Pre-chapter Conversation

"So who's the bigger grouch in the series?" I asked. "Shadow or Knuckles?"

"Oh definitely Knuckles." Izzy replied. I held my chin.

"Hmmmmm… I always thought Shadow was worse." I shrugged. "Anyway, let's get to business."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Adventures of Izzy the Hedgehog

Chapter Six

An Ally at the Beach

Izzy, back to his normal color, was lying face down in the sand. Waves washed up on him. He coughed as he picked himself up.

"Ugh… Now where am I?" He asked himself as he shook his head.

He looked around and saw palm trees, the clear blue ocean and many rock formations. He also heard many seagulls. He stood up and dusted himself off. He looked at his blood-stained gloves and sighed.

"Why couldn't I use my chaos powers to fight Knuckles earlier? And what was that deal with the Master Emerald? Maybe I can contact Tikal to find out, but how?"

Izzy looked up as he heard a faint whistling sound. An anvil was falling towards him!

"HOLD IT!.!.!" He yelled just as the anvil was about to hit him. The anvil froze in place as he looked at the camera. "Is there a better way to do this than knock me out?.! It's starting to get old!"

(Me: Oh alright! Killjoy.)

The anvil disappeared as an orange ball of light floated towards Izzy.

(Me: Happy now?)

"Very."

The ball floated in front of him and created a flash of light. When the light vanished, Tikal was standing before him.

"You summoned me, Guardian?" She asked.

"I guess…" Izzy replied with a shrug. "When I fought Knuckles earlier, I couldn't use my powers against him. Why?"

"Two reasons. One, you can't attack another guardian using your powers. The properties of his or her Master Emerald would protect him/her just as the guardian couldn't use his/her powers against you. And two, you used up all your energy when you used one of your powers earlier." Tikal explained.

"What? When did I use one of my powers?" Izzy asked with a curious look.

Tikal snapped her fingers and Izzy's Master Emerald pointed towards the ocean and shot a beam of light a few feet forward. Like in his dream, the light formed into a circle and static appeared. The "TV" showed the unconscious Izzy with the glowing Master Emerald chunk lying by him. The yellow emerald on his Dragon Emerald was glowing as well.

"As you can see, while you were unconscious, you unknowingly used this dimension's Master Emerald to regain your energy. This is your 'Chaos Recover' ability." Tikal explained. "In order for the power to be used here or in any other dimension aside from your own, you need the Master Emerald of that dimension. Because a small piece of the Master Emerald was nearby when you used the ability, the Dragon Emerald used most of its energy to complete the spell. As a result, you can't use your powers for a while."

"Uhhh… How long is 'a while?'"

"About twenty-four hours." Tikal replied. Izzy fell over.

"Dang woman! That's too long!"

"Hey, it's in the rules." Tikal said with a shrug. Izzy sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. Another thing, what's with the Master Emerald making me go super like that?"

Tikal gave him a strange look.

"What do you mean?"

"You mean Tikal doesn't have the answers for once!.?" Izzy laughed. Tikal growled at him. "Here. I'll show ya."

He snapped his fingers and the "TV" showed when he hijacked Knuckles' Master Emerald. Tikal's eyes widened as she watched the scene.

"YOU BROKE THE MASTER EMERALD!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!.?.!"

"It wasn't my fault, honestly! Knuckles knocked me onto the Master Emerald and it must've reacted to my Dragon Emerald." Izzy defended. "So what's with me going super like that?"

"That…wasn't you going super like the blue one can…" Tikal replied in a distant tone. Izzy looked confused.

"Then what was that?"

"That was…" Tikal stopped herself. "Never mind. Just continue your training from here. I hope the current guardian can retrieve the two halves of the Master Emerald."

With that, she disappeared.

"'Just continue your training from here.'" Izzy mocked before sighing. "I feel like I'm in a freakin' RPG or something."

He started walking down the beach.

"I wonder where—"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.! HEEEEEEEEEEELP!.!.!.!.!.!" A female voice broke the serenity of the beach. Izzy looked around frantically for the source. "SHARK ATTACK!.!.!" Izzy shot a glance towards the ocean. An orange figure was windsurfing. Behind the figure was a shark's fin.

