Skirmish in the Sky
Raid of Egg Fort, the Flying Fortress!
Chris was going into the living room to talk to Shadow.
"Hey Shadow, I got you a cell phone! This is gonna make things a lot easier." Chris said.
"What?" Shadow said and took the cell phone from Chris' hand. "Oh, really."
"Yeah, don't you see? Now we'll be able to reach each other right away, for when you're out on a run! We can talk anywhere now. No sweat!" Chris said and winked. "Now make sure you leave it on."
"Hey Chris, it's time to get going!" someone said and Tails and Amy entered the room looking impatient.
"We've been waiting outside for you." Amy said.
"Oops, I forgot."
"Where are you guys going?" Shadow asked.
"Now that we can go out in public, we're heading to Station Square to go shopping! We've spent weeks hunting down Chaos Emeralds, but now it's time to do some bargain hunting. So I'm gonna shop 'til I drop!" Amy said and scowled. "There's no point in waiting for you to take me 'cause I don't even know where you are most of the time." she said then saw the cell phone in Shadow's hand. "We can stay connected all the time!"
"No thanks." he said and dropped it into Amy's hand before dashing out the door.
"Wait, Shadow! What about your cell phone?" Chris said and Shadow popped back.
"Oh, leave a message for me!" he said then leaft again.
Tails shrugged.
"I guess he wants to be left alone." he said.
"But why can't he be left alone with me?!" Amy asked frusterated.
Later ong Thorndyke Limo Ella was driving the, with Chris in the passenger's seat. Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese were sitting around a table in the back with beverages.
"I don't understand why Shadow doesn't want me calling him." Chris said.
"Unfortunately, Shadow is the kind of guy who needs lots of privacy." Amy said.
"But what do we do if there's an emergency? Without a phone, we don't have a way to reach him."
"Don't wory, Chris. No matter where Shadow is, he has a way of showing up when he has to." Tails said.
"Are you sure?" Chris asked.
"Count on it!" Tails, Amy and Cream said together with a thumbs up.
"Chao-chao!" Cheese said.
Chris smiled and the limo neared the Station Square Shopping Center.
When they got to Station Square Shopping Center the mall was packed. Ella held up a new outfit for Cream, while Cheese bounced on a pile of folded shirts. Amy was trying on different outfits in the fitting room, but stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her. All but one of the shoppers fled and Amy was disappointed.
Meanwhile, Chris and Tails were looking at a new toy: a panda action figure called Pandam.
"That is so cool! This figure has kung fu kick action!" Chris said but Tails wasn't so excited.
"Hey Chris, look." he said and Chris looked up to see that they were surrounded by shoppers staring at them.
"You think they want this toy?" he asked.
"They're staring at me." Tails said quietly.
Suddenly he fell as a young boy grabbed his namesakes and showed him to his mother.
"I want this one. Can we buy it, Mommy?" the boy said and the mother snatches her son away.
"I'm very sorry." she said and ran up to another woman. "That thing's the real deal! I wonder who taught it to talk? The dog trainer?"
"Go up to it and make it say something!" a woman said.
"Uhh... Sorry, Tails. Are you okay." Chris said and an embarrassed Tails chuckled.
Later, Chris and the others were sitting at a table in a restaurant but it wasn't very different.
"Chris?" Amy said.
"Yeah?" Chris said.
"This is... very weird..."
Almost hundreds of people were staring at them, some of them even peering in through the window from the street.
"I'm scared..." Cream said.
"Chao chao..." Cheese said.
"How come everybody keeps staring?" Tails asked exasperated
"You're all big-time celebrities, ever since you helped knock out Eggman's base." Ella said.
"But we didn't go after Dr. Eggman to become famous. Of course, if they ask me to appear on TV or magazine covers, I won't turn 'em down." Amy said.
"Sorry. Guess it'll take a while for people to get used to you guys here." Chris said.
"I'm not so sure they'll ever get used to having us here." Tails said depressed then sighed.
"Say cheese!" a male photographer said.
Suddenly, camera flashes started blinding them. Ella stood up and angrily faced the photographers.
"Look over here! Smile!" photographers said.
"No more photographs!" Ella said and her steely gaze kept the unwanted paparazzi at bay.
Chris stood up to.
"Let's try someplace else." he said.
Soon, a waiter lead them into the restaurant's VIP section.
"Right this way." the waiter said.
The crowd was still staring after them and Amy pulled a face at them.
"Come on, Amy!" Chris said.
"Wait!" Amy said and hurried after the others.
Then the waiter lead them to one of the seats while everyone else stared.
"Oh my, they allow pets in here?" woman 1 said.
"Instead of escorting those beasts into our dining room and creating a scene, they should check them into the coat room with the rest of the furs." woman 2 said.
Chris' group was now seated at a table.
"I'll be right back with your menus." the waitter said and left.
"This is a private club, so we won't get hassled." Chris said.
But Chris was very wrong, as they were suddenly swarmed by a crowd of people. One woman grabbed Chris.
