunno… it's like I want to but I'm not sure we should either. Plus, walking all the way to the parking garage across campus? Holy… fuck that…"
"Dun wanna go then?"
"Nah… nah, I'll suck it up…"
"Whaddya want then?"
"I dunno… wanna see if someone wants to go with us?"
"Ya dun wanna take Mighty or Espio?"
"You can bring Espio if you want, I already know Mighty ate by now," Knuckles sat down on the stairs, turning around as he brought out his phone. "Holy fuck, I don't know if I'll be able to do tomorrow…"
"Neither can I…" Vector walked towards his friend and sat down. "But… holy fuck, I hope so…"
"Let's see… There's…. ha… oh, that would be priceless."
"What would?"
"Wanna invite Manic?"
"The dude is probably stoned outta his mind right now as usual, would he even be up for it?"
"Manic pretty much never stays full honestly, he could frankly be up for it."
"Ask him what he wants."
As Vector soon pulled out his phone, there was a reply a minute later.
"Ah, it seems that Manic wishes to join us."
"Andddd that ain't shockin'!"
"Yeah, and… oh, he says he can invite Sonic too and even wants to invite their sister too."
"Wasn't she at the party yesterday?"
"Yeah, she was that sorority girl that was on the mic a few times in the night. I wouldn't expect her to want… actually, lemme ask what Manic wants."
After a few more texts and waiting around, Knuckles finally got a reply.
"Oh, he wants to do tacos."
"Tacos? Aw, I kinda wanted a pizza not gonna lie."
"We can stop by… uh… actually, is ANY pizza place open?"
"I think only the gas station might have some but I doubt it at this hour."
"Well, looks like you're having tacos tonight. Come on, let's see if Espio is willing to go. If not, then let's just go by ourselves."
And so, with Vector getting up, he was about to walk off until he saw that Knuckles was still on the stairs.
"Need some help?"
"Please," Knuckles replied, hissing when Vector brought him up.
After they had returned to West Hall, Vector found that Espio was still surprisingly awake. He noticeably perked up when the crocodile opened the door, and the crocodile as usual hugged his friend.
"Hey there, Espio, dun worry, I'm fine!" he said. "Hey, that beetle girl didn't give ya any trouble, did she?"
Espio shook his head.
"Heh, lookatcha, understandin' me! Hey, did ya eat dinner tonight?"
One rumble from his stomach was all that was needed to confirm his suspicions.
"Aw, were ya waitin' fer me? That's too kind, man. Well, Knux and I are 'bout to meet some friends for a late-night dinner. Wanna join?"
And so, it was that confirmation that lead the two reptiles and the echidna in Vector's car, finished pulling out of the drive through at the local Meh Taco.
"Is it just me, or has Meh Burger been takin' over every fast food place 'round town?" Vector asked.
"Soon there's gonna be an entire Meh monopoly," Knuckles replied. "Virtually every food will become Meh themed."
"Boy oh boy, can't wait," Vector opened the bag he held in his lap and dug through it. "Okay, so we got the party box we ordered that comes with the six hard and soft tacos, the taco fries and caramel donut holes we also ordered, and we got Espio's two fish tacos and our drinks. Come on, let's head out."
With the dining room inside closed, the best he and their friends could do was sit at the outdoor table, and as Vector and Knuckles unbuckled their seatbelts, with the echidna grabbing the drinks and Vector coming around to help Espio with his seatbelt, the three stepped out of the car to find Sonic and his siblings walking towards them.
"Well, hey oh hey, there ya guys are!" Vector said as Knuckles, Sonic, and Manic all hugged each other and fist bumped.
"You're looking as stoned as ever, Manic!" Knuckles said as the green hedgehog rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, come on, is it that easy to tell?" he replied.
"YES. Oh, and if it ain't Sonia! Glad to see you could join us."
"Oh, no need to be so formal, Knuckles," the pink hedgehog, limped her wrist and turned her head away from the echidna. "I didn't think I could make it either, since most of my sorority sisters were asleep and normally, they would avoid places like this like the plague. But I don't mind coming if it means being with my brothers."
"Heh, hope the sausage fest ain't too much!"
"He's totally flirtin'," Vector whispered to Espio. "So much fer bein' a Rouge simp."
"Hey, I wanted to ask since you two are here, Knuckles and Vector, how did you guys like the party last night?"
"Oh, it was great," Vector said, trying to block out the image of him with Julie-Su and his embarrassment of being late for practice. "Just probably ain't gonna drink AS hard next time."
"Ugh, don't remind me. My sister and I had to clean up SO much vomit before sunrise. The staff complained about how the K building smelled like chemicals, but better chemicals than throw up, right?"
"Ha, right!"
The six sat down as they put their bags of food on the table.
"A-Ahhhh…" Vector moaned, feeling his muscles twitch as his body shot with pain just from sitting down. "Holy fuuuuckm I am so sore. But man, I needed this. Practice was so damn hard today, and we didn't have time fer dinner back on campus. Ah, here you are, Espio."
The crocodile handed the chameleon next to him his fish tacos and his soda, a little interested in seeing how Espio would handle his first soda. Sonia turned her head.
"You only got him two tacos?" she questioned.
"He ain't supposed to eat meat."
"Oh, he's a… pescatarian?"
"Ya could say, just it's better that we dun give him meat."
"He was eating the pepperoni pizza we had pretty fine last time," Manic said. "Did he suddenly decide to go vegan or whatever?"
