For anyone wondering why I was gone for so long, I explain in a note at the end. I didn't want the readers to deal with a block of text before having to get to the story.

"What about Espio?" Silver asked as he leaned forward, eager to hear more. "What do you mean that Matrix 'found' him?"

In the agency's dimly lit office room, Vector and Silver sat in chairs on either side of the desk. Silver had pulled up a simple wooden chair to sit in front of the desk while Vector settled into the old, worn-down desk chair behind it.

Vector scratched his head in thought. "I think it was maybe…nearly four years ago? I'm a bit foggy on how exactly long ago it was. I just remember I was still in high school at the time. Matrix was working on a big case in that city I mentioned earlier, but he never really shared too many details with me 'bout it. All I know is that he stumbled upon Espio during a stakeout. Matrix found Espio traveling the city outskirts by himself. Since Espio was technically an unaccompanied minor, he had to stop him, I guess."

"But aren't Mobian kids usually allowed to travel alone during your time?" Silver interjected. "I've never seen anyone stop Sonic's friends."

In his own future, Silver being allowed to time travel was seen as a freedom that most Mobian kids his age didn't have. Silver figured standards tightened for most Mobian kids sometime later after Sonic's timeline.

Vector just gave a nonchalant shrug with his shoulders. "Well…Mobian kids ain't really supposed to wander around without adult supervision. But cops have a harder time catching those of us with superpowers, especially ones that can fly off like Tails or dash off like Sonic. We sorta give the kids more leeway with travelin' compared to humans, but I can't say our friend group is a good example of what's considered normal either. Plus, social services were overwhelmed with a buncha cases at that time, not that it's gotten much better since then. It would be hard for them to check on every kid that might be unsupervised. Cops also might lay off the young'uns that travel in a group or someone in their teens at least. Makes it easier to watch each other's backs if something happens."

Silver nodded. It helped him further understand why his friends, such as Sonic and Tails, were able to go on adventures without an adult stopping them all the time.

"I will also admit where ya live can affect how strict they are," Vector continued, leaning back in his chair. "A lot of times the more developed and 'modern' the town, the stricter they tend to be, which happens in a lot of Mobian-majority countries like ours. That city Matrix worked in was one 'em huge Mobian majority cities with a lot of people. Y'know, like skyscrapers and tons of other big city buildings. So more enforcement. On top of Espio being alone and out in the middle of nowhere, it was winter there at the time like most places around here would be. Tons of snow and everythin'" Vector mimed shivering like he was back in that city during winter.

Seaside City was one of the rare Mobian-majority locations that stayed warm all year round without experiencing winter. Although Mobian reptiles were better adapted to colder weather compared to non-Mobian reptiles, they still struggled after a certain point. Even the toughest Mobian mammals were not immune to extreme cold weather either.

Vector continued, "Anyway, that kinda weather is hard for even adults to survive, let alone a kid on his own. Somehow–I have no idea how–but Matrix convinced Espio to go with him to a nearby clinic. Matrix could be a smooth-talker when he wanted, you see. Was always good at getting people to like him."

'Probably runs in the family,' Silver thought admiringly but didn't want to interrupt again.

Vector continued, "As it turns out, Espio was trying to get to a local martial arts school with a sensei that was recommended to him. That sensei ran that school somewhere in that city. He was supposed to be some kinda well-known ninja master. Remember Matrix's childhood best friend that I mentioned before? The same guy that trained with Matrix growing up?"

Silver nodded so Vector would continue.

"Well, that friend recognized Espio, after Matrix picked Espio up. That friend occasionally worked with the local law enforcement as a consulting forensic psychologist, so it's not a stretch for Matrix and him to meet up at work. This friend also sometimes stopped by this one faraway martial arts school to help the instructor out, which was where he met Espio before. The partner did a lot of community service stuff, both nearby and even in places far away in his spare time. Now that I think about it, that friend and Espio never said the exact location of where they met, at least not that I personally heard. Maybe Matrix knew? Millie didn't seem to know for sure the last time I asked her, though I will admit that was a while ago. I always figured Dragon Kingdom for reasons I rather not bore ya with right now, and you likely already noticed various things like his weapons he carries."

