Time to find out what happens next in Wave's life. At the end of the next chapter, there may be a time-skip. To werewolf99, yes I believe fan made characters should have their own movie or TV show, but they will have to be extremely popular first before stuff like that can be considered.

Chapter 2: Gathering Strength

In the middle of the night, Wave awoke to find it was only 2:00 AM. She tried going back to sleep but it was hard to do so. Her thoughts drifted over to wondering about Burn. He was so nice to her from the start and yet...even though they were both young, they seemed to be already in love with each other...before the kiss. Would they even work out? Do they truly have anything in common? Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed some light down the hallway. Knowing she couldn't get back to sleep right now, she jumped out of bed and walked towards the light. It was coming from downstairs where her mother was still watching TV.

"Mother? Are you alright? Why don't you go to bed?" Wave asked walking down to the couch.

"Sorry sweetie, I've just been in deep thought for awhile." She sighed looking down at the ground.

"About what?"

"You're father...I've never understood why he hurts you. You've done nothing wrong, you're a smart and beautiful little girl...my little girl. I married a man with one of my hopes being that we'd be able to raise our children to be strong and independent. But all that's happened in this family is abuse...towards you." She said as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Mom, does he hurt you? I've never noticed any bruises on you, I just thought you were scared." Wave said getting up on the couch.

Her mother looked down at Wave as a tear dropped. Slowly she lifted up a bit of her shirt to reveal a large bruise on her side. Wave gasped.

"Was this recent?"

"Yes. Just 2 days ago."

"Why did he do that?"

"He said he got into a fight at the bar, but he didn't get the chance to finish the fight because they got pulled apart. So he came home that night while you were asleep and said he needed...something to hit." She began to cry.

Those words struck Wave's heart like a punch in the face. While normally fear corrupted her body, it was now being replaced with rage. Her fists clenched as he got off the couch.

"Mother, I promise you. It may not be tomorrow, it may not be the day after that, but soon...we won't have to worry about him anymore." Wave growled before going back upstairs.

Her mother was surprised to hear something like that and wondered what she meant. The next day, Wave was able to avoid her father, who didn't really seem to notice her, and decided to go over to Burn's house. Burn was in his room trying on a few new hats he had. He was used to being alone in his house since his parents worked from morning till evening, it wasn't a big deal to him. He placed on a cowboy hat and looked in the mirror.

"Nice...it's fits my style." Burn said winking at himself in the mirror.

Just then he heard the doorbell. He went downstairs to open the door and was delighted to see Wave.

"Howdy Wave, just trying on hats. What do you think?" Burn smiled.

"It suits you, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out and meet the others. Unless you already did."

"No not yet, only Jet and Storm."

"Well, Sonic wanted to give you a tour of the place, guess he couldn't find you."

"Well then let's go find him."

Sonic lived a few blocks down in a large house, currently Blaze and Tails were over where Tails was explaining to Sonic the Extreme Gear he had completed for himself and Wave. Sonic went to the door when he heard a knock.

"I'll get it!"

He opened the door to see Wave and Burn standing there, Sonic didn't recognize the red cat.

"Well hey there Wave! And you must be that new guy." Sonic pointed out.

"Howdy partner, my name is Burn. I heard you're the fastest thing alive." Burn smirked.

"Hah, I totally am. And I can prove it." Sonic held a thumbs up and let them in.

"Is that Wave? WAVE! Look I finished the gear!" Tails held up their boards.

"Wow Tails, they look amazing. I can't wait to try out some neat tricks with this baby!" Wave took her board and examined it.

She called it the "Type-W", it was mainly purple with some white and red. And it had two large purple circles where she would put her feet. She was too busy admiring her gear to notice Blaze glaring angrily at her. Blaze herself didn't even notice her distant cousin Burn talking with Sonic until Tails interrupted her glaring.

"Hey Blaze, have you met Burn?" Tails asked.

Blaze's eyes went wide and turned to see Burn and Sonic laughing. She walked right over and mischievously yanked on his tail.

"YOW! WHAT IN TARNATION?" Burn turned around angrily.

"Hello Burn, it's been awhile." Blaze stood there smirking.

"Damn it Blaze, you always do that to me!" Burn grumbled rubbing his tail.

"Well you shouldn't be surprised when that happens every time." Blaze shrugged.

"Whatever, anyways, how's life been?"

