Chapter 8 - Chaos Race
(A/N: Title is a nod to Adrian Tymes. You'll see why.)
The entire group gathered inside the Freedom Fighter base and made plans to recover the Chaos Emeralds. Of course, not everyone present were wondering about that...
"Um, excuse me..." Lazer said. "I'm confused...I know how important the Emeralds are...but shouldn't we be focusing on what GUN is up to?"
"We are," Knuckles said. "The Servers were scattered throughout South Island as the result of GUN's attack on the Chao."
"Not only that," Rouge added, "but GUN had shown an interest in the Emeralds before. They had actually hired me to find out about them. No doubt they saw the Emeralds descending as well and will probably want to get their hands on them."
"Well, they won't get their hands on this..." Teila said, pulling out a cyan Emerald from the pocket of her jeans. "Only I can hold this Emerald."
Anthony looked at the Emerald with interest. "Oh yeah...that thing. I read about that in a fanfiction."
"We'll need as much help as possible to find the Emeralds," Sonic said. "Who wants in?"
Fifteen hands/paws shot into the air. Red Sonic was surprised to see Lisa, Teila, and Aura want in. "Why do you want to help, ladies? I mean...you weren't Freedom Fighters at any time."
"True...and I'm sure I speak for Lisa and Aura as well," Teila explained, "but we still want to help. Especially after what they almost did to Hogi-San and Ryndar."
"That's right," Lisa said, "but someone should still stay behind and watch our Chao...as well as Kyle. If GUN tries to get Hogi-San again, they may try to hurt Kyle in the process."
Anthony nodded and looked towards Tyreke. "Tyreke, you should watch them."
"Why me?" Tyreke said.
"Well...your psi abilities aren't as powerful as mine, but they can still be used to protect them," Anthony explained. "Besides, if I stay behind, it might look there was something very important to protect where they are, and GUN might attack as a result."
"Good point," Tyreke said, "and thanks for the vote of confidence!"
"No problem," Anthony said.
"Sally and I will stay behind as well," Rebecca said.
"Alright, then," Anthony said. "Now...where did the Emeralds land, Knux?"
"Seven different locations," Knuckles said. "In the Master Emerald I saw them land in the Ice Cap, Windy Valley, Red Mountain, Pyramid Cave, Pumpkin Hill, White Jungle, and Green Hill."
"The HELL?!? That sounds like a who's who of Sonic game locations," Anthony said, and then said. "Wait...Green Hill?!? Okay...I want to check out that area."
"Why? What's so important about Green Hill?" Amy asked.
Anthony smirked and said, "Sonic One...first stage."
"Figures..." Tails said.
"Alright...well, we know where Anth wants to go," Red Sonic said. "Let's pair up for the remaining areas..."
The group quickly paired up and chose locations...
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STAGE 7 - Ice Cap
CHARACTERS: Sonic/Red Sonic
MUSIC: Ice Cap from Sonic 3
OBJECTIVE: Get the dark blue Chaos Emerald
The snow was near blinding as both Sonics looked down the imposing slope of Ice Cap. Still, both of them knew they had to head down the slope in order to get to the Emerald.
"Yeesh...why this place stays cold despite the seasons is beyond me," Red Sonic said.
"We can debate it later, RS," Sonic said, getting a couple of snowboards from a rental kiosk near where they were. "Let's get that Emerald!"
Both of them strapped into the snowboards they got and headed down the slope at top speed. It was then that they noticed something else...
"GUN Beetles?!?" Sonic said.
"Blast it...they are after the Emeralds," Red Sonic said. "Let's take them out!"
The two Sonics leaped off their boards and started Sonic Spinning into every Beetle in sight. Eventually they reached the bottom of the slope and found Hunter series robots heading towards a shining object in the snow.
Red Sonic rushed forward and blasted through two of the Hunters while Sonic Sonic Spinned the remaining ones. Sonic then rushed over to the Emerald and picked it up.
"Nice work, Blue..." Red Sonic said, and then took a quick look around. "Looks like that was the last of their troops."
"I hope so..." Sonic said. "Come on, let's get to the rendezvous at Tails's workshop."
Both Sonics then rushed back up the slope to make their meeting.
