Chaos Control
Chapter 8
Blossom was startled to see that once again, she found herself in the same grassy field and canyon that had the fountain and the chao but it wasn't the same as it was when she was there last time. This time, the once blue cloudless sky was blood red and covered in black clouds. The fountain was almost completely destroyed with many chunks of it scattered about but the overall fountain was still all in one piece and the Chaos Emeralds, as well as the Master Emerald, remained. All the water that was once in the fountain was dried up. The surrounding grass and other plant life that were once plentiful and thriving was now dried and died with small fires burning here and there. But perhaps the most horrible sight of the whole ordeal was the chao whose lifeless bodies littered the ground. The chao, who were once cheerful and as playful as children, were dead and their corpses strewn about the dead grass like the result of a war. Their bodies scorched by some unknown fire source. The sight of all this senseless death brought a tear to Blossom's eyes.
"How did this happen?" asked Blossom to herself. "Why am I here?"
As she observed the area, searching for answers, she noticed Tikal on her knees, crying. Curiously, Blossom flew over to Tikal, not sure what to say to her.
"How could I have let this happen?" asked Tikal to no one. "I was supposed to protect my people and the chao and now, I have failed them all." Blossom was about to say something but was interrupted by a loud sound that caused her to turn her head towards the far off village which appeared to have been burned to the ground. Tikal lifted her head and stared in the direction of Blossom's stare and the two saw a large dark creature roaming through the remains of the village. Blossom watched as Tikal stood up with determination on her face.
"I must stop this madness before it destroys us all." said Tikal before running over to what was left of the fountain.
"Chaos Control!" shouted Tikal and all seven of the Chaos Emeralds levitated off of their pillars and began to circle Tikal while the Master Emerald remained motionless. Tikal stood motionless as the Chaos Emeralds circled her. "Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the heart." was the incantation said by Tikal. A strange ball of energy began to build in her hands, illuminating the surrounding environment. The emeralds continued to circle her as Tikal began to work her magic. The dark creature in the remains of the village began to move towards her, sensing the emeralds' power. Blossom, for some reason, could not see the monster but she knew that the creature was drawing close, drawn by the power of the emeralds. Tikal held her position, ready to fight...to the death...
Blossom awoke from her dream in a cold sweat. She gasped nervously because she was surprised by the sudden awakening from her realistic dream. Curious as to what time it was, she searched the room for some indication of what time it was. The lack of light coming from the nearby window indicated that it was still dark outside. The dream frightened Blossom so much that she felt too tense to go back to sleep so she decided to get a glass of milk to help her sleep. Carefully, Blossom slipped out of bed, being careful not to awaken her sisters who slept on both sides of her, and flew out of the bedroom to search for the kitchen. She traveled the long hallways of the mansion, using her night vision to see in the dark so she could find the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, she discovered Knuckles drinking a glass of the water.
"Who's there?" demanded Knuckles. He didn't have night vision so he couldn't see Blossom in the darkness.
"It's me, Blossom." said Blossom.
"Blossom? What are you doing up so late?" asked Knuckles.
"I came down here for some milk." said Blossom. She flew over to refrigerator and opened it up, blinding her with its bright light. Blossom reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a milk carton and then found a glass cup from the cupboard. As she poured herself some milk into the cup, Knuckles noticed (even in the dark) that Blossom seemed stressed.
"You had another vision from Tikal again, didn't you?" asked Knuckles.
"Yes." said Blossom after taking a sip of milk. "Oh Knuckles, it was awful. I saw the entire village destroyed and those poor chao were dead."
"Well, you had it easy." said Knuckles. "I too have been awoken by a vision tonight and mine was so much more graphic."
"Why is Tikal doing this?" asked Blossom in frustration.
"I do believe she is trying to tell us something." said Knuckles. "If only there was some way we could contact her spirit directly." There was silence as the two tried to think of something more to say but no words left their mouths until Blossom said, "I really should be getting back to bed."