"I gotta help her!" Izzy yelled.

He started running in place, increasing his speed until his legs became two blurs. He soon started going forward towards the water. He hit the water and, due to his speed, ran on the surface towards the girl.

The girl was moving around to evade the shark, but it was still on her tail.

"Help me!" She yelled.

"Hang on!" Izzy yelled back.

The girl looked and noticed him dashing towards her. She moved her board towards him. The shark caught up to her and its fin disappeared. Shortly after, the shark popped up and flashed its teeth.

"This is it!"

"Oh no you don't!" Izzy yelled as he reached the girl and grabbed her arm.

She held on to her board as he sped around the shark really fast, creating a water spout that sucked it in and tossed it a few miles out to sea. Izzy got out of the spout and ran towards shore. When he reached the beach, he let go of the girl.

'Whew. Well, that's one thing that went right in this dimension.' Izzy thought as he continued running while looking at the girl.

°CRASH!°

Unfortunately, he ran right into a huge rock. He staggered backwards and fell on the sand.

"Ouch…" He groaned.

"Are you ok!.?" The girl he saved yelled as she ran over to him. Izzy sat up.

"Yeah." He said groggily. That was when he got a good look at the girl.

She was a hedgehog, like himself. She seemed to be about as tall as Amy. She was wearing a blue swimsuit and sandals. She had blue eyes. She was wearing a green headband in her blonde quills. She was orange. Izzy looked at her eyes and she looked back. They kept this up for about two minutes before they faced away from each other blushing. Izzy stood up.

"Ahem. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm cool." The girl replied. She then extended her hand. "By the way, the name's Alice."

"I'm Izzy. Pleased to meet ya." He replied, shaking her hand. Alice helped him up and put a hand through her quills.

"Anyway, thanks for helping me out back there."

"No prob. What is this place, anyway?"

"You're not from around here, are ya?" Alice asked. Izzy shook his head. "This is the Emerald Coast."

"Ohhhh... I thought there was something familiar about this place." Alice gave him a confused look. Her eyes then lit up.

"Hey, what's that around your neck?" She asked, pointing at the Dragon Emerald.

"Oh, this is—" Izzy started.

"It's so cute!" Alice squealed as she reached out to grab the emerald.

"No! Wait!" He yelled desperately.

Too late. Alice grabbed the emerald. Izzy closed his eyes and waited for the shock, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes slowly and found Alice looking at him strangely. She then returned her focus to the emerald.

"It's so beautiful." She murmured, inspecting the jewel.

'How can she just touch it without getting shocked?' Izzy thought. His stomach rumbled. He blushed as Alice giggled.

"I guess you're hungry." She released the Dragon Emerald and walked over to her surfboard. "Come on. There's this place nearby that we can get you some food."

"But I don't have any money."

"My treat." Alice replied with a wink.

She then walked off, leaving a blushing Izzy behind. He shook it off and followed after her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Woah…" was all Izzy could say.

In front of him was a building that sat on a wooden pier. The building was three stories tall. It seemed to be made of wood that was decorated with paint of different colors. Neon signs were posted on the front section of the place. The biggest sign read, "Emerald Coast Surf hut."

"Come on. Let's go in already!" Alice yelled as she pushed Izzy through the door.

The music for Emerald Coast (Big's version) was heard from the many speakers in the room. Tables and chairs littered most of the room. In one side was a bar and across from it was a stage that seemed to be for karaoke. Across from the exit was a balcony that looked out to sea. The restaurant seemed to be empty.

"Hey Alice!" A red fox said from behind the counter. "Who's that you got there?"

"This is Izzy." Alice replied, gesturing to the other hedgehog. "He saved me from a shark that attacked me while I was windsurfing."

"Man Alice! You really need to be more careful!" The fox scolded as he went around the counter and walked up to them. He seemed to be much older than both hedgehogs. He was also much taller than them.

"My name's Boomer." He extended his hand out to Izzy.

