Pre-chapter Conversation
"Hey Boss, I wanted to ask ya a favor." Izzy said.
"What is it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well… Since we're doing a RP parody of a Sonic game, I was wondering..." He started. "Could ya give me the form I had back in Dimension Hoppers 2?"
"You mean you want to be transformed into a hedgehog?" I asked with a smirk. "After all that complaining you've been doing the past few fics?" Izzy glared at me.
"Are ya gonna do it or not!?" I rolled my eyes at him.
"Fine, ya big baby." I snapped my fingers.
Instantly, Izzy glowed brightly, as if he was a pokémon that was evolving. Instead of getting bigger, however, he began to shrink, but only by a few inches. He was now as tall as Lars. Two spikes seemed to stick out from both sides of his head with one sticking out of the top of his head. The lone spike fell backwards as the light disappeared. He was now a purple hedgehog, much like Lars. His quills were styled like Shadow's, except there were black highlights in them. Like Otto, there was a circle of tanned skin on his chest. Finally, he was wearing white gloves, air skates, and a red vest.
"Alright! I've haven't been in this form in a loooong time!" Izzy said as he stretched his arms and legs, trying to get used to his new form.
"Speaking of your new form, why do you always go nuts whenever I make a Sonic reference, or any reference, for that matter?" I asked. "You're like the freaking reference police or something!"
"I thought you'd never ask!" My partner shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "Has it ever occurred to you that we're currently doing a fic that's in an entirely different dimension!?!"
"Yeah…" I nodded. "What's your point?" The hedgehog slapped his head.
"Duh! Nobody that mainly reads RP fics is gonna know what you're talking about in regards to either the game or the Sonic universe! You're confusing them!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." I started, shaking my head. "Izzy, Izzy, Izzy, there's a perfectly simple way to solve this so-called 'problem.'"
"Well…?" He asked, crossing his arms impatiently.
"Simple." I turned to the camera. "If I confused anyone with the references in this or any of my other fics, please send a review or E-mail me and I'll try to explain them to you. I want you to be able to understand every single solitary reference I make so that you can laugh at the jokes or nod your head at the analogies I might wind up making."
Izzy fell over.
"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind…" He mumbled as he got up.
"Oh well, too bad!" I replied before turning back to the camera. "Anyway, it's about time we stopped beating around the bush and get to business. For this chapter, we're finally going to start commentary for the game!"
"Took long enough…" My partner remarked. I rolled my eyes.
"Like all great games, you always start off with a FMV, or Full Motion Video, that tells the story and gives you some insight into why the characters have to fight this great evil, and Sonic Heroes is no exception. This chapter will contain the intro movies for all four teams!
"Twister and Sam come across a mysterious letter that spells doom for the entire world. Reggie looks for Lars and Pi, only to discover that the worst has happened to one of them. While waiting for Keoni, Clio and Mackenzie have a nasty run-in with Mother Nature. Finally, the newly-formed Team Sherlock receives their first mission." I waved at the camera.
"Enjoy the comedy!"
-------------------------
Rocket Heroes
Chapter Four
Call to Arms
(A/N: This part is taking place earlier that day.)
"Oh man… That was close…" Sam panted. He and Twister had skated up the hill to the cul-de-sac after torching the half pipe at Mad Town.
"No kidding…" Twister replied. "We're gonna be in so much trouble." It was then that the echidna noticed his mailbox. Its flag was up.
"Hmmm… The mail arrived." He commented idly. The fox gave him a strange look.
"But the mail doesn't usually arrive til around three." He said, looking at his watch. "It's only two."
"Yeah, well, you got something too." Twister retorted, pointing at Sam's mailbox. Its flag was up as well.
"The mailman must be early for a change." Sam said with a shrug.
He walked over to his mailbox and opened it. He put on a curious look when he pulled out a piece of paper.
"It's probably an ad for that new Chinese restaurant on Sun Street…" He mumbled.
He read the sheet. His eyes widened when he finished.
"Twist! Take a look at this!"
Twister walked over with a questioning look on his face.
"Yeah? What's the matter?" He asked. Sam turned and practically shoved the paper in his face.
"Read!" He said before he proceeded to pace around frantically. The echidna sweatdropped before taking a look at the letter. When he finished reading, his expression turned to one of pure fright.
"Dude! I can't believe it!" He yelled in disbelief.
It was then that he ran to his mailbox. His family got the same letter too. He then proceeded to check the Stimipletons' and Otto and Reggie's mailboxes. Strangely, the Rockets got the same letter, but not the Stimpletons. It didn't matter to Twister, who was running around like a lunatic.
"This is the most horrible thing to happen since…EVER!!!" He screamed, holding his head. Sam ran up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and shook him.
"Twist, chill! We have to tell Otto!" Twister took a deep breath and turned to his friend.
"Ok, but why Otto?"
"Better that we tell him about this now before he finds out himself." Sam replied.
"Yeah. He'll go aggro when he hears about it." Twister agreed. "But how do we find him?"
"Simple." Sam answered, going into his garage. The echidna followed. The fox dug around a pile of junk that was sitting by the Twister.
"Come on… Where is it?" He said as he searched. "Aha! Here it is!"
He pulled out a device of some sort. It looked like a transmitter. It had an antenna on top. There was a screen in the middle and underneath that were some buttons and knobs. Twister gave him a confused look.
"What's that do?"
"This is my locator. I programmed the energy signature of every resident in Ocean Shores into it." Sam answered as he turned it on. "We can use it to find Otto." Twister walked behind him and looked over his shoulder.
Displayed on the device's screen was a map of Ocean Shores. There were also several dots on it. Each was a different color.
"Let's see…" The fox mumbled as he turned the knobs and pushed a couple of buttons. He soon put on a weirded out expression. "That's weird."