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STAGE 8 - Windy Valley
CHARACTERS: Tails/Teila
MUSIC: Windy Hill from Sonic Adventure 1
OBJECTIVE: Find the green Chaos Emerald
True to the location's name, Windy Valley was just that...windy. The wind caused Tails's and Teila's tails to flap backwards, and both were looking around at their surroundings for the Emerald.
"I don't see it anywhere, Teila," Tails said.
"Neither do I," Teila said, and then furrowed her brow as she thought of something. "I wonder..."
"What is it, Tay?" Tails said.
Teila said nothing and pulled her cyan Emerald from her pocket. She then concentrated on it and, after a while, looked of to one side.
"Over there," Teila said. "My Emerald is drawn towards it."
"Cool! Let's get going," Tails said.
Both foxes ran towards where Teila had indicated. Unfortunately, they also ran into several Hunter series robots.
"Figures..." Teila said, and her eyes began to change color.
"Let's get them, Tay," Tails said, and led the attack by drawing upon his Descendancy Powers, causing the Magi's Wand to materialize.
Both foxes fired lightning bolts at the bots, causing them to fall to the ground as mounds of sparking metal. As they continued, they ran into another obstacle.
"The bridge is out!" Teila said.
"Hang on, Tay," Tails said. He then grabbed Teila's paws and flew over the gap, setting her down with a slight thump.
"Man...you have GOT to lay off the pineapple sodas, Tay..." Tails said.
"Oh, leave me alone!" Teila said.
The two then continued and noticed the Emerald lying on the ground. Tails ran forward and grabbed it.
"Whew...got it..." Tails said.
"Let's get back to the others," Teila said. "By the way...why did you suggest meeting at your workshop?"
"To keep the Chao safe," Tails remarked. "Besides...I was planning on tooling around with something while I visited South Island."
"Alright...let's get to the others then," Teila said, and the two headed back the way they came.
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STAGE 9 - Red Mountain
CHARACTERS: Knuckles/Lazer
MUSIC: Red Mountain from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Find the red Chaos Emerald
"I'm surprised we don't blend into this place, Knux," Lazer remarked as the two looked at the imposing slopes of Red Mountain. True to it's name as well, the mountain was covered with reddish earth and almost looked like it could have been a volcano.
"Espio would complain about stealing his schtick," Knuckles commented. He then looked towards the peak of the mountain. "The Emerald is near the peak. I can sense it's presence."
"So can I," Lazer said. "Mainly because I got five of those red ones in me."
"Yeah...but those are just common Emeralds, this is one of the Servers," Knuckles said. "Let's go."
The two climbed up the side of the mountain towards where they sensed the Emerald. As they climbed up, two shots impacted near their location, and the two of them looked to see three Hornet class bots closing in on them.
"I'll get these guys, Knux. You get the Emerald," Lazer said. Lazer then glowed with a fiery red color and flew towards the Hornets. He then smashed through all three and they fell to the ground.
"Nice work, Lazer!" Knuckles said. He then noticed three Beetles coming up behind Lazer. "BEHIND YOU!"
Lazer noticed the Beetles and fired a fiery blast towards them, causing them to explode. He then rejoined Knuckles as they continued the climb.
"Here..." Knuckles said, noticing an impact hole where the Emerald dug into the mountain. "This won't be a minute..." Knuckles then dug into the ground quickly and extracted the Emerald.
"Pay dirt..." Lazer said, "LITERALLY!"
"Let's get out of here..." Knuckles said, and the two climbed down the mountain.
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STAGE 10 - Pyramid Cave
CHARACTERS: Julie-Su/Bat
MUSIC: Pyramid Cave from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Find the yellow Chaos Emerald
Julie-Su and Ryan walked deep into the depths of the pyramid, looking around at the ancient symbols etched on the walls and the imposing stone surroundings. It gave Julie-Su the creeps somewhat.
"As brave as I am, this place is creepy," Julie-Su said.
"I don't blame you...this place WAS originally built as a tomb," Ryan said.
"I still can't believe the Emerald dug itself down into these caves," Julie-Su said.
"We can debate how later," Ryan commented, readying his sidearm. "Let's get moving."
Julie-Su nodded, readying her own laser pistol, and the two walked deeper into the caves. They kept a close eye on the surroundings, keeping an eye out for traps and enemies. As it turned out, they didn't have far to go before trouble hit.
