(AN: Hi all. Well, another long wait for a chapter, I know. This one was a lot longer than I was expecting, so that's why it took almost a month, although I did take a break as well as went through another bout of demotivation until I managed to finish it. Speaking of which, if you followed my last few AN's, you'll know that I've been unemployed since December and have been looking for a new job. Thankfully, my brother hooked me up with a job at where he works, meaning that I'm no longer unemployed!

But unfortunately, my schedule will drastically change, as I'm working evenings until the dead of night, thankfully with an 8 hour shift, but this means that Transfer will be updated more in the days rather than at like... 12 am as I usually post it lol. Don't worry, the story will still be updated as I adjust my schedule around my job.

Besides that, thanks for waiting, enjoy your mega long chapter!)


FRIDAY

A few days had passed since Espio's return to Mobius U.

While the chameleon was getting his barrage of unwanted attention, he was glad that Vector was at least there by him to shoo away people who wanted to ask silly questions about what happened the previous Sunday. After all, at this point, the chameleon was ready to move on after what happened, as it was already disappointing to hear that it had made not just Valdez angry but also that the incident upset all the friends he's made during his time here.

But… it was odd too, because the way people now acted towards him, it was almost similar to how the villagers back In Gojo treated him: royalty. He knew that Valdez mentioned that sports meant a lot to life at Mobius U, but to think that he was being reminded of the countless people who called him, 'Espio-sama', any time he ventured out into Gojo…

Even so, the transfer student just wanted life to be back to normal, and thankfully, after what happened yesterday morning with that Connery man, things seemed to be going that way. After Creative Drawing yesterday, in which Jewel ran out of the classroom in a manner he hadn't seen before, he had a nice ESOL lesson (in which Professor Longclaw expressed horror at what Espio had done), and even today, it was the same deal.

It was almost 7pm, and currently, Vector was off practicing with his fellow teammates for next week's football game. Unfortunately, Espio had since learned that this next game was another 'Away' game, and when he informed Valdez that he wanted to go, the blue chameleon put his foot down and said no due to his punishment (which he said wasn't his intended punishment, but included it anyway). So, with Vector and his teammates gone, and Mighty mentioning that he had dinner earlier, the chameleon found himself sitting by himself at one of the student center's table, the same table he had seen Mark and his friends last Sunday-

"Oh, Espio! There you are!"

Espio looked up from his bowl of broccoli cream soup with added tofu and put it down on the table as he saw Mark and the same friends he had seen last Sunday walking up to his table with multiple brown bags and paper cups he had seen Vector drink out of whenever they went out for food. Mark smiled at his friend.

"Hey, is anyone going to be sitting here?" he asked, pointing at the table. Espio looked over to the side before returning to his portly tapir friend.

"No," he replied.

"Welp, we'll be taking this spot! Is Vector gonna come by? I dunno how he'll take being with guys like us… although man… seeing you guys be friends really kinda does show me that college definitely isn't like high school," Mark crossed his arms. "Heck, I really liked riding with Vector and some of his friends when we tried to go see you in jail."

"WHICH reminds me…" Norris said as he adjusted his glasses. "Espio-sama, how HAVE you been since our last encounter?"

"Dude, are you still calling him that…" Hacker said with a concerned look on face. He reached into the brown bag and pulled out a round object wrapped in paper. Espio looked over as he did.

"Well, it's only not just accurate to Northern Mobius language but also to the title he should be given as someone from the land up north, as they say! But that's besides the point! How have you been since our last encounter? We saw what happened to you."

"Yeah, it was really scary," Mark said as he took reached into the bag, pulling out another round object wrapped in paper, and this time, pulling out some even odder from the bag. It was a container that had a multitude of strange looking yellow sticks. Whatever it was, the chameleon could smell it as clear as day. "I saw how you looked too…"

"Reminded me a lot of Sonic Man X, you know which episode I'm talking about!"

"Right right, that's the one where Sonic Man's…"

Mark stopped as he looked over at Espio. "Actually… Espio hasn't seen Sonic Man… should we spoil it for him?"

"Absolutely not!" Hacker freaked out as he opened a red packet. "Even if his English isn't 100%, that doesn't mean we have to spoil Sonic Man, let alone if he hasn't seen it!"

"He doesn't even know what Tokusatsu is!"

"He doesn't know what Tokusatsu is?!" both Norris and Hacker exclaimed. Espio was confused as they turned to face him.

"Well? Don't leave him confused, Mark!" the giraffe said.

"Erm… Espio? So, I know that you REALLY have been getting into anime a lot, but I wanna know too… Tokusatsu… do you AT LEAST know that?"

Espio had never heard of the word before, and immediately shook his head.

"Maybe show him the original Sonic Man series," Hacker said. "It's a good first start!"

"W-What is… that?" Espio asked, looking at the three.

"Remind me again, Espio… of all the anime I gave you, which did you finish?"

"E-Eto…" he said in his language. "Sakura Taisen, Koudouttai Pegasasu no Kishi-dan… Watashi no Nichijou no Gakkou Seikatsu…"

"So… that's Sakura Wars… The Pegasus Knights of the Zodiac, and My Everyday School Life… is that all you gave him, Mark?" asked Norris, pushing his glasses up as he took a bite out of his burger.

"I gave him a lot more, but maybe I'll definitely give him a Sonic Man series. I think I have the original, X… as well as 4th D too," the tapir replied. As he said so, he finished taking everything out of the bag, but noticed something. "Hey, looks like Dave gave us an extra order of onion rings! But he already gave me the chocolate pie he knows I like… hm… do I REALLY wanna eat it?"

"If you don't want it, I'll take it," Hacker said as he poured ketchup over his fries. "You know I like them."

"I know you do! But…"

The tapir turned his head towards the chameleon, who had returned to his broccoli cream soup.

"Actually… Hey, Espio! Do you want this?"

The chameleon looked up as Mark handed him a strange food he hadn't seen before. It was circular and from how it looked, from its color and, now that Espio was feeling it… its texture… it was… fried?

Normally, fried foods were quite the delicacy, but something most people back in the village didn't eat. There was agedashi style tofu, which is what most people in Gojo thought when it came to fried foods. That, and tempura, but just like agedashi style tofu, his family only ate it for the New Year's feast held between the Shinobi clan.

"Don't worry, Espio!" Mark smiled. "Give it a try! Dave already gave us enough food as is!"

The chameleon turned to face his tapir friend. "D-Dave?"

"Oh, you don't know… right, remember my nutria friend, Dave? We were playing Warriors and Wizards together when you went looking for what happened to the field. So, he's working his shift right now at Meh Burger, and like I told you when I introduced him, he sometimes likes to hit us up with free food from there. We got a bit of a haul, so if we have enough left over, help yourself! Heck, lemme give you a few of my fries!"

The tapir scooped up a few of the strange yellow shaped sticks that he called 'fries' and placed them in the same paper container the strange fried circles were in. Alongside that, something was slid his way, another small plastic container. Espio picked it up and read the label, which had an onion depicted on it, alongside text that read 'ZESTY SAUCE'. Not sure what it was supposed to be, Espio felt the top part of the container and noticed that whatever it was felt fragile and easy to break. And so, he punctured a hole in the container, only to find his thumb a mess and a sort of orange sauce exploded near it. Surprised, the chameleon tasted whatever it was supposed to be and found that it was… rather delicious! It had a flavor that he couldn't describe, but it was much different from soy sauce, karashi, mentsuyu, and wasabi…

Still, he realized what this sauce was meant for. Just like you dipped gyoza into a container of soy sauce, Espio realized that the rings he was given likely was meant for dipping into the sauce.

"Couldn't Mark be more considerate to give me some chopsticks…" Espio grumbled to himself in his native language. Using your hands to eat was VERY frowned upon by his mother but judging from the fact that Mark and his friends were all eating their food with their hands, as well as having to eat the popcorn at the last Football game with his hands too since Mighty said you had to use your hands, well… it seemed he had no choice.

Grabbing one of the rings, he held it with the tips of his fingers as he watched Mark dunk a strange brown shaped object into a container of brown sauce and put it into his mouth. Seeing this, he repeated the action, and placed the ring into his mouth.

Instantly, he was surprised by the flavor. The crunch, the taste of both the sauce and the ring… it was more than he was used to, sure, but… it was really good! Mark had quite the exquisite taste, considering he had introduced him to so many delicious foods from the Outside World that he never even knew existed.

"A-Aa… M-Mark," he said after swallowing the first ring. The tapir and his friends turned to face the chameleon. "This… this was good. T-Thank you."

"My goodness, Espio has already eaten his first onion ring!" Norris said. "Just goes to show that even on a diet of rice, ramen, and sushi, and… well, whatever the heck else they eat in Northern Mobius, it just goes to show that the best onion rings come from Meh Burger!"

"Glad you liked it, Espio! Next time, if you want, we can bring you along to Meh Burger so you can have your first burger!" Mark replied, smiling. "Of course, I don't know IF you've ever had one… have you?"

The chameleon had no idea what the word meant, but he was happy to accept Mark's request. And so, as he finished up the onion rings and his broccoli cream soup, Espio listened in on the conversation between the tapir and his friends, hoping that Vector would get off practice soon.


MEANWHILE

The first valves of the Locker Room showers were turned on as steam began to pour out of the nearby stalls. Loud commotion was heard as everyone talked amongst one another, finished with that day's practice session.

Taking off his jersey, Vector shook his head as he suddenly heard Knuckles call out his name.

"Oh, what's up, Knux?" the crocodile asked, continuing to stand shirtless in front of his locker.

"You getting ready to shower?" he asked. "Hey, listen, I need you to help me. Rouge was-"

Vector suddenly began to tune out Knuckles as he noticed Connery pass by the two, turning his eyes at his direction as he walked by, a towel over his waist being the only thing he had on. The two made eye contact before the horse entered the next-door showers.

"…so that's my plan… uh… Vector? Are you even listening?!"

"Y-Yeah…" the crocodile lied. "It's just… Connery passed by."

"Are you still upset about what happened yesterday?"

