Kingdom Hearts II: Sonic Chronicles
OC's © original creators
Chapter Two: Get a Job
The scene returns to Shadow's housing as the owner was tossing and turning in his bed. Sweat was running down his forehead as scattered dreams of blue hedgehogs and keyblades clustered his mind. The dark hedgehog shot up in his bed, panting heavily, and looked down at his right palm, feeling that something was missing.
"A Key...blade...?" Shadow said questionably.
Little over an hour later, Shadow was dressed and making his way downtown to the Usual Spot. As he passed by, he noticed a sudden change in their people's personalities. They were not glaring at him and even waving merrily as if nothing had occurred during the previous day. Shadow found this odd and turned the corner towards the Usual Spot, but his mind was still plagued by what happened at the ancient ruins. Where did that silver creature come from and how did he get that strange weapon? The dark hedgehog crossed his arms and lowered his attention in thought.
"I just don't understand it." Shadow murmured. "What is a Keyblade? What really happened yesterday?" All of a sudden, he knocked against something and nearly stumbled backwards. Shadow looked at the man he collided with and was unable to learn of his identity under the Black Cloak he was wearing. "Um...pardon me. I guess...I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Hmm, interesting..." The shrouded character hummed.
Shadow didn't have a clue why this hooded man was so fascinated by him. He felt a little awkward while the unknown character continued to stare at him for a few short moments and turned back. The man left as if nothing had occurred between them. Though slightly disturbed, Shadow continued at a regular pace to the Usual Spot. Once arriving, he found everyone sitting at the usual places: Knuckles was lying on the rafts, Rouge was sitting on the couch, and Tails was leaning against the second floor railing. Shadow took his usual place on the pile of crates, where he found a bar of Sea-Salt Ice Cream waiting for him – Knuckles must have bought it. There was a short period of silence while everyone enjoyed their frozen treats.
"Do you think we'll always be together like this?" Tails asked randomly.
"Well, we can hope." Rouge commented.
"Hey, where is this coming from?" Knuckles asked confused.
"Well, you know, just thinking out loud." Tails answered sheepishly.
"I doubt we can be together forever." Knuckles stated sagely. "But isn't that what growing up is all about? What's important is not how often we see each other, but how often we think of each other. Right?"
"Steal that from a fortune cookie?" Shadow smirked.
"That's it, no more ice cream for you!" Knuckles yelled; he was normal again. "Man, today's turning out to be a real drag. I was hoping we could be able to do something worthwhile today."
"Maybe we could do more training for the tournament." Rouge suggested. "Zeenint at the Signers are working around the clock to prepare."
"I'm sick of training." Knuckles grumbled, jumping down to the floor. "These are the last few days of summer! We should be doing something fun and exciting! That's way I say we all go to the beach!" The other Knights glanced at each other in disbelief. "I know you're wondering why we should go to the beach. The answer is simple: we haven't gone once during this entire vacation!"
"That is a good idea." Tail nodded. "But there are two problems with that plan. The beach is on the other side of town and it takes rings to buy a train ticket, which we don't have."
"Maybe you forgot that I'm smart." Knuckles grinned deviously; The Knights groaned inwardly. "We'll just head to the notice boards and find some easy jobs to pay for the trip. What are we waiting for?!
"Did he...actually come up with a good plan?" Shadow asked hesitantly.
"Shadow, I'm scared." Tails shivered.
The last time Knuckles had come up with a good plan, the Kingdom Knights were nearly killed by an angry mob. Shadow and Rouge agreed to keep a shorter leash on the echidna. The remaining Knights followed Knuckles out of the street and raced north for the sector owned by the Rumble Racers, another Brawl Gang. A few short moments later, they were standing on the far side of an open plaza with a wide, white building that had trains coming in an out. While Rouge was searching through the notice boards with a notepad, the boys were staring at a poster a little down from her.
Brawlers Tournament
Now is your chance to prove your skill.
Take your chances in the Brawlers Tournament.
