Sonic Battle 2
Chapter 4: Actual Progress
Author's Note: Still some serious stuff. And I'm only skipping recaps/explanations when they've already been explained at one point or another. That goes for the other chapters and for future chapters. And I'm not making any plotholes that will not be explained by the end of the story.
Sonic and Tails, startled by the sight of Shadow in an unconscious heap on the floor, ran over to his spot and tried to wake him up. They shook him, splashed him with water, and even hit him a couple times. Nothing was working. Then Sonic pulled out the Chaos Emerald, and, at length, Shadow arose, still very uncoordinated from his beating.
"Shadow, what did this to you?"
"It was Eggman. He came with his new Metal Sonic. Then..."
"Then what?"
"Then it attacked me."
"Why didn't you avoid it?"
"I tried, but it was too fast."
"Even for Chaos Control?"
"I couldn't use it."
"Why?"
"He hit me before I could even finish saying the words."
"And what of your Chaos Emerald?"
"He took it—Eggman—and gave it to Metal Sonic."
"No!"
"I'm...sorry..." Shadow finished before collapsing again.
"Want me to call the others?" Tails suggested.
"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Sonic answered.
Tails called Knuckles first, then Amy, then Rouge, and then the others. They all returned. One of them had a gift...
Knuckles decided that he should search Angel Island for Eggman's robots because he knew the landscape better than anyone else, and also because Eggman would also, doubtlessly, want the Master Emerald. Of course, Knuckles was carrying it with him now, but Eggman didn't know that. So Knuckles figured that a search and a visit home couldn't hurt.
Knuckles was walking through the thick, jungle-like forests that bordered the island when he felt a strange heat. This wasn't the warming heat of the sun, this was a more destructive heat. Knuckles ran toward the source and found a black robot that looked similar to Emerl but slightly larger and with a flamethrower in its right hand and the red Chaos Emerald in a compartment in its chest. It was in the middle of torching a palm tree and making it like its charred companions when Knuckles landed a hit to the back of its head. It was severely damaged, but it was now at attention and would prove dangerous. Knuckles tried to hit it again, but his fist was met by a circular shield of flame. Knuckles was puzzled, but then remembered that in some of the more ancient of the echidnas' stone tablets, the Emeralds were said to each be of a different element. Blue was of water, light blue of ice, yellow of lightning, white of wind, red of fire, purple of defensive ability, and green of power. Eggman must have figured that out and equipped his robots to use these powers.
This robot had the red Emerald, so it had the power of fire and was using it to power its gun. Knuckles had to stop the flame, so he tried to strike again, and was met by the same shield. Knuckles was at a loss. He couldn't penetrate the shield, and the Master Emerald only worked if all seven Emeralds were present. Then he remembered his first hit. He'd hit the robot from the back and the robot had been unable to defend. He had to hit the back of its head! But how to get there? Knuckles had an idea.
A few minutes later, Knuckles had set a trap. He waited in a tree and, across a pair of trees opposite him, he'd tied a vine back with a coconut tied to it. The vine was held back like a rubber band by a long tree trunk, which was tied to another vine in Knuckles' hand. As soon as Knuckles released the vine from his hand, the coconut would fly. Finally, he called the robot over. The robot dashed over, and Knuckles let his trap fly. The robot blocked the coconut, but as it did, Knuckles dropped down behind it. As soon as the shield dissipated, Knuckles landed the finishing blow, then grabbed the Emerald and headed back to Tails' lab, the current base of operations. Then he got a distressed radio call from Tails, requesting that he make it back on the double.
"I'll get there as fast as I can!"
When Knuckles reached the lab, he showed Sonic his Chaos Emerald.
"Good job Knuckles! But we've got other problems."
"Yeah, I know, Eggman's figured out that the Chaos Emeralds have elemental powers."
"They do?"
"I'll explain later. But what's the problem if not that?"
"Shadow's out cold, and we don't know if he'll recover."
Will Shadow die? That, my friends, is up to you, so please remember to review! I know it's a little sson to update, but I was on a roll.