"I saw how brave your friends were on TV! May I ask for their pawprints?" a woman said while another woman felt Cheese.
"It's adorable!" woman 2 said.
"Chao!" Cheese said.
"Ohh, what a cutie!"
Soon the entire table was surrounded, and Chris and his friends were being grabbed by the crowd.
"Oh, I'm gonna bring 'em all home! Let me take a look." Women said.
"All right, get your hands off of me! I just want to have some lunch!" Amy said.
"Yeah, this is supposed to be a fancy restaurant, not a wrestling ring!" Chris said.
"I... want to go back... home, Chris!" Tails said.
Cream was in Ella's lap spared most of the harassment.
"Me too!" she said.
One woman grabbed Amy's ear.
"Is this your natural color?" she asked and Amy blushed briefly.
"Will you please go away?!" she yelled.
At Eggman's base ruins.
As military helicopters and battleships patrol the island, a crew was performing work at the ruins of Eggman's base.
"Okay, you guys, get ready to raise it up. Uh, you need a digger here? That's it. Where's the survey team?" Workers said.
"The power room was there." Foreman said to another worker.
As the worker obeyed, the foreman noticed something strange on the ground.
"Huh? That doesn't appear on the plans." he said and bent down to examine it. "A door."
Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The ground in front of the foreman cracked before caving in. Something large started to escape from under the ground.
"It can't be..."
The machine drilled its way out from under the ground. Soon, it completely surfaced. It looked like a giant flying battleship.
"That thing... is huge!"
As the workers looked on, the battleship extended twin engines and a cockpit from its hull.
On the battleship.
"When will you half-wits realize that it's useless to try and trip me up, because I'm always ten steps ahead of you! I was expecting your President to order an attack, and so I built this flying fortress! Now I can escape any further attacks and make a counterattack any time and anywhere." Eggman said.
"Dr. Eggman certainly is a strategic genius." Decoe said.
"I only wish some of his strategies worked occasionally." Bocoe said.
"That's enough from you two. Cut the chatter and get the ship ready. We've got work to do." Eggman said.
"He certainly is thin-skinned." Decoe said.
"That is the only place where he is thin." Bocoe said.
"Let's get moving! Set the ship's course for Station Square!" Eggman said.
The Egg Fort activated its engines and took off, sending a gust wind at the workers on the island.
"He's more dangerous than ever now." Foreman said.
At the mayor's office the mayor was on the phone.
"Arr you sure? ... Headed in this direction? ... Uh, well, can you send the air force to intercept this?" Mayor said and one of the mayor's aides ran up.
"Sir, look!" the aide said.
They could only stare as the Egg Fort drew nearer.
At a sitting area Chris, Tails, Amy, and Ella were seated in the couches, with Cream and Cheese in Ella's lap. Amy sighed.
"What a waste... Our shopping spree was a flop." she said.
"I'm sure things will get a lot easier once people get used to seeing you around." Chris said then noticed someting outside.
"What's wrong, Chris?" Tails asked.
"Look!" Chris said pointing.
Everyone in the streets looked up and saw the massive Egg Fort fly over the city, eventually blotting out the sun briefly.
"Whoa! That's incredible! What is that thing? Look at the size of that thing!" people said.
"It's Eggman, isn't it?" Chris said.
"That's him." Tails said.
On the Egg Fort Bocoe and Decoe were throwing confetti.
Eggman laughed.
"You losers are about to learn that you can never defeat me. I'm like a rubber ball! Every time you try to slap me down, I just keep bouncing back! Since your government attacked me and destroyed my base, Im going to destroy your city and rebuild my headquarters right here!
At Station Square he Egg Fort deployed several E-42 Toroles onto the ground. Then they proceed to use their wrecking balls to destroyed several structures.
Meanwhile, Chris and his friends were fleeing the mall.
"Ugh, there's nowhere to go. The whole city will be wrecked if this demolition derby keeps up!" Tails said.
"I sure wish Shadow had kept that cell phone!" Chris said.
"Hey! Maybe we can get outta here!"
Unfortunately, it was destroyed by a Torole's wrecking ball. They looked around to see that they were surrounded by Toroles. The Torole directly in front of Chris and his friends raised its wrecking ball, and was about to strike, when Sonic barreled through it and the others. The lead Torole fell into the others, destroying them.
"Let's move it! Hurry!" Tails said and they fled.
To Eggman's dismay, Shadow destroyed the other Toroles, then raced to the top of a skyscraper, to the amazement of the onlookers.
"It's Shadow!" Chris said.
"See? Didn't I tell ya thet he'd show up just in time?" Tails asked and Chris nodded.
A the Egg Fort.
"Let's play, Sonic, for keeps!" Eggman said.
Back at Station Square.
"Fine with me, Eggman. Take your best shot!" Shadow said.
At the Egg Fort.
"Steady... Ready... FIRE!" Eggman said.
