Rising Conquest
"Mmmmffrrwwaaa!" yawned the bat as she trailed into her room.
Her home was large, far larger than your home or mine. A home bought by thousands upon thousands of material, all of which older than she was. She was a hunter of treasured artifacts. If it was beyond age, beyond historical text books, and of course shined brighter than the sun, she was all over it. That was how she made such money, how she lived such a lavish and stylish life.
Inside her silky nightwear, she trailed down the halls of her massive home, exhausted and tired. After a long day of work, signing papers, reading papers, sitting in a cubicle, it felt good to finally come back home.
She was somewhat slow in her steps, making her way up and over to where her television laid. Though it was late – and she'd be going to sleep soon after – the bat couldn't help but to see what her TV had for her. She laid upon the couch and her wings pulled in, while she lazily turned the television on.
"Welcome to DENA News!" the blonde woman on the screen said, flaring life into the dark room, "I'm Mizumi Takekawa, your reporter today, and we are out on G.U.N.'s Letter of Gabriel, far out past the bay of Blue Ridge Zone," she stepped aside, allowing the camera to see an island far in the distance. The bat yawned at the sight, almost missing the flaring 'BREAKING NEWS' lines trailing the top and bottom of the screen, "Do you see this island far in the back? This island wasn't here earlier! Discovered over a month ago, G.U.N. has disbarred anyone from stepping foot on the island until any more information has been gained. G.U.N. believes this island is the cause of the severe tidal waves which have been slamming places all over the world. For now, G.U.N. advises everyone move inland until the tidal waves have ceased."
"Ugggghhh..." the bat groaned as she rolled to her back, her ears bending to the television.
"It's as if this island fell from the sky," said Mizumi on the screen.
"Fell... from the sky..." the bat commented before closing her eyes.
…
He had learned to master this power. A power unlike anything he had ever felt before. Imagine being able to do everything you could do, only amplified tenfold. No, one-thousandfold! Imagine having near limitless power, with the only limit being your imagination. Gaining such power would be on everyone's mind, would it not? And how lucky this power arrived at this moment; as if right in the nick of time. For, you see, it was as if the world was punishing them.
"Bernie! Bernie!" the blue hedgehog shouted as he pushed open the door, "Bernie! Bernie! Woman! Where are you!?"
The blue hedgehog stared around his home, his verdant eyes trailing up and around the home. Dress in a drenched jacket, he walked into the house with a face full of worry, wondering where his partner was. Hearing the sound of footsteps, his eyes moved to the staircase, where a purple hedgehog in a green dress began to walk from. Her blonde hair was matted down much like his, showing she too had been rained upon. Running downstairs, she stared at him, equally as alerted as he was.
"Jules, are you okay?" she asked in a worried manner, running to the hedgehog as she brushed his brown locks from his face, "Where's Charles? Please tell me everything's okay? H... how's the house?"
"Chuck is fine but the house... it's gone..." he answered, his head shaking too and fro in a less than stellar manner, "It's... almost all of Green Hill Zone is under water, Bernie... and those tidal waves don't look like they're stopping anytime soon..." staring outside the front door, he began to close it as the winds grew too strong, "Urgh! Dammit... few... ya'know..." he turned back to the woman, a smile on his face, "For a moment there, I was worried I wasn't coming back!"
He was met with a slap across the face. Confused by the action, he faced the woman, seeing these tears flow from her face. Then she kissed him; it was the most confusing array of emotions she could have run through at that moment. Holding him in place, she refused to let him go for well over a minute. Even when she pulled away, she remained holding onto him as tight as she could.
"Don't say something like that, Jules!" she stated, showing rage and relief at the same time. Somehow.
"Hey, Bernie... sorry for that," he claimed as he nuzzled her close, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Look, Chuck and I are both alright. It's gonna take well more than a tidal wave to take care of us! I'll be damned if I can be transformed into a robot, then taken down by water! Pssshhht! It ain't nothing!"
"Just shut up," Bernie laughed as she playfully punched him.
"Say... where's Maurice?" Jules eventually asked, his eyes staring around in search for him.
