Author's Note: The song featured here is a parody of Tip and Dash from Little Mermaid 2.

Benson took point in leading his friends through the city streets. Most of Kipo Underground didn't know where he was taking them, so they were unsure of what laid ahead.

"Uh, Benson," Kipo said, "Are you ever going to tell us who you're taking us to meet?"

"Yeah." Sonic said. "All you said about them is that they're detectives. What do you mean by that?"

"Guys, it's all about the journey, not the destination." Benson said. "Ah! Here we are!" Benson stopped in front of an apartment building. There was a wooden sign on the front door that Tails read aloud.

"TCA? What does that mean?"

"Team Chaotix Agency." Benson said.

Manic chuckled. "Oh, man. I can't believe we're going to see those guys again."

"I know. Those guys are a riot." Dave agreed.

"We're going to need some context please." Sonia said.

"Right." Benson said. "Team Chaotix is a trio of detective mutes. People from all over Las Vistas hire them for the most baffling of mysteries for them to solve."

"In a ruined world where everyone's only in it for themselves?" Wolf asked. "Who cares about that?"

"You'd be surprised." Manic said. "We came here once a couple of years ago after Benson's music player went missing."

"Turns out," Benson continued, "It was taken by some giant mute bats who thought it was an alien communicator. Thankfully, these guys managed to get it returned to me in one piece."

"And how is this supposed to help us?" Wolf asked.

"Well, there are a billion variables about the situation that we can't put together." Benson said. "The Oracle. The prophecy. The hedgehogs. Scarlemagne. Kipo's burrow. The Mega Monkey. The Freedom Fighters. There's no way we can figure out where to go next with all this. So I was thinking, maybe we can go to them for a lead."

"And you trust them?" Tails asked.

"Of course. If there's anything I know, it's that these guys are professionals."

Benson gently knocked on the door, but it slightly opened. Curious, the kids went into the apartment building and found an entire office there. It was messy with papers all around the different types of furniture, including the couch where the crocodile mute slept. He had on a golden chain necklace and a black set of headphones.

"Is that…" Kipo asked.

"Yep. That's Vector. He's the leader of the group."

Mandu snorted before hopping up on Vector's chest. She sniffed at his snout before giving it a little lick which made him giggle. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Mandu's four eyes staring right at him. One second of staring later, Vector yelled out in panic and jumped off.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

Suddenly, a bee mute with a black helmet and a black jacket buzzed in as fast as a bullet. He carried a golf club and held it like a weapon.

"WHAT IS IT, VECTOR?!" the bee yelled out.

"CHARMY, A FOUR-EYED MONSTER JUST JUMPED ON ME!" Vector yelled.

"VECTOR, CALM DOWN!" Benson cried out as he picked up Mandu. "Look! It's just Mandu! She wouldn't hurt a fly!"

The two took a moment to calm down before finally taking a breath. Vector looked at the human boy with a pondering look on his face.

"Wait. Let me see if I… Benson, right?"

"Yes." Benson said. "And you remember Dave and Manic. And these are my other friends: Kipo, Wolf, Sonic, Sonia, and Tails. And you already met Mandu."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you." Vector said. "Vector the Crocodile, Private Eye. So what brings you back here, Benson? Did those pesky bats take your music box again?"

"Nah. We lost them." Benson said. "Actually, we need your help with a different case."

Charmy couldn't help but notice that Kipo was staring at him. "Uh… Hi?"

"Sorry. It's just that I ran into… Well, are you by any chance a Dubstep Bee?"

Charmy widened his eyes and responded with a very nervous tone. "Uh, no. Nope, nope, nope. Just a normal mute bee. There are lost of those. No need to ask anymore. Anyway, we can't help you guys right now."

"What?" Sonic asked. "Why not?"

"Well, believe it or not, we've got our hands full with another case." Vector said.

"What kind of… WHOA!" Kipo cried out. She looked at a desk chair at the far end of the office and admired the black jacket that hanged on it. It had spikes sticking out of the arm sleeves. "That looks so cool! Think I can have it?"

"No way, Jose." Vector responded pushing Kipo away from his desk. "I need it for my disguise kit."

"Disguise kit?" Sonic asked.

"You think detectives only look through magnifying glasses and think?" Vector asked. "Partly, but we need to get into some places we wouldn't normally be welcome. This jacket is to help us get into Scooter Skunk territory. I've even got my own aroma to imitate them." He pulled out a small spray bottle and sprayed it into the air.

Kipo took a whiff of the fragrance in the air and gagged instantly. "What's in that? Ammonia?"

"Ammo-what?" Charmy asked.

"Ammonia." Kipo repeated. "It's a foul-smelling gas."