At Station Square the Egg Fort launched five missiles at Shadow, who promptly ran down the skyscraper. He ran underneath the legs of a Torole, and two of the missiles collided with it. Then he circled another Torole and stood atop it, then leapt off as the remaining three missiles struke the Torole.
The Egg Fort.
Decoe shrugged.
"I have heard of a sonic boom, but this is ridiculous!" he said.
At Station Square Shadow destroyed some more Toroles, then ran back up the skyscraper and leapt off it toward the Egg Fort. Unfortunately, he misjudged the the distance, and tried to run in midair, but to no avail, leaving him panting.
Then he fell to the ground and landed on his feet.
"Oh no! He can't reach Eggman's ship!" Amy said.
"We need the X-Tornado to help him, but it's back home." Tails said.
"We'll never get it in time!" Chris said.
Just then Sam Speed pulled up in a car.
"You need a lift?" he asked and winked.
"Uncle Sam!" Chris said then they piled inside the car.
"I'll get you guys home in a flash. Buckle up for safety!" Sam said.
The car picked up speed and disappeared around a corner.
Meanwhile, Shadow was running through the streets and noticed five E-43 Falcons pursuing him and firing lasers at him. He rounded a corner, but they still followed. Then he took several curves, and hid in an alley, allowing the Falcons to fly past. He chuckled, thinking he had shaken them. But the Falcons appeared behind Sonic anyway, and fired at him, forcing him to flee the alley.
At the Egg Fort Eggman laughed.
"My Falcon robots all come with special speed-seeking detectors. Shadow is running to his doom!" he said.
At Station Square Shadow had an idea and decreased his speed, then leapt onto one of the Falcons. The Falcon fleet flied up toward the Egg Fort.
At the Egg Fort Eggman looked up in surprise.
"Rrrgh, they can't be!" he said.
"You can blow Shadow out of the sky if you order those Falcons to self-destruct." Decoe said.
"Excellent idea."
At Station Square Eggman, had pressed the button, watched as the Falcons explode. Shadow flew toward the hull and grabbed on with great difficulty keeping a grip, and started to slide. The sound causeed the onlookers below to cringe.
At the Egg Fort even Eggman, Bocoe, and Decoe were cringing.
"Shadow's a pain in the ears! Stop it! Cut it out!" Eggman said.
At Station Square.
"I can't hold on." Shadow said and finally lost his grip and fell toward earth.
'Where are the Chaos Emeralds when you need at least one?!' he thought and shut his eyes for a second. 'I should have taken better care of them.'
At the Egg Fort.
"Finish him off." Eggman said and pressed a button.
At Station Square Sonic landed on the ground as the Egg Fort unleashed a swarm of E-33 Buballs. Five of them surrounded him, and fires beamed at him, but he leapt out from among them and took off.
Elsewhere, Sam was still racing Chris home.
"Hey, do you think... you could slow down a bit?" Chris asked.
"Are you kiddin'? Huh?" Sam asked.
Suddenly several Buballs attacked the car's tires, forcing it off the road. They charged their lasers. Out of nowhere, Mr. Stewart leapt on top of the car and used a handmirror to deflect the lasers of the Buballs onto each other, and the last one onto itself.
"Hey, thanks, Mr. Stewart!" Chris said.
"No problem. Are you all okay?" Mr. Steward asked.
Sam got out of the car.
"Hey, I know you." he said.
"Yes, we met at a party at Chris' house. I'm his teacher, Mr. Stewart."
"Yeah, now I remember. I forget things fast, but I remember 'em even faster."
"And I believe you're Chris' uncle, Mr..."
""Mister" is what they call my dad. Just call me Sam."
"Hey! Aren't you forgetting we have to get something?" Amy asked.
"The X-Tornado!" Tails said.
"Yeah, that's right!" Sam said and ushered Mr. Stewart to the car. "Let's go."
"But where are we going?" Mr. Steward asked.
"Get in!" Sam said and finished his task, then climbed back into the car. "Hang on, gang!" he said and sped down the road and onto a highway, passing a bus.
Three more Buballs surrounded the car.
"Sam, speed it up!" Chris said.
"I can't reach my mirror!" Mr. Steward said,
"Aah! They're gonna fire!" Chris said cringing.
Suddenly a souped-up mega truck drove into the Buballs, destroying them. Tanaka was at the wheel.
"All right!" Chris said.
"You brought the X-Tornado!" Tails said.
Meanwhile, Sonic was running along the rooftops, trying to evade the fire of the Buballs.
"Shadow!" Tails said and Shadow turned to see Tails and Amy in the X-Tornado.
"The X-Tornado!" he said and the X-Tornado launched a Power Ring toward him, who leapt far into the air and caught it. "Yeah!"
Shadow spun in place in the air, pulling the Buballs toward him and destroying them. He landed on the front of the X-Tornado as it flew toward the Egg Fort.
At the Egg Fort.
"Get them now! Blast away!" Eggman said.
