Phantom Girls

Payback!: Episode 1

It had only been a few days after the girls' fierce fight with Tyra, but they were still recovering from their injuries. Little Cheese could do very little because of his headache and Cream herself was more sluggish because of her head injury as well. Amy was resting from her injuries as well. She was laid back onto part of the couch with an ice pack to her head and several bandages on her body from her tumble across the pavement. Cream sat at the other end of the couch rocking Cheese in her arms when suddenly the chao began to cry because of another headache. Amy opened her eyes annoyed and looked down at the chao.

"Will you shut that thing up!" she growled angrily at Cream.

"I'm trying to Miss Amy!" Cream said rocking Cheese desperately. "Please be quiet Cheese. Everyone is not feeling well now."

Finally the chao began to calm down when Cream fed him a grape from the fruit bowl in front of her. Relieved of the noise, Amy slouched back onto the couch and shut her eyes. With the tiny chao finally calmed down and Amy falling into a deep sleep, Cream couldn't help but wonder where Rouge had gone. She wasn't in her bedroom early that morning and didn't leave a note for the girls. The young rabbit was worried that their leader had gone off to someplace far… but it was just the opposite. Rouge hadn't traveled far from the city; in fact she was just outside of it in an empty grassy area.

She had been training there ever since the early morning hours before the sun had rose. Rouge was still upset over the almost humiliating loss against Tyra. To make matters worse, it was all at the cost of the bat's quick decision to get involved with the evil cat. She felt shame and anger for putting her team in danger and for making such a foolish mistake as well. Cream and Amy were much younger than Rouge… they didn't have to suffer such a horrible fate. But it only made Rouge want to push herself harder in training. She wanted to be a better fighter for their next encounter with Tyra. Thus being the reason for starting her day off with a rigorous training session that could last for hours.

Yes Rouge still had aches and pain in her back from Tyra's attack, but the bat just ignored it the best she could. Amy suggested that she let it heal but Rouge just ignored the hedgehog and assumed that it would get stronger through the pain suffering.

"If only… if only!" Rouge constantly thought to herself.

SWIPE! KICK! The bat jumped into the air only to fall onto her knees because of the injury in her back. As she remained on the ground kneeling over, sweat drops feel from Rouge's face. The sun was slowly moving higher into the sky as it drew closer to noonday.

"How? How can we defeat her?" Rouge asked herself.

The bat remained on the ground for several seconds until she finally stirred and pushed herself up. Sharp pains attacked Rouge's back but she only winced and limped off silently towards the girls' motorcycle that was nearby on a dirt road. Slowly Rouge climbed onto it and rode off back into the city.

"Is there anyone out there who can help us?" Rouge asked herself.

…Back at the apartment the phone rang. Amy reached over her head and picked up the receiver from the side table and answered.

"Hello?" she said still holding the ice pack to her head.

"…I'm here to help. You will receive a note concerning my whereabouts…"

CLICK! That was it… silence followed afterwards even as Amy tried to get the person back. Silently the hedgehog sat up and placed the phone back on the receiver. Cream looked at Amy curiously.

"Who was that?" the young girl asked.

"I don't know." Amy answered. "Someone said that they would… help us…"