"Oh, GREAT!" Ryan said, noticing three Rhino series approaching them. "How the heck did they get those tanks down here?!?"
"Let's ask later," Julie-Su said, firing a couple shots which caused one of the Rhinos to explode. Ryan followed it up by throwing a LAM or Lightweight Attack Munition at the other two, which exploded and destroyed the other two. The explosion also caused some stone dust to fall in the area.
"Better lay off the explosives, Ryan," Julie-Su said.
"Good idea..." Ryan said, and then the two ventured further into the caves. Finally, they found the Emerald impacted into a pedestal. "Excellent...we found it!"
As they approached the Emerald, five Hunters appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on them, causing them to scramble for cover. One of the Hunters headed for the Emerald as the Hunters fired a steady stream of fire towards the two echidnas' position.
Julie-Su managed to hit one of them with a shot...but still had to scramble for cover afterwards. "This is nuts...we have to do something!"
"How about...this?" Ryan said, and then threw a LAM up on the ceiling of the room, causing stone to rain down on the bots, including the one that grabbed the Emerald. The Emerald rolled towards the two of them and Julie-Su scooped it up.
"Let's get out of here before we're buried like those bots!" Julie-Su said. Ryan nodded and the two beat a hasty retreat out of the chamber as the room collapsed in on itself. They made it just as the rock collapsed not two centimeters behind them.
"Whew...that was close..." Ryan said, and then found himself face to face with Julie-Su, who had picked him up by the collar.
"I THOUGHT I said lay off the explosives!!" Julie-Su said.
Ryan grabbed Julie-Su's hand and twisted it the other way. A soft crunching sound is herd as Julie-Su is hunched over moaning in pain as Ryan held her arm behind her back.
"Hey! We got away from those fuckers!" Ryan yelled back angrily. He smiled and picked up Julie-Su, letting her go. "Besides, you have to admit that was fur pissing exciting!"
Julie-Su said nothing but shoved Ryan on his butt and muttered, "Men..."
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STAGE 11 - Pumpkin Hill
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Lisa
MUSIC: Pumpkin Hill from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the purple Chaos Emerald
"This place gives me the creeps, Rouge," Lisa said as she followed Rouge onto the grounds of Pumpkin Hill.
"I hate to admit it...but me too," Rouge said. As Lisa walked over to check out one area, Rouge noticed something. "Lisa? What's that bulge on the back of your sweater?"
Lisa turned around quickly and said, "Oh...it's...it's nothing..."
"Lisa...you can't hide them from me, since I have them too," Rouge said, flapping her wings. "You have wings, don't you?"
Lisa sighed and removed her sweater, revealing a T-shirt underneath and a pair of dragon-like wings on her back. "Yes...but I'm not too proud of them. You see...they're evidence of possible evil in my bloodline."
"Oh, come on," Rouge said. "Just because you have wings doesn't mean you're evil." She then noticed the snide look Lisa was giving her and said, "Okay, granted I tried to steal the Master Emerald, but I came around. Besides...I might be able to show you how to use those wings..."
"I've tried both gliding and flying, Rouge," Lisa said. "No good. They're too small for my body."
"Oh well...we can debate that later," Rouge said, then looking off to one direction. "Come on...I can sense where the Emerald is."
The two ran over towards where Rouge sensed the Emerald. Suddenly, the two had to duck for cover as three Hunter series opened fire on them. Rouge then got into position and dashed forward, sending the Hunters to the ground in pieces with several well placed kicks.
The two of them then saw several Beetle series coming down on them, and Rouge ended up taking a shot to her side from one of them, causing her to collapse. As the Beetles closed in, they were soon destroyed by a fireball that seemed to come from nowhere. Rouge looked to the source, and saw Lisa standing there, paw still glowing from the magic she used.
"That's the other reason I think I may have evil in my blood," Lisa said.
"Tails's magic is just as destructive, Lisa, and he's not even CLOSE to evil," Rouge said, getting up and then digging the toe of her boot in the dirt. She managed to unearth a large purple gem, namely the Chaos Emerald.
"Bingo," Rouge said, picking up the Chaos Emerald and pocketing it. "Let's rejoin the others."
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STAGE 12 - White Jungle
CHARACTERS: Mina/Aura
MUSIC: White Jungle from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the white Chaos Emerald
The trees seemed to blanket the entire area as Mina and Aura entered the area. Aura seemed to be intoxicated by the beauty of the area.
