Outworld Huntsmen

A/N: What's up to all you readers out there? Sorry for the wait. With eye exams for new glasses, celebrating Mother's Day, and birthday and college graduation coming up, things have been busy. But fret not, for the new chapter is here! Thank you so much to those who have been sticking out with the story, and thank you to those who are just tuning in.

I've been looking forward to writing this one for a while, and I'm more than happy to show it now.

Well, nothing much left to say except…

Let's get it on!

Enjoy.

Chapter 3

Preparation

The Sun was high in the morning. The trees of Patch rustled from the calm breeze, and the birds perched themselves on the roof of Tails' Lab.

Inside, Tails sat at his desk, tapping away at the keyboard with one hand while looking at three computer screens and clicking with the other. Next to Tails was a glowing yellow crystal was inserted into a console connected to the central computer. A silver case was open next on the desk, showing various similar crystals of different colors.

Tails hit a few keys on his keyboard and the central computer images of the crystal. A graph appeared next to it and showed energy levels raised near to the top. The computer on the left showed pictures and depictions of other colored crystals. The computers on the middle and right showed writings.

"Incredible, "Tails said and clicked on the image of the crystals on the left computer.

Behind him, the lab's front door opened, and Knuckles and Shadow walked inside. Knuckles held a silver case and set it next to the one on the desk.

"Got another case, Tails," Knuckles said. He walked over to Tails and looked at the computer screen. His eyes skimmed the images and data presented and switched his attention to the crystal in the console. "Having fun with your research?"

"Oh, yeah," Tails said as he continued to type. "The readings I'm getting are amazing."

"Kinda nice of that Shopkeep, huh?" Sonic's voice said. Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow turned to the right and saw Sonic at an arcade machine near the lab's wall. He moved his body in a frantic motion as he shook the joystick and pressed the attack buttons. "The guy really really…HA…didn't…GOT EM'…. didn't have to….YEAH…. but I guess he was grateful for us saving from those thugs." Sonic grinned, but his smile deflated in seconds. "No… no, no, no! SHOOT!" He threw his up in the air. "Dead again… this game cheats."

"Hah! And you were just two jumps away from the power-up, too," Knuckles laughed as Sonic pounded his fist on the machine.

Sonic and gnashed his teeth at his loss of the game and turned away. "Ah, the heck with it. I'll beat it someday." He walked over to Tails and joined Knuckles, looking at the screen. "So, bud, what's the rundown on this…Dust?"

"Yeah," Tails said before he pressed a key. The computer zoomed in on elemental symbols over different colored Dust. "From what I've read, Dust is a natural resource here on Remnant. And from what we saw last night, a powerful one too."

"Ah, yeah," Sonic said with a scowl, "when those creeps nearly roasted Shadow and me alive. That explosion was weird, though. There was fire, lightning, and I think some ice in there."

"That's the interesting part," Tails said. "These Dust each seem to have some form of elemental power. The people call it 'Nature's Wrath.'" He turned from his computer and grabbed the yellow Dust crystal out of its console. "There's ones for fire, water, and even this one: lightning. There's also other types of Dust with different elements."

"Sounds like these things come in handy," Knuckles said.

"They're used for pretty much anything here, for cooking, cleaning, energy, basically all of your wants and needs." Tails said.

Shadow stepped up. "What about for self-defense?" he asked.

"Oh, definitely. The Huntsmen and Huntresses have been using Dust for ages to fight the Grimm. They use for in their weapons, clothing, and some even fuse it into their bodies."

"Sounds like some tough stuff," Sonic said. "We're gonna need em' when we set off for Beacon."

Tails stood up at the mentioning of the school. "Oh. That reminds me." He walked over to the lab table and grabbed a green brochure. "Before we left the police station last night, Ozpin gave me this." He handed it to Sonic, who took it in his hand.

Sonic opened the pamphlet and scanned its pages, seeing students in the academy's classroom, the courtyard, and the headmaster's office.

"Man, this school sounds off the hook," he said.

Knuckles looked over Sonic's shoulder and chuckled. "They got classes for combat practice, Grimm study, and weapons training." He noticed an image of the students holding various weapons. "They even let the students have guns here. NRA be damned."

"Now is this type of schooling we need back on Earth. We definitely got work to do before we go." Sonic said.

"That's not all we should be focusing on," Shadow said.

The three turned their heads to Shadow, who folded his arms, and Knuckles placed a hand on his hip.

"What do you mean?" Knuckles said.

"Think of everything that's happened in only one day we've been here. We became part of a hybrid race, Sonic and Tails had to fight off a Grimm, and we had to deal with criminals who tried to steal these gems."

Knuckles and Tails furrowed their brows and looked to the floor. Sonic placed a hand on his chin and nodded at Shadow's words.

"He's got a point," Sonic said. "Not to mention there was that woman they were with. Did you see the way she handled that fire? She popped my Sonic Wind like a balloon. In case anyone's taking notes, that's not a good thing. I was getting flashbacks of when Blaze and I first threw down."

"Yeah, and I guess it doesn't help that we had to lie about who we are and where we're from just in school. I can't believe Ozpin guy bought our story," Knuckles said.

"Who says he did?" Shadow said. "I can't explain it, but it was as if he was looking right through us. And wasn't it too convenient for him to come to specifically us not long after the fight and offer us rolls as students?

Knuckles and Tails shook a little bit. They looked at each other as Knuckles bared his teeth.

"Ah man, you don't think he's on to us, do you?" Knuckles said

"No way." Tails shook his head. "We just got here. He couldn't be. Could he?" he said, head tilted with a knuckle to his lip.

"If he is, then why would he make the offer?" Sonic asked.

"Right now, we'll never know. However, whether or not Ozpin is on to us, we don't dare underestimate his intelligence," Shadow asked. "If he doesn't know, we were able to avoid suspicion by the skin of our teeth."

"Oh, big time," Knuckles said. "Imagine that Glynda lady's face if she were to find out that she actually enrolled an eight-year-old into a combat school."

"Hey, I wouldn't have to lie if I were the right age," Tail said. He looked at his clothes. "I mean, I l might look fourteen thanks this form, but I still feel eight. So…I figured maybe I could use the way I look to blend in."

