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That day Sonic had gone with Tom to patrol, and Maddie to work, leaving Tails and Knuckles alone in the house. The echidna didn't like to leave the Master Emerald without protection, even though Robotnik was presumed dead, Knuckles would not be sure until he saw the body, and even if he was, that didn't mean Stone couldn't come for it, or some other intergalactic threat presented itself, so Knuckles stayed on as guardian, with Tails as backup in case the things got ugly.
The little fox didn't mind, so he had more time for his inventions, since he had moved in with the Wachowskis. Tails had transformed the garage into his own workshop, he even had them recover the remains of the plane they used to fight Robotnik's mecha, said he wanted to repair it so he could use it in future missions, he even had a name in mind, the Tornado.
So that's why, Knuckles was sitting in the room, with the control in one hand, and with the other he was guarding the emerald, he wouldn't let anyone take it away from him again.
"I don't know how Sonic likes this," he said as he switched to another channel, "or any earthling."
He could find fun in baseball, and in ice cream, even in video games, at least there was a "combat" there, and the more things he could beat Sonic the better, but just sit back, and watch people on TV do ridiculous things He didn't feel like it at all.
"I'm not surprised that their society is full of undisciplined weaklings." He said pressing the off button, at least he had already learned to do that without having to destroy the control, another sign of the weakness of the Earth, even its machines were fragile. "They are lucky that we are here to defend them."
It was a miracle that no one managed to appropriate the Chaos Emerald before his arrival.
Knuckles left the remote on the couch, he was about to go to the kitchen for some grapes when Tails entered the house again.
"Hey, Knuckles," he said sheepishly.
"Oh hello fox, what news do you bring? Is there a trace of Robotnik, or Stone? Are there new enemies looking for the Emerald?"
Tails shook his head.
"No, and no, my sensors don't report anything, we're safe."
"Excellent, then what is the reason for calling me?"
Tails swallowed hard, looked at the ground and then back to the red giant.
"I was wondering if… could you teach me how to fight?"
Knuckles lowered both arms.
"What?"
"Yes, I want to learn how to throw a punch and defend myself, and who better than the most feared warrior in the galaxy to teach me?"
And the little boy smiled closing his eyes, and raising his tails, Knuckles was thoughtful. The little fox was the intellectual of the tribe, the one who always used his brain to get them out of trouble, he even had to admit it, he still had a hard time understanding the entire terrestrial culture, while the little one adapted almost instantly, and with Sonic being the most impulsive, Tails was the one who kept them grounded.
"You're the smart one, why the recent interest in melee combat?" He voiced his doubts out loud.
Tails looked away.
"I'd just… I'd like to broaden my fighting style," and then he laughed nervously.
There seemed to be something more to it, but in the end Knuckles just laughed.
"Great! You don't settle, you seek to be better than you already are, I like you more every day, fox!"
Tails laughed as he scratched the back of his head, it was still overwhelming him to be constantly praised by all the Wachowskis, especially after a lifetime of being an outcast in his community, but it was a nice change, he wasn't going to deny that.
"Let's go to the courtyard, so we can start your training!" Knuckles declared, pointing a hand at the courtyard.
Walking out into the yard, Tails began to stretch his arms to prepare himself, while Knuckles stuck a long stick into the ground, then tied a watermelon to it with string.
"What is that for?" Tails asked.
"It's just a thing that will help us later," the echidna answered after securing it with another rope underneath.
"And the emerald?"
"Don't worry, I put an amazing camouflage on it, no one will notice it," he said, pointing to the front steps.
Tails turned to see, sitting on a chair was a doll, whose chest was a pillow to which they had put a long-sleeved shirt, and whose legs were pants stuffed with stuffed animals, like the arms, while his head it was the Master Emerald with a hat on top, some glasses, and a scarf around it to try to cover it as much as possible.
Tails looked at Knuckles with his mouth open.
"What? You said it worked for you and Sonic in Siberia, plus if the disguise fails, we have a powerful guardian protecting it."
Knuckles whistled, and Ozzy ran from the house to the Emerald's side, looked at Tails and barked politely.
"I've been training him," Knuckles said proudly, putting both hands on his waist.
Tails rolled his eyes, he would let it pass, after all, the Emerald was close, if someone tried something they would notice immediately. With that said, Knuckles left the emerald in Ozzy's care, and approached Tails.
"Very well, the first thing you have to do is keep your feet below your shoulders, and with your eyes always on your opponent," he explained while adopting a defensive position, "place your other foot in front of you, and point it in the direction of your enemy"
Tails looked at him before following suit, Knuckles nodding approvingly.