But his wife didn't answer. Instead, her eyes gazed out the window toward the storming skies outside. Jules eventually looked out as well, his head cocked to one side as he searched for what his wife searched for. He eventually walked back to the door and opened it up, stepping into the massive city outside. High above Starlight Zone, mixed with the storms above, a golden flame flew through the skies.
…
The deplorable state of the zone got to the bat. Though usually strong, firm, and without emotion, she let them show now. The many other mobians around, injured, hurt, unable to fight against the changes happening to their world, laid on the wet city streets. Children crying, various amounts of looting and damage, cruelty happening everywhere. This wasn't a fight they could win; one just can't battle against nature.
But she couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to be bothered by this sight. She came here with a job in mind, especially after his original location no longer existed. Bridge Zone was in ruins thanks to the water displacement; he would be wherever his family was.
Wings flapping, the white furred bat flew toward an apartment complex which stood far beyond the city streets. Her quest took her into a part of the city which looked mixed with an industrial complex. With the city being overrun with those who once lived on the coastline, many were relocated to areas once thought uninhabitable. To one of these parts of the zone did the bat fly.
She landed upon a catwalk, her eyes lining doors and homes. Reaching into her overall's pocket, she pulled out a piece of paper. Written upon it in mechanical print, the numbers '346'. Teal eyes running along doors, she read the numbers accordingly, before finally coming across '346'.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The door opened slowly, revealing a purple hedgehog with blonde hair on the other end. She stared at the bat, and the bat stared back. Both of them, eyeing one another closely. That is until the hedgehog snidely said,
"Oh... Rouge..."
"Hi, Bernie," the bat replied with her usual sultry voice, smiling at her as she crossed her arms, "I see the tidal waves haven't been to kind to South Island," her face slid into a gaze of sympathy, "I... I apologize for what happened to your home, Bernie. I mean... all of Green Hill Zone is just so-"
"Save it Rouge," the hedgehog said as she stared around Starlight Zone outside, "You don't have to try and be civil. Be honest; you're here for Shadow, aren't you?" the bat nodded, finding no point in hiding it, "He's outside the city, at a Chao pond he frequents with the family pet..." grabbing her doorknob, she began to push it close, "You should find him there..."
"Bernie," Rouge called once more, making the hedgehog stop, "Where's Jules?"
"He's at Green Hill Zone. Helping as many people as he can..." she continued closing the door, "Praying another tidal wave doesn't come..."
CLASP!
When the door slammed shut, the bat turned to face Starlight Zone once more. It was weird ya'know? Just over a few months ago, she and her ally was able to liberate all of West Side Island single-handedly. The odds were stacked so hard against them, yet they pulled out a victory through determination. But for what? Almost as soon as victory had been achieved, this island fell from the sky. And when that happened, tidal waves start slamming into each major coast in the world. As if this island was attacking them.
But she knew this was affecting no one more than her friend. The stoic, aloof, usually emotionless hedgehog she had come to know as her ally. This island, South Island, was his home. Where he grew up. To have it be constantly bombarded by powerful tidal waves must have hurt him in a way she didn't know.
Her wings opened, allowing her to descend slowly upon the land. Stepping onto green grass, the bat's teal eyes stared around to the land. She was actually quite surprised to see a place not marred by watery destruction or saddened faces. Instead, this small pond was littered by the smiling faces of the cutest little creatures on the planet.
Small, blue, with large eyes and fairy like bodies, they were the Chaos. Everyone knows what they are, though very few know where they come from. Some say aliens, some say angels from the heavens, others just say cute little pets. And, yeah, the latter is what they really are.
"Chao, chao!" said the Chao as they played and frolicked in the lake, only to hover around the bat as she approached them.
She patted their heads, rubbed their faces, made little kissy faces, all while she approached the pond. Standing on the very edge, her teal eyes stared to the center. To which she saw him.
His back turned to her, she couldn't see his face. But she could see his jet black fur. Quills that owned red stripes. Gloves that were white and red, with golden rings around their wrists. A body that stood tall against everything. Chao floated to the center of the pond to visit him, and he pressed upon their heads. They seemed to find hope in his presence. They seemed to find hope in this darkened hero.