"Speaking of blending in," Sonic said as he walked up to Tails, "you said something about the last names you gave us. Something about tradition?"

"Oh Yeah!" Tails said with a snap of his fingers. "It goes back to the Great War I read about last night. You see, decades ago, the Four Kingdoms were at war due to Atlas and Mistral abolishing the arts and repressing self-expression. Tensions between them and Vale were already high, but that only added to it. All it took the first hit set everything off. Long story short, the then King of Vale ended it after ten years. Since then, people saw art and self-expression as something vital in their lives. Thus, a custom began where the parents would name their children after color, a main part of art, to stand against any kind of oppression of it."

Sonic nodded. "So that why you gave those last names." He then flashed a smile. "A way of self-expression and freedom that goes on for generations, huh? Now that what's I'm talkin' about. Pretty awesome for the king."

"Those last names each mean a color. I read ya." Knuckles said. "Nice move to think of them on the fly."

Shadow stepped into the center. "Which is why we need to be our guard. We have no idea who or what could be lurking in this world, waiting for a grab at power. And I'd be insulting you I had to spell out the consequences of losing the Chaos Emeralds."

Sonic looked at Tails and Knuckles, and the room grew quiet. Looking back to Shadows, Knuckles stepped up and crossed his arms.

"Geez, you act like this the first time we've been through a tight squeeze like this." Knuckles said.

"But that doesn't mean he's not right," Tails said. "There's no telling what could happen if anyone bad here got even one of the Emeralds."

"Then, it's no problem," Sonic said with a smile. He quickly got to the center and held out his hands. "We gotta give ourselves a bit more credit. Knux is right. We've dealt with this kind of thing before, haven't we? So, I think we can take on whatever this throws at us."

"I'm not saying we can't," Shadow said. "I'm saying we need to be prepared for anything.

Sonic clapped his hands as he said. "Then let's get ready. We got two weeks before Beacon starts up, right? I say we get some practice in and get the hang of this Aura we got. And, ya know?" Sonic walked over the open case on Tails' desk and picked up a red Dust crystal. "Since the students are gonna be using weapons, well you know what they say; 'When in Apotos…,'"

"I think I can make some weapons for us." Tails said. "I got some material here that I can use. Maybe even can draw up some designs."

"What do you think you can make us, Tails?" Sonic asked.

Tails turned to Sonic in his seat. "The floor's open, guys. Whatever you like."

"Then hook me up with some new shoes, buddy."

"You got it."

Knuckles turned to Tails. "Hey, if he's getting new shows, set me up with some new gloves. If I run into any Grimm, I wanna make sure they're tasting the ground fast."

"Consider it done." Tails said.

Sonic then turned to Shadow, hand on his hip.

"Well, Shad," Tails is taking requests. Whatcha want?"

Shadow only looked at Sonic with his eyes half-lid as he said, "Sonic, you've known me long enough to know that I already AM the ultimate weapon."

"And yet, that didn't stop you from waxing the Black Arms with all of their own guns?"

"Or from carving them up with their own swords," Knuckles said.

"I think you enjoy most creature comforts, Shadow." Tails said with a chuckle. "You like the feel of a weapon in your hand, and I remember you doing often fixing your Dark Rider bike even though you're fast on your own."

Shadow's eye widened. It was remarkable. A spot of his character was laid out, and he said nothing. He then closed his eyes and snickered.

"Hmph, I guess you all know me better than I thought." He switched his focus to Tails. "Very well, then. Tails, what I have for you is not a request but a challenge."

"A challenge?" Tails said.

"Oh, this'll be good," Sonic said.

"What I want from you, Tails, is a ninjatō," Shadow said.

Knuckles tilted his head. "A what now?"

"A ninjatō," Shadow said, "a straight, single-edged sword that the warriors of Chun-nan used in feudal times. It's a weapon made for going for the first and last attack." He returned his attention to Tails. "For it sheath, I want it to transform into a high-powered, long-range rifle."

"Hah. You want fries with that?" Sonic said

"Funny…" Shadow rolled his eyes. "If you can make that, Tails, I'll be impressed."

"A sword with a sheath-gun hybrid…hmmm" Tails clasped his hands together with his fingers pointed up. He walked to his chair and sat down before he rolled to his desk. He clicked on the screen, and the images of the Dust crystal disappeared. With his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth and brows knitted together, Tails typed and pulled up images of Sonic's sneakers, Knuckles' gloves, and of a single-edged sword. "Ya, know what, Shadow?" he said as he turned in his chair. "I accept the challenge."

"Nice to hear. Then again, you've never been one hide your brilliance, and you shouldn't."

"You think you can make our weapons in two weeks, Tails?" Knuckles said.

Sonic stepped to Knuckles and placed his on his shoulders. "C'mon Knux. This is Tails we're talking about here. Our resident Brainiac. This is the same kid who was able to reprogram a computer with a toothpick and dish soap."

"Technically, it was supercomputer, buuuut, why split hairs?" Tails pointed out. "You guys are in good hands. I'll make sure that our weapons are the best Grimm slaying tools on the battlefield." Tails jumped and stood on his seat with his fist raised high in utter enthusiasm.

"Like that was ever a doubt," Sonic said with a grin.

"In the interim, we should head back to the city to get some essentials for Beacon," Shadow said.

He walked to a steel storage cabinet and opened it. The inside was packed, filled with items. Chaos Drives, Power Cores, and a custom portable Dreamcast filled the top shelves. In contrast, an assortment of Ring Boxes' filled the bottom, assorted by fives, tens, and twenties. Shadow reached and picked up a Five-Ring Box before he closed the cabinet.

"Sounds like we got a plan," Knuckles said as Shadow approached. "We'll head into town, get what we need, come back, and get some practice in."

"Ya know, if we're gonna be in this world, we should accessorize like some of the people here," Sonic said. He pounded a fist into his palm as his eyes lit up. "Hey! We should get emblems."

"Emblems?" Knuckles asked, flexing a brow.

"Yeah, I saw these rose emblems on that Ruby girl's clothes when we were town the other day, and it got ya boy thinkin'. We should kick it up in our own way and give Remnant a taste of our signature Sonic-style!"