At Station Square the Egg Fort's cannons opened fire on the X-Tornado. Shells exploded around the craft as it nimbly dodged the attacks.
At the mayor's office the mayor was watching the battle.
"It's Shadow." he said and ducked as an explosion hit right outside the window.
At Station Square Chris, was wearing his football helmet, also in the X-Tornado.
"We can't fight Eggman here. Those buildings'll get wrecked!" he said.
"Chris is right. We have to get Eggman away from the city somehow." Tails said.
"Right! Leave it to me!" Shadow said.
The X-Tornado dodged more cannon fire while continuing to approach the Egg Fort.
Eggman growled.
The X-Tornado stopped in front of the Egg Fort's bridge, and Shadow made a face at Eggman.
"I'll give you a spanking! Sucker!" he said and the X-Tornado flew away.
At the Egg Fort.
"I've had it with that hog! That's the last time you'll diss me. Move it! Turn the ship around and go after Shadoooow!" Eggman said.
Decoe facepalmed.
"What chance does he have against Shadow?" he asked.
Bocoe shrugged.
"I estimate his chance of defeating Sonic at zero."
"Yeah."
At the mayor's office the Egg Fort flew after the X-Tornado, and the mayor crawled out of the rubble of his office.
"Could somebody please call housekeeping?" the mayor said.
On the ocean.
"It worked!" Shadow said.
The Egg Fort pursued the X-Tornado, guns ablaze.
At the Egg Fort.
"Charge up the blaster cannon!" Eggman said.
At the ocean the Egg Fort started charging its most powerful attack.
At the Egg Fort.
"FIRE!" Eggman said.
In the ocean the Egg Fort fired a gigantic laser beam at the X-Tornado, creating a gigantic splash.
At the Egg Fort.
"Heheh! Victory!" Eggman said.
The ocean he X-Tornado was able to escape the blast.
"The energy circuit got fried! We're in trouble!" Tails said.
"What wrong?" Chris asked.
"In a few seconds, we'll lose power, and then we're gonna be sitting ducks!"
"No! Oh no!" Amy said.
The Egg Fort.
"I won't miss Sonic this time! Get ready for another blast!" Eggman said
Bocoe and Decoe scrambled to make sure everything was in order.
"Engaging coolants! Checking electrical circuits! The machine is normal. Starting firing process! Energy recharge countdown!" Decoe said.
Once finished, Bocoe and Decoe were exhausted.
"I could use an oil change..." Decoe said.
"He takes care of other robots, but who takes care of us?" Bocoe said.
"Get moviiiing!" Eggman yelled.
On the ocean.
"So the X-Tornado can only fly at full speed for a few more seconds?" Shadow said.
"Yeah, if we're lucky." Tails said.
"Heh. Okay, so you should fly full-speed at the bridge."
"But that's crazy." Chris said.
"Trust me, this is our only chance!"
The X-Tornado turned around and flew toward the Egg Fort's bridge.
At the Egg Fort.
"Is the blaster cannon powered up yet?" Eggman asked.
"Almost, Doctor." Decoe said.
Bocoe's eyes widened at what he saw."
"Uh, it appears that we have company." he said.
"What is this?" Eggman asked.
In the ocean wo rings were launched from the X-Tornado and Shadow caught one in each hand, then crossed his arms. He glowed with a blue energy.
"Hang on! Here we go!" Tails said.
Amy squinted at the bright light. Then the X-Tornado sped directly toward the bridge.
At the Egg Fort.
"Blow them away!" Eggman said.
"The cannon is still recharging!" Decoe said.
At the ocean Shadow leapt off of the X-Tornado, then spun toward the bridge.
At the Egg Fort.
"Oh nooooo!" Eggman said.
At the ocean Shadow sliced through the bottom of the bridge, causing severe damage to the Egg Fort.
At the Egg Fort the interior of the bridge started to glow brightly.
"We have lost all our controls, Doctor!" Bocoe said.
"We must abandon ship at once!" Decoe said.
"Curse you, hedgehog! I'll get you!" Eggman said.
In the ocean the Egg Fort exploded and crashed into the sea. The X-Tornado landed on one of the battleships.
"Great job, Sonic!" Chris said.
Amy ran over and hugged Shadow.
"My hero!" she said.
"Well, we've stopped Eggman again, but I'll bet he'll be back." Tails said.
"Looks like we're gonna be fighting against Eggman for a long time. He'll never surrender." Chris said.
"You're right. Eggman's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. This battle is only beginning."
They watched the last of the splash from the Egg Fort land in the water. And irised out on the captain of the ship.
"He just might win." Captain said.
Chapter 16 Depths of Danger
Aim for it! The Sunken Ship in the Southern Seas
The military ships, planes, and satellites were seaching for Eggman.
"Did he survive?" Navy Captain asked.
"Did he escape?" Pilot asked.
"Where is Dr. Eggman?" Military Personnel asked.
The White House.