"Course I am, Knux! The way Connery is just bein' so… annoyin' 'bout Espio is really startin' to piss me off! It's like he won't even bother to give him a chance!"

"Well, you know how he is. He always rants in here about this or that, saying he'd never support it or something like that. It's just Connery being Connery, dude."

"Yeah well, it was easy to ignore last year. This time, when yer the one who's sorta involved, ya gotta pretty much fight back. I just… I just wish he wasn't that stubborn, y'know? All that stuff he says, it ain't true. Ya know it too, Knux."

"I know dude, but at some point, you gotta let it go too. Connery isn't the type to change his mind, and the sooner you accept that… the sooner I think the only kind of relationship you two need is just a football one and that's it."

"It's just so weird because last year, I was friendly with Connery even if he did get on mah nerves from time to time 'cuz of how much he loved criticizin' me. But now it's like… he resents mah existence fer choosin' to continue bein' friends with Espio. And not just him too…"

The crocodile looked over to see Monk from afar, back turned as the purple gorilla took off his compression pants to get ready to shower. He then turned back towards the echidna.

"…I think Monk and Axel too are in on it."

"So what, declare war on them?"

"I ain't gonna say anythin', but if they start to repeat Connery's whole schtick, Gaia forgive me…"

Just then, Coach Augustus came into the locker room and stood by his office.

"Alright, enough with the gossiping like little girls, I gotta close the field and locker rooms for the night! Come on, move your asses! Get undressed, shower, and then get dressed, and then just… enjoy the rest of your night," he said as the polar bear walked around the locker room. "And remember! We got practice first thing tomorrow morning at the usual time, but I suppose you don't need ME to remind you, do you?"

But when the muscular coach stopped in front of Knuckles and Vector's locker, he stopped and stared at them.

"…except for you, Vector. Don't leave just yet. When you shower and get dressed, come by my office. I need to talk to you."

As the coach walked away, Vector tilted his head. What… did he do? Did he make a misplay? Was he making a mistake during practice that would have cost them the next game? He wasn't the only one thinking so, as suddenly, a near nude Rudy and Thrash came into view.

"OooOOOoooOOOHHHH, VECTORRRRR, what did you DOOOoooOOO?!" they said, wiggling their fingers in an exaggerated manner.

"A-Aa… f-fuck off yeh two!" the crocodile retorted. "Ya dun even know why coach wants to talk to me!"

Tasmanian devil and lizard began to snicker as they walked off towards the next door stalls. Vector shook his head.

"Childish, I swear…" he muttered under his breath. Still though, to say he wasn't at least a LITTLE concerned about why coach was calling him was an understatement. What HAD he done wrong?

"Okay, now yer overthinkin' it. I'm sure it's just to discuss a play or somethin'…" he thought to himself. As he slid down his compression pants and jockstrap and grabbed his towel, he wrapped it over his waist and began to walk towards the stalls. "Y-Yeah… I'm sure… I hope…"


With about 40% of the Mobius U Badniks now gone from the Locker Room, Vector slid his shirt over his head and then body, grabbing his sweater and bag as he locked his locker up. As he began to walk towards Coach Augustus' office, the crocodile couldn't help but think back to the time he had went to Coach's I building office with Espio just a few months back. It was just a small meeting, but it still made Vector smile when he remembered Coach giving him the extra jersey.

Opening the door, the polar bear was sitting in his usual chair in front of his desk with some folders open in front of him. He looked up at the crocodile and quickly closed them.

"Ah, Vector. There you are," he said. "Well, take a seat."

The crocodile looked around before taking a seat, placing his sweater behind the chair and his bags below at his shoes.

"…did I do somethin' wrong durin' practice, Coach?" Vector asked. "I'm a bit surprised since the guys all thought I-"

"No no, it has nothing to do with your practice today. You trained just as I expect a quarterback to," Coach Augustus replied. "No, it's something else."

"…is it the game next week?"

"Can you let me finish?"

There was silence in the room before Coach Augustus spoke up again.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. Yesterday evening, AD Sommersby came by my office for a usual visit. However, there was something he mentioned that piqued my interest and I want to hear it from you."

The polar bear fixed his posture as he looked into the crocodile's eyes, "He told me that when he saw the team yesterday during breakfast, there seemed to be something going on between you, the team, and Connery. Mind letting me know what's going on?"

Vector looked surprised yet also was mentally unfazed. Of course, AD Sommersby always let Coach Augustus know whatever one of the players said near him, whether positive or negative. He knew that the bulldog was concerned about his athletes, but he rather this situation not be dealt with by Coach…

"C-Coach… I dun-"

"I get that you're all adults, but I'm still your coach at the end of the day. Think of me as your boss, and so, I want to hear it. What. Is. Going. On?"

Vector sighed as he rubbed his face, realizing he wasn't going to get out of this. "Fine… Connery's been actin' like a jerkass to Espio about what he did to those players from Crisis City. But not just recently, he's been actin' like an ass to him for ages now! It… it was easy to ignore last year because I didn't have anythin' to do with it but… now that I'm friends with Espio, it's not only hard to ignore but… I'm fuckin' sick of it! He had the gall to call him a thug and a criminal, and that we all had to stay away from him! Like… how do ya think that sounds, coach?!"

"Yes… it certainly does sound… strange. I don't approve of what Espio did, but Mr. Valdez assured me that he already disciplined Espio and he's remorseful for what he's done. Still though, I suppose Connery has always been the type to be outspoken. It's like him considering he's a part of that group on campus… what was it again? I just know the acronym… double C O double C…

"CCOCC?... I dunno, I dun follow with that-"

"Oh RIGHT… the Central City Organization of Campus Conservatives, that's what it was! Yeah, I always see them during the Club and Organization days every month or so in the K building. They're always pretty big on their whole free speech thing, as they make a big deal from what I've seen when I pass by. I mean, I'm of the type that believes that every voice deserves a microphone, but sometimes, you do have to take the microphone away."

"Whaddya sayin'?"

"I won't deny that sometimes Connery definitely does say stuff that wouldn't vibe with most of the students here, but to see it happening with my players… I won't stand for it. In a team, everyone must work together in harmony, synchronizing with one another. If even one person is turned off, it turns the rest of the team off too. And considering that our next game is next week, it seems I'll have to get this team back together. Don't worry, Vector, I'll talk to Connery when I get the chance. But, in the meantime, try and cool yourself too, y'know. Just because Connery is the one causing discord doesn't mean you too can't be unsynchronized too. If he agrees to cool it but I still see you're pissed off, I won't be as nice as I'm being right now."

"I understand. Still… thanks coach. Yer a big help."

"It's the least I can do, Vector," the polar bear got up and patted Vector's shoulder. "Now, go on and return to roommate. I bet he's lonely right now."

The crocodile grinned a toothy grin. "Heh heh, yeah, I bet."

Grabbing his sweater and putting it over his body, the crocodile grabbed his bags and started to make his way out of Coach Augustus' office and the Locker Room, heading back to his normal campus life.


AT THE SAME TIME…

Espio held a packet of movie theater popcorn in his hand, turning it around after trying to figure out how it worked. Now that Vector was practicing more and more, the time the two reptiles had been spending was shrinking more and more. This upset the chameleon, as he wanted to continue spending time with his friend, but it wasn't like him to be outspoken about being upset. However, there was something he had been wanting to do.

Since it was the weekend, Espio wanted to at least stay up a little later than normal and watch a… muvee with the crocodile before bed (at least, that's how Vector pronounced it. Valdez, while teaching Espio some new kanji that was only for Outside World use, taught him 'eiga' instead). With the chameleon still having his classes the next morning and Vector having practice, he wasn't sure how to plan it at first. But, thanks to Vector teaching him how to use both the TV and the microwave, he felt confident in his ability to make 'popcorn'. Plus, even with the 'onion rings' that Mark had given him and later told him what they were, he still wasn't that full.

It felt weird grabbing the packet and getting it ready yourself. Back in Gojo, you waited for guests to serve you, and getting something for yourself was seen as selfish, as often taught by his parents. This explained why it took Espio a while to have anything from the fridge even though some Sundays, Vector came back to the dorm and packed it nearly full. It wasn't until Valdez explained about the concept of 'helping yourself', surprised that such an act of generosity wasn't seen as selfish in the Outside World compared to Gojo.

However, despite learning something new about the Outside World, and his ability to turn on the TV and change the channel to 43 (the one Vector told him all the 'muvees' were), there was… still one problem.

"…how do I make this?" Espio asked himself, continuing to hold the popcorn packet.

Did he have to open the packet? Well, if he only had his kunais with him, it would be easier said than done. Unfortunately, the police still had them. He had just moments ago tried to open it by force, but the packet seemed sealed shut. Reading through the packet, there didn't seem to be any sort of clue, just a bunch of words he couldn't understand because he hadn't seen them before.

"W-What's this?" he suddenly said as he noticed something on the backside of the packet. He saw multiple images in sequence, depicting a cartoon chicken putting the packet in the microwave, pressing buttons on the microwave, and taking it out and smiling. The odd thing was, the packet didn't seem to be open, it was still closed. But then… how do you eat it?

Espio looked back at the microwave again, deciding to give it a shot. Grabbing the door handle, he opened the microwave up and placed the packet gently in the middle, shutting the door once it was in. If he remembered what Vector explained, once you put something in the microwave, you had to put in a time so that it'll cook for as long as you put it. The issue was, he wasn't sure how LONG you cooked popcorn.

"Maybe I could put it at the same time Vector puts his food in here…" Espio said to himself, looking at the buttons on the side. "Let's see…"

His hand glided towards the buttons as he moved closer towards them, squinting to see just how long he could put it for. Popcorn WAS hot, and he remembered the last game he went to where Mighty had bought him popcorn, it took a bit of time for it to make.

"Five minutes seems fine," the chameleon smiled as he pushed 5, 0, and 0 into the microwave as it beeped. Hoping that it was right, the chameleon pressed 'START" as the microwave boomed to life, lighting up as the popcorn began to turn. As he let it cook, he took out two water bottles from the fridge as he returned to the TV, watching several different things appear on the screen. There was a car one minute driving through a sandy plain, one of those burger things Mark and his friends were having, men in suits holding phones talking about something he didn't understand inside what appeared to be a very professional setting, amongst many others.