"Pretty great so far, and falling in love with Sonic was one of my greatest decisions ever."

"He's already your boyfriend? We're all kinda young don't ya think?"

"Love is a mysterious thing cousin. Surely you've found someone that may work."

"Well..."

Burn was too embarrassed to mention how he already had feelings for Wave. It must have been that kiss last night, he thought it was just a thank you kiss. He straightened his hat and chuckled. Blaze just looked into his eyes, she knew he was hiding something. Blaze took another glance at Wave who was talking to Tails.

"Is it her?" Blaze tilted her head in Wave's direction.

Burn had began to blush but it couldn't be seen. But he showed a small nod.

"Are you serious?" Blaze groaned putting her hands on her hips.

"What? We haven't admitted to each other yet, we're just good friends as of yesterday." Burn tried to explain.

"That girl is someone you cannot trust. She can get so close to you, even if you're already with someone, and try to snatch them away. That's what I thought she was trying to do to Sonic. She used to stay so close to him, I was thinking she was going to try and take him from me." Blaze said, fire rising inside of her.

Burn could feel it getting rather hot where they were standing, luckily where Wave couldn't hear them.

"Blaze come on, she would never betray me, and I wouldn't betray her. You know, I was hoping you would've loosened up more over the years, why would anyone want to make you upset...you're a cat with fire powers...and so am I." Burn said.

"Yeah, and you have those creepy metal teeth." Blaze chuckled and pointed.

"Why you little-"

"HEY BURN! WANNA RACE!" Sonic called out.

"Me? Race you?" Burn was surprised by this.

"Yeah dude, Blaze here is pretty fast...but what about you? I bet you could probably beat me through Green Hill." Sonic smirked.

Burn thought about it, Sonic sure knew ways to have fun. Plus, it would be nice to stretch his legs. He looked back at Sonic with a smirk and adjusted his hat.

"You're on partner!"

And so, Sonic, Burn, Tails and Wave got ready to race while Blaze held a flag. Wave and Tails were on their Extreme Gear and ready to test them out.

"Try to keep up shorty!" Wave smirked at him.

"I think you'll be the one to try and keep up." Tails said back.

"On your marks...get set...GO!" Blaze waved the flag and they all took off.

The four raced into Green Hill using a straight path with some large hills. Sonic was impressed with how much Burn could keep up, but Sonic was only using a bit of his power, thinking he could go easy on Burn. Surprisingly, Burn's hat stayed on tight.

"You really think you got what it takes to pass me?" Sonic asked looking back.

"Mabye...we'll just see won't we?" Burn said.

Both racers broke the sound barrier and sped on. Wave and Tails were busy behind them trying to stay balanced on their boards. It was harder than they thought but they were able to maintain their speed.

"Got to get the hang of this fast!" Wave said.

"Don't worry, I think we almost got it." Tails said.

As they floated down hill, they bent their bodies forward increasing speed, and when they went up, they raced into the sky and performed several tricks. They grinded on a few rails and dodged a few trees.

"Nice moves Wave!" Tails said.

"You too shorty, now let's see if you can beat me!" Wave said putting on the speed.

The two reached speeds they never thought they built the Gear to do. They were catching up to Sonic and Burn pretty quickly. Sonic glanced at Burn's feet to see they were almost tied with him. Sonic decided to use more of his power, he broke the sound barrier again while Burn watched in amazement.

"Interesting. He's much faster than they say." Burn thought.

Just then, he felt his hat being pulled off, he looked up to see Wave winking and stealing his hat.

"Thanks for the hat!" Wave yelled going past him.

"HEY!" Burn tried to grab for it.

"You'll get it back, if you can beat me. Tails is already having a hard time!" Wave pointed behind her.

Tails was trying to gain speed but nothing was working. Sonic had slowed down until he was right in front of them.

"Final stretch!" Sonic announced.

All four of them dashed back towards town where the finish line would be Sonic's house. They ended up passing by Shadow and Silver who were talking by a light pole.

"You hear about that new guy?" Silver asked him.

"Yeah, strange how we haven't met him yet." Shadow said.

"I actually have a feeling we may now." Silver pointed down the street.

The four were coming close, but the race would be cut short when a large truck comes down towards an intersection.

"TRUCK!" Sonic tried to stop.