"I should, too." said Knuckles. After Blossom finished her milk, the two of them went back to bed without another word.
The next morning, everyone gathered around the breakfast table and just like yesterday, Ella and Mr. Tanaka was bringing a small feast of food to the table in order to accommodate for their new guests. The girls ate what they could without saying a word until Blossom asked, "Any new plans on how we're going to find the last remaining Chaos Emeralds?"
"I'm afraid not." said Tails. "Last night, I tried to find some way of improving on my Chaos Energy Radar but all of my attempts have failed. I'm afraid I can't build something even half as good as what Mojo and Eggman are using."
"I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for any sign of Mojo or Eggman and then just follow them." said Sonic. Bubbles was helping herself to more pancakes when she noticed that Blossom seemed to be staring at her food, hardly eating it.
"Is something wrong, Blossom?" asked Bubbles. Blossom was snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Bubbles's question.
"Oh, no, I was just lost in thought about the Chaos Emeralds." said Blossom which was partially true. She was lost in thought but not about the Chaos Emeralds, it was actually about her vision last night. She couldn't stop thinking about the horrible image she saw, with all those dead chao and the hundreds of echidnas who had also perished that day. The thought of it made her wonder more and more as to why she has been receiving these images and what they all mean. The thought of it had killed Blossom's appetite.
"May I be excused?" asked Blossom. "I need to go outside for some fresh air." Before waiting for an answer, Blossom flew out of her seat and left the room.
"But you haven't finished your breakfast." said Ella but Blossom had already left the room.
Blossom's departure from the dining room table led her out the back door and into the backyard. She landed on the ground so she could walk because walking tends to help her think. She walked along the large pool, staring at her reflection in the water. She looked into the water's reflection, lost in thought again, thinking about her dream. Questions ran through her mind and she couldn't control her thoughts as they continued to wander through her mind.
"What is it you are trying to tell us?" thought Blossom. "What purpose do you have for pestering me and Knuckles with these?" Her train of thought was snapped back to reality when she suddenly heard movement nearby. She immediately lifted off the ground and observed her surroundings but amongst the bushes, lawn chairs, and other fancy pool equipment, Blossom saw nothing out of place. She assumed that the sound must have been caused by a footstep but she didn't know where.
"Who's there?" asked Blossom sternly. Nothing but silence was her only reply. She was about to search for the source of the sound when suddenly, a strange orange light shot out from a nearby bush and struck Blossom at point blank in the face. As a result, Blossom fell over, unconscious.
Blossom opened her eyes drowsily as she regained consciousness. She tried to move her arms but she quickly realized that she was bounded with large chains that tied her to a pipe that ran up from the floor and along a wall. She observed her surroundings but she couldn't see through all the darkness. She would have broken herself free from the chains but she could barely move because of how weak she was.
"What happened?" asked Blossom to herself.
"I think I can answer that one." said a mysterious voice from within the darkness. Blossom strained to open her eyes to see who was talking but saw nothing. She was about to activate her night vision until a dark figure walked closer towards the light. At first, Blossom couldn't see him clearly. All she could make out was the shape of a hedgehog.
"Sonic? Is that you?" asked Blossom.
"No, I am not Sonic." said the voice. Blossom realized that the voice did not sound like Sonic's voice or any voice Blossom had heard before.
"Who are you?" asked Blossom. Instead of answering, the figure came closer into the light, enabling Blossom to see him clearly. Blossom soon realized that the figure was not Sonic but he was a hedgehog. A hedgehog that was completely black except for some red stripes running along his quills and a little patch of white on his chest. Like Sonic, the black hedgehog wore shoes and white gloves. He had piercing red eyes that gave a stare that was stern and powerful.
Blossom was finally snapped completely to her senses upon seeing the stranger.
"Who are you?" asked Blossom.
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog." said the black hedgehog. "And incase you're wanting to know, you're in an empty warehouse somewhere outside of Station Square."
"Why did you bring me here?" asked Blossom.
