"Jump!" Kakashi shouted.
"What? WHOA!" Sora leaped into the air and somersaulted away from an attack made by a massive red machine.
"It looks like a Heartless!" Sora remarked, landing beside Kakashi.
"It's a machine," Kakashi said. "It must be Eggman's work."
"Is this the one that you and Koul saw earlier?" L inquired of Hazel. They were crouching behind a large stone in a clearing made by their adversary.
"No." Hazel told him. "The other one looked like a two-story spider."
This enemy more resembled a red box the size of a house. It had a small head floating above it's box like body, and it hovered above the ground. Hazel prodded her ear. The machine emitted a high pitched noise, like a constant screech. She assumed it had something to do with it's hovering, as every time it moved the screeching noise fluctuated. It shot red lights at everyone, and the red lights were burning with a searing heat. Hazel wondered if she would be able to heal wounds from that.
"How many do you think there are?" Hazel asked L as one of the lasers seared past them.
"It's hard to tell. There could be any number of them on the rest of the planet. "
"Augh!" Naruto's voice rang out in a cry of pain. Hazel was gone in a flash standing over him.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"He got hit." Kakashi informed her. He was glaring death the man-made monster.
Hazel turned and looked at Naruto. He had a burn mark along his arm- the left sleeve had been completely incinerated.
"Hold still." Hazel put her hand on his arm and it glowed yellow.
"Ah!" Naruto cried out in surprise and pain.
"Hold still!"
"Sorry!"
After a few moments Hazel removed her hand and the glowing stopped. Naruto looked at his arm.
"H-hey!" He marveled at the healed skin.
Good, I can heal them. Hazel thought.
"Look out!" Naruto shouted. The machine threw another of its red lights at the pair.
"Yee-ah!" Hazel spun around and held up her shield. The red light bounced off of it and into the forest. She pulled an arrow out of the quiver on her back and prepared to shoot it.
"No, stop." L said, mysteriously next to her again. "Arrows will have no effect."
"Fine then." Hazel looked at him. "What will?"
"If I can get in," Koul put in, "I can short-circuit it."
"Then get it." Heero said, matter-of-factly. Koul looked at him.
"Naruto, make as many shadow clones as you can. Sora, focus your attacks on its under-side. That seems to be where it's weakest. Make it open! Sonic, keep in front of it's eyes- don't let it see what they're doing. Sora, let us know when you have a hole hacked into it. Koul and Heero should be able to get close enough then. " L instructed.
"Alright!" Naruto jumped into action. "SHADOW-CLONE JUTSU! HAHAHA!"
They formed a massive attack on the enemy, each attacking from a different direction. Hazel shot yellow orbs of energy at the machine's arms, keeping Sonic free of attack while he worked on the robot's mechanical eye. The shadow-clones kept the robot's lasers occupied, and Sora could be heard beating away at the steel underside.
All of a sudden, a loud scream erupted from the robot- a crippling sound, driving its way down into their bones and splitting their skulls.
"AAAUUUGH!" Sonic fell out of the air in mid-attack.
" WHAT IS THAT?" Naruto demanded, his hands over his head. All the shadow-clones poofed into non-existence, and the clearing became motionless.
The screeching stopped, and the machine hovered away to the west.
"After it!" Sora cried out.
They all took off. Sonic reached the robot first, with Hazel close behind.
"What?" She looked at the blue hedgehog.
"Look!" Sonic replied.
In front of the robot was a glowing yellow stone.
"A Chaos Emerald!"
"That's what it must have been after!" Sonic said.
"Good, so we found one. Now what? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no! You're kidding me!" Hazel protested. The Emerald levitated in front of the robot. The underbelly opened and the Emerald was placed inside. The dented door closed, and the machine turned to leave, completely ignoring the two dumbfounded comrades.
"Ha! Now for a challenge!" Sonic said. Hazel blinked at the Blue Blur, but then a wolfish grin graced her features.
"Yeah, that's one way to look at it. Chaarge!"
The two fighters launched themselves at the metallic monstrosity. Sonic performed spin attack after spin attack, and Hazel's relentless energy attacks and Elvish sword did it's damage. The rest of the group came upon the battle scene.
"What'd we miss?" Kakashi asked.
"It's got a Chaos Emerald!" Hazel informed, dodging a laser attack and coming up under the creature, hacking and slashing.
Koul and Sora flew through the air, landing kicks and slashing. Kakashi landed on top of it.
"Lightning-Blade!" He shouted.
"Thunder!"
"Rasengan!"
With this last blow, the door was burst in.
"HA!"
"Good work, Naruto!" Kakashi praised.
"Heehee!" Naruto grinned.
"Look out!" Koul yelled in warning.
"Huh? ACK!" Naruto ducked just in time to dodge a red bolt. Heero leaped over the orange suited boy and into the machine. The others kept up the attack until Heero shouted for a cease fire. He came flying out of the machine, clutching the glowing stone to his chest.
"Get back!" He warned, but they didn't have time to clear out before the robot exploded, sending flame and melted steel flying.
Ka-BOOM!
"Skolir!" Hazel shouted, holding her hand out. An orb of yellow energy crackled to life around the group. Flames whooshed passed the group, but didn't touch them. A few pieces of debris bounced off, and then Hazel lowered the shield.
"Whoa." She panted. "Hope I don't have to do that again."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Loud laughter jerked everyone's attention to the sky. A small, round, metal floating object floated into view above the trees.
"I see you made quick work of my Egg Box," the source of the laughter said, still chuckling.
"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Sonic, there you are," Eggman remarked, as if he had been looking for a lost sock. Sonic glared.
"Now if you'll just ask your friend there to hand over the Chaos Emerald, I'll be on my way." Eggman said, holding his hand out, as if expecting the Emerald to be dropped into it.
"I don't have it." Heero stated. Eggman glared at him.
"What do you mean 'I don't have it'? Of course you do!"
Heero shrugged.
"I don't have it. Now get lost."
"DON'T TOY WITH ME!" Eggman commanded loudly.
"Now hand it over, or I WILL destroy you!"