"What?" Twister asked. Sam pointed at Ocean Shores' main street. Two purple dots were seen moving alongside each other very fast. They were also bumping into each other every so often.
"According to this, Reggie is with Lars and they're moving at an incredible speed."
"Lars?" Twister said with shock. "What's Reggie doing with him?"
"I don't know." Sam shrugged. "What I'd like to know is how they're going so fast and why they're bumping into each other every few seconds."
"You don't think it's the air skates, do ya?" Sam held a hand to his chin.
"It could be. But that only explains Reggie. How did Lars get a pair?"
"Maybe he stole himself a pair." Twister said with a shrug.
"Do you think he would really go that low?"
"I wouldn't be surprised." The echidna replied, crossing his arms.
"So if he did steal a pair, Reggie must be going after him to get them back." Sam said with finality. He continued looking at the locator. "Raymundo, Noelani, and Tito are at the Shack."
Twister saw three dots at the restaurant. They were yellow, brown, and purple.
"Duh!" Sam rolled his eyes at that before adjusting the transmitter a bit.
"Hmmmm… Keoni, Clio, and Mackenzie are together and moving towards the Shack." On the device, a purple dot was moving along the beach, followed by a red-violet and red dot. Twister gave him a confused look.
"Ok, I get Clio and Keoni, but Mackenzie!? What's she doing with them?"
"She must be chasing after them." Sam said with a shrug before adjusting the locator again.
Now, three brown, yellow, and black dots were shown moving along the hill. The fox gave a weirded out look at the machine.
"Ok…"
"What?" Twister asked.
"According to this, Trent, Little Scottie, and Eddie are heading towards Eddie's house." Twister sweatdropped and tried to say something. Nothing came out, however. He shook his head.
"Freaky." He finally said. "So, where's Otto?"
Sam adjusted the locator again, but it didn't seem like he could get a fix on the hedgehog. He tried a few times, but nothing came up.
"I can't find him anywhere!" He said with a groan. "It's like he's not even in town anymore!"
"…What if he's not?" Twister spoke up. Sam gave him a questioning look before holding a hand to his chin.
"After we set the half pipe on fire, we split up to avoid getting caught…" His eyes widened. "We left Otto alone! Meaning…!"
"He turned them all the way up." Twister finished. They both groaned and slapped their heads.
"Figures." They both said. Sam got to adjusting the locator again.
"Let's see here… Increase the search area to a hundred miles… Found him!" Twister took a look. A lone red dot was speeding through the desert. It was bouncing all over the place. "Guess they do allow you to skate at supersonic speeds after all."
"Yeah. One thing though. How do we catch up to him?" The echidna asked. The fox held his chin as he looked around the workshop. After about a minute or so of thinking, his eyes settled on the Twister. A grin appeared on his face.
"That's it! If we can get the Twister flying, we'll catch up to him with no problem!" He tossed off his skating gear. He then grabbed his tools and got to work on the biplane. Twister gaped at him.
"What?! But Squid, we'll never get it fixed!"
"Not with that attitude we won't!" Sam retorted. "Now hand me that can of oil!" Twister sighed and shrugged before putting on a determined look.
"Yes sir!" He saluted. He grabbed the can off a nearby table and handed it to the fox. He then took off his skating gear. Together, they began the arduous task of fixing the Twister.
Later…
It was sunset and the Twister looked about done. Both the fox and echidna worked hard to repair it. Lots of screws, nuts, and bolts were used, as well as plenty of tools, including blow torches, screwdrivers, and wrenches, among others. They were able to find a suitable power source (the battery of Paula's car). They connected it to the plane with next to no trouble. The propulsion system was tough to configure, but Sam was able to do it. A couple of plush seats (also from Paula's car) were added to the cockpit for comfort. There were a couple of screw ups, but it wasn't anything the pair couldn't fix up. Right now, Sam was under the plane, putting on the finishing touches.
"And one last bolt… There!" He said as he crawled out from under the biplane. He and Twister were covered in oil and grease. They both shook hands and turned to the plane with satisfied looks. "I think it's finally done."
"I think you're right, Squid, but shouldn't we test it out or something?" Twister asked.
"Of course." Sam scoffed. "You didn't think I would really try to fly it without seeing if it even works, right?"
"Well, who knows if Otto's even in the desert anymore?" The echidna said with a shrug.
"Good point." Sam held a hand to his chin as he grabbed the letter from earlier. "We're running out of time too. We better just skip the testing and hope it works." Twister gulped nervously and nodded. He turned to grab something when he looked at a mirror that was on the workbench. He cringed at his appearance.
"How about we get cleaned up first?" He suggested. Sam looked at his tails, which, like this morning, were covered with oil. He grimaced at the sight.
"Blech! Good idea."
---------------------
Sam and Twister were now spotless and ready to go find Otto. They were wearing their skating gear again.
"Ok! Let's go find Ottoman!" Twister cheered, jumping towards the plane.
"Hold it!" Sam yelled, causing Twister to stop in mid-air. He looked down and fell on the floor with a crash.
"Ugh… What now?" He groaned as he got up.
"If I know Otto like I think I do, he's gonna want to fight." Sam said, moving towards the left wall, where a painting of a sad clown was posted. "And we have to be prepared."
With that, he pulled back the painting to reveal a red button. He then pushed it. To Twister's amazement, the shelf that contained the tools needed to fix the plane rotated to become a shelf full of different weapons.
"Woah…" He said with wide eyes.
"Let's see…" Sam murmured to himself.
He reached towards the top shelf, which had four pairs of attachments on them. They were small and metallic. They were curved. On the inside were all matters of circuitry. On the outside of each one was a lightning bolt symbol. They looked like they could be put on the forepart of a person's shoes. The fox grabbed a pair and attached them to the toe of his air skates. Twister shook his head and turned to his friend.
