A New Hero's Creation

Chapter 9 - Hill Top

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A/n:This chapter basically continues straight on from the last one. There isn't really much of a gap. Oh, and Tails also references the prequel to this story, but you don't need to worry if you haven't read it. Btw, the poor grammar such as 'me and tails' was added on purpose. There is no way Sonic would ever pay attention to grammar.

Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I had a lot of difficult defeating the Doctor in Casino Nights and I still hadn't actually gotten past him until I was 1700 or so words into this chapter.

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Petite-dreamer: Thanks for 'beta'ing this chapter as well. And, btw, I don't mind if there are a few errors, just so long as there isn't any glaringly obvious ones. As for your way to avoid the little guy dying, well another way is to just beat the bosses quickly before Tails can close.
Asher Tye: In answer to your question, no. I hope you're enjoying the story.
Taters4u: yes, yes I watched a video or two. I would've watched a few more but my net just got slowed down. (Note to self: stop exceeding download limit)

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Leaving Tails to check over his disappearing injuries, Sonic cautiously checked the massive hole in the wall, the hole that the Doctor had thoughtlessly left behind him. He'd been worried that, with all of the severe damage, the building wouldn't stay standing for much longer. Luckily, the building hadn't been too badly damaged. The blue hedgehog returned back to his friend to find him nervously rubbing his wrist.

"What on Mobius was that?" Tails asked quietly as he slowly moved his previously broken wrist, inspecting it intensely to try and work out what the hell had just occurred. He cautiously flexed the previously injured joint and was happily surprised to find that it had somehow healed completely. He glanced up at his hero, noticing a faint glow coming from his quills. "Do you think the emeralds did this?"

Sonic nodded and reached into his quills, pulling out of one of the emeralds. It was pulsing slowly, outputting a pale yellow color. Sonic handed it to his friend. "I don't know what these are, but they helped us. So I'm sure that this could be able to help you as well."

Tails wordlessly took the proffered valuable emerald. The instant it touched him he felt a strange surge of energy fill him, waking him up even more than the battle had. He could actually feel the emerald pulsing in his hands. "Why are they doing this now, and not before when I needed their help?"

Sonic shrugged and motioned for them to leave the unstable casino. "They seem to have a mind of their own," he answered quietly as the two heroes exited the remains of the hotel and casino complex, both of them watching their steps carefully on the buckled floor. Of course, merely leaving the battle didn't mean that everything was going to be easy. Sonic glanced outside and sighed when he spotted a large media group that was clearly waiting for him to make an appearance.

Sonic sighed and turned to Tails and was surprised to see the fox casting nervous glances at the media, his wariness more obvious than the Doctor's plans. This was going to be a problem. "They aren't going to hurt you Tails," Sonic promised quietly, hoping that Tails would take his words at face value.

"That's not what I'm worried about," Tails muttered, subconsciously stepping backwards into some nearby shade, his survival instincts already becoming a serious influence over his behavior. "Either they are going to blame me because worked for the Doctor, or they are going to be annoyed with you for bringing a child into a battle. Either way we lose. So maybe I should stay here and be real quiet. That way they won't notice me."

"If you really want to, then sure you can stay here," Sonic told his nervous friend. "That's perfectly fine by me. But you have got to realize that if you keep allowing your fear to rule your life, you're never going to get anywhere."

"Sorry Sonic." the kit replied, obviously feeling bad about letting his friend down so much. He turned away from Sonic, his eyes quickly becoming downcast once again.

Sonic couldn't help sighing loudly, something that he'd noticed that he'd done more and more often at his young friend's reactions. "How about I go sort out the media, and afterwards we'll have a nice long chat about this?" Sonic asked quietly, hoping to help his friend through it all. "Will that be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll be okay," Tails muttered in response, hoping that the talk wouldn't be too bad. Feeling rather miserable, Tails turned and left, heading back in the general direction of the hotel. Sonic watched him go, knowing that the kid could look after himself.

"And now it's time for me to head off to meet the media who, I suspect, will become my own personal hell on Mobius," Sonic muttered bitterly to himself as he slowly walked over to the large group, becoming immediately swamped on all sides as soon as he was spotted. They didn't wait a second before launching into hundreds of questions.