In the blink of an eye, an stone rose from the pond. It was green, and shined as brilliantly as the sun. This stone was joined by another one, a blue one. Then another, a light-blue one. Another one, a white one. Another one, a red one. Another one, a purple one. And a final one, a yellow one.
The hedgehog rose his hands and curled them into fists, while his body lurched over. These multicolored diamonds began rotating around his body, spinning at too great of speeds to quantify. The hedgehog's black and red body began to glow, while his quills started pointing skyward. What once was black slowly began to turn gold and yellow. The pond's pristine waves began to grow turbulent. The wind around the hedgehog began to howl. And in spite of all this, the Chao played and danced.
"HA!"
FOOOOSH!
Water from the pond ripped into the sky as a pillar, causing the bat to cover her eyes. The hedgehog in the center of the pond was no longer black, but instead a golden-yellow color. He no longer stood in the pond, but instead floated above it. His quills jutted up, and his entire body exuded power. The Chao flew to him then, playing around him, laughing, giggling. They weren't put off by his near god-like power, instead entranced by it.
And then his head turned. He looked over his shoulder toward the bat, revealing his stern face. Eyes a powerful burning red, he glared at the bat behind him. And she gazed back.
"Hey! Shadow! Having fun with the Chaos Emeralds!?" Rouge shouted as she waved her hand at him.
He rolled his eyes at the bat, before flying down to her. Landing upon the ground before her, his show of power died off. Golden-yellow fur turned black once more, while every bit of his super transformation vanished. The seven stones he used to transform stopped their brilliant shine, as they instead fell to the ground.
"Rouge..." Shadow said as he crossed his arms, "What brings you here?"
"Mmm...? Really asking me that, Maurice?" she asked, making him snarl.
"I regret my parents ever telling you that..." the hedgehog growled back, his eyes peering down upon her, all the while she giggled.
"Lighten up, Shadow!" she said as she poked his chest, "I'm only playing. Considering what's happened to South Island, I think a little laughter is something you need..." she grew a tad bit sympathetic then, "Shadow. I went to Bridge Zone... I saw what happened to your house. What's... left of it, anyway."
"Doesn't matter..." Shadow replied, shrugging off his own home like it was nothing, "I wasn't focusing on the Bridge Zone anyway. I was trying to stop the tidal waves from destroying my parent's home..." he then looked at the bat, eyes softening, "Now, back to my earlier question; why are you here?"
"We're after the same things, you and I, Shadow," Rouge claimed as she walked to his side, "I'm pretty sure you know by now. About that island that's suddenly appeared. The one which is causing all of this. Well... when a tidal wave attacked Blue Ridge Zone, I and many other G.U.N. agents left to—"
"G.U.N.?"
"I've already told you about G.U.N., Shadow. Stop acting like this is the first time you've ever heard of it... anyway, I came across this!"
Suddenly the bat pulled out a ring from her pocket. It was like any other ring one would find on mobian territory, being golden and perfectly round. But there was something about this ring that was far different from any other ring Shadow had seen before. Picking up the ring, he noticed it was rougher than the others. Lacking a perfect curvature, this ring appeared to be marred by age, wear, and tear. But there was something on the inside of the ring, Shadow could see words. Words he didn't understand.
"This... what is this?" he asked as he looked at the bat.
"It came from that island, I know it..."
"How?"
"Simply because the island landed so close to Blue Ridge Zone... think of it; an island that fell from the sky! Who knows what kind of goodies lay on it, if it was able to cough up this ring. It's so old! If it was a diamond, I'd consider adding it to my collection!"
Shadow ignored that last bit as he instead squeezed the ring in his hand. It was unlike any other ring he had collected. Those mystical golden bands that are so uncommon. They do something to him that he simply can't explain. That same mysterious power seemed to exude from this ring as well. But...
"Just imagine what's on the island, Shadow!"
"I don't care for any of that," the black and red hedgehog replied as he looked at the bat, "I care about putting that island back from where it came!... Wherever that is, anyway..." he tossed the ring back to Rouge who caught it, "Where is this island, anyway?"