"Because I'm after this." said Shadow. Shadow pulled his hand out from behind his back, revealing, in his hand, an orange colored Chaos Emerald. "I know that Sonic and the others have at least one of the seven Chaos Emeralds and I want it. I've kidnapped you for ransom and if they want to see you alive, they'll have to give me all of their Chaos Emeralds."
"Well you picked the wrong girl to kidnap because I can break out of these bonds." said Blossom triumphantly as her body finally returned to full strength.
"I know, that's why I have other methods of keeping you here." said Shadow. With that said, he raised the orange Chaos Emerald over his head and said, "Chaos Control." From the emerald, a wave of orange energy fired from it, striking Blossom in the chest. Blossom screamed in pain as she felt the energy flow through her. The pain was horrible and Blossom could barely do anything except scream in agony. Finally, the energy rendered her unconscious and once again, she was out cold. Shadow grinned evilly at what he had done and he knew that eventually, those Chaos Emeralds will be his.
Meanwhile, back at the Thorndyke mansion, Cream and Cheese had stepped outside to look for Blossom.
"Blossom, you're wanted inside." called out Cream as she stepped into the backyard but she got no response. "Blossom, where are you?"
"That's strange, I know Blossom was out here." said Cream.
"Chow chow." replied Cheese.
"We better look for her, Cheese." said Cream. Cream and Cheese searched the backyard, looking for Blossom. As they searched, Cheese found a piece of paper lying on a lawn chair. Cheese picked up the piece of paper off of the chair and carried it to Cream so she could see it.
"What is it, Cheese." asked Cream. Cheese gave the paper to Cream who gasped when she read what was written on it. "We got to tell the others."
"Chow Chow." agreed Cheese. Cream ran into the house with Cheese flying right behind her.
"Sonic!" shouted Cream as she ran into the house. When she got no answer, Cream frantically ran through the mansion, looking for Sonic. Her frantic searching led her to the kitchen where she bumped into Ella and Mr. Tanaka.
"Slow down, Cream." scolded Ella. "You're not supposed to run in the house."
"I'm sorry, Ella, but I need to find Sonic." said Cream while panting.
"Sonic and the others are down in the laboratory." said Mr. Tanaka.
"Thank you." said Cream as she and Cheese ran out of the kitchen.
"I said 'no running." cried out Ella as Cream left.
Down in the laboratory where Tails kept his planes, Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Bubbles, Buttercup, Chris, and Professor Thorndyke were together, about to discuss how they were going to obtain the remaining Chaos Emeralds before Eggman and Mojo but they were waiting for Blossom to show up before they start.
"I wonder what's keeping Blossom?" asked Buttercup.
"Yeah, it's not like her to miss out on an important meeting like this." said Bubbles.
"I hope nothing has happened to her." said Chris. Suddenly, Cream ran into the room, followed by Cheese who flew behind her.
"Blossom's been kidnapped." shouted Cream.
"Kidnapped?" asked Sonic. "How do you know that?"
"I found this ransom note." said Cream as she skidded to a halt. She gave the paper she had been holding to Sonic. The note was hand written in ink and the paper the message was written on looked like old scratch paper. The note read:
I have one of the Powerpuff Girls in my possession and despite her power, I have managed to contain her and control her. If you want to see her alive, meet me at the abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of Station Square and bring all the Chaos Emeralds you have as ransom. Come as soon as you can.
signed Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic had read the letter out loud so everyone could hear.
"Shadow?" asked Buttercup. "Who's Shadow?"
"He's another villain who has been after the Chaos Emeralds." explained Sonic. "He's basically my evil counterpart."
"Evil counterpart?" asked Bubbles. "Why is that?"
"He possesses every power I have, including Chaos Control." explained Sonic. "He's been after the Chaos Emeralds for his own gain for some time, obviously planning on using the emeralds for his own diabolical ends."
"But we only have one emerald." pointed out Tails.