This continued until Espio began to hear popping coming from the microwave. Turning around, he watched as the packet grew bigger and shook with each pop. The chameleon crawled over to the microwave and watched, still in awe. This was his third time watching popcorn be made in his life, and even if he was getting more used to it, hearing these noises he had never heard before and the delicious smell of the tasty snack felt like entertainment to the chameleon.

As the microwave began to count down from 1:51 to 1:50, the smell was becoming overpowering, and Espio decided simply to wait for it to finish. With Vector still not coming back from practice, there was no need to rush. Turning around, he continued to watch the TV as it finally returned to a movie that had been playing. But as he began to watch a pair of small blue creatures flying into pitch blackness in a strange device, it was only about a minute later that Espio began to smell something… peculiar. The chameleon looked away from the TV, looking up as he sniffed again.

"Something… is burning!" he said to himself, quickly getting up. Something must have been on fire, and while he wouldn't have to get a wood bucket thanks to all the water bottles in the fridge, what WAS concerning was where the smell was coming from. The chameleon looked around to try and figure out where the smell was coming from, only to look down at the microwave. Even with the door closed, Espio couldn't deny that he was starting to see grey smoke from the inside of the microwave.

"W-What?!"

Quickly rushing towards the microwave, Espio opened it up as he was hit with a train of heat and smoke. Covering his face with his haori, the chameleon looked up to see the once blue popcorn packet now black with a clear burnt smell in the air.

"N-No… did… did I burn it?" he questioned, grabbing the bag only to drop it due to how hot it was. "Ow!"

Shaking his hands, the bag continued to exhale steam as the chameleon picked up the bag by its tips, noting how even with the small crease made in the bag, the popcorn didn't look bright and yellow, but brown and black. He frowned, realizing that he had messed up the snack he was going to share with Vector.

It was at that moment that the dorm's door opened and Espio gasped. He turned around as Vector appeared in the doorway, bags over his shoulder.

"…what the hell is that smell?" he said as he began to sniff the air. The crocodile turned towards the chameleon as he continued to hold the bag of burnt popcorn. "Espio?..."

"A-Aaa… V-Vector! Y-You're back!" the chameleon said, shaking.

"Did ya make popcorn and burn it?" the quarterback asked as he placed his bags down by the corner.

"I-I… I wanted to… eeeh… what was that word… d-do… do popc-corn? A-And-and I wanted to… to… oh… I don't ri-remember… rememmber… the words…" Espio pointed at the TV. "M-Muvee… I wanted to… argh… I don't remember… And I make popcorn… but… but it's w-wrong…"

From not knowing the words, forgetting what Valdez and Professor Longclaw taught him in the moment, as well as his fear at what Vector was going to do seeing him mess up something that was probably simple to the crocodile, it was no surprise that the transfer student was a stammering mess. However, Vector began to chuckle.

"Heh… heh heh… ha ha ha haa!" he began to laugh. "Oh man, ya wanted to make popcorn and ya put it in fer too long, huh?"

Vector looked up, smiling at his friend. "Hey, dun worry 'bout it. Yer still not used to the microwave. And besides… that's really thoughtful of ya, Espio. I hadn't had dinner yet and was gonna see what I could get since the dinin' hall and the school store are closed, but if ya really wanna watch a movie with me and share a popcorn…"

Taking off his shoes and walking towards the TV, Vector sat down and adjusted his tail. "Well? C'mon then! I'm in the mood fer some burnt popcorn!"

Espio was surprised at how well Vector was taking it. Here he was, burning something that was probably simple to make, and the crocodile thought it was… okay? Walking over to the crocodile, he sat down next to him with the bag, watching as Vector grabbed it and opened it up by pulling the tips of the bag. Putting the bag down between them, Espio looked up at Vector.

"Hey, dun worry if it's burned or not. What's more important is that ya thought about me makin' this," Vector said before grabbing a handful of popcorn and placing it into his mouth. Espio grabbed two pieces, and piece by piece, he placed each one in his mouth individually. It certainly wasn't as good as the one he had during the last game, but something about the way Vector didn't mind it, in fact, happily enjoying it instead… it made Espio appreciate the taste of the burnt popcorn.

In that moment, the two reptiles ate through the bag of burnt popcorn, even going for seconds (and with Vector showing Espio the correct time for a bag of popcorn). And while they later had to turn off the TV an hour later so that Vector could be well rested for practice tomorrow morning, the moment that the two enjoyed had Espio in absolute bliss, glad that his plan to have a fun night with his friend succeeded.

"Thank you… Vector…" he said to himself that night on the top bunk, shutting his eyes soon.


NEXT THURSDAY

It was the next week, and it was around the time that the sun had already started showing signs of starting to set that Vector stood outside his car, Espio looking up at him upset. With the clock reaching closer to 4, the crocodile knew he didn't have long before he had to leave to drive out to the city of Soleanna for the game against the Soleanna U Priests.

"Sorry ya couldn't come to another one of our away games," Vector said as he finished packing up all his gear into his backseat. "Ya know what Valdez said. But hey, this time will be different," he proceeded to pat Espio's shoulder. "Remember, what channel was it to watch the college football games?"

"One… one hundred… f-forty. MS… MSE?..." Espio replied.

"Good! So ya know that Mobius Sports Entertainment is on that channel! And what time will it be?"

"Six."

"See? Even if ya won't be there cheerin' me on, ya know where you'll see me! But promise me, Espio, even from the dorm, yer gonna cheer for me, arentcha?"

"O-Of course!"

"That's the spirit! Now, I gotta start headin' out soon. I should have everythin' with me…"

"Eeh… Vector?..."

"Hm? What's up, Espio?"

"Aa… eeh…" the chameleon twiddled his thumbs. "I… I will… not… not be there?... Did I say that right?"

"Well, yeah?"

"Y-Yes… I will not… not be there but I wanted to… to… uh… how do you say that word…"

"Wish me luck?"

"Y-Yes! You… you need… need no… I don't know that word…"

"Let's see… yer wishin' me luck and you're hopin' I'm not gonna be somethin'… if I had to guess, yer tellin' me not to be stressed?"

Espio moved his eyes back and forth. "I… I th… think?..."

Vector smiled. "Aw, that's thoughtful. Dun worry, not only am I not stressed, I'm gonna win today's match fer ya. I'm sure ya probably know that stressin' out 'bout somethin' ain't how ya succeed through goals ya gotta achieve, right?"

He didn't catch everything he said, but Espio still nodded, hearing a few choice words, and trying to remember the word, 'stress', at least in English anyway.

"Okay, well for real now, I really gotta start headin' out. And hey, if I come back, wanna get somethin' to eat together?"

Espio bounced up, realizing that they were going to eat out again. They had done so occasionally since they had gotten that 'taco' thing with Vector's friends and Sonic and his siblings. He quickly nodded, wondering what he would like. Perhaps another pizza? Or maybe perhaps one of those 'burger' things Mark and his friends were eating…

With his mind rushing at the thought of not just enjoying getting to watch Vector's game and them going out for dinner, Espio heard the red convertible in front of him turn on.

"And remember, ya cheer hard fer me, okay?" Vector said as he started to roll up the window.

"G-Good la-l… lu…"

Vector rolled down the window. "Luck?"

"Yes! Good l-luck, Vector!"

The crocodile rolled up the window again as he held up his hand. The chameleon slowly waved as he watched Vector drive his car backwards, stop, and drove forwards out of the parking garage. Watching until his car was completely out of view, the chameleon rushed out of the parking garage, hoping that he wasn't late to miss the game.

As he left the parking garage and headed back towards the Mobius U campus, he smiled as he began to picture the victory Vector would be sharing with his teammates once they won their game. It was a pleasant thing to imagine, seeing Vector hugging all his teammates while he gave a thumbs up and one of his signature winks and grins to the screen, it made the chameleon almost flutter as he pictured it.

After passing the Gerald Robotnik Memorial Fountain and heading up the stairs to the A building, Espio opened the doors hoping to get back to the West Hall as quickly as possible. But instead, he found-

"You…"

Espio found himself face to face with a brown water buffalo. If he recalled names, this must have been the Wide Receiver of the Badniks, Axel.

"What are you doing here? Come to waste my time when I should be hurrying to Soleanna?" he questioned. "Isn't that why your roommate exists?"

The chameleon was confused, wondering why Axel was suddenly seeming hostile. However, he did leave a front in case the buffalo tried anything on him.

"Look, I may think differently from Connery or Monk, but let me tell you something right now, chameleon. To me, football is a sport that isn't just about fun or winning, it's about honor and focus. The rumor mill has been claiming that you seem to know a form of martial arts based on how you left those players from Crisis City. Well, just like how you focus on that, even if it's true or not, we, the Badniks, focus on our sport and don't allow distractions. That's why we're going to win this year's College Football Playoff Championships."

Axel then crouched down to Espio's height. "So, let me explain it to you in simple terms: distract Vector and any of our players from this goal, and it won't end pretty for you. They're already starting to lose focus from our sport to concern themselves with you. Just take a back seat… and we won't have an issue. Understand?"

Espio wasn't sure about what Axel was trying to say but judging from his mention of Connery… this must not have been good. He was starting to become more aware that the horse disliked him, even if he wasn't completely sure WHY exactly.

"Now…" Axel proceeded to grab the bags he just placed down after crouching down to Espio's height. "I must be going. If you understand, then I'll leave you to it. If you manage to get Vector to focus on not just the game but his status and how he should play as a quarterback, well… I'll at least admit that you've done a job well done listening to me and not encouraging the wrath of our fellow players. If not well…"

He looked at the chameleon one last time. "Let's hope that a repeat of what happened a few weeks back on Sunday is something you can take again."

