Chapter Eleven: Battle of the Celestials
Misuki: Misuki pulled out her cellphone and called Amy. The dial tone rang three times before Amy picked up just before the fourth one. "Misuki, is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. We just found one of the Chaos Emeralds."
"Really?" She sounded surprised.
"We almost lost it to Eggman. But we took care of him. How're things on your end?"
"We're close to our Chaos Emerald."
Misuki turned to Shadow while lowering the phone from her ear. "They're closing in on their Emerald."
"That's good. Tell them to be careful." Shadow said.
"Amy, be careful. Don't let your..."
Before Misuki could finish her sentence, he heard Sonic yell, "Amy, get down!" After that, there was static and lots of unusual noises coming through the phone. "Sonic, what's going on!?" Amy's voice was filled with static and took a while to understand what she was saying.
"Amy, are you there? Sonic? Hello!?" The line went dead. Misuki's breathing slowed down.
"What happened?" Shadow asked.
"I'm not sure. I heard Sonic tell Amy to get down, then we got disconnected."
"Nazo!" Silver exclaimed, staring into the sky. "It's Nazo. I can feel his presence. But...there's something different about it. I can't tell what."
"Then let's go see for ourselves. Sonic and the others won't stand a chance!" Misuki suggested as Silver and Knuckles came together with Misuki and Shadow. Everyone held hands as Misuki performed Chaos Control. "CHAOS CONTROL!" Under a minute, they all appeared where Sonic and the others were. "Amy! Sonic! Where are you guys!?"
"Misuki!? Is that you?"
They turned to an alleyway, where Amy was peaking her head from behind the wall. Misuki and the others quickly ran towards her. "Are you alright, Amy? What happened?"
"It's Nazo! Sonic, Espio and Vector are fighting him. They told me to stay here so I'd be safe." Her voice carried a lot of panic and worry.
Misuki held onto her while looking down the street where she could see flashes of light and hear thunder-like sounds. "We'll go back up Sonic and the others. Amy, don't move from this spot."
Amy nodded as Misuki and the others took off towards the battlefield. By the time they got there, Sonic had just gotten thrown to the grown while Vector was helping him get back up. "Vector! Is Sonic gonna be okay?"
"He got knocked around pretty bad." Vector answered, supporting Sonic's weight. "But he's okay."
"Hahahaha! Looks like the gang's all here." Nazo hovered in the air.
"Wait a sec. What's up with him?" Misuki asked out loud. "I can see through him."
"I knew there was something strange going on when I sensed Nazo!" Silver exclaimed. "He's in his celestial form!"
"Celestial what?" Knuckles asked in confusion.
"Celestial form." Epsio answered, holding onto his right arm. "Basically, it's when you separate your spirit from your physical body. A method like this takes serious concentration. While he's in this form, we can't lay a finger on him."
"Are you serious!?"
"The only way we'd be able to do some damage is if we attacked his body. But since he's hidden, that plan's useless."
"Let me handle this." Silver said, standing in front of all of them. "Like you humans say, fight fire with fire. I can go into the celestial world and fight on his level. I need you all to look after my body."
"Be careful, Silver." Shadow told him.
Silver sat cross-legged in the street and began to meditate. In minutes, his spirit ascended from his body. "Nazo, it's time to end this! I'm not going to let you hurt my friends or anyone on this planet!"
"Is that so? Well then, I expect you to give me one hell of a work-out."
Silver launched himself at Nazo, and the fight began. Looking at it from afar, it seemed as if Silver was just throwing random punches, not really thinking about his attacks but in reality, he was trying to read Nazo's movements and counter.
All Misuki and the others could do was sit there and watch the battle. Misuki glanced over at Silver's body, which sat lifeless in the middle of the street. 'I never thought I'd see a battle like this in my life.' She thought to herself. Her body trembled as she watched these two beings from the Heavens fight in their spiritual forms. 'It's not a battle of strength…it's a battle of will. Who's mind and spirit is the strongest?'
"Rrrggh! I'm sick of standing here!" Knuckles exclaimed in rage. "There has to be some way we can help him."
"Don't waste your time." Sonic wheezed, regaining consciousness. "As long as he's like that…we're worse than useless in battle. I'm sure Silver can handle him. We just have to trust him."
"Oh come on! He's fighting in that form because Misuki actually managed to severely damage him the last time she fought him! He's nothing but a coward!"
"Knuckles, just give it a rest!" Misuki yelled, still staring at Nazo and Silver. "Like Sonic said, it doesn't matter why he decided to use this form, he just did. Besides, this is the first time he and Silver have actually clashed. Let's just see how Silver can stand up to him."
Silver: Nazo knocked Silver back with a punch, but Silver was able to brace himself and keep his balance. Nazo smirked at him. "Come on, man. The last time I fought you, you actually were more passionate."
