The Fox and the Mechanic

Part 2

The duo caught up to the area where Ratchet had found Clank. To their luck, they found the kid, but came across a startling sight. A group of four Horny Toads were approaching the child as he struggled to move fearfully. No matter how hard he tried to get away, he just couldn't move. Perhaps he is severely injured? Knowing that he was bound to get hurt, he shut his eyes tight and buried his face in his knees.

...But miraculously, he instead heard a powerful swipe. He felt no presence of the hostile Horny Toads. He then heard...

"Hey, are you OK?"

It was a teen's voice. But not just any teen's voice; it was that same teen's voice.

Opening his ebony eyes, the child gradually looked up to whoever saved him, but was swiftly about to back up when he saw him. "No! Please don't hurt me... I didn't do anything, I swear!"

Ratchet slightly put his hands up in defense. "Whoa, whoa. I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

The kid isn't too simpleminded. He couldn't buy it, though on the inside, he could possible have. "H...how do I know you're not...lying? You ambushed me!"

Ratchet gingerly knelt down in front of him, wondering how he could calm him down. "Hey, calm down. It's OK. I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I promise. I won't do it again."

The Lombax was about to expect him to doubt even more. Turns out, the child grew a small reassured grin on his face. He did have a point. After all, he did save him.

"What's your name, sport?" he then heard Ratchet ask.

"Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails." (Precisely, the child is known as Classic Tails, the past version of his modern self.)

"Nice," Ratchet replied. "Are you from around here, Tails?"

Classic Tails shook his head. "Nope."

"Well, can you at least tell me what you are?"

"...A fox."

The word repeated in Ratchet's head. A fox... Never heard of or seen one. He snapped back to reality when he heard...

"And you?"

"Oh, I'm something called a Lombax."

"Do you know how you arrived here, Tails?" from Clank, who was not too far behind. Ratchet must've forgotten that the little robot was there with him.

Classic Tails inhaled, then he began:

"Well, you see, I'm from another universe. Me and my friend had just come back from another friend of ours' birthday party. I'd decided to take a little vacation at an island I used to stay at. I was exhausted from the event that had recently happened back there. I took a little walk in the forest when I found something so mysterious, yet so intriguing. It was an Emerald, a Chaos Emerald, or at least I thought it was. I was going to take it to my lab, but then everything went all white and sucked me into a wormhole, and then I ended up here on this planet.

"I was then found and taken into an orphanage where..." in turn, Classic Tails began to sniffle. "where..." he couldn't utter it. Tears gradually welled in his eyes.

Ratchet noticed the child's tearstained face. "What's wrong?"

Classic Tails tried pulling himself together. "Everyone made fun of me. I was being shoved here and there, and I knew why they were making fun of me. They were pulling my tails. I couldn't believe it happened to me again. Even the caretaker was inconsiderate enough to hate me. I just knew it. So I snuck out and ran away one late night.

"I was out here for days looking for a place to stay until I found you tinkering and building your ship one day. But I didn't want to surprise you, so I hid somewhere and watched you. Then you went out to the crash site and I followed you there, and then back to your home after you found that bot. I heard you guys were teaming up to find who you were looking for. Then those guys came. They didn't look friendly. And then you left and I hid somewhere else.

"I was scared. I thought everything will be destroyed in a matter of time, especially when more of them came. Then you guys came back. I was so glad to see you again, and I followed you like last time. You were so incredible when you defeated that leader, but then you fell. I was going to help you, but I didn't want to surprise or alarm you or anything. And then you found me."

Ratchet and Clank were shocked by some of the things they heard from Classic Tails. What really concerned Ratchet was the fact that the young fox was made fun of because of his...tails? That just doesn't make any sense. He looked over to his two tails. Constantly swaying up and down, in a repetitive pattern. "You know, I doubt that you look ridiculous with those tails of yours. I mean why would those culprits make fun of you for that? This world is full of extraterrestrials you can think of," as he smiled.

Classic Tails returned the smile with regained confidence. "That's what I thought so, too."

"Wait, but don't your species have two tails like you as well?"

"Um...apparently not. They typically have only one, and I guess I'm the only one with two instead of one."

"Wow, I'm impressed," Ratchet admitted. There's just something peculiar about this kid that reminded so much of himself. He has such wisdom for a kid at his age, he thought, while also reminding himself that he, too, has such wisdom, in engineering since he was a child.

"Do you have anyone who looks after you? Like...I don't know, your parents at least, so that you could find your home sooner?"

Classic Tails's face fell as he heard this. Ratchet quickly noticed it. "I should've known. You really are an orphan." The young fox gazed at the concerned Lombax in defeat. The other would've thought that the kid could be a lucky one, unlike him, but that wasn't the case. Instead, he is an orphan, perhaps an unlucky one just like him.

"You are just like me," Ratchet then said.

Classic Tails gave him a questioning look.

"I am an orphan myself, too. Look, I've been alone on this planet for years. I don't know where I came from to this day, and I've always wanted to explore somewhere to get a better sight of this whole world, right until when Clank crashed into my life."

Classic Tails felt like chuckling at that. These two seem to be best friends from the looks of it.

"...So it's best that you come stay with us for a while."

The young two-tailed fox locked his eyes on to the emerald eyes of Ratchet.

"Look, I know we just met, but I can't just leave you alone out here. You need someone to look after and accompany you." He looked back at Clank who was still watching, then turned back. Something shone in the fox's ebony eyes as he gazed up at Ratchet's innocent emerald green eyes. Green eyes that reminded him of a certain someone he knew. "Th...thank you so much!"

"Then let's go," Ratchet said. "It's getting late."

"Wait!" the duo heard Classic Tails called out. "You haven't told me your names, yet!" as he got up.

"Oh! I'm Ratchet, and this is Clank. We were actually heading to my home. C'mon."

Classic Tails felt a slightly sharp pain on his left leg, letting out a small cry as he took a step. Ratchet rushed to help him up. "Whoa, you OK there, Tails?"

Then he stared at the other's left leg. "Your leg is bleeding! I'll patch it up when we get to my home, alright?"

Classic Tails nodded, as Ratchet warmly gave him a piggyback ride. "C'mon, Clank! Let's head over to my garage!" as the three took off, with the night sky transitioning from dark red to a dark, general nighttime blue.