"I wish my Mobius was like this..." Aura said.
"Ours wasn't any better for a while, Aura," Mina said. "Until Arcadia was reformed, that is. The other worlds helped bring Robotnik down, and are now helping rebuild."
"So I've heard," Aura said. "How are we going to find the Emerald in this area?"
"Simple...looks like we follow them," Mina said, pointing to a bunch of Hornet series bots that were flying overhead.
The two of them followed the Hornets to where they saw several Hunters and Hornets were surrounding the white Emerald. They stayed hidden until they surveyed the situation.
"Any ideas?" Aura asked quietly.
"Just one...get ready to grab the Emerald..." Mina said.
"Why? What are...?" Aura began to say, but couldn't as Mina ran out.
"HEY! LASER LIPS! I GOT ANOTHER EMERALD! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" Mina yelled, and then ran off with several Hornets and Hunters following her.
Aura shook her head in disbelief and looked towards where two Hunters stayed behind to guard the emerald. Aura decided to handle the situation swiftly, and raised her paws towards the Hunters. They began to glow, and then two lightning bolts shot out and scrapped the Hunters.
"Well...that was easy..." Aura said, and picked up the Emerald. After she did so, Mina walked up to her.
"What happened to the robots that were chasing you?" Aura asked.
Mina picked what looked like a gear from her purple head fur and said, "I...uh...used the Hunters' own blasters to ace the Hornets and led the Hunters towards a cliff."
"Nice work," Aura said, showing Mina the Emerald. "Well...we have what we came for, so let's get out of here."
"I agree," Mina said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."
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STAGE 13 - Green Hill
CHARACTERS: Amy/Anthony
MUSIC: Green Hill Remix from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the sky blue Chaos Emerald
Anthony was surprised at the look of Green Hill. Just like in the first game, there were loops at various points in the landscape. This left him somewhat surprised...
"The HELL?!? There are actually loops at this place?" Anthony asked.
"Yeah," Amy explained. "They're natural rock formations, actually. Sonic told me he enjoyed running through them."
"I can see why..." Anthony said, and then activated his armor. "Now, let's see if we can locate the Emerald." He activated the sensors within his armor and an image appeared on his visor.
"There," Anthony said, pointing towards the horizon. "The Emerald is about 100 yards that way...and it looks like we have some Hunters, Rhinos, and Beetles to take care of en route."
"Then, let's get moving..." Amy said, activating her own armor and then giving Anthony an interesting look. "Wanna race?"
"No, Ames...I just want to get through this without fragging myself," Anthony said. "Lets do this..."
Both Anthony and Amy activated the rockets on the back of their armors to accelerate forward, and activated their lightsabers as two Rhinos approached. The Rhinos were soon rendered scrap.
Soon the two of them came up on a batch of Hunters, and Anthony had to raise a Force Barrier to block the oncoming shots from them. Amy then returned fire with the blaster on her left arm, and the Hunters were next to fall. Several Beetles that flew in were also downed by her blaster.
"Nice work, Ames..." Anthony said, as the two ran up to where the Emerald was kept. As Amy started to walk up to it, she noticed Anthony looking back on the scrapped bots.
"Anthony? Are you alright?" Amy said, deactivating her armor.
Anthony deactivated his own armor and continued to survey the destruction. He appeared to have a saddened look on his face. Amy walked up to him and asked, "Anthony?"
"Is this all I'm good for, Ames?" Anthony said, almost whispering. "Fighting? I came here to try to escape from all this..."
"Hey...it couldn't be helped," Amy said. "Let's just get the Emerald and head back."
Anthony nodded in agreement and walked up to the Emerald. As he picked it up, the Emerald began to glow brightly, and Anthony could swear he heard an etherial voice say, "You are the one..."
"GYAH!!!" Anthony said, and immediately dropped the Emerald. "What the HELL?!?"
Amy, warily, picked up the Emerald next, and nothing happened. "Anthony, what happened?"
"I don't know...and I swear I heard some voice say, 'You are the one'," Anthony explained. "What the heck is going on?"
"Maybe Knuckles will know," Amy said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."
Anthony agreed and grabbed Amy's paw. He then activated a Teleport power and the two disappeared from sight.
(A/N: Title is a nod to Adrian Tymes. You'll see why.)