"Why do you do this?"

"Who is the fox?"

"Did you defeat the doctor?"

"Did you get hurt?"

"Did he escape?"

"Who are you?" One particularly eager reported asked, practically forcing her microphone into his face. She didn't appear to be all that pleased when Sonic pushed the offending object away...and into the air. "What was that for?"

"Do you ever stop with the questions?" Sonic asked, feeling rather irritated with the entire ordeal. "Look, how about I just tell you what happened first, and then you guys can ask all of your stupid questions?" Sonic, naturally, forgot to include the fact that he wouldn't be waiting around for the questions.

With the audience of reporters finally learning how to shut their yaps, Sonic began telling them, from the very beginning - his first battle against the Doctor. Of course, he didn't tell the full story; he left out the fact that Tails had actually created some of the robotic enemies during his forced stay with the Doctor.

"So now me and Tails have decided to go up against the Doctor to try and prevent him from fulfilling his evil plans. That's the digest version, at any rate," Sonic finished. He checked behind himself for a clear escape but was stopped by a particularly surprising question.

"Why would you let that child fight such a dangerous battle?"

Sonic turned back and spotted the reporter, or rather, the ordinary civilian who had simply been there listening in on the story. "If I could let Tails stay with someone I was sure would look after him, then I would. But at the moment everyone I meet is either too irritating, or idiotic to look after him as well as I can, regardless of any evil Doctor. Not to mention the fact that the Doctor still has it in for him after he betrayed the evil idiot to save me," Sonic told him quickly, hoping that the listeners would understand. "I would like to protect him for everything, and the best way I can do that is by taking him with me."

Sure, Sonic was lying. His real motivation was that he needed the kit, and he was reasonably sure that Tails would never allow him to leave the fox. But he was sure that ideas like that would mean very little to the news people. In fact, Sonic was so sure that he'd answered everything important, that he took off towards the hotel without waiting for another question from the idiot reporters.

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When he got there he found a rather miserable looking Tails waiting by the door, his eyes looking even more downcast than before. Obviously the fox was disappointed in himself. Sonic slowly sat down beside his friend and threw an arm around the small fox, pulling him closer. Tails appeared to appreciate the warmth and moved closer, though whether it was a conscious or subconscious reaction is debatable.

"Are you okay?" Sonic asked quietly, feeling worried about his friend. Of course Sonic didn't feel all that much relief when Tails tried to 'correct' him. Tails glanced up at his hero and sighed loudly. "It's fine, Sonic," he told him quietly. "It's just that I kinda wish that I could do what you do."

"And what exactly would that be?" Sonic asked cautiously, his relative inexperience with helping the fox providing no guidance. He carefully hugged his friend, paying close attention to ensure that the worried fox was happy with his treatment.

"Well, I can't just go up to people and talk like you do, Sonic," Tails whispered meekly, throwing a nervous glance around them to ensure there were no curious onlookers. There weren't. "I just can't trust people like you can. All I can think about is what happened last time....I'm sorry."

Sonic turned back to Tails and locked eyes with him. "You can trust others, I know you can. So if you can trust me, a hyper hedgehog with some serious attention issues, then I'm sure you can trust a few others. Especially when you realize that if they are complete nutcases, I'll protect you."

Tails was starting to feel really nervous with Sonic's emerald eyes staring into his own and soon found himself looking away from his hero. "It's not the same. I had to trust you because it was either that or the Doctor and, let's face it, he's not all that trust-able. So our...friendship, I guess, was born of necessity more than any actual decision."

"Okay, I've got to ask. What kid uses a word like necessity?" Sonic asked, his curiosity over the fox's expanded vocabulary exceeding his will to find closure for the fox. "I don't think anyone I've ever met has known quite as much as you, and I seriously doubt you learned it all off the streets."

Tails sighed and didn't even looking up at the curious hedgehog. In actual fact, he pretty much buried his head in his own arms, ignoring the concerned stare of his friend. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Fine," Sonic answered, deciding that he'd need to work out what was wrong with the fox at a much later date, when everything was sorted. However that time was most certainly not now. Sonic was still a bit tired from the battle, and it was certainly time for the two heroes to receive a well earned rest.

"Come on, then. It's time to sleep. It's late," Sonic told his friend quietly.