"Where is Dr. Eggman? I need to know if he survived the attack on his ship!" the president saod.
"We're searching the area near the crash site to see if there's any sign of him." Third aide said.
"If we don't track down that madman soon, he's going to strike back!" the president said and pounded his fist on the desk. "Find him!" he said pointing.
"Right."P.T.A. said and headed out.
Then the President appeared bored and stared for a while, then sighed and looked out the window.
"I've recently been working all the time without a break. I want to go to the beach for vacation." he said.
Beneath the ocean at the Egg Fort Eggman, Bocoe, and Decoe were huddled together in a small room aboard the Egg Fort. Eggman chuckled. Bocoe and Decoe were very nervous.
"Doctor..." Decoe started but was cut off.
"Quiet! Don't make a sound. There's a search team up there listening for us. If they hear us, we are done for." Eggman said.
"Sorry."
The trio stayed quiet as a military submarine passed directly over them. Then they sighed of relief. Eggman pushed his two hench-bots aside.
"Now go outside and get this ship patched up, you lead heads!
"Outside, in the water?
"But we will short-circuit.
"Not to mention rust.
At Thorndyke Mansion Dining room Ella, Chris, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese were at the table for mealtime.
"Are you ready for dessert?" Ella asked.
Amy selected a knife and fork.
"Leave it to me! These!" she said.
"Correct! You all remember! You're good children!"
"Yeah!" Amy, Tails and Chris said.
"Chao!" Cheese said and Chuck entered.
"I'm glad you're here. I have good news!" Chuck said.
"What kind of good news, Chuck?" Tails asked.
Tanaka was also with Chuck holding a tray containing various government documents.
"I'm going to hand out some official documents issued by the government that you'll need to hang on to."
Tails blinked.
"Documents?"
"Yes, to verify your identity." Chuck said and passed them out.
"But what for?" Amy asked holding up two of the documents.
"They'll help you prove who you are when you travel around." Chuck said then looked at Tails. "And for Tails, we have special licenses that'll allow him to fly any kind of aircraft he can build to any destination on the planet."
"All these just to fly?" Tails said holding numerous documents.
"He never needed them before." Chris said.
"Well, that's the price Tails and the others have to pay for being made residents of this place. From now on, they're going to have to follow the same rules and regulations as the rest of us." Chuck said.
Tanaka nodded.
"Chuck. What kind of license is this for Cheese?" Cream asked holding up one of her licenses.
"That certifies that Cheese is the honorary citizen Cream's pet."
Cream became angry alarming Chuck and Tanaka.
"What? A pet? How rude! Cheese is not my pet! Cheese is my dear friend!"
"Chao chao!" Cheese said.
"Calm down... Don't be like that." Chuck said.
"Make sure to cancel this!" Cream said.
"Okay, okay."
As they spoke, Amy opened one of her documents and looked at it.
"Uh..." she said and saw a picture of her in battle with her hammer. "I look terrible!"
Tanaka, Chris, and Cream crowded around her.
"Really?" Tanaka said.
"You do?" Chris said.
"Let me see." Cream said.
"Chao." Cheese said.
"Why did they have to use this picture? I look like a lunatic!" Amy said.
"Now now, Miss Amy. I wouldn't say that it makes you look like a lunatic exactly." Tanaka said.
"It makes me look like an insane, off-the-wall, out-of-control maniac. [yelling] I HATE IT!"
Shadow enters.
"Hey there, guys. What's all the excitement I hear about in here?" he asked.
" Shadow, just in time. I've got your documents, too." Chuck said and handed him a document. "Here. Always keep this with you."
"Oh? What's this for?"
"It's a passport, so you can go wherever you want whenever you want to!" Chris said.
"Pretty cool. I do like to travel. If I went everywhere I wanted to go on this whole planet, it'd take me..." Shadow said and chuckled. "...about a day!"
Later outside the X-Tornado was on the runway. Tails, Chris, Amy, Cream and Cheese were inside, and Shadow was on the back of it.
"Bye, everybody!" Amy said.
"We'll see you later!" Cream said.
"Chao chao!" Cheese said.
"You be careful up there! No funny stuff!" Ella said.
"Bye, Grandpa! I'll see ya!" Chris said.
Chuck nodded.
"I'll be waiting."
Then the palm trees bent to either side of the runway.
"X-Tornado, take off!" Tails said then pulled back on the throttles, and the X-Tornado took off.
Ella and Tanaka waved.
"Goodbye! Take care!" Ella said.
"Tanaka, go keep an eye on Chris, but make sure he doesn't see you." Chuck said.
"Yes, sir. I will be invisible." Tanaka said.
On the X-Tornado Amy was reading a magazine.
"Oh, Amy, are we going to go somewhere that's sunny?" Cream asked.
"Uh-huh. Look. ... The Grand Blue Sapphire Sea." Amy said and showed her the magazine. "This travel guide says it's one of the most beautiful places on the whole planet!" she said and sighed. "I bet their sunsets are very romantic..."