"What're those?" He asked pointing at Sam's feet.
"These attachments will electrify my feet, turning anything I kick into a ball of lightning." The fox replied. Twister gave him a confused look. Sam sighed. "Here. I'll show you."
He grabbed a nearby soccer ball and went outside, followed by the echidna. They walked into Sam's backyard. Sam bent down and pressed a button that was on the side of both attachments. He then targeted a nearby tree and tossed the ball into the air. He brought his right foot back and smacked it into the ball, causing electricity to crackle around it. The ball sailed towards the tree and crashed into it, burning it completely. Sam's robot came out of the house with a fire extinguisher and used it on the tree. Twister's mouth gaped at the result.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmmmn!!! That was cool, Squid!" He shouted excitedly. Sam smirked and puffed out his chest before going back inside. Twister followed.
The kitsune walked up to the same wall he found the attachments for his feet and grabbed a bracelet that was on a lower shelf. It was silver and had a green jewel in the middle of it. There were three others like it. He slipped it on his right wrist and turned to Twister.
"This is my strength intensifier." He started. "I can lift up almost double my body weight while wearing it." Twister snickered.
"Then it must make you really strong. Bust!" He fell to the floor laughing. Sam glared at him before smirking evilly.
He walked up to the echidna and grabbed him by the legs. Before Twister knew what was happening, the fox swung him around and around before tossing him out of the garage. Twister screamed as he flew through the air. He landed and skidded along the concrete. Sam dusted his hands off before walking to the shelf. He grabbed a brown satchel that was on another shelf. There was another one next to it. He hung it from his right arm.
As Twister walked back in, looking extremely ticked, the fox showed him a gold ring. He instantly forgot his rage as he gave Sam a questioning look.
"What's this thing?"
"Just a ring." Sam replied with a mischievous smirk. "Here." He handed it to the echidna, who grinned.
"Gee, thanks Squid!" He grabbed it.
::BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTPT!!!::
"Ahhhhhh!!!" Twister screamed as electricity flowed through his body.
"Hahahahahahaha!!! Bust!!!" Sam laughed. "These fake rings should help if I get separated from you and Otto."
When the ring ran out of juice, the charred echidna dropped it and glared icily at Sam. He brought back his fist and made the wind up. That was when the fox handed him a gold bracelet that had a red jewel on it. Twister flinched at the sight and covered his face. A few seconds of nothing happening passed before he lowered his arms and gave his friend another questioning look.
"So, what's this?" He asked, taking the bracelet.
"This is a flame ring. You can turn anything you hold into a fireball." Sam replied. "Also, your strength will increase." Twister grinned.
"Sweet!"
He put it on his right wrist and picked up a nearby screwdriver. He closed his hand and concentrated a bit. Almost instantly, fire surrounded the tool and melted it. He grinned and turned to Sam, who grabbed two final weapons off the shelf. They looked like the attachments he put on his feet earlier, except they were almost completely black. There was only one other pair.
"What's that?" The echidna asked.
"These magnets should be useful for our trip. Only Otto and one other person can use them though."
"Why?" Twister asked. Sam shrugged.
"Beats me."
"So if we got everything, let's get going!" Twister yelled, jumping into the front seat of the plane.
"Hey! I sit in the front seat!" Sam shouted, flying up. The echidna quickly moved back before the fox landed. "Better fasten up." Twister gulped as they put on their seatbelts.
"Activating main power source!" The fox said as he pressed a button on the control panel. The Twister rumbled and shook with life. "Turning on the propeller!" He pressed another button, which made the plane sputter a bit. The propeller began spinning. Sam grabbed the throttle. He made the plane move out of the garage and onto the cul-de-sac.
"Sammy! Are you sure about this!?" Twister yelled over the noise. Sam looked back at him.
"No! But we don't have any other choice!" Twister gulped and leaned back, tightening his seat belt. The fox made the Twister turn towards the beginning of the hill.
"Activating rocket booster!" He announced as he pulled a lever. At the bottom of the plane, a rocket engine ignited. Sam looked back at his friend. "Here goes nothing! Blast off!" He pushed the throttle forward, making the Twister go forward. The plane peeled out towards the decline!
"Ahhhh!!! Pull up!" Twister panicked. Sam grunted as he tried to pull the throttle. The Twister's front wheels left the ground for about a second before touching back down. The echidna screamed in fright as the plane neared the decline.
"Pull up! Pull up! Pull—"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Both boys screamed as the Twister went down the decline…
And blasted into the air!
"AHHHHH!!! I'mgonnadie! I'mgonnadie! I'mgonnadie! I'mgonna—Huh?" Twister uncovered his eyes and looked over the side of the plane. Ocean Shores was going farther and farther away. The people below looked like ants. He grinned as the buildings and houses disappeared from view.
"We're flying!? YES!!! I'm not gonna die!" He cheered. Sam rolled his eyes before straightening the Twister out. It flew forward at a steady pace. He grabbed the locator and handed it to Twister.
"Here! Hold this and tell me when we're near Otto!" Twister gave him a thumbs-up and grabbed it.
"Hey! If Ottoman is going supersonic, there's no way we can catch up with how fast the Twister's going!" He commented.
"Don't worry!" Sam said before smirking. "You haven't seen it in Turbo Mode yet!" Twister gulped.
"T-turbo Mode?!"
"Yep! Activating Turbo Mode!" Sam yelled. He pushed a button on the console.
Instantly, the propeller retracted inside the plane. The wings spilt in two and went into an X-like formation. Twister's eyes widened when he looked over the back of the plane. The engine was shaking. The flame that was coming out of it burned with more energy. He gulped before looking ahead. A few seconds passed before he and Sam felt themselves getting pushed far back into their seats. The sky around them blurred as the Twister blasted off towards the desert.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They both screamed in total fright. The Twister disappeared into the background and became a star.
