Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition
Continue?
Life or death. To play the game or not play the game. They all know that they could all possibly die if they went further into the game. However, they could be safe if they don't play the game. It seems that the Metarex will only keep coming if they continued to play the game. None of them knew how long that they are safe until the Metarex will attack again, but they might live longer if they remain in place as they once were before the game had started. Sure, they may have lost their Planet Egg, but they are still alive. And that's what matters here! As long as they don't make any sudden or rash decisions, they will...
"I'm in!" Sonic exclaimed with a grin.
...Die in a gruesome death thanks to an irresponsible, impulsive idiot.
"Are you nuts?! Did you just hear what Cosmo just said?! That board game is cursed! None of the players before us had ever finished playing the game! They probably just died before us!" Amy yelled in frustration. For once, it wasn't Knuckles who yelled in anger here.
Cosmo gasped in surprise at Amy's brash statement. Sonic ignored Cosmo's reaction to talk to Amy. "But Amy, board games are fun!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile.
"Are you seriously going with that logic again, Sonic? Because it's not funny," Knuckles replied with a frown as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, Sonic! Seriously! Do you understand the consequences of playing that board game?! If others had failed to finish the game, then it's highly likely that we'll fail too! You saw how strong those Metarex robots were! You said that they were poachers! Did you get that?! Poachers! Hunters! We could get killed...BY THEM!" Amy yelled with determination in her eyes. She had a solemn expression on her face. Sonic, Knuckles, and Cream were quite impressed on how serious Amy is looking right now. Sonic especially because he had a stunned expression on his face.
W-Wow...Amy's really fired up right now. I've never thought that she would get this upset from anything else aside from me not being here anymore like that incident six months ago. Sonic pondered as he frowned a bit.
He then smiled again as he had a newfound resolve in this. But that just makes me want to take this challenge even more. It means that I get the chance to show her how wrong she is! Sonic pondered as he grinned.
He then replied, "Well, what if we get lucky and manage to beat the game, huh?".
"Sonic, no," Amy replied simply with a frown as she crossed her arms.
"Seriously! Think about it! We could be the ones to show that Dark Oak guy that no one messes with us...including me!" Sonic continued with an optimistic look.
"Sonic...nooo," Amy replied with a slightly more irritated tone.
"Oh, come on, Amy! You know that I love games! And honestly, the thought of running away without getting killed is quite the most thrilling adventure if I had ever heard one!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a playful grin.
"...You're not listening to me, are you?" Amy asked out loud with an annoyed expression.
"Besides, do you really think that I would get killed by them? I'm the Fastest Thing Alive! They can hunt me down all they want, but I'll just keep on running away and never get cornered!" Sonic continued with enthusiasm.
"Oh, good for you! You won't get killed because you're fast! But need I remain you Sonic that WE COULD GET KILLED TOO!" Amy replied sarcastically before she yelled again.
"...Oh?" Sonic asked in surprise.
"Yes, Sonic! Not all of us are born to run fast like you do! Glad to know that you had finally realized that fact!" Amy replied sassily as she rolled her eyes for a bit.
"Certainly nailed that one on the head," Knuckles commented as he rolled his eyes too.
Sonic blinked his eyes for a moment before he smiled again. He cheekily responded with, "Well, get good then!".
"Arrrrrrrgh! You're impossible!" Amy yelled in frustration as she face-palmed herself.
"Oh, relax, Amy. I'm only kidding. But if you're really worried about those robots hunting you down, then don't worry about it! I'll always come in and protect you like always. That goes for the rest of you. I'll always protect you guys through thick and thin because you guys are my friends! And any friend will always have their back, even when things get bleak like being hunted down by poachers for example!" Sonic comforted with a calm smile.
"You sound way too cheery about the thought of being hunted down by poachers," Knuckles commented in a dead-pan tone.
"Heh! I just love the thrill of a challenge is all!" Sonic exclaimed as he smirked at Knuckles.
Knuckles narrowed his eyes at Sonic as he frowned deeper. He then replied, "It's because of that competitive spirit of yours that gets the rest of us in trouble. Of coarse, you won't back down from a challenge because it will be less exciting for you if you had played it safe".
"See? Now, you are starting to understand me!" Sonic replied back with a grin.
"That doesn't mean that I agree with you! Amy's right, Sonic! You can easily get us all killed if this had backfired somehow!" Knuckles exclaimed as he frowned deeper at Sonic.
"Pff! Really, Knuckles? I thought that you of all people could get on board on this!" Sonic replied as he grinned playfully at Knuckles.
"Why me, Sonic?" Knuckles replied as he grimaced.
"Because didn't you always say that you never back down from a fight?" Sonic replied with a teasing grin as he challenged Knuckles.
Knuckles growled a bit as he narrowed his eyes at Sonic again. He then replied, "What are you playing at, Sonic?".
"You know what I'm saying! I think that you have a score to settle with that Metarex robot on how easily he had beaten you up!" Sonic started with a wide grin.
Knuckles just growled in response to that. Did he had to bring that up? Knuckles pondered.