"Hey Amy, do your read me?" Chris asked and she became alert. "Check out the scenery down there. It's really pretty awesome." he said pointing downward.
Amy waved her hand.
"I'm not looking. I only care about one thing..." she said and returned to the magazine. "...and that's getting to the sea ASAP."
"But I'm trying to tell you, we're flying over the Grand Blue Sapphire Sea right now!"
Amy, Cream, and Cheese looked out the window.
"Wow! The water looks amazing!" Amy said.
"It's so beautiful!" Cream said.
"Chao chao!" Cheese said.
"Yeah! I wanna go swim! And go waterskiing too!" Amy said.
"Let's all go sailing!" Cream said.
"Chao!" Cheese said.
"Yeah! I can't wait!" Chris said.
"Hey, Chris." Tails said.
"What's wrong?"
"Check out the Chaos Emerald." he said and saw the Chaos Emerald was glowing.
"Could it be another Emerald?"
Suddenly the X-Tornado started to shake.
"Hey! What's goin' on?" Shadow asked.
"The same thing happened when we were flying over Diamond Stadium. And that means..." Tails said.
"Since we're flying over water, there must be a Chaos Emerald underwater!" Cream said.
"You're right, Cream." Amy said.
"We have to go find it." Chris said.
"Hang on! I see a landing spot. I'm gonna take us down!" Tails said and the X-Tornado sped toward a coatal town.
On the coastal town Sonic stretched.
"Nice place here. ... Let's try to leep a low profile, okay, guys?" he said and lead the group toward the beach.
"Hey! Isn't that Shadow the Hedgehog?" a man said.
"Yes. It is him." a woman said.
"I wonder what he's doin' here?" a teenager said.
Suddenly, they noticed a crowd of people running their way with cameras and notebooks for autographs.
"Let's get his autograph!" someone said.
"Aah! Stampede!" Chris said.
"We'd better get outta here quick!" Shadow said and they fled from the crowd.
On the beach.
Having evaded the crowd, Chris, Tails, Amy, Cream, and Cheese were oanting on the beach.
"We can't escape crowds no matter where we go." Chris said.
"Being famous isn't any fun. I wish we could just blend in with the crowd, but that seems impossible." Amy said.
"We all stick out too much." Cream said.
"It was a lot easier when we had to hide out at your house." Tails said.
"Well, at least we lost that crowd for a little while." Chris said.
"Yeah! Why don't we all go for a swim while we have a chance?" Amy said.
"Hey..." Cream said.
"Huh?" Chris said.
"Didn't Shadow run here with us? Where did he go?"
"Huh?" Tails said.
"Maybe he decided to look for the Chaos Emerald by himself." Chris said and started looking for Shadow. " Shadow! Where are you? Hey! Shadow! ... I wish he didn't have to always do things on his own..."
"You talkin' about me?" Shadow said.
Chris spotted Shadow behind a sand dune.
"So there you are. I thought you'd be looking for the Chaos Emerald, not taking it easy." he said.
"That Chaos Emerald's out there somewhere, but I can't find it unless I get to the bottom and stay there for awhile."
Chris looked out at the ocean.
"So the big problem is how to get you an air supply down there, right?" he said. "Leave it to me!" he said with a thumbs up.
"Yay!" Amy said.
"Here's to you!" Cream said.
Soon, they were playing in the water.
"This is the best!" Amy said.
Tails and Cheese were wearing sunglasses chilling on the beach.
"Crab." someone said.
"Our problem's solved. Now you can get to the Emerald." Chris said holding a hose.
Shadow put the other end of the hose in his mouth.
"I hope you're sticking the other end of this thing into a milkshake." he said.
"No, it's an air hose! I'll keep this end up here so you can breathe. Just make sure you don't lose the hose, or you'll be in trouble." Chris said holding a sign that says "Good kids won't try this at home!"
"Yeah, and out of air... Okay, I'll give it a shot." Shadow said holding a sign that says "You mean I'm not a good kid?"
"Good luck, Sonic."
Shadow leapt into the water with the hose in his mouth. He seemed to do fine, until the spool with the hose was wrapped around and fell into the water. As he tried to pull it loose, a crab cut the hose with its claw, then took hold of him, forcing him to swim upward.
" Shadow..." Chris said and Shadow leapt out of the water with the crab still on him. "Oh, you're back."
Shadow kicked the crab off of him, and it fell into the water.
"Hey!" he said.
Soon, Chris had a giant bell next to him.
"Here. This'll work. You can bring air with you. It's a diving bell. See?" he said with a sign next to him saying "Do not imitate"
"This is them most dingaling thing I've ever heard of!" Shadow said and was soon walking on the ocean floor with the bell over his head and started sweating. "It's hot in here, but it sure beats breathin' through a hose. Only I can't see where in the water I'm goin'. I wish this thing had a window..." he said and tripped over a stone, causing him to drop the bell. "Oh great, I'm stuck! This diving bell is useless! I can't even ring it to get help!"