Silver was aware and had noticed Espio's great interest in Dragon Kingdom when it came up in conversation at various points.

"I'm not sure, but that is a possibility," Silver chimed in. "Don't they share a border with Rainbow Valley now? I think that's why it's not uncommon for chameleons and other reptiles from Rainbow Valley to live in Dragon Kingdom, even in my timeline."

Rainbow Valley had diversity similar to where Sonic and his friends lived. However, it had a bigger reptile population than most places, especially chameleons.

"Makes sense," Vector said, rubbing his chin in thought. "I honestly never even met a chameleon until I met Espio. Only heard about them." Vector removed his hand from his chin and waved Silver off. "Anyway, the sensei was real sought after, so you had to prove yourself before bein' accepted into there. And there were also additional requirements for getting adopted by the sensei as one of his special students, which Espio was after. However, it also meant Espio had nowhere to live yet. Espio had no one he knew in the area except the master he was trying to see and, well, Matrix's best friend. I don't remember why, but Matrix didn't think it would be a good idea for Espio to stay with his friend. I'm guessing it was because that friend was a bachelor who was busy with his lots of charity projects all the time. I mean, he sometimes helped with youth stuff too, but Matrix and his wife had more actual experience with kids. Besides Charmy, I mean."

"'Besides Charmy'?" Silver repeated, confused.

"Remembered they're certified foster parents," Vector replied. "They've taken in a few other fosters before, but they were only temporary. At the time Espio showed up, the spare bedroom used for the fosters was available. After talking to Millie about it, Matrix invited Espio to stay with them. Of course, as you probably guessed from knowing Espio, he originally refused. Matrix felt bad for doing this, but he told Espio he needed a detective apprentice to help him out at work to keep the kid with his household. Espio likely caught on to the lie later, but let's keep that between us just in case. OK?"

"I get it," Silver agreed with a grin. "While I get it's not nice to lie, I guess Matrix wanted to keep Espio safe."

"You got it," Vector said. "Ya already know how Espio can be. Anyway, Matrix took Espio home once the kid got looked over at the clinic and some paperwork got filled out. I didn't meet him until a little later on. Espio stayed with Matrix and Millie for about a month, I think, before Matrix even mentioned him to me. The next day after Espio first got mentioned, Matrix took me to his house to finally introduce me to the kid."

Vector shook his head, letting out a nervous laugh. "Matrix thought I could reach him somehow, because of my age or something. I dunno. Bro gave me some spiel about how we were closer in age. Y'think it went well and we became buddies to this day, right?" Vector dramatically shrugged with his hands before Silver could respond to the question. "Nope. Lemme tell ya. Ya think Espio was rough around the edges now? Ya should've seen him when I met him. He was even more standoffish then. Gave me a killing glare during that visit. Kept his distance and his eyes on me. I'm not sure if it was my imagination—Espio was always good at hiding stuff—but I could've sworn I saw him hiding something shiny and sharp more than once. Espio didn't turn his back on me even when Matrix vouched for me either. If Espio's arm wasn't broken the first few times we met at Matrix's house, I would have been even more uneasy."

Silver flinched at Vector's words after processing them "Wait!" Silver exclaimed, staring at Vector with widened eyes. "His arm was broken, you said?"

Vector nodded solemnly. "Oh yeah, forgot to mention that part. His arm was in a cast at the time we met. It seems it happened just before Matrix found him if the doc who saw Espio was anything to go by. Of course, it got documented back when Matrix first found him. Kept social services from getting the wrong idea when Espio started livin' with him and Millie later."

"So how did it…" Silver trailed off from being in disbelief.

Vector let out a heavy sigh. "Never really found out. I asked Matrix later that day when he drove me home, but even he wasn't sure. All he told me was that the kid was covered in bruises and scrapes when he first found him. Espio didn't want to talk about it and Matrix didn't want to push him too hard. For all I know, he told Matrix and Millie or the cops later. I can only guess what happened to that poor kid before Matrix found him. Could only make guesses I couldn't prove."