"Because that robot had left without you finishing it off, don't you think that you should come along with us as we continue to play the board game? After all, we will be fighting those robots for quite a while as we keep on playing the game. So, I think that you would be satisfied if you finally show those robots who's the strongest fighter is in the universe!" Sonic finished with a wide smile. He knows how easily Knuckles gets passionate about his fighting spirit. It's in his genes since he's a warrior at heart. Heh. There's no way that Knuckles will pass this one up! Sonic pondered as he smirked.
But to Sonic's surprise, Knuckles replied as he closed his eyes, "I know that you're playing me, Sonic. You thought that I would get suckered into joining your group again but not this time! I've had enough of you and your friends' shenanigans over these past six months, and I want to be left alone!".
"Aw, come on, Knuckles! I thought that you had fun!" Sonic teased with a grin and a wink.
Knuckles opened his eyes to glare at Sonic as he countered, "Does this look like the face of someone who had fun to you?".
"Oh, you're just being prideful, Knuckles! I bet you had a blast!" Sonic exclaimed cheerfully.
"..." Knuckles said nothing but continued to glare at Sonic in frustration. Oh sure. Being in humiliating, idiotic, unusual, and ridiculous moments sound like a fun time! Sigh...This is why I don't hang out with you guys. You guys are the worst. Knuckles brooded with a frown.
Then, Knuckles closed his eyes again and smirked as he replied, "Besides, I'm uninvolved with this board game business anyway. You guys can go on ahead without me because I'm not a 'player' in the game". Hah. That will put a damper on his spirits. Knuckles pondered with a smug grin.
But to Knuckles' surprise, Sonic just replied, "I don't know about that, Knuckles. This board game is very special. With every turn, new and exciting things happen! It's only just a matter of minutes before the board game decides to include you in!".
Knuckles' eyes snapped wide open, and his mouth was wide open too. He then growled at Sonic as he replied through gritted teeth, "Don't. You. Dare. Jinx. It.".
Sonic rolled his eyes playfully as he shook his head. He then returned to Amy to continue talking to her after that little tangent. "Anyways, back to the original topic, listen Amy, it is as Cosmo had said. I have the power to control the Chaos Emeralds and turn into Super Sonic as a result. It's really a matter of getting the Chaos Emeralds first before those robots get it. Once we find all seven of them again, defeating the Metarex will be a piece of cake! Besides...I'm a very lucky person! You know how good my luck is in these types of games! We will finish playing this board game in no time since I'm very good at it! So, just relax, Amy. We got this as long as we're together!" Sonic encouraged Amy with a calm expression on his face.
Amy frowned a bit since she knew that Sonic had a point in this. She does believe that Sonic will take care of everything if they got all of the Chaos Emeralds or even just with one of them. Still, the possibility of dying frightens her. If Sonic is confident enough that he can win this cursed board game, then I must put my trust and faith into his words that he will protect us. That he will...protect me. Amy pondered as she closed her eyes for a bit.
She then opened her eyes and took a huge sigh. She then replied calmly, "...Alright, Sonic. I trust you. Just...Please protect me as well as yourself. I just don't want any of us dying from this".
Sonic then softened his expression as he finally understood where Amy is coming from. Ah. So, that's why she was against this in the first place. She's just worried about us dying. I can understand that. Sonic pondered with a gentle smile on his face.
He then replied in a comforting tone, "Don't worry, Amy. We'll be fine. I promise. We'll make it out of this thing alive. You can count on me for that". He then ended that sentence with a wink.
Amy smiled as she felt relieved after hearing that promise from Sonic. I always count on you, Sonic. For everything. Amy thought as she clasped her hands together while smiling widely.
"Sooo...had you decided then? Are you really going to continue playing the game?" Cosmo asked after being silent during that whole argument.
Sonic turned around to look at Cosmo with a bright smile. He winked as he did a thumbs up at her as he replied, "You bet that I want to continue!".
Cosmo smiled a little as she replied, "Very well then. You should start your turn then since the others had already gone before you".
"Alrighty then! Hey, Cream? Will you give me the board game now? Please?" Sonic asked politely as he turned to look at Cream.
Cream was silent this whole time. She jolted a bit once her name was mentioned. "Oh! Uh...umm...Oh, yeah! Here you go, Mr. Sonic! Here's that board game that you've been wanting! I've kept it safe from harm!". She then held the board game to Sonic.
Sonic then carefully took it from her as he said, "Thank you, Cream".
"You're welcome, Mr. Sonic!" Cream exclaimed happily as she bowed before him.
Sonic nodded as he opened the board game again to see where they were at in the game. He was right that they had barely started the game as all of the spaceships were near Start. He then smiled as he pushed the red button at the side of the game to take his turn now.
"Well, here it goes!" Sonic exclaimed with a smile as he saw the roulette wheel keep spinning and spinning on. The numbers soon eventually stopped turning, and the blue spaceship a few spaces farther than Tails', Amy's, or even Cream's game pieces.