Soon, he collapsed in front of Chris.
"Any more bright ideas?" he asked.
"We can't give up yet. There's gotta be some way to reach that Emerald." Chris said.
Later, Chris lead everyone toward a dive shop.
"If we're gonna search underwater, the best way to go is to rent some scuba gear. You always need to use some professional equipment or else diving can be really dangerous." he said.
"You should have done that in the first place!" Shadow said.
At the dive shop Amy held up a life jacket in front of a mirror.
"We'll need five air tanks, plus flippers, and a pair of goggles for me. I should have enough money with me to pay for all the diving equipment and the boat. How much will that all cost, sir?" Chris asked the dive shop owner.
"Forget it. You don't owe me a dime." the owner said surprising Chris. "The government sent a notice to all shop owners that it'll cover your bills as part of its Shadow budget. Is there anything else I can get for you guys?" he asked a now amazed Chris. "It might help if you told me what you are diving for."
"Uh, we're going to see... Uh..." Chris said the was distracted by a model boat. "Wow! This awesome ship model is exactly like the one in that painting, right?"
"Yeah. They're the same. You see, this ship was lost at sea a long time ago, and there's a legend that it sank near here with a huge load of gold. Folks here think the legend is true."
Soon, everyone left the shop, except the owner.
"Thanks! Let's get the boat, guys." Chris said.
"Take care, and have fun!" the shop owner said. "I hope they find what they're looking for." he said after they left.
Soon, everyone was in a boat out in the ocean. Chris, Amy, and Cream were in their swimsuits.
"Don't worry, Shadow. We'll be with you in case you get into trouble." Amy said.
"That's right." Chris said.
"But we know you'll do great down there." Tails said.
"Thank you." Shadow said.
"Remember to take long, deep breaths and you'll be okay." Chris said.
"Right."
"Then let's go!" Chris said and put his breather on and dove into the water.
"You all set, Shadow?" Amy asked.
"Yup. Let's dive." he said.
Then they dove into the water as well.
At the Egg Fort.
The Egg Fort suddenly surfaced.
"All right, you two, get to work!" Eggman said.
"Underwater repairs are the worst." Decoe said.
"My circuits get soaked." Bocoe said then the TV turned on.
"Now it's time for the SSTV Shadow news update. After defeating Dr. Eggman, Sonic and his friends are taking a much-deserved holiday." a news reporter said.
"Holiday?! He gets a holiday?!" Eggman said angry.
" Shadow is a goof-off! We work harder than he does!" Bocoe said.
"We have never had a day off since we were activated!" Decoe said.
"This is unfair!" they said together.
"Robots need vacations too!" Bocoe said.
"I'll make Shadow pay..." Eggman said.
In the ocean the five divers swam near the ocean floor. Tails, holding the Chaos Emerald, lead the way.
"The Chaos Emerald's getting brighter. We must be getting closer!" Tails said.
"Hey, look!" Chris said and they stopped when they saw something. "Whoa!"
They found that they had arrived at the wreckage of a ship.
"That must be the ship the guy in the diving shop told me about."
"It looks like that's where we'll find the Chaos Emerald, too." Tails said.
"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's go check it out." Shadow said and they headed toward the wreckage.
On the surface Bokkun was flying through the skies. Then spotted the abandoned boat.
"Ha! Gotcha!" he said but at a closer inspection, he found that neither Shadow nor his friends were there. "Huh?" he said then saw Cheese, who was asleep. "Aw, it's only that squirt, Cheese. Sonic's not on the boat, but he's supposed to be. Ah... Where could he be?"
At the Egg Fort Eggman was reclining in a deck chair on his desk. Decoe was holding an umbrella over him, and Bocoe was fanning him.
"Heheh! While I'm waiting to catch Shadow, I'll catch a few rays too!" Eggman said then Bokkun arrived.
"Love the bathing suit, Doc! Did you get that in prison?" Bokkun said.
"Well, Bokkun. I bet Shadow was feeling really blue after you gave him that message for me, wasn't he?"
"Well..." Bokkun said then pulled out his TV and played the message.
"Having a nice, vacation, Shadow? I hope you aren't. I hope you forget to use sunscreen and get burnt!" TV Eggman said.
"Wait. This message was supposed to self-destruct after you played it for Shadow! ...Unless you never played it for him. You did play it for him, Bokkun, didn't you?" Eggman said.
"I tried to, Doc, but nobody was on the boat except for that little Cheese ball! I'm pretty sure all the others went diving."
"And now, here's a little souvenir to remember your vacation by!" TV Eggman said and laughed.
"You fool! Get that thing away from me!" Eggman said.
"It is too late." Decoe said and the TV exploded, covering Eggman, Bocoe, and Decoe in soot.
"You won't wreck my plans again, Shadow!" Eggman said and pointed. "I'll wreck you! Prepare to submerge! I'll bury them at sea!"
At the shipwreck the divers had stumbled across the treasure.
