N/N continues to walk with radar in his hand, his trying to find the other emerald that seems to be nearby not focusing in anything else, which will lead to a very perfect time to-

"Gah!"

"oh! I'm sorry!"

N/N stumbled back dropping his radar and accidentally stepping on it crushing it.

N/N look and sees the radar broken which made him pissed.

"wait, Knuckles?" N/N heard the one who hit him, he look and sees a armidillo with red shell wearing a sidebag and blue eyes starring at him.

N/N glared at him tightening his fists ready to punch his jaw.

"for the last time, i. Am. Not. Knuckles!" he yelled out in pure frustration, not only his annoyed by it his radar is now broken, the radar that Eggman made just for him is now broken and his very not happy about it.

"woah woah, alright I'm sorry calm down" said the armidillo backing away with his hands up.

N/N just glared at him angrily soon he tried to calm down, he isn't in a best mood right now.

"and sorry for calling you that, it's just that i didn't know there's another echidna around " said the armidillo causing N/N to raise a brow.

"another echidna? There's no echidnas around?" asked N/N which the armidillo nod.

"well my friend says his the last one of his species, well at least he think he is" said the armidillo putting a hand on his waist while the other on his chin.

N/N was about to speak but stops when he felt a chaos energy very nearby, he tried to find where it came from making him to look around.

Only to stop when his eyes lay on the armidillo's sidebag.

"hey you okay?" asked the armidillo as N/N keep starring at his sidebag.

'...it's in there..' he thought before looking at armidillo, he narrowed his eyes and nodded.

He have to get that emerald...but how?

Then a idea pop inside of his mind making him smirk.

" I'm fine...who are you?" N/N asked the armidillo as he crossed his arm, the armidillo smiled in respond.

"I'm Mighty, Mighty the armidillo and you are?" Mighty asked helding out his hand for a handshake, N/N only stared at his hand with no emotion.

Maybe...just maybe if he can get close to him just enough he can get that emerald and leave him for good, then he'll go back to base with two emeralds and Eggman will be proud of him.

A smile came into his muzzle, not for greeting a new friend for his plan making Eggman proud.

"...N/N...N/N the Echidna" he said and helding out his hand and grab his forming a handshake.

Mighty then notice something, which made his smile drop...his starring at N/N's robotic arm that have a Eggman logo on it.

"what's wrong?" N/N asked causing the armidillo to look at him away from the logo.

"...nothing anyway, N/N what are you doing here anyway?" he asked as N/N tried to think of any reason which is obviously not about taking the emeralds.

"i...i visit...Vanilla and Cream yea i visited them to see how they are" he said which is not a lie and not the truth either.

"oh you know them?" asked Mighty in a suprised look while N/N nodded in respond.

"yea i know them, why you ask?" he asked and sees Mighty thinking.

"...nothing, since well i also know them too, Cream is a sweet girl" he said causing N/N to smile remembering the little rabbit.

"oh she is...she is" he replied, Mighty keep looking at him, he seems to be thinking about something.

"..hey wanna come with me?" he ask as N/N look at him.

"come with you? Where are you even going?" he ask him as Mighty just smiled.

"I'm going to get my little brother, then we'll go around for a while to have some moments, might as well invite you and plus i think Ray would like you" he said as N/N just blink but this is perfect for him.

"well sure i guess" he said acting to sound unsure, Mighty just smiled at the acceptance.

"cool, let's go now by the way cool robot arm" he compliment pointing N/N's robotic arm causing N/N to look and blink.

"...thanks..."

They pick up Ray which N/N learned that his a yellow flying squirrel.

Being with them is well...N/N admit..it isn't that bad it's actually enjoyable being these two.

Ray as a cheerful kid as he is and Mighty being a responsible mobian that's what N/N sees them.

They mostly talk having a conversation with one another but mostly just him and Mighty which Ray didn't mind about it, being with them made N/N forgot about the mission and actually enjoy being with them.

"hey N/N that's a cool bracelet! Where you get it?" Ray asked seeing the flower bracelet his wearing causing them to look.

N/N notice it making him smile slightly lifting his hand to show the flower bracelet that Cream made for him.

"Cream made this for me when i visited them, although i found her in the forest and help her get home" he answered Ray's question as Mighty stared but soon a smile came to his muzzle, he soon notice a ice scream shop nearby.

"does anyone of you want ice cream? I can buy us some" he said mentioning the ice cream shop which they look where it is, Ray smiled seeing it but N/N however just raised a brow, not really knowing what ice cream is.

"oh! I want one you know what i want right?" Ray asked which made Mighty chuckled and mess with his head by shuffling it.

"yea i do, what about you N/N?" he asked causing N/N to look at him and blink.

"...i...uh...i don't want one" he said as Mighty's smile slightly drop.

"hm? Why?" he asked as N/N is silent for a moment.