Shadow lowered his head. "If I say 'no,' you'll just drag me along anyway, so I might as well rip that Band-Aid now." He raised his head and walked to the lab's front door. "Fine, just be sure it's nothing ridiculous. You fly the Tornado, Sonic."

"Sweet," Sonic said as he followed Shadow. He then turned to Tails, "Ey, you want us to bring ya anything while we're gone, buddy?"

"Oh, nothing for me. Just get what we need," Tails said and quickly dropped back down into his seat and turned around to his desk.

"Gotcha, sit tight."

"Well, be back, Tails," Knuckles said.

With a wave, Sonic followed Knuckles and Shadow before Shadow closed it.

Tails gave a small laugh when the door closed, and he looked at the images still on the computer. He folded and cracked his fingers.

"Okay, let's see what we can do."

With a flex of his fingers, Tails typed away—the lab filled with the keys' clicking sounds. The engines' sound then shouted loud in through the air outside, and the Tornado 2 flew in the window's view before fading into the blue sky.

Throughout most of the morning, Tails alone in the lab, working while the others were out. Three hours passed. The clock on the desk read 1:45 p.m., and the afternoon sun shined through the windows. The front door opened, and Sonic stepped inside.

"Yo, Tails! We're back," Sonic said, with a few shopping bags in hand.

Knuckles stepped in behind Sonic with Shadow by his side. "We managed to get our hands some clothes, luggage, and some toothpaste." He closed the door behind him. "Can you believe it's actually called Shi-nee here—?"

He and the other two stopped in their tracks.

In front, Tails looked at three large blueprints on the table in the middle of the lab, eyes darting between the two blueprints on the upper part of the table and the one below them. With a pencil in hand, Tails drew lines and writings around a drawing of a large pair of shoes.

Sonic and others only blinked, frozen at their friend's work ethic, seeing him work with haste and speed from one blueprint to another with his pencil scribbling.

Tails looked to the right him as he sketched. "Oh, hey guys. I didn't notice you come in."

"Looks like you've been busy while we were away," Shadow said. He, Sonic, and Knuckles all approached and stood over the table.

"After you guys left, I did a few more calculations on the Dust. Then, I began to think about how the weapons are gonna look." He said, putting down the pencil.

The three looked at the blueprints. Their eyes moved between the draws, nodding at the design and details of the weapons. Sonic and Knuckles grinned as he saw the schematics for the shoes and gloves, and Shadow nodded at the sword's drawings.

"Man, these designs look sick, Tails," Sonic said. "I can definitely see myself rocking these bad boys."

"I am so gonna be breaking heads with those gloves." Knuckles said.

Setting his bags down, Shadow walked back to the front door.

"You two will have to daydream another time. If Tails is exercising his mind, then we should be doing the same for our bodies." He turned the knob and opened the door. "Let's go. I have an idea for how we at least grip the basic use of our Aura."

Knuckles looked at Shadow and rolled his eyes. "Something tells me we're gonna regret this."

"You all have had your fun playing hero yesterday. Now we're doing things my way for a change. It's either that or becoming food for the Grimm. Now, are you coming or not?"

Sonic shook his head as he said, "All right, all right, we're coming." He waved a hand to the door. "Let's go, guys."

Tails set his pencil down with a nod and walked to the door with Sonic and Knuckles in following, leaving Shadow to close the door behind them.

In the forest, deep within the island, Shadow stepped over bushes and pushed aside branches as he walked through. Sonic and Tails navigated past the dense woodland behind him, and Knuckles swatted away the stems and leaves.

"Jeez," Knuckles said. With every step, he grumbled, pushing through shrub and sidestepping from anything that resembled poison ivy. "Hey, Scout Master Shadow," he called out, "I thought we were supposed to be training. Any reason you're dragging out to the middle of nowhere?"

Shadow only looked back at Knuckles with a smirk. "You'll find out soon enough." He looked ahead, and his forehead creased. 'In fact, you might find out now, "This seems like a good enough spot."

He proceeded with the boys behind, and they all stopped as he did. There, they stood in the middle of a large open terrain of dirt and bushes. Hills of earth rested on top of each other, and the surrounding area was dense with trees. Sonic looked at the site, his eyes lit up, taking in the scenery before him.

"Whoa. Not a bad spot, Shadow," he said. "Kinda reminds me of Wood Zone."

"It definitely shows that there's more to this island than we thought." Tails said while looking around.

"Why did we need to go all the way out here for using our Aura?" Knuckles said.

Shadow only looked around. No response. He scanned the area, seeing the bushes and trees, and narrowed his eyes. He turned around to the others.

"Sonic," he said, gaining Sonic's attention, "you said that your Aura protected you from the Beowolf's strike, correct?'

"Uh, yeah," Sonic said.

Shadow then gave his attention to Tails. "And Tails, you theorized that we could harness our Aura like Chaos Energy."

"I figured that it's possible," Tails said, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, given that Aura is the energy of the soul made outward, I believe that maybe we can think of it as our personal Chaos Energy."

"I see," Shadow nodded. Then, let's test that theory, shall we?" Closing his eyes, he folded his arms across his chest.

A gentle wind blew from the west and curved the grass and shrubs around them. Shadow breathed in through his nose. He opened his eyes, narrowing them as he balled a hand into a fist and then jumped into the air.

The boys watched Shadow take the sky.

"Uh, what's he doing?" Knuckles said, raising a brow.

In the air, Shadow turned to the west and drew his hand. "Chaos…" Sparks of yellow energy crackled as it enveloped his hand. The power flashed and flickered with great intensity. "…Spear!" He swung his arm and threw the energy spear before he landed back on the ground.

The Chaos Spear zipped through the air with the speed of a lightning bolt and disappeared through the trees. All went silent, and a loud blast ranged through and disrupted the brief silence. Chirps filled the air, echoing with the flapping of wings, and a cloud of birds scattered from the trees and took the skies.

Sonic and the others saw as they flew away in gatherings into the distance.

Knuckles glared at Shadow. "What did you just do?"

"If we're going to master using our Aura, simple sparring with one another won't be enough."

Snarls and growls emerged from the Chaos Spear hit. The boys turned the west seeing smoke rise from the distance within the forest. The harsh noise grew louder, and the boys started to see movement within the trees. Sonic looked with his teeth bared, and Tails Knuckles jump, startled at the approaching noises.