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Even though they had received accommodation for two, the young heroes still spent the night sharing the same bed, both of them feeling surprisingly safe being so near one another. Of course, the manager of the small hotel had been a little bit surprised when Sonic had asked for a room with a single bed, but knew better to ask. Something told him that it was probably a matter better left unknown.

Whatever the matter though, the two heroes enjoyed their night, sleeping peacefully for quite a few hours more than necessary. The next morning, neither hero waited around for anything and instead left early to ensure they wouldn't have to deal with any annoying followers, not that Sonic bothered to tell Tails. He didn't want to have to waste a half hour trying to sort out the mess that that would cause.

Either way the two were currently traveling through area known affectionately by the locals as Hill Top. The area was a massive lime and bedrock area that had eroded away quite severely in places, allowing lava streams to flow through it. The place was a strange mix of beauty and danger, a mix that both of the heroes had actually quite enjoyed. At least this place didn't pretend to be something it wasn't, unlike the gambling obsessed hell hole that will remain nameless.

As for why the two heroes were currently strolling around a deadly paradise, well, Casino Nights was situated in the middle of Emerald Island. The island itself was shaped in a bit of a curve, meaning that the portion that they were crossing was one of the shortest lengths there.

To cut a long lesson short, the truth is that it was becoming intensely clear that the Doctor was heading across the island, so that was where our intrepid heroes were heading. Of course, it wasn't easy going. The Doctor had somehow managed to infect this area with his moronic robotic minions as well and the going was tough.

Sonic watched with surprise as yet another deadly robot was destroyed by the overly eager fox. Ever since they had left the hotel the fox had been in a bit of a strange mood, snapping a bit and been very keen to destroy anything he could get his hands on. In most situations that would be a bad thing, but it wasn't for Sonic. With Tails been so enthusiastic, Sonic could concentrate on improving the fox's skills and pay less attention to his feelings, knowing that the kit could take it...hopefully.

Either way, Sonic didn't actually have a choice. Their survival was more important than Tails' feelings. It didn't matter whether Sonic liked the idea or not; he had to do what he could to help the fox.

"How much are Eggy's robots sucking?" Tails asked Sonic happily, kicking the mechanical robots. "Do you think that he will ever learn how to make a decent rival against you, Sonic? At this rate he'll never even manage something I couldn't face."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be too sure about that, Tails," Sonic cut in, hoping to give the fox a little bit of perspective. "You know as well as I do that it is already becoming harder and harder to face the doctor, and it is only a matter of time before neither of us will be able to face him if we don't keep training."

"I know," Tails sighed looking over at Sonic from the remains of the tiny robot at his feet. "But why are we doing it? I mean, a teenage hedgehog and a younger fox are not exactly the best people to go up against an evil Doctor. So why are we doing this instead of someone else?"

"Well, someone has to do it," Sonic replied, glancing away from his fox friend and spotting more of the Doctor's idiotic robots waiting for the duo to come along and smash them to pieces. "We're the ones here now, so it's up to us to handle it. Maybe we'll get more help in the future, but for now it is up to us to handle the idiot. Just remember, if we decide to give up, there might not be someone else to take our place."

"I guess," Tails muttered, but..."

"Let me guess, you can't bothered?" Sonic asked cheekily. Tails merely shrugged in response. Clearly the issue wasn't sorted out, but had decided to admit defeat for today. "Whatever, we've got a bigger problem. I have a feeling that the evil idiot's ugly face will be here soon and we'd better be ready. His robots almost seem too lazy to even attempt fighting us."

"Fine," Tails replied quickly, happy that the issue was been postponed for another day.

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Little did the two heroes know that the Doctor was waiting for them, his newly modified ship waiting beneath the lava. The Doctor watched one of his spybots as the small flying insect photographed the two heroes. The Doctor wasn't happy. Even his strongest drones were been used as nothing more than training for the fox, with the irritating hedgehog doing nothing but watching.

"You two freaks aren't appreciating my mastermind," the Doctor growled. Hoping for a little bit of revenge, the Doctor checked their location and couldn't help smiling evilly. "I'm a lot closer to you that you could believe," he whispered to his two enemies. "I think it's time for my entrance. I hope you are ready."