"Okay, put your other foot behind you, and have it point away from your target, always keep it slightly open, and line up so you're comfortable."
Tails obeyed, Knuckles taking a moment to see if his pose was correct.
"Perfect, never forget that the launch power comes from the bottom, your stance must be solid before launching any attack."
Tails nodded again, followed by Knuckles clenching his fist and showing it to him.
"This is the correct form of a fist, stick your thumb in and put it on top of your middle finger, this way you will avoid injuries, keep your wrists as straight as possible, and never flex them when you are punching."
Tails clenched his fist just as Knuckles had instructed him, his friend checked it out and gave him a thumbs up.
"That your wrist forms a straight line with your forearm, if your wrist is very weak, a blow could twist it."
Tails gulped, but didn't complain or try to give up, he had to do this, he just had to remember it from here on out, he could create amazing machines, memorizing Knuckles' teachings would be a piece of cake.
"The ideal is that you hit the enemy with the knuckle that you have on the middle finger, while the others are even, you can secure it by having your thumb on the middle finger to secure it."
Tails let out a laugh.
"You're an expert at this knuckle thing, right?"
Knuckles laughed too, proudly beating his chest.
"I am."
Tails smiled, it was strange to think that when they met, Knuckles had tried to kill him and Sonic, and of course he hit him with a car (he was still a bit nervous with what Knuckles said about having his revenge) but now he was here, teaching him how to defend himself, joking and laughing with him; Knuckles was feared throughout the galaxy, and with good reason, but being here by his side, Tails saw a side of Knuckles that almost no one knew, an enthusiastic and fun person, a friend. He was happy that all the hostility between them was in the past.
Knuckles stepped in front of Tails and took both of his hands.
"Now bend your elbows, and raise your right hand to your cheek."
Tails did it.
"Excellent, now raise your other hand, at the same height as your other fist," after Tails obeyed, he added: "well, it's very important that you always have that hand up if you're not going to attack, it's your first line of defense when you have to block a blow."
Tails nodded, and Knuckles threw a punch at him, the fox screamed and covered himself with his raised arm, he looked down and closed his eyes, accepting his fate, only nothing happened, slowly. He reopened his eyes, and he saw that his face was protected by his arm, he lowered it, and what he saw was that Knuckles had stopped his fist inches from his face.
Tails couldn't take it anymore and passed out, but Knuckles' huge hand managed to catch him before he fell.
"Oh wow, sorry fox, but my father believed that moments of risk were the best opportunity to learn."
Tails just nodded, Knuckles put him back on his feet, the little boy had to hold on to his shoulder as he regained his composure.
"Look on the bright side, you've learned to block a punch, although of course it wouldn't have done much against my fist," he said as he looked at his hand.
Tails just gulped.
«Don't worry, Knuckles is a warrior, he knows what he's doing, he never wanted to hurt you» even so, the memory of the knuckles so close to his face was something that would torment him for a while.
"If you ever meet an enemy like me, or that I outnumbered you, you'd better dodge instead of trying to block their attacks."
Tails nodded, even if he learned to fight, he was going to opt for ranged combat instead.
"But this block will help you if you're facing enemies the same size as you, or who don't have super-strength."
«I'm sure it would have helped me with the bullies at home» he thought, remembering those who bothered him, but he shook his head, that didn't matter anymore, now he had Sonic and Knuckles on his side.
"Let's go back to the starting position."
Tails had no problem repeating everything Knuckles had taught him.
"Bend your knees, every punch you throw will start with a movement of your lower body. If your legs and hips are not stable, your punches will not have much power, bend your knees in a way that is comfortable and allows flexibility. This way, it will be easier to generate power and quickly transfer it from your legs to your upper body."
Tails did so, and using everything Knuckles had taught him, he swung forward.
"Okay, now don't forget that bent knees make you harder to take down if you get hit back. If you stand up straight, it will be difficult for you to regain your balance, but bending your knees will prevent you from falling."
"Because my knees will hold me."
"Correct! You learn fast, fox!"
Tails smiled, it wasn't like every day you received compliments from the greatest galactic warrior; After that, Tails spent his time throwing punches into the air, Knuckles occasionally yelled "attack" at him so that the little boy would protect himself, after the scare he gave him, he thought that the best thing would be to give him a signal, instead of attacking him directly , and it seemed to work, Tails was quick to protect his face.
Everything was going well, even Knuckles thought he could teach him his other technique, like throwing a straight punch, but he'd better wait until Tails mastered this method.
"Good progress fox, but it's time to level up."
"And how is that?"
Knuckles pointed at the watermelon, then walked over to it.
"Oh."
«I should have known», he thought.