"That can't be good…," Tails said.

Shadow flexed his hands and turned in the direction of the growls. "We're going to have to learn how to use our Aura the same way Sonic learned to use Chaos Control."

Sonic's brows snapped together. His head filled with the memories of his time on the Space Colony ARK and how he used Chaos Control after Dr. Eggman sent him on a one-way trip via capsule death trap. He then widened his stance, readying himself by Shadow's words.

"A trial by fire," he said.

The snarls grounds grew louder, and over the ridges of dirt loomed a small pack of Beowolves. They stepped with one behind the other, huffing through their vicious jaws and looking down over the boys. Among them stood two large bear-like Grim with bone spikes protruding from their arms and back, a skull mask with markings, Ursa Minors. Black smoke emanated from their bodies, and their yellows eyes glowed at the four, ready to make them their prey.

Sonic, Tails, and Shadow prepared a defensive stance. At the same time, Knuckles only looked at Shadow with his brows knotted together, eye half-lidded, and teeth gnashed.

"I don't like you, Shadow… I really don't like you…," Knuckles groaned.

"Huh. You'd well to hide that negativity, Knuckles, lest these beasts focus most of their efforts on you," Shadow said with a smirk. He then set his sights on the Grimm. "Now, remember: Each of us has used the Chaos Emeralds' power at one time or another. We follow Tail's theory. Focus as if you were channeling Chaos Energy from within you."

Knuckles raised his fists. "And by some chance, this doesn't work."

"Then, you better fight like Sonic and Tails did."

A Beowolf in the lead snarled, flexing its claws. It reeled its head back and howled to the sky. Its fellow Beowolves sounded with their brother, and the Ursa Minors roared. The pack leader jumped and ran down the grove, and the other Grimm stormed behind it.

"Head's up, boys!" Sonic shouted. The lead Beowolf charged at him and swiped its claws, but Sonic ducked and jumped back out of its range.

At the side, two Beowolves lunged at Knuckles, who jumped away, only for them to give chase. The giant dark wolves raised their claws, and Knuckles turned around with his fists at the ready. He threw and clashed his punches against the claws of the monsters. His body trembled at their combined strength, and his feet scrapped the dirt underneath. Looking up, Knuckles starred the Beowolves in the eyes, seeing the fury in their eyes.

"Shadow!" Knuckles growled. "If these things don't kill you, I will!"

Not far from Knuckles, Shadow weaved his body and evaded the claw of one of the Ursai. Another Beowolf rushed at Shadow and swung its claw. In a dash, Shadow swiped and clashed the Beowolf's paw with his hand. He buckled but maintained his stance.

"Neither you nor the Grimm will get the chance," Shadow said. His lit up, and he pulled back his hand back.

Shadow threw his hand with a shout, struck his palm against the Beowolf's chest, and sent it flying. It's tumbled onto the dirt as it landed, and the Ursa snarled before it charged at Shadow.

Near an edge of the grove, Tails flew ahead of two Beowolves and the second Ursa. He landed, running on his feet, and turned to see a Beowolf jump at him. He crossed his arms over his body and guarded with one of his tails against the Beowolf's claws. The second Beowolf approached from the side, and Tails blocked its strike with his other tail.

Tails gnashed his teeth as he was pushed back. A loud roar caught his attention, and he saw the Ursa Minor close in on him.

Sonic sprinted near the front of the grove with the Beowulf behind him in pursuit. He turned with a skid and faced the approaching Beowolves. His eyes furrowed with the bracing of his feet; Sonic dashed in a blur straight ahead. He hit with a sound kick Beowolf across its face, knocking it to the ground. Touching, he looked up and saw the Ursa charging and that Tails struggled against the two Beowolves.

"Tails!" he shouted. Sonic lowered his stance and placed his hand to the ground for a running start. "Hang on." In a flash, he was gone.

Tails strained against the Beowolves' strength, and the Ursa Minor approached with its claw ready to attack. Tails looked at the monstrous bear with broadened eyes. As the Ursa Minor swung its massive paw, a foot struck the side of its face. Tails' looked up and smiled as he witnessed Sonic cross the Ursa Minor with a kick and send it crashing straight into the Beowolves onto the ground as one pile of Grimm.

Sonic landed and turned to his friend. "You okay, Tails?"

"I'm fine. Thanks," Tails said with a nod. A grumble caught his ear, and Sonic and Tails looked to the Beowolves and Ursa Minor rise back up. "Here they come again." He said as he readied his stance.

"They're tough, but not tough enough," Sonic said. "You think your theory's gonna hold up?"

"Well, nothing usually for sure unless theories are put into action," Tails said.

A Beowolf snarled, and Sonic looked straight at it. "In that case…" The Beowolf roared and rushed toward Sonic. Sonic locked eyes with the Beowolf, and raced straight at the creature.

Tail guarded himself against the draft he created. He opened an eye and reached out an arm. "Sonic! Wait!"

Sonic and the Beowolf raced to one another. Sonic knitted his brow together be closing his eyes. "Trial by fire, right? Moment of truth."

As he ran, a sudden warm sensation surged within his body and then shot out over his entire form. The feeling passed, and a blue sheen of light flashed around him, and his body gave a blue glow. The Beowolf neared with its claw raised. Sonic braked himself and raised his arms to guard himself. The Beowolf swung and based his claw against Sonic's arm sent him flying. Sonic hit the ground and dropped near Tails.

"Sonic!" Tails called and ran over to Sonic. He placed his hands to his sides and helped him to his feet. "Are you crazy? You could've been—"

"Tails…," Sonic said. He rested on Tails' shoulder. Tails saw a wide grin emerge on Sonic's face and raised a brow. "Check it out!" Sonic looked to Tails, and the blue sheen glossed over his body again before it faded.

"Whoa! Your Aura," Tails said, a big smile of his own forming. "It really worked after all, didn't it?"

"It really does feels like using the Emeralds. Might not be as hard-hitting, but it ain't gonna tickle the Grimm, either." Sonic said. He then looked had at his hand and rolled it into a fist. "In fact, I got a little theory of my own."