"That's awful," Silver said.

Silver's mind raced with thoughts of what Espio must have endured for a couple of moments before he forced himself to stop. He didn't want to get more upset than he already was.

Vector nodded, his expression somber. "Yeah, it really was."

"If someone hurt Espio like that on purpose," Silver said with a glare, "I hope they got caught. Did Matrix mention anything else about that? Any arrests?"

Vector shook his head. "I dunno. I didn't want to pry too much when Espio already didn't like to talk about it with me. Like I said, Matrix only told me so much. I guess I never followed up on that as much as I could've. But, on a lighter note, Matrix and Mille took great care of him. He warmed up to them quickly, or at least as quickly as a kid like him could at the time. I can tell they did a good job. 'Course it took longer to get Espio to trust me more. Espio got used to me…eventually."

"Though I guess the one bad thing 'bout Espio getting comfortable with them quicker is that it made it easier for Espio to start pestering Matrix 'bout doing 'apprentice' stuff sooner. He started even back when he still had a broken arm." Vector shook his head. "Matrix was hoping he'd forget about it. Or at least wait until he was healed up first. After a bunch of good ol' Espio Insistence, Matrix pretended some basic chores around the house were grunt work for Espio as an apprentice. Mostly little stuff like helping with sorting some mail, getting ingredients needed as Millie cooked, and putting away small stuff that fell to the floor, mostly when Charmy flew into something again. They weren't trying to trick him into doing their work or nuthin'. It's just Espio seemed to worried 'bout wanting to earn his keep, especially back then. I'm willing to bet wherever he came from made him nervous 'bout that kinda thing. Matrix had assigned those tasks more to keep Espio from getting antsy, second-guessing the whole arrangement, and trying to run away or somethin'. Or maybe Matrix wanted to distract him from doing actual detective work. Maybe both? Whatever."

"Problem is that Espio took initiative and did things Matrix didn't even ask. Such as sweeping and mopping the floors when everyone went to bed. That later turned into him hardcore cleaning the house overnight, usually when Matrix was out working late and not there to stop him, and Mille and Charmy were already in bed. One time, the kid even cleaned every window in the house, cast and all, while everyone was away. Millie was coming back from an errand with Charmy and 'bout to get him out of his car seat when Charmy pointed up behind her. She looked and spotted Espio hanging on the side of the house, scrubbing a second-story window with a rag in one hand and a bucket held by his tail. Nearly gave poor Millie a panic attack. At the time, they didn't know he could stick to walls. I will admit Millie and I didn't know much about chameleons back then. I mean, besides them having long tongues and having some sorta camouflage ability."

Silver felt stuck between wanting to stop holding back his laugh and feeling bad for Millie.

Vector absentmindedly tapped his fingers on the desk a few times before proceeding. "Matrix likely knew more about chameleons than us at the time since he went to Rainbow Valley a buncha times. Those are stories for another time. Well, anyway, back to the window incident. Espio was already finishing up with cleaning when Millie showed up. Espio didn't get in trouble or nothin', but Matrix and Millie banned him from doing any climbing stuff until his arm healed up more. Not that I blamed them."

Vector chuckled, shaking his head. "After his arm healed and he passed a couple of physical tests there, Espio started attending classes at that martial arts school that famous ninja master was running. You sorta had to keep passing some tests to earn more training there, which meant that Espio only had so much training there during the week, especially at first. The classes were only at certain times and days of the week. In hindsight, it let Espio get some regular schooling done due to this schedule. Although Espio was already doing fine in that academics stuff 'cause the program he was in gave him flexibility, which I'll likely mention more later."

"As the days went by, the kid having more free time on his hands made it easier for him to stew over it all. So he got more insistent about doing more apprentice stuff. Once again, Matrix reluctantly pretended some basic chores were that. Wasn't good enough for Espio, though."