"Now, the watermelon can't defend itself, of course, but it's tough, it'll be good for you to practice and toughen up your knuckles."
Tails nodded as he got closer, as he did, it seemed like the fruit got bigger and bigger.
«Don't worry, you helped defeat Robotnik, this is just a fruit, it will be a piece of cake.»
He stepped in front of it, raising his arms as instructed.
"Alright fox, attack!"
Tails inhaled and exhaled.
«Alright, here I go.»
Summoning all the courage he had, Tails launched his punch, and immediately stepped back and brushed his hand away, the watermelon being harder than he thought.
"Ouch!" he moaned in pain.
Knuckles stayed thoughtful.
"Sure you had your thumb over your middle finger?" Knuckles asked.
Tails nodded as he kept rubbing his hand.
"I did exactly what you told me."
Knuckles put a hand to his chin thoughtfully.
"Let's try it again, shall we?"
Tails nodded, he was not going to give up, there were two other attempts, with the same results, the fox began to get scared, surely Knuckles would get fed up with him and tell him that he was the worst apprentice he had ever had in his life, however, the echidna was just staring.
"Fox, can I ask why you wanted to learn to fight out of the blue?" He asked after the third failed attempt. Tails' movements were correct, there was something else that was limiting him.
"I told you, I want to expand my technique," he answered nervously.
But Knuckles didn't believe him.
"No, there's something else here, something you don't want me to know."
Tails was about to say more in his defense, he opened his mouth to speak, but instead he let out a sigh, and then he looked at the ground.
"It's just... you have your strength, and Sonic his speed, they're very powerful, and I... I just have a bunch of gadgets, but if I ever find myself without them... I'll be completely useless, and I could put them in danger," he admitted.
He depended so much on his technology, that at the same time it made him feel useless without it, he was the weakest of the three, he didn't have any special powers.
"I thought if I even learned how to fight without them… I don't know… I wouldn't be a burden to anyone."
Saying that he sat on the ground and wrapped both tails around himself, now he had made everything worse, not only did he make Knuckles waste a whole morning, but he also got "cheesy" with him, Knuckles was not like Sonic, for sure now the echidna would see him as weak, more so than he already was.
But to his surprise, Knuckles just put a hand on his back.
"Fox, strength comes not only from one's power, but also from one's heart."
Tails uncoiled his tails and looked at him, Knuckles was smiling understandingly.
"You say that your technology makes you weak, but it was that same technology that found Sonic, you achieved something that I couldn't do on my own."
«It's true» thought Tails, at least he had to give himself credit for that.
"Your technology was the one that located the Siberian temple, it was you who rescued us from the island, took us to the battlefield, and distracted Robotnik so he could take the Emerald, we could never have won without your help."
Tails smiled, it was true, despite everything, thanks to their technology they had made significant advances in their mission, and had gotten them out of big trouble.
"And you did all this, when you were just a community fox, you had no experience in the field, but still, when you knew he was chasing the hedgehog, you didn't hesitate for a moment to go help him, even though that meant facing the most greatest warrior in the entire galaxy, who would have surely torn you to pieces."
He turned to see him, and noticed that Tails had a terrified look on his face.
"Which I will never do, because I like you very much." And to try to reduce the tension, he playfully ruffled the hair on his head.
Tails laughed before moving his hand away, it was at that moment that their eyes met.
"You are not a burden, fox, you are a warrior with a noble and brave heart, whom I am proud to call my friend."
Before Knuckles could continue, Tails had lunged at him for a hug, wrapping around his neck, Knuckles was confused.
"Eh… Is this a new kind of attack?"
Hearing him, Tails released him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I got emotional," he replied scratching the back of his head, it felt so good to be loved after years of rejection, "it's not an attack, it's called a hug, it's just a show of affection."
"Like a hand on the shoulder?"
Tails nodded again.
"Thanks, Knuckles, I just felt like… I wasn't doing enough."
"You're a fundamental part of this team, ask Sonic, I'm sure he'll tell you the same."
Tails smiled, it was obvious, he was the first one who showed him how much he was really worth, the one who gave him the wings to believe in himself.
"Well, now that that's settled, do you want to keep trying?" asked the echidna, pointing his head at the watermelon.
Tails just looked at her, his technology didn't make him less, he contributed a lot to the team, but he didn't want to leave this matter like that, he had to get over it.
"Yes, I want."
Knuckles smiled.
"That's the spirit! If I think it would be good for you to learn a little hand-to-hand combat," he then turned his attention to the emerald, "now that we get it back, enemies will try to come for it, we must be ready when they do.
He was right, his gadgets were incredible, but it wouldn't hurt if he knew other fighting methods, in case any situation arose.