He returned his attention to the Beowolf in the lead that snapped its jaw and swiped its claws, ready to rip and tear into flesh. Sonic smirked and flicked his nose with his thumb before crouching. He stretched a leg back and bolted off in a blur. The Beowolf shook as it witnessed Sonic's speed. Sonic reappeared in another blur, quick as lightning, and jabbed his knee into the Beowolf's chest. Its body curved, and it howled from the blow, and Sonic kicked up with his free leg, hitting the Beowolf's chin. With another swing, he kicked himself off its body and flipped back high into the air.

Looking down at the Beowolf, Sonic spun his body and kicked, launching a blue curved shockwave that sped down and slashed through the Beowolf's upper body. The Beowolf cried out, and came apart down by the shoulder, and collapsed to the ground. Its body smoldered and crumbled away into black smoke that was soon scattered by wind's breath.

Sonic landed beside Tails, who looked at his best friend with plate-wide eyes and a mouth ajar.

"Whoa. How did you do that?" Tails asked.

Sonic rubbed the end of his nose with his finger. "I figured that if Aura could protect us, maybe we can use it to fight back too."

"You used it to strengthen your attack," Tails said and switched his attention to the Beowolf and Ursa Minor that roared and snarled. "Should I try?" Tails muttered to under his breath.

Tails widened his stance and looked at the Beowolf that stepped forth. His breath was steady as he closed his eyes. He breathed in those his nose. His head became quiet, and he heard the sound of chiming. Tails' eyes flared, and a yellow sheen flashed around his entire body. His tails straightened with the same light shining around them the like fine blade.

In front, the Beowolf roared and charged at Tails. Setting his eyes at the dark wolf, Tails spun his tails and speeded ahead. The two raced head-on towards each other with no sign of retreat, and the Beowolf neared and raised his claw, and Tails curved his tails. He dodged the Beowolf's swipe and spin, running his tails through its body with a swift slash. The Beowolf stumbled, and its body split apart from the hip up before the pieces fell to the ground.

"Whoa! It really worked," Tails said with joy in his voice. He looked to his right took to the air from the Ursa Minor that lunged with its claws.

Sonic looked and saw Shadow brace his arm against his own Beowolf and Ursa, and Knuckles weaved from the two Beowolves' attacks.

Sonic brought his hands to the sides of his mouth. "Yo, Kux! Shadow," he called, "this Aura is hard stuff!"

"It can strengthen our attacks too." Tails added from above. "Just focus and go for it!"

Knuckles bucked against the Beowolves, and his teeth formed a sharp grin at the information. "Well, why didn't you say so?" He then reset his attention to the Beowolves pressing down on his arm. "Okay. Let's do it!"

He closed his eyes and breathed. A warm, burning sensation stirred within him, and a red sheen of light shined over his body. His eyes opened wide and then furrowed at the Beowolves. With a great heave, Knuckles pushed his arms and forced the creatures to stumble back. Knuckles leaned with a stomp of his feet and ran towards the Beowolf at his left. He pulled back his fist rocked Beowolf's jaw with a heavy punch. A red shockwave emerged from the blow, and Knuckles sent the Beowolf airborne high in the distance over the tree lines of the forest.

Knuckles looked at his fist. His eye went round, and a small laugh left before it erupted into a full-on guffaw. "Oh! Ohoho. These things are in SO MUCH trouble now!

"Knuckles, heads up!" Sonic shouted from behind.

A roar sounded off, and Knuckles rose to attention at the second Beowolf running towards him. The Beowolf jumped in the air, and Knuckles drew back his fist. Gritting his teeth, he lifted off high, and slammed his fist in the Beowolf's chin, and sent it airborne. It soared and descended before crashing into the ground.

Knuckles landed and grinned as the Beowolf dissipated into black smoke.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: no one can match the power of my fists!" Knuckles said, raising a fist into the air.

"Then maybe you can put some of that power to use," Sonic shouted from behind. Knuckles turned around and saw Sonic and Tails dodging the Ursa claws. "See if you can get this overgrown furball off of us!"

Knuckles looked at the swiping, growling Ursa Minor. He tightened his fist and cracked his neck. "No problem," he said. Roaring like a beast of own making, Knuckles grinned sprinted.

Knuckles ran with outstanding speed towards the Ursa Minor. Sonic and Tails Knuckles came from behind and jumped out of the way, leaving the Ursa confused. Knuckles roared and rushed on, gaining the monster's attention. He swung his arm and hammered the Ursa Minor's face with one blow and hit hard with another punch to its body. The brute staggered from the damaging punches. Knuckles then jumped and battered it with another heavy strike to its face.

The Ursa Minor stumbled from left to right, dazed from the assault, but its big, lumbering body didn't topple. Knuckles stomped a foot forward and broke out in another mad charge. He ran straight ahead and punched the Ursa in its body. A red shockwave surged out of its back. The creature roared, hunched in agony. Its back swelled and burst open, sending its bone spikes flying. Knuckles took back his and watched as the Ursa stepped. He looked at the red gaping hole in the monster's chest.

The Ursa Minor gasped, and its breathing stopped. It tilted back and fell to the ground hard.

Knuckles flexed his fingers and rolled them back into a fist.

"Whoa," he said.

"'Whoa' is right," Sonic's voice said. Knuckled looked and saw Sonic and Tails behind him. Their eyes were shot open at the recent display. "How did you do that?"

Knuckles starred at his fist as he held it up. "I just focused my Aura through me, and the rest went to my fist."

"A pulsing strike. The excess power must've left when you struck that Grimm, killing it essentially two hits in one."

"For real? That's awesome! Maybe can—"

A roar stopped his words, and Knuckles and the others turned to the noise, seeing Shadow dodge the strikes of the last Beowolf and Ursa Minor. He moved his body, shifted from left to right, avoiding their deadly claws. The beasts swung hard and fast, but Shadow stepped back with one foot before the other.

Sonic and the rest watch as Shadow danced away from the Grimm. He stepped forward and took his position. "Hold on, Shadow, we're—"

"Don't interfere," Shadow said. He stepped back from the monsters and straightened his stance. "I'll deal with this myself." He then closed his eyes.

The Beowolf and Ursa Minor snarled and advanced. The clawed limbs scraped the dirt as they rushed toward Shadow, who remained in his place.