"At some point, Espio secretly trailed Matrix during some cases. Despite Matrix being perceptive–what with him being a great detective and all–Espio was very skilled at staying unnoticed. I'm not even sure how many times Espio managed to sneak in on Matrix like that before this one incident happened. One day, Matrix went to meet a secret informant at a warehouse on the bad side of town for a case. Well, as you probably guessed–"

"Oh, geez…" Silver said, trailing off when he realized he interrupted. "Let me guess. He got jumped?"

"Well, kinda," Vector replied. "As soon as Matrix walked in the warehouse, the doors got slammed shut and a buncha thugs came out from hiding in the building. Turns out the informant was being threatened into helping some bad dudes or else they'd kill him. Before you judge Matrix for going in alone, he did have backup hiding outside that building. It's just the goons involved were well-organized. Even managed to quietly take out the backup while Matrix went inside to talk to the guy. Honestly surprised the cops helping him survive those attacks. They had to stay in the hospital for a while after that. I guess Matrix managed to save them. His luck sometimes extends to those closest to him, if you catch my drift. Sure, he got himself into trouble every now and then, so someone not in the mood to do much work that day might avoid teaming up with him. But he usually had more coworkers wanting to be close to him in case things did go sideways or for those looking for a bit of excitement on the job. He's saved me and our friends and family from plenty of scrapes thanks to his luck too many times to count."

"Wait," Silver asked. "What do you mean he saved you and–"

"Look, I get you're curious," Vector said, raising his hand to stop Silver from interrupting. "But if I let us get side-tracked with all the stories 'bout Matrix involving all our friends, family, or even me, we would be here all day. Gotta shelve that convo for now."

"Sorry," Silver sheepishly said, embarrassed he nearly derailed the conversation.

"It's no prob," Vector said, waving Silver off. "Just didn't want to go too off track then get too tired to finish the main story. Let's just say Matrix's luck can transfer over to people sometimes and leave it at that for now."

Vector paused, rubbing his chin and looking lost in thought. "Anyway, where was I?" Vector snapped his fingers. "Oh, right. So, as I was saying, Matrix got trapped in that warehouse, outnumbered and outgunned. Espio had been tailing him the whole time and saw him go in the warehouse.

The front doors were quickly shut behind him Matrix, preventing Espio from following further. Those goons outside who had attacked Matrix's backup also kept Espio busy for a bit. But even at such a young age, Espio knew his ninja stuff. After those goons were taken care of, I think Espio snuck in through a broken window out back on the second floor. By the time Espio got in, Matrix already got caught in a shootout with the guys that tried to jump him. Luckily, Matrix had found cover behind some metal crates, but he was still pinned down. With all the machine guns pointed at him, Matrix couldn't get a clear shot back."

"They had machine guns too!?" Silver exclaimed, leaning forward intently.

"Well, at least they didn't have grenade launchers. Matrix had to deal with those more than he would like."

Silver shook his head in disbelief. "Chaos..."

Vector barely held back a laugh from seeing Silver's bewildered expression. Vector, who was used to Matrix's shenanigans, sometimes got reminded of how unusual they were when he told other people about them. Growing up with Matrix just made them normal for Vector.

Vector decided to continue to avoid getting too distracted. "Even though Matrix was always a good shot, he was pinned. It's hard to shoot back if everyone's focused on just you and you don't got much cover. At least all that mayhem allowed Espio to slip by unnoticed. And being able to go invisible likely helped him out too. Once Espio got to the other side of the room, he got the drop on them. It happened so fast that Matrix hardly processed it at the time. There were noises, sure, but it took him a little while to figure out what happened."

While Espio was probably more skilled now than he was in the past at the time of Vector's story, Silver wasn't surprised how swiftly Espio dispatched those guys. Espio was known as one of the fastest members in their group of friends, only topped by extreme cases like Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog. Whenever Silver and Espio fought together, especially in a large-scale battle, Silver's eyes struggled to keep track of Espio's swift movements. With his precision and speed, Espio could defeat most opponents with just a few swift strikes as he darted past them, looking like a blur of violet to onlookers.