"That's a Word-of-the-Day calendar word, kid." Vector said.

"Well, Kipo is pretty smart." Manic said. "I'd say she's smarter then all of us combined."

Suddenly, Vector's eyes widened in an instant. He rubbed his chin with a smile on his face. "Smart, huh? You know, I think we can come to an arrangement."

"We can?" Charmy asked.

"Yes, Charmy. We could use them for our case. You get that, wise guy?" Vector's name for him somehow made Charmy tear up. He then bawled out a large spray of water from his eyes crying his lungs out. "Hey. Don't cry."

One second, Charmy kept crying. And the next, he stopped suddenly and smiled again. "Okay."

"Now, where's Espio?" Vector asked.

"He's over there." Charmy pointed at a wall. A purple chameleon mute with a horn on his face sat there in a meditative state.

"What's he doing?" Sonia asked.

"Meditating." Benson said. "Believe it or not, that guy's an actual ninja."

"I still say he's just sleeping." Dave said.

Vector and Charmy walked up to him. The crocodile had a peppermill in his hand which he then used to drop flakes of pepper right at Espio's face. Just a few sprinkles was enough for the chameleon to sneeze back to being awake. He shook his head while his companions laughed.

"Can't you just get an alarm clock?" Espio asked.

"All hands on deck, Espio." Vector said. "We may have a solution to our little road block."

Espio raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

Vector turned to Kipo Underground and chuckled confidently.

"What's he doing?" Kipo asked.

"I don't know." Benson said. "But I'm kinda nervous."

Wolf readied her weapon in hiding.

"Well, here's the sitch." Vector said. "My team and I are working on a case. It kinda takes top priority, but the problem is we've hit kind of an obstacle we've yet to get around. But maybe you guys can help. You help us, and we might just get to your case."

"How can we help?" Sonic asked. "And what kind of case are you working on?"

"One that was given to us by Arbor." Vector replied.

"What?" Kipo asked. "As in the Freedom Fighters' leader, Arbor? He actually talked to you?"

"Not exactly." Charmy said.

"We came to the office three days ago and found a letter from Arbor sitting on Vector's desk." Espio elaborated. "It had the details of the case and even a down payment."

"And we have a policy. Never turn down work that pays." Vector said.

"Unless it's Scarlemagne who's paying." Charmy said.

"Yeah, that's true." Vector said. "We have standards, and we don't want that jerk's dirty money. Anyway, we were hired to investigate… the Newton Wolves."

Wolf widened her eyes and clutched her staff tightly.

"What are Newton Wolves?" Kipo asked.

"I've heard of them." Sonia said. "They're probably the smartest wolves in Las Vistas. They look at the stars, share theories, and like any other wolf, they hunt."

"They're dangerous." Wolf commented angrily.

"We know all that." Vector said. "But as we looked into them, we discovered that the observatory where they operated was functioning at full power."

"I've used my skills to get a closer look." Espio said. "From what I could tell, this new surge of power has something to do with a recent transaction. Something was delivered to the wolves by Scarlemagne's Nobles. I was about to go in for a closer look, but I couldn't mask my scent from those dogs."

"And that's where we hit our road block." Vector said. "We can't get anywhere close to the observatory without the wolves sniffing us out."

"So how can we help?" Kipo asked.

"Well, if we can't sneak past those wolves, we might as well play on their own terms." Vector said. "If you, Kipo, are as smart as your friends say you are, then you might just be the key to us being welcome into the observatory."

"Makes sense." Espio said. "The one thing the wolves love more than hunting is sharing knowledge. Kipo, how much of science do you know?"

Sonic chuckled. "You've never met Kipo, have you?"

"Absolutely not!" Wolf protested. "The Newton Wolves are too dangerous! They can't be trusted!"

"Uh, huh." Dave said. "I think someone's still holding a grudge against the wolf that she's wearing." Wolf tightened her hood.

"Wait, that was a real wolf?" Charmy asked slightly freaked out.

"Look, Wolf, I understand you have some mysterious grudge against wolves," Kipo said, "But this might be our only chance to find my people."

Wolf was really, really reluctant, but she gave in. "Fine. But first, we need to prepare."

"Awesome!" Charmy cheered. "Hey, guys! Can we sing our song now?"

"You better not." Wolf threatened.

"Why not?" Vector answered his bumbling friend. "It is our turn after all.