Hosted and sponsored by Princess Elise III
Winner will receive a one of a kind trophy
and the chance to face the current champion: Hybrid
Starts on Thursday at 12
"Just two days to go." Knuckles said pridefully. "Two of us have to make it to the finals. That way, no matter who wins, all four of us can split the prize."
"Heh! You're on." Shadow grinned challengingly. "But you're going to have to work a lot harder to beat me. I doubt you'll even get past Armand."
"Armand is the second strongest of the Signers." Tails commented. "But the Kingdom Knights are gonna clean their clocks."
"That's a promise." Knuckles nodded.
"All right, boys, you had your fun." Rouge said playfully, rejoining the group. "Now, it's time to get down to business. One ticket to the beach is 900 rings. How much does everyone have?"
"3600 rings." Tails answered
"And 300 each to spend there." Rouge said calculative. "What's that for all of us?"
"1200 ring." Tails answered. "A total of 4800 rings."
"What are we going to spend that on?" Shadow asked.
"Pretzels, of course." Rouge answered smirking. "What else is there?"
"We could always get some watermelons." Knuckles suggested.
"Too pricy." Rouge shook disapprovingly. "They're 2000 rings a piece."
"Pretzels are good with me." Knuckles replied. "But how much do we have left? We need 4800 rings all together, but all I've got is 800 rings."
"650..." Tails stated.
"I've only got 150." Shadow said disappointed.
"That 1600 rings." Rouge added hopefully. "All we need is 3600 rings and we'll be eating those pretzels in no time." The white bat torn a piece from her notebook and split into four equal pieces, handing one to each Knight. "I've selected a handful of jobs that are suitable to your abilities. Once we've collected enough rings, we'll meet back here for the final count."
"Yes, ma'am!" The boy saluted.
With their assignments ready, the Kingdom Knights flew in their separate directions. The first of them to reach their destination was Tails, who was sadly disappointed when learning what his job was. The two-tailed vulpine was standing in the corner of the market place with a butterfly net and a beekeeper's mask in hand. His assignment was to capture the swarming bumblebee's nest hidden behind the accessory shop. Susan was finding behind the kitsune, trying to keep herself distant from the swarm.
"Are you sure you can get rid of them?" Susan asked timidly.
"It'll over in a moment." Tails said confidently. He reached into his bushy tail and pulled out a glass bottle filled with toxic-green liquid. "This is a new repellent I have been working on. Just one whiff of this and those bees will be flying away with their stingers between their legs."
"Wow, really?" Susan asked impress; she reached out to grab it. "So how exactly does it..." He accidentally knocked it with her knuckle, causing the vial to smash on the ground. "...Work?"
"Well, I got nothing." Tails said shortly.
"Maybe it would be better if Shadow takes over." Susan sighed dreamily. "I bet he could get rid of them without even trying."
"No!" Tails said defiantly, raising his fist in the air. "I am a member of the Kingdom Knights. We follow the code of honor, valor, and courage! I will complete this mission or die trying!"
"Dude, it's just bees." Susan said bluntly.
The yellow fox sweat dropped at his dramatic moment was ruined. Keeping the net mask close to is face and the net in hand, Tails screamed wildly and jumped into the fray.
The scene alternates to the hillside sector owned by another Brawl Gang called the Speed Strikers. Knuckles was trudging up the one of the larger hills with his back against a cargo crate alongside another worker who opted for the job. Now one would think that hauling cargo would be simple for someone as strong as the cherry echidna. But there were many factors that went against him. The cargo they were carrying was over four hundred pounds, the hill was treacherously steep, and there was the problem with the cart they were pushing.
"Who in their ring mind puts square wheels on a cart?!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"The guys in maintenance though it would be funny." The worker grunted.
"This isn't working." Knuckles said strained. "I've got an idea, but it's a risky one. When I give the signal, we both let go of the cart and I'll take care of the rest."
"What are you up to?" The worker asked nervously.
"Just do it!" Knuckles yelled, tightening his fists. "On my count! 1...2...3!!"