Meanwhile, back on the ground…
"Sam! You around here!?" Clio shouted as she walked into the garage. She was wearing a backpack. "Me, Keoni, and Mackenzie are going on a trip and we need—Woah!" She gasped when she saw the wall full of weapons. Her eyes gleamed with happiness.
"Eeeee!!! Jewelry!" She exclaimed, walking over to the shelf. Instantly, she grabbed a pair of the attachments with the lightning bolt symbol. She looked over it for a few seconds before grinning.
"These'll be perfect for Mackenzie!" She placed the attachments in her backpack and grabbed a strength intensifier. She tried to put it on, but it was too small. She pouted before putting on a smile.
"I guess she can have this too." She put it away as well and pulled out a flame ring. There was only one more left. She grimaced at the sight of it.
"Blech! I guess Keoni can have this one." She put it away and looked around. She considered taking the other pair of magnets that was present, but decided against it.
"Too tacky." She sighed. "I guess there's nothing for me." She shrugged. "Oh well." She then left to get ready for her journey tomorrow.
Meanwhile, at the desert…
Otto sped through a rock formation that was shaped like a loop. He then jumped and bounced off a couple of rocks before landing. He continued skating through the area at warp speed. A great dust trail followed him. It seemed that he mastered going at the speed of sound with next to no trouble at all.
"Oh yeah! Now this is speed!" He cheered, going into an open valley. A few seconds passed before he heard the roar of an engine.
Up in the air, the Twister flew over the hedgehog. Twister looked down and grinned.
"Look! There he is!" He said. Sam looked down as well. He made the plane descend and fly alongside Otto. "Ottoman!" The hedgehog looked to his right and waved.
"Twist! Sam! What's up!?" He yelled over the engine. He blinked when he noticed what they were riding. "Dude! Is that the Twister!?"
"Yep!" Sam replied with a grin. "We finally got it running!"
"Cool! Now we can fly to all the hottest surf spots in the world!" Sam and Twister looked at each other nervously. "Hey! What's with the silence!?"
"Well, you see…!" Sam started. "We got a letter in the mail!"
"So?!" Otto asked. Twister produced the letter and reached over the side of the plane.
"Here! Take a look!" He said. Otto jumped, flipped, and grabbed the letter. He landed and skated backwards as he read it.
The letter said this:
To all would-be heroes:
Muahahahahaha!!! Guess what?
I've developed the ultimate weapon!
In three days, I'll conquer the world!
Think you can stop me?!
Ahahahahahaha!!!
Sincerely,
Dr. Coconutman
"Ok, I get that this is bad and all, but what's this got to do with anything!?" Otto asked.
"There's more on the back!" Sam said. The hedgehog blinked curiously before turning the paper over.
P.S.: I'll also destroy each and
every single skate park in the world!
Muahahahahahaha!!!
Otto felt his blood boiling after reading that last part.
"Oh HELL naw! There's no way he's gonna trash every skate park in the world! Not while I'm alive!" He turned and started skating forward.
"So what do we do about this, Ottoman?!" Twister asked.
"What else?! We're gonna find him and stop him once and for all!"
"See!? I told you he would want to fight!" Sam yelled. Twister rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, that's right! All three of us are gonna crack him wide open!" Otto announced. "So let's this thing started!"
"Right!" His teammates shouted. Sam set the Twister on auto-pilot and plotted a course for home. He and the echidna then jumped off and skated after the hedgehog.
And so, Team Rocket was all set for adventure.
Elsewhere, later that night…
Reggie dived head first down a shaft inside Dr. Coconutman's desert base. As she neared the floor, she flipped and spread out her wings, slowing her descent. She landed on her feet and quickly jumped towards a huge door that was bearing the mad doctor's insignia, a face that was wearing a hat and glasses. There was a password-activated lock on it.
'Whew! So far so good!' The bat thought, wiping sweat from her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. 'I hope this password I got from that guard bot works!'
She took a look around before turning back to the lock. She pressed some of the keys while glancing at the paper. When she was finished, she pressed the Enter key. Doing soon caused the door to open with a whoosh sound. She grinned as she walked inside.
"This must be it!" She shouted excitedly. "I've found Coconutman's treasure! After I help myself, I'll deal with finding Lars and Pi. I wonder why he took Lars in the first place." She shrugged before walking towards a capsule in the middle of the room. It was full of a green liquid. There seemed to be something inside, but she couldn't tell what. There was a console at the base of it.
"Now to open this thing." She started typing on the console. "Once I figure out how."
Unbeknownst to Reggie, a pair of red lights activated in the shadows of the room. They seemed to belong to a robot. It was human-size. Its body was mostly black and blue. Its hands looked like claws. Its wrists were yellow and had what seemed to be diamonds embedded all around them. They seemed to be bigger than its hands. The lights made up its head. They were covered with a yellow canopy. It had a pair of rockets in its back. On its left shoulder was a certain math symbol…
The robot stomped forward with its fat, flat feet. It seemed to be scanning Reggie and the contents of the capsule.
Meanwhile, Reggie made the liquid drain out of the capsule, revealing a certain hedgehog. She gasped and made the capsule open.
The robot's hands disappeared into its wrists and were replaced by machine guns.
The hedgehog opened his eyes with a glare after hearing the robot's maneuver. He looked to his right.
To Reggie's surprise, the hedgehog dove towards her and pushed her out the way of a barrage of bullets. The robot was blasting the entire room!
"Stay here!" The hedgehog said, jumping away from a spray of bullets.
"Lars!?" The bat said with shock.
The robot focused its fire on Lars, who was dodging its attacks effortlessly.