The entire group gathered inside the Freedom Fighter base and made plans to recover the Chaos Emeralds. Of course, not everyone present were wondering about that...
"Um, excuse me..." Lazer said. "I'm confused...I know how important the Emeralds are...but shouldn't we be focusing on what GUN is up to?"
"We are," Knuckles said. "The Servers were scattered throughout South Island as the result of GUN's attack on the Chao."
"Not only that," Rouge added, "but GUN had shown an interest in the Emeralds before. They had actually hired me to find out about them. No doubt they saw the Emeralds descending as well and will probably want to get their hands on them."
"Well, they won't get their hands on this..." Teila said, pulling out a cyan Emerald from the pocket of her jeans. "Only I can hold this Emerald."
Anthony looked at the Emerald with interest. "Oh yeah...that thing. I read about that in a fanfiction."
"We'll need as much help as possible to find the Emeralds," Sonic said. "Who wants in?"
Fifteen hands/paws shot into the air. Red Sonic was surprised to see Lisa, Teila, and Aura want in. "Why do you want to help, ladies? I mean...you weren't Freedom Fighters at any time."
"True...and I'm sure I speak for Lisa and Aura as well," Teila explained, "but we still want to help. Especially after what they almost did to Hogi-San and Ryndar."
"That's right," Lisa said, "but someone should still stay behind and watch our Chao...as well as Kyle. If GUN tries to get Hogi-San again, they may try to hurt Kyle in the process."
Anthony nodded and looked towards Tyreke. "Tyreke, you should watch them."
"Why me?" Tyreke said.
"Well...your psi abilities aren't as powerful as mine, but they can still be used to protect them," Anthony explained. "Besides, if I stay behind, it might look there was something very important to protect where they are, and GUN might attack as a result."
"Good point," Tyreke said, "and thanks for the vote of confidence!"
"No problem," Anthony said.
"Sally and I will stay behind as well," Rebecca said.
"Alright, then," Anthony said. "Now...where did the Emeralds land, Knux?"
"Seven different locations," Knuckles said. "In the Master Emerald I saw them land in the Ice Cap, Windy Valley, Red Mountain, Pyramid Cave, Pumpkin Hill, White Jungle, and Green Hill."
"The HELL?!? That sounds like a who's who of Sonic game locations," Anthony said, and then said. "Wait...Green Hill?!? Okay...I want to check out that area."
"Why? What's so important about Green Hill?" Amy asked.
Anthony smirked and said, "Sonic One...first stage."
"Figures..." Tails said.
"Alright...well, we know where Anth wants to go," Red Sonic said. "Let's pair up for the remaining areas..."
The group quickly paired up and chose locations...
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STAGE 7 - Ice Cap
CHARACTERS: Sonic/Red Sonic
MUSIC: Ice Cap from Sonic 3
OBJECTIVE: Get the dark blue Chaos Emerald
The snow was near blinding as both Sonics looked down the imposing slope of Ice Cap. Still, both of them knew they had to head down the slope in order to get to the Emerald.
"Yeesh...why this place stays cold despite the seasons is beyond me," Red Sonic said.
"We can debate it later, RS," Sonic said, getting a couple of snowboards from a rental kiosk near where they were. "Let's get that Emerald!"
Both of them strapped into the snowboards they got and headed down the slope at top speed. It was then that they noticed something else...
"GUN Beetles?!?" Sonic said.
"Blast it...they are after the Emeralds," Red Sonic said. "Let's take them out!"
The two Sonics leaped off their boards and started Sonic Spinning into every Beetle in sight. Eventually they reached the bottom of the slope and found Hunter series robots heading towards a shining object in the snow.
Red Sonic rushed forward and blasted through two of the Hunters while Sonic Sonic Spinned the remaining ones. Sonic then rushed over to the Emerald and picked it up.
"Nice work, Blue..." Red Sonic said, and then took a quick look around. "Looks like that was the last of their troops."
"I hope so..." Sonic said. "Come on, let's get to the rendezvous at Tails's workshop."
Both Sonics then rushed back up the slope to make their meeting.
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STAGE 8 - Windy Valley
CHARACTERS: Tails/Teila
MUSIC: Windy Hill from Sonic Adventure 1
OBJECTIVE: Find the green Chaos Emerald
True to the location's name, Windy Valley was just that...windy. The wind caused Tails's and Teila's tails to flap backwards, and both were looking around at their surroundings for the Emerald.