At the signal, the second worker rolled to the side and Knuckles jumped down the hill. At the moment of their release, the cart began stampede down the slope and in the direction of the echidna Knight. The worker closed his eyes and Knuckles stiffened his stance as he brought his fist backwards. Once the cart was only a few feet away, Knuckles pulled off the unbelievable: he drilled his namesake into the cart and sent it flying. The other worker ducked as the cargo was shot over his head and miraculously landed on the leveled ground at the top of the hill.
"Yes! We did it!" Knuckles cheered while dancing. "800 rings, here I come!"
"Great, we're only halfway there." The worker smiled.
"Halfway?" Knuckles repeated fearfully.
The other worker nodded and pointed to the left. The bewildered echidna followed his direction and gapped like a fish out of water. Their real target was a garage at the pinnacle of a hundred-foot mountain that required climbing gear to travel. The hot-blooded echidna passed out.
The next scene was back in the territory owned by the Kingdom Knights within the suburban area. Rouge was gliding along the street, waving to the passing citizens, with a mailbag strapped to her shoulder. Every few feet, the pearl-white bat would stop in front of one household and dropped a handful of letters into their appropriate places. For a short while, she was doing rather well. But that she stopped outside a metal fenced yard with a sign that said "Beware of dog". There was a plank of wood between the words, which made no sense to her.
"Dr. Newt, eh?" Rouge said as she read the address. "Hmm, I wonder what kind of doctor lives here."
"I wouldn't go in there, young lady." Rouge looked over and learned that the candy shop lady lived next door. "The doctor has a mean dog that could hurt you."
"I'm sure I can handle whatever he throws at me." Rouge said confidently.
The old woman shook her head in disappointment and went back to watering her begonias. Children these days could be so hardheaded. The feminine Knight hopped over the metal fence and landed defensively in the yard. From what she could tell, it was an average lawn: green grass, a bird bath, and the occasional garden gnome. But there was no sign of any guard dog. That was until she stepped forward and a sharp yelp was heard from below. Rouge jumped backwards and stared down to find a little Chihuahua dog staking timidly close to her ankle.
"Aw, aren't you a cute little guy." Rouge cooed. "How could anyone think you were a vicious attack dog?"
She bent down and patted the dog's head, which ultimately proved to be her own undoing. From that simple touch, the tiny pet transformed into ten-foot, muscular, green-skinned behemoth. Rouge's eyes contacted fearfully and she remained unmoving as the dog took a deep huff of breath. This was going to hurt. And while the feminine Knight was being mauled by the savage beast, the sign outside dropped the wooden plank to reveal the whole message: "Beware of mutant dog".
"How the hell did I get stuck with this?" Shadow grumbled.
"I'm not too giddy, either." Damien scowled.
The scene had shifted to the sector controlled by the Soleanna Signers, where Shadow and Damien were grudgedly working together. They had both been assigned to put up posters around town and only the offer of 100 rings per poster kept them from leaving. There was a monotonous pattern share between them – they found a spot, swiped a dab of glue with a paint brush, and plaster the poster. The signs they were forced to put up were advertisements for the Brawlers Tournament, which the duo were forming a mutual hatred of.
"How many more do we have left?" Damien questioned irritably.
"Only six more." Shadow answered.
"Well, it's about time." Damien groaned loudly. He pulled out a folded poster and reached for his glue brush. "If I see anymore of these things, I swear I'm gonna..." With realizing it, the golden hound accidentally dabbed Shadow's forehead with glue. When he found out, Damien couldn't resist laughing. "Oops, my bad!"
"I'm going to pretend that didn't happen." Shadow said calmly. He swiped the wall with his brush, unintentionally splattering the golden out with dots of glue. "Well, that wasn't meant to happen."
"Like hell it wasn't!" Damien roared furiously. "You did that on purpose."
"No, that was an accident." Shadow proclaimed. "This is on purpose."
The jet-black hedgehog touched Damien's forehead with his glue brush and swiped it downwards to make a bright line down his nose. The golden hound counterattacked my slapping Shadow with his brush. The fight pretty much snowballed from there and involved tons of glue, punches, and shredded paper.