"Must eliminate all!" The robot droned as it continued firing.
"Huh?!" Reggie said, facing the automaton. That voice sounded familiar to her. But it couldn't be him! …Could it? Her eyes widened when she saw the symbol.
Lars dodged a stream of bullets as he jumped from wall to wall. Fires blazed all around him. He let the robot's bullets come close before he jumped towards it. The robot stopped firing and charged forward as well. They both held out a fist, getting ready to punch the other. They were mere seconds away from each other.
"Woah! Hold it!" Reggie yelled, getting in between the fighting duo. She pushed them away from each other. She bent over as she panted.
"Hey! What's the deal!? I was about to destroy this dork!" Lars protested, crossing his arms.
"And I was about to eradicate this life form." The robot agreed. The hedgehog's eyes widened as he turned to it.
"Pi!? Is that you!?" He gasped as he saw the final shred of evidence; the symbol on its shoulder; the symbol for Pi. The robot nodded.
"I am C-3.14. Codename: Pi." He then looked at the hedgehog closely. "Scanning… Searching human memory banks… Entry found… Lars Rodriguez: Hedgehog. Age: Fourteen. Relation to former self: Boss." He then faced Reggie.
"Scanning… Searching human memory banks… Entry found… Reggie Rocket: Bat. Age: Twelve. Relation to former self: None. She's a dork." Reggie crossed her arms and glowered at the robot.
"What the hell happened to you!?" Lars yelled.
"Searching database…" Pi started, turning to him. "Retrieving human memory… Entry found… Initiating flashback…" Lars and Reggie sweatdropped as the screen underwent a ripple effect.
::::Flashback::::
By some miracle of God, Pi (who at the moment was a human) got into the base undetected. He got into the air ducts and crawled his way through. After going around a few twists and turns, and falling twenty or so feet underneath the earth's surface, he came across a room, where he heard grunting and cursing.
"Ugh! Let me outta here, ya shoobie!" Lars' voice yelled. Pi crawled towards a hole in the duct and looked into the room. He gasped when he saw the hedgehog being placed inside a capsule by a couple of what seemed to be robots. They were red and had round, pudgy bodies. A shadowy figure was watching, laughing at Lars' attempts to get free.
"I don't think so." The figure replied. Pi's eyes widened when he recognized the voice. "You're too important to my plans."
"What?! Why?! Besides pranking you, what'd I ever do?!" Lars demanded.
"Tell me, have you ever experienced a strange sensation because of your brother's emerald?" The figure asked, ignoring his question. "Did you ever find yourself in another place? Did time ever freeze around you?" Lars' eyes widened.
"E-every day…"
"Excellent." The figure said gleefully. "Also, have you ever wondered why your family is a bunch of echidnas?"
"Because of the author's casting, duh!" The figure fell over.
"Besides that!" He roared before clearing his throat. "You were adopted by them."
"No way!" Lars protested in disbelief.
"Oh yes. You are the Ultimate Life Form, the military's top secret weapon."
"Which one?"
"It doesn't matter which one!"
"Can it be Britain's? I've always wanted to go see Big Ben." The figure slapped his head.
"Ugh… Fine. It was Britain's."
"Wait! I changed my mind! Can it be Japan's or maybe Mexico's?" Lars suggested. The figure fell over again.
"It was this one's, alright?! Can I get back to your origin and your secret power!?"
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's alright." The figure said, clearing his throat. "Like I said, you are the military's top secret weapon. Somehow, you got free and lost your memory. You were in a coma when a family of echidnas found you outside Ocean Shores. You've been raised like you were one of them ever since."
"Woah… So I was adopted…" Lars said thoughtfully. "Now what's this about a secret power?"
"Ah yes. You were created with the ability to bend time and space." The figure started. "If you have one of the seven Chaos Emeralds, or in your case, the Master Emerald, you can freeze time and teleport wherever you want. This technique is called 'Chaos Control.'"
"Chaos Control…" The hedgehog repeated. He glared at his captor. "But why kidnap me!?"
"Didn't you just hear me!? I want your power!" The figure replied. "Once I copy your life data, I, Dr. Coconutman, will be one step closer to ruling the world!" The figure threw his head back and delivered a loud, long, evil laugh… At least until he gasped for air.
"My medicine!" He sputtered as he reached for a bottle of pills. Lars sweatdropped as he swallowed a couple of pills. The figure sighed with relief.
"Ahhh… That's better." He said before turning back to the hedgehog. "Now then, I believe our time is up. When you next awaken, your life data will have been copied! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!" He turned around.
"Hey wait!" Lars shouted, trying to get free. His bonds were just too strong. "Ugh! I have more questions!"
He kept trying to get free for a few more seconds before the capsule closed and filled up with a green liquid. It soon filled up completely. The hedgehog was knocked out when he was shocked with electricity.
"Oh man… I gotta help him. …But how?" Pi whispered to himself.
Before he could move to find help, the duct collapsed under his weight!
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" He screamed as he fell. He landed in the room with a thud. Dr. Coconutman turned around and glared at the boy.
"An intruder! Robots, grab him!" He ordered. The robots that captured Lars grabbed both of Pi's arms, preventing him from escaping.
"Hey! Let me go!" He yelled, struggling to get free.
"Now, what do I do with him?" Coconutman said, stroking his chin. The doctor thought for a moment before snapping his fingers.
"I could always use an extra robot slave… Take him to the roboticizer!" The evil doctor laughed as Pi tried to resist. It was pointless though. The robots dragged him out of the chamber.
::::End Flashback::::
"And that's what happened." Pi finished.
"So Coconutman turned you into a robot, huh?" Lars said. He turned to Reggie. "And what're you doing here?" The bat glared at him.
"I wanted to get back the air skates you stole!" She shouted before sighing. "But I guess after finding out something like you were created in a military base, you might as well keep them."