Unfortunately Sonic is slammed into by Burn, who's slammed into by Wave, who's slammed into by Tails. Their four combined speed causes them to crash into the truck, flip over it, and right onto the ground. To his surprise, Burn found himself lying on his back with Wave right on top of him, their lips touching. Shadow and Silver just stared at them. Wave and Burn blush and the swallow quickly gets up.

"He-he, sorry about that." Wave said.

"Ah no worries. Can I have my hat back?"

Wave gave it back laughing. Sonic and Tails were digging themselves out of the ground.

"Whoa, that was close. That could've been far worse." Sonic rubbed his head.

"Yeah, we got lucky." Tails nodded.

Sonic walked over to Burn who was adjusting his hat again.

"You got some pretty good legs on ya. You almost beat me!" Sonic congratulated him.

"I just got to keep trying partner. Hey you know them?" Burn pointed to the two hedgehogs.

"Yeah, that's Shadow and Silver." Sonic introduced them.

"So you're the one everyone's talking about!" Silver said.

"I didn't think anyone cared that much." Burn shrugged.

"Apparently, they think you're...unique." Shadow said keeping his arms crossed.

"Well I don't know any other guys with metal teeth like me!" Burn said showing them off.

"Hey Shadow, you also have competition in speed, this kid almost won, but that truck got in the way." Sonic said.

"Humph, he would be an easy challenge faker!" Shadow scoffed.

"Well partners I needed to be hitting the old dusty trail, I got some stuff to do back at the house." Burn said.

"Alright see ya later." Sonic said and the others waved.

Much later, Wave found Rouge downtown at a warehouse. Posters about the fight club were posted everywhere...however one picture showed what looked like Predator Hawk uppercutting someone so hard two teeth flew out. This made her gulp and quickly ran over to Rouge who was writing something.

"Hey Rouge, why is Predator Hawk on one of these photos?" Wave asked.

"Because the asshole is the champion here, and he is brutal. He's knocked out every one of his opponents...been the champion for 2 years." Rouge explained.

"How do you know all this?"

"I work here during the summer. It's all about the money...and watching people suffer. Do you still want to sign up?"

"Do I get to pick who to fight?"

"Yeah, and I can help you pick...only if you want to join."

Wave thought about it...on one hand, it would show everyone she's not afraid to fight...on the other hand, she wasn't leaving without some injuries...injuries that would just make her think of her father. But...what if he saw her fighting and winning? Mabye she could finally prove to her father that...she wasn't just some weak little girl...she was more than that. Rouge noticed the smirk building on her face.

"Sign me up!"

Rouge proceeded to when a red gloved and clawed hand blocked the pen. She looked up to see Predator Hawk smirking, Wave's smile dropped completely and she started to fear again. Predator Hawk had a few bruises from last night when he was attacked by Jet and Storm.

"Rouge, I see you're back to doing your job. I can't wait to start beating on people's faces Saturday night." Hawk emphasized with a tight fist.

Then he saw Wave and growled angrily.

"YOU!"

Hawk ran over to Wave who was trying to bring out the large wrench in her back pocket but was too slow and was smashed into the wall. Rouge attempted to intervene but Hawk only shoved Rouge down before turning back to a horrified Wave.

"YOU GOT LUCKY LAST NIGHT BITCH! VERY LUCKY! WELL NOW I'M GONNA FINISH WHAT I STARTED!" Hawk pulled back a fist.

Wave winced and looked back at Rouge who was charging at them. Rouge jumped and did a spin-kick into Hawk who retaliated by lunging at them. Missing, he crashes into the table and the papers go flying. The sign-up paper smacked into Hawk's face and he noticed Wave's name...he grew an evil grin on his beak.

"Oh ho ho, you've signed up for the fight club eh? Didn't think someone like you would have the guts to do that." Hawk chuckled.

"What are you planning Hawk?" Rouge sneered.

Hawk grabbed a pen and began to write something on the opponent sheet...then he smacked it in Rouge's face. Rouge wanted to rip the sheet, but instead looked at it and gasped.

"Oh no."

"What?" Wave asked.

Rouge handed her the paper, and after she read it, she felt like her heart skipped 5 beats. She was starting to become pale.

"Y-you...m-m-monster!" Wave nearly cried.

On the paper, Hawk had put that he and Wave were to fight that night.

"Hehehehe...this will be fun, won't it Wave?" Hawk laughed.

"No...no I wont...I won't do this. I just won't show up." Wave threw the paper down and looked away crossing her arms.