"Hiya." Izzy said as he shook Boomer's hand. "This is a great looking place you got here."

"Thanks, but credit should go to Alice. She owns the place."

"Boomer!" Alice yelled, trying to cover up her blush. Boomer chuckled at her while Izzy gave her a curious look.

"You own this place? How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm seventeen. You?" Alice replied.

"I'm seventeen too. How could you own a restaurant at that young an age?"

"My parents left this restaurant to me after they..." She trailed off. Izzy lowered his head.

"Say no more. I understand." Alice put on a grin.

"It's ok! Let's eat. You're still hungry, aren't you!.?"

As if on cue, Izzy's stomach growled again. Both Alice and Boomer laughed.

"Well sit down guys and I'll get ya a menu." Boomer said as Izzy and Alice went to a table by the balcony. They sat across from each other.

"Boomer's a real friendly guy, huh?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah. He's a great guy." Alice replied.

"How long have you known him?"

"We've been best friends for years. He was all I had after my parents died." Alice sniffed back a tear. "They died when I was really young."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Izzy said with his head lowered.

"Hey! I already told ya! It's alright!" Alice yelled. "Anyway, Boomer's like a brother to me."

"Did someone say my name?" Boomer asked as he walked up to the table with two menus in hand.

"Just reminiscing." Alice replied as she looked at the menu. "I'll have the usual."

"Right." Boomer said. He turned to Izzy. "And you?"

"Uhhhh… I guess I'll have the flounder special." Izzy replied. Boomer wrote something on a note pad.

"Alright. Be right back." He walked away.

"So tell me. What do you do here?" Izzy asked.

"I'm the waitress most of the time, but I also do manager-type things." Alice replied. "We mostly get surf bums and tourists here, but lately, people have stopped coming. That's why the place is empty aside from us."

"Why have people stopped coming here?"

"Probably because of the recent increase of shark attacks." Boomer said as he arrived at the table and set down the food. Alice's usual was a simple dish of fries and a hamburger. Izzy's dish was a fried flounder surrounded by shrimp. Izzy was drooling before what Boomer said sunk in.

"Shark attacks? You mean that what happened to her wasn't just a rare occurrence?" He gestured to Alice. Boomer shook his head and pulled up a chair.

"Sharks have been swarming all over the Emerald Coast in the last few weeks. It's been deemed unsafe to go in the water. No deaths have been reported, but there have been plenty of injuries."

"Then what were you doing in the water?" Izzy asked, facing Alice.

"I wanted to show that I wasn't afraid of any sharks. I wanted to encourage everybody to come back." She replied.

"You coulda died, you know!" Boomer yelled.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

Izzy chuckled to himself. The other two furries turned to him with a glare.

"And just what is so funny?" Boomer asked.

"Now I know why she said you're like a brother!" Izzy said before breaking into hysterics. Alice and Boomer looked at each other and laughed as well.

They kept it up for a few minutes before they calmed down. The two hedgehogs dug into their food.

"That was great, Boomer, as always." Alice said after she finished her food.

"I feel completely recharged!" Izzy said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Thanks a lot."

"No prob!" Boomer said, smiling at the comments. He picked up the plates and took them to the kitchen. He came back to his seat a few moments later.

"So what's your story, kid? How'd you get here?"

Izzy told them about how he was transported from his dimension and how he met Sonic. They were a little skeptical at the prospect that he came from another dimension, but got excited when he mentioned the blue hedgehog.

"Woah! You really met THE Sonic the Hedgehog!.?" Alice asked with excitement. Izzy gave Boomer a curious look.

"She's somewhat of a fan." The fox said.

"He's an inspiration to hedgehogs everywhere!" Alice squealed. She turned to Izzy. "Don't you think so?"

"Yah. Whatever." Izzy replied looking away. "Anyway, he was supposed to train me to be a guardian, but there was a slight mess up when I ran through his obstacle course."

"What happened?" Boomer asked.

"I tripped over something, landed in Tails' lab, and practically blew the place up. It was a complete accident, but Sonic wouldn't listen. He spin dashed me all the way to Station Square. And then, I was knocked out."