"Good, 'cause I wasn't planning on giving 'em back! Tchahahahahaha!!!" Reggie glared at the laughing hedgehog. Meanwhile, Pi shook his fist angrily.
"I want revenge on Coconutman." He said monotonously. "He stripped me of my life and left me here to guard you."
"So go after him." Lars said, waving a dismissive hand. "It's no skin off my nose."
"But he'll be outnumbered!" Reggie said worriedly. The hedgehog gave her a strange look.
"You wanna go with him? Be my guest. Now that I know what was causing me to disappear and everything, all I gotta do is grab that emerald of Twister's and have some real fun." He snickered.
"What makes you think you can get it when I couldn't?" The bat challenged. Lars smirked at her.
"Because unlike you, I can just force him to hand it over. Otherwise, I'll whomp him beyond belief." He punched his hand to prove his point.
"But don't you wanna know anything about your past?"
"Now why would I want to know that? I could care less about my past!"
"But…" Reggie smirked evilly when she thought of a way to get Lars to join her and Pi. "Oh well. I guess you won't get the credit for beating Coconutman." Lars gave her a cautious look.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Oh nothing, except I heard that Otto, Twist, and Sam are on their way to fight him." She lied. "It's too bad that you don't wanna come. We could probably beat him with no problem and you could get all the perks of being a hero." Lars' eyes shifted in thought after hearing that. He considered his options.
On the one hand, he could now use Chaos Control to completely prank the town. Then again, he wanted to know for sure if he really was a test tube baby created as a weapon for the military. He growled when he made his decision.
"Fine. I'll come along. That Coconut-dork better have some answers for me. And if Rocket Dork and his crew get in my way, they're going down!" He blinked after saying that. He turned to Reggie.
"Hang on! You're one of them too! How do I know you won't turn on me!?" Pi readied one of his guns and pointed it at her. The bat gulped as she thought of something to save herself.
"W-well…" She blinked and put on a look of bravado. "If we do come across them, they'll get the biggest whomping ever for trying to leave me out of this! I won't turn on you! Count on it!" Lars scowled at her for a few seconds before turning away. Reggie sighed with relief as the robot put down his gun.
"Good. I'll get my answers, Pi'll get his revenge, and you'll get whatever the hell it is you want." He said before putting his hand between them. Pi put one of his claws over the hedgehog's hand, and Reggie put her hand over the claw. "Alright! We're a team!" They separated and looked around.
"One question though." Reggie started. "Who's Coconutman? I mean, you guys must've seen him, right?" The others turned to her and nodded.
"Oh we saw him alright!" Lars answered. "I can't believe he's the one behind all those attacks!"
"He must be destroyed!" Pi added.
"Well…?" The bat asked impatiently, tapping her foot.
"Oh, right." Lars started. "Coconutman is…"
Cut to a view of the desert.
"WHAT!?!" Reggie exclaimed in disbelief. "HIM!?! NO WAY!!!"
Back inside, the bat gave the hedgehog a look of extreme incredulousness.
"Yeah right! There's no way he's Dr. Coconutman!" Lars crossed his arms in response.
"Think whatever you want! I know who I saw!" He then turned to the robot. "So how do we get out of here?"
"Searching for map of interior…" Pi said. He and the hedgehog walked around the room, trying to find some clues.
A few minutes passed when…
"Alright! It's my lucky day!" Reggie shouted in excitement. Lars walked over to her and took a look. The bat was holding a purple jewel in her hand. It was the same shape as the Master Emerald, but much smaller. It was glowing, illuminating the room slightly.
"I knew Coconutman had a treasure! And it's mine, all mine!" She hugged the jewel and rubbed her face against it. Lars sweatdropped. He then gave the jewel a curious look. He felt a strange aura coming from it.
"Something about that thing… It's weird…" He shook his head and turned to the robot. "Hey Pi! Get over here and take a look at the diamond Rocket Dork's sister has!" Pi stood at attention and marched towards the pair. Reggie turned to her new teammates and held up the jewel.
"Searching database… Entry found… Chaos Emerald. One of seven. Legend says that when all seven are brought together, a great miracle will occur." The robot explained.
"That's one of the Chaos Emeralds?" Lars said, snatching the jewel. "Score! Now I can practice Chaos Control wherever I want instead of using my dork brother's emerald!" Reggie cried animé tears.
"But that's mine…"
"Well too bad! It's mine now! Tchahahahahahahaha!!!" Reggie glared at him.
"Whatever! Let's get out of here already!"
"Edgy, aren't we?" Lars remarked with a smirk. "Fine. Pi! Where's Coconutman at?"
"Searching database…" Pi started.
"You know, I like this new and improved Pi." The hedgehog said with a nod.
"Yeah. At least he sounds smarter." The bat agreed. The robot made an eye face them.
"I heard that." His eye returned to its normal position. "Entry found… Dr. Coconutman's current location is in the coastal area outside Ocean Shores."
"So let's go!" Lars said.
"Hold it! We should go to Sam's garage first." Reggie interjected. "He probably has some stuff we can use while we're out there." Lars growled before nodding.
"Whatever. Time to use my new technique! Get close to me." Pi and Reggie got behind him. Each of them placed a hand on a shoulder. The hedgehog closed his eyes in concentration. He focused on the cul-de-sac where he and the bat live. When he got a clear view of the place in his mind, he squeezed the Chaos Emerald.
"Chaos Control!" He yelled, opening his eyes. Instantly, the emerald glowed brightly. The trio disappeared in a flash of purple light.
---------------------
It was dark as a flash of light appeared in the middle of the cul-de-sac. When it disappeared, Lars, Pi, and Reggie were revealed standing. The trio walked into Sam's garage. The bat put on a questioning look.