"If you don't show up, I WILL FIND YOU AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A YEAR!" He yelled in her face.

Wave's nervousness caused her legs to wobble violently and she fell on the ground passing out. Rouge ran over to her and sat her up.

"You'll pay for this Predator Hawk." Rouge said.

"Uuuhhh." Wave gained a bit on consciousness and looked at the sky.

Rouge came into view looking worried.

"You okay Wave?" Rouge asked.

Suddenly Hawk shoved Rouge down and stared into Wave's eyes.

"See you Saturday!" Hawk whispered before leaving.

Wave finally lost all consciousness and passed out. Two hours later, Wave awoke to find she was in Rouge's bed...there for support were all her friends, Rouge, Sonic, Burn, Tails, Jet, Storm, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Silver...and Blaze who came because Sonic made her. Wave noticed she had no bruises...that was good news.

"Wave are you alright?" Sonic asked.

"I've been better, how long have I been out?"

"Two hours." Rouge said.

"Oh...is Hawk gone?"

"For now, at least he didn't get to hurt you." Amy said.

"Where is he, I'll smash that guy!" Knuckles pounded his spiked gloves together.

"I can agree to that." Storm said.

"We're sorry that you got to fight him." Burn said.

"Yeah...I'm scared!" Wave clutched the sheets.

"We know you are, and we wanna help." Jet said.

"We're all in this together." Tails said.

Everyone agreed...including Blaze who smiled a bit...feeling a little guilty for the way she acted. Wave was happy to have her friends by her side no matter what. However, Shadow had turned away from the group thinking.

"Hmm, you'll need a lot more help than us." He said to himself.

He excused himself to make a call and went out into the hallway.

"Looks like I'll need your services again." Shadow spoke.

That night, Wave sat on the top of a hill looking over the town. Burn had been on a little run when he spotted her looking rather sad. She was scared...scared to go home...scared to fight...scared of what may come tomorrow. She was so deep in thought she almost didn't feel a gloved hand touch her shoulder.

"You okay Wave? I was running around and saw you sulking." Burn said.

Wave sighed heavily before finally speaking, tension was rising all over them.

"Burn...you ever had one of those days where...you don't know why you're still living?" Wave said without looking at her.

Burn was surprised by that question, he rubbed his chin figuring out how to answer that.

"Well...not really. But I have wondered why I get so much attention...which I think is annoying. But why would you think of something like that?" Burn asked.

"Ever since I was a lot younger, my father...would often beat me when he's drunk or angry. He also never liked the fact that I invented things...basically I am smarter than him. I just found out last night that he hurts my mom too...and I can't protect her...and I can barely protect myself." Wave clenched her fists tightly.

Burn was shocked by this news...that explained why she looked so beat up yesterday. To think that she was constantly abused...by her own family member, it made him angry.

"Wave...you shouldn't have to live like this. Something must be done...and it should've been done a long time ago. But you know, I can almost relate." Burn closed his eyes and sighed.

Wave turned to him surprised. Burn removed his cowboy hat and sat it down beside him.

"What happened to you?" Wave asked.

"While I wasn't beaten up...I was neglected by both of my parents. They threw me out when I was 2 and I was adopted, and to this day...I never knew why, I always thought it was the way I looked. None of my parents look like this, some say there is a legend...a legend that talks about the few mysterious mobians. I've never seen any other mobian that's so multi-colored like me, red and yellow color scheme, blue around the eyes, blue metal sharp teeth even! But...I come to realize that...I'm what I was made to be...I'm not just some legendary cat, some awkward looking mobian...I'm Burn the cat, a brave friend willing to help others in need, willing to sacrifice for others...even if it means my life." Burn finished standing up.

Wave watched him in awe. Never before did she know Burn could be so inspiring. Burn turned to her and reached out a hand for her to take and she took it.

"Wave, you're a smart and beautiful girl, you should be free to do what you want. You need to make some choices are your own, and you don't need to worry, because like the others said...your friends will always be by your side." Burn finished with a smile.

Wave made a big smile and she hugged him tightly while crying. Burn patted her back and let her cry on his shoulder...even he let a few tears slide down his face himself. Eventually it began to rain.

"Come on Wave, I'll get you home before we run into that punk." Burn said walking her down the hill.

As they did...unknown to them...a pair of red eyes watched them from an alley. When lightning flashed, a familiar blue robot could be seen...

To be continued...