With that thinly veiled threat, the water buffalo quickly left the chameleon alone and started to head down the stairs towards the main front campus. Espio couldn't help but watch. Even if he didn't understand most of what Axel was saying, he knew that the way he spoke and the few words he did pick up wasn't good.

Who was he to get upset about Vector? As far as the transfer student was aware, Vector was his best friend, and he wanted to continue staying with him for as long as his stay at Mobius U was.

"Idiot…" he said to himself, turning around and entering the A building so he could get up back to West Hall.


ONE HOUR LATER

It was 5:24 pm, and nearly all the members of the Badniks had already gotten dressed into their uniform and gear as there was only six minutes until both the cheer squad and marching band did their performance before the game eventually started. Vector stared at his reflection in the mirror, looking back at his amber eyes.

"Remember… ya ain't gonna fuck this up…" he said to himself. "The day might be colder… it's gonna be a lot harder to run… and the Priests won last year's Playoff Championships… But ya gotta do this… fer the team… fer the school… and… and fer Espio…"

Mentally preparing himself before a game was the best way to relax to the crocodile's mind. He wasn't the type to be anxious, but he wouldn't deny that the most nervous he would get during a game would be before a game. Sighing to shake off all his negative energy, the crocodile reached over for the small jar of eye grease to put under his eyes so he could get started.

However, just as soon as he opened the jar, a voice spoke up.

"Geez, I FINALLY have been looking for the chance to find you!"

Vector gasped as he dropped the eye grease jar into the sink. It thankfully didn't crack, but he recognized that voice loud and clear. Turning around, he saw… her… Julie-Su… his high school ex, and the girl he foolishly slept with on Halloween.

"J-Julie, what the FUCK are yeh doin' here?!" Vector questioned as he already began to rescrew the lid back on the jar, getting ready to leave if it meant avoiding her.

"Don't be like that, babe. You know that the Soleanna University locker bathrooms and shower stalls connect the ones shared by the football team, the cheer squad, AND the marching band."

"I DON'T, and frankly, I gotta start gettin' ready fer the game tonight-"

Just as Vector was about to leave, Julie quickly grabbed Vector's wrist.

"Don't be like that, Vector!" she whined. "Ugh, for Gaia's sake, I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened on Halloween, and I'm trying to be quick about it because we only have minutes before we perform!"

"What about what happened on Halloween?! I've been tryin' to forget 'bout it, ya know!"

"Look, maybe you're still not ready to forgive regarding what happened between us in the past, but I mean… it's been a few years, Vector! Aren't you going to let it go?"

The crocodile quickly turned around. "How the hell do ya expect me to just… forgive ya when yeh fooled mahself and nearly HALF of Green Forest High that not only that yer pregnant with mah baby, but also that we were gonna get married when we graduated, and ya just… PULLED the rug from under mah feet at Prom, LIED about EVERYTHING just so yeh could screw me out of mah money, WHICH I should remind yeh was half the paycheck I got workin' at the movie theater, and got everyone at Prom to just… laugh at me?! They didn't even care that yeh lied about it, they thought it was funny that the football player everyone loved got duped! That was funnier to them!"

"Because I made dumb decisions at that age, okay?! I thought the guy I was dating was good and I believed him when he said that we needed a super public breakup alongside allowing us to go on vacation once summer break hit with the money you gave me, but he was a total tool who used his looks to frankly seduce me, and ever since then, the guys I've dated haven't been as good as you! I regret it all now!"

"So what? Whaddya tryin' to pull?"

"What I'm 'trying to pull' is that I would like it if we could move past what happened between us. I mean, what happened on Hallloween it was… it really felt like we were dating again."

"Do ya mean that or are ya sayin' that just because ya like mah dick? Cause that's all I felt like once I sobered up. I'm not a toy, Julie."

"Ugh, why do you still need to be so stubborn about this?! My other boyfriends were like that, and yet… not you! You were always kind, charismatic, and humble! What happened to that old you?!"

"Yeh happened. Ya ruined mah trust, Julie. And until ya get it through yer thick skull that I dun see the need to us havin' any kind of relationship, the happier I feel yeh can be. I'm sorry yer still clingin' onto old nostalgia, and if yeh REALLY are tryin' to change, fine by me. But yeh gotta let me go at some point, Julie. Ya messed up yer chance with me big time, and I dun think I can still forgive ya. Now, will ya let mah arm go?"

However, the pink echidna didn't relent.

"No. Because I want YOU to listen… even amongst your fellow teammates and friends, I know quite a lot about you," she said.

"Oh, blackmail, huh? How courteous. Now, I told ya once… Let. Me. Go."

"I also know quite a bit about what's been going between the team. You see, a friend of mine just so happens to room with your buddy, Bull Bones. And it just so happens she's been telling me about what's been going on. That little chameleon friend of yours has been causing your team to drift apart, hasn't he?"

Vector looked at the echidna intently.

"It would certainly be a shame if you all drifted apart even more… after all, what would happen if you all started to wage war against one another before the College Playoffs?"

"Get to the point, Julie. I already know yer up to yer little schemes. Never did grow out of those, huh?"

"Unlike you, I actually want to improve myself and show you that I'm not the same girl I was back in high school. But… you refuse to give me a chance. So, I'm going to have to show you the hard way…"

"Julie, intimidate me all ya want, I dun give a shit. How many times do I have to repeat mahself? I ain't obligated to forgive ya, and just because I drunkenly slept with ya once doesn't mean I'm okay with ya. Now, why doncha return to the cheer squad, forget 'bout mah existence and just… get a boyfriend that ain't me. I promise, movin' on from me is gonna make yer life easier."

"Because I don't want that! It was only on Hallloween that I realized how much I messed up, and once I visited the school's therapist, I realized that-"

Suddenly, the door behind them opened.

"Julie, come on!" a feminine voice said. "We're about to head to the field for the performance!"

"Damn…" the echidna muttered. "We'll have to finish this talk later. And Vector… actually think about it, don't ghost me this time. I promise, I'm totally changed now."

Vector squinted his eyes as he watched Julie-Su open the door to the cheer squad's locker room as he shook his head.

"I totally dun believe ya…" he said. The crocodile should have thanked his lucky stars most of the girls on the cheer team just idolized the thought of dating him and didn't have levels of experience like Julie did.

"Then again, if the cheer squad acted like Julie… Gaia forgive me, I might just have to start goin' to church."

Not that he didn't MIND when girls idolized him or said this, that, and the other about him. Of course, it WAS flattering, but sometimes he did wish that the people who either talked about him openly or thirst posted about him online would remember that he was a person too. And while many of the people talking about him, girls or not, weren't harmful at all and just expressed a crush in the same way he thought a celebrity or the like was hot, there was a difference between a bunch of people he'd pass by on campus and never see again or anonymous internet comments vs Julie-Su.

"Can't she just understand that I ain't interested…" he said to himself, shaking his head. Just then, someone came into the bathrooms.

"Girl issues?"

Vector turned his head to see Rotor standing by the doorframe.

"Oh… Rotz… sorry, did ya hear?" he asked.

"Part of it. Sounds like you have a little bit of history with Julie-Su."

"Ya can say that again."

"I don't mean to pry of course, I know it's probably very personal," the walrus held his hands up. "If you ask me, I'm the type who finds it being very easy to talk to girls, but even they have to know their boundaries just like guys. It seems like Julie-Su doesn't seem to understand that."

"…just HOW much didja hear?"

"You heard me once, Vector," the walrus grinned. "Still… I'm… sorry you had to deal with all that. I thought middle school sucked, but if you were in high school and you had a name for yourself, you had a bigger target on your back. I've had my experience."

"Ya did?"

"Well, I mentioned it when you first started to get to know me last year, but back in middle school, I wasn't necessarily… the HEALTHIEST person in the planet. Course, while football did help me gain muscle and lose some weight, obviously I'm not like super shredded like a guy like you or Connery, and some of my fellow teammates did poke fun at me for that. And then in High School they… erm… actually…"

"What's wrong?"

"I… kinda don't wanna talk about it. It's a little too personal."

"I mean, ya just heard how mah ex faked a pregnancy and tricked everyone into thinking we were getting' married after graduation. THEN heard how she wanted to blackmail me by using the tension I've been havin' with Connery and the others regardin' Espio as a way to likely force us into a friendship and most likely, back into a relationship."

"…true… well, they found out something about me… I still don't really wanna say it, but where I went to high school, it wasn't… anything outside of the norm wasn't allowed basically, and to them, a chubby walrus with a little bit of muscle wasn't their ideal standard of what a football player was, but once my secret came out well… it wasn't any better. Frankly, I just did what I could and ignored them. Football helped me get stronger so even if all the name calling got too much, if they did so much as lay a finger on me, I'd punch their fucking skull in."

"Ha, doesn't sound like ya to be violent. Yer always the one in the team callin' fer peace."

"I've tried to stop being so… on edge compared to my younger self, but in doing so, I've become a bit of a doormat for people like Connery and Axel. Guess this is my retribution for being TOO nice, eh?"

Vector smiled. "Yeh can say that again."

Just then a sudden voice rang out from the locker room.

"Alright, let's get started on our game plan while the cheer squad and marching band perform!" Coach Augustus called out. "Vector? Where the hell are you, Vector?! Get your ass out here right now!"

"Well, there's our cue. C'mon, Rotz," the crocodile said, deciding to leave the eye grease until after the game plan review session was finished. The two quickly left the bathrooms and returned to their team.


6:47 P.M.

Back at the dorm, Espio sat in front of the TV in the same position he used to sit at the dining table back in the Dojo, watching the screen intently as a whistle was blown to signal the start of half-time.

"And there's the whistle for Half-Time!" said the familiar sportscaster, Wes Weasely. "Currently, with a score of 15 for home and 6 for Away, the Mobius University Badniks are really going to need to pick up steam for the rest of the game!"