Shadow breathed through his nose, and all noise faded from his ears. Images of the green Chaos Emerald flashed in his mind, accompanied by the sound of their signature chime echoing in his ear. The Ursa Minor stomped in front of the Beowolf over Shadow and raised his massive claw high. Sonic and the boys bared their teeth as Ursa towered. It swung down, and Shadow's eye flashed, narrowing at the creature as a golden-yellow sheen erupted over his body. He blocked the swipe with his forearm and drew the other back with its hand balled into a fist. Yellow energy crackled like lightning around it.

Shadow saw the Beowolf come from behind the Ursa in the corner of his eyes and gripped the Ursa Minor's paw tight. The bear beast roared as it gripped tighter. With a mighty heave, Shadow picked up the Ursa Minor by its paw. He whirled the bear in their air, swinging faster with every second. With a final swing, he tossed the Ursa Minor in the, flinging it into the sky. Shadow then crouched his legs and jumped after it. Below, the boys and the Beowolf watched the two ascend.

Shadow soared, reaching high over the Ursa Minor. He ran his arm back and struck the monster's body with his energy-charged hand. His eyes flared as a golden-yellow shockwave surged from his hands and launched the Ursa Minor down with energy crackling around it. The monster roared in its fast descent. The Beowolf below watched it plummet and howled in fear as its larger brethren neared.

The Ursa Minor collided with the Beowolf against the ground with a sound blast. Clouds of earthen dust and crackling energy emerged from the crash, and Sonic and the covered themselves from the passing clouds. Above, Shadow looked down at the rising dust and landed on the ground. As the dust settled, Sonic and the boys lowered their arms, coughing some of it out of their system.

"That…jerk…" Knuckles coughed. "Now I'm really gonna kill him."

"He might've overdone it with that one," Sonic said, rubbing the dust out of his quills.

"But his method was more than effective," Tails said before coughed a bit of dust out. "Take a look." He pointed in the direction where the Ursa Minor touched down.

Sonic and Knuckles turned their attention to where Tails pointed. They saw the Ursa Minor, immobile, lifeless, and lying on top of the down Beowolf with its bone spikes where impaled in the wolf's back. The Beowolf lifted its head and breathed a final breath before it collapsed on the ground.

Their bodies smoldered with black smoke. The monster blackened and crumbled away into black dust, scattering into passing winds.

Shadow walked over to the sigh where the Grimm faded and folded his arms.

"Hmph. Dust to dust," he said.

"You creep!" Knuckles shouted, gaining Shadow's attention. "You dragged us out here to fight monsters, and you nearly got us killed!" Eyes bloodshot with his teeth gnashed, Knuckles charged at Shadow like a mad bull seeing red.

Startled, Sonic zipped in front of Knuckles and held him back by his arms. "Whoa, whoa! Chill out, Knux," he said as he halted Knuckles in his stampede.

"Chill out? This maniac nearly got us eaten alive by those things. Not to mention he could've crashed two of them on top of us." Knuckles shouted. He flailed his arms around like that of a wild ape."

"And yet, you're still here running your mouth. So, everything worked well enough." Shadow said, turning away.

Knuckles growled and snorted steam of his nose as he stepped back from Sonic. "Oh, you got an answer for everything, don't you?"

Tails stepped up. "Albeit, Shadow's way of was… crude, we were able to use our Aura and save ourselves."

"You're all welcome, by the way," Shadow said.

"I didn't say 'thank you!'" Knuckles barked.

"You didn't have to," Shadow said in a brief chuckle. "But, we shouldn't dwell on his little accomplishment. I'm sure that even the children at the Academies can unlock their Aura kills a few Grimm. However, if we're staying in this world for a time, the chances are that we'll likely encounter far worse Grimm. We won't be able to get by on just the basics. We'll have to continue using our Aura as we go on."

"Not to mention our weapons," Tails said. "I think I might have some ideas on what I can do to make sure we can take on some of the stronger Grimm."

Sonic placed a hand on his hip as he said, "Then, we call it a day." He jutted a thumb to the forest. "C'mon, let's get out of here before end up dead."

"Jeez." Knuckles sigh, rubbing his head. "Criminals, firewomen, Grimm, Huntsmen, Aura, Academies...we've been here for only a day, and I can already tell that this world is crazy. It just never stops."

"Hey, things could always be worst," Sonic said. He turned to his right and started to walk down the entry path back into the forest. "We could have been thrown into this world having to find Chaos Emeralds one by one like always."

"Fair argument," Knuckles said and followed Sonic.

Shadow proceeded behind Knuckles, and Tails followed behind as they all walked the trail. Tails looked back where they fought the Grimm. His mind raced with images of the weapons schematic he drew and the beast they had slain earlier. As the picture flowed in his head, and slight throb coursed through it.

Tails shut his eyes and bared his teeth. He rubbed his temple, and the pain subsided. As his head cleared, Tails' eyes shined with a bright, gleaming yellow color. He blinked a few times, and the shine faded as his eyes flickered back to their signature blue color.

The boys continued to tread down the path and soon came back to the forest's tree area.

The hours passed, but it was as if night fell in a blink. Tails found himself in the lab sitting in front of the three computers. He typed frantically on the keyboard, looking from the different images of weapons sketch and Dust crystals from monitor to the other. He leaned in and rubbed his chin with his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hmmm," Tails examined the screen and went back to typing.

Next to him, Sonic walked over to him and stretched his back.

"Yo, Tails," he said. "You sure don't need a break, pal? You've been at your desk since we got back.

"Huh?" Tails bilking at his Sonic's voice and turned to him, seeing his face. "Oh. Uh, sorry, Sonic. I guess I lost track of time." He turned back to his screen. "I'm just having a hard time figuring out the best designs for our weapons."

"I think you're overthinking it, buddy. "Sonic smiled and placed a hand on Tails" shoulder. "You ain't gotta go all out just for us."

"C'mon, Sonic," Tails chuckled, "you know I never go back on my word. When I said that our weapons would be the best Grimm slaying tools, I meant it."

Sonic laughed. "Hey, I'm not knocking your drive, little buddy, but…" Sonic placed a hand on his chin and looked at Tails' computers and focus on the Dust crystals on the screen. "Hmm. Maybe I can offer a little input. Maybe the Dust we're using could act like the cores or something."