"Man what a cool story! If only I had some popcorn!" Boomer commented.

"When I woke up, I found myself in this crazy base. After using my Dragon Emerald—" Izzy held up his jewel. "—to get out of some restraints, I met one of my favorite people in this dimension, the great Dr. Robotnik."

"Who?" Alice and Boomer asked. Izzy sighed.

"Eggman." The other two gasped.

"Why would you think of him as great?" Alice asked.

"I'm kinda a fan." Izzy replied with a shrug. "It's not that I'd want the world to be destroyed. I just like 'im." The other two sweatdropped. "Anyway, after meeting two of his cohorts, I was able to grab their Chaos Emerald."

He produced the green Chaos Emerald and placed it on the table. Boomer and Alice gasped in amazement as the emerald glowed brightly.

"Man… I never thought I'd be able to lay eyes on a Chaos Emerald." Boomer said.

"Is it true what they say?" Alice asked Izzy. "That if you gather all seven, a miracle will occur?" Izzy shrugged.

"All I know is that with all seven, you can become powerful beyond all belief." He then continued his story.

"After I escaped from Robotnik's base, I got a job at a pizzeria in Station Square. A few days later, I ran into Sonic again. I was taken to Angel Island, where the guardian of this dimension's Master Emerald lives. After Knuckles and I fought, I accidentally broke the Master Emerald in two. That was how I ended up here. Right now, I'm on a quest to get the remaining six emeralds." He put away the emerald.

"Woah… That's deep." Boomer said, nodding.

"Why do you want the emeralds?" Alice asked.

"Because Sonic wouldn't train me, I decided that I would collect the emeralds as my way to train." Izzy replied.

Just then, the front door was slammed open. The three animals turned towards the door.

In the doorway stood a man as fat as Dr. Robotnik, but not nearly as threatening. He was wearing a blue suit and tie. Clearly, he was a businessman. Beady eyes scanned the entire room before resting on the trio. The man gave a growl of disgust before putting on a grin. Boomer and Alice glared at the figure while Izzy was looking positively confused.

"What do YOU want?" Alice growled.

"I just want to take a look at the only place on the beach that won't sell." The man said with a sneer. "What a dump."

"Take that back!" Alice yelled, trying to run towards the man. She was held back by Boomer though.

"Hmph! I thought for sure you'd sign the deed over to me after how lousy business has been."

"We'll bounce back. Just like we always have." Boomer retorted. The man chuckled.

"I don't think so. All of your customers have run off, due to all the shark sightings."

"Like I said, we'll get customers again in no time. Watch." The man chuckled again.

"Whatever. You know where to find me if you ever want to consider selling." The man turned to leave, but stopped. "Hey you!"

"Me?" Izzy asked, pointing to himself.

"Yeah. How would you like to work at my resort? I could always use an extra pincushion! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!"

And the man slammed the door shut, leaving behind a growling trio.

"Who was that?" Izzy asked bitterly.

"THAT was Mr. Peterson, the richest land owner in the world next to Dr. Eggman." Boomer replied.

"He wants to build his huge resort on the entire beach, but he can't because of the Surf Hut." Alice added.

"He's been bugging us for well over a year to close up and sell the restaurant."

"Fat chance that'll ever happen!" Alice yelled. Boomer got in a thinking pose.

"I don't understand though. I've lived on the Emerald Coast all my life and I've never seen a single shark before. Why now all of the sudden?"

"What I do know is that if we don't pay the bank soon, they'll foreclose and that Peterson jerk will build his stupid resort over my parents' land!" Alice sobbed. "We need customers badly."

Izzy stood there thinking over all of this.

'Maybe I can put my hunt for the emeralds on hold and help these guys. It's the least I could do after the delicious meal they gave me. But how?'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A/N:

What will Izzy do to help his new friends? Is there something going on in Alice's mind as far as Izzy's concerned? Will our original cast of goofballs return to the picture? Find out next time in the next chapter of The Adventures of Izzy the Hedgehog!