"What do you plan on doing, Shadow?" the bat asked, her smirk appearing as usual, "Gonna fly to where that island is and use that new fangled super power of yours to punch it into the sky?"
"Don't patronize me," Shadow growled, "I haven't seen any of those humans doing much to stop the tidal waves. They protect themselves, and I protect these islands as best I can..." he looked at her, "Why haven't you and your G.U.N. done anything about the island yet?"
"Oh, so now you remember G.U.N., huh Shadow?" she asked, taking a jab at him, "Listen, we're doing the best we can. And it appears as if you're doing as best you all can as well. I've heard from a lot of people how you keep fighting tidal waves. Must take a lot out of you, huh?"
"Going super really helps," Shadow claimed as he opened and closed his hands.
"How does it feel, by the way? Is all that training good for you? Is transforming even good for you?"
"None of that matters..." Shadow claimed, his voice solemn, "But... what does that ring say, anyway? Can you even read it?"
"Oh, this old thing?" the bat replied as she ran her eyes through the ring's engraving, "Chaos created Angel Island... hm..."
"Hm? Is that all?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah. Look, Shadow, it's just one ring, and this ancient print is large. I can tell you it's echidna, however. And you know, echidna mobians have been extinct for eons. Ever since the fourth great civilization vanished from the planet, echidnas just went extinct. I guess the men couldn't keep it up, if you catch my drift, heh!"
"Hm... Angel Island... and echidnas..." looking away, Shadow couldn't help but to think back to Hidden Palace Zone, "I wonder..." then he thought about that orange echidna, "Tikal..."
"Tikal? What's that?" Rouge asked.
"Nothing..." Shadow answered as he finally uncrossed his arms to walk off, "So... where is this 'Angel Island'?"
"Like I said, off the coast of Blue Ridge Zone. Luckily for us, it fell in the middle of the ocean and not somewhere else. Lord knows what trouble we'd be in – hey! Hey! Shadow! Where are you going!?"
"Where do you think I'm going?" the black and red hedgehog answered as he walked over a hill. On the other side of said hill, there laid a red and white vintage-style biplane, one with the name 'MARIA' written upon it in white. The vehicle stood pristine on the grassy knoll, looking untouched despite the turbulent island all around it, "I'm going to Angel Island."
"I'm not really surprised your beloved Tornado survived everything that's going on," Rouge said as she looked the plane up and down, "You made sure to save it, didn't you?"
"Enough talking, and enough fooling around, I'm going to this 'Angel Island', and I'm going to stop it from causing all these tidal waves!"
He was just about to turn the Tornado on, when Rouge placed her hand on the dashboard. Looking up to the bat who flew to land on his plane's engines.
"Shadow... don't mean to be rude buuuuut... do you even know where Blue Ridge Zone is?"
He opened his mouth to answer her question, but was hit with silence. To his own surprise, he actually didn't know where Blue Ridge Zone is. Was it near Neo Green Hill Zone? Could it be near Pumpkin Hill Zone? He had no idea where it was.
"Duuuuuhh..."
"'Duuuuuhh', you're right!" Rouge said, finger wagging in his face, "Besides, G.U.N. has the island on pretty hard surveillance until we're sure what's going on there..."
"Good thing my friend is a G.U.N. Agent..." he then put his finger on the ignition, "Where is it, Rouge?"
"You really are going to this Angel Island place, aren't you?" the bat asked, eyelids sliding down, "Like... seriously? And what do you plan to do when you get there, Shadow? Just use a large Chaos Control and hope it goes where you want it to go?"
"That's a thought... but I won't know until I get there, Rouge. So, please, help me find Angel Island or get off my plane so I can find it! I don't have much time before another tidal wave comes flying out of nowhere..."
"Listen, Shadow," said the bat as her hand dropped upon his hand, "If we are going to Angel Island, then I'm doing the flying!"
"Who said anything about 'we'?" Shadow asked, a rare smile appearing on his lips.
"I did, and unless you can convince an entire G.U.N. fleet to not shoot you down, I think it's best you let me do all the piloting!"
