After a week of recovery and rehabilitation, the day finally arrived. Joe was going to undergo Team Sonic's trials to see if he had what it took to fight alongside them.
Before that, however, they took him to a clothing store.
"Uh, why are we here?" Joe asked.
"If you're gonna be on the team, you're gonna need a stock outfit," Sonic said. Joe tilted his head, so the hedgehog explained, "You know, a signature set of clothes you rarely change out of, if ever?"
"Oh," Joe said, before realizing, "Wait, three of you don't even wear clothes."
"Uh, hello? Gloves and shoes," Knuckles pointed out.
Before Joe could protest, Amy came out from behind him. "That aside, your current shirt has a big hole in the back, so you need something new anyway."
Joe nodded, "Fair enough."
After browsing around a bit, he settled on a bright green T-shirt, green shorts, and green sneakers.
"What's with all the green?" Sonic asked.
"It's my favorite color," Joe answered. "Plus, it's like the only one that's not taken."
No one seemed to want to argue with that, so they quickly moved on.
"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's get started with the actual trials!" Tails said.
Trial 1: History
The gang assembled at Sonic's house for the first trial.
"Huh," Joe looked around the sparsely furnished shack. "Kinda minimalist."
"It works for me," Sonic shrugged.
"Now, this first part isn't the actual trial," Amy said before explaining, "We figured that, if you're going to live here and fight with us, you should know about where you are and our history with Eggman."
"That makes sense. Should I take notes?" Joe asked.
Tails handed him a notebook and the team began telling him stories of their adventures. A couple times, one of them would play up their importance in the tale or try to downplay a mistake they'd made, but they kept each other in check. It amused Joe whenever they called each other out on these exaggerations. Once they had finished their stories—around a hundred or so by his count—he gave his thoughts.
"Wow, it's like you guys randomly alternate between being idiots and jerks," he said.
The team tilted their heads in amazement. "Dozens of stories and that's your takeaway?" Sonic asked.
"Yeah. I was taking notes, remember?" Joe pointed out. "I can prove it."
"Alright, then prove you can prove it!" Sticks dared him.
Joe flipped back through his notes. "Okay, first, some stuff in the idiot category. There was that time where most of you fell for that trap with the cookies and got brainwashed. I wouldn't have fallen for that."
"You mean because you already have a mustache?" Knuckles guessed.
"No," Joe deadpanned. "I mean, maybe? I don't know. Anyway, I wouldn't have fallen for it because I don't like chocolate chips."
The rest of the team's eyes widened in shock.
"Ya got an allergy or somethin'?" Sticks wondered aloud.
"No, I just don't like them," Joe replied.
"We're getting off track here," said Amy. "Do you have anything else on that list of yours?"
Joe nodded. "There's also that time you guys didn't rescue Sonic when he was trapped in a temple because you were too busy arguing over who should lead the rescue mission. And the time you all tried to teach Sonic how to swim! I mean, come on, Knuckles and Sticks I get, but I feel like you two are smart enough to do that right." He pointed at Tails and Amy, who lowered their heads in embarrassment. "Also, there were a couple of times during your adventures where Sonic was unavailable, but you guys didn't even bother trying to save the day yourselves."
Sonic wrapped his hands behind his neck. "Wow, he's getting you guys good."
Joe directed his gaze at the team leader. "You're not so perfect either, Sonic. I have a spot in my notes where you got so drunk with power you got yourself stuck at super speed!" The hedgehog flinched at the jab.
"And that's not even getting to the parts where you guys are suddenly jerks," Joe added. "Sonic, what about that time you went nuts after you lost a bowling tournament?"
"Alright, we get it, you were paying attention!" Sonic said, hoping to dam the relentless river of burns. "Now let's get on with the trials."
Trial 2: Strength Training
The second trial saw Knuckles and Joe standing on the beach with a bunch of Knuckles's workout equipment. The rest of the team watched anxiously from the sidelines.