"I don't see it anywhere, Teila," Tails said.
"Neither do I," Teila said, and then furrowed her brow as she thought of something. "I wonder..."
"What is it, Tay?" Tails said.
Teila said nothing and pulled her cyan Emerald from her pocket. She then concentrated on it and, after a while, looked of to one side.
"Over there," Teila said. "My Emerald is drawn towards it."
"Cool! Let's get going," Tails said.
Both foxes ran towards where Teila had indicated. Unfortunately, they also ran into several Hunter series robots.
"Figures..." Teila said, and her eyes began to change color.
"Let's get them, Tay," Tails said, and led the attack by drawing upon his Descendancy Powers, causing the Magi's Wand to materialize.
Both foxes fired lightning bolts at the bots, causing them to fall to the ground as mounds of sparking metal. As they continued, they ran into another obstacle.
"The bridge is out!" Teila said.
"Hang on, Tay," Tails said. He then grabbed Teila's paws and flew over the gap, setting her down with a slight thump.
"Man...you have GOT to lay off the pineapple sodas, Tay..." Tails said.
"Oh, leave me alone!" Teila said.
The two then continued and noticed the Emerald lying on the ground. Tails ran forward and grabbed it.
"Whew...got it..." Tails said.
"Let's get back to the others," Teila said. "By the way...why did you suggest meeting at your workshop?"
"To keep the Chao safe," Tails remarked. "Besides...I was planning on tooling around with something while I visited South Island."
"Alright...let's get to the others then," Teila said, and the two headed back the way they came.
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STAGE 9 - Red Mountain
CHARACTERS: Knuckles/Lazer
MUSIC: Red Mountain from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Find the red Chaos Emerald
"I'm surprised we don't blend into this place, Knux," Lazer remarked as the two looked at the imposing slopes of Red Mountain. True to it's name as well, the mountain was covered with reddish earth and almost looked like it could have been a volcano.
"Espio would complain about stealing his schtick," Knuckles commented. He then looked towards the peak of the mountain. "The Emerald is near the peak. I can sense it's presence."
"So can I," Lazer said. "Mainly because I got five of those red ones in me."
"Yeah...but those are just common Emeralds, this is one of the Servers," Knuckles said. "Let's go."
The two climbed up the side of the mountain towards where they sensed the Emerald. As they climbed up, two shots impacted near their location, and the two of them looked to see three Hornet class bots closing in on them.
"I'll get these guys, Knux. You get the Emerald," Lazer said. Lazer then glowed with a fiery red color and flew towards the Hornets. He then smashed through all three and they fell to the ground.
"Nice work, Lazer!" Knuckles said. He then noticed three Beetles coming up behind Lazer. "BEHIND YOU!"
Lazer noticed the Beetles and fired a fiery blast towards them, causing them to explode. He then rejoined Knuckles as they continued the climb.
"Here..." Knuckles said, noticing an impact hole where the Emerald dug into the mountain. "This won't be a minute..." Knuckles then dug into the ground quickly and extracted the Emerald.
"Pay dirt..." Lazer said, "LITERALLY!"
"Let's get out of here..." Knuckles said, and the two climbed down the mountain.
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STAGE 10 - Pyramid Cave
CHARACTERS: Julie-Su/Bat
MUSIC: Pyramid Cave from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Find the yellow Chaos Emerald
Julie-Su and Ryan walked deep into the depths of the pyramid, looking around at the ancient symbols etched on the walls and the imposing stone surroundings. It gave Julie-Su the creeps somewhat.
"As brave as I am, this place is creepy," Julie-Su said.
"I don't blame you...this place WAS originally built as a tomb," Ryan said.
"I still can't believe the Emerald dug itself down into these caves," Julie-Su said.
"We can debate how later," Ryan commented, readying his sidearm. "Let's get moving."
Julie-Su nodded, readying her own laser pistol, and the two walked deeper into the caves. They kept a close eye on the surroundings, keeping an eye out for traps and enemies. As it turned out, they didn't have far to go before trouble hit.
"Oh, GREAT!" Ryan said, noticing three Rhino series approaching them. "How the heck did they get those tanks down here?!?"