"That's strange. It looks like everything was just used. But Sam would never leave everything out like this." She also gave a curious look at the Twister, which was still in Turbo Mode. "And what happened to that?"
"Forget about it! Let's just get those weapons and get outta here!" Lars ordered. Reggie huffed before walking over to the shelf that had Sam's weapons on it.
She grabbed the electric attachments and put them on the toe of her air skates. Next, she grabbed a strength intensifier and slipped it on her right wrist. She also took the remaining bag of fake rings and put it on over her right arm. She then grabbed the magnets.
"Here. You can use these." She said, handing the attachments to Lars. He gave her a confused look. She sighed. "Just put them on the front part of your skates."
"Uhhh… Right." The hedgehog replied, doing as he was told. The bat walked away from the shelf.
"What about me?" Pi asked.
"Sorry." Reggie shrugged at him. "There's nothing here that you can use. Besides, I'm sure you have plenty of weapons." She turned to Lars. "Anyway, it's kinda late. We should get going tomorrow."
"Alright. See ya in the morning then." Lars grunted, moving towards his house. Reggie walked towards her house as well.
"Wait. Where will I stay?" Pi asked. Reggie and Lars ran back to him and looked at each other.
"He's got a point, you know. He can't go back to his family looking like that." She said.
"Yeah. So where do we put him til morning?" Lars asked.
"Better leave him here. I doubt Sam's mom will come in here."
"Well, there ya go! See ya later." Lars said to his metal crony. "Be ready in the morning." He walked away again.
"Good night, Pi." Reggie yawned, walking towards her house. She blinked and turned to the camera. "Woah… Never thought I'd say that."
"Good night." The robot replied, walking towards a corner of the garage. He sat down and turned off his optic receptors. "Initiating Sleep Mode…" And he deactivated.
Thus, Team Lars was all set to cause trouble and mayhem!
The next day, at Spray Beach…
The sun was shining down on a dock at the beach outside Ocean Shores. It was a windy day. At the end of the dock was a table that was under a straw umbrella. Sitting at the table was Clio, who was looking at a newspaper clipping. Mackenzie and Cheese were lounging on top of the umbrella. The former was wearing the weapons Clio grabbed from Sam's garage. They were both lying on a towel.
"Man, what's keeping that dork?" The rabbit muttered.
"Chao, chao." Cheese added.
Down below, Clio sighed lovingly as she stared at the newspaper clipping.
"I wonder where Otto is…"
Pictured on the clipping was a back shot of the hedgehog skating. Behind him were Froggy and Chocola, who were hanging on for dear life. It seemed that someone took a photograph of the encounter from yesterday and sent it in to the local newspaper. Needless to say, when Clio saw her beloved's picture on the front page of the Ocean Shores Gazette the next day, she snatched up a copy immediately.
Suddenly, a hard gust blew, causing the clipping to get blown away!
"Oh no!" Clio yelled as she tried to get it back. The picture flew high into the air, over the water. Before it got too far, Mackenzie flapped her ears and flew after it. She reached out for it, but couldn't grab it. Cheese made the save when it grabbed the clipping.
"Chao, chao!" It cheered, waving the paper. They flew back to the dock.
"Whew…" Clio sighed, wiping her head. She got out of her chair and walked up to the rabbit, who was glaring at her.
"Watch it with our only clue, ya lame-o!" She yelled, snatching the paper out of Cheese's grip.
"Sorry about that." Clio said with a nervous chuckle.
Just then, the wind picked up again, blowing Mackenzie. She grabbed onto the dock in an attempt to resist, but the wind was just too strong!
"Woooooooaaaaaaaaaah!!!" She screamed as she got blown upwards over the water.
Almost immediately, a rope flew up and wrapped around her body. She stopped screaming when she noticed that it was a fishing line that saved her. She was reeled back to the pier by Keoni, who had showed up. The cat jerked his fishing rod, tossing the rabbit up. He then opened the umbrella that seemed to be part of the rod. Mackenzie bounced off it and landed safely.
"Nice catch, Keoni!" Clio exclaimed.
"Heh. No prob, cuz." Keoni chuckled, giving her a thumbs-up as he took off his helmet. The other girl dusted herself off and glared at the boy.
"It's about time you got here! You're late!" Keoni rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sorry about that. I woulda gotten here sooner, but Uncle Tito wouldn't let me leave until I took his lucky fishing rod." He said, holding up the rod. "It also doubles as a handy umbrella." He then put it on his back with the strap that came with the rod.
"It's alright. All that matters is that you got here!" Clio said happily. She then gave him a sidelong glance. "Although, I did think that you weren't gonna show."
"Not a chance! I wouldn't miss this for the world!" Keoni replied. "Besides, I gotta get Froggy back. I miss him." His ears drooped.
"Chao…" Cheese squeaked sadly, thinking about its brother. Mackenzie crossed her arms.
"I kinda miss that little thing's squawking too." Her teammates gave her a sly smirk. "I said 'kinda!' I could care less about it!"
"Suuuuuuuuuure ya do." Keoni said slyly. He and Clio snickered. The rabbit glared at them and stomped her feet.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT STUPID CHAO!!!" She roared, causing the others to hold their ears.
"Alright, alright!!!" The hedgehog and cat yelled.
"Chao, chao, chao!!!" Cheese agreed. It had a dizzy expression on its face.
"Well anyway, don't worry! We'll find them and Otto!" Clio encouraged when she got her hearing back. "Let's get going!"
And with that, she, Mackenzie, and Cheese skated/flew, nearing knocking Keoni into the water. The cat put his helmet back on when he got his balance back. He was about to follow when he noticed something shimmering on the ground in front of him. It was the flame ring from Sam's place.