The other familiar sportscaster, the Overlander Sam Speed, nodded. "My goodness, while the teams get started on their halftime session-" he said before the two were blocked by sudden graphics that appeared on the screen. "Let's take a look at that amazing touchdown done by Priests runner back, Eddy Yeti. There he is, just very briefly dodging a tackle attempt done by Badniks quarterback, Vector the Crocodile…"

Espio frowned as the footage was being replayed. He didn't want to see this again as when the yeti made the touchdown, the camera showed Vector on the ground with a look of VERY clear disappointment in his face. The chameleon was starting to become concerned as well, as considering the score… were the Badniks about to lose again?

"…the half-time show will soon begin in a moment, but until then, we'll be right back after this commercial break on both the MSE main channel and for all of our radio listeners on KLAK 102.9. This has been Wes Weasely!"

"And Sam Speed!"

"And we'll be right back after a couple of messages from our sponsors! Remember to text us 412-289-9800 and send in your favorite moments from tonight's game so far, and when we return, we'll discuss some of them on the air before we return to the second half of the game!"

The screen cut to black before a commercial began to play.

"Folks, the days are a'comin' until Thanksgiving and you know what that means? That's right, it's Crazy Carl's Crazy Chao Warehouse Crazy Sale! We got all kinds of Chao..."

Espio turned his head away from the TV as it was time for another set of… what was it that Vector called them? Cum… cummershals? Whatever it was, the chameleon WASN'T a fan, as he didn't know why the screen didn't return to the game instead of bombarding him with stuff to buy. Back in Gojo whenever he'd walk, he'd sometimes find people trying to bring people into their eateries or to purchase something from a fruit market set up just near the local temple, and while these things on the TV felt SIMILAR to that, at least back in Gojo, people weren't aggressive in wanting to sell you something.

More importantly, he felt the 'cummershals' were taking time away from him seeing Vector on the screen. He had promised that he was going to cheer for him as loud as he could, and he had been trying to despite never being a loud person. But if these didn't go away now, then by the name of darkness itself…

Espio sighed, realizing that despite his mental threats, the TV wasn't going back to the game. Getting up, he decided what he should do until the game returned. Perhaps he could meditate? Or there was also the letter he could write for Mother next week, as he wanted to discuss how in the coming weeks, he and Valdez were going to sit down to decide what classes he should take for next semester, as well as being moved into an English classroom with students instead of one on one sessions with Valdez and Professor Long-

"Twenty-four College teams, three weeks of daily back-to-back games, all for one title: On December 1st, the final championship between Central Mobius' colleges and the indepth look at the 54th annual Central Mobius Winter College Football Playoffs, including being on the field at all times with commentary and live debate from MSE staff! Don't miss the Central Mobius Winter College Football Playoffs, starting on December 1st at 6pm, only on MSE and MSE2, also streaming on MSE+!"

Espio quickly turned his head back to the TV as he crawled back onto the floor, looking intently at the TV as a football graphic zoomed past the screen and Sam Speed and Wes Weasely appeared back on screen.

"Welcome back to tonight's college football game between the Mobius University Badniks versus the Soleanna University Priests, live from the Castle Town Stadium just near the Soleanna University campus, I'm Wes Weasely!"

"And I'm the man with the plan, Sam Speed! Reminding you that you can save your skin, your fur, your feathers, your scales, or whatever you mobians have with our sponsor for tonight, Excalibur Pro Gel, designed to stop irritants on body!"

"You keep this up, Sam, and we're only going to prove to our audience that we're nothing more than sellouts!"

"Yeah well, I read my fair share of nasty internet comments. Did you happen to know I've been referred to as a speed eating scumbag on multiple occasions?"

"If that was the case, I'm surprised you eat as much as you do, Sam!"

The two hosts laughed.

"Well, as the Priests' halftime show performed by the Soleanna U cheer squad and marching band comes to a close, we asked you all before the commercial break to submit in your favorite plays from the first half of tonight's game, and already we've gotten favorites messages from all of you watching on MSE or listening on KLAK 102.9! If we have time, we'll begin by replaying some of those moments as the field is getting ready to prepare for the second half…"

Espio sighed, realizing they STILL weren't going back to the game. Maybe until then, it might have been better to start the letter for mother than to wait for all this nothing to happen. Getting up as one of the replays began, the chameleon walked over to the desk and sat down, grabbing one of the notebooks near Vector's closed laptop and taking out a sheet gently. Turning it horizontally, Espio grabbed a pencil as he began to right.

"To Mother,

This is Espio, once again reporting back to you on my progress at school. I have noted that it has been getting colder, just like back in Gojo. While the snowfall hasn't begun yet, I am trying my best to avoid the problems the cold cause us cold-blooded creatures while studying and still continuing my training."

Espio wondered for a brief moment if he could tell his mother about what happened between those five boys from Crisis City. Would she be happy that he was able to put his training to good use, or would she see his act as disobeying her as he did it to help someone from the Outside World?

"…and with that, we'll be back to check some of your favorite moments as we're now ready to return to the game! The ref is putting the ball in the middle of the field, as both team's center players are getting ready-"

The chameleon turned his head back to the TV as the screen finally cut back to the field. Espio quickly got up from the seat and returned in front of the TV, ready to continue watching. He noted Vector thanks to his tail, and gasped, hoping that he would lead the Badniks to victory as they were lagging.

The whistle of the ref was blown as Espio saw the bulldog friend of Vector's… what was his name? Bones… or something like that, he hadn't talked with him too much compared to others, immediately grabbed the ball and handed it off to Vector. The chameleon gasped as he watched his friend through the screen, putting his hand on the warm screen in the hopes that maybe it could encourage him to do better.

"Vector, you can do this!" he said, getting closer to the screen as he watched Vector run off towards the other side of the field.

"And he's going… he's going!" Sam Speed frantically commentated. "Past the 20-yard mark… reaching the 10!... and… and!"

Just then, as someone tried to tackle Vector from behind, the crocodile had a sudden burst of speed as he finally reached the end zone.

"TOUCHDOOOOOOOOOWNNNNNNNN!" the two commentators yelled through the speakers. Espio turned down the volume due to the noise, remembering what Vector had told him, but he still clapped to himself.

"Well done!" he said, watching Vector run back towards his team as they all huddled together. If they kept this up, then Vector would have no problem winning!


Sometimes, Espio needed to not jinx himself.

Despite the early lead the Badniks were having at the start of the second half, the Priests were able to gain the upper hand, scoring three consecutive touchdowns. The upper right of the screen showed the score, showing that the Priests were at 36, where as the Badniks were at a measly 17.

"Vector… I cheered for you as hard as I could… just like I promised!" he said, upset that his side was starting to lose. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Besides the time his friend had gotten injured, it seemed like nothing could stop the Badniks. And yet… there were now only 4 minutes left until the game ended.

And it seemed like things were going from bad to worse too. Because Rudy had blocked the ball from the offense from below the waist, the commentators were describing a… well, a fa… faol? He hadn't heard of this word before, but it likely signified that it wasn't good due to a yellow flag being placed on near the '30' on the Badniks' end of the field, and not just that, it seemed that the Priests were getting ready to do that kick that he remembered Vector showing him that he always loved.

"No… please…" he said, holding his hands together and praying mentally that he wouldn't score. Immediately, upon the sound of the ball being kicked, Espio looked at the screen with intensity as he watched the camera follow the ball into the air and past the goal post.

"Field GOOOOOOAL!" Sam yelled out. "And that's 39 for the Priests! The Badniks better start praying for a miracle of their own if they wanna catch up to the Priests!"

…but the miracle never came.


It was after the game that everyone was back in the Locker Rooms, taking off their dirty uniforms and getting ready to shower. There was an aura of anger and tension in the air, but no one wanted to say anything and just wanted to forget about the final results of tonight. Everyone, except one person.

"What the hell WAS that performance?!" Coach Augustus yelled out. "You boys were performing well these last few practices and now you're in front of millions and you all run around like a bunch of jackasses?! Don't think you got an opposing school to blame it on this time, eh?!"

There was silence in the room as Augustus continued to let out his frustration, nodding his head.

"I see what's going on here. Don't think I'm stupid and I don't know there's been discord going on around here. I think you boys need to learn a concept I like to call, cooperation. So, we'll be practicing as normal this weekend, but come Monday at 6pm, all of you better be at the stadium. It seems we have to go back to basics…"

Just as the polar bear was about to enter the shared office, he turned around.

"…and to think we have to return back to basics before the College Playoffs? That's not worth even getting angry about. Why be angry when all of you shouldn't just be disappointed in yourselves, but one another?"

With that, Coach Augustus closed the door as everyone returned to what they were doing, the aura of tonight looming over their head.

Vector was no exception, as he was resting his elbows against his locker, resting his head against his elbows and looking down at the floor. Coach was right, he wasn't sure WHY exactly they lost, but it seems that the stuff going on about Espio has been in everyone's mind. He couldn't help but think back to what Connery was threatening the team last Thursday, telling them that they better forget about Espio and focus on winning tonight's match.

"You know it's not your fault, right?" Knuckles said, sighing.

"Knux, yeh just bashed the walls of the showers like ya did when I got injured not even five minutes ago," Vector said. "How is this not mah fault? Ya heard what Coach said. He knows about what happened between all of us and what's goin' on with Espio. No wonder he realizes we're all gettin' heated."

"Dude, I wouldn't say Espio is the reason we lost… but he is kinda right, we are getting at each other's throats."

"Connery and all of them ain't helpin', ya know."

"Yeah well, unfortunately, the dude is just as stubborn as me."

"It's just… I'm this team's quarterback! I'm the reason we've all come together as one and… and I'm lettin' somethin' as stupid as drama get to me!"

And it wasn't even just Connery too… there was also Julie-Su, who kept throwing him looks throughout tonight's game.

"Look, there's still one more game before the College Playoffs, you know."

"…Thanksgivin' Classic, right?"

"Yeah, we're going up against the Grand Metropolis U Skyscrapers."

"Grand Metropolis? Really? Wow, that's surprisin'. At least it ain't Empire City U."

Knuckles quickly turned his head towards his friend. "Dude, the day we're going up against them, we better make sure we've read the book on this whole friendship thing coach wants us to do."

"Yeah, remember how they won last year's College Playoffs?"