"For some reason," Shadow commented as he pulled out of his plane's cockpit, "I can't help but to think you're in this for another reason..." he climbed upon his biplane's wings then, while the bat got in the cockpit, "Remember, Rouge, our mission is to simply put this island back where it came from! Wherever that is..."
"Yeeeaaaaaaah, I'll try to humor you," the bat said as she flipped the ignition of the biplane, causing the propeller to start spinning, "Buuuuuuut, if while we're there we do come across something interesting, do you mind if I have my fill?"
"Rouge..."
"Okay, okay! Jeeze Shadow, you're so unfun!"
Pressing her foot on the gas, the bat caused the plane to fly along the green fields. Chao that were intrigued by Shadow and Rouge saw them off as they drifted into the sky, while few joined them in the air. When the bat and hedgehog finally pulled free of the zone, they took a quick course redirection for Starlight Zone.
Flying high above the zone, many stared up to the biplane owned by their hero. It was a sign of hope for those who were displaced by the tidal waves slamming into their home. A sign that all of this was going to stop soon enough.
"Bernie, I'm back," Jules said as she walked through the door, somewhat wet, though dried thanks to the walk back home.
The blue hedgehog gave a sigh of relief as he removed his wet jacket, throwing it to the ground. From the kitchen, his wife appeared, smiling at him. She walked to her beloved and kissed him, only for the howl of an engine to echo far above them. Gazing out the window, the two watched as a certain red biplane flew through the air.
"Well it's about time!" Jules claimed, "What's for dinner?"
"Jules!"
…
The Tornado barreled through the ocean waves, gliding calmly above water as it rushed through the air. The Black Wind stood on the wings of his plane, arms crossed, eyes close, entire body in deep contemplation. He was going over in his mind what he should do about the island, and how to stop the constant tidal waves attacking the world. There had to be an answer to all of this.
"Alright! There it is!" Rouge's voice cried from over the engine, making the hedgehog open his eyes.
Just ahead, there laid an island. And it was grand. So grand, should it even be called an island anymore? More like an entire country. This 'island' was easily larger than the entirety of South Island, and even West Side Island; being twice the size of both. It's large mountains stretched high above the skies, and from this distance the hedgehog could see temples, waterfalls, and other signs of ancient life. A variable island of endless life; one untouched by outside hands. Clearly, the name 'Angel Island' was a befitting one.
"It's beautiful..." Rouge commented.
"CIVILIAN!" a roar suddenly echoed from above, "YOU ARE ENTERING A HIGHLY RESTRICTED AREA! TURN BACK NOW!"
The warning came from above. Gazing up, there hovered a large airship. Adorned with G.U.N. insignia, it was clearly one of the government's newest air fleet models. Rouge was just about to open her mouth in order to speak back the ship, and even turned the biplane to get closer, when another call echoed beyond even her's.
"Rouge!" Shadow yelled, "Pay attention!"
She looked at the hedgehog, watching as he suddenly grew incredibly serious. Fists tightening, the hedgehog's eyes were locked on Angel Island before them. Suddenly, a green shimmer occurred from the entire island. Rouge cocked her head at the sight, stunned that she actually saw so. From this green shine, the water around the island began to rise. And then, a deafening roar.
RRRRRREEEAAAAAAARRRRRRR!
A shock wave echoed from Angel Island, and a tidal wave rose high. Rouge, stunned by the sight, quickly began to pull up on the plane to dodge such an attack. But the tidal wave was far too large to dodge in their short window of time. The G.U.N. airship which called out to them had enough time to pull to safety, but they were right in the lion's teeth.
"Give me a second," Rouge said as she readied to activate the Tornado's jet engine, "I've got this!"
"No time!" Shadow answered, "Besides, that tidal wave's just going to keep going before it crashes somewhere else! I've got this!"
Shadow balled his hands into tight fists, and started to let loose a subtle growl. Around him, the seven Chaos Emeralds appeared. Not wasting time, the hedgehog's body suddenly turned a golden-yellow. Exploding with power, he flew off toward the tidal wave heading his way. His entire body surged with power, and he pulled back his arms. Now face to face with the wave itself, the golden Black Wind slammed is hands together in a mighty clap.