"Are we sure we should be leaving this to Knuckles?" Tails asked.
Still within earshot, Knuckles himself answered, "Of course. If there's one thing I know, it's exercise."
The echidna then threw a small roll at Joe, who caught it and examined it.
"Hand wraps?"
"Close. It's sports tape," Knuckles informed him. "Get it on and take off your shirt. I wanna see what I'm working with here."
Joe tried wrapping the tape around his hands but struggled, so Knuckles had to help him out. Once it was done, it looked like he was wearing a thick pair of fingerless gloves. He wrapped the rest of the tape around his ankles for good measure. Who knew what he'd have to do today?
Knuckles nodded as he gave the human a once-over. "Hm, a bit of flab and not much ab. Oh well, that's what we're here to work on anyway. Now, before we get started, is that knee of yours going to be an issue?"
"No way. I can walk and run just fine for short periods without it. I'm wearing it now 'cause I figure we'll be at this for a while. Also, I can't lift with my legs much," Joe explained.
"Good to know."
With that, the trial began. For the next hour, Joe was put through the wringer. Push-ups, crunches, dumbbell rows—it was one thing after another. Fortunately, Knuckles wasn't drill-sergeant levels of harsh. He was even supportive, if a little annoying.
"Come on, now. Just a little more, and you'll be one step closer to being on the team."
"I heard you the first sixty-seven times you said that," Joe panted as he did his sixty-eighth bench-press.
"Just keep your breathing steady," Knuckles directed him. "It makes all the difference."
"He's right, you know!" Sonic called out. Was he enjoying this?
Joe wheezed, "Yes, Knuckles."
Knuckles crossed his arms. "That's Coach to you."
"Yes, Coach."
Eventually, Knuckles ended the training session, causing Joe to flop onto the ground, spreadeagle in exhaustion.
"You did pretty good. I'd say this working out thing is really working out," he said, laughing at his own joke.
Joe laughed too. "Hahaha. You're killing me, Coach. Hahahahah." He abruptly stopped laughing. "You really are."
"He looks really worn out," Tails observed. "How hard did you push him?"
Knuckles shrugged. "As hard as you can safely push a rookie in the span of an hour."
"So that's it? No more workin' out for the day?" Sticks asked.
Knuckles shook his head. "Nah, it'd be counterproductive." He looked at Joe. "You can work with Amy tomorrow while you're recovering. Then Sonic can have his turn with you the day after that."
Joe dragged himself to his feet and headed back to Tails's place where, after a quick shower, he promptly flopped onto the couch.
Trial 3: Cooking
The next day, he walked up to Amy's house and knocked on the door.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Come right in!" came Amy's voice from inside.
Letting himself in, he took in the cozy interior, noticing the pink Bee bot she had mentioned when the group was sharing their history. He whistled as he took in the décor, "Nice place you got here."
"Thank you," the pink hedgehog strolled over wearing an apron. "Welcome to your next lesson. I hope you're ready to learn."
Joe raised an eyebrow. "So we're just gonna cook? Not sure how that's relevant for an action team like you guys."
Amy's smiled waned a bit. "It's just nice to have a rounded-out skillset is all."
"Yeah, but it just seems a little—"
He was cut off when Amy jumped up and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him down to her level. "Now you listen to me, you big lug—I slave away in this kitchen for hours for a bunch of goofs who, half the time, forget to be grateful! You need my vote to get on this team. You want it? Help me out. Comprende?"
Joe nodded nervously. "Si, señorita."
She smiled and released him. "Alright then. Now, do you have any previous cooking experience?"
Joe put a hand to his chin and thought for a second. "Hmm… Oh! When I was a kid, my mom taught me how to make meatballs."
"Do you remember how to do it?" Amy asked.
"I think I do. Let's check the kitchen. See if you have what I need," Joe said. Fortunately, Amy had everything he possibly could have needed for just about any meal, and so the two got to work.
