Chapter 4: Volcanic Tunnel
Tails woke up the next day while T-Pup barked happily.
"Slept well, T-Pup?" Tails asked the robotic puppy, and he replied with a happy bark. After having some fresh fruit for breakfast, Tails and T-Pup walked to the left of the lab and found two birds leaving some tunnel.
"Man, this tunnel is too dark for us birds to see," one bird said.
"I know. Thankfully, we have our secret weapon checking it out for us," the other said as they flew away in pods.
"Secret weapon in the tunnel? Let's check it out," Tails said, entering the tunnel with T-Pup.
The young fox quickly noticed that the underground area was full with lava falls and bats. T-Pup became scared and hid behind Tails' tails.
"I understand how you feel, pal. This tunnel must be some sort of underground volcano," Tails said, spotting something on a platform. Tails flew up to the platform, carrying T-Pup in his arms, and picked up the object.
"A hammer? Were they mining for something down here?" Tails thought when he suddenly heard a scream, which caused the bats to fly at him. He barely dodged them as he flew back to the other side.
"I don't know who screamed, but whoever did it, wasn't doing it for a prank," Tails said, knowing the scream was a yell for help. As he went into the tunnel, he saw a female badger with orange fur and wearing a tube top and skirt and was surrounded by robotic mice.
"What is the meaning of this? I bet those dirty birds sent you after they destroyed my home," the badger said, pulling out a boomerang and throwing it at one of the mice, destroying it. Tails came over, pulling out the hammer, and started whacking the remaining mice.
"Wow, another native? I thought I was the only one living on this island," Sticks said.
"You live here as well? I came here to get away from bullies who made fun of my two tails," Tails said as the badger saw the tails and nuzzled them.
"Why would anyone make fun of these? These are as soft as my pillow," the badger said.
"You're the first person who actually likes my tails," Tails said, smiling.
"Of course. I'm Sticks. I'm a feral badger," the badger said, smiling back.
"I'm Miles Prower, but people call me Tails," Tails replied.
"Tails? That's a great nickname for you. Anyway, I believe those birdies hid something in that narrow rock formation. I want to find out what it is, but I'm too big to crawl into it. This has to be the doing of the government agents messing with my growth," Sticks said.
"Don't worry. T-Pup will see what it is," Tails said while T-Pup went into the tunnel. When it came out, it was carrying some sort of bomb that came with a remote control with a button.
"What kind of weird device is this? Maybe if I push the button..," Sticks said as Tails stopped her.
"Wait. This looks like a bomb, and that remote must be what detonates it," Tails explained.
"So they were blowing up my home? Those birds are going to pay when I get done with them," Sticks said.
"How about you stay with me and T-Pup? Our lab may not be like your burrow, but it can be comfortable," Tails said.
"Your lab? You won't do any experiments on me," Sticks said, getting scared.
"No, I only build gadgets," Tails said.
THAT NIGHT
Sticks laid on a spare bed, and Tails told her about the Battle Bird Armada looking for Chaos Emeralds. She felt real comfortable as she listened.
"So, that's why they bombed my home. I bet this is some conspiracy to gain enough power to take over the planet," Sticks said.
"You may be right. I have one emerald, and I bet there are others on this island," Tails replied.
"I think I saw something like that," Sticks said.
"Really?" Tails asked.
"You bet. I remember seeing a green glow deep in the cave. I never went to it since I thought it was a monster, but we can both see it together," Sticks replied.
THE NEXT DAY
The three were back in the cave. Tails managed to make more Remote Bombs, and he used them to open up pathways that were blocked by the Battle Bird Armada's blasting. Soon, they reached the green glow and saw that it was a green Chaos Emerald.
"So, this is the chaos emerald you told me about last night," Sticks said.
"Yes, and this one is green," Tails said, picking it up.
"Maybe they come in different colors, like a rainbow or something," Sticks said, continuing on with Tails. She managed to break a path open on the other side and saw a mountain.
"There we go. I overheard those two birds saying something about Speedy leading a group into Polly Mountains. Something tells me a Chaos Emerald could be there," Sticks said.
"Thanks, Sticks. T-Pup and I will handle this. You go back to the lab and rest," Tails said.
"Be careful. You're the first friend I ever had, and I would hate to lose you," Sticks said, heading out back to the lab.
"I feel the same way," Tails said, heading out into the Polly Mountains.
TO BE CONTINUED...