"Woohoo! I got a seven! See? I told ya that I'm lucky!" Sonic exclaimed with a grin. Heheheh. I bet Tails would be face-palming now if he saw this amazing luck! Sonic thought with an amused look on his face.
KACHING!
The white card soon popped out of the card slot. Sonic took the card and turned it over while balancing the board game in his other hand. He soon read the card out loud.
"' When going on a long adventure alone, the journey can be tough. So, bring an ally along so that it'll be less rough.' Well then, ain't that the truth! I wonder who this supposed 'ally' is anyway?" Sonic read the card before he spoke to himself out loud.
"Hmm...I wonder too. Is it someone we know?" Amy asked to herself while putting on a thinking face.
"I just hope that this ally is nice. (Chao chao!)" Cream said with a hopeful expression. Cheese agreed with Cream on that too.
As the gang was pondering on what that riddle means, Tails was still flying in his X-Tornado plane. He was getting very close to Angel Island. He soon noticed something shining brightly in the island.
"Huh? What's that?" Tails asked curiously as he stared at the shining thing more closely. He then saw that it was the Master Emerald shining brightly. He gasped in shock as he thought. Oh, my goodness, the Master Emerald is reacting to something! Just...Just what is going on here? I better go tell Knuckles and the others what's going on! This must be serious if the Master Emerald is activated somehow!
Tails then quickly turned his plane around and flew to where the others were.
"Well, guys, I don't know about you, but I think that we should get Tails to make his turn on this board game. I am not seeing anything happen yet. So, why don't we-" Sonic replied after waiting for a minute for something happening.
Amy was going to correct Sonic about being impatient before Tails had yelled out loud in the distance.
"Guys! Guys! It's an emergency! We got to go now! Quick!" Tails yelled while running toward the gang. All five of them turned around to the south to see Tails running breathlessly towards them.
"Huh? What's the trouble, little bro?" Sonic asked in confusion and in concern.
"Th-Th-The Master Emerald! It's reacting to something!" Tails yelled again as he had gotten closer to the gang.
"Say what?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock.
-At Angel Island-
After quickly explaining to the gang what is going on, they all headed towards Tails' plane to fly to Angel Island. They soon arrived at the island in no less than five minutes. They were all standing on top of the altar of the Master Emerald shrine while staring at the glowing emerald. They were all wearing stunned and curious faces as they stared at the glowing, big emerald. Sonic was holding the board game under his right arm while staring at the huge emerald. Sonic and Knuckles had the same thought in their minds. Just what is going to happen next?
The emerald kept on glowing brighter and brighter, and while it did that, there was a strange shadow slowly forming in the middle. The gang saw that shadow and gasped at it. Is...Is someone coming out of the emerald? Sonic and Knuckles thought at the same time. The shadow grew bigger as it had formed the person. It didn't look like a Mobian that Sonic and his friends were familiar with, but it was someone that they did recognize. …...It was a human.
"...! N-No way! Chris?! Chris Thorndike?!" Sonic and Knuckles exclaimed in surprise. Well...that was unexpected. Sonic thought while feeling stunned.
"Did...Did I made it? Am I here? Am I at Sonic's world? …...Ah! I am! Yes! I did it! I finally made it to...to...W-Wha? WHAT THE-?!" Chris Thorndike said to himself while the Sonic and his friends stared at him. Chris then soon fell down on his knees. He was confused at first before he was completely shell-shocked once he stared down at himself. The clothes that he wore before he went into the transporter machine had grown too big for him. He stared at his clothes while his eyes went big in shock. He then went into his thoughts.
What the-! What the heck had happened to me?! I was only a grown-up went I went in! I thought that I could surprise Sonic and the others by having them see me as a grown-up! How?! How did this happen?! What did I do?! Did I make a mistake in the machine?! Did I?! Just...Just what the heck went wrong?!
Where did I go wrong?!
-Ten Minutes Ago-
Chris Thorndike was in his lab at his house while doing some research on his computer. He was trying to find an established connection from Earth to Sonic's world so that he could transport himself there just to see Sonic again after being gone for six years now. Man...I still can't believe that it had been six years now. Boy, time does fly by very fast. I never thought that I would get this far without Sonic and his friends here to support me and see me grow up. However...showing up at his world as an adult will definitely be worth it! I can't wait to see the surprised face that Sonic will have as he sees me as a grown-up. He will have to learn that I can take care of myself now and not have him baby me anymore. I had learned to pilot aircraft thanks to my Uncle and build machines with him too. Mr. Tanaka had helped me learn some martial arts in order to defend myself. I even support myself by earning an average earning with my job and had owned my own house all by myself without my parents' help. Sure, I could use the inheritance that my parents had to own a big house, but I much rather live a normal life like everyone else. The rich lifestyle had never interested me anyway. Honestly...it was rather boring. The only time that my life was exciting was...