After an hour and a half, they finished. Amy sampled one of the meatballs after they'd had a second to cool.
"Mmm! These are great. The others are going to love them! Now that dinner for the night is ready, how about I show you round the village?"
"Sounds like a plan." Joe smiled.
"This was not a good plan," Joe frowned. Just about everyone in the village had stopped what they were doing to stare at him as he and Amy passed.
Amy tried to reassure him, "Don't feel too bad. You're only the second human to appear in Hedgehog Village. They're just not used to you yet."
"Did Eggman have a son or something?" a purple walrus man asked from the side of the road.
"I'm not related to that guy!" Joe said, annoyed. "Why do people keep assuming that?"
"Well, you do kinda look like him," a small shrew answered. "Human with a mustache and all that."
Joe gawked, "That's your reasoning? But—but he's top-heavy, I'm not! That alone should show we're not related."
"Eh, you never know," a young ferret girl said.
Joe sulked as they continued through the village. The thought of bearing even a passing resemblance to Eggman was mildly horrifying.
Amy patted him on the arm. "Don't mind them. Has all that cooking made you hungry yet?"
Joe nodded, and the two headed for a spot called Meh Burger. Joe did a double take when he saw the sign.
"Wait, didn't you guys say this place's food sucked in your stories?"
"You get used to it," Amy shrugged.
Joe opted not to join her and walked away to find some other fare. "No thanks. I don't feel like picking up an acquired taste today."
"Just don't eat any more meatballs before dinner!" Amy called after him.
"Yes, Mom!" Joe said back. He chuckled at his comment before it reminded him of his parents back home. "Aw, I made myself sad."
Later that evening, Joe and Amy served his meatballs for dinner. Everyone chowed down save for Sticks, due to her continuing distrust of him.
"Come on, Sticks. I was watching Joe the whole time he was making these. There's no way he could've tampered with them," Amy tried to reassure her.
The badger was unconvinced. "That's exactly what he wants you to think."
Joe swallowed his food before speaking, "If I messed with these, then why am I eating them too?"
"You built up an immunity, that's how," she answered without missing a beat.
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" Joe deadpanned.
"Yes, she does," the rest of the group said in unison.
"Well, it's annoying," Joe said. He put on a high, raspy voice. "You built up an immunity, that's how."
"Whoa, you sound just like a guy version of Sticks!" Sonic said, impressed.
"Do it again! Do it again!" Knuckles cheered like an excited child.
Joe smiled and stuck out his hand as he gave another line, "Hi, I'm Sticks the Badger. Nice to meet ya." He then whispered to the group, "Don't actually shake my hand. It's booby trapped!"
That made the whole team, minus Sticks herself, chuckle.
"You even got her mannerisms!" Tails complimented him. "Can you do anyone else?"
"Let me try." Joe cleared his throat. "Hey, everyone. Sonic the Hedgehog here. Gotta go fast!"
Amy smiled. "Not too bad. I could still tell it was you, but not bad."
"Anyway, nice job cooking. Looks like you passed Amy's trial," Sonic grinned. "But don't think that means I'll go easy on you tomorrow."
Remembering how tough Knuckles's trial had been, Joe couldn't help but gulp.
Trial 4: Endurance
"I don't know what I've been told!" Sonic sang as he ran through the forest—not at super speed, but just fast enough that Joe was starting to have trouble keeping up.
"I'm not doing that stupid bootcamp chant," Joe said as he wheezed. They'd only been at it for a few minutes, and he was already getting exhausted.
Sonic turned around, running backward. "Come on, you're tired already? You looked like you had more energy with Knuckles."
"My lungs aren't as tough as my limbs," Joe replied.
"Well, you'd better toughen them up. Some of our battles with Eggman end up lasting a while. You don't wanna collapse mid-fight, do you?" Sonic asked.
This time, Joe couldn't even muster a verbal response. He simply pointed ahead frantically.