Vector:

Combing the ground. Searching for clues

So much to gain and so much to lose

Hunting the crooks who must pay their dues

Let justice prevail

Espio:

Though, we don't have a jail

Vector:

From the legacy of Holmes and Poirot

If there's a mystery out there, we will know

Any case, big or small

We'll solve it all

With no mistake

Charmy:

Just after my snack break

Team Chaotix:

The Team Chaotix Agency

Detectives like no other

The Team Chaotix Agency

Detectives like no other

We're on the case

So clear the space

There's loads we must discover

We'll gladly solve any mystery

The Team Chaotix Agency

Vector:

We're the detectives you want on your side

The bad guys can run, but not hide

Espio:

We'll lend a hand to humans and mutes always

Charmy:

Just remember, we never turn down work that pays

Vector:

Ask and we'll do our best to answer

Any secret will be revealed for sure

Give us a case to crack

We have got your back

The game is on

Espio:

We'll win

Charmy:

Or be gone

Team Chaotix:

THE TEAM CHAOTIX AGENCY

DETECTIVES UNLIKE ANY OTHER

WE'RE ON THE CASE

SO CLEAR THE SPACE

THERE'S LOADS WE MUST DISCOVER

VECTOR, ESPIO, AND CHARMY

THE TEAM CHAOTIX AGENCY

IF THERE'S A CASE, GET US INVOLVED

THEN YOU CAAAAAAN… CONSIDER IT SOOOOOOOOLVED

"Okay." Wolf said once she and the others were alone in the forest. "Now that their stupid song is done, let's get started. Listen. Wolves hunt isolated prey. If we want to survive this, we'll need to think like a pack and act like a pack. We'll need to be a pack."

"Got it." Kipo said.

"What's first?" Sonic asked.

The first lesson Wolf taught involved tying all their wrists together moving in synchronization.

"Pack rule #1: move in unison or die."

Wolf lead the others across a log bridge and stopped. The sudden stop made Dave trip in the back, which in turn made everyone in front of him trip.

After that, Wolf put a blindfold over Dave's eyes and set him next to Mandu.

"Pack rule #2: listen to each other. Okay, pig. One squeal means jump. Two is duck."

"Huh?" Dave asked.

Immediately, Wolf used her staff to bat a rock right at Dave. Mandy squealed as her instructions, but Dave got all of them wrong. He kept getting hit with each rock that Wolf threw.

"Is that a foul ball or a foul rock?" Manic asked.

Wolf then brought Kipo to the trunk of a tree with Benson holding his arms behind her.

"Pack rule #3: no matter what, watch each other's backs."

Benson was ready to catch Kipo, but that was when Dave came out with an apple in his hand.

"Guys! I found a single apple!" He then proceeded to eat it whole.

"DAVE!" Benson yelled forgetting to catch Kipo as she fell.

"Well, I can always count on him for a hand." Sonic said.

After that, everyone gathered back to Wolf who gave the last lesson.

"And finally, pack rule #4: follow your alpha. An alpha leads and speaks for the pack. The Newton Wolves will only address our alpha. That's just how wolves work."

"And in this case, the alpha is Kipo." Espio said. "But Vector, I just realized a big hole in our plan."

"Nonsense." Vector said confidently. "My plan is flawless. The Newton Wolves will meet us and…"

"And chase us out as soon as they recognize us." Espio said. "They know you, me, and Charmy are snooping on them. As soon as they notice us, our cover's going to be blown."

"Oh." Vector said suddenly realizing his flaw. "My bad."

"Don't worry." Kipo said. "How about we go in, find out what they're up to, and then come back to tell you?"

"That sounds fair." Charmy said.

"All right." Vector said. "I expect a full detailed report to give Arbor."

"There's another problem." Tails said. "It's about Wolf. Won't the Newton Wolves be onto us as soon as they notice her hood and poisonous staff?"

"No!" Wolf said refusing to remove her hood. "No way! If that's a problem, I won't go! I hate wolves anyway."

"But you have a pack." Kipo said. "You have us."

Wolf shifted her eyes and stayed silent for a while. In a minute, she gave in and removed her hood. She placed it and her staff into the knothole of a tree in a clearing.

"One more thing that I just remembered." Tails said. "We're gonna have to leave one of the hedgehogs behind."

"What?" Sonia asked. "Why?"

"If these wolves actually are loyal to Scarlemagne, then they'll capture us as soon as they see the three hedgehog kids that he's looking for. I say we leave someone behind to look after Wolf's gear until we get back."

"Eh. That's a good point." Sonic said. "Well, I'm going with you guys to see the wolves in case you need a quick getaway."

"And I'm not staying out here in the forest." Sonia said. "It's dirty."

"Guess that just leaves me." Manic said. "No prob. I can practice my drumming."

"Okay then." Wolf said. "We know the rules of a pack. We've covered all our bases. Now, let's go find these wolves."

"Good luck!" Vector called out to them as soon the team moved on toward the observatory. "You're gonna need it!"