Chris soon stopped typing as he reminisces about his life with Sonic and his friends being on Earth six years ago. He then looked towards a picture of himself as a 12-year-old kid with Sonic, Amy, and Tails. He picked up to look at it. After staring at it with a smile, he then placed it down. He turned to look out of his window next. He had a fond look on his face as he stared out in his window above his desk where his computer was. He had his dinner with him. It was just a burger with fries. Something...you know...normal. It was around sunset, and Chris could see the beautiful sunset outside his window. He had a relaxed smile on his face as he thought about his crazy friends in Sonic's world...including Sonic himself.
"Sonic..." Chris muttered as he sighed a bit. He continued on with his musings. Boy...that sure takes me back. I guess I was such an immature brat back then. I can see how easy it is for Sonic to be a bit frustrated with me just by how I acted. I'm just surprised on how kind and understanding he was despite how I had acted or had thought. He really is such an awesome person. He really was someone I had looked up to whether I had to make any moral decisions in my personal life. He's a hero. Of coarse, I would naturally look up to him. Everyone at my school did. Even my friends. So, I am clearly not the only one here who would want to see him again after so long. Anyone would, right? Right?
After Chris sighed contently again, he went back into his research. After two more minutes of searching, he was then pleasantly surprised at what he had found.
"Huh? What's this? Is that...Is that an entry-point? …...Aha! It is! And its location is at...Angel Island? Wait! Was that the place where the Master Emerald is located at?! Of coarse! It makes sense! The Master Emerald also has chaos energy in it because it controls the Chaos Emeralds! Even without having all of the Chaos Emeralds, a link can still be made to Earth from Sonic's world through the Master Emerald! I knew that I would figure it out soon enough! Now, all I got to do is have the transporter connect to the Master Emerald's energy and activate the transporter!" Chris said to himself with a bright smile on his face as he was happy that he made a breakthrough at long last. He was soon typing quickly on his computer as he soon hooked up the transporter to the computer.
Within a few minutes, he finally got the transporter working again. He then turned the transporter on. "Excellent! It's working! It seems that the Master Emerald is doing all the work this time! I don't even need the Chaos Emeralds to get myself to Sonic's world! I really can get there via the Master Emerald! I sure hope that Knuckles won't mind me coming to his island unannounced. I guess he might get a little irritated with me but when has he not been irritated? Heh. Hardly. Anyways, I better write a note to my family and friends before I leave. And I better do it quickly! I don't know how long the teleporter will last without having anything go in, but I should be quick about it and finish what I need to do here before I leave!" Chris said to himself as he quickly got up from his chair and rushed to his other desk to grab a paper and pencil to write his note. With a fond smile, he soon wrote his note with all the love and care into it despite being in a hurry.
To everyone who is reading this, you will probably realize that I'm not in my home anymore. But don't worry. I'm safe and sound. By the time you are reading this, I'll be in Sonic's world while meeting Sonic and his friends again. I know that it is a huge risk that I might not come back for whatever reason, however, it is my choice to make. Please understand that I'm not leaving you guys behind. I'm really just visiting Sonic's world because I want to reunite with him and his friends since I had missed them so much over these past six years. I just want to know what had changed with them and what is going on with them nowadays. They might on another adventure again as usual, and I want to join them on that adventure. I promise that I will come back. I'm not sure how long it'll be as I stay at Sonic's world, but I promise that I'll come back. Dad, Mom, Grandpa Chuck, Ms. Ella, Mr. Tanaka, Danny, Francis, and...Helen. I promise to all of you that I'll come back because I love you all. I wish you the best while I'm gone. And...take care of yourselves. …...With love, Chris Thorndike...
As Chris had finished writing his note, he then placed it near the small picture at his computer desk. He had the note neatly folded before he placed it down. He then took a huge sigh as he looked around his lab one last time. I really am going to leave, aren't I? Chris thought with a solemn expression. He may not have second thoughts on this, but he can sure feel the weight of leaving an entire world for a new one. He soon faced the transporter while having a resolved expression on his face. He is ready to face Sonic again, and he isn't going to let anything stand in his way from this unbelievable opportunity of a lifetime. He then walked forward towards the transporter and then...stood by it.
Then he let the transporter teleport him into Sonic's world. The light shone even brighter around him until it was just white. Then...the transporter had finished its teleportation as the light had shut off now.
He finally made it. He finally made it to Sonic's world. …...But there was a slight problem...
More like a small problem.
-Now-
"I...I...I can't believe it! I'm 12 again! Just how did this happen?!" Chris, now in his 12-year-old self, exclaimed as he looked at his sagged lab coat sleeves.
Tails, Cream, and Amy were so happy and excited to greet Chris again that they walked up to him and talked to him for a bit.
"Chris! I can't believe that you're here!" Tails exclaimed with a smile.
"You have no idea how much Cheese and I had missed you! (Chao chao!)" Cream exclaimed happily too with Cheese joining with her.
"It certainly had been a long time since we've last saw you," Amy replied casually as she leaned onto Chris' knee. They were all smiling brightly at him.
Chris nodded as he replied to them, "Yeah, I really did miss you guys too. It was definitely a long time for me too".