"The Dingoes are fucking scary, even some of their guys are too. You seen that new Quarterback they got this year? Those guys from Crisis City can't even compete."

Vector snorted. "Oh, I believe ya. Yer right. I'm sure we're all at each other's throats, but I'm hopin' everyone will cooperate. Otherwise, as quarterback, I'm gonna have to resort to the old faithful towel trick."

"There's the ticket, there's the old Vector I wanted to see. Did you shower by the way?"

"Pff, what does it look like to ya, Knux? That I bathed in mud? Nah, probably should right now."

With that, Vector got completely undressed and grabbed his towel, ready to head into the showers.


Thankfully, for the rest of his shower, Vector not only didn't have to see Julie-Su, but he deliberately avoided Connery, Monk, and Axel as best as he could, frankly, preferring to not get into a shouting match this late at night and unleashing Coach's wrath. Able to enjoy a hot shower on his scales, the crocodile couldn't help but think back to one person as he closed his eyes.

"I wonder… if I let Espio down…"

He told him he was going to win, and yet… failed to do so. Sure, as he and Rotor discussed when the crocodile was recovering in the hospital, it wouldn't be the first, nor the last time the team had a loss. And while it was disappointing to see everyone's low spirits and Coach getting angry with them all, he knew it was all motivation for all of them to try harder for the next game.

And yet, Vector still felt that he could have done so much better, if not to at least show Espio that he could do it…

With most of the team returning to their cars to head back to Central City and Mobius U, Vector was wrapped up in pants and a sweater to avoid the cold. However, the wind chill had already started to get to him, and he shivered as he speed walked back to his car, duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Excuse me!"

Vector stopped as a sudden voice cried out. The voice sounded gruff yet not masculine, loud, but not aggressive. The crocodile turned his head to see a turquoise and white eagle walking up towards him. The eagle seemed to wear a pink polo and white dress pants, with the shirt very tight on the eagle's physique. Judging also by the microphone and a chubby walrus just behind him holding a camera, it must have been a journalist.

"Good to meet you, sir!" the eagle said. "My name is Soar the Eagle with the Mogul Times, sports journalist and commentator for the website and newspaper! If you have time sir, we were hoping to land an on-camera interview about tonight's game?"

Normally, he would be the type to avoid journalists unless they came straight from the school's newspaper staff. After all, it's like what Coach said: you humor one journalist, and then you have about hundred others running up to you wanting an interview. But it didn't seem like there was anyone else around, so maybe JUST this once he could.

"Uh… yeah, sure. I dun see why not."

"Excellent!" the eagle smiled as he turned around. "Hey, is the camera on?"

The walrus behind Soar nodded quickly.

"Great! Now let's begin with the obvious question, what were your thoughts on the overall results on tonight?"

"Well, I mean, what else can I say? It was an absolute disappointment to everyone, not just mahself. Ya know, we've been trainin' hard these couple days but of course, sometimes even when ya train hard, it still isn't enough."

"I see, now sir, may I ask for a name and position on the field you play?"

"Vector, Vector the Crocodile, and I play Quarterback fer the Mobius University Badniks."

"Ha, I remember my days of playing College Football too. I wanted to go into quarterbacking too but, I was a better Offensive Tackler according to my coach. Ahem, getting sidetracked… Tell me, Mr. Vector, even though you did lose, how did you feel during the game and how do you feel about your future game plan?"

"Well, I won't deny that I was nervous at first, I mean, I think any athlete is when yer not just playin' in front of a school and several thousand fans, but yer on national TV too. But, I like to think back to mah roommate at Mobius U, who really helps me in not just motivatin' me, but also in calmin' me down before games. One talk with him and I know that if I can win the game fer him, then I have at least one reason to perform at my best. That, and mah school, the team that I help out with, and mah coach, but I like to think mah roomie is someone who most other players wouldn't say if they had to list someone who motivates them."

"Sounds to me like you have an amazing roommate, Mr. Vector."

What was going on though? Normally, he was fairly good at conducting interviews as when he first started playing for the Badniks, he took nearly every interview, which despite Coach telling him he shouldn't do simply because journalists can boggle the players down and that it should be left to school representatives, he could do no problem. But this interview… it felt like he was talking more about Espio. Why was that?...

The crocodile tried not to let it get to him, setting it aside as the eagle brought the microphone back to him.

"Well, do you have any last-minute words you'd like to say?"

"Of course, and it that's while we may not have won tonight's game, that doesn't mean we're goin' down without a fight. Come Thanksgiving Classic, the College Winter Playoffs, AND the College Bowl, the Mobius U Badniks WILL win them all, I promise!"

With that, the eagle once again brought the microphone back to him. "Amazing interview! You're quite a natural!" He then proceeded to turn around. "Hey, you're free to press stop now!"

Turning back to the crocodile, he smiled once again. "I really see this being front page material for the sports section of our website and magazine! Thanks so much for the interview, Mr. Vector! We appreciate your patronage hearing from such a professional athlete such as yourself!"

"Well, no need to be so formal, Mr… Soar was it?" Vector asked before holding out his hand. However, Soar quickly moved his hand out of the way and looked concerned.

"Hoorgh! Oh, oh sorry, Mr. Vector… I'm just a tad bit germophobic. Now if you'll excuse me…"

The eagle then turned around, but not before Vector watched the eagle take out a bottle of hand sanitizer out of his hands and rubbing it all over his hands and arms, walking back to a van with his camera man.

"…what a weirdo…" Vector said to himself, shaking his head and questioning if it was worth it doing an interview. Regardless, he figured it was best to just ignore it and return to his car, hoping to return to a nice bed, rest up for tomorrow, hopefully talk to Espio and-

His stomach then growled.

"And get some grub in…" he said, wondering if he should treat himself to takeout tonight. He did lose after all, and maybe that shouldn't be rewarded, but he was getting very hungry thanks in part to the light lunch he had earlier today. As such, he decided that would be the case.

Returning to his car, he pulled out his keys from his sweater pocket and unlocked the car, hearing the distinct 'CLINK' noise as he put his duffel bag in the car before opening it up.

"Now, let's see… what to order…" he said to himself as he rummaged through his bag for his phone. "A pizza doesn't sound too bad, I can share slices with Espio… but also I think I want it to be somethin' he can eat since he didn't each too much pizza last two times and even said that it made him feel a lil' weird despite how good it was…"

It was then at that moment that Vector realized what he could have, something he hadn't had all semester, something full of carbs and protein…

"And of course, I missed how tasty it was too!" he said, thinking that he could enjoy some Chinese takeout. After all, it would also be perfect for Espio too, provided he didn't get him a meat-based meal. However, there was… ONE problem.

"…where's mah phone?" he asked, rummaging through his football gear, cleats, etc, and STILL not finding his phone. His wallet was there, but there was no phone…

"Where the hell did I keep the damn thing?" Vector continued, getting more frantic. He stopped as he checked the pockets of his pants and his sweater, but once again, no phone. Now he was getting worried, where could he have kept it?

Opening the front door of his car, he began to look around on the floor, hoping to find his phone SOMEWHERE. But once again… no phone.

"Oh no, did I leave it in the Locker Room?" he asked himself, realizing that he might have to run back there in this cold weather. However, a savior came in the form of-

"Hey Vector!" Rudy said. "What's going on?"

"Rudy! Thank goodness!" he replied, running up to the lizard. "Hey, quick, I wanna ask, d'ya have yer phone on ya?"

"Of course. What's wrong?"

"I need to borrow it one moment. I can't find mine!"

"Did you leave it in the locker room?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried 'bout if ya ask me. I need to make sure it's not."

"Well… okay, here you are."

The lizard handed the crocodile his phone as Vector quickly snatched it, opening the phone app and frantically typing his number in. He then proceeded to hear the line buzz, murmuring, "Gaia, please let someone hear it…"


7. Select the appropriate definition of solid waste.

A. Objects or particles that accumulate at the location where they are produced

B. Objects that accumulate at the location where they are produced

C. Particles that accumulate at the location where they are produced

D. Objects and particles that are put in landfills

Espio sat at the desk, finishing up some homework that was due on Monday. Busy with finishing up the homework for Chapter 10.1 for Environmental Studies 102, the chameleon focused on that and nothing else, ignoring the background noise of the TV, as well as putting off his letter to his mother until Vector returned.

Truth be told, he wasn't just doing his homework so Valdez wouldn't be upset that he didn't do it, it was to also take his mind off tonight's game. He had been so disappointed with the Badniks' loss that he just wanted to move past it, to ignore what had happened because he couldn't undo seeing the look of disappointment Vector and several other teammates had on their faces when the game ended and the Priests were celebrating their win.

Sighing, he briefly turned his attention back to the TV, which was still on MSE. He wasn't sure what was going on, as it seemed to be someone just talking next to images of different players but ignored it to focus on his homework instead.

That was, until something began to buzz.

"What's that?" Espio asked as he looked up from his assignment. He turned his head back and forth, wondering where the noise was coming from. As he listened closer, it sounded like it was… coming from behind.

Turning around, Espio noticed that there seemed to be something sitting atop the nightstand by the bunk bed: a familiar phone... Vector's phone...

The transfer student walked over to the phone, picking it up. The screen seemed to be white, with the word 'RUDY' written at the top, and two buttons: one green on the left, one red on the right. However, Espio continued to look confused. While he had seen Vector use his phone countless times, never once had he used one before. In fact, now that he thought about it… did something like this ever appear on Vector's phone even when he was using it?

If he remembered how it worked, you seemed to put your thumb or your finger on the screen, and it somehow performed actions. And so, the chameleon put his index finger on the phone, tapping the screen to see if it did something. However, nothing happened, and the phone continued to buzz in Espio's hand.

"How does this work?" he asked himself, moving his finger all over the screen in the hopes that SOMETHING would happen. However, unbeknownst to him, in the middle of his tapping, he pressed the green button.

The chameleon quickly jolted, worried that he did something wrong. Did he just break Vector's phone?

"Hello? Who is this?" Vector's voice asked through the phone. Espio looked surprised.

"Vector?" he replied.