Sonic tilted his head at the gesture. He learned the hard way what it meant when he ended up tumbling backwards down a small hill into a river. Panicking, he flailed about helplessly in the water.
"Help! I can't swim!"
Resting his hands on his knees, Joe stopped to catch his breath. "I know. You mentioned that in the history trial."
"Then get in here and save me!" the hedgehog yelled.
"I could, but I've got a better idea," Joe said with a smile. "Just stand up."
Sonic stopped thrashing as he realized that Joe was right. The river was shallow enough that he could indeed stand up in it. The water only came up to his waist. He quickly exited the river and shook himself dry. He glared at Joe who, while too out of breath to laugh, had an amused smile on his face.
"That never happened," he said sternly, trying to preserve his dignity.
"Whatever you say, man," Joe said, getting his second wind. "You know, I could just teach you to swim. Then that wouldn't be a problem anymore."
"Yeah, no," Sonic deadpanned. "I'm never getting near water again if I can help it."
Joe frowned. "Look, I don't know what was going through your friends' heads when they were trying to help you, but I actually know better than that. Just trust me?"
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Trust you? No offense, but I've barely known you a week, and that's not saying much since we barely hung out."
"Tails trusts me," Joe said, hoping to earn a point or two.
"Really? What have you been doing together, anyway?"
Joe rubbed the back of his head. "Nothing major. I just help him out in the lab every once in a while."
"Screwdriver," said Tails, lying on a creeper underneath his plane. Joe reached into a nearby toolbox and handed it to him, along with any other tool he asked for. "Blowtorch. Defibrillator."
That last one really threw Joe for a loop. "What the"—he paused, remembering the team wanted him to tone down his language—"heck kind of plane needs a defibrillator? Also, why do you even have a plane when you can fly?"
"I like to mix it up," Tails answered casually. "Also, this way I can carry more than one friend at a time." He slid out from under the plane. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem." As Tails turned away, Joe got an idea. He reached over and scratched him behind the ears.
Tails closed his eyes and leaned into the scratch before coming to his senses. "Hey, stop that! Only Zooey can scratch my ears!"
"Sorry, jeez." Joe pulled his hand away. "Wait, who's Zooey?"
"My girlfriend."
"Girlfriend? You didn't mention that in the history trial." Joe raised an eyebrow as something else occurred to him. "Wait, how old are you?"
"I'm eight," Tails answered.
"You're eight and you already have a girlfriend?" Joe smiled and leaned in close to him. "You sly dog."
Tails blushed. "S-Shut up!"
Sonic chuckled at Joe's story. "Yeah, I teased him about that once too." He then resumed running. "Alright now, double time!"
Joe sighed and started after him.
Trial 5: Agility
Once again, Joe found himself in the middle of the jungle.
"So, what's this trial?" he directed the question at the entire team, as he wasn't sure this trial belonged to anyone in particular.
"Well, every once in a while, we come across an area that's full of booby traps…usually Eggman's lair," Sonic explained. "So, we had Sticks throw together an obstacle course full of traps—"
"A trapstacle course," Sticks interjected.
"Right, that," Sonic deadpanned. "Anyway, we're gonna see if you can get through it."
The first thing Joe did was pick up a nearby rock and toss it onto the course. Several darts shot toward where the rock landed, followed a hot spray of tar. Not a moment later, a log swung down from the right; it would've barreled into anyone unlucky enough to be standing there.
The whole team gawked at the sight, save for Sticks, who just smiled at her handiwork.
"Uh, I think you may have gone overboard, Sticks," Tails said fearfully.
"I disagree," the badger replied.
"Um, Joe? Maybe we should wait and set up a course that's a little more…safe," Amy suggested.
"Oh, no, I think I can do it," Joe replied. With the way Sticks had been acting around him, this seemed like a nice, subtle way of getting back at her. "I might need some help, though. Anyone have a music player?"