They returned with the fruit, Tails took the position he was taught and got ready, Knuckles just watched, he had a good feeling.
«You are important, you are not a burden, Sonic and Knuckles believe in you, it's time for you to do the same.»
He closed his eyes, inhaled air and then let it out.
«Time has come.»
He opened them again, and launched his attack, at the moment of impact, he broke the watermelon, made a hole in the middle, which caused screams to open everywhere.
"Victory!" Knuckles yelled, throwing both arms up in the air.
"I did it?" Tails asked, looking at the shattered fruit, in disbelief, he saw his fist, and then back at the watermelon, "I did… Yes! I did it!"
He was so excited that his tails began to move, he rose into the air and twirled with happiness, the two friends celebrated a while longer, until they calmed down and Tails flew to him, Knuckles raised his hand, palm open, and Tails gave him the high five.
"Excellent work, fox! I knew you could do it!"
Tails smiled sheepishly.
"Thank you for believing in me, Knuckles."
Of course he did, they were a tribe, they had to take care of each other, he would never say it out loud, but he was happy to have failed in his mission to destroy him and Sonic, now he couldn't imagine a life without them.
Tails landed, he was proud of his first day of training, he achieved more than he had initially thought, what he didn't count on, is that Knuckles noticed something else.
"You said that Sonic has his speed, and I have my strength, but you ignored that you also have an ability, apart from your intelligence."
"Oh yeah?"
Knuckles pointed behind him, Tails looked over his shoulder and noticed his tails.
"Oh." It was amazing how easily he forgot his virtues.
"You're the only one of us who can fly, needless to say how useful that is."
He was even able to carry it up to the Egg Death Robot, which gave him another idea.
"Hey, fox, do you mind if we try something else?"
Knuckles replaced the destroyed watermelon with another, then looked at Tails, who was almost at the edge of the yard.
"Ready, fox?"
Tails bent his knees and prepared to run, just giving a thumbs up in response, Knuckles nodded.
"Then go ahead."
Tails ran forward, when he picked up speed, he jumped and moved his tails, rising, continued his flying path, and when he was nowhere near the watermelon, he stopped moving them, and instead launched them forward, tracing an arc in the air, his tails hit the fruit, and smashed it, but it didn't end there, it also broke the stick in half.
"Amazing!" Knuckles said bumping his fists.
Tails stepped to the ground, and saw his handiwork.
"Wow," then he saw their tails, he never imagined they had so much power.
"Your tails are strong enough to carry me and Sonic, I knew they would be strong enough for an attack, do you mind if we try something else?"
Tails shook his head energetically, he was so excited to find out what other things he could do with his tails.
Knuckles borrowed his controller, and created six holograms of him, which surrounded the little boy.
"Okay, fox, you're cornered, there's no escape, what do you do?"
The holograms came closer and closer, reducing the space, the fox furrowed his eyebrows and bent his knees.
«No nerves, you can handle this» thought Knuckles, he raised his fist, and his clones imitated him, he dropped it on Tails.
The fox turned on his heel and stretched out his tails, which hit the holograms, making them disappear, when he stopped, Tails noted that he had defeated them all.
"Wow," he said, surprised at his feat.
"Nice job, fox," Knuckles told him, clapping his hands, and walking towards him.
It was quite a functional attack, it would certainly help them in future fights.
"I never thought I'd be able to do something like that," continued an excited Tails, pointing to the watermelons and the destroyed stick, as well as the place where the copies were.
"You're stronger than you think," Knuckles continued, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Tails raised his head so they could see each other's eyes, he felt incredible, all his life he believed that his two tails were a curse, people always saw them as a flaw, and they made him believe it, but not anymore, Sonic and Knuckles taught him that his tails were a fortress, which he should be proud of.
"Thank you for all this, Knuckles."
"Whenever you like, fox, it is important that we become stronger every day."
Tails laughed.
"Well, I wouldn't mind trying again another day."
Knuckles smiled.
“I think you have a lot of potential, and it would be a shame to waste it.
"So… tomorrow at the same time?"
Knuckles just gave him a thumbs up.
"For now, I think we've earned ice cream, sprinkles."
Tails jumped for joy, as he had done on the baseball field, Knuckles carried him up to his shoulder, and then carried him off, taking the Master Emerald on his way, causing the entire costume to fall off.
"You come too, faithful guardian, today is a day to celebrate," he said to Ozzy, who barked at him politely, and then followed him.
"Do you know if Earth dogs can eat ice cream?" Tails asked him.
"No, I'll give him a sausage, it seems him enjoy them almost as much as I do grapes."
Tails laughed as the three of them headed back into the house.