Later that day, the Kingdom Knights returned to the train station, bearing the marks of their various adventures. Tails was puffy and coated in beestings, Knuckles' left arm was limping uselessly, Rouge was covered in bite marks and scratches, and Shadow was a mess of glue and paper. But despite all the suffering they had endured, they had managed to collect their payments and collected them in total. They deposited their rings, who had taken a moment to count their total.
"Nice haul, boys." Rouge said proudly. "Added with what we had before, we now have..." She showed a small orange ornamented with a shield and two crossing swords. "Ta-da! 5000 rings!"
"Awesome!" Tails cheered as Rouge handed Shadow the bag. "That's more rings than we've ever had! Let's hurry up and get tickets!"
Tails and Rouge were already running up the steps to the train station, but Knuckles and Shadow remained behind. There was an intimidating period of silence between them, meaning something serious was up.
"We can't be together forever." Knuckles said solemnly. "So we better make the time we do have something to remember."
Shadow watched his leader with the utmost confusion. This was the first time in a while he had ever heard his best friend talk about something as serious as this before. But then the burning echidna grinned deviously and punched Shadow's shoulder before chasing after his friends. Was he joking...or not? The jet-black hedgehog was pondering this same question until he felt something sharply stabbed at the back of his neck. Shadow collapsed to the ground, which the other Knights noticed worriedly. The dark hedgehog was slowly pushing himself back up until he felt a hand sharply pull him up by his forearm. It wasn't Knuckles or anyone he knew – it was the Black Cloaked man earlier. He murmured a few words, leaving Shadow particularly confused.
"Shadow, we don't have all day!" Knuckles called.
"What?" Shadow stammered.
The dark Knight looked back and the Black Cloaked man had vanished completely. How could anyone move that fast. Shadow decided to figure it out later and followed the rest of his team into the train station. When he had reached them, Knuckles was already at the ticket counter.
"We need four tickets to Wave Ocean." Knuckles requested turning to his friend. "Shadow, you've got the rings?"
"Yeah, I've got it right..." Shadow trailed off as he reached for the rings; they weren't there. "No! This can't be happening! Where could they have...?" He suddenly remember the Black Cloaked man. "He took it!"
"Shadow what are you talking about?" Tails asked curiously.
"Remember when I fell?" Shadow questioned. "I had the money before that. I'll bet anything that guy took it! He couldn't have gotten too far! Maybe we can..."
"Whoa, calm down, Shadow." Rouge interrupted hurried. "What are you talking about? There wasn't anyone else around for miles."
"What?" Shadow said in disbelief.
At that point, there was no reason to argue with it any longer. The bells from the platforms signaled the last train leaving the station – they missed their trip to the beach.
Later that day, the Kingdom Knight relocated themselves to a place where they cold watch the sunset in peace. Being close friends to Princess Elise, the group was given free access to the palace at all times. The team of four were sitting at the highest ledge of the palace, watching the horizon with Sea-Salt Ice Cream in hand. Elise was unable to join them because of her many duties. Of the Knights, Shadow was the only one not eating his frozen treat and unconsciously watched a drop of blue fall to the ground below.
"You better hurry up and eat." Rouge suggested. "It's starting to melt."
"Sorry, guys." Shadow mumbled depressed.
"Aw, get over it!" Knuckles smirked.
"It was definitely weird, thought." Tails commented. "How could all those rings just suddenly disappear?"
The black hedgehog lost focus of the conversation and tried to decrypt the man's unusual words.
"Can you feel Sonic?"
~Restoration at 28%~
The scene returns to the dark, underground chamber serving as a threshold for ZoN. The masked enigma was in her usual seat, watching the monitors while the numbers passed across the screens. The reptilian horse was curled in the corner of the room like a house cat and the Black Cloak man was leaning against the opposite wall. He was tossing a small bag in his hand, which was the same bag he had recovered from Shadow.
"Is it really that hard to make a beach?" The Black Cloaked man asked.
"We'd be giving the enemy another entry point." ZoN responded.
"And this?" The man asked, holding out the bag.