"Being a pescatarian isn't vegan, Manic. Frankly, my Sisters are telling me to go vegan, pure organic, no gluten, but sometimes I hide that stuff from them. It's just too good! Just… don't tell them, okay?" Sonia replied, opening her taco salad bowl.
"Don't worry, sis! We won't tell, we're good brothers, right, Manic?"
"UHHHHH…"
"Don't give me an 'Uhh', bro! We're good brothers, RIGHT?"
"Y-Yeah, 'course we are! Provided… provided your sisters don't bribe me for answers…"
"What was that?" Sonia questioned.
"Nothing!"
Vector smirked as he and Knuckles dug in, starting with a soft taco. It was then that Espio looked at his taco confused.
"What's wrong, Espio? Do ya not like it?" Vector questioned. Everyone turned their heads as the crocodile noticed Espio hadn't even taken one bite.
"Has… he even had a taco before?" Manic asked.
"Now that I realize, no, he hasn't. He doesn't know how to eat it."
"Aw, that's kind of a bit innocent, not gonna lie," Sonia said. "I mean, it's almost kinda like teaching a kid in a way."
"But he isn't a kid," Sonic asked. "Still though… not knowing how to eat a taco…"
"Well, he hasn't had anything like this back at his home," Vector added. "Ya gotta realize. Okay okay, well let's use this as quintessential teaching hour. Okay, Espio? Since yer now face to face with a food ya ain't ever had before, it's time to teach yeh how to eat the taco."
Knuckles snorted as the crocodile glared at him.
"Oi, doncha be gettin' dirty on me," he said.
"S-Sorry… sorry…" Knuckles replied, trying to stop himself from laughing. "T-Teach you how to eat the taco…"
As Knuckles continued to snicker to himself, Vector glared at his friend with a sharp look before turning back to his friend. "Anyway, with the peanut gallery aside, ya gotta turn your taco-"
Knuckles closed his eyes and grit his teeth while smiling.
"Turn your head too, and just-"
Vector demonstrated and with one CRUNCH sound, Knuckles began to burst out laughing. Espio looked at him confused as Manic soon began to laugh too.
"I swear, I'm about to dump all mah lime soda on yer HEAD! In fact, come… come here!"
As Vector was fooling around with the echidna, Espio looked at his fish taco as he did what Vector demonstrated, turning both his head and the taco and chomping down on it. A satisfying crunch was made as he began to chew.
"Aw, you did it, Espio!" Sonia said. "I know that food from here is probably a lot more different than what you're used to, but I'm sure its exciting trying new stuff, isn't it? I mean, I've always wanted to try Northern Mobius food, but these two are a lot more skeptical of trying new things-"
Sonia continued to drone on and on about Northern Mobius to Espio, talking about not only wanting to try foods from there, but wanting to travel, wanting to learn the language, hoping to see a festival, to other assorted topics. Meanwhile, Sonic and Manic were still being entertained by Vector and Knuckles playfully roughhousing, with the two finishing as Knuckles threw a few taco fries at his friend.
"Okay okay, let's get back to eating before this gets cold," Knuckles said. "You know cold fries SUCK."
"Yeh are a cold fry…" Vector replied as he took a drink.
Cleaning up their mess sometime later, Vector, Espio, and Knuckles were ready to call it a night as they returned to the car. Sonic and his siblings stood by theirs as they said their goodbyes.
"It was so nice to meet you, Espio!" Sonia said as she hugged the chameleon. "Thanks for teaching me that phrase… uh… how did it go again? Go-goshito… um... goshito something?..."
"Gochisosama deshita," Espio replied.
"That was it! It's a really polite thing to do! I'm gonna tell my sisters about that and-"
Meanwhile, Sonic, Manic, Vector, and Knuckles were saying goodbye.
"Hey, you're gonna win tomorrow's game, right?" Manic asked.
"Course. It'll make up fer the last game," Vector replied.
"And especially after all that practice we did, we didn't train for SIX HOURS without a break for nothing!" Knuckles added.
"Well, you better show us!" Sonic replied. "Don't let the footballs hit you too hard on the head, Knucklehead!"
"Ha! Run as fast as you can, I can still tackle you down, you blue rodent!"
"Okay okay, enough of that. We gotta head home, right?" Vector said, trying to split hedgehog and echidna up.
"We might also have a party if you guys win. Wanna join?" Manic asked as Vector made a face.
"Eugh, no thanks. I think I'm good with parties fer some time."
"Yeah, you never really went to the aftergame parties a lot, huh? Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us! Night guys!"
"Night!" Vector and Knuckles called as they walked towards the chameleon, who had just finished shaking hands with Sonia.
"Okay, ready to go?" asked Vector, looking down at his roommate.
Finally, at almost one thirty, the two reptiles were back in the dorm in bed, deciding to skip brushing their teeth. Vector sat in his bed on the bottom bunk, looking at videos until he passed out. Despite today's grueling football practice session, breaking some of Espio's things, and finding out that he slept with Julie-Su, he was surprised on how positive the day ended. Looking up at the bed above him, the crocodile couldn't help but think having Espio there really helped his day get better.
"Couldn't have done it without ya, pal," Vector mumbled to himself, turning in his bed. He just hoped this kind of positivity lasted until tomorrow for the game, which he knew was going to be hard with how much his body was aching. But as long as Espio was there, he knew that as long as his friend was proud, he wouldn't dare succumb to his pain at all.
Soon, Vector found himself dozing off little by little, until he finally passed out.
END OF CHAPTER 10