Knuckles also walked up to Chris and greeted him with a smile, "Heya, kid. How you'd been?".
Chris smiled at him as he replied, "Great! Thanks for asking!". They were all busy asking him questions about how his family and friends were while Cosmo and Sonic were staring at him in the back. Sonic was smiling as he looked how happy his friends were as they had reunited with Chris. It's about time something bright had happened during these hectic events that we're having lately. We do need a little time to cool off before we get back to focusing on the game right now. Sonic pondered with a smile.
"Sonic, I do believe that this boy is this 'ally' that your card had mentioned. What is his name?" Cosmo said as she looked at Sonic.
Sonic replied with, "That boy is my friend, Chris. So, he's going to be our ally for this game, huh? Heh. I guess maybe that Chris is going to be our 'good luck' charm for our game. This will be interesting".
When Chris had finally answered his friends' questions, he soon looked up at Sonic and replied, "Hey, Sonic!".
"What's up, Chris?" Sonic replied with a smile and a thumbs up.
"It had been such a long time since we've seen each other last, Sonic. I thought that I would never see you again," Chris replied as he walked up to Sonic.
"I told you that we would meet each other again. And to think that you had ever doubted me. I guess I had proved you wrong, didn't I? Heh!" Sonic replied while grinning at him.
"Heheheh, I guess you were right, Sonic. We did end up meeting each other again. Still, it's just so hard to believe that you hadn't changed, Sonic. Not you...or your friends. It's...It's kinda weird to be honest," Chris replied while looking back at Sonic's friends for a bit before looking back at Sonic.
"Not as weird as your get-up, buddy! I mean look at you! Was Halloween still happening around the time you had left your world, Chris?" Sonic replied while teasing Chris a little.
"What?! No way! I swear that these clothes had fit me back in my home world! Honest! I-!" Chris exclaimed as he looked at his sleeves for emphasis.
THUMP!
Sonic had collapsed to the ground. The board game he had under his arm had fallen beside him. The others had gasped after they saw that Sonic had fallen to the ground.
"Sonic! What's happened to you?!" Chris exclaimed in shock as he knelt beside him.
"What's going on?! Sonic!" Amy exclaimed too as the others had gathered around him. Cosmo put her hands over her mouth as she felt surprised by this. Oooooh, I hope that he's alright! Without a player, the game will-! Cosmo thought as panic went through her body.
"Oh no! Please be okay!" Cream exclaimed with worry as they all knelt beside him.
"Hang in there, Sonic!" Knuckles exclaimed with concern in his voice.
"Is he going to be okay, Tails?!" Amy exclaimed as she felt the most worried of them all.
"Luckily for us, yes, he will. All the fighting he did today had completely worn him out. I'm sure if he took the time to take a nap he'll be up and running again in no time," Tails answered calmly as he looked at Knuckles.
"Well, that's good news then. Man, I still can't believe that he tried to fight another huge robot after being defeated by a previous one," Knuckles replied casually as some sweat came on his head. He had more respect for Sonic now since he fully took in the events that Sonic had went through in his mind. He knows that he himself is tough, but he wouldn't be so sure that he can take on another powerful enemy after another willingly, except for emergencies like protecting the Master Emerald for example. Geez, Sonic, you really are such a reckless idiot sometimes. Knuckles thought with a frown.
"Huh? Sonic had been defeated in a battle before? Since when had that happen?" Chris asked in surprise and in confusion.
Tails and Knuckles looked at Chris with solemn expressions on their faces. "Yes, it's true, Chris. Before you had come back here, Sonic had battled two huge robots. He had lost in a battle with the leader of the robots. The leader may not have knocked him out personally, but Sonic had to give up on the Chaos Emeralds in order to save his own life including ours apparently. After that, Sonic and I had tried to fight another huge robot, but he had won and had left," Knuckles explained calmly yet seriously as he stared at Chris.
However, Chris was still lost as he looked confused. He hadn't fully understood the whole story yet. Tails and Knuckles looked at each other with knowing looks before they nodded to each other and said at the same time, "It's a long story".
"Oh...uh...okay then. I'm sure that I'll catch up with everything once we take Sonic somewhere for him to rest in. Umm...hey, by the way, what's this?" Chris replied awkwardly before he turned his head to look at the board game beside Sonic.
"Oh!" Cream exclaimed as she soon went over to Sonic's right side and picked the game up. She then showed it to Chris. "This is a board game. It's called 'Shuffle'! My friends and I are playing this game!" Cream explained with a bright smile while holding the game in front of Chris.
"Eh? Why are you guys playing a board game at a time like this?" Chris asked in even more confusion. Tails, Cream, and Amy all looked at each other with frowns on their faces.
They all said at the same time, "It's a long story".
-A Little While Later-
Cream had suggested that they should all go to her mother's house to put Sonic to bed. She had brought the board game with her. Vanilla had already taken Sonic to the guest bedroom for him to rest while the others went to the living room for discussion about the board game and their new threat: The Metarex.