"E-Espio?! What the… why the heck d'ya… oh… oh boy… dun tell me, I left mah phone back at the dorm, did I?"

Espio was confused as to what Vector was saying. "I… I don't a… understand what you are se-saying."

"What? Say, Espio, hold the phone to yer ear. Ya know how I do it? Take what yer holdin' and put it against yer ear. I can't hear ya too well."

Espio was still confused about the command, but still couldn't hear his friend all that well. As such, he put the phone closer to his ear.

"Vector?" he asked again.

"Huh! I didn't think ya could understand me since this is yer first time usin' a phone! Don't worry, I'll teach ya when I return to the dorm, but hey, I wanted to letcha know that I dun wantcha to get anythin' fer dinner tonight. I'm gonna be orderin' takeout tonight! Dunno if you had it, but Knux, Mighty, and I have a favorite place of ours called Chun-Nan Express, and they got AMAZIN' food! Don't worry, I'll be sure to getcha somethin' too, and without meat in it as well since I still gotta respect yer culture. So, I need ya to listen carefully. I'm gonna make the call here and have it delivered directly to our dorm. In about… give or take… twenty-ish minutes? The food should arrive at the dorm, and someone will come knockin'. Just open the door and take the food, I'll pay fer it through the phone. And then just wait fer me, got it?"

Espio simply nodded his head, with Vector talking too fast for him to understand. "Y-Yes…" he said in response.

"Good! I'll take some time lookin' at the menu and place the order! Just sit tight, okay? See ya in a bit!"

Espio heard the line end as he brought the phone back in front of his face to look at it.

"Vector?" he asked, thinking that he would hear him, but there was no response. In fact, all that appeared in front of him was a screen with Vector from behind in his football uniform, the shadows obscuring most of him. Now that Espio thought about it, there was still going to be some time until Vector returned, and most importantly… he never HAS used a phone before…

"I suppose one has to gain new experience by trying it first," he said to himself, looking around the room. Normally, it wouldn't be like him to take someone else's belongings, especially if it was personal. It would have been like sneaking into his mother's chamber to peak at the scrolls shared by her as well as the other Brides. But as long as Vector wasn't there, it was okay… right?

Espio sat in front of the nightstand, phone in his left hand and slowly and gently tapping the screen with his sole right index finger. It seemed that tapping the screen caused this circle to appear on the screen, with various kinds of buttons with words underneath them over the screen too. Accidently pressing one, he was brought to a grey screen with buttons with numbers on them.

"What's this?" he said, pressing 5, 3, 4, which-

"It's a number?" Espio realized in that moment he must have been doing arithmetic, just in a style that was very different than what he learned in Gojo and even in his Algebra class.

Pressing the button in the middle out of curiosity since it always seemed to be there, the screen disappeared as it was back to the main screen with the picture of Vector from behind.

"Eeeh? What happened? Why did it go away?" he asked, only becoming more intrigued by this phone. He then tapped an icon with several squares in it, revealing a large array of stills of Vector, his friends, other unrelated images, and… and him…

Espio clicked the image of him, and when the image zoomed in, it was him, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty just getting ready to leave West Hall to the Halloween Party. The chameleon smiled at the memory, it hadn't even happened a month ago and yet it still felt nostalgic. He could make out himself in the jersey Coach August gave him, as well as the other clothes Vector put on him, looking surprised as the other three knew to pose and smile. In spite of how drunk the crocodile did get by the end of the night, it was still a very memorable evening.

The transfer student clicked the image, wondering what he could do from here. All the phone did was show the image… and that's it. Was this all this phone could do?

"Wait…"

Now that he thought about it, whenever he watched Vector go on his phone, he remembered the crocodile distinctly swiping his thumb or finger on the screen. Wondering why he did that, the chameleon did just that and…

The image changed.

"Aah!" he said, learning how to swipe on the screen, which seemed to show new images. There was one of Vector by himself in his costume, one of Vector in front of a mirror in his jersey, one of Vector looking at the camera, eyes half closed, one of Vector with a few members of his team… It seemed to go on and on, with very few distinct images, such as one of himself sleeping and one of Vector's arm bloodied. He cringed at the latter but was surprised at the former. Why did he take a picture of that? He then swiped his finger left again and-

He stopped.

Because what he saw next was nothing that he expected.

Espio found himself staring at Vector, seemingly in front of a similar mirror as the previous few images showed. He was holding his phone in his right hand, but the other free arm was raised in the air, arm curling to reveal his muscled bicep. Smiling to show his teeth, and down his athletic body, the crocodile was wearing nothing sans a pair of undergarments that he had never seen before. It reminded him of the fundoshis that nearly all the men of Gojo, including himself, had at least worn once in their lives. This undergarment however, seemed to have white straps from where the groin area connected to.

Whatever this was… Espio felt his palms sweat upon seeing this image. His hands began to shake as he felt like he could hear his heart pump clearly. Never once had he seen a person, not even in Gojo, like this… up close before. It felt like he was crossing VERY dangerous territories. After all, he had seen his fair share of men showing their strength like Vector was doing here, such as that Sleuth person ripping his shirt during his fight with the Crisis City team, or for that matter, the existence of Vector's football teammates in generally, all of them oozing with masculinity in a manner that could best be described as, 'Outside World-like.

Yet… why was he acting like this? Seeing men stripped down like this occurred in Gojo, especially during Tanabata whenever many men of the village wearing only a happi and fundoshi would carry a mikoshi from the local religious temple and bring it to the main square for them to bless the village and its inhabitants, or during Hadaka Matsuri, something he knew he would NEVER be able to participate in and only watched from the sides alongside his family and the rest of the Shinobi clan.

And besides, it wasn't like Vector was no stranger to stuff like this. Not just in how he walked in on the chameleon on their first day, but also from what Vector described in the past about what happened in the locker rooms…

It proved to be too much for Espio, who promptly turned the phone around and slammed it back on the nightstand. He had already seen too much, and the worst part was… he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing-

Espio shook his head and rustled the scales on his forehead with hands. What on earth was he thinking?! Clearly tonight's loss has been messing with his head. Then again, since recovering from his illness last week, it felt like things had been getting stranger. From Connery's public feud to Jewel seeming remorseful towards him for once, to thinking that Mark's friend Norris also knew Japanese just like him, to even how others have been acting towards him…

The chameleon ran his hands over his face, sighing. He just wanted Vector to come back and to forget the events of the last two hours didn't happen. At least then, he would be able to think rationally again, as well as see his best friend.


"For… fucking Gaia's sake, what is it about keeping the noise down do you not understand?!" Sally yelled at the incoming barrage of Badniks players entering the A building as quietly as she could, knowing that there were already people still in bed since tomorrow was a school. However, her efforts were for naught as the players fully walked past her and headed up the stairs to the third floor.

Among the players was Vector and Knuckles, who walked back together to West Hall.

"I'm tellin' ya, I am STARVIN'," Vector said as his stomach growled at that exact moment. "I ordered Chinese takeout from Chun-Nan Express and told them to deliver it to the dorm. Can't wait to not only enjoy mah meal, but also fer Espio to enjoy somethin' more up his alley."

"I thought he wasn't from Chun-Nan though," Knuckles said as the two went through the doors to the hallway that lead to West Hall. "He's from that… what was it… Gojo place or something?"

"Ya know how weird Mobius is, Knux. We're made up of plenty of regions and yet people will just refer to yeh from whatever part of Mobius ya live in," Vector opened the door to West Hall, letting Knuckles in first before continuing. "Besides, if I remember from the times I actually paid attention in Geography class back in High School, I'd have learned that Japanese and Chinese based regions do share some similar characteristics due to their history,"

"Oh, don't start acting like Rotor on me now. Besides, that's funny, cause Coach always likes to remind you that your family's from Downunda."

"That's cause Downunda's different, Knux! It has a cool ring to it! Like, I wouldn't say, 'Hey, mah family's from Deep South Mobius', nah, I'd say Downunda!"

"Whatever you say, dude. But man, I sure could for some takeout right now, but once again, Mighty's asleep. Fuuuuuuuuck. I don't feel like driving out to get something but I dunno if I should get something since we have practice tomorrow morning. Frankly, should you be eating… actually, what am I saying, you're you. You seem to have a bottomless stomach, Vector."

They stopped in front of Vector's dorm.

"Oi, if you're gonna get on me fer actin' like Rotor, then I should get on yer ass fer actin' like Connery or Axel!"

"Oh trust me, the day you see me fully become them is the day I start wearing dress shirts and bowties around campus,"

"Yeah, that style DEFINETLY doesn't fitcha. Anyway, I'm 'bout to go eat. Ya sure ya dun wanna go out?"

Knuckles said. "I mean, I GUESS I can go see what the vending machines in the K building has if its still open. If not well, looks like chips and a soda are my dinner tonight."

"The meal of a king, no?"

"Yeah, if you're a seven year old."

Vector snorted. "Well, go ahead, King Knuckles, dun let me stop ya."

The echidna grinned. "You too, Vec. Don't get bloated though."

"Didntcha say I have a bottomless stomach?"

Knuckles began to walk away. "Course I did!"

As he continued down to leave, Vector turned around as he pulled out his wallet from his sweater pocket, bringing out his dorm key card and scanning it in. Upon hearing the familiar, 'BEEP, the crocodile opened the door and an amazing smell hit his nostrils.

"Ohhhh… that's so good…"

Just then, there was a sudden movement as Vector looked down to see Espio walk up towards him.

"Hey there, Espio! How ya been?" the crocodile asked, walking to where he usually put down his duffel bag and setting it down as he grabbed his phone. "Hey listen, did ya watch the game?"

Espio nodded quickly as the quarterback turned on his phone. "Say, I'm sorry that had to be yer first TV football game. Frankly, I wish we all couldda won, and I'm real sorry too fer lettin' ya down, even after not just the encouragement ya gave me, but remindin' mahself that I was winning fer-"

He stopped as he realized what was on his screen; the selfie he took of him in his jockstrap after Advanced Weight Training one day that he uploaded onto Scrambler on a secret account. He wasn't sure WHY this image was the first thing he had to open up to, but he quickly closed out of it, horrified at the thought of Espio seeing him in a jockstrap.