"Wow..." Tails said.
"So the legend was true..." Chris said.
"It's amazing!" Cream said.
"Think of how much jewelry you could make with all this gold!" Amy said.
"This is glowing at full brightness now. I bet the new Chaos Emerald is buried somewhere under all this gold. We'll have to dig through the treasure to find it." Tails said.
"Right. But that could take us forever!" Chris said then the crab Shadow saw earlier appeared, holding the white Chaos Emerald. "What's that?!"
"Oh, no way!" Shadow said.
"He's got the Chaos Emerald!"
"You think he'll give it to us?" Tails asked.
Shadow approached the crab, startling it.
"Hold it right there! We need that Chaos Emerald. Drop it or I'll give you something to be crabby about." he said and the crab tossed the Chaos Emerald to Amy and fled. "It ran away!"
"This vacation turned out to be very rewarding." Amy said.
"We're one step closer to going home!" Cream said.
"Your vacation is over, Shadow!" someone said and they turned to see the Egg Fort descending toward them. "He's going to wish he never saw the sea! Clurken, put the sting on the hedgehog!" Eggman said.
The robot called E-57 Clurken approached.
"You guys get back to the boat. I can handle Eggman and this robot myself." Shadow said.
"All right. But be careful, Shadow. Come on, guys!" Chris said.
Everyone but Shadow swam for the surface. Clurken attemped to crush him with one of its tentacles, but Sonic dodged. He tried to run, but only succeded in kicking up a dust cloud. Clurken slammed all its tentacles into the ground, causing the hround to break and send Shadow flying.
"Running underwater is really a drag! It's impossible to move fast here!" Shadow said.
At the Egg Fort.
"He should have known that water makes the perfect speed trap!" Eggman said.
In the ocean Clurken's tentacles fired missiles sending Sonic toward the surface.
On the Egg Fort Eggman laughed.
"This time, he's all washed up!" he said.
At the surface Chris, Tails, and Amy were on the boat. Chris helped Cream onto the boat.
"Is everybody okay?" he asked.
"Of course we are!" Tails said.
"Ahoy! Ahoy, Master Chris!" someone said.
Tanaka appeared in a larger boat.
"I came to rescue you!" he said.
"Mister Tanaka?" Chris said.
"We do not have much time. All of you, get aboard, quickly!"
"Hold on! What are you doing here?"
"I promised your grandfather I'd keep you out of trouble, so I followed you all here. I saw you needed help, and came faster that you can say "Dinner is served."
Chris' mouth hung open.
Meanwhile, Shadow dodged another tentacle attack, but took hold of it and allowed Clurken to throw him to the surface. Clurnek surfaced itself and used all its tentacles to lift Shadow and tossed him repeatedly into the air.
"Hey! Get your tentacles off of me! Hey! Cut it out!" he said.
"Put him down!" Chris said.
Then Sam Speed arrived on a jetski.
"Hahahaha! Uncle Sam to the rescue!" he said.
"Uncle Sam!" Chris said.
"I heard you might be in a jam, so I sped right over!" Sam said and picked up a handle used for waterskiing. "Grab this and you can ski your way free!" he said and tossed the handle to Shadow, who caught it. "Here we go!" he said and took off.
"All right! Just watch!" Shadow said and Clurken fired more missiles at him, but they miss. "Come on! You can do better than that, Eggman!"
"Hey Shadow!" Tails said and Shadow looked up to see him flying above him. "A ring! Here, catch!"
Then he tossed a Power Ring to him and caught it. To Sam's surprise, Shadow did a spin-dash, U-turns in midair, and barreled through Clurken, causing it to explode brilliantly.
"All right!" Chris said.
Sam gave Shadow a thumbs-up, who returns it with a wink.
"Thanks, Sam." Shadow said.
Later at the dive shop.
"Whoa! I can't believe it! The legend of the sunken ship is true?" the owner said.
"Yeah. But Eggman's robot came after us and wrecked the wreck. Whatever's left of that ship and the treasure gut buried on the sea bottom." Chris said.
"Ah, I see... But the ship really did exist. You saw it."
Chris nodded
"Yeah."
The dive shop owner looked at the painting behind him.
"I tried to find that ship for years. Thanks to you, I finally have proof that it was real." he said.
Later on Tanaka's boat it was now sunset.
"Then the guy at the diving shop told me the most amazing story of all. Turns out, his great-grandfather was the captain of that sunken ship we found." Chris said to Tails.
"Whoa, cool!" Tails said.
"I'm sure glad we came here." Cream said.
"Chao-chao!" Cheese said.
"And now that Dr. Eggman's gone, we can enjoy our vacation." Amy said.
At the Egg Fort.
"Dr. Eggman struck again today with a new robot, but was quickly defeated by Shadow the Hedgehog. Shadow went on to continue his vacation-" news reporter started but Eggman turned off the TV and growled.
"Rest while you can, Sonic. You're going to need it." he said.