"Ever since you guys and Sonic had started to play that cursed board game, the Metarex had come out of the board game and had started to poach more lifeforms again," Cosmo began while having her head down.
"What do you mean 'again'?" Amy asked in curiosity.
"...The Metarex were successful in poaching lives in other planets as well as taking their Planet Eggs with them. This isn't the first time that this had happened," Cosmo further explained with a solemn tone.
"Metarex? Planet Eggs? Just what are you talking about?" Knuckles asked in confusion.
Cosmo patiently explained to him, "The Metarex are those huge robots that you and the others had faced. They had resided in that board game long before they had been released out of it again. They are cruel poachers who seek and kill many lives and planets throughout the galaxy for gain and for their own survival. They seek Planet Eggs because they are the source of life on each planet. It gives the planet energy, and the Metarex wanted that energy so that they could become immortal. However, in order for them to gain their immortality undetected, they had disguised their scheme in a form of a board game. Therefore, by tricking lifeforms in various planets into playing that board game, they had used that to their advantage to take their lives and their Planet Eggs. And sadly...my planet was the first victim to these Metarex creatures. My people...and my planet were gone all because we had started to play that cursed board game. And now...now this planet's life is going to be gone too. Its life will soon be depleted and become barren just the other victims of other planets".
"So, our planet will just become a rock in space. Is that right?" Amy asked while looking concerned.
"...Yes. Unfortunately, that is true," Cosmo replied with a grave tone in her voice.
"Okay, I get it. But how can we be sure that you're not one of them? You could've been the one who had planted that cursed board game here into our world so that we could become the next victims in the Metarex's scheme," Knuckles replied while looking at Cosmo with suspicion on his face.
"I would never do that!" Cosmo exclaimed as she had stood up from her chair.
"So, you say," Knuckles replied with a frown.
"Knuckles! Please...give her a chance to explain," Chris replied to Knuckles with a serious look on his face.
"My people were victims to those heartless creatures! They had all died due to the curse! My family and my friends had died! And all I ever wanted was for this curse to be lifted from that board game so that no other planet or person would have to suffer a horrible fate such as death! Please! You have to believe me! I don't want any of you to die to the curse! Honest! I...I...I don't want everyone to die! (Sob Sob)" Cosmo exclaimed as tears came to her eyes before she started to cry while covering her eyes with her hands.
Chris, Cream, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all looked depressed and solemn while Cosmo had cried. They can understand Cosmo's motive now. They don't want to die to the Metarex either and neither did Cosmo it seems. Knuckles took a deep sigh. He still can't trust her, but he decided to drop the subject now since it is starting to become uncomfortable for him to question her further.
A few minutes later, Cosmo soon decided to go inside Cream's room to finish crying. Cream went inside with her while having the board game with her. Knuckles decided to leave after that uncomfortable moment. He said that he had to keep guarding the Master Emerald as an excuse to get out of the awkward atmosphere. Meanwhile, Chris, Amy, and Tails had decided to check up on Cosmo for a bit to see if she's alright. Chris quietly opened the door to see what Cosmo is doing. They were sitting on the edge of the bed. Cosmo was still crying, but she was being comforted by Cream as she was rubbing her back in a comforting gesture.
"It'll be okay, Cosmo. (Chao chao)" Cream said gently as Cheese added in a sad tone.
"(Sob Sob Sob)…...Thank you," Cosmo replied softly as she cried a bit quieter now.
Chris frowned a bit before he decided to quietly close the door as he saw that Cosmo was being taken care of by Cream.
"Well, Cosmo is still upset, but I think she's calming down now since Cream is comforting her," Chris said to Amy and Tails as he turned around to face them. He walked a bit away from the door so that Cosmo and Cream won't hear them.
"I'm surprised that Knuckles had suspected her for being a part of the Metarex! How could he say that? That is such a cruel thing to say!" Amy replied with a frown.
"I'm surprised that you're even here, Chris! How did you manage to figure out that your teleporter could transport you to our world through the Master Emerald? And to even build it in at least six months too!" Tails replied with a happy smile.
"What the-! Six months?! Is that why you guys look the same as you did as I had remembered you?!" Chris exclaimed in shock. He put his head down and sighed. "This is becoming more confusing than I had thought".
"Is Chris going to be okay?" Tails asked in concern.
"I think he's started to feel tired too after traveling to our world from his world," Amy replied with a frown as she looked at Tails.
"You guys don't understand! It had been six years back in my world. Ugh. I guess I had completely forgotten about the whole time and space gap between my world and your world after all," Chris replied with a thinking face.
"Wait. Even if you are older than us, why are you still a kid?" Tails asked with a frown.
"That is one question that I would like to know," Chris replied with a shrug.
"...Hmm, this is one giant mystery, isn't it?" Amy replied with a small smile.
"Well, we should check up on Sonic to see if he had woken up," Tails replied as he looked at the stairs and walked towards them.
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Chris agreed as he walked towards the stairs too. Amy, Tails, and Chris had walked up to the stairs and went towards the guest bedroom where Sonic was sleeping.