"ANYWAYYYY…" he loudly said, trying to change the subject as he noticed the large bag and drink on the desk. "Ya managed to get the food in! Well, come on! Let's sit down and eat! I can tell ya all 'bout the game, and yeh can tell me how ya thought of it too!"

Vector turned and grabbed the bag and the 2 liter drink, placing them on the floor as the crocodile opened up the fridge and pulled out two plastic red cups. Espio sat on the floor just in time for the crocodile to open up the bag and reveal what he had gotten. There were two Styrofoam containers, one paper container with white rice inside (since Vector knew Espio wouldn't be able to eat the restaurant's signature pork fried rice because of the meat in it), and a bag of spring rolls (he couldn't get egg rolls for the same reason he didn't get Espio pork fried rice: there was meat in that too). Complete with their banquet to wash it down was a 2 liter bottle of diet Chao Cola.

"Okay… let's see here…" Vector said as he picked up the first Styrofoam container. Opening it up, he saw a platter of vegetables and a side of clear noodles. "Ah, this is yers, Espio!"

The crocodile proceeded to slide the dish to the chameleon, who turned his head at it.

"I tried to find ya somethin' that didn't have meat in it, and I found this one meal called Buddha's Delight! Dunno if yeh've had anythin' like it… but I figured it was the best thing I could getcha! Hold on, and let's not forget…"

Vector handed the container of rice to the chameleon, who opened it up for him to reveal its contents. Espio made an audible "Ah?..." noise upon seeing it.

"Delicious, ain't it?" Vector asked as he poured Espio his drink. To top off his meal however…

"Oh, and figured yeh had to eat this in the only way ya knew…" the quarterback proceeded to hand Espio a pair of chopsticks. With the chameleon grabbing them, food all in front of him, Vector sighed as he went to his meal; a bourbon chicken dinner special with not just the fried rice he couldn't get Espio, but also a helping of fried noodles as well. Normally, he would eat his take out from Chun-Nan Express with a fork, but tonight he was thinking of trying out chopsticks, just like Espio had with every meal.

And so, with their meal ready, Vector already got started, grabbing his container in one hand and adjusting his fingers to the chopsticks, although he couldn't get them to work properly, least helped by the fact that his hands were large.

"How… how the heck do yeah do this?" he asked himself as he tried to pick up one of his pieces of chicken but failed. The crocodile then heard Espio say one of his before meal phrases that he said every time before eating and he looked over to see the chameleon looking up at him.

"…uh… yeah… I'm… havin' a little trouble here," Vector laughed, moving his chopsticks. Espio looked at his hand before standing up and crouching next to the crocodile, grabbing his right elbow and hand. "Wh-what the-?!"

Ignoring Vector's objections, he helped guide the crocodile towards one of his chicken pieces, placing the chopsticks in between one piece and squeezing them together. He then raised it towards Vector and placed it in his open mouth.

"Espio… uh… t-thank yeh…" he said, surprised at the last minute. He then gave it a try for himself, and found that this time, he had a much better attempt. In hindsight, using chopsticks was like holding a pencil, but it was less about using your hand to force pressure and more about controlling each chopstick simultaneously.

"This… this is easy!" he said after his third piece of chicken, happy that he was finally able to learn as his large hands frustrated him to the point where he swore only to eat using a fork.

And so, for the next five minutes, the two continued to eat on the floor, with Vector turning on the 9pm news in the background as he told Espio about the game, and watched him enjoy not just his main meal, but also the spring rolls that he got (he nodded after Vector asked if they were good), and watched him bury his face in his container of rice.

"I'm tellin' ya," Vector said as Espio continued to eat more rice. "My ma wouldda seen me do that and she wouldda frankly slapped that outta my hand and then say somethin' like, 'Vector, I know we're crocodiles, but that doesn't mean we can eat like we lack manners!" or somethin' like that."

Taking a sip of Chao Cola, he was about halfway through his meal when his phone suddenly began to buzz.

"Ah, speak of the devil. It's probably Coach about what happened after tonight's game. Can ya believe he wants us to do like some kinda group practice Monday? AD Sommersby let him know about what happened between us, and I think he too is gettin' sick of Connery's shit. Hold on, lemme take this call."

However, little did Vector know, he was about to make a grave mistake. He had stuck his chopsticks through his rice, leaving them upright as he placed his container down on the floor. Mere seconds just as he was about to get up, Espio audibly gasped.

"Wha-"

And in a flash, Espio quickly grabbed the chopsticks and swiped them away from the rice, placing them atop the container.

"Wh-what the heck was that, Espio?!" he questioned before the chameleon stuck his finger out, waggling it as he shook his head in a disapproving manner.

"What's that supposed to mean? I… wasn't supposed to do that? It's just rice."

But Espio continued to waggle his finger and shake his head.

"Okay…" Vector raised his hands up. "Sorry, I didn't know."

Leaving them be, he grabbed his still buzzing phone and checked the caller ID, seeing the familiar, 'MA'.

"Oh snap, it's ma!" he said before quickly leaving the dorm and taking the call. "Hullo? Ma?"

"Oh Vector, honey! Sorry if I'm calling this late," the sweet voice of Vector's mother said. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Still disappointed that I lost and I don't have an injury to blame it on…"

"I know it's hard, sweetie, but you know sometimes, losing is a part of life just like winning."

"I know, ma. This should only encourage me to do better fer next time."

"And speaking of that next time, I wanted to ask, what are we going to do for Thanksgiving? There is going to be a college-wide game that day, isn't there?"

"Course there is, ma. There was one last year too. I'll try to see if I can be there fer Thanksgivin' dinner, we still dunno what time our team will be playin' since I know the professional leagues are the one everyone watches and that's in the evenin'."

"Well, the earlier you get home, the better. And you know your dad wants to see both games too."

"Yeah, let's hope I can come home in time. I missed bein' able to do that last year."

Just then, Vector looked back at the dorm room, realizing something. If Espio didn't know what Halloween was, he DEFINITELY didn't know what Thanksgiving was either, and that meant…

"Hey, uh… ma? I wanted to ask, if I am able to come home early, I wanted to ask… is it fine if I can bring a friend over fer Thanksgivin' break?"

"A friend?"

"My dorm mate. He ain't ever had a Thanksgivin' before."

"Never?! Wait, is it the same one you told me about during your first week?"

"Same one."

"…well… we'll see. I say ask if his family would be okay with it and if so, we can bust out the inflatable bed."

Vector rubbed his forehead, his mother unaware that he CAN'T contact Espio's family. Still, he didn't want to break the news.

"Great! I'll letcha know when I get the news 'bout times and inform ya then!"

"Of course, honey. Anything for my little boy to have a good Thanksgiving and Black Friday."

"We're still participatin' this year?"

"Not just participating… okay, your father isn't in the room, so I was thinking-"


MEANWHILE

It was around late evening in Bride of the Constant Vigil's chambers that she was reviewing a message she had receiving from Bride of the Conquering Storm in regards to the aki-ken dojo she was planning to build, asking to send men from Gojo over to Hirunotsuka for the construction. While in front of her was a brush and ink with a few symbols ready for a reply, something else was on her mind.

Just then, Shami's nanny slid open the door to her chambers, holding a clay kettle and cup in both hands.

"Ah, here you are, Bride of the Constant Vigil-sama," she said. "The guards have just allowed me in as it's time for the Sencha you requested."

She walked over to the Bride as the chameleon woman grabbed the tea cup and allowed the nanny to pour the tea for her. Once the cup was full, she took both hands and sipped, allowing the hot liquid to pass down her throat.

"An excellent brew," she said. "Thank you."

"Would you care for more? I still have a full pot."

"One more should be fine. It is almost time for me to sleep, I just would like to send a reply to Bride of the Conquering Storm about the scroll I received from her today."

The nanny continued to pour. "If that dojo of hers is going as well as it does, I say you should take Shami-chan there for her training. Bride of the Conquering Storm-sama has always seemed very strict about her form of training."

"But she will train in the same Dojo that I, my ancestors, and my son has here in Gojo. I have no reason to doubt Conquering Storm's ability to teach, but everything is here to raise a family."

She took a drink before looking back at the nanny. "And on that note, there's something I wish to discuss. I haven't talked to the other Brides about this, but I feel like I must during the meeting next week between the Brides."

"What is it?"

She looked at the scroll in front of her before back at the nanny. "As you know, it's been a few months since Espio left for school, and in the coming few months, it won't be long before his twentieth birthday. However, I feel that once that time comes, it may be time that he becomes a suitor once he returns to Gojo."

The nanny looked at her, almost gawking. "Immediately after returning to Gojo?"

"Are you questioning it?"

"N-No, Bride of the Constant Vigil-sama. If anything, I think it would be absolutely beautiful for Espio-kun to get married. But I think it should be for the best he settles back to his old way of life after returning from the Outside World before you should talk to him about that. I suppose that it's also a little odd… you know, I've known your children almost all my life thanks to your mother bringing me into the Shinobi clan as keeper of the Dojo and then nanny once Espio could start to walk. It feels so strange seeing one of them getting ready for marriage."

"I feel that the sooner the better. With my husband's death and myself aging, Espio would be my successor and leader to Gojo until Shami is of age to become the next Bride and the true ruler of Gojo."

"I believe that Shami-chan would be an amazing Bride and ruler, and with Espio-kun having high authority too as her brother, I understand why making him a suitor once he returns would be for the best. I just wonder when Espio-kun will be back."

"When I receive my next letter from him, I shall ask if there is a time when he can return back home. I won't ask that he does it immediately, but to tell him that him being a suitor is what will happen once he assimilates back to our way of life and away from the Outside World's way of thinking."

"Do you think that he can forget all that he saw to prepare for him being a suitor?"

The Bride took another sip before looking at the Komodo dragon nanny.

"I don't think it, I know that he will. Otherwise, myself and the other Brides will say something about it…"


END OF CHAPTER 14