"Cores…" Tails peered at the computer screen for a moment, and sharp, throbbing surged through his head." Tails rubbed the side of his head.

"Those headaches again?" Sonic asked, looking to Tails.

"Just a small one," Tails said and shook his head. "It'll pass."

"Hahaha. That's why I think you should take a break. Our gear ain't worth you having a strain-on-the-brain breakdown."

"But it's like…I'm getting closer to a more of a breakthrough than a breakdown." Tails looked at the sketches of the weapons on the screen. "I can't explain it, but… I can crack it if I keep going. I know it."

Sonic placed a hand on his little friend's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. "Well, I don't doubt for a moment. Anyway, the guys and I will head into town to see if we grab some dinner. You want us to bring ya anything?"

"Uh, just a pretzel chilidog would be nice." Tails said.

"Gotcha," Sonic nodded made his way to the door. He opened it and looked back. "I'll see if I can find some painkillers for that headache. Until we get back, don't overwork yourself."

"Got it," Tails looked, shot Sonic a smile.

Sonic smiled back and walked out the door before shutting it. Tails then returned to his computer. He looked at the screen, and the sharp pain in his head returned. The throbbing increased throughout his head, and Tails placed his hands on his temple as his teeth gnashed together.

"Ah, man! It feels like my synapses are going crazy," He groaned and shook his head.

The pain flashed throughout his head and then vanished. Tails' eyes shot wide open, and they flashed, shining yellow as his eyes settled. He looked at his computers, and images of the weapons and Dust crystals appeared in his mind. As Tails blinked, it seemed as though the pictures came off the screens and became displayed, floating as different numbers, letters, and equations appeared around the images.

Blinking again with a shake of his head, his mind cleared, and the yellow shine in his eyes faded, returning them to their blue color. Tails then looked at the screen.

"I-I got it! I got! I know exactly what to do," Tails said. He jumped out of his seat with joy. His twin tails spun and flew around in the air, laughing like a happy child.

A bright light then shined out of the corner of his eye, and he stopped flying. Looking down at the lab table, he saw that his backpack was glowing from the inside. He dropped and ran to the bag. He opened it and saw one of the gray Chaos Emeralds shining. Tails grabbed it, and he shined brighter in his hand, prompting him to shield his eyes.

The Chaos Emerald changed, turning from a cold gray to bright green with its light matching its color. The great light soon faded, leaving the now lustful Green Chaos Emerald to glow with its energy.

"One of the Emeralds got its powers back. Yes!" Tails grinned with a pump of his fist. He looked at the Emerald, his smile not leaving. "And I….and I have an idea." He cupped his chin and looked into the distance. "Hmm, I wonder if I still have those blueprints on the Cyclone."

In the days that passed, the boys went about their business on Patch.

Outside, Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow waited outside of the lab. The Sun shined high in the day, and the area was settled with a cool spring breeze. Shadow stood with his arms folded as Sonic stretched his legs while Knuckles threw punches in the air.

"So, what do you guys think Tails called us outside for?"

"If anything, it's likely to inform us on his progress," Shadow said.

"You think so?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. When we got back to the lab, Tails was working on them like crazy," Sonic said. "He even tossed out the painkillers for his headaches."

"Oh, yeah," Knuckles said upon realization. "Tails was drawing up some new schematics. I couldn't make head or tails of the stuff, and he's been cracking at them for like, what? A week?"

"About a week, perhaps ten days," Shadow said.

"Huh, and just a little before Beacon starts up," Sonic folded his arms. "I just hope Tails didn't rush himself."

"Yeah, it'd be bad if he—" The sound of the lab's front door opening cut Knuckles off. "Oh. Here he comes now."

Tails walked down the doorsteps, holding three items wrapped in cloth in his hands. Two were relatively the same size, while one was skinnier and placed in the middle. Secured around Tails' right arm was a yellow-colored device that resembled a bracelet with a gauntlet-like band that reached up to half of his forearm. Embedded in the central component of the device was a polished orb. The orb itself had swirls made up of several different colors.

Tails smiled as he walked up to his friends. He placed each of the items in front of the boys and stepped back.

The three each looked at the wrapped items and then to Tails.

"Guys," Tails started. "It's been a long time, but I finally got something for you. Lying in front of you are the weapons I've designed per your requests. I'm honestly thrilled with the results. Go ahead. Unwrap 'em.' See them for yourself."

"Haha, boy, Tails, the way you're talking, you got it sounding like it's Christmas." Knuckles laughed as he walked over to the wrapped item in front of him. "What we got here must be good."

"No lie," Sonic agreed. He walked up to his set. "Don't keep me in suspense."

"If Tails is going as far as to make a presentation, then I'm curious. Let's see how he did," Shadow said as he walked up to his wrapped weapon.

The boys each picked up a weapon. One by one, they unwrapped their respective tools. Sonic and Knuckles had broad smiles, while Shadow simply flashed his signature smirk as the weapons sparkled in the Sun's light.

"Holy crap, Tails," Knuckles said.

He starred at a pair of gloves that looked similar to his own. The bared a gray patch that formed around the back of the hand and palm. In the palm was a large red dot that connected to red and brown cuffs at the bottom. Embedded in the top of the gloves was a polished gem-like core with swirls of red, dark orange, yellow, and purple colors.

"No kidding, just look at the shine on these babies," Sonic chuckled.

He held a pair of large boots with a color scheme matching his sneakers. Light blue metal plating was placed along the shin and toe area of the shoes. Embedded at the heels was a gem-like core similar to the one in Knuckles' gloves with swirls of red, yellow, blue, and white colors.

Shadow examined his weapon. The sword was long, contained in a red and black sheath, and was attached to a circular black guard with a red and black handle. Embedded in the red pommel was a small, round gem with swirls of red, yellow, blue, and white colors. Shadow placed his thumb on the guard and unsheathed the sword revealing a single black blade with white swirling lines on the surface and a bright red front.

"Hmph, a fine-looking blade, Tails," Shadow said and placed the sword back in its sheath.

Tails smiled at the approval from his friends and pointed a finger to Tails. "Sonic, those boots you got there are called the Blue Zephyr."

'Zephyr, huh?" Sonic said.