Tails fiddled around with his communicator for a moment before pulling up a holographic screen with a selection of music.
Joe sifted through the screen before finding what he was looking for. "Ah, here we are." The young man cranked up the volume and walked toward the course, shaking to the groove.
Hail (hail)
Joe crouched down to avoid some darts and then immediately stood up straight when a spear shot up from the ground where his chin would've been.
What's the matter with your head, yeah
He shuffled his feet, activating a bunch of beartraps—none of them fast enough to catch him.
Hail (hail)
Next, he took a step to the side, quickly followed by a step forward. After each step, a log fell onto the spot where he'd been standing.
What's the matter with your mind and your sign and oh—
After another couple meters, several vines with knives tied to the ends swung down to slash at Joe. He caught one of them by the handle and, in a couple of swipes, deflected the rest of them.
Team Sonic watched in stunned silence—except for Knuckles, who grinned as he munched on some popcorn he'd seemingly pulled from thin air.
Hail (hail), nothin' the matter with your head, baby, find it, come on and find it
Joe evaded another barrage of darts by doing the windmill before rolling forward and standing up again, triggering several scythe blades to swing down from the trees. He swayed like he was dancing in a ballroom, causing the blades to miss him.
Hail with it, baby, 'cause you're fine and you're mine, and you look so divine
Tossing the knife he'd gotten from the vine whips, Joe smirked as it fell through the ground, revealing a pitfall trap. He then took off his shirt and danced around the edge of the pit. He whipped his shirt on the ground as he walked, causing several snare traps to go off prematurely.
Come and get your love, come and get your love
He triggered a tripwire, causing a beehive to drop down on him from above. In response, he held out his shirt like a makeshift net, caught it gently and set it down. More tripwires caused him to repeat this action a couple more times with a wasps' nest and hornets' nest.
Come and get your—
When the team suddenly cut off the music, Joe turned around to see that it was because he'd reached the end of the course.
"So, how'd I do?!" he called out to the team.
Knuckles applauded, "That was awesome! Does music power you up or something?"
"Kind of! It just puts me in the zone," Joe answered.
Sticks, meanwhile, just faceplanted.
"Uh, you okay there, Sticks?" Sonic asked.
"Hours of work, and he breezed through it just by dancin'," she said, her voice muffled by the ground.
While Amy tried to comfort the badger, Sonic addressed Joe, "You passed the obstacle course, so now you're going on to the final trial." He turned to Tails. "You got everything ready?"
Tails nodded.
Trial 6: Combat Simulation
The gang regrouped in Tails's workshop.
"So, what's this one about?" Joe asked.
"You're going to practice fighting robots," Knuckles answered.
"Since you don't have any powers, I took the liberty of making some weapons for you," Tails said.
He walked over to a table with a sheet over it and pulled said sheet off, revealing a small assortment of weapons. There were some nunchucks, a pair of sais, a single-edged straight sword, a mace, and a set of spiked brass knuckles. Each weapon was pure white in color with one or two green gems set into the handles, giving them a futuristic color scheme.
"Damn," Joe said in amazement.
"Language," Amy scolded.
"Right, sorry," Joe flinched. He took a second to look everything over before making his decision, "I'm taking the sword."
"Aww," Knuckles moaned, offended.
"Hey, Tails, didn't you say you had a bit of armor for him too?" Sonic asked.
"Oh, right," Tails walked up to Joe and presented him with a breastplate.
Joe put it on and found it fit snugly. "Cool. So, I don't see any robots lying around. What am I gonna practice on?"
"Follow me," Tails said.
The fox led the group outside for some more space. He then pulled out a remote control and pressed some buttons, causing holograms of Eggman's robots to appear.
"You'll be practicing with these. That way you won't really get hurt if they land a hit on you."
Joe raised an eyebrow. "But then how do I hit them?"
"Simple. I programmed them to disappear when something solid passes through them," Tails explained.