He flicked a small switch and laughed maniacally as his ship shot upward, spraying the deadly superheated substance everywhere as he broke through the surface, barely missing the completely unsuspecting heroes. The Doctor didn't waste any time and fired the first shot, a deadly stream of lava at the heroes, being careful to keep an eye on the hedgehog in case of a sudden attack. His ship had been modified heavily to withstand the intense heat and pressure that existed where he was, but the Doctor knew that it was still no match against the hedgehog and his impossibly strong attacks.

"Time for some barbecued hedgehog," the Doctor taunted loudly, enjoying the feeling of power over his Mobian rivals.

Sonic literally tackled Tails to the ground as he threw his friend out of the deadly attack. They quickly jumped back their feet and got ready for the next attack, both of them looking for the Doctor's inevitable weakness. "Get out of here, Tails!" Sonic yelled to the fox, his panic making him a little more harsh than normal.

Tails though about resisting, but instead followed Sonic's instructions, realizing that it wasn't the time to argue. Instead, it was time for action. The fox jumped into the air, spinning his tails violently to generate enough lift, and impacted the side of the ship. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought of the ship's temperature. The intense temperature of the metallic body burnt his foot and the fox quickly jumped away, choosing to hide and find a new plan rather than try the same stupid move again.

Sonic, on the other hand knew that the temperature wasn't going to bother him. He felt the emeralds in his quills light up and begin their work, casting his body in a strange, pale light. "This ends now, fatso!" Sonic yelled out angrily, his temper already past the point of no return at the sight of Tails getting hurt. "Either give up or die." He didn't wait for an answer and instead attacked. He ran at the Doctor's flying ship and jumped, violently spreading out his quills as he spun through the air.

Unfortunately, he also forgot to take all factors into account and found himself flying straight over the swiftly dropping ship. He landed heavily on the other side just in time to spot the last piece of metallic body disappear beneath the surface. The Doctor wasn't the only one angry now.

"I've got an idea," Tails suddenly told Sonic. His foot was hurting a little, but he knew that it wasn't serious, hopefully. "He's going to appear on the other side in a few seconds. So all you need to do is hit him as he comes up. He'll have no visibility for a few seconds as the lava falls off, so he'll never even see the attack."

"Gotcha," Sonic answered, spotting the slowly appearing metal as it rose out of the lava. It was time to end this. "But how am I going to get there from here? I can't f-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before he was suddenly grabbed from behind by a flying Tails. Hovering wearily, Tails carried him over the appearing Doctor, the fox's sudden fatigue reducing his capabilities in the air. "We're in a blind spot," the fox panted as he struggled to maintain enough lift to support them both. "As soon as you are ready, let go and smash him. I'll grab you before you hit the lava."

Sonic didn't respond with words but with action. The two of them were only twenty feet above the Doctor, but something told Sonic that it would be more than enough to cause some damage. As soon the flying craft's incredibly overweight pilot was visible, Sonic let go. He felt his body begin to fall. He quickly turned into a ball, letting his razor sharp quills position themselves in the most damaging way.

The impact between emerald assisted hedgehog and toughened steel was violent and loud. Sonic's quills did their work, digging deep into the craft's body. Unfortunately, the Doctor was still safe inside, shielded by the inner layer. However, that didn't mean that Sonic had done any damage. The massive tear in the metal body did more than enough to destabilize the craft and ruin any lava protection it had previously possessed.

Sonic jumped backwards off the ruined craft and was caught by Tails almost instantly. However, things weren't quite as perfect for the Doctor.

The Doctor swore as he heard the on-board computer complain about the damage. Things had clearly not worked out and it was time for the Doctor to making a strategic retreat... meaning it was time to run away. The panicked Doctor quickly revved the already over-taxed engine and took off, the heat from the lava already taking a toll on the inner shell as the ship shot along the lava river's surface.

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A/n:Wow, that was...hopefully long enough. I know it wasn't quite as long as the previous chapter, but I got to a good point in it. It's strange that my hardest task was finishing the level....sonic 2 is amazingly difficult. It's also amazingly fun for a game from the 90's. I mean, it's more fun than most games that I've played. Man I wish they would make a 2.5D version of it....anyway, I hope you liked the story so far.