"...ice cream is...not my taste" he said as Ray and Mighty blinked.

"but ice cream is delicious! No one couldn't resist it" he said as Mighty continue to look at him.

"..you don't know what ice cream is do you?" he asked making N/N blinked in suprised.

"y-yes i do, i know what it is" he lied as Mighty cross his arms.

"well what is it?" he asked as N/N blink and think.

"uh...ice cream is...a...Ice made of cream" he said as Ray blink and Mighty just smirked.

"...yep I'm ganna get you one, stay right there!" he said before running off.

"you actually don't know what it is?" asked Ray in suprised as N/N slightly rub his neck.

"...i..well...they don't really let me have one quite honestly" he lied since well he have to think of a exuse.

"your parents?" Ray asked titled his head slightly as N/N stop for a moment...

...

He doesn't really know about his parents, heck he doesn't even know if he have one.

"...i guess you can say that" he replied.

"oh, they must be strict then" Ray said as N/N just nodded.

Before Ray can ask again they heard some rustling, they look over spotting a bush that is close where the woods are.

Ray blink as N/N just stared, Ray sees N/N approuch the bush that is starting to shake.

N/N couches down in one knee starring at the bush, then in just a second a small animal which is a flicky come out.

"hey! It's a flicky" said Ray but N/N noticed something is wrong with it.

He then move his hand closer to the flicky in a gentle manner and lay his hand on the ground near the flicky is.

The flicky stared at N/N he can see the flicky is scared.

"...it's okay...i just wanna check on you.."he said with a lower and soft tone as Ray watches, soon the flicky slowly move towards N/N's hand and they can see that the flicky's wing is broken.

N/N narrowed his eyes as Ray look worried, N/N is still being patience as the flicky slowly reach to N/N's hand, soon when it reached there N/N lift his hand where the flicky is slowly, it seems the flicky is shaking slightly and hurt.

N/N move his robotic hand towards his deadlocks and pulled out a bandage which Ray wondered how it fit in his deadlocks.

"this might hurt, but i need you to trust me" he said to the flicky and look at it as the flicky stared back, after few seconds of having a starring contest the flicky finally nodded which made N/N smiled.

He soon start to bandage the flicky's broken wing as Ray watched with worry but N/N seems to be focusing and being gentle as he can be.

Mighty arrived but stops when he sees them but doesn't know what's going on.

"hey is everything alright?" he asked Ray perked up hearing him and look over.

"what's wrong?" Mighty asked again approuching them.

"mighty, it's hurt" he said with concern, Mighty raise a brow when he reached them he look over and sees N/N bandaging the flicky's wing much to his suprise.

N/N then soon smiled as he put the remaining bandages down.

"there we go, sadly you can't use your wing since you need to rest for a while before you can fly again" he said starring at the flicky with it's wing bandaged.

"what happend?" Mighty asked which startled N/N since he didn't know the armidillo came back.

"we found the flicky have a broken wing, but N/N bandaged it!" Ray answered Mighty which he look at Ray then back to N/N.

N/N put the bandages back to his deadlocks and hold the flicky close.

"the flicky can't fly for a while, so it needs to heal for the meantime this flicky needs somewhere to stay" he said as Ray brighten up.

"why don't you take care of it?" he suggested making N/N to look at him and shakes his head.

"i can't, the place where i live is very dangerous for him" he said

"but your keeping it safe right? And the flicky seems to trust you already" said Ray pointing out the flicky snuggling to N/N happily, N/N blink in suprised but isn't sure.

He doesn't know if small animals are allowed in Eggman's base.

But his worried about the flicky's safety.

N/N stared at the flicky as the flicky look back...

...

...

"fine..." he said with a sigh which made the flicky snuggled to him more, Ray happily lift both of his hands in the air as Mighty smiled.

N/N doesn't know but he'll find a way and make sure the flicky doesn't get caught in the base.

"anyway the ice creams are going to melt if we don't eat it" he said as Ray brighten up at the mention of the ice cream.

They ended up eating their own ice cream with the flicky in N/N's head, N/N is now enjoying his ice cream which is a strawberry ice cream, it taste like Vanilla's strawberry bread except it isn't bread which he enjoys.

Ray enjoys his own as well as Mighty, Mighty look at N/N and sees him eating the ice cream quite messy, it made Mighty snorted gladly there's some tissues with the ice cream he brought.

"Hey N/N" he said making the echidna to turn to look at him only to tensed up a bit when Mighty wipe few ice cream on his muzzle which cause him to blink.

Mighty chuckled slightly as N/N stared back at him suprised.

"haha, sorry but your muzzle have some ice cream on them" said Mighty as N/N just blink.

"i...well..thanks.."he said looking at his ice cream again and sees it melting which he continue to eat it.

Mighty smiled slightly watching N/N making him blush a little.

'heh, cute...maybe he isn't bad as i thought..'