"So, let me get this straight, this whole Metarex business had started ever since Sonic had convinced you guys to play that board game, right?" Chris asked as he looked at both Amy and Tails while walking down the hallway.
"Right!" Tails and Amy had answered with smiles on their faces.
"And neither you two had questioned it when Sonic had said that he found it on the beach by itself?" Chris replied with a confused frown.
"I didn't!" Amy exclaimed with a cheerful smile.
"I did..." Tails replied with a frown.
Amy looked at Tails with a frown. Chris then asked, "Okay, Tails, since you were suspicious of it, why didn't you try to stop Sonic from wanting to play it?". Tails had his ears down as he felt embarrassed as to why he had agreed to do this.
Before he could answer, Amy answered for him with a teasing grin on her face, "It's because Tails wants to win a board game for once! He never had won at a board game ever! And Sonic had teased him enough to challenge him to win this game!".
"Did you had to be so blunt about it?" Tails asked with an embarrassed look on his face.
"But it's true, Tails! It's really pathetic! Hehehe!" Amy replied to Tails with a giggle. Tails just sighed and shook his head. Chris just face-palmed while smiling to himself. Man...I really do miss these guys and their usual antics. You can never be bored with these guys around. Chris thought with a bright smile. He is starting to think the trip was worth it. Although he could live without the possibility of dying honestly.
They soon made it to the guest room's door. Amy had opened it to see if Sonic was up. She gasped at what she had saw...or what she hadn't saw to be precise.
"Huh?! Sonic's not here!" Amy exclaimed in shock.
"Where did he go?! Shouldn't he be in bed sleeping?!" Tails exclaimed in shock as he stared at the empty bed.
"Maybe he just bailed after he had woken up!" Chris exclaimed as he ran towards the window. Tails followed him to the window while Amy walked towards the bed with a frown on her face.
"He can be so ungrateful sometimes! Leaving without just saying a 'thank-you' or a 'good-bye'! Ugh!" Amy exclaimed in irritation before she looked at where Chris and Tails were staring at.
"That's how Sonic usually does things. He is always on the run no matter what circumstances had tried to prevent him from doing that. Not even passing out could stop him from running," Tails replied with a sheepish smile.
"Boy, Sonic could be so persistent sometimes. At least he got his strength back," Chris replied with a relieved smile. The less he could worry about him the better. At least, that's what Chris thinks anyway.
Meanwhile, Sonic was running through the hills and fields as usual. He felt more rejuvenated after his brief nap. He was able to run as fast as he could again. He soon ran up towards the top of a mountain. He soon stopped once he got on top of it. He stared at the huge, empty hole in the ground with a grimace.
He then said, "So, this is what the curse is like...I really did blow it this time for playing that stupid game with my friends. After this is over, I'm going drop that board game to the bottom of the sea so that no one will find it ever again".
-Meanwhile At Angel Island-
Knuckles is back guarding the Master Emerald again. He was crossing his arms while he stared at the Master Emerald with his usual frown that he has. He was busy talking to himself.
"I'm not so sure about that Cosmo girl. I know that she says that she was a victim too after what happened to her family and friends, but what if that was all an act to get us to lower our guards down so that we could become victims too? It's possible. I mean how else would she know all about that board game all too well unless she's-" Knuckles said with a frown before he was cut off by Rouge.
"Well, isn't this good news!" Rouge exclaimed with glee as she floated down near Knuckles with her bat wings.
Knuckles turned around to look at Rouge as he replied, "What good news are you talking about?".
"The good news meaning that the Chaos Emeralds are separated again. This is certainly a perfect opportunity for me to hunt for them as my lovely treasure," Rouge replied with a smile.
"Oh, please! You have better luck finding a needle in a haystack instead of finding all seven of them now. Sonic just threw them away throughout space because he thought it was a good idea to spare our lives!" Knuckles replied with a frown. He turned around as he shrugged while continuing, "What's worse is that now we are being hunted by poachers because apparently Sonic and his friends were playing a board game! Just what the heck does a board game had to do with anything going on around here?! Then Chris and that Cosmo girl had started to show up in our world somehow, and I don't even want to start thinking how that's possible...".
Rouge had started to fly away while Knuckles continued to ramble on.
"...Things are going topsy-turvy right now, and I don't know if I can deal with-" Knuckles continued on before Rouge yelled in the distance.
"Good luck with that, Knuckie!" Rouge yelled cheerfully as she flew farther away from the island.
Knuckles quickly turned around and looked up to see if Rouge was still there or not. He then yelled, "Hey! Get back here and listen to me! If you didn't want to listen to me talk, then don't come visit me in the first place!".
Rouge kept on flying away from Angel Island with a smirk on her face. Ah. So that's where my lovely treasure is. In space, huh? This is going to be very interesting indeed. Rouge thought as she flew back towards Dr. Eggman's base.
-Meanwhile Back At Cream's House-
"Here. How's this? I made your old clothes so that you could get rid of the clothes you wear now. Convenient, right?" Vanilla said as she held Chris' old shirt towards him.