"Let's ask later," Julie-Su said, firing a couple shots which caused one of the Rhinos to explode. Ryan followed it up by throwing a LAM or Lightweight Attack Munition at the other two, which exploded and destroyed the other two. The explosion also caused some stone dust to fall in the area.
"Better lay off the explosives, Ryan," Julie-Su said.
"Good idea..." Ryan said, and then the two ventured further into the caves. Finally, they found the Emerald impacted into a pedestal. "Excellent...we found it!"
As they approached the Emerald, five Hunters appeared out of nowhere and opened fire on them, causing them to scramble for cover. One of the Hunters headed for the Emerald as the Hunters fired a steady stream of fire towards the two echidnas' position.
Julie-Su managed to hit one of them with a shot...but still had to scramble for cover afterwards. "This is nuts...we have to do something!"
"How about...this?" Ryan said, and then threw a LAM up on the ceiling of the room, causing stone to rain down on the bots, including the one that grabbed the Emerald. The Emerald rolled towards the two of them and Julie-Su scooped it up.
"Let's get out of here before we're buried like those bots!" Julie-Su said. Ryan nodded and the two beat a hasty retreat out of the chamber as the room collapsed in on itself. They made it just as the rock collapsed not two centimeters behind them.
"Whew...that was close..." Ryan said, and then found himself face to face with Julie-Su, who had picked him up by the collar.
"I THOUGHT I said lay off the explosives!!" Julie-Su said.
Ryan grabbed Julie-Su's hand and twisted it the other way. A soft crunching sound is herd as Julie-Su is hunched over moaning in pain as Ryan held her arm behind her back.
"Hey! We got away from those fuckers!" Ryan yelled back angrily. He smiled and picked up Julie-Su, letting her go. "Besides, you have to admit that was fur pissing exciting!"
Julie-Su said nothing but shoved Ryan on his butt and muttered, "Men..."
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STAGE 11 - Pumpkin Hill
CHARACTERS: Rouge/Lisa
MUSIC: Pumpkin Hill from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the purple Chaos Emerald
"This place gives me the creeps, Rouge," Lisa said as she followed Rouge onto the grounds of Pumpkin Hill.
"I hate to admit it...but me too," Rouge said. As Lisa walked over to check out one area, Rouge noticed something. "Lisa? What's that bulge on the back of your sweater?"
Lisa turned around quickly and said, "Oh...it's...it's nothing..."
"Lisa...you can't hide them from me, since I have them too," Rouge said, flapping her wings. "You have wings, don't you?"
Lisa sighed and removed her sweater, revealing a T-shirt underneath and a pair of dragon-like wings on her back. "Yes...but I'm not too proud of them. You see...they're evidence of possible evil in my bloodline."
"Oh, come on," Rouge said. "Just because you have wings doesn't mean you're evil." She then noticed the snide look Lisa was giving her and said, "Okay, granted I tried to steal the Master Emerald, but I came around. Besides...I might be able to show you how to use those wings..."
"I've tried both gliding and flying, Rouge," Lisa said. "No good. They're too small for my body."
"Oh well...we can debate that later," Rouge said, then looking off to one direction. "Come on...I can sense where the Emerald is."
The two ran over towards where Rouge sensed the Emerald. Suddenly, the two had to duck for cover as three Hunter series opened fire on them. Rouge then got into position and dashed forward, sending the Hunters to the ground in pieces with several well placed kicks.
The two of them then saw several Beetle series coming down on them, and Rouge ended up taking a shot to her side from one of them, causing her to collapse. As the Beetles closed in, they were soon destroyed by a fireball that seemed to come from nowhere. Rouge looked to the source, and saw Lisa standing there, paw still glowing from the magic she used.
"That's the other reason I think I may have evil in my blood," Lisa said.
"Tails's magic is just as destructive, Lisa, and he's not even CLOSE to evil," Rouge said, getting up and then digging the toe of her boot in the dirt. She managed to unearth a large purple gem, namely the Chaos Emerald.
"Bingo," Rouge said, picking up the Chaos Emerald and pocketing it. "Let's rejoin the others."
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STAGE 12 - White Jungle
CHARACTERS: Mina/Aura
MUSIC: White Jungle from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the white Chaos Emerald
The trees seemed to blanket the entire area as Mina and Aura entered the area. Aura seemed to be intoxicated by the beauty of the area.