THOOOOM!
The mighty action triggered a powerful sonic boom which sent the tidal wave sky high. Creating a perfect gap for the Tornado, Shadow continued to fly toward Angel Island with Rouge right behind.
…
"They've gotten through..."
If the echidna was stunned, he sure didn't show it. His eyes, peering into the mighty green stone before him, saw the image of their biplane landing on his island's beach. He grunted at the sight, growled too, but took a calming deep breath. It was expected of them to get close. After all, they held the Chaos Emeralds. And for the longest time, he thought there were nothing more but legends.
The first trap laid out by his island's defenses had finally been broken; an outsider has stepped foot on Angel Island. With it on the ocean's surface, he felt vulnerable. There was no telling what could happen with island in its current state, and the thought of that demon running amok on his island only made things worse.
"So... has your guest arrived yet?" a stern, overbearing, older voice called from down the chamber.
"Yes... he's arrived, just as you said he would," the echidna replied, hand curling into a fist, "And he does indeed have the Chaos Emeralds."
"I'm not surprised by this assessment... such a shame; my welcoming committee is running a tad bit late. Do you mind paying him a visit? As you may well know, he owns the Chaos Emeralds, and only you know of their secrets."
The echidna nodded before turning to face the mighty Emerald sitting before him. Caressing it just a bit, he felt himself being invigorated by his mission. The footsteps behind him grew in sound, before finally stopping to his right. The red echidna looked up and over, seeing a grown human man, with small glasses, in a brown formal suit, and a most magnificent mustache. The doctor smile.
"You must get going, Knuckles," he said, "I don't mean to alert you, but our dear friend is a demon in every sense of the word. He won't hesitate to take the Master Emerald if it gives him the power he seeks," suddenly, the man flared a blue color, revealing his image to be false, "I shall be waiting at the onset of the zone for you."
And in the blink of an eye, he vanished. The red echidna stood in the chamber alone then, his purple eyes trailing back to the rock before him. Closing his eyes and leaning in, he looked as if he were praying. But then he pulled back and nodded.
"I will protect you, Master Emerald... I will..."
Then he ran free of the area, dashing to meet his new opponent.
Maverick Talks!
Woo! Man! Feels like forever since I've last wrote a fanfic. But here I am, back again, with this! A sequel to The Conquest of West Side Island. I felt like I had to write this one. After all, TCWI ended on such a major set up for a sequel, I found it virtually impossible to not think of a continuation. Besides, Sonic 3 comes after Sonic 2. I mean, duh. How was I not going to write this story?
Anyway, here's Conquest of the Floating Isles. And we already begin with turbulence. For those who haven't read the first story, you'd be rightfully lost. Here's a brief recap, if you're too lazy to read the last one.
Anyway, this is a series in which Shadow and Rouge replace Sonic and Tails in the classic Sonic games. Shadow defeated and liberated South Island from Robotnik, saving his family and gaining the six Chaos Emeralds. Thanks to that, the seventh Chaos Emerald was revealed in West Side Island. Years later, Shadow and his ally Rouge make way for West Side Island, only to find the island is uninhabited, and Badniks are everywhere. Shadow and Rouge fight through West Side Island together, collecting the Chaos Emeralds, and searching for the Hidden Palace Zone to locate the seventh Chaos Emerald. Only, Dr. Robotnik has already collected the seventh Chaos Emerald, and with its power created the mighty Death Egg. After launching the Death Egg into space, Dr. Robotnik prepares to take over the planet. But Shadow invades the Death Egg, and after unlocking the power of seven Chaos Emeralds, is able to destroy the Death Egg, and Dr. Robotnik.
Or so he believed.
Anyway, that's pretty much a good recap. But there's still a good bit I left out that you may need to read about. So I recommend - for all your newcomers - you read at least first and last chapters of The Conquest of West Side Island. Ya'know, just to get a feel for things. But now I digress...
So we've started out Sonic 3. Get ready for it! This is gonna be a long one!
Maverick Kay Prime