"Don't you patronize me, you murderer!" Silver used his telekinesis to lift two large trash cans in the air and threw them at Nazo. Nazo dodged the attack, momentarily leaving himself open to an energy attack. He took damage to the stomach and flew back, hitting the ground. "I may have failed to stop you the last time, but I swear I'll end your destruction right here!"
He charged at Nazo until he was caught by his telekinesis. Nazo laughed as he rose to his feet, clenching his hand to make his power over Silver stronger and stronger. "You were always weak. No matter how hard you fought, I still got what I wanted, and all your so-called 'friends' were killed because of your weakness."
"You're…wrong. I'm…not weak!"
"Keep telling yourself that." Nazo threw Silver to the side, causing him to lose his breath. "This game just isn't fun if you're not passionate about it. If I destroy your real body, they won't stand a chance against me. And I can continue with my plans, ahead of schedule."
Nazo began to approach Silver's body until Misuki and Shadow stood in his way. "You're not getting anywhere near his body." Misuki proclaimed.
Silver attempted to get up, but he was still shaken up by Nazo's power. "Misuki…get out of there." His voice wasn't strong enough to reach her.
"Hmph, don't make me laugh. Neither of you can take me in this form. But…" Nazo used his power to push Shadow out of the way and then kept Misuki frozen where she was. "…I can take this opportunity to acquire your Emerald." He lifted into the air, taking Misuki with him and prepared to take her Emerald. "Don't worry, sweet cakes. I'll try to make it painless."
"No, get away from her!" Silver fought through his pain and launched himself into the air, sending an energy beam straight at Nazo and knocked him back. His telekinetic hold on Misuki broke and she began to fall from the sky. "Hang on, Misuki!" Silver was able to go down and use his powers to catch her before she hit the ground. Silver came next to her as she was set safely back on the ground. "Are you okay?"
Misuki nodded while gasping and recovering from shock. "I'm okay. Thanks Silver."
Silver smiled at Misuki before returning to the battle. "Now you've done it, Nazo! You won't endanger my friends!" Nazo was still pinned to a building when Silver approached him, forming a kinetic disc in his hand. "Die, you bastard!" Silver threw the disc at Nazo, causing a massive explosion that threw up smoke and debris. When the smoke cleared, Nazo was gone. 'Where'd he go?' He looked around until a powerful wave hit him from above. He quickly looked up and saw Nazo preparing for a final attack. A giant energy ball began to quickly form in his hand. It grew larger every minute. "Damn it!"
"You won't interfere anymore!" Nazo exclaimed, pouring all of his energy into one last attack. "If I break your spirit, your body will remain lifeless! This is the end for you and this pathetic planet!"
"CHAOS BLAST!" A roaring cry echoed through the disaster, followed by a massive Chaos Blast that zipped past Silver in an instant and took out Nazo's energy ball in a matter of minutes.
"What the hell is this power!?" The explosion knocked Nazo off balance and sent him collapsing to the ground.
Silver looked towards the source of the Chaos Blast, seeing Misuki and Shadow stand side-by-side with their hands extended outwards. "How did they…?"
Misuki: Silver flew back up to finish Nazo off. "Misuki, are you alright?" Shadow and Vector ran towards her.
"A little shaken up," she admitted holding onto Shadow. "…but I'm okay." She looked up at Silver, who just threw an energy disc at Nazo, kicking up a lot of smoke.
"Did he get him?" Vector asked.
"I don't think so." Misuki said in a panic. "That was too easy."
"Look, up there!" Sonic exclaimed, pointing at the sky.
The first thing that caught their attention was a giant energy ball coming from Nazo. One minute it was the size of a basketball, but in time it grew larger and continued to do so. "That thing's gonna wipe out this entire area!" Vector exclaimed. "There has to be something we can do to help him."
"They're both celestial spirits." Sonic said while having Knuckles assist him in standing up. "We mere mortals can't do anything to help him."
Misuki stared at the energy ball. She agreed with Vector in that there had to be something they could do to stop Nazo's attack. 'We have to help him somehow.' She began to look around at all of people that were coming out of their hiding spots and fleeing that part of town. She felt herself quiver and shake; helpless to do anything. Her past began to flash before her eyes. All of the people turned into the scientists that fled during the attack on her father's lab. 'Not again…' It drove her to the point of madness, when she wanted to scream out. But once that memory began to fade, an image of the Master Emerald appeared in her mind. "I think I may have an idea!" she exclaimed, staring at Shadow.
"What's your plan?" Shadow asked her.
"I know this is going to sound strange, but what if we use a Chaos Blast to stop Nazo?"
They all looked at her as if she was insane. "Have you lost it, Misuki?" Knuckles asked, approaching her from behind. "Both you and Sonic said that our power wouldn't do any damage to him when he's like this."
"Physical damage no. But what if we aimed it at the ball?" She looked back up at the energy ball Nazo held, which was twice as big from the last time they glanced at it.