"Do you think that it will be enough to satisfy Shadow?" asked Amy.
"We can't give up the Chaos Emerald." said Chris.
"Chris is right, we have to fight." said Sonic.
"But how?" asked Cream.
"Not unarmed, I can assure you of that." said Sonic. Sonic ran over to the safe at the other end of the lab. He put in the combination to the safe, opened it, and pulled the mustard yellow Chaos Emerald out of the safe.
"We're going to fight for Blossom's sake." said Sonic.
"But what about the Chaos Emeralds?" asked Professor Thorndyke.
"I'm afraid they'll have to wait because Blossom's life is at risk here." said Sonic.
"He's right." said Buttercup. "Lets save Blossom."
"I'll get the X Tornado ready." said Tails. Tails walked over to the X Tornado and opened the sliding glass oval shaped dome that covered the pilot and passenger seats. He climbed into the plane followed by Knuckles, Amy, Cream, and Cheese. Instead of running, Sonic decided to ride on the outside of the X Tornado by sitting on top of the plane itself. Since Sonic was naturally capable of separating moving air to eliminate wind resistance, Sonic would be unaffected by the rush of air when the X Tornado took off. Buttercup and Bubbles were going to fly right next to the plane. Once everyone inside the X Tornado had put on their seat belts, the X Tornado once again took off from the runway from the laboratory and headed towards the warehouse where Shadow held Blossom.
After a short flight, the X Tornado landed along the dirt roads leading to the warehouse. The warehouse was completely run down, as if it had been abandoned for years. Pieces of the walls and ceiling were missing, leaving gaping holes everywhere. Sonic stepped off of the X Tornado as Tails and the others stepped out of the plane.
"So this is where, Shadow is keeping Blossom." said Buttercup. "What a dump."
"Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can leave." said Knuckles. Amy stepped out of the plane and she also pulled out her mallet from under the seat. She had brought along her mallet, even though she knew she wouldn't stand much of a chance against Shadow.
"Everyone, stay alert and stay close." said Sonic. "We don't know what Shadow is planning." Sonic led the group towards the sliding doors to the warehouse. Buttercup and Bubbles used their super strength to lift the doors open so they could enter. They came into the warehouse and found it very spacious. The only items in the warehouse were several old empty crates, a few broken up desks and chairs, and several papers and garbage that littered the floor.
"Wow, this place sure could use some cleaning." said Amy.
"I'll say." said Cream after coughing on some of the dust that had kicked up.
"I don't see Blossom or Shadow anywhere." said Buttercup.
"I'm right here." said Shadow in the darkness. About twenty feet away, Shadow stepped out from behind an old crate. Buttercup and Bubbles were surprised to notice a strong resemblance between Shadow and Sonic.
"Well, Shadow, fancy meeting you here." said Sonic in a mock tone of voice.
"Do you have the Chaos Emerald?" asked Shadow.
"It's right here, Shadow." said Sonic, holding up the yellow emerald in one hand.
"That's all you have?" asked Shadow. "If I had known, I would have stolen the emerald instead."
"Enough talk, where's our sisters?" demanded Buttercup. Shadow's blood red eyes stared into Buttercup's eyes, sending a chill down Buttercup's spine.
"You want your sister, do you?" said Shadow. He walked behind a crate and when he walked back out of the crate, he carried the unconscious body of Blossom, still bounded in chains. Buttercup, Bubbles, and Amy gasped at the sight of Blossom.
"What have you done to her?" demanded Buttercup.
"She was not very cooperative so I had to paralyze her." said Shadow as he unceremoniously dropped Blossom to the floor like a rolled up carpet.
"Why you..." threatened Buttercup. Without another word, Buttercup charged towards Shadow in an attempt to punch his face in but before she could reach him, Shadow pulled out his Chaos Emerald and from the emerald, an orange beam of light struck Buttercup in the chest, knocking her out of the air and causing her to land hard on the floor of the warehouse.