"Hmmmm… Clio musta dropped it…"
He put it on his right wrist and skated after the others.
Later that afternoon, at Ocean Shores…
It was another lazy day in the office of the Team Sherlock Detective Agency, which was in Eddie's living room. Trent was sitting at the desk, playing solitaire on Eddie's dad's computer. His head was propped up on one of his huge hands. He had a look of pure boredom. Eddie was standing by the closet with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Of course, you couldn't tell whether or not his eyes were closed due to his mask. He was wearing a fresh coat of black paint. The tip of his yellow horn gleamed in the sunlight, which was pouring in from the nearby windows.
A few minutes passed before a low buzzing was heard. The chameleon lifted his head and turned towards the front door. Little Scottie busted inside, carrying a heavy-looking package. It looked to be at least double his size.
"It's here! It's here!" He grunted excitedly. He flew towards Trent, who looked up in surprise.
"Woah!" The croc yelled. Scottie tried to stop, but it was too late. He crashed into the older boy, causing the package to fly into the air. Before it could land, Eddie pulled out a shuriken and tossed it at the box. It connected, pinning the package to the wall.
"What the heck's your problem, mate?!" Trent demanded. He and the bee were on the floor.
"It's here! It's here! We got work!" Scottie cheered, ignoring the question. He flapped his wings and flew around the room. The reptile's eyes lit up at his answer.
"For real!?"
The package opened, causing a walkie talkie, two pairs of air skates, and a pair of SOAP shoes to fall out. The walkie talkie bounced off the shoes and landed in Trent's hand.
"Greetings!" A voice said over the radio. It sounded almost elderly, as well as ragged. "I have heard good things about you! I require your detective services." Eddie pulled up his mask and gave the device an odd look.
'"Heard great things?" We just opened the place!' He thought.
"What do you need us to do?" Trent asked, getting down to business.
"I need you to follow the mad scientist, Dr. Coconutman." The mysterious voice answered. The trio gave each other a somewhat frightened expression.
"Did you say 'Coconutman,' mate?" The leader asked incredulously.
"That bad man that's been on the news!?" Scottie added.
"Yes, the very same." The voice replied. "As an added incentive, enclosed with this radio are two pairs of air skates and a pair of SOAP shoes. They should be able to help you get through Coconutman's legion of robots."
"Now hold on! What makes you think we'll risk our necks to follow the most wanted man in the world?!" Eddie spoke up.
"I can pay handsomely." was the simple response. Trent and Little Scottie got dollar signs in their eyes after hearing that.
"Alright! We'll take the case!" The crocodile said happily.
"Excellent. Go to the beach area outside Ocean Shores. That's where you'll find some of Coconutman's robots. Good luck." The radio clicked off.
"Something is amiss here." Eddie said, pulling down his mask.
"Chill Eddie! You know my rule! We never turn down a job that pays good money." Trent said.
"Yeah! We never turn down a job!" Scottie repeated.
"Besides, it's our first case! We gotta take it, no matter how dangerous it is." The crocodile walked towards the three shoes. "Now let's see what these air skates are about."
And so, the trio tried on the shoes. Trent and Eddie had the air skates while Scottie got the SOAP shoes. The leader then found the instructions and read them to the others. Long story short, they mastered traveling at high speeds with the shoes in a decent amount of time.
"Ok! We got acquainted with our gear, so let's get going!" Trent announced as they exited Eddie's house.
"Hang on!" Eddie started in his creepy tone. "We should go to the home of the Cephalopod first." The bigger reptile and the bee gave him a confused look.
"Huh!?" The chameleon pulled up his mask and gave them a glare.
"We should go to Sam Dullard's house. He's got some inventions that may prove useful to us."
"Good idea." Trent said, rubbing his snout. "To Sam's house!" He started skating towards the fox's home.
"Yes sir!" Scottie cheered as he flew after the older guy. Eddie looked up at the sky.
"I still have a bad feeling about this." He shook his head and skated after them.
Moments later, they arrived at Sam's garage. They sweatdropped at the appearance of the place. Everything was thrown about.
"Messy, huh?" Eddie said. Trent pulled off his helmet and hat and scratched his head.
"Well, you know what they say. All great geniuses are messy." The chameleon gave him a strange look.
"Who says that?" Trent huffed.
"Never mind! Let's just grab what we need and get outta here!"
They grabbed the remaining weapons off the shelf. Scottie got the lightning attachments and the strength intensifier, Trent got the flame ring, and Eddie…got nothing.
"Huh?! Why?!" The one in the cloak asked, looking up.
(Me: So much for not talking to characters during the story… Anyway, you already got what you need.)
"Ohhh…"
Once they finished, they skated/flew out of town to start their big case.
-------------------------
Post-chapter Conversation
"It looks like everybody's all set for their big adventure!" I started. "Will our heroes survive the battles that lie ahead? Tune in next time!"
"Hey! What's with everybody getting those weird weapons!?" Izzy demanded. "Ya practically turned this into the Sonic Adventure games!"
"Look who's talking about me confusing people…" I said, giving him a side glance. "Anyway, how else are they supposed to use the moves the real characters use in Sonic Heroes?" The hedgehog sweatdropped at that.
"Errr…"
"Never mind." I rolled my eyes. "And another thing, when I gave my solution to that whole confusion issue, what did you have in mind?"
"Let's see…" I started, holding his chin. He then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! I was thinking that you should just get rid of the references all together."
I gave him a death glare and pulled out my mallet. Izzy's eyes widened as he backed up slowly.
"Should I start running now?" He asked with a gulp.
"That seems to be the logical choice." I answered, advancing towards him.
"See ya!" He yelled before skating away.
"Grrr…" I growled, gritting my teeth. I then turned to the camera. "See ya next week, folks!" I dashed after Izzy. "Get back here, you swine!"