Nodding, Joe took an improvised fighting stance. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Let's give him some space, everybody," Sonic said as they backed away.
The holo-bots advanced on Joe. One of the Bee bots fired an energy blast. Joe leapt away from the shot and threw a downward slash as he landed, dissipating a robot crab. Figuring at least a couple of holo-bots would try approaching him from behind, he spun around, swinging his blade. His hunch was correct, and his slash "destroyed" a couple more bots. Fixing his gaze on one of the Bee bots, Joe ran at it, hopping into the air and slashing it with his sword.
Taking a quick look around, he saw that there was just one Bee bot and one Moto-bug left. The last Bee bot fired a couple shots. Joe blocked one with his sword and dodged the other. He stomped on the Moto-bug and swiped at the Bee bot once more, and they were gone.
With all the holograms taken out, Joe took a second to rub his knee.
"Shouldn't have jumped around so much." He looked at the team. "How'd I do?"
"Pretty good," Sonic said. "There's still one left, though."
On cue, a new holo-bot materialized. This one was bulky, with treads in place of legs and a large eye instead of a face. It was as tall as two of him put together.
"You guys fight things like this?" Joe thought aloud.
"Sometimes, yeah," Sticks smiled. "No shame in quittin' now."
Joe frowned. "There kinda is."
He kept his gaze fixed on the giant bot as the hologram raised its fist and brought it down. Joe dodged it, leaping to the side and slashing his blade through it. Victorious, he waited for the holo-bot to dissipate.
When nothing happened, he spared a glance at Tails. "How come that didn't work?!"
"The real thing won't go down so easily," Tails replied. "You're gonna have to try harder!"
"Okay, fair enough." Joe looked the robot over as he dodged more hammer fists. He waited for the robot to throw another punch and seized his chance. He ran forward, only to immediately start staggering as the strain on his knee came back with a vengeance. Joe grit his teeth as he was forced to stop running. This allowed the final bot another chance to strike at him. The young man jumped, crudely landing on his side. He rolled over as the bot brought a fist down on where he'd been. Joe continued rolling, despite realizing he'd never win this way.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. Rather than rolling sideways as he dodged the fists, he rolled toward the holo-bot. Once he was close enough, he scrambled to his feet right in front of its treads. Before the bot could grab at him, he leapt up and thrust his sword right through its eye. That did the trick, and the bot faded away. "I'm dizzy now!" he shouted in victory.
"How'd you know to go for the eye?" Sonic asked, ignoring the odd choice of words.
Joe shrugged. "Well, I didn't see a weak spot, so I figured the face is usually a safe bet."
"Wise choice," Knuckles nodded as if that were sage advice.
"Well, I guess you pass," Sonic said. "Welcome aboard."
Joe smiled and tried not to swear in excitement. "So, what now? We just do whatever until Eggman attacks again?"
"More or less," Tails nodded. He walked over and handed Joe a communicator. "Here. Now we can contact you in an emergency."
Joe slipped the device onto his wrist. As soon as he did, he heard the sound of whirring motors heading their way. He looked up to see if more holo-bots had materialized, only to find himself face to face with the real thing as some of Eggman's robots arrived on the scene.
"Or the emergency could just come to us," Sonic muttered. "Time to show us what you got, rookie."
Joe nodded and readied his sword, and the battle began with uncharacteristic suddenness.
As the team fought, Amy remarked, "I don't see Eggman anywhere. Strange. He's usually around to comment on our battles."
Sticks knocked away a Bee bot with her boomerang. "Maybe he's stallin' us while he does somethin' else!"
Spin-dashing a few more bots, Sonic decided their course of action, "We'd better split up. Joe, you come with me."
"Why him?!" Sticks asked angrily.
"It's his first battle, remember? He should help with the main part of it," Sonic reasoned.
"I'm going too!" Knuckles declared. "I've gotta look out for my protégé!"