"Buttercup, are you all right?" asked Bubbles in concern. Buttercup's groaning in pain was Bubbles's only response. As Bubbles turned her gaze towards Shadow, she saw the orange Chaos Emerald that was in Shadow's hand.
"He has a Chaos Emerald." said Bubbles.
"That is correct and if you want Blossom back, you're going to have to give me your emerald or I'll just have to take it." said Shadow.
"If you want this emerald, you're going to have to pry it from my fingers." said Sonic.
"Than so be it." said Shadow. Both Sonic and Shadow shouted out "Chaos Control" and the two hedgehogs began to glow brightly as Chaos energy began to course through their bodies.
Once their abilities were enhanced with Chaos Control, both of them leaped into the air and they did a homing attack, causing them to strike head on, resulting in a shower of sparks everywhere. The two landed back on the same spots where they had leaped from and then they began performing some more leaps, each resulting in using homing attacks followed by the same head on collisions. Eventually, they began circling each other, looking for the perfect position to strike but Sonic and Shadow would manage to avoid that kind of exposure so they ended up with improvising their strategies as they fought. They continuously fought with a dozen different kicks, spins, and tackles but even with the power of their Chaos Emeralds, the fight just didn't have any end in sight. Thanks to the power of the emeralds, they were moving too fast for the others to see them except for the orange and yellow blurs they were making thanks to the Chaos Emeralds. While Shadow and Sonic were fighting, Buttercup managed to sneak over to where Shadow had dropped Blossom and scooped her up in her arms. Buttercup brought Blossom to the others and asked, "Shouldn't we help them?"
"I wish we could but we're defenseless against Chaos Emeralds." said Knuckles. Buttercup and Bubbles stared, open mouthed, as the fight continued between Sonic and Shadow, creating a dazzling light show. Each of them wanted to help with the fight but they knew that if Shadow could over power Buttercup and Blossom with just one emerald, then they doubted they had much of a chance.
Sonic knew that unless something was changed, this fight could go on forever. He chanced upon seeing Buttercup and he came up with an idea. With a good toss, he threw the Chaos Emerald at Buttercup who managed to catch it with both hands.
"Use it." ordered Sonic as he proceeded to fight Shadow. At first, Buttercup didn't know what he meant until she remembered how Blossom had used Chaos Control.
"Could I use Chaos Control?" thought Buttercup. She knew there was only one way to find out so she lifted the emerald high above her head and shouted, "Chaos Control." Suddenly, she felt the emerald's power enhance her own powers. It was a sensation like nothing Buttercup had ever felt before. She felt a form of power and confidence that was never there before and it made her feel like she could do anything. Bubbles and the others were staring in shock at Buttercup's surge of power after using Chaos Control. With her newly charged power, Buttercup flew into battle but not before giving the emerald to Bubbles. The green streak of light that Buttercup created when she flew was mixed by a yellow color do to the Chaos Emerald's power that coursed through her. Shadow saw her approach and he immediately dodged the attack by leaping into the air but Sonic had performed his homing attack and struck Shadow in the side, causing him to fall towards the ground but he managed to land on his feet. Charged by the power of Chaos Emeralds, Sonic and Buttercup glowed a yellow light as they continued to pummel Shadow.