Vector continued, "Things goin' all quiet alerted Matrix that something happened. He left his hiding spot and saw that the other guys were all unconscious or tied up with some rope that happened to be lying around in the warehouse. That chaos didn't keep Matrix from spotting Espio trying to sneak off, though. Like I said before, Matrix was always perceptive. Maybe those martial arts classes Bro took growing up made it easier to notice a ninja? Who knows." Vector gave a quick shrug.

"Uh oh…" Silver said, trying to hold back a nervous giggle. The psychic didn't mean to laugh. He just felt nervous imagining Espio getting harshly scolded.

"It wasn't as bad as ya'd think," Vector quickly said. "I don't think Matrix yelled at him or nothin'. Just had an honest talk with him while they waited for more cop backup to arrive and clean up the mess. Despite his random luck streaks, Matrix always had this cool demeanor, you know? Likely another reason Espio respected him so much."

"Dunno what all they talked 'bout, but somehow–I'm not sure if it happened then or after more talking later– they came to a compromise. Espio got to occasionally shadow Matrix during a case if his boss was all right with it. But Matrix had the final say on which ones Espio got to come on. I guess, in the end, Espio got that unofficial apprentice job like he wanted. I was real jealous when I found out that kid got to join Matrix as a detective, official or not, before even me."

"Wait, what!?" Silver exclaimed. "I figured…"

Vector chuckled. "Sure, I only occasionally got to go with Matrix on stuff, but he was picky 'bout which adventures I came on. Even before he became a cop. I guess part of it was the age difference between him and me, which likely made him nervous about taking me along for a while. I also was still in high school when Espio showed up, and Matrix wanted me to focus on my studies until I finished. He also knew I was seriously considering college at the time too. While I wasn't exactly flunking, I was nowhere near book-smart like Matrix was at my age. And Espio, somehow, was already in a fast-paced school program that put him years ahead of his peers, even before Matrix found him, so the kid didn't have much to worry 'bout in that department. Espio absorbs all that knowledge stuff like water and a sponge as long as I've known him."

Silver had seen Espio speed-read his fair share of books, both baffling and impressing Silver each time. Espio kept his fair share of books he could neatly cram into a shelf that took up an entire wall in his room, so Silver wasn't fully surprised about his reading interests. Espio even used his mastery of various languages to help Silver with foreign language homework during some of Silver's recent visits.

With his new memories, Silver now had a childhood filled with education. Silver found himself picking up books more often, not just for school but for leisure as well. Silver wasn't as much of a bookworm as Blaze or Espio by any means, but he valued knowledge, learning, and literature in general, especially after experiencing timelines where they were considered luxuries.

Silver's ears perked up in surprise. "So Espio found time to do detective stuff while also going to regular school?" Silver asked.

"Yep," Vector replied, "Matrix and Espio would know more about that school program than me, so I can't answer much about that. All I know was that the program Espio was in let him have a flexible schedule that let him do a lotta his work online. Luckily, the city where they lived had better internet access compared to other Mobian cities at the time, making it easier for him to work online."

Silver had to remind himself again that Internet-related technology was still in the middle of major improvements in various Mobian-majority areas during this time period. "That's really cool that the program gave him flexibility," Silver said. "I bet it kept Espio busy a lot."

Vector shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his gaze briefly cast down on the desk. "I will admit I got a bit jealous that this random kid got to join Matrix for cases even though I had been around a while. To Matrix's credit, he did try to work with me more around the time Espio started joining him. Though I didn't really start being part of his team until after I proved myself on a few cases. I also guess it doesn't help that Matrix would have to deal with our folks if I got hurt or something. Matrix did mention our parents worried about me getting injured and ruining my school sports stuff. He even talked me out of quitting sports to do more cases with him, saying I needed the chance to develop as my own type of detective like he did. So I knew he at least didn't give up on me or nothin'. I will admit I was still...irritated, what with me being a hot-head teen at the time. I don't think I did a very good job hiding how I felt, now that I think about it."

Silver nodded, guessing how Vector could have felt left out. "Yeah," he said, nodding. "maybe Matrix believed in you and wanted you to succeed in your way?"