"Heheheh, yeah, right...convenient," Chris replied awkwardly while putting a hand behind his head. Well, so much for being treated as an adult. Chris thought with a sheepish grin.
Meanwhile, Cosmo and Cream were outside. Cream had the board game beside her while she was playing with Cheese. Cheese was happily chirping as Cream was playing with him. Cosmo was standing still as she stared at the blue sky above her.
"This place is so peaceful," Cosmo said to herself.
"It's amazing, isn't it? You can stay in our planet after the Metarex had been defeated. You can be my new friend if you want to," Cream replied with a smile while holding Cheese.
"That sounds nice," Cosmo agreed with a smile. She then frowned as she went into her thoughts. She is so naïve. Now that she and her friends are playing that board game, it's only a matter of time that this planet will die without the Planet Egg to sustain it. Their lives are in grave danger, and there's nothing to stop it. Nothing except for...Sonic. Cosmo brooded as she stared at Chris, Amy, Tails, and Vanilla from the window ahead of her.
She then looked down at Cream and replied to her, "Cream, aren't you worried that you might die if the Metarex was successful in poaching you? You are involved in a dangerous game that could threaten your well-being. How could you still be happy after hearing all those depressing stories about people and other planets dying due to the Metarex?".
"Because we have Mr. Sonic playing the game with us! He'll protect us from the Metarex. I feel safe since he will be with us as we continue to play the game. It's the same with Miss Amy and Tails," Cream replied with a smile. Cheese was flying next to Cream now. He continued to chirp at Cosmo in happiness.
"But without the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic won't be strong enough to protect you. He could die just like you could," Cosmo replied gravely.
Sonic then showed up as he quickly ran past them and stopped to reply to Cosmo. "Have more faith in me, Cosmo! As long as we face the Metarex together, then it doesn't matter if I have the Chaos Emeralds or not!" Sonic replied brightly with a smile as he put a finger up for emphasis.
"But we would have a greater chance in defeating them now if you had them," Cosmo replied with a frown.
"Ehhhh...you got me there. But there was no way that I was going to let that poacher kill my friends at the time," Sonic replied with a sheepish look as he shrugged his shoulders a bit. He continued by saying, "I'll always put my friends first before my own any day. But hey, look at the bright side! At least the Chaos Emeralds are not in his possession. So, that means we have a chance to win the game!".
The front door of Cream's house opened behind him as Tails, Amy, and Chris had walked out of the house. Tails replied to him by saying, "Sheesh, you must have really went overboard trying to stop that poacher if you had cared that deeply for us. You had just passed out from exhaustion back on Angel Island. That was why you were in Cream's home, Sonic. We were worried for you".
"Aw, thanks guys. And yeah, I do care that deeply for all of you. I had to fight as hard as I can to stop him from getting you guys killed. I'm very certain that they will come for us soon if we continue to play the game, but we can take them on!" Sonic replied to Tails with a smile.
"Sonic, please understand," Cosmo replied with a frown. Sonic and the others looked at her as she continued, "The Metarex had already killed many people and took their Plant Eggs due to this hunting game that they are playing. You have already lost your Planet Egg. The probability of losing this game is very high too".
"Yes, but with great risk, there is great reward, right? I am determined to beat this game and lift up the game's curse or my name isn't Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic replied with a bright smile as he pointed his finger up again for emphasis in his statement.
"Ooohh, Sonic is always so daring and charismatic! Maybe having him protecting us from poachers sounds very romantic and exciting now!" Amy cooed as had her hands together and had a dreamy smile on her face.
Sonic smiled sheepishly after hearing that. As he sweated a little, he pondered. Wasn't she just against this idea earlier today? I just can't understand her sometimes.
"Oh boy! Are we going on another adventure with Mr. Sonic? That sounds like fun!" Cream replied with a happy smile as she stood up from the ground.
"Well, I'm ready to go on another adventure if Sonic is willing to go," Tails replied with a bright smile too.
"Me too! It's been so long that I had an adventure with you, Sonic! Six years is way too long to wait for an exciting adventure!" Chris exclaimed with a determined look on his face as he smiled. Finally, a chance that I could be useful to Sonic! I'm ready! Chris thought with a smile.
"Now that's what I like to hear! Then let's continue on with the game...by going into space!" Sonic exclaimed happily as he then pointed up at the sky above him with his finger.
Thus, another daring adventure had started.
Well, then, we made it about halfway to episode 54 of Sonic X, and I've decided to cut this into two parts. The latter part of the episode will continue next chapter. I'm just putting this up a little early to tell you that these chapters will be updated weekly. If it takes a bit longer to post them, then please be patient. This will be a recurring theme with any long stories that I do. But if you are already aware of this fact, then thank you for being patient and being a dedicated fan! Hopefully you guys will get your next chapter soon sometime at either Sunday or Monday, but after that, it will be just weekly uploads! So, hang in there, it'll take a while, but it'll be worth it! Anyways, I hope you guys had enjoyed reading this, and I'll see you next chapter!