"Those shoes are made from a super tough polymer and are hyper friction-resistant, just like your sneakers. They should keep you running at top speed and add more power to your kicks. The Dust in them are Lightning, Fire, Water, and Wind. I figured that you could use them in some pretty cool ways."

"And you figured right! Awesome work, buddy!" Sonic said with a bright grin.

Tails laughed and turned to Knuckles. "Knuckles, I call your gloves the Red Vulcan. Those gloves are made to strengthen your punches, and I outfitted yours with Lightning, Fire, Gravity, and Earth Dust. They should help you go against all but the toughest Grimm, and who knows what else out there."

"You had me at "punches," Tails. I can already tell. I'm gonna do some serious damage with these."

Tails smiled with his Knuckles at his approval. He then faced Shadow, who looked back at him.

"And Shadow, I call your weapon Dark Chaos."

"Hmm. Fitting," Shadow said.

"Yours was a bit harder to make than the others, especially with your request for it to turn into a sniper. It took some doing, but I figured out what to do for the blade. Using some material from my lab, I've developed a metal alloy that can cut clean through steel. The Dust you have in the pommel are Lightning, Fire, Ice, and Wind."

"Interesting." Shadow said, examining the sword." And, what did you do for a sniper?"

Tails only smiled and looked at the blade. "Press that red dot on the sheath."

Shadow looked at his sword's sheath. He found a small red dot on its length and pressed it. The sound of mechanical whirring and metal clicking rang together. The sheath then morphed into a long red and black rifle with a matching scope attached to the tactical rail and a forestock at the bottom of the barrel.

"You've certainly been busy," Shadow said while looking at the rifle.

"I ran into a block with the design. Then, it hit outta nowhere. Using the old blueprints for my Cyclone, I applied the same morph technology to your sheath. That rifle can fire powerful energy shots and works with the Dust you have too." Tails placed his hands behind his back. "So, what do you say, Shadow? Have I succeeded in your challenge?"

Shadow flipped the sniper, and it morphed back into a sheathed sword. He then looked at Tails, folding his arms. Sonic and Knuckles looked at Shadow in silences. All grew quiet. A smile then curved on Shadow's face, and he chuckled.

"You know, Tails, when you're done running around with Sonic, you can come and be my mechanic," Shadow said.

Sonic jolted at the remark, and his pupils shrank with a slight twitch in his eye. He quickly zipped in front of Shadow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Pump the brakes. Let's not get any crazy ideas here," Sonic protested.

"I'm guessing that means he likes what Tails made him." Knuckles said. He then focused the multicolored Dust crystals in his gloves. "But it's crazy, Tails. How in the heck did you make these in ten days?"

"That's the weirdest thing," Tails said, folding his arms. "It started with these weird headaches I got after making it to the lab last week." He rubbed his head with fingers. "After a while, they just came and went, and all of a sudden, ideas were exploding in my head. It was like the schematics were coming off the paper, and I could see every detail. Then, I guess I just got a little creative."

"A little?" Sonic said. "Pfft, I bet this world's Department of Defense couldn't think of most of this stuff."

"Well, now they don't have to," Tails said with a chuckle.

"Another thing, how did you get the Dust to merge to like this?" Knuckles said.

"You guys remember that one Chaos Emerald that got its power back? I used its energy on the Dust crystals. They seemed to react very well to the Emeralds' power. Thanks to it, I was able to put them together into one Dust crystal with different elements. I call them Dust Cores."

"Dust Cores?"

"Sonic gave me the idea for them."

"Well, that was some creative burst you had to make them work with our gear," Sonic said.

"There's more," Tails said as he held up the device around his arm and showed it to the boys. "Don't think I spent all this time making your weapons and not put a little something together for myself." He flexed his arm out, and the device flashed with a brief yellow light.

The device expanded. Parts moved and connected until it formed into a yellow-colored cannon around his arm.

"Uh…whoa," Sonic said, eyes darted at the cannon.

"You like it?" Tail said. "It's a new version of my cannon. I reconfigured and upgraded it to handle the power of Dust. It's got the Dust that you guys have, as well as Gravity and Hard-Light. I call it the Yellow Volt."

"Saved the best stuff yourself? Respect," Sonic said, flexing the OK gesture with his fingers.

"That's not all." Tails looked at his cannon. "I also outfitted it with several weapons systems to help me take on some of the stronger Grimm."

"Man, you're on fire, Tails." Sonic walked up and patted Tails on his shoulders.

"I'm glad you guys are happy with the weapons. I just wish I could've gotten them to you sooner we could test them out."

"Well, hey, maybe it's not too late." Sonic placed an arm around Tails' shoulder. "We still got a few days before Beacon starts up. We can probably go into the forest and try them out."

Shadow stepped forth as he said, "That will have to be saved for when we leave for the school. We'll undoubtedly be in situations where we'll get far more use out of them than fighting the Grimm here. For now, we should get our essentials together. On a side note, the Chaos Emerald that's restored stays with me."

"What? How come it's goin' with you?" Knuckles said.

"Simple," Shadow said, turning to Knuckles. "I prefer the green one."

Sonic grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? While we're at it, let's talk about a change in style. I got some sweet emblems for us."

"You were actually serious about the emblems…" Shadow said.

"Ey, we always gotta keep in style, Shadow. So let's stop yackin, and let's start packin'."

With a dash, Sonic took off and zipped with new shoes through the lab door, leaving the boys behind. Shadow only sighed and shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in his head."

"I've been asking myself since I first met the guy," Knuckles said. "But, hey, at least we're never bored."

"No. No, we certainly aren't," Shadow said. He wrapped his sword and began to walk to the lab. "C'mon. Let's go."

Tails morphed his cannon back into its gauntlet form, and Knuckles wrapped his gloves back in the cloth. They followed into the lab and closed the door shut behind them.

A/N: Aaand that's a wrap! I'm thrilled to get this one out there. Now the boys have weapons. Hoorah!

I got inspiration from things like Jak II, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mega Man Battle Network, and Devil May Cry. Not to mention, things like
Pokémon really came in handy for elemental moves.

So, as I said, thank you to all my readers and followers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one when we see how our heroes begin their lives at Beacon Academy and meet the students.

Read n' Review and all that good stuff.

Until next time,

Ink out!