"I wish my Mobius was like this..." Aura said.
"Ours wasn't any better for a while, Aura," Mina said. "Until Arcadia was reformed, that is. The other worlds helped bring Robotnik down, and are now helping rebuild."
"So I've heard," Aura said. "How are we going to find the Emerald in this area?"
"Simple...looks like we follow them," Mina said, pointing to a bunch of Hornet series bots that were flying overhead.
The two of them followed the Hornets to where they saw several Hunters and Hornets were surrounding the white Emerald. They stayed hidden until they surveyed the situation.
"Any ideas?" Aura asked quietly.
"Just one...get ready to grab the Emerald..." Mina said.
"Why? What are...?" Aura began to say, but couldn't as Mina ran out.
"HEY! LASER LIPS! I GOT ANOTHER EMERALD! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" Mina yelled, and then ran off with several Hornets and Hunters following her.
Aura shook her head in disbelief and looked towards where two Hunters stayed behind to guard the emerald. Aura decided to handle the situation swiftly, and raised her paws towards the Hunters. They began to glow, and then two lightning bolts shot out and scrapped the Hunters.
"Well...that was easy..." Aura said, and picked up the Emerald. After she did so, Mina walked up to her.
"What happened to the robots that were chasing you?" Aura asked.
Mina picked what looked like a gear from her purple head fur and said, "I...uh...used the Hunters' own blasters to ace the Hornets and led the Hunters towards a cliff."
"Nice work," Aura said, showing Mina the Emerald. "Well...we have what we came for, so let's get out of here."
"I agree," Mina said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."
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STAGE 13 - Green Hill
CHARACTERS: Amy/Anthony
MUSIC: Green Hill Remix from Sonic Adventure 2
OBJECTIVE: Get the sky blue Chaos Emerald
Anthony was surprised at the look of Green Hill. Just like in the first game, there were loops at various points in the landscape. This left him somewhat surprised...
"The HELL?!? There are actually loops at this place?" Anthony asked.
"Yeah," Amy explained. "They're natural rock formations, actually. Sonic told me he enjoyed running through them."
"I can see why..." Anthony said, and then activated his armor. "Now, let's see if we can locate the Emerald." He activated the sensors within his armor and an image appeared on his visor.
"There," Anthony said, pointing towards the horizon. "The Emerald is about 100 yards that way...and it looks like we have some Hunters, Rhinos, and Beetles to take care of en route."
"Then, let's get moving..." Amy said, activating her own armor and then giving Anthony an interesting look. "Wanna race?"
"No, Ames...I just want to get through this without fragging myself," Anthony said. "Lets do this..."
Both Anthony and Amy activated the rockets on the back of their armors to accelerate forward, and activated their lightsabers as two Rhinos approached. The Rhinos were soon rendered scrap.
Soon the two of them came up on a batch of Hunters, and Anthony had to raise a Force Barrier to block the oncoming shots from them. Amy then returned fire with the blaster on her left arm, and the Hunters were next to fall. Several Beetles that flew in were also downed by her blaster.
"Nice work, Ames..." Anthony said, as the two ran up to where the Emerald was kept. As Amy started to walk up to it, she noticed Anthony looking back on the scrapped bots.
"Anthony? Are you alright?" Amy said, deactivating her armor.
Anthony deactivated his own armor and continued to survey the destruction. He appeared to have a saddened look on his face. Amy walked up to him and asked, "Anthony?"
"Is this all I'm good for, Ames?" Anthony said, almost whispering. "Fighting? I came here to try to escape from all this..."
"Hey...it couldn't be helped," Amy said. "Let's just get the Emerald and head back."
Anthony nodded in agreement and walked up to the Emerald. As he picked it up, the Emerald began to glow brightly, and Anthony could swear he heard an etherial voice say, "You are the one..."
"GYAH!!!" Anthony said, and immediately dropped the Emerald. "What the HELL?!?"
Amy, warily, picked up the Emerald next, and nothing happened. "Anthony, what happened?"
"I don't know...and I swear I heard some voice say, 'You are the one'," Anthony explained. "What the heck is going on?"
"Maybe Knuckles will know," Amy said. "Let's get to Tails's workshop."
Anthony agreed and grabbed Amy's paw. He then activated a Teleport power and the two disappeared from sight.