"You want to shoot a Chaos Blast at the ball?" Shadow asked.
Misuki nodded her head. "I know it's crazy, but the shock would knock Nazo back and possibly shake him up a bit, giving Silver a fighting chance."
"No offense, Misuki, but I don't think even a Chaos Blast will do anything against that thing." Shadow told her.
"What if we combined our powers?" She looked straight into Shadow's eyes to show she was serious about her plan. "The Chaos Emeralds when put together unleash unimaginable power. Even with two of them put together, they might be able to take down something as powerful as that. Please Shadow…we've got to at least try."
Shadow saw the determination in Misuki's eyes, and knew all too well that once she set her mind to something, she was going to see it to the end. That was the one thing that made her Dr. Hikotsu's daughter. "Alright, we'll give it a try."
Misuki smiled once Shadow agreed with her. They stood side by side, raising their hands towards the ball. "Concentrate your power, and fuse it with mine." Their energy swirled around them, eventually mixing with one another's. The power began to take form in their hands and mixed together, bringing up some wind. "Are you ready, Shadow?"
Shadow nodded as he felt his body fill up with his energy and Misuki's. All of that power moved from his torso and came out in the palm of his hand. "Let's go."
Once both of them felt the Chaos power swirl rapidly within them, they released it all in one attack. "CHAOS BLAST!" The blast let out a mighty roar as it took flight from Misuki and Shadow's hands. It rushed past Silver in the blink of an eye and hit its target directly. The blast entered the energy ball, imploding it from the inside. Nazo went flying and collided with the pavement.
'It worked.' Misuki said to herself while gasping in relief and shock.
"Way to go, you too!" Knuckles exclaimed.
Misuki, Shadow and Vector ran towards Silver as he descended several feet in front of Nazo.
Silver stared at Misuki and Shadow as they approached him. "What…was that?" he asked them.
Misuki and Shadow stared at each other before Misuki answered his question. "I had an idea for Shadow and me to combine our energy to make a Chaos Blast strong enough to diffuse that ball."
"We can't physically attack you guys when you're in this form, so we thought aiming at his attack would at least slow him down." Shadow continued.
Silver: Silver continued staring at Misuki, remembering that several weeks earlier she hated him and wouldn't look twice at him. This time…she met his gaze without hesitation, and with a smile. A thought came into his head, but he ignored it and turned his attention back on Nazo. Just as he did, Nazo used his power to knock all of them back. "He still has this much power left?"
Nazo stood up from the ground, laughing maniacally. "I have to say, that was one hell of an attack!" His gaze went straight to Misuki and Shadow, who were on their knees.
He proceeded to walk towards them until Silver got in his way, blocking him. "Your fight is with me. I won't allow you to come anywhere near my friends."
"Hmph, you call these pathetic worms 'friends'? They are merely objects for us to play with and manipulate. If you weren't spending this whole time trying to protect them, perhaps you could have broken my spirit and defeated me." Nazo sent out one last energy blast that kicked Silver into the air, throwing him back into his body. Silver, now back in his physical body, rolled backwards and began to cough as a result of his spirit being forced to retreat. Even in his body, he still found it difficult to stand up. Nazo stomped a foot on Silver's back, forcing to lay face down on the ground. "You always were the weakest warrior the Elders chose. Even when you get a second chance at saving the world, you still fail. You aren't worthy to be called a Celestial Guardian." He formed a small energy disc in his hand and prepared to cut Silver's head off.
A Chaos Arrow was shot at Nazo's feet. He turned to see Misuki aiming another one at him. "That's enough." Her expression showed more fear than anything, but she was using that to stand up against Nazo. "The only one who's pathetic is you. Silver has more strength and courage than you know."
"Don't make me laugh, sweet cakes." He sent Misuki an amused smile. "You're going to put all your faith in this waste of stardust?" He continued staring at Misuki, letting out a small chuckle. "If you want to stop me…go ahead. Fire." Nazo took his foot off of Silver and turned towards Misuki, his arms spread apart and showed his chest.
"No Misuki! Don't fall for it!" Silver exclaimed. "No matter what he says, don't attack him!" Silver still couldn't move fast enough to help her. He didn't even have the mental strength to go into his celestial form again. "Just run! Shadow, take Misuki and run away from here!"
"Will you shut up already!?" Misuki exclaimed, keeping her bow and arrow aimed at Nazo. "I thought I told you I'm not the type of person to run away from a fight!" Silver took one look at Misuki's face and remembered it was the same as before. It was a different setting; the first time he saw that expression on her face, was when she and the others were defending the Master Emerald…twenty-four hours before her death. He was still surprised at her determination. That gaze sent chills down his spine.
Author's Note: I had to put this story on hiatus for a while because I had to think of where I wanted to go with it. Plus I was putting together a story for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). But when I went back to writing this chapter, ideas flowed through me.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter ^_^ Please R&R!