Bubbles watched the whole event as she held the Chaos Emerald in her hands. She looked at the emerald in her hands and realized that she could be helpful if she used Chaos Control. Feeling a little nervous, Bubbles held the Chaos Emerald over her head and shouted, "Chaos Control." Instantly, the emerald's power flowed into Bubbles, enhancing her abilities and enabling her to experience the same feelings of power that her sisters had experienced. Infused by her new enhancement from the Chaos Emerald, she charged towards Shadow, kicking him so hard, he had to struggle in order to prevent himself from flying through a wall. Sonic and the girls repeatedly pounded at Shadow now that the odds were in their favor. Shadow tried to dodge the attacks but Shadow could not fight Sonic and the girls all at once. At some point, Buttercup managed to throw a punch to Shadow's right cheek which didn't hurt him because of the shield generated from the Chaos Emerald but he was pushed to the side and a bit dazed. Seeing an opportunity, Sonic and the girls began charging towards Shadow but he easily used the Chaos Emerald to teleport away from the attack and reappeared right behind them but Sonic and the girls easily did a sharp U turn and struck Shadow hard with the force of all three of them. Shadow was struck so hard that he dropped the Chaos Emerald and the force threw him through a wall, creating a large hole in the wall, and causing him to fly out from the warehouse and land hard onto the dirt. The remaining Chaos energy that was in Shadow was strong enough to save him from injury but as a result, he used up the last bit of energy and once Shadow struck the ground, the Chaos Control wore off. Frustrated, Shadow got back onto his feet and ran off in retreat.
Through the hole, Sonic, Buttercup, and Bubbles watched as Shadow retreated. On the ground in front of Bubbles was the orange Chaos Emerald that Shadow had left behind. She picked up the emerald while still holding Sonic's emerald and held the two Chaos Emeralds in her hands.
"Wow, we finally got the Chaos Emerald." said Bubbles. Amy, Tails, and Cream were cheering with joy but their cheers had stopped when they heard the sound of Blossom groaning. Sonic and the girls ran (or flew) towards Blossom's side as Blossom regained consciousness. Using her eye beams, Buttercup cut Blossom free from the chains.
"What happened?" groaned Blossom as she sat up and pulled the cut chains off of herself.
"You'll never believe what just happened." said Bubbles excitedly. Sonic and the girls explained to Blossom about how she was kidnapped and they had come to rescue Blossom. Blossom was shocked to learn that her sisters were capable of using Chaos Control.
"Wow, that's amazing." said Blossom with a smile. "How did you do it?"
"We just simply shouted 'Chaos Control' and it happened." said Bubbles.
"Well I'm absolutely amazed." said Blossom. "Thanks for saving me, though."
"You're welcome." said Bubbles.
"Lets get these emeralds back to the mansion." said Sonic.
"The X Tornado is just outside." said Tails.
"Great, lets go." said Blossom.
They all left the building through the sliding door, pleased at their accomplishment but they were so busy feeling proud of themselves that they didn't notice the two large claws that were descending towards Bubbles. The claws resembled the claws you would normally see in crane games. The claws grabbed the two Chaos Emeralds right out of Bubbles's hands and lifted them into the air.
"Hey." said Bubbles in surprise. The claws were connected to robotic arms that were connected to a large free floating device that looked like a large steel bowl with devices attached to it and riding inside this flying device was Dr. Eggman. The two claws dropped the two emeralds into Eggman's hands before contracting back into the machine.
"Thanks for collecting the Chaos Emeralds for me." mocked Eggman. "We've been looking for these two for some time now."
"That's true and now they are ours." said Mojo as he flew in beside Eggman. "And now that the emeralds are in our possession, it is no longer in your possession which means the emeralds are ours now." Mojo's flying device was shaped like a plane only the wings were shorter and poorly designed for flight but the plane was capable of flying anyway. It also was very smooth and silver colored.
"Hey, give us back those emeralds." demanded Buttercup.
"Oh, we'll give you the emeralds, alright." said Eggman. "But first, you'll have to defeat our latest creation." Mojo picked up a steel cube from somewhere inside his flying device. The cube was about a foot wide and a foot tall. Mojo dropped the cube off the side of the small plane and the cube landed hard on the ground in front of Sonic and girls. Right before their eyes, the cube began to expand and grow like a balloon being pumped full of air. The cube began to take on a shape as it grew until it changed into the shape of a robot that was as big as a house. I was humanoid in shape but it had the same round and oval shapes of Mojo's design but it also had the the polygon shapes and hard edges like in Eggman's designs. It also was dark gray and its appearance was very dark and sinister. The robot looked down upon Sonic and the girls with a look of power in its mechanical eyes. What power could this monstrosity hold?