"We could always buy some Sea-Salt Ice Cream." ZoN stated jokingly, laughing with weak emphasis. "Objects from that town must be kept out of the real world. You can delete it now."
But instead of following his orders, the hooded man pocketed the bag inside his cloak.
The Sonic Team had already returned to the Toa Shrine, only to have their plans thwarted by Matoro. While the female Toa drifted out of sight, the self-proclaimed leader glared at the hedgehog and his weapon.
"As the Key bearer, you have a duty not to meddle in the affairs of other worlds." Matoro scolded.
~230582~
"To restore my home to its proper place." Hahli sighed longingly. "That is my dream."
~739263~
Sonic, Silver, and Storm were called back into the entrance hall by the aged master as they stood lined up to receive their rewards. Master Roshi was leaning against his wooden staff while Goku watched impressively at his side.
"And thus, I dubbed thee warriors in-training..." Master Roshi announced.
"Hey! What do you mean warriors in-training." Silver interrupted rudely.
"You rookies don't understand what it takes to be a true warrior." Roshi proclaimed.
~284284~
The team had settled themselves in the field. Though they had won the battle, the victory was bittersweet. And no matter how hard he argued, Link was unable to join the heroes in retrieving the princess. However, one little imp wasn't going to allow him to surrender so easily.
"I promise I won't stop looking." Midna said earnestly; Link was stunned. "We're friends, Link. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be alive today. You've always helped me, so it's time for me to do the same."
"Thanks, Midna." Link said kindly. "I can always count on you."
~956734~
The Heroes, with the exception of Silver, returned to the castle dungeon after their short success. Snape had discarded the useless Heartless once Harry and Sonic reported their story.
"Ginny, I should have listened to you." Harry said in defeat.
"Don't blame yourself. It could have happened to anyone." Ginny said cheerfully. "You can always try something different next time. I'll even help you."
~394572~
The Sonic Team, Traverse Squad, and Amy were slowly moving from behind the broken furniture, staring down at the little monstrosity. There were some glares directed to Shahra and Sonic for summoning the beast, but they were able to let it slide.
"Now that we're all settled down," Sonic said calmly. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" The creature said dramatically. "Who am I? I am the Knight of Legends, the Sovereign of Salvation, and the greatest hero the Digital World has ever seen. I go by many names, but you may call me Dorumon."
~283476~
"Ouch, that hurt, Sonic." Espio said mockingly. "And here I thought we were friends."
"Espio, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked shockingly. "Did you find her?"
~289472~
"Sonic, are you going to be ok?" Storm asked.
"Actually, I'm more then ok." Sonic smiled. "I can't wait to tell A..." "And I can't wait until I tell Silver how I used water magic."
~594762~
Chaos and Sonic exchanged glares with one another as they passed by. To them, this was more than just a challenge – this was the ultimate test of skill. Neither of them realized how much their futures would be affected by that one instant.
"You'll find it." Sonic stated confidently. "I'm searching, too."
"For your light?" Chaos asked. "Don't ever lose sight of it."
~485724~
Where are you going, Sonic." Tails-chao asked.
"I have to go look for my friends." Sonic said. "They're waiting for me somewhere."
"Then we'll be seeing ya." Sonic-chao said. "Remember: you are always welcomed at Chao Garden."
~583021~
"What did you do to them?" Sonic growled. "Where are they?"
"Instead of worrying about them," Espio said monotonously. "You should be asking about her"
The final scene opens to a familiar white room, containing nothing but an egg-shaped pod in the center of the chamber. While the creature hidden within the pod slumbered, he could feel the presence of another. She was a faint outline, but something about her felt strangely familiar in his heart.
"Who are you?" The creature murmured silently.
The female said nothing and continued to smile as he returned to his restless sleep. He had completely forgotten about her – it was time they finally meet.
"Scion..." Kumori said longingly.
The misadventure of our heroes leads to an untimely failure. Who was the man that attacked Shadow? Why didn't the others see him? And how will Kumori find this 'Scion'? Find out on the next Sonic Chronicles!
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