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you knew that word. Anyway, let's go!"
The three team members took off into town.
"Now, if I were Eggman, where would I go at a time like this?" asked Sonic.
"Probably somewhere important," Knuckles guessed. He started counting his fingers. "There's the public restroom, the local giftshop, the mayor's office—"
Joe and Sonic exchanged a glance. "Mayor's office?" Joe asked.
"Mayor's office," Sonic agreed.
"Did someone say mayor?"
The trio looked up to see Eggman floating down in his pod with a mouse man Joe had never seen before. This time, the pod was flanked by two small sidecars. In the cars were a pair of small robots, one red and one yellow.
"Ah, Sonic, still hanging with your new friend, I see."
"So this is the new human you mentioned, Doctor," the red bot said.
"Thank you for the observation, Orbot," Eggman said sarcastically before addressing Sonic once more. "Anyway, let's see how tough you are when I've got the mayor as a hostage.
Sonic kept his cool and taunted him, "What's wrong, Eggman? Afraid to fight me fair and square?"
"Why should I do that? I'm the bad guy, remember?" Eggman gloated. "Now, all bantering aside, do you surrender or not?" He held a laser pistol to the mayor's head. "Something might happen if you don't."
"This feels like a low-down move, even for you," Sonic frowned.
Eggman scoffed, "I have robots try to shoot you and your friends all the time. This isn't much of a—"
"Oh, child. Things are gonna get easier."
The sound of singing cut their conversation short. Everyone looked at Joe, who continued, "Oh, child, things'll get brighter."
"Why are you singing at a time like this?" Eggman asked.
"I'm distracting you," Joe grinned smugly.
Taking that as a cue to act, Knuckles grabbed Sonic and threw him at Eggman's pod. The hedgehog landed in the pod, grabbed the mayor, and leapt back down.
"Thanks, Sonic. Thanks, new human on the block. See you around!" the mayor said quickly before scurrying off to safety.
With the village leader safe, Sonic grinned, "Still wanna stick around now that your shield's gone?"
Eggman growled but decided to cut his losses.
Before he could leave, however, Joe called out to him, "Wait! Last time I saw you, you said you'd be doing research. Did you find out how I got here?"
"Not yet," the evil doctor replied.
"Why ask him?" Sonic wondered aloud. "I'm sure Tails can figure something out eventually."
"Oh, oh, I have an idea of how he got here!" the yellow robot in the pod said, raising his hand. "You said he got here around a week ago, right?"
"Yes, Cubot, I did. Your point?" Eggman asked.
"Well, I was trying to fix a toaster with a fork during a lightning storm that night. Could that be how he got here?" Cubot guessed.
Eggman, along with everyone else present, stared at Cubot in disbelief.
"Hmm, I want to dismiss that idea instantly and laugh in your face, but considering the kind of things we've seen, a part of me wants to consider it a possible explanation… Why were you trying to fix a toaster? You don't even eat!"
Cubot tilted his head. "Oh, right."
That made Eggman facepalm as he flew them away.
Joe slumped over a bit. "That's it? That's the best explanation we've got for how I ended up here?"
Finding himself too short to sling an arm over Joe's shoulder, Knuckles instead wrapped it around his waist. "Cheer up! At least you've got a new team to keep you company."
"Fair point," Joe conceded.
The rest of the team then conveniently arrived to regroup.
"What happened? Was he any help? Did he betray ya? Is he a spy after all?" Sticks asked rapidly.
"Calm down, Sticks. Nothing like that happened," Sonic said. He went on to explain what had gone down, "Eggman took the mayor hostage, but Joe distracted him by singing, giving me and Knuckles time to save him." He looked back at Joe. "You really pulled your weight today. I know I said it before, but welcome aboard. For real this time."
The hedgehog held out his hand. Joe looked at it for a second before smiling and shaking it. He was one of them now. Maybe this would work out after all.