"Yeah," Vector muttered, "I guess it just took me a while to see that. And I did eventually find my place on the team, once I proved myself. I also now know, in hindsight, that Matrix already had to deal with his superiors for Espio to be allowed. If Espio wasn't such an escape artist on top of being a good fighter, I wonder if Matrix would have let Espio come along in the first place. Maybe Espio played a small part in me getting more cases too since Matrix wanted to be fair? Hard to say. It worked out, so I don't have a grudge toward either of them. Whatever. That's that. So Espio got to be the first Chaotix member under Matrix, then I became the member I am today."

Silver smiled, impressed by Vector's ability to reflect on the past and see things in a different light. It was something he still struggled with at times, even as previous traumatizing timelines faded from his memory. "It sounds like you all worked together to make the team stronger," he said. "And that's what matters."

Vector nodded, feeling a sense of pride. "We definitely did," he agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. The Chaotix are more than just a team, we're a family. We've been through so much together, and it's made us stronger. Espio fit right into our family. I guess Matrix finding and taking him in helped us all. Matrix's good luck streak likely played a part in finding him and setting everythin' into motion. At least that's what I like to think."

"So Espio was going to school normally online," Silver said, using his fingers to keep track, "worked as an unofficial detective apprentice, and…oh yeah, he went to a martial art school too. Geez, he must've been crazy busy."

Siver wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he noticed Vector's fingers drummed a frantic beat on the desk when he mentioned the martial arts school.

"Espio was real busy," Vector agreed. "But Matrix and Millie made sure he didn't push himself too hard. At least as well as they could with a guy like Espio. They made sure he had time to rest, unwind, and just be a kid. It wasn't easy, but they were determined to provide him with a well-rounded upbringing."

"He managed to do so much at a young age." Silver fidgeted in his seat. "Here I am just going to school with just OK grades."

"Now, Kid, don't think like that," Vector said. "You already went through enough. You more than earned a normal life. And let's not forget about Espio and his tendency to be ambitious with his goals, even to a fault."

Silver couldn't deny Vector was right. Espio tended to overwork himself to reach his own high expectations. Silver had seen it so many times while watching Espio train, do chores around the house, and even just keep a thriving garden right behind the agency. It was something Silver always admired about Espio. However, at times, it also made Silver worry about Espio. Especially recently.

A random thought hit Silver, something he nearly forgot. "Hey, speaking of the martial arts thing…" Silver started to ask. "There's something I've been wondering. A while ago, you said Espio went to a martial arts school for an adoption spot. But he never mentioned that to me. What happened with that? Is he…is he still trying to get in?"

As soon as Vector's eyes narrowed and his jaw tensed, Silver could feel a shift in the air. The room, once relaxed and friendly, now held a sense of unease and tension.

Your support means the world to me, and I'm grateful for each and every one of you.

General Chapter Notes:

Even though they're rebooted for this story, which mainly takes place in the gameverses, I borrow a few locations from the Archie comics.

Espio technically being the first Chaotix member is a slight reference to how he was in the Archie comics where he was a detective before the rest of the group. He also seems to be the first character explicitly referred to as a detective in the Knuckles Chaotix game in the Japanese handbook (for various reasons, it's not canon to this fanfic).

Espio being able to easily help Silver with his language homework is a reference to Espio knowing 17 different languages according to Tails in Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Note Regarding Absence:

To be completely honest, 2022 was a challenging year for me because a series of unexpected economic hardships and other personal reasons kept me from updating most of 2022. Even when things started to get better for me in late 2022, I started developing health problems around that time, which had been giving me symptoms until now. Although there's been a lot of progress and I have been doing better, the doctors are still figuring out what's wrong with me. Dealing with these issues, especially the struggle to get a proper diagnosis for a persistent health condition, took up a lot of my time and energy.

When I finally was able to return to writing, I realized I also wasn't happy with some chapters I had already written for this fic but hadn't published yet. I decided to overhaul them significantly to meet my own standards, which further delayed my progress.